"Nice place you've got here."

Obi-Wan froze. He slowly turned around to face the dark figure who somehow managed to be intimidating even though he was just sitting at Obi-Wan's kitchen table, casual as ever. He gasped.

This was not happening.

"I told Uncle Owen I wanna be a pilot! He said it was dangerous…" Luke mispronounced the bigger word. It sounded more like dane-gee-us. "…but I think it's cool." The little boy continued on babbling happily about anything and everything he could possibly think of.

He was growing remarkably fast, only two years old and already so smart.

And, Obi-Wan thought with a pang in his heart, he already dreamed of being able to go on adventures and see the stars. To visit all the planets.

It wasn't often that Obi-Wan got to see Luke, but he always treasured these moments. They gave him a reason to wake up in the morning, to keep moving on even when it was difficult. Luke was the most important person in his life. His safety and happiness were top priority, everything else could wait.

The only thing that wasn't pleasant about these days was that Obi-Wan knew that in another life, had things gone differently, he would have been the one raising Luke himself. And Leia, that beautiful little girl who Bail said already looked so much like Padme. It made him sad to think about it.

Padme had become one of his best friends. Even with all that had happened, he loved her more than almost anyone. Obi-Wan genuinely thought that, in this other life, they may have even been able to fall in love. But they were never given a chance.

Padme, Anakin, and Obi-Wan all could have been happy together, raised the twins, defeated the Emperor before he even managed to become Emperor in the first place. If only…

But no. That is not the way fate decided their lives were going to go. It wasn't good to dwell on what could have been. Obi-Wan needed to focus on the here and now.

"The boy has his head in the clouds." Owen complained. "Just like his father."

Beru gave him a look. "Owen. He's two years old. That's where his head is supposed to be at his age."

"I just worry. What if he never grows out of it?"

"We'll do our best to make sure he does, eventually. Everyone has to someday."

Obi-Wan walked in, carrying Luke in his arms, the boy still talking about who knows what. "I agree. I wouldn't worry, though. Even Anakin grew out of it. You only ever saw him in the few moments where he let himself escape reality."

Owen scoffed. "What was so bad about his reality?"

"…I can't really say much, but just know that there was enough of it that things like dreaming, hoping for a better future, craving freedom and fun and adventure? They were necessary…" Obi-Wan trailed off.

Owen gave him a considering look, which then became a bit confused. "Wait, why can't you say much? It's not like he'll stop you, or do anything if you do."

Obi-Wan gave Luke to Beru when she reached for him, beginning to take his leave. "It's a betrayal of trust. Just because he betrayed mine, doesn't mean I'll ever betray his. I loved him more than anyone. If I could tell you, make you understand his struggle, I would, but I can't."

"I understand, Ben." Beru put a comforting hand on Obi-Wan's shoulder. "Drive carefully, there's supposed to be a storm coming soon. Get home safe, and come back to visit more! I enjoy talking with you, and you know how much Luke adores you." She smiled, walking with him to the door.

"I'll be careful, and I'll see if I can come more often. I just don't like feeling like I'm intruding… But I'll try, for you and Luke." Obi-Wan returned her smile, giving her a slight hug and ruffling Luke's hair, causing the boy to giggle adorably. "Goodbye."

The last thing, or rather the last person, Obi-Wan would have ever expected to see waiting for him at his hidden homestead was Anakin Skywalker, or Darth Vader to most these days.

And yet, there he was.

Golden eyes stared at Obi-Wan, bright and intense. The darkness of the room added to the effect, making Vader even more intimidating. Obi-Wan was having none of it, more irritated than afraid, and flicked on a light.

"Thanks, I decorated it myself." Obi-Wan spit out sarcastically, crossing his arms and leaning against the counter.

Anakin— no, Vader looked around, nodding appreciatively at the décor. Which, seriously. Obi-Wan had just taken everything from his old quarters at the Temple and bought a few new cheap things when anything else became necessary. It wasn't much to look at.

Obi-Wan didn't quite understand what was happening. If Vader wanted to kill him, wouldn't it be easier to just hurry up and do it already? Obi-Wan was practically itching for some kind of a fight anyway. It had been too long since he'd sparred with anyone, and talking to Luke and the Lars was always a rare and pleasant affair. If this was going to turn into a screaming match or a lightsaber duel to the death, Obi-Wan was more than ready.

One way or another, he'd have a chance to release his frustrations. Obi-Wan had tried to release his feelings into the Force, he really had… but his whole life had been destroyed, how is he supposed to just meditate all of the feelings away? Granted, meditation did help… just not as much as he would've liked it to.

"Okay, since you don't seem to want to explain whatever this is unprompted… what the hell are you doing here?" Obi-Wan hadn't really intended for words to come out of his mouth yet, but it seemed he was reaching his breaking point and no longer could produce any fucks to give.

Vader sighed. He narrowed his gold eyes at Obi-Wan. "Honestly? I have no idea."

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes. That was just like him, doing dumb shit without giving it a second thought. "Of course you don't."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Vader asked, offended.

"You never think anything through!" Obi-Wan yelled.

"I do too!" Vader yelled back, sounding like a petulant child.

Obi-Wan scoffed. "Oh, please. Name one time you actually thought about something before impulsively deciding to just go right ahead and do it!"

Vader opened his mouth and inhaled, as if to begin to respond, before exhaling and closing his mouth. He pouted. It looked ridiculous.

Obi-Wan smirked. "See? Typical."

"Just like it's typical for you to use sarcasm as a defense mechanism?" Vader raised an eyebrow.

"So what if I do? Everyone's got something they use, sarcasm is mine."

Vader sighed again. It seemed Obi-Wan was causing him frustration. Good. "I've been having dreams about you." He blurted. There was no tact whatsoever. Honestly, Obi-Wan didn't know why he was surprised. Oh wait, no he knew exactly why.

"You've been what?"

Vader rolled his eyes, which okay rude, and stood up. He started to walk over to where Obi-Wan was standing, talking as he did. "Every night for almost a month… I've been having dreams about you. Sometimes it's about the past… things that happened while I was a Padawan, or everything that went down between us, or missions and battles during the Clone Wars. But mostly it's about the future. I keep seeing you, and sometimes this little girl that kinda looks and acts like both of us. I keep seeing the Death Star, and a group of teenagers who feel familiar even though I've never met them. I see myself looking down at a boy, blonde and blue eyed, and killing the Emperor to save him. You're always there, sometimes with me, sometimes in the background… but always there. I have no idea why it's happening and it's killing me not knowing."

Obi-Wan glared up at him. "So, what? You thought if you came to find me I could figure it out for you? I have no idea why it's happening either. It's been frustrating me too."

"…What do you mean?" Vader asked, looking uncharacteristically nervous.

"I mean… I've been having similar dreams. Except… what's the Death Star? Is that the big spherical mechanical monstrosity I keep seeing?"

"…It will be. It's still… being built…"

Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow, suspicious. "And what is it being built to do, Anakin?" He asked, realizing his slip up too late.

Vader's eyes widened before narrowing again. "When it's finished, it will destroy whole planets. One push of a button, and any planet we choose to use it on explodes."

Obi-Wan gasped. So that's how the Empire intended to keep people in line. Then something occurred to him. "Wait… why would you tell me that?"

"…I don't know. I felt like telling you, so I did." Vader shrugged, refusing to meet his eyes.

"Anakin?"

"Stop calling me that."

"Why?"

"That name no longer has any meaning for me."

Obi-Wan scoffed. "You're so dramatic. It's your name, dear one. You can't just decide it means nothing without a valid reason, and I personally don't believe your reasons are valid."

Vader was watching him with wide eyes. They didn't narrow this time, just stared.

"What?" Obi-Wan knew no one else could get away with speaking to Darth Vader the way he was now, and he took great satisfaction from that knowledge.

"You… you called me 'dear one'." Vader ducked his head, a blush spreading across his face. How interesting.

"Yes, darling, I did." Obi-Wan heard a faint whimper come from Vader. Huh. He reached up a hand, caressing the face of the Fallen love of his life. "How long has it been, Ani, since anyone showed you love?" Another whimper, a bit louder this time. Oh, this was fun. And adorable.

"Umm, two years? Since… that day." Vader bit his lip. How cute.

"Since the day of your Fall? See this, my love, is why we stay in the Light. All the love you could ever need or want, is waiting for you to return. Had you not Fallen, you could've had me, Padme, Ahsoka, your child, Rex… really any family you wanted around. We all loved you." Obi-Wan didn't dare imply that there was more than one child. He knew that Anakin hadn't known about the twins, and if he revealed that he did it was possible that Vader may question him on it. It was a small chance, but he wasn't willing to risk it.

"…Loved? Past tense?"

Obi-Wan smiled. "Well I can't speak for everyone. I can only speak for myself, I'm not sure about how the others feel about you now…"

Vader seemed to debate on something in his head for a moment, before speaking. "How do you feel about me?"

Obi-Wan laughed lightly. "Do you even have to ask, dear one? I have always, and will always love you."

Vader grinned, his eyes flashing blue for a moment. Obi-Wan hated himself for what he was about to do, extinguishing his love's first happy moment in over two years, but it was necessary.

"However… that doesn't mean I forgive you. You've made many mistakes over the years, love, we all have. But that day? That mistake? It was so terrible that it fucked over the whole galaxy."

Vader's smile disappeared, eyes returning back to their golden color but looking more dim than they had before. "Yeah, I know. I… I need you in my life Obi-Wan. I'll do whatever it takes to get you to forgive me. All I've been able to think about for two years is how I hurt everyone I cared about, and how the only one I didn't hurt was the one who had been manipulating me all along. The worst part is, he used that anger and hatred I had for myself, and brought me even deeper into the Darkness."

Obi-Wan took a moment to think. "There is still much we have to talk about… and forgiveness doesn't just happen overnight…"

"I'll stay for as long as I possibly can… if you'll let me? The Emperor thinks I've been on a mission hunting down Jedi… which I guess I kind of am but not in the way he thinks." Vader— no, Anakin chuckled. This was his Anakin, or at least it was closer to his Anakin than he had thought it was.

"…Alright. You can stay here. I've got a spare room, but if you're staying you'll need to help out. Milk the banthas, fix up everything that's broken, boring house chores…" Obi-Wan teased.

Anakin laughed. "Sure, anything. I promise, Obi-Wan… I'll earn your forgiveness. And I'll make you proud this time."