A/N: Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars. This story is rated T for violence, and possibly some swearing. That's all I really have to say. Hope you enjoy.
A small blond haired boy lay in the corner of a dimly lit cell, shivering as he clutched a thin jacket. He barely had the strength to lift his head just enough to see a large black mound suddenly thrown into the call with him. This had an immediate effect as the boy scrambled to the mound's side, ignoring the presence of the crimson garbed guards and the inky black presence of the Emperor standing behind them.
"Father!" A small broken cry tumbled out of the boy's mouth as he gently laid his tiny hands on the black mound. After a second of silence, a mechanical wheezing stuttered from the form. "Father, please!" Slowly, and obviously painfully, the mound started to unfurl. A heavily damaged mask and the source of the sound lifted up a little. At the same time he also raised a shaky hand, and with a gentleness unthinkable by the man's size, strokes the boy's face.
"Luke…" The boy, Luke, leaned his face into the touch and kept the larger hand there with his own two tiny hands. "My son…" Tears started leaking out of the boy's eyes as he clung to his father's hand. His father's voice was hardly louder than a whisper, and the damage done to his vocoder was painfully clear.
The family moment was broken by an evil cackle from the dark form that was still watching them from behind crimson guards. As the form started forward the crimson parted to allow it through.
"What a touching family moment." The oily voice that came from the darkest man in the universe sent shivers up Luke's spine. "Too bad the whole family isn't here." Luke blanched at the thought of his twin sister cruelly gunned down a couple of days ago. The boy's father had a different reaction. Instead he struggled to face their tormentor and managed to haul himself to his feet.
"You will not harm my son." In response the other man cackled again. Seconds later, a blinding light filled the dimly lit cell. An inhuman sound filled the air as Luke's father collapsed underneath the barrage of Force lightning. After a few seconds the Emperor withdrew his attack, leaving his father's respirator struggling to work as he gasped for breath.
"You are not in any shape to protect yourself, let alone your son." A smile of yellowed teeth appeared from the shadows of the hood and Luke couldn't help but shiver at the sight. From the floor his father tried to once again regain his footing as as small protest escaped from him.
Another greasy chuckle emanated from the Emperor as he raised his gnarled hands, pointing them towards where Luke was lying on the floor. The boy froze as he stared up at the pair of decrepit hands, nothing but pure terror racing through him. A few small bursts of lightning crackled amongst his fingertips before striking out to rain down on the young boy.
Lightning seared across his little body in a web like pattern as a high keen of pain escaped him. Luke collapsed onto the floor and attempted to curl up into a ball to ease his suffering. As the physical attack continued, he felt an oily, dark and purely evil presence lurking just outside his mind. The presence seemed to circle his mind, looking for a weakness, and when it found one; it struck.
It was nothing like his father's dark grey, commanding yet gentle presence that Luke had always sought comfort in. It tore through his mind with little care to the damage done, simply seeking the quickest way to cause the greatest amount of pain. The mostly untrained boy tried a few vain attempts to force the presence from his mind, and only received a spike in pain for his efforts.
"Father!" The blond boy didn't know if he'd cried for his only remaining family in actuality or through the Force, not that it mattered as long as his father heard it. A few precious seconds ticked by before Luke felt another presence burst into his mind. This however was the soothing presence of his father, and instantly he felt the Emperor's greasy presence fade away.
"I'll be kind one last time Vader. I'll give you your last few minutes alone with your son." Luke's eyes cracked open barely wide enough to watch the Emperor's cloaked form fade away from sight followed immediately by his crimson guards.
The boy's entire body was wracked with shivers as he dragged himself the last foot needed to press his miniscule size into his father all encompassing form. He couldn't help as his body continued to seize as if he was still being struck by lightning.
"Luke…" The blond boy forced his eyes open to look up at his father's helmeted head. "Help me… Remove my mask…" Any other time he would have protested, knowing the importance of the built in respirator to his father's life. Even as untrained as he was, Luke could still feel his father's presence in the force slipping away from him.
Luke fumbled with the latches more than he normally did, tiny fingers trembling, but eventually be pulled the mask away from his father's face. The mask clattered to the floor as two pairs of identical striking blue eyes met. No matter how many times he'd seen them before, Luke was still entranced by how much his own eyes matched his father's.
As before, the father raised a hand, with far more gentleness than would be assumed, to cup the son's cheek. He could feel his son's minute trembling through the touch, and carefully wiped away the single tear that had started to fall from his son's eye.
"I don't have long now… Luke promise me you will not make the same mistake I made… Do not give yourself over to Palpatine... Escape the first chance you have… No matter what he says, do not join the dark side… It takes more than it will give and the price is not worth it… My biggest regret is that I ever trusted Palpatine… I love you, Luke… Don't ever forget that… my son…"
With a final shuddering breath, he leaned forward and pressed his lips against his son's forehead. Luke felt his father's last breath leave him as he went limp, falling away from their embrace. For a second the lost little boy just stared at his father's closed eyes before closing his own and curling up, pressing his form against his father's body.
'I wish I could have been there to save him.' A body wracking sob escaped the broken boy as he repeated the thought over and over again in his mind. As he started to drift off into unconsciousness, he suddenly felt a strong presence in the force wrap warmth around him. It only stayed there for a second before he felt as if he was falling.
He landed with a thud that sent another wave of pain through his already ruined body. A cry escaped his lips before he could bite it back. A few seconds later he heard the fall of footsteps, rapidly approaching. A hand resting gently on his shoulder made him jump and whimper slightly at the new wave of pain.
"Hey, are you okay? Will you look at me?" Luke complied with the achingly familiar voice and cracked his eyes open. He was met with a concerned pair of identical striking blue eyes that matched his own staring down at him.
A/N: Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Let me know what you think! I'll try and update as soon as possible. Until the next time.