Nothing had worked out the way that he'd imagined it would as a child.
Rather than exploring new worlds or freeing slaves, he'd instead thrown himself headfirst into a war. It was a worthy cause and it needed to be fought... but it was also a reminder of everything he felt had gone wrong.
He'd lost his family, a mentor, and a dear childhood friend... but he had also gained precious friends in return. He'd learned of dark secrets and been confronted with harsh truths. He'd learned what it meant and how it felt to take another's life and to have blood on his hands. He understood better and appreciated the virtue of patience and the meaning of loyalty and duty.
And he knew how to pursue a worthy cause that was greater than himself.
Closing his eyes, Luke swallowed thickly. "Did you want me in binders?" He asked quietly, breaking the silence that hung heavy between them for the first time.
When no answer was forthcoming, Luke finally turned and looked over his shoulder.
Vader was standing about eight feet away from him, just past the edge of the tree line, watching him quietly. His emotions were unreadable in the Force. After a long moment, he shook his head once.
"No."
Luke nodded slowly, feeling his lips twitch slightly. "Carbonite then?"
Vader did not deign to answer that one and instead he held up Luke's lightsaber for him to see. He had left it back at his crash site, which he'd converted into a camp, with the hope that the gesture would be seen as a peaceful one.
"I'm in no position to fight you." Luke said warily, feeling his muscles beginning to tense up with uneasy anticipation.
Their bond was open. Luke was hiding nothing from his father and in return he received the faintest impression that his father was raising an eyebrow at him. For some reason... it made him feel like a small child expecting to be scolded by Beru or Owen for forgetting something they'd already asked him to do a thousand times.
"That was not my meaning." Vader corrected with an air of patience. "You should never leave yourself unarmed for an enemy to take advantage of, Luke. As I am sure you have been taught by whomever has taken over your training... a Jedi's weapon is their life." He said reproachfully, using an underhand throw to gently toss Luke's lightsaber back to him.
He caught it with his left hand, surprised by both the conversation and that his weapon was being returned to him. He stared at it for a long moment before looking back up at his father. "Is that what we are? Enemies?"
"Do we not stand on opposite sides of a war?"
"Doesn't family transcend all other conflicts?" Luke shot back at him. "Are we not both Children of the Desert?"
"I have left Tatooine behind me." Vader snapped instantly. Something stiff and uncomfortable flickered along their bond, betraying his unease. "That life belonged to someone else."
Lie. The Force whispered softly.
Luke hesitated. Words were always important. He took a moment to be calm before responding. "And yet you claim me as your son?"
"You are my son."
"Then you must be Anakin Skywalker because I claim no other man as my father." Luke insisted.
Vader raised a hand, shaking a finger at him. "That name no longer has any meaning to me." He said lowly, a hit of warning flickering along their bond now.
"Then why do I matter to you?" Luke allowed his confusion to bleed through their bond as well as a desperate desire to understand. "How can you hate Anakin so much but still want me?"
A/N this belongs to a one-shot that I play with on occasion and hope to post at some point. :) thanks for reading!