He suddenly felt it, faint and unspeakably dim, giving him the strange impression of a weakened sun struggling to radiate light but relenting at the same time.

WARNING : There is some SELF-HARM in this chapter. If you think you might feel triggered or disturbed, feel free to exit immediately.

Darth Vader was in the middle of another tedious meeting as usual, his presence momentarily forgotten by the other occupants of the room as he did not utter a single word. It was during that time when he sensed it. It was a Force-Signature, dim and flickering frantically, reminding Vader strongly of a lone candle fighting to not go out. The fading flame still fought to produce warmth despite something resembling a cold wind extinguishing it.

It could only mean one thing.

Something was wrong with Luke.

He did not notice the startled reactions of the Imperial officers as he abruptly rose up from his seat, only to exit the Conference Room in a heartbeat. He would deal with them later, he told himself. He ran blindly towards the private wing of the palace in a full-blown panic. His heart rate increased with every second, but he knew it was not just his quick movements that had caused it.

As soon as Luke's quarters came into view, he forced the door open. Fear ran through him, freezing every inch of his body. Was it an assassin? A rebel? Or worse, an Emperor's Hand sent by his master? The dread pooled in his stomach expanded at the last thought.

His entire world crumbled before his eyes.

There, motionless on the bed and unconscious, was a body, one far too pale and thin for his own comfort. The spotless white sheets were stained in several areas, stains that Vader just knew with his red gaze were a haunting crimson.

"Luke?" Vader called, barely hearing the words pass through his vocoder. He felt paralyzed but his boots still directed him to the bed until he was close enough to see it.

He wished he hadn't.

Multiple cuts covered the exposed skin on both Luke's arms. Vader did not have to be a genius to know that these were recent.

And to top it all up, there was a small but sharp piece of metal not far from Luke's right hand, the light cruelly reflecting on the blood-stained surface. The sight was enough to confirm his worst fears, acting like a match to ignite his anguish.

A wave of horror nearly drowned him a second later, the realization that Luke had harmed himself with a razor blade slamming into him.

His mind stretched forwards, desperately searching for Luke's Force-Signature. It was still there but it was evident it soon would not be.

Wasting no time, he leaned forwards and dragged his son's body into his arms. Luke's weight felt almost nonexistent. Vader's alarm heightened. Luke was too light, extremely light. Had he been eating properly? Was he even eating?

It soon dawned on him that he could not answer those questions. He had been so engrossed with his own work that he-

Time was running short, he realised and clutched Luke tighter as he dashed out of the bedroom, desperation fuelling his every movement. The wave of horror that had hit him just minutes before flooded his heart. Unconsciously he release a roar of despair into the Force, sending what seemed like helpless pleas to the other end of their bond.

Luke would live, Vader told himself. He forced himself to believe the statement like a prayer. Luke would live. He should and he would.


Vader never left Luke's side, his intimidating figure constantly looming protectively over the standard-issued medical cot. The med-droid had urged him to sit down but he found that simple action impossible to do at that moment.

Luke's skin was nearly devoid of color, a deathly pallor that did nothing but remind him of the shade of Padmé's corpse. A thin blanket was wrapped around his body, a fabric Vader found himself occasionally readjusting to calm his growing anxiety.

Luke had required a blood-transfusion. Fortunately, Vader was a suitable donor for him, sparing no more limited time to allow some of his blood to be extracted. The only thing that mattered to him was ensuring Luke's survival.

That had been hours ago. Now, all he needed was for Luke to just wake up.

Despite already receiving the transfusion, Luke was still quite pale. The medic had assured him that Luke appeared alright and that there was some color that had returned. But Vader wasn't convinced. He wondered whether his denial was the result of some parental feature or his red gaze.

Until now, the shock and disbelief still hadn't subsided.

Why had Luke...

He clenched his fists. He couldn't imagine his son, Padmé's child attempting suicide. The dreaded word didn't even seem like something he was able to associate with Luke.

Guilt stabbed whatever left of him, the shards of his regrets breaking the hard solid better than any blade could have ever done.

If he had been on Coruscant more often, if he had spent more time with Luke- he swallowed- if he had done anything at all, he might have prevented this. He clenched his fists harder, the leather around them preventing his nails from digging into his palms.

Padmé would have known what to do. She would have found out what was wrong the moment she sensed something off, unlike Vader who needed this to suspect something.

He was tempted to unleash his frustrations. his anger, fury and rage but thankfully managed to refrain himself before he accidently injured Luke.

And then he saw two unfocused pupils watching him.

Immense relief poured on him and he silently thanked every single deity in existence.

"Luke!" Vader could not remember when he had last felt this overjoyed, as if someone had just snatched a huge weight from his shoulders after decades of him carrying it.

"F-Father", Luke rasped, Vader's gaze was glued to his son's gaunt features, hardly believing the fact he was not planning a funeral right now.

Then, as if a dam had suddenly opened its gates, Luke burst into tears, each drop of glittering moisture rolling down his cheeks. "I'm s-sorry", he choked out, shame written on his face.

Vader reached out to wipe the salty droplets away, hoping to offer some amount of comfort to his son. "Do not apologise", he said quietly, the sentence sounding more like an order.

"But I-"

"Need assistance", Vader cut in sharply. "You need rest-" Vader closed his eyes and sighed. "- you need to recover".

"But look what I did!" Luke cried, sitting up at once before Vader could stop him. "Why...why aren't you -"

"You are my son", Vader responded simply.

"But I don't deserve this!" Luke protested, his voice cracking like Vader's heart. "I'm a mess. You know it-" Luke inhaled sharply- "Besides, I even killed her".

Vader's stomach sank. "Killed who?" He demanded. "Luke, who are you speaking of?"

"You know who".

"Luke", Vader said gently. "I am afraid I do not. Make me do".

His son avoided his gaze for a long time and stared at his lap. "Mother", he whispered, his teenage voice carrying the painful emotional turmoil Vader never expected to hear.

Padmé - young and beautiful - standing in front of him - desperately begging for him to come away with her - His hand that used to stroke and caress her face suddenly stretched out to -

Him, many hours later, reborn from the ashes of Anakin Skywalker only learn she was... gone. Him, discovering the only remaining piece of her a mere month later, learning that he had not been the one responsible for her demise.

"You believe it was you who led to her death?" Vader repeated in utter bewilderment.

Luke hung his head, not daring to meet his gaze and nodding slowly. "I thought... my birth killed her", something resembling a sniff soon sounded after Luke finished speaking.

Suddenly Vader saw red.

"So you assumed suicide was the BEST OPTION TO SOLVE THE ISSUE?' Vader roared, shaking with rage and bafflement at his son's sheer idiocy.

Luke looked frightened at his outburst, causing a pang of guilt to ache inside Vader. His son needed rest, not Vader elevating his stress levels.

"I read about something", Luke said, his tone eerily quiet. "It was an ancient Force-Technique only used by the users of the Dark Side".

"And where exactly did you obtain this information?" Vader inquired.

Luke bit his lip. "Your Mustafar Sith Library".

Vader vowed to burn that place down whenever he got the chance. "Continue".

"If... If I sacrificed my own life, I c-could use my midi-chlorians to bring a loved one back", Luke's eyes glistened with tears once more. "I w-wanted to bring her back for you".

For once, he did not know what to say. For him ? Luke had been willing to discard his own life just for him, who clearly did not deserve such a gift. Padmé's revival was a gift he had never thought possible. But Luke's death was no gift, it was a curse.

"Luke", Vader intoned as gently as his deep vocoder could allow him to. Luke turned to look at him. "Your mother gave her life to you. Although I wish she were still alive, losses have to occur to provide gains", he said, forcing down the painful memories that threatened to overwhelm him. "And I doubt she would have wanted to live, if she knew you were lost as a result", he added.

"I guess you're r-right", Luke stuttered with a hiccup and then said. "I thought you were often away because you... h-hated me for it".

"I was not often off-planet to avoid you, young one", Vader's voice softened. "It seems my master merely enjoys my absences from Coruscant".

"But why?"

It was rare to see Luke appear so young and innocent for once, Vader thought as he saw the genuine curiosity on his features. He made a mental note to rectify that one day.

"I do not know".Because he wants to take you on as an apprentice to assassinate me. Vader swore to never allow the vile creature but unfortunately that was something easier said than done.

But he had to at least try.

"There is no try", he heard a forgotten voice chide in his head. "Only do or do not".

Vader forced a smile, even though knowing Luke would never see it. "But I will make sure to spend more time with you whenever possible".

A small smile broke open on Luke's face and his eyes glowed with joy. Vader's heart soared at the sight, like it always did whenever he saw Luke happy.

"Thank you!" Luke exclaimed and Vader pulled him into a bone-crushing embrace, mindful of Luke's IV. He felt Luke lean into his chest, his frail body feeling stronger than ever before.

Now rest, Vader ordered sternly through their bond.

Okay, Luke sighed.Stay? he begged hopefully.

As if his son had to ask.