Ficlet Collection 2
Summary: This is another collection of ficlets I originally posted on my tumblr that I've been collecting over the last few months. Some of these are short. Some of them are a bit longer. Some expand on some other fics / AUs I've written before. Most of these were from people giving me a prompt for the first line, and then I wrote a ficlet based on it.
15.
~-o-~-o-~-o-~-o-~-o-~
"Was it your men?" Luke asked, voice shaking, "Was it your men who killed my aunt and uncle?"
Tears were blurring his vision, but he looked up at Darth Vader anyways. All he could see was a black blob standing next to him, but he could clearly hear the even sound of the respirator.
"Was it?" Luke asked again. His throat was tight. The sobs were threatening to spill out of him at any moment.
"Yes," came Vader's deep voice.
He couldn't hold it back anymore. All it took was one small hiccup and Luke started to cry. He fell to his knees onto the hot sand. His hand, his flesh hand, came and rested on the pile of rocks that made for the makeshift gravestone of his aunt and uncle. Tears ran down his face. His body shook. It hurt. Oh Force, it hurt.
When had he properly grieved for them? He had been so numb that day he had found them. He had cried that night in the cave with Old Ben, but he had buried his grief down. He had done the same with Biggs. The same with the Death Star. The same with so many Rebels. And now his hold had cracked and it was all spilling out.
He was sorry. He was so sorry. And he missed his aunt and uncle so much. He had so much to tell them. But he couldn't. And of course, it was Vader's men, his own father's men, who had killed them. Luke couldn't stop the image of the two skeletons crawling on the ground from coming to his mind.
A large hand gently pressed against his back and started to rub circles. It only caused him to cry harder. He was a mess. Snot was running out of his nose. He couldn't see. His cheeks were red. Sand was everywhere, but he didn't care.
"Did- Did you know- ow?" Luke asked between his sobs. "Who- hoo they were?"
"That they were Owen and Beru Lars? The son and daughter-in-law of Cliegg Lars? Husband of Shmi Skywalker?" Vader asked. There was a small pause. "Yes."
"They were your- ur family!" Luke said twisting to look up at his father who was kneeling next to him.
"They were the family of Anakin Skywalker," Vader said. His voice flat and emotionless.
Luke turned back to the rock piles and cried. He let it out all. He held nothing back. All of his sadness and grief rolled out of him. And Vader sat beside him the entire time rubbing his back.
"I am sorry," Vader said once Luke's sobs had tapered down.
"I know," Luke said. That was why they were here.
Luke slowly stood up. He grabbed his father's large leathered hand and Vader stood up as well.
"You'll help?" Luke said already knowing the answer, but Vader still nodded his head.
The two Skywalkers worked side by side as they removed the pile of stones and erected two proper headstones. Luke was surprised to see Vader clear out a small sand hill to recover to flat grave markers. They bore the names of Cliegg and Shmi. They had been there all this time and Luke never knew. Then, also with the Force, Vader dug a third grave next to Shmi. Once it was dug, he started to strip off his suit. First, his gloves then his boots and cape. Luke took a step forward to help, but Vader put a hand up to stop him. This was something he had to do by himself.
Finally, all the pieces were in the grave. Luke and Vader stood beside it. Luke had grabbed the bag they had brought and handed his father the portable respirator. Vader looked so odd without the menacing black shell on. His skin was pale, white, and horribly scarred. They couldn't stay out in the sun much longer or he would burn. But they did stay long enough for Vader to push the sand over his suit.
Luke helped his father back to their ship. He glanced back once at the five gravestones. Four with names neatly carved into them; the fifth empty. It was for Darth Vader. A man who had died on the Death Star above Endor. Because the man Luke helped onto the ship was Anakin Skywalker, who had returned to Tatooine to honor his family.
16.
~-o-~-o-~-o-~-o-~-o-~
Luke slowly came to.
As he did he realized his neck was quite sore. So were his shoulders and back. As he became more awake, he realized he wasn't lying down, but sitting and restrained to a chair. He groaned to himself as he realized this did not bode well. What had been the last thing he remembered before he blacked out?
He had been at a bar with Mara. He had too much to drink. There had been laughing and kissing. His cheeks burned red as he remembered that part. And then . . . he just didn't remember. He did his best to stretch while also taking in the room. It was sleek, grey, but also a bit featureless. Imperial, he realized. He sighed. His head hurt. Most likely he was suffering from a hangover. He just hoped Mara was all right.
The door to the small room slid open and Mara walked in. He had to do a double-take as he looked at her. She was dressed as an Imperial in a black sleek uniform. Her red hair tied back in a tight ponytail.
"Mara?" he asked.
She flashed a smile at him. "Hey, there farmboy. Sleep well?" she said as she walked behind his chair. He felt her small hands brush against him as she undid the locks on his binders. But before she could slip away, he grabbed her fingers in his hands. She stilled and for a small moment, they just were. Then the fingers slipped away and she walked back around the chair. Luke stretched and attempted to get the kinks out of his muscles.
"What happened?" he asked. "I don't remember anything. Is this an Imper- "
His words stopped as he sensed the coldness. It wasn't a feeling on the outside, but something on the inside. Something dark and dangerous. Luke clenched down on his jaw as Darth Vader walked into the room. Mara only casually looked at him. She didn't straighten up. Didn't salute. She was going to blow her cover unless . . .
Had she reverted back to the Empire? He had thought . . . That she had changed . . . That she cared . . . That . . .
Vader's mask titled down. There was a lump in Luke's throat.
"Did you bind him to the chair?" Vader asked as his masked turned to face Mara.
"Kidnapping him was the only way I was going to get him here," she said.
"Wait," Luke said as he looked at Mara. His heart fell into his stomach. "Kidnapped me? You did this?"
"Like you were going to agree to come to Imperial Center," Mara said as she folded her arms across her chest.
"Coruscant?" Luke said as he jumped out of his seat. "We're on Imperial Center?" He looked between Mara and Vader. "What is going on?" he demanded. He looked up at Vader and into the dark lenses. He was sure he was meeting his father's gaze. "Was this your doing?" Luke hissed. "Another ploy to get me to join you and the Dark Side? To throw me at your master's feet? The Emperor- "
"Is dead," Mara interrupted.
Luke froze. His eyes wide. His mouth was still open but the words were forgotten.
"Wh- what?" he stammered.
"The Emperor is dead," Mara said again with a slight shrug of his shoulders.
"Dead? How?"
"We have killed him," Vader rumbled.
Luke looked up at his father.
"No," Mara growled. "I killed him."
"Which you would not have been able to do without me distracting him," Vader said as he pointed a black-gloved finger at her.
Mara let out a small chuckle. "It was entertaining to watch you get electrified," she said with a smile.
"Wait. Wait!" Luke shouted. "The Emperor is dead? And you two killed him? Together?"
Silence fell between them except for Vader's breathing.
"What is going on?" Luke demanded. "I don't understand."
"It's really quite simple," Mara said. "The Emperor decided you were too great of a threat and ordered you to be killed. I wasn't going to let that happen. He wasn't going to let that happen." She jerked her head at Vader. "And so we teamed up and killed him instead."
Again there was silence. Again Luke was wide-eyed in shock.
"And you couldn't just . . . tell me this normally? You had to kidnap me?" Luke said.
Mara rolled her eyes, but it was Vader who answered. "It was so you could stand beside me as we announce the death of the Emperor together, and I assume the throne to the Empire. I shall announce you as my son and heir, and then I plan on abdicating the throne to you."
Silence. Again. Wide-eyed. Again. Mouth open. Again.
"Oh don't give us that look," Mara said. "I'm sure you'll make a good Emperor. For a farm boy that is."
17.
~-o-~-o-~-o-~-o-~-o-~
"You don't know the power of the Dark Side," Vader rumbled as his lightsaber locked with Luke's.
Luke, who was utterly tired of hearing that phrase, snapped, "Then explain it to me then!"
Vader took a step back. His blade lowered a small bit. Luke still kept his up. His eyes quickly scanned the forest. It was quiet and still. It appeared they were alone.
"The Dark Side is power," Vader rumbled. "You are the master. You bend the Force to your will. It is unlimited. With it, you will be unstoppable. All will bow before you."
"Even you?" Luke asked.
There was only a small flinch from the large cyborg.
"Why would I need such power?" Luke asked after Vader's silence. "Kill the Emperor? Rule the galaxy?"
"Yes."
"Is that what you wanted?"
"What?"
"I asked, is that what you wanted? Why you chose the Dark Side? Because you wanted to rule the galaxy?"
There was a tense second of silence, before Vader said, "Yes."
"You're lying," Luke said slowly. His saber dropped lower.
"I wanted to remake the galaxy to how I saw fit," Vader growled raising up his free hand. He curled it into a fist.
Luke deactivated his lightsaber and clipped it to his belt. "Why?" he asked again. "Why did you choose power? You were already a Jedi. You already had the Force. Why did you want more power? Tell me the truth this time."
Vader's helmet pointed down at the ground for a long moment. Then finally it lifted up slowly. Luke could feel Vader's eyes on him.
"I needed power to save your mother. To save her from death."
That . . . That had not been what Luke was expecting.
"My mother?" he asked softly.
"Yes. I had visions she was going to die in childbirth. I could not lose her or . . . or you."
"But you did," Luke said. "She . . . she died . . . didn't she? You couldn't stop it even with all that power the Dark Side gave you."
There was a blast of cold that shot out of Vader. Clearly, Luke had hit a nerve. He took a step forward. When Vader didn't raise his saber, he took another then another until finally, he stood right in front of his father. He eyed the still glowing lightsaber. He slowly reached out and put a hand on Vader's arm. Vader's helmet slowly tilted to look down at Luke. Luke was sure he could see eyes behind the black lenses.
"Father, you don't need unlimited power. Just look at the Death Star. It had enough power to destroy a planet with a single blast, and yet, an X-wing with a torpedo was able to take it down. It isn't more power that is the answer. It's what you do with the power you already have. Even a small amount can be sharpened and made strong. I already have everything I need."
Luke heard the lightsaber hiss off. Vader slowly clipped it on to his belt. His hand came up and rested on top of Luke's. The father and son stood there in the quiet woods with everything they both needed.
18.
~-o-~-o-~-o-~-o-~-o-~
Luke searched the Jedi Temple for the man who, if the rumors were true, was his father.
Luke pulled the borrowed, not stolen, Jedi robes tighter. He wasn't sure how long he had until his dad realized he hadn't returned home from the Senate. The Alderaan delegation was in a joint-committee meeting, and those things usually took hours. Luke was hoping this one did too. He had been planning to come here for months. Three years ago he had heard that his biological father was a Jedi. After a lot of discreet questioning and digging, Luke was certain his biological father was Anakin Skywalker, the infamous Hero With No Fear.
Luke had collected a lot of evidence, but it was all circumstantial. There was no solid proof he could get his hands out without outright asking his parents. The Organas always seemed to get tight-lipped when the topic of Luke's birth father came up. And they seemed the same whenever the name Anakin Skywalker popped up. There were other things. He knew his biological mother was Padme Amidala, former senator of Naboo and a friend of his dad. And there was a lot of evidence out there that Padme and Anakin were quite close. Perhaps too close?
Plus, Luke looked a lot like Anakin and a bit like Padme. At least, he thought so. Would Anakin Skywalker, famed general of the Clone Wars also think that?
There was also the fear this would go horribly bad. What if it had just been a simple fling between Anakin and Padme? What if Anakin knew about Luke, and just hadn't wanted him? Thus why Luke was given up for adoption? Or what if he didn't know? And got angry at the idea that Luke could ruin his image? Jedi weren't supposed to have families or romantic relationships (that Luke knew of). Such a thing could be scandalous, especially if Luke wasn't really Anakin's son.
But . . . but there was always this nagging feeling about Anakin that had never left Luke the moment he realized they might be related. A feeling that had only grown stronger the more Luke looked into the Jedi. And now he was here. In their temple. In a set of brown robes, he had, uh, taken. He kept the robes tight as not to reveal his Alderaanian garb under it. A few Jedi gave him a friendly nod or a curious look, but none of them approached him.
Luke walked aimlessly around the Temple. He had not expected it to be such a maze. It was huge and there were no maps or signs or . . . anything. How was he going to find Anakin in here? Luke sighed as he stopped at a large window. This was stupid and impossible and he should just head back to his dad's apartment before he got caught-
Something bumped into him. He turned and looked down to see a blue and white astrodroid. The droid beeped at him.
"Uh, sorry," Luke said. "I uh . . . I didn't see you." Luke stepped to the side, but the droid didn't roll on. Its photoreceptor was looking at him, and perhaps Luke was imagining it, looking at him rather intently. It beeped and whistled at him. "I uh, sorry," Luke said. "I don't speak binary."
The droid bumped into him again clearly on purpose.
"Hey!" Luke said. "Stop that!'
A small hatch on the droid opened up and a small claw came out. It grabbed Luke's robe and pulled.
"No! Don't! It'll come off!" Luke hissed softly at it.
The droid did not release the robe. He started to roll down the hall with Luke stumbling behind it trying to keep the robe on him. This continued down several hallways, through a turbolift ride, and down more hallways. Luke's face was flushed red. He hid his face each time they passed curious Jedi. The droid dragged him into some sort of work room. It was lined with workbenches that were littered with various parts, screws, wires, and bolts. He couldn't tell if this room was for repairing droids or ships as there seemed to be parts for both.
The annoying droid let out a few loud beeps and whistles. They seemed happy. Why? For taking Luke captive?
"What's that Artoo?" a voice called. The droid beeped again. "A guest?"
A man's head popped out from under a bench. He was wearing work googles. He stood up, wiped his greasy hands, one of which was gloved, on a rag, and walked over.
"Who's this?" the Jedi asked. Luke had noted the man was wearing Jedi robes and had a lightsaber. The droid beeped. "What do you mean you don't know?"
The Jedi sighed. The droid finally let go of Luke's robes and rolled away. The beeps the droid let out seemed to be that of laughter. The Jedi watched the droid go with a shake of his head.
"Now then," he said, turning back to Luke. "Who are you? Why are you wearing a Jedi robe?"
Luke's cheeks turned bright red. "Oh. Uh . . ."
"You're not a Jedi."
"Is it that obvious?"
A hand landed on his head and the man ruffled his hair. "You don't have a padawan haircut or braid."
"Oh. I uh . . . sorry. I was looking for someone. Or was. Or. I don't know. It was stupid. I was going to go home and forget about this whole thing until that droid basically kidnapped me."
The man laughed. "I don't know if it was stupid. You stole a set of Jedi robes and snuck into our Temple for a reason. Hopefully for a good reason."
"I didn't steal them!" Luke snapped. "I'm just . . . borrowing them."
"Uh-huh." The man slid his goggles back revealing two bright blue eyes. "Let's hear your story kid."
Luke's mouth fell open as he instantly recognized the face. "Are . . . are you Anakin Skywalker?"
The man titled his head and smiled. "Yes."
"I'm your son."
The words had come out without Luke thinking. Instantly he regretted it. Why had he said that? This was going so bad! Anakin's face at first scrunched up in amused confusion. But he continued to look at Luke. First, the amusement fell away. Then, his brows scrunched up as he leaned forward to look closely at Luke. Finally, his dirty hand came up and rested gently under Luke's chin.
"What . . . what makes you think that?" Anakin asked. His voice a whisper.
"My mom, my biological mom, was Padme Amidala and my dad a Jedi . . . and . . . I . . ." Luke's words fell away as Anakin leaned away. Shock clearly on his face.
"You are my son," Anakin whispered more to himself than to Luke. "But how . . . I thought . . . The baby died with her . . . I . . . never knew . . . How . . . Who? Who took you!"
"Took- took me?" Luke squeaked.
"Sorry," Anakin muttered looking away embarrassed. "It's just . . . If I had known . . ." He looked back at Luke with the eyes the same color as his own. He placed a hand on Luke's shoulder. "If I had known, I would have left this all behind for you. I would have raised you."
"And my sister?" Luke asked.
Anakin's eyes blew wide again. He let out a small strangled noise. "Sis- sister?" he finally muttered.
"Yeah. My twin sister."
Anakin was quiet for a long moment before he finally said, "Twins?"
19.
~-o-~-o-~-o-~-o-~-o-~
Darth Vader's cold heart warmed when he looked down to see his small son tugging on his hand.
Vader's large gloved prosthetic hand curled around his son's small one. Luke smiled and Vader's heart warmed up some more. This was a hand he had used to slay dozens of Jedi. He used it to command the entire military of the Empire. It had been used to help him channel the Force so it could circle around the throats of incompetent officers. It had gripped the yoke of his fighter as it rained down bolts on the ships of traitors. There was a lot of blood on his hands, and yet this little boy knew nothing of that. He gripped the hand tighter.
Vader's other hand came up and gently came to rest on top of his son's head. He started to stroke the little boy's hair. Oh, how he wished he could feel it. Luke let out a small giggle.
"Daddy?" he asked.
"Yes?" Vader asked.
"How can I make a baby?"
Vader froze. The hand on Luke's head stopped. His breathing. His thoughts. Everything. His was Darth Vader. Supreme Commander. In another life, he was a general. A hero. Yet no amount of military experience and knowledge of the Force had prepared him for this question.
"What?" Vader finally asked.
"I want to know how to make a baby. You know how we made a droid together? I thought I could make a baby brother or sister! But Artoo said that's not how you make orgmamics babies."
"Organics," Vader corrected without thought.
"So, how can I make a baby?"
"You can not." At once Luke's smile fell. It pained Vader's heart to see it. "Only adults can make babies," he quickly added. "You see you need a mommy and daddy, who love each other very much." Luke's smile returned. His eyes widened. "Then, they go to bed, hold hands and . . . kiss. While they do that they make a wish to the Force. Sometimes, the Force will grant their wish and a small baby seed is put in the mommy. Then over nine months, the baby grows until it is big enough to come out."
Luke was smiling from ear to ear. "Thank you, Daddy!"
With that, the little boy ran off. Vader quickly made a mental note to check his parenting holos about when was the appropriate time to bring up sex education. Surely it was too early. Luckily, his impromptu explanation had seemed to sate Luke's curiosity for now. Vader picked up a datapad to look over a few files for work. He was on the second file when he heard a voice he had not heard in years.
"Anakin?"
For the second time that day, everything in him froze. His head snapped up. Had that been Padme's voice? He put the datapad down.
"Padme!" He recognized his voice. No. Not, his voice. The voice of Anakin Skywalker. "I missed you so much."
He walked into Luke's room. Luke sat on the floor right in front of R2-D2 who was projecting a blue holo of Anakin Skywalker wrapping his arms around Padme Amidala. Vader stood there transfixed by the scene. His eyes were on her. When was the last time he had seen any images of her? He had forgotten how beautiful she was. How lovely and soothing her voice was. He watched as Padme and Anakin started to passionately kiss. He forgot how in love he had been. How wonderful it was. Fresh grief stabbed into his heart.
But it was short lived as he watched Padme's leg rise up and wrap around Anakin, whose hand had slipped down and was tightly grabbing her rear end. His other hand was undoing the buttons of her dress.
"What are you showing him?!" Vader bellowed.
The holo blinked off. R2 let out a screech and zoomed out of the room.
"Daddy!" Luke had a bit pout on his face again. "Artoo was showing me how you and Mommy made me!"
Wh- WHAT?!
Luke stood up and walked over to his father. "But you were doing it all wrong! You were supposed to lie down in bed first! Then, hold hands and then kiss. But you were doing all the kissing first!"
Vader didn't say anything. He simply turned and marched out of the room. He would deal with Luke later. He had an astrodroid to find. Yes. He was Darth Vader. Feared. Respected. He knew how to hunt down pathetic scum. He knew how to interrogate. And if none of that worked, he was also really handy with a hydrospanner.
20.
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Luke pulled hard on the control column of his X-Wing, bringing it up and over in a loop as he frantically tried to shake off the pursuing TIE-Advance.
But something had gone wrong. He didn't know what or how. But what he had predicted, what should have happened, was not happening. He had never been this wrong before. What was going on? The steering yolk suddenly seemed to have ripped out of Luke's hands. His ship was spinning wildly out of control. Alarms were blaring. Lights were flashing. R2 was screaming at him.
He tried to pull on the yoke to stabilize himself, but it was stuck. There was a sinking feeling in his heart and a growing lump in his throat as the ground kept getting closer and closer. He wasn't going to get out of this . . . He braced himself as the X-Wing skidded along the rocky ground. Perhaps it wasn't going to go as bad as Luke fear . . . His thoughts were cut short as the fighter crashed into the ground. Luke was thrown forward but his crash webbing held tight. The straps dug into his chest.
A great blinding light overtook everything, and then his world faded into blackness as he lost consciousness. He woke up screaming in pain. He was surprised he had woken up; surprised he was alive. He was also surprised that he couldn't hear his scream. He could feel it. The vibrations in his throat hummed. It screamed buzzed inside his ears. He knew he was screaming, could feel the air passing through his mouth, but he could not hear it.
He also couldn't see. Everything was a blinding grey color. He couldn't even sense light and shadow. It was just all the same endless grey that hurt to look at. The only relief he got was from closing his eyes which brought blessed darkness.
His screaming had stopped. As his panic faded, he became aware of the pain shooting up his legs and on his side. He was also aware of the large hands. They had grabbed him and were pulling him. It was what had caused him to shout in pain. He was being moved? And now the large hands were pulling him. One hand slid under his knees while the other grabbed his shoulders. He was hoisted up. He was being carried. His body was pressed against a large figure.
His head rested against the shoulders. They were hard and solid. The person was wearing some type of plastoid armor? His heart skipped a beat. Was this a stormtrooper? But he felt the softer material of the arms and chest as well as a life-support box on the chest. A pilot then? But why the shoulder armor? Not even Imperial pilots wore that. Right?
He was suddenly placed down on the ground. If the person was Imperial this is where they would cuff him or beat him or stun him or something. His body had tensed up. Without sight or hearing, he didn't know when whatever was coming was coming. He was not expecting the glove hand to gently brush his sweaty hair from his face. The fingers moved cautiously. Gently? They disappeared and soon he felt a hand slide around the back of his head and something metal pressed against his lips. A water ration can, he realized.
He eagerly accepted the water. His rescuer held his head and gently poured the water down his throat. Too soon the can was pulled away. The hands returned again. Gently prodding at his body then slowly taking off his damaged flight suit. There was pain, and each time Luke winced, his rescuer would pause before continuing on.
Luke was growing more relaxed. This couldn't have been an Imperial. No way would they be this kind. They gained nothing from treating Luke like this in an almost . . . loving manner. Luke sighed. He did feel safe. If only his hearing and sight would return. For now, he would try to express his gratitude. He knew how to move his tongue and form his lips. He knew he had said the words, but how well they sounded he didn't know. Hopefully, it was good enough.
"Thank you," he said.
He could sense his rescuer tense up as they paused in taking his boots off. Finally after a long pause, Luke heard, "You are welcome."
Luke gasped. But he couldn't even hear that. How had he heard that voice then? Had he imagined it?
Everything is all right, the voice said again. It was a deep resonating voice. You are safe, young one.
The voice was so clear, but it seemed to lack the vibration of sound. How bad had Luke hit his head? The voice seemed to be coming from inside of him. Despite this weirdness, Luke trusted the voice. He nodded and leaned his head back as he let this kind stranger help him. When he healed up he would make sure to thank them properly. He just didn't know at the time how hard that would be when his senses finally did return to him and his starring into a black death mask.
21.
~-o-~-o-~-o-~-o-~-o-~
"Where is the prince?" Darth Vader asked.
No one in the command center seemed to have heard him. Alarms were blaring. People were shouting. They were trying to recover from the rebel attack and felt pressured to do so fast with Vader here.
"Where is my son?" Vader asked. This time his deep voice carried across the room.
Everyone stopped and fell silent. Even the alarms seemed to have gotten quieter. All eyes were on the large black cyborg. His breathing loud and harsh.
Vader asked again, "Where is my son?"
Finally, an officer approached him. "Ah, he was, my lord, that is, he was at the base prior to the attack. At least, I uh, he was last seen, uh, two days ago?" the man stumbled.
"I do not care where he was prior to the attack. I want to know where he is now."
They didn't understand how important Luke was. There was nothing that took precedence over Vader's son. The galaxy could boil over and explode, but Vader did not care as long as Luke was alive and well. As such he did not care about the damage done to the city on this planet nor the Imperial base. He didn't care about the death toll or filling in the chain of command. He didn't care about what the rebels had stolen or who they had freed from the detention center.
He only cared about his son.
His son who he was having a hard time locating in the Force. Vader would not admit he was panicking, because he wasn't. Most certainly not.
"We will locate him right away, my lord," an officer said.
Vader gave a small nod of his head as he poured himself into the Force along his shared bond with his son. There was a sag to his shoulders as he finally located the boy. He was still on the planet, though a good distance away. Had the rebels captured him and taken his precious boy to their base? No matter. Vader would secure Luke.
Without a word, Vader swept out of the command center and made his way directly to the hangar. He debated briefly on what would be the best ship to take. He would have preferred to take his fighter he had arrived in. He could take out any rebel fighters or ground defenses with ease, but he didn't know what state Luke was in. He was getting no response from his son. Therefore, he would take a shuttle. He ordered the hangar crew to make sure it was stocked with two first aid kits.
Then he boarded the ship and took off alone with no backup. He would personally deal with those who had taken his son. It was an hour's flight to reach the secluded spot. It was . . . picturesque. It was perfect for a rebel hideout. The area seemed to be some sort of area locals went on vacation. It bordered a crystal blue ocean with white sandy beaches, and green palm trees littered the hills and small cliffs above the water. There was a large white house on a cliff above the beach where Vader landed the shuttle. His son was inside. He could feel him.
The first thing Vader noticed was that there were no guards. No canons. No blaster bolts reining in at him. In fact, when he reached out into the Force, there were very little life forces here at all. Perhaps four or five total. Vader marched across the yard to the house. There was a small pain in his heart. It made him think of a lovely house on Naboo next to a lake. His hands clenched into fists. He could not get distracted. He had to get his son. That was what was most important. He had reached the large porch when he heard laughing. It caused Vader to freeze in his tracks.
Had that been Luke's laughter?
He slowly walked down the porch. His hand hovered above his lightsaber. He almost grabbed it when he heard footsteps, but the hand quickly fell away as he saw his son round the corner. His skin was honeyed tan. His hair a bright blond. It was clear he had been spending time out in the sun. Vader was also able to note the color of his son's skin due to how much of it was showing. Luke only wore a sheer white robe that was wide open.
Luke stopped dead as his eyes went wide when he saw Vader.
"F- Father?" Luke said in a strangled voice. "What are you doing here?"
"Aletheron City and the base suffered an attack by rebels. You were not to be found. I tracked you here and was prepared to deal with any kidnappers who had taken you," Vader said as he looped his thumbs on his belt. "But it appears you are not in need of saving, young one."
Luke's cheeks burned red. He pulled the robe closed and tied the sash though it did little to hide anything.
"You have left your post without permission," Vader said as he raised one hand and pointed it at his son.
"I know," Luke said. "But you wouldn't have given me permission if I asked."
"You do not know that."
Luke rolled his eyes and then gave his father a look. "I just needed some time away from the city. A vacation."
"Luke, you are the Imperial prince. You-"
"Must understand your importance to the Empire," Luke rambled on in a monotone voice. "Yes. I know, Father."
There was an awkward silence that fell between them. Vader was about to tell his son to get dressed so they could return when laughter and running steps were heard.
"Luke?" a masculine voice called.
Luke's eyes went wide a second time. He ran over to his father and pushed him through an open door. "Hide," Luke hissed. "And turn off your breathing!"
Luke pushed Vader behind a wall, but Vader could still see out a window. Vader did as Luke asked and turned off his respirator. Only as his lungs started to burn did he realize what a foolish and demeaning request it had been. He would need to have a talk with his son- His thoughts were cut short as he spotted a young man coming around the corner. He was completely naked and equally sun tanned as Luke.
"Hey, babe," the young man said as he wrapped Luke up in a hug and placed a passionate kiss on his lips. The young man's hand slid down to Luke's rear. "What is taking so long?"
"I uh . . . got a thing I need to do real quick. Just give me a minute," he said.
The hand squeezed Luke's rear and Luke smiled.
"Don't take too long," the man said in a low sultry voice. "I'm going to get a bath ready."
They kissed again before the man skipped away. Once the man was out of earshot, Vader turned his respirator on and stalked over to his son.
"Luke," he said. Luke flinched at how weak his voice sounded. "What is this about? Who was that man?"
"Uh. The Prince of Aletheron?"
"Why did you not inform me of this relationship?"
Luke's cheeks turned bright red. "I thought you would strangle me if you found out I was gay."
Vader missed a desperately needed breath. Strangle Luke? His son? He would never! Especially . . . after Luke's mother . . . No. He would never do that!
"Luke, I am aware of your preference in partners," Vader said. "Though I was under the impression you were involved with that smuggler Solo."
Luke's face fell into shock. "What . . . You knew? How? Are you spying on me?"
Vader was smart enough not to answer that because he was.
"I approve of the prince over that dirty smuggler or that weasel baron of Bespin," Vader said with a wave of his hand.
"You knew about Lando too?"
"Yes, my son, I did. As well as that despicable rebel pilot. Though I feel the need to ask, is that who the other life forms are at this house? Are they all here?"
Luke's burning red cheeks were the only answer Vader needed.
22.
~-o-~-o-~-o-~-o-~-o-~
(This story is from my Born a Sith AU, which is a vampire AU. In it, Sith is a word for vampires. Vader discovers Luke when he is seven years old living in Tatooine, turns him into a Sith, and takes him to his palace.)
"Well, what do we have here? A pint-sized monster."
Luke froze. The hair on the back of his neck stood on end. It felt like a hundred pins were stabbing into his body. He slowly looked up to see two guards marching towards them. They wore the white bone armor. Luke fought back a frustrated sigh as once again he had been caught trying to escape.
"Far from your lair, little Sith," the one in front said.
"The or-orders are that if we see the boy, to bring him back at once," the other said.
"I know the orders," the first barked.
He took a step towards Luke, who gasped and ran. But he wasn't fast enough. He never was. The guard grabbed his leg and slammed him down on to the ground. His chin scraped against the cold stones. He knew he was bleeding. He could smell it, smell the blood. The guard laughed as he threw Luke against the wall. Luke let out a small yelp.
"I don't see why everyone fears such creatures," the guard said. "You look just as pathetic as we do. In fact, you seem more pathetic. You can't even go out in the sunlight." The guard knelt down to one knee and hovered right above Luke. "Were you trying to run away, little monster? Can't stand being a hellspawn, can you? How old do you think he is? Eight? And already feasting on blood."
Luke swallowed, but it didn't get rid of the lump in his throat. He didn't like this guard.
"Tell me, what does it taste like? The blood you drink every day. Is it good? Is it like a good wine?" The guard's voice was getting lower and slowly morphing into a growl. "How many have you killed, bastard? How many lives have you sucked dry?"
Luke let out a whimper as he tried to back away, but the guard's arm snatched out. His hand grabbed Luke's throat and squeezed.
The other guard started to shout. "What are you doing?"
"Showing him what it is like," the first said. He ripped off his helmet with his free hand. He was a plain-looking man with tan skin and brown hair and eyes. "Look into my eyes," he barked. His hand started to tighten around Luke's throat.
Luke's vision was growing blurry as tears built up in his eyes. His mouth was open and he tried to talk, to explain, but nothing but wheezing was coming out. This guard knew nothing! Luke never wanted to be a Sith! He still didn't want to be one. He would give almost anything to be human again. He hated having to drink blood to live. He hated craving it. He hated killing for it. It was the thing he hated the most.
The hand was growing tighter and tighter. Luke's small hands grabbed at the guard's arm and hand and tried to pry them off. But the guard only laughed.
"Is that what they do?" he asked. "Do they squirm like this as they die?"
He laughed again, but it was cut short as a blade of red light shot out of his chest. At once he let go of Luke, who sucked in deep frantic breaths of air. The guard looked down at the beam, which suddenly disappeared. His head jerked back and his eyes grew wide. His hands clawed at his throat as he slowly rose to his feet.
"You dare touch my son?"
A chill instantly washed over Luke as he recognized the voice of his father. The man was slowly getting higher and higher. First, he was on his tiptoes, and now his feet weren't even touching the ground. He was . . . floating? The guard was grabbing his neck. His face had turned pale and his eyes were bulging out of his head.
Luke heard a loud crack and then man dropped to the floor. He laid still and stiff, and Luke knew he was dead. He had seen enough dead humans to know when one was alive or dead. He slowly looked up to see his father standing over the figure. His gold eyes glared down at him. A sound caught both father and son's attention. It was the other guard.
"You!" Vader barked as he pointed his finger at the other guard.
"I- It wasn't me! Please! Don't kill me, my lord!" the guard said as he fell to his knees.
Vader marched over to him holding a bladeless hilt in his hand.
"No! No! Please, no!" the guard said raising his hands up.
"You have failed me," Vader growled as a red beam erupted from the hilt.
"No-" The man's cry was cut off as Vader's red sword slashed the man completely in two.
Vader didn't spare the man any more time. The red blade disappeared, he tucked the hilt into his belt, and in four large steps, he was at Luke's side. He knelt down and scooped Luke into his arms. Luke looked at his father's face. It wasn't its usual stern or angry face. It was . . . soft. His brows drooped in concern. A frown pulled on his lips.
"Luke," he said softly. "Are you ok?"
Luke said nothing. He just looked at his father. Vader adjusted his grip and pulled his son to his chest. Luke rested his head against his father.
"You're trembling," Vader whispered as he tightened his hold.
Luke only turned his head into his father's shirt to hide the tears that were about to roll out of him. He was tempted to look up when he felt a small kiss on the top of his head. A kiss? Vader had kissed him? It had been so tender and gentle. So unlike the man Luke had come to know as his father. Darth Vader, dark lord of the Sith, was a cruel, cold and very strict man. And yet . . . and yet . . . the thumb on Luke's shoulder gently rubbed soothing circles as Vader carried his son through his massive, cold and dark palace. Vader must know Luke was crying. His tears were soaking his father's shirt.
After a long walk, Vader sat down. Both of his arms wrapped around his son.
"It's ok," Vader whispered. "You're safe."
Was he? The guard was right. He was a monster. A monster that had lost count of all the lives he had taken. A blood-sucking monster. And . . . he would always be one. Luke rested his head against his father's chest as a heavy hand rubbed circles down his back. He just wanted his father to hold him, and for the first time, he didn't protest as he was fed warm, silky blood.
23.
~-o-~-o-~-o-~-o-~-o-~
Mrs. Weaventop pulled her shawl tighter across her shoulders.
There was a cold wind whipping down the road. Perhaps there was a storm coming in or the winter chill would be setting in early this year. She sighed as she continued her trek down the muddy road. She walked to the side as she avoided the deep ruts wagon wheels had worn into the road and the muddy mush between them created by the horses. She was making good time back to her home. She had gone to the next village over to visit her sister. Her sister was a better seamstress than her, and she had sewn a lovely piece of fabric for her niece's upcoming wedding.
Mrs. Weaventop slowed as the road started to curve around a thick thicket of trees. The road ran along the woods on the left with fields off to the right. She noticed a child sitting alone on the edge of the wood. His head was down and he appeared to be digging in the dirt with a finger. She glanced around. There was no one else on the road. No stopped wagons or carriages. No horses grazing. Not even the sound of talking or the smell of woodsmoke. Just the boy.
She hadn't passed any other travelers in some time. Perhaps he belonged to a group that was traveling ahead of her? Had he wandered off? He was too far from any of the farmhouses. Had someone left him here? The poor thing.
As she approached she got a better look. The little boy was fresh out of babyhood. He was at the stage where his baby fat had finally fallen away but was still small. He was cared for. His blonde hair was kept neatly trimmed and looked fresh. His skin was pink and healthy. He was plump and clearly hadn't been lacking for meals. His clothes were of a nice fabric and weren't torn or dirty. This child was cared for.
She stepped off the road and slowly approached him. The boy looked up at her with big round blue eyes.
"Hello," she said smiling. "What are you doing out here little one? Where is your mama or papa?"
The little boy looked over his shoulder into the woods. Then he looked back at her. Had his family gone into the woods? Perhaps they were relieving themselves.
"Can I sit with you?" she asked. The boy nodded, so she sat on the cool grass beside him. She dug out an apple from her bag along with a small knife. She cut off a sliver and handed it to the boy. He eyed the fruit. "Go ahead," she said. "Take it."
He slowly took it from her. He nibbled on the fruit.
"What's your name?" she asked.
"Luke," the boy said softly.
"Luke? That is a good name," she said.
"Pretty," Luke said. He was looking into her open bag. The beautiful piece of fabric for her daughter's wedding dress could be seen.
"Ah, yes. That is for my lovely Elizabeth. She is getting married to the smith's boy," she said.
She looked at the small child. It had been a long time since her children had been small like him. Perhaps soon she would be blessed with grandchildren. She realized some time had passed and no one else had been seen or heard. She glanced back into the woods and saw nothing moving back there.
"Where are your parents?" Mrs. Weaventop asked. "Surely you aren't here all alone."
"No," Luke said in a small voice. "Papa is in the woods."
Again she looked into the trees. Again, she saw nothing. "Are you sure? How long has he been in there?"
The little boy shrugged.
"Hello?" she called out as she stood up. "Hello? Good sir? I found your son sitting on the side of the road? Hello?"
She heard some rustling of leaves, but it shortly stopped. She saw nothing. The boy stood up and also looked in the leaves.
"Are you sure your papa is in there?" she asked.
"Yeah," Luke said. He stood up in his tiptoes as he peered through the trees. "He's right over there!" He pointed into the woods. She tried to follow his finger, but still saw nothing.
"I do not see him," she said.
Luke's small hand wrapped hers. "I'll show you," he said. He smiled and gently pulled on her hand. She followed him into the woods. They moved carefully as they stepped over roots and walked around bushes. "This way!" he said cheerfully. It was the most animated she had seen him. She was so caught up in his excitement, she hadn't noticed how far from the road they had gone.
They came to a small clearing. Warm sun shone down on them casting the trees in a dark shadow.
"Papa! Papa!" Luke cried happily.
There was only the rustling of leaves in the wind. Mrs. Weaventop looked around. It was then she noticed she could not spot the road. A sense of caution started to pool up inside of her.
"We should head back to the road," she whispered. "Your papa can meet us there."
Luke looked up at her and frowned. "But Papa is already here!"
She quickly looked around and still saw no one else. "Boy, there is no one here." Had the poor thing bumped his head? Was he daft?
"You are mistaken," came a deep voice.
It instantly sent a chill up her spine and caused her heart to skip a beat. She spun around. She wildly looked around, but still saw nothing but the dark trees.
"Papa!" Luke cried as he rushed towards the trees.
"Luke! Wait!" she called, but the boy ignored her as he disappeared into the shadows. She went to the edge of the clearing where Luke had disappeared. "Luke?" she called out. "Luke?"
"Right here!"
She screamed as she jumped and spun around. The boy was right behind her. He smiled up at her. His mouth was filled with sharp pointed teeth. There was a glimmer behind him. As if there were small wings fluttering behind him. She gasped and started to back away. She screamed again as large hands grabbed her. She twisted and tried to pull away, but the hands held her tight. She managed to turn her head around to see what had her. She stilled in fright as she looked up at a tall shadowed man with golden eyes that were rimmed in red and a mouth filled with sharp teeth.
~-o-~-o-~-o-~-o-~-o-~
Vader picked up his son. Luke wrapped his arms and legs around his father and rested his cheek on his shoulder. The little boy was tired after their meal. Vader eyed the woman's corpse. Her soul had provided a tasty meal for him and Luke. Now, Vader would bring Luke home and put him to bed. Then he would come back and collect the body. No point in wasting good bones.
He carried his son through the darkness and into the land of the Fae to their home.
24.
~-o-~-o-~-o-~-o-~-o-~
Luke tightened his fist on the hilt of his lightsaber and stared down at the man who had killed his father.
He clenched his jaw as he fought back a scream.
"Why," he said through his teeth. "Why did you kill him?"
The old man looked up at Luke. He had the audacity to look sad. To look sorry. It only made Luke's anger boil.
"Luke-"
"Don't say my name!" Luke shouted.
The man winced. "Luke. I had to. Your father had fallen to the Dark Side. He was a Sith-"
"He had turned back Ben!" Luke cried. His voice cracked.
"That's impossible," Ben Kenobi said. "You cannot return once you fall to the Dark Side."
"He had! He turned back! For me!" The tears were building up in his eyes.
"That didn't erase everything he's done, Luke. All the innocents he killed. Your mother-"
Luke screamed. He didn't want to hear any more. His father was dead. Killed by one of the people Luke respected the most in this entire galaxy. His mentor. His teacher. But maybe his father had been right about Kenobi. His father had said Kenobi was a thief who had stolen baby Luke. A liar who had never told Luke the truth about Vader. A coward for leaving Luke behind on the Death Star.
"Luke . . ." Ben said. His voice soft. Pleading.
Tears were rolling down Luke's face. The boiling anger was now a sharp ice cold that was slowly freezing his heart. He gripped his lightsaber tighter and slammed it down into Ben's chest.
25.
~-o-~-o-~-o-~-o-~-o-~
He laid a hand on the boy's sweaty forehead, sending him calming, healing waves through the Force. Luke was convulsing, shivering and sweating. He was spiking a high fever and he had already thrown up twice.
Vader could not recall the last time he had cared for someone, especially someone ill. Even the past two decades he had not even taken care of himself. If he was honest, he had sought death. Jumped head first into bolts, into danger, into anything that might give him a worthy end. He was not going to go peacefully. That wasn't him. He was going to fight to live. The problem was he always ended up winning. He always ended up proving he was stronger.
But this wasn't about him, and even if it was, he was no longer the same creature flirting with death. Everything had changed the moment that Fett had told him the name Skywalker. Everything. His entire existence had shifted. His sole goal was to get the boy and bring him to his side without alerting his master.
Except even that detail wasn't pressing. Right now, Darth Vader was focused on his son's very survival. His hand was still on his son's forehead, but his eyes were looking at Luke's leg. The wound was large with blood and pus weeping out. The skin around it was a dark purple while the rest was a sickly white. Whatever had bitten Luke was large and venomous, and Vader had no idea what it had been. He had come across Luke's X-Wing still in space at a Rebel rendezvous point. Vader had already chased off the Rebels waiting there and had retreated to wait for Luke's hopeful arrival. The plan had worked, but he had not expected Luke to be in the state he was.
The medical team on the Executor was hard at work stabilizing the famed Rebel. They kept side-eyeing Vader nervously. Even if they were ordered to take care of prisoners, never had Vader stayed in there. Not only that, but Vader was not acting like Vader. His hand on the Rebel's forehead, the obvious shifts of his helmet as he kept checking on the progress. No one wanted to ask much less tell Lord Vader he should leave. Every sentient here had treated bruised necks of their fellow shipmates before.
In the corner a second team was working to analyze the Rebel's blood, trying to isolate the venom, and quickly get a cure before the poison won. A notice popped up on the internal screen inside of Vader's helmet. His heart rate was rising and his suit was struggling to get it back down. He could feel the drugs pumping through his system trying to calm him. Sedate him. No. He had to be alert. He had to-
Alarms started beeping. Luke's eyes rolled back into his head. He started to convulse again. The medics swarmed around.
No.
Luke was so white. So pale.
No. No!
He couldn't lose him. He couldn't lose him, too! He had lost everything else! But he was losing him. And he was powerless to do anything about it. Why had he done any of this then? He had done to keep Padme from dying, and now her son was dying.
NO!
He wasn't going to let Luke die. There had to be a way! His master had promised him! He reached out to the Force.
Tell me! he shouted. Tell me how to save him!
Surprisingly, the Force whispered. To save a life you must give a life.
What does that mean?
To save a life you must give a life, the Force repeated. You must give.
He had to give? Give what? He would bring this galaxy to its knees! He would pay the price! He would- Give his own life? Was that the price the Force wanted? Vader reached out and placed his hand on Luke's forehead. He just had to reach out to Luke. Reach out and give himself over. This would all end. Luke would live . . . He just needed to . . .
Vader snatched his hand away. He was a coward. He never could take his own life. He stood there as the medics scrambled to save Luke. Or maybe he was just greedy. He wanted it all. Why couldn't he and his son live?
Live, Luke, Vader said. The boy had to live. They would be together. Vader would bend the Force to his will. Bend the galaxy. They would side by side as father and son.
Live.
But Luke wasn't stabilizing. He was dying. Vader could his life force slipping away. Vader's hand found itself back on Luke's forehead.
You must give.
~-o-~-o-~-o-~-o-~-o-~
Luke suddenly gasped and his eyes opened wide. The medics were shouting and they were bending over. Luke rolled his head over to see the large form of Darth Vader still on the floor next to him.
26.
~-o-~-o-~-o-~-o-~-o-~
"Luke", Vader rumbled, "you know you're not allowed in there by yourself."
Luke's chubby little face scrunched up clearly in thought as he processed his father's words.
"Yes!" As in yes he was allowed in there. He declared it so full of himself.
Vader was in the process of raising his hand so he could point a finger at the toddler but Luke was faster. He waved his hand and used the Force to press the door panel button. The door slid close in Vader's face.
Well that answered how Luke had gotten inside.
With a hand wave and the Force, Vader opened the door.
"Luke," he rumbled.
Big blue eyes looked up at him. Vader stepped into the room. Luke shrieked and took off running. Vader sighed and summoned the Force. He wrapped it around the fugitive baby and gently lifted him off the floor. Luke's chubby legs kept kicking though he was in mid air.
"No! No! No!" Luke screamed. His face was turning red.
Vader walked up and collected his screaming son.
"Down! Down!" Luke cried as he wiggled this way and that in his father's arms.
"Luke," Vader said. "Luke. Stop this."
The child was not listening. Vader turned and headed back to the door.
"Dada! No!" Luke cried.
"Luke you can not play in the hangar. These are real starships. Not toys."
Luke whined. His hands grabbing over Vader's shoulders at the many ships in Vader's personal collection.
"Ship!" Luke said. "Ship! Dada!"
Vader used the Force to close the door. Luke threw his head back and let out a loud cry. This little one was certainly his son with stars in his eyes and the song of flight humming through his veins.
27.
~-o-~-o-~-o-~-o-~-o-~
(This is set in my Blood Red Love AU. Yes, I have two different vampire AU's. In this one, both Vaderkin and Padme are alive and are vampires. Their four children are born half vampires- dhampirs.)
Luke was on the ground. It was cold and wet.
He could hear his heart pounding in his chest. And it hurt. It hurt to breathe. He glanced down and the knife was sticking out of him. His hand, growing cold and weak, slowly rose up and touched the handle.
Mara … She had … They had … He thought that … but then she had slammed the dagger into him.
"Darth Sidious is the true Emperor of the vampires!" she had growled at him. Her eyes were watery. Tears threaten to come at any moment. "Blame your parents," she said. Her voice had lost some of its bite. "This is … all their fault …"
Why … was it their fault? He didn't understand …
His hand lay limp on his stomach. He felt so heavy. So cold. He just wanted to sleep.
But the ground was rumbling. There was a lot of noise. Shouting. Hands. Grabbing him. Faces. They were blurry. He wanted them to go away. To leave him alone. He was tired and hurt.
"Luke!"
He blinked.
"Luke! Please! Luke!"
It was his father?
"Luke!"
Luke blinked again. It was his father. He was kneeling over him. How? When?
"Luke, stay awake," his father said.
Luke had never seen his father like this. His voice was unsteady and wavering.
"Luke … It'll be ok … You just … Oh God … Luke, baby, you just … –Heal–! Please, just –heal–! Why won't it heal! –Heal! HEAL!–"
Anakin was shouting. His voice was raw. Luke's eyes were getting so heavy. His body was limp and cold. He just wanted to sleep.
"No. No no no no. Luke, please, stay awake. –Stay awake! Heal!– Please … –heal … –"
Tears were running down Anakin's face. When had Luke ever actually seen his father cry? He was usually so in control of his emotions. But at this moment … Luke barely recognized the man leaning over him. Tears were running down his scrunched up face. His hair was hanging in loose clumps. His eyes were gold and wildly darting to Luke's face to the wound … Gold eyes? … That … was odd …
"Luke," Anakin said. Luke blinked slowly at him. "I am so sorry. This is not how I wanted this to happen. I wanted to give you a choice. But … I can't … I'm sorry. I won't let you die like this."
Luke blinked as he tried to clear his vision. Everything was so blurry. He watched as his father's mouth opened, almost like a dark hole with the teeth shining white. Especially the two canine teeth. They appeared to be growing longer and longer …
28.
~-o-~-o-~-o-~-o-~-o-~
(This is a sequel to the one above.)
Vader slowly opened the door and stepped in carefully.
The basement room had no windows and no lights had been lit. But Vader could see perfectly in the dark if he opened himself up to his vampiric abilities. He knew his eyes had gone from blue to gold. He closed the door as quietly as he could. He eyed the empty bed. The blankets were all missing. He cautiously walked around the bed and saw a dark shadowed form curled up tightly in the corner of the room with the missing blankets curled tightly around them.
"Luke?" Vader asked softly.
There was a slight flinch of the bundle of blankets. Vader sighed as he sat down next to his son. He placed his normal hand against the bundle and gently rubbed circles with his hand.
"Luke," Vader asked again. "Son. You need to eat."
Luke trembled; Vader sighed.
"Luke, I know this is not easy … I … "
Suddenly, Luke threw off the blankets. "You're what?" he snapped. His voice cracked. Vader could see the stains of tears on his son's face. "Sorry? Sorry for turning me into this … monster?"
"You are not a monster," Vader said trying to keep his voice calm and even.
"Yes, I am! I have to drink blood to live! I have to kill them! I can't do that!"
Vader sighed. Then he leaned forward and gently took his son's face in both of his hands.
"Luke, look at me." Blood-shot watery gold eyes looked at him. "Am I a monster?"
"Uh …"
"All your life, young one. All your life, I have been this. So has your mother. Are we monsters?"
Luke's face crumpled and fresh tears started rolling down his face.
"No– no," he sobbed.
Vader leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss on his son's forehead. "I know this isn't easy," Vader whispered as he wrapped his arms around Luke and pulled his son to him. Luke fell against his father's body. He buried his head into Vader's shoulder. His body trembled with sobs. Vader gently rubbed his son's back. He continued to try and comfort his son. "It isn't that bad. Very little will change. You will see."
Luke only sobbed, and Vader continued to rub his back. It was a lie, and most likely Luke knew it as well. Everything would change now. Luke was nineteen now. It wasn't just that he was now entering the adult world, he was also entering the vampire world. A world Vader and Padme had hidden from him to make sure he had a normal childhood. Something they had both been robbed of. How was Luke going to look at his parents now? How was this going to change Vader's sweet boy? For soon he would learn how much of a monster Vader really was.
Vader didn't know. So he held his son tighter wondering if this would be the last time he would be able to do so.
~-o-~-o-~-o-~-o-~-o-~