Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars. I just created my own little AU sandbox to play in.

AN: Here's chapter 29! Thanks for all the great reviews. Six months have passed since the events in chapter 28. Hunter and Blake have been with Anakin and Padme now for a year.

AN 2: I apologize for the long delay in getting this chapter out. August was not a good month and I'm just getting back on track after having to get a new laptop too. I never meant for such a delay, but life happens unfortunately. Hopefully this chapter was worth the wait. Enjoy and let me know what you think.

Force Jumper

Chapter 29: Light in the Darkness

It had been a tremulous six months in the galaxy, as the Clone Wars raged. The casualty list on both sides was already devastating, but Mace Windu was hoping for shift in his personal interests. His apprentice, Depa Billaba had been watching Scout and Whie. Though he thought her plan was taking too long to come to fruition, she assured him that she was almost ready to spring her trap, one which she was positive the young Force Jumper and her boyfriend would not be able to escape. He only hoped this plan worked, because they were no closer to ridding the galaxy of the elusive Knightblade or the boy that Senator Amidala had adopted.

It was infuriating for Mace. Knightblade and his new young masked sidekick were spotted often around Coruscant, stopping local riffraff and even freeing slaves right under the noses of the Jedi. They were of course a red hot topic of the Holonet news, some praising their work and snubbing the Jedi for their inefficiency, while others denounced their activities, citing that vigilantism was never the answer.

They paraded around the planet in their disguises, while the boy was publically being raised by one of Coruscant's most public figures. Though the public had not made the connection, largely because the Senator kept her boys out of the limelight as much as possible, Mace knew that Hunter Naberrie and Knightblade's young apprentice were one in the same. It was almost as if they were laughing at him, knowing that he couldn't do anything to them on Coruscant, lest he wished to expose all the guarded secrets of the Xal'Kaar. But he vowed that he would find a way to get them. His thoughts were interrupted, as his comm chimed.

"What do you have to report, Depa?" he questioned sternly.

"Master…my plan is going down tonight. We will ambush them and there will be no escape this time," she assured him.

"See that there is not. I want them dead," Mace ordered, as he pocketed his comlink. Taking a deep breath, he released all his frustrations into the Force and his face glazed with his usual stoic expression, as he returned to his duties in the Temple.


The small Jedi Master had waited several months for this meeting and the day had finally arrived. He understood though. A parent had every right and need to be cautious in their volatile galaxy and he had agreed to all of the Senator's terms.

"Good afternoon, Master Jedi," Dorme greeted, as she opened the door. The tiny Grand Master hobbled into the posh apartment, acknowledging Dorme's respectful bow with a curt nod.

"Greetings Lady Dorme," he said simply, as she gestured him toward the living room. Padme Amidala met them there, welcoming him into her beautiful home. She was dressed in a simple deep purple dress and her hair was worn down, signifying that she was welcoming him as a mother and not a Senator. In Yoda's observation, he had found Padme Amidala the woman and mother to be quite different from Padme Amidala, the former queen and Senator.

"Hello Master Yoda," Padme greeted.

"Greetings Senator, gracious of you it is to allow me into your home," Yoda said.

"It's my honor, Master Jedi, please make yourself comfortable. Would you care for some tea?" Padme asked. Yoda nodded and Padme poured a cup for him.

"Know why I have come, you do?" Yoda asked. Padme nodded.

"Yes Master, I know you wish to meet my oldest son," Padme replied.

"Both I would like to meet, if possible. Truly wonderful, younglings are. Enjoy spending time with them, I do," Yoda replied. Padme smiled.

"I agree wholeheartedly. While I've only had them for a year now, my boys are my whole world," she agreed, as Dorme came into the room with the two boys, now eleven and five. Hunter had gone through a significant growth spurt in the last six months and had grown three inches. Blake had grown as well by two inches and had excelled in his studies so far. Hunter had as well, though it was clear that he was much more interested in his physical training. Still the two brothers, though very different, remained very close.

"Greetings young ones," Yoda said, as Blake climbed onto the sofa and into his mother's lap, while Hunter sat beside her.

"Hello Master Yoda," Hunter replied, as he bowed as his father had shown him was the respectful gesture. Yoda reached out with his senses and found pure innocence in the boys. When he immersed himself in the Force around most younglings, it was always refreshing and these boys were no different. He sensed that the boy's lives before their adoption were hard and full of little happiness. But it was clear to him that the Senator and mysterious man she was engaged to had made a happy home for the boys. When Yoda reached out through the apartment with his senses, he felt traces of someone else and knew it was likely this man the Senator refused to reveal. He understood, for the Holonet could be vicious and go as far as stalking those they wanted stories on. They would be stalking the boys and the Senator if not for their fear of Knightblade's wrath, who seemed to be the family's bodyguard. Yoda naturally suspected that this mysterious fiancé and father to the boys was really Knightblade himself, but he elected not to pry.

"Know why I have come, do you, young one?" Yoda asked the blonde haired boy. Hunter nodded.

"Yes Master…it's because I have Force powers," Hunter answered honestly. Yoda nodded.

"Great potential you have," Yoda assured him.

"Are you going to take my brother away?" Blake whimpered. Padme hugged him close and kissed his forehead.

"Of course not sweetie, no one is going to take Hunter from us," Padme said, looking at the small Master.

"No young one, your brother's choice to come to the Temple, it must be. And even then, too old to be trained as a Jedi, he is. Allow it, the Council would not, though a few think an exception be made, for him," Yoda spoke, returning the Senator's gaze. When Padme had agreed to the meeting, she had been adamant that he be the only Jedi to come, especially excluding any that wanted the exception to be made for her son.

"You just want to make sure I'm not dangerous, because I can use Force lightning, right?" Hunter asked. Yoda chuckled.

"A bright one, you are. A threat you are not, young one, but my mandate to check, it is. Show me, can you?" Yoda requested.

"Uh…well, Mom wouldn't like it in the house," Hunter replied, making Yoda chuckle again. Padme rubbed his shoulder affectionately.

"On the veranda, just this once, will be okay," she told him. They got up and walked out there and Hunter stood across from the small Master. Calling on his powers, he produced a beam of red Force lightning. Yoda caught the attack in his palm and closed his eyes, studying the energy with the Force, before Hunter ceased the power.

"Hmm…different from blue Force lightning, this is," he stated.

"It is?" Hunter asked.

"Cold and full of hate, blue Force lightning is. The color of sadness, blue often is. Sadness leads to anger and anger leads to hate. But full of different emotions, yours is," Yoda explained.

"From the heart, it comes to protect those you love. Careful you must be, but no evil do I sense in your power," Yoda stated. In his almost nine hundred years, Yoda had never seen Force lightning wielded like this and it only raised more questions. But they were questions the boy couldn't answer, for he didn't know how or why he could do this either. Yoda knew that if the boy was happy, then there would be no reason to fear his powers, so he was satisfied to leave him with the Senator. But the small Master would be keeping a careful eye on the boy as he became a man, just to be sure.

"Thank you Senator, a pleasure it was to meet your children. Be going now, I will be," Yoda stated, as he hobbled toward the door.

"Thank you for coming Master Yoda," Padme said, as she saw him out. Once he was gone, Anakin appeared in the room, having been waiting nearby and Blake ran to him.

"Daddy, I'm taller than Master Yoda!" Blake exclaimed in excitement. After all, it wasn't every day that he met people that were shorter than him, especially an adult. Anakin laughed and ruffled his dark hair.

"Yeah, how about that?" he asked.

"Yeah, and that's saying something with you, squirt," Hunter teased.

"Hey, no short jokes," Blake called with a pout.

"Don't worry, you'll grow up soon enough little man," Anakin told him.

"Not too soon, I hope," Padme said, as she kissed her little boy on the forehead.

"Can we go see Grandpa?" Blake asked. Anakin smiled and nodded. Quinlan and Sifo-Dyas were actually waiting for them at Varykino with Ruwee. Tomorrow, they were finally getting married and would enjoy a quick three day respite in the secluded Lake House with the Senate taking a brief recess. Anakin and Padme would have liked a little longer honeymoon, but they knew it wasn't possible at this time. They were just grateful that the Senate was finally taking a small recess, which they had not been able to due to the war, at last.

"Yeah, let's go," Anakin replied, as he put his arm around Padme's waist and Hunter put his on her arm, as they disappeared.


"Good morning Whie," the shop owner greeted pleasantly. Whie waved and marked himself in, before starting his shift. Ryloth had proved to be an excellent place to lay low. It was quiet in the lower districts of the Capital and Whie and Scout had enjoyed anonymity among the humans and Twi'leks in this quiet community. Whie had been working at the grocer's market, while Scout worked at a shop that sold clothing just a block away. They didn't have much, but they were happy, had made a home, and most importantly were safe. They had also made a few friends and enjoyed their simple life. It was far more fulfilling than either had ever imagined it could be.

"Morning ma'am," he greeted politely, as he started the day.


In the last six months, Obi-Wan had not made a lot of progress in uncovering any information regarding Knightblade's mysterious powers, which according to Dex, were something that his Master might have known about. The reason he had not made progress though was largely because he had not been on Coruscant at all and rather out in the thick of battle. Now that he had finally returned, he was headed to the archives, while his apprentice enjoyed her own downtime in the dorms with the other padawans. He had been worried about her since they had lost her good friend Scout in battle months ago, but she seemed to have accepted her friend's death, though she was still troubled by Whie Malreaux's decision to abandon the Order. Still, Ahsoka was one of the most level headed padawans he had ever encountered and seemed to accept these unfortunate happenings.

As Obi-Wan entered the massive archive library, he gave a respectful nod to Jocasta Nu and set out to find his information and he was going to start with the woman that had once been his Master's lover. Tahl. It had always unnerved Obi-Wan a bit knowing that his Master had broken the Code and fallen in love, but what unnerved him perhaps the most was the fact that he himself had nearly done the same thing…twice. First with Siri when he was just a teenager. He had almost left the Order for her and though he still loved her, his feelings had since faded some over the years, but the remained very good friends. They both agreed that they had made the right choice by staying true to the Order.

The second time he had gone and fallen in love with a young Monarch. Satine, Duchess of Mandalore, of all places. He had thought he was over her as well, but seeing her on the last mission in which she was dodging assassination attempts had brought back all his feelings to the surface. It was clear to him that his feelings for her had not faded and if possible had only grown over time. He felt guilty, because if he was honest with himself, he knew his love for her would never fade, and that right there was breaking the Code.

"Perhaps I am more like you than anyone knows, Master," Obi-Wan mumbled to himself, as he stared at the mysterious river stone his Master had given to him.

"All right Master, what did you want me to find?" Obi-Wan asked himself, as he began reading the information they had about Tahl. He hoped that something in there would trigger a clue.


"Thank you ma'am and have a nice day," Whie said, as he handed the customer the satchel of goods and they left.

"Well, I would say that will do for today," the shop owner said. It was closing time and Scout would be along momentarily. Whie began sweeping up and Scout arrived just a few minutes later. Whie signed out for the day and the two left the shop together, hand in hand, heading home to their small apartment. Unfortunately, they didn't sense that they were being followed…


Anakin kissed her feverishly in their bedroom at Varykino. In twenty-four hours, they would be husband and wife at last. Padme smiled and reluctantly pulled away.

"The boys are waiting for you," she reminded. He sighed.

"I know, but do we really have to do this?" he asked.

"Yes, it's tradition. Even though we've already been together, it's tradition for the bride and groom to spend the night before the wedding apart," Padme replied.

"Okay, I guess I need to let you have a little tradition," he conceded. She kissed him tenderly.

"I don't want things any other way than what they are," she promised.

"But the boys are really excited to camp in the meadow with their dad," she said. He smiled. He was looking forward to it as well.

"Yeah, I better go before they come in here after me," he said, as he gave her a long, passionate kiss.

"I'll see you tomorrow at the altar, my angel," he said. She smiled.

"Until then, my handsome masked protector," she replied, as they shared their final kiss of the night, before he left. Sabe came in a few minutes later, arms full of sweets for them to gorge on.

"You really think we're going to eat all that?" Padme asked, as they sat down on the sofa and flipped on the Holonet. They were both in their nightgowns.

"We're going to try. Now put on the sappiest holomovie you can find so we can adlib and make fun of it," Sabe said, as she grabbed a box of chocolates. Padme shook her head in amusement and began flipping through the Holochannels.


"Home sweet home," Whie said, as they arrived at their apartment building. It wasn't the best, as they couldn't afford much, but they were happy and in love. They heard footsteps behind them and he turned to see who was coming out the shadows. They were always on guard, ready to run if they had to, but he sighed in relief when he found the person to be his boss.

"Mrs. Hallis? What are you doing here?" he asked curiously, noticing that she looked very nervous.

"Mrs. Hallis…are you okay?" he asked, as the Force suddenly warned them of an approaching danger. Shadowy figures now surrounded them in the darkness and a petite hooded one stepped forward, revealing herself.

"Depa Billaba…" Whie said, as he guarded Scout behind him.

"You've done well, Hallis. You should find a very sizeable deposit in your account in the morning. However, if you speak to anyone about any of this, my agents will find you and wipe out your entire family," Depa stated.

"I'm sorry Whie…my store is failing and I have to feed my children," she tried to explain.

"Go now…" Depa ordered, as the woman scurried off.

"There's no escape…I've made sure of that with months of painstakingly keeping tabs on you," Depa warned, as her agents surrounded them.

"You've…been watching us?" Whie accused.

"I was the one that hired that woman to hire you," she replied simply.

"With what money? Jedi are forbidden to have possessions, including money! What would the Council think if they knew?" Whie challenged. But she only smirked in amusement.

"I am the padawan of the Great Mace Windu and you are a deserter, a filthy runaway who shirked his duties and disgraced himself," Depa countered. Whie clenched his teeth.

"And you're a two faced murderer that betrays the ways of the Jedi by lying and killing for some secretive Order with ways even more archaic than those of the Jedi. Murder is never right, no matter what spin the Great Mace Windu tries to put on it. The Xal'Kaar are worse than the Sith!" Whie spat angrily.

"You should watch how you speak," she hissed. He scoffed.

"Why? You're going to kill us both anyway, you sick twisted chutta!" Whie spat angrily. Scout saw the men advance and she grabbed his arm, before jumping. But they didn't get very far, as the Xal'Kaar's gauntlet-like weapons captured them with their electrified cables. Depa strode confidently toward their prone forms and unclothed a vibro dagger that gleamed in the moonlight.

"You are an abomination, Tallisbeth Esterhazy and my Master has ordered that I spill your blood to eradicate your filth from the Force," Depa stated with no emotion in her voice.

"And your filthy lover will meet the same fate. I was going to grant him the swift death by lightsaber, but his mouth has earned him the same excruciating death as you shall receive," she added, glaring down at Whie. Scout's eyes filled with tears, as she cried softly.

"I'm so sorry Whie…" she whispered. He knew she was apologizing for him even being involved with her in the first place. But he wasn't sorry, even though he was about to die.

"Don't be…because I'm not. These last few months with you have been the best in my entire life. I'm just sorry it's going to be cut short," he told her gently, as he gazed deeply into her watery eyes. Depa Billaba raised the dagger and was about to thrust it into Scout's heart when the wind suddenly picked up violently. Blue wisps of wind slammed into two of her agents, sending them to the ground in a heap. The dark blue energy crackled off a figure in the darkness and it reminded her of the young Force jumper that was in league with Knightblade. The blue energy crackled like Force lightning, but it had the properties and force of wind. As she took a closer look, the figure didn't seem very tall and she noticed three others around the same size and a much taller one behind them. All five of them Force jumped and surrounded her and her agents.

"Well, it looks like I'll be getting more than one Force Jumper today. My Master will be very pleased," Depa said. Four faces stepped into the light and Depa smirked, finding that they were just children. The first one that had changed his Force energy into wind was a dark skinned boy with deep brown eyes. He wore, like the others, a black outfit with blue piping and a symbol on the right breastbone that she did not recognize. The others wore similar uniforms. The one next to him was even smaller, a flaxen blonde haired female with striking blue eyes, and aqua colored piping on her uniform and the same symbol as the boy wore. She saw blue Force lightning crackle along her arms and gather in her palms. The Force energy changed, but hers became a torrent of water and Depa was shocked by the sheer power behind it from the small girl. She was slammed into the wall of the building and was drenched, unable to hide the surprise on her face. The other two children smirked, looking much older than their eleven years. The boy had a dark chocolate colored mop of hair and matching eyes, wearing the same kind of uniform with yellow piping. His Force energy was a strange yellow color and different than the others entirely, as she watched him channel the yellow Force lightning into the ground beneath them. The pavement around her agents began to crack and crumble, sending them all scrambling away from the depression the boy's energy had created. These children had abilities of the likes which she had never seen, save for the boy that used red Force lightning. Never had she imagined the Force could allow a user to harness an element through it, other than the traditional Force lightning she knew the Sith used. And even worse than that, they were Force Jumpers running amuck in the galaxy. The final brunette girl stared at her with amber eyes, her uniform identical to the others, save for the white piping. White Force lightning crackled in her hands and she cried out, as she was blasted with an icy shower of snow. At that point, the man with them stepped forward. He was handsome and had a very muscular build and looked to be in his late twenties or early thirties, with brown hair and eyes.

"Tell your Master that someday, we'll be the ones coming for him," he said, as he helped Whie and Scout up.

"Get them!" Depa growled at her agents, as they were trying to pull themselves together.

"If you come with us, you'll be safe and they'll never find you," the man said.

"Don't bet on that," Depa hissed. Whie sensed no evil from this man and only innocence from the children. He nodded and grabbed Scout's hand. The children Force jumped and the man put his hand on Whie's shoulder and disappeared with them.

"Follow them!" Depa ordered, as her agents started setting up their equipment to keep the jump scars open.

Scout and Whie arrived on a deserted landing pad with their saviors and another young boy with black hair ran down the ramp of the waiting ship.

"Hurry Riley and close the scars," the man ordered. Scout and Whie watched in pure amazement, as the young boy with green piping on his uniform used a green Force lightning and zapped their jump scars, evaporating them instantly.

"I promise we'll explain everything once we're in hyperspace. You're with friends now," the man promised.

"You're all Force Jumpers?" Scout asked. The man nodded.

"We are, but as you can tell, my young charges possess abilities beyond most Force users or Force Jumpers," he replied.

"I'm not a Force Jumper though," Whie said. The man smiled.

"It's okay, many of our family members aren't either, but they are in no less danger from the Xal'Kaar. Now please, we need to go now. We'll introduce ourselves when it's safe," he promised. Scout and Whie nodded, as they boarded the ship with these mysterious people.


The balcony that overlooked the lake at Varykino had been beautifully decorated for the simple, yet elegant ceremony that was about to take place. Sabe and Ruwee had made sure everything was perfection. Ruwee, with the help of Quinlan, had set up a beautiful white archway over the alter that was covered with Padme's favorite flowers. The floor was also covered in flower petals. Since they didn't really have a flower girl, Sabe made sure that part was already complete. They were having the boys each carry one of the rings on decorative pillows and both were very excited, for they had been tasked with something very important. They had called a Holy man, an old acquaintance of Sifo-Dyas' to perform the ceremony with the promise that he would speak of it to no one. He waited at the altar, as Quinlan and Sifo-Dyas stood on his right. Sabe was dressed in a beautiful light blue dress and held a bouquet, as she stood to the left of the altar. They watched with some amusement, as the boys, dressed in their best formal wear, made their way down the aisle. Hunter had to stop often to wait for Blake, who was distracted by everything around him. They finally arrived and stood in front of Sabe. Anakin winked at them, but then lost ability to speak when Padme entered on her father's arm. Her pure white gown flowed to the floor and an iridescent veil covered her head, but did nothing to hide her incredible beauty.

"Wow…mommy is pretty," Blake uttered cutely and Hunter nodded. Padme smiled at them, as her father escorted her to the altar. When they arrived, Ruwee hugged her and kissed her cheek, before she joined hands with Anakin and he stepped back beside Quinlan.

"Today we have come together to join this man and this woman in the bonds of marriage. Love is the light we hold onto in this dark galaxy and today we bear witness to love between this man, Anakin Skywalker and this woman, Padme Naberrie. Let your hearts speak to one another and let us witness the declaration of your devotion to each other," the Holy man said, prompting them to begin their vows.

"From the moment you walked into that junk shop on Tatooine, I knew you would be the love of my life. Some would have said that it was silly of me to think I was in love, since I was only nine at the time, but growing up as a slave, I knew true love when I felt it since the only other person in my life that loved me was my mom. But you changed everything. Just seeing you for the first time, your very presence, showed me that true love was real. And then, when we met ten years later, I had grown up and you were still the same, as were my feelings for you," he said pausing for a moment.

"I know that even though our marriage will be a close family secret, it won't diminish the love between us. Being your husband will be my greatest privilege and I vow to love and protect you and our boys as long as there is breath in my body. If I have to choose one lesson to teach our boys, it is that love can conquer any darkness or evil and that you must never lose faith in it," he continued.

"I once asked you if you were an angel, the very first time I saw you, and you are without doubt. I will honor, cherish, and protect you forever," he finished. Padme gently wiped her eyes and composed herself, as he squeezed her hands in his own.

"Oh Ani…you're the love of my life. I didn't even believe true love existed until you came back into my life. How could I when all around me was evil and corruption constantly. But you…you changed everything in my life for the better. You showed me true love made the impossible very possible. You found these boys that have now become our greatest joy and a part of our amazing love. I can't wait to be your wife and I promise to love and cherish you forever," she said, pausing briefly.

"If I am an angel as you claim, then it's only because you make me feel like one. You are truly my Knight in shining armor and my heart belongs only to you. It was yours the moment we met, even though I didn't even know it at the time," she finished.

"It is without a doubt that we are in the presence of true, powerful love. The ring is a matrimonial tradition that dates back centuries on Naboo. It completes the union and symbolizes everlasting love. Anakin, place the ring on your bride's finger," the Holy man instructed. Hunter held the pillow up to him and he took the small trinket, before sliding it onto Padme's ring finger.

"You have taken this woman as your wife with the promise to love and honor her, forsaking all others, as long as you both shall live," the Holy man said. Anakin nodded.

"I do," he stated.

"Padme, place the ring on your groom's finger," the Holy man instructed. Blake held the pillow up to her and she took the small trinket, before sliding it onto Anakin's ring finger.

"You have taken this man as your husband with the promise to love and honor him, forsaking all others, as long as you both shall live," the Holy man recited. Padme nodded.

"I do," she stated.

"The Force has truly blessed this union. May the Force continue to bless this union and the family you have created. By its great power and the laws of Naboo, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride," the Holy man stated. Anakin smiled, lifted her veil, and eagerly pressed his lips to hers in a passionate kiss, as their family looked on happily. Their family gathered around them and they retreated into the house to celebrate into the night…


In the next chapter, Anakin and Padme enjoy a brief respite, before returning to Coruscant. Meanwhile, Scout and Whie learn about their new allies, the children's mysterious powers, and their cause…