Chapter Two: Reunion
Luke must have dozed off sometime in the next two hours, because when he woke up in the bedside chair the chrono read 0700 hours. Luke blinked in confusion for a few moments, then straightened out his limbs, which had grown awkward and stiff overnight. He must have been more tired than he had thought; all of last night's excitement seemed to have caught up with him. He glanced towards his father, checking to see if he had made any improvement overnight, but his father had not moved. He was still lying on the medical bed, but looked more peaceful, perhaps a result of the Force's healing.
It was eerie for Luke to see his father young and healthy. His father had been such an iconic figure that it was hard for him to imagine his father as anything but the black mask and suit that had become his signature. It was strange to imagine his father as a young man: energetic, youthful, handsome…. Yet here he was, evidence of youth and a different life in a different time.
Luke ran his hands over his face. He found himself once more thinking of Han and Leia. They were probably worried about him. He was worried about them too. He had no way of knowing truly if they were safe and well. The Emperor's words returned to him: Your friends, out there on the sanctuary moon, are walking into a trap, as is your Rebel fleet.
Luke shook his head, clearing his distressing thoughts. He would know if something had happened to them. He would feel it in the Force. He leaned forward and put his head in his hands. Worrying about them wouldn't do anything for him. Right now he needed to focus on his father and his father's recovery and protection.
"Luke!" a familiar voice startled Luke from his thoughts, making his head snap up to find the source of the call. Han. The voice seemed to be calling from the hallway outside, so he jumped up and strode towards the door.
When Luke exited into the hallway, Han immediately strode towards him, exclaiming, "Luke!" He grasped Luke in a hug, his face displaying immense relief. When he released Luke, however, his was not smiling. Instead he looked worried, as if years of worry had been collected there. He had no time to speak, however, because Leia was not far behind him. She ran up to Luke and embraced him tightly. However, like Han, there was no smile on her face when she released him. Quite the contrary, Leia looked furious.
"Luke, what the hell were you thinking?" she snapped, quite loudly. Her eyes flashed dangerous sparks of fire and she set her arms on her hips. She wore white pants and a white vest that was similar to the one she wore on Hoth. "Sending a transmission like that, without any information about your whereabouts, your health, or any time of return! What the hell do you think we were supposed to think when we traced the transmission back to the medical center! Have you any idea of how worried we've been?"
"Leia, I'm sorry," Luke said, quite taken aback by her anger. "I intended to come and find you. I decided to send the transmission to let you know I was okay."
"What's been so important that you didn't come find us?" Leia demanded. She looked slightly betrayed, although her anger seemed to have simmered down.
Luke shifted uncomfortably. He did not know how to explain the situation to his friends. He knew it would cause them pain. They would undoubtedly be angered at his actions. He met their eyes. Han's gaze, filled with confusion, stared doubtfully at him. His sister's accusing glare seemed to burn through him.
"What are you doing here?" Leia snapped when she was answered with silence. She seemed to read Luke's discomfort a moment later, however, and tried a gentler method. Her voice softened a measure. "Luke, please explain."
"Were you injured?" Han asked him.
Luke briefly closed his eyes, as if attempting to close out their confusion and pain. He shook his head. "No. …Someone else."
Leia and Han were silent. Both seemed to be taking in Luke's words with confusion. A moment later, however, the Leia's anger drained from her, leaving her pale and alarmed.
"Luke," she said softly, cautiously, "Not…"
Luke knew that she was referring to the possibility that he had brought their father back with him. He lowered his head and nodded. He could not expect to keep the truth from her. She deserved to know; he was her father as well.
Leia noted Luke's nod with silence, her mouth left slightly agape. Suddenly, abruptly, she whirled around, heading straight for the room where Anakin was resting.
Luke sprung forward, trying to grab Leia's arm. "Leia!" he called, worried that she would do something impulsive. Han followed behind them closely, pushing up behind them to catch up with Leia.
Leia burst through the room, ripping her arm away from Luke's grasp in anger. When she was about a foot into the room, however, she stopped short suddenly, stricken at the sight ahead of her.
Anakin was still unconscious, but Luke realized it was still a shock for Leia to see their father lying there, helpless, without his mask. Luke turned to look at his sister, unsure of how she would react. She just stood there, lips slightly parted in alarm, forehead wrinkled with dismay.
Han was likewise alarmed. As he stood beside Leia, his expression, which was initially one of surprise, slowly melted into anger.
Not wanting Anakin to be disturbed, Luke gently took Leia's arm and nudged her towards the door. Leia allowed herself to be guided until they had exited the room, at which point she tore herself from Luke's grasp.
"What were you thinking, bringing him here?" she hissed.
"What the hell, Luke! That's Darth Vader in there!" Han yelled at Luke.
"He's turned back," Luke quickly replied, trying to make them see the motives behind his actions. "He's changed."
"I don't think you realize where this places me as a leader of the Alliance," Leia snapped, "Or where it places you. On a fine line."
"Leia, I didn't intend to place you in this position! I didn't intend for you to come find me," Luke protested. "I intended to help him out."
"What, help him start a new life?" she mocked. "Help him to set up shop and begin farming?"
"I couldn't just leave him to die, Leia!"
"Why? Because he's done good for you?"
"Leia, he saved my life! He killed the Emperor!"
"One good deed does not condone years of atrocities," Leia snapped.
"Then give him a chance, Leia! Forgive him and move on."
"You forget what he's done," Leia continued heatedly. She waved her hands about dramatically as she spoke. "The atrocities he's committed. The lives he's ended."
"Leia, he's my father," Luke said simply, softly. "And I owe him my life. He needs my forgiveness."
Leia was silent, a glowering look on her face, but she did not reply.
Han looked shocked. "Your father?" he echoed. "Darth Vader's your father?"
Luke was silent. He looked down at the ground, refusing to meet Han's accusatory stare and tearing his eyes from Leia's silent glare.
Han turned his stare at Leia. "Darth Vader's your father?"
"No," she answered sharply, glaring at him. "Bail Organa was my true father."
Luke grimaced. "Leia-"
"Bail Organa raised me, taught me all that I know," Leia cut him off. "He is my father."
Han looked shocked, taken aback. "So this whole war is really just a family feud?" he said angrily.
"We didn't know until recently, Han," Luke said. "It came as a bit of a shock."
"That Darth Vader couldn't keep it in his pants?" retorted Han crudely.
"Anakin Skywalker was our father, Han," Luke replied angrily. "He wasn't always Darth Vader."
"That was who he chose to be."
"He turned back," Luke cut him off. "He could be a valuable ally for us if we gave him another chance. Is it right for me to leave an injured, defenseless man to his death? Is that what the Alliance stands for? I owe him my life. He chose me over Palpatine and chose to take the right path. He is my father. He deserves that chance." Luke faded into silence.
Leia shook her head silently. "Do what you will, Luke, but I cannot and will not forgive that man. You may claim him as your blood, but he will never be my father." With that, Leia turned around and walked away.
Han looked at Luke uncomfortably, and then, apparently deciding to stay with Leia, turned and caught up with her, leaving Luke standing alone in the hallway.
When they left his sight, the tension building up in Luke disappeared, leaving him weary and emotionally drained, as if a shell of him had been left behind. Luke exhaled and brought his hands to his face, as if trying to rub out the stress and anxiety. He suddenly seemed to age a few years, betraying wisdom beyond his years.
Luke did not know if his friends would leave him there, unwilling to cope with the pain and discomfort that the place brought them. For the first time, he questioned whether he did the right thing in bringing his father there. Was he too idealistic? Would his father truly be able to adapt and move on as he had hoped? Leia had doubted it, made his hope seem foolish and naïve. Would his father ever truly be a part of society? Luke was unsure now. His hopes of rebuilding the Jedi with his father waned.
Luke shook the thoughts from his head. He would discuss the situation later with them, once they had all calmed down a bit from the initial shock. Luke headed back to his father's room.
A sudden rustle from the bed startled Luke, and he headed over to his previous chair by his father's side, studying his father closely, hopefully, for any signs of movement or life. He could see Anakin's eyes moving underneath his eyelids, darting back and forth, and Anakin began to stir, faintly at first, but soon he was frowning and shifting his facials expressions, as if he was experiencing a dream.
Eventually the movement slowed and stopped, and initially Luke thought his father was simply fading back into unconsciousness. Soon, however, Anakin's eyelashes began to flutter. It took a while for the eyes to finally open, but the eyelids finally parted to reveal brilliant blue eyes.
Anakin stared at the ceiling of the room, apparently in slight confusion over his surroundings. He squinted and frowned, then drew his hand up to his head, where the oxygen mask was still attached to his mouth. Halfway to his mouth, however, Anakin spotted his flesh hand and froze. He clenched and unclenched his fingers, amazed, as if testing it out for the first time. Fumbling, his fingers worked at detaching the oxygen mask.
"Father," Luke said, announcing his presence and reaching over to help him remove the mask.
Anakin's eyes found his son and he seemed to relax. They both worked to take the mask off. After it had been removed, Anakin took a few breaths, closing his eyes briefly, as if the effort had exhausted him. When he opened his eyes he asked, "…Luke, why…?"
"The Force healed you," Luke told him. "It wasn't your time to die."
Anakin closed his eyes briefly. He was silent for a moment, but then, his neck straining, slowly pushed himself upwards. Luke sat there, slightly uncomfortable, unsure of whether he should help his father or allow him the space. He decided on the latter, watching as his father steadied himself on the edge of the bed.
Anakin placed his feet down on the ground. He seemed to test the ground for a few moments before placing his weight on his feet. He steadied himself. He took a few tentative steps, which slowly grew more confident as he adjusted to his new flesh legs. When he was a few feet away, he turned around to look at Luke. "I… don't understand."
"Father, the Force is giving you another chance," Luke said. Couldn't his father see that?
Anakin shook his head. His jaw hardened. "I don't know why. I have done horrible things in my life, Luke. Things that could never be erased."
"And you feel guilt?" Luke asked him.
Anakin met his gaze. "…Yes," he admitted after a pause.
"This is your chance to redeem yourself."
"Life cannot ever go back to what it was before," Anakin answered, his voice hard. "A part of Darth Vader will always live in me."
Luke was silent. Did his father truly believe that? Why couldn't his father let go of his anger and barriers?
Anakin turned back around and paced towards the window. Once there, he crossed his arms silently and stared out of the window into deep space, where tiny stars and planets glittered in the black sky.
Luke watched him for a few moments, wondering what he was thinking. He tried to reach out in the Force to sense his father's emotions, but he found they were heavily guarded by years of training and practice.
"Father, why did you turn to the Dark Side?"
Anakin's head lifted slightly at Luke's words, so Luke knew that he had heard even if he did not respond immediately. "…A man I knew promised me I could learn new powers," he answered finally.
"Didn't you know who he was?"
"Yes," he replied shortly.
Luke's mind went back to his earlier conversation with Obi-Wan. There were other motives for his turn as well, ones I do not know of. I suspect your mother had something to do with it, but I was never able to confirm that suspicion. "...Was… was my mother involved?"
Anakin did not move. He stood silently for at least fifteen seconds, his back to Luke, then finally spoke, "Your sister is here."
Luke, who was surprised at his father's sudden and obvious change of topic, answered, "Yes. And Han."
"Han Solo."
"Yes," Luke replied, remembering that his father had frozen him in carbonite and gave him to the bounty hunter Bobba Fett to be given to Jabba the Hutt.
"You rescued him."
"Someone had to."
They faded into silence again.
"You've been fighting with them."
Luke's eyes widened with surprise. "How did you know?" he asked his father suspiciously.
"You're broadcasting emotions loud enough to sense across the galaxy," replied Anakin. "Be mindful."
Luke carefully lowered the shields around his mind. He was not used to needing to shield his feelings; there were no other Jedi or Force-sensitive in his daily life besides Leia, with whom he shared his emotions openly through their bond.
"She doesn't like me being here," Anakin said. "I can sense that too."
"Leia hasn't forgiven Darth Vader," Luke explained softly, watching his father closely for any emotions. He was not able to read any, so he proceeded cautiously. "I don't know if she ever will. She does not understand why I'm helping you."
Anakin was silent at that. He was very difficult to read, perhaps from years of practice. "Why are you helping me, Luke?" he asked him finally. "I'm not a good person. My presence here only causes you more trouble. You don't deserve that burden."
Luke was surprised. Did he father truly think that way? Feel that way? "I wanted to," he finally answered. "It was my choice. You saved my life. You're my father."
"Anyone can father a child, Luke," he replied quietly.
"Was that how it was like with you?" Luke challenged. He watched his father's reaction closely. It was something Luke had always been sensitive about, especially after learning that his father was Darth Vader.
Anakin met his eyes without fear. "No," was the soft reply.
"I saved you because I believe that Anakin Skywalker is a good man," Luke said.
Anakin did not reply to that. He continued to stare out of the window, his back towards Luke. Luke likewise fell into silence, unsure of what he should say but unwilling to push his father too quickly into talking. He had been alone for many years, after all. It was most likely difficult for him to vocalize feelings, much less tap into painful memories, of which Luke sensed were plenty.
As Luke thought, he wondered about his mother, which had been the only topic that Anakin had clearly directly avoided. Luke wondered if he had touched a painful nerve in Anakin. Perhaps his mother was something he was ashamed of. Perhaps something he regretted. Perhaps he did not know who Luke and Leia's mother was. Luke simply did not know, and his father gave him little or nothing to go on. If Luke learned anything from the conversation, it was that Anakin was not going to speak of the topics of his past, or at least not yet. But knowing that made Luke even more determined to learn.
But Luke also knew when to pick his battles; his father was not going to talk willingly at the time. He understood that he needed to ask these things lightly and respect his father's space before his father would trust him.
Luke rose silently, not wanting to disturb Anakin. He took one last glance in his father's direction before leaving. Anakin had not moved; he was still staring out of the window, apparently deep in thought. Luke sighed inwardly, deciding to leave things be for the time, and then exited the room.