Act II: Part II

"Luke! Luke, hey wait up!"

Luke turned around to see Jenner running up behind him. School had just finished for the week and Luke was looking forward to his dad's birthday tomorrow. He'd pretty much finished his gift, but there were a couple minor adjustments he needed to make before it was completely finished.

"Hey," the older boy panted, bending over his knees to catch his breath, "Can I stay at your place for a bit again today?"

Luke groaned; this would be the fourth time this week Jen had asked to come over to his place, and while he generally like the other boy, he'd been so annoying lately. There was something going on with his parents Luke had found out, but even so, Jen didn't have to be such a bantha about it.

"Seriously, Jen. Timka's gonna start snooping soon, and she'll find out about your parents, and then I'll be the one who gets in trouble for it."

"I know, I know," said Jenner, his eyes big and pleading, "But it's getting really bad man. They're always yelling at each other and they're talking about divorce and stuff. Can I at least stay like 'til like after dinner or something?"

"Ya, sure," Luke said indifferently. Every time that Jen came over, he'd just talk on and on and on complaining about his parents. Luke tried to get him to play vids or join him in the junkyard, but he kept saying that he didn't want to play. Luke didn't get it – why in the galaxy would Jen want to go over to a friend's house and not play? That was just stupid.

The two boys walked to Luke's house in silence. Timka welcomed Jenner with a big hug and Luke had to keep himself from laughing at the bright red blush on his friend's face. Luke grabbed a couple biscuits from the pantry and dragged Jen out from Timka's arms and into the yard.

"Lucian, you two had better be doing homework!" Timka yelled after them.

"We are," Luke shouted back, dropping his bag beside one of his dad's speeders. Luke had absolutely no intention to read the bullshit the teachers were forcing on them, and he'd finished his math work in class again. Math was one of the only things in school he was good at and actually liked; he was already two levels ahead of the other kids his age.

"Come on, Luke," Jenner groaned, "You gotta do your reading. You'll get in trouble again and-"

"Don't care," the boy responded shortly, digging through a pile of droid parts. He found a couple of miniature motors that he could work with and moved over to his dad's pile of tools. Theoretically, it was supposed to be an actual tool cabinet (the cabinet part of which was currently lying in scraps somewhere on the grounds), but his dad wasn't the most organized person. All the instruments were either in the pile or scattered around the yard sitting atop his most recent projects. It's not like anything was lost or misplaced though – they both knew where everything was despite Timka's constant disbelief.

Luke pulled a small little figure out of his pocket and chose a spot of soft earth to settle down on. The figure was finally looking like the bird Luke had imagined, but it still needed some tweaking before functional. He focused intently on the tiny little joints that joined the wings with the bird's body, ignoring Jenner's constant chatter behind him as he became absorbed in his work. Nearly an hour had passed before Luke finally looked up and realized how the time had flown. Jen must have finished his reading a while ago; he'd probably gone inside to watch some holocasts. Luke took out the cans of metal paint and quickly brushed on the primer coat. It wouldn't take long to dry in the hot Tatooine sun, so Luke would be able to paint on the colours (blue and gold as he'd decided yesterday after much deliberation) later that evening.

As he'd suspected, Jenner was sprawled across a couch watching the small screen in the living room. Luke fell down beside him; Timka was making dinner in the kitchen, meaning that 'Lae and Dril were probably running the shop. While Luke was tempted to join them, he'd seen the glare Timka had shot his way when he'd come in and thought better of it. She'd scold him later about how he should pay attention when he had guests over or something, he was sure of it. At least she knew better to reprimand him in front of his friends. She'd tried once before and Luke had gotten so upset he'd accidentally broken a vase with the Force.

He loved Timka, he really did, but she wasn't his mother and he didn't want anyone else thinking that she was. He'd rather people know that his mother was dead; that way it meant nobody could ever replace her. His dad had been completely boggled when he explained it to him, but he'd at least made a show of understanding what Luke was saying. That was good enough.

He and Jenner watched some sort of kid's show for a little while, but Luke found his attention wandering only a few minutes in. He didn't get how Jen could watch such boring, dumb things – Luke didn't watch a lot of the Holonet, but at least his shows were exciting, like swoop racing or action shows with lots of cool explosions and starship battles. He didn't have to suffer too long though before Timka called everyone to dinner. Luke ducked out briefly to the courtyard to paint a the final coat on the little mechanical bird, and left it there once again to dry before heading inside.

His Dad still hadn't come home by the time they settled at the table though, and Luke was beginning to get a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. It got heavier and heavier by the minute, and he was barely able to get more than a few forkfuls of food down before he'd lost his appetite. Timka seemed not to notice, chatting happily with Jenner, despite the boy's clear reluctance and nervousness, and Dril and Timka were still arguing over something that had happened at school. When Timka finally made the rounds to clear everyone's plate, Luke sprang up and ran out of the dining room, despite Timka and Jenner's calls behind him. He slipped quietly into the now dark shop and jumped on the store counter to wait. After a moment's hesitation, he reached out with the Force and flicked on just the store's entrance light. The soft, harsh light gave the shop a ghostly, eerie glow, but Luke knew the shivers racing down his spine were from something else entirely.

He didn't have to wait long before the front door slid open and Anakin stepped in. It was clear that he was worried about something, and he didn't even notice Luke at first.

"What's wrong?" Luke asked softly. Anakin's head snapped up and he grimaced upon seeing the boy on the counter, "And don't tell me it's nothing."

Anakin sighed deeply, running a hand through his short hair.

"God, you're just..." Anakin murmured, his eyebrows pinching together as he obviously pieced together what he wanted to say. "Well, I just got back from meeting with a contact of mine in Anchorhead – he has a mission he wants me to carry out for the Rebellion."

Luke felt his heart jump in his chest – the Rebellion? He knew his dad helped out the rebels on Tatooine sometimes, but he normally just gave them information or helped them out with weapons and repairs. He'd never gone on a real mission before.

"That's awesome!" Luke shouted, jumping up to hug his dad, not noticing how tense and worried the man was, "What are you doing? Are you going to fight Imps? Are-?"

Anakin clamped a hand over his son's mouth, effectively cutting off the excited boy's stream of questions.

"It's nothing too exciting," he replied gravely, "I'm escorting an ambassador of sorts to Kothlis, to meet with members of the Bothan council."

"Bothan? Luke asked curiously.

"A furry humanoid species, a bit shorter than humans. They're quite the politicians I've heard."

"I thought you didn't like politicians?"

"Luke," his dad warned, and the boy grinned sillily. He just couldn't believe his dad was going on a real rebel mission!

"Ok, sorry. When do you leave?"

Anakin looked away guiltily. "Tomorrow morning," he said shortly.

The grin fell off Luke's face abruptly. Tomorrow...

"But tomorrow's your birthday!" he exclaimed, "You can't leave on your birthday!"

Anakin ruffled Luke's hair softly, "I'm sorry Luke, I really am, but I'm the only one they have in this area who's not on the Empire's most wanted list. They need a legitimate pilot so that if the Imps happen to catch wind of something, there's no trail to lead them back to the Alliance. They've almost been caught once already and they were lucky they were even able to reroute to Tatooine. My background won't hold up to the most detailed scrutinization, but it's the best they've got. The Councillor is already here, and they want me to leave as soon as possible. I managed to push it back to tomorrow, but it can't be any later than that. I really wish there was something else I could do but there just... isn't."

Luke felt his eyes watering, and he buried his face into his dad's tunic.

"It's not fair," he whispered softly.

"Luke–"

"I don't want you to go!" Luke yelled, his voice hoarse and muffled by the shirt in front of his face.

Anakin's face crumpled but he didn't say anything. He only tightened his hold on the shaking boy around his waist.

"I don't want you to go," the boy repeated softly, "I don't want you to go. Stay here. Please. I want you to stay here. With me."

His father still didn't say anything, but Luke knew he'd lost. His dad never changed his mind about things like this. It didn't make Luke any less angry though.

Luke slowly took his arms out from around his dad's waist, his eyes glued to the floor. A small touch on the outside of his ear made him look up on instinct, though he cursed at seeing his dad's face. He was the one leaving – he wasn't allowed to look that sad.

"I'll be back before you know it Luke," the older man said gently, "And I'll bring you back a present, okay?"

Luke felt his chest tighten and he slapped Anakin's hand away.

"I don't want a present!" he screamed, and sprinted out of the shop. Timka called after him as he passed through the kitchen, but Luke ignored her and stormed upstairs. He slammed the door to his room, enjoying the sharp crash it made as it shut, and buried himself under his covers. Tears rolled down his cheeks and Luke rubbed them away savagely. He hated crying. It made him feel weak and helpless and... and he just hated it, but whenever he argued with his dad he just couldn't damn help it!

He wasn't sure how long he stayed like that, but eventually the tears and sobs stopped coming, and the door to his room opened. Luke could tell that it was his dad and rolled on his side away from him. Anakin didn't say anything; he just sat down beside the boy and lightly rested a hand on his head.

"Did I ever tell you of the time me and Obi-Wan went on a mission to the planet Aleen? Well, Obi-Wan went on the mission; I just kind of tagged along. It was a peace-keeping mission; tensions among the governing council had be rising for the past year and it was fear the planet might erupt into civil war. Obi-Wan and another Jedi, Master Ki-Adi-Mundi, were sent there officially to aid the treaty reformation but also unofficially to protect the politicians from one another.

I had only been Obi-Wan's Padi-Wan for a couple years and while my Master had already made a name for himself in his negotiating skills, I would've only been a hindrance to the team. I was supposed to stay on Coruscant, continuing my training with the other apprentices. I was pretty upset though, and my master and I fought about him leaving. It was... my birthday about a week after he would arrive on Aleen. With the type of mission it was, there was no way he'd be back in time. When we fought though, he never even mentioned it, never apologized for not being there, and I was convinced he'd forgotten about my birthday altogether.

I gathered my things together, bringing only a few tools, a blaster, and a couple of micro-explosives, just in case, you know – I really couldn't risk trying to steal a lightsaber. The central shipyard had a cargo ship leaving for Aleen that night, and I was able to sneak out of the temple and find a way aboard.

Obi-Wan and Master Mundi had left just shortly ahead of me, and were already planet-side by the time the cargo ship got there. It was a slower ship, and I realized they probably had been warned of my disappearance while I was in transit. But you see Luke, I had heard of Aleen a number of times before even joining the Jedi and I had no intention of joining my master. Rather, I went straight to the city Raiile, and with a little disguise and persuasion, I signed up for the Aleen Classic."

"Classic?" Luke echoed in surprise. He cursed himself though as soon as he saw his father's soft smile. He was supposed to be angry at him, not listening quietly to his story!

"Yep," Anakin replied cheerfully, "Although podracing was illegal on Coruscant, it was an accepted sport on many other Republic planets. They weren't too keen on letting a human boy participate, but one of the organizers recognized me from the Boonta Eve Classic in Mos Espa and registered me himself. He even sponsored me for the race, getting me a decent racing pod. I only had a few days before the race, so I spent all my time modding it. It wasn't my best work, but it got the job done."

"And let me guess: you won the race?" Luke asked, rolling his eyes.

"Why of course I did," Anakin responded cheekily, "I'm the best pilot in the galaxy remember? Anyways, after the race my sponsor threw a huge party at one of the capitol's ritziest hotels with some of the money he'd won. I was a little nervous going, since I'd be in the same city as Obi-Wan, but I didn't have much of a choice. Not to mention I was feeling pretty pleased with myself after everything."

"So what happened?"

"We partied our asses off," Anakin said with a sly grin, "I may have only been twelve but a room full of rich, drunk adults isn't going to care whether or not I have a glass of wine or two. Needless to say, by the end of the night I was in quite a good mood, and I went for a walk in the gardens."

"Somehow, Obi-Wan was there to meet me. He didn't say anything, just stood there, his hands behind his back, just looking at me. I had... absolutely no freaking clue what to do. I'm pretty sure I stood there for a couple minutes dumbfounded at first. Then I bowed down really low and apologized over and over and over again. By that point I was crying a little – I was so scared he was going to hate me. Obi-Wan didn't scold me though; he didn't tell me to leave. He just put a hand on my shoulder and asked me why."

"I said it was my birthday, and he just looked at me sadly and said, 'I know'. I clung to his robes, demanding why he left and telling him how horrible a master he was. I must've fallen asleep some point during all the yelling, because I woke up the next morning in Obi-Wan's room. Both the Jedi were gone, but Obi-Wan left me a note, wishing me a happy birthday and telling me to stay in the room and order room service. I did just that, too worried to risk upsetting my master again, but I fell asleep that night before either of them returned."

"The next morning, Obi-Wan woke me up and dragged me off to the starport. He booked my ticket back to Coruscant, and very seriously told me to listen to Master Yoda when I got back. He also told me he'd never forget my birthday and that I should've know that. But you know Luke, I didn't care if he'd remembered my birthday. He'd left me in that hotel room the entire day and didn't even see me. It hurt so much more to think that - rather than having forgotten - he had remembered and just didn't care. It took me years to realize what he'd been trying to tell me: that he really did care, but we were Jedi, and to us duty always came first."

"That's stupid," Luke interjected, "Even if he had gone on the mission, he could have wished you happy birthday before you left, or given you a gift, or, or... or something!"

Anakin ruffled his son's hair and said, "I completely agree with you. But that's how the Jedi were Luke: emotions were supposed to mean nothing to us. People still felt, but those feelings were completely unimportant."

"I still say it's stupid," Luke muttered, "It's no wonder they didn't see it coming."

"Luke," Anakin said sharply. Luke mumbled an apology, but he didn't really mean it. He knew the Jedi were the peacekeepers of the galaxy, and had done a lot of good for the Republic. He just couldn't imagine what it would have been like to not have his father tell him he loved him. And despite Ani's objections, that's what Kenobi had been to him: his father.

"So, um, what was the point of that story for, you know, us?" Luke asked quietly, once he'd calmed down, and wiped the tear tracks off his cheeks.

"Well..." his dad drawled, eyes roving around the room and hand going to the back of his head like it always did when he was put on the spot.

"It didn't even have a point, did it?" Luke exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger at the older man. His dad always did this, telling him fantastic stories of his Jedi days just to distract him!

"Hey now," Anakin defended, putting his hands up mockingly in front of him. "It's a good story! And I'm sure there's a point in there somewhere..."

Luke giggled in amazement at his father's ridiculousness, and launched himself into the man's chest. He could never stay angry at his dad; Luke loved him so much, and he knew no matter how much they fought, they'd always be okay in the end. Anakin's arms squeezed the boy's shoulders tightly, and Luke could feel the events and excitement of the day begin to set it.

"You better bring me an awesome present you know," Luke murmured with a small yawn.

"I will," Anakin said seriously. He gave Luke a kiss on his forehead and made a motion to leave, but Luke grabbed his tunic before he could go.

"Um," Luke said sheepishly, looking down at his lap, "Can I give you your birthday present now? Since you're leaving tomorrow and all..."

Anakin's expression softened and he wordlessly agreed. Luke ran quickly down the stairs and into the yard, picking up the bird gently in his hands. A quick check revealed that paint had thankfully dried and he went inside to where his father was waiting.

"Happy Birthday," Luke whispered warmly as he placed the bird in his father's enormous, calloused hands. His father took it from him tenderly, feeling it over curiously and with keen practised eye. He found the switch on machine's belly and the delicate wings snapped to life, causing the bird to shake its feathers briskly before taking off gracefully into the air. It circled around the room once, before landing on Anakin's shoulders where it peeped and preened itself to very little effect. The man held out a finger in front of it, and the bird jumped on, its smooth head craning curiously at the former Jedi.

"It's beautiful Luke," Anakin croaked, overcome with his son's effort and brilliance. The grin Luke gave him in return could have blinded stars and Anakin enveloped his son in a rough hug.

"I'll be back as soon as I can," he swore to his son, "I promise."

They both knew that'd Anakin would do everything to keep that promise, but if either of them noticed the little niggling at the back of their mind, warning them that they were missing something, then neither of them mentioned it.

Who would ever really be able to get in the way of a Skywalker and adventure anyways?

AN: Duh duh duuuun. So the last few chapters have focused very heavily on character development, but in the next couple chapters we'll be seeing a little bit more action and excitement. Once again, my update is later than I'd like it to be, but I'm trying to be very specific with how Luke sees and interacts with his father, and gosh it's hard to get it right to my satisfaction! Oh Luke and Anakin, why can't you just get along?

Anyways, hope you all enjoyed this unbeta'd chapter (my beta possibly has even more schoolwork than me, so she's kind of disappeared under a mound of books at least until May). I wanted to try and get it out before I go away for Reading Week so there's probably at least a few glaring grammatical errors that I just can't see. Your reviews are all awesome, and they make me feel all bubbly and happy and important inside, so please keep it up! :) Until next time.

PS: See that button down there with the little speech bubble? That's the review button. It's kind of awesome... just saying.