Good Night, Darth Vader, Don't let the Wampas Bite

Darth Vader is trying to convince his two young children to go to bed, and has made a deal to read a chapter from a book to them every night. As the Rebels have started to organize and threaten the Empire, will he have to alter the deal?

Disclaimer: Goodnight Darth Vader is a book by Jeffrey Brown, and I am writing a fanfiction based (loosely) on this book he wrote and illustrated. For those who are unfamiliar with the work, Jeffrey Brown writes (and illustrates) the Darth Vader and Son children's book series answering the question, "What if Darth Vader had raised Luke and Leia?" This story takes place (somewhat) in that universe, but is less intended for comedy.

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away…

Star Wars

Good Night, Darth Vader, Don't Let the Wampas Bite

Darth Vader has a long night of work ahead of him.

The Rebel Alliance is gathering allies and causing trouble for the Empire.

Moff Tarken keeps pushing for the Imperial Secret Project to be finished

before test firing can begin and mocks the power of the Dark Side of the Force.

But before he can finish his work, he needs to convince his children to go to sleep…

"Please, go to bed and sleep." He used the Force to wrap Luke and Leia into their blankets with a sigh as his headache finally ebbed away. Sort of.

"But, Daaad, we're not tired." Leia smiled in the way Padme used to when working the politicians into siding with her. He would need to keep a closer eye on her schooling.

"Yeah! We're not tired!"

"So we don't need to go to bed." He felt the gentle push of the Force trying to reinforce her words on him.

"Yes, you do. You are still growing and need your sleep." By the Emperor's nonexistent beard, how did Shmi Skywalker convince him to go to bed? Right, Watto would be unhappy if they were late and was likely to use the shock collar for a couple days on them. Or might sell them. Those weren't threats he could use on his own children. "And you have school tomorrow."

"But we're not sleepy!"

"I won't take you to the Toshi station this weekend if you whine, Luke."

"Yeah, stop whining, Luke." She stuck out her tongue as her minutes-older brother.

"Shut up, Leia!" And there went a pillow, flying to the other side of the room. Followed by another.

He held up a hand, stopping the flying objects mid-air. "What will make you stay in bed, quietly, and go to sleep?"

"Why do we have to go to bed?"

He inhaled and exhaled, wishing he could just rub his forehead to push the headache away. "If only you knew the power of sleep."

"Read us a story!"

"Yeah!"

He could do that. It would keep them in bed, and they'll fall asleep eventually. "As you wish. Which book?"

"Uhhh… Luke, which book?"

"How about… How about the story of how you got to be the boss of the army!"

"Don't be stupid, that's a story to tell, not a book to read!"

"Shut up, Leia!"

"Dad!"

"She started it!"

Vader held up a hand and picked a book. A thick chapter book Padme picked out when she still lived and they were setting up the nursery.

"Well, if they're anything like you or me, they'll like stories. And we'll need something to convince them to sit and listen to fall asleep to."

He smiled at the memory. "I will make a deal with you two. One chapter, one night a week, and you will go to sleep at bedtime every night. When we finish this book, I will find another to read from."

Luke shook his head and crossed his arms. "A chapter every night."

His sister grinned and clapped her hands. "Yeah. A chapter every night, and we'll go to bed on time, and not stay up."

"We have a deal." He will need to look into her schooling and make sure she wasn't using the Force, or her apparent natural political talent, to earn her grades instead of her school work. Luke was more like he was, straight to the point and honest.

"Yay!"

He opened the book and started to read, "In a time long ago, on worlds far away, before the Empire, before the old Republic, in the era of the Elder Republic, peace was the overall rule of the land. Until the Mandalorians arrived, conquering worlds in the name of combat. The Jedi Order refused to fight when…"

As he read the story of an early Fallen Jedi, he barely got to the part where Revan gathered several Jedi, when he heard the soft snores of sleeping children. He looked up from the book and watched the two most precious people in the empire in a moment of quiet. Marking his place in the book, he closed it and set it on the shelf as the light switch was turned off with the Force.

The rebels were starting to take up what little time he had with his family, and he couldn't help but wonder if the Emperor was using the dissidents to turn Luke and Leia against him. As the Separatists were used to put in an Empire and to turn him against Obi-Wan.

"Mom." He turned to look back at the sleeping children, still asleep. He frowned at the word. Padme died a few days after they were born. Neither would have a memory of her to utter the word with the sadness he felt remembering her.

Keeping the door open, but the hallway lights off to allow the small glow-in-the-dark stars to guide children to the bathroom, he made his way to his office in the infrared lenses of his helmet.

If the rebels continued to create problems and threaten the Empire, it would only be a matter of time before they tried to harm his family. The Dark Lord of the Sith waved R2 and 3PO to him. "You will continue to watch and help care for Luke and Leia, but at so much as a hint of harm comes near them, you will report to me. I will have the Mouse Droids follow them at school."

"Of course, Master Ana-"

R2 bumped into the protocol droid, nearly knocking him over.

"Ah, yes, of course, Darth Vader."

As the two droids left his chambers to patrol the small ship, he set up the force field and waited for the room to be cleared to remove his helmet and finally ease his forehead, and hopefully the headache.