Leia and Luke head back to the landing platform. Neither one has spoken since lunch. Luke knows that Leia is hiding something up her sleeve, but recognizes that this isn't the place to ask her. There are too many ears listening and too many eyes watching. They need to be somewhere private. They can't risk anyone finding out their plan.

They slowly change back into their clothes, waiting until everyone has left the room. Once they think that they're alone, they huddle close to each other. "Mom never has her handmaidens dress her unless it's important." Luke immediately says.

"I know. So we are going to find out what this meeting is about." Leia says, narrowing her eyes. Luke is almost startled by the determination in her brown eyes. There have been very few times he's seen Leia like this.

He already knows that she wants to listen in and doesn't think that it's a good idea. Their sneaking around has never lead to anything good. Someone will find out and they always tattle on them to their mother. She's never been harsh to them, but Luke hates getting punished. Leia, well, she takes it so well that she basically turns on her heels and finds a new way to get them in trouble. She's got some fire inside of her that Luke wishes he had. Even when they were young, he was the only one to cry when scolded. Though he doesn't cry anymore, he still feels that familiar pressure in his chest when their mother yells at them.

Leia notices the hesitation in Luke. His blue eyes widen as the realization of what they have to do sinks in. She knows how he feels about going behind their mother's back, but what other choice do they have? If they aren't going to be told what's going on then they'll have to find out for themselves.

She also knows that she needs Luke's help. Her plan can't work without her sidekick. "Aren't you sick of being treated like a child?" She asks as her eyes dart around the room. "You said it yourself, they're keeping secrets from us. Isn't it time that we find out what they are?"

He doesn't want to deal with the outcome, but he also hates secrets being kept from him. He wants to know just as much as Leia about who their mother is meeting. He has also learned over the years that it's best to go along with Leia when she's this way.

She is going to listen in with or without him. There's no stopping her when she's this way.

"Alright. I'm in." He agrees. Before she can explain her plan, Luke grabs her shoulder, his grip tight. "Someone's coming." He harshly whispers.

They pull away and act like they're tying their shoelaces. It's almost frightening how easily they can act casual. Years of practice are finally coming to good use.

Someone stops in front of them and clears their throat. Luke and Leia look up, gently smiling. "Hello there." Luke greets.

"Princess Leia and Prince Luke, Ben Kenobi is requesting your presence immediately." He declares. Luke and Leia eye each other, clearly having the same thought. This guy is new to the base. It's uncommon for them to be called by their proper titles.

"Where is he?" Leia sighs as she rises to her feet. She stretches out her back, a few pops echoing in the room. She needs to stay casual. This guy just seems like a goody-two-shoes. He would snitch on them the first chance he got.

"He is in the training room."

"Alright. Thanks. We'll head over there." Luke says, dismissing the stranger. Once he leaves, Luke takes a deep breath. He lowers his voice, following Leia out of the room. "What is your plan now, genius?"

"This is just a minor flaw." Leia waves away with a smirk. The two of them walk down the now empty hallways. Just a few minutes ago, they were crowded with rebels rushing to the mess hall. It now feels like they're the only ones here. It's a sudden change compared to how it has been the past few weeks.

"I don't like this, Leia," Luke says. He can sense it in the air, there's something wrong. None of this is normal. The handmaidens, the silent hallways, and Obi-Wan suddenly requesting their presence. It makes the hair stand up on the back of his neck.

Though she agrees, Leia doesn't say so. He's right. It is eerily quiet. They can hear their footsteps bouncing off of the walls. It feels almost like it's one in the morning compared to one in the afternoon.

Leia pulls Luke aside, practically shoving him into a closet. At this point in his life, Luke is used to it. He hardly makes a noise as the two of them hide inside. "I don't think we should do this. Everyone seems uneasy. This must be important." He declares.

"That is exactly why we have to, Luke," Leia argues. "If it's this important, we'll probably never hear about this meeting. We have to do this to prove to them that we're not some fragile children. We are not pretty glass figurines Mom insists on showcasing. We won't shatter at a soft push. No, we have been hardened because of this war. We can handle what is going on out there."

Luke takes a deep breath, running his hands through his hair. Though he doesn't think this is the way to do it, he follows Leia's lead. He doesn't have any better ideas. "Fine. What's your plan?"

"I know that this meeting is going to take place in Mom's quarters. That's why the handmaidens met her there." Leia begins. "So all I have to do is go and pry open her door just a bit and listen in. Once I get all of the information I need, I'll bolt out of there and meet you in your room."

Luke shakes his head. "I don't think you should go by yourself," he argues. "We should stay together in case they discover our plan. They won't be as harsh on you if I'm with you."

"No. You have to go and meet Uncle Obi-Wan." Leia frowns as she pokes his chest.

"No! I am not going to see Obi-Wan!" Luke shouts. "You know that I'm a terrible liar. He'll figure out instantly that something is up. You go with Obi-Wan and I'll listen in on the meeting."

"Please, you are not a terrible liar. You've gotten away with so much shit over the past few years." Leia argues, rolling her eyes.

Luke huffs, crossing his arms over his chest. She's right. He could probably get away with murder if he wanted to. All he would have to do is plaster on a smile and run with the first lie to come to his head. No one ever doubts him.

"Besides, you can't even get close to Mom's room now. They'll have so many guards up. They're more likely to let me through than you." Leia says.

But he doesn't want her to go alone. He thinks it's too dangerous. Sure, neither of them will get injured, but he doesn't like the idea of her taking all of the blame. They're a team and they both have equal parts in this.

"Come on, Luke," Leia pleads, her tone softer. "Obi-Wan likes you more anyway and you need to distract him."

He glares at her. "You swear to give me all of the details?"

"Cross my heart and hope to die." She quickly answers, swiping her finger over her chest.

Luke sighs and shakes his head. "Fine. I'll cover for us."

"Great. Now you go and meet Uncle Obi-Wan. I'll meet you in your room when the meeting is over." Leia rambles as she practically shoves him out of the closet. He curses under his breath as he walks towards the training room. Though he doesn't want to do this, he can't help but wonder what they might find.

Once he rounds the corner, Leia turns on her heels and heads to her mother's room. She knows that Luke has a point. This meeting must be crucial to the rebellion if everyone is gone. She hasn't seen a single soul since the locker room. She straightens her back and tilts her head up. This just means that she has to be extra careful.

A few droids hum past her as she marches to her destination. Surprisingly, there are no guards. She expected to at least be questioned once or twice before she got there. She would have bet money that there would have been two guards outside her mother's quarters. Instead, all she finds is a sealed up door in a strangely silent corridor.

She crouches down, resting her hands and knees on the floor. She didn't really think through how she was going to pry open this door. She assumed it could be easily open with a card or something, but now she thinks it'll be pointless to even try. If it's as important as she thinks, the door will be practically bolted shut.

She has to find a way to hear what's going on in there though. If she doesn't, Luke will make sure that she never forgets this mistake for the rest of her life. She definitely can't let him hold this over her head. She presses her ear to the door, hoping to at least hear mumbling. That could confirm for her that she's in the right place.

She pinches her eyes shut, trying to only use her sense of hearing. Sure enough, she can barely make out her mother's voice. So she is right. They are doing the meeting in her quarters.

What a strange place to meet with the Empire.

Leia crawls past the door to sit on the other side. Off in the distance, she can hear a droid beeping to itself. If it's an R2 unit, she can get it to open the door. As it comes closer, she wishes that she had Luke's ability to speak with droids. After spending years working on them, he's learned how to understand what they're saying. Why didn't she pay attention when he tried to teach her what R2-D2 was saying?

Rounding the corner is an orange R2 unit. Yes! "Hey." She whispers. It stops, looking at her. She motions for it to come to her and thankfully it does. It beeps at her but she doesn't understand what it's saying. She just hopes that it isn't important.

"Can you open this door for me?" She asks. The droid grunts back to her, clearly appalled. "It's okay. I'm Princess Leia. This is my mom's room."

The droid beeps cautiously. It's probably questioning why it should believe her. "Look, I just need it open far enough to hear what they're saying. I'm not trying to sneak in."

The droid pauses, but then does what she asks. Leia grins as it goes to open to the door. A small, barely noticeable gap appears. She holds back silent cheers as she hugs the droid. It beeps at her, twisting its body. She lets it go and it goes back to its business.

Leia hastily presses her ear to the door. She can hear everything perfectly clear. Everything is actually working out. Her heart starts to race as she recognizes who's on the other line. Why is her mother talking to him? Why is she risking everything by contacting him?

Then two words make all of the air escape from Leia's lungs. She clasps her hands over her mouth, trying not to make a sound. Her body begins to shake and she feels like she's going to throw up.

She can't hear anything they're saying anymore. A ringing fills her ears and she begins to feel lightheaded. She starts to think that she's going to pass out. Leia knows that she needs to run. She needs to get out of here before they find her sitting outside of her mother's room shaking like a leaf.

But she can't force herself to move even an inch. It feels like someone has taken weights and placed them on her lap. Her chest is heaving rapidly and she thinks her lunch is about to reappear within the next two seconds.

Then she hears gasping on the other side of the door. Something kicks in inside of her. She knows that this is her last chance to get away without being spotted. Something is yelling at her to stand up and run away. Her legs feel like jelly but she pushes through it. For some reason, she makes a dash to the bathroom. She's can't think clearly. Her head is spinning and she has tunnel vision, but she doesn't slow down.

Her feet slam against the concrete floors as tears surge in her eyes. She storms into the girls' bathroom and sweeps a stall door open. Falling to her knees, she holds her face just inches above the toilet water. She heaves up her lunch, unable to stop until nothing more comes up.

Beads of sweat sprinkle across her forehead and with a trembling arm she wipes them away. She grips the rim with both hands, trying to steady herself. How is she going to play this off? She bolted in here like a madwoman and has been throwing up for who knows how long.

She presses against the toilet, attempting to stand again. Her legs are still quivering, but it's not as bad as before. She covers her nose and gags, the smell now affecting her. She's afraid that she'll start vomiting again. Quickly, she flushes it away, wobbling backward away from it until she hits the sink.

She jumps, instantly flipping around. In the mirror, she sees her reflection. Her brown eyes are bloodshot from holding back tears. Her face is as white as the hallway she was hiding in. Her nose is a cherry red, snot dripping from it.

She is a walking mess, but she doesn't blame herself. What she just found out would shake anyone to their core. It's something straight from one of her nightmares. Then she remembers Luke. She promised to give him all of the details from her investigation.

How is she supposed to tell him this?

Leia holds her arms tight to her chest, trying to bring herself some sort of comfort. No, this can't be true. She must have misheard what was being said. None of it makes any sense.

She takes some deep breaths, trying to steady her breathing. She needs to calm down before someone finds her like this in here. She pinches her eyes shut, trying to block out the world but her heart is pounding so hard that she can actually hear it.

She is so afraid.

She tries to stifle her tears, but it's useless. They escape her effortlessly. The salty tears make their way onto her lips, reminding her of what she's just learned. Though she can't stop the waterworks, she is somehow able to keep herself practically silent.

She doesn't want to believe what she's just learned, but somehow, she knows it's true. She can feel it deep in her gut like someone punched her with all of their might. Everything is starting to make sense now. The lies. The secrets. How did she miss the signs?

Then she hears a noise.

People. They're roaming the halls again. The meeting is over.

She rushes to the sink, splashing cold water onto her face. They can't know that she's been in here crying. She needs to act like nothing is wrong. She must be exactly like she was in the locker room. She has to put on a scowl and look pissed. She must be herself.

Though it's still noticeable that she was crying, she leaves the bathroom. She needs to go and meet Luke. Her eyes are still red and puffy, but the rest of her looks decent. She frowns, hoping to come across as unfriendly. If someone does ask her what's wrong, she needs to come up with an excuse. It's not every day that Princess Leia has visible tears. She can say she lost her favorite bracelet. Maybe Luke hurt her feelings.

The last one isn't a total lie.

She has gotten her feelings hurt, but it wasn't by Luke.

As she walks the halls, very few people give her a second glance. None of them say anything thankfully. This is the one time she's thankful that her mother is the leader of the rebellion. No one can say anything to her without fear of offending her mother.

She reaches Luke's room, seeing him lying in his bed. He jumps up immediately and rushes to her side. "So what did you—Oh, Leia. You smell awful." He comments, pulling away from her. He covers his nose, holding back gags.

He grabs a bottle of his cologne and quickly sprays her down. Once the smell is masked, he finally has time to look at her. She's pale and her eyes are puffy. Leia is not knowing for crying, so something is definitely wrong. "What happened?" He asks, his eyes searching her face.

"Hold me. Please." She begs, rushing into his arms. How is she going to break this to him? She can hardly handle thinking about it. How can she possibly say the words to him?

"Did Mom find out? Are you in trouble?" Luke asks. He heard the sobs in the hallway. Maybe they were her. He looks down, feeling her trembling in his arms. He should have been with her. She shouldn't have done this alone. He should have pushed harder to be the one to listen in.

"No. Luke, this is much worse than that." She says, pulling away from him. She almost wishes that she got caught. The punishment they would have received doesn't come close to the pain she feels right now. "The information I found. . ." She trails, her voice wavering. She can hardly come up with the words to say. They are five simple words that she can't seem to form.

Then a knock comes from the door. Both of them freeze, their eyes locking in fear. Has someone found out what they've done? Neither one says anything, afraid of what is to come. They pray that the stranger will go away.

Another knock comes. 

Leia shakes her head but Luke knows that he has to acknowledge that they're in here. "Come in." He says.

~~~~~~~~~