Buffy 'Elisa' Kenobi- 30
Obi-Wan Kenobi- 44
Willow Amidala Kenobi- 5
Obi-Wan Alexander 'Alex' Kenobi- 2
Anakin Skywalker- 30
Padme Skywalker - 36
Luke Skywalker- 5 ½
Leia Skywalker- 5 ½
Buffy Skywalker- 1 ½
Little Scoundrel Pt. 2
Willow and Alex were fast asleep, his tiny little head resting on her shoulder with her arm wrapped around him. Buffy took a step farther into the room and Padme came into view. She was sitting in the chair that overlooked the whole room. The twins were asleep next to Willow and Alex, in an almost mirror pose and Lil Buffy was asleep in her mother's arms. Padme looked up as Buffy moved slowly through the room.
"He can feel it." Buffy said looking down at her son and daughter as she passed.
"Unfortunately, Alex is very in tuned to his father, just like Luke." Padme said nodding her head as Buffy sighed. "I don't think he can feel anything Obi-Wan is feeling, he's just-
"Aware, and that's bad enough." Buffy finished. Never had she thought she'd want to block her children from their own powers. But at this moment, she couldn't think of anything she wanted more.
"When are you leaving?" Padme asked and Buffy sighed.
"Not soon enough." Buffy said shaking her head. She paced back and forth, her eyes going to her children ever once and a while.
"Luke wants to go." Padme said and Buffy's head flipped around to look at her.
"He's just concerned, he knows he can't, deep down he understands."
"I know." Padme said nodding her head. "But he's putting up quite the argument." Buffy shook her head then went back to her pacing.
"He'll be lucky to see the outside of the training rooms before he's 12." Buffy said looking back at Padme and smiling a little.
"Anakin is preparing the Falcon?" Padme asked and Buffy nodded her head. "I wish..." Padme trailed off and Buffy looked over at her. While Padme was no Jedi, she was a fighter, and staying home, even to watch the kids, it wasn't fair, not for a fighter. Buffy understood what it was she wished, without her even putting it into words.
"Who are we going to have watch the kids?" Buffy asked walking over to her. She kneeled in front of her. "It has to be someone we trust, Windu, or Yoda?"
"But-
"Padme, do you want to come?" Buffy asked and Padme looked over at her sleeping kids. Then down at the small toddler in her arms. She looked back up at Buffy.
"Yes." She said after a long moment. "But, the kids...I mean, if something happened to all of us."
"Padme, we have a better chance of making it out of this if we're all together. And, force forbid, something were to happen, you know they'd all be well taken care of." Buffy put her hand on Lil Buffy's head and smoothed back her long blond hair. She looked so much like her father. Then she looked up at Padme. "I think we're going to need all the help we can get on this one."
"Ok." Padme said nodding her head.
-o-o-o-o-o-o-
Buffy knelt in front of her daughter. She could feel the fear and turmoil in her little body; it was coming off her in waves so strong that it scared Buffy. But it didn't show on her face, not even a trace of the fear she was feeling. She was putting up a strong front, not only for her mother, but for her little brother, who looked up to her.
"We'll be alright." Willow told her mother as she put her arm around her little brothers' shoulder. Yoda and Windu stood a few feet away, little Buffy was asleep in Windu's arms, still a strange sight for Buffy.
"I know you will baby." Buffy said gathering them both into her arms.
"Bring daddy home?" Alex asked pulling away from his mom so he could look up into her eyes. Buffy took a deep breath and looked down at his little face, so much like Obi-Wan's.
"I will do everything within my powers to bring him home safe." Buffy said as truthfully as she could. She didn't want to promise, not on something like this. He nodded his head once, as if he understood her hesitation, and then snuggled back into her arms with his sister.
"Elisa." Buffy looked up over her shoulder when someone touched her. "We need to go." Luke and Leia walked from Anakin over to Windu and Yoda, both now almost as tall as Yoda.
Buffy nodded her head at Anakin and looked back down at her kids. She looked up again at Yoda and Windu, both wore solemn faces. She pulled her kids away from herself and looked at them; she forced a smile and kissed both of them on the forehead.
"I'll see you soon." They both nodded their heads and Buffy stood. Windu and Yoda walked forward and stood behind the kids. Buffy sighed then turned and walked out the doors after Anakin.
-o-o-o-o-o-o-
"Can't this piece of shit go any faster?" Buffy asked shaking her head as she paced back and forth in front of Anakin and Padme. They were in the dining hall, though none of them were eating anything. It amazed both Anakin and Padme, that after so long here, Elisa still retained a lot of her world, especially in her speech.
"Elisa why don't you-
"I swear if you tell me to sit down one more time Anakin..." Buffy trailed off then took a deep breath and sighed heavily. "Sorry."
"It's ok." Anakin said nodding his head at her.
"I just keep seeing his face and the little room he was in and..." She trailed off as she fell into the chair that was behind her. She put her face in her hands and concentrated on keeping her emotions level and calm. She wouldn't be any good to Obi-Wan if she was a blubbering mess. They had been flying for a very long time now, and Buffy was beginning to worry if they'd get there in time.
"So, do we have any ideas as to who has him, or why?" Anakin asked trying to turn her mind from worries.
"I do." Buffy said nodding her head a grim look on her face.
-o-o-o-o-o-o-
Willow was the first to wake; it had been very late at night when their parents had set off to find her father. She sat up slowly and looked around the small room she was in. It was not her room; it was not a room she recognized at all. But the feeling it gave off was safe and secure so she didn't worry as she waited for the others to wake. It didn't take long.
When all together like this there seemed to be some kind of unseen link between the five of them. And even though Alex could hardly talk yet, and Buffy to an even lesser extent, they could communicate well with the other three. Leia was the first one to sit up and sigh as she rubbed her eyes, not far behind her, as per usual, was Luke. Alex and Buffy opened their eyes and sat up at almost the exact same moment.
"There has to be something we can do." Luke said after a few moments of silence. "I hate sitting around waiting."
"Well none of us like it much." Willow told him and the pout on his face faded a little as he remembered it was her father that was missing. Luke looked over at Alex and nodded his head.
"They'll all be fine." He assured the little boy as though he had said something to him. "They've been through worse than this." The adults had made it a point of telling the stories of the things they'd done before, to reassure the kids. But they also taught them that things happened that weren't always good. So while they all held out hope and told each other it would be fine, inside they were all preparing for the worst of news.
"I've been reading." Leia started and they all nodded their heads, she was always reading. "And I think we should send Obi-Wan our strength."
"What do you mean?" Willow asked and Lil Buffy nodded her head as if to say 'Yeah, what?'
"We'd all go into a meditative state, this may be easier for us then the little ones, so we'll have to help them first, then we search out Uncle Obi-Wan. We can send him our love and strength." Leia explained and they nodded their heads, though they didn't quite understand.
"Will it help?" Luke asked and Leia nodded her head.
"I read a few stories about people, Jedi, doing it before, it helped them. And, it's all we can do, this time." Leia told them. Willow stood up and every one followed suit. They headed towards the door, it swooshed open and they all walked through. Yoda and Windu were sitting in their chairs; apparently they had been in a side room off the main Council room.
"Slept long, you did not." Yoda said when he saw them coming. He had a soft look on his face and Willow nodded her head.
"We're worried." Willow said and everyone nodded behind her. Even though she was almost six months younger then the twins it seemed they had taken her as their semi leader. It was something that the family found very intriguing. And something that Buffy worried about constantly, she knew what that responsibility held, and she sometimes wished it had not been placed on her daughter.
"Have something on your mind you do." Yoda said nodding his head. "Want to help, you do." He looked up at Windu who sighed. "Ideas have you?"
"Yes Master." Willow said nodding her head.
"Well, have a seat and tell us." Windu said nodding to the pillows that sat in front of the two masters. Five of them, as if they had known the kids were coming.
-o-o-o-o-o-o-
"Who-
"Did we just speed up?" Buffy demanded as she looked around. The whole ship seemed to shutter then jump as though gaining speed rapidly. Buffy hurried over to the com and called out to Jarith.
"Did we just speed up?" She asked.
"We did." He said, though he sounded slightly confused. "Though I'm not sure how we did it."
"I saw a few things on this hunk of junk that could use some repairs, I could fix 'em up for you" The words popped into Buffy's head and she knew exactly how they had sped up. She switched the com system over to the whole ship.
"Han?" She said and heard it echo all around her. "If you're here you'd better come out." She waited a few seconds but got total silence. "Don't make me find you Han." She waited a few seconds again and just as she was reaching out to say more the constant static stopped.
"I'm sorry." The voice said and Buffy shook her head as she looked back at Anakin and Padme. Anakin had a small smile on his face and Buffy glared at him. "I just wanted to help." Buffy sighed and then nodded her head.
"I'm sure you did." She smiled a little and thought it was something she could have seen Obi-Wan doing as a little Padawan, being left behind on a mission. "Come up to the Dining hall."
"Ok." Han said and Buffy remembered something.
"And Han?" She said and waited.
"Yes?" He asked his voice slightly nervous.
"Thank you." Buffy said.
"It was easy." He told her, and she could almost see the relief on his face.
-o-o-o-o-o-
Buffy stared out the cockpit window as they approached the planet. The last place she ever wanted to see again. As they drew closer the feeling of Obi-Wan grew stronger, which, she took as a good sign.
"Any signs of a defense system?" Buffy asked looking over at Jarith. He shook his head as he fiddled with a few buttons on the dash. Then he smiled and looked up at her.
"Nope, place looks almost totally deserted." He told her and she sighed.
"Yeah, it's the 'almost' that I'm worried about." She said sitting down next to him in the co-pilots seat. "Can you get an accurate count?"
"Nope, sorry, too much interference." He looked worried and she didn't blame him. This could go very badly if they didn't plan it all out just right. "But as far as I can see, this is the only part of the complex that's operating." He told her as he pulled up a blue print of the complex below. He pointed out a spot to her and she nodded.
"We'll land here." She said pointing out a spot quite a ways from the complex. "We'll try sneaking up on him, but my guess is he already knows we're here." She stood and headed to the door.
"You know who we're up against here?" Jarith asked and Buffy nodded her head.
"Yeah." She said before she walked out the door and headed back to the ramp where she was meeting Anakin and Padme.
-o-o-o-o-o-o-
"You'll stay here?" Buffy asked looking down at Han. He nodded his head and she smiled not buying it for even the slightest second. The first opportunity he got he was going to be out there trying to help. A part of Buffy wanted to lock him in the dining hall, but she wouldn't. He'd just find his way out anyway. So she gave him a reason to stay.
"Ok, I need you to work on something for me." She said and his eyes lit up a little.
-o-o-o-o-o-
"Have you reached out to him?" Anakin whispered looking sideways at Buffy. She nodded her head and sighed.
"Something's blocking him." He told him and he nodded his head.
"Yeah, I can't get through either. Think he's been drugged?" Anakin asked and she nodded her head.
"It would have to be really powerful." Buffy said and they nodded their heads.
"Elisa, earlier you said you thought you knew who it was." Padme said and Buffy nodded her head.
"I do." She looking down at the dark brown dirt under her feet and sighed. "A few years ago, when Padme got kidnapped, I started to figure it out then."
"What does that have to do with this?" Anakin asked not understanding.
"You told me, what did she call herself? Belle, she was his go between, she told you he wanted me-
"Alive and well." Anakin finished for her and she nodded. "He wanted to cut off your head" After a few seconds it began to dawn on Anakin. "Just like-
"Just like I did to his father." Buffy finished this time nodding her head.
"But, Boba was no more than a child then." Padme said and Buffy nodded her head.
"That's why it took me a while to come to the conclusion that it was him." Buffy explained in a low voice as they came to the outskirts of the building. "He was a child, but he was also a clone, a clone with his accelerated growth turned off. I don't imagine it would be extremely hard to have that turned on again." Buffy told them and they both nodded.
"We're going to have to be very careful here." Buffy said and Anakin nodded.
"Revenge is a very powerful emotion." He agreed looking to his other side at Padme. They walked in silence for a while till they came to the place they had decided to use as their way in. It was a very old, mostly forgotten about drainage system. Buffy went in first; it was a large tube, at least seven feet high and four feet wide. Buffy sent out a silent thought to Obi-Wan, he may not be able to respond, but something told her he could hear her, one way or another.
-o-o-o-o-o-
The light was so bright that his eyes snapped closed as soon as he opened them. He took a deep breath and took stock of his body. He was sore, all over, and his hands were tied behind his back, but that was easily remedied. He opened his eyes slowly acclimating himself to the light so as not to blind himself again. He could feel her, and he knew she was close by. He shook his head, though he should have known she would come, just as he would have. He was facing a stone wall, and as he sat up he turned. There was someone else in the room with him. His back was to him, and he was facing a wall of screens. He was wearing Bounty Hunters uniform, Obi-Wan recognized the style as soon as he saw it, but the color was off. He took his eyes off the Bounty hunter and looked at the screens; his eyes went wide at what he saw there. It was Elisa, Anakin and Padme, this person was watching them. He pulled something from his ears and chuckled. He turned in his chair slowly and looked down at Obi-Wan.
"Ah, awake I see." He said standing up. Obi-Wan could hardly take his eyes off the screens behind the bounty hunters. The Bounty Hunter looked over his shoulder and then back at Obi-Wan. "Ah, they are in trouble, aren't they?"
"Who are you?" Obi-Wan asked, happy that his voice came out stronger then he felt.
"Don't you know yet?" He asked taking a step towards him. "You're lovely wife seems to have figured it out." He reached up and pulled his helmet off. Obi-Wan was a little taken aback by the face under the helmet. After a second of shock it all began to fall into place for Obi-Wan. Things that had happened in the past, things he had mostly put out of his mind during the war, came flooding back.
"Boba." Obi-Wan said and he nodded his head a nasty smirk on his face.
"The one and only." His smirk changed and he snickered. "Well, not really." He took another step toward Obi-Wan a vicious smile on his face.
"Time for part two." He told Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan didn't see it coming, which was telling, because Obi-Wan had great reflexes. But Boba's knee connected with Obi-Wan's lower jaw and everything went dark again.
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
"He knows." Buffy said as she began to look around the tube they were in.
"What?" Anakin asked looking around too, though he had no idea what they were looking for.
"He knows we're here, he's watching us." She said still looking till she found what she was looking for. She found it, just a tiny little thing, almost a dot on the ceiling. Buffy walked right over to it and looked up at it and smirked.
"Did you really think we came here thinking you didn't know we were on our way?" Buffy asked, seemingly talking to no one. "Well, here we are, I hope you brought some friends Boba, because I'm going to find you, and I'm going to take everything you've done to Obi-Wan, and I'm going to do it to you, times three. Watch out, here we come." She wiggled her eye brows and then the screen went fuzzy, as though the connection had been cut.
Boba looked over at the unconscious Obi-Wan and nodded his head."You've a very resourceful woman there." He looked back at the blank screen and laughed. "To bad she's not long for this world."
A/N- Ok, a little short I know, but I've got a lot going on right now. More soon, promise:-) I'm sorry if this is a little below my normal standard in grammar, but my BETA is unavailable, for the moment, and I wanted to get this up anyway. So, if anyone'd like to have a go at a few chapters in the BEAT department, let me know. And, Nosi, I still love your work, and can't wait till you can come back to BETAing for me.