The End of The End
otherwise known as part two.
**"I'm sorry about this," Mace said from close by him. "But the Council decided that if you refused to accept the terms of the separation, we'd have no alternative other than erasing your memory." He lifted a hand towards him. "We'll try not to make this too painful."
"Wh...at?" Obi-Wan asked, still frozen to the spot. "Er..ase my mem...ory? How c...an you do... that?"
But deep in his heart, he knew. Growing up he'd heard whispers of Jedi having their minds wiped. He'd always assumed it was a tale, made up to keep the padawans in line. Now, as he looked from one master to the other, he saw the harsh truth in their eyes. They'd wipe his memory rather than risk letting him and Buffy stay together.
The pressure inside Obi-Wan's head began building as each one of the Jedi Masters drove their mind into his. Ruthlessly delving into his memories. Obi-Wan fought back, desperately trying to reconnect to the Force. To call upon the Force, to wrap it around him like a blanket, was the only chance he had of stopping this... But the pain inside his head was excruciating and he could barely sense the Force never mind call it to him and envelope himself into it.
He lost his balance, toppling to his knees, the palms of his hands pressing against his temples as if they could physically shield his mind from the Masters' influence. They were relentless, tearing into his mind, trying to find the memories of Buffy, intending to peel each and every one away from him and erase them from his memory.
"NOOO!" he screamed. He needed to resist. He had to regain control, If he didn't, and was unable to form some sort of shield, he'd lose Buffy forever.
Then, just as the last vestiges of his Force link snapped, something that had lain dormant since it had been placed there, roared to life. Dark, shadowy, and ancient, it rose up. It clawed at the invading minds, ripping loose their connections, and then, like a huge predator shielding its young, it blocked all further access to his mind. The internal Slayer had awoken.
Confused, Obi-Wan removed his hands from his head and looked around at the surrounding circle of Jedi masters. "You didn't-," he began.
~Obi-Wan! Take cover!~
Buffy's urgent warning had him springing to his feet. Master Piell and the long-necked Yarael Puff were knocked to one side. Sprinting and dodging past grasping hands Obi-Wan put as much distance between him and the Council Chamber doors as he could.
"He mustn't get away!" yelled Mace, misinterpreting his action. The Jedi master's eyes were blood-shot from the pressure of trying to delve into Obi-Wan's mind. "The mind-rub failed. It must be completed."
BOOM!
The sound came from behind Mace. The chamber doors shook, and plaster dropped from the Council chamber ceiling. A warning screamed through the Force to all those who could hear it. It sent the masters running, scattering around the chamber as more blasts of Force energy hit the door. The door buckled and a sliver of a gap appeared. Hands appeared in the opening. Human hands, delicate yet amazingly strong for their size, began to tear the doors apart.
Grimly, Obi-Wan rose up from his hiding place to watch the small, formidable figure of Vader, dressed in black and holding her red lightsaber before her, stride into the Jedi Council chamber. She was not alone, for others followed her, but Obi-Wan only had eyes for Buffy. He took in the golden shining eyes, not of a Sith, but a furious Slayer. A Slayer who was seeking revenge on those who'd broken Rule Number Two – never touch a Slayer's boyfriend.
Her eyes met his and the yellow hue vanished, replaced by the warm, loving green that he knew so well and her entire face shone with relief. The corners of Obi-Wan's lips tugged upwards. No one could say Lord Vader didn't know how to make a dramatic entrance.
Someone moved to stand beside her and only then did Obi-Wan take in the other rescuers. Count Dooku was there, his dark eyes shooting daggers at the Council Masters and cutting an intimidating figure despite his walking stick, There was Quinlan Vos, winking at him as if they were padawans again and this was some huge jest. Alongside him was Andrew Wells, the Watcher bounced from one foot to the other with excitement as he grinned and looked about the chamber. That kind of behaviour no longer surprised Obi-Wan, this was Andrew after all.
Jango Fett moved over to stand to the left and slightly behind Buffy, looking as if he'd like nothing better than to blow holes into everyone. Then, finally, right at the back was someone he hadn't expected to see. It was his old master Qui-Gon Jinn.
The tall, long-haired Jedi stared over at Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan felt a tentative nudge through their old master and padawan bond. ~Are you well, my apprentice?~.
His concern gave Obi-Wan a warm glow. Recently the two of them had been at odds, yet his old master had felt his pain and come to his aid. ~I am, Master.~
Qui-Gon gave a small nod, folding his arms across his chest and standing placidly, regarding the Council Masters who were now looking strained and very uncomfortable.
Buffy waved Mr Sparkly at Yoda. "What were you doing to Obi-Wan?"
"Putting right the wrong you have caused," Yoda replied. He'd drawn his own lightsaber when the Scooby gang had entered and although he hadn't raised his lightsaber against her, his ears were twitching which, Obi-Wan knew, was never a good sign.
Buffy must have thought the same because when she called over, "Obi-Wan, are you okay?" she kept her eyes on the small master.
"I'm fine," he replied, moving past the other Jedi masters - who didn't attempt to stop him - to stand in the space between Buffy and Dooku.
As he turned back to face the Council members, Qui-Gon stepped behind him and placed a hand on Obi-Wan's shoulder as he'd often done when he'd been his padawan. It was a gesture of support and calmed and reassured Obi-Wan. He shot an appreciative look at his old master over his shoulder, seeing the concern in Qui-Gon's blue eyes, and smiled his thanks.
"What happened here?" Qui-Gon asked. The question was addressed to Obi-Wan, but he asked loudly enough for everyone else in the chamber to hear him. "I was in the cafeteria when I felt an intense pain coming from you through our old bond."
"The Council found out about my relationship with Buffy," Obi-Wan explained. "When I told them that I was leaving the Jedi, they jammed the door and said they intended to mind-wipe me."
"Mind wipe?" repeated Dooku. "For having a relationship? Surely not?"
Obi-Wan went on. "They told me that it was too dangerous for us to be together."
"That's really sick." Buffy said, the energy blade hummed in her hands as she shot a death glare at the small master in front of her. "I'm surprised at you, Yoda. You're supposed to be the good guys in this dimension. What kind of people would do something like that ?"
"I told you," Jango shouted over, he'd both blasters drawn, "the Jedi take sides and the side they choose ain't always the right one. It shows how twisted they are to do this to one of their own, just because he's got himself a girl."
The only rescuer who wasn't shocked was Andrew. The Watcher prodded Buffy in her shoulder excitedly. "This is what I told you about!" He bounced up and down, like a toddler at a zoo. "Back in the days of the Old Republic there was a guy called Revan. They wiped his mind too. He'd done more than Obi-Wan has done though. He'd gone rogue and the Council-."
"We really don't want to hurt Obi-Wan," Mace cut in quickly, annoyed that Andrew knew so much about a dark period of Jedi history. He looked from Buffy and Yoda, the two were still focussed on each other, their lightsabers ignited. "I think it would be wise to put aside our weapons and talk about this without resorting to violence."
"Fine," replied Buffy. She looked down at the tiny Yoda. "Shall I be the bigger person," she smirked, "and turn my weapon off first?" To prove the point, she switched off her lightsaber and Yoda, not wanting to be outdone, quickly followed suit.
Jango muttered to himself and dropped his blasters back into his holsters. All of the masters, except Yoda, returned to their seats. The small green master stayed where he was, only a few steps away from Buffy. His face was twisted in an expression of immense concentration and something that might be curiosity or the beginning of a stroke.
"Mace, maybe you can tell me why you intended lobotomising Obi-Wan? Also," Buffy pointed at the black bra lying on the floor, "isn't that mine? What's it doing in here?"
Mace Windu not only looked sheepish, but his bald head began to sweat. "First, let me assure you that we weren't going to lobotomise Obi-Wan. We were simply going to use a mind-rub to wipe all knowledge of you from his brain."
"Gee thanks! Like I wouldn't have noticed anything different about him," Buffy said and began tapping her lightsaber hilt against her leg. Although her initial panic had subsided once she'd found that Obi-Wan was safe, she still felt tense and angry.
Sensing her discord, Obi-Wan stepped closer, his hand reaching for hers and then taking it in his. It served to ground himself as much as it did her. "I'd never have seen you again. They had a ship waiting to take me away," he told her.
Jango, who'd moved closer leaned in to stage whisper into Buffy's ear. "I don't trust them. They might try lobotomising the rest of us next."
His words doing nothing to calm the situation and Qui-Gon Jinn gave Jango a hard stare before addressing the Council. "Masters, you must have had a good reason for such drastic action? I'm looking forward to hearing your explanation."
Mace looked to Yoda, who's stare remained on Buffy, then back at the rest of the Council. "Young Kenobi broke the Jedi code by developing an attachment and embarking on a relationship."
"He's hardly the first to do so," Qui-Gon pointed out. "I've felt the lure myself, as you have too, Mace..." His voice trailed away. It wasn't quite an accusation against the other master, but there was the insinuation there that spoke of him knowing a secret he could let slip if he wished to. "To my knowledge no one has ever been mind wiped for it."
"I'm not disputing that most of us are tempted at one time or another. A true Jedi walks away from temptation. To give up everything you hold dear, or love, makes a Jedi stronger in the long run." Mace raised his chin, staring defiantly back at Qui-Gon. "With Buffy being what she is, we have strong reason to believe that Obi-Wan will fall to the Dark Side. That would lead to serious repercussions for the Order. Extreme situations call for extreme measures."
"I have no intention of falling to the Dark Side," Obi-Wan stated. "I've already told you this."
"Your intentions might be good, Obi-Wan," said Master Ki-Adi-Mundi. "However, for a Force sensitive an emotional relationship is a dangerous one. When I married I had the permission off the Order and even I found it extremely difficult not to become attached to my wives. What you have to remember is that Buffy," he nodded his long head at her and smiled kindly, "charming though she might be, is very different to my wives or any other human being. She told us herself that the original Slayer was the product of a union between a young human girl and a Dark Side demon. "
"It was more of a magical union than sexual," corrected Buffy. "I don't think it was enjoyable for either party. And I'm still waiting for someone to tell me why my favourite bra is on the floor?"
"It was used as evidence to incriminate Obi-Wan," said Mace. The look she bestowed on him was distinctly evil and he tried appeasing her by adding, "You can have it back now. We've finished with it."
"Eww!" Buffy gave a shudder, before saying "As if I want it back after everyone's been touching it! Burn it."
Yoda's ears twitched and she glanced at him. His silence was odd. Normally he couldn't resist dropping his pearls of wisdom into the conversation.
"Yoda, is this all because of my dark inner-core?" Buffy asked. "I've explained, a Slayer's job is to fight the Dark Side creepies not create more of them. I'm not gonna let Obi-Wan go dark."
When Yoda didn't reply, merely stared at her face.
Obi-Wan felt a flash of anger and exasperation at his silence."You don't need to explain anything to them, Buffy. You've fought the Dark Side and won time and time again. You've uncovered a Sith Lord and brought to light the Sith tomb beneath the Temple. You might have an affinity for the Dark Side, but there's no one with more good in them than you."
He'd the urge to tell Yoda everything. To confess how many times the Dark Side had beckoned to him and how it was Buffy, and their love, that had always pulled him back. The only reason he held back was they would wilfully misinterpret it. No doubt they would claim that if she'd never been there he wouldn't have teetered.
His words must have broken into Yoda thoughts as now the green master's eyes no longer burned into Buffy and had moved to Obi-Wan. Yoda let out a long sigh as if the Force had been granting him future visions and it had exhausted him. "Explain, she need not. Before me lies many answers. More than inner darkness the Slayer carries."
Obi-Wan frowned at the cryptic comment.
"What's he talkin' about?" Jango asked Quin. "What's he sayin'? Can you translate?"
The Kiffar shrugged, as much at a loss as Jango, whilst Qui-Gon angled himself to get a better view of Buffy.
Yoda pointed at the Slayer and continued, "Not needed was her bra. Biggest proof of your misdeeds before us, she brings."
Buffy's eyes widened and she shot a guilty look at a bewildered Obi-Wan.
"Oh," said Qui-Gon. He'd always had a close connection to the Living Force and was the first in the chamber to realise what Yoda was hinting at. He gave an embarrassed cough. "I see what you mean."
"I wish someone would tell me," called Andrew. "I can't see anything from back here."
"Me neither," said Quin. "I'm a Jedi and I've no idea what I'm supposed to be seeing either."
"The Jedi are all crazy. He's probably thinks he'd seen a pink Nerf." Jango snorted. "And the green guy is the worst of the lot. He's got Serenno robins whistling in his head."
Obi-Wan let out a gasp. His brained stuttered. He knew his mouth was opening and closing, not daring to form and utter the words in case he was wrong about this. After all, it wasn't possible. And yet, now he was looking for it, he could see it clearly. Buffy was glowing with the Force. Why hadn't he noticed it before?
His shock made his words come out more harshly and with more of an accusation than he intended. "You're pregnant," he said.
He didn't hear the sharp intakes of breath from those in the chamber. Instead, he focussed on how Buffy refused to meet his eye and squirmed, as everyone stared at her stomach. She tugged on the front of her top self-consciously as if that could hide from view what every Jedi in the chamber could now see.
"How can you all tell?" she asked, her voice miserable.
Qui-Gon answered her, "You're a Force Void and the baby is Force Sensitive. It's shining very brightly."
Obi-Wan pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. Drawing in deep breaths as he tried to sort out his thoughts. How had it happened? They weren't so stupid to not have used contraception. Was it Buffy's Slayer metabolism? Had it thrown it off? It had happened, but why now? It was bad timing. They were at war with Palpatine and the vampires and were about to be kicked out the Temple. How would they cope? He was going to be a father! He'd no idea about normal family dynamics, what if he did something wrong? How could two people who were warriors in the middle of a war bring up a child?
And then another thought... an unpleasant one. Why hadn't she told him? Didn't she want his baby? Had she planned on getting rid of it behind his back? A flash of surprising anger. "Why didn't you tell me?" he asked.
"You were ill," Buffy said miserably. "I only knew for certain when you were in the bacta-tank and I've been waiting for a good time to tell you."
She'd meant to tell him. Relieved, he smiled and the dimples appeared in his cheeks. "I don't think that worked out very well, did it?" he teased.
Buffy shot a shamefaced look at the watching audience. "Uh, I guess not."
Aware they'd been caught staring at her, the masters began talking amongst themselves. Dooku argued with Mace about the mind wipe and Yoda was hobbling back to his seat. A tear zig-zagged down Buffy's cheek and Obi-Wan forgot that he was a Jedi knight standing in the Council Chamber. He drew Buffy into his arms and used his thumb to brush away the tear.
"I never thought I'd be a father," he admitted huskily. "It's come as a surprise. A wonderful surprise that I never thought I'd have. To have a child, our own child. I'm very happy about this."
"Really?" Buffy asked doubtfully. "You didn't seem it."
"Most definitely." Obi-Wan grinned and happiness lit his face. He was going to be a father! And a Force sensitive baby too! An image rose into his mind of a blonde boy wearing Jedi robes following him around. The child of his dreams. He remembered his recent vision of standing, not in a desert but in a forest with the boy. The boy had been pointing to something out of sight. Was that Buffy? Then when he'd visited the Slayer desert, the boy had been there. He'd assumed he'd followed him, what if he'd been with his mother all along?
A sharp voice cut into his thoughts, that of Master Adi Gallia. "The baby could be Palpatine's? She wasn't only his Vader, she was supposed to be marrying him. She's probably been providing him with extra girlfriend services!"
"Hey!" Buffy stepped from Obi-Wan's arms and advanced on the woman. "The baby is Obi-Wan's. I have not been giving Palpatine any extra girlfriend services!"
"A baby doesn't change the fact Obi-Wan is still in danger if he leaves the Jedi Order." Mace looked more unhappy than ever. He continually rubbed at his head, as if he was developing a headache. "This situation isn't going to end well."
"For Force Sake!" interjected Qui-Gon. "Let the boy go. Although it pains me to say it, for Obi-Wan would have made a far better Jedi than I, his place is no longer with the Order. It is with his future family."
"He can't leave!" snapped Mace. "Don't you understand? If he leaves our control something bad will happen."
Obi-Wan took hold of Buffy's hand once again. "Then I'll stay in the Jedi Order and marry Buffy. The Code will need to change."
His suggestion created calls of objection from the Council Masters.
Quin slapped Obi-Wan on the back. "Cool. I'm all for that."
"Such extreme measures are not necessarily," said Master Ki-Adi-Mundi, looking thoughtful. "I have a different proposal." The other masters quietened as he addressed Buffy, "How many Slayers are in this dimension?"
"Only me." She didn't look at Obi-Wan. He wasn't a girl and she'd seen no sign of him developing a Slayer side.
"Then," continued Ki-Adi-Mundi, "if Buffy is a rare species in danger of going extinct, it is our duty to provide Kenobi with a special dispensation to marry and reproduce with her. That way he can stay in the Order. He will be merely following one of our mission directives."
"Rare species?" Buffy muttered indignantly. "He's on a mission?" Behind her, she could hear Jango and Andrew snickering together at the absurdity of it and she didn't know whether to tell them to shut up or join in.
Yoda rapped the floor with his gimmer stick. "Allow this union to happen on one condition, I will." He looked at each of the Jedi Masters in turn, then at the Scoobies and finally to Buffy and Obi-Wan. His expression had become almost sly.
"Law of the Republic requires Force sensitive babies be given to the Jedi Temple. Give up their baby, they must, if-"
"Nope!" snarled Buffy. "Never in a million years do you get my baby."
"Raise this child together, you shall not." Yoda waved his gimmer stick at her. "Fear causes anger, anger causes-."
"Skip the bits in between and get to the suffering. Anyone who touches my baby I guarantee will suffer." Buffy stepped towards the masters, vibrating with rage.
Obi-Wan placed a restraining hand on her arm. "We won't let them. The only way this child will see the inside of the Temple is if we are here with him."
"I agree," Dooku's deep baritone rang around the chamber "The child shall not be raised in the Jedi Temple. It will be raised at my home on Serenno. Buffy has already done me the honour of accepting my proposal and intends to become the next Countess."
Quin groaned.
"What's going on?" asked Andrew. "I'm getting confused. Is Buffy marrying Obi-Wan or Dooku?"
"She can marry them both," said Jango. "I don't see the problem."
"She's marrying me, of course, said Obi-Wan. "I've already asked her. The Count is adopting Buffy."
"Adopt!? As in his daughter?" Quin found himself gaping at the Count who smirked back over at him.
Mace tried a different track. "Can you guarantee the child will be safe at your home, Dooku? There isn't the same security there as there is here. With Palpatine on the loose a Force sensitive child will be in grave danger of being taken."
"Taken?" muttered Qui-Gon. "It had better not be taken."
Count Dooku flipped the edge of his cloak over his shoulder, saying almost disdainfully as he did so, "The child will be safe at my castle. Unbeknown to you I haveamassed quite a drone army out there." With his forbidding glare, he added, "No one not a Jedi or a kidnapper will take my grandchild, the Heir to the Count of Serenno, if they try I shall fight them, not only on the battlefield but in the courts of the Republic." He put a hand on Buffy and Obi-Wan's elbows to guide them out the chamber. "Come Buffy, Obi-Wan. Let us leave this place. There is nothing here for us any more."
As they walked over to the buckled and ripped door, Obi-Wan slipped his hand into Buffy's. "Luke," he said with a smile that he knew Buffy could never resist.
"Look? Where?"
"Luke, the name. I have always liked the name Luke. Luke Kenobi has a nice ring to it, don't you think?"
"A good strong name," said Dooku approvingly. "With a name like Luke, he'll be strong in the Force and make a name for himself in the galaxy.
Andrew rudely shoved a bemused Qui-Gon to one side. "You can't call it Luke! Ben Kenobi is a much nicer name."
No one took any notice of him.
"You know, I don't mind the name Luke," Buffy said wrinkling her nose as she thought. Then she slanted a teasing glance at Obi-Wan, adding, "Luke Perry is definitely droolworthy."
"Do we go for Luke then?" Obi-Wan pressed, ignoring this Luke Perry.
Andrew had now begun panicking, he prodded Buffy urgently. "Ben! Call it Ben!"
Buffy scowled. "I'm not calling it Ben! Honestly, if it's a girl are you gonna expect me to call it Glory?"
"It's a boy," Obi-Wan said firmly. His hand moved from hers to rest lightly on her stomach. "Hello there, Luke Kenobi."
…..
In his chair in the Jedi High Council Chamber Yoda smiled the smile of a master who knew more than he was letting on.
Mace asked, "What now, Master Yoda?"
Yoda smiled. "Bide our time, we shall. Vader's son, Luke will be trained by me. Seen it in the Force, I have."
The End Of Episode One
The (not so) Phantom Slayer Menace
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A/N;
First of all, I hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I have enjoyed writing it.
This story is my come-back after a break from writing of over ten years. I had never written sci-fi before and all the action scenes are very new to me. In the past I had a tendency to write long stories (never this long though) and a fascination with putting people in different worlds or situations to what they are used to and seeing how they react.
Please excuse any of my writing eccentricities, odd spellings, mixed up tenses etc. I am dyslexic (growing up undiagnosed) and have fibromyalgia. When I get tired I tend to make mistakes. Okay I should have a full-time beta, but they are hard to find.
Blackhat did a fantastic job on those chapters that he beta'd for me and he helped me a huge amount with my action scenes. Thank you Blackhat. Hope you come back to the board soon.
I am not a big Star Wars nerd. In fact, everyone who knows me wondered why I started writing a story set in the Star Wars universe when I knew so little about it. I have no idea why either. It just sort of happened.
I wanted to write a story where we have an outside force (Buffy) doing her best not to alter the timeline of a well known story and the story trying to alter her into Vader.
Buffy isn't one to stand by and watch evil take over and the apocalypse happen around her. She saves Qui-Gon, sets Anakin on a different path (got ideas for a story arc for him), messes up Palpatine's plans and exposes Jar Jar as the villain he is (sorry, I don't like him).
Add a love interest who is out of bounds and a few vampires and you get this story.
Yoda, people have asked me if I don't like Yoda. Actually I do. I just don't think Yoda would be keen on Buffy. She is too much a grey force and so emotional and 'worldy' I don't think he would understand her.
Palpatine (Sid) is great fun to write. He is even more fun when he falls in lust with Buffy. Sith boys really are more fun. ;)
Obi-Wan, I thought I might have a problem writing Obi-Wan, but when I looked into his tragic story, I felt more and more sorry for him. I think he deserves a love story where he gets the girl and Buffy is the one who'll shake his universe. Buffy too needed someone kind, considerate and special after all she lost and went through. Obi-Wan is Buffy's Tara.
There are plenty of different takes on Buffy in the Star Wars universe, hopefully, there aren't any others like this. If you like the story though and it inspires you to write, go for it!
I know my sense of humour can be a little oddball, however, I've mostly had positive reviews on here and the other places I posted. Only one or two negative ones. Mainly off a forum troll who obviously hadn't read the story (nice try, fell badly short – I laughed), someone else on ff complained that it was a comedy and how dare it be, even though it was labelled as such (roll eyes). Oh, and I had someone say that I had ruined Star Wars for them. I am not sure what they meant. I took it as a compliment. :D My story stronger than Star Wars and Lucas's vision? WOW.
Anyway, if you ever reread this story again you'll see that I dropped in a lot of clues as to where it was going (also the sequel!). Some of those chapters that you may have thought were 'fillers', really weren't!
I also had great fun with the visions, yep clues there too. Also Buffy's nausea has been going on for a while. I kept thinking someone would spot it and realise. :)
Did anyone spot any of the clues?
What else...
Luke Perry starred in the movie Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Pike, I believe. I thought it apt that she'd want to call her baby after him.
That there is a Luke Skywalker in SW, son of Vader, is just a coincidence... honest, haa haa. ;-)
I have a few ideas for the sequel.
You will note Obi-Wan has a little bit of Slayer spirit in him, that there is a Force Ghost on the loose, vampires are hiding out, Palpatine won't be happy about Buffy marrying someone other than him, Yoda is planning on taking Luke away from his parents, and the Sith holocron remains in Obi-Wan's possession. Not exactly a recipe for a quiet future...
Maybe no one will want to read a sequel though and I'll be wasting my time...
If you liked this story, let me know with a review. (I answered every one! Even the troll's!)
And don't forget to recommend it to others. :)
