The Slave Boy

Chapter 10. Our Home

When Luke finished eating, Vader continued with the tour, deciding first to show Luke the way to his own room. Vader wanted to be sure Luke knew where to find Vader if ever frightened, upset or in real danger. After that, Luke would be shown to the room his mother had picked for him.

They walked up a flight of marble stairs, Luke's head swiveling this way and that, attempting to take everything in in one single glance, though this attempt was quite impossible, and Vader eventually had to place a gentle but firm hand on the boy's back to keep him from falling over and tumbling off the staircase. Once at the top, they found themselves in a wide, airy hallway were Vader turned to the right and urged Luke along with him.

They came upon a door, where Vader opened it up and let Luke in. "This is my room. You may come here if you are ever scared or need me in the night." Vader explained, allowing Luke to look around.

It was the darkest room in the house, and quite large. The windows were covered with heavy black curtains and in the far corner was a bacta tank instead of a bed. There was a desk as well, and two comfy looking leather chairs. Vader kept the room dark since without his mask the sun would hurt his eyes horribly while in the bacta tank. And Vader had no wish for someone to see him through the window, not that someone would actually try to scale the tall house and look into Vader's window. But you could never be too careful.

Luke gave a little nod, looking around curiously before his eyes fell on on the tank. "Why do you need a... bacta tank?" Luke asked, having to think on the new word for a moment. He had spent a brief time in such a tank to heal his back, but he hadn't seen Vader in it, and still had no clue as to the extent of Vader's injuries.

Vader gave a silent sigh, but he was not ready to reveal his true self to his son. No, he did not need nor want Luke's pity. Their focus should be on working with the boy and getting him out of his slave instincts.

With a firm hand Vader steered Luke out of the room, thinking a moment before speaking. "All will be revealed in time, patience Young One. I have a surprise for you." Vader explained, leading Luke only a few doors down til they came upon the room for Luke.

With excitement Vader hadn't felt in years he opened the door, leading Luke in with a smile on his scarred face. "This is where you will sleep." Vader said with happiness coming through in his vocoder as Vader looked to Luke, watching as the boy hesitantly entered, gazing at the room in utter awe.

The yellow room had been filled with beautiful furniture. A large twin bed with bright blue sheets and a quilt stood in the corner by a beautiful balcony door. A shelf was by the door of the room, filled with books of every genre since Vader was pretty sure Luke had never been allowed to develop a taste in books. On the other side of the room was the closet and fresher, and of course there was a large desk by the bed with a lamp so Luke could either read in bed or study his lessons at night with the lamp to assist him. Vader had even gone as far to to get a few spaceship models, filling another shelf on the wall. If Luke was anything like his father, he would enjoy those, Vader knew it.

Luke seemed just slightly overwhelmed, biting his lip softly as his eyes found the bed. "Is, is that a bed?" The former slave asked softly, of all the beautiful things in his living space... the bed... he remembered vaguely of a time Aunt Beru tucked him in bed oh so lovingly. He remembered being warm and feeling safe, loved. The boy's eyes filled with tears much to Vader's alarm.

Vader came to Luke's side in a heartbeat, hands wrapping around the boy tightly. In the hospital Vader had found Luke responded well to physical comfort, and while he had laid on a bed in the hospital it hadn't been his own bed. "Yes Luke, it is yours." Vader murmured gently, fighting his growing rage towards those slavers. Luke got emotional over a simple bed, and all because those cruel monsters made a mere kid sleep on the cold, harsh ground and suffer through childhood when childhood should be kind, gentle, loving, safe and instructive! Vader's embrace tightened protectively, almost posessively around Luke. No, Luke would not know such things again if he had anything to say about it!

Gently Vader picked the tiny boy up and carried him to the bed. While it hurt Vader to sit normally he would do it for his child, sitting down on the softly bed while cradling his hurt son. Luke himself started to calm down soon after getting picked up and cradled like an overgrown baby. But he didn't care, the boy had no pride or reputation. His only desire was to be loved, and he was loved, his father loved him, cared for him, and had given him everything and more!

Finally, Luke's sniffling stopped and the boy looked to Vader with a calm, blotchy face lined with tears. Luke started to wipe them away but Vader beat him to it, drying his son's tears tenderly with the soft leather on his gloves.

"Thank you." The boy murmured, the picture of sincerity, gratefulness and innocence. It made Vader all the more determined to protect his baby boy, the son of his most dearly beloved, the most precious thing life would ever offer Vader.

Gently Vader tightened his hold again and kept Luke's head up against his shoulder. "No, thank you, my son. I would still be lost without you in my life." Vader murmured softly, even his vocoder could not make his voice boom as he continued to speak, watching as his tired child pressed up against him, starting to fall asleep as he listened, for Luke had had a long and eventful day.

Vader smiled as Luke started to fall asleep. The boy probably wasnt even aware that he was sleeping now, oh poor, exhausted son of his. Vader still spoke though, with all the love, compassion and devotion he had for Luke Skywalker.

Author's Note.
And that's the end of this book. I hope you enjoyed it! I am thinking of perhaps continuing this storyline though lately I do not have time to really write a story, being reoccupied and all. But I hope you enjoyed it and perhaps I will be able to write a sequel soon!
Thank you for reading, comment your thoughts and vote of you would like. And as always, may the Force be with you.