The princess had gone home, at last. Vader sat beside his sleeping son. The boy had accepted a couple more bottles of whatever formula it was that the hospital issued. Enough, in fact, that the boy's stomach was silent as he slept.
A day ago- no, more than that, before he had fallen unconscious, he hadn't understood at all. He hadn't known his son was so close at hand. He hadn't known that he had lied to his daughter's adoptive parents about his care for the child. He had been only mildly confused by Luke's loyalty. Was he so self-centered that it hadn't occurred to him that his son was doing infinitely more than he really needed to?
As if he sensed his father's despondent thoughts, Luke rolled closer to him, opening his eyes slowly.
"You're still here. Good."
Vader smiled, putting one hand in his son's hair. "With a threat like that, how could I not?"
Luke smiled tiredly.
"How are you feeling?"
"Hungry again."
Vader took another bottle from the counter.
Luke looked at it doubtfully, "Any chance of solids?"
Vader looked at the bottle. He hadn't considered Luke's pride to be a problem with feeding. "I'm not sure. I'll call for a doctor and ask."
Luke nodded and nestled himself comfortably in the bed. Vader pressed the call button and smiled down at his son's tired face. The boy was curling up again, looking as if he might drift off at any moment.
"Stay awake, Luke. How can I feed you if you don't?"
Luke yawned and blinked a few times. Then he nodded and started trying to sit up. Vader caught him to push him back into the bed when a medic entered.
"He is too weak to sit up, Vader," the man snapped.
"I was…" Vader started.
"I don't care. He's too weak to sit up. Hells, it looked like you wanted him to sit up by himself!"
Vader gave up on trying to defend himself. "He wants some solid food. I've convinced him to drink a few bottles of whatever-this-is," he said, holding up the bottle and swishing it gently.
To his surprise, Luke retched. The boy tried frantically to get to the edge of the bed, and vomited up everything he'd eaten. Vader wrenched himself out of horror-struck inactivity and carefully lifted his son back to the center of the bed when he was done. Luke looked green in the face, his small mouth still piteously open.
"What happened?"
Luke burped, and Vader prepared to move him back to the edge of the bed. "I swear the stuff in my stomach did the same as in the bottle."
"I'm sorry, Luke," Vader said gently, putting down the bottle.
The boy shook his head, telling Vader that it wasn't his fault.
Vader looked back up to the medic. "Sorry, I didn't know that would happen. Is there anything solid I can feed him?"
The medic looked ready to protest that now it was as if Luke hadn't eaten, but the boy looked over at him, "Please?"
The man nodded, opening one of the cupboards and pulling out a bag of powder and a bowl.
"Stir this together with some of the formula. It doesn't have much nutritional content, but it will lend the liquid some flavour."
Luke smiled at him, "Thank you."
The medic cast a final disgusted look at Vader and left the room. Vader was beginning to feel like a misbehaving toddler with all the glares he was receiving.
"Well, here we are," he told his son, mixing some formula and some of the powder and gently putting a spoonful to Luke's lips.
As the boy took it and swallowed, Vader watched cautiously, ready for any sign that the boy was going to vomit again.
"Is that better?"
Luke nodded slowly, "Yeah, a bit. A little texture wouldn't hurt, though."
Vader smiled, "Sorry, I can't do that for you. Can you eat a little more?"
"Now that my stomach is empty, I think I could manage a bowlful," Luke said hopefully.
Vader filled the bowl and started mixing it. When liquid and powder had gained a consistent sludge-like texture, he began feeding his son again.
Luke ate the bowlful, as he had said he could. Then he began to curl up, but the medic re-entered as Vader placed the bowl, powder, and formula on the floor.
He handed Vader a package of biscuits, "He can eat these as well. Only one or two at a time, though."
Vader nodded, feeling as if the man had just done him a great and unnecessary kindness. As the medic left, Vader turned back to Luke.
"Do you think you can manage," he started, but Luke had yanked himself into a sitting position and was already nodding eagerly. Vader laughed and gently pushed his son back into the bed. He helped the boy to eat two of the biscuits before putting them on the floor with the other foods.
Luke looked slightly disappointed, but he didn't comment.
"When you're doing a little bit better, I'll probably be allowed to give you a few more at a time."
Luke nodded and sighed, resting back in his pillows.
"You should get some more sleep," Vader told him gently.
But Luke was already shaking his head, "No. I'm not tired again yet. I feel a bit better now." Again, he tried to sit up.
Vader gently held him down in bed, but reached for the buttons to raise and lower the bed. He propped the boy up to a sitting position and Luke smiled at him gratefully.
Vader took his son's hand, smiling at him.
"How do you feel, son?"
Luke looked up at his father, "Thank you."
"Thank you?" Vader asked, perplexed.
"For calling me son. They gave you my letter, right?"
"Oh, yes. Luke, I'm so sorry. I didn't know you were my son."
"Really? But-Palpatine said… he said you knew, and you were ashamed. He said you wouldn't want to be reminded. He said that's why he gave me to you."
Vader added the most recent to the list of crimes his master had committed. "My master has a penchant for lying. He didn't tell me of our connection. I never understood why he gave you to me."
"Oh," Luke said, and the happiness on his face made Vader immensely happy himself.
"I hate myself for what I've done to you. I don't deserve to go on living," Vader said honestly.
Luke sat up straighter, staring at his father in horror, "That's not true! Don't say that!" He started crying, and Vader reached out, pulling him close.
"Don't cry, Luke. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you."
"You have to keep living," Luke asserted, "You have to."
Vader kissed his son's forehead and gently put him back into his bed.
"I'm sorry I upset you, but everything's going to be okay now. Lie back down or they'll be furious."
Luke still looked frightened at his father's words, but he lay back down. As tears began to run freely down his face, Vader's heart fell again. He took his son's hands in his own, carefully, gently keeping him close.
"Don't be scared. I didn't mean to hurt you."
Luke's tears were flowing apparently without his intentions behind them. He reached up for his father, and Vader took him in his arms.
"Son, don't be upset. Everything's going to be okay."
Son was quickly becoming the magic word for comforting Luke. It had drawn his attention so Vader could coax him to eat, and it always made him smile at least a little bit.
Luke smiled.
"That's better. Everything's going to be okay, see?"
Luke nodded slowly, pressing close against Vader as if he was still making sure that his father wasn't going to commit suicide.
"Who's he?" Luke asked, raising one arm and pointing towards the door.
Vader had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. Slowly, he turned around, holding his son closer and reaching for his lightsaber. Why hadn't he sensed a threat? But as the door moved into his range of vision, he was surprised to see a familiar figure standing there.
"Obi-Wan?" he asked, incredulous.
Obi-Wan smiled his familiar, wry smile. "Hello, Anakin."
Anakin had been thinking of himself as Vader. It was a hard habit to lose. He remembered trying to learn to think of himself as Vader when he'd turned. But as he remembered the potential to be Anakin, the man who was really the father to his twins, it felt like the only right answer. Looking down at the weak form of a child in his arms, he thought just how unbecoming that would be for a Sith. No. He was certainly not Vader now.
"Hello, Master."
The title was automatic. But of course Obi-Wan was his master. Clearly it wasn't Palpatine, who had raised Luke so cruelly and lied to him. To both of them.
Obi-Wan smiled, apparently sensing Anakin's thoughts. Then he looked down at Luke, "Hello, Luke. How are you doing?"
Luke continued to gaze up at his father in confusion. "Who is he?"
Anakin lifted his son's weak body on to his lap, showing him to Obi-Wan. "Luke, this is Obi-Wan Kenobi, my Jedi Master."
"Hello," Luke smiled at Obi-Wan.
The Jedi took a seat on the bed too, and Anakin kept Luke on his lap, careful to make sure the boy was comfortable.
Obi-Wan turned his smile to Anakin again, "Your daughter is furious."
Anakin sighed, gathering his son closer, "Yeah. I know. I kind of deserve it though, don't I?"
In his arms, Luke began to shake.
Obi-Wan looked at the boy in concern, asking as he did so, "What's wrong?"
"Father said-earlier, he said he-he said…" Luke trailed off, pressing himself against Anakin's chest.
Anakin gave his son a tight squeeze, telling him not to be frightened.
"I, uh, may have accidentally told him that I thought I should die. And, uh, it might have scared him."
Obi-Wan just sighed.
Anakin was tempted to snap back at him, but controlled the urge.
"I know Leia's furious. You've been keeping an eye on her?"
Obi-Wan nodded. "I take it you've accepted your responsibilities with your son?"
"I didn't know he was my son!" Anakin shot back. In his arms, Luke wrapped his own arms around Anakin's neck.
Obi-Wan accepted it, apparently aware of how deeply the idea of fighting scared Luke.
"Is Leia asleep back at the castle?"
"Yes. She knows how to care for herself. I wonder where she got that instinct," he teased as Anakin's stomach growled. "Can I get you something from the cafeteria?"
As Obi-Wan offered Anakin food delivery, Luke moved so quickly that he was able to release his father's neck and stand before Anakin caught him.
"No! I'm the one who's supposed to get you food when you're hungry! That's my job!"
"Luke, calm down. You don't need to have a job," Anakin said gently, pulling his son close.
"I need a job!" Luke shouted, beginning to cry. A medic poked his head in the door just in time to see Anakin standing and lifting his son in his arms, holding the child close.
"Luke. Look at me."
Luke looked into his father's eyes, teary eyed.
"I want you to forget every job I've ever given you. Okay? I want you to do that right now."
"But-need a job," Luke protested.
"I'll give you a new one. First, though, you have to forget every job I've given you before now. Can you do that for me?"
Slowly, tremulously, Luke nodded.
"Good boy. Now, your new job is to get better. You have to eat what they tell you, when they tell you. You need to rest. You can't be jumping up to wait on others. You need to let us care for you, alright?"
Luke sniffled and nodded.
"That's better. Now, I'm going to put you into bed. I want you to curl up and try to go to sleep."
"But," Luke protested again, "But, what about Obi-Wan?"
Anakin looked at Obi-Wan, giving him his best please-just-do-what-I-ask look. "Obi-Wan's going to go back to the castle to look after your sister."
Thankfully, Obi-Wan took the hint. He stood, walking from the room, when he reached the door, he waved goodbye to Luke.
In an incredibly sweet, childish motion, Luke lifted one hand, just a little, and waved a shy goodbye back at him. Obi-Wan smiled, and exited the room completely. Anakin sighed. He loved Obi-Wan very much, and was sincerely glad that his teacher had been able to forgive him, but right now, he just wanted to be with Luke. There was nothing to say that he hadn't already tried, and potentially failed, to say. But he wanted to be near his son, with the knowledge of who the boy was, just the two of them.
"What about you?" Luke asked as Anakin tucked him in.
"I'll see if I can get permission to move another cot in here to stay with you."
Luke smiled a smile of pure contentment. "Yeah."
Vader smiled back at him, kissing his forehead and watching as he fell asleep. Then he set about making the arrangements for himself.