The Trace Which Remains

Thank you, Cassie and Jani, for the links! I had already read "Schism" by Aubrey's_Master, but it's always good to advertize. And "Caput Mortem" by Lady Aethelynde was freaky... but intriguing!

Here are the links, in case anyone else is interested in more Luke/Anakin or Luke/Vader interaction. Feel free to mention any others!

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2487313/1/
http://www.geocities.com/lady_aethelynde/SW/caput_mortem.html

Also, here's a Japanese site with some anime`-style, PG fanart of L/A. (Also some Anakin/Obi-Wan.)

http://www.geocities.jp/jxdft690/freesiahearts/illust/illust-index.html

Let's give this pairing the fandom they deserve! And here's my contribution:

Chapter 2: ...living with weakness...

Anakin was relieved to sense that the Princess was willing to control her temper. He didn't want to come between Luke and his sister, to see them argue so heatedly over him was paining him deeply.

At least the smuggler was taking things calmly. Now that the truth- greatly shortened, but not omitting anything important- was in the open with the Corellian, Anakin had a feeling that things would go more smoothly between Luke and Leia.

It was still odd to think of her on a first-name basis, and he figured it would not be appreciated. He made a mental note to speak as respectfully towards her as possible- he had managed to circumvent Padme`'s aristocratic tendencies, but he knew that the Princess would expect formality from him until she managed to get over her grudge.

Which, Anakin admitted, was well-earned- he had been on the Death Star which had destroyed Alderaan, even though he had not been the one to command the blast. He had frozen Solo in carbonite in order to trap Luke. He had tortured her and mutilated her brother. Anakin's shame covered the surface of his heart like oil upon water.

Luke apparently sensed Anakin's discomfort, for he felt his son's Force brush over his spirit, rippling the waters and causing the oil to temporarily dissipate into the depths, only traces visible from the outside. Anakin gave the boy's shoulders a light squeeze in gratitude.

The four stood silently for a few awkward moments, no comments spoken by any. The Princess was deeply musing, her eyes closed and a hand on her temple. Solo had walked over to the remnants of the pyre upon which the armor of Vader had melted into slag, and was inspecting the cooled metal. Luke and Anakin stayed together in their embrace, steadying each other and clearing their minds of pessimism.

A whirring engine startled them out of their respective thoughts, and they turned towards the source. Off to the side of the clearing, it halted, and Anakin looked down at Luke. Someone was approaching.

Luke watched the forest in the direction of the footsteps, realizing that they came from the direction of the shuttle he had landed the previous night. It was...

"Luke!" Wedge Antilles burst alone out of the woods with a large smile on his chiseled features. Luke released his father from his embrace, and grinned just as widely at his squadron-mate, who asked, "Where the stang have you been? You just totally disappeared yesterday!"

"Force, Wedge... it's a very long story."

"We saw that shuttle over there- it had a priority classification. Were you the one who brought it down?"

Nodding, Luke answered, "It was the only one left- I think it was either Vader's or Palpatine's."

The pilot's eyes widened, and he muttered, "No way." Shaking his head, Wedge questioned, "You were on that Death Star?"

"Until seconds before you boys wiped it out, yeah." A rueful grin creased his worn features. "I almost died there anyway. Thankfully I was saved from the Emperor by the last person you'd expect to turn against him at the last minute."

"Who?"

"Vader." Wedge's dark eyes seemed to bug out of his skull, and he stared slack-jawed.

Finally, he asked, "How did you manage to get that metal nutcase to save you? He's the source of that huge bounty on your head-"

"Alive and unharmed-"

"The one who lured you into a trap on Bespin-"

"He wanted me to join him-"

"And the one who killed your father, you said so yourself!"

Exasperated, Luke grabbed Wedge's shoulders and shook him to shut him up. "Can I speak?" With a nod, Wedge stared at the Jedi.

"He didn't kill my father- not unless you call emotional suicide murder. My father WAS Vader. He betrayed the Emperor to save my life. Vader was mortally injured on that Death Star, and... died in my arms." Sadly, Luke pointed at the pyre that Han was still examining. "That is what remains of the body of Vader."

Wedge prodded the pile of ash and cooled slag with his toe, and asked, "How was Vader your father?" Looking up at Anakin, he asked, "And who the hell's the Jedi?"

Luke gestured for Wedge to sit down, and did so himself, resting his hands on his crossed legs. He smiled at Anakin, who sat- pausing for a moment to remove a pinecone from underneath his butt. "He was enslaved by Palpatine for twenty years, and just now managed to free himself- with a little bit of encouragement." Anakin's arms wrapped around Luke, and he settled into the embrace.

"What, is he your boyfriend? I didn't think Jedi were allowed to do that."

"Well, if we're the last two Jedi, then I don't think that the code should be interpreted nearly so strictly. He is my... soulmate, you'd say. We've had a connection for my entire life, even though I didn't know him personally until the battle of Bespin."

"Bespin? How did you meet him on Bespin? As far as you told me, all you did there was arrive, fight, and escape!"

Anakin spoke, his low voice sending a warm chill through Luke's spine as he felt the reverberations within Anakin's chest. "I was the one Luke fought."

Luke really hoped Wedge was in an open-minded mood.

Wedge stared at Anakin, and seemed to recognize something. "The Hero Without Fear..." he whispered incredulously. Shaking his head, he muttered, "I don't believe it- Anakin Sky...walker..."

"Yes, Wedge. He's my father." Clutching Anakin's arm to his chest, Luke sighed.

"Your father... Vader... but Vader's dead!"

"It's a long story, but I can back up the majority of it. The parts I can't require a fair amount of faith in the Force."

Wedge shook his head with a wry grin on his face. "It seems that you've got yourself in a bit of trouble again, Luke." Luke opened his mouth to speak, but Wedge continued. "The High Command won't like this if they find out."

"If?" Luke was startled by Wedge's choice of words.

"Yeah. I mean, I'm not going to tell them! I don't know what you plan to do with him, but they'd start having banthas if they learned that you somehow brought ex-Vader back from the dead." The pilot looked down at the arm encircling Luke, and frowned. "Waaaaaaaiiit..."

Luke's face grew red as Wedge began to laugh hysterically. "Oh, boy. Luke... do you know just WHAT that type of hug means?"

Luke grinned weakly, and cast his eyes at the ground. His father's arm tightened, and Luke suppressed a purr of delight. Wedge stopped his insane snorting, and grew serious.

"You do know. Shit, man... you called him your soulmate? Oh, boy... Luke... I think you're whipped."

Luke couldn't repress a smile of embarrassed mirth, and leaned into Anakin helplessly. He mumbled, "Yeah... I'm hooked."

"Luke... do I even want to know WHY or HOW you fell in love with your ex-evil father? Crap... are you even sure that you know in what way you're thinking?"

Luke's grin transformed from shy to sly. Grabbing the collar of his father's tunic, he planted a deep, passionate kiss on the older man's lips, drinking in the sensations that it evoked. He didn't pull away until his lungs were burning from lack of oxygen.

Turning his attention back to Wedge and silently snickering about his father's gasps for breath, he asked, "You wouldn't happen to be referring to sexuality, by chance?"

Wedge gaped at Luke, his expression priceless as he registered Luke's words and actions. "Umm... yeah. I... guess you DO know what you're talking about. I just hope you know what you're DOING."

"I expect that I'm going to hear a lot of that from now on." Luke stroked Anakin's back to try to calm him, reveling in the feel of Anakin's strong muscles beneath the robes. "I know what I'm doing- I'm just doing it in a way that other people don't quite understand."

Wedge chortled, and rubbed his hand over his eyes. "Luke... I NEVER expected you to be the type to be so... calm... about something so... weird."

"Trust me: I puked my guts out when I first realized it. But... there are a helluva lot of things out there worse than getting laid by one's father."

"Like what?"

Luke shook his head slowly. "Sith Force-lightning, for one."

Wedge looked closely at Luke's eyes- Luke was sure that they were bloodshot as all hell- and gasped, "Shit, man, you need to see a medic!" Standing up, he reached for his comlink. Before Luke could protest, he was in touch with the HC. "Antilles here. I found Cmdr. Skywalker- he's safe but injured. Sending the coordinates for medical attention now."

Throwing his hands in the air in frustration, Luke muttered, "Well, we've gotta find out what we're going to tell everyone else, now."

Leia approached them- she had been examining the shuttle that they had landed in, avoiding Anakin like the Voraxian plague- and asked, "Were you going to tell them about me, too?"

Luke shook his head. "It's your secret- not mine. If you want it in the open, then you can tell them yourself. I recommend telling the truth as soon as you feel you can, though- the longer we hide things, the more scandal it will create when it comes out. If you think you can keep it a secret forever, then be my guest and try to hide it. But I hope you won't blame me if they slam you for lying if it does come out later."

She let the implications of his words sink in, and nodded.

Luke heard another humming engine, and rose to his feet unsteadily. The effects of the lightning were beginning to surface, and he fought to keep his balance as his vision blurred. He had no doubt that all of the arguing had taken a toll on his mind, as well.

Exhausted from too many sleepless nights, too many harsh battles, and too much emotional drama, Luke passed out in Anakin's arms just as the medic arrived.