Buffy 'Elisa' Kenobi- 41

Obi-Wan Kenobi- 55

Willow Amidala Kenobi- 14 ½

Obi-Wan Alexander 'Alex' Kenobi- 11 ½

Anakin Skywalker- 39

Padme Skywalker - 45

Luke Skywalker- 15

Leia Skywalker- 15

Buffy Skywalker- 11

-o-Demons Pt. 3-o-

"I still can't believe you've been teaching him to fly," Padme said, looking at Anakin as Buffy flew. She was the only one among them who had any idea of where they were going.

"Well it's not as though Elisa isn't going to start teaching him soon anyway," Anakin said, defending himself. They both looked over at Elisa, and she shook her head without even looking at them.

"Oh no, you leave me out of your trouble Anakin Skywalker," she told him, keeping her eyes on the sky. Padme stood and began to pace around the cramped cockpit.

"What did you see?" Giles asked quietly from his spot next to her. Buffy rolled her shoulders and looked at him. He could see the shimmer in her eyes and realized she was holding back tears.

"A crash," she said simply, looking forward again. "The kids will be hurt, one of them...one of them will be worse off."

"Can you tell-?"

"No, I couldn't see who it was," Buffy said, cutting him off. Giles reached over and laid his hand on hers.

"There they are," Buffy said and everyone's eyes quickly found the soft billows of black smoke rising into the air.

"Oh!" Padme breathed out at the sight, looking at Anakin in alarm.

"Oh they are so grounded," Buffy said as she landed in a deserted hangar just a little ways away from the crash. Everyone was out of the ship in seconds, Padme leading the group. Lil' Buffy looked up as they approached and shook her brother's shoulder. Luke stood up quickly with Willow right on his heels.

"We can't get him to wake up!" Willow cried as they all ran over. Buffy stopped short when she saw her little boy lying on the ground. Leia was right next to him, her hands resting on his chest and head.

"Alex?" Buffy whispered before she gained control of her feet again and rushed over. "What happened?" she asked, looking at Leia, whose eyes were closed. Buffy looked to Willow who was shaking, and had blood trailing down her face.

"We-we-we-we..." She hiccupped through her tears, unable to get a sentence out.

"We were flying," Luke said and had the grace to look utterly ashamed. "And we were doing fine," he insisted, looking down when he met Buffy's eyes. "Someone came out of nowhere, and started shooting at us." Buffy could tell he was telling the truth, though why anyone would shoot at their speeder was beyond her.

"And?" she prompted, when Luke stopped talking.

"We were hit; I tried to land, well crash, in a deserted area." He looked up as a hand landed on his shoulder. Anakin was standing behind him, an uncertain look on his face. Padme was next to Leia, her hand on her daughters shoulder, giving over and strength the young girl may need. Obi-Wan and Giles were next to Buffy, kneeling beside Alex with Willow crying softly next to them. "I'm sorry." He said shaking his head.

"Later," Both Buffy and Padme said at the same time. Everyone looked down when Leia suddenly sucked in a deep breath and was practically shoved away from Alex, though no one had touched her. Alex groaned lightly as his hand raised to his head.

"Alex?" Buffy demanded as Padme saw to Leia. "Alex, can you hear me?"

"Yes." He said, though his voice sounded...different. "I hear you just fine." He said as he sat up, his eyes opening as he rose. Buffy, shocked by what she saw in his eyes, fell backwards into Obi-Wan.

"No," She said softly shaking her head as Alex rolled his neck, his eyes never leaving Buffy's face.

"This is interesting, different," He said as he took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "There is so much...power in this body."

"Elisa?" Obi-Wan said, recognizing immediately that something was not right. Buffy knew, knew that was not her son that was talking; that the demon had somehow found him and taken over while he'd been unconscious.

"It's not him," Buffy told Obi-Wan as Alex stood from his spot, stretching and moving as he went. "It's the demon." Buffy told him, her eyes never leaving her sons face. She didn't know how long till the demon 'took over the host body' as it would be, but she didn't want to wait and find out.

"Get out of him," She hissed as she stood up too. He was already a few inches taller than her, and so didn't seem very intimidated by her.

"Oh, but the power," He sneered at her; his eyes held an evil that rivaled even the Sith. "So much stronger, so much more than you." He said turning his eyes to Giles, who had gone a little pale.

"Get out of my son." Buffy told him, reminding herself over and over that this was not her son.

"Or you'll what?" He asked dragging each word out as his face formed into a sneer that twisted her beautiful baby boy's face into something unrecognizable. "You have no idea of the power here, the anger, just below the surface. So much better than you ever were, Ripper." His voice was mocking and Buffy hated that tone coming from his mouth.

He took a deep breath and let it out on a slow sigh. His eyes, once so much like Obi-Wan's had began to take on a yellow tint to them as he grinned at them, an almost feral grin that made Buffy want to shake him until he left her little boy.

"There is such a power in him. It scares you," He said looking down to meet and holding Buffy's eyes. "He knows it too; he understands that you fear him. Your own son and you fear him." He shook his head as though ashamed of her. "You don't trust him, can't. Knowing what could happen. Who he may take after, it scares you down to the bone." He mocked her now and laughed with derision when she shook her head. Obi-Wan laid his hand on her shoulder and she almost shoved it away.

'You know it's not true.' Obi-Wan whispered in her mind. 'You know our son loves us, trusts us.' Buffy nodded her head taking a deep breath, she did know.

Buffy also knew, as of now, the only way to destroy the demon was to kill the host, so that was not an option. The demon watched her as she watched him. She could feel him, trying to get into her mind and she threw up her blocks, wondering what he was seeking from her.

"Ah!" He said nodding his head an excited look on his face now. "There it is. That's what I need." He nodded his head again as he took a step away from her slowly. She took a step towards him but he held up a hand and shook his head.

"I wouldn't do that...mom." He stressed the word as he continued to back away from her. "When I'm done with him, I'll leave him be. Follow me, and when I'm done with him, I'll simply kill him." Buffy held back the cry of shock at his words. There was no way they could count on the word of a demon, but what else were they to do?

"This is going to be interesting." He said smirking again in a way that made her skin crawl. "Be seeing you again...very soon." He turned and sprinted out of sight into the night.

"Alex!" Buffy called taking a step after him.

"Elisa!" Obi-Wan grabbed her around the waist as she tried to follow. "You heard what he said."

"Let me go," She said shaking her head. "He took...Obi-Wan, he took my baby." She said softly as she went limp.

"We have to believe that-

"That what Giles?!" She demanded turning her full glare on him. "That he'll be true to his word and leave Alex alive when he's done with whatever he's doing?!" She shook her head trying to not let the anger overtake her, willing the anger down, taking a deep stilted breath. She had to focus, plan, this would help no one. "Sorry." She said after a few seconds of deep breathing.

"No apology necessary Buffy," Giles said remembering a time when Buffy had defended Dawn with such force and anger.

"Mom?" Willow said and Buffy turned quickly, anger rising to the surface again. But it quickly drained out of her at the sight of her little girl. Bleeding and broken, hardly holding herself together. "I'm sorry mom." She whispered as she raised her hands then dropped them again.

"It's ok," Buffy said stepping over to her, reaching for her and holding her daughter to her. "We'll get this figured out."

"We need to figure out what it's after," Giles said from behind her.

"Giles, I thought this thing couldn't live without a body, where did it come from?" She asked and Giles shook his head slowly.

"I'm not sure," he replied and Luke stepped forward.

"Master?" He said slowly, his eyes slightly afraid. And without looking into his mind she understood. He was afraid she would turn away from him, deny him the privilege of the title, and the use of it.

"Yes?" Buffy asked her tone a little sharper then she intended.

"The ship, it came out of nowhere, and..." He trailed off and looked over his shoulder. Buffy looked where his eyes where and could now see the small speeder parked quite a ways away. "I saw it land just as we went down, right after it hit us."

"The pilot?" Anakin wondered out loud and Buffy nodded her head.

"Stay here," Buffy said looking at all the kids. "Giles?" She asked her eyes slightly pleading.

"I'll stay here." He told her and she nodded her head as she, Obi-Wan, Anakin and Padme headed over to the ship. When they got there they found the guy alivebut still unconscious. He wasn't hurt, just slumped over the controls, as though he passed out after landing.

"He'll wake in a while," Anakin said and Buffy nodded her head.

"Should we leave him here? He should be fine." Buffy asked and everyone nodded their heads.

"He'll probably wake up with a hell of a headache I imagine." Obi-Wan said and Buffy sighed nodding her head. She was a little curious as to how the demon had gotten into this guy to begin with, but it wasn't overly important.

"He won't hurt Alex, wont, or can't." Buffy said suddenly as she remembered something.

"How do you know?" Obi-Wan asked looking at her.

"Master Yoda, he told me and Giles, no one would be hurt unless they bore his mark." She looked up at Obi-Wan; he didn't look as reassured by that as she'd hoped. They Left the guy to wake and be disoriented and confused, but unclear as to what had happened, they walked back over to the kids and Giles.

"Will he remember much?" Buffy asked Giles, looking over her shoulder at the ship, when they got back over to him.

"Pits and pieces, nothing he won't just shake off." Giles said and she nodded her head and sighed.

"What does it want?" Buffy asked looking back at Giles.

"A body," Giles said nodding his head. "A strong powerful body."

"It tried to look into my mind; I may not have shut it out in time." Buffy told the others looking around at the kids. They all looked scared, guilty and worried. It was almost enough to ease the punishment she knew they all expected, almost.

"And what could it have seen?" Anakin asked looking into her eyes for a moment.

"I don't know, there are any number of people it...could...be..." Buffy's face went pale as the things she had been thinking about over the last few days swirled in her head. With Giles here her first few years in this place had been a forefront in her mind as of late.

"Obi-Wan, Palpy's still being held in the Jedi holding facilities right?" Obi-Wan looked over at her, and it took just a moment to register who she was talking about.

"Yes, yes he is," Obi-Wan said as the alarm in him began to build. "Could it, could he...

"If it were to get close enough, if it could knock out this Palpy? It could, yes" Giles said nodding his head slowly. The looks on everyone's faces said it all; clearly this Palpy was not one of the good guys.

"If this Palpy is willing, he won't even need to knock him out, simply put him in a trance, like..." Giles trailed off and Buffy nodded her head, she knew the rest of that sentence 'Like I use to,' she didn't need to go into their history with this demon right now.

"His name is Palpatine, or Darth Sidious, which ever you prefer." Buffy said before Giles could finish his though, she shook her head at all the thoughts swirling there. "He's a very bad man. He's got all the same power as we do-

"And more," Anakin put in and Buffy nodded her head solemnly.

"And he has no problems hurting people to get what he wants." Buffy told him as she tried to think of the demon in the body of a Sith, it would not be good. Almost impossible was more like it.

"So what do we do?" Padme asked and Buffy looked around at the kids again. They couldn't leave them, not right now, what were they going to do?

"I'll look after them." Giles said, almost as though he'd read her mind. "After all, they can't possibly be more trouble than you were as a teen." Buffy nodded her head and smiled lightly at the jab.

"We'll drop you off at the house on our way." Buffy agreed nodding her head as they all began to walk back over to the ship.

"We'll come back for the speeder later," Buffy said when Luke looked at it over his shoulder. "Though I don't know why you care, you won't be flying it for a very long time."

-o-o-o-

"I don't think you understand," Buffy growled into the com as she paced in the ship's very small kitchen. "He looks like my son, but he's under someone else's control." She listened for a moment then nodded her head. "Right, it's him, but not. Yes Shamist, that's right. Incapacitate him, but don't hurt him." Buffy nodded her head and sighed nodding her head again. "Thank you," She told the Jedi Knight with a bit of relief on her face and in her voice. "We'll be there as soon as we can." She clicked off and slumped slightly in her seat, unaware of her audience, which just went to show how distracted she was.

"Buffy." She didn't turn at the name, so unassociated to it now, and Giles stepped into the room further. "Buffy," He said again and yet she still didn't move, her mind so preoccupied with thoughts of something, her son he was sure. "Elisa," He finally said, a little louder and she jumped a little, not enough that a normal person would have noticed, but, he knew her well, or did do, once upon a time.

"Giles, sorry," she said standing up and turning to look at him. "I was thinking," She told him with a shrug of her shoulders. "Once, when Alex was three or four, he fell out of the tree in our backyard." Giles nodded his head, not seeing where this was going, but knowing she had something on her mind. "He never hit the ground." She told him shaking her head and swallowing a sob. "He held himself, in the air, suspended above the ground, till Obi-Wan got to him. Obi-Wan plucked him out of the air and set him on the ground softly." She opened her mouth to say something and then closed it again and turned to look out the window as the city passed in front of them in flashes of light and color.

"My son has so much power in him. So much of a need to prove himself, he so wants to live up to his father, to Anakin. Sometimes..." She trailed off and he could hear now that the tears had started to fall. "Sometimes I worry...what if he wants it too much? Could he be willing to...Obi-Wan has that in him too, that need to prove himself, to show everyone and himself that he's good enough. That the trust we put in him isn't misplaced, and once, a long time ago it almost destroyed him." She turned and looked at Giles. "I don't distrust my son...but sometimes...sometimes..." Giles walked over to her quickly and held his arms open for her. She fell into them and a soft sob escaped her. It was so comforting, so familiar, even after all this time and she couldn't hide her fears from him.

"What that monster said isn't true Buffy," he told her, knowing she didn't go by the name anymore, but he couldn't break years of habit. "You love your son, he knows it. I could see it in his eyes when he looks at you and Obi-Wan. You are what I always knew you could be, if given the chance: a wonderful mother."

"Right," Buffy said, nodding her head as she sniffled and pulled away. "Thank you," she told him, smiling, even though her eyes were a little puffy and red. "I needed that."

"It's only the truth," Giles assured her as she pulled out of his arms. "Alex will be ok, we'll get this all figured out, we always do." His voice was so sure; she couldn't help but feel a little more confident.

"I think we've landed," Giles said and Buffy nodded her head.

"Mom," Willow said walking into the room quietly. "We're home," She told her, her head bowed, not meeting her mom's eyes.

"Ok," Buffy said. She smiled slightly at Giles and he gave her a quick smile in return, nodded his head then turned and walked out the door.

"Willow," Buffy said walking over to her and then kneeling down in front of her. She reached out and took her chin in her hands and tilted her head up. "We all make mistakes, yeah? It does no good to dwell on them. The only thing we can do is learn from them and move on, ok?"

"But-

"No buts," Buffy said shaking her head. "We're upset, and I know you're smarter than what happened tonight. You all are. But that doesn't mean we love you any less, any of you. You're kids and kids make mistakes, believe me, I was a kid once, and I did it too. Learn, and move on. Dwelling will only cause you more harm."

"And Alex? What if-

"Alex will be fine," She told her knowing in that moment that it was true. "We'll find him, and then, you two will be grounded until you're too old to fly again." Willow smiled slightly at Buffy's words and she smiled back. "Don't give Giles any trouble while we're getting your brother, ok?"

"I promise," she said, a solemn look on her face. Buffy hugged her daughter, then stood back up.

"I'll see you when we get back," Buffy told her and Willow nodded her head then turned and walked out to meet the others.

Buffy watched her go then turned and walked back over to the chair she had been sitting in when Giles came in. She sat down and pulled her legs up to her chest. It was a hard lesson the kids had learned tonight, a lesson she herself learned once, a very long time ago. She hoped it didn't get forgotten, or lost, as it had with her.

She took a deep breath and decided to meditate on their way to the holding facility. Maybe she could see something else; get a better picture of what the demon was after, if there was something else going on here.

"Elisa, we've landed, and..." Buffy's head snapped up, she was out of the trance quickly. She wasn't quite sure how long she'd been out. She looked to the com on the wall at the sound of the voice and waited. "Well, there's good news, and bad."

-o-o-o-o-

Buffy paced back and forth in front of the small bed in the med center of the holding facility. She had refused to leave the bed side and so Obi-Wan and Anakin had volunteered to gather the information they needed. Padme sat on the edge of the bed, holding his hand in her own.

"You should sit," She said and Buffy shook her head then looked again at his soft, quiet face.

"Why hasn't he woken up yet?" She asked again for the hundredth time. He should have woken up by now, "What's taking so long?" She asked shaking her head slowly.

"Jeez mom...not...so loud," Buffy rushed to the side of the bed at Alex's voice and took his other hand in hers.

"Hey there kid of mine, how you feelin?" She asked and his eyes blinked open slowly.

"Tired, my head hurts. Did I bash it into something?" He asked and Buffy shook her head squeezing his hand.

"Honey, what's the last thing you remember?" She asked and he looked up at her and met her eyes and winced.

"Dinner," He said and then shook his head and winced again. "No...No, after dinner, we were in Leia's room, bored...we decided to..." He trailed off and went a little pale as everything came crashing down on him.

"Oh force, oh mom!" He sat up too fast and his head swam. He swayed a little but plowed on. "Is everyone ok? Willow, is Willow ok? Luke, Leia, Buffy, did anyone else-

"Calm down sweetie, everyone is fine, a little cut up, but fine." She forced him to lie back down in the bed gently. "Is that all you remember, the crash?"

"Yeah," He said nodding his head after a few seconds. "Yeah, that's all I remember." He looked up again and met her eyes. "What happened?" He asked reading the vibes coming off her and Padme as well. "Mom, what's going on?"

-o-o-o-o-

"That's him." Obi-Wan said pointing out Alex as he came onscreen. They were watching the security holo's from the holding facility. None of the guards remembered anything, one minute they were standing at the posts, and the next, they were being woken by someone else. They only had a few Jedi in the facility, there were not enough of them to spare as guards. Of course the guards here were specially trained and very good at what they did, so this was all coming as a bit of a surprise. "Look at that..." Obi-Wan's voice was full of shock.

"Just a sweep of the hand and they're out," Anakin said shaking his head. It was almost impossible; Alex was nowhere near that powerful yet. Something about the demon must be amplifying his powers somehow.

"No one even had a chance," Obi-Wan said worry and fear in his voice. "And now...

"No he's running around in a brand new body," Anakin said nodding his head, just as worried as Obi-Wan.

"Not just any body though," Obi-Wan said shaking his head as they watched Alex walk towards a holding cell along one hallway. Alex watched as a figure stepped up to the force field holding him in and tilted his head to the side; they seemed to be having some kind of a conversation. Alex reached out and pushed a few buttons on the console to the force field, and the force field dropped. They both stood there for what seemed like forever, then Alex wavered in his spot and collapsed to the ground bonelessly. A dark smoky mist seemed to escape him after a few seconds; it shot out towards the figure standing just in the shadows of his cell. After a few seconds the figure stepped out and over Alex's collapsed body, and moved down the hallway, eventually to his freedom.

"Palpatine," Anakin said glowering at the screen.

"Much more powerful than an eleven year old who's not quite a Padawan yet," Obi-Wan said sounding worried and angry at the same time.

"We'll have to tell Yoda," Anakin said and Obi-Wan nodded his head.

"I wouldn't be surprised if he already knew," Obi-Wan said and Anakin nodded his head in agreement. They both looked up when the door to the guard station opened and Padme walked in.

"Alex is awake, he's fine." She said at Obi-Wan's worried look. "Elisa is getting everything ready so we can go."

"Ok," Anakin said nodding his head. "We'll be there in just a moment," Anakin told her and Padme nodded her head then ducked back out. "So, now what?"

"Now we find and capture Palpatine again," Obi-Wan told him and Anakin smiled wryly.

"Somehow, I think that's going to be a little harder this time around," Anakin said and Obi-Wan nodded his head.

"Indeed," He said looking thoughtful and more than a little worried.

A/N- Ok, so, yeah. There it is... the next chapter. I hope everyone likes it. I'm sorry it took so long to get out, but...again, life. :-) I can't promise a fast next chapter, but I will try my hardest to get one out soon. I hope you all like it, and don't forget R&R, it helps to know what you're thinking, really, it does.