It happened on an early afternoon in the middle of summer vacation.

Vader had just finished a meeting with Grand Moff Randd and was escorting him back to his personal hangar where his ship awaited.

"We're headed towards a standoff with the Rebels," Randd was explaining as they entered the hangar.

"A standoff I expect you to break," Vader warned, stopping and pointing at him. "If I have to go out there myself, even your position will not save you from my wrath."

Behind him, he sensed the bright presence of his son dashing into the hangar, making a beeline for him. He grimaced, hoping the boy would go somewhere else, and cursing for about the millionth time that schools had such a thing as summer vacation. It left his children with little to do except disrupt him at the worst possible times.

He would not give Luke the satisfaction of acknowledging him. He needed to learn that there was a time and place. He was eight-it was time he acted his age.

"We're committing a fair portion of the fleet-" Randd broke off, blinking down at Luke as he arrived and began tugging on Vader's cape.

Disbelief and rage shot through him. What did Luke think he was doing?! How many times had he told him not to interrupt him while he was busy?!

He shot a brief glare at him over his shoulder. "I am busy. Go find your sister." Then he turned back to Randd.

"If...now isn't a good time, Lord Vader…" Randd began, but Vader held up a hand.

"My son needs to learn to mind his manners and wait his turn." He shot another look at Luke. He hadn't moved, and was staring up at him with wide eyes.

Children.

"Ahem. Well, in that case…" He continued to ramble on about planned ship movements in the sector and Vader attempted to listen, but Luke's bright presence was ever there and waiting, insistent that he needed to talk to him.

At least he wasn't verbally trying to interrupt, like usual. Maybe he'd learned something.

"Be careful that you do not put all of your resources in one battle. The Rebels are hoping you'll do just that in order to take them out at once. I would suggest splitting your resources to arrive in stages to slowly overwhelm the Rebellion." Vader replied when Randd was done speaking.

"Wise advice, Lord Vader. I will do so at once."

He had to admit, out of all of the Grand Moffs, Randd was one of the least annoying.

"Very good. I look forward to the results."

He waited until Randd had turned to leave before turning around to address his son, who was now shifting from foot to foot, his face pale. He did not fail to notice Leia peaking out into the hangar, watching them from a distance.

He crossed his arms. That did not bode well. What else had they broken in their residence? If he had to guess, Leia likely broke something, and Luke was coming to tattle.

Force, he wished he hadn't approved Miss Laena's vacation. He didn't realize how wild children were.

"I have told you repeatedly to wait until I am finished with business before interrupting me! I may be your father, but I am also running an Empire. One day you will understand just how busy that makes me!" Luke still continued to stare at him, his eyes pleading. Inwardly, Vader sighed. "Fine. What do you want?"

Unexpectedly, Luke's eyes filled with tears. Then he simply opened his mouth…

And blood poured out of it and onto the permacrete floor.

Vader moved before he even consciously realized what was happening. One moment Luke was standing there, the next he was scooped into his arms, and he was running towards his fastest speeder.

Running. He never ran. But the sheer terror at the blood still coming out of Luke's mouth and not knowing why…

Was he dying?! Why didn't he say something sooner?! What the hell had even happened?! What kind of conditions even caused this?!

He didn't know, he didn't care. His one singular focus was to get Luke to a doctor immediately.

"Leia!" he bellowed, getting Luke into the front seat. Luke was still much too young to be in the front seat, but he couldn't take his eyes off him for a second- "Get in the speeder, now!"

Thankfully, she did not dawdle. She was climbing into the back seat before Vader had even finished buckling in Luke, whose mouth was still open and bleeding profusely down his chin.

"Is Luke going to die?" Leia asked, and Vader barely noticed the concern in her little voice.

"Do not suggest such things!" He yanked his cape off, threw it on Luke, and then shoved one end of it into his mouth. "Hold that there!"

He jumped into the pilots seat, turning the speeder on with the Force, and rocketed out of the hangar.

"What the hell happened?!" He demanded. He still kept his eyes firmly on Luke, using the Force to assist him in steering the right way towards the nearest hospital.

"Well…" Leia began, "Promise not to be mad, daddy…"

"I am beyond that point!"

Holy Force, his son was going to die and he'd just let him stand there waiting…

"W-well, Luke and I were hover skating…"

"In the apartment?!"

"Sowwy waw-" Luke began, his mouth full of blood and cape.

"Do not speak!" Vader pointed at him. "Leia, what happened?!"

"I...Luke had...well you see, he had…" He could sense her squirming in her seat, and by the Force he was about to start screaming himself if she didn't just spit it out…

"Swick." Luke said.

Vader...had no idea what that was.

"He had a stick in his mouth." Leia clarified in a terrified whisper. "He tripped and...yeah."

Vader simply stared at his son, even as he swerved out of the hyperlane and into the hospital lot.

A stick.

"...Why?!"

He couldn't even form the words to express how insane that was. What had even possessed Luke to put a stick in his mouth in the first place?! What logical thought…

But children were not logical. And now his son was bleeding everywhere and he didn't know how serious the damage was…

He slammed the speeder to a stop in front of the emergency center, scooped Luke up, and stormed for the doors. Thankfully, Leia at least had the sense to get out of the car and follow.

The doors were automatic, but he used the Force to blow them down anyway. The glass landed on the floor with a crash, and multiple people screamed. He paid them no mind, heading straight for the doors leading towards patient rooms. "Get me a doctor, NOW!" He bellowed at the terrified nurses behind the counter.

They didn't dare stop him as he ripped the patient area doors open. Multiple doctors were already racing towards him, a gurney between them. As Vader lowered Luke onto it, he felt his son begin to panic, reaching for him both physically and through the Force.

"I am going with him." Vader snarled, then as Leia bumped into his legs, he clarified, "We are going with him."

These doctors were not stupid enough to deny him. "Of course, Lord Vader. Right this way."

Vader grilled the doctors multiple times after they came back with their findings, just in case. He couldn't lose his son, especially over something so incredibly stupid. According to the doctors, the stick had apparently poked through a tonsil, but was small enough that it would heal on its own.

"Mouth injuries tend to be bloodier than others." The doctors assured him repeatedly, "This is actually more common than you'd think."

Vader could hardly believe it. Putting sticks in mouths was common?!

Had he been this reckless as a child?!

Well. Yes. But he'd never thought to put objects that could cause serious damage in his mouth.

"So Luke's not going to die?" Leia asked.

"No." He was relieved to say that, but… "You will be removing any similar objects from the apartment when we get home. Do you understand me?!"

Leia flushed, ducking her head shamefully. "Yes, daddy."

"And you are grounded from hover skates for the rest of the summer!" He pointed at her.

Leia looked up at that, her face twisting angrily...but then she caught sight of Luke on the hospital bed with cotton stuffed into his mouth, still clutching his father's now bloodied cape. She sighed, looking down again. "Yes daddy."

He dropped his hand. Well. At least he wouldn't have to worry about the skates.

But that left Luke. He turned, approaching the bed and sitting beside his son. He was staring up at the holovid in the corner of the room. The only sign of his anxiousness was his hands fisted in his cape.

"Luke."

His son tore his eyes away from the holovid to look at him. With cotton in his mouth, it wasn't likely that he could speak much.

Good. That meant he wouldn't be interrupted.

"I cannot believe I have to say this, but you are not to put foreign objects in your mouth, especially sticks." He paused. "Why did you even do that?"

Infuriatingly, his son just shrugged.

He closed his eyes, and counted backwards from ten. Why? Why? Why were children so illogical?

"I don't tell you these things to be unfair," Vader explained through gritted teeth. "I give you rules because I want you to be safe." He hesitated, checking to make sure no one but Luke and Leia were in hearing distance. They were alone in the room, and it was apparent that the doctors had decided to make themselves scarce to avoid more interrogation from him. "I was scared today. I don't ever want to see you injured like this again."

Instantly, he felt Luke's shame in the Force. Despite the cotton balls in his mouth, he tried to say, "wowwy," which Vader assumed was an apology.

"Do not do it again." He warned.

Luke nodded, and before Vader could stop him (they were in public, after all) Luke threw his arms around him and hugged him.

He tensed, immediately checking for nearby doctors...and relaxed when they were still well away from the room. He wrapped one arm around his son, bringing him closer, while his other arm reached for Leia. She didn't need to be asked-she too came, hugging him from the other side.

He held his children and closed his eyes, savoring the moment.

His children would be the death of him. He was sure of it.

This was inspired by MFM minisode #118, though I had this EXACT same thing happen to me as a kid too. Except I didn't tell my parents. Oops. Who knew it was common? Kids are crazy, and Vader is not equipped to handle them. LOL!

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Love,

LadyVader23