A/N: Ok, another chapter, and it didn't even take me long! Looks like I'm finally finding my way again, which means quicker updates for you guys . Anyways, thanks for reading and reviewing! Enjoy!

Chapter Twelve: Fear

Anakin marched up the hall of Medcenter with determination. He had made up his mind, and his mind was set. He would go to Mustafar, but not without making sure he got the right guard for Luke. That way he had a chance a saving Ahsoka while protecting Luke. It wasn't the perfect solution, but then again, for this situation, there was no perfect solution.

To make things much easier for him, the very person he had chosen to look after Luke while he was away was already at the door of his son's room. He smiled to put on a good show; Etha couldn't know that things were as messed up as they really were. Anakin was afraid she wouldn't help him out if she knew the truth.

"Hey, you are just the person I was looking for," Anakin greeted her in the most charming voice he could come up with.

Etha didn't look impressed. "Anakin, what is going on? Why did you employ my Padawan as a babysitter?"

"I'm sorry," said Anakin. "I had to go somewhere."

"Somewhere?" Etha questioned, disapprovingly. "What is going on?"

Anakin sighed, and looked away from her. He should have known that any Jedi promoted to the rank of Master wouldn't be easily distracted by fake charm. Anakin would now have to rely on his ability to be incredibly vague.

"I thought you were informed," said Anakin, truthfully.

"Master Yoda said that Ahsoka is far your family, but that doesn't explain you suddenly disappearing into dark alleys." Etha said in a huff. She paused to calm down, and then started to speak in a more understanding nature. "Anakin, I'm not stupid. I sense it, and it feels a lot like the night you defeated Palpatine."

"So what? Remember? The good guys won." Anakin pointed out, but Etha didn't buy it.

She looked at Anakin dead in the eyes, and said, "How close were you to becoming Darth Vader that night?"

Anakin couldn't help but to look up at the ceiling in frustration. What was with everyone mentioning a person who never even came to be? It was really starting to make him mad; after all, Palpatine never even got the chance to call Anakin his apprentice, which brought Anakin to a new realization altogether.

"How do you even know about that?" Anakin felt his temper rising.

"Mace told me some things. He said it took you awhile to decide whose side to take."

"Yeah, well maybe he should have just kept his mouth shut," Anakin half yelled. He had really liked Etha, too, but it looked like Mace had turned her against him.

"Anakin, I'm not your enemy," Etha said, "just tell me why it feels like you're about to make a big mistake."

Anakin's eyes met hers, and he explained to her the conversation he had with Gage. "I'm going to Mustafar to get Ahsoka, and I need you to watch over Luke for me."

For awhile Etha didn't say anything. Anakin waited for her to make her decision, hoping that she would help. He didn't trust anyone else with his son, except Obi-Wan and Master Yoda and Obi-Wan already protected his wife and daughter. Yoda was out of the question; the old creature would never let Anakin go to Mustafar.

"I'm sorry, but I just don't think this is a good idea," Etha told him sincerely. "Think Anakin. They're setting you up. They've completely recreated the night you should have became Darth Vader."

"I should have become Darth Vader?" Anakin repeated in question form. "What are you talking about?"

"That's what they think," she said.

"Etha, even if you're right, I won't fall. There's no way I'm turning," said Anakin. "Plus, this is hardly the same situation."

"Oh really?" Etha questioned. "There's a war raging on Tatooine, the Senator is in danger and pregnant, and you're thinking of doing something stupid."

Etha had a point. Everything seemed the same, in a way. It even felt the same. With all the confusion mixed with fear, the threat of the dark side, but even with all that evidence, Anakin wouldn't let Ahsoka become enslaved by those Sith. He'd do everything to prevent it.

"I'm not having the nightmares," Anakin shrugged.

"What?"

"The weeks leading up to Palpatine, I was having nightmares," Anakin explained simply. "I'm not now, and I have to go. Don't you understand? If Ahsoka stays dark, it's my fault. I was her Master. What if it was Jamie and you had the chance to help?"

Etha sighed, defeated. "I will watch over Luke, but you have to promise to be careful."

"Yeah, I promise I'll be back soon. Take care of my boy," said Anakin, and with that, Anakin rushed from the Medcenter hallway, eager to get to Mustafar.

"May the Force be with you," Etha said, softly, though Anakin could not hear her.

Her eyes slowly drifted away from the now empty Medcenter hall to Luke, who was twisting and turning in his bed. Anakin might not have been having nightmares, but Luke was.


Luke woke up sweaty and scared. Not like the normal scared, the real scared. He had the kind of fear that made his stomach drop and caused him to want to throw up. It made things worse that Anakin had once told him sometimes dreams were pieces of the future. No, that didn't help at all. And when Luke was sure things couldn't get any worse, he opened his eyes and realized his father wasn't there. Instead, some strange woman Jedi stood in his room.

"Who are you?" Luke demanded, "Where is my father?"

"My name is Etha, I'm a Jedi Master," she replied.

"Then it's Master Etha?"

"No, just Etha," she said. "You're father had to go on a last minute mission."

Luke frowned. Why did adult Jedi insist on treating him like a five-year-old? "You're lying! He's gone to some place with fire, hasn't he?"

"What?" She asked, clearly caught off guard by Luke's fear filled accusation. "How do you know about Mustafar?"

"So that's where he went," Luke said, his voice lowered just a bit. He sprang up into a sitting position. His fear wouldn't allow him to lie down any longer.

He took a calculating glance at Etha. Just by looking at her, Luke knew the chances of getting away from her were slim. She felt like a powerful Force user. Not as powerful as Anakin, but still powerful. Luke needed a plan, preferably one better than Obi-Wan had thought up. The problem was, he didn't have enough time to plot, so he went with his gut.

"I need to speak with Yoda," said Luke in a firm, strong voice. If Etha was thrown off guard before, she was more so now. Luke's odd request did the trick; the Jedi Master was officially confused.

"He's busy," she answered.

"How do you know?" Luke asked, pulling off his best innocent voice he had. "Look, I'm well enough to find him myself. Okay?"

"No, your father would kill me if I let you out of your bed," she told him. Etha looked him over a couple of times, as if she was trying to decide what his motives were. Finally, after what seemed like ten minutes, she sighed, and said, "I'll get him, but I'm putting the Med-droid on alert."

"Fine by me," Luke smiled, and folded his arms across his chest. As she left the room, Luke's grin grew wider. Didn't she know the Skywalker's amazing mechanic abilities?


Leia didn't mind being on the run, though she did worry about her father and brother, but not too much. After all, it was her father who had killed one of the most powerful Sith Lords of all time, and Luke wasn't a wimp himself. Something told Leia the Skywalker boys would be just fine.

It was her mother that she worried about the most. Padme's pregnancy was entering into the last stages, and the baby was due soon. Leia worried her mother would have the same complication with this baby that she did with her and Luke.

"Mom?" Leia asked. She had formed a habit of checking up on Padme every two hours or so.

Padme wasn't looking so good. She was as white as a ghost.

"Mom?" Leia repeated, this time with a little more fear present in her voice.

Padme slowly fell to her knees, gasping in pain and with tears in her big brown eyes.

"Uncle Obi-Wan! Obi-Wan!" Leia shouted for him. "Come in here! Mom's in trouble!"


A/N:…what do you think?

Please, review! Some you guys have some pretty great ideas for my story, and I love reading them. I may include one or even two of them so look forward to it!

VAD

For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.

2 Timothy 1:7