A piercing scream echoed throughout the halls of the Royal House of Alderaan.

Bail and Breha Organa darted out of slumber and through the building towards their adopted daughter's room. Several servants and other personnel quickly chased after the King and Queen only to find the two by the bedside of the toddler princess, both of them on their knees and peering underneath the tiny bed frame.

"Leia. Leia, please come out dear, it was only a nightmare," Breha whispered, reaching her hand out to her daughter.

"It was a scary one, Mama." The four-year old trembled underneath the bed and sniffled, whimpers leaving her lips.

"We know, munchkin. But you can't stay under there forever. Your mother and I are here to protect you, you know that," Bail ushered, a gentle smile accentuating the wrinkles beginning to appear on his face.

Leia looked up into the loving eyes of her parents and slowly used a chubby fist to dab away her tears. Gradually, she crawled out from under the bed and into her parents' awaiting arms.

"I sorry," she muttered into the fabric of Bail and Breha's sleep clothes.

"There's no need to be sorry, darling," Breha whispered, lovingly stroking her daughter's thick brown curls.

"We'll always be here for you, Leia. You never need to be scared," Bail whispered, his tone warm.

Leia snuggled in deeper, her eyes getting droopy. "I know Papa..."

***

    Leia had never been more frightened in her life.

    Here she was, undertrained, weakened, nervous, and holding a lightsaber to one of the most dangerous men in the galaxy.

    And her Mama and Papa were long gone...

    But she had her birth parents with her now, strangers that she could never truly feel the same comfort from that she had gotten from Bail and Breha. Yet Anakin and Padmé were here, at her side with their own weapons brandished...ready to die for their child...children.

    Her eyes skirted to Luke and she took relief in how scared he looked as well. As good as his swordsmanship was, and as much training as he had received, he was still abysmal in comparison to the Emperor. However, Vader had told them that their combined power rivaled almost the Force itself, a blinding light that was almost impossible to snuff if used properly.

    Palpatine was scared of that power, but his one true advantage was that Luke and Leia still didn't know how to use it. So he planned to kill or turn them before they could use it, whichever came first.

    The psychopathic look in those bloodshot, putrid yellow eyes sent a shiver down Leia's spine, but it was his voice, the gravelly, oily voice that she had only heard through holos back when she had been a youth Senator for Alderaan with her father. She had always hated hearing it then, nauseated at everything the Empire did, but she had never prepared for it in person. And it was much, much worse in person.

    As if hearing her thoughts, which wasn't completely impossible given the man's power, Palpatine's focus zeroed in on Leia, his cracked lips twisting into a malicious smirk. "Princess Organa. What a nuisance you and your family have been."

    Leia steeled herself with a deep breath before reaching deep into the Force like Luke had instructed. She knew not to go too deep lest she risk retriggering the seizure her and her brother had been in previously, but Palpatine wasn't aware of her limitations. With a fierce battle cry, Leia thrust out her hand and slammed backwards, the image of the pieces of Alderaan, her home, floating around in the dead of space adding a kick to her movement. Due to her lack of training, it wasn't a heavy blow, but it made Palpatine stumble in surprise, his face quirking into an impressed stare.

    Before the man could retaliate however, Vader came whirling from beside him, Palpatine already expecting the movement and moving up to block it. The two red sabers clashed with yellow sparks and sent a screeching sound echoing through the throne room. Luke, after getting over his surprise at Leia's Force push, rushed to Palpatine's other side, hoping to outnumber him. The green blade swung down towards the Sith's torso, but Luke suddenly felt frozen, his legs melded to the floor and his saber stuck in his grip, inches from cleaving Sidious in half. The Emperor twisted his saber hand and moved to slash Luke's shoulder, his right leg swirling out and catching Vader off guard and directly in the chest. Normally, kicking Vader would result in nothing but a sore foot due to the durasteel plating of his suit, but Palpatine had designed that suit and had just enough of the Dark Side behind his movements that Vader's respirator fluctuated.

    Luke's cry of pain as the red saber sliced through his clothes and burned his shoulder sent him spiraling back, the Force the only thing keeping him steady, sent Padmé and Leia running forward, Leia's blaster primed and her golden saber prepped. She fired three shots as Padmé jumped high into the air with her vibroblade. She slashed down only to be met with the saber, which sparked under the contact of the different blade. Two of Leia's shots missed but one hit one of the Emperor's hands and his form hesitated for only a moment. It gave Leia enough time to join the fight, her saber moving in her hands almost naturally. By thinking deep into the Force, it was easy to have the hilt spin in her palms, the gold light mesmerizing her. Vader instantly joined when Padmé faltered, father and daughter fighting side by side.

    Palpatine, growing aggravated, sent out a spark and managed to strike Leia in the ribs, the woman letting out a shriek and collapsing to the ground. Padmé darted to her aid only to be waved off, Leia simply groaning, dazed as her clothes began to smoke and her skin revealed burn lines. Luke growled but knew not to let the anger get the best of him. The pain of his sister had radiated through his own ribs due to her weaker shielding, but he pushed past that and darted beside his father to confront Sidious once more. Leia was back on her feet in an instant, Padmé by her side. They couldn't keep fighting Sidious like this, they would never get a shot in. There had to be something else...

    "No," Padmé hissed, hearing her daughter's thoughts.

    "You said Luke and I have the most powerful Force bond ever seen. This is our only chance to defeat him, Padmé," Leia begged, watching her mother's conflicted face right before the two guards Vader had previously knocked unconscious came running up the stairs, shocked at the battle.

    "Kriff," Padmé swore, watching as the guards lit up there electrostaffs and rushed forward to confront the Emperor's attackers. Padmé and Leia darted to meet them and instantly went back into battle mode, the surge of electricity on the edge of the staff keeping Leia on edge as she parried, swung, dodged, and struck the saber at the masked guard.

    Luke and Vader noticed the dilemma, but didn't let it distract them, the both of them using the Force and their saber skills against Sidious. Vader was more of a match against Sidious when it came to saber skills, but Luke's Force skills kept him in the game, his blade moving at speeds he wasn't sure was possible. He pushed back against the fear building in his sternum, Palpatine's aura poisoning his every thought with dark tendrils. Luke would compare him to Vader, but at least with his father he could slightly sense the sliver of light that was Anakin Skywalker struggling desperately to crawl out of the overcoming darkness in his mind. With Sidious, it was pure nausea-inducing darkness, light completely unable to penetrate the shadowy clouds.

    His mind went back to his old Master, Yoda, now part of the Force and counting on the Skywalker family to restore the galaxy to its proper balance. Based on the way the old troll talked about the Emperor, he had obviously fought him before and had barely escaped with his life. THinking that the great Master Yoda had failed against the Emperor sent a shudder down Luke's spine but he refused to be intimidated. His father's abilities alone were good enough to keep the fight up for a while...but for how long. He had heard Leia's hasty idea in her mind and felt Padmé's instant refusal, but he was beginning to see how his sister was onto something. Lightsabers alone couldn't defeat someone like Lord Sidious...they needed the Force's aid.

    Padmé crying out distracted Vader just long enough for Sidious to get another kick in, disorienting the man and sending him stumbling, wheezing once more in his respirator. The guard Padmé had been fighting had stuck her in the leg with the electrostaff and send the limb spasming, her whole body crumpling to the ground. Leia had noticed first and, with a shout, had managed a swift kick underneath the legs of the guard she was fighting, startling the man right before sending her blade through his heart. It all took place within seconds, and the second guard couldn't even react before Leia pulled out her blaster, clicked on the highest setting, and sent a deadly accurate shot right through the man's chest plate. He fell beside his companion, dead.

    With both Padmé and Vader disoriented, Palpatine took his chance and quickly Force pushed Luke backwards, sending a bolt of lightning directly to the boy's right hand, and watching with sadistic pleasure as the hand short circuited and dropped the saber he was holding. Leia moved forward to help only to be stopped by Sidious's hand, the Force freezing her in place.

    "The children of Skywalker...grandchildren of the Force," Sidious chuckled darkly, eyeing up the twins with a possessive nature. "Think of all of the things your parents have done to you. Abandoned you, split you up, lied to you. Your power is greater than them, greater than me and all of the insignificant soldiers outside. You two are an asset. You could rule the galaxy, stop all this useless fighting." He held out a wrinkled hand, "But only if you pledge yourselves to me."

    "Never," Leia snarled, struggling to move but still frozen with her blade upright.

    Luke moved to get to his feet, knowing he could fight with his left hand, but Sidious sent another bolt his way, incapacitating him and sending him back to the ground with a cry.

    "Luke...Leia..." Padmé groaned from the corner, trying to rise as well but her leg refusing to let her rise. Vader was the same, the strength in which Sidious had hit him, making it hard for him to breathe, his vision cloudy and blurred.

    "Do not...touch them," Vader struggled to say, his chest constricting before he realized with wide eyes that Sidious had a relentless Force grip on his burned lungs.

    Sidious scoffed, squeezing tighter and sending another small nudge towards Padmé's weakened leg, the woman yelp in the growing pain, the bone threatening to fracture from the blunt force of the staff and the electricity rendering the muscle almost dead. "Your parents are dead, these two are simply imposters who are using you for their own personal gain. I can show you true power, let you discover the full capabilities you have and to use them against all those who have wronged you."

    Luke and Leia shared a look, silent for a moment as they contemplated what to do next. Luke quickly moved to say something before Leia's eyes lit up with an idea and she lowered her head in defeat towards the Emperor, "What would you have us do?"

    "Leia?" Luke asked incredulously, his blue eyes wide in confusion. He quickly moved to scramble to his feet only to be slammed back down with the Force. He expected it to be from Sidious' hand but was startled to see that it was Leia's. He gaped like a fish until a voice came trickling in the depths of his mind, the shielding the most powerful he had ever felt. 'Play along. I have a plan.'

    Sidious smiled deeply, releasing Leia from his Force grip. His golden  eyes were psychopathic and full of sadistic glee as he watched Leia step forward him, her saber held forward as if an offering. "I'm impressed Your Highness, I figured you would take longer to break than your brother."

    "Vader watched as my planet...my family...died. Padmé has never been there for me. If you say we can stop the fighting..." Leia sighed. "Then what do I have to do?"

    Sidious clapped in pleasure, turning to Luke's crumpled form. "You'd be best to listen to your sister, my boy."

    Luke took a deep breath before lowering his head, trusting Leia. If anything, her diplomatic skills were infamous and her plans were genius, she had this under control. "I...I suppose she's not wrong."

    "Yes...yes...give in to the anger and hatred deep inside you. You know the Rebellion has never truly cared for you, Skywalker, frightened of your power. And you, Highness, them always pitying you but never fully listening to you due to your youth and quick temper," Sidious pushed, putting his saber away and moving towards the twins, Luke slowly and shakily rising to his feet. "Kneel and pledge yourselves to me and we can end this."

    Leia instantly complied, Luke only hesitating for a second after her before lowering to the ground.

    "No..." Vader choked, reigniting his saber and weakly stumbling to his feet.

    Sidious shook his head. "My new apprentices, kill him."

    Luke and Leia shared a look before rising to their feet, igniting their blades. Padmé had suddenly gotten to her feet as well, her right leg trembling and barely holding her up. "Don't do this, fight it! Think of all the people who love you, of me and your father, the Rebellion!"

    "Kill them now, I do not have all day," Sidious droned.    

    'On my signal,' Leia whispered in Luke's mind once again, the boy giving a minute nod.

    "NO!" Vader snarled, "I will not let you take anyone else from me. I refuse."

    Vader moved at impossible speeds, his lightsaber aimed at Palpatine's throat and Padmé crying out his name from the distance just as Leia shouted, "Now!"

    Luke and Leia dropped their sabers in unison and linked hands, diving deep into the Force. The light reached its hands out towards the siblings greedily, wrapping completely around their spiritual bodies. Once they felt each other in their bond, they held on tightly and squeezed, the energy that emitted almost painful in its power. Padmé watched in horror as Vader and Palpatine froze mid-confrontation, all of them awed as the twins began to glow and rise off the ground.

    It was mesmerizing and almost peaceful until Luke and Leia began to let out piercing screams, the sound inhuman and cracking the windows around them. Padmé, Vader, and Sidious all stumbled at the sheer power, and the fear they were emitting fueled the light even more, the entire throne room brightening.

    Outside, troopers on the ground and pilots alike all winced and covered their eyes from the blinding glow emitting from the center of the city, it sending them all into a daze. It was as if a sun had suddenly been born in the center of Coruscant. On the Falcon, the light didn't miss the attention of Lando, Chewie, and Han, who stared in trepediation and horror. They knew Luke, Leia, Padmé, and Vader were there, but they had no way to know what was happening.

    Despite it all, the power's core, the twins, was where the light was the most painful, the occupants of the throne room still in awe and unable to escape the bright light. What felt like millenia was actually seconds and Sidious watched as the Skywalker children, while still painfully howling, centered glowing, milky white eyes onto him. Before they could do a thing however, he instinctively reignited his saber and squeezed his fist, Vader collapsing beside him with a gasp as his lungs began failing him. With one last galre of defiance and a feeling of satisfaction, he drove his saber into Vader's back.

    Padmé's scream echoed through the room just as Luke and Leia unleashed their full power into the Emperor, the man twisting in agony and releasing an animalistic roar before he exploded in a blinding blue light, the shock wave sending Padmé back to the ground and the twins plummeting from their position in the air.

    Luke and Leia were unconscious and pale before they hit the floor, the both of them unnaturally still. Once the chaos died down, Padmé sobbed frantically and rushed towards her children, checking their pulses and slumping in relief at the steady thumps against her fingertips. However...

    "Anakin!" she cried, limping as fast as she could to her husband. His respirator was barely keeping him alive and his gloved hands were pressed firmly against the hole in his chest.

    "A-Angel...the twins..."

    "They're fine," Padmé choked, trying to smile for his sake. "And you'll be fine too, we've just got to get you a medic, that's all. We--"

    "Padmé," Vader coughed, reaching a shaky, blood-covered hand up towards her. The metal hand sealed in a glove stroked her cheek and wiped away her tears, still feeling like the same warm flesh hand she remembered. "There's no use. You must get Luke and Leia out of here. That light...it no doubt caught everyone's attention. There...there will be a swarm of fighting here soon...you must...you must go. Leave me here."

"I can't leave you," Padmé pleaded. "I just found you."

    "I know..." Vader breathed, each inhale shaky and stuttering. "But you must...if not for my sake then for the children's."

    Padmé began to shake with tears, burying her face into her husband's chest. "I love you. I never stopped loving you."

    She could feel his smile behind his mask. "And I never stopped loving you..."

    Sniffling and frantically wiping her eyes, Padmé suddenly knew that she wouldn't let Anakin die in the infernal suit that Sidious had created. She snapped the edges of his mask off and slowly pulled it off his face, trying to be as gentle as she could.

    "What...what are you doing?" Vader hoarsed.

    "I want to see you," Padmé ushered.

    "No...Padmé, I don't want you to see me like this,"   

    "Nonsense," Padmé said, and that was that. She tried hard not to gasp at the complete lack of pigmentation in his face, scars deep in his head and his dull blue eyes dead and droopy. "Oh Ani..."

    She stroked his cheek before leaning down and pressing a desperate kiss against his lips, her salty tears dripping into her mouth and meshing with the taste she had almost forgotten. She pulled away shakily and saw the blue eyes fluttering closed. Padmé bit her lip and moved to her neck only to remember that she had given the japor snippet to Luke. She turned to the unconscious twins only to see them slowly stirring awake, the both of them groaning and slowly regaining their color.

    Luke was the first to notice his father on the ground and gasped in horror, scrambling forward and taking the man;s hand. "Father..."

    "Luke..." Vader said with a wispy smile. Leia blinked and stared, unable to move.

    As if knowing what Padmé intended to do, Luke unclasped the necklace from his neck, remembering the story his mother had told him about it before entrusting him with it. He softly clasped it around Vader's neck and smiled lightly, fighting tears. He had lost so much...but to find his parents only to lose one of them so soon after...that was the Force's cruelest trick yet.

    Leia suddenly materialized at Luke's side, not sure how to feel. Vader turned toward her weakly, reaching his other hand for her. She took it with hesitation and looked up to see guilt written all over her father's face. "I'm sorry Leia. I wish...I wish we could've known each other more. I'm...I'm sorry for everything."

    Leia startled at the warm water leaking from her eyelids. "I forgive you," she whispered.

    "I'm so proud of both of you," Vader whispered, squeezing as tight as he could on both twins' hands before his grip began to slacken.

    The Skywalker family remained silent as Vader's...Anakin's...breathing slowed until it stopped completely, his eyes softly closed and his mouth permanently stuck in a warm smile of contentment. Padmé broke and wrapped her arms around his neck, wishing against everything that she had just been able to have him for longer than she got.

    There was only the sound of Padmé's wails for a moment before Luke's commlink suddenly buzzed, startling the boy. Wiping his eyes, he answered with a steadier voice than he felt internally, "Hello?"

    "Kid? Oh thank the stars. We saw this light and we thought...is everyone okay?"

    Luke sighed. "We'll meet you at the Falcon. Just have her ready for immediate takeoff ot the rendezvous."

    Han was silent for a moment before his worried voice came back over through the static. "Will do. See you in a minute."

    Luke slowly rose to his feet, Leia rising behind him. She placed her hand on his shoulder for comfort and he smiled. However, she leaned over his shoulder and whispered, "Do you remember what happened?"

    "Not a clue," Luke whispered, biting his lip. Everything after Vader running towards Sidious was a blur but they would have to ask Padmé once she was back up for talking. That is if she was even prepared to remember everything that had went down. To lose her husband twice was no doubt going to be hard to walk off.

    "Padmé?" Luke tried, his voice gentle. Their mother gave no reaction to having heard, still fumbling with Anakin's cape. "Mother," Luke tried again, gasping lightly when Padmé looked up to reveal red streaks down her face from her tears.

    "Help me carry him back."

    Luke and Leia shared a look before nodding, kneeling down and grabbing different sections of their father's corpse, Padmé's leg making it harder for her to carry the bulk of the weight. The three were silent and made it all the way back to the Falcon without obstacle, Lando waiting at the ramp and staring with wide eyes but knowing not say a word as he simply helped settle Anakin into a bunk in the back, a blanket over his body.

    Luke and Leia moved to the cockpit while Padmé sat in the hall, her knees to her chest and her eyes glassy as she gazed off into the distance. All that time thinking that her real husband was dead and replaced with a monster...

    Chewie walked into the hall and rumbled mournfully towards the older woman, plopping down beside her and wrapping an arm around her shoulders. Padmé took comfort in the large Wookiee and allowed herself to nestle into the soft fur as he rumbled comforting words that she couldn't understand but appreciated nevertheless. Meanwhile, Han hugged the twins in the cockpit, squeezing hard and refusing to let go. "Don't scare me like that ever again," He whispered, holding even tighter when he felt both siblings begin to tremble. They had hit their breaking point.

    He settled both of them into the two chairs behind the pilot and co-pilot seats and covered them in thermal blankets, smiling fondly when they fell asleep in nearly seconds. He hadn't mentioned Vader, knowing that it was still a sore subject, but once they had a proper funeral and focused on the future, it would be alright. They just had to keep moving. Lando came into the cockpit and smiled as well at the twins before plopping into the cockpit.

    "How'd you know?"

Han blinked, glad that Lando was keeping his voice down so the twins could sleep, yet still confused at the question. "Know what?"

    "That someone would die," Lando inquired, sounding curious.

    Han shrugged. "I can't explain it. I just...knew. Let's not worry about that now though, we've got to get to the rendezvous, get them some medical attention, and then explain everything to command."

    "Yeah. Right," Lando nodded, biting his lip and aimlessly messing with the buttons before him. He turned back to Luke and Leia once more with a shake of his head. Poor kids...who knows if they'll ever get past this mess.

    The Falcon's engine fired up and began to rise into the air, flying away from the main climax of the battle which was starting to die down in the Rebellion's favor. Once the news that the Emperor and Vader were dead, the Empire would slowly begin to crumble from the inside out, it was only a matter of time.

    Too bad no one would know what really happened...

***

A/N

oops was that too sad? oh well that's the goal

I was gonna have another chapter and then an epilogue after this but the next chapter is very epilogueish so i'm probably making that the epilogue. this is the end of the action so yeah...this is the penultimate chapter OMG

how long have i been working on this book?? wow. anyways you all have been great but this is not the end of me or my horrible hiatuses no! (i told you i would finish before the last jedi i can't believe i kept that promise kinda. gotta post that epilogue)

anywho i have 3 or 4? ideas that i'm gonna throw for you guys, but my favorite is the one i'm gonna be writing next, which i think i will announce on the epilogue. ahh! I'm so excited for you guys to read this next one.

if you can guess what it is maybe i'll give you a lil shoutout???? XD seriously i'll be impressed if anyone gets it cause it's not one of my old ideas.

but again thank you all for reading ghost and i hope you enjoyed this incredibly tricky chapter to write. i feel like i rushed it but if you actually enjoyed it then yay! oh and i'm a sucker for force lore so making luke and leia fly, yeah that was fun. probably canon too if they tried hard enough

right now there's about a week left until the last jedi which is crazy (still angry that lando's not in it but...whatever). I remember writing sacrifice still when the force awakens came out wow. thank you so much for 40K on this fic and i love you all!

*space hugs and kisses*

PS - look at me not killing luke off anymore. i'm a changed woman. XD

May the Force be with You,

- lucky_ducky_123