For Cal

[hisfathersimage]

It was two months after Endor.

A perfectly normal (for him) night's sleep was interrupted. It was like a mental hiccup, or a system reboot. He wasn't aware of anything and then-

The bond snapped into place before he gained awareness. It was old and young and familiar, a previously cautious candlelight that felt closer to a hearthfire now, tempered and warming and clear. The memories rushed back as he woke, sitting up with a choked gasp and a flare of Force awareness and anxiety bright enough that he felt Leia awaken on the otherside of the system with it.

He couldn't explain to her. To anyone. All he could do was throw on clothes as he went, grabbing the bare necessities and choking out something about 'Jedi business, another Jedi, I can feel him' before he was loading up R2 and the X-Wing.

Outer Rim.

He went to Botajef. Intersection of major hyperspace lanes. Near Dathomir, near Yavin, it felt significant and right.

And once he was there, he set himself outside of the main city and he reached out, along the bond and just in general, because he knows the bond is good, but at the same time, he isn't confident about it.

Cal Kestis. I'm here. I know you.

Comments

[bunchofscrewups]

Despite what everyone said would happen, he'd remembered everything.

And perhaps the most difficult thing about that was knowing he couldn't exactly say anything to anyone. Or maybe he could have, if he'd wanted to, could have potentially convinced the others it was real, but ... Honestly, it hadn't felt that important. Even if he'd lived about two years there, experienced things he couldn't have otherwise, even if it had probably changed him somehow, it hadn't seemed all that important. He'd been happy enough keeping it as his own little secret.

But it had been a long nearly twenty years. Every now and then, in the rare times things would be quiet, he'd think about Luke. There are things that must happen before he could think about hunting him down, because he hopes that he might not be the only one to remember, and fears if he were to interrupt the passage of time somehow, it would screw any chance of Luke remembering up. So while he against Cere's advice and wishes gets involved with the rebellion, he helps them for a few years, if only to keep the Empire at bay somewhat. Eventually, though, he pulls away, without saying anything to anyone. He doesn't ever stop fighting the Empire, not really, but he sticks to the outskirts, allows himself to be, at most, a rumour, or a bounty hunting contract that is spoken about in only the Empire's highest ranks.

And he waits.

When some time has passed after the fall of the Emperor and Darth Vader, he starts to wonder if maybe Luke doesn't remember. He knows Luke didn't arrive in Duplicity immediately after the fact, but he can't remember if they ever talked about exactly how long. He starts thinking maybe he should just try to find him, once he's done dealing with the Empire on Xorrn. Never mind that it might take a while. Maybe he's avoiding looking for Luke out of fear.

Then, he feels it. Out of the blue, as he's considering his options, because he knows better than to rush too fast when he and BD-1 are working alone. It's like a heartbeat, at first, and then it's bright, and it's been so long since he's felt it that it's more like a firestorm than a hearthfire. Like the first time they met.

He scrambles up, eyes wide, breathing too hard, and BD-1 makes a questioning beep as he looks up at him.

"We're leaving," he says, holding out an arm for the droid. "It's Luke."

Because, of course, he'd told one person. Because he tells BD-1 everything.

And BD-1, of course, doesn't question it. Although, maybe he should, because the truth is he doesn't really know where to go. He has a vague sense of which direction to go, that it may very well be outside of the Outer Rim, but it doesn't matter. There's no need to stay hidden in order to avoid Luke even hearing about him, anymore.

He doesn't get too far, though. Apparently, Luke was faster. Even so, Cal's pretty sure that message is coming from roughly in the direction he just left, and he laughs to himself as he abruptly brings them out of hyperspace. There's no need to rush, really, but he doesn't want to wait any further at this point, so he quickly enters another lane, waving off BD-1's protests.

After locating the closest space where he can land - not ideal, and he can hear Greez chastise him in the back of his mind - he rushes the landing too. It's a little rough, but it shouldn't have broken anything, and he practically trips out of the ship to go find Luke. At a full sprint. He doesn't care.

[hisfathersimage]

They spend most of the rest of the day and night just being together. Yes, like that, but more than just the sex, it's the intimacy of falling asleep in the same bed, of a comforting presence wrapped with his own. It's coming half awake when Cal's sleep is disturbed and soothing it down and feeling the same happen in return.

When he wakes up in the morning, feeling safe and comfortable, he becomes aware of other things. Since his memories flooded back, the training he did had come with it and he has a vague, niggling sense of worry that he suspects isn't actually his but is being broadcast by an understandably concerned Leia.

He groans and stretches and starts untangling himself from Cal. He should call her, reassure her that it's okay.