A different Choice

This starts at the bit where Darth Vader is arguing with Padmé on Mustafar.

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"LIAR!" shouted Vader, bringing his arm up to strike down his wife, his face awash with fury.

"Please, Ani, I do love you, please!" Her face was so desperate and Vader looked into her brown eyes and remembered the day he had first met her, back when he'd been that week little boy Anakin; but still, he didn't strike.

"Let her be, Anakin." Said Obi-wan from the ship, just as his walked swiftly down, "She didn't know I was on the ship, I stowed away."

"SO, YOU WERE TRYING TO GET ME TO KILL MY OWN WIFE!" Shouted Vader, but his last three words rang oddly in his ears; he didn't, well, he couldn't have a wife; he was Darth Vader for god's sake, weak emotions like love could not be tolerated.

"No, I wasn't, Anakin-"

"That name means nothing to me now."

"Anakin-"

"NOTHING, IT MEANS NOTHING! That boy was weak and insecure; he let emotions get in his way. I've grown up, I see the world how it really is; lies, torment, sorrow, war. But I will bring peace to my new empire, isn't that what you always wanted, Master? Peace?" Anakin ended with a taunting note, reminding Obi-Wan about the young boy that he had once taught, so lost to the dark side.

Padmé stifled a sob, her eyes never leaving Vader's, trying to find one small sign of the young male she had known and fallen in love with. But, finding nothing, she finally broke down into heart wrenching sobs and it seemed that, in the whole system, including droids, Vader was the only one not to look towards the source and feel pity.

"C-3PO," said Obi-Wan softly, "get her on board and then find R2-D2."

"No, I can't!" sobbed Padmé as 3PO took her by the arm, "ANI, PLEASE!"

Obi-wan turned back to her and put his hand on her shoulder, "You've done all you can, Padmé. Let me try. I'll do my best, I promise."

"Please, Obi-wan," whispered Padmé as the Jedi moved his hand to her forehead, "please don't fail me..." she trailed off as she collapsed unconscious into 3PO's arms.

"Yes, sir, I'll take her now, sir." Said C-3PO and carried the young senator back to the ship.

Vader walked round his old teacher, "What, are you going to negotiate with me, Kenobi?" he smiled, but the expression looked out of place on Anakin's face, it was too dark, too evil.

"Negotiate, my old padawan? I hardly think that would work."

"Negotiate, my old master? We could try aggressive negotiations." grimaced Vader in exactly the same tone, before leaping forwards, blade already out.

Obi-Wan struggled to bring his own lightsaber up to protect himself from Darth Vader's furious strikes; he found that, no matter how he tried, he could not bring himself to really, well, try. After all, he didn't want to hurt Vader; he knew Anakin was there somewhere.

Despite the fact that Obi-Wan was older and more experienced, both sides of the fight knew that he had no chance of winning. Even if Kenobi did want to hurt Vader he wouldn't win; Anakin had always been a prodigy, quick blows and a sharp mind and Obi-Wan was tired with the effects of war.

"Come on, master, is that all you got?"

Blow against blow, Obi-Wan struggled to keep up with the sharp strikes and tricks. The left hip – no! Right, temple, now legs, quick! Jump, roll, spin, strike, dodge, weave, block, block, jump, and so it went on, neither side was about to acquiesce. The two men, once master and student, attacked and defended over the boiling lava on that dreadful planet.

"I SEE THROUGH THE JEDI LIES!"

"Lies? What are you talking about?"

"AND YOUR TRICKS! YOU'RE VOILENCE AND-"

"Violence? Anakin, the Sith are the most violent-"

"AT LEAST THE SITH ARE HONEST ABOUT WHAT THEY'RE KILLING FOR. THE JEDI ARE PACIFISTS... EXCEPT IN TIMES OF WAR, AND THEY'RE TEACHERS... EXCEPT WHEN IT COMES TO TELLING THE TRUTH!"

"What?"

"And if you're not with me... you're against me!"

"Anakin, please, you're like a brother to me. What about Padmé, your wife?"

"Sith don't have wives. But as it so happens, neither do Jedi."

"What about your child, then. Anakin, don't make him grow up without a father."

"I will be patient, when they have grown enough, I will come and take them as my apprentices!"

"They? As in twins?"

"You didn't notice? Oh dear, it seems that the master's force potential is not nearly as good as the students!" Vader laughed mercilessly, "I will let you watch my rise to power, after all, you taught me everything except what I needed to know!"

And with that Vader threw his old, blue lightsaber to the wires above Obi-Wan's head and, in the resulting commotion, escaped out the back.

"R2?" he shouted but finding no reply he muttered "stupid little traitorous droid, he should remember who his master is!" after that, though, he reverted to Huttese and muttered all obscenities under the suns as he jumped into his craft and flew away from the rock.

Obi-Wan connected to the force and used a piece off non-conductive metal to stop the sparks. When the light vanished he opened his eyes and saw Anakin's lightsaber lying unharmed on the floor. He knelt down and picked it up, weighing it in his hands as he remembered the young boy he'd met on their ship on the outskirts of Tatooine.

Obi-Wan turned on his heels and marched swiftly to the ship, running his hands over the dials and taking off back to where he had last met with Organa and Master Yoda. He wasn't about to give up hope on Anakin, though. Never would he give up hope on him.

-0000-

Chapter 1 done and dusted. Hope you lot enjoyed!

Vader: Favourite and review or... I know where you live!
Me: Darth Vader, would you please stop threatening my readers?
Vader: Omamori, would you like to rethink that sentence?
Me: Darth Vader, would you please stop threatening me?
Vader: No.