A/N: Hey there! Look who's back after nearly TWO YEARS! All I'll say is, everything you need to know is in my profile description, and I'm back, baby! I'm sure you just wanna get to the fic, so I'll let ya go!

Ben never did quite understand grown-ups.

He watched Mom and Dad as they moved around the living room of their apartment. It was late, far too late for children to be up and about, and yet Ben found himself as distant from sleepy as one could be. He hadn't felt drowsy when his parents tucked him in an hour or so before, and even now he couldn't bring himself to drift off.

Maybe, he had thought upon sitting up in bed, just maybe, if I go get Mom and Dad, they'll bring me back, and Mom will sing me to sleep. Her voice was always so gentle when she sang; it was so different from her normal stern tone. She wasn't necessarily being harsh when she spoke, but she always had the authority of a general in her tongue. Dad said that was because she was a general—at least, in this apartment she was.

So, Ben had slid his legs over the side of the bed, bare feet dangling in the air before he gently pushed himself to the floor. He had tiptoed into the doorway, peeked around the door-frame to look down the hall, and then glanced at their bedroom directly across from his own. He hadn't needed to reach out to know that they weren't in there, but the room had not been totally empty.

The ripples of Uncle Luke's presence rolled through the crack beneath the door, the movement like waves lapping up onto the shore on a calm day. He was laying on the floor, most likely on the spare mattress, but Ben hadn't been able to make out anything beyond that. Turning and making his way carefully down the hall, Ben tried to glimpse where Mom and Dad were with his other eyes so he wouldn't be seen. He stopped when he noticed their swaying movements.

He peered around the wall, raising his eyebrows at what he was seeing. Mom and Dad were… dancing?

Dad hummed as he rocked Mom from side to side, grinning when he spun her and caught her a moment later. She chuckled at her husband and lightly smacked his chest. "Slow it down, Mister Solo, before you hurt that hip again." She smirked. Dad smirked, too, but it turned into a smile that showed his top row of teeth.

"Now, that's not a very nice implication about yourself." He grabbed the small of her back. "I know you've put on a bit, but surely it isn't—" Mom stomped his foot, and he swore.

"You're terrible!" she hissed with an incredulous smile, her mouth hanging open. Dad breathed through gritted teeth as he held her with one hand and grabbed his toes with the other.

"'Twas a joke, Sweetheart!" he laughed, picking her up. Mom wrapped her legs around his waist and held on, arms around his neck as he stared into her eyes. He used one hand to brush some stray hair out of her face, then leaned forward to plant a kiss on her collarbone. She chuckled again and ruffled his hair.

"You're going to wake Luke," she chided, but Dad just rolled his eyes, grinning.

"I know the kid's a light-sleeper, but he ain't that light of a sleeper."

Ben just watched them talk, feeling a smile creep onto his lips. He liked when Mom and Dad laughed; it let him know that things were okay, especially coming from Mom. Uncle Luke smiled a lot around him, so it didn't have the same effect that it did when Mom smiled. Even though Dad didn't always smile, either, he still smiled more than Mom, so she was the one he looked to for reassurance.

Ben frowned as he thought.

It also didn't help that Dad and Uncle Luke tended to smile even when they weren't happy. That was what was so weird to Ben—what confused him about adults. When Ben was mad, he would furrow his brow and say what was making him feel that way, usually with a sharp tone to properly express his anger. When he was sad, he would cry; when he was happy, he would smile big and wide. How else were Mom and Dad supposed to know what he meant?

Mom and Dad and Uncle Luke didn't do that, and it left Ben's mind whirling.

He knew it wasn't right to read people's minds without their permission, but sometimes people thought so loud. Ben couldn't help but hear, and emotions were even louder than thoughts, especially in his family. Whenever Mom was mad, it exploded off her presence like a firework. The sparks hit him in the face, and a blaze trailed behind her every step. When Dad was happy, a surge of energy would leap out from him before he could even smile or laugh. But even though Ben could sense their feelings, rarely would any of them physically express such emotions.

For example, sometimes Mom and Dad would get in arguments. Sometimes the fight would be really bad, and Mom would say things that sounded pretty mean in Ben's opinion. Dad could also say some hurtful things, but his words tended to hardly cause a spark in Mom's aura. Mom would be so fired up… it was as if whatever Dad said to her burned up in the flames before it could reach her ears. Then, whatever she spat back came out in a ball of fire.

That was at least understandable, though. Parents argued sometimes, and Mom said quite clearly when she was upset. But what baffled Ben was this: Sometimes, Mom would say things, and Dad would get sad.

He could feel his father's presence wilt like a flower, he could feel the pang in his heart pulse through his veins and leave his arms and legs practically numb. Ben knew that Dad was hurt… yet he never showed he was hurt. Rather than crying or just saying so, Dad would act mad instead. He talked like he was mad, gestured like he was mad, and his face even looked mad.

And yet he was never truly angry. Ben didn't know if Mom could sense it too or what, but he didn't think she noticed. The strength of her present emotions would drown out any other sensation, so it wouldn't be surprising if she couldn't see how Dad really felt.

"Hey, it's our song!" Dad suddenly exclaimed softly, and Ben was snapped out of his thoughts. The radio had switched to an older track, one that was upbeat and sounded fun to dance to. Mom laughed as Dad dropped her on her feet and began to step back and forth quickly and clumsily. He held her forearms as he moved them side to side, and Mom had to move with him to keep from being pulled off her feet.

"Han, you are a dreadful dancer."

"Aw, that's not what you said at the wedding."

There was giggling as they spun in the hallway's direction, and Ben quickly retreated into the shadows as they passed in front of the doorway. He rubbed one eye as he yawned. He didn't want to bother them now; they looked so happy, and watching them had been enough to cause his eyes to droop with the warm feeling in his chest. He went to turn around, but gasped when he bumped into something like a pair of legs.

"Whoa, easy there, kiddo," a familiar voice spoke quietly, hands lightly holding his shoulders. Ben looked up to see bright blue eyes glistening back in the darkness.

"Uncle Luke!" he whispered, his voice a bit nervous, "I promise I was goin' to bed, I just—"

Uncle Luke chuckled softly and ruffled his hand through Ben's dark locks. "Don't worry, I understand." He studied his nephew's face, and Ben knew he was observing the Force around him without being intrusive. "Trouble sleeping?" he asked.

Ben looked down and nodded sheepishly. Uncle Luke just smiled that same old smile, and even though it was comforting, it also made Ben a bit uneasy. That was the thing about Uncle Luke: Ben could read Mom and Dad like an open book, which wasn't hard since everything about them was so bold—Uncle Luke, on the other hand…

There was no malicious intent, and there was always a warmth about him, but it was as if—well, as if there was nothing. Whenever his uncle was visibly upset, Ben couldn't feel it the way he could for Mom and Dad. If the emotion was strong enough, sometimes a whiff would escape his presence, such as the first time Ben intentionally lifted a rock with the Force and moved it into his hand. On that day, Ben had been able to catch a hint of excitement from Uncle Luke, and it was strong, but it was also… fleeting.

There was no way to describe it except that every sensation Luke Skywalker experienced was watered down by some undetectable force; a force that was, well, not related to the Force.

Ben didn't understand it at all. Grown-ups were weird, and Uncle Luke was one of the weirdest grown-ups of all.

"Ben?" He heard a voice call, and Ben realized Uncle Luke was talking to him. He looked back up and raised his eyebrows. "I asked if you liked Mom and Dad's dancing," he repeated, and Ben found it in himself to grin.

"Yeah!" he replied quietly, "Mom says Dad is a bad dancer, but I think he's pretty wizard at it." Uncle Luke laughed under his breath before guiding Ben back towards his bedroom.

"Don't tell your father that, he'll let it go to his head."

Uncle Luke softly closed the door behind them, looking over his shoulder afterwards to see that Ben had crawled up into his bed. The man smiled as he pulled the blankets up to the boy's chin before sitting down at the foot of the bed. Ben clutched a stuffed Ewok in his arms and stared back.

"Uncle Luke?"

"Yes, Ben?"

He hesitated for a moment. "Why are adults so funny?"

Uncle Luke looked a bit confused, but his lips were turned upwards like he was curious. "What do you mean?"

"Like… you and Mom and Dad are just kind of weird."

He laughed as he spoke: "Really? How so?"

"Well… I don't know how to explain it, but you and Dad are different from Mom. She doesn't smile very much, but I can tell when she's really-really happy. But you and Dad smile a lot, for no reason."

Uncle Luke's lips were still upturned, which just proved Ben's point further, but he paused for a moment before he could speak again. "…well, your mother is just a serious person. She worries about you and your father, and I don't think she lets herself feel relaxed until she knows that everything is in order for the three of you.

"And your dad—" he chuckled— "Your dad smiles at you all the time."

"But why?"

"Well, because you make him happy. You smile at things that make you happy, right?"

"Yeah, but… sometimes he smiles when he doesn't feel good."

Uncle Luke was quiet, staring down at the floor. His brow was scrunched up like he was thinking, and Ben just watched him. When Uncle Luke noticed him staring, he let one corner of his mouth lift. "See! You do it, too!" Ben suddenly exclaimed, sitting upright. Uncle Luke blinked.

"Do what?"

"Smile when you aren't happy!"

"Hey, I am happy! I'm happy right now."

Ben folded his arms and furrowed his brow. He almost didn't ask, because he didn't know if it would make Uncle Luke upset, but the words came tumbling out of his mouth before he could stop them: "But I don't feel it." Uncle Luke tensed, and Ben did the same before hastily adding, "I-I mean… Mom and Dad feel really, I don't know, loud, and I know it's rude to read other people's minds, but sometimes I just can't help it, but I can't feel anything from you, even though the times I can I can tell it's really loud, too, and I—"

Uncle Luke laid a hand on the spot of the blanket where Ben's leg was, gentle as ever, and yet a smile was absent from his face. "I think… I think the reason your dad smiles when he isn't technically in a good mood is because he knows that you get worried when him and your mom aren't; I think that he thinks appearing to be happy will make you think he is happy, therefore, you won't worry." He did allow a small smile to grace his lips then as he ruffled Ben's hair again. "But you are quite perceptive, and he doesn't fully grasp that you can see through that. Your mother, on the other hand…"

Ben fiddled his thumbs. "So, he smiles for me?"

"Of course! He loves you."

"Is that why you smile a lot, too?"

"Yeah!"

Ben was quiet for a few moments, but he was sure that the sound of the gears turning in his mind were loud enough for Uncle Luke to hear. "Uncle Luke, there's still something I just don't get."

"What don't you understand?"

"If Dad smiles when he isn't really happy because he thinks it makes me feel better, then why would you smile when you aren't happy if you know I can tell that you aren't?"

Silence. And then, something else. A sensation Ben hadn't experienced before in his life, and it came from his uncle. It was probably the strongest thing he had ever felt come from Uncle Luke, as the entire time they had been sitting there, Ben hadn't been able to tell much of anything from his presence. And what he had felt… he hadn't the faintest clue what it was. It definitely wasn't something good, but it didn't necessarily feel unpleasant, either. It was so strong, but it was just…

Empty.

Was that what was preventing Ben from feeling Uncle Luke's stronger emotions? Was that why he was so hard to read? Ben just blinked. "What was that?"

"What? What was what?"

"That! That… feeling. I felt something!"

Uncle Luke furrowed his brow and stroked his chin. "I didn't feel anything..."

"Maybe that's what's keepin' me from being able to tell what you're feeling!" No response. "Maybe your Force is broken." Now, that did get a laugh from him.

"I don't think that's how the Force works, Ben."

"No, I'm serious! Maybe you, I dunno, aren't connected to the Force right. You can use it, but you feel funny to other Force users because of that—that thing."

Uncle Luke stood, simply shaking his head at the boy and smiling again. "I don't think there is a 'thing.' I think you're just a tired kid who is up way past his bedtime." When Ben didn't appear pacified, he smiled in a comforting manner. "You probably just tried too hard to sense my emotions, and it all got mixed up and weird with Han and Leia nearby, too, and that's not to mention your own exhaustion."

Ben still wasn't totally convinced, but something about Uncle Luke's words calmed him down a bit—maybe he was using that Force trick where he made whoever he touched feel more peaceful. "Okay," Ben finally said with a yawn, "But, uh… Let's not tell Mom I was up this late."

Uncle Luke chuckled. "I wouldn't dream of it."

"Okay." Leaning back and curling up beneath the blankets, Ben shut his eyes and hugged the stuffed Ewok at his side. "Goodnight, Uncle Luke. Love you."

"I love you too, Ben."

Luke smiled a soft smile as he gingerly shut the door behind him. He just stood there for a moment, hands resting on the knob as he could feel Ben begin to drift into the calm waves of sleep. He thought about their conversation, partially uneasy, partially pleased and amused. On one hand, Ben had asked several loaded questions, ones that Luke didn't even know how to answer. He would have to warn Han and Leia that their son was starting to ask hard questions that not even he could answer.

Just then, there was a thudding sound from the living room, and Luke heard Leia's voice raise up with curses.

"Han Solo, I swear I have never met a more stubborn son of a—"

"Oh, here we go again—"

Broken fragments of the argument reached Skywalker's ears, and he couldn't help but laugh under his breath. One minute, they were dancing without a care in the world; the next, they were ready to kill one another. Ben was right…

Adults are extremely weird.