Anakin stepped out of the shower, quickly changing into the clothes Mindy had found for him that were too small. Apparently they were 'left over' from her last boyfriend, and Anakin honestly found it more uncomfortable to be in a strangers clothes than the actual tightness of them around his body. Mindy informed him however that the other man wasn't even living in the country anymore, and that Anakin looked "way more crazy hot" in them than her boyfriend had.

Still, he planned on acquiring better fitting clothes as soon as he was done meeting with the doctor.

Finished changing, Anakin wiped away the moisture on the mirror and for the first time took a really long, good look at himself. It was odd to look in the mirror and actually see himself—even odder that it was his younger self. He'd tried so hard to forget his younger years while he was Darth Vader, that the man standing before him almost looked to be a stranger. He remembered the scar across his eye—he'd received it courtesy of Ventress—but he had both of his hands, something which he did not have originally at this age. Why was that? He wondered. He doubted he'd receive an answer to that question anytime soon.

He stared at himself, memorizing every detail. Was his skin tanner than before? It looked slightly darker, but he couldn't be sure. It had been so long… and had his hair been this long before he became Darth Vader? And his eyes—they were clear blue, but even he could see the guilt and loss that they held. It was almost painful to look at. His mask had always hidden his eyes, but now that he was actually looking into them, it was like seeing into his soul. That was not something he wanted to see.

Luke may look like me, Anakin thought bitterly, but I hope that he never has this look in his eyes.

The thought of his son, lost to Anakin in his old world, brought a fresh stab of pain in his chest, and he quickly put a stop to it.

Besides, he had bigger problems right now.

It had been almost impossible to sleep soundly knowing that Padme was in the same house as he. He kept imagining all of the times he would slip into her apartment back on Coruscant and spend time with her. He could remember the feeling of her wrapped in his arms, but the memory was distant and fleeting. It drove him crazy to think that he was so close to making that memory reality again, but he couldn't. She didn't remember him, and he doubted she would grow any fonder of him if he randomly climbed into her bed and held her.

He had been exhausted though, so mercifully he had fallen into a light sleep, a sleep that was mercifully free of dreams. A few times in the night he had awoken to Padme's soft footfalls as she crept into the great room where he slept to check on him.

Sweet, kind, beautiful Padme. She hadn't changed that much. He wondered just how much sleep she lost looking out for him however—he suspected it was much more than he would have liked.

She would keep worrying until she was sure he was alright. That was the only reason why he was going to the doctor. He didn't expect anything useful to come from the visit, but if it made his Angel happy, he would do anything.

I will do anything you ask. He had once said that to Padme, and he'd meant it. But when she'd asked to run away together, he had broken that promise.

He never intended to break that promise to her again.


"No, you are not going to drive to the doctor's office," Padme growled as she downed her second cup of coffee. She hadn't gotten any sleep last night knowing that an injured man with very few memories was sleeping on her couch. She kept imagining that he had internal injuries that would worsen in the night, and that she would wake up to find him dead. The thought terrified her, so she found herself sneaking into the living room to check on him multiple times throughout the night.

"Then why am I going with you to this appointment?" Mindy asked as she applied her make up while looking into her compact mirror. They sat at the cluttered kitchen table waiting for Anakin to emerge from the bathroom, and although Mindy looked ready to face the day, Padme couldn't erase the exhaustion from her face, though she tried to with makeup. If Mindy hadn't hit a man with a car the night before, Padme might have considered letting Mindy drive them to the appointment.

"Because you got us into this mess, you're going to see it through until the end." Padme replied, debating another cup of coffee.

Mindy shrugged, apparently already over the fact that she had come close to committing vehicular homicide the night before. "Okay fine, but it's obvious that he has a thing for you, so why don't you two go and have a moment together?"

"Huh?" Now Padme was awake. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Mindy rolled her eyes. "Please, didn't you see the way that he looked at you last night? It was like he had found the other half of his soul. I've never even seen my parents look at each other that way."

"Your parents are divorced."

Mindy waved it off, slapping her compact shut. "Details. The point is, he's totally got a thing for you. And if I had to guess, I'd say you have a thing for him too."

"Are you sure you're not hungover?" Padme asked, raising an eyebrow.

"A little bit. The point is, you stared at him with such worry and concern it was like you were fussing over your mortally injured lover. I mean you're a caring person, Padme, but you never look at people like that."

Padme had to admit, she had noticed that she was more worked up about Anakin than she usually was with those she helped. She often worked with charities during the summer, and she had met plenty of misfortunate people and never felt the need to personally invest herself into their well-being. But seeing Anakin on that couch, looking tormented as he explained that he didn't know himself anymore, she had felt an overwhelming desire to help him get back on his feet. Maybe that was why she hadn't been able to sleep the night before.

And even Padme wasn't ready to admit to herself just how much her heart raced every time she looked at him.

She was not going to admit that to Mindy, however. It would only fuel her romantic fantasies, and she wasn't about to have that get out of control. Mindy's fantasies were frightening. "I'm fussing over him because you almost got him killed with your negligence. Honestly, it should be you that's freaking out over his wellbeing."

"Oh I'm concerned, don't get me wrong, but I don't have a crush on him, even if he is crazy hot."

"Well I don't have a crush on him." Padme insisted.

Mindy grinned, crossing her arms smugly. "The lady doth protest too much, methinks."

Padme began to feel a blush creep up on her. "I am not!"

"Anakin and Padme, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G…"

"Stop that!" Padme began, when the sound of a throat being cleared made both of the girls freeze and look to the entryway of the kitchen where Anakin stood, wearing the too-small shirt (though he had changed back into his now-dry jeans), his wet hair dangling freely around his shoulders.

"I'm ready whenever you are," He said quietly, looking directly at Padme.

Padme didn't need a mirror to know that she was now bright red. Just how much of Mindy's foolishness had he heard? She quickly stood up. "Great!" She said a little too brightly, "Then let's head out, shall we?" She didn't wait to see if they followed her out to the garage, but she did hear Mindy start to giggle behind her.

"What's going on?" She heard Anakin ask Mindy.

"Oh, just girl stuff." Just girl stuff indeed…


Anakin sat on the uncomfortable plastic bed, trying to ignore the slow headache that was forming from the overbearing sterile smell of the room they waited in. Every movement he made, no matter how small, made the paper beneath him crinkle loudly, so he did his best to sit as still as possible to keep from adding to his headache. Mindy and Padme sat in chairs across from the bed: Mindy had her attention focused on what looked to him to be a very tiny datapad, while Padme sat glancing between him and the door anxiously.

The ride over had been awkward, and not just because Anakin had walked in on Mindy teasing Padme about kissing him. Padme had attempted to make small talk with Anakin, who had sat in the front seat with her in her 'car,' but when Anakin had asked her about whether or not her car could fly or hover, she had gone silent, obviously reminded of his 'condition.' He wished she wouldn't worry about him so much, but he couldn't very well tell her the full truth. She wouldn't believe him if he did.

So instead she had turned on what she called "NPR," and they had listened to what Anakin supposed was the news broadcasts of this world. He watched Padme as she listened intently, her expression concentrated—he had seen that look on her face so many times throughout their marriage. She always looked that way when she processed information and thought about how she would apply it to her work in the Senate. He had always found politics boring (he still did), but he wasn't about to complain. He would never take anything she did for granted ever again.

Anakin observed her in silence now. He could see bags under her eyes, confirming his suspicions that she hadn't gotten enough sleep the night before. "Padme," He finally said, and she jumped a little at the sudden sound of his voice in the silent office. "Did you sleep at all last night?"

Padme blushed a little. "Of course." She said, but her expression said otherwise.

Mindy snorted. "Right. Tell that to the two cups of coffee you had this morning."

Padme opened her mouth to respond, but before she could, the door finally opened and in walked a very familiar face, a face that made Anakin stiffen, his hand doing to where his lightsaber would have been.

"Doctor Organa," Padme said, smiling. "It's nice to see you again."

The man that had fathered the rebellion, who had once been Anakin's friend, smiled at Padme warmly. Anakin struggled to control the old fury that arose upon seeing him—they were no longer enemies. This Bail didn't even remember who Anakin was to him. He lowered his hand away from his empty belt, forcing himself to breathe evenly. "Good morning Padme. It's good to see you as well. Are your parents well?" Bail asked Padme.

"They're doing well, thank you."

"Good." He turned to Anakin now with a smile. If you remembered what I'd done, Anakin thought bitterly, you wouldn't be smiling at me like that. "Good morning Anakin. I'm Doctor Organa. I understand that you were hit by a car last night?"

"It was more of a bump, really." Anakin grumbled, struggling to keep his face neutral. He's not my enemy anymore, he kept reminding himself, or my friend. Just cooperate, get through this, and show Padme that you're okay and that there's nothing to worry about.

"He hit his head when he fell." Padme chimed in, "And he's having a hard time remembering his past."

A look of serious concern passed over Bail's face, and Anakin wished he had made up some stuff about his past to Padme. Now this visit wasn't going to take a few minutes like he hoped. Bail approached him and pulled out a light, flashing it in both of Anakin's eyes, making him wince. Still, he stayed still as Bail began to examine him.

As Bail began to check Anakin's ribs by carefully running his fingers over them and applying light pressure where there were bruises and asking Anakin questions about what exactly he was feeling, Anakin couldn't help but wonder at how strange it was that one of the greatest senators of his time was a doctor in this world. Just who else exactly was in this world? Was he going to have to face everyone he had betrayed? A sick feeling came over him, and he hoped that wouldn't be the case.

Finally Bail stepped back, a frown on his face. "Well I don't feel any broken ribs, but we should really get a CAT Scan done just to be sure. While we're doing that, we can get a scan of your head to make sure there isn't any permanent damage."

"I was having memory issues before the car accident. I'm sure it's just temporary," Anakin said, hoping that Bail would drop it. But of course Bail just looked more concerned and began to question Anakin further on the 'memory' loss.

"So what exactly do you remember?"

Anakin hesitated, not sure what to reveal and what to keep quiet about. "Just my name," He finally lied, deciding to keep it simple.

"You don't remember your parents then?" Anakin ignored the stab of pain at the thought of his dead mother and shook his head. "You don't remember where you live, or what exactly happened to you that could have caused the memory loss?" Again, Anakin shook his head. Bail's frown deepened. "I would like to do a CAT Scan. It could be temporary, but it's always concerning whenever a patient loses so much of their memory." Anakin sighed and nodded, resigning himself to the inevitable test. "In the meantime, have you checked your pockets to see if you have any sort of ID on you? A wallet, or a cell phone?"

"Oh!" Padme gasped, "Why didn't I think of that? Anakin, check your pockets!"

Anakin frowned, knowing that there wouldn't be anything in there since he didn't exactly come from this world, but he reached into the pockets of his pants anyway. Surprisingly, they were deeper than he thought, and as he reached down into their depths, his fingers in both pockets brushed two objects: one metallic, and one leather. Confused, since he hadn't noticed anything in there before, he pulled the objects out and held them out.

The leather object was a folded up wallet, and the metallic object looked like the same mini datapad that Mindy had in her hands. "Fantastic!" Padme said, smiling for the first time since he'd seen her again. His heart practically stopped in his chest as he watched her smile—it was even more beautiful than he remembered. "Why don't Mindy and I use those to look for information while you get the CAT Scan done?"

"That sounds like a great idea," Bail smiled, "Would that be okay with you, Anakin?"

Just what information would they find? Anakin wondered: was it possible that he'd had a version of himself living on this planet? Or had the Force fabricated these possessions to help him adjust to this life? And if he did exist previously on this planet, just what kind of person had he been? Had he been more like Anakin Skywalker, or more like Darth Vader?

He almost didn't want to know the answer to that question, but when he met Padme's eyes, he saw hope, hope that she could help him, and he knew that he couldn't say no. Hesitantly, Anakin held them out to her. "Okay," he said, and her smile brightened, making it difficult for him to breathe.

"Fantastic," Bail said as Padme took the objects from him, her fingertips brushing his skin, causing his heart to race. "Let us know what you find ladies. Right this way Anakin."


A little while later, Bail led Anakin back to the room where Padme and Mindy were. Anakin had to admit, although many of the procedures of this world were similar to the procedures of doctors back home, everything was still different. There weren't any medical or protocol droids anywhere, and the CAT Scan machine, although it hadn't hurt Anakin, was strange enough that Anakin had initially resisted going inside of it. Images of his operation to lock him into that awful suit kept replaying in his mind, and it had taken Bail a while to assure Anakin that the machine wouldn't harm him.

Bail opened the door, letting Anakin back into the room. "I'm going to review the results of the CAT Scan. I'll be right back. Have you girls found anything?"

Padme was smiling still. "We found lots of info. We found your license with your birthdate on it, we found a Facebook page, we found some credit cards that should help you get access to your bank account, and although your phone doesn't work anymore—sorry about that—we did manage to pull the SD card and Mindy was able to find your contacts using her phone."

"That's fantastic news," Bail smiled, "Why don't you show him while I go look at the results, okay?" Giving Anakin what he probably thought to be a reassuring pat on the shoulder, but made Anakin stiffen up, Bail turned and left the room, leaving Anakin alone with the girls.

"You are Facebook friends with lots of hotties," Mindy remarked, breaking the silence.

"I don't even know what Facebook is," Anakin sighed—he had a lot to learn about this world.

"Well I can totally show you…"

"But first," Padme interrupted her, "I think we should call someone from his favorites list on his phone. I think that's more important than Facebook right now."

Mindy frowned but she picked up the mini datapad—or what Anakin supposed was the 'phone'—and pulled up a screen. "Okay. I'm going to read the names on your favorites list, and you tell me if any of them ring a bell."

"Okay," Anakin said skeptically.

"Ben," Mindy started.

"Nope."

"Beru."

Anakin hesitated. So he'd known Beru in this world? He'd only met her once in his own universe, but she had been kind. "She sounds familiar,"

"Awesome!" Padme beamed. Anakin half-hoped he recognized other names if it made her that happy.

"Cool. Cleigg."

Anakin winced. "Yeah, that's familiar," He grumbled. He didn't want any reminders of his lost mother. Even hearing his step father's name was painful for him.

"Okay, well you don't look too happy about him, so we're just going to assume he's not the guy we should call about your condition." Mindy said, scrolling down with her thumb. "How about your mom?"

"What about her?" Anakin snapped, his voice hard. Both girls looked at him in surprise, and Anakin forced himself to calm. He had to be careful to control his anger. "Sorry."

"Well," Mindy slowly said, unsure of how to proceed. "I mean she's on your favorite contact's list, so I thought…"

"Wait, what?" Anakin interrupted, feeling hope flare to life within him before he tried to ignore it. His mother was dead. She had died in his arms. He'd been too late to save her. I'm so proud of you Ani…so proud…I missed you so much. Now I am complete. He could still hear her weak voice, still see her tortured body… he shut his eyes, trying to clear the image from his mind.

"Her phone number is here." Mindy said, showing him the screen. Sure enough, he had a contact labeled 'Mom' and a number underneath it. "Do you want to try calling it?"

Anakin was frozen. Was it possible that his mother was still alive in this world? And if she was…he didn't let himself finish that thought. He couldn't get his hopes up, but he could try to call the number. Anakin nodded to Mindy, and she quickly showed him how to make a call on a phone before she dialed the number and held it out to him. "It's ringing."

Numbly, Anakin took the phone from her and stared at it, waiting for an image to appear. "You have to hold it to your ear. Unless you put it on speaker," Padme said gently, and Anakin slowly put it to his ear, right as someone picked up on the other end.

"Hello?"

It was her voice. His mother.

Anakin was frozen. His mind was blank. "Ani?" His heart wrenched at the nickname she'd given him as a child, and he felt an unfamiliar pressure behind his eyes. "Ani, is that you?"

He opened his mouth, trying for words. He wanted to say so many things to her, but now that he had the chance, he couldn't find the words. Finally, he croaked, "Mom?"

"Oh Ani," He heard the relief in her voice. "I tried calling you last night, but your phone went straight to voicemail. Did you get to California safely? Have you found somewhere to live yet?"

So there had been an Anakin Skywalker in this world. Obviously, that Anakin had been in the process of moving to California before the Force had placed him in the other Anakin's body. It was very strange to think about, so Anakin decided to think about it later. "Mom," He started, his voice tight, and finally, for the first time since that night on Mustafar twenty four years ago, Anakin began to cry.

Anakin cried for his lost mother returned to him. He had imagined seeing her whole and happy for so long, longer than even his dreams about Padme. She had been the first woman who he had ever loved with his whole being, the first woman who had loved him more than life itself.

Anakin cried for Padme, for what he'd done to her, for what he'd lost with her. In that moment, it finally hit him just how much he was no longer worthy of her love, and he wasn't sure if even this second chance given to him by the Force would be enough to earn her love again.

Anakin cried for his lost friendships. He cried for the twenty four years he had been a monster, one of the evilest villains in the galaxy—perhaps of any galaxy. He cried for deciding so late to turn from the Dark Side.

He cried for the children he had never really known, children he had left to be taken care of by people other than their rightful parents.

He didn't realize just how much he needed to cry—he had lost the ability to cry after the lava had burned him, so even after the death of his beloved Padme, he could do nothing but rage and kill. But now he could cry, and although he was vaguely aware of Padme and Mindy looking at each other in panic while he cried, he didn't care.

"Anakin," his mother's voice reached him, filled with concern. "What's wrong?"

"Mom," he tried again between sobs, "Mom I want you to know just how much I love you. I've missed you so, so much." He didn't care if he didn't make sense to her. He needed her to know. "I've…I'm not okay mom. I need you."

"Okay Ani," She soothed, "I'm going to let Cleigg know and I'll be there by tomorrow morning." She paused, "What happened? You seemed fine the last time I saw you…"

"When was that?" Anakin asked, hoping that his other self hadn't taken her for granted.

"Just a few days ago, when you left to go to school in California…" she sounded even more concerned now. "What's going on Ani?"

Anakin hesitated, tears still flowing freely down his face. He had to keep up the story now, even if he didn't want to concern his mother any more than she already was. "Something happened. I don't remember what. I…I lost most of my memory."

"WHAT?" The fear in his mother's voice was painful, but he knew that if he told her the truth, knew that even if she did by some miracle believe him, the pain in her voice would be much deeper. She wouldn't be proud of him if she knew what he'd become. "Anakin, I will be there as soon as I possibly can. Where are you staying? Have you seen a doctor?"

"I'm at a doctor's office right now," He said, "I…I have some friends helping me."

"Well," She sounded a little relieved now, but he could still hear the fear in her voice, "I'm glad. I will be there soon, Ani. Don't you worry. Can you text me an address to go to?"

Anakin laughed bitterly. "As soon as I figure out how to do that, sure."

"Oh Ani," she sighed, "I know it's scary right now, but we'll make it through this. Have your friends help you." She paused. "I love you."

Anakin closed his eyes, more tears falling down his cheeks as he took a shuddering breath. "I love you too."

"I'll see you soon."

The line went dead and slowly Anakin pulled the phone away from his face, looking down at it. For a while there was silence in the room. "I can text your mom our address," Mindy said quietly, breaking the silence. Anakin handed her the phone before he began to wipe at his eyes.

"Thanks," he said, his voice rough from the crying.

Padme stood from the chair and crossed over to him, hesitantly laying a hand on his shoulder. He tensed at first, her touch sending shivers down his spine, before he relaxed. "It's going to be okay Anakin," she said, her voice serious. He looked up and met her dark eyes. She smiled a little bit, reassuringly. "I've been thinking. Your last Facebook status said you were moving out here for school. You're apparently going to the same school as Mindy and I." Her smile widened a little. "Good choice. Anyhow, if you don't have anywhere to stay yet, you're welcome to rent out the extra room in my house. I'll even throw the first month in free to try to make up for the car hitting you."

Anakin smiled a little. Living with Padme, even if it wasn't in the same room, was a dream come true for him. There was no question that he would take her up on her offer, but there was still so much that he had to sort through, not just with her, but with, well, everything. "I'm probably not the most stable roommate right now," He said honestly.

"I know." Padme squeezed his shoulder comfortingly, "But I want to help you. At least think about it, okay?"

Anakin nodded, and that beautiful smile lit up her face again. He smiled back, his smile feeling weak and feeble, but it was a start.

Perhaps, a very small, hopeful part of him thought, perhaps this really could be the start of a new beginning.


So you're starting to meet more original Star Wars characters! Woohoo! I plan on putting more in soon. I want to put in Yoda, but I haven't figured out yet how I'm going to do that since small green people are not exactly common in our world, so we'll see.

Anyhow, I should note that the reason I chose Stanford as the college they're going to is primarily because they have one of the best law programs in the U.S...that and one of my favorite TV characters went there. XD So sorry if you don't exactly like Stanford. It wasn't because I absolutely love them or anything like that. :)

I just loved reading your reviews and seeing follow notifications in my email! They really make my day. I love that so many of you are enjoying Mindy's character. She is a TON of fun to write! We will see plenty more craziness from her, while Anakin is really going to begin facing his past as we start to meet new Star Wars characters that had a close relationship with him. I already hinted at one in this chapter... *hint hint, nudge nudge!* I'm excited to write that scene!

Anyway, thank you for your support! You all mean the world to me.

Review!

~Sarah