Author's Notes: Well, there are two more chapters to go. Hope you enjoy
this one. I'll post the last chapter on Friday.
Christmas Reunion Chapter 6
Soon after Leia and Beru had left to go on their shopping excursion, Han came over to see if Luke and Owen would be interested in helping him upgrade the hyperdrive on the Millenium Falcon.
"Actually, Han, I need to get together with Father and discuss our plans for the Jedi Academy when we go back to Naboo," Luke said apologetically.
He noticed that his uncle frowned at those words and sighed. He didn't want to hurt Owen, but his father was an important person in his life, and he was responsible for rebuilding the Jedi Order. Much as he loved his guardians, Luke couldn't change the path his life had taken. He could never go back to Tatooine and be a farmer. Owen and Beru would have to accept that.
"Well, how about you, Owen?" Han asked, realizing that it would be a good chance for him to talk with the other man about Anakin Skywalker, as he'd agreed to do.
Owen looked a little uncertain. "I don't know anything about star ships."
"But you're a good mechanic, Uncle Owen," Luke told him. "You always kept our speeders and vaporators in working order."
"You can pick it up," Han assured him. "Come on, it's better than sitting in the apartment by yourself all afternoon. And once Luke and Anakin start talking about their Jedi Order, they can go on for hours."
So Owen agreed and as they were leaving, Luke caught his friend's arm.
"Thanks, Han," he said. It occurred to him, not for the first time, how much the Corellian had changed since they'd first met. Han would have never let a virtual stranger work on his beloved ship then. And truthfully, he probably wouldn't now, either, except as a favor for his family.
Han waved it away. "Don't mention it, kid. I'll try to talk with him about your father, but I don't know if it'll work."
"I know. He can be pretty stubborn," Luke agreed.
Once they'd left, he called his father, and minutes later, Anakin was knocking at the door.
"Why are you knocking?" Luke laughed as he let him in. "It's your own apartment."
Anakin gave a shrug. "Oh, I don't know. I guess because I wasn't sure if Owen was still here, and I thought I shouldn't just barge in if he were."
"He's already gone with Han," Luke said. He and Anakin just looked at one another, smiling, for a moment. It had only been a couple of days since they'd seen each other, but for Anakin at least, it had seemed much longer. He took his son in his arms and hugged him close.
"I've missed you, son," he said softly.
"Me, too," Luke returned the embrace, and sent Anakin a wave of love through their mind-link. He'd enjoyed the time spent with his aunt and uncle, of course, but it did suddenly hit him how much he'd missed his father's company, too.
"I wish..." he began, but let his voice trail off. He was trying to respect Owen's and Beru's feelings and not push Anakin on them, but he couldn't help thinking how sad it would be if they never accepted his father. He would have to divide his time between them, and would always be missing whoever wasn't with him.
"I know," Anakin said gently. "I hope they'll forgive me, too. I hate for you to feel torn between us."
They stepped apart, and Anakin smoothed his son's hair, and asked "Have you been having a good time with them?"
"Except for missing you, yes," Luke replied. "It's so wonderful to be with them again." He shook his head slightly, feeling unable to explain the immense joy with words. Finally he just said, "I love them very much."
Anakin pulled Luke to him again in a one-armed hug, partly so the boy wouldn't see the emotions on his face. He couldn't help feeling a little conflicted. He really was happy for Luke and for Owen and Beru. He wanted to be unselfish and let them enjoy having this time together. But sharing his son was harder than he'd realized it would be. Luke was his best friend, his trusted partner and confidante, as well as his son.
And it had occurred to Anakin over the last couple of days, that not only were Owen and Beru not happy with him, but they probably wouldn't be happy about Luke being a Jedi Master and living on another planet from them.
He was sure Luke wouldn't give up their dream of restoring the Jedi (of course Luke wouldn't give that up! Would he?), but no doubt he'd take periodic vacations to visit his guardians.
Or would Owen and Beru come to Naboo to live? It was hard for Anakin to imagine that, but he himself would go anywhere to be with his children. Why shouldn't the Lars be willing to as well?
Whatever the future held, Anakin was realizing that Owen and Beru were going to be a big part of Luke's life from now on, and he couldn't help worrying about how it was going to affect his relationship with his son.
But he was not going to let his worries trouble Luke. His shields kept his emotions hidden and by the time he released his son again, he'd made sure his expression was cheerful.
But he hadn't counted on Luke's extraordinary empathy, or the fact that they were so close, they could pick up each other's feelings even without the Force.
"What are you shielding from me, Father?" Luke asked curiously as they sat on the sofa in the living room. He studied Anakin intently before saying, "You're concerned about something. What is it?"
"It's nothing, Luke. Don't worry about it."
But Luke wouldn't let it go. "It's about Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru, isn't it? Are you afraid I won't love you as much, or something?"
"I can't hide anything from you, can I?" Anakin sighed ruefully. "Not that you won't love me as much, exactly. I'm just wondering how your guardians are going to fit into your life. And how that's going to affect us."
Luke was quiet a moment. Then he said quietly, "I don't know exactly how they're going to fit in yet. I do know that I want to be with them sometimes. I love them." He reached to lay a hand on Anakin's arm. "But I love you, too, Father, just as much as always. And I'll be with you most of the time. We have to train our padawans and go on missions together. We're a team, right?"
Anakin smiled. "Right. And thank you, son. I really don't want to make you feel guilty or like you have to choose between me and your guardians. And if you ever feel that way, I want you to come and talk with me about it. More than anything else in my life, I want you to be happy, all right?"
"All right," Luke smiled back at him, hoping that the perfect solution would work out: that Owen and Beru would forgive Anakin and then they could all spend time together with no one being left out. He thought again about Leia and Han and prayed that they would be able to help his aunt and uncle come to an acceptance of Anakin.
Han wasn't feeling at all confident that Owen Lars was going to be willing to accept Anakin anytime soon. Their afternoon had started out pleasantly enough. Owen might not know much about hyperdrive systems, but he was a good mechanic and a quick learner. Once Han showed him what to do, he'd proven to be quite helpful. They didn't talk much. Owen seemed to be a man of few words, at least when he was working, and Han wasn't sure how to strike up a conversation with someone he had so little in common with, yet it wasn't an uncomfortable silence.
But when he happened to mention Anakin's name-he'd remarked that the older Jedi was a wizard with machines and had helped him upgrade the hyperdrive in the past-Owen stopped and gave him a hard look.
"I've got nothing to say about him. If my nephew sent you over to talk me into believing that that man isn't the worst thing that ever happened to him, then you can just forget it."
Han kept working. "I felt that way, too, at first. I mean, the guy was Darth Vader, you know. He'd hurt all of us, and quite frankly, I was ready to toss him into a sarlacc pit when Luke first showed up with him." He glanced sideways to see if Owen was listening. It was hard to tell. Owen was hammering away at a bent console pattern with the same intensity he'd displayed all afternoon.
Han waited, but Owen made no comment, and after a while, he just went on anyway, "But I decided to try to give the guy a chance. I mean, Luke practically begged us to, and well, Luke's like a brother to me. I thought he deserved to be happy, you know. And I could tell, we all could, that having his father around would make him happy."
There was a loud clang as Owen abruptly threw the hammer down. "Oh, yeah, Luke's always wanted his father. Nobody else could ever take that place for him. I guess it doesn't matter if his father beat him, cut off his hand, and almost let him die. As long as he's got that blood tie, that's all that matters."
As if he were surprised himself at the bitter anger he'd revealed, Owen stood up and stalked into the Falcon's lounge. Han stared after him, suddenly realizing that there might be another dynamic coming into play here. Was Owen jealous of Anakin? And how was he supposed to handle it?
Han almost regretted agreeing to talk with Owen about this. He wasn't good at dealing with emotions. Leia should be here. She was the diplomatic one. But there was a flaw in Owen's thinking, and Han felt that he should point it out. He didn't know if it would do any good, but at least it might give Owen something to think about.
He followed Owen into the lounge. "You know, you're wrong about something. Blood ties don't mean everything to Luke. He wouldn't join Anakin on the dark side, serving the Empire. It wasn't til Anakin turned back and was good, that Luke accepted him."
"Luke's got really strong morals, you know," he continued. "I'm figuring he learned that from you and Beru, and doing what was right was more important to him than anything else. Even being with his father."
"And if you're thinking that Luke doesn't care about you as much as Anakin, then I don't think you're being real fair to him. The kid loves you and Beru. He was devestated after you guys died, well of course, you didn't really die, but when we thought you were dead," he quickly amended. "And since you've been back, Luke's been as happy as I've ever seen him."
He studied Owen in silence, waiting for a response, but Owen didn't say anything.
"If you care about Luke and want him to keep on being happy, can't you try to forgive Anakin?" Han finally asked.
Owen laced his hands together and studied his knuckles for a while before saying. "I never realized it, but maybe I am jealous. I mean, I always thought of Luke as my son. And now, his real father's around, and I can see that they're close. And I guess it's hard for me to understand. I know I wasn't perfect when Luke was growing up, but I never intentionally hurt him. I always wanted what was best for him. And to see-Anakin-and know that he's hurt Luke so much, and yet they're still close, well, it makes me mad and, yeah, I guess jealous, too."
He took a deep breath. "I do want Luke to be happy, but how do I forgive Anakin? How do I forgive him for hurting my boy? And how can I not be jealous of him?"
/What do I say?/ Han wondered. He could feel that the right words were out there, but he couldn't find them. He sighed. "I don't know, Owen."
Owen ran his hand through his hair and said quietly, "I'm going back upstairs." He hurried down the Falcon's ramp and towards the turbolift that would take him back to the apartment. He wasn't used to baring his soul, and couldn't help feeling awkward and a little embarrassed, but the conversation had made him realize a few things.
He didn't like being angry and jealous. And he did want Luke to be happy. Maybe their relationship had suffered in the past, but things had seemed to get better these last couple of days. Owen was feeling closer to his nephew than he ever had before, and he wanted that to continue.
So maybe he was going to have to learn to accept Anakin Skywalker, even if he didn't know exactly how to handle it.
Christmas Reunion Chapter 6
Soon after Leia and Beru had left to go on their shopping excursion, Han came over to see if Luke and Owen would be interested in helping him upgrade the hyperdrive on the Millenium Falcon.
"Actually, Han, I need to get together with Father and discuss our plans for the Jedi Academy when we go back to Naboo," Luke said apologetically.
He noticed that his uncle frowned at those words and sighed. He didn't want to hurt Owen, but his father was an important person in his life, and he was responsible for rebuilding the Jedi Order. Much as he loved his guardians, Luke couldn't change the path his life had taken. He could never go back to Tatooine and be a farmer. Owen and Beru would have to accept that.
"Well, how about you, Owen?" Han asked, realizing that it would be a good chance for him to talk with the other man about Anakin Skywalker, as he'd agreed to do.
Owen looked a little uncertain. "I don't know anything about star ships."
"But you're a good mechanic, Uncle Owen," Luke told him. "You always kept our speeders and vaporators in working order."
"You can pick it up," Han assured him. "Come on, it's better than sitting in the apartment by yourself all afternoon. And once Luke and Anakin start talking about their Jedi Order, they can go on for hours."
So Owen agreed and as they were leaving, Luke caught his friend's arm.
"Thanks, Han," he said. It occurred to him, not for the first time, how much the Corellian had changed since they'd first met. Han would have never let a virtual stranger work on his beloved ship then. And truthfully, he probably wouldn't now, either, except as a favor for his family.
Han waved it away. "Don't mention it, kid. I'll try to talk with him about your father, but I don't know if it'll work."
"I know. He can be pretty stubborn," Luke agreed.
Once they'd left, he called his father, and minutes later, Anakin was knocking at the door.
"Why are you knocking?" Luke laughed as he let him in. "It's your own apartment."
Anakin gave a shrug. "Oh, I don't know. I guess because I wasn't sure if Owen was still here, and I thought I shouldn't just barge in if he were."
"He's already gone with Han," Luke said. He and Anakin just looked at one another, smiling, for a moment. It had only been a couple of days since they'd seen each other, but for Anakin at least, it had seemed much longer. He took his son in his arms and hugged him close.
"I've missed you, son," he said softly.
"Me, too," Luke returned the embrace, and sent Anakin a wave of love through their mind-link. He'd enjoyed the time spent with his aunt and uncle, of course, but it did suddenly hit him how much he'd missed his father's company, too.
"I wish..." he began, but let his voice trail off. He was trying to respect Owen's and Beru's feelings and not push Anakin on them, but he couldn't help thinking how sad it would be if they never accepted his father. He would have to divide his time between them, and would always be missing whoever wasn't with him.
"I know," Anakin said gently. "I hope they'll forgive me, too. I hate for you to feel torn between us."
They stepped apart, and Anakin smoothed his son's hair, and asked "Have you been having a good time with them?"
"Except for missing you, yes," Luke replied. "It's so wonderful to be with them again." He shook his head slightly, feeling unable to explain the immense joy with words. Finally he just said, "I love them very much."
Anakin pulled Luke to him again in a one-armed hug, partly so the boy wouldn't see the emotions on his face. He couldn't help feeling a little conflicted. He really was happy for Luke and for Owen and Beru. He wanted to be unselfish and let them enjoy having this time together. But sharing his son was harder than he'd realized it would be. Luke was his best friend, his trusted partner and confidante, as well as his son.
And it had occurred to Anakin over the last couple of days, that not only were Owen and Beru not happy with him, but they probably wouldn't be happy about Luke being a Jedi Master and living on another planet from them.
He was sure Luke wouldn't give up their dream of restoring the Jedi (of course Luke wouldn't give that up! Would he?), but no doubt he'd take periodic vacations to visit his guardians.
Or would Owen and Beru come to Naboo to live? It was hard for Anakin to imagine that, but he himself would go anywhere to be with his children. Why shouldn't the Lars be willing to as well?
Whatever the future held, Anakin was realizing that Owen and Beru were going to be a big part of Luke's life from now on, and he couldn't help worrying about how it was going to affect his relationship with his son.
But he was not going to let his worries trouble Luke. His shields kept his emotions hidden and by the time he released his son again, he'd made sure his expression was cheerful.
But he hadn't counted on Luke's extraordinary empathy, or the fact that they were so close, they could pick up each other's feelings even without the Force.
"What are you shielding from me, Father?" Luke asked curiously as they sat on the sofa in the living room. He studied Anakin intently before saying, "You're concerned about something. What is it?"
"It's nothing, Luke. Don't worry about it."
But Luke wouldn't let it go. "It's about Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru, isn't it? Are you afraid I won't love you as much, or something?"
"I can't hide anything from you, can I?" Anakin sighed ruefully. "Not that you won't love me as much, exactly. I'm just wondering how your guardians are going to fit into your life. And how that's going to affect us."
Luke was quiet a moment. Then he said quietly, "I don't know exactly how they're going to fit in yet. I do know that I want to be with them sometimes. I love them." He reached to lay a hand on Anakin's arm. "But I love you, too, Father, just as much as always. And I'll be with you most of the time. We have to train our padawans and go on missions together. We're a team, right?"
Anakin smiled. "Right. And thank you, son. I really don't want to make you feel guilty or like you have to choose between me and your guardians. And if you ever feel that way, I want you to come and talk with me about it. More than anything else in my life, I want you to be happy, all right?"
"All right," Luke smiled back at him, hoping that the perfect solution would work out: that Owen and Beru would forgive Anakin and then they could all spend time together with no one being left out. He thought again about Leia and Han and prayed that they would be able to help his aunt and uncle come to an acceptance of Anakin.
Han wasn't feeling at all confident that Owen Lars was going to be willing to accept Anakin anytime soon. Their afternoon had started out pleasantly enough. Owen might not know much about hyperdrive systems, but he was a good mechanic and a quick learner. Once Han showed him what to do, he'd proven to be quite helpful. They didn't talk much. Owen seemed to be a man of few words, at least when he was working, and Han wasn't sure how to strike up a conversation with someone he had so little in common with, yet it wasn't an uncomfortable silence.
But when he happened to mention Anakin's name-he'd remarked that the older Jedi was a wizard with machines and had helped him upgrade the hyperdrive in the past-Owen stopped and gave him a hard look.
"I've got nothing to say about him. If my nephew sent you over to talk me into believing that that man isn't the worst thing that ever happened to him, then you can just forget it."
Han kept working. "I felt that way, too, at first. I mean, the guy was Darth Vader, you know. He'd hurt all of us, and quite frankly, I was ready to toss him into a sarlacc pit when Luke first showed up with him." He glanced sideways to see if Owen was listening. It was hard to tell. Owen was hammering away at a bent console pattern with the same intensity he'd displayed all afternoon.
Han waited, but Owen made no comment, and after a while, he just went on anyway, "But I decided to try to give the guy a chance. I mean, Luke practically begged us to, and well, Luke's like a brother to me. I thought he deserved to be happy, you know. And I could tell, we all could, that having his father around would make him happy."
There was a loud clang as Owen abruptly threw the hammer down. "Oh, yeah, Luke's always wanted his father. Nobody else could ever take that place for him. I guess it doesn't matter if his father beat him, cut off his hand, and almost let him die. As long as he's got that blood tie, that's all that matters."
As if he were surprised himself at the bitter anger he'd revealed, Owen stood up and stalked into the Falcon's lounge. Han stared after him, suddenly realizing that there might be another dynamic coming into play here. Was Owen jealous of Anakin? And how was he supposed to handle it?
Han almost regretted agreeing to talk with Owen about this. He wasn't good at dealing with emotions. Leia should be here. She was the diplomatic one. But there was a flaw in Owen's thinking, and Han felt that he should point it out. He didn't know if it would do any good, but at least it might give Owen something to think about.
He followed Owen into the lounge. "You know, you're wrong about something. Blood ties don't mean everything to Luke. He wouldn't join Anakin on the dark side, serving the Empire. It wasn't til Anakin turned back and was good, that Luke accepted him."
"Luke's got really strong morals, you know," he continued. "I'm figuring he learned that from you and Beru, and doing what was right was more important to him than anything else. Even being with his father."
"And if you're thinking that Luke doesn't care about you as much as Anakin, then I don't think you're being real fair to him. The kid loves you and Beru. He was devestated after you guys died, well of course, you didn't really die, but when we thought you were dead," he quickly amended. "And since you've been back, Luke's been as happy as I've ever seen him."
He studied Owen in silence, waiting for a response, but Owen didn't say anything.
"If you care about Luke and want him to keep on being happy, can't you try to forgive Anakin?" Han finally asked.
Owen laced his hands together and studied his knuckles for a while before saying. "I never realized it, but maybe I am jealous. I mean, I always thought of Luke as my son. And now, his real father's around, and I can see that they're close. And I guess it's hard for me to understand. I know I wasn't perfect when Luke was growing up, but I never intentionally hurt him. I always wanted what was best for him. And to see-Anakin-and know that he's hurt Luke so much, and yet they're still close, well, it makes me mad and, yeah, I guess jealous, too."
He took a deep breath. "I do want Luke to be happy, but how do I forgive Anakin? How do I forgive him for hurting my boy? And how can I not be jealous of him?"
/What do I say?/ Han wondered. He could feel that the right words were out there, but he couldn't find them. He sighed. "I don't know, Owen."
Owen ran his hand through his hair and said quietly, "I'm going back upstairs." He hurried down the Falcon's ramp and towards the turbolift that would take him back to the apartment. He wasn't used to baring his soul, and couldn't help feeling awkward and a little embarrassed, but the conversation had made him realize a few things.
He didn't like being angry and jealous. And he did want Luke to be happy. Maybe their relationship had suffered in the past, but things had seemed to get better these last couple of days. Owen was feeling closer to his nephew than he ever had before, and he wanted that to continue.
So maybe he was going to have to learn to accept Anakin Skywalker, even if he didn't know exactly how to handle it.