Chapter Four: A Father's Realization

Vader stalked soundlessly into the shadows where his son was attempting to hide. Vader would have been perfectly happy to end the chase now, just walk away and let the boy escape. His life, he now knew, was not the life he wanted for his son.

But Sidious was here and would kill him if he pulled such a stunt.

Literally.

So Vader had no choice but to follow Luke under the platform in the Death Star's throne room.

Second Death Star, to be precise. Luke had blown up the first one, a feat that filled Vader with paternal pride whenever he thought about it.

A feeling of slight alarm entered Vader's mind, and he grinned under his mask. Luke had just realized how close his father really was to his chosen hiding place. Vader reached for his son's mind, lightly skimming the surface thoughts. He nearly laughed out loud when he found Luke's firm conviction that no one as large and solid as Vader was had any right to move so silently.

Vader stopped. "You cannot hide forever, Luke," he informed the boy. He felt the curses running through Luke's head as he scrambled for his mental barriers, and had a strong, decidedly odd urge to tell him to watch his language.

"I will not fight you."

Vader wished he could say the same thing. For Sidious's benefit, hoping Luke wouldn't listen, he said, "Give yourself to the Dark Side. It is the only way you can save your friends."

Still in contact with his son's mind, Vader was hit with a fierce sense of protectiveness. "Your feelings for them are strong," he commented. "Especially for . . ."

He stopped as the truth left him feeling as though he'd been punched in the stomach. If not for the mechanical respiratory system, he would have forgotten to breathe.

". . . your sister!" Vader breathed, disbelieving. "So . . . you have a twin sister."

Vader needed to sit. For once, he was grateful for the mechanical legs that kept him from collapsing in shock. He continued to talk as his mind raced, frantically trying to process this new information.

He had believed for years he had killed Padmé and baby Leia. He had always called her Leia in his mind. He'd been so sure the child was a girl. Luke had been a welcome gift, a beacon of light in his dreary existence, and he loved his son to distraction – but ever since he had found him, he had wondered why he had sensed a girl that one time he had used to Force to touch Padmé's swollen abdomen.

Now he knew.

He still wasn't used to having one child.

This is a fine family chat, Sidious hissed angrily into Vader's mind. Will you hurry up and kill the whelp? We can deal with the girl later.

Vader threw the other Sith Lord out of his head. Force, he hated Sidious!

But, like the good little apprentice he tried to appear to Sidious to be, he complied.

"If you will not turn to the Dark Side, then perhaps she will."

That got the boy's attention. Too much so. The next thing Vader knew, he was on the floor, missing a hand, and Sidious was telling Luke to kill him.

A little too much like Dooku and myself for my peace of mind.

I wonder what Padmé named our daughter . . .

Vader came back to reality with a vicious jolt. Did Luke actually do what Vader thought he did?

The boy hadn't really just thrown away his lightsaber?!

Vader could practically hear Obi-Wan banging his head against a wall in frustration.

That weapon is your life, Luke! Why in all the Corellian hells are you losing it on purpose?!

Especially when you're defying Sidious?!

Vader winced as Luke was hit by Sidious's Force lightning, yet still he pulled himself up to stand by Sidious's side.

"Father . . . please . . . help me . . ."

Vader longed to do as the boy asked. But he was so weak – the loss of his hand had sent an unpleasant backlash through the rest of his circuitry . . .

That didn't matter. Luke had trusted in him, believed in him, loved him, despite everything. He would not, could not, let that kind of loyalty and devotion go. He could not let his son lose faith in him, for both their sakes.

Not certain how he managed to do so in his weakened state – only knowing it must be done – Vader picked Sidious up and threw him down the elevator shaft.

Not before, however, Sidious used the lightning still sparking from his fingertips to short out the life-support systems in Vader's suit.

Luke, his son, his precious child, pulled his father back from the rail, but neither was strong enough to support their combined weight. Luke and Anakin lay side by side, dazed.

Anakin. Yes, Anakin was back. Somewhat older, definitely wiser, and extremely claustrophobic, but he was back.

Somehow, Luke managed to get them both to the docking bay, but Anakin knew there was no time. He made Luke stop and take off the mask. The boy was hell-bent on saving his life, but Anakin knew, and told his son, that there would be no death-defying miracles for him. Not this time.

The boy still wouldn't leave. Anakin loved him all the more for it.

Yet even as he lay dying, he couldn't forget the daughter whose name he didn't even know. Luke, Force bless him, made Anakin feel whole, complete in ways he never could have imagined, but he also loved his newly-found daughter, whomever she might be . . .

His eyes focused on Luke for the last time, and he was overwhlemed with love for his son.

And then Obi-Wan was by his side as Anakin, once again young and whole, stood in a blazing white light.

And once again, everything was right in the universe.

Obi-Wan and Yoda took him to Endor, where a large celebration was going on. Anakin watched as Luke caught sight of his two teachers, and then saw the look of sadness and wonder that crossed his face as he saw his father, unmasked, unscarred, and unbroken. He looked like he wanted to say something, but a girl wrapped her arms around him then, and urged him to join the festivities. Anakin sent Luke a mental wave of love, gratitude and joy, then turned to Obi-Wan.

"That's her, isn't it?" he said, his voice low. "That's my daughter."

Obi-Wan nodded. "Yes. Her name is Leia."

Leia. Anakin smiled. My Leia.

Wait a minute . . . Leia, as in Princess of Alderaan? The heavy feeling of dread that settled in his nonexistent stomach confirmed his suspicions. Oh no . . . she's going to hate me . . .