I am such a procrastinator.

You all are free to pelt me with private messages and the like to remind me to get to work.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Anakin fought against his inner fear as his mother led him to the medical area where Luke was waiting.

His mother had told him that Luke had gotten in a fight with Darth Vader and that Luke had lost his hand.

Anakin could feel a strange burn in his right arm at the elbow. He quickly crushed the feeling before it became distracting.

He knew that the others were experiencing things that if they dwelled on them too long brought up memories that they were sure weren't theirs but the Force told them otherwise.

He feared that he would go insane from the fragments that he was beginning to see at times.

When he had been burned all he could feel was terror and something told him that someone had watched him burn; twice and didn't do anything to help.

Finally they entered the room and Anakin broke away from his mother and hurried to Luke's side.

Anakin watched as Luke gave him a small smile.

"Hey," Luke began. "I believe that you have grown since I last saw you."

"You feel different." Anakin stated. "You feel stronger and brighter."

Anakin purposely left out that Luke felt broken as well. He didn't think that Luke would want others to know.

After a few minutes Anakin forced himself to look down at Luke's missing hand. Vague memories slipped to the surface and Anakin remembered seeing an arm missing. It was as if it was his but the arm belonged to an adult not a child.

Anakin pulled himself up onto chair that Luke was sitting on as the 2-1B tended to Luke's minor injuries.

Anakin still didn't like 2-1Bs but as long as it wasn't examining him then he was fine.

Anakin wanted to ask Luke if he knew the strange woman whose image now and then came to him. But this wasn't the time or place to ask Luke about the woman.

"Mom, can you tell the story about how you broke your arm climbing a tree?" Anakin asked.

"Well, when I was about your age I climbed one of the trees in the Palace Garden and I fell when a branch broke. I landed wrong on my arm and it broke. I started crying from the pain. A gardener heard the branch break came to see what had happened.

"I was rushed to the medical area of the palace and the bone was set. The queen was furious and she told me that it wasn't befitting of a princess to be climbing a tree.

"Your Grandpa Bail came in then and told her that I was still a child and that I wasn't going to inherit the throne anyway so what did it matter that I was climbing trees." Leia said.

"I miss him." Anakin said as he jumped off the chair to hug his mother.

"I miss him too Ani, but it can't be helped. We honor him in our memories." Leia said as she ran a hand through his hair.

"I say that my first little brother gets named after him." Anakin told her. "He loved us and played with me."

For some reason the mystery woman reappeared in his mind's eye.

Anakin vowed right then and there to sketch the woman and ask Luke if he knew who she was. He had to know who she was.

xxxxxx

Leia was tired but they needed a plan to rescue Han from Jabba the Hutt. She had long since put her son to bed.

Anakin had wanted to watch as Luke was fitted with a cybernetic replacement but she had put her foot down. She just hoped that he was sleeping and not tinkering or sketching something.

The first part of the plan involved staking out Jabba the Hutt's Palace on Tatooine and wait for Boba Fett to arrive.

Lando and Chewie had volunteered to do that. It would get Luke time to recover and give her time with Anakin.

There was no telling how long they would have to wait but Leia needed to decide what she wanted to do with her son.

She could leave Anakin here but after not seeing him for so long she was reluctant to do that. But she was reluctant to take him to a world like Tatooine as well.

Luke had told her that it was her choice.

Finally it was decided that Lando would get into Jabba's Palace in the guise of a guard. He would get in when he thought he could and then contact them when Han was delivered to Jabba.

They would then plan more in-depth when Luke and Leia arrived with the droids.

They planned on a place to meet and then Lando and Chewie left for Tatooine.

Leia felt some guilt for the whole mess. If she had left Hoth sooner than Han wouldn't be in a block of carbonite and Luke would still have his hand.

"Don't dwell on the past Leia." Luke said softly.

Leia nodded.

"Go and get some sleep and send some time with your son." He told her gently.

xxxxxxx

Sidious stared out in the night at the sprawling city scape of Coruscant.

Young Skywalker had escaped Vader at Cloud City of Bespin.

He wondered if Vader had let the boy go. It would make sense seeing that Anakin Skywalker's weakness had been his family and friends. It would explain Vader's failure to kill the boy as well.

Had the news that something of Padme Amidala had survived her death stirred the ashes of Anakin Skywalker's soul revealing dying embers?

The Sith Master didn't like the thought but if young Skywalker couldn't be converted then his death would surely destroy what was left of Anakin Skywalker; forever.

If it came down having to destroy both father and son there were Jedi Clones among the Rebels that he could put to use.

Just a couple of months ago he had felt a powerful Force Sensitive's pain in the Force. This one might serve him well.

It never hurt to plan ahead and the higher the stakes at times the more rewarding the victory was.

He had gambled the future of the Sith Order to obtain the Chosen One and won. The Jedi had played right into his hands; foolishly believing that they could destroy him without knowing how deep the water was.

He would have to think of a suitable punishment for Vader for his failure.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I felt that I should revisit Sidious. I hope that I captured something about him again.