Luke was running. He couldn't stop. He could hear the troopers ever-closer behind him. The Emperor had commanded that he not be harmed or killed unless he had ordered it. Ahead of him, he could see the spires of the Jedi Temple, reaching up to the sky.
As he managed to make it inside he heard the troopers stop in their tracks. It was an unspoken rule that no one was to enter the old building unless they had been ordered to do so. The troopers would be creating a perimeter around the building, waiting for him to emerge.
They would have a long time to wait. Luke didn't plan on coming back out. The galaxy had no room for him. He would die here before he would allow them to take him back to prison to be tortured until he gave in to the Dark Side. Or death, whichever came first.
He kept running through the Jedi bodies and into a hallway with doors on both sides. He knew that he would find his father's quarters. The Force drew him forward through the dark halls and all too palpable death.
Finally, one room called out to him and he entered it. Like the rest of the Temple, his father's possessions were covered in a thick layer of dirt. Unlike the rest of the Temple, this room was tidy and there were no bodies. The only thing out of place was a spare cloak on the neatly made bed.
Luke threw himself onto his father's bed and pulled the cloak close. He was only thirteen. It wasn't fair. How could the Empire do this to anybody? He felt tears on his cheeks and brushed them away, pushing his face into the abandoned cloak.
This was Dad's room. What would he think if he saw me now? He used to wear this. He used to sleep on this bed. This is the closest I've ever been to him. I wish he would come through the door and put his arms around me and make me feel better.
Luke wrapped himself in the cloak and crawled under the blankets of his father's bed. There was no point dying cold. As he curled up under the blankets, his hand slipped under the pillow and he felt the edge of a picture frame. He pulled it out and blew off the dust. It was a picture of a tall man and a shorter woman with a round belly. His parents.
He started crying even harder and held the picture. Suddenly he couldn't bear to look at the place his father had called home. He rolled over and stared at the wall. He couldn't stand knowing that he was going to die.
I'm not here to die. I'm just waiting for my father. He's late. He should be back anytime now. And when he gets back he'll hold me and make me laugh and keep me safe. I just have to wait a little longer. And then Mom will get back. I'm hungry, but it can wait until Dad gets back. He always makes sure I'm happy. I just have to wait now.
In a way, Luke believed it. He would wait for death and with death would come reunion with his parents. They would protect him and love him. He would never face the Emperor's Sith lightning again. He would never have to think about torture again.
Luke lay still trying to convince himself that everything would be OK all day. He was famished, but he wouldn't eat. He was going to starve himself. He didn't know where to find food or a weapon to end it faster.
He wanted to sleep. He wanted to die painlessly in his sleep. His stomach was growling too loudly and it hurt. He was crying again. Perhaps dehydration was more likely at this point. He didn't care. He just wanted it over so he could see his father again.
Luke curled more tightly and lay still again. There was the sound of horribly loud, artificial breathing from the door. I'm having a nightmare. Vader can't be here! It's not fair! I just want it over!
As Vader entered his old quarters, he saw a small lump in his old bed. No one visited the old temple. It was just too creepy. Vader himself steered clear of it, but he had to retrieve the old pictures of his wife. He had thought that the pain of losing her would fade if he didn't have anything to remind him of the loss. Instead, he had felt that in failing to save the photos he was failing her again.
Who are you? What are you doing here? He walked over to the bed and sat down next to the small, rigid form.
He could sense the Sith approaching and there was confusion flowing from him. Suddenly a black glove came down on his shoulder and he was looking up into the terrifying mask.
"Who are you?" Vader asked.
Luke was too scared to answer. He tried to pull away, "Let me go! I'm not any threat here. I just want to stay here to die!"
Vader didn't release him, just held him tighter. "Who are you?"
"I'm not even a Jedi! I was just at Ben's house because he found me when I was lost in the Jundland Wastes! Please don't take me back to the Empire! Please!"
"What is your name, Child?" Vader rested the frightened child back on the bed and held his wrists.
Luke knew when a situation was hopeless, "My name is Luke. Please don't take me back to the Empire."
Vader released Luke's wrists and put one hand on his fevered forehead, "Why shouldn't I? If you were a prisoner, I'm sure there was a good reason that you were there."
Luke shivered at Vader's touch, "No! It was all a misunderstanding! And even if it wasn't, I think you've already hurt me enough."
"What do you mean?" Vader's tone told Luke nothing.
"You killed my father." Luke didn't feel any anger with the accusation.
Vader looked down at the boy who lay in front of him. Wide, blue eyes gazed back up at him. "Why are you here?"
"I wanted to be where my father died when I died." Luke felt stupid saying it, it was clear that no one had died in this room.
"What was your father's name, Luke?"
"Anakin Skywalker."
"What did you mean by 'it's all a misunderstanding'?"
"I'm not really a Jedi. I don't have any training. I'm just Force Sensitive. I was at Ben's house because he had found me when I was lost in the Jundland Wastes." Luke had calmed down considerably, it was clear that Vader didn't plan on taking him back to the Empire right away, at least.
There was a silence for a few moments as Vader stared at him. Suddenly, and much to Luke's horror, Vader picked him up and put him on his lap. Luke considered struggling, but it really wasn't worth it. He was a malnourished teen and Vader was a strong adult. Instead, he rested his head on Vader's shoulder.
"How did you get here?" Vader asked.
"I ran. When they opened my cell to take me to be tortured, I ran." Vader's hands were running through his hair now and, as odd as it was, it was comforting.
"What did they do to you when they tortured you?" Vader's voice wasn't sadistic to Luke's ears.
"Anything they could think of. They burned me with irons, they whipped me, they cut me, and the Emperor would use Force Lightning on me." At the thought he shivered and he could have sworn that Vader was hugging him closer.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry, my son."
At Vader's words, Luke sat straight up, "What did you just call me?"
"I called you my son. You are, you know."
Luke started to cry again, "Please, don't do that. Please don't insult his memory like that."
Vader started to rock the boy, it was an awkward, jerky motion, but the intention was clear, to comfort and calm his son. "But I really am your father, Luke. I am."
Luke curled up in Vader's arms and shivered. "I'm not sure I can believe that." His stomach growled loudly.
Vader reached to his belt and pulled a ration bar, "Are you hungry, Luke?"
"No."
"Please don't lie to me." Vader stroked his Luke's hair.
"I won't eat. I'm going to starve myself. Otherwise the Empire'll kill me."
Vader unwrapped the bar and put it in his son's hand, "Be reasonable, Luke. I won't return you to the Empire. You could come home with me. I'd keep you safe."
"You honestly expect me to believe that when you killed Obi-Wan?" Luke started to eat subconsciously.
"I haven't done anything to him. He is waiting for me to kill him, yes, but if you want to protect him I won't hurt him. You just have to come with me."
I don't want to be responsible for Ben's death, but I'm scared to listen to him. What if he just wants to turn me to the Dark Side too? "Do you promise you won't hurt him if I come with you?"
"I promise."
Luke nodded weakly and felt Vader pick him up. He closed his eyes and put his arms around the older man's neck. Vader carefully adjusted his grip so Luke would be more comfortable. Luke waited until they were back out of the Jedi Temple before he opened his eyes. Stormtroopers stared at him as he clung to the Sith and Luke closed his eyes again, he just wanted to be safe.
Finally, Luke fell asleep, still hanging around Vader's neck. He was awoken by having his arms pried carefully away.
"Huh?" he mumbled sleepily.
"It's just me, Luke. It's all right, go back to sleep." Vader rubbed his shoulder for a few moments and Luke relaxed.
"Kay." He curled up on the bed his father had put him on and went back to sleep.
When he woke up next, he was cradled in his father's arms as though he was a baby. He opened his eyes and stared up at Vader's mask and thought sleepily. He looks really weird from this angle. I guess he looks weird all the time. I never really thought about it.
Vader didn't notice his son was awake until he rested the boy on his bed. "Luke? How do you feel?"
"I'm hungry." Luke said seriously.
Vader made a strange, sick-sounding noise that Luke realized was laughter. "And sleepy, I take it."
"A bit," Luke conceded, smiling.
"Would you like to see Obi-Wan?"
Luke nodded and Vader left to get Obi-Wan from his cell. Luke curled up again and waited, thinking that maybe he should have waited to see Obi-Wan until he was more awake.
"Luke?" Luke's eyes opened instantly at the sound of Obi-Wan's voice.
"Ben? Are you okay?" Luke tried to sit up and instantly felt dizzy. Obi-Wan caught him and gently laid him back down.
"Better than you, apparently. How do you feel?" Luke managed to focus on Obi-Wan's face as the older man spoke.
"I don't feel lousy. I feel fine. I'm just really, really sleepy." Luke tried, and failed, to suppress a yawn.
There was silence from Obi-Wan before he spoke again, "What do you think of your father?"
Luke moaned. Why do you keep asking me confusing questions when I'm half asleep? "I'm not sure yet. I haven't been around him long enough to know. He seems fine."
"He hasn't hurt you, then?"
"No! He just brought me back here." Luke slid up the headboard so that he could see Ben.
"Good. Maybe there's still hope for him, then."
"What do you mean?"
"Your father is lost in the Dark Side, Luke. I thought you would notice." Obi-Wan smiled sadly.
"He didn't seem too lost to me. If he was lost in the Dark Side then he would just be cruel all the time, wouldn't he?"
"It's not that black and white."
"That's odd. It seems to me that it was that black and white when I was a Jedi, Obi-Wan." Luke turned to see his father enter with some food.
"You never did listen, Darth."
Luke, getting the definite feeling that he'd just been dropped into an argument he didn't know about, coughed quietly. Vader turned instantly to pass him the food he had brought. Obi-Wan just glared at Vader as Luke ate.
Afterwards, Luke couldn't help feeling sleepy. He was warm and safe. He was full and he had two people who seemed to love him, even if they were angry at each other. Sleeping really didn't sound like a bad idea. He curled up in a ball and yawned again.
Vader laughed, "You look like a pitten."
Luke smiled, "You sound like a dying krayt dragon. It's warm!" he retorted.
Obi-Wan could sense his one-time apprentice's amusement as he pulled the blankets up to his son's chin and stroked the child's hair.
Part of Luke felt odd being treated as half two-year-old, half pet, but he didn't really mind as long as his father was with him. I guess I'd put up with just about anything as long as I'm with my father. And Ben is with us. I guess I'll just have to wait and see.