Chapter 4 – Starting Anew

Author's Note: In which Vader and Luke make plans for the future... :)

~ Amina Gila

The red and blue lightsabers clash, neither combatant willing to back down. Vader finds himself impressed with Luke's strength. In a few short weeks, the boy has become a master duelist, though not strong enough to defeat Vader – or his former master. It will take far more time to train him adequate so they can face the Emperor. Time. He has plenty of time.

Whether or not most of the rebels want him here doesn't matter, because their leaders do. He formulated two major plans of attack, each of which went better than anyone had anticipated. They have gained a wary, tentative trust in him, trust which he has little desire to break. He doesn't consider them equals or comrades, but they are allies. They can work together. And he can enjoy his time with Luke.

Overall, he's doing much better after his prosthetics were upgraded. Many of his burns were healed also, and while he'll need more invasive treatment to live without a respirator, it can be done. He's furious at how he was used so badly by Sidious. He didn't need to live in this torture device for so long. It wasn't necessary. It was never necessary. His anger is dampened by Luke's presence. Though Leia rarely talks to him – continually giving him the cold shoulder if they cross paths – Luke is completely opposite. Not only has the boy gone out of his way to spend as much time with Vader as possible, but also, their bond is extremely strong.

"You are doing much better," Vader praises proudly, stepping back from Luke and deactivating his lightsaber. "The Force is very strong with you, just as it is with me."

His son grins, even though he's breathing heavily from their extended duel. "Yeah, well, I am your son after all," he teases.

Vader laughs quietly. "That you are."

"So, how long will it be before we can confront the Emperor?" Luke wonders, chipper as always.

"It will be a while," Vader answers, raising an eyebrow. "You have only begun your training, and it will take time for you to achieve enough mastery of the Force and lightsaber combat to stand a chance against the Emperor. Impatient, are we?" he adds as an afterthought.

"Well, yeah, kind of," Luke admits, dropping to the ground. He sits there, head tilted back to look up at Vader. After a moment, Vader lowers himself to sit next to his son. A few weeks ago, he would never have done something like this, not only because he didn't want to show weakness, but also, because it was too painful. "It's also that everyone just wants us to hurry and end the Emperor. I know it's not going to be that easy, but I don't think anyone else understands that." He sighs, a hint of annoyance flaring into the Force.

Vader regards him silently, letting his respirator fill the quiet between them, not that he has a choice. If Luke is being distracted by his friends – probably Leia, in particular – then he won't be able to learn properly. That would severely impede his progress and make it take longer for them to be ready. Additionally, he knows that Sidious will keep looking for him, and while he's been limiting how much he uses the Force and hiding the extent to which his Force signature can be sensed, it won't be too hard for his former master to find him.

"My son, have you considered leaving the planet?" he asks finally. It would be easy; both of them could take a small shuttle and go to another system. If it's small, they could hide there for a time, allowing Luke to fully devote himself to strengthening his power. Vader doesn't want to take him away from his sister and friends, but he will if it proves to be the best way to teach his son. He wants a relationship with his daughter – he longs for one – but at the present moment, it's not very realistic. It will take time for her to recover from what he did to her on the Death Star. Maybe someday she can forgive him.

"Leave?" Luke echoes, giving him a wide-eyed look. "Why would I leave?"

"I have noticed your concentration is not at its best," Vader admits. "You are being distracted by your other obligations here, though they are reduced now, and by your friends." Besides, he would like to spend some quality time with just his son. He's hesitant now to be with Luke when there are others around; it's not that he dislikes being with people, but he has a reputation, and his armor makes it impossible to actually develop anything more than a wary alliance.

Luke shifts closer until he's leaning lightly against his father's side. This isn't the first time that his son has shown his affection, and Vader finds that he doesn't mind it. He would love nothing more than to hold Luke tight and never let him go, but he has other obligations which are preventing that, namely, killing the Emperor. "You're right," Luke murmurs, resting his head on Vader's shoulder. "It might be nice to go somewhere all by ourselves for a while. I want to get to know you better."

"And I you," Vader answers, hesitantly placing his arm around Luke. In response, his son snuggles closer against his armored body. It's hard for him to believe sometimes, that Luke – who is unflaggingly cheerful and light, completely unlike him – is his son. He takes after his mother in his personality.

"Where would we go?" Luke wonders.

"Go?" Vader nearly starts. He didn't hear or sense the Princess approaching, but there she is, standing several meters away, arms crossed. "Who's going somewhere?"

"No one's going anywhere. Yet," Luke tells her. He doesn't move from where he's sitting, and though Vader feels slightly uncomfortable, he decides not to pull away. Not yet. "Father and I are considering leaving so he can train me better."

"Luke –" Leia sounds distressed, and Vader can clearly feel her antipathy towards him. "You can't leave! We need you here. Besides, it's dangerous. If the Emperor finds out that you blew up the Death Star, you'll be hunted down mercilessly."

"That's why I need to go," he answers, straightening. He stands up, and Vader follows suit. "I'm not safe here. Father isn't safe here either. We won't be safe anywhere until the Emperor is dead. We're not ready to confront him yet; I need proper training."

"You can do it here," she argues, scowling. "You don't need to go anywhere to do that. I don't trust him." She stabs a finger towards Vader. He wants to protest that he would never harm Luke but thinks better of it. Leia doesn't respect anything he says, only what Luke says. He'll have to let his son handle the discussion.

"I know you don't," Luke says gently, "But I do. He's our father, Leia. He won't harm me. He'd die before he let me come to harm. I – I want to spend more time with him. You were raised by people you considered parents. I wasn't." His jaw clenches, a hint of uncertainty echoing through their bond. It's clear that he doesn't want to hurt his sister, but he doesn't know how to make her understand his feelings on the matter.

Leia obviously wants to protest further, but either she doesn't have an argument, or she doesn't want to present it in front of Vader. "I will speak to the Alliance leaders tomorrow," Vader speaks up, looking at Luke. "We will leave by the end of the week, if that is what you desire, my son." If Luke doesn't want to go, he isn't going to force him to.

Luke's eyes flick to Leia before he gives Vader a resolute nod. "I want to go with you, Father," he declares passionately. "If you think it will be better for us to leave, then we can." Leia throws Vader an icy glare before turning and storming away, her anger barely concealed in the Force. He knew she wouldn't be happy, but he doesn't know what he can do about it. She won't listen to anything he says. He'll simply have to accept it.

**w**

Luke can barely hold still, hard though he tries to focus on the X-wing he's repairing. Working with machines helps calm him sometimes, but right now, he's excited. His father has gone to speak with the Rebel leaders about their impending departure. Luke never thought there would be a time when he would enjoy spending time with Vader. He can't wait for them to leave so they can learn more about one another and more importantly, bond. It's hard here with the Rebels, because Luke knows that they're all judging and watching Vader, waiting for him to betray them, though he won't. Luke is certain of it.

"Luke." He jumps when he hears the familiar, though disembodied, voice calling his name. Ben.

Looking up, he sees the ghost standing several paces away. "Ben!" he exclaims quietly in surprise. He hasn't seen Ben since he was in Vader's cell many weeks ago. He hasn't asked Vader about it since he sensed that his father's feelings towards the deceased Jedi remain as complex as ever.

"Your father and I are not exactly on speaking terms yet, so I came to deliver the message to you," Ben explains, a hint of humor on his face. "When you leave, you might want to go to Dagobah. Master Yoda has been living there in exile. If nothing else, you could use his help in your fight against Sidious."

Luke gapes at Ben, before nodding. "Okay. I'll tell him as soon as he gets out the meeting." He flicks his gaze to the X-wing before turning back to Ben. "Father doesn't talk about you much," he comments, pursing his lips.

"I know," Ben murmurs sadly. "I messed up a lot, and there's not much I can do make amends, not now that I'm dead."

"I don't think he'll will ever forgive himself for killing you," Luke whispers, hardly sure if he really wants to reveal that information. It's not something that Vader has ever said, but it's something that Luke instinctively knows because of his close bond with his father.

Ben shrugs slightly, and Luke can almost feel his silent grief. "Take care of your father, Luke," the dead Jedi finally says. "You're the only one who can pull him back. He's still consumed by his desire for revenge. If he can't control himself, it'll destroy him."

"I'll do everything I can," Luke promises. Ben gives him one final look before vanishing as though he was never there. Luke hastens to finish the final touchups on the fighter before climbing down to stretch on the hanger floor. He's still as excited as he was earlier, but now, he's feeling somewhat contemplative. He's the only one who can help Vader – according to Ben – so he'll do his upmost to ensure that he doesn't lose him.

"We will be leaving tomorrow." Vader's voice, filled with smug satisfaction, cuts into Luke's musings, and he nearly gasps with delight.

"I can't wait!" he sends back, grinning. "How did they react?"

"They were most displeased, and I believe that some suspect I will betray them," his father replies. Luke can't say the news is surprising. Honestly, if he were them, he would probably think the same thing.

"I don't trust that Vader isn't luring you away to kill you," Leia states flatly. Luke almost didn't notice her approaching. She looks far from happy, and he winces slightly, knowing he's the reason she's so upset right now.

"He wouldn't kill his own son," Luke objects, frowning. They've spoken – argued – over Vader numerous times since he started training Luke, but Leia refuses to budge. She stubbornly insists that Vader is irredeemable. She's so much like their father in personality that its almost scary at times, not that Luke would ever point that out to her – or Vader.

"You don't know that for certain," Leia argues. "I'm not trusting him to keep you safe, so I'm coming." She crosses her arms, practically daring Luke to protest.

"Are you serious?" Luke blurts out. "You hate him. Why would you want to subject yourself to his presence?" Not that he would mind, of course, but he doesn't want to be trapped being the mediator between them.

"I don't want anything to happen to you," Leia explains, taking his hand and squeezing it. "You're my brother." She pauses for a moment. "Han will take us on the Millennium Falcon tomorrow to whatever place Vader has in mind."

"Does Father know?" Luke wonders.

Leia tenses, just as she always does when Luke calls Vader 'Father.' "Yes, he does," she confirms, "And he wasn't happy."

Luke sighs. "I'm going to find him, okay?" he tells her. "Wouldn't want to start out our trip on the wrong foot."

She mutters something unflattering under her breath, but Luke is already walking away in search of his father. He can only hope that everything goes as planned. And he also has to give Vader the message from Ben.