Chapter 7

A/N: Please enjoy! This chapter was strikingly hard to write, so I'm sorry for the minor kinks and few errors – it's not the best.
Vader's hand out reached to Luke as he walked away, but the boy never turned around. He looked back on the stone image of Padmé, his deceased wife, and wondered what she'd think as their only son walked away, out of sight.

Following him to the ship was a smart move, he decided. He wondered if Luke wanted this – for his father to follow him. He felt this odd sense of dependence, like he needed someone to love him suddenly.

And then there was the other sense of independence. He was happy, for some reason that Luke had walked away. Away from him, he decided – away from confrontation – away from telling the Emperor that Luke was there.

He'd have to tell the Emperor. He just had to – Luke was force sensitive. This might finally give him a chance to have an apprentice, a real apprentice.

Then, his world stopped.

No. I won't, Anakin told himself. He won't. Luke won't become a Sith, and I won't tell the Emperor. I'll do the right thing.

For once.

Or...

He found himself in the hallway on his ship sometime later. Following Luke was just a blur – he watched his son stop on the skift of the ship, wipe his tears, and look back, waiting for someone. He saw no one, though, for his father was hiding, and continued up into the ship.

He thought about knocking. Then he considered barging in, yelling. No, I've got to change, Anakin told himself. Anakin. Anakin Skywalker…

So he decided to knock. When there was no answer, he simply waited. He knew Luke was in there – the force proved it, his presence was unmistakable – he just didn't know how to handle it. He didn't know how to handle anything…

His mind wandered to Padmé. She would know what to do; she handled things so well during Senate meetings. She had always had that 'motherly' side to her, when Anakin had a problem, she would always be there. She always knew what to say, but he always pushed her away…

"Luke!" He unexpectedly screamed through the door. He was surprised by the way he handled this – he didn't expect to yell at the boy. He was just… waiting. What happened to that?

A boy's voice could be heard through the door, "Hello," he said. It was simple, but Anakin could tell he had been crying. Luke didn't thrash out on his father like he had when he heard of his parentage in the graveyard. He heard footsteps, coming to the door…

The door slid open, and Anakin invited himself in. He stood in front of Luke, his son, his only son, the only living piece of him, Padmé, left – and stared into his blue eyes.

"Darth Vader," Luke said wryly. "Your boldness scares me," his hand raised, almost to slap him – but his father stopped his hand in mid air, and left it there by his grasp.

He looked down, displeased with what Luke had just told him, and looked back up into his son's eyes. There was a pause, and in that moment Anakin's mind rambled to over twenty years ago…

"Are you an angel?"

The comment obviously threw her off, "What?" She had heard what he had said – he knew it. She was flattered, per say. Well, he hoped she was flattered.

"An angel," the boy said matter-of-factly, "They live on the moons of Iego, I think."

"You're a silly little boy," she said, smiling. "How do you know so much?"

"Don't call me that, Luke," he told his son. The similarities between young Anakin and Luke were indescribable – he looked exactly like him, almost a clone, in a sense. He'd said it before, but this time, he meant it. He gave one last glance at his boy, letting his arm go, and turned to leave.

There came a knock at the open door; he looked up to see who came to see him. Earlier in the day had left him puzzled, and he didn't know to react. He had sat in his quarters from hours now, trying to get his matters straight.

Seeing Luke at the threshold had thrown him off again. "Luke," he greeted monotonous. He didn't chime, 'Hey, kid' or 'What's up, son?' like normal fathers should.

Like he had earlier in the day, Luke made himself comfortable. He sat in a nearby armchair, and sat directly across from Anakin.

They shared a silent moment, but then Anakin spoke, "Why are you here?" It was late at night – they had left Naboo hours ago. Maybe he had finally gotten over the shock, the feeling…

Luke seemed to ignore the question, and instead answer, "Are you really my father?"

This came as a shock. He gulped, took this in, "Yes," he said slowly, feelingly. "I am, Luke."

The boy quivered. "But… my father died," he said, shrinking into the chair, "After the Clone Wars. He left me – so did my mother – I can't… no…"

"The emperor lied to me, Luke," he said to his son as effectively as he could. He leaned on his knees, coming closer to Luke. "I believed you to be dead as well as your mother. Evidently he lied – I…" he had words for the emperor right now, "…I'm sorry I left you, Luke. I'm sorry you believed me to be dead. I'm sorry I missed the first ten years of your life."

Luke had unshed tears in his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Luke."

Luke didn't let the tears go, though. He kept them in. "Anakin Skywalker?" He asked, not expecting an answer. He pointed to the man in front of him, "My father…" It wasn't a question anymore.

Luke believed it.

Anakin nodded. They were silent for another moment, and he wondered what would happen next. Without controlling it, Anakin formed a wry smile on his lips. It twisted upward, and then he breathed out, flashing Luke his white teeth. The funny thing was, Anakin hadn't smiled – really smiled – since… well, ten years ago.

"We're going to be happy, alright? This is a happy moment. The happiest moment of my life."

"What was she like?" Luke asked suddenly. It seemed like a burning question – he kept it in for a while, since the graveyard.

"Who, your mother?"

Luke nodded. He knew what she was like – the file told her a lot of things, but he wanted to know more.

Anakin smiled again. "She was – very beautiful, Luke," he told his son, leaning in close. Luke did the same. It felt right, everything clicked into place then. "Every time I was with her… intoxicating."

Nothing felt weird.

"I miss her," he told his son, "So much, Luke. When I saw you – when I met you, I figured… I mean, I thought… that there might be hope, that maybe… maybe she was alive, living with you…"

It was obviously hard for Anakin to think about his dear Padmé like this – Luke could feel it, and see it in his eyes.

Then, he noticed another thing: his father's eyes were a bright shade a blue, a blue he had only seen in his own reflection. They hadn't changed since… two days before?

"I left her a lot, Luke," Anakin explained, "Because… I was Jedi." It was the first time he said the word 'Jedi' without a grudge, without a teeth clench, without resent.

Anakin Skywalker was a great man, Luke thought.

"I came back after a mission and I – "

"Are you going to tell the emperor?"

Luke's words threw Anakin off again. He wasn't sure what had inspired this question – he was obviously enjoying speaking about Padmé in such high interest. "What?" was all he could sputter.

"You heard me," came Luke's reply. "Will the emperor know of my presence? Does he already?"

Anakin clucked his tongue, and tried to decide what to say. He turned his head, engaging into a more serious tone, "Luke, you must realize that this is who I am now, and the emperor will want," he paused, not able to finished his sentence, for Luke had now fallen against his chair.

"It's not who you are, father!" It was the first time Luke had called him by the name 'father'.

He has finally accepted his parentage. He's confirmed it.

"You're Anakin Skywalker! You're a fallen Jedi hero, a fallen Jedi knight!" He was standing now. "You had a wife, you were married – something that was against the code – its common knowledge! You were successful, and you threw it all away. You're Anakin Skywalker." His voice quivered again, it was brought down to a much more childish tone, sadder, "You said it yourself. You're not Darth Vader anymore…"

He paused, thinking before speaking. He had told Luke this – he had… he couldn't lose another person…

Padmé…

He sighed. "You're right, Luke," Anakin told his son, bringing Luke to sit back down. "I'm Anakin Skywalker – fallen Jedi knight. But this is my duty, and I can't – "

"Don't! Please!"

Anakin bit his lip. "I have to – "

Luke interrupted him for what seemed like the fiftieth time that night, "I want to go home, father. Home. Tatooine." It was an idea that seemed illogical; someone actually wanted to be on that dissolute planet of desert. "I don't want to be here anymore," his voice broke, and he felt like a five year old, half his age.

He sighed again. "Okay, Luke," it killed him – but he… "I'll tell my pilot." Anakin got up from his chair, and pressed a few buttons on his datapad, and disappeared into another room.

Luke heard a faint "Good-night," from the next room. He sighed an equal sigh to the many of his father, and left the room, retiring to his own.