While She Is Here in My Arms

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Chapter 4: Leia Skywalker Solo

The day that Anakin had been dreading for years had finally come. His daughter was getting married. Everything was in place, and the wedding was due to start in about two minutes. Han and the holy man were waiting, and Leia was all dressed up. Anakin pressed his lips against her forehead before sitting next to her. "I love you."

"Love you, too, Daddy." She paused. "Have you ever thought about what our lives would have been like if we hadn't met when I was nine?"

"Occasionally, yes. I'd still be firmly buried in the Dark Side, you'd still be an Organa, Luke would still be on Tatooine…"

"You and Uncle would still hate each other, the Empire would still exist...actually, I'd probably be very heavily involved in the Rebellion."

"I'm sure you would be…I-meaning me, not Vader-would be so proud of you if you were. But…what if we had met on opposite sides of a civil war? What if we never knew?"

"Well, to extrapolate and guess a little bit, you might have arrested me. Maybe even more than once."

"I would have interrogated you, had that occurred." They both winced, knowing what that might have entailed.

"To make it more fun…let's say that I had captured the…I don't know…the plans to the Death Star, since no one would have stopped Palpatine from finishing it."

"So I would have gotten them back?"

"No…you would have tried, but I would have hidden them inside Artoo. And…just to make it interesting, I would have sent them down to Tatooine before you captured me."

"So Luke would have found them?"

"Yep, and then he and Uncle would have come to rescue me. They might have even hired Han and Chewie to take them."

"And then what?"

"Then Luke would have blown up the Death Star."

"Would we have ever found out about being related?"

"Probably, but I wouldn't have liked you. You know, because you interrogated me?"

"Luke would still have been a Jedi, though. I can't really imagine him as anything else."

"Oh, yes, of course." She bit her lip. "Han and I would have still gotten married, but we'd still be fighting off the remnants of the Empire."

They both laughed at this much darker world they had thought up. "Leia, you have quite the imagination." He wrapped an arm around her. "Thankfully none of that ever happened." Suddenly, the music began to play, and the bridesmaids and groomsmen started making their way down the aisle. Anakin offered his daughter his arm, which she took. "Looks like it's time."

She smiled. "I'll always be your princess, you know, Daddy."

"I know that, baby. Now come on. I assume you don't want to keep your fiancée waiting."

*WSIHMA*

At the reception after the wedding, Anakin couldn't help but look around. Next to him was his wife, his angel, who had somehow forgiven him for everything he had done to her. Across the room, dancing with a girl Anakin had never seen but who appeared to be Mandalorian, was his older son, a Jedi in his own right. Another quick glance revealed his younger children trying to swipe some extra food from the buffet tables (something he normally would have scolded them for, but this was a special occasion), his master (father in everything but name and blood) speaking to some of the Council members, and his former apprentice dancing with a Senator (wait, what?). Finally, in the middle of the dance floor, surrounded by their friends and family, his daughter and new son-in-law stared into each other's eyes, completely in love. This might just be the only good thing Palpatine ever did: without realizing it, he gave me back my family.

"Anakin?" his wife asked, placing her hand on his arm. "Are you all right?"

He blinked, coming back to reality. "Yes, of course, angel. I just…I'm remembering how blessed I am, with everyone having forgiven me and left the past in the past."

"It's because we love you."

"I know. And I love you all." He leaned over and kissed her. "I'm so grateful you gave me a second chance."

She smiled. "Come on, Anakin. Let's dance." The two walked onto the dance floor hand in hand, both smiling ear to ear.

A/N: Sorry this took so long and is so short...I thought it would be funny if they imagined canon, but then Anakin said that that was ridiculous. Just kind of a jab at the fact that literally everything that could go wrong for this family, did.

Kudos to anybody who can name the people Luke and Ahsoka were dancing with.