[Closed]

[prophesiedone]

WHO: Anakin, Leia & Han (?) Don't hide, Han.
WHERE: De Chima
WHEN: After his most recent convo with Kylo.
WHAT: Dads can check on their daughters, okay.
WARNINGS: I hope none?

She had used a lightsaber. While the entire story worried him - for Leia's sake and Kylo's - Anakin couldn't stop himself from almost grinning. She would be an unstoppable force with that blade once he taught her how to use it properly. But that would have to wait. His precious daughter had inherited his bad temper and bad tempers did not mix well with lightsabers. He didn't want her losing a hand or more.

It took no time at all to arrive at her door. He hesitated and then knocked, biting the inside of his cheek. If she was angry, he might need to dodge too. Gently, he sought out the Force for answers, searching for her emotions.

But cities were so loud; so bright. He wrinkled his nose and shook his head to clear it. Well, here went nothing.

Comments

[articulations]

If Anakin wanted emotions then all he would get would be the sensation of hitting a wall. She'd felt the gentle pressure attempting to reach in. Her concentration could only last for so long but she's been practicing with keeping herself closed off from the Force for the last few weeks. However, against someone as strong as Anakin?

When she answers the door she's dressed down fresh from a shower in gray lounge pants and a dark t-shirt, towel drying her hair, and like hell is Leia expecting any kind of company.

Seeing who it is on her doorstep, while she's in mid-toweling, she pauses. This is a surprise. When was the last time she'd spoken with him?

"Yes?" The towel hangs at her side in a hand, the shorter shoulder length hair damp as it's tucked behind an ear. "You didn't call ahead. What's going on?"

[prophesiedone]

"Did you cut your hair?" because that is what matters most, right? Get it together, Anakin. He takes a breath to clear his head before he tries again.

"I was worried. I wanted to see you." he looks her over; he could break through her wall and get a good look at her emotions, but that isn't right. She deserves her privacy.

"I know about Han." his lips thin and some color leaves his face, "I don't know what you're feeling. But you're not alone. If you're hurting, we all are."

[articulations]

Leia blinks. "That's the first thing you say to me after all this time?" Jeez.

Everyone must've been so used to seeing her with her hair loose down to her hips or else all done up. Now it was as long as Padmé's, past her shoulders to her shoulder blades.

Why should he be worried? He— never mind, there it is.

Leia's fingers squeeze at her towel, teeth gritting against the cold washing through her. She can remember that night, the night Kylo had come to her. No. No, they were not going to talk about it.

"No. No, you're not. You don't know." That concentration was slowly unraveling.

[prophesiedone]

"I know, sorry. You look nice." and she might not think he means it, but he does. She is a natural beauty like Padmé. Oh look, his bias is showing again.

"Leia..." he wants to comfort her. He always wants to comfort her, yet he only ends up hurting her. Again and again and again -

He shifts his weight nervously, flexing his fingers to relieve some tension.

"I saw it...in his memory. I know what happens to him." Anakin pauses and adds, softer, "It kills him that he did it, which is probably justified. I won't speak for him. I'm not here for him; I'm here to see how you're doing."

[articulations]

"No. It is not justified." How dare he come here and say that to her. "How dare you. He takes him away from me."

It's fresh, all over again. The anger wants to break free but it's trapped, pushed down. Where could it go right now?

"His actions should haunt him."

[prophesiedone]

"That's not what I meant." his brow furrows, "I meant it's killing Kylo that he murdered his father. There is some kind of justice there, I think." he crosses his arms over his chest, "They do. But, in the end, you're still his mother. If he feels rejected, there's not much left for him but the Darkness."

Not the point of coming here.

"I want to take care of both of you...and Han too. He's -" he searches for the right word, " - not bad."

Nailed it.

[articulations]

"If he feels rejected, that's not my problem." The towel comes up as she's almost shoving a finger in his chest. "Don't you dare start lecturing me about parenting. I'm not his mother; I don't know who he is. I only know that I—"

Remembering that he's brought up Han, Leia switches topics.

"Are you done? I think we're done."

[prophesiedone]

"Leia, I'm here for you; not him. Not even Han." he holds up his hands in defeat. He is very careful to not touch her hand.

"You're upset and that's understandable." his gaze sweeps over her features, worried, "I'm good at distractions if you need one or you can just shout at me."

Yelling can be damn soothing.

[articulations]

"I'm upset because he kills his father, he kills the man who..." Whom I love. The only man who comes to understand her and why she does what she does.

Leia shakes her head.

"Shouting isn't going to change anything. Shouting won't change the fact that I wanted to kill him in the present for what he does in the future."

And was that fair? To her, yes. Revenge, that was what she'd wanted. That strong desire, it had diminished after their time in space, the four of them working together, yet it still remained beneath the surface.

"I pulled my lightsaber on him, did he tell you that? I turned it on with every intention of running him through with it. I didn't think, I only acted on my— my emotions."

Anger. Hate. Revenge. Suffering.

All of which, the first two were beginning to make themselves known. In the waver of her voice, the set of her jaw.

[prophesiedone]

"I know." he lets her speak, sensing that she needs to get her feelings out in the open. None of them shock him. He has warned Kylo that Leia likely shares his temper. When they're hurt or frustrated, that temper boils like a volcano.

"You can't do that. Acting on anger, fear or hate is incredibly dangerous. If you did run him through, you would be playing right into the Dark Side's hands."

Anakin knows that he must temper himself if Sidious ever arrives. He can't just go wild.

"I'll help you learn how to use your lightsaber if you want. I know you want to protect those you love." and she deserves that right, "Just know that I don't believe Kylo means you any harm. He regrets what he has done and the one responsible for manipulating him will be taken care of swiftly should he arrive here."

[articulations]

He's so patient in the face of her rising emotions that she's reminded of Luke and it knocks her down a peg when, really, it should only frustrate her more.

"You don't think I know that? I've experienced enough anger and hate since I first got here that it's a surprise I haven't gone down the same path as you." Unlike him, however, she hasn't lost her spouse or her child in one go. The future is the future, the past is the past. Exist here, that's all any of them should want.

"But is it so bad? Sometimes it can't be helped, giving in to those emotions." The Dark Side can't control them. "One side cannot be without the other."

Finally, Leia takes a step back. They shouldn't be having this discussion out on her doorstep, though it wouldn't be the first time they've done it. But then she pauses.

"No, I know he would never hurt me. Not physically, anyway. But killing Han, telling me about it, he had to have known how deeply that would've affected me. The blame can't be placed entirely on someone else. He needs to be held accountable, just the same as you do."

[prophesiedone]

He has only learned patience through practice. A lot of practice. He might also be channeling a bit of Padmé, which is hardly a bad thing.

"Don't. Believe me, you will only regret it." daily. Every waking moment and sometimes in slumbering moments too! That is if sleep ever comes.

"Our family is...a special case. We need more control. We're not...normal." he winces and remembers the conversation he recently had with Kylo on the matter, "If you delve into the Dark Side, don't do it when you're angry and out of control. Then it controls you."

He doesn't follow her immediately, unsure if she wants him inside.

"You don't think we are held accountable?" his voice is flat and the light in his eyes - which are entirely blue - is dim, "Without you doing anything, if he continues on this path, he will suffer as I did...do. He can sense his hopelessness too, by the way, and...he accepts it."

[articulations]

"Luke and I were fine before we were brought here. We were—" Well, they were dealing with Vader but that was possibly a little more traumatising than what was going on here, learning their future aside. "We were normal."

It offends her that he's lumped her in with the Skywalkers, or perhaps with him. Leia knows the blood that runs through her veins, she's seen the memories between Anakin and Padmé. She knows where she comes from. Doesn't mean she has to like it. Right now

"So are you telling me that it's okay to step into the Dark Side but keep any negative emotions that could be impacting off the table?" Then she motions him inside as she senses his hesitation. "I really feel like you did come here to talk for him. Like you're trying to convince me to go to him. To give him hope."

[prophesiedone]

"Normal." he repeats the word flatly, clearly not believing it. They might have played at being normal - having normalcy - but they have always been remarkable. Leia and Luke are equal parts Naberrie and Skywalker, after all.

"I've never been normal and your mother has never been normal. You are - both of you - exceptional and I'm sorry you could never celebrate that." he closes his eyes at the inquiry, "I'm not saying it's okay. Just...if you do use it...use it wisely. You've seen what it can do to a person."

Tipping his head back to ease a small headache, he searches for the right words. If Leia understands Kylo better, she can see her family clearer. They have always been a strange mixture of Light and Dark.

"I'd like for him to have hope, you're right. But I'm not here for that." he gazes at her solemnly, "I really am here for you. To have someone so close to you ripped away and then to realize family was the cause -" his lips thin, "You might be angry and defensive on the outside, but I know it breaks your heart."