Malcolm walked through the halls of Vader's castle. He had seen the holonews report from the orphanage and was as confused as the rest of the galaxy. What in siths hell was Vader doing picking up Luke? Had the boy's last name become known and Vader had only gone to kill him before he became too powerful? Was he now on his way to dispose of a six year old's body? Malcolm had expected many things when he walked into Vader's conference room but certainly not what he saw.

Vader sat at one end of the table filling in reports for the prisoners he had transferred from Tatooine. In front of him sat Luke drawing a picture of a Tie Fighter on a holopad. Malcolm had no clue what exactly he was looking at. If it were anyone other than Vader he would think it was a father keeping his son distracted while he did work. But…that wasn't possible.

He waited at the door shocked until Vader called him in. He stood to the side of Luke and was better able to see the picture he was doodling. It was a crude representation to say the least but what really caught his attention was the figure sticking out of the Tie. It looked as though Luke was trying to draw a picture of Vader flying.

"MH-117, I have a mission for you," Vader calmly said, looking up from his datapads. He reached into his belt and dug out a card Malcolm knew to be filled with credits. "Take Luke out to buy some furnishings for his room as well as some appropriate clothing."

Luke looked up from his drawing and pouted at his father. Vader swore his face was going to stick that way. "But why can't you take me later? I wanted to go with you!"

"I have my own duties to attend to, Luke. You need to get some proper clothing," Vader replied then looked to Malcolm, "I trust you to make sure he purchases appropriate clothing for formal and everyday use."

Malcolm saluted the Sith Lord, "Of course, my lord."

"Luke, I expect you to be on your best behavior. I will know if you give MH-117 any trouble. Now go."

Luke hopped off the too tall chair he had been sitting in and followed Malcolm out the door. As soon as they were out of the castle and into the transport Malcolm had used to get there he looked down at Luke in the passenger's seat and said, "So, little buddy, how'd you end up here? I figured you were done with the whole foster family thing."

Luke' face reddened, "How did you know about that?"

It was good to see that Luke was still as innocent as he had been the day they met on Tatooine, "Frank's been keeping us mostly updated. He told us about the whole Wookie ordeal. But he didn't mention you were living with…umm…well you know…"

"It wasn't my fault! The Wookie said he'd be right back I swear!" Luke defended.

Malcolm let out a chuckle. He was still Luke. "I believe you, but it was still kind of stupid. You still haven't answered my question though. How'd you end up with Lord Vader?"

Luke watched as the buildings around them passed by in a whirl of shapes and colors. He didn't want Malcolm to treat him any differently. He just wanted to be a normal kid, even if those chances were thrown out the window now that there was footage of his father coming to get him at the orphanage.

Malcolm noticed Luke's shyness and continued, "Is he training you to be like him? Or is he just watching you for your real family until they can pick you up? I guess that would explain why he was so angry at the holoreporters."

Luke saw his scapegoat and took it, "Yeah, that's it. He's just watching me for a bit until my mother comes to get me."

Malcolm nodded while keeping his eyes on the road, "Kriff you must have an important mother for Vader to have picked you up."

Luke simply nodded. It wasn't totally untrue. His mother had once been very important to the galaxy. She just wasn't going to pick him up from his father that was all.

The transport slowed down as it touched down onto the shopping center's landing bay. Luke opened his door and looked up. The center seemed to go up for miles. It wasn't quite as tall as his father's castle but certainly larger than most buildings Luke had seen in his short six years of life. Malcolm began walking towards the automatic doors of the center. Luke caught up to him and followed. Neither had much of an idea as to where to go or what to look for but the store they'd walked into seemed like a good start.

It smelled like a fancy cologne an imperial Moff would wear to his twentieth wedding anniversary. The lights gave a yellow sheen to the suits lined up in perfect uniform. Salesmen and women wondered throughout the store looking for potential victims to rope into buying their most expensive merchandise. Malcolm knew that he was in way over his head but needed to power through or else face the consequences at the hand of Darth Vader.

One of the saleswomen sauntered up to them. She gave off an air of confidence unmatched by her fellow employees. The saleswoman was confident she would leave these customers penniless by the time she was through.

"Hello, you two! Can I help you out with something today?" she politely asked.

Malcolm looked over to the woman and smiled. She wasn't the ugliest human in the galaxy, but certainly far from the prettiest he'd seen. Her cherry red hair was up in an unkempt bun and she had a red lipstick stain on her front tooth.

"Yeah, I'm here to get this kid some nice clothing. Something he could wear to a senatorial ball or business meetings," Malcolm replied.

"Well, you've certainly come to the right place. We have formal wear that would be fit for any senator's son. What's your name little boy?" She asked looking down at Luke.

Luke looked away from the nearest mannequin showcasing a new designer from the mid rim and stared at the woman, "I'm Luke."

She gave a fake smile, the same kind Luke had grown accustomed to seeing on the faces of many people on Imperial Center, and asked, "Do you know what color you want, Luke?"

Luke looked up to Malcolm half hoping he would help him decide, "It's your choice, buddy, what do you think your mom would want you to wear?"

It didn't take Luke long to figure out the answer to that question. "Black," he said. His father wore that color all the time it seemed. Their whole house was decorated in it as well.

"I think you'll look quite handsome in black," the woman said.

Luke beamed at the compliment. He knew his father would be proud of him for picking his favorite color. They would be able to match all the time! But did he really want to match with his father all the time? Sure it might be fun but did he really want other people to know who his father was? He wasn't ashamed of his father but others feared him and Luke did not want to be feared by anyone, he just wanted people to like him. He shrugged off the fears and followed the woman into the children's section in the back of the store.

"So are you Luke's dad?He must have gotten his looks from you," she said. Malcolm thought he was hearing things. This woman sounded almost flirtatious.

"No, I was just asked to take him to find some clothing that's all. But he's a good kid so I really don't mind," Malcolm explained.

The woman's face broke out into a coy smile as she held on to his arm. "Oh thank goodness. I wouldn't want a big, strong Stormtrooper like you to be tied down."

His face reddened as Malcolm pulled his arm free from her grasp. He didn't mind attention but this woman was not his type. She pouted as his arm retreated back to his side. When his arm was his own again he looked to her and asked, "So…uh… where's the children's section?"

She pointed to a small section filled with miniature military suits and senate wear. Many were knock offs of adult sized clothing. Those that were not Malcolm almost wished were. They were extravagant with feathers and sequins garnishing every square inch. Luke seemed interested in a black overcoat with a feathered hood made out of dyed bantha fur. He placed the coat on over his clothing. While the top was snug against his chest, the bottom from the waist down jutted out two feet in diameter. Luke's eyes lit up.

"Wow! I look so cool!" he said.

Malcolm had to find a way to tell him gently that he did not look 'so cool.' He began to bring his hand up to pinch his nose but remembered the Stormtrooper helmet and let it drop. "Luke, I don't think that's what he meant by formal wear. Here," Malcolm found a small black jacket made of a fine fabric and handed it to Luke, "try this one on."

"But that one's not as nice as this one," Luke protested. He was sounding as though he was going to throw a fit.

"Hey, hey, calm down little buddy. Just try this one on and see how you like it, okay?"

"I think he looks very nice in it," the saleswoman interjected.

If looks could kill she would have been dead. Luckily, before Malcolm could take out his wrath on the woman, a little girl shopping with her nanny interjected, "You know she's lying, she says that to everyone. Especially if it's expensive. That coat looks really stupid on you."

Luke frowned. Now that he looked at himself he realized she was telling the truth. He reluctantly took off the coat and placed it back onto the mannequin. "Thanks," he muttered.

The little girl huffed and crossed her arms over her chest, "You should show me more respect. I am the future queen of Alderaan."

Luke looked her over. She was wearing a white dress that screamed royalty with its lace and pearls and her chestnut hair was done up in elaborate braids but she seemed a little too bratty to be a princess. He wasn't totally convinced but decided to play along. "Sorry, your highness."

"We should leave this boy and his father alone to shop. Come along now, Princess," The nanny said.

Luke watched her as she walked away. She really was a princess. But he thought Alderaan was far away. Why would a princess come to Imperial Center just to shop? Even with his curiosity piqued he knew one thing. He liked her.

His thoughts on the princess were interrupted by Malcolm calling him over to try on some outfits he found with the help of the saleswoman. Luke went into the changing room and tried each one on. Some looked ridiculous, even by Luke's standard. One outfit was very imaginative with the color yellow, having stripes of the color connect the shirt and pants together and a bright yellow hat to top it all off. Another covered Luke from head to toe in black sparkles. Only two of the ten outfits were appropriate for Luke's needs.

"Come now, there has to be more you two need. Another pair of nice boots? A vest?" the saleswoman offered as they walked to be checked out. Although they were already spending well over one thousand credits she wanted to squeeze out as much as she could.

They approached the counter and Malcolm dug out the card Vader had given him and passed it to the woman. "We're fine with what the kid got. Here's this," Malcolm said.

The woman took it and glanced over the name. Her face turned white as a sheet, "L-lord Vader?" she asked.

Malcolm tilted his head. He had thought the credits were from Luke's mom, not directly from Vader. "Why would he give us his card?" Malcolm asked Luke.

Luke was suddenly very interested in the carpet and began moving it around with his foot. Malcolm continued looking down at the little boy until he finally spoke, "I'll tell you later in the transport."

Although it wasn't quite the answer he was looking for, Malcolm accepted it and took the card back.

They stopped at another clothing store which sold clothes for more everyday use. Luke must have bought enough clothes to use for a month without washing them. Again he was given odd stares when the cashier looked at the name on the card. He wished Luke would tell him but decided to let the kid come out with the truth when he was ready.

"Okay, just one more stop, kid," Malcolm said as they stood in front of the home furnishings store. Malcolm had always hated these stores. Even growing up he hated his mom dragging him around to find what color curtains to buy or which pan would work best for panna cakes.

"Then can we go see the toys?" Luke asked.

"Sure, you just have to promise me you'll tell me why Vader gave me his card," Malcolm replied.

Luke nodded his head and walked into the store. It was massive. Tall walls of plates, pans, bowls, and pillows divided the store to make it into a maze. Luke and Malcolm found their way through it and into the bedding part. Some beds were set up in the middle to display what a perfect bed would look like.

He started at one end and moved his eyes up and down examining each pattern individually. He made his way back to the beginning using the same ritual. Then he touched certain ones he thought looked the nicest. Some he spent longer on than others, feeling the softness of some and silkiness of others.

Malcolm was beginning to lose his patience. "Luke, buddy, you made up your mind yet?"

Luke's eyes grew wide as though he were hurt, "Sorry, Malcolm. I've never gotten to pick out my own bed before. There's just so many to choose from."

Malcolm sighed and allowed Luke to continue his ritual. Finally, he found the perfect pattern but it was just above his reach. He stood on his toes and stretched his arm up as high as possible but still couldn't quite grasp it. Then, the blanket tumbled down, landing directly in Luke's arms. Malcolm couldn't believe his eyes. There was no way the kid could have reached that far up. He hadn't been able to reach the set before.

"I got it, Malcolm!" Luke said.

Malcolm looked over the set he had picked out. It was a navy blue comforter with various ships flying out of the middle. It came with two sets of sheets, one black, the other white and some accent pillows.

The pair made their way around the store and Luke grabbed some lamps, a few posters, and nick knacks for his room. As they were getting in line Luke saw a poster that caught his eye. "Hey! That's me!" he squealed.

Indeed it was. It was a poster advertising Luke as a holostar on "Foster Senators". Many citizens throughout Imperial Center were hooked on the show and fell in love with Luke. The poster had debuted in order to advertise his show and documentary "Luke Lars: The Boy Who Survived."

"You knew you were a celebrity, didn't you?" Malcolm asked.

"I didn't think I'd get a poster too," Luke replied. He walked over and placed the poster into their shopping cart. "This'll look so cool in my room!"

They made their way to the counter and placed their items down. Once they were added together Malcolm sheepishly handed the cashier the card. Unlike the past two cashiers this one laughed at it.

"Are you some sort of scammer?" the young human asked.

"What?" Malcolm didn't know what he meant by that. What made him think he was a scammer?

"You really think I'd just let you get away with using Lord Vader's name on a card? I could have you arrested for this, you know," the clerk said.

Malcolm had been to two other stores already and no one dared to question a Stormtrooper with Lord Vader's card beforehand. This man seemed as though he were out to make his life as miserable as possible.

"I swear, he gave me that card to take this boy shopping," Malcolm defended as he pointed to Luke.

"Yeah, right, and the emperor's letting me spend the night in his bedroom. Now get out or I'll call security over."

"Mister, Malcolm's telling the truth. Lord Vader did give him the credits, I saw him!" Luke said.

The clerk had to peak over his counter in order to see Luke. He sneered at the young boy and said, "Why would Lord Vader give his card to some Stormtrooper and a brat?"

Luke played with the cuff of his sleeve and looked around to see how many people were in the store. It was fuller than Luke would have liked. The line behind him grew the longer the clerk refused his father's credits and now ten patrons were impatiently waiting for the issue to be resolved.

"What if I commed him to prove it?" Malcolm asked.

The clerk scoffed, "Sure, if he answers you I'll accept the credits. If not you need to get out of my store."

"Oh, he'll answer," Malcolm bluffed. He wasn't entirely sure if the sith lord would pick up but he wasn't going to give the smug clerk the satisfaction of his uncertainty. Malcolm keyed in Lord Vader's frequency and waited. To everyone's surprise the sith answered only after a few seconds. "L-lord Vader," Malcolm stuttered.

"Where's Luke? Is he alright?" Vader asked.

"I'm right here," Luke answered.

"He's safe, my lord," Malcolm said.

Vader took his time to respond before finally saying, "If he is not in danger there is no need for you to call me. If my so-"

"The man won't sell us anything because he thinks we stole from you," Luke interrupted. He really didn't want anyone knowing his relation to Vader. Especially not a store full of people.

"Luke, you will not interrupt me. I thought Owen would have taught you better manners than that. As for the clerk," Malcolm passed the comm to the store clerk. He had already been terrified by the sound of Vader's voice and even without a hologram of the man he knew he had made a grave mistake. "I sent these two out on a mission. I do not like my missions being compromised due to incompetent people. You will allow the boy and Stormtrooper to purchase their items and leave."

"Y-yes my lord," the clerk stuttered as the comm turned off. He handed it back to the Stormtrooper and accepted the card.

As the pair left the store Malcolm looked down to Luke. He had somehow been allowed to interrupt the sith without any form of punishment. What exactly was Vader about to say that got the boy so worked up and why did Vader sound so concerned for the boy? Malcolm knew that there was something Luke was trying to hide, he just had to figure out what.

"So can we still go to the toy store?" Luke asked.

Malcolm looked out a nearby window. It was already getting late and Vader had sounded concerned. He definitely didn't want to get on his bad side for keeping his…charge? That didn't seem quite right. He didn't want to get on Vader's bad side for keeping Luke out too late.

"How about this, buddy. I'll take you later, okay? I'm going to be on Imperial Center until the Tatooine trial finishes up. That gives us all of tomorrow to look for toys," Malcolm said.

Luke sighed in defeat, "Is it because you're afraid of him?"

"Who?"

"Darth Vader. You're afraid he's going to kill you for keeping me out so late," Luke said.

Malcolm knew the kid was too smart to lie to. He bent down to Luke's eye level and said, "Yes, I'm afraid of Lord Vader. I just don't want him choking me for keeping you out. Why is he so concerned with your safety? I've never seen him this way before."

Luke looked up at him with big eyes, "I'll tell you in the speeder where people can't listen in."

Malcolm nodded and walked Luke out the door. When they arrived at the speeder Malcolm took all of Luke's new treasures and placed them in the back. He opened the door for Luke and watched as he buckled in then did the same for himself.

"Okay, Luke. Why are you hanging out with Vader?" Malcolm asked. Luke wriggled around in his seat trying to avoid the question. "Luke, you promised."

With a long and drawn out sigh Luke said, "Well, you know how I was kidnapped? And they were trying to find my parents?" Malcolm nodded his head as he turned into the heavy stream of traffic. "Well… it's a funny story really. I wouldn't believe it if I weren't there myself. You should have seen my face when I first saw him. I was really scared I'd done something bad…."

"Get to the point, Luke," Malcolm said. He switched into the fast lane and rocketed past every speeder and transport he came in contact with.

Luke shifted around some more, "Lord Vader…he's… he's my father."

Malcolm slammed on the speeder's breaks earning him angry honks from others in the air. He landed the craft in a landing pad on a nearby building. He didn't say anything for a while and just looked straight ahead. Thousands of thoughts buzzed through his head. Was Vader training the boy? Was Luke going to become the next second in command? What could Vader want with such a sweet kid? Malcolm realized that he had been staring out the window for far too long and looked over to the boy. "You mean…Vader adopted you?"

Luke shook his head, "No, I mean he's my real father."

Malcolm took in every inch of the boy. There was no way Vader could possibly be this innocent boy's biological father. He wasn't even sure of Vader was human. Not only that but they were so different. One was the essence of hate and fear. The other… well the other was little innocent Luke who would never hurt a fly. Luke couldn't be the child of such an evil man.

"You don't hate me because of it, do you?" Luke asked. He looked down at the floor of the speeder as tears formed in his eyes. He didn't want Malcolm to hate him because of who his father was.

Malcolm pulled Luke into a one armed hug and ruffled his hair with his free hand. Luke attempted to free himself from the hold but his efforts were in vain. Malcolm finally let him go and said, "Of course I don't hate you, Luke. You're still the little kid I met on Tatooine. You just have a new place to live, that's all. Now let's get you home."

Luke nodded in agreement and stared out the front viewport as the speeder rose into the air and took off towards the second tallest castle in the distance. He couldn't explain how, but he could sense his father waiting for him just beyond the door. A smile graced his face thinking about how much his father must really care about him to wait for his arrival.

Malcolm landed the speeder in front of Vader's castle and grabbed Luke's things from the back. Luke carried as much as he could but considering his size it wasn't much. When they entered Luke dropped his bags full of clothes and ran to his father telling him every detail no matter how minute it seemed. Malcolm watched as Vader nodded his head and attentively listened to his son recount their day. It was still hard for him to believe Vader and Luke were father and son. They seemed so different in every way possible. But watching Vader listen carefully and hang on to every word Luke said made Malcolm realize that only the son of Darth Vader could get away with that.

Vader instructed Malcolm to help Luke put away his things. Luke put all of his clothing in the empty closet while Malcolm put together his bed. When he signed up to become a Stormtrooper making a child's bed was not something he thought he'd be paid to do. Then again, he didn't think he'd be stuck on Tatooine for six months or end up in Darth Vader's personal squadron. And it was mostly because of that kid. Sure he had been put on Tatooine due to his inability to put any effort into his work but that kid changed everything the day a crazy alien called up his post going off about some Jedi. Looking back at it, he couldn't have been more wrong. They weren't dealing with a Jedi, but rather the son of one of the most infamous sith.

Luke took a step back from his closet and nodded his head as he assessed its neatness. He instructed Malcolm where to place the holos and posters he'd found along with where to move his furniture. By the time the two were finished it looked less like a drab prison cell and more like the bedroom of a six-year-old.

As Malcolm was placing the last poster on the wall Vader walked in to see the final product. Luke pointed at all of the things he'd found and showed Vader his black formal outfit. Vader nodded and praised a few items Luke held up to show him. When Luke was done giving the grand tour, Vader asked to have a private meeting with Malcolm.

"Yes, sir?" he asked.

"My son seems to be quite attached to you," Vader began.

Malcolm stiffened and said, "He's a good kid, sir. We've been through a great deal together on Tatooine especially after the bombing."

"You were the one to save him." It wasn't a question but rather a statement. Malcolm simply nodded his head. "I wish to thank you for that. It is not something I do lightly mind you. I am promoting you to head of my son's security. You will start tomorrow."

Malcolm didn't know what to say. He was the head of the kid's security? How had a simple Jedi check turn into this? He had been in all the right places in all the right times. Now just because he saved some poor kid on Tatooine he was being promoted to a security task force.

"Thank you, my lord. I will grab my things and return tomorrow," Malcolm said.

Vader dismissed the Stormtrooper and entered his son's room. For a six-year-old the decorating wasn't hideous. He could tell that Malcolm must have made a few suggestions here and there but for the most part it was all Luke. Posters and holos of spaceships and stars hung throughout the room. A large carpet with a J-type 327 Nubian starship centered in the middle of a navy blue star lit sky. Luke stood on top of his neatly made bed trying to stick a torn up poster riddled with pencil marks of Emperor Palpatine on the wall.

"Do you need assistance, young one?" Vader asked.

Luke looked around shocked to see his father's monstrous figure standing at the door. "I've almost got it," he replied. Vader pushed the poster up a bit with the force without Luke noticing. His son's face lit up as he turned to his father, "Told you I had it."

Vader nodded. Unknown to Luke he concealed a smile behind the mask. "You did indeed, young one." He glanced up at the poster he helped his son with. "Where did you get that poster?" he asked.

Luke looked up at the poster from his friend's room at the orphanage. "Oh, it was my friend's. He used to use the emperor's face for target practice when we were in the orphanage."

Vader was a little surprised by who his son considered his friends. "Tell me, Luke. Were your friends rebel sympathizers?"

Luke shrugged his shoulders, "I don't know what sym-bon-izer means but they were rebels, that's what everyone at the orphanage called them. I don't know what happened to them though, their rooms were empty when I went to say goodbye to them." Luke frowned as he thought of his rebel friends then remembered, "Did the orphanage give you a suitcase with my things in it?"

Luke noticed Vader's helmet tip to the side. "I didn't realize you had anything," he said.

"It's okay," Luke said with a frown. "It was just some clothing Mrs. Chieves gave me."

"Senator Chieves's wife?" Vader asked. He had heard of the senator before. He was, in Vader's opinion, a stuck up suck up to the emperor and the people he served. The senator seemed to sway more than a bantha's fur in a sandstorm. He seemed to care for little more than his own power and would do whatever he could to gain more of it.

"Yeah, he was really mean. He only fostered me to look good in front of his friends," Luke said. Darth Vader was beginning to realize just how observant his young son was. Before Vader could say anything more Luke let out a large yawn. Looking up at the chrono Vader realized that it was rather late for a six-year-old boy to be staying up.

"Luke, I believe it's time for you to go to bed. You've had quite the exciting day," Vader said as soothingly as his suit would allow. "Tomorrow will be just as adventurous."

Luke crawled into his bed and looked towards his father who had moved to the bedroom door. He tucked himself into the folds of the blanket and settled in. When his father turned around to leave Luke asked, "Father, why will tomorrow be adventurous?"

Darth Vader turned towards his son and said, "We'll be looking into which school to send you to. Now, son, get some rest."

Luke pouted but before he could argue he suddenly felt exhausted. His eyelids grew heavy as he was transported into his freams. Little had Luke known that his father had been the cause of his sudden sleepiness.

Once Luke's eyes shut, Vader took the time to observe him closely. He watched as his son's chest rose and fell with each breath he took. It still amazed Vader that he had helped create this precious life. Although, he knew most of Luke was Padmé's work, from his small frame to his personality. Vader felt as though he didn't deserve Luke, the only living remnant of his and Padmé's love. But Luke was his, and no one was going to take his son away from him again.

Hope you all enjoyed! Thanks for the reviews so far! Let me know if there's anything you want in here