Office hours [all day]

[sith_happened]

After leaving a message for Ben, Anakin was parked in the center of his office surrounded by pieces of metal.

He was making one heck of a complicated baby toy for a Force-sensitive baby.

He hadn't decided if it would be going to little Ben or Baby Skywalker yet.

The door was wide open.

Comments

[momslilassassin]

"That's...pretty astral," Ben admitted reluctantly, taking a seat on the floor across from his grandfather. "What can I do?"

[sith_happened]

Anakin set him to work on a series of pulleys and levers before getting back to his own section of the project.

"I heard the funeral got a little...interesting," he said carefully.

[momslilassassin]

Ben's eyes went flat. "I don't want to talk about it."

[sith_happened]

"I'm not going to make you," Anakin replied, keeping his eyes on his work. "I already heard about it from Dean and Ender anyway."

[momslilassassin]

Ben wasn't that curious about what they'd said. Truly.

"What did they say?"

He was just trying to be polite, that's all.

[sith_happened]

"That Jacen is a power-hungry meglomaniac and your father isn't seeing it clearly," Anakin said softly. "Does that track with your impression?"

[momslilassassin]

The metal in Ben's hands creaked under the pressure he put on it, but he nodded.

"It's not Dad's fault," he said, voice heated.

[sith_happened]

"I never said it was," Anakin said, keeping his voice calm. He tried to catch Ben's eyes. "It isn't yours, either."

[momslilassassin]

Ben snorted. "I wish people would stop telling me that," he complained. "I'm old enough to know where guilt belongs."

And it was on his shoulders.

[sith_happened]

"Uh huh," Anakin said, not buying it for a minute. "Are you sleeping yet?"

[momslilassassin]

"I don't know what you're talking about."

[sith_happened]

Anakin shot Ben a look. "I'm your grandfather, Ben. Do you think you can fool me?"

[momslilassassin]

Ben gave him the identical look in return. "You're not my grandfather," he retorted. "My grandfather died on the second Death Star after destroying the lives of billions. I don't have to tell you anything."

[sith_happened]

Anakin didn't show any visible reaction to Ben's response, but it had hit hard. "It really makes that much of a difference?"

[momslilassassin]

"Of course it does," Ben said. "You don't know my family, my father. Your Luke smiles and gives me stuffed animals. Mine doesn't know I exist."

[sith_happened]

"You really believe that," Anakin said, frowning.

[momslilassassin]

Ben shrugged silently.

[sith_happened]

"Your father knows you exist," Anakin said, scooting a little closer. "He can find you anywhere in the universe, just like I can, as long as you don't do that hiding trick of yours. He's just wounded right now. When you take a hit, what do you do?"

[momslilassassin]

"Curl up," Ben muttered.

[sith_happened]

"He's doing the same thing," Anakin said. "When you love someone that much, it takes some time to recover. He's focused inward." His eyes met Ben's. "But I can focus on you."

[momslilassassin]

"Focus somewhere else," Ben replied. "I'm fine."

[sith_happened]

"I'm seriously thinking of banning that word from our family's vocabulary," Anakin bitched. "You and Jaina are both fine after your relatives die. I wasn't fine when I lost people."

[momslilassassin]

"Maybe that's why Jaina and I haven't gone crazy and killed half a galaxy," Ben snapped.

[sith_happened]

Anakin blinked. Ow.

"I suppose that's possible," he said slowly. "Personally, I think you're just trying not to think about it and hoping that's the same thing as being fine."

[momslilassassin]

"No one here's invented a way for me to turn back time, there's nothing I can do to change what happened and no use in wallowing," Ben said, sounding decidedly cranky, "so I'm fine. Someone has to be."