Parallel Shadows

Chapter 1 - Death

Author's Note: Here is a... rather unusual dark!Luke fic, which I hope that y'all enjoy! It's a gift for IceyGemini on ao3, and updates will, as of now, be every other week on Wednesday.

To IceyGemini: I know that you've seen many excerpt from this fic already, so I hope that you like seeing the entire thing in order even more! ^-^

~ Amina Gila

Muffled explosions ring out in the distance as Imperials run everywhere, frantically preparing for an evacuation they'll never have time to complete. They're all too busy to pay Luke or Vader any attention.

Exhaustion is crushing Luke but he keeps dragging himself forwards through sheer willpower, struggling to support as much of Vader's weight as he can as they stumble for the waiting shuttle. He shouldn't be walking right now, right after being electrocuted so badly, but he has to keep moving. Especially since his father is in even worse condition in that regard than he is.

He just got his father back, what he wanted most his entire life. If they don't keep moving, they'll both die together before they even have a chance to know each other. The sounds of explosions are only steadily growing, and he tries to increase his speed, to get there faster. They need to hurry. He'll have time to think about the ramifications of everything later. Right now, they just need to get out of here.

Everything hurts, but he struggles to force past it and keep moving. It feels like he can't take another step, at least not while he's trying to support so much of his father's weight too. His legs nearly give out, and he rather unceremoniously lowers Vader to the floor right near the ramp of the shuttle. He slides to his knees next to him, breathing hard. His father is injured badly, and even thinking about what it probably means floods him with fear.

He needs medical treatment immediately, and he doesn't even know if it's something they'll have the resources for down on Endor, but they have to do something. There has to be something they can do.

"Luke," his father cuts into his spiraling thoughts, "Help me take off this mask."

"But you'll die," Luke protests, desperately. At least he thinks Vader will. He doesn't really know how this works, but he's on life support for a reason. And the suit was already badly damaged from the Emperor's lightning.

"Nothing can stop that now," he replies, voice strained.

"No," Luke whispers, shaking his head in denial. That can't be true. It can't be. "I just found you. You can't – We have medical supplies on Endor. They can help."

Anakin doesn't seem convinced. "Just for once, let me see you with my own eyes," he requests.

And... he knows they need to get out of here immediately, but he can't bring himself to refuse the request. Nervousness and uncertainty flare inside of him as he reaches forwards, for the helmet. He – has no idea what his father looks like, he suddenly realizes. He always pictured him as well... looking a lot like him but he doesn't know.

It's strange to... to touch Vader's helmet like this – he notes then the melted side of it, from the lightning. No this does not look good. If even the outside of the armor was melting, what does that say about the internal damage? They need to get moving.

Slowly, Luke lifts the top part of the mask off, setting it down on the floor and turning to look his father in the face for the first time. And not the last. He won't let it be the last.

Anakin looks nothing like Luke expected, but at the same time, he's less surprised, more... horrified. What happened to him?

And suddenly, he finds himself at a complete loss for words, as he meets his father's blue eyes – maybe he really did once look like him – for the first time ever. All those years he longed for this, he never dreamed it would happen like this, but he finally has his father. Maybe he was a Sith and maybe he's done terrible, unforgivable things, but he's still his father.