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The boy had escaped from his grasp once again, but this time would be the last time that happened. Vader was going to make sure of it. Once he got hold of his son, he would never let him go.
“It’s pointless to resist, my son.” He spoke into a seemingly empty room.
“I will find you; it is only a matter of time.”
He knew his son was here. He could feel him in the Force, but he couldn’t exactly place him. The boy’s abilities had gotten stronger again. Vader slowly moved through the room, carefully listening for movement or breathing, but it remained silent.
Suddenly, he heard something from under the couch. It had been soft, almost inaudible, but Vader was trained to pay mind to his surroundings. Slowly, like a predator advancing on their prey, Vader crept up to the couch.
“You can’t hide from me.” He warned his son, giving him one last chance to come out of his hiding place.
All of the sudden, a tiny shadow shot out from under the couch and made a run for the door. The child was quick, but Vader was quicker. He caught Luke around the waist.
“Got you!” He yelled.
“No!” Luke shrieked and tried to pry his father’s hands off.
Vader didn’t listen to two-year-old’s pleas and lifted him up in the air.
“I got you now, Little Rebel.” He said and adjusted Luke in his arms so he could tug him against his chest.
“You are going in bath.” Vader declared. That only seemed to make Luke more agitated.
“No!” He protested again, still struggling in Vader’s arms.
“No bath! No dirty! Papa please.”
“I’m sorry, Little One. But you are dirty and you are going in bath.”
“No bath! No bath!” Luke cried, his sadness and desperation bleeding into the Force.
Vader softly caressed his son’s back, trying to calm him down. On that moment the door of the Royal quarters opened and a skittish looking man walked in.
“Your Majesty,” The man spoke nervously, “Your attention is required at the senate.”
Vader didn’t look at him. He was still busy trying to contain an unruly Luke, who was desperately trying to escape from his father’s grasp, more specifically from his bath.
“Later, Grand Moff.” He spoke, uninterested.
“It’s important, My Emperor.” The officer said.
This time Vader did turn his cold yellow eyes on him. Luke felt the change in his father’s mood and stopped fussing. Instead, he buried his face in his father’s shoulder and whined softly.
“More important than my son, Grand Moff?” Vader asked with a voice as cold as ice.
The Grand Moff froze in his spot, like he was being held by an invisible force, but finally he managed to stutter out:
“Of course not, My Emperor.”
“Good,” Vader said calmly, which was somehow worse than when he yelled, “Now leave us.”
“Y-y-yes, Your Majesty.” The Grand Moff stuttered and he stumbled his way out of the room.
“Insolent fools.” Vader muttered, “Fools, all of them.”
Luke whined softly in his arms. Vader softly rubbed his son’s back and cursed softly under his breath, when he released he was projecting all of his anger and irritation in the Force. He tried to send Luke calming waves, but it was hard since he was still fuming.
“I’m not angry with you, Little Light.” He whispered.
Luke sniffled and hid his face in his father’s chest, not entirely believing him.
“I would betray the Empire for you.” Vader whispered in his little son’s ear and pressed a soft kiss against the boy’s blond curls.
“I would burn down entire planets just to keep you safe.”
Luke obviously didn’t release the weight of those words. How could he, he was only two. But he did feel his father’s love for him in the Force. Luke clumsily reached out with the Force and brushed his father’s mind. Normally a light side user, like Luke, would be hesitant to touch a Sith’s mind, but not Luke. Not Vader’s little light in the dark. The boy was so young, still so free from anybody’s influence or corruption.
Vader brushed Luke’s mind as well. Luke giggled in response.
“That’s better.” Vader said and pressed a kiss against his son’s forehead.
“Love you, papa.” Luke said.
“I love you too, Little One. More than anything.” Vader tucked Luke a little closer to his chest.
“And now you are going in bath.”
Luke’s eyes grew comically large and the look on his face twisted into one of absolute betrayal.
“No!”
Vader sighed.
“Okay,” he told himself, “You are a Lord of The Sith, Emperor of the Galaxy, slayer of the entire Jedi Order. You are armed with towels, bath toys and a timer. You can and will successfully put your two-year-old son in bath.”
Luke pouted and made big eyes at him. Vader softly stroked Luke’s hair, not weakened by Luke’s eyes.
“Go pick a bath toy.” He told him.
Luke, seeing that he couldn’t get out of taking a bath, waddled over to the basket that contained his many bath toys.
It had started with just one toy, a boat. Given to Luke by a senator who was trying to get a bill to pass in the senate. Vader hadn’t thought that Luke would like it, but he had. It had made bath time a little less horrible for the both of them.
Vader had quickly bought Luke another bath toy, a rubber duck this time. Luke had loved that one even more. Vader didn’t know whether it was because he had given it to Luke or because Luke just really liked ducks, but he didn’t care.
Vader knew had overindulged Luke with bath toys, he had more of those than real toys, but Luke didn’t cry anymore in bath. He only cried now when his Father tells him he has to go in bath, but still it was one worry less.
Vader was pulled from his thought when Luke waddled back to him with a toy in his hand. He showed it to his father.
“Quack, quack.” He said.
Vader laughed and ruffled his son’s hair.
“Indeed, Little Light. A duck goes ‘quack’.”
Luke nodded and squeezed the duck in his fingers. He giggled as the rubber duck let out a squeak.
“The ducky would be happier in the water.” Vader tried.
Luke bit his lip and tilted his head. Like he was sincerely doubting that claim and was now trying to refute, but he just shrugged and squeezed the yellow duck again.
Vader sighed again. He really needed to get Luke in bath, but he didn’t want to force the boy. He had done that once and Luke had been upset with him for days. Every time he had tried to touch Luke, the boy had whimpered and fear had filled the Force.
Vader wanted Luke to never feel like that again. Even if that meant having to spend an hour trying to coax Luke into the bathtub.
Vader rolled up the sleeves of his heavy robes and moved to fill the tub with warm water. He grabbed one of the glass bottles out of the cabinet and dumped some of its contents into the bathtub. Almost immediately the water started to bubble and foam. He nodded satisfied and turned back to Luke, who was still studying the rubber duck in his hands.
Vader approached him slowly and kneeled down in front of him.
“Arms up!” He ordered and reluctantly, Luke obeyed.
Vader as struggled as one of Luke’s hands got tangled in a sleeve. Vader knew he couldn’t count on help from Luke, who was still stubbornly holding on to the yellow duck. Luke yelped as Vader tugged a little harder.
“This doesn’t have to be so difficult. If you just cooperated, we would have been done already.” Vader said coldly to his two-year-old.
Luke looked bewildered.
“Sowwy.” He said softly, not knowing what he had done wrong, but recognizing his father’s angry tone.
Vader let his head hang and sighed.
“Just let me take off your clothes, Little One.”
Luke offered little resistance after that.
Vader set the timer on ten minutes and put it in Luke’s view. He then lifted Luke into the tub. Luke held onto the rubber duck with one hand and onto his father with the other. He whined softly, even though the water was warm.
“It’s alright.” Vader said softly, as he used the hand that wasn’t in Luke’s tight grip to make waves in the water.
Once Luke was used to the water, he softly let go of his father’s hand and the rubber duck, which slowly floated away. He watched as Vader splashed water in Luke’s direction.
Luke grinned mischievously and Vader was just a second to late in responding. Luke splashed the water in Vader’s direction.
“Papa wet!” He declared as he splashed more water onto Vader, who held up his hands to protect himself from the waves. Luke laughed loudly at his father’s misery. Vader blindly splashed Luke back, his head turned away to prevent to water from getting into his eyes.
“Splash! Splash!” Luke yelled, who was now also blindly splashing water in Vader’s direction.
Vader was laughing too now. The hard sound echoing in the refresher.
“That’s enough, Little One.” Vader said, still laughing.
“That’s quite enough.”
Luke stopped the splashing, but didn’t stop giggling.
“Clean?” He asked and made big eyes at his Father.
Vader looked at the timer on the sink. There were still four minutes left on it, but he couldn’t deny Luke this one thing.
Vader nodded.
“Yes, I think you’re clean.”
Luke clapped his hands, satisfied. Vader grabbed a towel from under the cupboard. He pulled the bathplug out of the drain. Luke tilted his head and watched the water drain away curiously.
“Cold.” Luke whispered, but didn’t stop watching the drain. It was like he was enchanted by it.
Vader wrapped Luke tightly in a fluffy towel and lifted him out of the tub. Luke didn’t protest, but he kept watching the water, until it was completely gone down the drain.
“Water gone.” Luke declared.
“It is.” Vader agreed.
Luke frowned, like he was trying to wrap his head around it, but he shrugged and focused his attention on the towel instead. Gripping the edge tightly in one of his fists.
Vader set him down on the changing table and started to dry him off. Luke didn’t say anything. He just watched his father with curious eyes.
Vader put Luke in his diaper for the night, but when he tried to put Luke in sleepwear, the boy stopped him.
“I do.” He declared.
Vader sighed and contemplated protesting, but deep inside he knew that wasn’t going to get him anywhere. The boy was as stubborn as a bantha, just like his mother.
“Alright.” Vader sighed and handed Luke his sleep shirt.
Luke stubbornly refused to let Vader help, even when he tried to put is head through the armhole of his shirt.
“No! I do.” He had declared, when Vader had tried to guide his arms.
Finally, after what felt like forever, Luke had stuck his head and arms through their designated hole. Only to find out that his shirt was the wrong way around. The boy pouted disappointed.
“Almost there, Little Light.” Vader praised.
Luke didn’t stop pouting.
“Let me help?” Vader asked and Luke nodded reluctantly.
He allowed Vader to help with his shirt and trousers, but didn’t stop pouting the entire time. Vader pressed a kiss against Luke’s forehead to cheer him up. He sent waves of love Luke’s way. Luke’s face broke out in a big smile. He clumsily reached out in the Force and send love back. It filled Vader with warmth to feel his son’s love for him.
Vader gathered Luke in his arms. Luke immediately buried himself in his father’s warmth. Vader looked behind him and winched at what he saw. The refresher was an absolute mess, with pools of water everywhere.
Luke yawned in his arms.
“Sleefy.” He complained and rubbed his face against Vader’s chest.
Vader softly massaged the back of Luke’s head. He shot another look at the refresher and shrugged; a droid could take care of that.
“Let’s get you to bed.” Vader pressed a kiss to the top of Luke’s head.
Luke yawned again and projected his sleepiness in the Force. Whether he was consciously doing it or not, Vader didn’t know.
He carried Luke to his room and put down on the soft mattress. Luke whined when Vader let go of him, but he didn’t try to hold on like Vader had expected him to. He pulled the covers up till Luke’s chin, who pulled his stuffed tooka cat closer towards him. Luke yawned again and closed his eyes. Vader lovingly ruffled the blond mop of hair.
“Night daddy.” Luke yawned.
“Goodnight Luke.”
He walked out of the room, but turned around in the doorway. He glanced back at his son. He looked so tiny in that enormous bed, so innocent, so young.
“Sweet dreams.” Vader whispered and closed the door.