Author's note: Here are just a few things to keep in mind: This story is very AU. Anakin never fought Obi-Wan on Mustafar, so he is not in Vader's suit and helmet. Padme did not die in childbirth, as is explained in this chapter. Enjoy.
His bright red blade swung and Palpatine's head dropped to the ground. Anakin looked down at him, his mouth curled into a snarl. He extinguished his lightsaber and threw it back at the dead Sith Lord's body. His reign, after six months, was now over. Anakin was in charge. For a minute he forgot that he was standing in Palpatine's office with some of the Emperor's closest advisors present. Anakin turned around and smiled widely at them. He realized later that in that moment he must have looked quite insane, his wavy dark blonde hair sticking out messily and his lips pulled into a broad smile. They stared at him, dumbfounded. The usually emotionless Tarkin actually had his mouth hanging open. Part of the reason was that his loyal apprentice Darth Vader had just killed Palpatine, the most powerful man in the universe. Another reason for their shock was that none of them had ever seen the young face of Vader in anything but a scowl.
"Gentlemen," he said coolly. "Guess I'm in charge now." He looked at the three men who were rooted to their seats. Hot hatred for them bubbled up in his chest and he suddenly raised his hands, letting the Force flow through his body to the neck of a fat, old man. The man clutched at his throat, trying to pry the ghost fingers off. It was useless and he finally slumped over on the table. The two others yelled, springing up from their chairs.
"Where do you think you're going?" Anakin asked, grabbing them with the Force. He pressed his fingers together slightly and the once powerful men made guttural noises, their hands at their throats. Anakin took great pleasure in doing this to Tarkin, whose eyes were bugging out. The man took pleasure in ordering hundreds of people to their deaths; wrote every atrocity off as necessary for the success of the Empire. He had also undermined Anakin on numerous occasions, once actually laughing at one of his suggestions to the Emperor.
"Who's laughing now?" Anakin thought, squeezing the Force around the man's neck even tighter. His lips were flapping and his face turned white. Finally, his eyes rolled back in his head and his hands, now lifeless, flopped down to his sides. The other man had died much faster. He was a small, stout man with dumpy features. His rotund cheeks, usually rosy, were completely pale. His eyes that had been sunken in life were slightly bugged out in death, as if they were trying to breath for his lungs. Anakin had imagined this moment for months. He knew he would easily succeed and devised a plan. He even knew what he would tell the press and the other high-ranking officials in the Empire. He had anticipated nearly everything correctly, except for how he felt. He expected that he would feel elated, giddy even. These men were the reason his life was ruined, Sidious in particular. They had manipulated him into a monster and used him to carry out their sick deeds. They truly deserved to die and experience whatever hell was waiting for them. Their miserable lives would not be missed. However, Anakin felt no joy. He didn't really feel much of anything. In fact, he almost felt guilty. Four more lives ended because of him, deserving they may have been.
"What would Padme say?" a small voice inside his head asked. The voice had been a stranger to him of late. It was the conscience everyone possessed, always reminding Anakin of his faults. He forced the voice out countless times during his transformation to the darkside. He honestly found it comforting that he still had a conscience.
Anakin turned his attention away from the dead bodies to the large window displaying the buzzing traffic in Coruscant. His smile vanished as he noticed the ruins of the Jedi Temple.
"What have I done?" he said, sinking into a large chair. Huge emotions that he hadn't felt since he became Darth Vader washed over him. To be honest, the transition to a Sith was not difficult. No one questioned him, not even Obi-Wan or Padme. Of course, he had hurt Padme in other ways than simply turning. When he came to her to tell her he was now a Sith, she rejected it. She refused to be with him. It was her who pushed him over the edge. He Force choked her, releasing her at the last second before his action may have become lethal. She ran from him. In his anger, he destroyed everyone in the Jedi Temple willingly, sparing not even younglings. Obi-Wan ran with Padme, he could feel it. He knew they were helping each other, could even sense where they were. However, even in his rage, he never sought them out. They were the two people who meant the most to Anakin Skywalker, a person he was not able to let go of even in his darkest moments. He also knew that Padme had indeed given birth; he could feel it through their still present Force connection the night it happened. The back of his throat became tight and sore as he thought of her. He didn't blame her for running from him; he truly was a monster. Still, the thought that he may never hold his child was too much.
That was the thing that had pushed him to go back on Palpatine, to see his mistakes. He couldn't bear the thought that his child would grow up not knowing him, fearing him. His remorse for the Jedi he had killed came shortly after that. He now wanted nothing to do with being Emperor and simply wanted to restore the Republic and the Jedi. Absently, he pressed a glowing green button on the Emperor's desk.
"Sheryl, please come in. I have a message I would like sent out to the HoloNet," Anakin said coolly. The secretary came in slowly. He could sense her fear, especially after seeing the four lifeless bodies and Anakin sitting smugly behind Palpatine's desk.
"L-Lord Vader," she said. She was visibly shaking, clutching a datapad to her chest. He felt bad for instilling fear in her; an action he had become quite used to of late. However, he had bigger things to deal with than the personal comfort of his secretary.
"Please record the following message," he said pleasantly, smiling. Sheryl looked taken aback, but she pressed the record button on her datapad without saying another word.
"Emperor Palpatine has been abdicated from his rule, effective immediately. Darth Vader has taken over. Many new, exciting changes will happen as a result of this new leadership that the public will be witness to shortly," Anakin dictated, leaning back in his chair.
"Is that all?" the secretary asked quietly. He surveyed her for a minute, thinking. It wasn't really much of a notice, but he didn't want any of Palpatine's supports to catch wind that their positions would soon be useles. He shook his head slightly and the secretary turned and walked out of his office quickly, her high heels clicking rhythmically.
"Oh Sheryl," he called, thinking of something.
"Yes, sir?" she asked in a small voice.
"Please hold all of my calls and meetings. Tell anyone wondering of my whereabouts that I will be back in a day. I am going on a small trip."
"Yes sir," she said, slipping back out of his office.
He did not know the exact planet or place Obi-Wan and Padme were on, but somehow the Force was guiding him to them. He at least hoped it was the Force. He liked to think that at least that was still on his side these days. He took the controls of his starship, not really paying attention as to the direction he was going. This was the one thing in his miserable life he enjoyed. Flying had always been there for him, even when he was a child. He loved being out in the calm, coolness that space offered. If he wanted he could leave, go somewhere where no one knew of the terrible things he did. Even if he restored the Order and the Republic, he would be condemned. No one would forget the terror he had helped implement in the past months, short though they may have been. It was then he began to have second thoughts. Perhaps it was better if he stayed away from Padme and his child. If she took him back, he would only bring them shame they did not deserve. He made to turn around. He could just go back to Coruscant, restore the Republic and hopefully leave quietly without being brought to trial.
"You would be surprised at how forgiving some people can be," a deep voice said. He couldn't place it, but it sounded familiar. He looked around the small cabin, feeling foolish after he realized it was only in his head.
"Anakin, you remember, don't you?" the voice asked again. "I was the one who led you to become a Jedi." Anakin nearly gasped when he placed the voice-it was Qui-Gon Jinn, the man he owed nearly everything to.
"Do not give up just yet. You never know what might happen," the voice pressed on.
"How do I know?" Anakin said aloud. Nothing answered him.
"Qui-Gon," he said, both aloud and through their still present Force connection. "I need help." Still, nothing answered. He slammed his fist down on the arm of his metal chair. He cursed as he realized he did it with his flesh hand, which was now throbbing in pain. No, Qui-Gon was right. He had nothing to lose from seeing his old friend and wife, but everything to gain. For the next two hours he sat in his chair, occasionally checking the ship's vitals. It seemed to know where it was going, and he was glad for the peace he had been robbed of as the Emperor's sought-after apprentice. The ship was approaching a sandy planet he recognized easily. Anakin grimaced. The yellow, dusty circle that was Tatooine, the place of his birth, had been nothing but unpleasant for him. He considered it a bad omen. It was the place his mother died, the place he had been born into slavery. He had honestly considered ordering troops to invade it just to wipe the awful planet off the galactic map. The ship, acting of it's own accord, set down a few yards away from a cluster of sand colored domed houses. Each was slightly buried in sand with doors he knew led to a staircase leading down into the main house. For some reason this nondescript village looked familiar to him. He looked around for any distinguishing marks. His heart sank when he noticed one particular landmark. A gray gravestone stuck out, both in color and literally, from the light yellow sand. It was harsh looking, a square, dark spot in the otherwise perfectly patterned sand. He made to walk towards his mother's final resting place, but realized that the two suns were still out. He didn't want to be spotted, especially by his stepbrother Owen. It occurred to him then that he wasn't sure which house Obi-Wan and Padme lived in. Surveying the town, he realized that each little dome was identical. He no longer felt the Force guiding him.
"Great, now what?" he thought, hoping that Qui-Gon would again answer him. No verbal response was offered, but Anakin jumped when he saw that someone was walking out of a nearby hut. The tall, bearded man didn't notice him; he seemed to be simply admiring the scenery. Without thinking, Anakin began walking up to Obi-Wan. The older man did a double take when he noticed Anakin. He stood still, watching Anakin like a predator observing his prey.
"Obi-Wan," Anakin said, holding his hands up to show his peace. He was now face to face with this old master and friend. Obi-Wan opened his mouth as if to say something and then shut it. He stared at Anakin as if he were a ghost and then suddenly swung his arm and hit Anakin in the nose, hard.
"OW," Anakin said, clutching his nose. Through his streaming eyes, he saw Obi-Wan raise his hand to call his lightsaber to it.
"Wait," Anakin said. "Please. Just let me talk. Here," he took his lightsaber, the one he had as a Jedi, out of his belt and handed it to Obi-Wan. He took it, flashing Anakin a suspicious glare.
"I'm sure that by now you've heard that I killed Palpatine," Anakin began.
"Not that you killed him," Obi-Wan interjected. "Just that he was no longer Emperor."
"Okay then you assumed he was dead."
"I had my suspicions," Obi-Wan said coolly. Anakin took a deep breath, he knew that he would receive this coldness from Obi-Wan, but it still hurt to hear it coming from someone who was like a brother to him.
"Like I treated him better," Anakin thought bitterly.
"I am in power now and I want to restore the Republic and the Order."
"Both of which you destroyed. I fail to see why you've had such a change of heart," Obi-Wan said, crossing his arms.
Anakin hesitated, he knew that Obi-Wan would be hard to convince. He chose his words carefully, "Look, a few months ago I felt the birth of my child through the Force. Since then, I became more and more disillusioned with the Empire. I couldn't deal with the fact that I may never see my son. I finally just had it, so I killed him. I want things to go back to normal," Anakin said, his voice cracking slightly at the mention of his child.
"What about the Jedi you killed?" Obi-Wan said angrily, unable to make his voice sound impassive anymore. Anakin's entire face drooped. He put a hand over his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to hold back the sting he was feeling in the corner of his eyes.
"I will never, ever be able to forgive myself or expect others to forgive me completely for that. However, I hope you can recognize that I will place more blame on myself than anyone else ever could." Obi-Wan nodded, his expression slightly softer. He looked off into the suns, lost in his thoughts.
"Is Padme here?" Anakin asked quietly after a few minutes of silence. Obi-Wan looked at him hard. He knew that his old master was searching for deceit. Anakin counted to twenty in his head and Obi-Wan finally gave the slightest of nods, then looked back into the suns.
"Yeah," he said quietly. Anakin rolled his eyes, his patience running low.
"May I see her?" he asked. Obi-Wan sighed, "Yes, but let me talk to her first." He watched Obi-Wan walk into the house. Now he was the one feeling suspicious. Why would Obi-Wan go to talk to Padme? Were they in a relationship? Had they found comfort in each other over the past few months? No, he shook the thoughts out of his head. He sensed no romantic feelings from Obi-Wan towards Padme. They were simply good friends. After a minute Obi-Wan reappeared in the small doorframe.
"She's going to be tough to talk to," Obi-Wan admitted. "But come on."
