Luke was happy. The empire was destroyed, along with the emperor. There was a Galactic celebration going on. He could feel it. But, still, something was nagging at the back of his brain. Something was pulling at his happiness. He reached out, searching for the break in his bliss. There it was. The Jedi. Or lack of. He thought wryly. He sighed, Obi Wan Kenobi, Yoda, his father, Anakin. Anakin Skywalker. What was my father like? My real father. Not the man in the suit. The Jedi. The Jedi who was Obi Wan's best friend. The hero. I wonder what he was like. Do I look like him? Does Leia look like my mother? Or my father? Luke sighed, knowing he may never know the answers. He glanced up to see Yoda, and another man he had never seen before. Yoda smiled at him.
"Fulfilled your destiny, you have. Proud, the Jedi are." He gestured to the man beside him and disappeared. Luke looked back at the man. The man stepped forward.
"Luke, I am proud to have trained you in the ways of a Jedi. You have done well."
"Ben?" He nodded, realizing that Luke did not recognize his younger form. He looked left as another man appeared. His mouth opened in shock. Luke frowned. That man was strangely familiar. He glanced into a puddle of water, and smiled. Yes, he had seen that face before. Kind of. Luke looked back to the two men. For a moment, they looked at each other apologetically. Obi Wan was first to break the silence.
"I failed you, Anakin." Luke smiled. It was his father, after all. Anakin spoke.
"I failed you, Obi Wan." They embraced. Luke had known they were great friends, but hearing it and seeing it were two different things. Finally, they released each other and Anakin turned to look at him, tears in his eyes.
"Father." Luke's voice was full of pride and awe at what his father used to be. Anakin smiled regretfully.
"Son." He stared into his son's eyes, mourning for what he had lost. I could have raised him. I would have seen him grow. Grow into a Jedi. Better that me even. My son.
"Your sister. Where is she?" My father wants to see Leia. The thought echoed in his head. My father. Afraid of losing sight of his father and his friend, he called to Leia.
"Leia. Come and talk to…to our father." Leia rushed over.
"Oh. Oh father." Tears returned to Anakin's eyes.
"You look just like your mother. Exactly like her." He took in a ragged breath as he remembered Padme. Grief cut through him like a knife, as his memories provided the worst of his mistakes. Killing his wife. It hurt him, even now, to think of her. Pushing the thoughts of her away, he focused once again on his children. My children.
"Luke, always remember your training, never be afraid of anything." Anakin recalled the day, so many years ago when Yoda had warned him about fear.
"Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to the dark side." When he was a child he had thought it was foolish, but now, in death, he understood. Fear, of losing his mother, of losing Padme, anger, at the Tusken Raiders, at the Jedi, for not trusting him. Hate. He could not name everything he had hated in his lifetime. He must tell Luke. It was not foolish. It was important. The most important lesson he could teach his son. He must tell his son. But how? How could he make Luke learn? Make him understand?
"Learn on his own, he will." Yoda had returned. Anakin nodded to Yoda's greater wisdom. Yoda faced Luke again.
"May the force be with you, young Skywalker." Yoda said gravelly. Anakin smiled at his old name, passed on to his son.
"Goodbye, my son. Someday, I will see you again. I promise."