I Forgive You (A Star Wars Shortfic)

I Forgive You

Vader/Anakin's POV.

The boy stood over me, but he's not a boy in this moment, green blade poised to end my life. No, this is not a boy. Not the boy I faced on Bespin, the boy who I destroyed, shattered, stripped him of his innocence with one strike, and five simple words composed into a life altering sentence.

Sidious is speaking, he tells the young man to end me, as is the way of the Sith. And then, I see my son, my son comes back from the rage that he unleashed upon me. He clenches the cybernetic hand that replaces the natural flesh hand I took without hesitation, not a day goes by I'm not ashamed of doing so, what father takes his son's hand and hurts him, so much?

I deserve to die, I deserve to die.

The boy turns to Sidious, his blade deactivating as he speaks, such strength and conviction in his voice growing with each word.

"Never," he says softly, "I'll never join the Dark Side." He steps away from my prone figure, throwing his saber away as he advances on the Sith Lord. "You've failed, your 'Highness'," my son continues, voice gaining in strength, "I'm a Jedi, like my father before me."

Tense seconds pass, the only sounds are that of my sons breathing and my own damaged respirator.

"So be it, Jedi." Sidious sneers angrily. He raises his hands, and I know what's about to happen, I always know. "If you will not turn, you will be destroyed." Lightning explodes from his fingers, striking my son firmly, the young man crumbling almost instantly.

He tries to ward off Sidious' attacks, but it is a futile gesture as Sidious taunts him, my son's cries ringing out finally as the lightning becomes too much to bear silently.

"You will pay the price for your lack of vision!" Sidious spat vilely, electrocuting his victim without mercy as my son cries out in agonizing pain.

He looks to me, reaching out, pleadingly. "Father! Please!" He cries pitefully, convulsing violently as he cries again and screams for help.

Sidious stops a moment, giving him a short reprieve. "And now, young Skywalker, you will die."

I look between my master, and then my son as Sidious unleashed his cruelest punishment on the young Jedi, killing him slowly and painfully. He cries out again for help, and I make up my mind then as he calls for his father.

My unharmed hand reaches out and calls my son's thrown away saber, and I stab my master through his heart, if he even has one.

With the stab Sidious unleashes one final attack on the Jedi, slowly dying. I rip the saber from his chest and decapitates him, taking his life abruptly.

There is silence, silence...

"Luke!" I called going to the stilled figure on the ground. "Luke, Luke wake up, Son..." my helmet tells me Luke is still alive, but there's something wrong, he was exposed to Sidious' lightning for too long, Luke needed help.

"Father?" I look to his pained face, his beautiful features like my own before the fire, yet soft like his mother.

"I'm here Son, I'm here Luke." I say softly, my good left hand goes under Luke's back, my stub of a prosthetic goes under Luke's knee as I hoist him up, almost too quickly. I had thought he'd be heavier, but no, he's as light as a feather. As malnourished as he seems he was strong, not even crying out when I jostle him in my surprised state. No time to dwell on that now.

I carry my son to the elevator, and it takes us along in what seems like the slowest ride of my life, Luke's lifeforce feels faint, but no no no, he can't die, he's so young, so small. And yet he continues to dwindle even as we head for the nearest shuttle in the bustling hangar bay.

He's dwindling still, dying... no I won't let that happen!

"Luke, Luke I demand you stay with me." I order harshly as the shuttle starts up, taking us away from what I know is a doomed second Death Star.

A small, pathetic, mirthless laugh escapes my son, oh Luke, please, please don't.

"You, can't control everything, Father." Luke says softly as I sit on the floor, holding my child, my son, my rescuer.

I can't hold the tears that form at his words. Hadn't Padme said something along those lines? Hadn't she told him he couldn't control everything after his mother died? And then his need to save her had only cause her foreseen death to come true. And now, why, why was the Force so cruel to take my son as well, when I had just earned his boundless and endless love.

"No, no Luke please." I cry, holding the boy close, frantically running my only hand over his small cheek, oh he's so small and fragile like. I should have been protecting this child, not hunting him, killing to get to him, destroying him on every level.

He's so calm as he stares at me, and it hurts when I realize, he was more prepared to die than I had realized. He was so peaceful as his eyes look through the red lenses to my own, it's like he can see right through the mask, he can see right through to me, to his father.

"I'm not afraid, Father." He whispered softly, his voice pained but so strong and steady. "I was right about you. I know I was." He breathed, a small, joyous smile coming over his face.

"Yes, yes Son, you were right." I replied gently, holding him closer, cuping his face against my arm, tears were coming unbidden, it wasn't fair, why him? Why couldn't it be me? Why, why?

Luke closed his eyes as he breathed irregularly, no, he was leaving... no he couldn't leave me!

"Luke please, hold on, hold on just a little longer, your friends need you! Leia needs you!" I beg, yes I beg my son, I beg the Force, I beg every deity in the galaxy, please don't take my son. He's innocent, he doesn't deserve this fate. "I need you, please don't, don't go." I sob, shameless in my grief.

Luke reaches towards my face, looking up to me yearnfully as pale, cold fingers graze the metal. "I, I wish... we had more time..." He whispers. "Father, tell Leia. I don't want her to worry, tell my sister our father is saved, please?"

I nod vigorously. "Of course, but you can tell her yourself, please Luke..."

Luke shakes his head slowly. "I can't, I can't hold on... Father?"

I cry, I shake, I wish I could reverse our roles, the Force be cursed! Why did it take EVERYTHING from me?!?! "I'm here... Son, I won't leave you."

Luke nods slowly. "I know. Father, I love you... and... I forgive you." He says gently, so much love in eyes that must be my own, so so much love it breaks my heart.

"I love you Luke. I love you, so much." I answer shakily, holding him tighter as he grows limp in my grasp, I try to grab his light, try to keep him with me. But, he slips through my fingers like sand or water and then he's gone.

My son, my precious, loving son is gone.

The End