Binary Skies

Chapter 13: Mistake and Mistaken

Anakin paused to let that sink in, and then continued. "You know, relationships take work, time, and patience; definitely patience. You have to work at it, and you have to learn to accept the other as they are and learn to work through the hard times together. All couples have moments like these; I know your mother and I have. Though to be fair, I usually instigate them."

He recalled one perfect instance, and shared it with Luke.

"During the Clone Wars, a man Padmé had known before the war came to her for help and I grew jealous and suspicious of him; so much so that I actually drove Padmé away from me for a while. It wasn't until she was in need of rescue—from the same man whom I had thought was shady—that she let me back in. Also, it was only after the event that we both saw he had been manipulated by Count Dooku." Anakin squeezed his eyes shut. "I almost lost your mother that day, Luke. I looked back during the ride home and realized that had she died that day, it would have been before we could make up."

He realized that his story might not have had the intended effect, so he elaborated more in the hopes of not ruining this conversation.

"The point is, just give Nakari time to digest what happened, but don't leave it so long that it festers and eventually what could have been love dies out," Anakin said. "And remember, she has had a lot of strange stuff dumped on her today; what with my own episode and all, then the attack on the Harvester, and now your relapse..." He pulled Luke closer yet. "Nakari doesn't hate you; she's just in need of space and a chance to figure things out for herself. I have a feeling she will come to you when she's ready."

Anakin paused once more, then spoke the last quietly. "And, if you do want to pursue a relationship with her, then at some point you will need to tell her the truth about what those marks are from."

Luke shuddered at the thought of having to explain his scars. With Anakin all he'd needed to do was show him, though explaining it...he'd have to look at those moments in detail so he could relay it to her...

Still, his father did have a point. Though Luke still worried over how Nakari would cope. Luke could have hurt her, and both Luke and Nakari knew that. He let out an unsteady sigh, feeling his energy starting to drain away. "I just wish something would go right for once..." he murmured, unable to help but think of all the recent deaths and unsteady relationships he was scrambling to make work.

Anakin forced himself not to stiffen, knowing Luke would take it as a bad thing, and he stemmed his flash of hurt at the boy's words. He knew Luke was only venting his troubles. So, he opted for a different approach.

"You know—at least in my opinion—we're doing alright..." he reminded his son as a gentle rebuke.

Surprisingly, a small smile flickered across Luke's face at his father's words. "One of the few," he murmured. His father was a peaceful, bright light from the galaxy among the tons of bitterness and pain it had thrown at him, and although Luke never said anything about it, sometimes he couldn't help but fear that one day he'd wake up and Anakin would no longer be there.

Anakin sensed Luke's fear, and he sighed inwardly. He wanted to promise he'd ever leave, but he didn't know when the Force would call him back to his day and time. So instead of a meaningless promise, Anakin allowed his love to envelope Luke like a warm blanket, letting his son feel he would never abandon him, even if he was no longer physically present.

Luke let his father's love envelope him, letting it sooth and calm him as much as he could be calmed. However, he was still spent and now exhausted. So, he fell asleep rather quickly in his father's embrace without so much as a warning, hardly even realizing when reality gave way to unconsciousness.