Nothing could have prepared Luke for seeing his father unmasked. He had heard the rumours, of course, for there were countless tales of what lay beneath the Dark Lord's mask.
Many thought he was just a droid, while some claimed the mask was a disguise, meant to hide a person of some renown. Others believed he was an eldritch creature, summoned from the netherworld to terrorise the galaxy at his master's behest.
But what Luke saw upon removing the mask was but a dying man: scarred, wheezing and of a deathly pallor, aged far beyond his years.
He wasn't the Emperor's enforcer or the Hero with No Fear; he was a slave. A sad man who had made a deal with the Devil, and lost.
"Now go, my son." His father rasped, his weak voice straining further. "Leave me."
But Luke had to save him. His father had proven himself, had shown his son that he still had good inside him, and had brought down the Emperor.
Anakin Skywalker was still alive and would remain as such.
"No, you're coming with me. I'll not leave you here, " Luke pleaded, holding his father's shoulder. "I've got to save you!"
And Anakin could do nothing to protest as his son dragged him to the nearest shuttle.
~•oOo•~
Thinking about that decision now, seeing his father strapped to a bed in a hospital, hooked to many machines and unconscious, Luke questioned it.
How would the Alliance react?
Would it have been better to let his father die?
About every ten seconds or so, the pale, scarred man would stir, as if having a horrible nightmare.
Luke would approach him, hold his heavy metal hand to try to connect with him, but no response would come. In the few times he managed to glimpse into his father's mind; all he saw was a dark maelstrom of pain and other emotions, all lumped together.
"You should let him rest, " Said a tall, orange-skinned Twi'Lek, dressed in a doctor's robes. She closed the door as soon as she entered, sighing as she looked at Anakin. "I must say, I didn't expect him to live. I don't think I've ever seen someone so dependent on machinery."
Luke resisted the urge to complain about that comment. He was lucky to have found a place in which no one recognised the Emperor's Enforcer, and her words did make him think. What had led to his father needing such extensive life support?
The doctor seemed to sense his discomfort. "Don't worry. This war has affected everyone, and your father is no different," She looked at something in her datapad. "We'll do our best to help him. As for you, perhaps you should take a break from watching him and eat something. Come with me."
And so, the two left.
~•oOo•~
Naboo's Lake Country, even now, was unlike anything Anakin had ever seen. Lush green fields extended as far as his eyes could see, full of beautiful flowers of all kinds, none of which he could name. In the distance, Shaaks grazed serenely, some bathing by the waterfalls.
If paradise was real, this was it.
Suddenly, Anakin heard the sound of laughter from behind him.
The laughter came from none other than his two children, playing in the grass.
Luke was skipping playfully, his blond hair messy, and his clothes full of dirt. "You can't catch me!" He exclaimed, laughing once more.
"Come here, you nerf-herder!" Luke's sister was close behind, and she looked even scruffier than her brother. The look of frustration on her face told Anakin she was taking the game a tad too seriously.
Anakin watched the siblings run and chase each other until Luke tripped and fell.
He rushed to his son, worried.
"Luke?" Anakin said, crouching and stretching out his hand to his son. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine, dad!" His son chuckled, standing up and wiping the dirt from his hands. "It's just a game!"
"Dad!" Luke's sister appeared, affronted. "I was so close!"
Anakin smiled. His daughter reminded him so much of Padmé...
And as soon as he thought of her, his wife appeared, lovely as always. Her hair was up in a crown of braids, and the dress she wore was magnificent: the same one she had donned when he had been assigned to protect her so long ago.
"It's great to see how much fun you are all having, " She said, chuckling. Her voice was as melodious as always, but something seemed off about it. " But it's time to go home. Your grandmother has prepared a delicious meal."
The children followed her, and Anakin did so as well.
~•oOo•~
After lunch, Anakin followed Padmé to their room. He could see the sunset in the distance, and despite its beauty, felt strangely numb to it.
"Ani, come in, " Said Padmé, who was already inside. "Don't worry about the kids!"
He nodded in acquiescence and lay down in the bed next to her.
"How was the Senate session today? He asked, trying to hide his disdain of that institution.
Padmé sighed. "As always. Palpatine may be gone, but that doesn't mean that corruption is too." She smiled, seeing how he worried he was. "
Anakin spent the rest of the night sleepless, thinking about how much better the Galaxy would be if all of its bureaucracy were eliminated and replaced with a more efficient system, one in which the rulers were wise and their subjects made to agree.
He quickly shoved that thought away. That had been Palpatine's influence, and he was free from it now.
He had his wife; he had his children; he lived a perfect life.
~•oOo•~
Dreams had seldom come to Darth Vader. In the aftermath of Mustafar, he had been haunted by ghosts of the past, such as Padmé or his mother, but as soon as he had succumbed entirely to the Darkness, those dreams had, for the most part, vanished.
Anakin Skywalker (was he even worthy of that name?) had no such reprieve.
As soon as he awoke from that blissful, yet cruel dream, he cried. It hurt to do so, and it made him feel even more pathetic, but he needed this.
He thought of Luke, his handsome, perfect, heroic son, and wondered why he still clung to his monstrous father.
After all, he should have died a long time ago.
And in many ways, he already had.
AN: Thanks for reading this story. It's my first time posting any of my writings online, and it feels great to see something come out of my graveyard of abandoned ideas.
The next chapter will feature Leia and some interaction between our favourite sunshine child and his mass-murdering cyborg father.
Feel free to leave any feedback, as English is not my native language.