Chapter Thirty-One:

Han paced back and forth before the door, mustering his courage. Everyone had now been to see Luke, had wished him well or shown their love. Everyone, that is, except Han.

When Han had tried initially to go see Luke, he had run into Anakin, who'd shared Luke's concerns that Han hated the younger boy. That had stopped Han cold, and after Anakin had gone, Han had found a place to be alone to weep bitterly. He'd cursed himself time and again, wishing he'd not been such a gundark about the whole affair.

Han sincerely wished he hadn't allowed his jealousy and pride to cloud his judgment. If he had been more himself, he may have been able to catch on to what was going on between Luke and his handlers far sooner and done something about it.

But Han's stupidity had blinded him, and Luke had suffered needlessly for it.

That had been three days ago, and Han hadn't yet been able to bring himself to see Luke in person. The others had checked on Han, and he had dredged up excuse after excuse, though he knew the others understood he was stalling.

Finally Obi Wan had come to Han and had spoken with the young man, and with the Jedi's guidance, Han had been able to speak. And not just talk: Han had been able to work through things with the old man, for which he as grateful.

As a result, Han now felt like he could approach Luke in a semi-composed fashion and explain himself. If the Kid would listen.

Luke would, Han knew, because that was the kind of person Luke was. Whether or not the younger boy would forgive Han was another matter. But Han would not leave their relationship, their brotherhood to just fizzle and die because he was too afraid to make amends.

Taking a deep, centering breath, Han put his palm to the door and opened it. The room was empty save the patient, who was slowly eating his lunch. The way the younger boy's arm and hand quivered as Luke attempted to feed himself sent a pang of shame through Han, and he couldn't help but stare at the skeletal figure on the bed before Luke noticed his audience.

When Luke had the spoon of simple soup nearly to his mouth, his tremble became more than he could handle, and Luke's spoonful ended up on his shirt. Luke jumped, swiping hurriedly at it, and Han saw only then how hot the bowl on the Kid's tray was.

Luke looked around frantically for a napkin, and Han saw his opportunity. He grabbed a nearby towel and walked forward. Luke was too busy to notice who was there at first, even as Han gently wiped away the steaming liquid.

"There ya go," Han said softly, watching with chagrin as the blond tensed in surprise. There was silence for a moment, and then weary blue eyes rose to meet Han's. Han tried to smile, but lips wouldn't cooperate.

The tense silence was broken when a medic appeared. "Your monitors detected distress, are you alright?"

Han stepped aside as the small being came forward, focused on Luke.

"I spilled my food, and it burned my skin." Luke explained. "But I'll be okay."

The doctor inclined his head. "Very well. Perhaps you should wait until your food cools down some before you eat."

His cheeks coloring a bit, Luke looked away. "Yeah."

The medic left then, closing the door behind him. Han worked his hands and then decided to just plunge in. He stepped forward, and Luke returned his gaze to him momentarily before looking away again.

"Luke, I..." Han began, hesitating again as his voice tried to give out on him. But he hardened his resolve. "I'm sorry. I was an idiot to think you'd turn coat on us, especially with our history." Luke didn't turn, but Han knew he was listening. "You have always had my back, even when you didn't have to. I... well; my pride got the best of me."

Han rubbed a hand across the back of his neck. "Hell, I'm not too proud to admit I was jealous."

Luke did look to him now. "I asked you before I did anything if you would mind."

Han's heart clenched to see the moisture slipping from the other's eyes. "I know you did, and, well..." He fumbled in his explanation. "I was wrong. I got riled up when you became an idol to the other kids. And then I felt like I was being babied, so I just decided to be angry to make it easier."

Luke was confused. "Make what easier? Hating me?"

"No," Han stepped forward. "I never hated you, and I never will. I... I missed you. You're my brother, Luke. I was lonely without you. That's what was hardest for me, and why I chose to be angry: to hide my feelings."

Luke took that in, and then shifted to a more comfortable position in his bed. "You received favors in return for my obedience to Garris."

"I know," Han responded. "Garris took great pleasure in letting me know all the details once he had me cornered."

Luke's gaze hardened, his tears falling harder now. "Did he tell you how well he treated me?"

Han stepped forward. "We had evidence thanks to an... another man who was trying to find you." Han amended, not sure if it was a good idea to mention Vader right then.

Luke wiped at his face. "What happened to him? No one will give me a straight answer."

Han lifted a brow. "Vader happened to him, that's what."

Luke's head whipped around. "What?"

"Vader saved you, Kid," Han said, throwing previous caution to the wind. Luke deserved the truth.

Luke was shocked. "He... b... why?" he stammered.

Han knew this was more than he was within his rights to admit, so he put the brakes on. "Because you were important to him."

Luke swallowed. "So... I'm now his prisoner?"

Han shook his head. "No. Vader didn't want a prisoner, he wanted a... well, you. He wanted you alive."

Luke was clearly alarmed, so Han laid a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, I promise you are safe. Even from Vader."

Luke opened and closed his mouth several times. "How can you promise that? Vader's the most powerful man in the galaxy, everyone knows that." He paused a second. "Except for the Emperor."

Han grimaced before he could stop himself. "I see there's a lot you need to catch up on."

Luke looked bewildered. "What happened?"

"A lot," Han muttered. "Long story short, Vader is gone... and so is Palpatine."

Luke merely stared. "Be serious."

"I am." Han assured. He glanced to the soup, which was no longer steaming. "Tell you what, why don't I catch you up on events while you eat?" Leaving out the father-son stuff of course, Han thought.

Luke looked to the food and sighed. "I'm too weak to feed myself," he said glumly, and at that moment his stomach rumbled.

Han took up the bowl. "Then let me," he said gently. At Luke's expression, Han added, "please, let me do this for you."

Luke softened. "Thanks. And I forgive you."

Han's heart lightened and he sat up straighter, a true smile finally touching his face. "Alright then, where should I begin?"

00000

Luke started awake, breathing heavily and casting his gaze about. The vivid imagery of the nightmare still fresh in his mind, he began to tremble. Why he was having these near-constant dreams was beyond him, but they had begun shortly after he'd woken the first time, about four weeks ago.

First he had seen a girl who was clearly on her own; trying to survive a rough landing after a man threw her out of an airlock. Then he'd caught snapshots as she struggled to find food, or simply to breathe.

Several times she had encountered ruffians and creatures that would harm her first chance they got. But she got away each time, though Luke felt as if he were there with her. Why he didn't know, but if frightened him.

And his nightmares were beginning to affect his recovery, Luke knew. He had steadily gained weight once he'd been given real food, and he had even gotten to know Anakin better. Luke couldn't remember his last name since he had been pretty groggy when he'd first heard it, and Anakin hadn't said it since.

Luke didn't know what it was about the man, but there was something about Anakin that Luke found inherently comforting. He felt safe and secure around the man, and he hadn't felt that way since Owen had passed.

Anakin was willing to answer just about any question Luke had, and the two had slowly built up a relationship. But something held Luke back, and he didn't know what it was. He liked Anakin, but every time Luke was near him, there was a stirring in his heart that he didn't understand. Luke was also confused and wary about the way Anakin treated the child. It was like Anakin thought Luke to be his son, if Luke was reading the man correctly.

Now Luke was balancing edginess over his nightmares of the girl with his mixed emotions about Anakin. His therapist had noticed and tried to get Luke to open up, but he refused, not wanting to relive his nightmares if he didn't have to.

But now they were getting increasingly persistent, so much so that Luke was frightened, and he didn't want to go to sleep at night.

He looked around his room once more and laid eyes on his walking stick, something given to him temporarily while he learned to walk independently once more. He felt caged, trapped in his room, and he was ready to snap. He was desperate for an escape, and so he carefully left the bed. After a few independent steps, Luke had his cane in hand and was exiting his room. He didn't know which way to go though, so he paused, considering.

Finally he went left and slowly ambled along, not really paying attention to where he was going until he found himself in a small alcove that had a view of space beyond the facility's shields.

Sitting on the floor by the edge of the viewport, Luke allowed his tears to flow, frightened, alone and confused.

00000

Anakin rose from bed earlier in the morning than normal for him, not knowing what had aroused him until his comlink went off.

"Skywalker," he answered groggily, still rubbing sleep from his eyes.

"Sir, we have a situation, we need you at the patient's room immediately." a droid informed him.

Anakin's heart clenched and his attention sharpened in a second, all traces of drowsiness evaporating like steam. He threw on his robe as he sprinted from the room. His mind awash with scenarios, Anakin worked to bring himself under control. Panicking would do him no good.

When Anakin arrived at the room, he immediately looked to the bed... and found it empty.

"Where is Luke?" he demanded, looking to the medical droid that had hailed the Jedi.

"That's what we called you for." The medic approached. "He has disappeared, and yet no one has left the facility."

Anakin was swift to put the pieces together. "So he is still here somewhere."

"Indeed." The doctor inclined his head. "But I didn't want to incite a panic among you and your friends."

Anakin nodded. "That's appreciated. I will find him."

Without awaiting an answer, Anakin left. Delving into the Force, he found a trail that carried Luke's presence. What made him frown was how laced with anxiety it was. Pushing aside his instinctual parental urge to rush, Anakin remained calm.

He followed the trail on a course that seemed to him like Luke had not taken any direct route. Considering the boy hadn't been outside the medical facility yet, Anakin could understand why: Luke had no idea where anything was.

Anakin eventually came to the end of the trail, but couldn't find the child in the dim lighting. He was just turning around when he caught a flash of something golden close to the ground, and Anakin saw it was Luke's hair.

Relief surged in his veins, and Anakin approached cautiously. "Luke?"

The boy jumped, looking up in alarm before he recognized who was there. He just as quickly looked away, wiping at his face... but not before Anakin caught sight of his wet cheeks.

"What's wrong?" Anakin asked, concerned anew as he sat on a chair nearby his son. The thought came to him— as persistently as ever— that he still had not revealed their relationship to the child. Anakin supposed he had been waiting for when it felt right to do so. "Are you in pain?"

Luke shook his head. "No."

Anakin eyed the boy's exhausted frame. "Have you not been sleeping well?"

Luke tensed, not answering. The boy's fear peaked, and Anakin slid to a sitting position next to the boy on the floor. Understanding what Luke was experiencing, Anakin simply sat in companionable silence for a few minutes. The view of the stars reminded him of his childhood, and so he began to talk to help put the other at ease.

"When I was a boy, younger than you in fact," Anakin said softly. "I would stare up at the stars and dream of visiting every one of them." He smiled minutely at the memory. "It was the only form of freedom I had. No one could tell me what to dream."

Luke looked to him. "What do you mean?"

Anakin met his gaze. "Because, Luke, I was a slave for the first nine years of my life."

Luke sat up a little straighter. "You were?"

Anakin nodded. "My mother and I belonged to a Toydarian named Watto."

Luke tilted his head. "How did you get away?"

"I was freed by a Jedi Master named Qui-Gon Jin. After that I left with him to train as a Jedi." Memories followed on the heels of that admission, and Anakin allowed them. Prompted by the Force, Anakin continued. "And then many years afterwards I began to have... visions of my mother. She had been kidnapped, and I felt her pain; several times until I finally went to find her."

Luke must have sensed his pain, because he was gentle in his query. "What happened to her?"

"She died in my arms." Anakin's voice was rough. "She had been taken and tortured by Sand People. I was too late to save her, but what bothered me most was that I had known she was in trouble and didn't do anything about it until it was too late. If I had reacted sooner, perhaps I could have saved her. I will never know."

Luke turned contemplative, and then looked to Anakin. "Are you a Jedi?"

"I am," Anakin replied, wondering where this was going.

"What gives a Jedi his power?" Luke asked. "What makes them Jedi, and not like Vader?"

Anakin flinched inwardly. "A Jedi has a connection to what is called the Force. It is an energy field that connects all living things in the galaxy. Everyone is part of it, but only those who have what is known as Force-sensitivity can access that power." He took a breath. "The difference between Jedi and Sith— what Vader was— is how they choose to use the Force. The Jedi use the Force for good, while the Sith use it for selfish, evil means."

Luke was clearly thinking that over, and Anakin let him take his time. "When... when I raced, and when I..." he hesitated, clearly uncertain.

"Go ahead, I won't judge you." Anakin assured.

Luke ducked his head. "But... I committed many crimes for Garris. I... I should be in jail."

Anakin shook his head. "No, you were surviving. What you did is on Garris' head, not yours."

Luke wiped at his face. "But I chose to be his servant. The others didn't, at least not like me."

Anakin laid a hand on his shoulder. "Take it from someone who knows first-hand: your crimes are nothing compared to men like Vader and Garris. If you feel bad, then forgive yourself and move forward, trying to be a good person every day to make up for it."

Luke nodded. "Okay."

Anakin nodded. "What were you asking before?"

"When I raced," Luke said, "I could feel some sort of power. I didn't know what it was, or how I was accessing it, but I called it my sixth sense. Was that the Force I was feeling?"

"Yes," Anakin answered. "You are Force-sensitive. And a strong one at that."

Luke tilted his head. "How can I use it if I'm not a Jedi?"

"You are not trained, you mean." Anakin corrected patiently. "But you can still feel and use it subconsciously. Also, you can be taught how to control your abilities."

Luke looked down. "I... I'll think about it." A moment of quiet ensued, and then, "you said you had dreams of your mother?"

"I did."

"How did you know if they were visions or nightmares?"

Anakin paused, considering how to respond. "I could feel the difference. It was as if I was there with my mother. In a nightmare it seems real, but as soon as you're awake the feelings begin to fade. With a vision, the feelings remain for a long time afterward."

Luke seemed distressed again. "But..."

Anakin lifted a brow. "Yes?"

Luke opened his mouth, and then closed it. "I..."

Anakin remained open and inviting, allowing the youth to come around on his own.

"I've been having nightmares." Luke's voice seemed haunted. "But... like you said, they feel real: like it's happening as I watch it, and I'm there, but I'm still in my bed."

Anakin frowned. "You think you've been having visions?"

Luke shrugged. "I'm just telling the facts."

Anakin pursed his lips. "Can you tell me about them?"

Luke blinked, taken aback. "What?"

"The visions, please share them with me." Anakin pressed gently.

"Then you believe me?" Luke was hopeful.

"I do," Anakin answered, "now please, tell me. Don't be scared."

Luke bit his lip, but then plunged in. "I keep seeing a girl. She's in trouble, and I think she's slowly... dying. She is living in a huge junkyard, and the air is so foul it's toxic without protection. She is surviving, but I... she keeps crossing into the path of evil men. And I think... she may have been a slave too, since a man threw her away like garbage." Luke rubbed his arms as if cold. "I... I feel like I am there with her, every time, and it's... I swear sometimes she knows I'm there too. But it's all so frightening."

Anakin was starting to get a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. It had happened before, and he would not be surprised if it was the case now. Luke was a twin— unknown to himself— and if he was Force-sensitive, chances were his twin was also. Children who shared a womb were already close. Force-sensitive twins would be even more so, and it wasn't impossible for them to have a connection that surpassed many other relationships in life.

For Luke to feel everything so clearly; to be having these visions in the first place...

Anakin followed that train of thought. If Luke was having visions of this girl, it was because he was connected to her, like Anakin and his mother had been. For the boy to feel everything the girl was... Anakin couldn't deny the facts, and his heart sped up in fear for his daughter.

Luke frowned at the man, clearly sensing something going on. "Do you know what all of this means?"

Anakin took a steadying breath. "Yes, but to explain that, I must first tell you something else. Please know I didn't say anything yet because I wanted you to heal. And I didn't know how to tell you, honestly."

"Tell me what?" Luke asked gingerly.

Anakin checked to be sure they didn't have any eavesdroppers before he spoke. "Luke, what do you know of your father?"

Luke blinked. "My father? Nothing really. Uncle Owen never really talked about that subject."

Anakin thinned his lips, but let judgment pass. Luke would have been too young to understand anyway at that point in time. "The galaxy thought he was dead, and in a sense he was, but he has truly been alive all this time. He's just been... away for a while."

Luke looked confused. "Okay..."

Anakin placed a hand on Luke's shoulder. "Luke, I..." He didn't know how to proceed, so Anakin asked the Force for guidance. "Your father had to go away for a time because someone else took his place. When Darth Vader came into the galaxy, Anakin Skywalker disappeared. That's because they were one and the same."

Anakin held Luke's gaze, watching the understanding unfold. Luke looked down, and then frowned, his lips moving almost imperceptibly before his gaze shot to Anakin's. "I'm a Skywalker..."

Anakin nodded in confirmation, and Luke held the man's gaze... the two sets of eyes so similar they couldn't deny it.

"You told me your name last before..." Luke said slowly, "but I can't remember it."

"Skywalker," Anakin whispered.

Silence reigned, so thick it could have been sliced with a knife. Luke didn't move, didn't speak... and then he was.

"You are Anakin Skywalker? Who was... is... also Darth Vader... who was... is... my father?" Luke's voice rose in pitch, his wobbly legs pushing him upward.

Anakin held out a hand to steady the youth but Luke pulled away. "I am not Vader anymore."

Luke glared, backing away. "But you were, and you wanted me. I ran because of you!" His voice got louder. "I joined Garris because your Empire killed my family!" Tears spilled forth from Luke's eyes, and Anakin felt horrible, especially at Luke's words. "My family didn't do anything, and yet my Uncle and Aunt were shot by stupid, drunken stormtroopers who nearly killed me when they burned my home to hide their crimes!"

Anakin couldn't move, his grief keeping him rooted in place. Luke's words cut him deeply, and though it wasn't Vader's direct fault that those events had happened, Vader had all but run the Empire under Palpatine's watchful eye. "If it makes you feel any better, those troopers were taken care of."

Luke shook his head, his entire frame shaking from the effort to stand and hold this 'conversation'. "I'm glad, but I can't be with you right now."

Without waiting for a response, Luke turned and ambled off as swiftly as he could, still avoiding his room. All Anakin could bring himself to do was watch, his own face wet.

(A/N: Thank you for your continued patience with my breaks.)