"Obi-Wan?" His mother questioned, frowning. Obi-Wan had been approaching from a blue truck with a covered truck bed in the driveway, but as soon as his mother repeated what Anakin had whispered, he froze, his eyes widening. "Where would you get a name like that? That's Ben, sweetheart."

Anakin couldn't pull his eyes away from his former master, his former enemy. What was Obi-Wan to him now? He didn't know yet. "Ben?" He echoed. He vaguely remembered Mindy listing the name Ben from his favorite contact list on his phone.

"Yes, Ben." She continued, looking back at the still frozen Obi-Wan. "You both have been friends for years. You practically grew up together."

Her words seemed to snap Obi-Wan out of his frozen state and he crossed his arms, attempting a relaxed smile. Anakin could tell that he was anything but relaxed. In fact, Anakin could see the suspicion and caution in his eyes, in the way that he raised his eyebrows. He looked different to the Obi-Wan Anakin had known: his dirty blonde hair was shorter and well groomed, his beard replaced by just a bit of stubble around his jaw, and he had more laugh lines around his eyes, indicating to Anakin that this Obi-Wan had not seen as much horror as he had in Anakin's galaxy.

"That's right," Obi-Wan said, "We've been friends since you were young." His blue eyes narrowed at Anakin, and instantly Anakin felt as though he were a Padawan again, getting caught in the act of pulling off a reckless stunt. It was a look that Obi-Wan had given him so many times, that Anakin used to wonder if maybe the expression had accidentally gotten stuck on his face. "Where did you hear that name?"

There was such grave seriousness in Obi-Wan's voice that a terrifying thought entered Anakin's mind: does he remember like I do?

Anakin's breathing picked up. "TV," He lied, and Obi-Wan lost the fake smile, straightening up as if preparing for a confrontation.

Oh Force, Anakin thought, starting to hyperventilate, I think he knows!

He couldn't face him. The thought of talking to him about what had passed between them, of what Anakin had done, of the betrayals that both of them had committed against each other…

He couldn't do it.

He didn't make the decision consciously. The next thing he knew, he was running, pushing past his mother, pushing away from Obi-Wan when he tried to stop him, and running as fast as his long legs could carry him down the empty street. He didn't care that he was still wearing sweats and a t-shirt. He didn't care that he was barefoot. He didn't even care that he could hear both Padme and his mother calling after him.

He had to get out of there.


"I don't know what came over him," Shmi was saying as Padme led them inside, "Has he been taking his memory loss hard?"

"Other than when he cried talking to you, he seems to be adjusting pretty quickly," Padme answered, but she couldn't help but worry for the man. She had seen the way he tensed up like a string ready to snap after seeing who he'd called Obi-Wan. "I'm sorry, you said your name was Ben?" Padme asked, turning to look at the man behind Shmi.

The man looked troubled, and perhaps—was there apprehension in his expression? Fear? "Yes, my name is Ben," He said, "Ben Kenobi." His voice was distant, and Padme wondered just how much he was paying attention to her. Clearly his thoughts were on his friend.

"Why do you think Anakin seemed to think you were someone else?" She asked. She couldn't help but view the man before her with a little suspicion: Anakin hadn't reacted that negatively to anyone he'd met. If he and Ben were friends, why did Anakin react that way?

"Did something happen between you two?" Shmi asked, sounding worried for her son.

"Not that I know," Ben slowly said, and Padme could tell he was choosing his words carefully. He was hiding something. Padme had interned with a criminal justice lawyer her last semester before getting her BA. She had sat through multiple conversations with clients and had heard them choose to admit half-truths so often, it had become easier for her to hear a half-truth when it was given. Ben, or Obi-Wan, or whoever he was, was a very poor liar.

Still, Shmi seemed to accept the answer. "Maybe he's confused from the memory loss." As Padme led them into the living room, Shmi sat down on the couch, staring at her hands, her eyebrows furrowed in worry. "We should go after him," She finally said.

"I think Anakin wants some space," Ben said, leaning against the wall and crossing his arms. "You know Anakin. When he wants space, he'll make sure he disappears until he's ready to come back."

"Of course I know that," Shmi said, "And you know that. But does Anakin know that anymore? Will he decide to come back this time? And what if he gets lost?"

"We could try calling him," Padme suggested. "We just got him a new phone yesterday."

Shmi nodded, still looking worried. Padme doubted she would relax until Anakin was back. She went to get her cell phone from where she'd left it on the kitchen counter. When she entered the kitchen, she encountered Mindy, still in her PJs. "What's going on?" Mindy said, yawning.

"Anakin's mom and his friend are here." She summarized the situation, and Mindy rubbed at her eyes.

"Such drama in the early morning," she mumbled, "I'm enjoying living with this guy already. I'm going to go say hi." She walked out of the kitchen and Padme returned to her objective. Just as her fingers grasped her phone, she heard Mindy shout, "OH MY HEAVENS HE'S HOT WHY DIDN'T YOU WARN ME PADME?!"

Padme rolled her eyes, returning to the living room. "Why should it matter?"

Mindy gave her an exasperated look. "It matters! I wouldn't have come out here looking like this if I'd known Anakin brought more hotties to the house!" She jabbed her thumb at a blushing Ben before looking at a surprised Shmi. "Are all of your son's friends super hot? Because if they are, I'm going to need to be glamorous even when I'm sleeping."

For a moment Shmi stared at her, obviously not expecting the blunt honesty that Mindy tended to have, but soon she broke out into a smile, the first Padme had seen. She was beautiful when she smiled—it was the same smile Anakin had. "I don't know about that, but Ben is the friend Anakin usually hangs out with. He's the one you've got to keep your eye out for." She winked and Mindy grinned.

"See?" Mindy said, looking at Padme. "Anakin's mom has my back. Get with the picture, best friend."

"I'll see what I can do," Padme smiled.

"Did you say that Anakin has decided to live here?" Ben suddenly spoke up, as though some girl hadn't just yelled about his extreme attractiveness.

"We offered him our extra room. He hasn't made any concrete decisions yet though." Padme responded, watching as a troubled look crossed Ben's face. Oh yeah, he was definitely hiding something.

"That's very kind of you," Shmi said with a smile, "Anakin came out here a few days ago to find somewhere to live. He was supposed to call Ben and have Ben bring his stuff, but he didn't call when he said he would. Thankfully, you found him."

Padme glanced at Mindy, who suddenly found looking out the window to be much more interesting. "Found. Yeah. Right." She said, not about to inform Anakin's already worried mother that Mindy had hit her son with a car. Some details were better left unsaid.

Suddenly Shmi grasped Padme's hand, her grip tight. Padme met her eyes and found Shmi to be tearing up. "No, really. It means so much to me to know that my son has friends like you. He's my world. If anything happened to him…"

Padme squeezed back, trying to smile reassuringly. "Anakin is welcome with us anytime. He's a sweetheart," she said, remembering that he'd carried her to bed just to make sure she had a restful sleep. "And he's handy with technology. He set up our cable for us."

Ben snorted. "Yeah. That's Anakin. I'm pretty sure technology is in his DNA."

Padme drew away from Shmi. "Well, I'm going to go look for Anakin, just to make sure that he doesn't get lost. There is breakfast on the kitchen counter if any of you would like some."

"Maybe I should go," Shmi started, getting up.

Padme shook her head. "No, you should rest. Besides, I'm sure I'll find him."

Shmi hesitated, but she soon nodded. "Alright. Bring my son back to me."

"I will." Padme grabbed her car keys from the coffee table and began to head towards the garage. As she left the living room, she became aware that Ben was following her. She stopped, turning towards him, instantly suspicious. "Can I help you?" She asked.

Ben stopped in front of her, concern written on his face. "I just wanted to warn you."

"Warn me?" Padme asked, surprised.

"Anakin isn't himself right now," Ben continued on, surprising Padme further. "He should be getting help, not living with two girls he just barely met."

"He can do both." Padme replied defensively. "Besides, Anakin is a grown man. He can make his own decisions, just like I can decide who can and can't live in my house. So thank you for your concern, Ben, if that's really your name, and don't bring this up again, okay?" She didn't wait for his reply before she turned and stormed out into the garage.

She was starting to see why Anakin had run off.


He ran until his feet were sore, bloody and blistered. He ran until he couldn't breathe anymore. He ran until he was so lost, his head swam just thinking about trying to find his way back. He thought about calling for directions, but he quickly realized that he'd left his phone in his room. He was going to need to get into the habit of carrying that around.

Eventually, he was forced into a walk. He limped more than he walked, but he hardly noticed. He had spent so much of his energy, he was numb. He still wasn't ready to try to find his way back yet, but at least he was blessedly numb.

He wandered the wide, twisting streets, the sun rising higher, beating down on his back. With his hair no longer covering the back of his neck, he could feel the sun beginning to leave a burn back there. He didn't care though. His mind kept thinking the same question over and over again.

What was he going to do if Obi-Wan knew who the real Anakin was?

He found himself wandering into a park. In the distance, children played on the playground, their screams of joy clear even from where Anakin stood. He found a bench and sat, wincing as he finally began to feel the soreness in his legs, before he stared off, lost in his thoughts.

"You were the chosen one!" Obi-Wan's voice echoed in Anakin's head, drowning everything in sorrow and pain, "It was said that you would destroy the Sith, not join them. You were to bring balance to the force, not leave it in darkness!"

The betrayal, the hurt, was so evident, even in Anakin's memories. At the time, Vader had only viewed it as Jedi lies, as a ploy to get him to betray his new master and then kill Vader. How had he missed the genuine pain he had caused?

"You were my brother, Anakin. I loved you."

Anakin lowered his face into his hands, his heart raging with emotion. If Anakin had died and been given this second chance right after that moment, it would have still been almost impossible to face Obi-Wan again. But he had lived, and literally killed millions of people. What Darth Vader had done after that awful night made Anakin's killings of the Younglings in the Jedi Temple look like nothing. Obi-Wan had witnessed the awful crimes for years on the sidelines, unable to stop him, until finally they had faced off on the Death Star.

He remembered fighting with him. Obi-Wan didn't even acknowledge that Darth Vader was his former Padawan, as though Anakin had never existed. His moves were slower, the moves of a tired old man who belonged in retirement, not battling for his life on the Death Star. Usually when Vader remembered the fight, he thought only of his lightsaber slicing through Obi-Wan and Obi-Wan mysteriously disappearing. But this time, he remembered what had initially distracted his former master.

"Ben?"

Luke. Luke had called to Obi-Wan, causing his former master to glance over at the fleeing rag-tag group. At the time, Luke had just been a minor inconvenience, a nameless boy that Vader planned on killing after killing Obi-Wan. Vader hadn't known Luke had the Force at that time, and he'd certainly never suspected that the boy was his son. As Vader's lightsaber sliced through Obi-Wan, Luke screamed, "No!"

Vader hadn't cared. He was triumphant, confused by Obi-Wan's disappearance, but mostly triumphant that he had finally gotten rid of Obi-Wan. He heard Luke engage in battle with the Storm Troopers, heard Leia yelling at Luke to get in the ship, but Luke didn't listen.

It was as Vader was turning to help his troops that he saw Luke, his son, for the first time, just for a split second before the automatic doors were forced shut by blaster fire.

If Obi-Wan hadn't sacrificed himself, Anakin wondered, would I have engaged in combat with Luke and killed him?

Anakin didn't need the Force to confirm the truth of that thought. Still, Obi-Wan had hidden his children from him. Anakin still didn't know for sure who his daughter was, but at this point it almost shouldn't have mattered. He had lost them before he ever got the chance to know them.

Because of Obi-Wan.

Before Anakin could explore that thought further, a purple ball bounced onto the bench next to him. Anakin blinked in surprise, picking it up to examine it. "Um, scuse me?" A little voice said.

In front of him stood a little girl, her hair pulled into pig tails. She wore a pink dress with stripped leggings, and she kicked at the ground in her socked feet nervously. "Is this yours?" Anakin asked when she looked too nervous to say anything else, holding up the ball. She nodded, looking up at him with her big, innocent hazel eyes. "Here you go." He handed the ball to her, trying to pull on a friendly smile.

She inched closer, reaching up to take the ball from him, when her eyes caught sight of his dirty and bloody feet. She gasped. "Oh no! Owies!"

Anakin glanced down at his feet and winced: they looked worse than they felt. "I'm okay." He said, trying to assure her.

She frowned. "Mommy says owies need band aids and kisses to get better." Her frown deepened. "But who kisses feet?"

Anakin couldn't help but laugh. "You're right. I guess I'll just have to use band aids then." Whatever those were.

Satisfied, she smiled. "Okay! Get better!" She said before she turned around and ran back towards her friends.

"You're good with kids." Startled, Anakin turned to see Padme approaching, a soft smile on her face. Anakin could feel his face flushing and he quickly turned back around.

"Not really." He mumbled, feeling her sit down next to him. If she knew what he'd done to her son, she would not be saying that.

They sat there for a while in silence, both of them watching the children play on the playground. He spied some parents nearby, watching their kids play. He wondered what sort of father he would have been had he been there to raise his kids. Would he have been a good father? Or would the Dark Side prevent him from truly loving his children?

"Your mother is worried about you." Padme finally said. Anakin closed his eyes, instantly feeling guilty. He had begged his mother to come to him, and he'd run off as soon as she got there. It wasn't exactly the reunion he had imagined. "Did something…happen between you and Ben?"

You have no idea, Anakin thought bitterly. He hadn't even sorted out everything that had happened between them. But he didn't say that. He said, "I don't remember."

Padme sighed. "I thought as much." She looked at him. "I don't know what happened between you two, but your mother is worried sick about you. You don't have to confront Ben if you don't want to, but you need to go back to your mother. She thinks you're having a meltdown because of your situation. Are you?"

Anakin shrugged. "Maybe I am," he whispered.

A silence passed between them again. Finally he felt her hand on his shoulder, comforting him. "You're not alone, Anakin." She said, her voice serious. "Let me help you." She had said that before. He had been so worried, he wouldn't open up to her. He thought that by shutting her out, he could protect her. Instead, he had hurt her.

Things had to be different.

"I'm afraid," He finally said, "I'm afraid that I've done things. Bad things. Things that people won't forgive me for. I'm afraid that if I use this opportunity to change, people will still see me the way I was, not the way I want to be."

"You're afraid that Ben will see only the old you?" She asked.

"Especially Ben."

She frowned in concentration. Finally she shook her head. "I may not know the old you, Anakin, but I am starting to get to know this you. And this you…you're a good person. If Ben can't see that, he's a fool, and he doesn't deserve you as a friend." Anakin's throat tightened and he fought the urge to cry. How did she always see the good in him? Couldn't she tell that he was a monster? Couldn't she see the darkness he fought?

Of course not, he thought: he hadn't let her see it.

Would he let her see it?

She suddenly stood. "Come on. I'll take you home." She held out a hand to help him up, a soft smile on her lips.

He stared at her for a second, debating. Finally he took her hand, deciding that even if by some chance Obi-Wan remembered him, he couldn't hide forever.

He was Anakin Skywalker. And he would not hide.


They stopped at a store called Walgreen's (though there were no green walls in the store, so he thought that was sort of a stupid name) and got medical supplies to clean up his feet and flip flops to prevent further damage before they headed home. Anakin felt bad that Padme was spending so much money on him, and he told her so, but she waved it off like it was no big deal. "I've saved a lot of money over the years. Tomorrow we'll take you to your bank to get you access to your money if you really insist." Anakin did insist, and he relaxed when she agreed.

Once they had reached the house and Padme had parked the car, once again Anakin felt fear creeping up on him. He stared at the door to the house for a while, debating on what he was going to say to Obi-Wan when they got in there. Padme took his hand suddenly and squeezed it, pulling him out of his thoughts. "It's going to be okay," she reminded him, "You're not alone. Besides, if Ben tries anything weird, I'll kick him out." She grinned confidently, and Anakin couldn't help but smile back, nodding. He had no doubt that she could get Obi-Wan to leave if she really wanted to.

Anakin got out and followed Padme into the house, every muscle in his body tight with apprehension. "We're home!" Padme called, and before Padme had even set the keys down, his mother rounded the corner, her eyes on Anakin as she strode purposefully over to him, a tight frown on her face.

Uh oh, he thought. He'd seen that look many times on her face, and it was never good.

"Anakin Skywalker," She snapped as she reached him, placing her hands on her hips. "You scared me to death! You are in no condition to be running around out there by yourself! What if you'd gotten yourself injured?! We wouldn't have known about it!"

Anakin hung his head, thoroughly berated. It had been so long since he'd received a scolding by anyone other than Sidious, Anakin had to keep himself from flinching back in fear of physical punishment in the form of lightning. "I'm sorry mother," He whispered, daring to look her in the eye. Whatever she saw in his eyes caused her anger to melt away, and the next thing he knew she was wrapping her arms around him.

"Stop scaring me like that son," she said, "I don't want to lose you."

Anakin immediately wrapped his arms around her, his body calming completely as he was enveloped by his mother's love. "You've never lost me," he said, "And you never will."

After a moment, she pulled away, smiling up at him now. "Come now. I want to spend time with you." She took his hand and he allowed her to pull him back to the living room where Obi-Wan and Mindy sat. Mindy was currently talking Ben's ear off over something, but Obi-Wan didn't seem to mind. He listened intently…at least until Anakin walked in the room.

Both men tensed as they caught each other's eyes. Anakin tried to read whether or not Obi-Wan remembered by scrutinizing his expression, but he had thrown up a hard wall to protect whatever it was he was thinking or feeling.

This is so stupid, Anakin thought: everyone Anakin had met that he'd known before were completely unaware of their past together. Obi-Wan should have been no different.

Deciding to believe Obi-Wan didn't know, Anakin forced a smile. "Sorry about earlier," he said, and Obi-Wan's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "I haven't completely been myself lately."

"I understand," was all Obi-Wan said.

"Oh Anakin," his mother interrupted, going to the coffee table where a rather large book sat, "I was just about to show Mindy pictures of you growing up. I thought maybe if you looked at them, you would remember something." Anakin opened his mouth to decline the offer, but he closed it when he saw the hopeful look on his mother's face. He couldn't deny her anything.

Besides, perhaps by looking at pictures of this world's Anakin, he could start to get a feel for what others expected of him when he met people he was supposed to know.

"Oh man," Padme laughed, "I totally want to see these."

Wait. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea…

Too late, Padme was sitting down next to his mother who was already opening up the book. Hesitantly, knowing he was going to regret this later, Anakin sat down on the other side of his mother, his back rigid.

The album started off with baby pictures, naturally. "Aw, Anakin you're so cute!" Padme gushed, a huge smile on her face.

Anakin flushed red: he didn't regret her smile, but he was already regretting everything else.

But still he watched quietly as his mother showed everyone the various pictures she'd taken of him over the years: his first Halloween as a lion (whatever Halloween was), his first Christmas (whatever that was), his first day of school, him at his mother's wedding to Cleigg….his mother had taken so many pictures, they all began to look the same to him.

Still, it was obvious his mother adored him just as she had in their old world, but this time she had been free to be the mother she wanted to be. If anything, that fact alone made him happy.

He really started to pay attention though when Obi-Wan started to show up in the pictures. He showed up right around when Anakin was nine, and he looked the same age that he had been when he first met Anakin in his old Galaxy. As his mother flipped through pictures of Anakin and Obi-Wan doing practically everything together—fixing farm machinery, going to sports games, hanging out during holidays—Anakin really began to suspect that Obi-Wan didn't know anything about Anakin's past.

"Ben," Anakin finally said, daring a glance at Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan met his gaze straight on, waiting patiently, betraying no emotion. Force, Anakin always hated it when he looked at him that way. "How exactly did we meet in…in the past?" He'd almost said 'in this world.' He needed to be more careful.

Ben seemed to relax a little bit. "I started working for your step father on the farm. You were usually at school when I was around, so we didn't see much of each other. One day my car broke down on the road outside of your farm. While I was trying to get it to start, your bus dropped you off. You took one look at my car and said, 'I can fix that.' The next thing I knew, you had dragged out your step father's tools and you fixed my car." He smiled a little. "We've been friends ever since."

This world's Anakin sounded a lot like him…but this Obi-Wan didn't sound like his master. His master had rejected the idea of letting Anakin tag along until he had taken Anakin on as his Padawan.

Perhaps he really didn't remember.

"So do you remember anything?" His mother asked, her voice hopeful.

Instantly Anakin felt guilty for lying to her. He smiled a little, hoping it was convincing. "Just some impressions. Nothing concrete yet. I'm sure it will come." His mother relaxed, and even though he felt bad for lying to her, he was pleased to see her at ease.

"Anakin," Obi-Wan said, drawing his attention back to him. "You told me before you lost your memory that you were staying at a hotel. Have you retrieved your motorcycle from there yet?"

"No," Anakin responded, "I don't even know what a motorcycle is."

"Trust me, if you remembered, you would have rushed back to get it." Obi-Wan smiled. "You customized that bike yourself. That thing is like your baby."

No you kept me from my babies, Anakin couldn't help but think bitterly. "Well I guess I should get it then….although I don't know where I left it."

"You texted me the address of the hotel before…before your accident." Obi-Wan held up his phone, "I can take you there if you want." Anakin heard the exaggerated innocence in his voice, telling him that Obi-Wan wanted to do more than just take him to get a motorcycle.

"He's right, you would want to get that." His mother agreed, backing him further into a corner.

Only Padme seemed worried about it. "Maybe I could go with you," She started to say, but Obi-Wan shook his head.

"We packed Anakin's stuff into the back seat. There's only room for two people until Anakin decides where he's officially going to stay." Convenient, Anakin thought dryly.

Padme looked at Anakin hesitantly, wanting to protect him from whatever Obi-Wan had in store for him.

I am Anakin Skywalker, he thought, taking a deep breath. I will not run again.

"I think you're right," He said, forcing a smile. "We should go get that."

Obi-Wan seemed to relax. "Great," he said, standing up. "Let's go."

Anakin stood and made to follow him, but he felt a hand on the crook of his arm. He turned to find Padme standing there, looking up at him with worried eyes. "Are you sure you'll be okay?" she whispered.

Touched that she cared so much for his well-being, he could only nod. She searched his face with her eyes, deciding. Whatever she saw there seemed to convince her, since she pulled away. "Okay. Come back safely."

"I will." With that, he turned and followed Obi-Wan out.


They drove in absolute silence for a very long time. So long, in fact, that Anakin began to relax. He was wrong. Obi-Wan really was just trying to help. Maybe he didn't know Obi-Wan as well as he used to.

"How long until we get there?" He finally asked, staring out the window at the unfamiliar world around them.

"Not long." Obi-Wan responded, and sure enough he exited the freeway and pulled up…

Next to an empty park.

Instantly Anakin was on high alert. Maybe he'd been wrong—he honestly wasn't sure what to think anymore. Obi-Wan was acting like he could possibly remember, but even if he did, why hadn't he said something before? And why had he made friends with this world's Anakin instead of treating Anakin like the enemy he was?

No. The Obi-Wan he knew would always treat a Sith like a Sith: as an enemy.

Obi-Wan killed the engine, plunging the truck into silence. Anakin didn't say anything, but rather held his breath, waiting.

Finally Obi-Wan sighed and turned to him. "We need to talk."


Phew! Another cliffhanger, sorry guys. But man, that was a long chapter! And I will admit, Anakin's relationship with Obi-Wan is going to be the hardest for me to write. They have such a complicated relationship, and they have so much to sort out... it's fun to write, but it's also exhausting. It also doesn't help that some of my students have gotten me sick. Again. Hopefully it doesn't get too bad this time (I was sick two weeks ago and completely out), because I become this super lazy, TV-watching wuss whenever I'm sick. So here's to hoping it doesn't get any worse!

GUYS DID YOU SEE THE TRAILER?! I'm not even kidding, I CRIED with excitement. I am so friggin excited...the next two months REALLY need to go by quickly. Thankfully I have this story to keep me occupied, but every time I go into one of the increasingly many stores selling Star Wars stuff I am reminded that we still have two months to wait.

Urg. Deep breaths. It's going to be okay.

Well anyhow, review! You guys are amazing! 3

~Sarah