Test of Time Book 1: A Father's Son

Chapter 31: Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow

Anakin woke up to the sound of one of the twins crying.

It was the middle of the night, one week since the twins had been born and ten days since Luke had died.

Anakin sighed as Padmé stirred. "Go back to bed, Angel, I've got it. Get your sleep," Anakin told her quietly, kissing her forehead before he rolled out of the bed.

"Thank you, Anakin," he heard her say tiredly.

Anakin smiled slightly as he left the room, heading for the room that Padmé and he had set up for the twins. Anakin knew by the cry which twin was awake and, by the sound of it, rather grumpy. Anakin chuckled softly to himself as he quietly slipped into the bedroom, padding over to the crib.

He picked up the squirming child, holding them tenderly in his arms and careful not to wake the twin that had managed, somehow, to stay asleep.

"Shh Luke...it's all right...it's all right," Anakin whispered soothingly to the squirming baby, rocking Luke gently in his arms as he sent soothing waves of comfort towards him through the Force. "Shh..."

Luke's wailing eventually started to taper off before ending, and the infant looked up at him with eyes identical to his own. Anakin felt a tug at his heart yet again as he looked at his son, slowly pacing the room as he continued to try and put the child back to sleep.

As Anakin continued his repetitive soothing process, Luke's eyes slowly drooped shut, though Anakin knew better. He continued the calming pace until enough time had passed that the infant would have fallen into a deep sleep. Only then did he carefully make his way back to the crib.

Softly, so as not to wake him and have to repeat the process, Anakin leaned down and kissed the tiny forehead before he set Luke down in the crib, taking a moment to tenderly brush a thumb across Leia's cheek before he backed out of the room. He waited outside the door a few extra moments, just to be sure neither of the little ones woke up again before he started back to the bedroom.

On his way there—in the living room/veranda, in fact—Anakin felt as if he was being watched. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end and he tensed, freezing in place. He heard the slightest movement behind him and he spun around sharply, tensed and ready to go on the defensive as his hand dropped to where he usually kept his lightsaber, only to discover it wasn't there and was still on the nightstand in the bedroom.

In an instant, all of that melted away, and Anakin stumbled backwards in shock.

"Before you ask...yes, I'm real."

Anakin, still in shock, stared at the man that was stepping out of the shadows. The man limped, walking sluggishly as if he had sustained a horrible injury he was still recovering from. His blonde hair was untidy, but not necessarily a complete mess. As the man's features came into range of the light, his piercing blue eyes fixed Anakin in a gaze Anakin had been sure he wouldn't see again for a long time.

"Luke," Anakin whispered.

The young man gave a weak smile. "Yes, it's me."

There were a few heartbeats of silence between them before Anakin suddenly rushed across the room, embracing Luke in a tight hug.

"Careful, Anakin, I'm not fully recovered—careful!" Luke cried out, trying to keep his voice quiet to avoid waking anyone accidentally. Anakin eased up on the tightness of the hug but did not pull away, tears of relief and joy streaming down his cheeks.

"I-I thought you were dead! You died! You died in my arms! How are you alive?" Anakin exclaimed, all of his words coming out in a rush as he pulled back to look at Luke, grasping the young man's shoulders in a way that probably gave away the fact Anakin was trying to make sure all of this wasn't a dream and that Luke was, in fact, standing before him.