Once again I am so sorry for the wait. This story is still on though! Promise to not take quite as long for the next chapter!

Onto the show!

Chapter 7

Lord Vader entered the bedchambers he shared with his wife, removing his cape in the process.

"All finished with R2?" Padme asked, sitting at her dresser, combing her brown hair.

Vader came up from behind, kissing her on the head, "Yes Angel, Luke was very helpful with the repairs."

She hummed, "I take it you found a friend?"

Vader chuckled, "It's natural for a child to be similar to their parents."

Padme grinned for a moment before letting her face hardened again. "In all seriousness though, how did his training go?"

Vader's mood fell, "Fine, although he is extremely sensitive to the Dark Side, as well as fearful of it. Every time I tried to introduce the concept to him, he withdrew."

"You didn't force him, did you?"

"No, I remained passive, allowed him to resist as much as he needed. To be honest, he barely noticed what was happening."

"I'm glad." Vader scoffed, "It's only the second day, we have plenty of time to bring him to our way of thinking. Patience will win the day here, I promise."

Vader signed, "I know you are right, my dear, but you know patience is not one of my strong suits."

"Oh, trust me, I'm aware. But let's look at the positives, he is already warming up to us."

"Yes, he is. To be honest, he is far too trusting," Vader said.

"We can address that later, for now, let's be happy it works in our favor."

"I agree, and once we return to Imperial Center, I will be continuing our lessons together. And some more 'quality time' together working on droids couldn't hurt. He seemed to enjoy it a great deal tonight."

Padme nodded, standing to face her husband, "Yes, and I will be including him in as many executive decisions I can, as well as provide at least some of his education."

"Sounds productive. Eventually, I think some inclusion in military matters may help him understand the pull of the Dark Side."

"I'll agree to that, although save it until next month. I want him comfortable in the Palace before we uproot him again."

"Very well, and I will make sure it's non-rebellious activity."

"That should be fine, but let's keep our options open. We may need to adjust accordingly to his needs."

"I agree." Vader embarrassed his wife, holding her against his body. "I know I should be wary of overconfidence, but I cannot help but feel this will end in our favor."

Padme returned the embrace, "Yes, I feel that way too." She looked up, kissing her husband, "Perhaps it's time for bed?"

Vader's hand drifted lower, "Bed huh?"

"Indeed. Perhaps you could wait a moment while I go change into something more comfortable?"

"Does it matter? It'll be on the floor in ten seconds anyway."

Padme rolled her eyes, disappearing into the bathroom, "I'll be out in a moment."

Vader grinned, sitting down onto their bed. He knew his wife would be far longer than 'a moment' but it was all worth it in the end. A part of him was still so shocked at the way his life had come together. He spent so many years in agony, serving a ruthless master, knowing nothing but self-hatred and loathing. For his failure to protect his wife, the loss of their unborn child, the destruction of his body. So much pain! But here he was, fully healed save for his limbs (but hey, his prosthetics were all but unnoticeable), with both his wife and son and the power to shape the galaxy into what it should be. He would endure it all again to ensure this outcome, without thought.

If there was one thing he would change, however, it would be the suffering of his wife. First for the grief of believing they had lost their child and then the...rest. A part of him considered opening up to Luke about the other few details that happened in their story, if nothing else to help the boy understand them better, but he held back. Padme had made it clear she would never speak of what occurred again, at least freely, and he couldn't blame her. Even after eradicating every single one of them involved, the rage he felt was not quenched. He could kill them a thousand times and still, never know peace. He dug his fingers into his palms for a moment before releasing. There was nothing to be done about it anymore. After all these years, it was time to look to the future and to be honest, it had never looked brighter.

One thing was clear though, the woman she was when she had Luke and the woman she was today were not the same. Her desire for power was overwhelming and nearly unquenchable, eclipsing even his own. He swore silently, as he had done a thousand times before, to never allow her to know such pain again. He closed his eyes for a moment, breathing deep. Dark Side or Light, Jedi or Sith, he would love her forever.

The bathroom door opened, and Vader lost his train of thought. Force above, he was a lucky man.

Luke was unable to wipe the grin off his face as he returned to his room. Today had been one of the best days he had in ages. He was so surprised at how natural it felt to spend time with his parents, how enjoyable. They were both so kind to him, so warm and inviting. It was amazing how comfortable he felt, despite only knowing them for two days. A part of him nagged, reminding him of all the warnings he had received from Ben and Yoda about Vader, but he pushed them down. They had lied to him about his parentage, who knows what else they could have lied about? Luke shook his head, no he wasn't being fair either. He never heard their side of the story, and besides, he knows the Emperor and Empress can be dangerous, parents or not.

A new idea began to form in his mind, one that seemed so appealing. Perhaps he could try and reason with his parents regarding the Rebels, help them find a middle ground. It was a long shot, and force knows he isn't a politician, but if he could bring the two sides together, he could end the war. Force, he wished Leia was here, a few days with her would lead anyone to the Rebellion way of thinking. He would take the time to remember everything she had shown him, everything she explained. The detailed arguments, the carefully worded debates. He would help his parents come to their senses about the fate of the galaxy, and finally, end this destructive conflict.

Nodding to himself, Luke got ready for bed, showing in the beautiful bathroom and changing into yet another set of luxurious cloths. Crawling into the sinfully comfortable bed, he found sleep easy, envisioning a future full of peace and equality.

Leia rolled out of bed, rubbing her temples. The crono on the wall read 0300, and yet she was wide awake. She had had another nightmare, filled once again with shapeless beings telling her things she could never hope to understand. Luke was there at one point, smiling at something in the distance. She had called out to him, but he disappeared into the darkness surrounding them. Leia shook her head. This was getting annoying now. She sighed, she wouldn't be getting back to sleep anytime soon, that was certain.

Leia extracted herself from the bed, moving quietly to not disturb Han, who was currently fast asleep on his side. She pulled on her clothing in the darkness, slipping on an Alliance jumpsuit. No need for her more formal wear at this time of night. She moved towards the exit, activating the door.

"Leia?" A sleepy voice called from the bed.

The Princess turned to see Han staring at her with lidded eyes, "Just going for some air, I'll be back soon."

"Had a'other bad dream?" He slurred.

Leia nodded, "Yeah, just need a moment to clear my head."

Han sat up, "Wanna talk 'bout it?" He rubbed his eyes for a moment.

Leia smiled at him, "I'll be ok, you just go back to sleep. I promise to come back soon."

"O'kay Princess, whatever you say," Han gave a false solute.

Leia came up to the bed for a moment, kneeling down to kiss the man, "I love you."

Han grinned, "I know."

Leia rolled her eyes, standing up. By the time she made it to the exit, the man was fast asleep once again.

Leia moved down the halls of the Alliance base toward the mess hall, her body on autopilot. She kept circling back to the dream, specifically Luke in it. A part of her wanted to dismiss these dreams as just the product of an overstressed mind, but another part, one far deeper inside, insisted it was something more.

Leia looked up, startled that she was in the hanger bay. When had she walked here? She must have taken a wrong turn somewhere. Walking along the various rows of ships, she came to a halt at Luke's X-Wing. High Command had agreed to ground the ship for now, until either Luke was rescued or they… found out his fate. Leia shook her head. Luke was alive. Alive and would pilot this ship again.

Leia traced the underbelly of the ship with her hand, walking along its side. She glanced up at the canopy, open, most likely for maintenance. Her eyes narrowed for a moment. Yes, there was something up there. Leia pushed a nearby scaffolding over, climbing up the side. Carefully, Leia lowered herself into the cockpit of the ship.

The princess had been trained to pilot a variety of ships, from X-Wings, A-Wings, to even Imperial Walkers. She placed her hands on the controls, imagining Luke for a moment. She could almost see him in the trenches of the Death Star, about to make the shot that would either save or doom the Alliance. She pictured him flying through the various missions she had sent him on, all coming back miraculously successful, and the elation when she heard his voice coming over the comm announcing their return. She remembered the battle of Hoth, of him taking off to help clear the way for their transports before meeting up with the fleet. She frowned. No, that wasn't quite right. According to High Command, Luke wasn't seen for almost a month after that, presumed dead by the Alliance. He only appeared again to try and rescue them from Vader on Bespin. Sitting upright, Leia's brow drew together. Where the hell did he go for that time? Leia activated the nav computer on the ship, pulling up the last entries. The destination before Bespin read… Dagobah. Where in the Sith Hells was Dagobah? And more importantly, why had Luke gone there instead of meeting at the rendezvous point? Leia pulled herself out of the cockpit, her mind working. She would research whatever she could find on this Dagobah place, and when Han woke up, they would be taking a trip.