Vader glared at Anakin, who was standing beside the young princess of the rebellion. Both were panting, each seeming at least slightly panicked.
"Where is Luke?" he demanded.
"You haven't found him?" Leia asked in relief.
Vader glared at her with all the power he could muster short of choking her, "Where is my son?"
He watched curiously as Leia turned to look at Anakin who had closed his eyes and was breathing deeply, then back at Vader. His curiosity was short lived.
"Where is my son?"
Anakin opened his eyes, reaching for his lightsaber, "I'll kill you for what you've done to him," he snarled, his obvious attempt at calming himself having failed.
Vader reached for his own lightsaber, watching as the familiar blue beam was emitted from the grip of Anakin's. He could sense Luke somewhere nearby, and he didn't believe that the rebels had no idea where. Anakin's blade came at him as he started trying to find the boy properly, and he raised his own beam to deflect it. He pushed Anakin back a couple of steps just as he locked onto Luke's presence, moving towards them quickly.
Anakin had come back at him, all the same brash confidence he had always had. The rebel princess had started on her way back down the corridor, and Vader noticed that she was unarmed. A stupid move that: leaving one's weapons behind while the base was raided. Vader smiled. She would make a perfect weak link. He shoved Anakin back with enough force than the other man, still weakened by Vader's forays into his mind, stumbled.
Vader pushed past him impatiently and grabbed the rebel princess. She struggled fiercely, but Vader held her fast, deactivating his lightsaber and pressing the emission plate against her neck.
"I'll ask you one more time, where is my son?"
The princess was not even slightly deterred from her struggling, and she kicked him repeatedly, but the attempt was useless.
Anakin, however, had struggled to his feet, "Put down my daughter!"
Vader looked down at the princess just as she gave an almighty twist and slipped down to the ground again. She ducked past Anakin, who had raised his saber. As she turned back to Vader, she glared at him, and he could see, for a moment, his wife in the girl's eyes.
"My daughter?" he asked, still confused, as he started towards her.
Anakin's blade swung up to block his path, and Vader looked at him with all the annoyance of one tormented by a fly, "Let me pass," he said, "How could I have two children?"
"Twins," Anakin answered, swinging at Vader, who was forced to take a step back and ignite his own.
Vader was surprised, however, to be bested almost immediately, Anakin seeming to have been strengthened by Vader's threats to Leia. Before he knew what was happening, he was pressed against a wall. He used the Force to hit Anakin hard in the chest, and the Jedi soared across the corridor. He walked over to his winded past self and snatched the saber out of his hands. Igniting it, he held the blade to Anakin's throat.
"Don't hurt him!" shouted Luke's voice suddenly.
Vader looked over to him, and ceased to pay attention to Anakin, who took advantage of the moment and kicked Vader's arm hard enough that the prosthetic hand released the blue lightsaber, which Anakin grabbed and pointed at Vader.
"Father," Luke said, "Don't hurt him."
Anakin lowered the lightsaber, though Vader could see nervousness in his face. He turned away from the Jedi and moved towards Luke, who held his ground.
"What are you doing here?" Luke asked.
"I've come to take you home," Vader answered, then, remembering he had a daughter, "And your sister as well."
Leia spat something furious from behind him.
"Father, we are home. This is where we belong. You know that I'd rather be at home with you, but unless you decide to turn against the Empire, it's my duty to continue to work against you."
Luke had never before said to Vader than he wanted to come home, to Vader's memory. He had violently denied their bond, and had thrown himself down a shaft before being willing to be caught. He had made nothing clearer than that he hated the Sith, and hated Vader for what he had done.
"I know that Anakin is still in there somewhere," Luke said, drawing himself up to his full height, which was almost laughably unimpressive, "And I'd be happy to call wherever he is 'home'. But I'm a Jedi, and I can't be at home with a Sith Lord."
"Anakin is not a part of me," Vader answered, "In case you hadn't noticed, he's standing behind me. Luke, are you going to let Jedi," the word came out scathing, more so than Vader had meant it to, "Dictate your life?"
"I would long before I would let the Sith."
Vader sighed, and deactivated his lightsaber, clipping it to his belt, "I know it's not ideal. But if you'll just help me kill Palpatine, I won't train you."
Luke crossed his arms, "Maybe not, but you'll train another in a line of heartless murderers."
"Is that what you think of me?" Vader asked, hurt, but not surprised.
"It's what I think of the path you've chosen to take. Can you deny that you've already killed on your way into this base? Weren't you trying to kill Anakin when I found you?"
That point was un-arguable, "The point is, you wouldn't have to be one of them."
"The point is, I would have helped."
"Let me rephrase," Vader said, "We will kill the Emperor together. Then each of us will return to where we belong, and we will continue as though we never worked together. I won't try to capture you, and you won't try to kill me during our truce, but everything returns to the usual when we end it."
Luke seemed to be considering that offer, and Vader felt his hopes soar. If Luke helped him kill the Emperor, there would be nothing in the galaxy to keep him from spending every moment searching for Luke, and he would no longer be forced to hesitate, worrying about what his master might do to the young Jedi.
"Alright," Luke said slowly, "What do you have planned?"
"Simple," Vader answered, "I turn you in, but I'll return your lightsaber to you at the last moment."
Luke raised his eyebrows, "He'll fall for that?"
"I believe that he'll try to force us to fight to the death, which would be seriously impeded if you didn't have a weapon."
"I guess," Luke said, a smile playing around his lips, "Would there be any way to bring Anakin?"
Vader scowled at his younger self. He would have like to leave Anakin where he was, but he cheered himself with the thought that he hadn't promised anything about not trying to kill him. And besides that, Anakin would risk his own life for Luke's in a heartbeat, and throw himself in front of any attacks the Emperor might have had ready for them.
"If we must, I'm certain that the Emperor would be happy to have a copy of myself in noticeably better condition. However, if Palpatine manages to turn him, be warned that he will be very violent at first."
"At first?" Luke asked mockingly, and Vader decided to let the topic drop. He had meant that a newly turned Anakin might attack Luke instead of defend him, as he himself had attacked Padme, but Luke still seemed amused by his choice of words.
"Now, if you'll only come quietly, we can finish quickly and terminate this weak truce," he said, and Luke nodded, holding his lightsaber out to his father. As Vader took it, he felt a thrill of emotion. Luke was his son, happily bonding with another parent, eager to finish their charade as allies, and return to the alliance. He tried to distract himself by looking down at his son's lightsaber, clearly built by the boy himself, dents already marking it in several places, as well as a large smear of grease down one side of it. Obi-Wan would have fainted, he thought, if he had seen it.
The moment of happiness was pushed aside as Anakin passed him the other lightsaber.
"Now wait one second," the princess finally said, "You think that there's even a chance that giving yourself up to Vader is a good idea?" she asked incredulously.
Luke smiled and hugged her, "Don't worry, we'll be fine."
As he released her, and turned back to their father, Vader smiled again to see the girl's jaw drop as she stared at them.
"It's this way back to my ship," he told them.
