Chapter Text
“And then I ran.” They’re sitting at a table, Vader’s lightsaber between them.
Luke doesn’t say anything for a while. Leia is keenly aware of the people around them, the rebel encampment doing their best to give them space. Her return has caused great excitement. Under the table her hands clasp tightly together.
“He won’t give up,” she says. “I know that.”
“He won’t,” Luke agrees. “But now we’ll face him together.” He reaches across the table with his black-gloved hand, his prosthetic hand. Vader is wrong. Luke isn’t weak. He has a power she’ll never understand, but she knows it’s stronger than the fear Vader inspires. She grasps his hand and her trepidation fades.
“Do you think it’s true? Do you think he could be our…”
“I think it’s true.” Luke's voice is somber. “He was a Jedi once. There might be some of that left in him even now.”
Leia pulls her hand away. It’s not something she can contemplate.
“How much do you remember now?”
“Enough. But maybe not all of it, but…Han and Chewie, are they…?”
“Off on a supply run. I don’t know if I should comm him or tell him in person but Han will be over the moon. He blamed himself for what happened, and for a long time he was afraid to hope-”
“It wasn’t his fault.” She straightens a little. “I hope that we can all let the past go.”
“The past must not feel real to you,” Luke observes.
“The present is what I’m more concerned with right now.”
“Okay.” Luke pushes up from the table. “Introduce me to your friend.”
Boba is waiting at a respectful distance, but even behind his helmet she can feel his eyes. He misses nothing. He repainted his armor a few days ago. “Original colors,” he told her. “I think.” She's not the only one who has to piece together her legacy from scraps and shards.
Red and gray. She likes it. She told him to wear it next time with suggestive inflection, ensuring that the next time was less than twenty minutes later.
She thinks he loves her. She might love him back, but first she has a few things to sort out. And he’ll wait. She feels certain of that.
“Luke, this is Jaster Mereel.”