Darth Vader paused outside the cell that held his son captive. I am a Sith Lord, I care nothing for the boy! he reminded himself

As Vader entered his small cell, Luke sat up. He was eager to see his father again. Their Force meetings had become so important to him and he thought that they might be important to his father too. Luke could reach out to his father at any time and Vader would send him warm feelings of love and comfort. Sometimes they would meet in dreams, other times it was just a gentle mental brush. It was always a good feeling. Once or twice Vader had sensed his son's pain and reached out to protect him from it.

Vader looked down at his son and tried to feel loathing towards him, sweet, innocent smile and all. It was impossible. But he had to do it.

The Emperor entered the cell after him. This was what the Emperor wanted to see. To watch Vader tear Luke apart at his command. It was a simple matter of telling Vader that he had sensed his meetings with his son in the Force. He had asked if Vader's loyalties might be stronger to his family than they were to the Empire and the Dark Side. Vader had sworn that they weren't. This was his chance to prove himself. It was simple, really. Torture and kill Luke. He would have to act as though he hated Luke, tear the boy apart and break his heart, and then feel his pulse stop.

Luke smiled hopefully up at Vader. He told himself that it was going to be Ok, that his father was there to protect him if the Emperor tried to hurt him. It wasn't working. He reached out in the Force for his father's gentle, reassuring touch.

Vader felt Luke's innocent need of family and bent down. He held Luke's head in both hands and reached out to the Force. He blocked away Luke's Force sensitivity, making it feel like it was torn away forever. Luke stared up at his father in horror as his connection with the galaxy was severed. After a few moments he was over the shock enough to start to cry hysterically.

"Why did you do that?" he managed to force out between the sobs.

"You have been invading my mind, now you can't." Vader felt his heart twist as his son looked at him with terrified eyes. He forced himself not to acknowledge that his son had the exact same expression Padme had had on Mustafar. He knew what he'd just done. He knew that he had betrayed Luke's naïve trust in him.

"I thought you loved me. You said that you loved me!"

"I never said anything. You triggered my emotions for an innocent baby you killed years ago, my son."

"What do you mean I killed him? I am your son! Please, you have to understand. I need you." Luke reached up to his father. He didn't know what had happened to his father. Just the day before, their minds had brushed and Vader had mentally comforted him. He had forgotten that the Emperor was in the cell too, all he saw was his suddenly cold father.

Vader reached down to his son and took the hand Luke offered him. Luke smiled and Vader knew that he had already forgiven him for seeming to betray him. Anakin's heart burned in Vader's chest as he continued to follow his master's commands to hurt the child. Vader twisted Luke's arm. He heard a crack. Inwardly he was crying out with his son, but on the outside all he could do was to let out a hiss of satisfaction and let go of his son's arm.

Luke clutched at his wrist and stared up at his father with wide eyes. This was not the same man who he had started to call "Daddy" subconsciously. This was Vader, not Anakin. Tears ran down his cheeks and he brushed them away, "Why?"

"Because you are worthless scum," Vader fought to snarl at the terrified child.

"I thought you loved me," Luke whimpered.

Vader forced a sound that was part laugh and part snarl. Picking his son up with the Force, he threw Luke at the wall. Luke slid down and fell into a crumpled ball. All Vader could think was, I'm sorry. Oh, Luke, I'm so sorry. I never meant it to be like this. Forgive me, my son.

Again the Dark Side of the Force grabbed Luke and threw him into the wall. Vader seemed so cruel again. He had started to seem almost human. Not anymore. Luke wished that he could reach out in the Force to sense whether or not Vader really hated him and meant all his cruel words.

The Emperor realized that there were ways to make this far more painful for both father and son. "Does Skywalker know what he did to his mother?" he asked. He cackled gleefully as he felt Vader's heart twist.

What was left of Vader's heart was torn by his master's words. Clearly he was implying that it had been Luke's birth that had killed Padme. Vader knew that it was not a suggestion to tell Luke this. His master wanted him to tell his son that all that had happened in the galaxy was his fault. It would destroy Luke. His son would never forgive himself. Vader would have killed his innocent little boy. He would have killed the last of his family. He had no choice. A voice inside him was screaming that he did, though. He ignored it.

"Do you know how your mother died?" he forced it out as a hiss.

Luke lay on the floor and stared up at his father in terror. He didn't want to know what Vader thought he'd done. He just wanted to feel his father's gentle touch in the Force. "I couldn't have done anything to her. I never even knew her." He croaked.

"Did you know the people on the Death Star? You killed them without knowing them." Vader watched his son's expression become suddenly guilty.

"Please, it was the only chance for my friends!"

"So your friends were more important than thousands upon thousands of people on the Death Star?"

Luke just whimpered as his father approached.

"You killed your mother, Boy. She died so you could live. If she'd known what you would turn out to be…" Vader felt sick as his son's innocent face crumpled helplessly.

Luke curled into a ball and tried to hide from his father. Tears ran down his cheeks and he couldn't hold them back.

"Do you know what else, Boy?"

Luke looked up and shook his head, terrified by his avid curiosity.

"You're the reason I turned to the Dark Side. How could I ever love a boy who killed my beloved Padme?"

Luke curled up again. He didn't want to see his father's cruel mask. He didn't want to see the Emperor's horrible, hideous, sadistic smile. He didn't want to see light. He had destroyed the galaxy. In the simple act of being born he had destroyed the galaxy. He didn't deserve to live. If he lived forever, he would never be able to mend his damage.

Would his friends even accept him, if they knew the truth? Would Leia just turn away from him in disgust? Would he never laugh with Han again? Had his aunt and uncle known? If they had, would they have taken him in? Ben had known, he was sure of that, but he had taken him under his wing anyway. But was that even such great comfort? Ben had lied to him, had wanted him to kill his own father.

Vader felt his son's helpless emotional turmoil and decided to distract him. The only way to do that without his master noticing what he was doing was to cause Luke more physical pain. Again he used the Force to fling his child into the wall again. This time was different, though. This time there was a crack.

Luke's emotional pain vanished into a sea of physical pain. As his agony tore through the Force even the Emperor stopped cackling.

"That's enough, Lord Vader. The brat can only take so much. Get up, Skywalker!"

Luke pushed himself into a sitting position and a look of terror dominated his face.

"I said get up, Boy!"

Luke tried again and tears started to roll down his cheeks, "I can't! I can't move my legs! It hurts, Father!" he reached one hand out to his father.

Vader forced himself to ignore the sobbing, broken, helpless child. He wasn't allowed to care for his son. If he went to the boy, his master would torture the boy a thousand times more cruelly than Vader could ever bring himself to. Tomorrow the boy's pain would be over. Tomorrow Luke would be safe with Padme.

In the meantime, Vader gritted his teeth and watched his son being dragged away, screaming in agony as his legs were jostled.