Padme's dreams were full of strange images, images of a woman in ridiculously elaborate dresses and make up, images of a giant room full of strange floating platforms with shouting people in it, images of two men in simple brown robes guarding her, their faces hidden from her view. She dreamt of strange creatures walking among crowds of people and aliens discussing what they called a Clone War. As she dreamt of a planet filled with lava, the blaring of her alarm awoke her.

She lay there for a moment, curled up in twisted blankets, listening to the alarm go off as her mind tried to process that the images she'd seen throughout the night were only dreams, not reality. Once she fully came to her senses, she groaned and turned off the alarm before slowly rolling out of bed.

She looked around at the mercifully normal bedroom, rubbing at her tired eyes. This was the second night in a row where she'd dreamed strange things, things that were so abnormal, she wasn't sure where her subconscious would have gotten them from. She hoped that the dreams would stop soon: she had to start focusing on school, starting today. She shrugged into her robe and left her bedroom, her thoughts turning to the many things she had to get done today.

Today was orientation. Since she had already been to Stanford before, she didn't have to attend as many meetings as the incoming freshman, but she did have to get her books and make sure that her classes and finances were in order.

Plus she promised Anakin to show him around the school and help him get settled. The night before, after Anakin and Ben had returned with Anakin's sweet-looking motorcycle, Shmi filled them in on what exactly Anakin had planned to do at Stanford. Even though he was twenty one and it was a rather late start to college, Anakin was going to school on a scholarship for Mechanical Engineering. Anakin had apparently spent a lot of time between high school and college working with various companies on engineering projects, saving money for college. However, combined with his experience and high school grades, he had landed himself a scholarship to Stanford, and it was this that had brought him out to California in the first place.

Shmi was worried that if Anakin revealed his memory loss to the school, they would take his scholarship from him. Padme disagreed with this. Anakin hadn't done anything to get it revoked: it wasn't like his memory loss was his fault. Plus, he'd fixed her cable in minutes.

"But cable isn't mechanical engineering." Mindy had pointed out.

"Maybe, but he needs to be honest with the school." Padme insisted. "They need to understand what's going on so that they don't expect something from him that he can't give yet and they end up putting too much pressure on him."

In the end, the decision was left to Anakin, who had crossed his arms defiantly. "I will tell them the truth," He said seriously, "And I will prove to them that I'm still just as good, if not better, than before." There was a challenge in his endless blue eyes that made Padme's heart beat faster. She got the feeling she'd seen that look somewhere…

As she entered the kitchen, her thoughts were quickly turned to the present by a cry of amazement. "What is this delicious substance?!" Anakin stood at the stove with Mindy, holding a piece of bacon in between his fingers. Ben and Shmi were already there, breakfast already heaped onto their plates.

"That would be bacon," Ben said, clearly amused by his friend's antics.

"This is the best thing I've ever tasted," Anakin continued, his eyes wide. He grabbed the package of uncooked bacon still sitting next to the stove and dumped the contents into the pan. "Why don't people have this at every meal?!"

"Because it's unhealthy," Shmi chided, "So eat it sparingly son."

"After this meal, sure." It was then that Anakin caught sight of Padme. A huge smile lit on his face. "Padme, have you had this stuff before?!"

Padme couldn't help but smile back. "Yes, of course. I love how excited you are about it though."

"Just wait until you have it on burgers." Mindy grinned as Anakin's eyes widened further. "And potatoes. And chicken. And…"

"Look what you've done," Ben laughed, "Now that's all we're going to hear about for the next few days."

Padme loaded a plate full of pancakes, eggs, and of course, bacon, before sitting at the breakfast table. "So Anakin," Padme started, trying to keep her voice from sounding too eager or hopeful. "Have you thought about my offer?"

Anakin, having a plate full of just bacon now, returned to the table. "Yes, I have." He said, not looking at her.

"And?"

"And," He took a deep breath, drawing it out. Padme resisted the urge to shake the answer out of him. Although she could use an office, having Anakin in her home felt…right. She had a feeling her home would feel empty without him. He finally looked up at her though, throwing her a teasing grin. "I guess I could stay."

Padme's smile returned, her heart soaring with excitement. She wasn't sure what her parents would say to her renting out a room in her house to a boy, but her name was on the lease. In her mind, she could rent it out to whoever she pleased. "Fantastic," She said before she began to dig into her food.

She didn't miss the worried look that Ben threw her way before he too began to eat his breakfast.


This school was huge. When Padme talked about Stanford, Anakin had always imagined something like the Jedi Temple. But as they parked in one of the many school lots, Anakin was stunned to find that the school was the size of a mini-city. Anakin glanced down at the printed class schedule in his hands. "Let me get this straight," He said, "I'm supposed to make it across campus with only fifteen minutes in between most of my classes?"

"You could always get a bike," Padme suggested.

"Or a skateboard. He totally seems like a skateboard kind of guy." Mindy mused.

"Either way," Padme continued, "You'll mostly be in one area of campus if you're doing Mechanical Engineering, though your core classes may be across campus."

Anakin frowned and pulled out the printed map of the campus, comparing it to his schedule. It did look like most of his classes were in the same area, but there were a few he would need to rush to.

What's the point of this? He wondered sullenly as they got out of the car to make their way into the school, I already have tons of experience. I don't need to go back to school.

He had expressed these same thoughts to Obi-Wan right before he'd left when the others weren't listening. Obi-Wan was going to stay with his mother to get his stuff out of the truck while he was at orientation.

"In this world, your success depends on your education." Obi-Wan replied patiently. "Not just experience. You need the credentials on paper if you want to have a good life here."

So grudgingly, Anakin decided he would follow through on this world's Anakin's plans. Besides, he reasoned, Padme would be going to this same school. Maybe it would be a chance to be around her more.

They began to pass buildings with red tiled roofing and stone exteriors that sort of made all of the buildings look the same to Anakin. Again Anakin missed looking up into the sky and seeing great towering buildings with different structuring that made it easy for him to tell what building was what.

Padme began pointing out the different buildings, going on and on about which building held what colleges, and what activities the school usually put on in the different semesters. As much as Anakin enjoyed Padme's attention to him, a lot of what she said went totally over his head. He didn't even think he was going to ever bother remembering all of these buildings.

Eventually Mindy stopped. "Well, this is where I need to go," she said, jabbing her thumb at another similar looking building. "I'll meet up with you later." With that, she turned and left Padme alone with Anakin.

"What exactly does Mindy do?" Anakin asked, watching her leave.

"She's a historian," Padme replied, surprising Anakin. He didn't know what he expected Mindy to want to do for a living, but it wasn't that. Honestly, historians where he was from were usually droids, so he couldn't even fathom any human being able to remember so much information. "She's studying to work in the archives of museums. She may be an excitable social butterfly, but she has her serious side too."

Anakin raised his eyebrow as Padme continued to lead him towards his part of the school. "I'll believe it when I see it." Padme laughed at that, and continued giving him the tour.

Finally they reached the building where Anakin would spend the majority of his college career: Building 520. Creative name, Anakin thought dryly as Padme led him inside.

They passed through hallways of darkened classrooms and a few shops that already had some students working on projects. Anakin peeked through the open doors when he could, curious about the technology of this world, but he didn't stop. He wanted to get this over with as soon as possible.

Finally they reached the main office where a few students sat reviewing various things with what Anakin figured to be advisors. Padme signed a sheet at the front desk before she sat down with Anakin on hard plastic chairs, pulling out a book. "This may take a while," Padme said, motioning to some magazines on the table in front of them, "So get comfortable."

Anakin glanced at the cover of the book she was reading (Cloud Atlas) before he nodded, looking over the magazines. He picked one that looked like it would give him more information on the technology of this world and began to read.

It indeed took a while before his name was called—thirty minutes, in fact. However, the time flew by as Anakin engrossed himself in the words on the magazine page. It was an effort to tear himself away from the magazine, but Padme promised that he would get to read plenty on technology for school.

They followed a petite student secretary back into a spacious office where a man was seated at a desk, his face turned to look at a computer behind him. "Mr. Trooper, Anakin Skywalker is here to see you."

The man whirled in his chair, and instantly Anakin's eyebrows shot upwards in surprise. "Great, have a seat Mr. Skywalker, Ms.?"

"Padme Amidala," Padme smiled as she took a seat in front of the large wooden desk. Anakin remained standing, staring in awe at the man before him. His hair was shaved, but what hair Anakin could see was graying. He had thick eyebrows that shadowed his dark eyes, and tanned, dark skin that was covered with small scars.

"Rex," Anakin breathed, unable to stop himself.

The man before him looked surprised. "Why yes, that is my first name. Most students call me Mr. Trooper, or Mr. T if I see them often enough." His tone was friendly, but Anakin could tell that he was serious about not allowing Anakin to call him Rex.

Still, Anakin remembered all of the multiple battles they went through together, and it was odd to call him by any other name. It was odd, frankly, that the man didn't remember who Anakin was. Rex had always been loyal to Anakin during the Clone Wars, and they had developed a strong relationship over the years based on respect. Anakin didn't see any of that familiarity or respect in his dark eyes now as he waited for Anakin to sit. Slowly, Anakin sat, swallowing the lump in his throat. He could feel Padme shoot him a curious glance.

"Now," Rex started, leaning back into his over-stuffed chair. "What brings you here to the office today?"

Padme remained silent, allowing Anakin to tell his story. Anakin had been prepared to tell his scripted story, but now that he was sitting in front of another familiar face, he had a hard time remembering anything that wasn't related to Rex and the Clone Wars. "I, uh, lost my memory this weekend," Anakin started, wincing at the unsure tone in his voice. How had he gone from imposing Sith Lord to bumbling Padawan in just a few days? "I'm supposed to come to this school on a scholarship." He pulled out the doctor's note he had from Bail and handed it to Rex, who looked it over with a grim expression on his face.

When he was finished, his calculating gaze snapped back to Anakin. "Are you saying that you won't be able to perform the duties required of you to complete your degree with us?" There was a challenging edge in his voice.

"No," Anakin quickly assured him, "I just wanted to be honest with the school and," he glanced at Padme, who gave him a small smile of encouragement. "I wanted to see if you had any recommendations."

Rex studied him for a long moment. "The students who get into the Mechanical Engineering program are expected to be able to meet the standards of this school," he began, using that no-nonsense tone that Anakin had heard him use so many times on new recruits. Anakin never expected to be on the receiving end of that tone. "What makes you think that a student with your limitations will be able to meet those minimum requirements and then some?"

Anakin knew that Rex wasn't asking to be cruel—he was quite serious. And if the roles were reversed, Anakin would have asked the same question. But Padme immediately jumped to his defense. "Because you cannot discriminate against someone with genuine health disabilities," she said, using that commanding voice she often used whenever she was addressing another senator or issuing an order. He'd always found that tone to be rather, well, sexy, and even now his heart swelled with pride as he listened to her defend him. "The only reason why you wouldn't allow him into the program is if he was incapable of performing the work required, and he is capable of completing those tasks. I've seen it myself." Her confidence in his abilities, even though this Padme hardly knew him, made him feel like he could do anything. How did she always manage to make him feel this way?

Rex raised an eyebrow. "Is that so?"

Padme's jaw clenched, her eyes narrowed. "It is." Anakin heard the challenge in her voice.

The edge of Rex's mouth quirked upwards. "Alright. Prove it."

"Prove it how?" Anakin asked, his own eyes narrowing at Rex.

Now Rex grinned fully. "I'll show you."


Rex led them into one of the shops Anakin had seen on the way in. There were a few other students welding something together, but Rex led Anakin to another unused station. He motioned to various objects laid out on the desk. "We sometimes do this as an entry audition." He started, "I'll give you two hours to build something impressive using whatever is on this desk. If you complete your task and you impress me, then I won't complain further about you staying in the program."

Anakin looked over the various objects in front of them, already formulating a plan in his mind. He didn't know what all of them were, but technology was second nature to him. He understood how to fix things before he had ever learned to become a Jedi. This world was different, but looking at the object in front of him, he just seemed to…know what to do. "I'll finish it in an hour," He said with confidence. He didn't bother to wait for a response before he approached the table and began to build.

"Do you want me to stay?" He barely registered Padme's question. He grunted, his hands moving over the objects with surety, his mind conjuring up images of what he was supposed to do as he did them. Distantly, he noticed Padme give up waiting for a real answer and sit down next to Rex, pulling that book back out.

He moved quickly and surely, only pausing a few times to check his work. He hardly noticed that some of the other students in the room had stopped what they were doing to watch what he was doing, or that Padme had stopped reading her book to watch in fascination.

It was just him and the machine.

This was right. Even when he was Darth Vader, whenever he got the chance to work on upgrades to his personal X-Wing or speeder, he took it. In that moment, he wasn't Darth Vader. He wasn't a Sith Lord. He was just a man, creating something in a galaxy that he was helping to tear apart.

It was no different here. Here, in that shop, he was able to control something in his uncontrollable situation. For the first time since arriving, he felt right.

He finished at 45 minutes. He stepped back from the table and looked back at Rex. "Care to take a look?" He asked with a grin, wiping the sweat from his brow.

His expression passive, Rex stood and approached the work bench, looking at the contraption on the table. "Is it a robot?" He asked, turning it over to examine it more closely.

"I would call it a droid, but yes."

"Does it actually work?"

"Try it out for yourself." He watched as Rex flipped the small switch, and the droid came to life. With the limited materials Anakin had been given, it was only a crude droid, but Anakin was satisfied as it slowly made its way to the computer at the edge of the workspace and plugged itself into the USB drive, beginning to download a video presentation Anakin had found on the computer. Completing that task, it slowly turned back around and began to project the video by itself.

"Well, I'll be." Rex whistled, "I've seen plenty of robots built, but never that fast and with that capability using that few resources." He looked back at Anakin, amazement written all over his face. "Are you sure you forgot all of your memories?"

Anakin shrugged, but he couldn't help but allow a small grin to spread across his lips. "I guess technology is more of an instinct."

Rex looked at the droid again before turning to face Anakin fully, squaring his shoulders. "Well, you passed the test. Not only will I fully endorse you entering into our program and keeping your scholarship, but I will also personally make sure you receive any and all help that you need." He stuck a hand out for Anakin to shake, and instantly Anakin grabbed it, beginning to feel a bond reforging with his old friend. "Welcome to the program, Mr. Skywalker."


Okay, so this was more of a filler chapter, but it was a needed filler chapter. I promise, next chapter is going to focus a LOT more on Anakin's developing relationship with Padme. It's gunna be cute! And we'll see some of his new Jedi training.

I want to apologize for the late update. After I finished with my sickness (YAY for being better!), I went camping with some friends. When I came back Saturday morning, with the full intent to finish two more chapters at least by tonight, I got a call from my best friend saying that her dad was in the hospital. It's pretty bad, so I spent a lot of this weekend trying to help her.

I will get back to the frequent updates though. To answer some questions first however:

Will there be a bad guy like Palpatine?

Answer: Yes, but I'm still figuring out exactly what his role in this world is going to be. Obviously our government here in our world is different in many ways, but similar in others. I have a pretty strong idea on how exactly to do this, but I am still hashing out details. He will play a bigger role as the story progresses however. I think I may introduce him briefly soon, however.

Will I introduce more Clone Wars characters?

Answer: I'm going to try. I'm going to be honest, I'm still watching the Clone Wars. I binge watch episodes between chapters, so I'm still getting a feel for characters. I did introduce Rex in this chapter, and I will go into this world Rex's background more as the story goes on (there is a reason he's in the position he's in). I will also try to introduce Ahsoka, and I think I will change her age so that she's a little closer in age to Anakin and has more of a reason to show up in the story. If any of you have a major problem with that, let me know.

Anyhow, I will get back to regular updates! Promise. Thank you for your support and patience!

Review!

Love,

~Sarah