I was listening to Dear Theodosia at work a couple weeks back and got hit super hard with dad feels. Then I decided that the adoptive dads of Star Wars needed some love because the song fits so well for Bail and Owen. And then this was created.
So have some dad feels for Father's Day!
-Becks
PS- sorry for the odd formatting. Apparently this website doesn't like empty spaces, so I have to add periods.
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Dear Luke and Leia, what to say to you? You have his eyes. You have your mother's smile. When you came into my world you cried, and it broke my heart.
Bail Organa stares down into the bassinet and scrubs a hand across his face. The twins are sleeping; exhausted by their trauma, hurting physically and mentally by some power he could never begin to understand. Just a few hours old and orphaned.
His heart aches. For the loss of his friend. For the loss of the Republic. For these orphaned children. They don't deserve this. They should grow up loved and cared for by their parents. Not subject to some unknown fate; hurried off to the far corners of the galaxy to avoid the Empire's attention.
They don't deserve to be separated from the only family they have left.
Luke shifts in his sleep and whines softly. Leia stretches out her hand in her sleep, and rests it against Luke's fist. He stills and settles deeper back to sleep. Together, they are at peace. A peace that is not going to last.
Obi-Wan will be coming soon to take Luke away. Out to Tattooine, out to Anakin's family. Leia will be going home with him. She will become a beloved princess of Alderaan, she'll have a first class education, every opportunity she could ever wish for. Luke will be… no one, a farmer struggling to scrape a life out of the sands of Tattooine.
It isn't fair; both of the children deserved the stars.
Bail had always wanted to be a father, but not like this. Never like this. His arms ache to hold his new daughter, but he doesn't want to separate her from her brother any sooner than necessary.
Bail sighs and rests his hands over both of them. When Leia is older, he will tell her everything. He'll tell her about her mother and father, about her brother. When the time is right, he will tell her.
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I'm dedicating every day to you. Domestic life was never quite my style. When you smile, you knock me out I fall apart. And I thought I was so smart.
Owen Lars awkwardly balances his nephew in the crook of his arm while he tries heating up his bottle. Luke wails while his empty stomach growls. Owen vows to never take his wife for granted ever again. She makes this all look so easy.
But Beru isn't here. She's gone for the week visiting family. The trip had been planned long before they even knew Luke existed. She had almost canceled it when Kenobi brought their nephew. Only after much convincing and assurance from Owen did she decide to continue with her trip. It would only be a few days, how hard could it be?
Finally, the bottle is warm enough, and Owen immediately pops it into Luke's mouth. The baby stops crying and quite happily takes to his lunch. Owen smils, heaving a relieved sigh as he sinks into a chair.
Babies were hard. And yet, Beru had taken to mothering Luke so easily over the last four weeks.
He had never really wanted children. Moisture farming was hard enough without having to worry about extra mouths to feed, costs of schooling, and new clothes every few months, medications, and other expenses. It wasn't an easy life and not one he was particularly keen on raising children into. He had a feeling that given the current state of galactic affairs, it would only get harder. Beru had agreed with him, though he knew she did so reluctantly.
He looks down as Luke finishes his bottle. His nephew's blue eyes lock onto his and Luke smiles widely and kicks his legs. Owen can't help but smile back.
Luke may not be related to him by blood, but he was as good as his own. He will do anything to protect him. He promised.
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You will come of age with our Rebellion. We'll bleed and fight for you. We'll make it right for you. If we lay a strong enough foundation, we'll pass it onto you, we'll give the word to you and you'll blow us all away... Someday. Someday. Yeah, you'll blow us all away, someday, someday.
Leia has a fever and the only place she finds comfort is cradled against her father's chest. Bail doesn't mind. If this is where she rests easiest, then that is where she would rest.
She anchors him as he worked aboard the Tantive IV. Rebellion work is too risky to coordinate from Alderaan, but onboard the ship, they can send transmissions from any remote corner and leave before the Imperials catch their scent.
As deals fell through and systems, old colleagues, and friends slipped through his grasp, Bail finds his thoughts turning towards despair and hopelessness. But he has Leia with him as a reminder. At sixteen months old, she hardly had a grasp on object permanence, much less the gravity of the situation. But all of this is for her, and her brother, and her father and mother.
Bail isn't sure how, but he knows that his daughter would reshape the galaxy in ways that he could only dream of. He can't wait to be there to see it.
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Oh, Luke when you smile I am undone. My sun. Look at my sun! Pride is not the word I'm looking for. There is so much more inside me now.
Luke is seven when he fixes that old speeder. It hadn't worked in five years. Owen kept saying he'd get around to fixing it, but he never quite found the time.
"Uncle Owen! Aunt Beru! Look!" he calls out joyously as he runs the speeder around the homestead in careful, jerky circles. He's not quite tall enough to reach the controls and see and steer all at once, but that's only a matter of time.
"Wonderful, Luke!" Beru calls back, clapping her hands together and beaming. "Just be careful, and soon enough you'll be driving me into Anchorhead." She leans over a nudges her husband with her elbow. "It's it something, Owen. He certainly has a knack for mechanics."
Owen is nearly bursting with pride. Luke hadn't even asked him for help or guidance while he tinkered with the speeder. He just spent his free time over the last week holed up in the garage, working on a secret project.
But Beru's comment stirs up some memories. Memories of Shmi talking about a little boy who was incredibly gifted with mechanics. A little boy who left his mother to become a Jedi. A little boy who grew up and destroyed the galaxy.
Suddenly pride is overwhelmed by fear. Is it smart to encourage this behavior when Luke is still so young? What if someone were to take notice?
"Kid is too smart for his own good," Owen mutters gruffly.
Beru sees the change in her husband and gives him a meaningful look. "Let him have this, Owen. He's not Anakin."
They both turn back and watched their nephew as his piloting becomes more confident, steadier and faster. Even at that age, they could tell that Luke is meant for greater things that being a simple moisture farmer on Tattooine. That scares them both.
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Oh Leia, you outshine the morning sun. My sun. When you smile, I fall apart. And I thought I was so smart.
By seven, Leia has already mastered the art of deception. Rarely does she ever use it for inappropriate means. Her caretakers know her routine too well to fall for her attempts to procure extra treats, or slip away from her tutors. And her playmates are too trusting to make it fun for her.
She uses it on the occasions when Imperial guests are visiting Alderaan and she has to play the part of a mild mannered princess. Thus far she has yet to encounter her father. Bail prays the day will never come, even though he knows it to be inevitable. He just hopes that when the day does come, Leia is older, and even more skilled.
Really, she mostly uses her deceptive wiles to cheat at Dejarik when she plays against her parents. Bail is no slouch when it comes to the game, but Leia likes to play with some very creative interpretations of the rules. Often times, if she makes a questionable move she'll immediately follow it up with a question that will derail her father's train of thought for several minutes – smiling widely, looking at him with earnest brown eyes. By the time it is answered he's forgotten the move. He still beats her on occasion. But the instances are getting farther and farther apart.
She hasn't beat Breha yet, though. They have had several close games, and it is only a matter of more practice and time before she wins. Bail has only won once against his wife, but he wasn't entirely sure she hadn't just thrown the match because it was almost 3am.
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Your father isn't around. Your mother isn't around. I swear that I'll be around for you.
"Aun'Beru?"
"Yes, Luke?" Beru peeks around the kitchen corner. She is busy preparing dinner.
Luke is keeping himself occupied with an old circuit board and some broken spare parts. She and Owen had tried to give him regular toys, but the boy just preferred to play with other things. He hadn't made anything that really worked yet, but she has a feeling it is only a matter of time. Owen said he would wait until Luke was five before he let him start learning to work with live circuits.
Luke is generally a quiet child, but today he is quieter than usual. He has been ever since she had picked him up from crèche this afternoon.
"Why do I call you Aunt Beru, and not mommy?"
Beru bites her lip and turns the stove off. Dinner might be a little late, but this conversation requires her full attention. She scoops Luke out of his chair at the table and sits down with him in her lap. "Because I'm not your mother," she explains gently.
"But, you take care of me, and tuck me into bed, and sing me lullabies, and make me better when I'm sick… don't mommies do that?"
"Yes, Luke, they do." Beru smiles and presses a kiss to the top of his head. "But I also do these things because I love you very much. When your parents died, your Uncle and I took you in."
Luke takes her hand in his, and begins playing with her fingers. "Did you know my mommy and daddy?"
"Yes dear. Your father was your Uncle's brother."
"What was he like?"
Beru pauses. She knows Owen doesn't want Luke to know who his father really was… but they hadn't quite settled on a story though. "He was a pilot. He loved to travel the stars."
"What happened to him?"
"He got himself killed."
Beru jumps and twists around in her seat. She hadn't heard Owen standing in the doorway. "Owen…" she starts, unsure whether it was right for Luke to hear this version of the story.
"He should know, Beru." Owen eases himself into the chair next to his wife and nephew. He fixes Luke with a very serious look, ensuring he had his nephew's full attention before speaking again. "Your father was an irresponsible man, and he got himself into a lot of trouble. He ended up getting himself killed. So, your Aunt and I took you in. We gave you the safe and loving home you deserved."
"He didn't want me?" Luke asks waveringly.
"He did, Luke," Beru answers quickly. "He loved you very, very much… but he had a hard time staying in one place. It's hard to explain, but you'll understand when you're older." She shoots a warning look to Owen, daring him to contradict her. He doesn't. Owen doesn't want Luke idolizing his father, but she isn't going to let him completely demonize him either.
"I know he wanted to come back for you, but he died before he could." Beru finishes.
"Oh…" Luke understands death. All the children of Tattooine learn of the finality of death at a young age. Whether it is pets or farm animals, family or neighbors, disease or blaster shot; the specter runs rampant on the sandy planet. A child that doesn't understand or fear death rarely lives past ten.
Owen decides it is time for a change of subject. He picks up the contraption Luke had been working on, turning it over carefully in his hands. "Did you make this?"
Luke brightens almost instantly. "Yeah!"
Owen scoops Luke into his lap. "Well, you tell me how it works, and we'll let you Aunt finish dinner, okay?"
Beru stands up, giving Luke one final affectionate pat on the head before she returns to the kitchen. She can hear Luke explaining his device, and Owen pretending to not understand something simple. This sends the child into fits of laughter. She can't help but smile.
XXXXXXXXXX
"Momma?"
"Yes, love?"
"What does ad-adope-adopted mean?"
Breha and Bail share an entertained look. They had never planned on withholding the truth of her adoption from their daughter. But they didn't think that she'd be asking at 4 years old. Then again – they hadn't expected Leia to be reading on her own so young either.
She is lying in her usual reading spot on the floor. She hasn't yet looked up from her holostory, her cheek is propped up in one hand as she studies the unfamiliar word.
"Come here, Leia." Bail sets aside his own reading and pats the couch between him and Breha.
Leia picks up her tablet and climbs into her father's lap. She points out the word to him, still expecting help. "Did I say it right?"
Bail kisses the top of her head, smoothing down her brown hair. "You did, sweetheart. Very good."
"What's it mean?"
"'Adopted' means that someone has a mother and father who aren't their birth parents," Breha explains.
"What's that mean?"
"Sometimes something happens to a child's mother and father," Bail takes over explaining. "And they can't take care of their child. But another family is there and they can take care of the child and love them very much."
"Oh…" is all Leia had to say. She stares at her holostory. "Like Lerena?" she asks pointing to the illustration. It shows a little togruta girl embracing her parents; a human and a rodian.
Bail recognizes it from one of the stories they had slipped into Leia's library. "Yes, just like Lerena."
"Leia, did you know that we adopted you?" Breha asks.
"You did?"
"Yes, love."
"So… I didn't grow in your tummy?"
"No, your father and I aren't able to have our own children. But when we learned that there was a baby in need of a family, we knew that we would love you with all our hearts."
"Then what happened to my mommy and daddy?"
Breha looks to Bail. They had long ago decided that Bail was going to tell Leia about her parents. He takes a moment to water down the story for her.
"Your mother and I were friends for a long time before you were born. But there was a… an accident and your mother died. You were a very tiny baby when it happened."
"So then… I became your baby?"
"Yes, Leia," Breha scoops her daughter into her arms and cradles her close. "I held you like this, and I fell in love the instant I saw you. And then I kissed you like this!" Breha presses several rapid kisses all over Leia's face.
Her daughter laughs and squirms away. "Momma, no! Daddy, help!"
She crawls out of her mother's arms and into her father's hoping for refuge. She is only held tighter and smothered with more kissed from her father. Leia's shrieks of laughter ring throughout the room.
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I'll do whatever it takes. I'll make a million mistakes. I'll make the world safe and sound for you…
Owen doesn't like going this far out into the Jundland wastes. It is too deep into Tusken territory, but he has to do something. Kenobi had crossed a line.
He sees the hut sticking up out of the landscape, the same color as the rock and sand around it, but too uniformly shaped to just be landscape. He had never been out here before, but he knows that is his destination.
Solar powered generators sit atop the hut, collecting energy to be used later. A few small evaporators are scattered about, collecting only enough to sustain one person. A few hardy plants have even been coaxed into growing in a small garden.
It is the home of a man who doesn't like to be bothered, who prefers to mind his own business. Or at least that's what Owen thought. Apparently it is also the home of a man who has the credits to buy spare ship parts and give them to ten year old boys.
Owen slows his speeder to a stop and the resident steps out of his home. Owen grinds his teeth; it feels like he was expected. Damn Jedi.
He hefts the box of spare parts out of the speeder and walks over to Kenobi. He drops the box, staring down the Jedi. It hits the ground with a crash. He rarely sees the man, but ten years in the desert has not been kind to him. His face is more weathered than he remembered; his hair is turning to gray at the temples.
"You need to stop." Owen declares.
"I just wanted to help," Ben replies calmly.
"We don't need your help." Owen shoots back immediately. "The boy's already got too much of his father in him. You encouraging him to rebuild ships and leave planet isn't helping!"
Ben bows his head. "He is talented."
"Of course he is, but that's not the point! You know he can't leave Tattooine! You know what will happen if he does!"
Ben draws a measured breath and meets Owen's eyes. "And you know as well as I do that his fate is not to live out his days as a moisture farmer."
Owen growls, unable to articulate a response, because the damn Jedi is right. But that doesn't mean that he isn't going to protect his family for as long as possible!
"Luke needs to be prepared for whatever comes his way." Ben reasons.
"It's not your place to prepare him!"
"I know you don't want me training the boy. But I will enrich his education however I can. He has incredible potential … and I know he likes mechanics."
"Of course he likes mechanics! He's a Skywalker. He's got his blood in him! See how well Anakin turned out under your guidance!" Owen snarls.
Ben falls silent, and Owen can't read his expression. But he doesn't particularly care if his words hurt the hermit. They are true. The truth hurts sometimes.
Owen turns and stalks back to his speeder. "Stay away from him. You've kill enough Skywalkers." He throws over his shoulder before he speeds away.
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You will come of age with our Rebellion. We'll bleed and fight for you, we'll make it right for you. If we lay a strong enough foundation we'll pass it onto you, we'll give the world to you…
Leia is thirteen the first time she meets Vader. She was separated from Bail, her junior senatorial duties called her away from the meeting she was supposed to be attending with her father. It isn't unusual, and never a cause for concern. They have a set meeting place to wait for each other.
A truly stunning mosaic of Padmé had been commissioned shortly after her death. It had been a joint effort by several senators. Padme Amidala's tragic, unexpected death touched many in the Senateand throughout the galaxy. Though, Bail had seethed with anger when Palpatine had fully supported the mosaic's commission and insisted it be given a prominent position in the senate building.
It is an easy meeting place, and Bail knows that Leia likes seeing her mother. Even if it is only through an artist's eyes.
He rounds the corner to catch up with his daughter, but stops cold in his tracks when he sees that Leia is not alone.
Both she and Vader are standing beneath the mosaic and talking.
Terror sweeps through Bail's veins, freezing him in place. Did Vader recognize Leia? Did he know that is his own daughter standing before him? When she stands against her portrait, it is easy to see Padme's features in Leia's face.
Bail forces himself to calm down, and strides forward at a casual pace. Leia certainly doesn't look like she feels threatened by Vader's presence… at least no more than anyone else does when staring up at his imposing form.
"Leia, there you are," he calls out as he gets within earshot. He offers a respectful nod to Vader. "Lord Vader. I see you've met my daughter."
"Hello, Father. Lord Vader and I were just discussing Senator Amidala." Leia gestures to the mosaic beside her for emphasis. "And how I find her so inspiring for accomplishing so much, so young."
"Senator Organa," Vader offers back stiffly. "I was not aware that you had children."
Bail hates the way the mask modulates his voice, turning it much colder and deeper than he remembers it to be. He guesses that it was a deliberate choice of the Emperor's. Still, he keeps his face set in his pleasant senatorial mask, the very same Leia had mastered by the time she was ten. He places a hand on her shoulder as he spoke, "Yes, my wife and I adopted Leia shortly after the first Empire Day."
"My parents were miners on the asteroid colony of Polis Massa," Leia explains with a sad smile. "There was an accident and they didn't make it."
"How fortunate that the Senator was to be there for you."
Bail smiles fondly at his daughter. She tells that lie so convincingly. And it appears that Vader believes her. He has no inkling that Leia is his daughter, the child he nearly killed on Mustafar.
And Leia holds her nerve so wonderfully facing down Vader. He is Emperor Palpatine's terrifying enforcer, one of the few remaining alive who believes in the power of the Force, a power which he wields with deadly abandon. That is a well-known fact by this point.
While Bail knows who Vader truly is beneath his mask, he doesn't know that he knows. For the time being, that is the way he wants it. A tool like that can be used in the Rebellion's favor in the future. It can keep Leia safe from Vader's grasp for a little while longer.
"Come, Leia, I'm afraid my meeting ran longer than I expected. We are going to be late." Bail turns back to Vader and nods respectfully again, flashing a patient, paternal smile. "Lord Vader, thank you for putting up with my daughter. I know she can be a handful when she gets bored. I'm sure she talked your ear off."
Leia feigns annoyance, but also nods to Vader. "It was a pleasure to finally meet you, Lord Vader."
"I'm sure your career will be of great interest, Princess." Vader waves them off, and turns back to face the mosaic.
Bail hurries Leia away before Vader can begin putting pieces together.
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And you'll blow us all away… Someday. Someday. Yeah, you'll blow us all away. Someday. Someday…
Leia is nineteen, and the galaxy is in the worst shape it's ever been in. The Empire was supposed to promise a bright and better future after the rough transition years. But things were only getting worse for the denizens of the galaxy. Even worse than they had been during the Clone Wars. Starvation was a common cause of death for anyone who didn't live on a Core or Mid Rim world. Many systems were trying to allay the suffering, but there was only so much they could do with the Empire breathing down their necks.
The Rebellion was growing, and getting stronger every day. The worse things got, the more enthusiastic people were to subvert the Empire in any way possible. But Bail was afraid it just wasn't strong enough. They didn't have the forces yet to strike a critical blow against the Empire. Not unless that critical blow could be dealt to a single target. But that was nearly impossible. Destroying a Star Destroyer or Imperial Base would only set them back so much when there were so many more ready to take their place.
Things were beginning to get desperate. Bail knew it was time to call an old friend out of retirement. And he knew exactly who to send.
He had done his best to protect Leia all her life, give her the training and education she needed to face any problem, but there was something he simply couldn't teach her. She needed a Jedi's guidance to learn that.
It was risky, sending Leia all the way out to Tattooine. But it had to be done. She was the daughter of Anakin Skywalker, one of the most powerful Jedi in known history. It was time for her to take up her birthright and learn her father's trade. Not only that, but hopefully she'd run into her brother as well. Luke was somewhere on Tattooine. He had no idea what had happened to the Jedi and the baby after they departed from Polis Massa other than they both made it safely to Tattooine.
The Empire may have their powerful weapons. But the Rebellion had a couple secret weapons of their own.