Full Summary: As the Republic begins to unravel, Anakin Skywalker doesn't turn to the dark side but, instead, he is forced into exile. When Obi-Wan Kenobi goes missing and Palpatine takes control of the galaxy, an omen echoes through the Force, an omen foreshadowing the return of salvation and a single name: Skywalker.

Author's Note: I actually thought of this while I was reading Jedi Search and rereading the last chapters of my story, Maze of Darkness and I decided to post it. This takes place during the time of Revenge of the Sith but its' a complete AU of that book. This is the first book of the series and I hope you like it.

Disclaimer- I do not own Star Wars and I never will, I am only saying this once and I will not repeat it in a later chapter

Keeping Faith

Book I: Exile

Chapter One

Revelation

Coruscant was unusually quiet, the streets were silent and hardly a whisper of wind surge through the tall skyscrapers of the city-planet. The Coruscanti moon rose high in the air, shedding silver rays through the atmosphere onto the dead silent city beneath it. The peace on the planet didn't last long, the memories of the resent battle that raged above still echoed in the minds of many of the participants in the battle.

The Jedi were still haunted by the dreams of the battle that took place only the day before and yet they were struggling to catch up on the sleep that many of them have missed out on since the Clone Wars began. Dooku was on the run, rumored to be hiding out on a nearby moon, and General Grievous was located somewhere within the Outer Rim.

Jedi Master Mace Windu was one of the very few Jedi that was still up at this time of day. Gazing at the moonlight that streamed through the tall glass windows of the Jedi Council room, Mace thought about the battle that had occurred only the day before. The battle had been a victory for the Republic but the Separatists were still at large in the galaxy and the leaders of the Separatists were hidden someplace and Mace couldn't figure out where.

"Won a great victory yesterday we did, why asleep are you not?" the voice of Jedi Grand Master Yoda broke through Mace's private musings and he glanced over his shoulder as the wizened old Jedi made his way into the Jedi Council room, the dwarf's beady little eyes were narrowed.

"I could not sleep, Master," Mace replied before he turned his dark gaze back to the sprawling buildings and soaring skyscrapers that lay in front of him. The peace wasn't going to last long and he knew it, before long, the Separatists were going to attempt to take Coruscant and kill Supreme Chancellor Palpatine.

Mace didn't see why the Separatists would do such a thing but he had a pretty good idea. Dooku was the mastermind behind the creation of the Separatists and he was currently in hiding, having escaped death on the Invisible Hand only because Anakin Skywalker showed him mercy and General Grievous showed up. Grievous had also managed to escape the battle unscathed but they were still out there, plotting their next attack. Mace couldn't begin to think as to when this next attack would come but he dreaded the day when it did occur.

"Betray you your thoughts do, worried another battle will strike you do," Yoda said in his usual calm voice as he made his way to Mace's side, his gimer stick tapping against the floor of the Jedi Council room. Yoda was always one to know when there was something on someone else's mind and when they are too stubborn to admit it.

"We barely won the last battle and that was only because Dooku and Grievous both escaped," Mace said softly. "Don't get me wrong, I am glad Anakin did not kill Dooku out of cold-blood but with Dooku and Grievous still loose in the galaxy and the unknown Sith Lord still manipulating everything, I fear, sooner or later, another battle will strike."

Yoda nodded once. "Change times have," he said gravelly. "Close to the end the war has drawn but know who wins I do not. Prepare for the worst we must or suffer the consequences we will."

"Do you honestly think this war is going to end soon, Master Yoda?" Mace asked turning his gaze back to the little green dwarf.

"Believe it I do for if believe in something we do not then never come true it will," Yoda said.

Mace sighed. "I guess you are correct, Master Yoda," he said before he returned his dark gaze to the cloudless sky above his head. "I just fear the Jedi Order is in for a huge change and I can sense that it is coming soon."

"Coming very soon, yes, it is," Yoda agreed and Mace didn't feel a bit relieved to discover Yoda agreed with him. He had been hoping that the wizened old Jedi Master would sense that something wasn't coming and the Jedi Order would be able to go on in peace once the wars have ended.

"Sense something I do," Yoda said suddenly and Mace glanced sharply at the little green dwarf.

"What is it, Master?"

"Deep fear projected through the Force it is, coming from young Skywalker," Yoda murmured and Mace frowned before stretching out with the Force and he could almost instantly feel the fear coming off of Anakin in thick waves that nearly knocked him over.

"What's happening?" he asked.

"Know that I do not but figure it out I will," Yoda replied.

~*~

Padmé's screams of pain tore through the cloud of fear that was crawling through Anakin Skywalker's body. His wife had gone into early labor only a few hours ago and she has been in labor ever since. Anakin could feel the pain she was feeling through the Force and he was once again reminded of his dreams, the vision hinting that his wife was going to die in childbirth.

And now that his child was being born, Anakin was more worried than ever.

It had been See-Threepio, the protocol droid that Anakin had built back on Tatooine, who had come to tell him that Padmé had gone into labor. Threepio had the decency to make his way to the Jedi Temple instead of reaching Anakin by comlink and Anakin figured it was because he never gave the golden protocol droid his comlink number.

Unfortunately, when Threepio came by and blurted out the news, Anakin had been with his former master, and father figure, Obi-Wan Kenobi. Anakin knew that Obi-Wan was disappointed in him for breaking the Jedi Code by marrying and siring a child but frankly he didn't care right now, all he cared about was his wife.

He took his wife's hand as Padmé let out another scream of pain and the medical droid rolled around in front of her, murmuring something that Anakin was either too far away or too panicked to hear. Padmé screamed again and the medical droid murmured the same thing it had said before again and suddenly the sound of crying cut through Padmé's screams and Anakin glanced up sharply.

The droid glanced up. "It's a boy," it said in its' mechanical voice.

"Luke," Padmé breathed her eyes filled with love for the small baby boy. The medical droid gently placed baby Luke in Anakin's arms and Anakin smiled gently down at the baby. Another scream of pain tore through Padmé's body and Anakin glanced back at his wife, his eyes wide with fear.

He was about to ask what was wrong when Padmé let out another bone chilling scream and the medical droid lifted another baby into its' arms. "It's a girl," the medical droid said.

"Leia," Padmé breathed.

The droid was still holding the baby and Anakin knew that this was the moment of truth, the moment where he would know if his vision was going to come true or not. He gazed at his beloved wife's face and Padmé smiled gently at him, her chocolate brown eyes were glimmering with exhaustion but she otherwise looked all right.

"Is she all right?" Anakin asked finally turning his blue gaze to the medical droid as it rolled to Padmé's side and gently placed baby Leia in her arms.

"Yes, she is all right, all her vital signs show that she is in no immediate danger, she is merely exhausted from the aftereffect of childbirth," the medical droid said and Anakin breathed a sigh of relief, his vision hadn't come true. Anakin was weak-kneed with relief but he managed to stay on his two feet as he gently rocked Luke back and forth in his arms.

Luke was quiet but the steady rise and fall of his tiny chest told Anakin that he was alive. He quickly glanced at Leia and noticed Leia's chest was also gently rising and falling as she slept and he smiled slightly. His children had survived the birthing process and so had his wife, his vision didn't come true.

The door to the medbay slide open and Threepio waddled in. "I am terribly sorry, Master Anakin, I didn't know you didn't want Obi-Wan to know about Mistress Padmé," he said his tone told Anakin that he was apologetic and he smiled slightly.

"Don't worry about it, Threepio, I should have told Obi-Wan from the start," Anakin replied.

"You should have," Obi-Wan agreed walking into the medbay behind the golden protocol droid and Anakin gazed at his former master as Obi-Wan made his way to his side, his gray-blue eyes were narrowed. "Anakin, why didn't you tell me?"

Anakin sighed. "I just wanted to be a good Padawan," he said. "But then I fell in love with Padmé and I knew that it was against the Jedi Code. I know that you are always one to stick to the code and I was afraid you wouldn't want anything more to do with me if I told you the truth."

"Anakin, you know that is not true, sure I am a bit disappointed at this but you are my brother and I do love you. You could have come to me right from the start, considering I suspected something was going on between you and Padmé, even before the Battle of Geonosis," Obi-Wan replied.

Anakin frowned. "What do you mean?" he asked.

Obi-Wan smiled. "I knew about Padmé, Anakin, it was obvious after the Battle of Geonosis, I just did not expect that you and Padmé would be having children together," he said.

Anakin gazed down at Luke who was gazing up at him with milky blue eyes. Anakin knew that the milky sheen would fade away within a few days to be replaced his true color eyes and Anakin had to wonder what the baby boy would look like when he grew up. He glanced up at Obi-Wan. "Does anyone else know?" he asked.

"I have a feeling Master Yoda knows but you won't be able to keep it a secret much longer, sooner or later, the Jedi Council is going to find out about this," Obi-Wan said. "I won't tell the Jedi Council, however, I believe that you should be the one to tell them and face whatever punishment they decide for you."

Anakin sighed before he gazed at the baby boy in his arms before he looked back at his former master. Padmé was also gazing at Obi-Wan as she slowly sat up, Leia was sleeping in her arms while Luke was still gazing up at his father with huge blue eyes. "Would you like to see the twins, Master Kenobi?" she asked.

Obi-Wan hesitated before nodding and walking forward. Padmé gently placed Leia in his arms and he gazed at the baby girl before rocking her back and forth. Luke began giggling and cooing and Anakin gazed down at the baby in his arms before smiling. For once, he didn't care what the Jedi Council would decide, he was just happy to be with his family, and that was the only thing that mattered right now.

~*~

Obi-Wan wasn't surprised when he spotted Yoda and Mace Windu making their way into the medical facility a while later. He had left Leia back with her mother while her mother and father stayed in the recovery room of the medical facility. The only reason he had left was because he had sensed Mace and Yoda's arrival though he was a bit shocked to find them there so late at night.

"Master Yoda, Master Windu, what are you doing up so late?" Obi-Wan asked lowering his head in greeting.

"Sensed something we did, a disturbance in the Force," Yoda replied. "Centered around young Skywalker it was."

Obi-Wan had to force himself not to wince. "I didn't feel it," he admitted.

"Perhaps concentrating too much on something you were and feel it you were unable too," the little green dwarf suggested.

Mace narrowed his dark eyes. "Where is Skywalker?" he asked.

Obi-Wan sighed, he knew it was coming, he just didn't expect it to come this soon. But before he could reply, his felt his former Padawan's presence and glanced over his shoulder in time to find Anakin making his way down the hallway, the small baby boy Luke was still in his arms.

Obi-Wan figured Anakin was ready to tell the council about his deception, he figured that was the only reason as to why Anakin would come out here with his son in his arms. Anakin came to a stop beside Obi-Wan before lowering his head in greeting to Mace and Yoda.

"You wished to see me?" he asked, his voice was unusually calm and in control of itself and Obi-Wan felt a bit surprised. Anakin was usually hotheaded and outspoken, he has never been this calm and in control of himself before.

Mace's eyes were narrowed as he gazed at the baby in Anakin's arms. "Who's this?" he asked.

"My son, Luke," Anakin replied his voice was still calm and Obi-Wan felt a bit surge of pride go through him when he noticed Anakin was standing up for his deception, ready to face whatever it was that the Jedi Council decided for him.

"Your son you say?" Yoda echoed a bit shocked.

Anakin nodded once. "Padmé is asleep and so is my daughter," he said. "I see there is no point in holding back the truth any longer. As Obi-Wan pointed out, the truth was going to come out sooner than later and I feel better telling you myself than having you discover it some other way."

"Broke the Jedi Code you did," Yoda said gravelly waving his gimer stick at Anakin. "Married Senator Amidala, did you?"

"Yes, following the Battle of Geonosis when I was escorting Padmé back to Naboo."

Yoda's beady eyes were narrowed. "Discuss this with the rest of the Council in the morning we shall," he said. "Decide you and your children's fate we will." "Yes, Master Yoda," Anakin replied lowering his head in submission and Yoda nodded before he turned around and began to make his way out of the medical facility, Mace hesitated for a split second before he followed the wizened old dwarf.

A/n what do you think?

Blaze: that was the first chapter and I hope you like it

Darth: no chapter titles

Blaze: weirdo

Darth: I'm weird?

Blaze: yeah, I get it from you

Darth: (snorts)

Luke: hi

Blaze: wait a minute, you're only a few minutes old, what are you doing here?

Luke: your dad created a time machine so I came back in time

Blaze: oh okay please review and I'll post chapter 2 as soon as I possibly can but I doubt it will be anytime soon.