Chapter 25 – Awakening

DISCLAIMER: We do not own Star Wars, even if we wish we did. xD

Author's Note: Ahsoka's finally back in her own time! :D

I hope this chapter makes up for breaking all your hearts last week! ^-^

~ Amina Gila

The world slowly comes into focus around me, the familiar feeling of home surrounding me. The first thing that registers is that the Force no longer feels so empty. I can feel all the familiar Force presences again. I'm lying on a bed in what is presumably the healing wing of the Temple. Next my eyes fall on Anakin, standing not far away, like he always is when I'm here.

I bolt upright, eyes darting around the room. I'm not sure I dare believe this is really real. It's been far too long. I can't believe this isn't just a dream, a creation of my own imagination from missing everyone too much. I reach into the Force, feeling the familiar Force signatures just to make sure they're actually really here.

Anakin notices my awakening instantly and walks over to me. "Ahsoka, are you alright?" he asks worriedly. I can't seem to find my voice. Or maybe it's that I can't believe the person who was just a Force ghost a minute ago is alive again. "Ahsoka?" he repeats again, louder this time. It's not until his hand touches my shoulder that I finally realize. I'm here. I'm home. This time, for real.

I throw my arms around him as the reality finally sinks in. I'm home. Home at last. With Anakin, with the Jedi, in a world where the Republic still exists. Maybe not a world of peace, but still a world of hope. But most of all, a world where my brother is still here and not dead. With Anakin, my Anakin, not Vader. "You're alive," I murmur, grip tightening.

Anakin doesn't say anything for many moments, just holds me as I cry. I don't care how un-Jedi like it may be. I just saw the galaxy descend into chaos, the Republic ripped apart at its very seams, Jedi destroyed, everyone I cared about die except Rex, and after all that, Anakin – the only person I had left – died. Even if he's really here, the memory of his sacrifice is too close for comfort.

And the mission... I have to fulfill the mission. I must. I can't let any of that happen. And I will keep my promise to Anakin. I won't leave. I'll never leave him again. I reach out gently to our bond, feeling it solidify under the touch, though it's... damaged. Tainted almost imperceptibly from Vader's death.

"What happened?" Anakin asks finally, "What did you see?"

"Everything," I murmur, still not letting go. "I saw the galaxy torn apart, the empire rise, the destruction of... everything." There is a momentary pause before Anakin lets go of me and sits down next to me. I bury my face in his shoulder, wrapping my arms around him again.

"A detailed vision?" he guesses.

"I'd say I time-traveled."

"Time-travel?" Anakin repeats with disbelief, "That's impossible!" I wince at how much that reminded me of Vader's reaction when I first saw him.

"I was on Dagobah with Luke, and we went to Bespin and fought Vader and Leia rescued us, but Jabba captured Han so we had to free him and went to blow up the Death Star but Luke and I went to confront Vader and Sidious and then you died," I blurt out, not quite present enough to realize Anakin's probably questioning my sanity.

"... I can't understand any of that. Calm down," Anakin declares firmly, but I can hear his confusion, "You need to calm down. It's alright, I'm here."

Yes, it's alright. He's here. Anakin's here. He's not dead. He's not a Sith Lord. He's your brother. Your master. Leaning against him, I take a few deep breaths, trying to calm myself. I can't help but remember the last moments in the future. When I talked to Anakin one last time and said goodbye to everyone. Oh, right. The twins.

"When'll they be born?"

"Ahsoka, you're not making any sense," Anakin sighs.

"I suggest you both rest and sort this out in the morning," comes another voice. Obi-Wan. Wait. He's here? I look up in surprise to see him standing only a few feet away from us. I must have been too out of it to notice. But not out of it enough to forget that I haven't seen him in months. Jumping to my feet, I hug him also.

"I think I'm beginning to agree," Anakin concurs.

"Maybe," I agree, stepping back from Obi-Wan to look at my master. "Wait, how long have I been unconscious?" It was just evening, I think. I hardly remember.

"Like six hours," he informs me. Six. Hours. Oh. One hour for one month, I suppose. That's not too bad, I guess. It could have been days. There is a moment of silence before Anakin starts talking again. "What do you mean 'when will they be born'? Who?"

"Your children," I blurt out, "The twins."

"Excuse me?" cries Anakin, looking comically shocked, and it's not until a moment too late I realize Obi-Wan wasn't supposed to know. Oops.

I suddenly find myself trying not to squirm. "In the future... you had twins."

"That's impossible," Anakin insists pointlessly.

I raise an eye marketing at him. "Tell the future that."

"Anakin, is there something you would like to tell me?" asks Obi-Wan, a knowing half-smile on his face.

"Why would you think that, master?" Anakin replies innocently.

"You couldn't have twins just out of nowhere," he retorts.

"Um... who said this vision of the future she had is one-hundred percent accurate?" he frantically protests, "The future can always change. I mean, just because I had children in the future she saw doesn't mean –"

"Your relationship with Padme is not exactly a secret, Anakin," Obi-Wan deadpans. Despite the situation, I can't quite suppress the smirk on my face at my master's expression.

"What relationship?" he protests.

"The one everyone on Coruscant who isn't blind knows about."

"What – I –" he splutters, seeming at a complete loss for words.

"As entertaining as this may be," I cut in, finally deciding to come to his rescue, "We should probably save it for when there's no chance of anyone else overhearing."

"Ah, yes. That would be wise," agrees Obi-Wan.

"What did you mean by 'the empire rise?' Did the Separatists win?" Anakin asks me, suddenly changing the topic.

"No, the Separatists didn't win. The Empire was born out of the Republic," I inform grimly.

"How is that possible?" demands Obi-Wan.

"The Sith took over," I explain carefully. I want to say more than that, but I'm reluctant to. I don't know how much the Force wants me saying. Somehow, I'm not sure telling them the truth would be the best idea. At least not right now. "Darth Sidious – Dooku's master – is in the Senate."

"What?" they gasp, stunned.

"Dooku told me that before, but I thought he was lying," murmurs Obi-Wan.

"Do you know who it is?" presses Anakin.

"Yes," I confirm, "I do. But I don't think I should say." Anakin looks like he's about to argue, but Obi-Wan starts talking first.

"How could the Sith have formed an Empire with the Jedi around?" he questions, confused.

I wince, realizing what I have to tell them next. "The Jedi... They were destroyed. Everyone was killed."

"Oh, Force," Anakin mutters so quiet I barely hear him, but I don't miss the horror in his tone. His expression is something between shock and denial. "How could that have happened? That's impossible!"

"I... I don't know how much I should tell you about it," I admit finally. I want to. I want to tell them every single thing I saw, minus the part about Anakin's Fall. We have to stop Sidious, but I can't stop getting the feeling I'll have to do it alone. Wait. Anakin's Force ghost said I could tell Obi-Wan. I can't do that right now, of course, but I will as soon as I can. Except I still don't know how much detail I can go into. He said I could tell Padme too, but at least as of right now, I don't think I should say anything to her about it. Palpatine could far too easily pick up on her thoughts.

"Is there anything else you can tell us?" demands Anakin.

"That Sidious had a new apprentice?" I offer uselessly, "And that the Separatists were gone."

"Of course, he did," mutters Anakin.

"Perhaps we should discuss this more in the morning," suggests Obi-Wan, "It's the middle of the night and you both look like you need to get some rest." Tell me about it. I don't even remember the last time I slept properly. Never mind I'm completely exhausted from all the fighting I did not that long ago.

"Great idea," I concur, suddenly realizing exactly how tired I am. Anakin murmurs an agreement, and the two of us head out of the healer's wing for our apartment. I still need to have a talk with the Council, and likely be knighted also, but that will be saved for the morning.

Anakin closes the door behind us once we arrive at our apartment. I pause in the doorway, taking a moment to just relax in the feeling of our apartment. I can't believe it's been so long. I missed this place far more than I realized. All the hours we spent here having fun and just being siblings.

"Ahsoka, what happened to your arm?" Anakin asks sharply, breaking me out of my daze. My arm. Oh, right. Oh no. When we got back to Endor, my injuries were the last thing in my mind. I hadn't even taken care of it. And apparently it was transferred back to my body here, a clear sign that I actually time-traveled, not just had a vision. "Who did that?" he demands angrily. He catches my wrist, lifting my arm to inspect the injury. I wince at the sight of it. My arm is quite swollen and very red. That's what I get for not taking care of it for hours, but to be honest, I'd almost forgotten about it.

"He didn't mean to," I assure him almost frantically. All my time as a Jedi, the only thing that ever scares me is when my master gets angry. And he is right now. Seeing the future certainly hasn't help my feelings towards that.

"Who did that?" he demands again, and I find myself going completely speechless for a moment. I mean, what am I supposed to say? 'You turned to the Dark Side and we got in a fight and you hurt me. I hope you're okay with that!'

"Vader," I confess finally, "Sidious' new apprentice."

"Do you, by any chance, know who he is?" Of course. But it's not like I'm telling you. I scramble frantically for something reasonable to say.

"It doesn't matter. He hasn't Fallen yet. Nor will he," I state flatly. Hopefully, Anakin will just leave it at that.

"Why haven't you taken care of it yet?" he questions, glancing down at my injury again, not looking one bit happier by the moment.

"I didn't have time," I protest.

"Ahsoka."

"Can we talk about this in the morning?" I sigh. No, he is not happy at all, and he has that you're-going-to-be-in-for-a-serious-lecture expression on his face.

"Fine," he concedes at last, "But first I'll take care of this, then we'll go to bed." He hurries out of the room and I slide down onto the couch, leaning against it as fatigue threatens to take over. My eyes are threatening to drift shut by the time Anakin finally returns with a bacta patch and sits down next to me, taking my arm and getting to work. I absentmindedly lean against him again as exhaustion overtakes me. The last thing that registers before sleep overtakes me is Anakin slipping an arm around me.