His entrance into the vision was sudden, with no elaborate smoke or sound. One moment, Obi-Wan was sitting on the cold stone floor of a Sith temple, the next he was opening his eyes on a great meadow.

Immediately upon entering into the world, Luke appeared before him, a relieved smile on his face, "It worked!" Then, he seemed to realise the consequences. "We're in Vader's vision…?" The lad stared, confusion evident on his face. "But this doesn't look too bad."

That assessment was quite apt. Nothing but tall grass stretched out in every direction, broken only by collections of blooming flowers of all different colours: green, blue, purple, red. It was peaceful. There were no sounds of pain or war, just the grasses brushing against each other, leaves rustling together. Pollinators buzzed from plant to plant and birds hopped along with them, tweeting softly in the background.

It was the exact opposite of what he'd been expecting from a Dark Lord of the Sith. Especially this particular Dark Lord of the Sith, and Second in Command of the Galactic Empire. Not to forget Exterminator of the Jedi.

Now, in amongst all the peace and lovely scenery, they had to find Vader.

Which, given that this was a vision, could be harder than what you would initially think.

Obi-Wan glanced down to his charge, amused by the look of awe upon his face at the amount of plants and greenery. Anakin had been like that too, at first. He shoved the thought away. "We should search for Vader."

"Split up?"

Kenobi sighed. The boy had been watching too many holos. "No; we're searching for a Sith. Even if he can't physically harm us, do not assume that he isn't dangerous."

Luke nodded gravely, but couldn't keep himself focussed with the abundance of natural wealth about him. "Where should we start?" He eventually asked.

That was the problem. A vision like this could be too large to try and search conventionally. "Use your feelings, Luke. Try to sense Vader."

It wasn't the best plan, but they didn't have any other options. Potentially, using the Force to detect him would let Vader know they were coming. Or, he had been able to pin-point their location the moment they set metaphorical foot inside his mind. There was no way of knowing.

"This way!" Luke said, his voice interrupted Obi-Wan's internal musings. That was fast.

Without waiting for his mentor, the padawan turned to look north, a grim look on his face. "Are you sure he can't hurt us?" The fear in his voice was disguised, but Obi-Wan heard it nonetheless. At least the boy had a sense of self-preservation

"No, but it is unlikely," Kenobi said. He walked to stand next to Luke, placing his weathered hand on the young man's shoulder. "Don't worry. If he can attack us, he will go for me first." Luke snorted, spirits lightened somewhat.

With that, Obi-Wan took the lead, wading through the grass. In places, it reached to his waist, fronds obscuring the ground. Thankfully, the Sith's vision appeared to be benign – at least the part they were travelling through – so there were no protruding roots or man-eating beetles lurking out of sight.

However, once they began walking, the meadow didn't last for very long. Soon the long grass and swaying flowers began to grow shorter, only noticeable once you turned back. Ahead of them, a dwelling rose out of the scenery. The shape was oddly reminiscent of the domed huts on Tatooine, but it somehow fit the world. Naboo, probably.

Luke saw it at the same moment he did, his brows furrowing. "That doesn't make sense," He said. "Why would Vader have-"

"I don't know, son." Obi-Wan interrupted. That could be a dangerous line of questioning.

Even from a distance, the scene was quite beautiful – as calm as the rest. White pourstone dome rose out of the grass, yet without looking too out of place. About it, flowers bloomed in neat little rows, obviously well cared for. In the distance, behind the building, a herd of large creatures grazed beneath a towering tree, their lowing calls occasionally drifting across.

Despite the soothing imagery, something about the homestead felt off. Reaching into the Force, Obi-Wan quickly discovered what that was. Vader was there.

He appeared to be making absolutely no attempt to hide his presence. It was just lurking inside the building, strangely small and unthreatening. The usual hateful shrouds which obscured a Sith's mind were almost non-existent, replaced by a strange, constantly-swirling maelstrom of unadulterated love and simple joy. It was still Dark – enough so that even briefly touching the mind left Obi-Wan feeling tainted – but the emotion was not hatred. Hatred was barely even there.

How was that even possible?! Sith were monstrous killing machines with no concept of the finer elements of life! Vader could not be any better: he was cruel, conceited and evi-

"Does he know we're here?" Luke said, his voice low, as if scared the Sith would hear them. The Jedi started, pulled from his thoughts. He had to calm down.

Due to their lack of crushed wind pipes, Obi-Wan guessed; "No, I don't think so…" Then again, that would be out of character for Vader. Well, the man he had known nearly two decades ago, at any rate.

Reassured, Luke started forward, a determined set to his face. Kenobi followed behind, if more wary. He had no idea how this would go. In fact, a pile of dead Jedi might have been preferable to this; at least he would know what was going on, then. None of this lined up with what he knew of Darth Vader. None of it.

A gorgeous meadow, undisturbed by war and bloodshed? A clearly well-worn and loved home, in the middle of said meadow? It didn't make sense. Vader had single-handedly decimated the most powerful culture on record for what seemed to be no reason whatsoever, except perhaps not feeling trusted or special enough. The man was a twisted, sick monster with no concept of love; why was this his most treasured desire? Why was peace something he wanted most?!

The closer they got, the more nervous Kenobi became. It didn't make any sense. And if it didn't make sense, he couldn't predict what would happen. Which meant he couldn't protect Luke. He had to protect Luke. He refused to fail another padawan. With that in mind, he caught up to his charge and overtook, stopping a few feet from the entrance to the dome. Behind him, Luke gazed at the familiar home, grief suddenly at the forefront of his mind. Of course; he had lost his carers only a few weeks ago.

Before the Jedi could reach out to console his charge, Luke pulled himself together, face setting into a determined glower.

At the pair's feet, flowers, familiar from the meadow behind them, grew in carefully cultivated little rows, each one precisely spaced from the others. If not for their delicacy, they would have reminded Obi-Wan of soldiers. The dome rose above, perhaps a head taller than the Jedi, maintained pourstone a soft off-white, small cracks only visible from up close, showed the home to be well-used. Rounding the building, Kenobi came upon an entrance – a simple arched doorway, steps leading down. Behind him, Luke peered over his shoulder, curious, yet still wary of what they could be facing.

The palpable aura of hesitation coming from himself and his padawan was a direct juxtaposition to their calm surroundings, setting Obi-Wan's teeth on edge.

"Promise me, that if I am attacked, you will run." Obi-Wan said, his voice pitched low.

He didn't need to be able to see the boy's face to know the sort of look he pulled at that demand. "Fine," Luke grumbled out, "But only if I can't help you."

It was unlikely prodding him would get a better arrangement, so Kenobi steeled himself. Perhaps this was where the atrocities would start.

Trying his best not to think on what he was doing, what he could be leading his padawan into; Obi-Wan descended the first step. Beneath his boot, it was dipped in the middle – well worn. The smooth pourstone sloped downward over his head, leading the tunnel on. The next step, and the next. Where was Vader?

At his back, Luke's breathing was audible in the confined space. Even with the stairwell illuminated, it felt claustrophobic, especially given the presence looming before them. At the bottom, the tunnel widened out, showing a snapshot of a room.

Vader had to be in there.

Obi-Wan continued, cautiously feeling out each step before he took it – he did not want to activate any traps. They were within the mind of a Sith; nothing could be left to chance, especially with Luke only a step behind.

Within inches of entering the room, Kenobi paused, attempting, for the final time, to pinpoint Vader's position. Once again, there was no way to know for certain.

So, with nothing left to do but step out into the room, Obi-Wan took a breath and did so.

As with the outside, the dome interior closely mimicked the Lars' homestead. Pourstone made up the floor, walls and ceiling, whilst an oak table sat in the centre, mechanical clutter mixing with children's toys and intricate headpieces.

However, Obi-Wan's attention was immediately drawn to the man on their left, casually leaning against the wall. There was no mistaking his identity.

He wore dark, relatively loose Jedi robes, which sent a pang through Kenobi. Thankfully, that was where any similarities between this monster and his old friend ended.

Vader was horribly scarred. Not a hair grew on his head, and his eyebrows had done no better. Each raised portion was sickly pale, clashing with the walls and his clothing. From beneath the dark robes, mechanical limbs held him upright – great durasteel hunks, unrefined and ancient-looking. Gleaming in the soft interior lighting, each movement was visible. Instead of simply standing there, as Obi-Wan had first thought, Vader held a small tool in his left hand, what remained of his brows furrowed deeply as he concentrated, glaring at his right prosthetic arm. Each miniscule movement of his fingers shifted the metal, creating a rather fascinating view into the cybernetic as it moved, pistons imitating tendons.

It was strange; the contrast of Vader's serene surroundings clashed with the man, disrupting any sense of peace without seeming to try.

Kenobi stood stock still as he studied the Sith.

Luke, unfortunately, didn't have as much restraint.

The padawan squeezed around his tutor, stepped into the room and stopped. But, it was enough. Vader's head swung up, piercing, cold blue eyes focused on Luke, fist tightened about the tool. His head cocked, a slightly puzzled look crossed his face, followed by another emotion; this one harder to puzzle out. "Who are you?" His mouth formed the words, pushed them out with an unnatural, Imperial hiss. The voice was distorted with simmering anger, but still recognisable. "What are you doing here?"

Luke didn't know what to say. His mouth worked – from where Obi-Wan was standing, he could see the muscles in his jaw bunching under the skin. The silence after Vader's words couldn't be more complete – his wheezing breaths were ominously audible, metallic clinking from his limbs a strange accompaniment.

Breaking the silence; laughter.

Vader's back straightened, his head turned and his expression melted. The hard curl of his lips smoothed out, eyes became warmer, and even the imposing metal limbs somehow became less threatening.

Two children burst into the room, one with light, sun bleached hair, and the other possessed a head of brunette locks. Both were the same height – only a few inches shorter than Luke and had no discernible features. It was as if their faces were blurred; their voices too.

"Daddy?" One called out, their head swivelling as they searched. The other seemed to see Vader first and tugged on their sibling, and both ran to the Sith. If not for the shock permeating Obi-Wan, rooting him to the spot, he would have warned the children away. "Daddy!" They both exclaimed joyously, arms wrapping about Vader's metallic legs.

It was as if watching a ghost – the Sith seemed to completely forget their existence once the children entered his vision. He bent down, a smile spreading, eyes burning into a strangely pleasant gold as his entire face seemed to light up, as if glowing from the inside. "Yes, young ones?" He said.

The Outer Rim accent sent a spike through Obi-Wan's heart. He stumbled backwards, hand shooting out to catch himself on the wall. Vader didn't notice, and neither did Luke, enraptured with the scene playing out before them.

"Mummy says she needs help with moving somethin'," One of the two said, tugging on Vader's clothing. The man didn't resist, and was led away by the two children. The strange group walked around the table and headed through a doorway and quickly disappeared from view.

Once they were gone, Luke seemed to return to himself and reached out for Obi-Wan, a concerned look on his face. "Ben?" He said, "Ben, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, son," Kenobi managed to reply. "It's just seeing him again…"

Luke scowled, "That's Vader, isn't it?" The Jedi nodded. "We'll get him, Ben. He'll pay for killing my father."

Force, their situation was not looking good. "Let's just observe for now," Obi-Wan stood upright again, careful to hide his hands deep within his sleeves. It wouldn't be good for the young man to see them trembling. "Perhaps we shall find some useful information."

Luke nodded again. "He's probably got loads of Imperial secrets locked up in here," The boy looked about.

"Probably." Obi-Wan started towards the doorway, motioned for his padawan to follow close behind. Upon poking his head around the corner, Kenobi deemed it safe to continue into the next room. Because, whilst he was constantly aware of who's mind they were inhabiting, he couldn't envision the scene before them becoming deadly any time soon.

It was a classic kitchen – oven, stove, small table, fridge, counters. About the table pushed against the cramped room's wall were Padmé, Ahsoka and far younger-looking Obi-Wan. Rex's helmet and blasters sat on the table – Ahsoka was quietly cleaning them. Seeing the familiar group was like a vicious kick to the gut.

Ahead of Luke and Kenobi was Vader with his two escorts, pulling him towards where Padmé sat.

"Mummy!" The blond said, "Mummy, we got Daddy."

Brunette spoke up, interrupting their sibling; "He was guarding the door like you said."

Padmé smiled indulgently, "Thank you for getting Daddy for me, _ and _." The children's names were garbled, played in reverse. She ruffled their hair, then looked up to Vader. Hugged him. "Anakin, you know you don't have to just sit in the dining room all day, don't you? We're safe here; there's no need."

"I couldn't lose you again, Padmé," Vader returned the embrace, speaking into her hair. After a moment, the two broke apart. "The kids said you needed something moving?"

She rolled her eyes. "They didn't want to do it themselves, you mean."

"Snips didn't want to help, either?" Vader glanced over at his former padawan, now with lekku stretching down to her waist, and montrals which were level with his eyes.

Ahsoka looked up from her cleaning with a playful scowl. "Just because I have the Force doesn't mean I'm just going to do all your kids' chores, Skyguy!"

"You damn count as one of my kids at this point, my young padawan," Vader replied, his smile genuine. "Now," He turned back to his wife, "What was this heavy object?"

Padmé sighed. "Rex was fooling around with Artoo's boosters again. And now Threepio's stuck in the tree."

"… How-?"

"Don't ask."

"Okay…" Vader shrugged. "I'll save him for you, don't worry."

The senator smirked, "Oh, my Hero. Want to watch some of those old Hero With No Fear holos as a reward, later?"

Vader made a face, "One of your smiles would be reward enough, milady."

Padmé chuckled and beamed up at her husband. "Good enough for you?"

"With a smile like that, you get the next Threepio-saving free," He leant down and placed a peck on her cheek, waved to the children and vision Obi-Wan sat about the table, then ducked through the next doorway, disappearing into bright light streaming through.

The real Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker stood just inside the kitchen, looks of utter confusion obvious on both faces.

"His greatest desire is to… get Threepio out of a tree?" Luke eventually broke the silence, voice pitched low. "But this is Darth Vader how can that be righ-"

"No, Luke. He is… protecting these people…" Oh, that made sense. That made too much sense. Force, what had he done? This had been so easily achievable… Except it hadn't; not really. Why had Anakin turned?! Why was this what he wanted most?

The farm boy slowly stepped into the room, until he was standing directly behind Ahsoka. He cautiously reached out and waved a hand in front of her face, but the Togruta didn't pause cleaning Rex's blaster. She didn't even blink. "Huh, so they really can't see us? How come Vader…?"

"I don't know, son," Obi-Wan managed to say, still reeling.

"Who are these people?" Luke was moving again, peering into Ahsoka's face, then the blond child. "If they're real, maybe we can use them against Vader?" Finally he turned to Padmé and froze. Kenobi watched with a mix of horror and resignation as recognition crossed his padawan's face. "I… know her…"

Would it be better to tell the child, or let him figure it out? Because there was not much of a chance that Luke would leave such a vision without a certain tit-bit of knowledge, especially with how… Anakin the whole thing had turned out to be.

Best to rip the bacta off. "She's your-"

He couldn't say it.

"She's my what?" Luke was looking at him, expression open and confused. He deserved to know. He deserved to learn from his mentor, not Vader.

But he couldn't. It hurt, trying to think like that; of Anakin and Vader and Padmé. It would be excruciating to admit it out loud. If he didn't say it, if others didn't know, it felt less real. "-Nurse. When you were a baby, she looked after you until you could be moved to Tatooine."

Luke accepted it without protest. What reason had he to doubt 'Old Ben'? The deception – lie – felt like swallowing sand.

"What's her name?"

"Padmé Naberrie. She and your father were… friends." They had to move on. Ahsoka's bent head and Rex's battle-worn helmet seemed to be taunting him from the corner of his eye. "Let's follow Vader." Obi-Wan said and all but fled the room, not waiting for Luke.

It took some time to find the Sith. However, when they did, he hadn't yet managed to extricate Threepio from his situation. Which was, as Padmé had described, stuck in a tree. With R2-D2 and Rex sat at the bottom, chortling to themselves.

Artoo was well-cared for, without a scorch mark or clot of dirt to be found on his rotund metal body – upon seeing the little droid, Luke's mouth fell open.

"Vader knows Artoo?!" He whisper-shouted. Once he looked up and spied the golden protocol droid, however, his jaw almost hit the ground, "That's impossible…!"

Before Obi-Wan could think up another falsehood to quiet his charge's mind, Vader interrupted, quite loudly. "Threepio," He sighed exasperatedly. "Just jump! I'll catch you! How many times did we do this in the Clone Wars?"

"Far too many! My goodness, how can you ask me to throw myself from a tree like this, Master Ani?!" Threepio seemed to be having none of it. "Oh, you might as well ask me to- to- get captured by Jawas!"

Rex, taking a break from snickering, leant forwards to peer up at the droid. "If you can't even get out of a tree, 'Master Ani' might sell you to the damn Jawas!" At the sound of distress C-3PO made, the clone snorted again.

"Look, Threepio, either you jump or I get up there and push you." Vader attempted to reason, holding out his metal arms in a way that was probably supposed to be inviting. And failed miserably. Because those prosthetics were quite infamous in the Rebellion for being able to crush your trachea. And your blaster. And armour, too.

Whilst the protocol droid seemed to be thinking it over, Artoo let out a flurry of beeps and whistles. Thankfully, whatever he had said seemed to be quite convincing. "All right, all right!" Threepio exclaimed, waving his arms about robotically. "But if I am destroyed and repurposed into a- toaster, it's all your fault, Artoo!" With that, Threepio less jumped, more fell from the tree, wailing as he went.

Vader effortlessly caught him with the Force about a metre from the ground, rotated the droid carefully, and then set him down with a soft thump. "There," He said. "That wasn't so bad, was it?"

"It was awful!" The droid complained, hands waving even more. "I probably fried enough circuits to-"

"So; you're fine, then," Vader cut in with a smirk. He then turned to Rex, "I'm going to go and make _ and _ something to eat. You want anything?"

Without much thought, the clone shrugged, "I'd appreciate lunch for me and Ahsoka, General."

"Still teaching her to shoot that blaster?"

Rex grinned as he shoved himself upright, "I'll make a trooper out of her yet."

"I'll make you two something, just be back before it gets too dark, okay, Rex?"

"Yes, General!" He snapped off a salute, which received a relaxed one in turn from Vader. The Sith spun on his heel, job done, to return to the homestead. Leaving the two Jedi, still in quite the state of shock, to stare after his retreating form.

Luke turned to his tutor with a face which screamed what-did-we-just-witness. "… Should we follow him?"

Obi-Wan slowly nodded, taking a last look at Rex, and then walked after Vader. He was tiring of this little game. Was the Sith purposefully doing this, just to show him what could have been? Was it some form of sick torture?

But; that didn't seem right. Something was very wrong with the whole ordeal.

The two followed a few metres behind Vader. Around them, the large herd animals milled, browsing on the short grass, but parting before the three with little thought. They were unlike anything Obi-Wan had seen before – with scaled greenish skin and wide black eyes set in the sides of their head. He was quite sure that, whatever these creatures were, they didn't originate on Naboo.

Suddenly, Vader stopped.

At first, Kenobi thought he was going to turn, glower at them, maybe attack. So, he stepped forward, placed himself between the Sith Lord and Luke, hand automatically searching for his lightsabre, which apparently hadn't made it into the vision.

However, the cyborg simply brought a metallic hand to his temple, head bowed and body tense. As if responding to whatever had happened, the world about them began shuddering; at first they were small tremors, but they swiftly grew until the ground was convulsing violently. Vader let out a soft snarl and dropped to his knees, other hand coming up to clasp his head, bowing forward until his nose was nearly in the dirt.

Luke, stumbling as he tried to remain upright, clung to Obi-Wan. "What's happening?!" He yelped, panic suffused his voice.

Kenobi didn't have much of an idea, either, but one was starting to solidify in his mind. As if to prove that theory, the animals began to bleat fearfully, their scales dulling and eyes rolling. Just as the tremors started to slow, coming to a stop, the creatures were wailing. Their skin and muscles were rotting away, eyes drying out and shrivelling up inside their skulls, until all that was left of the herd were piles of sun-bleached bones.

Vader was gasping, on his knees, forehead pressed against the grass. He slowly stumbled upright, still clutching his head with both hands. It was beyond strange seeing him like this; no forbidding armour, Force presence suffused with pain, arms wrapped about himself as if scared his body would come apart at the seams. Considering what they had just witnessed, it wasn't too strange a concept.

Luke opened his mouth as if to ask again, but Obi-Wan answered before he got the chance. "Before, I said that this place uses up victims like a battery?"

The padawan nodded, realisation blowing his eyes wide. "Does Vader know…? We need to get out of here!"

"I…" Obi-Wan stared after the Sith, continuing with his trek back to the homestead. Did he know? Did he know that this was killing him, slowly, from the inside out? "Vader!" He called before he could rethink it.

The Sith froze, fingers clenching, digging into his own skin. Through the Force, he felt like someone suddenly awoken from a deep sleep – murky and blurred with confusion. "Obi-Wan," He said, voice once again Imperial. But, even those two words shuddered. Only a few metres in front, Vader attempted to straighten, flinching. "What are you doing here?" He didn't turn around.

The old Jedi took a few steps forward, stopped. He was within arm's reach of Vader. "This vision is fake," He said, trying to keep his voice soft. "It is killing you."

Vader snorted, looked over his shoulder to glare at Obi-Wan. "You think I don't know?" He turned fully to confront the Jedi, a snarl twisting his face and hands creaking by his sides as he clenched them. "What other choice do I have, Master?!" And he had begun to shout, hoarse voice vicious.

"Anakin…" Obi-Wan whispered, looking up into his best friend's burnt, mangled face.

"That name means nothingto me!" He bellowed, hands rising to rest on Kenobi's throat, but stopping just shy of applying pressure. "Do not presume that there is anything of that weak boy left ali-"

Obi-Wan laughed, but it was an awful, broken sound. "Anakin's padawan!" He almost screamed, "Anakin's children!" Spittle was flying from his mouth. "Anakin's wife!"

Vader shoved him away wordlessly, eyes molten. "They mean nothing to m-"

Again, the Jedi laughed. "They are Anakin Skywalker's! Do not tell me you are not him. If I- I can recognise it, then you must too!"

The Sith said nothing, only glowered at his former master, slowly picking himself up from the floor.

"If you stay here you will die." Obi-Wan said, sounding hoarse. "Come with me, we can fix thi-"

"Don't you understand?" Vader finally spoke up. "I am here to die."

Kenobi let out a breath, winded. "But Ana-"

"You couldn't do it on the Death Star!" He interrupted, face scrunching up in anguish. "If I did anything, Sidious would just patch me up again! This was my last option. I could die with my family! And you're- you're taking them from me again!" The last word was a roar, and a vast shock wave of energy was released, blasting Kenobi and Luke back, pressing them against the dirt, holding them there. "The least you could've done on Mustafar was kill me!"

As the cyborg limped away, the older Jedi's eyes began to drift closed. He fought it, gasping for breath and desperately clawing at consciousness. But, he eventually succumbed.

When Obi-Wan finally opened his eyes again, it was to Luke's face peering down at him. Kenobi slowly pushed himself upright, until he was sitting semi-comfortably, palms slipping on the coarse sand.

The first thing he noticed, other than his padawan, was the dramatic change in scenery. Instead of the luscious green stretching on forever, everything had become a deserted, lifeless desert. "What happened to all the grass?" He asked automatically. And then promptly remembered what had transpired closely before he had been knocked unconscious and winced. "Luke, I'm so-"

"Another earthquake and everything died, like the last one." The boy cut in as he lowered himself to sit opposite from Obi-Wan, separated by a few metres. "You're sorry? For lying to me?"

Kenobi bowed his head. So, he had figured it out. With the shouting match he had just witnessed, that shouldn't have been a surprise. "Yes."

Luke didn't move a muscle. Even through the Force, he felt like a burning ball of ice fire. "He's my father, isn't he?"

The Jedi glanced up; trying to gauge his padawan's reaction, but the boy's face was expressionless. He had no idea what to do. Should he excuse himself? Try to make him understand why it had to be done? "Yes."

"When were you going to tell me?" Finally, an emotion. It was exhaustion – as if the anger from the reveal had swept through him, tearing the energy from him. "Ever?"

"I… I don't know, son."

"Don't call me that." He snapped, but with little force behind it, then rested his head in his hand. "Does he know?"

Obi-Wan shrugged wearily, stroked his beard. "No, I don't imagine so."

"Then we have to tell him."

"…What?" Because he had to have misheard that. Even without believing Vader had killed his father, it was still Darth Vader they were talking about. Luke had been with the Rebellion for long enough to know how evil the man was, hadn't he? "Why would you want to-"

"Because I just found out my father's actually alive, and that he's trying to commit suicide by Sith temple because he thinks his family is dead." Luke said, calm and collected, despite the sentence that had just exited his mouth. "I'm still alive. If he knows that, he might try and live." The boy stood, dusted himself off. "Don't try to stop me, Ben."

"I won't, Luke." Kenobi tried to reassure him, winced as he regained his feet. He wasn't as young as he used to be. "But remember. This is still Darth Vader. Just because he is your father doesn't mean he is redeemed."

"I know." Luke replied, still scarily calm. "He killed Biggs, remember? You don't have to tell me who he is. You've made sure I know." Without looking back, he turned towards where, in the distance, the dome rose out of the sand, an almost blinding white in the Tatooine wastes.

Obi-Wan stared after him for a few moments as the form retreated. Of all the families in the galaxy, why had he been saddled with the Skywalkers? With a disgruntled grumble, Kenobi tried to ignore the growing throb in the back of his head and marched after his wayward padawan. The least he could do was protect the boy.

When the two finally arrived back at the homestead, they were walking together, approaching the dome cautiously. "He's inside," Luke said.

There were quite a few changes since they had last been there. Aside from everything becoming a desert, the dome had more cracks now, and appeared far more worn. Before, the edges of the entrance had been quite squared off, but this time they were completely rounded, cracks spiralling out from it, the inside in complete darkness. Except for the first step, which was lit by meagre rays of light that managed to sneak in and illuminate it. Obi-Wan approached, and even that small amount was snuffed out by his shadow.

"Luke, are you sure you want to-?"

"Yes," He said, then promptly pushed past Obi-Wan and headed down. With a sigh, his mentor followed.

Unlike the exterior's new appearance, the cosy little kitchen had stayed unimposing. Pots, pans and other utensils were stacked next to the sink in a towering pile. Little splashes of what appeared to be an orange-brown soup stained the cooker and countertops, with a few even making it to the floor. From the doorway into the next room, soft conversation and childish giggles.

Luke headed toward it, but was stopped by Obi-Wan's hand on his shoulder. He glanced back at the older Jedi, confused. "Be careful."

"I will, Ben." He smiled. "Don't worry."

Then he walked through, disappearing into the dining room. Obi-Wan followed.

Inside, was your average family dinner. Ahsoka and Rex were missing – doing target practise no doubt, but that left Padmé, the twins, vision Obi-Wan and, of course, Vader. Anakin? He was too mentally exhausted at that point to really think about it. He just wanted the entire debacle over, and quickly.

They were eating soup, which seemed to be one of the recipes Obi-Wan remembered from Clone War days, stuck on enemy planets. He had never understood how Anakin had been able to make that soup, no matter which ingredients were on hand. The vision Kenobi was rolling his eyes at whatever his ex-padawan had said, whilst Padmé was laughing quietly, the image of propriety. However, the two children were playing with their food. Apparently dipping bread sticks into their soup, then waving them around like lightsabres was hilarious. Just looking at the mess they were making made him wince – he'd had to deal with it all, though he didn't think ten-year-old Anakin had been that bad.

Luke stepped into the room, drank in the scene, much like his mentor was doing from the doorway. How would he do it? Just announce their relationship? It was clear, just from the boy's stance, that he didn't know either.

If Luke wasn't going to do it, then maybe they could try some different tactics first? If Vader finding out was avoidable, Obi-Wan was damn-well going to try. He stepped out, beside his charge. "Vader, they aren't real," He said, loud enough to be heard over the happy chatter.

Luke shot him a look, which was ignored in favour of shivering as the room fell silent – even the children stopped attacking each other with the soggy, soup-laden breadsticks. Only Vader's breathing could be heard, his eyes zeroing in on Obi-Wan. "I thought you left," He ground out, scraping the chair over the floor loudly as he stood, the sound jarring in the almost silence. "It would have been wise of you to leave."

"I won't abandon you, not this time." And it was true. Force help him, it was true. "You have to come with me. We will fix this." Vader was tensing more and more as he spoke. "You can tell the Rebellion all you know. It's what Padmé would have wanted-"

Vader snarled, filled with anger. "I told you to leave!" He lashed out with the Force again, pinning Obi-Wan to the wall behind him and flinging Luke to the floor. "Why won't you?!"

"Because you're my brother, Anakin!" His chest was compressing, he couldn't breathe, his ribs felt like they were popping, shattering, spearing his lungs - "I love you!"

Vader just let out a broken half-laugh. At his side, Padmé was looking on blankly, slowly becoming more transparent. All the vision's creations were. But Vader barely noticed, too caught up. "You left me to burn!" He hissed, throwing out his hand, fingers curling in as the Force curled about Obi-Wan, his ribs were cracking, every finger in his right hand suddenly become gravel and he gasped as the pain lanced through him. Vader's eyes lit up, and he got ready for another twist, to snap his old master's neck, when the fading image of Padmé spoke up.

"No, Ani… Don't…" She gasped out, the wall behind her head visible. "You are better than this…"

Before Vader could react, other than a look of utter horror, she was gone. Vision Obi-Wan and the two children followed her.

Luke clambered to his feet, gasping for breath and rushed to his mentor's side, desperately checked for a pulse, eyes wide with shock. Obi-Wan coughed, let out a yelp as it caused his decimated hand to move. "Stars, what did he do to you…?" The farm boy asked, stuck between terror and panic.

Behind them, Vader had collapsed to his knees again, mouthing denials to himself, clutching at the air where his wife had been moments before. Then, with a moan of pain, a robotic hand clutched at his skull, strong grip deforming the skin, twisting scars. Again, the ground began to shake but, this time; everything around them was disintegrating, turning to ash. The table between the fallen Jedi and Vader went up in flames, caught onto the chairs and they, too, crumpled into nothing at the fire's heat. The Sith must have seen what was happening from the corner of his eye – he flinched away with a terrified screech. From the chairs, fire spread to even the stone floor, licking at the walls and their bodies, though it did not set them alight. Vader, despite the apparent harmlessness of them, thrashed, hoarse cries torn from his throat.

To the tune of Vader's blind panic, the rest of the dome came crashing down atop them. Flames filled Obi-Wan's vision, and he could see nothing else. Unlike his former padawan, he held onto his Jedi teachings, forcibly reminding himself it was not real until, when he opened his eyes, the fire was gone, the house along with it.

Instead, they were lying on the volcanic shores of Mustafar once again. Luke had his eyes firmly closed, hands tightly fisted in one of Obi-Wan's sleeves, his face pale. Kenobi placed a hand on the boy's shoulder, which startled his eyes open, their blue panicked. "It's alright, young one. It was not real; you will come to no harm." He tried to make it sound like a promise, but their recent experiences had proven how little he would be able to do to keep his charge safe. Even sitting up to address Luke properly had brought excruciating pain. Thankfully, his padawan seemed reassured and slowly let go of his sleeve.

With no small amount of dread, Kenobi twisted, doing his best not to jolt his hand, to peer down the slope, searching for Vader. Thankfully, the man's appearance didn't match their new planet – he didn't know if he could bear seeing him like that again.

Obi-Wan's relief didn't last for very long, as his former padawan was curled in on himself, forehead pressed again metal knees, hands clutching himself, entire body juddering every few seconds. Behind him, the lava rushed past, bubbling and every bit as menacing as the first time he'd been on this awful planet. Even in his occasional nightmares, it wasn't as bad as this.

Kenobi painstakingly made his way to his feet, hand burning every inch of the way, his old bones protesting each small movement as he slowly levered himself upright. Luke, still with wide, uncomprehending eyes as he stared out at the hellish planet, rose with him, reached out when his mentor stumbled, nearly fell. The two faced Vader from their vantage point.

Without a word, Obi-Wan began the descent, Luke by his side.

Beneath their feet, the black sand shifted constantly, burning hot to the touch. The two leant together, each attempting to support the other as they trekked down the slope, slipping on the volcanic slopes. Even with Luke's thick soles, he could feel the heat, burning through.

Eventually, the two Jedi made it. They were perhaps only a metre from Vader, his prone body still shuddering every so often. Now they were closer, the dry gasps were audible.

Luke grabbed his mentor's forearm, looked up at him. "What's wrong with him?" He asked. "What happened here?"

Obi-Wan didn't want to answer. Even between this hard truth and Luke's parentage, there was no contest. He didn't want it to be real. Hiding from what he had done for nineteen years had made it seem like it belonged to another life; a separate one. But the boy deserved – needed to know. "This place, Mustafar… I and Vader, we fought." He took in a breath of the burning air. "He overestimated his abilities. I… cut off his remaining limbs, and he fell down this slope." Obi-Wan gestured, the scene occurring in his mind's eye. The hiss of his lightsabre, his best friend's screams. "He burnt in the lava."

Luke didn't respond, just pushed the older Jedi away. When Kenobi didn't move, he glowered at him. "If you did all that, and he's acting like this," Luke pointed a finger, "Just because of the planet, I think you should stay away."

That… made sense. "But Luke, he's dangerous-"

"He is my father, and he will not hurt me!" The young Jedi replied, sure in his belief.

Obi-Wan watched on, his heart in his mouth, as his second padawan walked down the beach of Mustafar to confront his first.

Luke approached Darth Vader, utterly confused as to what he should do. He knew he had to do something. He knew he had to do it quickly – every wasted second brought his father closer to death. He would not gain him just to lose him.

He reached the cyborg's side, crouched down. His hand hovered above the older man's shoulder. "Father…?" He forced out, voice barely loud enough to be heard above the lava's crackling; he doubted it could penetrate whatever Vader was experiencing. "Father!" He spoke louder, desperation seeping into his tone. He would not lose him!

Vader stirred, his head rising slightly. Luke grasped his shoulder, was about to shake, when the cyborg burst into motion. Suddenly, the Tatooine farm boy was no longer in contact with the ground, but held by his neck by a durasteel arm.

"Who are you?!" His father asked – demanded. His eyes were wide, the same colour as the lava flowing past them only a few metres away. "What do you want?" The hand tightened, panicked. "Leave me alone-"

But Luke cut him off, grasping at the metal arm. "I am your son!"

Vader froze; the unnatural colour fled his irises.

"I am Luke Skywalker." The boy gasped out, "You are my father."

About them, the Force rang with truth. It was like someone had dipped reality in freezing cold water, presented the facts without preamble or doubt. Luke was Vader's son. It was as true and natural as gravity.

Vader slowly, gently, set his son down, placed his prosthetic hands on Luke's shoulders and studied his face for a moment, shock and wonder clear on his own. "You're our son…" He whispered, softly, tenderly.

But the moment wasn't to last. He gasped, hands reaching for his temples again; the ground began shattering beneath them, opening up to reveal a vast chasm of pure Dark.

"Father!" Luke screamed. He couldn't lose him. No, he couldn't! Without thinking, he grasped his father's arm, desperately used every ounce of his strength to yank the man away from that pit of utter wrongness. "Wake up!" He yelled, grabbing his face, staring into the scrunched closed eyes. "Please!"

Obi-Wan, in the background, let out a surprised yelp. Luke twisted to see, but only caught sight of the man's pale, uncomprehending face as he slipped, fell, plummeted into the chasm. "Ben!" There was nothing he could do but watch as the Dark tentacles oozed about his mentor, tugged him down and away.

Luke turned back to his father, desperate. "Please, please, this is not real; we're going to die-!"

The young Jedi was clutching his father's helmet, tears streamed down his face as he trembled. "-we're going to die please, please, I just found you, don't die-"

Vader's gloved hand reached up, wrapped gently around his child's wrist. "I would never let anything happen to you, little one. Do not worry."

Luke's eyes snapped open onto the dark temple room, chest heaving and sweat trickling down his face, mingling with panicked tears. "Oh," He gasped, then fell forwards, embraced his father. "I thought you were going to die…"

"Now that I know of your existence, I shall endeavour to remain alive," Vader said, awkwardly patting his son's back, utterly unaware of how to handle the situation, but never wanting it to end. Luke slowly pulled away, smiled. And suddenly remembered the other person who had been in the vision with them.

With a shout, he pulled away, spun, eyes roving desperately to find Obi-Wan. If he had died in the vision, would his body still be in the real world? Would he be comatose? Had he survived? Oh stars, he didn't know what he would do without Ben… "Ben?" He called, when he couldn't see the older man. Vader quickly picked up on what he was so panicked about. At first he hesitated, but a single glance at his son's dire expression made him give in with a sigh.

"Your teacher is here, young one," He moved slightly, revealing Obi-Wan's collapsed form.

Luke immediately dove to the older man's side, checked for a pulse, shook him when he couldn't find one. "Is he alive?" He asked, frantic.

"I… cannot tell," Vader replied.

Luke stared at his father's declaration, unwilling to comprehend what may have just happened. He was not prepared to lose his mentor. Not at all. Just as he was about to start shouting at his father, demanding the impossible, Obi-Wan stirred.

He gasped, coughed, eyes flickered open. The first thing he saw was his padawan's relieved expression, "Don't worry, Luke," He managed to cough out, "It'll take more than that to kill me."

"Good," Luke replied breathlessly, a laugh bubbling up. "I haven't finished my training just yet."

Vader interrupted, "You will not need him to continue your training, my son," His voice was deep and ominous once again, almost impossible to read any emotion from with his vocoder.

"What do you mean?" He said it more as a challenge than anything else – he knew who his father was.

"I will be taking you into Imperial custody-"

Obi-Wan cut in, sitting up, glowering at the Sith. "And will you be doing this with Luke's consent?"

"I do not require it, I am his fath-"

"That does not give you an automatic right to him, Anakin!"

Behind his mask, Vader scowled. "How dare you-"

"Because, if you think trying to get Luke to comply forcibly will work, you are very wrong. You still have much to learn." Obi-Wan cocked his head, stroked his beard, a thoughtful expression upon his face. "However, if you came with us, helped the Alliance, I have no doubt that Luke would be happy to do father-son bonding with you…"

Luke glanced sideways at his tutor, a small smirk pulled at the corner of his mouth. "Yes, father. Help the Alliance – you can protect me better if I'm willing." Then, a hard look entered his eyes. "Capture me, put me on an Imperial ship, and I will never co-operate."

It didn't take Vader long to make up his mind. "Fine, I shall help you and your insignificant band of traitors. But only because you give me no other choice."

Luke's face split with a massive grin. "I knew you'd make the right decision," And, since he didn't have the restraint of his father, gave the man a hug.