Groan.
Man, how she hated getting up in the mornings sometimes...especially after a night like they'd had last night. Damn foolhardy kids. She frowned. She still felt exhausted, despite getting at least six or seven hours of sleep.
She rolled over on her back, stretching...pulling her legs up at the knees, pointing her toes, and arching her back with her arms up over her head. She yawned, bringing the back of her hand up over her mouth and rolled her head, stretching her neck out, her mahogany tresses fanned out like silk over her pillow.
Peeling her eyes open slowly, she hummed contentedly when she found Anakin sitting on the bed beside her, bare chested, wearing only his blue and green plaid boxers, staring at her wide-eyed. "Good morning, Ani." She said sleepily, enjoying immensely the view of his muscular chest, six pack abs, and long leanly muscled legs. Noticing him staring at her, she raised her eyebrows at the intensity of her husband's gaze. She smiled softly. "I assume you're looking at me like that for a reason?"
"Angel," Anakin breathed, "Luke asked me to train him to be a Jedi."
Padme's eyes shot open wide. Now, that certainly woke her up. She pushed herself up to sit, leaning back against the pillows, staring at her husband in disbelief. "What?! Are you serious? But—how?! I thought for sure…I mean I didn't expect that disciplining him would cause such a drastic change…" If she'd known that was what it took to get Luke to listen to them, she may have done it herself earlier.
"No, Babe. It's a little more complicated than that, I'm afraid." Anakin admitted, frowning. But, then a very familiar glint entered his cerulean blue eyes, and he grinned mischievously at her. "Play hooky with me today, and I'll tell you all about it."
Padme scrunched up her face. "Ani...We can't do that. We've been gone enough from our jobs as it is, and…"
"And, they understand the reasoning behind it. One more day won't kill either of us. Besides...Satine has you covered. I'll send Ahsoka to do some general tasks at NASA, and I'll just send that email to the President of the United States apologizing for running out on him and the meeting yesterday. It'll be fine, Angel. Trust me."
When Padme still didn't look convinced, Anakin let out a dramatic sigh with a roll of his eyes that made her smile. It reminded her so much of all those times he'd tried to convince her to go away with him on a secret romantic getaway back in their old galaxy, when they were trying to keep their forbidden marriage a secret. She'd been busy back then in the Senate and had too often refused him, but now…she had to admit, she was much more invested in her marriage and her family than she'd ever been before. She'd learned a lot over the years, and though she loved her job and felt it was important to serve their community, she loved her husband and her family more than anything else in the universe.
Still, she decided to play 'hard to get' just a little bit longer just to see what her husband would try to do next to convince her. There simply wasn't as much fun in it otherwise. She shook her head. "No, I think I have to go to work. I'll just ask Luke what happened and…"
She made to get up, but Anakin let out a rumbling growl and was suddenly kneeling over her, grinning ferally. "You could have, if he was awake. After last night, though, I don't think it's fair to wake him up just to make him tell the whole story." He cocked his head to the side and suddenly frowned. "Although, Hayden has now discovered Luke on the couch in the living room and is poking his face…maybe we should…oh wait...nope, Leia's handling it. Good. So, see? Even Leia thinks Luke should be left alone this morning."
Padme playfully bit her lip. "Well, I guess I could wait until after work to…ANI!" She squeaked, as he suddenly pushed her back down against the pillows, his forearms braced beside her head, his left hand twining into her curls, nestling himself flush against her, trapping her under him. "What do you think you're doing?!" Despite herself, she laughed, her eyes twinkling up at him, as she wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her fingers in his curly locks.
"Keeping you all to myself. What does it look like?" Anakin said, triumphantly, his eyes deepening to midnight blue with desire. He bent his head and kissed her slowly, fusing their lips together, his tongue gliding inside her mouth to tangle languidly with her own, sending waves of pleasure through her. "Stay." He whispered huskily against her lips.
"Ani, no…" she mumbled, but she knew it was a losing battle. He pressed his body down against hers further, his desire now more than obvious.
"Stay." He nibbled on her lower lip, sucking it into his mouth and running the tip of his tongue along it, making her shudder.
"Ani…" she groaned, feeling heat quickly rise in her core.
"Stay, Angel. Please? I need you this morning, Sweetheart, and I'll even do the dishes every night for the next week. Come on, Babe...We need some alone time...just for us." To demonstrate his point, he sealed their lips again in a deeper kiss and then slowly slid his right hand suggestively down her body. She could feel her own desire escalating to match his.
Well. How could she resist that offer? He did have a point after all. A very good one.
"Fine." She sighed, as he released her lips with a soft pop, and she pushed his shoulder a little to indicate that she needed to get up. "Let me just text Satine to let her know. In the meantime, start talking. I want to know what led to this sudden miraculous breakthrough with our son."
Grinning triumphantly, Anakin kissed her again and then rolled off of her, flopping back down on his side of their bed, propping his arms under his pillow. As she grabbed the phone from the nightstand to text Satine, Anakin told her the whole story. It started off as she expected it would—Anakin yelled at Luke, and Luke was defiant. No surprises there. She'd seen the murderous look on her husband's face last night when they'd returned home (and it had certainly matched her own level of anger at their kids). She knew him well enough to know that he wasn't going to go easy on their son, and she hadn't expected him to. Easy wasn't going to cut it with any Skywalker...let alone their oldest son. But, she trusted him enough to hold back if he got too angry. She knew he'd learned deeply the hard lessons from his time as Vader and would never cross that line again.
But, then when he told her of how his words had caused Luke to trigger another vision—worse, the vision that, if Padme had to guess, was one of Luke's worst memories of his past life, her heart had almost stopped. "Did you get Vokara?" she demanded, considering going to go wake up Luke right then to check on him herself. If they weren't careful, those visions could literally destroy Luke's mind, and he really would be lost to them forever…
"No. I reacted quickly and went into his mind myself." Anakin answered. He flinched, remembering the experience. "I saw the memory through Luke's eyes—I thought remembering it from Vader's perspective was bad, but…Force, Angel, I was horrifying as Vader! I can totally understand why Luke threw himself into a practically bottomless pit rather than join me." He shuddered, and Padme reached out and took his hand in her own. He gave it a thankful squeeze. "Anyhow, Luke was fighting the memory, causing himself more pain, and so I gave him my own strength and told him to let it happen...to just let it flow. With no other options, he listened to me, and when it ended and we both woke up, not only was he not in pain any more, but he also knew it was real and not just a dream."
Padme loosed a gasped breath she didn't know she was holding. "Thank goodness!"
Anakin nodded. "Then he asked me why I was helping him. And…I didn't just tell him. I showed him the memory, from my own perspective…as Vader."
Padme's mouth dropped open a little. "I didn't…I didn't know that was even possible."
Anakin frowned. "It is. It's not something Jedi usually do, because it involves total and complete trust. You don't just open your mind and memories like that to just anyone. I've never even done it with Obi-Wan."
Padme was almost afraid to ask. "How did Luke take it?"
Anakin was quiet for a moment, staring at their entwined hands. "I shocked him speechless, Angel. He recognizes now that it's real, but he's still treating it...almost like a bystander to an interesting story. I don't think he fully understands how he could have been a person like that, to have experienced something as terrible as Bespin and then later turn around and refuse to kill me despite having multiple opportunities to do so. He knows he used to be very different, and I think it terrifies him to know how far to the Dark Side he's gone in this life. He eventually told me he needed to think about it, then he apologized for last night's misadventures and promised me it wouldn't happen again."
Even if Luke hadn't asked to be trained as a Jedi, that right there was a major breakthrough for their son, and they both knew it. "Well, that's really good." She said with a smile, pleased at the apparent progress with Luke. "I assume you also grounded him, though. Right?"
Anakin flushed and stammered, "I—well, um. I should have, yes, but uh, well…no."
Padme sighed and rolled her eyes. "Ani, you were supposed to ground him. I grounded Leia, and when she finds out Luke hasn't been grounded...yet, she's going to be pissed. You know that, right?"
"I…yeah," Anakin said sheepishly, running a hand through his hair. "I was going to, Angel, but then those visions happened and…well, I just forgot."
She sighed, though truthfully, she wasn't that upset by it. A grounding wouldn't have gotten quite the same results, she didn't think. Still, they had to be fair...and consistent...in their discipline with all three of their kids. Luke needed to know he crossed the line last night, despite his breakthrough, and he would be grounded, same as Leia, just as soon as they went downstairs for breakfast. "So, how did Luke ask you to be his teacher?"
Now Anakin grinned, his eyes lighting up, as giddy as he was the day he'd won that pod race all those decades ago at Boonta Eve. "He asked me this morning when I went to check on him and Leia. I know he spent most of the night awake thinking about what happened. I guess he made the decision this morning."
Relief swept through her. Finally, Luke was progressing. Truly progressing. She'd known Ani could do it—not because she didn't think she could reach him, because she'd proven that she could, but she wouldn't have had nearly as dramatic of an effect. "What did you say?" She asked, though she knew the answer already.
Anakin's grin widened into a true smile. "I said yes."
They shared a proud smile, and Padme said, "I knew you would."
Anakin nodded, and then a wolfish grin swept his handsome features, "Yeah...Now, about our alone time…"
At about noon, Luke had finally woken up, gone upstairs and showered before dressing in clean clothes and going back downstairs to the kitchen to eat breakfast—er, lunch. He wasn't the only one with a late start, however. His father stood leaning against the island, barefooted, wearing a pair of dark straight leg jeans and a gray Nike t-shirt, a cup of coffee in his hands, looking at something on an iPad. Luke noted that his father's hair was still wet, too. Strange. It wasn't like his father to shower so late in the morning."Hey, Dad?" he asked, his voice still bleary. "Did you have to take a cold shower this morning, too? There wasn't any hot water for some reason." No matter how hard he'd tried, he'd been unable to get the water to warm up, and he hadn't dallied under the chilly spray because of it. In. Out. ASAP. No wonder he still felt a bit bleary. Awake, yeah, but bleary.
His father looked up, opening his mouth to answer, but stopped short as his mom suddenly entered the room, also barefoot, in a pink fitted t-shirt and khaki shorts, her own wet hair pulled back in a loose ponytail. "Good morning, Luke," She said, leaning up to kiss his cheek before she headed over to Anakin and wrapped her arms around his neck and planted a long, slow, deep kiss on his mouth, which his father returned exuberantly. Luke was 100% sure that his face had gone cherry red, as his dad's arm automatically wrapped around his mother's tiny waist, his hand sliding lower to grab her tush and give it a squeeze. Watching his parents and their rather amorous affections, he gulped when he noticed a rather noticeable...red mark, just under his father's ear….not to mention a similar red mark at the base of his mother's neck near her collarbone.
Aww, jeez...No, they didn't, did they?...
"Whoa," Luke stammered, eyes wide, waving his hands in an 'enough' gesture. "Uh, guys? Water heater? Did it break? That's all I wanted to know!"
His mom pulled away from his dad slowly, a sultry look on both their faces, before both of them finally turned and looked at Luke, almost as though they'd forgotten he was there, and smiling mischievously, his mom turned back to her husband, stood up on her tiptoes and nibbled at his dad's ear, once again cutting his dad off from saying whatever it was he was going to say. Anakin's eyes fluttered closed, and he let out a low groan and a quiet, "Babe, you're killing me."
Oh, Man...GROSS!
Luke wanted nothing more than to melt away and disappear. Maybe boil his eyes out...Anything to get that image outta his head. "Okay, seriously?! In the kitchen? Take it upstairs, y'know, before I lose the lunch I've not even eaten yet. Man, I think I'm going to go wash my eyes out with bleach now. Please, never do that again. Like ever."
That caused both of his parents to laugh (though they both blushed, he noticed), but they separated from each other. Finally. "Considering that you don't do any shielding when you and Mara are making out, I don't feel that bad. At least I shield before your mom and I go at it." His father remarked with a wicked grin and a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.
"O-o-okaaay, time to change the subject!" Luke hurried to busy himself with grabbing the ingredients to make hot chocolate, while his father just chuckled and shook his head. "I wrote that letter you wanted."
With his back turned, he missed the look his parents exchanged. "Oh?" His mom said, her voice growing serious. "Let's see it."
Luke fished into the pocket of his jeans and pulled out a crumpled piece of notebook paper and handed it over to her before going back to fixing his hot chocolate. As his mom opened the note, his dad asked, "You do realize that it's still 95 degrees out, right? It's a little warm for hot chocolate, don't you think?"
"There's never a bad time for hot chocolate." Luke replied mildly. "Hot chocolate is the elixir of life itself. Besides, you're drinking a hot cup of coffee. What's the difference?"
His dad snorted at that. "I thought coffee was life's great elixir...And, at least you put cold creamer in coffee."
"Coffee is...but only if you're a grump." To which his father laughed.
"Luke, you can't give her this." His mother suddenly said, apparently unaffected by the lighter conversation between her son and his father.
"What does it say, Angel?" His dad asked.
"Dear Ms. Temple," his mom read, and when he turned around he found that her eyebrows were raised dubiously. "I'm sorry I hate your stupid assignment. Next time, I won't tell you about it in front of your class. Signed, Luke Skywalker." Now both of his parents just stared at him incredulously, looking at him like he was nuts.
Luke shrugged, took his now ready cup of hot chocolate, and sipped. "It's an apology. In letter format. Which is what you asked for."
"I think your definition and our definition of an apology letter are two very different things." His father remarked dryly.
"We have to sign our approval on this." His mother agreed. "And, there is no way I'm signing this, nor will your father."
Luke frowned. "What's wrong with it?
"
"Well, first of all, Luke, it's rude to tell her that you hate her assignment—" his mom began.
"But, it's true. I do hate it, and she already knows it."
"—And it's rude to call her assignment stupid. Even if you think that, there are just some things you don't tell people, Son. Especially not in front of an audience." His mom finished, giving him a look that effectively shut him up.
"Besides that, the paper it's on is all crumpled up, which just screams that you don't care." His dad added with a half-shrug.
"But, I don't care." He didn't know why he bothered to tell them this. He knew they were going to make him redo it.
"Well, pretend that you do. I'd like to start your training today, but I can't if you haven't finished this up." His dad pointed out, waving his hand with coffee mug in it toward the crumpled paper lying on the island countertop, and Luke scowled.
"Fine," He grumbled, turning away, taking his mug of hot chocolate with him. "I'll go fix it."
"And, Luke?" his mom called after him. He stopped on the kitchen threshold, turning to look at her, waiting. She smiled calmly, but there was a dangerous glint in her eye as she said, "One more thing. You do realize that you are so very grounded for the stunt you pulled last night. Right?"
"I…" Luke began to protest, but he stopped as her eyes hardened. He flicked his gaze up to his father's, who simply shrugged and took another sip of coffee. Somehow, he didn't think he'd get away with any excuses on this one either. He sighed. "Yes, Mom."
"Good." Her voice was cheery. "Now, go write the best damn apology letter the world has ever seen."
"Yes, Ma'am," he rolled his eyes, but scrunched up his face in disgust, as he noticed his parents turning back to each other to lock lips once more. He quickly turned and raced up the stairs,"Oh, man...I am so outta here…"
"Well, I have to admit, I didn't expect for that to work." Vokara murmured, as Anakin finished describing how he had helped Luke's vision pain disappear. "It could be a one-time only fluke, y'know. There's just no way to really know if it's the solution to this problem unless it happens again while you're around. If you're not around, what exactly do you expect for Luke to do?"
It was a good question, and he'd been so excited about the breakthrough he'd achieved with his son, he hadn't thought about it. "I…I don't know." He answered truthfully, rubbing his neck.
They were sitting in his office thirty minutes after he'd sent Luke to go re-write his letter—him, Vokara, Obi-Wan, Ahsoka, and Galen. The Jedi Masters and the Jedi Council of the Jedi Order (minus Quinlan Vos, who was still in Nepal). In front of them, on the small conference table in the corner of his office, sat a platter full of Jimmy John's #10 Hunter's Club sandwiches, plus a large platter of Jimmy's Regular, Jalapeno, and BBQ chips, as well a small side dish loaded with chocolate chip cookies. All of them had a large cup of soda by their loaded plates. This was their typical sandwich for a Council Meeting held at lunch time. "You could try to teach Leia to help him, since they share many of the same memories from his past life, and they're already Force bonded." Galen pointed out. "She's usually with him when you aren't." He shrugged and took a bite of his sandwich.
"And, if both of you aren't with him, Mara Jade usually is." Ahsoka grinned wickedly, wiggling her eyebrows at Anakin, as he scowled. "Because they're so in loooooove."
"Stop it, Snips." He grumbled, as Ahsoka started to laugh. Still, they had a point. "Maybe I could…talk to them." He had no problem with talking to Leia, obviously, but Mara?…He made a face, causing Ahsoka to laugh all the harder. Even Vokara cracked a grin.
"Y'know, Anakin," Obi-Wan said pointedly, after swallowing a bite of his sandwich. "Luke may very well marry the girl again. After all, you married Padme again, and I fell in love with Satine again...and this time married her. Leia is probably going to end up marrying Solo again. So, you might as well get used to her now, because I really don't think she's going anywhere. Luke is single-minded when it comes to the woman he loves, exactly like you've always been. "
Anakin refused to believe Obi-Wan was right, even though he knew his friend spoke the truth. He waved the thought away. "That's not what this meeting is about. We need to decide what to do with Luke's training."
He'd told them upon their arrival that Luke had officially asked to be trained as a Jedi. He hadn't quite told them that he fully intended to train him himself, but he did face a bit of a conundrum. "As you know, I'm currently training my daughter, Leia. She's progressed well, and I frankly believe she's ready for the trials."
"And, you're not just saying that because you want to train Luke yourself, right?" Ahsoka teased, but it was a serious question all the same, and they all knew it.
Anakin shook his head. "I know that traditionally we Jedi train one Padawan at a time. However, in this world, we haven't had that luxury." It was true. He'd had Galen as his official Padawan when he and Obi-Wan had first established the Order again, but he'd also given instruction to many padawans as well over the years. There just simply hadn't been enough Jedi at the time, and now there were enough Jedi Knights that they could begin to focus training solely on one Padawan at a time. "But, even had we had a million Jedi Knights to instruct all the Padawans in this world, had Luke been…home," He tried to keep a neutral face at that, but he knew the other Masters in the room weren't fooled. "I would have trained both him and Leia when they came of age."
"So, what makes it different now?" Galen asked, frowning.
"Luke and Leia are at very different stages in their training." Anakin replied, "Luke's training will also have to be vastly different than a normal Jedi's training. He has been immersed for too long in the Dark Side, trained in the use of the Dark Side. Only I am fully equipped to handle such a rehabilitation as Luke will require. Besides, it would be too complicated to do both twins at the same time, given their vastly different levels of training." He glanced around the table, and knew they could see he had a valid point.
The other Masters nodded their heads in agreement. "Luke's training was unusual the first time, too." Obi-Wan commented dryly. "So, what's new?"
"Why don't Obi-Wan or Yoda take his training?" Vokara said, remembering with Obi-Wan's comment that it was Obi-Wan and Yoda who trained Luke in their previous life.
Anakin kept his features neutral, despite his heart sinking in his chest. He really, really wanted to train Luke—furthermore, Luke had asked him to do it, no one else. Frankly, this meeting was just a formality, or at least Anakin had thought so. He'd always wanted to train Luke, and Luke, as a child, had always wanted to be trained by him. It didn't feel right handing his training to someone else, but… he was a GrandMaster. He had to follow the rules of the Jedi, not be selfish. But, to his surprise, it was Obi-Wan who disagreed. "You forget, I'm training my own daughter right now and will train my youngest daughter when she is of age. Even if I wasn't, it should be Anakin who trains his son. I only did it last time because there was no one else."
Anakin threw Obi-Wan a grateful feeling through their Force bond, which Obi-Wan acknowledged. "Besides, Yoda lives in California still and is in retirement from the Order in this world, and not exactly in good health in this life. He won't live over 900 years this time. Plus, Yoda helped Anakin get through his full transition back to the Light twenty years ago. I'm sure Anakin can take those principles and apply it to Luke. He hasn't forgotten them. He employs them everyday...and no denying Anakin's experience with the Dark Side is the most unique ever of any Jedi. He is the most logical choice to train Luke."
Anakin still stayed as neutral as possible, though it pleased him to no end that his best friend thought this way. Oh, how times had changed. "I don't see why not." Ahsoka shrugged. "We may be giving you a hard time, but I, for one, know Leia is ready to become a Jedi Knight."
"Me, too." Galen nodded.
"As do I." Obi-Wan grinned.
Vokara, always the hardest to convince of anything, sighed when she saw she'd be overruled anyway. "I suppose we can let her try," she said.
Suddenly, Anakin felt the presence of his son drawing near. It was full of apprehension and wariness, as he wandered through the halls towards Anakin's office. "Speak of the Devil, and he shall appear." Obi-Wan remarked, obviously feeling Luke's presence as well. "I believe that concludes the meeting." He stood, and turned to Anakin and said earnestly, "Congratulations on your new Padawan, Anakin." He winked.
Anakin smiled warmly at his friend. "Thanks," He said, to them all, as they began to get up.
Galen added, "May the Force be with you, Master. Seriously. I hope it continues to go well."
"As do I." Anakin sighed, his mind turning to the task he was planning on Luke starting today. "As do I."
The door to his office opened, and Luke was standing there, holding a piece of white paper in his hands. He stopped short, seeing all of the Masters leaving the room. "I thought you said you were done." He hissed, giving Ahsoka a narrowed look.
Anakin raised his eyebrows at his old Padawan, who grinned innocently. "We are," she replied, "We're just old now and move slowly."
"We're not that old. You especially, Snips." Anakin pointed out, scowling. Ahsoka smiled innocently, and Luke moved aside as everyone else filed out of the room.
"By the way, Luke," Ahsoka said as she too headed for the door. "That chase you pulled last night?" She whistled in appreciation. "From what the news caught, it was pretty epic. You definitely are SkyGuy's son."
"SkyGuy?" Luke frowned, arching his eyebrows at Anakin, who sighed.
"Old nickname." He told him. "Shoo, Snips. Go back to work. I'll see you later."
Ahsoka snickered and waved, and as she passed Luke, reached up and gave his hair a tussle, before leaving the room. Making a face, Luke ran his hand through his hair, attempting to fix it. "Here." He said, approaching Anakin and handing him what he assumed was the completed letter.
"I hope I'm moved to tears. Did your mother read this?" Anakin drawled, watching as Luke nodded his head yes to his question, before taking the letter and reading it through.
Thankfully, there was nothing offensive in it this time. It was a clean, straight forward apology letter. "Good." He nodded his head smartly and used the Force to call a pen into his hand and he signed the bottom of the paper before placing it on his desk. "Don't forget to pick it up before we leave."
"I won't." Luke promised. Anakin could still sense Luke's apprehension as he asked, "So…what are we starting with?"
Anakin reached beneath his desk, pulling out a small, black box that fit into the palm of his hand, as well as a larger black box that was considerably heavier. "What's the most important thing to a Jedi?" He asked, motioning to one of the circular seats in front of his desk. Reluctantly, Luke sat down, eyeing the boxes on his desk with a puzzled frown. Especially the smaller one.
"The Force." He replied.
"No—well, yes, but besides that." Anakin prodded, coming back around the desk to sit next to him on another circular chair, criss crossing his legs in typical meditation-style.
Luke frowned. "A lightsaber."
"Precisely." Anakin smiled. He'd told Luke this a million times when he was a boy. He wondered if Luke remembered him telling him that. He hoped so. "As a Sith, a lightsaber is a tool to dominate. You subjugate it to your will—it is an incredibly one-sided relationship." He reached to his belt and pulled out his own lightsaber. The same lightsaber he'd had as a Jedi, all those many years ago during the Clone Wars. The same lightsaber Luke had once wielded. Anakin still wasn't sure how it ended up in this world, but he wasn't complaining. "For a Jedi, however, a lightsaber is part of their very soul. It is an extension of yourself. A lightsaber will be your most common companion, for it will be there even when all others fall."
Luke's eyes rested on Anakin's lightsaber, his eyebrows furrowing as though deep in thought, or that he might remember… "That's great and all, but I don't have a lightsaber crystal. So, not sure what the purpose of this is."
Anakin reached out, and with the Force, lifted the smaller black box and floated it into his son's lap. "The purpose of today, Luke," he said, as Luke hesitantly took the box in his hands and opened it. Anakin watched as his son's eyes widened, his body stiffening at what lay inside. "Is to build your first Jedi lightsaber."
Luke stared at the crystal. The same one he'd stolen, all those years ago. The same one he'd left in his drawer all this time, hidden away. The same one he'd been looking for when he'd first gotten here. Just as it had that fateful day in the cave, the crystal called to him, a song meant just for him. It was his, and he was the crystal's. "You took this from my room, too?" Luke growled, shooting a glare at his father. "I was looking for this!"
Anakin shrugged. "You didn't ask."
Luke gritted his teeth. "I did ask." His father raised his eyebrows skeptically. "Okay. I asked Han and Mara, since I assumed they would be the only ones going through my things."
Anakin shrugged, not in the least bit ashamed. "I was worried about you—and I wanted to learn more about you. So yes, I looked in your room. I didn't, however, go through your things intentionally. The X-Wing plans were on your desk, and I was about to leave when I felt the presence of this crystal in your drawer." A pause. "How did you obtain this crystal, Luke?"
Luke opened his mouth, and closed it, shame filling his chest. The way his father asked the question, the way his father looked at him—he already knew. Luke didn't know how he knew, but his father already knew. Perhaps he'd gotten a report, and finding out that he was Starkiller had made him put two and two together. Still, Luke was less than wanting to talk about it. "You already know." Was all he said with a shrug.
Anakin smiled a little, though not with any humor. Instead, he reached out and flicked open the larger box, containing lots of different parts for a number of lightsaber combinations. "Your training, Luke, will be unique. You are already excellent in lightsaber combat, so you don't need much instruction there. You are exceptionally strong in the Force—but you have yet to face your past."
"How can I face my past—either of my pasts—without knowing any of it?" Luke scowled, though he was already running an eye over the lightsaber parts.
"I don't just mean the pasts you've forgotten." His father said softly, "I also mean the one you've led for the last nine years." Luke flinched, looking down at the crystal. He'd known asking to train to be a Jedi would be hard—probably harder than anything he'd ever done in his entire life. But facing his past…showing his father that…he didn't know if he could. "I will warn you, Luke." Anakin said softly when Luke didn't say anything, "When you put that lightsaber together, you may be forced to experience some of that past."
"Why." Luke said flatly. Suddenly he didn't want anything to do with the little crystal, even if he knew there was no longer any escape from the little rock.
"Your lightsaber is a reflection of you. Both the good, and the bad. To accept your lightsaber is to accept yourself." Anakin replied gently.
Luke snorted, though he began to mentally prepare himself for the task. "Well, this is going to be one ugly lightsaber then." He grumbled. His father, thankfully, didn't comment, and Luke closed his eyes, reaching into the Force. Already, the actual steps involved in creating the lightsaber flooded into his head, and he began to manipulate the Force around the crystal and around the lightsaber parts in the box.
Suddenly, the Force slammed into him, memories of that fateful day flooding him.
Standing in the Jedi Crystal Caverns, Fireheart…Talia, waiting for him at the entrance, her own red crystal in her hand. She begged for him to go, but though he had the red crystal he'd been ordered to steal in his hand, he was rooted to the spot, the call of a little crystal embedded in the rocks calling for him, begging him to take it with him. Luke hesitated, warring with himself. It was a Jedi crystal, he knew, and if he took it and brought it back with him to the Inquisitors…well, it would be hard to explain to them why he had it. They were just waiting for him to pull a stupid stunt like this.
And yet…the pull was irresistible. It was small, and yet there was joy in that pull, a joy he hadn't felt in years. He didn't want to leave it behind. So, cursing himself, he grabbed it, and ran out of the cave, close on Fireheart's heels.
Luke wanted to stop. He didn't want to relive this. Not any of it. Unlike his other visions, this was something he could open his eyes and walk away from. But, his father sensed this. "Why didn't you leave the crystal?" He asked, his voice penetrating his thoughts.
"You know the answer." Luke hissed. He could feel his father there, through his bond, watching. Not as his father, but as a Jedi Master with his pupil, monitoring, encouraging.
"Yes, but I want to hear it from your lips."
Luke didn't want to answer him. Fought against it…but as he did, his control over the crystal and the lightsaber parts began to slip…"Because…I wasn't happy." Luke admitted, and he felt the Force swell positively within him. "And it felt like…mine. Like it was created especially for me. And it felt so good, so…pure, I didn't want it to go."
His father was silent, and when it was apparent that Luke needed to continue, he reached deeper into the Force. It was harder, this time. Last time, it had been so easy. He had simply sat there on the forest floor, and assembled it. Much to Fireheart's displeasure….then grudging respect when he'd managed to do it on his first try. Now, it seemed like days were passing. A few times, he felt his control slipping, but with an encouraging nudge through his bond from his father, Luke managed to grab on, and keep going.
By the time he'd almost finished, his entire body was drenched in sweat. Now, came the hardest part—completing the saber. He pushed, deepening his connection to the Force, until…
"Stop right there." Luke's heart almost stopped. He was pretty sure he almost dropped the lightsaber in the real world, but he was managing to hold on. He knew that voice. That voice haunted his dreams for so many years.
His first kill. That Jedi Master.
He'd whirled, and though Fireheart was trying to run, trying to convince him to go with her, Luke simply stared at the man, his red lightsaber hanging limp in his hands. He'd known that voice…he couldn't place why he knew it, just that he knew it. If he knew that voice, then he must have known this man…but why couldn't he remember?
He saw recognition in the man's face. "Starkiller?" the man repeated the name Fireheart had called him. He took a step towards him, and Luke panicked, realizing that everything he had worked hard to achieve was about to be destroyed. "That's not who you are."
As Fireheart begged for him to move, Luke backed towards her. Every instinct ingrained into him told him to run, for this man was an enemy, and he was not a match for a fully trained Jedi Master. And yet…Luke looked at the man, feeling as if there was something he was missing. The man moved towards him carefully, as if trying not to scare him away, his hands stretched towards him in a placating manner. "I am Neeja. I'm a friend." He'd said, and he reached Luke, towering over him. Luke had gulped, shaking in…fear? Anticipation? He felt the older man reach through the Force and examine him, a frown twisting his lips. "This isn't who you are. You aren't this 'Starkiller.' You are Lu…"
Luke went ashen. Fireheart couldn't know. No one could know. "NO!" he cried, and without even thinking, he plunged his lightsaber into the man's chest.
It was an image that Luke had replayed in his mind, over and over again in his dreams. For years. He'd since then killed many other people—hell, he'd killed an Inquisitor just the night before. But this death—it was wrong. Totally, completely wrong. He'd known it then, and he knew it now. Neeja had been trying to help him, and he was so afraid, so needlessly afraid of people finding out who he was, that he'd killed the Jedi Master in cold blood.
Suddenly, he didn't feel worthy of the crystal. He'd stolen it, and murdered someone in the process. Not just someone—his father's friend. A Jedi Master. "He was my friend." Anakin agreed softly, "But, he knew the dangers of this life and accepted them."
"He shouldn't have died that way, though." Luke immediately protested, and the lightsaber began to crumble. "A crystal isn't worth a life, but I took one anyway, just because he wanted to help. If I'd let him help, I could have found out about you and mom a long time ago!" He was breathing hard, his whole body shaking.
"I know." His father agreed. "But Luke…why do you think the Force showed you the first part of that vision? Why do you think it showed you how you got that crystal?"
Luke hesitated, the lightsaber wobbling in the air. "I—I don't know."
"That's not acceptable." His father said firmly. "You know. Tell me, Luke. What do you want to be? Do you want to be a Sith? Do you want to kill Jedi?"
"No," Luke said, his voice shaking. "No. I don't want that life. Not anymore."
"Then why do you think the Force showed you both parts of what happened?" His father pressed again.
"Because—Because…" Luke hesitated. "Because I felt it. The pulse of light. I've always….I've always felt it. I chose to ignore it when Neeja tried to help—but I didn't in that cave. I risked severe punishment to take and hide this crystal, even though I didn't know what to do with it at the time."
"Precisely." His father sounded pleased. "And why are you worthy to have this lightsaber, Luke?"
Luke hesitated, his entire body fighting with the answer. "I'm not—I'm not worthy of it."
"Yes. You are. Why?" his father pushed.
Luke wanted to argue. How could he be worthy? After everything he'd…?
Another image. His father holding his own lightsaber in his lap, just before Luke started this ordeal. A Jedi lightsaber. His father had done so much worse than Luke had, and yet he didn't just wield a blue lightsaber, but he was a Jedi Grandmaster. He'd found redemption…and if he could find redemption…
.
"Because," Luke huffed, as the lightsaber neared completion, "I choose to become a Jedi...Like my father before me."
The moment the words were out of his mouth, he heard a click, and the Force rushed through his body, sending every nerve into hyper focus, before it suddenly calmed, and a weight gently pressed into his lap. For a moment, Luke didn't open his eyes. He didn't dare. But when nothing else happened, he hesitantly opened them.
When they had started, it had been midday, the office illuminated brightly. Now, it was dark outside, and he could see billions of stars out of the office window, with lights from their house in the distance. He had no idea what time it was, but…
He looked down. In his lap, lay a completed lightsaber. "Turn it on." His father said gently. He hadn't moved from his spot across from him, not even to turn on the light. Slowly, Luke reached for the hilt, his hands clasping around the cool metal as he lifted it up.
"It could explode." He said, noting the irony in the words. Fireheart…Talia had told him that the last time he'd assembled a lightsaber.
"It could." Anakin replied, not at all concerned. "It's a good thing I have faith in your abilities, then."
That made Luke smile, just a bit, his hands still shaking as he flipped the switch and…
A bright green blade hissed to life, illuminating the room. Illuminating the pleased, proud look in his father's eyes, as his father said, "Well done, my son."
Yeah, I know the new Darth Vader comics talk about how a Sith lightsaber is actually created. However, that was published after I wrote the initial scene...I wish it hadn't though. I would have loved to use that idea for this story. Oh well, no sense in changing an established plot now. If you haven't read that comic series...or the other Darth Vader series, for that matter, you should. Or any of the Star Wars comics, for that matter.
Anyhow, another update! Yay! Hopefully I can continue with quick updates.
The song for this chapter is Yoda and the Force by John Williams.
Review!
Love,
Sarah
