Author's Note: I've been wanting to write this fic idea for a while, and this seemed like a really good opportunity to do so. Also, I feel like I should give a warning for Vader being fundamentally screwed up. Sidious really did a number on him. *cries* I hope y'all enjoy the father-son chaos! :D
Also, there's some brief flashback lines, some of which are from the Obi-Wan series. So, minor spoiler alert, I guess. :)
Also, this is a gift for Banach_Tarski on ao3, and this is for the Vader-Luke Gift Exchange hosted by LadyVader23.
~ Amina Gila
Abandoned by yet another master on the banks of a lava river on Mustafar, Darth Vader is determined to prove and redeem himself in his master's eyes. The sudden, unexpected arrival of his son, Luke, throws all of that into disarray. The Luke who arrived is not the same one Vader faced on Bespin. He seems... older, wiser, hardened, and he has secrets he refuses to share.
Darth Vader might only have one arm left, but it's enough. The strength of that single prosthetic when combined with raw determination and a burning, white-hot fury is enough for him to pull himself across the burned ground of Mustafar. His first objective is to find some sort of parts he can use to replace his limbs. It will only be temporary, of course, until he can find his way off Mustafar again, but they will have to be serviceable so he can move – and fight, for he has no doubt that this is only part of the challenge – reasonably well.
Not that he has any fear that he will die.
To the contrary –
No.
There is no time to entertain such thoughts, not when every fiber of his being is vibrating with the need to prove to his Master that he is capable. He is capable. He is strong. He is good enough to be a Sith. He is a Sith. He is Darth Vader. He has always been Darth Vader. There has never been anyone else. (Yes, there was.)
His single-minded focus on dragging his body across the ground is enough to keep his thoughts from wandering far, to keep himself from feeling. Mostly.
There's a tiny part of him which is seething and screaming with a mixture of anger and betrayal both that Sidious did to him what Obi-Wan did. His Master left him there, knowing exactly how much it would gut him to relive his worst nightmare all over again. True, Vader was unable to feel the flames a second time, but he could vividly imagine them. And he hates how his Master seemed to enjoy his pain as he left (abandoned) him there. He can't – he can't go through it again. He has to do better. He has to show his Master that he's capable, that he can be the Sith his Master wants from him.
But Luke. Luke –
The respirator cycles, and Vader lets thoughts of his son fall from mind. He can't think of him, can't afford to think of him, because deep in his core, he's terrified that his Master has turned his sight onto Luke. And he can't – he can't –
No. No. Not again. He can't lose someone else again. He can't lose the only family member he has left. Luke is his son. He's his son. He's his everything now, the only person who gives him a reason to keep on living. And Sidious wants him. Sidious wants Luke. Vader can't let him. He can't. He can't. He can't. He has to protect Luke. He has to keep him safe. It doesn't matter what he does. He can't – won't – let Luke fall victim to Sidious.
None of that matter now.
It doesn't. It can't. It's irrelevant.
If Vader doesn't prove himself to his Master, if he doesn't show his Master that he can learn, that he is a good Sith, then his Master will go after Luke to replace him. He – it – that can't happen. Luke is – Luke is too good, too pure. He's uncorrupted by the Emperor. He's not broken. And Vader can't let his Master try to break his son.
He can't lose Luke, too.
(Why did you leave me here, Master? He doesn't even know which of his two masters he's talking to anymore, the images blurring over one another in his mind... and in his heart.)
Vader hauls his body across the black ground with a furious determination, never straying from his ultimate destination of the ruins of the Techno Union facility where he went so many years ago after the newly elected Emperor sent him here to kill the remaining Separatist leaders.
He makes it inside, respirator still cycling rhythmically as he twists himself upright, silently seething at his Master's rule that he not use the Force. It's unfair. The Force is an integral part of him, and he hates that he's unable to use it. But... it's only a small setback, he assures himself. He's used to repairing things without using the Force, even if those times are from a past that's no longer his own. The skills are still there, which is what matters. He won't be able to feel all the little things through the Force, the way the pieces fit together, the way they work in sync, but it doesn't (shouldn't) matter, because he's not keeping these limb replacements permanently. It's just for now, until he can prove himself again.
And then, once this is all over, he'll make his own plans. He can't – Luke. He can't let anything happen to his son. He has to protect him. He will protect him. He'll destroy his Master for threatening his son. (For abandoning him here.) Luke is good. He's light. He has to be protected and kept safe. That will never happen so long as the Emperor lives and reigns. Vader will kill him, and he'll put Luke on the throne. Luke will know what to do. He will. He's his mother's son; he'll be a good Emperor, and Vader will gladly enforce Luke's will on the galaxy.
Luke is good, but Vader is not. He's – he's a butcher, a monster. He knows what he is, what he's done. Nothing he does will ever change it, and he doesn't know if he would change it even if he could. He's obeyed his Master, done what was necessary to bring peace and order. If that means war, so be it.
And Vader will do the same for Luke. He'll kill for his son. He'll – he'll do anything for him. It's what he's done for his Master, and his son deserves an even greater devotion, because he's family. And Vader is – he'll continue his path, continue to be a weapon wielded by Luke's hand. He deserves no less. That's all he'll ever be.
("There is good in him...")
No, there's not. It's foolishness, a foolish wish, a dying hope. Nothing more.
Vader is made of hatred now, lost so deep to its clutches that he can feel the Dark Side gnawing at him, demanding more. More bloodshed. More death. He wants to see Sidious dead. He wants to rip him to pieces, burn him to ash and scatter them across the galaxy. He wants his Master to suffer. He wants – he wants to make him bleed. He wants to tear him apart with his bare hands, destroy him with the very... "gifts" that Sidious bestowed upon him.
He never asked for this. Never. He never asked to be remade; he never wanted it. He didn't want to die, but he didn't want to live either, not like this. Never like this. He isn't – he isn't even human anymore. He lives because of machines and because of his Master's graces. Oh, he knows that he could probably try to kill Sidious, but he doesn't think he would ever succeed, and more than that, he doesn't know if he even has the strength to try, for all that he wishes and wills it.
A mouse droid rolls across the floor nearby, and Vader reaches out, snatching it before it can leave, tearing open the side one-handed, and rewiring it so that it will listen to him and bring him what he needs. He rages inwardly at having been reduced to this, to repairing himself like he's a droid, and without being able to use the Force, no less.
As the droid drags back the first leg – more of a droid leg than a true prosthetic – Vader sets about attaching it to the port on his right leg where metal meets flesh. Even with the mouse droid's help, it's not that easy, probably primarily because he can only see clearly – somewhat – out of one eye. The lens over his right eye has been broken, making his vision blurry.
He finishes reinstalling the first leg when he becomes aware that he's not alone, primarily because of the sudden, unexpected flare of muted shock, horror, and disbelief which he senses in the Force. Vader looks up sharply, wondering who would dare approach him unless it's one of Sidious' minions. That line of thought is abruptly cut off when he sees Luke.
... what?
Vader blinks once and then again, but Luke is still standing there, still looking apprehensive and uncertain, as he stands in the doorway of the hall where Vader is sitting. There are dead bodies here, though only their skeletons remain from when Vader cut them down decades ago. But Luke is here. Why is he here?
They stare at one another, neither seeming able to utter any words, and Vader reaches out with the Force a little – surely, his master would never notice this would he? – to prod at Luke. His shielding is unexpectedly strong, and it holds even under Vader's touch, which explains why he was able to approach without Vader sensing him. Vader can sense little of Luke's emotions though, and his face betrays nothing other than a strange stoicism that wasn't there on Bespin.
Luke has... changed a great deal in the relatively short time since their last encounter, and Vader feels totally off balanced at seeing his son here. Here. In front of him. Of his own free will. That doesn't explain how Luke learned such advanced shielding though. What Jedi could still be around to have taught him?
"Luke," he says at last.
"Father," Luke replies, stepping forwards. Vader doesn't miss the new lightsaber hilt hanging from Luke's belt, though he doesn't comment about it, still trying to figure out what possible reason Luke could have for being here. "What has happened to you?" There's curiosity in his words. Curiosity and dismay.
Vader ignores the question. "How did you get here? Why are you here?" It grates on him that his son is seeing him so weak and vulnerable. Oh, he could still protect himself with relative ease, but it wouldn't be as easy as it normally is.
And he's suspicious. The Force is humming oddly, and he doesn't understand what it means. (He also doesn't know if this is really Luke... or if this is a trick from his Master.)
"I needed to find you," Luke tells him, kneeling so they're closer to eye-level. "I... thought about what you said to me on Bespin, and I don't want an Empire, but I want the Emperor dead, and I think we can work together." There's a strange seriousness to him that Vader didn't see before, a maturity that is visible in his eyes. He seems... older somehow, wiser, hardened. And it doesn't make sense to Vader because it's only been around a month since Bespin. What could have changed his son so much? Surely not the truth of his parentage?
"The Empire is necessary," Vader argues, right hand clenching. "The galaxy needs order if there will ever be peace, and the Empire is bringing order."
"By killing people?" Luke queries evenly.
"By killing traitors and criminals. Your rebels are no more than terrorists. The Empire will destroy them in due time." Vader knows that to be true, but there is something wrong with how Luke is talking, even if Vader can't quite place it.
There is also something wrong with the strange calm that Luke is exuding. He isn't immediately arguing; instead, he seems more... considering. "What if the people don't want an Empire?" he points out. "It's not fair to them that they be forced to endure something they don't want. It's not our place to tell them what they can and can't do. We can stop crime to protect them, but we shouldn't enforce our will upon them."
"The Empire stops crime," Vader retorts, almost glaring. Luke is still young – right? – and he doesn't understand how the Empire functions. He's been brainwashed by Rebel propaganda.
The unimpressed look on Luke's face is an almost identical mirror to a look he's seen on his Angel's face more times than he can count, and his heart clenches painfully. If he could have, he might have stopped breathing for a moment. "I think you and I both know that is not true." Luke shakes his head. "Do the slaves in the Empire mean nothing to you, Father? I refuse to believe that. I refuse to believe that Grandmother didn't teach you better."
Vader recoils, and his first instinct is to lash out and destroy the person who is making him feel this way. Ashamed. He knows that feeling. He's lived it for more years than he cares to remember. And he hates it. He hates feeling so... (small and insignificant, as if he doesn't matter now and never will in the future.) But he can't and won't lash out at his son. Luke already lost his right hand because of Vader; he won't hurt him further.
"The Empire –" he begins weakly, in protest.
"– is a slave master," Luke interrupts firmly. "You know that. You – I know you don't want slavery. On Tatooine... well, Tatooine is a very harsh planet. People have to help each other there, as best they can, or there will be nothing but misery and despair."
Vader's respirator cycles twice as he lowers his head and squeezes his eyes closed. "I know," he rasps out, emotions overwhelming him. Sadness. Anger. Pain. Desperation. Anguish. He – he remembers the things his mother taught him there. He remembers – remembers how she died. She would be so horrified if she was to see him now. She would undoubtedly hate him and for good reason. She should. He doesn't – he shouldn't even think about her anymore, not after everything he's done.
"Then, please, help me," Luke beseeches. "We can stop the Emperor. We can end this madness. Together. Doesn't that matter more than whether or not the Empire continues on?"
Anger rises suddenly, sweeping away his earlier shame. "You would – you would leave me at the nonexistent mercies of your friends?" Vader demands harshly, angrily. "They will kill me. You know that. They want me dead. They – they will not show me any sort of mercy. It does not matter what I do if I help you or not. I cannot go to them, or they will see me dead. Is that really what you want?"
"I won't let them kill you," his son says stubbornly.
"You do not have that power," he warns.
"We'll see." Luke raises his chin, almost defiantly.
Vader is about to speak, to give voice to the sheer ludicrousness of Luke's belief that he can somehow protect Vader from his Rebel friends, when the Force ripples warningly. Luke's eyes narrow and he spins around, standing, as a masked figure steps into view, drawing his lightsaber in a fluid movement. A green blade hisses to life, and he positions defensively in front of Vader. Somehow, in only a month, Luke's abilities have grown enormously.
(No wonder his Master was so upset at the prospect of Vader planning to betray him with Luke. He was scared, scared that Vader, and his son, would destroy him.)
"You shouldn't be here," says the unfamiliar figure. Vader doesn't know who he is, but he senses that the other was sent here for a purpose, probably to test him.
And Luke... Luke is radiating anger, almost as if he recognizes this mysterious person. "I could say the same to you," he responds.
"What is this, Vader?" the figure calls, almost mockingly. "Asking a Jedi to defend you while you're helpless? How did you manage that? The Emperor said he'd forbidden you to use the Force, and when I saw you dragging yourself with just one arm across the sand... well, I respected the tenacity, but I like killing people who can stand on their own two feet. Apparently, that is not to be."
Vader feels the fury surging up, clawing at him, demanding release as the Dark Side burns through him. It would be so easy to reach out with the Force and strangle this – this assassin to death. He has a very minimal Force presence, betraying a lack of Force sensitivity.
"Who are you?" he growls, mind racing as he calculates his possibilities. He doesn't know the skillset of this masked assassin, but he doubts that Luke has the ability to hold him off. And he will not let harm come to his son. Never. The mouse droid, which has since collected a second leg and additional helpers, hastily sets about helping him while he installs the second leg. At least if he can stand, it won't be as bad.
"Ochi of Bestoon," comes the answer. "Assassin of the Sith. Last face you two will ever see."
Luke openly scoffs. "We'll see about that," he mutters before leaping forwards. Idiot. Vader is glad to see his aggressiveness, but it's foolish of him to rush headlong into danger like that when he has no idea what his opponent is capable of.
Ochi whips out a blaster and fires at Luke, who skillfully deflects the bolts back at him. One pings off the assassin's shoulder armor, while another strikes a glancing blow on his thigh, eliciting a yelp from him. Vader keeps his senses attuned to the fight, while he focuses on attaching a second arm as expeditiously as possible. He hates how inhuman and droid-like it looks, but it's serviceable which is what matters most.
He stands then, cape swirling around him, looking somewhat beat up and battered but no less intimidating. Probably. It's not as if he regularly pays attention to what he looks like after Sidious turned him into... this.
But by then, it's pretty much over, since Luke didn't hesitate to use the Force. Ochi is pinned against a wall, Luke's green lightsaber leveled as his neck. "Why did the Emperor send you?" Luke demands.
"He wanted Vader dead," Ochi answers.
"Why?"
Vader knows he isn't imagining the anger in Luke's words, even if he doesn't fully understand it. Only a month ago, Luke acted as if he hated him, even going so far as to jump down a shaft to get away from him when it could have killed him.
"Because he got weak," Ochi sneers, "So his master broke him."
Luke's eyes flick towards Vader, a startled realization flickering in their depths, and Vader wonders again what is going through his son's mind. What is Luke thinking? What does he know? Why is he acting so... different? Not that Vader is upset to see him here. On the contrary, he's overjoyed, because all he's wanted is to find his son and get him back. His Master won't allow it? That's too bad. He'll have to be destroyed then.
Because now that Luke is here, nothing, nothing will separate them. Not even death. Vader will make certain of it.
Once his decision is made, a sense of resolve settles over him. Sidious thought he could break him? He can't. He won't. Not again. Vader is very tired of his masters hurting him and breaking him for their own purposes. He stays with them though, because he's loyal and because – because he cares – or cared – about them. (Still, he would much rather be with Obi-Wan now than Sidious. His old master was... much, much better than the Emperor ever has been. Obi-Wan cared. He actually cared. ... didn't he? He never tortured him, though. Never humiliated him. Even if he didn't care, he never deliberately and maliciously took pleasure in Vader's pain.)
But now... Now, Vader has something, someone, to lose.
And Luke asked him.
Please, help me.
Vader will. He will. He doesn't want to let his son down. Luke came here to him, to find him, to ask for his help. And he doesn't know if he has the strength to go up against his Master. He doesn't think he'll succeed or come out alive. He's terrified to stand up to Sidious after how badly he was just hurt. But – but he can try. He can try for Luke's sake. It might be better for both of them if Vader stays with his Master, stays away from his son... but he's – he is weak; he's not strong enough to stay away from the only family he has left.
He'll stay. He'll go with Luke. He can only hope they won't regret it.
It happens so fast. One moment, the Force is whispering of danger, and the next, Ochi is pulling out a hidden vibroknife and trying to stab Luke. His son twists out of the way in time, lightsaber slashing through the weapon, and something in Vader just snaps. He forgets about his fear of using the Force because his Master told him not to and reaches out, wrapping it around Ochi's neck and lifting him into the air, strangling him.
Vader doesn't let go until he's stopped struggling, and the lifeless body hits the floor with a dull thud. Luke doesn't even blink, looking down at the body for a moment before turning towards Vader. "What now, Father?"
That title will never cease to send a thrill through Vader. His son has accepted him, and it doesn't seem real. It seems like something out of a dream, something he never thought he could get. But he did. Somehow. Even though he cut off his son's hand.
"So his master broke him." Ochi had said. It's true. Sidious did break him all over again, and if not for Luke showing up so unexpectedly, Vader knows he would have gone back to his Master, crawled back to his side, begging for forgiveness and mercy, just like every time in the past. But with Luke's arrival, a new option presented itself, and Vader took it eagerly. Because, in truth, he doesn't want to go back to the Emperor. He wants to be free. He doesn't even know what freedom is like anymore, but – but he wants to. He wants to. He wants to find out again, to rediscover it, even though he doesn't deserve it.
Vader tilts his helmet, studying his son's face with a desperate gaze, burning it into his mind for the rest of eternity. "What do you want us to do now, my son?" he asks, the words slightly awkward in his mouth.
He's never – he's never had to do this, not for a long time. He's always been told what to do, ordered around by his superiors. He's never had to decide for himself.
Luke stops, pauses, looks him up and down. His expression doesn't change, even while he takes in the mess that is Vader's limbs. It makes him no less dangerous, though. He can kill just as well now as he could before. It might be a little harder, perhaps, but it doesn't matter anyways since they are alone here.
"Ideally, we could make a plan to lure out and destroy the Emperor," Luke replies, "But I think you should..." He waves a hand. "... repair your limbs first." A tiny hint of uncertainty slips through the cracks of his shields. Uncertainty and... regret? Dismay? Vader can't quite read it.
"My castle then," Vader states, turning his head as if he could see it from here. "It is on this planet. There, I will have all the parts I need." He doesn't add that if they go there, his Master will know it. He doesn't need to say it, does he? But perhaps... it's not as if Luke would know the extents to which his Master would go to keep control of him. "He will know," Vader cautions, finally. "The Emperor will know I have betrayed him. He always knows. He will come for me."
Luke shrugs one shoulder so nonchalantly that Vader is taken aback. "Let him come. We'll be waiting for him."
Vader doesn't know if he should be more proud or horrified at his son's sheer audacity and fearlessness. Most people fear the Emperor even without knowing many of the more awful things he's done or ordered like Luke undoubtedly knows, being a part of the Rebels and all.
"Are you – did Obi-Wan teach you nothing?" he demands harshly. "How can you be so casual about this?" And that reminds him of what he wanted to know from the start, a question that Luke had so skillfully by-stepped. "And for that matter, why are you really here? How did you find me?" He is not an easy person to find.
Luke studies him with an inscrutable gaze. "We should go to your castle," he says, totally ignoring Vader's commentary and question. "How would you propose we travel? There is not room in my X-wing for two."
He thinks about that for a moment, calculating the distance from here to his castle. It won't take long if they're flying there in a fighter. "I can ride on your fighter, if you keep it steady." It's not as if he can't magnetize himself to things, and even if he's three limbs down, his right prosthetic will be enough.
"Very well." Luke turns towards the doorway, pausing once to glance back at Vader. There's a calm contentment and something almost akin to excitement escaping his shields. What is he hiding? What is it that he's not telling Vader? All questions to which he'll get the answers one way or another.
Vader opts not to press Luke any further on his questions regarding his son's unexpected presence on Mustafar until they reach the castle. There will be plenty of time to speak when they arrive. The flight is... odd, but it's hardly the first time that Vader has stood – or crouched – atop a fighter while it's in the air. He tries to content himself with simply feeling his son's presence, but it's hard when suddenly, all he can think about his how his Master will react to this.
The Emperor is not very forgiving, and he has done much for Vader in the past. He has guided Vader, taught him the Dark Side, shown him real power. And Vader is throwing it all away now. He'll do anything to keep Luke safe, but that doesn't mean that he doesn't... fear. He fears how his Master will react. He fears what he'll do to him if he ever gets ahold of him again. And he probably will, because there is no one who can deny Sidious what he wants indefinitely. Even he had tried, but in the end, he had succumbed to what Sidious wanted and become his apprentice.
This is... a mistake.
Isn't it?
If his Master was willing to rip off his limbs and leave him here to relive one of his worst nightmares as a punishment, he must have deserved it. He did deserve it. He had been weak. He had allowed the handmaidens to live when he should have killed them all. They were Rebels; they deserved to die. And yet, he had stayed his hand, because he could not conceive killing the women who had served his Angel so faithfully, even after her death.
"You're conflicted," Luke comments once they land in the hanger of Vader's castle.
Vader says nothing. He doesn't know what to say to that. His thoughts and feelings are chaotic, and he feels as if he's being ripped in half, pulled in two different directions with two different outcomes. He can't have everything. He can't keep his son safe while staying loyal to his Master. He can't stay loyal to his Master without hurting his son. And he doesn't know what to do. He's tired of this, tired of fighting. (He wants it all to be over; he wants to die.)
"What's troubling you, Father?" Luke's voice is soft, gentle, and somehow, without Vader even noticing, he walked up to him, standing only an arm's length away.
"I... cannot help you," he says, hiding his feelings behind mental shields. "You do not know the power of the Dark Side. I must serve the Emperor." He hates himself a little more with each word, but he – he can't go against Sidious. He can't.
He remembers a searing pain, agonizing and never ending as his Master's lightning crackled through his body. He remembers being awake, conscious, as saws and knifes cut into him, replacing more and more of him with machines. He remembers the constant presence of his Master in his mind, dogging his every step, ready to punish or support in a moment's notice. And he can't go through that again. He doesn't have the strength to withstand another harsh punishment, another abandonment to be burned to ash and rebuilt anew.
How many times has his Master remade him over and over and over until he liked what he saw? How many times has his Master castigated him for letting his past influence him, for letting lingering fondness affect him?
"Perhaps your feelings for your old master have left you weakened."
There is no love for the past, for those who are gone... for those who still remain. There cannot be. He only has his Master, and he cannot throw that away. Why would he ever want to betray the one person who has stood by him and supported him throughout his entire life?
(Because he doesn't truly care. Because Sidious only sees him as a means to the end. Because he is, in truth, Sidious' prized weapon, his favorite toy and plaything, his pet slave dog. Because Sidious only keeps him around so long as he has use.)
"You're a great warrior, Anakin, but your need to prove yourself is your undoing. Until you overcome it, a Padawan you will still be."
"When I left you I was but the learner. Now I am the master."
"Only a master of evil, Darth."
"Goodbye... Darth."
"If your past cannot be overcome..."
"Kenobi means nothing. I serve only you, my Master."
It was true then, no matter how much it had gutted him, and it's true now as well. It has to be.
"But you, my friend, have just wallowed in grief. You need to start all over again... with fear."
He could laugh. If he was physically capable of it, he just might, because it's so, so awful that it's funny. His Master is right. He has always been right. He has always known what to say and what to do to keep Vader at his side, always. And – and it grates on Vader that he feels too much fear to even make a move for any sort of freedom while his son is here, offering to help. Vader will show one small mercy, one small indiscretion, and he'll let Luke leave instead of capturing him and informing Sidious like he should.
Luke looks disappointed, but not surprised by Vader's words. "I'm not leaving," he answers, shaking his head. "I'm not leaving you here with him." He pauses for a moment, continuing before Vader has a chance to even formulate an argument. "Why do you stay loyal to him, Father? Can you tell me the truth?"
Vader considers, even though he has no idea why he's even considering such a thing. "He is my Master," he replies haltingly. "He saved my life. I owe him everything."
"What will he do if you betray him?" There's an almost unnoticeable wariness in the words, as well there should be, though the emotion is not obvious on Luke's face.
Vader clenches his fists. "He will punish me." He opts not to elaborate. He doesn't need to tell his son, burden his son, with the kinds of horrors Sidious will inflict upon him. Some things are not meant to be shared.
"Like he did just now, leaving you here?" Luke's voice contains as much incredulity as it does rage. "That's – that's wrong."
"It is the way of the Sith," Vader intones.
Luke's displeasure is obvious even before Vader finishing speaking. "You – just listen to me, okay? You were once more than a Sith, and you can be again if you choose it. I can't make this choice for you, but I can... encourage you." He meets Vader's eyes unerringly through the lenses of the mask, though he can only see the one.
"I am... from the future," his son declares, and Vader can only stare at him, because what?
"Time travel is impossible," he argues.
Luke smiles a little, bitter and melancholic. "I once thought the same, but here we- I am." He lets out a breath and drops his shielding. Vader reaches out towards him, probing his Force signature and confirming that yes, it is, in fact, far older than it should be. It's changed far too much in the past one month for it to be anything other than what Luke has said. Which doesn't make any sense, but then again, it's not as if he knows everything about the Force anyways. No one does.
"What happens?" Vader inquires, unable to help himself. He's curious, okay?
Luke's expression darkens, but now that he's told Vader, he doesn't seem to be making nearly as much of an effort to hide his Force signature or feelings. Not that it helps, because it's hard for Vader to pick apart the myriad of emotions his son is feelings. Some are positive. Many are not.
"It's a long story, and it's not one I'll share fully right now, but in the time which I lived, we didn't actually meet again face-to-face until I let myself be captured," Luke tells him. "You brought me to the Emperor, and we ended up dueling again. I... defeated you, and Sidious told me to kill you. I refused. He tried to kill me. You threw him down a reactor shaft and saved me before dying. But it turns out that Palpatine didn't die then, though, because he came back some years later and destroyed almost everything we'd rebuilt. We're hoping we can prevent that from happening again."
He gives Vader a half-smile, one that's equal parts hopeful and... apologetic? "I... did not actually come here for you," he admits. "I came here for something which will lead us to where Palpatine is keeping his backup contingency plans. If we destroy everything we know about, maybe it will be enough. Maybe. But at least we can learn from our past mistakes. I – when I sensed you here, I had to find you, because I hoped you'd help us. I don't know what the Emperor has done to you, Father, and I never got the chance to know you. I want to change that. The future isn't set in stone. We can change it. We are changing it. I – I don't want you to die if you don't have to."
For a few long moments, all Vader can do is stare at his son, feeling emotions he hasn't felt in years. He can't even remember the last time that someone wanted to spend time with him, to get to know him. It... doesn't even seem real. Luke cares about him. Why? Why would he? Why should he?
And yet... Vader is loath to reject such a thing. Family has always meant everything to him, and he – he can't throw this opportunity away. What Luke told him is the truth; the Force has confirmed every word to him, and he's not really fond of dying without ever getting to know his son. For all that he wants to die, he doesn't want it to be just yet.
"You keep saying 'we'," Vader finally manages to say. "Who are you talking about?"
Luke stills, the barest flicker of panic echoing into the Force around him. "Me and... my sister. I – I have a twin sister. Leia is my sister," he confesses.
Vader stills impossibly, horror rising up and crashing over him. Leia. Leia Organa. Leia is his daughter. Leia is his daughter. And he tortured her. He's run into her several times, and there was once or twice when he wondered why something about her seemed familiar though he could never place it. But after hearing it? It's so obvious, and he doesn't know why he never realized earlier. She's so much like his Angel, like him, even. And it hurts, because he hurt her, his own daughter, never knowing of their connection.
But mingled with that horror is something akin to joy, because he has a daughter. He has two children. Two wonderful children, not just one.
And Luke – Luke is here. Luke is willing to accept him, but he can't imagine that Leia would be nearly as accepting of him, and why would she be, when she had loving parents? She doesn't need him. But at the same time, she does, because the Emperor is still a threat. His Master will stop at nothing to claim one or both of Vader's children as his own.
"She is conflicted about you," Luke cautions him. "She has been through a lot in the future, much more than me, but it's not my story to tell. It's hers. We both have this chance to change things, to make a difference, and we want to make the most of it. So, will you help us, Father? Will you join us?"
Vader could make many different arguments, but none of them feel convincing, even to him. He wants to meet Leia. He wants to get to know her. Her and Luke, both. They – he –
He doesn't deserve them, and he probably never will. Nothing he does will ever truly make up for what he's done, but he can at least try, right? Isn't – isn't that what the Rebellion is all about? Isn't that what redemption truly means?
"Anakin is gone. I am what remains."
"I am not your failure, Obi-Wan. You didn't kill Anakin Skywalker. I did."
Vader had said that to Obi-Wan years ago, and it... is true, from a certain point of view. The Anakin that his old master knew is destroyed; he can never come back. The person that Vader chooses to be from here onwards will depend on him. And it's always been his choice, hasn't it? Partially, yes, but he can't and won't blame anyone else for his failings.
"Will she... talk to me?" Vader asks, desperate to know. He doesn't know what would be worse: staying with Sidious and knowing that he's disappointing his children or going with Luke only to face his daughter's hate.
"She doesn't hate you," Luke says gently, "And nor do I. It is not easy for either of us to know that you are our father, but we accept it. We never got to know you, to understand you. We don't know why you chose what you did, but we would like to. We... have questions."
Vader admires the way that his son is able to state the truth while simultaneously not making it hurt too much. It stings. It will probably always sting, but he deserves it. "I know you will be kinder... masters than Sidious ever has been." It's not really an agreement, but it's not not one, either. He wants to go with Luke so badly, but he's still terrified; he probably always will be.
Luke steps a little closer. "Can I hug you?"
It takes Vader's brain a full minute to process that request because what? He can't remember the last time anyone hugged him. ... Actually, yes, he can. It was probably his Angel when she came to him on Mustafar over two decades ago. The thought of hugging someone is strange for him, but he inclines his helmet in silent agreement.
His son steps closer, wrapping his arms tightly around Vader, and after a moment, Vader raises his right arm and places the hand lightly on Luke's back. He can't really feel the embrace, but he knows what it must feel like, and he can certainly feel the emotions that his son is radiating: relief, affection, disbelief, love.
Luke didn't expect any of this to happen, but he's overjoyed that he's here with Vader. He wants to be here; he wants to get to know Vader. It seems so surreal, but right here, right now, Vader knows that there's no place he wants to be more than with his children. Both of them.
"I love you, Father," Luke murmurs into Vader's armor.
The words are hesitant and so strange to say, but Vader says them anyway. "And I love you, my son." And he does. Whatever sway his Master has over him is nothing when compared to the love that Vader has for his children. He'll do anything for them, anything at all. Maybe Leia will be more likely to receive him with something other than disdain if he delivers to her Sidious' head. Maybe. It's a thought to consider anyway.
No matter what it takes, Vader will spend the rest of his life trying to make up to his children for what he's done to them. If they've already averted one possible future, then why not break the rest of it? Because Vader would love nothing more than to destroy his Master once and for all.
I'm coming for you, Master, he thinks and doesn't care if Sidious knows.
Together, he and Luke can take down Sidious. They can. Vader is certain of it. And if nothing else, Vader will at least take down the Emperor, even if he dies trying.
(He doesn't.
Even though it will take years, and probably even the rest of his life, Vader will make up to the galaxy what he did to it. He owes that much, at the very least, to his children. Because he loves them, and because they... love him, even though he doesn't deserve that affection.
He is not Darth Vader anymore. But he isn't Anakin Skywalker either. He's some combination of the two, and with the love and support of Luke and Leia, both, he can figure it out. He's not alone, not anymore. Sidious is dead, and Obi-Wan is not, not fully, and maybe there's more than one way to bring peace.)
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