A week later:

~Anakin's POV~

His yellow eyes were rimmed with red when he came in. Anakin had spent the last some nights sobbing, crying, weeping endlessly. He felt broken. And in more ways than one.

A good portion of his brain told him there had to be some mistake, that the thing he had seen was a lie.

But his eyes reminded him what they had seen and what he had seen too. You did the right thing, a voice in his head persisted. Padme betrayed you, in the house you built for her. And Obi-wan…..

Anakin swallowed the bile creeping up his throat, he should have killed that man, but at the last moment, just as he was raising his lightsaber, Obi-wan looked up. And Anakin had stopped.

He had grown up with those eyes, sometimes they would burn in disapproval when he did another dangerous stunt that could have gotten him and everyone else killed. Or they shined with pleasure when he finally decided to follow orders and had executed the plan perfectly.

Other times they would be sunken in weariness or sadness. Or sometimes beaten in with torture. Maybe aflame with anger, though it was only a spark. Most of the time throughout the war, they were stony and hard, or filled with an amused laughter he wouldn't let out.

In any case, Anakin had stopped, because those eyes signified everything they had been through together, and Anakin had hurt him. He had beaten the brother and father he loved, what sort of sick beast beat his own father?

He had left, cursing. And he had cried, cursing. And he walked into the room and bowed before Sidious, cursing his curses.

He was so confused.

Darth Sidious sat on his throne, his yellow eyes glaring down at him with malice. "Darth Vader," he said in his hollow voice. "I sensed a great disturbance last night, you were very angry with your friends" he said.

Anakin nodded and looked up. "Yes, master, but I am not ready to talk about it yet" he said, hoping the man would understand, as he had in The Clone Wars, which he seemed not to do now.

Sidious studied him a minute before commanding "rise, Vader" Anakin stood, waiting for his next mission. Anything to get him away from this grief.

"My…. Informants have told me that every so often the cameras malfunction" he said slowly. "Why did you not inform me of this?" he demanded. Anakin's heart skipped a beat, but he kept his face placid as he replied "I did not know, master."

Sidious leaned back, tapping his fingers together "could it be that your young friends are malfunctioning them?" He asked.

Anakin shook his head. "No, master, they're all horrible with mechanics" he said with a slight grin; that was true in a sense.

Sidious did not seem amused. "You taught Young Tano all you knew about mechanics during the war, am I correct?" He countered. Anakin's heart sped up, clanging against his ribs as the force screamed danger.

"Yes, " he gulped clearing his throat nervously. "But she is still not…" Sidious interrupted him. "There is a spy, Vader, I sense it" Anakin's heart screamed for him to run, to get back to the others, to be wary of this man that was once his friend.

"Master," he gasped, almost pleading. "I can assure you that they wouldn't attempt something so fool hardy!" He gasped. Sidious glared at him for a second, before snapping his fingers.

Three clones walked in and the door slid closed behind them. Anakin heard the metallic clang of it being locked behind them. He looked back at Sidious, confused and afraid.

"Your feelings leak into the force, my apprentice" Sidious told him, his voice dripping with malice and an acute sense of triumph. "You are lying to me," Anakin opened his mouth, but at that second, felt his muscles screech in agony as he was consumed in force lightning.

When his eyes fluttered open a second later, Sidious was standing, brushing off his sleeves smugly. "None the matter," he continued. "I knew anyway, long before you truly did. I was amused, by their attempts, naïve and wise at the same time. A spy from the rebellion, this only proves how desperate Yoda is. Oh, well," he shrugged innocently, but his eyes were burning with a dangerous edge that made Anakin want to be sick.

"He shall lose his spies soon enough," Anakin scrambled to his feet, lightsaber ignited and pointed it at the old man. His heart beat rapidly in his chest with fury and terror.

How could he have been so blind? Of course Sidious would have informants spying on….. On him. Sith never trusted each other, hadn't this same man killed his own master in his sleep?

"What does that mean?" He spat. Sidious drew himself up as if that could make him taller than Anakin. "It means," he said slowly, as if savoring each moment of Anakin's growing terror.

"That I have ordered a firing squad to eliminate the bothersome people you call family," his lips curled in a snarl. "Sith do not have family, my friend. And besides, they have now all proven themselves to be a threat" he sneered.

Anakin was sorely tempted to jab him in the neck with his blade. "Call them off!" he ordered angrily. Sidious only crossed his arms and smirked. Anakin lowered his voice and crept the lightsaber closer to this liar's neck.

"Call them off, or you die, right here and now!" he growled. "Then kill me" Sidious remarked calmly. "It doesn't matter if you do or don't, once they are gone, you are still mine" his eyes flashed. "Forever!" He exclaimed.

"NO!" Anakin swiped at him with his blade but the swift figure ducked. Stop! The voice of a slave boy yelled in his head. What are you doing? He's distracting you, sleemo! Go save them! He commanded.

Anakin gasped as he realized the truth of those words. Sidious was only distracting him, keeping him in one place until his family was slaughtered. With a last snarl of rage, he slammed Sidious into the wall and dashed for the doors. All three clones raised their blasters, ready to fire.

Anakin decapitated each of them with one swipe. No good force blasted traitors he thought bitterly. Like you? The voice almost made him stop as he cut a hole through the door.

Anakin gulped as the events of the past few months raced through his head. Pleading eyes and hand marks on the neck flashed before his eyes. Shadows and threats echoed in his mind.

Padme's eyes as they hardened to him like ice. Ahsoka's as she sprang for his neck. Obi-wan's as he looked up at him with bloodied pupils. The spy's violet eyes as she had glared at him with no small amount of hatred.

"You're hurting my family,"

"I'll fight you"

"You have been nothing but a monster and a gangster to us! You are not my husband!"

"Or what? You'll kill me? Anything to get out of this prison!"

"Nothing happened, Ani! Let us explain!"

"Master Skywalker, there are too many of them, what are we going to do?"

Anakin clutched his head, which was ringing unpleasantly. "Monster, Sith, murderer!" Ahsoka's enraged scream rang in his head. I am, he thought dizzily. I'm a monster, I betrayed them, force, I did! I did! He burst through the door, gasping for breath.

"What have I done?" he choked as all the planets he had burned, the palaces he had ransacked, the people he had killed flashed before him. So much blood….

How could they ever even forgive him, how could he have done anything like that? Anakin leaned against a wall, weak with shame.

His knees trembled and he gasped for breath, he was choking on his own deeds, his own selfishness and greed. Force, he had been fighting against people just like this for four years. "You've become the very thing you swore to destroy" Obi-wan had been right.

The Clone Wars flipped rapidly through his brain. "What happened to your military transport?" Padme asked worriedly. "Eh," Anakin shrugged and walked past her with a grin. "It blew up."

"Anakin," he smiled at him. ""You are wise and strong, I have known you since you were a small boy, I have taught you everything I know, and you are a better Jedi than I could ever hope to be. I am very proud of you,"

"When I was out there, alone, all I had was your teachings…. And the lessons you taught me," she looked up and smiled at him affectionately. "And because of you, I did survive, and not only that," she shook her head excitedly. "I managed to lead others to survive, as well."

The words resonated through his head, flipping and diving with strength. Anakin stood; he had done terrible, horrible things, yes. But now was his chance, he could redeem himself to them. He would prove that Anakin Skywalker was back.

~Ahsoka's POV~

"Obi-wan Kenobi, if you do not sit down this instant…" Anova threatened menacingly. Obi-wan ignored her as he walked into the room, carrying Luke and Leia's mashed up warmed food that Ahsoka considered disgusting mush. "I'm fine, Anova" Obi-wan answered. Ahsoka smirked, that was one lie even the great Negotiator couldn't pull off.

All of his bruises were still intact. Although his swelled eyes had gone back to normal size, despite the black shadows surrounding them.

Vader had broken two of his ribs, and under his shirt was a bandage tightly wrapped around the still healing appendages.

Anova and Padme claimed he was never to get out of bed again, but Obi-wan had never been one to care about his own health, though he would gladly lecture someone else about theirs. He had to have been in pain, but he just would not sit down.

Luke laughed as Obi-wan poured the small jar onto his tray. Leia sat; her eyes glassy. Ahsoka crept up, "Leia?" she asked worriedly. She felt the baby's head, which was cool.

"Anova, are her eyes supposed to be like this?" Ahsoka asked. Suddenly, Luke froze, and his eyes glassed over as well. Padme scowled and walked over, peering into their faces. "They look like they're in a trance" she remarked, anxiously feeling Luke's cheek.

Suddenly, Luke started crying, screaming and howling like a wounded animal as he tried desperately to get out of his seat. "I sense something," Anova said straightening. "So, apparently, do they" Ahsoka agreed.

Anova's eyes grew wide, with a supreme speed; she grabbed the twins and dove behind the couch. Ahsoka, Obi-wan and Padme followed her without question, right in time to avoid the hot blaster bolts of a dozen clones. "We're under attack!" Padme gasped.

Anova flicked out her whips and flipped in front of the couch, using the electrified bands to swipe the clones off their feet. Ahsoka huffed, wishing dearly that she had her lightsaber, or at least the force.

"Remember, Ahsoka," Obi-wan said, breaking into his calm mentor in battle form for the first time in months. "That Jedi rely on their bodies as well as the force and weapons" he said.

Ahsoka nodded, Obi-wan was right, they were taught fighting forms for this exact reason, she was fast and flexible; she would use that to her advantage.

Tuning into her broadminded predatory instincts, she flew over the couch, landing in front of a clone. Quickly, she swiped a foot across his stomach; he was flung across the room.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Obi-wan hurl a clone over his shoulder. Padme's head poked up from behind the couch, and she fired a blaster back at them. Ahsoka cocked an eyebrow as she ducked a punch.

"A blaster?" She asked. Padme flashed her a quick grin. "What did you expect? My husband is a Sith," she answered. Ahsoka smiled and looked up to see a gloved white fist flying towards her; she crouched and swung her legs beneath him. He fell to the floor.

"Ahsoka! Obi-wan!" A familiar; and feared voice called from the doorway. Ahsoka twirled to discover two lightsabers fly towards her. Her lightsabers. Obi-wan's landed in his hand.

Both of them looked at each other as Padme spluttered, shocked and Anova cocked an eyebrow curiously.

Ahsoka looked up in astonishment, and what she saw made her heart leap in excitement. In the doorway stood Anakin Skywalker, Jedi knight, blue eyes and all.

whoo, hoo! Anakin Skywalker is back, ladies and gentlemen! How's that for goodness? Well, don't stop reading just yet, this story is not done yet.

~Queen Yoda