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Chapter 14- Would Anakin really go so far?

Mace Windu sat contemplatively in his chair of the Jedi Council. He thought deeply about Luke Walker—no, Skywalker. Every way he approached the boy's story, he hit a bad end.

Master Windu began thinking about Anakin. Anakin was reckless, yes. He was a rebel, yes. However, Windu knew he respected the Council greatly. And while if he could pick a Jedi who would father a child, he would pick Anakin, Windu really didn't think Anakin would go so far.

So that brought him to another conclusion: Luke was an imposter.

This was extremely disconcerting. The Jedi were on the vigilant search for the Sith Lord of Darth Maul. Windu doubted that Luke was old enough to be the Lord; however, could Luke be the new Darth Maul?

The one thing that Windu would expect a Sith Lord to do would be to trick the Jedi and take any measure to assure their total trust in him. And which Jedi would the Sith Lord's target? The most promising, powerful Padawan in the Order: Anakin Skywalker.

Also, if Luke had sway over Windu and Yoda, he would be extremely powerful. His advice in important military and political decisions could sway the Balance of the Force to the dark or light.

If the Jedi Council believed Luke to have knowledge of the future—which he was supposedly from—it would be tempting to ask him for advice in decisions.

Oh yes, this plan was well worked out.

What disturbed Windu greatly, however, was the fact that, somehow, Luke was able to project truth in his words. The lies he told sounded and felt true. Could this be a new power of the Sith?

No, this Luke Skywalker could not be trusted.

Windu's last thought as he sank into a meditation trance was that Luke and Anakin must be watched closely…very closely.

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Padme had the Force sense of a young child being grounded to her room. Leia couldn't help but agree with her. At a young age, Leia had been "protected" numerous times, and as she got older, against her wishes.

"Think of it as a vacation," Leia offered, with a shrug.

"A vacation?" Padme crossed her arms. "A Senator does not go on a vacation when her people are on the brink of hostilities! The Separatists are gaining strength as we speak and I'm being isolated on Naboo!"

Leia sighed. "Well, at least you'll get to know your old friend." Leia had a suspicion that this "vacation" would be important to Padme and Anakin's future. Leia found it dryly humorous that it was not only their future; it was hers and Luke's future, too.

So even if she sympathized with Padme, Leia wasn't going to try to help her out of this trip.

Padme carefully folded about sixty percent of her wardrobe and tucked it into her traveling bags. Leia had confided to Padme that she had lost her clothing somewhere in her travels, probably to a thief. Padme had allotted her an advance on her security paycheck.

So now, Leia's clothing fit in rather well with this time.

"Yes, I suppose. However, there is something about Anakin that just…makes me nervous." Padme tucked her hair behind her ear, a self-conscious movement.

"Hmm," Leia commented.

"He's a Jedi…I mean, Padawan. But either way, he has to abide by Jedi rules, right?" Padme sounded slightly uncomfortable. She turned to Leia, brown eye meeting brown eye.

Leia frowned. "What do you mean?"

Padme actually showed emotion. "Please," she begged, "Don't make me say it."

"I honestly do not know what you mean." Leia raised her eyebrows curiously.

Padme put her hand on her head. "The rule that Jedi cannot have attachments, you know? The reason not a one of them are married."

Leia's eyes widened. She really hoped that when Luke heard this rule, he wouldn't take it to heart. She loved her brother already and wished him happiness, maybe love. She surely didn't want him resisting it because of an archaic Jedi Law.

"I think that the Jedi want him to follow it." Leia was deliberately not answering.

Padme's voice sounded slightly hysterical. "That's not helpful."

"Has he done something to really make you think he might feel something for you?" Leia felt like the question was rather stupid, because a blind rancor could see how Anakin felt about Padme.

"Oh, I don't know. Anakin…he was such a cute little boy. I was fourteen then. He was just a little boy to me. I mean, yes, he may have had a little crush on me then. But honestly, it's been ten years!"

Leia tried to imagine a little Anakin, and she saw, instead, a holo Luke had shown her from his childhood. It was one of the only ones that his Aunt and Uncle had made. Little Luke, fighting imaginary bad guys…

Leia smiled. "Perhaps he never outgrew that crush."

Padme didn't say anything. Instead, she walked to a table with a drawer in it. She pulled it open slowly and pulled out a necklace. "He made this for me." Padme smiled affectionately at it. "He asked me if I was an angel."

She looked at Leia. "I thought it was just because I was the first girl he had ever seen who wasn't from Tatooine."

It sounded to Leia like he used to have the same kind of innocence that Luke still possessed. "That is really cute."

Padme frowned. "He can't still have the same feelings, can he? He was so young."

Leia didn't say anything.

Even though the former queen seemed resistant to Anakin's crush, she took the small necklace and packed with her clothes.

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Luke was having a dream…a nightmare.

He faced Vader and Palpatine, again. Luke looked pleadingly at his father and called to him as Force lightening ripped through him. It felt as if his very nerves were ripping in half.

Luke's eyes held the cold black mask. He tried to get a sense of the man who was his father, but he just couldn't concentrate past the searing pain. "Father!"

Then Vader lifted the mask. Luke's pain entrenched mind vaguely sensed the incongruity of the action, but he had no time to take it all in.

Anakin's face, young and whole—save a scar on his face—looked at Luke. It was the face from the holo, the one that was happy about having a son and daughter. "Luke, I can't help you."

"Father?!"

Anakin glanced at Palpatine, who seemed not to notice the exchange.

"You knew he was bad, and you didn't help me. Why didn't you warn me when you had a chance?" Anakin's blue eyes were ice cold.

Luke shot up in his bed, sweating and breathless. He expected to find the Chancellor over his bed, ready to kill him or torture him.

Luke climbed out of the bed and shivered from the air touching his wet skin. He ran a hand through his hair. His pulse spiked as he wondered if maybe that was his new future. Would Anakin remember meeting him in their first fateful battle in Hoth?

Again, Luke worried that he was changing the future too much. Then another worry struck him. If Darth Vader did remember Luke, would he remember Leia too? Vader had not known about Leia until battling Luke.

Luke reached through the Force to check on Leia. She was asleep already. He must remember to check with her about the political climate concerning Palpatine. Surely, staying with Padme, she knew by now. Luke hadn't had the chance to tell her yet.

Then he sensed someone else in the Force, awake and walking the halls. Anakin.

Part of Luke didn't want to see him because of his dream. However, he went for Anakin anyway.

He found the Padawan near the Jedi Temple; he was looking at his lightsaber thoughtfully.

Luke didn't call him because he knew Anakin felt him. Luke walked up to him. He glanced sideways and up a bit at Anakin's troubled face. "Couldn't sleep?"

Anakin shook his head. "Nightmares, again."

Luke smiled wryly. "Me, too."

"Was yours a vision?" Anakin asked thoughtfully.

"No, they were simply my fears coming to life."

Anakin shivered. "I hope that is what my dreams were."

"Your mother?" Luke asked.

"Yes."

Luke breathed. His grandmother. "Tell me about her."

Anakin seemed surprised, but he talked anyway. "She's kind. When Master Qui-Gon Jinn and Padme came to Tatooine, she took them in straightaway. Strangers…She cared for everyone and everything. She didn't deserve to be a slave."

He grew angry. "I want to go free her. I promised her I would return. Now I have these dreams…I feel compelled to go to her. This—" Anakin shook his saber. "—being a Jedi took me from her. But I love being a Jedi. It is the only way I have the power to free her."

An alarm rang in Luke's head. Anakin talked of gaining power. That was not what the Jedi were for. They did not seek power.

Then again, if someone he loved—Leia or Han, maybe—were in mortal danger, would he try to save them at any cost?

Would he go to the Dark Side for them?

Luke's gaze shot to Anakin. Was something like this what turned Anakin? Did love make Anakin go bad?

Attachments are forbidden… Luke frowned; maybe there was something to that rule. He swallowed, hoping with all his heart that something else turned Anakin.

"Maybe," Luke sought to change the subject, "a change of scenery will do you some good."

Anakin smiled. "Yes. Protecting Padme should be…" He sought the word with a mischievous grin on his face. "…exciting…and fun."

Luke smirked.

"No offense to you, Luke, but I think I could to this mission by myself."

Luke didn't take any offense. If he weren't here, Anakin would probably be going alone.

Luke answered Anakin's mischievous grin with a sly grin of his own. "Don't worry. I won't get in your way."

Anakin's eyes shot to Luke's. "What are you talking about?"

"I think you know what I'm talking about, Ani." Luke's tone was only amusement.

Anakin's mouth twitched. "We are Jedi. It is forbidden."

Luke smiled. "Attachments to mothers are also forbidden. I thought we established that is a stupid rule." Though Luke wasn't so sure about that anymore…

Anakin allowed the hint of a smile through. "Well, Luke, I simply plan on getting to know my old friend again. No attaching…right?"

Luke smiled mischievously. "Right."