Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

'Kill anyone who resists,' Vader has ordered, 'and bring me anyone who does not.'

Three quarters of a standard hour later one of the younger officers stands before him awkwardly holding a baby.

'Milord, it appears the sole survivor is this child. Papers in the cabin suggest it's the son of Leia Organa and Han Solo.'

Vader unceremoniosly takes the baby from the stunned officer.
'Hello little one, we never met but I am your grandfather. I shall raise you from now on, teach you the Sith arts and how to protect yourself. We are all alone in this world, all we have is each other.'

'Milord isn't the child a bit too young to understand?'

'Yes, but you're supposed to talk to babies anyway so they can learn.'

Ten years later: There is a new person at the palace. She is a girl of seven, and Sidious has introduced her is his granddaughter and heiress, Rey, an old Naboo name meaning 'queen' or a species of flower. In the Force, she feels terrified and painfully awkward. When Vader brushes against her mind casually, he sees and feels her parents dying, shot by stormtroopers they had so far trusted. He also gleans the child is an avid adept of all things mechanical. As soon as he is alone with her he causes a minor malfunction in his leg to justify going down to one knee, opens the access panel and pretends to have problems realigning the connections with his large mechanical hands.
'If I may, Lord Vader? My hands are much smaller and you could tell me what to do.'

'It's a simple matter of reconnecting wires, and I would be very grateful for your help.'

She puts the wires in order, the work calming her Force signature.

'I remember when I came to the Jedi temple at age ten, and when I lost my mother at nineteen. My condolences, and anything you will need in this new place, just ask me. If it's within my power at all, I am in your debt.'

It takes all of several weeks before a tearful, shaking Rey finds herself in front of the door to Vader's quarters. The Sith waves her in and points at a nearby chair.

'What happened?'

'My grandfather hurt me. With lightning.'

'He likes to do that I am afraid.'

'So you believe me?'

'Of course I believe you, Rey. I have the Force, I know when people lie and when they are genuinely upset.'

'It seemed too improbable. I couldn't go to anyone else, they wouldn't believe me or would take grandfather's side.'

'Your judgement has served you well. I am afraid that is the imperial court for you. But I believe you and am on your side.'

A beat of silence, then the Sith asks:

'Would you like some chocolate? Then, once you have eaten and calmed down a little we can go fix a ship I found crashed last week or I can teach you lightsabre moves so you can overthrow him one day.'

'The lightsabre moves, please. But how can you be so casual about overthrowing him?'
'He knows I hate him and I suspect he wants you to hate him as well. Treachery is the way of the Sith, didn't he teach you that?'

'Yes but so far it only applied to him betraying me.'

'Well, he can have a taste of his own medicine, even if he will have to wait for it.'

Silence as Rey eats the chocolate and her sobs quiet, then:
'He hurt you too, didn't he?'
'Like I hope you have no idea,' answers the Sith fervently.

'You're a good man.'

'I'm not.'

'You're good to your family. Your grandson told me.'

'I murdered my son and daughter.'

'You wouldn't hurt a child though.'

'I literally murdered children.'
'I guess you wouldn't hurt a child for the hell of it. Or a disabled person.'

'Where did the disabled person come from?'

'You're the disabled person.'

'Me? But I...'

'You compensate the hell out of it and you have your technology but still hurting you is not nice.'

'And if I were all pretty and organic, would it be nice to hurt me?' asks Vader too floored to scold her for saying hell.

'No but now it's less nice.'

Chapter Text

Ten years later

'...brought peace, prosperity, security and stability to my new empire...'
Suddenly four things happen: the Force screams in warning, someone lobs something at the Emperor, Palpatine pushes it away into the crowd and Vader pulls. The bomb explodes, blinding and deafening, in the air. The next few minutes are pandemonium. Stormtroopers and guards rush in to maintain order and kill or arrest the bomber; medics rush in to tend to the wounded. The Emperor is screaming something Rey can't hear. Vader is apparently by far the worst off, having stood the closest to the explosion and not shielded himself with the Force at all.
'Vader!' screams Rey, inaudible to her own ears, as soon as she takes stock of his injuries. He has caught a body full of shrapnel and his life support seems kriffed. 'What were you thinking?'
'I wasn't. The Emperor?' she catches through the Force.
'Fine enough to be standing up and yelling up a storm.'
'Damn.'
Her Force-guided hands are fast and nimble as she stems blood and jury-rigs machinery. Her hearing returns slowly.
'Why don't you let me die?' Vader demands.
'No can do. Stay with me Lord Vader.'
'Leave me alone. I suffered enough.'
'We need you alive, Kylo and I.'
'I'm a monster. I killed children. I killed my own children.'
'And you're the only thing standing between Kylo and the Emperor's tender mercies. And between me and having nobody but Grandfather.'
'He will punish me.'
'And it will be nothing he hasn't done before. You'll live.'

'I saw the footage. You were very concerned for Grandfather, it was touching.'
'Well yeah I would lose one of the few people I care for if he died.'
'Few being...'
'You, him, my girl-buddy Phasma...'
'Your grandfather?'
'Oh hell no.'
'Why not? He's your grandfather?'
'Yes, but not every grandfather is a good one like yours.'

A bacta bath and a new set of life support later Vader concludes he will indeed live. Rey is waiting for him and seeing her raises his mood by a lot.
'I want to ask for Kylo's hand.'
'Just his hand?' Vader jokes.
'Damn, I walked into that one with your love of limb puns. I mean all of him, in marriage. Obviously. Because he is too thick to ask me himself.'
'Is this your own idea or the Emperor's?'
'Ewww. Mine. I love Kylo. He's a big baby sometimes and he can be thicker than a reinforced wall and he drives me crazy a lot, but I love him.'
'Then you have my blessings, as poorly as I am qualified to bless anyone.'

Chapter Text

'Grandfather, I brought you a bottle of Alderaani wine. I wanted to celebrate my engagement to Kylo with you.'
She pours them both a drink, ruby liquid semitranslucent in crystal glasses.
'To your engagement, then,' toasts the old man and both Palpatines raise their glasses and drink with relish.


'You are a grown man Kylo. Ready to take your grandfather's position as my right hand man. But first, I need you to kill a traitor...'
'It shall be done your imperial majesty.'

Emperor Palpatine takes a turn for the worse, which is only to be expected at the age of over 120. Rey is there, at his bedside, ever the picture of the dutiful granddaughter.
'I have been poisoned, Rey,' whispers the old man when they are alone. 'Poisoned by that traitor  Vader. He has outlived his usefulness. One thing I don't understand.  How he could have poisoned me without me knowing?'


Meanwhile, in Vader's garage:

'Lord Vader, you taught me all traitors to the empire must die like mother and father. But this time you are the traitor. How could you? I trusted you. The Emperor trusted  you.'
'The Emperor never trusted me further than he could throw me without the Force. And I never betrayed the Empire. I acted in its best interests.'
'You betrayed the Emperor.'
'Listen to the Force Kylo. Emperor Sheev Palpatine will soon be no longer, replaced by Empress Rey. It is the will of the Force.'
'Noooo! Your assassination attempt has failed  pitifully and I am going to kill you.'
Kylo's red sabre lights up the garage.
Vader does not exceptionally want to live. But he has been surviving for over sixty years at that time and it has become an overwhelming force of habit. He ignites his own lightsabre.

Kylo Ren was never particularly afraid of his grandfather.  Vader was someone to admire and respect, yes, but not fear. But, as he attacks and the old cyborg defends himself with a flurry of inhumanly fast and strong blows and a barrage of Force-guided debris, his apprehension grows into pure kriffing terror. Just how powerful is this being?

'Because it was not strictly speaking a poison. Force supressants, even potent ones, do not show up unless you scan for them specifically. And I got hit by the same thing. I couldn't levitate a feather right now. I suspect someone dosed the palace food. But unlike you, I do not need to rely on the Force to stay healthy and alive.'
'You! It was you all along! Gua...'
But before he can call for the guards Rey gags him with his own pillow. The old man levels a punch at her but, without the Force to strengthen the frail bones, his arm breaks with a sickening crack.
'That's for killing my parents. That's for electrocuting me at the age of kriffing seven. That's for all the shit you put me through. You will die, and I swear to the Force Invincible I shall dance on your grave. You piece of shit.'

Both their lightsabres lost in the struggle, Vader's armoured hands close around Kylo's neck. The younger Sith has never been so terrified.
'I hate to  destroy my own grandson, but...'
'Release him, My Lord!' shouts Captain Phasma from the door. 'I know he has done something exceptionally stupid and unforgivable but so will you if you kill him. I know how much this idiot boy means to you. He's your only family left.'
'Not my only family. I have  you and Rey.'
'As touching as that is, do not kill him. You will regret it.'
'My entire life is a scrap heap of regrets.'
'Why add to it?'

Chapter Text

'Grandson you are a kriffing blithering idiot. When someone you love makes a bid for power, you support them unconditionally not turn against them.'
'Like you supported mother and uncle Luke and even grandma Padme?'
'Kriffing hell that was different. I was different. Younger, foolish. As stupid as you are now. I am an old man. I have outlived my life expectancy by decades. I have had time to think and regret what I did. And I realised I would gladly give my life  for your mother or uncle or grandma only after they were lost to me through my own actions. Empires come and go, and you can always build another. But family is Force-given, sacred and precious.'
'But I was doing it for my family. For the family I was going to start with Rey. For her safety...'
'Kylo you kriffing idiot. Rey doesn't need protection,  not least because I would die for her  rather than attack her. And she is a better swordswoman than you are.'
Vader's com rings then. The one in the suit, the one whose frequency is written in Sidious's personal com because the old man never bothers to remember a damn thing except for the  speeches he keeps repeating verbatim. He presses a button and the blue figure of Rey appears.
'It has happened.'
'Good.'
'Do you want to rule a little?'
'Hell no, but I will never say no to being your advisor.'
'What is the meaning of this, Grandfather?'
'Emperor Sheev Palpatine is no longer, just as I foresaw. Rey is your new Empress.'
'And you caused it?'
'I did not. But I am very glad it came to pass. Kylo, that old mold abused me for longer than you have been alive in ways you cannot imagine. He abused Rey ever since she came into his custody. He would have hurt you that same way once you killed me.'


Rey opens the door and looks at the guards stationed outside.
'The Emperor is dead. I am your new Empress as his rightful and only heir.'
'You killed him. You...'
'I am offering you paid sick leave and holidays and a pay rise if you swear fealty to me right now, ' interjects Rey before they can rally against her. 'And I swear I will never electrocute you or threaten your families. Besides, who else you gonna support? Vader? Vader supports me. So does Kylo. So will admirals Sloane, Daala and Thrawn if I know them at all.'

Several weeks later: Sheev Palpatine's grave is a flat large slab of duracrete set in the palace courtyard, engraved with name, dates and the words: genocidal tyrant, sadistic psychopath, abusive grandfather. There are no flowers or candles.
'Grandfather. I promised I would  dance on your grave and unlike you I keep my word. Shall we, Lord Vader?'
'Indeed we shall. Threepeo, play Ieva's Polka.'
The droid presses  a few buttons on the portable speaker he has brought and the first strains of music emerge. The two Force users leap and spin, their dance more acrobatic than anything a regular person could perform. Rey is laughing, and at some point she realises Vader's heart feels lighter than she has ever known it to be. Kylo is looking at them like they just went mad, but that's okay. Everything is perfect.

Seven years later, Darth Vader welcomes into the world his great-grandson, Imperial Prince Anakin. Everything is still perfect.