A Star Wars Fanfiction

Disclaimer: All Star Wars characters belong to George Lucas. This story was written for my enjoyment and, hopefully, for the enjoyment of other Star Wars fans who will read it. And I, in no way, am seeking any financial gain from this story.

Also, to give credit where credit is due, this story, and any sequels I might write, may show some similarities to the fanfic "The Penitent" and its unfinished mid-quels "Acts of Atonement". You can find these fanfics at http/vadersmask.

(Unfortunately,this website doesn't allow full web addresses to be posted. But you should be able to find this webpage if you do a search for Anakin Skywalker fanfic.)

I loved this story so much and was saddened by the fact that the mid-quels have never been finished. So this is my response to that. I hope the writer(s) of those stories are in no way offended by my take on a similar idea. I hope you all enjoy this story.

P.S. There may be some other similarities to other stories located at that same (above mentioned) web address as well as some characters and situations taken from Timothy Zahn's "Thrawn Trilogy"books..

Lost in Time

Author's Note: This is a second installment and sequel to my fan fiction, "Return to the Light". Therefore, you may want to read that story first before proceeding so you understand what's going on with the characters in this story.

Also, if you are a fan of Thrawn, as with "Return to the Light", please continue to be patient with my characterization of him. For continuity, I have decided to continue writing him as I did in "Return to the Light". So thank you for your patience.

Prologue:

"Luke, you better get up here." Leia said into the comm link from the cockpit of the Falcon. "There's something wrong. The fleet isn't where it's supposed to be."

Upon hearing Leia's concerned voice, Luke got up from the bed, clutching his injured arm and wincing at the pain. He staggered to the cockpit door, pushing the button to open the door with his good hand and stepped through. What he saw next was nothing any of them had ever seen before.

A huge gasp came from all the occupants of the cockpit as they saw a large, bright light flash in front of them that closely resembled the explosion of a star, causing all of them to shield their eyes from being blinded. Chewie growled out in pain from the co-pilot's seat as he threw his big, hairy arm across his eyes.

"What happened?" Luke asked after the light faded into the dark of space again.

"Not sure." Lando responded. "But it looked like a star just exploded." Lando looked back at Luke from the pilot's seat with horror on his face. "But...there aren't any stars in the quadrant of space."

"And there was no shock wave." Luke added with shock. "How is that even possible?"

Leia, who had still been looking forward, blinked and rubbed her eyes, not believing what she was seeing. "Look, guys." She said as she pointed out the front window. "Is that what I think it is?" All four pairs of eyes looked with awe as they saw what appeared to be a black hole forming ahead of them. Everything, including the light, was being sucked towards it.

"That's exactly what it looks like it is!" Lando said as Chewie let out another growl and both of them leaped into action. "You all better sit down. It will be a miracle if we get out of this one." He said as he and Chewie locked the Falcon's engines in full reverse.

Luke and Leia sat down in the seats behind them and strapped themselves in just as the Falcon began to shake from the engines fighting to break away from the gravitational pull that was pulling them closer and closer to the vacuum that seemed to be swallowing everything in sight. But it was no use. The pull was too great and the freighter finally succumbed to the will of the black hole and was sucked in.

"It was nice knowing all of you." Was the last thing anyone heard coming from Lando and then there was silence.

Chapter 1

Couresant

It had been three years since the events of Mt. Tantiss had taken place and Han had agreed to bring Luke and Anakin back to Tatooine to help rediscover their roots and visit old friends. They even heard news that the pod races had even started back up at Boonta Eve, so they all decided that would be one of their vacation destinations.

Han had always been curious about Anakin's and Luke's origins, so this was chance to see parts of Tatooine that he'd never seen before and meet some of the people they knew and heard so much about. Besides, it had been a long time since the three of them had had a chance to just spend time together without the women around and to just have some fun.

About 2 months ago, Padme gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, who they named Shmi after Anakin's mother. Anakin smiled at how much she resembled her mother and sister, Leia, knowing that one day she would be as beautiful as them when she grew up. She was smart too and already showing signs of being strong in the Force and he hope that one day he would be able to train her as well as her big brother, Ben.

Ben was now just turning 3 years old and Anakin was looking forward to starting his Jedi training after he returned from their vacation on Tatooine. Padme often remarked how much Ben was like Anakin, even in looks. Except for his chocolate brown hair, he looked exactly like him, the same shape and blue color of the eyes, face, nose and little dimple in his chin.

Although Ben had been excited about getting a new little sister, he soon realized that he was no longer the center of attention and constantly reminded his parents of his presence by testing their patience. Anakin smiled at himself at the knowledge that Jedi training would soon curb him of that. But then he thought of Luke and how he wished he could have had the opportunity to have teach Luke from an early age, so it was more than just teaching Ben self control for the sake of his parents' sanity, he knew he would cherish every moment he spent training Ben.

When Anakin suggested it, Padme had been reluctant to let her son start such rigorous training at such a young age and was afraid he would never have a real childhood. But Anakin convinced her that the training of their son wouldn't be as strict as the old ways and that he would make sure that Ben still had a chance to be a little boy.

Padme had a ton of work to do when she came back to the Senate after maternity leave and reluctantly left her precious children with her handmaiden, Sylvia, for hours on end to get caught up. But she knew that at the end of the day she would be with them again and that got her through the day.

Leia was just as busy with her duties as Chancellor. Surprisingly, they hadn't heard from the Empire in 3 years, but some of the newly acquired planetary systems were squabbling amongst themselves regarding trade and who knows what else, which meant she was in endless meetings listening to arguments. It was giving her a headache just thinking about it.

So when the men declared that that they were going on this little adventure together, Padme and Leia didn't object. They knew that they were in need of a vacation and gave their blessings. They just wished they could go along, but duty called and they couldn't escape.

Anakin, especially, was excited to escape the riggers of midnight feedings and diaper changes, which left him so tired that he was completely useless when it came to training the new padawans. Most of the time he was asleep face first at a table or lying on a bench somewhere, completely exhausted, which is where Luke and little Ben found him the morning of their departure. He was fast asleep on a bench just outside the light saber training room in the Jedi Temple.

"Father, wake up." Luke said as he nudged his father in the arm. But he didn't even stir. Boy, Shmi must have kept him up all night this time. Luke thought to himself with a smile. He decided to let him sleep a little longer and took Ben's hand, putting his index finger up to his mouth as he looked down at his little brother. "Shhh…We'll let Father sleep a little longer, ok?"

Little Ben giggled. "Ok, Luke." He whispered as Luke led him to the bench on the other side of the column where their father slept and sat down. Ben climbed up onto the bench next to Luke, with his feet dangling. He started swinging his feet, trying to amuse himself.

Luke watched as the parents arrived to pick up the young padawans he had just been instructing in the art of blocking shots fired from a remote using light sabers and the Force, just as Obi-Wan had taught him many years ago. "Bye Master Luke!" One of them shouted and he waved back them.

Unlike the Jedi Order of the Old Republic, Anakin and Luke decided to keep the children with their families. So when a young child came to the temple to train to become a Jedi, the family had the option to come with them.

This came due to how much Anakin had missed his own mother when he came here to train as a child. He always felt that if his mother had been around to guide and direct him as a parent, then perhaps things wouldn't have turned out the way they did. He didn't mean any disrespect to Obi-Wan as his mentor, and a father figure; but he wasn't his mother. And Anakin would have liked to have had her in his life.

Ben was starting to get impatient and fidget. "Can we wake him up now, Luke?" He asked while looking up at his brother and still swinging his feet back and forth.

Luke smiled down at his little brother. "Ok. Come on." And they got up, or in Ben's case, down and went back around the column to where Anakin was still sleeping. Luke nudged his father again in the arm, which this time caused him to stir.

Anakin opened one eye and glared at Luke with it. "Just a little longer." And he rolled away from Luke, pulling his cape up closer around him like a blanket.

"Shmi kept you both up again last night, didn't she?" Luke asked with a smirk and his arms crossed in front of him.

"Yes, now please leave me alone." Came a muffled reply.

"You know…you can sleep on the way to Tatooine."

Anakin rolled over and faced his son, with both eyes open this time, and was quiet for a moment like he was thinking really hard about Luke's statement. "Oh, alright." He sighed and then sat up, putting his elbows on his knees and rubbing his eyes with both hands. He then got to his feet.

"Father." Came a little boy's voice. Anakin looked down into the blue eyes of Ben. "Can't I come with you? Pleeaaaaase?" Ben looked up at his father with hopeful eyes.

Anakin looked down at his son and smiled. He then squatted down and put his hands on Ben's shoulders. "Not this time, Ben. I need you to stay home and watch over your mother and sister. Can you do that?"

"But Father, I don't want to stay home. I want to come with you and Luke." Ben said as he started to cry.

"Ben, I know you want to go but we promise we'll be back before your birthday next week. Ok?"

"But that's such a long time." Ben said with a pout.

Luke was smiling down at his little brother and also squatted down. "Ben, it's not such a long time. And we'll bring back some presents for you from Tatooine."

Ben lit up. "Presents? Oh Luke! What kind of presents?" He was clapping his hands together and was jumping up and down.

"If I told you that, it wouldn't be a surprise." Luke smiled at his brother.

Anakin laughed as he stood up. "Uh oh, now you've done it, Luke. He won't let you forget that you know."

"Hey kiddo. What's all the fuss about?" They all turned to see Han walking up to them and Luke stood up again.

"Han!" Ben said as he ran up to him with arms outstretched. Han picked him up and Ben gave him a big hug and ruffled his hair.

"Hey!" Ben said as he reacted to Han messing with his hair and Han put him down. All three men laughed as Ben glared up at Han and rubbed his own little hand through his hair.

Han looked over to Anakin and Luke, putting his hands on his hips. "So…are we going or what? I went over to your place, Anakin, and Padme said you were still here."

"What's she doing home so early?" Anakin asked with concern.

"Oh, she said something about wanting to see her husband off…and is wondering where you are." Han replied with a smirk.

Anakin gasped. "Oops! I forgot about that. What time is it?" Anakin said with a guilty look on his face and looked at the clock on the wall. "Uh oh, I told her I'd be home an hour ago with Ben. She's going to kill me."

"Well, then, we better get you and Ben there before she sends out the posse." Luke said with a smirk. Anakin took Ben's hand and they walked through the grand halls of the Jedi Temple to where Luke's speeder was parked in the temple's hanger, and then flew off to Anakin's and Padme's apartment.

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When they arrived at the apartment, Anakin went in the door first, carrying Ben in his arms. Padme was there waiting for him, sitting on the couch, with little Shmi in her arms. She smiled up at Anakin as he came through the door. "Anakin, I thought you'd never get here." She then started to scowl. "Where have you been?"

Anakin hung his head down in shame. "Sorry Padme. I fell asleep again."

Padme just chuckled a little and then smiled at him. "Ok…Well…if that's your reason, then you're forgiven."

Anakin put Ben down and Ben grabbed Luke's hand as Anakin walked over to where Padme was sitting with Shmi. "And how is our little sleep depriver doing today?" Anakin asked as he sat down next to his wife with a smirk on his face and gave Padme a kiss on the cheek.

"She's doing fine." Padme said as they both looked down at baby Shmi. She was looking at up at both her parents with her big brown eyes full of curiosity. "She's quiet at the moment. I just fed her. Would you like to hold her, my dear?"

"Yes, I'd like to say good-bye to my little baby girl before I leave." Anakin held out both his hands as Padme placed Shmi in them. Anakin supported her head with his right arm, smiling and talking baby talk to her. "Goo, goo, goo." Han and Luke laughed from the doorway. "Hey! Just wait until you have kids of your own. You'll both turn into complete idiots over your kids too." Anakin told them as he turned and smiled at them.

Han and Luke laughed again but grew quiet at that thought. Of course, Han and Leia had talked about having kids soon. Leia, especially, since seeing both her parents so happy with their little ones. Luke just hadn't even thought about it. He'd been so busy with trying to get the Jedi Order off the ground again that he hadn't really had the time. Plus he hadn't really met anyone he felt that type of devotion to like his parents and Han and Leia. Although, he, too, thought he'd like to have kids some day.

"So where are you guys going to stay while on Tatooine? Did you finally decide?" Padme asked as she reached over to take Shmi back from Anakin. Anakin kissed his daughter on the forehead and handed her back to his wife.

"Well…I was thinking we should stay at the Lars' farm where I grew up." Luke said. "I've been meaning to go back there for awhile and it's still technically mine. Although I'm going to need help getting the power generators running again. The last time I was there, they weren't working."

"That's no problem, Luke. I can take a look at them." Anakin said as he got up from the couch. "I'll go get my luggage and we can get going." And he went into their bedroom and brought out the suitcase he'd packed the night before.

Padme followed them to the door, still holding Shmi in her arms. Anakin bent down and kissed her on the lips. And they smiled at each other as they backed away from each other. He kissed Shmi on the forehead again and then bent down to Ben as he came up to him and gave him a hug. "Now you mind your mother and Sylvia. Ok Ben?" Anakin asked his young son.

"Yes, Father." Ben answered shyly and with a pout. He still wanted to go with them.

"You're the man of the house for a few days." Anakin continued. "So you help your mother."

"Ok." He was now hanging onto the hem of Padme's dress.

Luke also hugged and kissed his mother on the cheek, touching Shmi on the cheek. Then he bent down and gave Ben a hug.

"Good-bye, Kiddo." Han said as he smiled down at Ben and then he looked at Padme. "I'll make sure they stay out of trouble, Padme." He said with a wink and smile.

"Oh…and who will keep you out of trouble?" Padme asked him with a smirk."

"We will." Luke answered with a smirk.

The three men then went out the door and went to load up Luke's speeder with luggage. Then they headed off to the hanger where the Falcon was awaiting them.

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The Millennium Falcon (Past - after the "black hole")

The crew of the Millennium Falcon awoke in their chairs in the cockpit to just the hum of the life support system. They were shocked at the fact that the ship was still intact and they were still alive. They were just lingering in space, not knowing what happened and where they were.

"Where are we?" Luke asked while trying to look around for any constellations that looked familiar.

"I don't know." Leia responded. "What happened?" She was rubbing her head as the first signs of a headache started to plague her.

Chewie growled. "I don't know, Chewie." Lando responded. "Maybe we should find a place to land and then we can figure out exactly what happened." Chewie growled again that he thought it was a good idea.

"Yes, but first, where are we?" Luke asked as Lando started searching through the star charts and had the ships computer figure out their location.

"We're not far from Tatooine." Lando responded. "Shall we go there?"

"Sounds good to me." Luke responded. "We can start making plans on how we're going to rescue Han from Jabba's palace. We can stay at my old home if you like."

"That sounds like as good a plan as any at this point." Lando responded. Chewie growled with agreement and they set course for Tatooine.

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Millennium Falcon (Present)

Anakin had decided to take Luke's advice and headed to the sleeping quarters as soon as they got on board to try to get some sleep. He had slept for most of the trip and was awakened when he heard the sounds of the Falcon preparing to land.

He got up from the bed and headed towards the cockpit to see what was going on. "Are we there?" Anakin asked. He was still a little groggy.

Luke and Han turned to see his Anakin standing in the doorway, yawning. "Yes, we're landing in Mos Eisley now." Luke answered him.

"Good. Luke, know any place reliable that we can rent a good speeder?" Anakin asked.

Han turned to look at Anakin. "Anakin, this is Mos Eisley. There's nothing reliable about it. You should know that."

Anakin walked over and sat in the seat behind Luke. "Yes, well, I haven't been here in awhile and I lived near Mos Espa. Remember? Mos Eisley is Luke's territory."

"Yes, I'm sorry. I forgot. Mos Eisley, Mos Espa…They're all the same to me. spaceports with shady reputations." Han said as he continued to turn knobs, flip switches and pilot the Falcon into the circular, recessed space dock. The Falcon sat down with a slight bump. "Well…we're here!" Han announced as he turned everything off and got up.

"I still down understand why we couldn't just take the Falcon to the farm." Luke said to Han.

"And let the Jawas or the Sand People tear it apart? Not a chance. We're leaving it right here." Han replied while pointing to the floor.

"Han, I don't think it's any safer here." Anakin told him with a smirk.

"Well…at least here…there are people watching." Han tried to rationalize to them. Anakin and Luke laughed at him. "Hey! What's so funny?"

"Nothing, Han. If it makes you feel better to leave the Falcon here, then we'll leave it here." Anakin told him while still trying not to laugh.

The trio then set out to find a good-sized speeder they could rent from a dealer that Luke remembered to be somewhat respectable. He went to school with his son, so he knew that he wouldn't cheat them at least.

They loaded up what supplies they could fit into the speeder's trunk and then Anakin turned to his two traveling companions. "So everyone ready? Whose driving?"

"I'll drive." Luke responded. "I know the area well."

"Sounds good to me." Han said as he climbed into the back seat of the speeder.

Anakin and Luke climbed into the front. Luke turned the speeder in the direction of the Lars moisture farm, driving carefully through the city limits. Once they reached the edge of town, he hit the accelerator. "We should be there in less than an hour." Luke said.

"Hey! When is that race at Boota Eve, anyway?" Han asked from the back seat.

Anakin turned around from the passenger seat to look at him. "Not until the end of the week.'

"Awww. Well, I was hoping it would be sooner than that. I want to hear all your stories, Anakin. Luke told me about you winning the Boota Eve Classic at age 9. That's great! You never mentioned it when you told me how you and Padme met."

"Ok. I'll tell you." Anakin said as they continued on their journey.

Luke listened as his father retold the stories to Han, who listened with interest and enthusiasm, and he smiled to himself. This trip is going to be a lot of fun with Han along.