Luke sat in the sand, happily playing with a couple of toy speeders. Across from him, a woman spoke softly to a man in a cloak, too softly for the boy to hear. Luke was completely undisturbed by them, far too busy pushing the sand into the right configurations for a track to acknowledge their conversation.

The grown ups looked over at the child, "Are you certain?" Beru asked.

Sadly, Obi-Wan nodded.

They watched Luke playing for a moment, "What tells you so?"

Obi-Wan shook his head slowly, "Look at the way he plays."

Beru frowned as her nephew hopped up, running to them with a little toy ship clutched tight in each hand, "Is it really so unusual?"

"No," Obi-Wan answered, silencing as Luke came into hearing range.

"What is it, Honey?" Beru asked, kneeling down as Luke dumped his toys at her feet.

Eagerly, Luke grabbed her hand, taking his toys back out of the sand and pulling her over to the little track he'd built. Obi-Wan followed the two of them, pointlessly applauding the child as he played.

Once Luke had finished showing his track to them, he shooed them off again to build a new one. However, the adults did not go as far as they had the first time, and he began to pick up snatches of their conversation.

"Completely blind," Obi-Wan said, and Luke fought an urge to look up.

"Is that even possible?" Beru asked, "His father,"

Obi-Wan shushed her, looking back over at Luke, who made sure he was pushing the sand around enough that he wouldn't be suspected, "It seems to be."

"What will happen to him?" his aunt asked.

Obi-Wan shrugged slightly, "Ideally, you and your husband would be willing to continue to care for him. I won't be staying around here."

"You're on your way to Alderaan?" she asked.

Obi-Wan nodded, "Leia will need all the care we have. And due to… this," he indicated Luke, "She's really our only hope."

"You'll say goodbye to him, at least," Beru said, and Luke thought he might have heard some anger in her voice.

"Of course," the wizard answered, "There is one last way I might know." He walked to Luke's side, lifting the little boy away from his fantastical swirling landscape, "I'm going away," he told Luke.

Luke frowned, "Why?"

Obi-Wan looked at him for a moment before answering, "My job here is finished."

"Will you ever come back?" Luke asked.

Obi-Wan looked down at his boots before shaking his head slowly. Luke could only stare at him in shock. His aunt had said that Ben would always be there for him! She had promised that no one would ever leave him again! After a moment of petrified disgust, Luke squirmed free, running to his aunt and clinging to her skirt. Obi-Wan took a step nearer, but Luke hid behind his aunt, only peeking out to see Ben walking away.

"He's not even gonna say goodbye to Uncle Owen?" he asked, looking up at his aunt.

"No," Beru answered, "It's not his way to be sentimental. Just the reverse."

Luke chewed his lip, watching the robed figure walk out into the sand dunes. His fist tightened in his aunt's skirt once again, and she looked down at him, putting a gentle hand in his hair, stroking soothingly.

"At least he's never coming back," she said at last.

Luke gulped on a lump in his throat, "I liked him. I thought you said no one would ever leave me again."

"I never thought they would," she answered, sighing gently as Luke sniffled suddenly and pressed his face against her as well. She lifted him, returning to gather his toys, before entering the dome of their home, the sniffling boy hugged tightly against her.

"Is he gone?" Owen asked roughly from where he sat at the table, drinking a glass of water.

Beru nodded, stroking their nephew's back, "Gone to Alderaan."

"Good riddance," Owen snarled, putting the glass down, "If anything was going to put Luke in danger, it was him."

Luke turned away from his aunt to glare at his uncle, "I liked him," the boy said, "He made me feel safe."

Owen merely snorted, walking off towards the fields, "He was only a danger to all of us," he answered coldly.

Beru sighed, placing her nephew on the counter, putting her husband's drink into the refrigeration unit, "He works so hard for the water, you'd think he'd be more determined to keep it," she joked gently.

Luke only sniffled, his legs slowly starting to kick at the counter. He held a little starship tightly in his hand, wiping his eyes with the sleeve of his other arm. His aunt turned to him, concerned at his lack of response, and sighed sadly, "I'm sorry he did this to you, sweetie."

Luke only stared up at her, another tear trickling down his cheek.

He held out his arms to be hugged, and as she lifted him, he said, in a choked whisper, "Promise you'll never leave."

"I promise," she said, kissing his cheek, "I promise."