Some of Vader's fervor had died down by the time he reached Obi-Wan's cottage. Regardless, he still meant to have Luke with him when he left Endor. Luke was his son and he was through allowing another man to raise him. He could do what Obi-Wan had done and disappear into the galaxy to raise his son in peace. He could keep Luke safe from Sidious.
As he approached the cottage, Vader realized how eerily silent it was. Far too quiet considering it was home to a little boy. Even the animals that usually twittered about in the surrounding trees were silent.
Vader couldn't sense Luke or Obi-Wan either.
Cursing under his breath, Vader rushed forward, desperate to be proven wrong. Obi-Wan' wasn't supposed to run. Obi-Wan was far too stubborn to run. Obi-Wan didn't run away from things. He would stay and fight even against the most ridiculous odds. It was what he'd always found so frustrating about the man when they were partners. Obi-Wan would negotiate, but he wouldn't retreat. Not when there were other options, even life-threatening ones.
The house was devoid of life. Vader searched every room, but could find no trace of either his son or his former master. Screaming in outrage, Vader kicked at a pile of holonovels stacked up on the floor in the common room. Most of them skidded about harmlessly, but a few became airborne. Vader tracked the progress of one of them, watching in shock as it hit the wall barely a hairsbreadth away from a singed hole that could only have been created by a blaster.
Obi-Wan wouldn't keep a blaster. They were too uncivilized for his tastes.
The Imperial army had no such qualms about using blasters.
He was a big boy, he wasn't s'pose to be scared. Big boys weren't scared of anything. Daddy wasn't never scared. Daddy was brave. Daddy protected him from the scary white men. But there were too many of the white men and they hurt Daddy. Made him sleep.
Luke didn't remember what happened after they hurt Daddy. They stuck something in his arm and then he'd felt sleepy too. Now he was in a bedroom that wasn't his bedroom and Daddy wasn't there. He kept screaming for Daddy, but Daddy didn't scream back. He even tried screaming for the Sad Man, but the Sad Man didn't scream back either. He was all by himself and his head felt fuzzy. Everything felt fuzzy and he wanted Daddy. Daddy would make everything all better. That was what Daddy's were s'pose to do. His Daddy was the best at that.
Luke didn't want to play with the toys or look at the picture books in the bedroom because they weren't his toys or picture books. The blanket from Mommy wasn't there either.
Luke wanted Daddy to come so they could go home. He didn't like the bedroom or the toys and he wanted to go back home to his bedroom. Daddy had promised him hot cakes for supper and Daddy almost never made hot cakes. They were special food.
"Daddy! 'M over here! Come find me!"
Obi-Wan came awake with a sudden jerk. The speed at which he became aware let him know that there was nothing natural about his return to consciousness. Just as there was nothing natural about his sleep. He couldn't recall the exact blow that had rendered him unconscious, but was sure that it had come after the bolt that struck his shoulder.
"You must be getting weak in your old age, Kenobi. It shouldn't have been this easy for me to capture you."
Obi-Wan had expected Vader to be taunting him. Sidious was a genuine surprise. One that he did his best not to reveal.
"You caught me on an off day," he said, glancing about the room as best as he was able from his prone position. Determining his own location was only a secondary concern, though. It was Luke that he was most worried about because he couldn't sense the boy anywhere. Not even the faintest traces of his Force signature. "I must admit that I am rather surprised to still be alive. As you've said, I'm just an old man. Not quite so old as yourself, mind, but still of little use to you."
Equally surprising was the fact that Sidious appeared more amused than anything about what he'd said. Sidious' amusement, though, didn't bode well for him either. There was some game that Obi-Wan did not yet know the rules to that Sidious was playing at. A rather dangerous game he was certain of.
"I am surprised that you have not inquired after the boy," Sidious mused after a time. "You went through such lengths to keep him from me and yet you don't seem the least bit concerned about his welfare."
"You'll excuse me if I would fail to find any comfort in whatever you would have to say on the matter."
Sidious inclined his head briefly. "Very well. Regardless you should rest assured that my new apprentice is quite safe. You have done well with him. It is a shame that in the end he will not remember you."
Not reacting to Sidious' words was taking every once of control that Obi-Wan possessed. There would be no point in shouting denials or insisting that Luke would never turn to the dark side because Obi-Wan knew full well that his words would fall on deaf ears.
"What of your current apprentice? Is Vader aware that he has been replaced?" Obi-Wan asked instead, unwilling to admit that he was actually curious to learn the Sith lord's response.
"Vader has outlived his usefulness," Sidious said at last. "I have done what I could, but the injuries you gave him weakened him more than I would like. Now that Vader has led me to his son he is of no consequence. He will serve me until Luke is of an age and then be removed."
Even though Vader was responsible for so much of the suffering and grief in his life, Obi-Wan still felt outrage on his behalf. Because no matter how hard he tried to convince himself otherwise, Vader was still Anakin. He had to believe that something of Anakin remained, not as much for his sake as for Luke's. Luke deserved to know his father. Obi-Wan himself was desperate to have his best friend back. Anakin had been closer to him than any other being in the galaxy and he would be lying if he said that over the years he hadn't hoped on more than one occasion that Anakin would return to him.
Now, as it had been then, it was a futile dream. The only thing that he could take comfort in was the fact that Vader would come for Luke. He would much rather Luke be with Vader than Sidious. Better still would be if Luke was able to draw forth the remnants of Anakin that were lost inside of Vader. The flicker that he had seen in those last moments on Mustafar and again on Endor.
Given the circumstances he had no choice but to return to Coruscant. It was the most likely place that Luke and Obi-Wan had been taken. It was where Sidious was and Sidious had always hated that Obi-Wan had survived the Jedi Purge. His master had meant to make an example of the elusive Jedi Master. For what purpose Vader had never been sure. Enough of a statement had been made when the Temple had been razed to its foundations. The Jedi themselves were slowly being forgotten, replaced by the Emperor's elite Storm Troopers; former servants of the Jedi now replacing them.
Having confirmed his impending return to Coruscant only a short time before, Vader was genuinely surprised when the communication panel on his starship informed him of an incoming message from Sidious. Vader donned his helmet and started up all of the precautionary systems before he responded.
"There has been a chance of plans, Lord Vader," the shadowy figure of Sidious said as it appeared hovering on Vader's com panel.
"What changes, my master?" It was a struggle for Vader to act indifferent when he knew that Sidious was behind Luke and Obi-Wan's abductions.
"I require your presence on Bespin," the Emperor said casually. It was his next words that filled Vader with dread. "You are just leaving the Endor system so you are far closer to Bespin than Coruscant."
Taking the reprimand for what it was, Vader nodded his head tightly. "As you wish, my master."
Turning off and locking his communication panel, Vader removed his helmet. Any doubts that had lingered in his mind about Sidious being responsible for the abduction were crushed then. The old man was far too smug for him to know nothing about Vader's activities on Endor.
For the fist time in a long time Vader began to hope. Hope that Luke was unharmed and safe as he could be in Sidious' clutches.
Vader wasn't sure what he wanted Obi-Wan's fate to be and that troubled him. Only a short while ago he would have been pleased to learn that his former Master was at the Sith lord's mercy. Obi-Wan had taken everything from him. Padmé, Luke, even his very limbs. Obi-Wan deserved to suffer for that. Yet Vader could find no joy in Obi-Wan being made to suffer at Sidious' hands.
Pushing these unwanted thoughts from his mind, Vader set the coordinates for Bespin. He'd known that Sidious had moved the Death Star's construction to that part of the galaxy as it offered easy access to certain materials. It had been several years since Sidious had been in the same system as his massive weapon—plausible deniability he called it –so Vader was surprised to learn of the Emperor's presence in Bespin.
Unfortunately, it would take time to get to Bespin. Time that Vader was left alone with nothing but his thoughts. Thoughts that inexplicably turned to Obi-Wan time and again. He shouldn't be concerned for Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan had stolen his life. Stolen his family. Obi-Wan had taken everything from him.
Just as you took everything from him.
Vader startled at the sound of the voice. Even though so many years had passed he still recognized the voice: Qui-Gon Jinn. It was a voice that he should no longer be able to hear, though. Qui-Gon had been dead for nearly two decades.
You are not hallucinating, Anakin.
"My name is Vader," he ground out, slamming up all of his mental shields. He didn't need to hear Qui-Gon's philosophical ramblings.
No, your name is Anakin Skywalker. You have simply forgotten it for the moment.
Vader screamed in outrage, having no physical way to take out his frustrations on his first master. The one who had abandoned him after making so many promises.
Whatever your feelings are now, remember that Obi-Wan loves you now just as he always has in the past.
Vader laughed bitterly. "Obi-Wan has never seen me as more than the unwanted pathetic lifeform you forced on him."
"You will be a Jedi, Anakin. I promise," Obi-Wan murmured, his voice thick with the tears Anakin knew he hadn't cried yet.
-O-
Obi-Wan smiled fondly when he saw that his bed was already occupied by someone else. "One night you will have to try sleeping in your own bed, my young padawan."
-O-
"I would have thought you'd choose green like Master Qui-Gon," Obi-Wan said quietly as he inspected Anakin's newly made lightsaber.
"But yours is blue," was Anakin's simple response.
-O-
"Do you think that Padmé ever thinks about me?"
Obi-Wan patted Anakin lightly on the shoulder. "You are a very difficult person to forget."
-O-
Shuffling across the small space that separated their beds in the healer wing of the Temple, Anakin fumbled with the empty right sleeve of his tunic. Without opening his eyes, a smile twitched at the corners of Obi-Wan's lips and he lifted the edge of his blanket.
"Climb in, young one."
-O-
Anakin wasn't sure how long he stood in the pouring rain, staring in the direction he had last seen Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan had to come back. He refused to believe what the other masters and padawans on Jabiim were saying. Obi-Wan wasn't dead. He was going to come back. And Anakin would be there waiting when he did.
-O-
He had been on the edge of sleep when he felt it. Master Mundi would only write it off as the product of his continued grief. Grief that Masters Yoda and Mundi were constantly telling him he needed to put aside. So Anakin left without telling his temporary guardian (he refused to think of Ki-Adi Mundi as his master).
He was going to bring Obi-Wan home.
-O-
"I am getting far too old for this," Obi-Wan groaned as he slumped into a seat in the back of the transport. "As soon as this business with Grievous is finished I am taking an extended vacation."
"At least we're back on Coruscant," Anakin ventured, trying to be helpful. "You always tell me you relax easier when you're at the Temple."
Obi-Wan chuckled quietly. "Provided I can avoid Mace's lectures and you attempt to keep our common room in relative order."
"Then I promise to leave all the droid parts in my bedroom."
-O-
As he felt the flames begin to lick at the stumps of his legs, Vader had to squelch the urge to scream for Obi-Wan to help him. He didn't need Obi-Wan's help.
"Get out of my head!" Vader screamed, wishing that he had something physical to strike at. "You're not really here! You're dead! He let you die!"
Obi-Wan was no more responsible for my death than I was. Maul was simply the better fighter that day.
"Obi-wan defeated him."
In that moment Obi-Wan was acting on the anger and grief that was consuming him. Emotions that he was able to conquer until your fall to the dark side brought them back to the surface. He may not have always shown it, but never doubt that Obi-Wan loved you.
Vader kept his thoughts to himself at that. He refused to acknowledge Qui-Gon or anything that he said. It was all lies. Obi-Wan didn't love him. Obi-Wan had never even wanted him.
"You were my brother, Anakin. I loved you," Obi-wan choked out, his voice cracking at the end.
"That didn't stop you from leaving me to die," Vader growled under his breath.
Obi-Wan arched his back, refusing to cry out as pain coursed through him. He'd endured worse at the hands of Asajj Ventress and told Sidious as much. It probably wasn't in his best interest to antagonize the Sith lord, but at the moment his wit was the only weapon available to him.
"Perhaps you should have allowed her to give you instruction in the art of torture," Obi-Wan grunted, shifting as much as he was able on the uncomfortable table he was bound to. "She would have at least broken a sweat in her attempts to make me scream."
"You give yourself far too much importance," Sidious chuckled. "This is merely an amusement while we wait for Vader to arrive."
"I'm to be a gift, am I?"
"A test."
"Daddy, please come," Luke snuffled as he curled up in the corner of his small cot. Daddy had been gone a long time. "I wanna go home, Daddy."
Then the door that hadn't opened before finally opened.
Luke scrambled off the bed, running towards the door. "Daddy!"
Except it wasn't Daddy that walked in the door. It was the Scary Man. The one who made the Sad Man so sad.
"Where's Daddy?" Luke asked him, trying not to cry. He was a big boy and big boys didn't cry. Not even if they were scared.
"Your father no longer exists," the Scary Man told him.
Luke shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut so that the tears would stay there. "Yer a liar. Daddy's not dead. Daddy loves me and Daddy's coming to get me. He's gonna take me home!"
"Your father has been dead for many years. Since before you were even born," the Scary Man laughed, walking over to him.
Luke tried not to, but he backed up a few steps. "Daddy's coming. The Sad Man is too. They're going to come and they're going to take me home."
"I look forward to it."