Luke was surprised at how things had turned out. His father had allowed the woman to live, but what held more sway within his mind was the fact that the man had stated that he planned to kill the Emperor. He said it so easily. But, didn't he already know this fact? Hadn't Vader offered him the chance to rule the galaxy with him? It would have meant that Palpatine would have to be dead for that situation to occur. Perhaps it was more surprising for Luke to hear the man reveal his plans to another person. He certainly wouldn't say a word to anyone, but how could Vader be so certain that the woman would not say anything? And, if the Vader was so willing to divulge this information, then who else knew of his plans? The young Jedi had so many questions and so few answers. He doubted that Vader would give him the answers though. The man didn't seem to care what became of him.

Vader knew that his son was confused by his recent actions. At Bespin, he had revealed his identity to the boy, yet he had said very little to the boy since he had been here at Bast. The child had to be confused for he certainly was not acting as a father should. Then again, the Sith Lord was not entirely certain how a father was supposed to act. He had no experience in the field. He knew how to fight, how to survive wars, but he knew nothing about parenting. How was he supposed to break the ice with the child? He knew that it would be essential for the boy to trust him before he could attempt to sway the Jedi to turn to the Dark Side. He would have to talk with the boy eventually, and now was a good a time as any.

"Are you comfortable here?" Luke heard his father ask. What an odd question for a Sith Lord to ask. The Sith usually could care less about the comfort of others. Maybe Vader only cared because he was his son, or maybe it had something to do with his plans to kill Palpatine. Still, he was overanalyzing such a simple question.

He nodded, trying to look in the direction of his father. "Yeah, it's nice here. I only wish that I was able to see it…"

Vader was reminded once again of his son's blindness. The medics hadn't been able to return his sight, but the Force could perhaps be helpful. It could be used for healing, but that aspect of the Force had never been easy for him. He did know, however, that Mara Jade was quite proficient in this field. Palpatine had ensured that all of his Hands had the ability, not for their own safety but for the slim chance that if he was ever to be harmed that they could heal him.

"The Force can be used in many ways, Luke. It can be used to heal injuries. Though I am not well endowed in this trick of the Force, Mara Jade is. She may be able to help you," Vader stated.

"Oh, great," Luke replied. "Only problem is that I have no idea where she went. If I try to find her, I'll probably get lost or walk into a wall or something." He was speaking the truth. Luke hadn't been out of this room. While he could find his way around this room, he doubted that he would fare so well if he were to venture into the rest of the Castle. He didn't know why he bothered telling Vader about the fact that he would likely become lost, though. He didn't expect the man to help him in any way.

The Sith Lord was able to pick up on his son's thoughts for he was not even trying to shield his mind from his father. He was either doing this on purpose, or he had never been taught how to do so. It seemed odd that Kenobi would never have taught Luke such a basic ability. He cursed the man once again. The dead Jedi knew full well what could become of a vulnerable Jedi if his mind were not guarded. Vader could only hope that Luke was choosing not to shield his thoughts, that he had been taught how to keep others from entering his mind so easily.

"I will take you to her," the Sith finally stated upon sensing Luke's unease when he hadn't said anything. The child certainly didn't know him well. His crew knew well enough that he could fall into long periods of thought. It was quite irksome that his crew knew more about him than his own son. Should it not be the other way around? If he had never joined the Dark Side, that would most certainly be the case. The past could not be undone, though. He had made his choice long ago and this was the price he was to pay. He only thanked the Force that he was granted a son in the first place. "Come, follow, and I will bring you to her."

"But…I can't see you," Luke replied. He did not like feeling so helpless, especially in front of someone like Darth Vader. He had to keep reminding himself that the Sith Lord was his father, though. Hopefully, the man would never harm him again.

Vader stopped at the door to look back at the boy who had not moved. "You can hear me, can you not?"

"Well, yes." the Jedi replied. Who couldn't what with that respirator of his?

The Sith Lord tried to ignore that last thought coming from his son. He needn't be reminded of his condition. "Then use that to lead you. I can promise you that it certainly won't stop. If it does, well, then we'll have a bit of a problem."

Luke stared in the direction of his father. He could not have heard that right. It could not be that his father was trying to joke with him. Jokes were not something that he would ever associate with the Dark Lord of the Sith. He just decided to go ahead and accept that his father was perhaps trying to break the ice between them. If this were the case, it certainly was an odd way to go about it. He was so used to Vader always being serious. These thoughts continued to dominate his mind as he followed after the sound of his father breathing.

It was quite amusing that Luke thought him incapable of humor. While it was true that he rarely did joke, he had done so plenty back during the Clone Wars. If Luke only knew of him in that time, perhaps it would not seem so odd for the boy to hear him try to be humorous.

The two came to the entrance of the training room. They could hear the sound of a clashing lightsaber. Clearly, Mara had taken Vader's words to heart. She apparently wanted to hone her skills so she could be of some use to him when they eventually made their move against Palpatine. Luke looked in the direction of the sound before turning to his father to thank him for bringing him here. Maybe he could get his vision back, if Mara Jade was willing to help him.

"You should be safe here," Vader stated, watching his son who was blindly staring toward the former Emperor's Hand. "If she gives you any trouble, you need only let me know."

"Right," Luke replied, scratching at the back of his head. Slowly, he turned to enter the training room. He could only hope that Mara Jade would sense him as he approached her and wouldn't take his head off. That certainly wouldn't please his father, who had gone off to do whatever it is Sith Lords do when at home.

A/N- Yay for Luke/Vader bonding? I hope you enjoyed the chapter. As always, the disclaimer stands that I do not own Star Wars, sadly.