Disclaimer- All of Star Wars is owned by George Lucas and Buffy is owned by the master Joss Whedon.
Chapter Four -o- Saving Grace
"And when I got to them, we went into... aggressive negotiations," Anakin explained, smiling at Telckla, one of the workers in the retreat, as she set down his dessert in front of him. "Thank you." She nodded and she and Nandi walked out.
"'Aggressive negotiations,' what's that?" Padme asked, looking a little confused.
"Uh, well, negotiations with a lightsaber," Anakin said, smirking at her as she laughed.
"Oh," she said, nodding her head as she picked up her fork. But before she could cut off a piece of the fruit it moved away from her fork. Padme looked up at Anakin who was studying his plate with great intensity.
"You did that?" she asked, a little surprised and a little awed. Anakin looked up at her the perfect picture of innocence and smiled.
"What?" he asked her with a hint of a smirk. Padme glared at him, well half glared, half smiled as she went back to her fruit. She went to cut a piece off again when this time it floated off the plate into the air.
"That! Now stop it!" Padme giggled, reaching out now with her hand for the fruit, but it looped away from her.
"Anakin!" Padme laughed outright now when the fruit flew to his hand.
"If Master Obi-Wan caught me doing this, he'd be very grumpy," Anakin said, setting the fruit on his own plate. He cut it up and sent a piece back to her. She smiled before she leaned forward and took a bite out of it in the air. She giggled as the juices dribbled down her chin and Anakin laughed.
-o-o-
Later that night the two of them were sitting by the fire in the huge living room. It was a warm room made to fit a great number of people, so with just the two of them it seemed almost hollow. Padme was sitting next to Anakin, staring into the fireplace. The fire crackled and popped and Padme smiled. She loved the fireplace here; it was tall and always seemed to give off so much warmth. She looked up at Anakin and caught him watching her, a lost look in his eyes.
"Anakin?" she asked, her voice coming out as a whisper. It took her a moment to realize he was leaning towards her. 'Stop him,' her mind whispered, 'this can't happen, not now, not ever.'
"Anakin, don't," Padme said, her voice a little stronger now. He pulled away fast and stood up walking towards the fireplace. He stood with his back to her for a long moment, unsure of himself like he'd never been before.
"From the moment I met you so many years ago, a day hasn't gone by when I didn't think of you. Your smiling face helped me when I felt all alone in the world. When I missed home or my mother, you're what made me stronger, you helped me through it. And now I'm back here with you and..." he trailed off, turning to look at her now. "The more time I spend with you the worse it gets. I can't stop thinking about you; the thought of not being with you, it breaks my heart. I'm haunted by the kiss you should never have given me, hoping that that kiss will not become a scar. You are in my very soul, tormenting me. What can I do? I will do anything you ask..." Anakin looked at her for a long moment, her silence ripping apart what little sanity he had left.
"If you are suffering as much as I am, please tell me," Anakin asked, begged her as he walked towards her.
"I can't. We can't. It's just not possible," Padme said, shaking her head as tears filled her eyes.
"Anything's possible. Padme, please listen-"
"You listen. We live in a real world. Come back to it. You're studying to become a Jedi Knight. I'm a Senator. If you follow your thoughts through to conclusion, they will take us to a place we cannot go... regardless of the way we feel about each other," Padme said, sorry for the tone she was using, but she had to get through to him; no matter what they felt it just, it couldn't work.
"Then you do feel something!" Anakin exclaimed, a small smile on his face as she bent her head and looked away from him.
"Jedi aren't allowed to marry. You'd be expelled from the Order. I will not let you give up your future for me." Padme said trying to be rational, trying to be the level headed one.
"You're asking me to be rational. That is something I know I cannot do. Believe me, I wish I could wish my feelings away... but I can't." Anakin took her hand into his and looked into her eyes.
"I will not let you give up your future for me," Padme told him again, shaking her head as she pulled her hand free. Anakin could see the tears sliding down her cheeks now and wished to wipe them away. She just stood there staring at him for a moment, wishing for nothing more than to reach out to him, to have him hold her.
"Goodnight Anakin," Padme said, turning finally and walking out the door towards her room. Anakin stood there watching the door for a long while; by the time he decided to go to bed the fire had all but burned itself out.
-o-o-o-o-o-
"Tell your Council the first battalions are ready. And remind them that if they need more troops, we will need time to grow them." Taun We told them smiling as she bowed slightly.
"Yeah, we'll be sure to let them know," Buffy told him, semi sarcastically, as she pulled her cloak up over her head.
"Thank you," Obi-Wan said, nodding his head. He followed Buffy out the doors into the rain.
"That's all kinds of disturbing," Buffy said, looking over her shoulder at the doors. "Is that kind of thing...normal?"
"Clones?" Obi-Wan asked and Buffy nodded her head, fighting against the wind to hold her cloak in place. "They are not abnormal, but they are not common."
"Well, that makes me feel better," Buffy said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. "Doesn't that make you a little...angry?" Buffy asked and then shook her head. "I mean, I know you can't get angry but, all those people born with no freewill, no choice but to fight, that doesn't seem...wrong?"
"It's not something I condone, no," Obi-Wan told her as they walked toward the ship. "But it is not against the laws so there is nothing to do about it now."
"Well I think it's barbaric," Buffy said, shaking her head. She didn't even know why they bothered with the cloaks, they were both totally soaked already anyway.
"Arfour," Obi-Wan said when they got to the ship. "Arfour, relay this, 'scramble code five,' to Coruscant: care of 'the old folks home.'" Buffy looked up at Obi-Wan who smiled and shrugged. "It's Yoda's code not mine." Buffy smiled when some kind of a satellite popped up out of the starship and swiveled around a little. Arfour beeped a few times and Obi-Wan nodded his head. Buffy was a little surprised as she watched two little holoimages appear on the ship, one of Yoda and one of Windu.
"I have successfully made contact with the Prime Minister of Kamino. They are using a bounty hunter named Jango Fett to create a clone army. I have a strong feeling that this bounty hunter is the assassin we're looking for," Obi-Wan told them, folding his hands into his cloak; no doubt they were freezing, just like Buffy's.
"Do you think these cloners are involved in the plot to assassinate Senator Amidala?" Windu asked, folding his hands onto his lap.
"No, Master. There appears to be no motive," Obi-Wan said, yelling at times to overcome the wind.
"Do not assume anything, Obi-Wan. Clear, your mind must be if you are to discover the real villains behind the plot," Yoda told him, shaking his head slowly. "Agree with this, Elisa does?" Yoda asked, looking away from Obi-Wan.
"I do," Buffy said, nodding her head as Obi-Wan pulled her into the holoimage so Yoda and Windu could see her. "He's hiding something; I think he knows for sure who hired him to try and assassinate Padme."
"They say a Master Sifo-Dyas placed the order for a clone army at the request of the
Senate almost ten years ago. I was under the impression he was killed before that. Did the Council ever authorize the creation of a clone army?" Obi-Wan asked, taking over the conversation. Buffy stayed where she was though in case they asked her something else.
"No. Whoever placed that order did not have the authorization of the Jedi Council," Windu told them, shaking his head.
"Into custody, take this Jango Fett. Bring him here. Question him, we will," Yoda told them, looking from one to the other. His eyes remained trained on Buffy for a long moment and then he nodded. "Elisa, help us greatly, I believe you will."
"Thank you master," Buffy said, bowing her head a little like she'd seen Obi-Wan do.
"We will report back when we have him," Obi-Wan said, placing his hand on Buffy's shoulder. The two little holograms disappeared and Buffy and Obi-Wan were once again alone in the rain.
"The force, it's pretty powerful stuff, right?" Buffy asked, looking up at Obi-Wan.
"Yes," Obi-Wan said, nodding his head. "Very powerful."
"So how come someone could erase a planet and hide an entire army from you?" she asked and Obi-Wan looked down at her. He looked a little more than worried now.
"The dark side clouds everything now," Obi-Wan told her, shaking his head. "It's getting harder to feel into the force."
"That's bad," Buffy pointed out, though she knew he already knew that.
"That's very bad," Obi-Wan said, nodding his head.
-o-o-o-
"Mom...no...no...mom...mom..." Anakin thrashed back and forth in his sleep.
"Annie," Padme said, touching his shoulder lightly. "Annie, wake up," she called, shaking him a little more frantically. "Annie!" she called when he still refused to wake up; he was thrashing back and forth, making little mewling sounds deep in the back of his throat.
"Anakin!" she called again and at last his eyes popped open and he gasped in a large breath.
"Padme?" he asked groggily, looking around the room till his eyes focused on her.
"Annie, you were having a nightmare," she said, putting both her hands on his shoulders. "Are you ok?"
"Jedi do not have nightmares," Anakin said groggily as he sat up. Padme watched him as he took two long breaths, as if clearing his head.
"It sure sounded like a nightmare to me," Padme told him. His eyes went to his window; the stars were still shining, it was still quite late.
"What are you doing here?" Anakin asked after a few seconds. He looked back at her and she looked down at her lap.
"I...I couldn't sleep," she told him finally, looking back up at him. "Were you dreaming about your mom?" she asked, trying to deflect the attention onto him.
"Yes," he said, nodding his head slowly. "Something's happened, someone's hurting her. I can feel it." Padme could see the pain in his eyes; she knew he missed his mother more than he let on. If someone was hurting her enough that he could feel it maybe they should do something about it.
"Is she still on Tatooine?" Padme asked, standing up.
"As far as I know," Anakin said, nodding his head. "Yes, yes she is." He sounded so sure now and Padme nodded. He pulled the covers back and stood up. "Why?"
"Well, no one would expect to find me on a desert planet like Tatooine, would they?" She smiled, turning around to look at him. "I'll go get a few things together; how long will it take you to be ready?" Anakin looked a little taken aback by this but he smiled and nodded nonetheless.
"What about Master Obi-Wan?" Anakin asked as she headed to the door. Padme turned and walked back over to him, took his hand in hers and smiled up at him.
"I guess we won't tell him, will we?" she asked, a hint of a smirk on her face.
"Give me ten minutes," he said and she nodded her head. She walked out the door and again Anakin found himself staring after her. He could save his mother; with Padme by his side what couldn't he do?
-o-o-o-
"What are we going to do with the kid?" Buffy asked as they walked quickly down the hall towards Jango Fett's apartment.
"If Jango is indeed involved in this plot to kill the Senator, Boba will be handed over to the Senate and placed with a family." Buffy nodded her head knowing that would not go over well with the boy. When they got to the door Obi-Wan located the locks again and waved his hand under them. There was an audible 'click' and the door slid open.
"You're so going to have to teach me to do that," Buffy said under her breath as she followed Obi-Wan into the room. Obi-Wan stopped only a few feet into the room and looked around.
"Looks like someone was in a hurry," Buffy said as they looked over the room. There was stuff all over the place; it looked as if it had been ransacked, or packed up in a hurry.
"It does," Obi-Wan said, nodding his head. Buffy followed Obi-Wan as he made his way into the room, both of them looked around at everything as he made his way to a computer screen. He looked down at the screen for a moment then punched in a few keys and what looked to be a security camera picture of Jango and Boba came on screen.
"Where are they?" Buffy asked, watching the two on screen.
"North landing port," Obi-Wan answered after a moment. He turned and walked back towards the door. "We'll have to hurry if we hope to catch them in time."
"Don't worry about me keeping up," Buffy said as they set off at a run. "I could keep up with you any day." She smirked at him as they ran down the hall. It didn't take them long to find the right port. Obi-Wan looked down at her before they got to the doors and Buffy shook her head, she could see just what he was thinking.
"Don't even think it," she said, taking the lead so she was a foot in front of him now. Obi-Wan had no time to argue with her as they ran through the doors. Boba turned and spotted them after only a few seconds.
"Dad! Look!" Boba called, pointing them out to the bounty hunter.
"Boba, get on board!" Jango called before he rocketed up and over both Buffy and Obi-Wan. Boba nodded his head, running up the ramp into the ship. Jango pulled out his blaster as Obi-Wan pulled out his lightsaber and Buffy went for her blaster. He fired twice and both of them Obi-Wan easily deflected with his lightsaber. She fired twice, hitting him both times, but doing no damage; the shots seemed to bounce right off him.
A blast fired from the ship hit only a few feet in front of them sending them both flying. Buffy landed a few feet away from Obi-Wan. There was a bruise on her hip now, or would be soon she was sure. She jumped up just in time to see Obi-Wan tackle Jango, sending them both flying backwards. She holstered her blaster, it would be no good with Obi-Wan in the way anyway. She spotted Obi-Wan's lightsaber and ran towards it. As she bent to pick up the lightsaber, it flew into her hands. She was not used to that at all.
Buffy watched as Jango turned his rocket pack on and flew up into the air. Obi-Wan lost his grip and fell back to the landing port smacking his head on the ground hard. Jango landed just a few feet away from him and even through the pounding of the rain she could hear him laughing.
"Powerful Jedi," he said, shaking his head. Then he said something Buffy didn't understand but she was sure it was an insult.
"Well," Buffy said, turning on the lightsaber, hoping she could work with it. "I bet you've never met a slayer before."
"Slayer?" Jango said, turning to look at her; even through the armor Buffy got the feeling that he was not impressed.
"I've so killed worse things than you before," Buffy said, turning the saber back and forth in her hand as she got the feel of it, the weight and length of it. Something about it felt just a little off and Buffy attributed that to the fact that it wasn't her weapon.
"I wouldn't count on it girly," Jango said, drawing his blaster and firing at her. She blocked the shot with the lightsaber and was a little surprised, but tried not to let it show.
"You're going to have to do better than that," she said, blocking and then jumping out of the way of his next two shots. He shot and she blocked them a few more times. When she thought she was close enough she reached out with her hand and his blaster flew towards her.
"Not so powerful now, huh?" Buffy asked, tucking the blaster in the back of her pants as she walked towards him. "Now just come quietly and—" Another blast cut her off and sent her flying as Boba fired from the ship. 'Rotten little kid,' she thought, standing back up. She looked around and Jango was gone and she'd dropped the lightsaber. When she saw it a few feet away she reached out for it but gasped in surprise when something wrapped itself around her wrist and pulled. She went flying back and then was being pulled along the wet ground.
Buffy brought her other arm up and took hold of the metal rope then flipped herself around so her feet were going first now, almost as if she were water skiing. It was hard to get a grip on the wet ground but she finally did; she gave a strong tug on the rope and smiled when the shock wave hit Jango and he flew in a circle then crashed into the ground. His jetpack dislodged and flew off without him and Buffy smiled. She worked on untangling the metal rope so she could go collect Jango. She was surprised when he pulled himself up, turned and fired at her with a blaster she hadn't seen he had. She didn't dodge the whole thing this time and it caught her in the shoulder.
She fell to her knees as the blistering pain singed every nerve ending in her body. She looked up as Jango walked towards her with his blaster pointed at her. She smiled at him when she saw Obi-Wan come up behind him. The pain was beginning to take its toll on her and things were starting to go a little fuzzy around the edges.
"Dad!" She heard someone yell over what sounded like a loud speaker. She watched as Jango turned around and saw Obi-Wan with his lightsaber up and waiting. But that was all she saw, the blackness overtook her and she crumpled to the floor.
-o-o-o-o-
A while into the flight to Tatooine and neither of them had said as much as three words to each other. There was an odd tension in the cockpit; it seemed to fill the air. Padme was sitting just across from him in the copilot's seat; there was an unease to her that Anakin couldn't quite read and it was beginning to worry him. Did she regret her hasty decision to go to Tatooine with him? It had been her idea, but perhaps she only felt bad about what had happened earlier that night. Padme pulled her legs up to her chest in her chair then a few seconds later lowered them again. She couldn't seem to find a comfortable position in her chair. Anakin glanced her way to find that she was watching him, she averted her eyes down to the control panel and pulled one leg up and tucked it under herself. He turned to the controls put the ship in autopilot and turned back to Padme.
"Padme." "Anakin." They both said at the same time and Padme smiled at him as she shifted in her seat so she could look up at him.
"You go first," Anakin said, hoping she was about to tell him what was wrong with her.
"Ok," she said, nodding her head once. Then she was silent for a good minute. She had something to say, Anakin was sure, by the waves of uncertainty coming off of her.
"Anakin, did you..." She trailed off as if unsure of herself and looked down at her hands.
"Padme," Anakin said, drawing her attention up to his face. "You can ask me anything, I promise."
"Did you mean what you said last night?" she asked, her voice low and in a bit of a rush. "When you said you'd do anything I asked, did you mean it?"
"Every word," Anakin said, nodding his head, a solemn look on his face. "I would do anything for you Padme, I would leave the Jedi if I had to, nothing is too much." There were tears in Padme's eyes as she stared at him, touched and torn by his words.
"Anakin, I could never ask you to give up your future for me," she said as a tear slid down her cheek. Anakin stood up and walked over to Padme kneeling in front of her, he reached out and wiped the tear from her face.
"Padme, you are my future," Anakin told her, his voice a little choked up with the emotions running through him. Padme watched him for a brief moment before falling forward into his arms. The tension in her body seemed to drain away as Anakin wrapped his arms around her. She pulled away only far enough that she could look him in his eyes.
"It seems so selfish of me, to ask you to give up-"
"Shh," Anakin said, placing a finger over her lips. "It is an easy choice."
"Anakin, I love you," she said and Anakin felt some kind of a weight lift from his shoulders at those words. Something he had been holding for a very long time was gone, fear.
"I love you too," he said, bringing his face to hers. She sighed as their lips met again but as if for the first time. There was a new electricity running between them now, a feeling that pulled on both of them. When they pulled apart, what felt like hours later but was probably only seconds, Anakin had a small grin on his face.
"I have a good feeling about this," Anakin said, taking a deep breath. He looked down at the controls in front of Padme, and looked back at her, a little sadder now. "We're almost there."
"We will find her," Padme said, taking his face into her hands. "We will."
-o-o-o-o-
"Elisa?" someone said, as light started to invade her vision. 'Oh shit! I'm not dead again am I?' she wondered as she opened her eyes a little and saw a man standing over her. It was Obi-Wan, and he looked rather worried. "Elisa?" he asked and she sighed, 'not dead.' She smiled up at him as she tried to sit up.
"What happened?" she asked, noticing that the pain was lessening already. "Did he get away?"
"Yes," Obi-Wan said, nodding his head. Buffy winced and reached up to her shoulder. Well at least it wouldn't take too long to heal. "But I put a tracker on his ship; we'll be able to follow him."
"Oh, well that's good I guess," Buffy sighed as she looked around the room they were in; they must still be on Kamino.
"It is," Obi-Wan said, nodding his head as he sat back. "He will most likely lead us right to the person responsible for all this."
"Yeah," Buffy weakly agreed. She had let him get the jump on her; it was her fault he got away. What if he found the tracker or he traded ships?
"Be at ease," Obi-Wan told her, putting his hand on her shoulder. "It is not your fault he got away."
"Aw man, I so had him," she told him, a miserable tone in her voice.
"We will find him," Obi-Wan said, nodding his head, a small smile on his lips.
"Um...I used your lightsaber, sorry," Buffy said, looking down at her hands.
"It's ok," Obi-Wan said, rubbing his head a little. "Had I not knocked myself out, I would have been there to help you."
"Well, I think Jango had a little bit to do with that," Buffy said, smirking at him a little.
"Yes, well." Obi-Wan stood up from the bed and smiled down at her.
"It felt a little funny," she said and Obi-Wan looked down at her. "Like it didn't quite fit in my hands."
"Yes, that can happen when using someone else's lightsaber. When you make your own..." He trailed off as her eyes lit up on the words 'your own' and he sighed. "If you make your own, it will be a perfect fit."
"Right, I knew that's what you meant," Buffy said, smiling at him a little. "Wish the little guy would make up his mind, I hate limbo."
"Give the council time," Obi-Wan said. She held back the eye roll as she nodded her head. "Rest here, we'll leave in the morning."
"What?" Buffy asked, swinging her feet over the bed and wincing a little. "We've got to go now; he could be miles away by now!"
"We will leave in the morning, your shoulder needs time to heal and-"
"I'm a fast healer, we can't let him get away," Buffy said, taking a deep breath as Obi-Wan put his hand on her good shoulder and sat back down on the bed.
"Be that as it may, you will not be fully healed even tomorrow, and I need you at your best. You're lucky we're going in the morning." He smirked at her a little and she nodded. "Rest and heal, we will go in the morning."
"Alright," Buffy said nodding her head. "But I don't like this." Obi-Wan nodded his head, walking out the door.
"Nor do I," he whispered, looking back at the door to her room.
-o-o-o-
It was still dark on Tatooine when Anakin landed the shiny silver starship in Mos Espa's landing bay. Padme wasn't sure where they were going but Anakin seemed to have something in mind as they left the landing bay and Anakin hailed a droid cab. He helped Padme in, then sat down next to her and the droid looked back at them.
"Watto's shop, please," Anakin said and Padme smiled; of course, why hadn't she thought of that? The little droid beeped and nodded its little head and then they were off. Anakin pulled out a datapad and turned it on as they rode.
"It's still early," he said, looking to Padme. "Watto won't be up yet."
"You're not planning on waiting are you?" Padme asked as Anakin went back to the datapad. He looked back up at her and smiled.
"No." He shook his head as the familiar sights and sounds of early morning in Mos Espa started to surround him. "Watto never had a problem waking me early, time to return the favor." It was a short ride and Anakin helped Padme out when they stopped.
"Wait here," he said to the droid, who nodded its head. Anakin walked up to Watto's door and pounded on it. They waited a moment and when there was no sound, Anakin knocked again, louder this time. After a few minutes there was a crashing sound inside and then a loud curse.
"Coming," a raspy voice called. They waited a few moments till Watto opened the door and looked them over. His eyes lingered on Anakin for a long moment.
"You look like a Jedi. Whatever it is... I didn't do it," Watto said in Huttese, shaking his head slowly, his eyes still searching over Anakin.
"I'm looking for Shmi Skywalker," Anakin said, picking up the Huttese again easily. Watto's eyes got big as he looked from Anakin to Padme and back again. Padme could easily see the suspicion in his eyes.
"Annie? Little Annie? Naaah!" he said, shaking his head, still not convinced. After a moment his eyes seem to clear and he nodded. "You are Annie! It is you! Ya sure sprouted! Weehoo! A Jedi! Waddya know? Hey, maybe you couldda help wit some deadbeats who owe me a lot of money-"
"My mother," Anakin said, his patience wearing thin. Watto nodded his head rubbing his chin in thought.
"Oh, yeah. Shmi... she's not mine no more. I sold her," Watto said, clearly a little afraid of Anakin now.
"Sold her?" Anakin asked and Watto nodded his head again, a little faster this time.
"Years ago. Sorry, Annie, but you know, business is business. Sold her to a moisture farmer named Lars. Least I think it was Lars. Believe it or not, I heard he freed her and married her. Can ya beat that?!"
"Do you know where they are?" Anakin asked, thinking about everything that could happen to her out there. The first and foremost thing in his thoughts was the Tuskens.
"Long way from here... someplace over on the other side of Mos Eisley, I think..." He trailed off and looked up at Anakin.
"I'd like to know," Anakin told him, making it clear if he knew what was good for him, he'd find out. Watto moved back into the shop and started to look around.
"Yeah... sure... absolutely. Let me find my records. Come in, come in," he said and Anakin and Padme walked in. The shop had gone downhill since Anakin had last been there. Watto was obviously not doing well, probably never recovered from his lost bet on the podraces.
"Here they are," Watto said, pulling a datapad out of a pile of junk. He handed it to Anakin nodding his head. "Cliegg Lars, he has a moisture farm on the other side of Mos Eisley, yeah, yeah, just like I said."
"Thanks," Anakin said, pocketing the datapad and turning to Padme. "Let's go." She nodded her head and they walked out the doors. She reached over and took his hand into hers squeezing it lightly.
"We'll get there in time, don't worry Anakin," she assured him. He turned and looked at her, all the worry was very clear in his eyes. He gave her a weak smile and nodded his head.
-o-o-o-o-
-Dream-
Buffy was standing on a wide ridge looking out over a wide crater. It looked like the ground in front of her had just fallen into itself. Buffy looked to her right and saw a small green sign; it said 'Welcome to Sunnydale' on it. A sob caught in her throat as she realized what she was looking at, this must be Sunnydale, or what's left of it. How many of them had made it out? How many of them were ok? All she had to go on was Doyle's word, and the only person he mentioned by name was Dawn.
"I miss you so much Buffy." A voice floated to her on the breeze, a breeze which had not been there a moment ago. "It's so hard without you here, everything is so different." The voice grew closer and Buffy realized she knew who it was.
"Xander is working with Giles, they're rebuilding the Watchers Council, you'd be so proud of him Buffy," Dawn said and Buffy could hear the tears in her sister's voice. Everything around Buffy began to shift and change as Dawn continued to talk. "Willow has a place of her own with Kennedy, they seem really happy together."
"Dawnie?" A voice called and now Buffy was standing in a large graveyard. In front of her there was a grave marker and on the other side of it sat Dawn. She had tears on her face but didn't move to wipe them away.
"Just a second," she called over her shoulder, masking her voice so whoever it was couldn't tell she was crying. "Angel came by a few months ago, he left you something." Buffy walked around the front so she could look at the grave marker. Nailed to the front with some kind of a metal hook was a silver chain with a cross on it; it looked just like the first one he'd ever given her.
"Spike's doing good," Dawn went on, taking a shuttered breath. "He called as soon as he reappeared at Angel's, he couldn't wait to see you." She broke down into silent sobs again as she shook her head. "He didn't know you were gone, how could he?" Buffy wished with all her might that she could reach out and hold Dawn, to tell her that she was ok, that she was helping someone new now. But she knew this was just a dream, and that Dawn wasn't really there.
"There are so many slayers now, Buffy," Dawn said, smiling a little now. "All over the world they're popping up. We've tipped the scale for sure now." Dawn reached out and ran her hand down the smooth white stone. "I love you Buffy, you will never be forgotten." Down stood up and walked away from the grave and Buffy watched her go as tears of her own slid down her cheeks.
"She misses you." Buffy whipped around at the voice and came face to face with Doyle.
"Doyle?" Buffy asked, her voice full of shock. "What-"
"Go to her, tell her good-bye, the PTB's are giving you a final wish."
"What?" Buffy asked shocked further.
"Go!" He said disappearing. Buffy turned and walked towards Dawn who was now standing in the graveyard, but she seemed to be shrouded by a thick fog.
"Xander?" Dawn called, looking around in the fog.
"Dawn?" Buffy whispered the word but Dawn turned around anyway.
"Buffy?" She asked, shaking her head. "Am I losing it?"
"No Dawnie, it's really me," Buffy said as tears ran down her cheeks and she smiled.
"But you're-"
"Dead?" Buffy cut her off when she was only two feet away. "Well you know me and death. I came to...The PTB's, they're just giving me a chance to say goodbye," Buffy said, still not sure if this was real or not. She had to say it, even if it wasn't.
"Oh Buffy!" Dawn said, flinging herself on her sister. Buffy was a little surprised that she didn't go through her like a proper ghost. "Please don't go!" Dawn cried into her shoulder. "I don't think I can do this without you."
"Dawn," Buffy said, pulling her back so she could look her in the eyes. "I love you, that will never change, someday we'll be together again, have faith in that."
"But-"
"You've grown up so much," Buffy told her, reaching out and pushing a piece of Dawn's long brown hair back. "Help everyone; I know you're strong, stronger than me I think. You can do this; after all, you're a Summers, and Summers women never give up."
"I miss you Buffy," Dawn told her, pushing her long brown hair back out of her face. "We all miss you so much."
"I miss you too, baby sister," Buffy said, nodding her head. Something inside her told her she didn't have much more time. "I love you Dawn, be strong! Tell everyone, tell them I love them!"
"I will Buffy," Dawn said as Buffy began to fade. "I will!"
"Dawn!" Buffy cried as she sat up in bed, gasping for breath. There wasn't enough air in the room, she was sure, as the heart breaking sobs began to fill her.
"Elisa?" Obi-Wan asked as he ran into her room throwing the lights on. She looked up at him and everything inside her shattered. The wall she had been working on putting up over the last few weeks fell in an instant.
"Oh God!" she cried, shaking her head as tears fell down her face. "They're gone, all of them." She began to rock herself a little as Obi-Wan hurried over to her bed.
"Elisa?" he asked and she just shook her head as hard painful sobs erupted out of her tiny frame. Finally, not knowing what else to do, he reached out and wrapped his arms around her. She balled into him, burying her head in his shoulder as the tears continued. He held onto her as the tears raged through her making her whole body shake with them. After a while the tears subsided into quiet sighs and little hitches of breath. He realized after awhile that she had cried herself back to sleep. He looked down at her; she was clutching his sleeping shirt like it was some kind of lifeline. He wouldn't be able to move her without waking her, and, he knew, whatever had just happened she deserved a good night's sleep. So he put his feet up on the bed and leaned back against the wall. He had a feeling she would be the only one sleeping though.
-o-o-
When Buffy opened her eyes they stung a little and Buffy couldn't remember why. She became aware that her hands were gripping something in a death grip and unwrapped them from the fabric she was holding. They hurt too, as if they had been clenching the fabric for half the night. She could feel something moving up and down; someone was breathing, someone who wasn't her.
"Sleep ok?" Obi-Wan asked and she sprang back in surprise. She could see the worry in his eyes and his tone had held so much compassion. It was then that her dream came flooding back to her, and Obi-Wan. He had been there, when had he shown up, she couldn't quite remember? There was something in his eyes, some kind of understanding and it made Buffy's eyes begin to water again.
"Oh," he said quietly, a small smile on his face. "Now, don't do that again, you'll wear yourself out." He reached over and wiped a tear off her face, surprising her further. She nodded her head and took a deep breath.
"Thank you," she said, an uneasy smile on her face. He could understand that, it was hard to show someone you've only known a while your weak side.
"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked out of habit. Whenever Anakin had had a nightmare as a boy they had talked it out, trying to decipher its meaning.
"I think...I think the PTB gave me a chance to say goodbye last night," Buffy said thinking back over the dream. In her heart, if not so clearly in her mind, she knew it had been real. She knew that for those brief moments she had been back on earth, had gotten to say goodbye to her sister. A bright smile overtook her face and she laughed. "I got to tell Dawn goodbye."
"The PTBs they're..."
"Like the living force," Buffy said, nodding her head. "I've learned in my many years, that everyone calls it something different, but really, it's all the same." She stood up from the bed and rolled her shoulder back and forth a few times, then nodded. "Ah, see, good as new." She walked over to where her cloak was laying and picked it up. "Let's blow this popsicle stand." Buffy laughed out loud at the look on Obi-Wan's face, he had no idea what she was talking about.
"Let's get out of here," she clarified for him. He stood up, nodding his head, now understanding. "I do believe we have a baddy to catch and a mystery to unravel."
-o-o-
"Ok," Buffy said, nodding her head slowly after they came out of hyperspace. "I think I'm getting a little more used to that." She took a deep breath and was proud of the fact that she wasn't gripping the side of the ship for dear life.
"It gets a little better every time," Obi-Wan told her. All she could see was the back of his head but she was sure he was smirking. Buffy looked around them and could see off in the distance there was a planet surrounded by what looked to be an asteroid field. It looked a little troublesome and Buffy felt a little of the worry seep back into her.
"Where are we?" she asked after a few seconds.
"We are in orbit around Geonosis," Obi-Wan said, punching in a few things on his control panel. "Jango is definitely here, and has been for a little while."
"Ok," Buffy glared down at the planet. "Let's go say hi."
"On our way," Obi-Wan said, pulling the ship out of the hyperspace ring and setting off towards the planet. "How's your shoulder feel?"
"Good as new," she told him, looking down at her shoulder. "Well, almost anyway. This is so going to scar," Buffy muttered to herself, shaking her head. "Like I don't have enough of those."
"There's an unusual concentration of Federation ships over there," Obi-Wan said, pulling Buffy out of her thoughts. She looked up and saw the cluster of ships.
"What does that mean and is it going to get in our way of capturing Jango?" she asked, trying to think up different strategies of capture.
"I'm not sure," Obi-Wan said, flying them a little bit away from the Federation ships, "and it's a possibility." And again Buffy imagined he was probably smirking. He had an odd sense of humor sometimes, she thought, smirking herself.
"Well, let's find out," she told him, looking forward to a rematch with Jango.
-o-o-o-o-o-
"Well, there it is," Anakin said, looking at the homestead in the distance. The early morning sun shone sharply off the sand as it rose off in the distance. Anakin studied the house intently for a moment. If this Lars had anything to do with what was happening to his mother... But there was something deep down that told him that was not the problem here.
"Stay with the ship, Artoo," Padme said, turning to look at the little droid. It beeped and Padme nodded her head. Padme reached over and took Anakin's hand and rubbed her thumb along the back of his hand. "Come on."
It didn't take them long to walk down to the house. It was just beginning to heat up outside when Anakin raised his hand and knocked on the door. There was a noise from the other side of the door. After a moment the door came open and they found themselves looking at what seemed to be an unfinished droid.
"Ah, good morning, how may I be of service? I am See-"
"Threepio?" Anakin asked, astonishment lacing his voice.
"Oh my!" C-3PO said throwing his hands up in the air. "The maker! Master Anakin! I knew you would come back someday!" He looked from Anakin to Padme and nodded. "And this must be Padme!"
"Hello Threepio," Padme said, nodding her head.
"I've come to see my mother," Anakin said, looking a little bit past Threepio into the house.
"Oh, yes. You should come in," C-3PO said ushering them into the house and closing the door behind them. They didn't make it very far into the house before a man in a wheelchair rolled in.
"Master Cliegg, I present two guests," C-3PO said, gesturing back to Anakin and Padme. "This is Anakin Skywalker and Padme."
"I'm looking for my mother," Anakin said, looking down at Cliegg. Cliegg took a deep breath and nodded his head.
"Come in, we should talk," he said, rolling back and then into the other room. Anakin looked down at Padme who squeezed his hand and nudged him a little to start him moving.
"Shmi is my wife," Cliegg told them when they entered the kitchen. He looked up at Anakin and sighed. "I had hoped to meet you under...different circumstances."
"What's happened?" Anakin asked, walking farther into the room. "Where is she?"
"Your mother had gone out early, like she always did, to pick mushrooms that grow on the vaporators. This was almost a month ago. From the tracks, she was about halfway home when they took her. Those Tuskens walk like men, but they're vicious, mindless monsters. Thirty of us went out after her. Four of us came back. I'd be with them, only... after I lost my leg I just couldn't ride any more... until I heal," he told them and Anakin could hear the shame in his voice. He blamed himself, just as Anakin blamed himself too. For a while no one said anything. Anakin looked over at Padme who was still holding his hand; she looked a little scared, but not for herself. Finally Anakin nodded his head and stood up from the table.
"Where are you going?" Cliegg asked, looking from him to Padme; they both knew the answer.
"To find my mother," Anakin said simply. He walked out of the kitchen and went up to the top of the house.
"You can't let him go after those things," Cliegg said, looking at Padme, pleading with her. "He'll die for sure." Padme nodded her head and stood up.
"Alone, maybe." She turned to the stairs then back to him. "We'll need a doctor for sure when we get back."
"If you come back at all," Cliegg said, shaking his head in defeat.
"A doctor," Padme told him before she headed up the stairs after Anakin. She found him standing out in the sun, looking out over the sand. She was sure he heard her approach but he didn't turn to look at her.
"I have to go Padme," he said, lowering his head. "I have to at least try."
"I know you do," Padme said, nodding her head as she walked up behind him. She placed her hand on his shoulder and looked up at him. "But I'll be damned if I'm going to lose you after I just got you." Anakin looked down at her in confusion. "I'm going with you," she said, nodding her head. He opened his mouth to argue, to convince her to stay but she put her fingers over his lips and shook her head.
"Nothing you can say will make me stay, Anakin." She remover her hand and brushed his hair back a little then tugged on his Padawan braid. "Whatever is out there we'll face, together. Otherwise, Jedi powers or no, you're not going. I won't let you face that alone."
Anakin reached up and put his palm on her cheek sliding his thumb over her cheekbone. He nodded his head, a reluctant look in his eyes. He took a deep breath and looked back out to the sandy horizon. The sun was just barely in the sky now; it was still early morning. They had time, Padme was sure of it.
"You can take my speeder bike," Cliegg said, startling them both. They turned to look at him; neither of them had heard him come out. "I hope you know what you're doing out there," he said, looking out into the sand as Anakin had.
"We'll find her," Anakin said, nodding his head in confidence. "And I'll bring her home." Cliegg nodded his head, trying to keep the hope from rising. It would only be crushed again soon he was sure.
"We're coming, Mom," Anakin whispered to the wind as they turned to follow Cliegg to his speeder bike. "Just hold on a little longer."
A/N- So what do we think? How am I doing? I hope you all liked how I left things with Anakin and Padme. It was a really hard bit for me to do, but I think it turned out ok...We'll what do you think? Let me know