Ben snapped awake. His father’s emotions were rocking the Force so hard he doubted that any Force-user was sleeping.

I have no son.

Ben caught the echo from their father-son bond; was Luke experiencing every flow-walk into...that day?

(...mother...)

From the heartache across their bond, he knew Luke was experiencing every flow-walk and possibly every single one of his nightmares. It tore at him to realize he was hurting his father—

It’s his fault that Jacen fell, he reminded himself. He doesn’t deserve any pity.

But if Luke was heading to Bakura, Ben knew who he would be seeing. He felt a stab of jealousy.

(...you should be saving me, not her!)

Let his father live his domestic, weak, Light-side life. Ben would continue to do the heavy lifting. He would rebuild the galaxy and not ever have to bring his father into his plans.

Ben never could quite remember the fact that his father had dedicated his long life to the galaxy and had never achieved peace.

 

 

            Little Allana remembered. She was too young to have lived through the wars the elder generation had, but she remembered her mother’s stories. Stories she had heard at her mother’s knee, stories of growing up in Luke Skywalker’s academy, stories of fighting and wars and bloodshed, stories of love, honor and profound respect. Her mother had raised her according to Jedi ethics and morals, taught her to touch the Force as both a Jedi and a human being, and loved her as a daughter, not as the idea of one.

And Allana was very keen on a father-son reconciliation. She could sense the light, albeit shadowed, within her cousin. She knew he loved his father just as much as his mother, but could not admit it. She suspected, but could not understand, that Ben blamed his father for the current Darkness. Ben might have held his father responsible, but Allana knew that it was really himself he blamed for his mother’s death.

Why he would blame himself, Allana could only wonder. She had seen what had happened on that flow-walk; Mara Skywalker’s murder was solely Caedus’ fault. Ben had had nothing to do with it.

She had picked up on the fact that her father had sacrificed Mara in order not to have to sacrifice Ben. She sensed that Ben did not know that. She did not know what he would do if he did know. Would anything change? Would Ben break, or would he finally kill Caedus?

(...or worse, would he...would he...love him?)

If he does that, Allana, you will be alone.

Alone versus having a murderer for a father? He killed my mother, he killed Ben’s mother...my aunt. Mara Jade Skywalker would have been my aunt. She could have been my master. And Luke is my uncle. And Ben is—Ben—we’re family.

I have a family.

She knew from her studies that only the united power of the Skywalkers would take down a Sith Lord.

I am a Skywalker too.

                                                                                    (...it’s more than a name)

            Even if the Sith Lord was her father.

            I’ll orphan myself.

            Is your life worth more than a galaxy at peace?

            The Dark did not have Allana...yet.

 

 

            Daddy?

            Yes, my love?

            Why do you leave me all the time?

            Honey, I’m the emperor—I run the galaxy.

            You were never there for me when I was small.

            I was out making the galaxy safer for you, sweetie.

Oh.

 

 

            Dad?

            Yes, son?

            Nothing.

            Ben?

            Yeah, Dad...?

            Talk to me.

            You and Mom are gone all the time.

            I know, son.

            When are you going to be here for me?

            We are always here for you, no matter what. Even if we can’t be physically present, we are always thinking of you, missing you, and wanting to be with you. Believe me, I want nothing more than to be here with you and your mother.

            Other kids need you, Dad.

            I know. But I know you need me too. And I’m here.