Thank you very much for taking the time to read and review, Gir The Insane Flamin Ninja, trecebo, SMHL, sexyredhead, Poet317, Padfoot n' Moony, hplvr, .Sweet-KRAZY.03., Dovasary, Emily, Stephanie C, Ani-maniac, Ptath, GMUXMenSoaps, redcristal, monkeysash, Aquarian Wind, Alex Lyons3, Speckled Bird, SkywalkerChild, Asato-Chan, Pyxelle, YodasPatawan, and crystalcave! It is very encouraging.

I also want to thank those of you who added me to their favorites and to the alerts. :D

sexyredhead: Anakin looks like he did in either Episode II or III.

Ptath: What I mean by rapid aging is that they artificially age the clone. Now the problem was that they were having problems aging the clone past 25. The clone's body couldn't handle the sped up aging process after that point. I hope that helps, if not let me know and I'll try to explain it differently.

Speckled Bird: I checked out the Official Star Wars site and they don't say anything about Mustafar being destroyed. Hope that answers your question.

SkywalkerChild: How the cloning process works... Well, first Jay-èna took a sample of Anakin's DNA. Then she used it to create a clone. After the clone was artificially aged to 25, she transferred Anakin's memory's over to the new body.

Thanks again everyone for reviewing, I really appreciate it!

And since I forgot to include this earlier,

WARNING: this story contains spoilers for REVENGE OF THE SITH!

And now on with the story...

Luke stood, lost in his thoughts, only half-listening as Jay-èna went into a more detailed description of what exactly they had done. She had already examined Anakin and found nothing to be amiss. His father seemed to be taking everything well in stride, asking questions only when he wanted answers.

Has it only been about a day since I left the Ewok camp? Luke thought. Somehow it felt longer then that. After his chats with Obi-wan and his father, Luke was feeling a little better about the future, although he was still unsure of how the Alliance was going to react.

Seeing that their conversation was coming to an end, Luke tuned back in.

"Well, if there is anything you'd like to take from your old body, I'd recommend doing so now," Jay-èna said.

Anakin looked over to his old body, waving his hand in the air; he force-lifted a small golden chain that had been hidden under the black armor.

As the chain gently floated over to Anakin, Luke caught the glint of a small ring dangling on the chain. Luke threw a questioning glance over to Anakin.

"I'll explain later," Anakin quietly replied, shaking his head and slipping the chain around his neck. Tucking it under his shirt, he turned back to Jay-èna and said, "I don't want anything else; you may do whatever you wish with the rest."

Jay-èna nodded before glancing at Luke. "I have a room prepared for both of you to stay in for the remainder of your visit. You will be staying in the same room you occupied the last time you were here. Do you remember the way, or would you like me to show you?"

"Thank you, but I'm sure I can remember," Luke replied gratefully.

"Okay. Well, I'll see you tomorrow morning then," Jay-èna said, heading toward the door. "I'm going to bed. It's getting late."

"Good night," Luke bade farewell, watching as Jay-èna walked out the door. Luke started to follow before he stopped short. "Oh, yeah, before I forget," he reached down to his belt and unclipped one of the lightsabers dangling from it. Holding it out to Anakin he said, "I believe this is yours."

"Thank you," Anakin replied in surprise, gently taking hold of the weapon.

"You're welcome," Luke said, walking out of the room.

Anakin slowly fingered his lightsaber, leaning into one of the chairs in the living room. Their quarters had turned out to be more of a small apartment then the room he had initially imagined.

Anakin glanced toward the kitchen where Luke was clattering around, attempting to put something together for dinner. When it was apparent that Luke was going to be a little while longer, Anakin leaned back, closing his eyes.

He was glad Luke had decided to get some food together, obviously sensing that Anakin needed some time alone to deal with the day's events. It had been a long day for the both of them and he hadn't had a real chance to sort through everything.

Anakin sighed, twirling the lightsaber around in his hand. Ever since he had renounced the Dark Side, it felt as if he had come out of a dark fog. The Dark Side had clouded and manipulated his every thought and feeling. That wasn't to say he hadn't been a willing participant, but once he had come clear of it's influencing power he found himself having to reassess everything he had done for the past 24 years. Without the anger and hate clouding everything, many of the things he had done he now found to be extreme, unforgiving, and heinous. How could I have possibly have found any merit in the Dark Side? All it has done is wreak havoc on my life and family. If it had not been for my anger, Padmé would still be alive.

"Father?" Luke said, placing two plates on the table. "Food's done."

I am not going to allow the Dark Side to have any more of a hold on this family, Anakin thought, determination building as he looked at Luke's smiling face. Climbing to his feet and strolling over to the table he added, I will not lose any more of my family.

Anakin slowly lifted the golden chain from around his neck and gently laid it down on the table. Softly caressing the delicate ring, Anakin quietly began, "This ring belonged to your mother, Padmé Naberrie Amidala Skywalker. We couldn't wear our rings out in the open, so we decided to wear each other 's ring close to our heart, a silent remembrance of our love and marriage."

"Why did you have to keep it hidden?" Luke questioned.

"Because our marriage was forbidden," Anakin said bitterly.

"What was she like?" Luke asked, clearly sensing that Anakin didn't want to explain any further.

"Padmé, well, she was an angel. The most beautiful thing I have ever laid eyes on. She won my heart the first time I saw her," Anakin replied, smiling sadly. "She had long cascading dark hair and a smile that lit up the room. She commanded a presence unlike I have ever seen. The only person to come close is your sister." He sighed, "You know, Padmé was a queen when I met her."

"Really?" Luke leaned forward, his eyes growing wide.

Anakin nodded. "She was so popular that her people wanted to amend the laws to keep her in office," Anakin proudly proclaimed. "But, she wouldn't have any of it. After that, she became the next senator, at the request of the new queen."

"Wow," Luke commented.

"Yeah. I wish she were here," Anakin commented softly, guilt creeping into his voice. "It's my own fault she isn't."

"Anakin, you didn't kill her," a voice interjected.

Anakin's head shot toward the suspiciously familiar voice. "Obi-wan! What? How?" he said, his jaw dropping in surprise.

"That, my friend, is quite complicated," Obi-wan replied.

"And what do you mean I didn't kill her? Palpatine said..." Anakin frowned.

"He lied to you. She didn't die that night on Mustafar," Obi-wan interrupted. "She survived and went to live on Alderaan with your daughter."

"Palpatine lied to me! How could he do that to me?" Anakin raged, his anger starting to build. "For years, because of that, I took my anger out on anybody and anything that got in my way!"

"That's probably why he did it," Luke replied softly. "He wanted your anger to grow and get out of control."

Anakin took a deep breath, trying to expel his anger. Once he calmed down somewhat, he asked, "Is she alive now?"

Obi-wan looked away, his eyes staring toward the floor.

Luke glanced between Anakin and Ob-wan before quietly replying, "I'm sorry Father. She died when Leia was very young."

Anakin nodded sadly, all his anger giving way to sorrow. "I guess it was too much to hope for."

"I'm sorry," Obi-wan said, regretfully.

Anakin sighed, standing up. "Listen, I have a lot to think about, so I'm going to head to bed. Luke, I'll see you in the morning. Obi-wan, thanks for telling me the truth."

Obi-wan nodded silently, a sad expression on his face.