What Could Have Been, Star Wars, Darth Vader, young Luke Skywalker, Rated G
Title: What Could Have Been
Author: freckledmemory
Fandom: Star Wars
Characters: Darth Vader/Anakin, young Luke Skywalker
Rating: Rated G
Word Count: About 809
Disclaimers: I don’t own or profit from the characters.
Summary: A drabble about Vader and what he could be thinking about.
What Could Have Been
He closed his eyes and felt the cool breeze tickle across his face. He could smell the ocean, a strange briny scent that never ceased to fascinate him. He opened his eyes slowly, the light was so bright that he squinted for a few moments. The sky was a deep blue with spirals of clouds criss-crossing each other.
He heard a young voice floating along the breeze and he turned his head to the side to determine where it was coming from. He smiled. The boy was playing on the beach again. His mother worried when he went there alone though they had seen no other living beings in the months that they had been there.
Slowly he started walking down a path, following the sing-song voice of his son. The sand was warm on his bare feet and soft, not like…he faltered for a moment and almost came to a stop. Not like the other place. The one he didn’t think of anymore.
He quickened his steps, close enough that he could see the water now, the strange trees that grew near the edge in places and the white sand. The boy was leaping about, a piece of cane or reed in his hand, a huge grin upon his face. How happy he looked!
The boy whirled around and caught a glimpse of his audience. A delighted look crossed his face and he quickly threw his weapon to the side.
“Father!”
He smiled and knelt with his arms outstretched. The boy ran eagerly to him and flung himself in his arms.
“Did you see me, Father? Did you see how fast I was?”
“Yes, yes, I did see.”
There was sand trickling out of his son’s hair and a smear of something dark across one freckled cheek. He brushed the unruly hair away from the bright blue eyes.
“Did you forget something?”
The boy’s face grew suddenly somber and he lowered his head.
“I only meant to come a little way, not all the way to the water. And I knew you were nearby!”
“You know what your mother told you. She worries about you.”
“But I’m careful! You know that I am. She shouldn’t always worry so much.”
“Son…”
The boy sighed and gave a rueful half-smile.
“I know, Father. I’ll try to be more careful.”
“Come along then, your mother’s waiting for us.”
He stood, reaching out to grasp his son’s small hand. As he did so he spotted a small figure far down the beach. The boy followed his father’s gaze and grinned.
“That’s my new friend, Father. She’s a girl but she’s not too bad. She has long dark hair like Mother’s.”
“Where is she from?”
The boy frowned.
“I’m not sure. Some place very far away though. She’s lost her mother.”
He felt a sudden rush of fear at his son’s words, though he could not have said why. He grasped the boy closer to him and suddenly the day no longer seemed as bright as it once had.
“We should go…I…”
He turned his head to listen…
“Sir?”
He looked around in confusion. Why did everything look so strange? And where was the boy? He could no longer feel the small hand in his own.
“Sir?”
Slowly he turned, seeing gray steel floors and pristine white walls. A skinny nervous looking man came into view, a sheen of perspiration coating his narrow forehead.
“What did you say?”
He felt startled by his own voice, the deepness of it, but then the universe seemed to right itself and his mind snapped back into place.
“The shuttle is approaching, my Lord.”
“Very well.”
The man half-bowed nervously and then scurried away. Vader closed his eyes momentarily. How that one had made it so far up in rank he could not fathom.
Vader turned and strode down the corridor toward the elevator. As he neared the doors he lifted his hand…and froze, coming to a complete stop. He stared at his dark-gloved outstretched hand, overwhelmed by the sudden remembrance of a small warm hand grasped in his own.
He wasn’t real. But instead of the satisfaction he should have felt, a wave of deep sadness came over him. He must be going mad, to have such thoughts, such dreams. It was bad enough that she had always haunted him. He had thought nothing could be worse but he’d found that he was mistaken.
Father! The young voice echoed gently through his head, so real sometimes. More than once the Dark Lord had caught himself reaching out through the Force to find the boy. But he’d always stopped himself. There was no little boy, only regrets and searing memories of her. And he’d caused it and gotten what he’d deserved. A life sentence and the torment of knowing what could have been.
Cross-posted to my journal and other Star Wars communities.
Author: freckledmemory
Fandom: Star Wars
Characters: Darth Vader/Anakin, young Luke Skywalker
Rating: Rated G
Word Count: About 809
Disclaimers: I don’t own or profit from the characters.
Summary: A drabble about Vader and what he could be thinking about.
What Could Have Been
He closed his eyes and felt the cool breeze tickle across his face. He could smell the ocean, a strange briny scent that never ceased to fascinate him. He opened his eyes slowly, the light was so bright that he squinted for a few moments. The sky was a deep blue with spirals of clouds criss-crossing each other.
He heard a young voice floating along the breeze and he turned his head to the side to determine where it was coming from. He smiled. The boy was playing on the beach again. His mother worried when he went there alone though they had seen no other living beings in the months that they had been there.
Slowly he started walking down a path, following the sing-song voice of his son. The sand was warm on his bare feet and soft, not like…he faltered for a moment and almost came to a stop. Not like the other place. The one he didn’t think of anymore.
He quickened his steps, close enough that he could see the water now, the strange trees that grew near the edge in places and the white sand. The boy was leaping about, a piece of cane or reed in his hand, a huge grin upon his face. How happy he looked!
The boy whirled around and caught a glimpse of his audience. A delighted look crossed his face and he quickly threw his weapon to the side.
“Father!”
He smiled and knelt with his arms outstretched. The boy ran eagerly to him and flung himself in his arms.
“Did you see me, Father? Did you see how fast I was?”
“Yes, yes, I did see.”
There was sand trickling out of his son’s hair and a smear of something dark across one freckled cheek. He brushed the unruly hair away from the bright blue eyes.
“Did you forget something?”
The boy’s face grew suddenly somber and he lowered his head.
“I only meant to come a little way, not all the way to the water. And I knew you were nearby!”
“You know what your mother told you. She worries about you.”
“But I’m careful! You know that I am. She shouldn’t always worry so much.”
“Son…”
The boy sighed and gave a rueful half-smile.
“I know, Father. I’ll try to be more careful.”
“Come along then, your mother’s waiting for us.”
He stood, reaching out to grasp his son’s small hand. As he did so he spotted a small figure far down the beach. The boy followed his father’s gaze and grinned.
“That’s my new friend, Father. She’s a girl but she’s not too bad. She has long dark hair like Mother’s.”
“Where is she from?”
The boy frowned.
“I’m not sure. Some place very far away though. She’s lost her mother.”
He felt a sudden rush of fear at his son’s words, though he could not have said why. He grasped the boy closer to him and suddenly the day no longer seemed as bright as it once had.
“We should go…I…”
He turned his head to listen…
“Sir?”
He looked around in confusion. Why did everything look so strange? And where was the boy? He could no longer feel the small hand in his own.
“Sir?”
Slowly he turned, seeing gray steel floors and pristine white walls. A skinny nervous looking man came into view, a sheen of perspiration coating his narrow forehead.
“What did you say?”
He felt startled by his own voice, the deepness of it, but then the universe seemed to right itself and his mind snapped back into place.
“The shuttle is approaching, my Lord.”
“Very well.”
The man half-bowed nervously and then scurried away. Vader closed his eyes momentarily. How that one had made it so far up in rank he could not fathom.
Vader turned and strode down the corridor toward the elevator. As he neared the doors he lifted his hand…and froze, coming to a complete stop. He stared at his dark-gloved outstretched hand, overwhelmed by the sudden remembrance of a small warm hand grasped in his own.
He wasn’t real. But instead of the satisfaction he should have felt, a wave of deep sadness came over him. He must be going mad, to have such thoughts, such dreams. It was bad enough that she had always haunted him. He had thought nothing could be worse but he’d found that he was mistaken.
Father! The young voice echoed gently through his head, so real sometimes. More than once the Dark Lord had caught himself reaching out through the Force to find the boy. But he’d always stopped himself. There was no little boy, only regrets and searing memories of her. And he’d caused it and gotten what he’d deserved. A life sentence and the torment of knowing what could have been.
Cross-posted to my journal and other Star Wars communities.