POV: Anakin Skywalker

I set Rain down on the toilet of Ahsoka's bedroom refresher. She stared at me in awe and I felt a bit… awkward. Children made me feel like dirt because I'd lost two of my own. "Do you love my Mommy?"

I smiled weakly as I tried to listen for that bastard of a husband. "Yes, I love her very much."

"Are you going to help Mommy? Daddy hurts us."

"I'm going to help you both. I'm not going to be your father, but I'll try my best to resemble a better one for you."

"I like you."

I chuckled, pressing my ear up against the door. "I like you, too. Now, please, be quiet, kiddo."

She was silent for a few moments before I heard the door unlock and open. My chest tightened as I felt Ahsoka's trepidation. The way she feared him was the way I feared Watto as a child. She shouldn't feel like this about her husband. Then again, she shouldn't feel like this about me while we're both married.

"Soka, I didn't think you'd be home."

"I didn't think you would be either," she whispered.

"How was work?"

"It was fine. We got some new customers today. My boss says hello."

"Your boss? That old, good for nothing son of a bantha? Don't you think you're getting too attached, Ahsoka? That's not healthy. You're mine. You belong to me."

"Lux –"

I heard him hit her followed up by her falling to the floor and gasping. It took everything in me to not charge out there and light him up. I pulled my blaster off of my belt and held it in my fingers tightly. "Where's Rain?"

"I put her to bed." She was crying.

I heard his footsteps move towards the room across the hall. I hoped he'd come in here so I could blast him, but the last thing I wanted was for this little girl to watch her father get blown away. I never took a job that required death in front of a child.

He slammed his fist against the threshold of his daughter's room. "Where is she?" he shouted.

I looked at Rain to see tears in her little, blue eyes. I raised my hand to my face, holding a single finger in front of my mouth, silently telling her to remain silent. She nodded and looked at the door fearfully. I stood up slowly and stared at the door.

"Lux, please," she begged. I could hear her voice shaking as he stormed back over to her. I closed my eyes and tried to breathe slowly. "I put her to bed! I don't know where she is now!"

He hit her and she screamed. "Lux, stop!"

I could hear her clothes being torn and that was the end of the line. "Stay here," I whispered to Rain. I pulled the door open and charged through the bedroom and into the living room, holding my blaster in front of me. "Put your Force damn hands up or I'll blow you to hell," I said through my teeth.

She was on the floor and he was on top of her. Her shirt was torn open, revealing her bra, and her pants were pulled down just below her waist. He threw his hands into the air. "Get the hell up and away from her," I said, beginning to seethe.

He stood up while keeping his hands in the air. "Who the hell is this, Ahsoka?" he shouted as I moved closer to her. "You hired some guy to kill me, didn't you? You don't know what –"

"Close your damn mouth!" I shouted, blasting the floor beside his boots. He jumped and stared at me with wide eyes. "My aim is much better. Don't push it."

I shifted the blaster into my mechanical hand and extended my flesh hand towards her. She reached up quickly, grasping my hand tightly. I pulled her up and held her against me. "Ahsoka, go get Rain."

"Ani, he has a blaster," she whispered.

"I don't give a damn. Go get Rain." The fact that she'd just called me 'Ani' must have triggered something. The way he looked at her was now sickened and disgusted beyond belief. It hurt me to see someone look at her that way.

"So Ani wasn't a relative? Ani isn't even a girl?" he shouted as she ran into the bedroom.

She came out a minute later with the pack on her back and Rain in her arms. I glanced at her for a moment to see her trembling. I motioned for her to come to me with my head and she quickly moved across the room. "So is this why you always look roughed up when you come home? Were you sleeping with this guy?"

"If you ask another question…" I growled. Ahsoka stood behind me, resting her right hand on my upper back. "Get into the hallway, Ahsoka," I whispered.

She walked over to the front door and opened it, backing into the hall. Her eyes were locked on me and mine were locked on her husband. "Ahsoka, you can't leave me!"

She started to sob as she held her daughter closer. "I've done so much for you! You can't just walk out on me!"

I backed out towards her while keeping my blaster at chest level. "Ahsoka, you little bitch!"

I turned around and grabbed her, pulling her down the hallway quickly. She was still sobbing as we exited the building. "He has a blaster, Anakin!"

"Get in the speeder," I whispered. She was beginning to hyperventilate and I had to strap Rain into the back, tossing the pack in beside her. I grabbed Ahsoka gently and held her against me. "Sweetheart, relax. You're going to be safe as soon as you get in the speeder. I'll get you away from him."

"He's going to kill me," she whispered, sounding hysteric.

"Get in the speeder, damn it."

I pulled back and she stared at me in horror. "Ani, I can't leave. He'll kill us! He'll never stop searching. He's going to –"

"Stop it!" I shouted, making her and Rain jump. "Get in the speeder, Ahsoka. You need to stop worrying and trust me."

She grabbed my arms and I leaned forward, kissing her gently. Once we separated, she relaxed and hopped into the speeder. I got into the pilot's seat and prepared the speeder. I looked up just in time to see Lux at the building's entrance, holding a blaster. "Get down!" I shouted.

I managed to dodge the first blast, but he kept firing. Rain was screaming in the back as I tried to steer the speeder without looking. Ahsoka was crying beside me, muttering that this was all her fault. I grabbed her hand as I lifted the speeder into the air. "You're safe. Relax."

We were a safe distance from his blasts now. I sat up and glanced over my shoulder. "You're okay, little one."

Ahsoka bolted upright and stared into the backseat, checking on Rain. The little girl sniffled as she sat up. "Mommy, why did Daddy do that?"

"Your father didn't mean –" She paused when I gave her a sideways glare. "Baby, Daddy isn't a good guy…"

I put both hands on the wheel as I flew us towards the spaceport. Rain played with one of her toys in the back while Ahsoka leaned against me.

I landed in the spaceport and looked down at her. Her eyes were closed and her lips were parted. No words could describe the moment perfectly, but she looked beautiful. I looked over the seat to see Rain look up at me. "Are you a good guy?"

I smiled at the cuteness of her age. "I hope so. Your mother thinks I am." I twisted in my seat a bit to stroke her hair. "I'm not going to hurt either of you."

"How do you know my Mommy?"

"Your Mommy and I were friends a long time ago. We… worked together. I had to leave her for something and she went on with her life. Rain, you're the best thing that's ever happened to her. And, just so you know, none of this is your fault. Your parents had a… problem and your Mommy wanted to get away from him."

"So…" she paused and smiled up at me. "You're Mommy's hero?"

I chuckled and rubbed her cheek with my mechanical thumb. "I guess I am."

I rubbed Ahsoka's shoulder and she stirred a bit. "Ani?"

"I'm here, Ahsoka. We're at the spaceport."

She sat up and rubbed her eyes. "I'm sorry for falling asleep."

"Don't apologize for that." I paused and stared at her, whispering, "Did he make you sorry for everything?"

She sat up straighter and nuzzled her face into my neck, kissing the skin. I watched her nod a bit and I sighed. "You don't have to do that around me. I'm not going to make you feel like killing yourself or feel like you're drowning. I love you and I love your daughter."

Rain stood up and rested her arms on the seat. "Can I call Daddy?"

"Why?" Ahsoka asked, stunned.

"To let him know I have a new Daddy."

My chest tightened and my jaw dropped as I stared at her. I hadn't expected to win her over that quickly. I thought it would take time for her to warm up to me and to actually like me, but I guess I'd been wrong.

Ahsoka smiled and brushed her hair out of her face. "You're cute, sweetie. Anakin…" She looked at me for a moment. "I don't know if Anakin wants to be your Daddy."

"Why? Doesn't he like me?"

"Of course I like you," I whispered, smiling at her. "It'll take time – lots of time – to get used to being called Daddy by you, but there's nothing I'd like more than that, Rain."

"Do you have babies?"

"Rain!"

I frowned, but shook my head. "It's all right, Ahsoka." I sighed and kissed Ahsoka's cheek. "I don't have any babies…"

Ahsoka wrapped her arms around my torso and held onto me tightly. "All right, you two. Any planetary preferences for a new home?"

"Where do you normally stay?" Ahsoka whispered.

I chuckled. "I told you that I was moving about. I bought a decent sized apartment on Nar Shadaa though."

"Do you want to go back?"

"Sure," I said, shrugging. "It's been a while since I was there. Being a bounty hunter has its downsides. I can't stay in one place too long or the other hunters will get me."

"Are you up for bounty?"

"Hell yes," I said, laughing. "I've been killed by five different people according to some articles I've read."

"Ani –"

"None of those 'bounty hunters' have ever laid eyes on me. They wouldn't even be able to describe my features if it hadn't been for my wanted picture."

I slowly slid out of Ahsoka's arms and hopped over the side of the speeder. I went towards the back and grabbed the pack, tossing one of my arms through the strap before lifting Rain into my arms. Ahsoka came over to me and rested her hand on my left side. I stared down at her and she smiled up at me.

A few people glanced at us curiously, but I kept my eyes on her. "I love it when you smile," I whispered. "It's something I've missed."

"You'll see it a lot more now."

Rain's arms tightened around my neck and I lowered one of my hands towards Ahsoka's, gripping her fingers tightly. She weaved hers through mine and smiled wider as I led her towards my ship.

She smiled when she saw it. "You just couldn't get away from the past, could you?"

"Hey, it's not the original. I built this from scratch."

"How long did it take?"

"About seven months."

"It looks beautiful."

"In essence, it's my baby…"

The ship resembled the Twilight from the days of the Clone Wars. Somehow, I knew it would make her happy to see it. I draped my arm over her shoulders as I led her up the landing ramp.

Walking up this ramp made me feel ecstatic. My new life was just beginning. It was time to forget about the hell I'd gone through in the last few years…