His eyes are shut while he rides up on the lift, trying to block out the noise and the movement. These monthly visits to his father were the worst, the few times in the years he had to ride in an elevator brought him nothing but anxiety. He hums to himself to expel the sound of the elevator ascending.

Luke opens his eyes as he feels the elevator come to a stop, racing out of it when the doors open. He walks onto the floor, continuing past the men who sat at desks working, the familiar noise of typing echoing through the room. He stops at the desk of the only woman in the room. She does not look up from her notes as he approaches her desk.

"Excuse me?" Luke speaks, getting the secretary's attention. She looks up at him, her eyes narrowing as he disturbs her. "I'm here to see Mr. Skywalker."

"He's in his office." She responds, looking back to her notes. Luke stands there for a moment before deciding to show himself into the office. He closes the door silently behind him, not wanting to disturb his father, who sat at his desk reading over what Luke would assume was a report. Luke stands awkwardly by the door, unsure how to make his presence known. He clears his throat, deciding on it being the less intrusive way.

The man looks up from the paper in his hand to examine who had dared to enter his office. His expression softening slightly when he sees his son, however not by much.

"Come take a seat Luke. I am just finishing." The older man says, his eyes going back to the paper. Luke stalks towards the chair that sat opposite his father, sitting down as silently as he had come in. The blonde man examines his father's desk, the neat plaque that read Anakin Skywalker was squarely center at the front of his desk as it always was. The typewriter sat in the corner of the desk, which usually went unused as Asajj normally took notes. The opposite end had a stack of papers neatly organized and stacked.

Anakin puts the report down on the desk, snapping Luke out of his trance. Luke wills himself to look up at his father, who stared at him sternly.

"So, have you considered my proposal?" Anakin asks, folding his hands neatly on the desk. Luke sighs, he had hoped his father would ease into this conversation rather than dive right into it.

He had been dreading this meeting, it was the first time he had seen his father since coming home from Belgium.

"Well…I have. I..I'm just not sure if I want to join the company yet." Luke responds. "Obi Wan has been talking about travelling and has asked me to join him. Doing some relief work overseas."

"That damn old man." Anakin curses as he stands from his desk, looking out of the window. "I can accept the fact that you won't join the company yet…but I will not abide with you going off volunteering your time with that rat."

Luke sighs as Anakin speaks ill of Ben, he never knew what happened between the former friends but since the war broke out Anakin used his heritage against him any way Anakin could.

"Yes sir."

"and I swear Luke, if I hear you've left the country with that dog I will find you." Anakin sits back down at his desk. "I will not have it if you pull the same stunt you did when you signed up for the paratroopers. God, what kind of children did I end up with? I stick out my neck for you, schmooze with the entire board of directors at Westpoint and they accept you without hesitation and what do you do? You turn against my back and sign up for the paratroopers. Do you have any idea how humiliated I was when Palpatine asked me how you were enjoying Westpoint?"

"I would assume very much so."

"I was. Didn't make it any better that your sister joined the Women's Auxiliary corp, while she should've stayed home to settle down and marry. I should've never allowed her to grow up in Organa's house, they indoctrinated her with their socialism."

"Who would she marry? Most men were serving overseas."

"Not the respectable ones. Any of the respectable families had sons studying at Westpoint and most of them were home over the weekends. She could've had any of them."

"The army found Leia to be a valuable solider."

"She wasn't a solider she was a glorified secretary with a rank." Anakin snaps, he signs shaking his head. "I should've take control of that girl a long time ago. I've heard more disturbing rumours about her. That she's parading around town with a halfbreed."

"You mean Han?" Luke asks.

"You know him then?"

"Yeah, he's a good man, he fought with the marines in the pacific."

"A good man huh? He's also a criminal. The reason he fought for the marines is he was given the option to join them or stay in prison."

"No matter what he did, the man I know is a good one."

"Even still, I wish Leia wouldn't associate her with vermin like that. Because no matter what if someone comes from vermin they are always vermin. Speaking of vermin, if you continue to hang around with that red headed harlot you will be cut off."

…..

It had been the longest hour of Luke's life, he had headed straight to Maz's after badly needing a drink. He stands against the brick building, a cigarette dangling from his fingers as he reflects on the meeting.

"Penny for your thoughts?" a voice startles him, he looks to the door of the bar and sees Mara coming closer. "I thought you didn't smoke."

"I uh…don't really. Not often at least."

"Seems like you've had a long day." Mara chuckles, leaning against the wall with Luke, digging around in her purse for her cigarettes.

"Yeah, I went to see my father today. It was…" Luke trails off, not sure how to describe how the meeting went.

"Interesting?" Mara offers, finishing his sentence. Luke chuckles in response, nodding his head.

"Yeah, interesting would be the right word to sum it up." Luke reaches into his pocket, grabbing his cigarette pack from it. Offering one to Mara, who was still searching. Mara reaches and grabs one.

"Thanks, I must've left mine at home. You got a light too?"

"Yeah I do." Luke grabs the matches from his pocket, lighting one to light the cigarette between Mara's lips. Mara stares at the blonde man through her eyelashes as the cigarette lights.

"Thanks Luke." She says, leaning away from Luke still watching him.

"You off for the night?" Luke asks, wondering why she was lingering out of the bar with him.

"Yeah, Maz decided it was quiet enough to send me off." She shrugs, placing her hands in her overcoat pockets.

"Would you like an escort home?"

"I think we both know someone who wouldn't approve."

"At this point I don't really care what they think." Luke offers his arm to the redhead, she smiles and taking his arm. Mara looks at Luke as they walk, knowing the Luke prior to the war was not the same as the man standing next to her.

Author's Note:

I AM DONE MY ESSAYS. I had 9 to do this term (sept-dec) So I will be updating this story more with longer chapters.

I apologize about the use of the term "halfbreed" and want to apologize if I offended anyone. Just with the social climate of the 1940's it obviously wasn't as socially conscious and the term Metis or Indigenous wouldn't have been used.

Thanks so much for reading and continuing to read my story!

Tamorasky.