"It's so good to hear from you Ani," his mother smiled at him from the screen. Mindy had shown him how to use something she called "Face Time." Turns out this world's Anakin had an account already, and although he didn't know most of the contacts on it, he did know his mother. So early the morning after the party, Anakin sat on his bed, looking at his mother's smiling face.

He had talked to her numerous times since he'd come to this world. She called him quite often, but it was the first time he was actually seeing her since she'd visited. Every time he saw or heard from her, his throat tightened as he held back tears. "It's good to see you." The picture was so clear, Anakin almost felt like he was sitting in the same room with her.

She smiled, and yet again Anakin noted just how carefree she seemed in this world. He wished that he could have seen her like that in her old life. He wished that he could have given that to her. But he couldn't change the past, so he made himself smile back. "And how was the party?"

He shrugged. "It was wild. If I hadn't known that Padme was the one who threw it, I would have thought Mindy did."

His mother laughed. "Mindy doesn't exactly come across as calm, does she?"

"Not at all."

"And what about Padme?" He tensed. His mother had asked questions about Padme before, but she hadn't done so since that kiss. He hadn't told her about the kiss, but he had been dreading this question. "How are you two doing?"

"We're just friends." He blurted it out before he could stop himself, and once he saw her raise her eyebrows, he knew that he should have thought before he spoke. Now she would never leave him alone about this.

"What happened, Ani?" She asked, using that tone that said that she expected an honest answer.

He thought about lying. He was much better at lying now than he used to be, back when he was a Padawan. Years of hiding a marriage, and then even more years of being a Sith Lord had trained him to become a very good liar.

But he couldn't lie to his mother. He had already lied to her about being the son she had raised in this world, and he couldn't lie about anything else with her.

"About a week ago, Padme and I kissed." He said, and watched as his mother's eyebrows shot up in interest. "I…I rejected her."

"You did?" He could hear the surprise in her voice. Were his feelings for her that obvious? "I just thought…well, when I was there, you seemed like you really liked her."

How could he explain things to her without telling her everything? "I do mom," He slowly started, choosing his words carefully, "But I can't be with her."

A puzzled look crossed her face. "Why on Earth can't you? You're a good man, you're getting a degree from Stanford in Mechanical Engineering, and you are a good looking guy." He couldn't help but blush a little at that. "As far as I'm concerned, any woman would be lucky to have you."

He looked down. He was getting what he was told was a good degree in this world. He was…at least from what he'd been told, good looking. But a good man? No. He wasn't. "I'm not the man that you think I am." He looked up to see his mother's reaction to that, but he couldn't read her expression. She was waiting for him to continue before she made any further comments. "I…I can't tell you exactly why, but I… I think I've done horrible things. Awful things. Padme deserves someone better. Even if I was a good man, she deserves someone who will keep her safe from harm and I just can't do that." He wasn't about to tell his mother that the evilest man to ever exist was potentially targeting Anakin for what he'd done in his other galaxy. He didn't want to worry her more than he already was.

His mother leaned closer to the camera, looking at him right in the eye. "I don't know what you think it is that you've done," she started, her voice firm and unyielding, "But you are not a bad person. You're a good person who has made mistakes. Anyone can see that plainly. Have you told Padme any of this?"

"No," he admitted.

"You should. Part of being in love is accepting your partner for who they are. You accept the good, and the bad things in their past, and focus on what currently lies in their hearts. I may be biased because I'm your mother, but you do have a good heart, and I know that whatever it is you're struggling with, you're trying to become better. If she can't accept you for who you are now and who you're trying to become, then maybe she isn't the right one for you." She let out a breath. "And you know that you can talk to me about anything, right? I'm your mother. I will always love you for who you are."

Not this time, he thought glumly. Still, as much as his mind rejected what his mother was saying, he could feel the Force warm within him, confirming the truthfulness of her words. But even with the confirmation of the Force, he couldn't accept it. "Thanks mom." He didn't say anything else. He couldn't without breaking down, and with his meeting with Ahsoka tonight, he didn't want to waste more energy than he knew he already would.

She seemed a little disappointed that he didn't immediately open up to her, but she smiled nonetheless. "Just think about what I've said. For now, I need to start working on breakfast before Cliegg and Owen get back from the field."

Anakin nodded, already hating to see her go. "Okay. I love you mom."

She smiled. "I love you too." She paused. "Have you remembered anything?"

She ended every conversation with that question. There was so much hope in her voice that it crushed his heart. That was the reason he hadn't told her. He couldn't crush that hope. "No mom," He said somberly, "I'm sorry."

She attempted a smile, but he could see the concern in her dark eyes. "You'll remember someday. I'm sure of it."

They disconnected the phone, and Anakin sighed, running a hand through his hair in frustration. Obi-Wan had said Second Chances weren't supposed to be easy. He knew that his master was right, but that didn't mean that he didn't hate it and wish it were easier.

He heard Jedi begin barking outside, signaling that Padme had just gotten up. Speaking of hard second chances, he thought bitterly as he climbed off of the bed and headed out into the kitchen.

"I think you should totally accept," Mindy was saying to Padme. One look at Padme and Anakin knew she had a major hangover. She already had a bunch of scrambled eggs and toast piled onto her plate, and she was drinking orange juice. She had showered and changed into a black Nightmare Before Christmas T-shirt and gray sweats, her wet hair thrown up into a bun. He could still see bags under her eyes. "You may end up liking him."

"I barely remember him." Padme grumbled, "Drunk me apparently gives out her phone number way too easily."

"No, drunk you gives it out just enough." Mindy seemed to notice Anakin for the first time. "Oh. Hey. Just so you know, we've totally ruined our relationship with the neighbor next door. They were kind enough to yell at me when I got the paper this morning."

Anakin somehow didn't care what the neighbors thought about him. He had bigger problems to worry about, and he usually ignored the neighbors anyway. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Just in case they start yelling at you when you go outside. I wouldn't want you getting upset because you were surprised at their anger." He sighed in exasperation. Sure, Anakin felt anger occasionally, but he hadn't acted on it since that night at the bar.

No, his issue was acting in fear. That was what he was doing by pushing Padme away, wasn't it? Giving into his fear that he would lose her?

He shook the thought away and sat down. "Thanks for the warning. Now what should Padme do?"

Padme groaned, but Mindy, as he predicted, was all too happy to tell. "Padme got a text from that hunky guy last night. He wants to take her out on a date tonight." She grinned knowingly at Anakin, and Anakin clenched his jaw in frustration as he pushed back a wave of jealousy. Mindy knew what telling him that would do to him. He could see the challenge in her eyes.

"Is that so?" Was all he said, his voice forcibly neutral. In his head, he reminded himself that this was bound to happen sometime. He needed to accept it. He had to, even though he hated it.

Do it for Padme, He thought, for Padme.

"Yeah," Padme said, rubbing her temples. "Mindy thinks I should go. I'm not sure though. I hardly remember what happened last night."

"Well I saw him. He was totally shirtless and hot. Bow Chika Wow-Wow!" Mindy oh so helpfully said, and Anakin clenched his fists underneath the table.

"It doesn't matter how hot he is. He could be a total jerk."

"She's got a point," Anakin blurted out before he could stop himself, earning a knowing grin from Mindy. If she was doing this while he was Darth Vader, he thought darkly, she would no longer be living.

You aren't Darth Vader, he reminded himself, and you sort of…put up with Mindy. Don't do anything brash.

"But how will you know for sure if you don't go out with him? If he screams stalker-killer, you don't have to go out with him again. In fact, I will help you get rid of him. But you should give him a chance before he's done anything to not deserve it." Mindy also had a point. That, however, Anakin was not going to say.

Padme looked down at her plate, moving the eggs around with her fork. "What do you think Anakin?" She looked up and met his eyes, and when she did he could see the hope in them. His heart clenched and his throat tightened as he realized she was still hoping that they could be together. More and more he hated himself for what he'd done. Why had he been so stupid? Padme wanted him, and he wanted her, but he was a monster. She would understand that if she knew. If she had just died from childbirth and he'd received this second chance with her over that, his answer would have been easy. But his second chance at life was given to him because he had screwed up everything, not just her, so awfully, and he couldn't risk giving her that life again.

The words felt like acid in his mouth. He felt his heart tearing to shreds. He felt like he was casting his soul into the lava of Mustafar. But he opened his mouth and said, "I think Mindy is right. You should give him a chance."

"I am?!" Mindy asked, looking genuinely shocked that Anakin had said that.

Padme, however, was crushed. He could see the hope die in her eyes, and even more he wanted to somehow go back in time and stop himself from ever becoming Darth Vader. Even as Anakin, he kept hurting her. Could he never win?

Still, she pulled out her phone and texted something. "Okay," she said, "It's done."

Done. Just like they were done. Anakin suddenly wasn't hungry anymore. "I, um, had better get ready. Ben and I have some things to get done today." Like go talk to Ahsoka. He didn't want to do that either, but it was better than sticking around here.

"Have fun," Padme said, trying to sound upbeat. Anakin couldn't respond any longer. He got up, turned, and left the room.


Anakin and Obi-Wan sat down together at the diner, waiting for Ahsoka to arrive. "Have you decided what you're going to tell her?" Obi-Wan asked, picking up the menu to look it over. Anakin still didn't feel very hungry, but he picked up the menu anyway. He didn't feel like telling Obi-Wan what had happened at breakfast yet. He would, eventually, but not until after their conversation with Ahsoka.

"The truth, I guess. She already knows part of it. Ahsoka is smart too—she would likely recognize my lie a million miles away. Did you know that she knew that I was with Padme in our galaxy?"

Obi-Wan sighed. "Of course she did. I was too focused on what needed to be done for the Order to see it."

Anakin shrugged. "I won't tell you that you weren't, but you did do what you thought was best at the time. You obviously know now, and it doesn't even matter anymore." He must have let some bitterness seep into his voice, because Obi-Wan looked at him suspiciously.

"Something happened, didn't it?" Obi-Wan asked, but right as he did Ahsoka appeared, wearing a pair of blue jeans and a red and gold top. It was still strange for Anakin to see her as a human and without her head dress and markings, but the way she moved and her expression was still so Ahsoka that he again felt that pang of guilt.

She sat down across from them. "Sorry I'm late," she said, dropping her purse into the seat next to them, "Traffic was awful."

"I believe it," Anakin said, trying, and failing, to smile.

They made small talk while they picked out what they wanted to order, and as soon as the waitress had taken their order and left, Ahsoka got right down to business. "So. How did you become my master?" Her voice was loud, and Anakin glanced around to be sure no one was listening. It wasn't a busy hour, so there weren't other customers sitting at the tables around them, but he still couldn't help but be paranoid.

"Keep your voice down." He said, his voice lower. "I'll answer your questions, but unless you want us to get thrown into a mental institution, you'll keep your voice down."

She raised her eyebrow. "How long have you lived in California?" Anakin frowned: what did that have to do with anything? He opened his mouth to ask, but Ahsoka turned to face the rest of the restaurant. "Hey everyone! We're Jedi from a different galaxy! We're reincarnated into this world for no apparent reason other than the Force decided to do so! Send us to a Looney Bin!"

Mortified, Anakin tried to shush her, but all of the other customers just gave them annoyed glances and went back to eating. "See?" Ahsoka said with a smirk, "Californians are used to crazies. They don't care." She paused. "But Floridians are worse. But I'm sure you already knew that."

"I didn't," Anakin hissed, resisting the urge to scold her as he used to when she did something brash as his padawan. He was no longer her master though, and he didn't think she would take it as well if he treated her that way now. "I also don't appreciate you shouting our business to the world. There may be dangerous people watching."

If he had talked to anyone else, they would have called him paranoid. Ahsoka, however, got serious. "Obviously there is a lot you need to tell me. So again, we'll start with how we met."

Anakin sighed, looking at Obi-Wan for support. "Obi-Wan was supposed to get another Padawan after I became a Jedi Knight. I never wanted to teach anyone. I'm not much of a teacher," He scowled, remembering how he'd not only failed Ahsoka as his Jedi Padawan, but also Starkiller as his Sith apprentice. "However, you were assigned to me instead, and we eventually came to accept one another."

Ahsoka nodded thoughtfully. "I remember battles. A lot of battles against some sort of robot."

"Droids." Obi-Wan corrected her, his eyes never leaving her. Anakin had told him of the fate of his former Padawan before this meeting, and Anakin suspected that Obi-Wan had a lightsaber somewhere on him just in case this meeting went south.

"Okay, we were battling droids. Why?" She asked.

"There were many reasons for it," Anakin answered, "But it all boiled down to a man named Palpatine. He was a Sith Lord who wanted to rule the galaxy. We didn't realize that was the heart of the issue until it was too late and the Sith Lord had already won."

Ahsoka seemed familiar enough with the term 'Sith' not to need an explanation. Her face, though, paled as she began to put two and two together. "This Palpatine…he's not the same Palpatine as Senator Palpatine, is he?" Anakin gravely nodded in affirmative. She slumped against the back of her seat. "Well. That really sucks. My parents voted for him last election. It's not every day that your parents vote for an apparently psychopath killer."

It was just like Ahsoka to take the news that one of her elected leaders was an evil mastermind as calmly as she was. Most people, like Mindy, would not have taken it so well. But Ahsoka was always taking news in stride and finding a way to solve it. He missed that about her. "We don't know yet how much he knows," Obi-Wan said, answering Ahsoka's next unspoken question, "But we're trying to find out. Hopefully he doesn't remember anything and we can move on with our lives."

Ahsoka looked at Obi-Wan for a moment, processing his words, before she looked at Anakin. "I sense that you don't view the situation as optimistically as your friend."

"I don't." Anakin confirmed, "You and I…we had a falling out. It wasn't anything that you or I had done, but rather the Jedi Order. You left and I fell into a depression. I was never good at letting things go. When my wife…"

"Padme." Anakin stopped, surprised at her interruption. "It wasn't hard to put two and two together in that world. I figured out that you two were at least involved somehow."

"Yes," Anakin responded, his voice hollow. "She was my wife. She got pregnant, and I had visions that she would die. Palpatine told me that he could save her with the Dark Side, and I foolishly believed him and turned to the Dark Side. I became Darth Vader." He clenched his fist. "She died anyway."

Ahsoka looked down at her hands, and this time Anakin couldn't tell what she was thinking. It made him very nervous. He hadn't even gotten to the part where she became involved. "Did I know about who you became?"

"You did."

"And?"

This was it. Anakin took a deep breath. "We fought. You were helping the Rebel Alliance. I thought that I could use you to find major Rebel leaders. I… I ended up killing you in the end."

Ahsoka's gaze snapped back up to Anakin's. "So it was you then." She said, and he could detect no malice in her voice.

He frowned. "You're not angry?"

"That depends," She said, "I've had dreams about my death in your galaxy multiple times throughout my life. I'm about to kill someone in a dark mask, but for some reason I can't bring myself to do it. The next thing I know, I have a glowing sword in my gut and I collapse, feeling the life draining out of me." The server arrived carrying their food, cutting off Ahsoka. They waited in a sullen silence as the waitress placed their food before them, trying to bring the mood up with her chipper demeanor. Anakin found it more annoying than anything else, and he was glad when she left them again. "The man in the mask…that was Darth Vader, wasn't it?"

"It was." Anakin confirmed.

"And that really is how you killed me."

"It is." The words tasted sour in his mouth.

She was silent for a long time. "And who are you now? Anakin Skywalker, my master, my friend? Or are you Darth Vader, my enemy?"

Anakin took his time formulating an honest answer. "I'm not Darth Vader. I am Anakin Skywalker, but I'm not the same man you knew. I'm still working on figuring out who I am now. I wish that I could give you a more firm answer, but right now I can't."

Ahsoka glanced at Obi-Wan. "And what do you think of this whole situation?"

Obi-Wan didn't hesitate. "I was skeptical at first as well. However, Anakin doesn't give himself enough credit. He has changed a lot since you last met him, and I believe that his heart is in the right place."

Anakin's throat tightened at hearing those words. He wasn't sure if he fully believed them, but now wasn't the time to debate that. Instead he waited in anticipation as Ahsoka continued to debate internally what she would do with the information that he had given her. Anakin could feel her using the Force to search out her feelings, and he wondered what the Force would tell her.

Finally she nodded. "I understand. Well, I don't understand everything just yet, but…I feel like we're still supposed to be on the same side. If Palpatine really does remember who he is, then we Jedi are going to need to stick together to defeat him, especially given our limited resources here in this world."

Anakin released a breath that he hadn't realized that he'd been holding. It wasn't exactly an offer to be friends again. Like his relationship with Obi-Wan, his connection with Ahsoka was unpredictable, and he wasn't even sure if he could handle getting close to her again only to have something or someone (including himself) rip them apart again. "I understand," was all that he said however. He didn't quite trust himself to say anything else without breaking down.

Ahsoka leaned forward, a grin spreading across her face. "Now let's talk about the New Jedi Order."


Padme shifted uncomfortably in her black mini-dress. Even though Finn was taking her out to a nice bar to get a drink, she didn't quite feel comfortable wearing something that revealed so much of her legs. It had been Mindy who had picked this dress out for her. Mindy insisted that in order to move on from Anakin's rejection, Padme really needed to put herself out there.

Still, Padme had not been comfortable with the hungry look that Finn had given her when he picked her up that night.

Sure, he was beautiful. He may have been dressed as a surfer at the party last night, but even in a black t-shirt and blue jeans, he still looked like a surfer boy to her. He claimed, however, that he had never been surfing in his life. Other than the hungry look that he had given her at the beginning of the date, he had been a perfect gentlemen. He helped her into and out of the car, he opened doors for her, and he hadn't asked questions when she told him that they couldn't go to the first club they'd driven by (the same one she had been banned from almost two months ago).

Now they were at a tiny, yet tasteful bar in downtown, and he was listening intently as she told him of her plan to become a defense lawyer after she got her doctorate. He asked questions where appropriate, he laughed at her jokes (his laugh was deep and hearty, the kind of laugh most girls would fawn over), and he kept casually touching her skin playfully. It was almost too perfect.

And it wasn't what she wanted.

But she couldn't have what she wanted.

Sensing that he was losing her attention, he asked, "Do you want another drink?" He asked. On the other side of the room, couples began to dance on a makeshift dance floor.

She shook her head. She wasn't interested in getting as drunk as she had the night before. She had woken up that morning with a killer headache that took hours to go away. With school in the morning, she didn't want to take any chances. She glanced over where couples were dancing, swaying clumsily to the music. Most of the people in this bear were Latina, and therefore the music matched the overall atmosphere.

Noticing her glance, Finn cleared his throat and held out a hand. "Then would you care for a dance?"

She blinked in surprise. She had merely been curious about the dancers. Sure, she had taken some Latin dance classes for fun in high school and in her first semester of college, but she had never actually put those skills to use in a situation like this. Plus, even though Finn was nice, she wasn't sure that it was going anywhere with him and she didn't want to lead him on.

But he was being so kind, and he'd already gone out of his way to make a good impression on her. Even if it didn't go anywhere, they could be friends, and friends danced, right?

"Sure," she found herself saying, and despite herself, she smiled as she took his hand. He led her out to the dance floor, and she frantically tried to recall everything she learned. Maybe she'd forgotten and would look like a fool. Or maybe it didn't even matter: she didn't even know if Finn knew how to Latin dance.

But a fast song began to play, and the next thing she knew, Finn was expertly spinning her around the dance floor. Her hips swayed to the music, and soon enough her tension began to melt away as she let herself flow with the music.

As the dance continued, she felt Finn draw closer and closer. His hands were around her hips. His breath ticked her ear. She should have pulled away, but in the heat of the moment, her mind began to wander. Finn was obviously a good dancer. Was Anakin a good dancer? She remembered that night at the club, when she had tried to dance with him. He had been stiff and awkward, but she'd found it endearing.

As Finn dipped her backward expertly, she realized with a pang in her chest that she missed Anakin's awkwardness. She missed his smile. She missed the way he looked at her when he saw her in the morning. She missed being around him, and she hated that he was pushing her away.

As Finn pulled Padme up to standing again, she pressed a hand against his chest, stopping him. "What is it?" he asked breathlessly. She looked up at him, trying to form the right words. This wasn't working. Her heart belonged to another. Her feelings would apparently never be reciprocated, but she still…she still…

She still loved him.

She didn't know when she'd started to fall for Anakin. She knew there was no logical reason why she should fall in love with him. Clearly there were things that Anakin was dealing with that she could never fully comprehend. But that hadn't stopped her from falling in love with Anakin Skywalker.

And it felt right. Her entire body warmed at the realization, and she knew, without a doubt, that Finn's hands should not have been touching her the way they had. Only Anakin had that right, and she didn't even fully understand why she had suddenly decided that when he clearly didn't want her that way.

"I'm sorry," she said, pulling out of Finn's grasp. "But I'm suddenly not feeling well. Could you please take me home?"

Something passed through Finn's eyes, but before Padme could determine what it was, he was smiling again. "Of course," he said, leading her off the dance floor. "You may have anything you desire."

She felt guilty that she had come to that revelation in the middle of her date, but as Finn talked, it became clear that he obviously cared more about her well-being than the outcome of the date. She wished things could have been different. Finn really was a nice guy.

They exited the bar, her arm on Finn's. She expected him to lead her straight to the parking lot where they had parked, but he suddenly stopped. "Oh, I forgot. I'm actually supposed to pick up a prescription from the CVS around the corner. Could we drop by there really quick?" He flashed her a blinding smile. "Maybe you could grab something to help you feel better while we're there."

He was so thoughtful. Perhaps she would try to hook him up with Mindy…but then again, Mindy didn't exactly treat nice guys kindly, so perhaps she wouldn't. "Okay."

He turned them down the alley between the bar and another darkened office building. There was hardly any light, but Padme didn't feel worried. She wasn't alone. Finn was a buff looking guy. She doubted anyone would try to mess with them with Finn around.

"Crap," Finn said, stopping abruptly and leaning down. Padme stopped. "My shoe is untied. You can keep going if you'd like. I'll meet you at the end of the alley."

Padme hesitated. She didn't like the idea of being alone. Somehow, she had a feeling that if she told Anakin that she'd wandered off alone on a dark night in a blackened alley, he wouldn't be happy with her. "No, it's okay, I'll stay…"

Finn straightened back up as she spoke, and before she could finish her sentence, his entire demeanor changed. Gone was the kind, sweet, seemingly perfect surfer dude. The man that stood in front of her was stiff, ready for a fight, and he had a cold look in his eyes that sent a chill down her spine. She glanced behind her to see if some sort of threat had entered the alley, but she saw none. She turned back around to ask what was wrong…

Only to find Finn shoving the barrel of a gun into her face.


CLIFFHANGER!

I actually had hoped to post this chapter on Thursday night, however right as I was about to start writing, my parents called and told me that they're putting my dog down. He's 16 years old, so he's had a good, long life, but it's hard to lose a friend that's been there over half of your life.

Anyhow, I do hope you enjoyed the chapter. I will be continuing Ahsoka's conversation with Anakin and Obi-Wan next chapter, because now that they've established that they are allies, they have to start getting some organization. That, and of course I'm going to resolve the above cliffhanger.

Also, if you have a chance to go to Disneyland, do it. I went on Saturday with a friend. They turned Tomorrowland into a temporary Star Wars land. Space Mountain has been converted into Hyperspace Mountain, and it was so amazing I fangirled. You legit feel like you are in a battle against the Empire. There are Tie Fighters flying at you, you're 'shooting' lasers at Star Destroyers, and narration and epic John Williams music plays in the background. The new Star Tours is also pretty cool, AND I GOT TO MEET DARTH VADER. I was so happy. I was probably the happiest adult woman there. He started chewing me out and poking me like he does in the movie, and I was just like :D YES I WILL JOIN YOU I LOVE YOU CAN I HUG YOU?! (Note: He does NOT like hugs). I also met Chewy and Boba Fett, which was also pretty freaking awesome. So. Long story short. Get yourself to Disneyland. I felt like I stepped into a galaxy far far away and they haven't even started building Star Wars Land yet (they start that in January).

Anyhow. SONGS.

From last chapter:

Heads Will Roll-Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Mad Hatter-Melanie Martinez

Last Friday Night-Katy Perry

From this chapter:

The Way I Loved You-Taylor Swift

Review! I'll try to update soon since that's a mean cliffhanger. But as last week proved to me, anything can happen. But I can promise to do my best.

Love,

Sarah