Summary: Where Luke being four and not twenty-three has consequences. Vader is also unprepared to deal with his feelings.

The First Emergency

Vader hoped that, given the extreme and equally unexpected nature of Luke's condition… that perhaps he could be forgiven for not immediately realizing that his little son was unwell.

He had only just stood up so he could address the medic that Piett had retrieved for him, Luke clinging shyly to his leg, when he suddenly felt it.

A gross wave of nauseating dizziness, something outside his own personal realm of constant hurt and pain. The impression was so abrupt and powerful that his head began to pound and his vision blurred in response.

Instinct alone had him twisting around and lunging just as Luke turned white as a sheet and promptly collapsed, falling towards the hard durasteel floor. Vader managed to catch him just before his skull hit the ground and he quickly lifted Luke's limp little body up into his arms. Anxiously, he searched along their bond for any sign of consciousness and found almost nothing – nothing except the faint lingering sense of intense stress and discomfort.

"Medic Lenbri," he snapped quickly without looking away from Luke's lax expression. "Emergency – NOW!"

"Yes, my Lord." The medic hustled the remaining distance between them and she reached up and pressed her index and middle fingers against the carotid artery in Luke's neck.

"Bring him over here." She said moments later, withdrawing her hand and snatching up her bag before directing him towards a worktable pressed against the wall of the hangar. Vader swept the hangar tools sitting on top of the table away with the Force and barely heard them clatter loudly to the ground and scatter every which way, focusing instead on setting Luke down as gently as he possibly could.

"Excuse me, but I need you to step away." Medic Lenbri said briskly once he had done so, ushering him off to the side in the way only a medic would dare to do. He refused to go farther than absolutely necessary and watched intently as she began her evaluation, pulling equipment from her bag. He looked away only to watch as another medic began to approach just moments later – summoned by a bystander, or Piett perhaps - and joined her.

"Airways are clear. Capillary refill is delayed – CTC is pale, cool, and diaphoretic." A pulse oximeter that had been connected to one of Luke's fingers beeped. "Respirations and heart rate are elevated. I was told that he was pulled off of a slave ship?" Medic Lenbri confirmed, glancing at him quickly. Her thoughts and impressions in the Force suggested that she felt somewhat confused by his continued presence but she was wise and focused enough not to question it.

"Yes." Vader replied tightly. "He was among the slavers for several days, at least."

The medic winced in sympathy and then addressed her partner. "Vic, check his blood sugar levels. Who knows when this kid last had something to eat." To Vader, she asked, "Did he say anything about not feeling well?"

"No." Vader denied, watching as the second medic – Lloyd – swabbed one of Luke's fingers with an alcohol wipe before pricking his finger for a drop of blood. "He was lucid and able to communicate clearly. He became dizzy just before he collapsed."

"He's hypoglycemic." Medic Lloyd confirmed after a few seconds.

"Alright, Vic, prep a stim shot safe for a kid his age and we'll see if that wakes him up. Once he's conscious, we'll administer glucagon and try to get some fluids in his system."

Vader took a moment to appreciate the professionalism being displayed. The hangar bay was hardly an ideal setting for this but both of the medics were quick without being frantic and as Medic Lloyd administered the stim shot into Luke's upper arm, Vader couldn't help but privately wonder if this was how all parents felt when being presented with their child for the first time.

Frazzled and flustered and completely unprepared.

After ten or twenty nerve-wracking seconds, Luke groaned, shifting uneasily on the workbench. His little face scrunched up in discomfort and with some obvious effort he finally blinked his eyes open again. Vader immediately felt as if a weight had been lifted off his chest and was endlessly relieved when Luke's Force signature slowly brightened.

"Hey kiddo," Medic Lenbri said gently, briefly shining her light pen into Luke's eyes. "Pupils are reacting normally." She reported calmly. "My name is Sanava and I'm here to help you out, okay? Can you tell me if anything hurts?"

Luke's Force presence twitched in his hold, flickering with dazed confusion as the child struggled to process what was happening. He whimpered helplessly, his eyes flooding with tears. "I… I want my auntie – " Luke cried, lifting a hand to weakly rub at his eyes with his fist. "I want Beru."

"I know," Medic Lenbri soothed. "We'll get you back to her as soon as we can, kiddo. But right now, can you help me out and tell me if anything hurts?"

"Um…" Luke lulled his head to the side, searching instinctively for something… or someone familiar to him. Pain and discomfort and fear flickered along their bond and before he'd consciously decided to, Vader stepped forward once again to stand next to the head of the table where Luke could see him. He crouched down low and then their eyes met through the lenses of his mask once again.

It was like an electric charge. A thrill went through him and his heart fluttered with emotions. He was immediately greeted with the same, fuzzy impressions of family-who are you-safe?-Beru-home as before.

Family, Vader agreed with a soft, fluttering whisper. He reached out with one hand to gently smooth Luke's hair back, marveling at how much his little son resembled him... or Anakin, when he'd been nothing but a boy. Safe. He promised.

He sent the same little tapping pulses of calm calm calm that he had used earlier through their bond and was rewarded seconds later by Luke slowly relaxing as trust – innocent and uncomplicated trust - began to replace fear.

"Does anything hurt, Luke?" Vader repeated, his voice rumbling.

Sniffling, Luke nodded miserably. "…m'head. And… and my tummy hurts." He said softly after a few seconds of thought.

Not surprising. Both were easily explained by the low blood sugar and lack of food and they could be easily fixed.

"Anything else?" Vader prompted gently.

"...um, n-no? I… I don't think so."

Good.

He relaxed a little to hear it but just the same, Vader quietly swept his Force presence over Luke, scanning him for anything that felt out of place or that might not be immediately recognizable. His signature certainly felt... off, somehow, but there was nothing else immediately concerning that Vader could sense. The stimulant was doing its job well.

"We've prepared a glucagon shot for the boy, Lord Vader." Vader glanced up at Medic Lenbri and nodded his approval.

She stepped forward and swabbed Luke's upper forearm. "This will only pinch, just a little." she warned, giving Luke a gentle smile before quickly administering the shot. Luke's face scrunched, but he was still too weak to really protest. "We should see improvements in about ten minutes, my Lord Vader."

Ten minutes.

Why did ten minutes feel like such a long time?

He wanted improvements now.

Instead, Vader was forced to exercise patience.

He hated being patient.

If he wasn't wearing his damned mask, Vader would have scrubbed his face in absolute frustration. Instead, he kept whispering calm and safe along their bond, petting Luke's hair with all the gentleness he could. He had no idea what he was supposed to do about any of this. Nothing about today was going to plan and he didn't know what to do. It wasn't a feeling that he was accustomed to having anymore. But even if nothing else made any sense, it still stood that Luke needed to be kept safe. He could start that now, even from here.

Vader glanced over his shoulder to look around the hangar, spreading his Force presence out and searching for anyone present who might have divided loyalties between him and Palpatine. He had tried his best to cull the herd over the years, so to speak, and get rid of the Emperor's spies through strategy but he was certain there would always be a few who slipped through the cracks.

There were one… perhaps even two presences nearby that felt off. Somewhat cloudy, as though they were trying to hide their thoughts. Even non-Force sensitives could learn how to shield their minds and it was a decent enough indicator that they could be one of Palpatine's spies. Whoever they were, they would need to be dealt with quickly; they always knew to act quickly when reporting to Palpatine and that could not be allowed to happen. A quick interrogation would be in order to confirm his suspicions, and if they turned out to be true, then he would use the opportunity to discover if they knew the identities of any other spies that were on board as well.

Ten minutes.

"Will he be able to be moved at that time?" Vader asked.

"Yes, I believe so." Medic Lenbri agreed, casting another side glance at him.

Good.

Luke needed to be removed from public sight sooner rather than later while he figured out what he was dealing with. Medical wasn't exactly his first choice but there were several of the 501st who could take over as security detail while Vader was busy trying to find out what exactly had happened to his son.

Vader curled his Force presence around Luke's a little more and then took a moment to search out Piett and saw that while the hangar bay was certainly not empty, many of the personnel had been ushered to the opposite side of the hangar in order to give the medics room to work and as much quiet as could be offered in this kind of setting. There were several of the 501st posted at the exits to ensure that no one left before they were authorized to do so. The Admiral was discreetly speaking with one of the Ensigns, gesturing to the security cameras.

Piett was trustworthy.

And loyal to him before anyone else. He was someone that Vader was confident would assist him in the event that he tried to take over the Empire, as were many of those in positions of power on board the Executor. It was part of the reason that he had promoted him to the position of Admiral in the first place. Vader caught his eye and motioned for him to come over.

Piett nodded and patted the young man he was speaking with on the shoulder before walking confidently towards them.

"Yes, my Lord?" he asked once he was close enough.

Vader stood up slowly and gestured towards Luke. "Keep an eye on him for a few minutes." he ordered quietly. "Medic Lenbri."

She lifted her eyes and then stood at attention. "Sir?"

"With me."

Vader stepped to the side until he felt he could speak where Luke, and others who might be tempted to listen in, would hopefully be out of earshot. The woman followed him and didn't flinch when he turned to her. Her thoughts were calm and professional.

"What are your first impressions? Be specific." Vader asked, resting his hands in their customary spot on his belt.

She blinked and glanced towards where her partner and the Admiral were keeping an eye on Luke and trying to engage him in some light conversation it seemed. Luke's thoughts still felt hazy and confused… but there was improvement.

"Well." Medic Lenbri hesitated for a moment and then pushed her confusion away. "Quite frankly, his body chemistry is completely out of sorts… I'm not entirely certain of the cause, Sir. The hypoglycemia explains the majority of his symptoms and he is responding well enough to the vitamin/stimulant booster that we administered, as well as the glucagon. I would still recommend a few additional tests in order to assess the other abnormalities but overall, I believe he'll be alright after a good meal and some sleep."

That was relieving to hear. Vader wasn't exactly an expert but he imagined that the abnormalities could be explained by the fact that Luke was four instead of twenty-three. Whatever process his son had undergone to be at this age now had likely put an incredible strain on his body.

"What about physically?"

"He has some bruises which seem to be a few days old but no broken bones or other signs of edema. And, obviously the transradial amputation on the lower right arm. It does not appear to be terribly recent and as far as I can tell, it healed quite well. There are connector ports which have already been surgically placed for a prosthetic, which is a little unusual, given his age. Most physicians would recommend waiting until he was older but of course, that recommendation may vary depending on individual practice and planet-side policy."

The arm was irrelevant in this circumstance – Vader knew the incident where it had occurred and had had one of his spies in the Rebellion send him Luke's medical reports following Bespin. The surgery and attachment of his prosthetic had been textbook and there had been no complications.

Vader glanced back towards Luke again. He was sitting up now and looked more lively than he had even just a minute or so ago. He was huddled in on himself; unease, loneliness, and maybe a hint of curiosity were the primary emotions whispering along their open bond. Vader watched for a long moment as Luke was offered a sucker by the other attending medic and then as he hesitantly accepted it.

In the span of less than an hour, all of his priorities had completely shifted and for the first time since he'd pledged loyalty to Palpatine over twenty years ago, he was orbiting a new star.

There was nothing he wouldn't do to keep Luke out of harm's way.

Palpatine and the rest of the galaxy could go to hell.

But the image of the Weequay captain pulling the male Togruta off his child was burned into his memory. That lousy, worthless piece of filth would suffer all the unimaginable pains that Vader could force him to suffer.

Still, it… begged another question.

"What about other forms of trauma?" Vader bit out, mindful to keep his voice low.

"If you are referring to any forms of sexual abuse, I honestly couldn't say." Medic Lenbri offered apologetically. "That is outside my area of expertise and I don't want to be accused of making assumptions where it is not my place to do so. However, there are others in the medical bay who could evaluate him properly and make that diagnosis for you."

Vader wasn't entirely certain that he wanted that diagnosis made simply because he feared what the answer would end up being. It was too terrible for him to even consider.

But if by some unthinkable chance, it ended up being true, then the galaxy would shortly come to know what it was like to truly experience his wrath. He would be on the warpath for anyone and everyone who had had a hand in hurting his son in such a foul, loathsome, and unforgivable way.

He felt his emotions turn black just thinking about it.

"Once his readings stabilize, we can have him transported to medical and alert someone to get started on locating his family."

"That… that is acceptable." Vader ground out reluctantly, if only for the sake of appearances. It would cause a stir, him taking a child to the medical bay. There would be whispers and confusion, and as much as Luke's safety was his first, second, and third priority now, he… he needed to clean house before anyone slipped through the cracks. To calm down and have a moment to think clearly and process. "Inform medical staff that he will be arriving shortly. Brief them on the situation but do not use the boy's name over any Executor channels."

Medic Lenbri opened her mouth but then hesitated. "Yes, Sir. Is there anything... else?"

Vader paused. "Not presently."

"Of course, Sir."

He dipped his head once and then left Medic Lenbri to follow his instructions, turning to walk back to Luke.

Piett straightened up respectfully though Vader didn't truly have eyes for anyone except his son. Luke was still sucking on his candy and his eyes brightened as Vader approached even if his expression remained shy. The color in his face seemed better and more of the haziness of his thoughts had cleared too.

His son.

Vader could still feel his heart racing with emotions that he didn't dare try and name. All he could think was that the tiny, vulnerable, innocent person before him now was his and that he had no idea what to do with him. He didn't know how to be a father and he felt as stumped and as stunned as he had the day that Padme had revealed to him that she was pregnant.

It had seemed more achievable back then too; with Padme at his side, his other and better half... how hard could it have been? It was an adventure he had been looking forward to, even if it had been clouded by his fear for Padme's safety.

But that was then.

That was before he had helped create the Empire. Before he had become the monster that he now was.

"Can he be moved to medical now?" Vader asked, directing his question at the other med tech. In the Force, he sent Luke a quiet greeting and was rewarded with an uncertain flutter of acknowledgement in return. The effort brought a rare smile to Vader's lips.

"Yes, Sir. He's still a little sluggish but he's stable."

"Then Admiral, clear the halls and alert security."

"Of course, Sir." Piett gave Luke a strange look and then stepped a short distance away, speaking into his comm radio.

The med techs both stepped out of the way and for a moment, it was just him and Luke. Vader felt torn in two - part of him wanted to scoop Luke up in his arms and never let him go... and the other part of him wanted to turn around and run, terrified of ruining something utterly precious. It was what he was good at, after all.

"Am… am I going home now?" Luke asked, staring up at him hopefully.

Vader shook his head. "No. Not yet, little one." He felt oddly guilty when Luke's expression fell. "You are… going to see someone who will make sure you are not sick."

Luke blinked, unease fluttering nervously between them. He glanced around the hangar bay again, his thoughts racing with questions and fear. Little flickers of scary-Beru-home-strangers-cold-family whispered unknowingly along their bond and out loud, Luke asked, "...but - are… are you gonna come with me?"

He should say yes.

It would be easy.

The two potential spies would be easy to pick out of the crowd now that he knew they were there and he could have security escort them to the detention cells while he went with Luke to medical. It was what he should do... but in the same instant, Padme's voice was whispering in his mind from so long ago, begging him - pleading with him -

Stop, stop now. Come back! I love you!

Vader froze, the memory feeling the freshest it had in years. It had been the last time that he had loved someone - she had begged him to go with her and Vader had destroyed her.

The situations were different. Completely different.

But Luke was still asking Vader to go with him. He reached up at him anxiously with both arms - like, like he was asking to be held and Vader couldn't - he didn't hold children. He would always hurt the ones that he loved. Luke's missing hand was proof of that now and this little child was not the young man he was supposed to be - the one who would boldly go up against Vader's darkness and come out on the other side in more or less one piece.

"I cannot." Vader heard himself say. For the first time, he turned away from Luke, unable to stand the sight of his eyes welling up with tears. "Admiral, see to it personally that the boy makes it to medical and do not let him out of your sight. Inform them of the situation when you get there. I want to know how this happened."

Then he strode away, unclipping his lightsaber as he did so and tuning in to the thoughts and feelings of everyone around them, searching for the ones that didn't belong.

He had things to do.

A/N I punched myself in the gut with the feelings in this chapter.

Thanks so much for reading!