Title: Keeping Secrets.
Pairing: Luke/Wedge, focussed a little more on Anakin though.
Rating: T.
Summary: The rebels have just made the move to Hoth, when a sudden new pilot catches the attention of our heros, seeming strangely interested in Luke and incredibly secretive. What's he hiding?
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters, or parts of the story. They belong to George Lucas, regardless of how much I'd like to own Luke Skywalker. Haha.
Author's Note: This randomly came to me, and I originally envisioned it as a multi-chaptered story, though considering I begin college on Tuesday the 7th, I figured I wouldn't have the time to write something such as that. Ergo, this is just going to be a oneshot, but it will cover everything I want it to. Unfortunately, this rules out a prologue, so I'm attempting to fit all the information in along the way. This somewhat follows my oneshot Consequences, as this does make some references to that, though it's not considered a sequel in any way or form.
Keeping Secrets
"They must be insane if they think this is a good idea for a base!"
Luke Skywalker shivered, holding his hands tightly over his crossed arms, while standing outside the base where the Rebel Alliance had chosen to hide from the Empire. He could see his breath as his teeth lightly chattered, and he no longer felt as superior as he was supposed to be. After all, he had been named a commander for a squadron, his Rogue Squadron, only a couple years earlier, but standing on the freezing planet of Hoth, he felt like a new recruit who had no clue what he was getting himself into. A chuckle to his left went ignored, as he was focussing primarily on keeping his body warm, but that didn't keep the other man from talking.
"It's the last place the Empire will look, don't you agree?"
Luke could barely shake his head, "Won't they know to search in the 'last place' first?"
"Spoken like a true strategist. The Empire could use someone like you."
"I'd never join them, not after all the pain they've caused me."
"It took me a while to break free, that's true," his colleague spoke, "They'd never win without someone like you."
He didn't know what it was about the way the man spoke, but Luke could've sworn there was more to his thoughts than just what he spoke aloud. Of course there would be, nobody spoke the entire details of their thoughts aloud. Titling his head slightly, he noticed the man wasn't shivering, and was barely holding himself. He wasn't much older than Luke himself, at least not in appearance - he spoke way beyond his years, though this was the first actual conversation Luke had with him. The mysterious man had shown up only a week earlier, claiming that the Empire had taken everything he cared about, and that he had to fight them.
"Why aren't you cold? You seem so..."
"Calm? I'm used to this. I've been part of battles in climates such as this before."
"It must've been terrible," Luke mumbled, "Having them destroy your life like that."
"I was too blind to see it until it was too late. I let it happen," the man spoke regretfully.
The younger man wanted to press him further, but Luke knew how it felt to be bothered about his deceased family, and wished not to inflict that same feeling onto his colleague. It surprised Luke at how little he knew of most of the Rebellion, besides his few friends and his squadron. This man - he hadn't even learned this man's name, and yet they were carrying on discussion together. So many questions filled Luke's head, but he hadn't got the chance to ask any of them, when he felt a tap on his right shoulder. Turning to the opposite side of his colleague, Luke smiled at the sight of Wedge Antilles standing behind him slightly.
"Luke," the dark haired man began, "We've just received some important news. Vader's gone missing!"
"Missing? How does someone as him go unrecognized anywhere?"
Shaking his head, Wedge continued, "I'm not sure, but he's presumed dead."
Good riddance, that was the thought that crossed Luke's mind. Darth Vader was the man he hated most in the galaxy, only because he had been the one to rob Luke of his parents - or his father, at least. It was hard to contain his anger when he thought about everything Vader had done to him and his friends, so the news of Vader being missing was the greatest thing he had heard in months. There was so much he wished to say, but his jaw was still fairly frozen from the freezing air, so he refrained from saying much at all. He could feel something coming from the other man, in small waves, though he ignored it as it could've been nothing.
Wedge looked a little nervous, "Oh, and Naberrie, Captain Solo wishes to speak with you?"
"Is this because I tinkered around in his ship?" the other man asked earnestly.
"I imagine it might. He gets a little...protective of the Falcon."
"Alright," he grinned, "I'll go surprise him."
"Be careful, Han's pretty good at defending himself. You might get blasted in the face."
"Please, Luke...you're not the only force sensitive here."
Before Luke could ask about what he said, the other man walked away, his mischievous grin still present on his face. As much as the slightly younger man wanted to follow him, he knew that there were other things he had to do. Turning to face Wedge completely, he smiled and let the dark haired man lead him inside. Just as he was shielded by the walls from the freezing wind, Luke struggled momentarily and removed his hat, shaking his blond hair about. Wedge couldn't help but smile at him as he did so, his simple gestures and facial expressions always having been so cute and captivating to him.
"Come on, Luke. Let's get something to eat, alright?"
*SW* *SW* *SW* *SW* *SW* *SW* *SW* *SW* *SW* *SW* *SW* *SW* *SW* *SW* *SW* *SW*
"Naberrie! What were you doing in my ship?"
"What's convinced you it was me?" the man asked, grinning still.
"I don't know, how about the note you left?"
That was smart, he thought to himself. It had been over twenty years since he'd been able to have such fun, to act so immature, and he was reveling in it. It was moments such as those where he was glad to have his young body cloned so long ago, and left dormant until he felt the Force would allow him to transfer his spirit into it. Perhaps it was the discovery of his son that reawakened him to the Force, the side of it that would allow such an action, but regardless of what it was, he was thankful. Sauntering over to Captain Han Solo, he kept his hands in the pocket of his thick coat, hair tousled about to match his trouble maker expression.
"You mean the one that said, 'Your ship is junk, I fixed her up'?"
Han nodded, "That's the one. Signing it 'Anakin Naberrie' isn't exactly subtle."
"Don't pretend you don't enjoy what I've done to her."
"The Falcon is for my hands, and Chewie's, but certainly not yours, Naberrie!"
"Calm yourself, Solo," he raised his hands in mock defeat, "I won't sleep with her, alright?"
The look on Han's face showed that he certainly wasn't amused, but Anakin could not help himself. After spending so long as a menacing, fearful man, he was thrilled to be the child in the situation. Rogue Squadron had become his biggest fans upon the base, besides Luke who was often distracted, seeing as the majority of them were young and also fairly mischievous from time to time. He hadn't done any damage to the Millennium Falcon, though, as he loved to tinker around with ships anyway. Rolling his eyes at the glare Han continued to give him, Anakin turned around and without notice, began to head toward the cafeteria.
"Where do you think you're going? I'm not finished with you!"
"Captain Solo, I am not a child. I'm going to get some lunch, and either you can come with, or remain here angrily."
It seemed as if Han was conflicted for a moment, unsure of what he wanted to do. He clearly hadn't expected to be spoken to from Anakin, who spoke so confidently that it was another of those moments when he seemed older than he looked. Eventually, as he grumbled to himself, he began to follow the seemingly younger man in the direction of the cafeteria. As much as he was frustrated with the other man, Anakin was actually some welcome company to him, so he wasn't about to let the man get to him. He felt more at ease with him than he did with the princess, that much was true, so he figured he might as well catch up to him.
"So Naberrie, did you hear about Vader? Rumour is he's gone missing, MIA."
He nodded, "I don't think he'll be returning, either."
"What gives you that idea?"
"Has he ever disappeared before? If he's disappearing now, something must have changed him."
"Changed him, huh?" Han pondered the idea, "I don't know, I can't imagine anything changing him."
"Maybe something worthwhile came into his life...someone worth caring for..."
Han mulled the words over in his mind, unable to believe that something could ever change Darth Vader from a heartless, murdering machine, but Anakin Naberrie seemed so certain that it was possible. Perhaps Anakin knew something that he didn't - after all, when Naberrie had come to them a week earlier, he had admitted that he had just fled from the Imperial fleet. Pushing open the great metal doors of the cafeteria, Han instantly spotted Luke, and was about to join him when he saw Wedge slide in beside the blond with two trays. The dark haired man had a goofy smile on his face, and seemed to lean in too closely to Luke while he spoke.
"What do you think about Luke and Wedge?"
"They're close," Anakin commented, "But I wouldn't want to make any assumptions. We don't know."
"Like Hell we do. I know, I was there...they're an interesting sight when they're drunk."
"Drunk? You got my - I mean, Luke drunk?"
Anakin was about to reprimand the Corellian captain for letting Luke get drunk, but then he realized that it may raise some questions. He wasn't supposed to know much about Luke, only having been there a week, and neither was he supposed to care for him so much. It wasn't Anakin's fault that everyone thought he was a young man in his twenties, but it was the easiest rouse for him at the moment. He watched Luke and Wedge carefully, noticing the soft smiles the boys gave each other - to Anakin, they were only boys. There was obviously something going on between the two, and part of him just wanted to pry, as any normal father would have done.
"Yeah, the kid's a lightweight. His first drink and he ended up with a lover."
"Lover?" Anakin almost sputtered.
"Lover. They couldn't keep their hands off each other, and I believe it's the same now."
"Wait, don't they share a room?"
Han nodded, smiling, "Certainly do. Why do you care so much, anyway? You don't even know them."
"Just curious. They're cute together."
Of course, it was much more than that. Anakin certainly didn't approve of Luke sharing a room with his lover, because it was plainly obvious what would happen during the night. There wasn't much he could say about it, though, without having everyone suspicious of him. It wasn't as if he could talk, he was secretly married by the time he was Luke's age, but that didn't mean he wasn't protective of the boy. Running his hand through his dirty blond hair, he couldn't help but be reminded of himself at Luke's age, a father-to-be who was straying down a dangerous path. Shaking the thought from his mind, he turned again to Captain Solo.
"Let's get some food before everyone else here devours it all. Preferably something hot."
*SW* *SW* *SW* *SW* *SW* *SW* *SW* *SW* *SW* *SW* *SW* *SW* *SW* *SW* *SW* *SW*
"I don't know, Luke," Han shook his head, "I'm certain he's hiding something."
"We can't just ask him about it. He may get offended."
Ever since their conversation in the cafeteria, Han was wondering about the man who'd suddenly showed up at the Rebellion. He wasn't sure whether whatever the man was hiding was good or bad, but he wanted to know what it was. It seemed all too weird that he wanted to know so much about Luke, and he seemed unusually angry at the fact that Luke had been drunk at one point. Of course, since then, it had been a couple more points, but that was besides the point. Naturally, Han had gone to Luke later on to tell him about it, but he was unsure of what to say. He didn't want the kid to think he had some sort of stalker.
"I just don't think he is who he says."
Luke shrugged, "It wouldn't be right to accuse him of anything, though. He seems like a good enough guy."
"When he's not got his hands on my ship."
"Better your ship than your woman."
"Woman?" Han scoffed, "I'm not seeing anyone. Lucky, or maybe he would go for her."
Luke was not fooled, he knew that there was something going on between Han and Princess Leia Organa, regardless if the two had yet to realize it themselves. He personally felt no worry about the new guy, Anakin Naberrie - Han had finally filled him in on the name - other than the fact that he obviously had some sort of disturbed past. What person in the Alliance didn't, though? They were all fighting for their own causes, for something the Empire had done to them, whether it was direct or a general blow. Luke was brought out of his thoughts, though, when Wedge walked in the room, dripping wet and wearing only a towel.
"Naberrie?" he asked, "He's alright. No more secretive than the rest of us, and a fun guy."
"You only say that because you and the rest of your little squadron likes to torture me."
"Sorry captain, but you really do have an unhealthy obsession with your ship."
"Plus," Luke added, "He knows what he's doing."
"He's good for the Alliance, whether you want to admit it or not," Wedge said as he sat beside Luke.
"You two are hopeless. I'll tell him he's got a fan club."
Luke rolled his eyes and continued to sit back against his pillow, just thinking. Of course, his thoughts had become distracted with Wedge sitting on the bed, wearing nothing but a towel and looking incredibly sexy. Luke could barely contain himself, especially when the younger of the two Corellians in the room turned to him, wearing a bashful smile. The blond reached forward and brought Wedge to him, their lips connecting in an instant, and Wedge's hair dripping lightly onto Luke's face. As the dark haired man leaned into his lover more, slowly shifting to lay on top of him, Luke was just about ready to remove the towel from his lover's waist.
"Could you guys wait until I leave the room?"
Smiling into their kiss, Luke pulled away lightly to speak one word, "No."
"Fine," Han rolled his eyes, "I'm out of here."
*SW* *SW* *SW* *SW* *SW* *SW* *SW* *SW* *SW* *SW* *SW* *SW* *SW* *SW* *SW* *SW*
Anakin looked up as Han walked by, "Where have you been?"
"Oh...just talking to Luke. I was forced to leave, though."
"You were forced?"
"Okay," he admitted, "I left on my own, but I wasn't about to watch them do...that."
The dirty blond restrained himself from cringing, or getting angry of any sort. Regardless of how he felt about the boy's behaviour, he had to remind himself that at the same age, he was a married expectant father, and therefore had no room to disapprove of their intimacy. He shook his head to attempt to clear his thoughts, and Han leaned against the desk that Anakin sat at. There were plenty of datapads scattered around, as he had been both researching and putting together reports at the same time. Not for anyone in particular, but eventually the information could become useful to the Rebel Alliance.
"Naberrie, I'm just going to come out and say this - who the Hell are you?"
Anakin was taken aback, "What?"
"You're keeping secrets, and I'm not sure if we should trust you."
Of course someone would have to catch on sooner or later. He hadn't imagined it would be the former smuggler, but at the same time, Han was pretty knowledgable when it came to keeping information from people. No doubt he was able to spot that characteristic in others. Anakin had no idea how he could tell Han anything, because Han would know if he lied, but he also wouldn't be satisfied with any half-truths. Breathing a sigh, he shoved the nearest of his datapads away, and pulled himself out of his chair. Han Solo acted like an older brother to Luke, so if he could trust anyone with the safety of his son, it'd be him - and that included this secret.
"Solo...Darth Vader joined the Alliance. He has changed. I know this for a fact."
"And how would you know something like that?"
"Because I'm him. I was the Sith Lord...I came here to redeem myself within the Force, and -"
Han's eyes bugged out, "You're Vader? You are Vader?"
"There's...more than that. I came here to be with my son, to protect him from the Empire."
"Your son? Darth Vader has a son."
"Yes," Anakin gulped, "Naberrie was my wife's maiden name. My name is Anakin Skywalker. Luke is my son."