Anakin's Redemption:

D200/4 ABY, Death Star 2

The moment Darth Vader understood that his son's life was worth more than his own was the moment Anakin Skywalker was redeemed and the Light side of the Force filled the empty spaces in his soul like it used to. Knowing it meant his own death, Anakin saved his son from Darth Sidious' lightning, rendering his own cyborg suit that he loathed almost useless with only a few zaps of electricity. Anakin had known his suit was susceptible to electricity, something he was sure his Master had done on purpose, but he never designed himself a new suit that didn't have that flaw, even though he was more than capable of doing so. Somewhere in the back of the persona of Darth Vader, Anakin had still lurked, hating what he had become and not wanting to add to his years of agony. Darth Vader used the pain and hate to make him even stronger in the Dark side, pushing Anakin even further to the back of his mind, but Anakin never did let the Sith side of him fix that suit. It was one of the very few battles between his Sith and Jedi sides that Anakin actually won over the years.

And now here he was, futilely gasping for air, staring at his amazing son with his own eyes, wishing they had more time. Wishing he could do everything over again from the very beginning. And wishing with all his heart that he'd treated his children differently ever since he'd first met them four years ago. He'd tortured his daughter. He'd cut off his own son's hand. He'd pursued them back and forth across the galaxy and made their lives miserable whenever possible. All Anakin wanted to do in that moment was scream that he was sorry, so very sorry, and then curl in a ball and cry. Instead he used his last breath of failing oxygen to convey his apologies as best as he could. "Tell your sister you were right. You. Were. Right."

That was it. That was Anakin's last act as a living person. He'd have to be satisfied with it because he had nothing left to stay alive with. Luke's cry of, "Father! I won't leave you!" rang through what was left of his ears and brought a sense of peace and sorrow that Anakin took with him into the next stage of his existence. Anakin could remember wanting to be a good father, the best father, back when Padme first told him she was pregnant. For five whole minutes, Anakin felt like he actually was one. Though nowhere near the best, it was enough to make him feel a little bit less like scum.

It was a good way to die.

The Force Afterlife

Anakin opened his eyes to see the faces of many Masters surrounding him. Obi-Wan was the first person he laid eyes on, followed by Qui-Gon, Yoda, Plo Koon, Kit Fitso, Depa Billaba, Shaak Ti, Luminara, Mace Windu, and every other Jedi Anakin had ever met over his lifetime. Most of them he'd either personally wronged with his fall or had adversely affected in some way by doing so. Some of them he'd even slaughtered in either cold blood or a fit of rage, depending on the moment. That included the padawans and younglings, much to his eternal mortification.

Anakin jumped up onto his feet, not even noticing that he actually had feet again, and backed away from the stares of so many people. He was in such a panic that he didn't see that they weren't looking at him with loathing, but sympathy. "I'm sorry," he cried. "So very very sorry. I'm sorry I killed you," he said, tears running down his face as he backed even further.

Anakin didn't stop backing away until he bumped into another body. He turned around and came face to face with the Father, his children standing at either side of him. Anakin bowed his head, not able to meet the eyes of the powerful old man. "I'm sorry I didn't do as you asked. Everything that happened is my fault."

The Father nodded once. "That is true. I did warn you that you needed to keep the balance of the Force and you did not. Instead, you fulfilled my Son's visions of your future as I was afraid you would. It fills me with regret that that you have lived in misery all this time. I wish there had been a better path for your life and that I could have done more to help you in the short time I knew you. But I can be of assistance to you now if you need it."

"Why? Why would you do so? I am worth nothing! I am dead!" Anakin bemoaned.

"But you are worth something, Anakin Skywalker," The Father said calmly. "You are still the Chosen One, even in this life. Use your power to help those who can help the galaxy towards a better path, like your children and the Rebellion that they fight so hard for."

Anakin stared at the ground again, still feeling useless. "But I don't know how. Am I not stuck here, wherever here is? I did not give my pathetic excuse for a body to the Force before I died. I am nothing."

The Father smiled slightly. "That is not exactly true. You died as more machine than man. Your essence in the Force is as strong as it ever was. You are the most powerful Jedi ever born. All you have to do is believe that you can do something and it will happen. Have faith in yourself once again."

Anakin sighed, still gazing at the indistinct ground he was standing on, finally realizing that he was in fact standing on his own legs and not metal ones. He raised his hands and looked at the two matching real hands in wonder. He was whole! For the first time since he was a teenager, Anakin was finally whole again. He breathed in a lungful of air and finally met the kind eyes of the Father, and then the sympathetic ones of the Daughter and the knowing gaze of the Son. Anakin smiled ever so slightly as he nodded once in thanks.

Feeling somewhat better, and vaguely courageous, he turned around again and walked back to the crowd of people who were patiently waiting for him to acknowledge their presence. Anakin addressed the group as a whole first, doing his best to meet the eyes of every single person, although there was even more than he realized at first, being over some ten thousand Jedi in the galaxy at the time of his fall and he'd run into a lot of them at some point or another. "I did you all a great wrong and I am sorry. I vow to spend the rest of eternity doing my best to make everything as right again as possible. That is all I can do."

Then Anakin faced Obi-Wan, knowing he'd hurt him the most, eyes misting again at the memory of the terrible ending between them. Both terrible endings in fact. "Master," Anakin said, falling to his knees in front of him. "I am never going to be able to say how sorry I am for not coming to you with my problems instead of the Emperor. I didn't think you would help me because I was breaking the code with Padme. I put my faith in the wrong person and I paid for it. The whole galaxy paid for it. I would never hope to beg for your forgiveness, but if you could find at least a little place in your heart to remember me as I was and not who I became, that will be enough."

Anakin closed his eyes as tears ran down his cheeks, waiting for a word or something from Obi-Wan. Anything to put him out of his misery. Anakin stopped breathing as he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder and the bond he used to have with his Master fluttered back to life in his soul.

"Anakin," Obi-Wan said softly, making him look up. "I do forgive you. I forgave you long ago. I have felt your pain at the hands of the Emperor for years. You were his puppet from the day he planted ideas in your mind. It is I who should beg for forgiveness. I knew about you and Padme, but I did nothing to support you. In fact," Obi-Wan glanced at the other Council members, "We all did and did nothing, not wanting to stir up an issue of the code long ignored. It is all of our faults. The fall of the Jedi was a group effort that you took the blame for. Darth Sidious was playing us from the beginning and we were all too blind and stupid to see it. So please, get up, Anakin. You don't belong on your knees before me. There is nothing we can do to change the past, but the future is finally back on the correct course, thanks to you. You are still the Chosen One and it would make me very glad if you would once again consider me to be your brother."

Anakin stared up at Obi-Wan in stunned silence for a moment before surging to his feet and grabbing him in a tight hug, the first display of affection he'd given anyone in more than two decades. "Thank you, Obi-Wan. I missed you."

Obi-Wan pulled back with a rueful smile, holding onto Anakin's shoulders. "I missed you too, Anakin. It's good to have you back."

Anakin was then surrounded by his old Masters and friends, many voices all welcoming him back into the fold, making him feel overwhelmed, but so relieved to be back where he belonged.

After a few minutes, Obi-Wan snagged Anakin's arm and dragged him off to the side, shooing the crowd away. "Anakin. I know this is going to be hard, but there's someone I think you should apologize to who actually deserves it. Someone else who loved you like a brother."

Anakin's eyes widened as he realized who Obi-Wan was talking about. "Ahsoka," he breathed, pain filling his chest.

"Yes, Ahsoka," Obi-Wan said sadly. "She was innocent in everything that happened and wasn't even there at the end, but her life was affected just as much as everyone else."

"I tried to kill her and she saved my life," Anakin said, eyes filling with sorrow. "How could I ever do that to my Snips? For that matter, how could I have harmed my own children? What was wrong with me?" Anakin was on the verge of breaking down again when Obi-Wan wrapped an arm around him and hugged him tight, just like he used to when Anakin was a boy and missing his mother.

"You weren't yourself, Anakin," Obi-Wan said to the top of Anakin's curly hair, as his face was hiding in his shoulder, while patting his back soothingly. "You have to forgive yourself for everything the Dark side made you do." Anakin shook his head slightly, making Obi-Wan sigh. "You have to, Anakin. You'll never be completely free from the Dark unless you do."

Anakin sucked in a shuddering breath, drawing strength from the bond he had with Obi-Wan like he should have years ago instead of shutting his Master out. "Okay." He took another deep breath and stood up straight. "Okay," he repeated. "It wasn't entirely my fault. It sounds kind of cheesy to say the Dark side made me do it, but I guess that's how it goes," Anakin said with a hint of his old humour.

Obi-Wan grinned at his padawan. "Good. Do you feel better now?"

Anakin nodded, the last remnants of the Dark side that were clinging to him fading away. Relishing the ability to breathe on his own, he smiled a truly happy smile. "I am going to be forever indebted to you at this rate, Obi-Wan," he joked.

Obi-Wan grinned wider. "As it should be, my reckless padawan."

Anakin groaned and shook his head. "I'm going to find my own reckless padawan, thank you very much, before you start making more bad jokes."

Obi-Wan barked a laugh, eyes shining with mirth and relieved joy as HIS Anakin disappeared. And then promptly reappeared. "What now?" he asked dryly.

Anakin waved a hand vaguely over his form. "Master, what do I look like? Am I all creepy looking? Will she even recognize me?"

Obi-Wan chuckled. "Anakin, you can look however you want to look. What you are now is a projection of how you wish to see yourself. If you want to look 'creepy looking' then you may, but what I see is how you looked around your twenty-first year, but without the scar on your eye and two real hands. It's a good choice, in my opinion. You were still happy then."

Anakin huffed out a relieved sigh. "Thanks, Obi-Wan. It's nice to see you looking young again as well. That old man look I saw on the Death Star just wasn't right," he said with a teasing glint in his blue eyes.

Obi-Wan laughed and waved him off. "Just go make up with your padawan, brat."

Anakin grinned and disappeared again.