Chapter Thirty-Seven

Vader shoved yet another needle into his abdomen, going straight through the leather at one of the suit's few spots weak enough to let it through, even though the needle itself was tipped with a shard of corusca gem. He hit the plunger, and the painkillers instantly provided him with relief from the agony in his leg. That was what he liked about injections. That, and they were a lot more convenient than pills when he was in the suit.

Now able to walk without limping, he went on a hunt for a couple of his spare lightsabers. The twins should have one each if they were to meet Sidious.

Just in case.

As he searched, he thought of what Polor had said earlier, about himself and the twins – or his family, if they could be called that. He wasn't sure anything so dysfunctional as his relationship with his children should be called a family.

A man does not care about someone because he is their father. He is their father because he cares.

He'd never had a father, he wouldn't know. He remembered how Obi-Wan had acted when they had first met – distant and distrustful, almost cold. He'd only cared because, as a Master, he was obligated to. Cliegg Lars, the man his mother had married, hadn't even known him for a day, far too little to base familial feelings on – not that he'd seem to care all that much for Anakin or his relationship with his mother.

His mother. If he had to base his relationship with his own children on anything, it would be his relationship with his mother. She had loved him unconditionally. She hadn't even requested he remain at her side until he was grown. She had allowed to move freely, to make his own mistakes, even if they embarrassed her at times, because she wanted him to be the very best he could be, and knew there were things he needed to experience for himself. And in return, he'd done everything she'd ever asked him to, trying to make her proud.

He couldn't say he was expressing the same selflessness with Luke and Leia. He wanted them with him, he wanted their company and their love. He wanted their acceptance and their respect. That was what he wanted from them.

What did they want?

What did they want from him?

Most importantly, what did he want for them?

"BOO!" Jix yelled as he burst into the captain's quarters.

Han jumped a foot off the bed. At least, it felt like a foot. "Force, Jix, can't you knock like a normal person?"

"Can't be normal; Corellian, remember?"

"I'm Corellian too, and I'm normal!"

Jix snorted. "Right, you keep telling yourself that." He settled himself at the foot of the bed. "Whatcha doin'?" he asked with an exaggerated drawl.

"How about you answer that question first?" Han replied. "I haven't seen you since – damn, it must have been when the kids broke into that little room of Vader's. What have you been up to?"

"Oh, this and that," Jix replied airily. "Tapping into Miss Jade's comlink, just boring stuff like that."

"You tapped into Jade's comlink?" Han was impressed despite himself. "She'll kill you. Literally. So what was she sending?"

"Weekly reports to His Most Old And Uglyness. About how the kids are doing, whether Vader's been plotting behind his back, stuff like that." He paused. "I did some shopping, too."

Han blinked. "Shopping?"

"Yep. Uncle D planned on showing the kids how to build lightsabers, but I suppose they ran out of time. And he wanted some more clothes for them – no time for that either. And I got a few groceries for that cute little maid in the kitchen. And Polor gave me a list of medical supplies. I got those for him, too."

"What an exciting life you lead."

"Don't I know it."

"Hey Uncle D; children!" Jix greeted Vader and the twins as they stepped off the shuttle in the docking bay of the Executor. "Long time, no see."

"Hey Jix," the twins chorused, then looked at each other and grinned.

"You know, there used to be a time when that freaked me out," Leia commented.

Luke looked at her with wide eyes and a slightly trembling lower lip. "Love you too, sis."

She socked him in the shoulder. "Oh, get over yourself." They walked off, still arguing good-naturedly.

"They seem to be in awfully good spirits, considering they're going to see His Wrinkledness," jix commented.

Vader sighed. "They picked up on the pain my leg is giving me --"

"Wait wait wait," Jix interrupted. "Your leg hurts? And you didn't tell me?"

"You didn't need to know," Vader replied.

"So?"

"Anyway," Vader continued, "they picked up on it, and ever since they've been like this. At least around me."

Jix fell silent for a moment. "You know," he said finally, "they probably are trying to make your life a little bit easier. You're in pain, you're worried . . . they don't want you to have to worry about their feelings, too. Because you know you would," he added when Vader tilted his head disbelievingly. "Don't pull that Big Bad Sith Lord act with me. You totally care about whether or not they're happy, or content, or whatever. Don't try to deny it."

When did he get so perceptive? Vader wondered. I didn't even know I felt like that until he pointed it out. "Where is Solo?" he asked instead. "I have orders for the two of you, for when we reach Coruscant."

"What kind of orders?' Jix asked hopefully.

"The best kind," Vader replied as sweetly as the mechanical voice would allow. "The kind that will keep you on this ship, away from the Palace and anything stupid you may do there that will get you killed."

Jix frowned. "You know, sometimes, you are a really horrible boss."

"And you'll follow, those orders, right, Jix?" Vader continued as if Jix had never spoken. "Because you remember what happened the last time you went into the Palace uninvited, don't you?"

Jix unconsciously rubbed at his chest, over where his heart was, uneasy at the memory. "Yeah, that's not exactly something I'll forget anytime soon."

"Good. I trust you'll keep Solo from suffering the same fate." With that, Vader swept away after his children.

"Here," Vader said, holding the lightsabers out to the twins.

They each took one. "Real ones?" Luke said disbelievingly. He switched it on; the crimson blade shot from the hilt. He tried a couple of swings. "Well, red's never been my colour, but it'll do." He grinned at Vader. "Thanks."

Vader tilted his head, wondering at Luke's reaction. Had the boy actually attempted to tease him? Maybe Polor and Jix had known what they were talking about after all. Vader shook his head. It wouldn't be the first time, that was for sure. Well, maybe for Jix . . .

"What?" Luke asked.

"You are an impertinent child," Vader replied. "Go meditate."

Luke wrinkled his nose – both twins hated meditation – and headed for the door, Leia at his heels. Vader called out to her.

"Yes?" she replied. Luke hovered at the door, waiting.

"I'd like to speak with you."

She shrugged. "So speak."

Vader glanced at Luke.

Luke held up his hands. "I'm going, I'm going," he huffed. "I can tell when I'm not wanted."

Vader's stomach flipped; he didn't want Luke to get the wrong idea . . . "Luke," he called.

Luke gave him a funny little half-smile over his shoulder. "Relax," he replied. "You're far too uptight." He left, the door sliding shut behind him.

Vader looked at Leia. "He doesn't really think --"

"No," she reassured him, looking rather close to laughter. "He's right, you're way too serious for your own good."

"Thanks for that," he commented dryly.

"My pleasure." She smirked at him. "So, what did you want to talk about?"

Now came the hard part. "I . . . uh – heard there is something of a relationship between you and Han Solo," he commented awkwardly.

Leia's look immediately turned so poisonous Vader nearly stepped back in shock. "There is nothing between Captain Solo and me," she hissed venomously. "He is an arrogant son-of-a-nerf who doesn't know his place. In fact, I suggest you take a few strips out of his hide." She turned on her heel and stalked away.

Vader stared after her. And Jix says I'm frightening.

Vader stood still, looking like a polished black marble statue in front of the doors that would soon open to permit them to enter the Emperor's audience chamber. He listened to Luke and Leia as they shifted nervously behind him. Leia was slightly calmer than Luke, but Vader suspected that was only because she had fooled herself into believing that Sidious would be the same man in this private audience as he was in the Senate Rotunda. Unfortunately for her, she would soon be proved wrong.

Upon landing on Coruscant, they had stopped briefly at Vader's mansion to allow them a chance to clean up and get their bearing, then they had come straight here. And with each passing minute, all three of them grew more edgy.

Vader knew this was only a strategy of Sidious's meant to throw them off balance, and he worked at keeping himself centered so solidly in the Force that no blow would topple him, and attempted to project something calm and soothing at the twins. It seemed to work, a little --

And then the doors swung slowly, ominously, open.