Eight Months later…

Padme's shriek of alarm tore through the house, and though Anakin was busy at his desk in his study going over his mission strategy, he stopped, jumped up, and went running into the kitchen, pulling his lightsaber out and igniting it…

And found Luke and Ezra covered in mud, Luke holding a garden snake in his hands. Both of the boys looked at Padme in confusion, as she stood, pale and shaking, clinging to the granite counter top for support, and Luke clutched the snake closer to him. From the living room, he could hear their newborn son, Hayden, crying, and Leia, who was probably holding him (her favorite thing to do now), trying to comfort him. De-activating his lightsaber, Anakin approached the situation, trying to take deep breaths to calm his racing heart. "What is going on in here?"

Padme slumped against the counter, one hand over her heart, skin still pale, also taking deep breaths to to calm herself. "Luke, put that snake back outside or so help me…!"

"Why?" Luke frowned, looking at Ezra who shrugged his shoulders, as if it was the most natural thing in the world for them to bring snakes into the house. "It's not poisonous, Mom."

"Yeah," Ezra agreed, "I learned about those in school. This one is nice."

"Can't we keep him, Dad?" Luke turned his pleading eyes on his father. "Pleeaase?"

Anakin sighed, re-attaching the lightsaber to his belt. "Luke, put the snake back outside. We don't play with snakes."

That was clearly not the answer Luke wanted to hear. "But, why? Ezra says he's nice."

"I don't care." Anakin replied firmly, "It upsets your mother, and next time, it may not be so nice. Go put him back."

Luke glanced at Ezra, who sighed. "Okay," Luke said glumly, turning back around.

"And, apologize to your mother for scaring her half to death." Anakin added, as they turned for the back door. Luke stopped, looking back at his mother while the snake coiled and slithered around in his little hands. "Sorry, Mom."

"It's fine, Luke." Padme's voice was still tense. "I just don't do snakes, okay? So, go put it outside, and don't play with snakes again, young man!" The boys left, and Padme let out a sigh, turning her head to shoot her husband an appreciative smile. "Thanks, Ani."

"Of course, Angel…although, I thought Grievous was attacking or something," He smirked for a second but then frowned, thinking about the cyborg. Will and Peter had located him just a few hours to the south, near Corpus Christi. They tailed him for a few days, but he hadn't seemed to move. They suspected he was planning something big, and with Anakin and Obi-Wan's families relatively close, they had no doubt who was the target.

Which was why tonight, after dinner, he and Obi-Wan and the rest of the Jedi Knights would be headed out for Corpus to attack first. If all went well, Grievous would be dead by morning. "No. Hopefully, tomorrow we won't have to worry about him again." Padme said, straightening herself out. "Sounds like my scream upset Hayden. Sorry. I'll go…"

"No, Sweetheart, I've got it," Anakin held up a hand, stopping her. He smiled to reassure her that he really did, in fact, have their youngest child taken care of. "You've got your hands full anyway." He motioned toward the stove.

It was true. She had dinner cooking on the stove top, and the pot was starting to boil over. She bit out a curse in Huttese, making Anakin laugh. "I thought we weren't supposed to use words like that just in case the children heard?" He teased her.

Padme declined to comment but spared a moment to turn around and pointedly roll her eyes at him, which only made him laugh harder as he turned and headed around the corner and down the hall into the formal living room where, as he'd predicted, Leia was holding a squirming three-week-old Hayden. "It's okay baby Hayden," Leia cooed, giving him a gentle kiss on his forehead. "Don't cry."

Anakin paused, smiling tenderly as he watched his daughter with her baby brother. He had been most worried about how she would react to having a little brother. When they had first told Luke and Leia that they were going to have a little sibling, Leia had been the most excited, telling Anakin point-blank that "Mommy is having a girl." When the ultrasound results came back and they found out it was a boy, Leia had been devastated and refused to talk about the baby after that.

Until she actually met her new baby brother in the hospital, that is. Little Hayden was every inch his mother's son. He looked, and from what Anakin could tell, acted like her, having a head full of dark brown curls and a usually quiet demeanor. The only thing that Anakin could visibly see that he'd given his son was his strikingly clear blue eyes. Hayden was Force-sensitive, but not quite as potent as Luke and Leia were. It didn't matter to Anakin—he loved his youngest son. He was theirs, created from their love, and both he and Padme loved their newest little one just as much as they loved their twins.

Luke also seemed to be pleased with having a brother, but it was Leia who took one look at Hayden in the hospital and practically attached herself to him. She always wanted to help Padme and Anakin take care of him. She always wanted to hold him. She was always giving him kisses on his forehead whenever she could. Anakin worried it would make Luke jealous, but Luke seemed to be totally fine so far with Leia giving their brother attention. For the moment, at least.

Anakin reached out with the Force, touching his son's presence with his own. Instantly, Hayden began to calm, and sensing him, Leia looked up. "Hi, Daddy," She said with a smile.

"Hi, Princess," Anakin said, going over to sit with her and Hayden on the couch. "I see that you're taking good care of your brother."

She nodded eagerly. "Yeah. We're friends." She smiled down at Hayden, who looked up at her with his wide, innocent blue eyes and hiccupped.

"That's good," Anakin smiled. "You know, it's almost time for Mommy to feed Hayden again. Why don't you go find Threepio for me and tell him to take over for your mom in the kitchen? I can hold Hayden for a while."

He thought she would object. In fact, she frowned and looked like she was about to. At the last moment, though, she nodded, handing Hayden carefully over to him. "Okay, Daddy." She said after she was sure that Hayden was snuggly in Anakin's arms. "I'll go find him."

"That's my good girl," He said with a smile, watching as Leia scampered off down the back hallway to go find Threepio on the other side of the house before turning to look down at his baby son with a loving gaze. "Hey, Son." He said, smiling softly, reaching out through the Force to send feelings of love and calmness to him. Hayden met his eyes, squirming a little, but otherwise no longer crying. "Your mom is fine, Little One. Your big brother just scared her a little, that's all." He promised. He paused, still gently bouncing the baby against his chest, his thoughts going back to the mission that would take place that night.

It was the first mission he would be going out on since Padme had delivered Hayden only three short weeks before, and though Anakin was usually anxious to go on a mission, he felt…apprehensive about this one. Perhaps it was because he now had another child to protect, and failing the mission would only cause them all more stress. Or, perhaps it was because Grievous was a force to be reckoned with, and if he made a mistake…

He could lose his life. That would leave Padme alone to raise three highly Force-sensitive children by herself. His wife would lose her husband. His children would lose their father. And Hayden would never know him…Stop it, he told himself. He was acting silly. Tonight would go smoothly. They were bringing the entire Jedi force…or at least the ones that were currently in town or otherwise lived in Houston. They were more prepared to face him than they had ever been before. Even now, Galen was over with Obi-Wan making sure all of their supplies were in the speeders. Grievous would be dead by morning, and he'd be home with Galen in time to make the kids and Padme breakfast.

"Don't you worry," He said to Hayden, though he knew his infant son was too young to comprehend what he was saying or what tonight's mission meant for his future. "I'll be home before you wake up. You won't even know I was gone, Son." Still, even as Anakin said those words, he couldn't help but feel a strong, foreboding sensation echoing through the Force.

He silently hoped the Force was wrong this time.

KKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK


The black cloaked figure waited in the shadows of the cypress trees surrounding the perimeter of the Jedi property, using binoculars to view and spot Anakin Skywalker joining the other Jedi at the cluster of speeders they had spent hours preparing with supplies. Making sure that their presence was completely hidden, the figure quietly pulled out their comm link, punching in the correct frequency. The comm wasn't as fancy as the ones the figure had seen Skywalker and the Jedi use, but it functioned. That's all that mattered.

A flickering image appeared of a hooded man. Darth Sidious. "My lord," The voice the figure used was feminine and raspy at the same time.

"What is the status?" The voice rumbled from beneath the hood.

"Skywalker has just joined the rest of the Jedi with his droid. They should be leaving here soon."

"Good, good." There was a hint of a malicious smile visible. "And you are certain that they have not sensed your presence?"

The figure resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She wouldn't be calling him to give a positive status report if she had any indication that she'd been sensed. To do so would bring harsh and immediate punishment, and she had no desire for that. Besides, she highly doubted Skywalker and Kenobi would allow her to be this close for long if they did. "I am certain, Master," was all she said.

"Good. Remember, do not attack until Grievous has contacted you. If you attack any sooner than that, the operation will fail." She gritted her teeth. She already knew that. She had every intention of carrying out her orders to the letter. She was not some cheap assassin that could be found lurking in any sleazy old bar. She was top of the line.

Still, she had a feeling that Anakin's family would be a lot harder to attack. "Are you sure that you don't want me to try for Kenobi's daughters instead?" She asked.

Darth Sidious paused. "No. Not this time," He advised. "The Skywalker family is the bigger threat. Focus your efforts on them. I want that bitch and her brats eliminated. When you have completed the mission, leave immediately and head to the rendezvous point," Sidious snarled.

"Yes, Master." She said as the connection cut off. Once more she brought the binoculars to her eyes, watching as Skywalker had gathered the other Jedi in a circle around him. He was probably giving some sort of stupid motivational speech. She rolled her eyes. Any moment now, and they would be gone.

Sure enough, they broke away, beginning to climb into their speeders. She watched Skywalker, Kenobi, Tano, and Skywalker's padawan, Galen, climb into the lead speeder. After a moment, it hummed to life and took off, the other speeders close behind. Smirking, she watched until they had disappeared into the horizon before settling herself comfortably against the tree trunk. She still had a few hours yet before she could launch her attack. She found it doubtful that attacking even a little early would ruin the plan, but Sidious had been dealing with these Jedi far longer than she had. Even Grievous had stressed the need to attack on time before they'd started spreading rumors of a cyborg running amok in Corpus.

No. She would play it by their rules. For now, she decided, turning her attention back to the home the Skywalker family occupied. Tonight, the tables would finally turn. Tonight, she would make Skywalker pay for whatever misdeeds he had committed against her master.

Laughing softly, she settled down to wait. Yes, retribution would be sweet, and she was going to enjoy this.

KKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK


Finally, Hayden had stopped crying. Luke reached out through the Force towards his brother's nursery just down the hall, sensing that the baby was asleep. Hopefully, he stayed that way. He could sense his mother tiptoe out of the baby's room and back into the hallway, going to Leia's door next to peek in and check on her. Leia too was asleep, and he could sense his mother quietly shut the door before heading to his room.

Luke debated on whether or not he should pretend to be asleep, but then decided against it. His mom should know that the baby was keeping him awake with his crying. Sure enough, the door creaked opened. "Mom?" Luke whispered, and he heard his mother softly sigh before entering into his room. The room was dark, but with the light from the door, Luke could see the planet models his dad had hung from his ceiling and the glow in the dark stars pressed against the dark blue of his walls.

His mother sat on his bed, a soft smile on her face. He could see how tired she was, and he couldn't help but worry. "Why aren't you asleep, Sweetie?" She asked.

Luke frowned. "Hayden's crying is loud." He said. He didn't know how Leia could sleep through it. Then again, she loved Hayden dearly, so maybe she just chose to ignore it.

"Yes, he is." His mom agreed, reaching over to ruffle his blonde hair. "But babies do that. They can't speak, so that's how they let us know they need us."

Luke scowled. "Did Leia and I…?"

"Oh, yes. Most definitely," His mom chuckled, "Leia especially." Maybe that was why Leia could sleep through his crying.

"If he's always crying," Luke said, "Then why don't you just take him back to the store and exchange him or get a refund?" It was a serious question. Luke had grown used to his sister's loudness, especially when Ella was involved. But, Hayden was new, and Luke didn't know what to make of him. Uncle Ben's baby, Rachel, didn't cry nearly that much. So, why did Hayden? Luke was certain his brother was broken.

His mom didn't seem to think it was a serious question. She laughed a little, ruffling his hair again. "Oh, Sweetie. Trust me, it doesn't work that way. You can't return a baby. We have to keep him." Padme smiled down at her first born, thinking that perhapsthey shouldn't have told the twins the story of the baby store when Leia had asked how the baby got in her tummy. She decided Anakin should handle that particular discussion with Luke.

"You mean the baby store doesn't take returns?" He frowned. What a dumb store to go to then.

The smile on his mom's face faded. "Luke, what's this really about?" She asked. "Don't you like Hayden?"

He considered that for a moment. Did he not like the baby? It was true that he was different and new, and he took more of his mom and dad's attention, but did that mean that Luke actually disliked him? After a moment, Luke shook his head truthfully. "No. He's just…new."

"I know," His mom said softly, "It'll take some getting used to. You weren't too happy when we first moved here, remember? But now you love it." He did remember. He liked his old house in California, being near his grandpa and grandma (who he almost never seemed to see anymore), his aunt and uncle, his cousins, and Disneyland and the beach… but here, he had new friends. There was the Jedi school. There were more places for him and Leia to play. The house was a lot bigger. He'd grown to like it. So, maybe he would grow to love Hayden, too.

"Okay, Mom." He said, and she smiled again, leaning down to kiss his forehead.

"Goodnight, my sweet Jedi. Love you," She said, and even though he knew that he wasn't a Jedi, wasn't even a Padawan yet, his heart swelled with pride. One day, he would be a Jedi, just like his dad. His mom even said so.

"Night, Mom. Love you, too," He smiled, snuggling closer under the covers. "Mom?" He asked as she got up to leave.

She paused, looking back down at him. "Yes, Luke?"

"Is Dad going to be home in the morning?" He hated it when his dad left on Jedi missions. He was almost at the age when he could become his dad's Padawan, but he wasn't yet. As a result, he had to stay home while his dad went off with Galen and Uncle Ben and Aunt Soka to go do cool Jedi stuff. Even now, not sensing his dad's presence in the house made him feel... unsure.

"Of course, Luke." His mom assured him with a smile. "He said that he'll make you and Leia pancakes and bacon, too. Sound good?"

That made Luke smile. He liked it when his dad tried to cook for them. It wasn't as good as his mom's cooking, but he liked that his dad tried and made funny faces at them while he did it. He even used the Force to fix it! That was always fun. If he let Luke and Leia help, they got to play with the food too, which made Mom not so happy. "Okay. Night, Mom."

"Goodnight." She smiled and left the room, closing the door and leaving him in the darkened room. He snuggled into the covers more, rolling over to hug his pillow. He didn't know how long he lay there, but even in the silence, he couldn't fall asleep. With a sigh, he decided to reach out and check to see if his mom was still awake. If she wasn't, maybe he could sneak downstairs and grab a cookie. If Threepio caught him though, he was sure to get in trouble.

Still, he reached out anyway…and froze. Something…something was off. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but his skin tingled and his mind felt almost like a pressure to get up. He could sense his mom was sitting on the couch downstairs, Jedi at her feet, probably watching TV. She didn't seem to be worried about anything. Then again, she didn't have the Force, and right now, he understood the Force enough to know that it was giving him a warning.

Carefully, he climbed out of bed, shivering from the cold air the air conditioner was blowing on him. He was wearing his space pj's, which was just a light t-shirt and shorts with rockets and stars on them, and the cooler air caused goosebumps to run up and down his arms and legs. He debated on getting back into bed and ignoring the feeling, but the feeling became stronger. He inched closer to the door of his room instead.

CRASH!

His mother suddenly screamed. Jedi started barking wildly. He could hear Threepio wailing something. Every nerve in his body suddenly felt electrified, his breathing rapidly increased, as he opened his door and peered down the hallway. Memories of what happened at their old house resurfaced, memories he still didn't fully understand, but knew that it was bad. He could feel that whatever was happening downstairs now was like what happened then, and he began to use his Jedi instincts.

After what happened last time, when he and Leia were five, his father had drilled it into both he and sister's heads what to do if it happened again without them home. Dad made both he and Leia practice it over and over again until he was satisfied that they'd perfected it. Instantly, Luke started to rely on what was now second nature to him. He immediately hid his presence in the Force, and he ran as quietly as he could to his sister's room.

He opened the door, trying to ignore the feeling of urgency slamming into his Force-senses. "Leia!" He hissed into the pink and white-themed room. Leia, wake up! He communicated it through their Force bond, practically screaming it, for only she would hear his words.

I'm already awake. She sat up, rubbing her eyes. She,too, had the sense to communicate back through the Force. What's going….?

We're in trouble! Hide your presence, now! He felt her do so, felt her waking up more and more.

Luke, She said in his mind, her voice sounding worried, What's happening? Did Mom scream?

I don't know what's going on, but yeah, she did. We have to get to… he broke off, remembering Hayden. Dad hadn't said what to do about Hayden. Hayden. We have to get to Hayden.

Leia was out of bed in a shot, wearing her blue Queen Elsa nightgown, and was at his side in an instant, her eyes wide. You don't think they're here for us, do you?

I don't know. Already he was turning and headed out the door for the nursery. Downstairs, he could hear Jedi suddenly yelp and go silent. He had a bad feeling about this…

They reached the room, and he could still feel his little brother sleeping. Thankfully, Luke and Leia weren't too short to open the crib anymore, and they quickly got it open. Leia carefully picked the baby up, frowning under his weight and being careful to support his head and not injure him. Their parents had been very clear with both of them about how to hold him, and wouldn't let them hold him unless they were sitting down. Careful, Luke reminded her as they headed back out of the nursery and towards the back of the hallway, towards their parents' room.

I am! Leia insisted, but he could feel her nervousness.

They got to the back of the hallway. To the right was their parents' door. Directly in front of them was a heavy oak stand with pictures and flowers on top of it. In between that and the wall was an empty space…An empty space that had cleverly been designed as a hidden crawl space. Luke slid the practically invisible door open. You first, He said in Leia's mind. She nodded, and careful of Hayden (who was still asleep by some miracle), ducked down and scooted inside. Once she was there, she began to slide to make room for Luke…

But, Jedi had stopped growling. Threepio hadn't yelled, and his mom was sobbing hysterically. There was also another voice…a raspy voice.

He was the only one home. He had to be the man of the house.

His dad wouldn't be home until the morning. Most of the other Jedi were with him on the mission. His mom and Threepio were in trouble. He couldn't just…hide. Jedi didn't hide. They were brave, and protected others. He wanted to be a Jedi, just like his father. "Luke?" Leia whispered, frowning in confusion. "Come on…"

He slammed the secret door closed, and before she could open it again, he stopped shielding his presence and directed the Force to instead move the heavy oak stand in front of the door, knocking pictures over as he did so. Softly, he heard Hayden begin to cry, and Leia kick the door. In his head, she was practically screaming at him. GET BACK IN HERE! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! DON'T JUST LEAVE US…

I'm sorry, Leia, He thought back, turning and running into his parents' bedroom. Someone has to help mom. Just take care of Hayden. He did his best to block her as he entered his parents' massive walk-in closet, going to the built in drawers on his dad's side of the room and opening them. He hoped there would be an extra lightsaber, but after rummaging through all of his dad's drawers, he found nothing of the sort. He crossed over to his mom's side, not as optimistic about finding something to use against the danger in their home, but he opened the drawers anyway, and he found...

A gun.

There, sitting at the back of the bottom largest drawer, was a handgun, just like the ones in the video games he played with Ezra. Gingerly, he picked it up. It was heavy. He'd held his dad's lightsaber before, but this was different. Wrong, somehow. He almost put it away, but as he reached out through the Force, his mind touched the presence of whatever or whoever it was that was down there…

Darkness. Hate. Anger.

There was so much of it, that Luke flinched. To make it worse, he could feel the Force pulsing through the attacker. They stood above his mother, and though he could sense that his mom was alive, he could also feel that she was in an awful amount of pain. That made his decision for him. He picked the gun up, not knowing if it was loaded, and raced back out of his parents' room, down the hallway, and down the wide staircase. His heart hammered in his chest, racing into the living room to find…

Blood.

It was everywhere. The smell hit him, making him gag. Threepio lay on his back, his eyes not glowing, wires sticking out of his neck. It was Jedi who lay in a pool of blood, not moving, his golden coat stained red. And, his mom….

He found her, kneeling on the floor, facing him. There was a circular wound in her left shoulder that smoldered, her hair yanked back painfully so that she was forced to face him. Tears were running down her face, but when her eyes met his, they were full of hard steel. "Luke," She croaked, "Run!"

"Oh, I wouldn't do that," that raspy voice said, and his mother's head was yanked back hard by the gloved hands holding her hair tightly. Luke followed the voice with his eyes, looking up to see a tall, thin woman with a face that might have been pretty, but she had two thick lines tattooed from the corners of her mouth down below her chin. Her hair, black as night, was cropped short like a boy's, even shorter than Luke's hair. "I assume you're Luke."

"LUKE, RUN!" His mother ordered, firmly. "DO AS I TELL YOU!"

"Oh, no. He's not going anywhere." The woman crooned, igniting a lightsaber with her free hand. The blade was red. He'd never seen a red blade before…Shakily, he raised the gun, pointing it at the strange woman. He didn't know if he could do it. Video games made it look so easy, and yet this wasn't a video game. But, his mom…he looked at her again, her pleading with him with her eyes to run, and he could feel her pain. Whatever this woman had done to his mom, it hadn't been nice. His mind recalled images of his Aunt Mindy—one day, she had been watching Treasure Planet with him. The next time he saw her, she was in a big wooden box, and her presence was…well, gone. Not like the way he and Leia hid their presence, but really, really gone. He didn't understand it at the time, but now he knew that Aunt Mindy had died.

He didn't want his mother to die.

"L-Leave my mom alone," He said in a shaky voice, not lowering the gun.

The woman chuckled humorlessly. "Such a brave boy." She held the blade of her lightsaber closer to his mom's neck. "Tell me where your sister is, boy. I know she's here." He could feel the other woman reaching out with the Force, trying to sense Leia…

"I said, leave my mom alone," His voice had gone quiet, almost menacing. He was reminded of that day on the playground when he'd told Jabba to leave his sister alone. But, Jabba was just a bully. This woman was something else entirely.

The woman quirked an eyebrow. "Go ahead." She said with a sneer, "Shoot." He hadn't been expecting that. He hesitated, unsure. This had to be a trap of some kind… "Your safety is on though. You won't be hurting anyone with that on."

"Luke, don't you da—AAH!" The woman yanked on his mother's hair again, hard.

"It's the switch to the left." The woman grinned, as if she hadn't been hurting his mother. She brought the lightsaber closer still to his mother's neck, as she yanked his mother to her feet. "Go on. Shoot. Protect your mommy...If you think you can."

Warning bells were ringing in his head. This had to be a trap, but his mother was in pain, and she had a lightsaber to her throat. If he didn't do something, his mom would end up like Aunt Mindy...gone, in a box. He flipped the little switch on the side of the gun, pointing it at the woman, and with a BANG, he pulled the trigger.

At the same time, the woman moved lightening fast, jerking his mom in front of her. "LUKE!" His mom screamed at the same time, and just a split second later…

Blood splattered. Excruciating pain, not from himself, but from his mother, ripped through the Force, making him drop the gun in shock as he looked on in horror as his mother, hit by the bullet that had been meant for the other woman, dropped to the ground, limp.

His whole world tilted. His vision swirled. He could hear Leia screaming in his head, but all he could see was his mother, lying there, not moving as blood began to soak the carpet. He heard the other woman cackle, as if this were some horrible joke, but he didn't care.

Numbly, he made his way across the room to where his mother lay. He half expected the woman to stop him, to hurt him, but she let him approach. "Guess you're not very good with a gun, are you, boy?" She sneered, but he barely heard her. His mom….Mom…

Tears welled up in his eyes, and he dropped to his knees. Her eyes were closed, blood was flowing from her chest. He reached down, trying to stop the bleeding with his hands, but all it accomplished was him getting bloodied himself. "Mom?" He asked, his voice barely above a whisper. "Mom?"

Distantly, he heard sirens blaring, heard the other woman curse. "Where's your sister?!" She yelled at him, but he couldn't take his eyes off of his motionless mother.

"Mama?" Tears were falling down his face rapidly now, his breathing raspy. "Wake up! Wake up, Mom! I'm sorry!" If he apologized, would she wake up? Ground him? Anything was better than this. Anything. "Oh, Mom... Mama, please wake up, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"

The woman cursed again, and suddenly he felt her steely arms around his waist, trying to pull him away and back towards the back door where she must have crashed in through. "NO!" He screamed, grabbing his mother, refusing to let go. He could feel her still warm skin under his hands. Perhaps there was still hope. He tried to use the Force to see if she was still alive, but he was so frantic, he couldn't concentrate enough. "MOM, WAKE UP!" He screamed.

"Let's go, brat!" The woman hissed, yanking on him again.

His bloody hands slipped, and he made one final grab for her…and only grabbed the necklace she always wore, the one Dad had once told him he made for her when he was a little boy himself. The silver chain held for a brief moment, but it broke, and he was being carried away, holding the useless necklace in his fist as he cried for his mother. The strange woman cursed again, and suddenly, he was being gagged, unable to make the noise he wanted to alert someone that his mother needed help. He squirmed and kicked, but the other woman was too strong for him, and she easily carried him out of the house and out into the night.

Away from his sister and brother, still hiding in the hidden crawl space upstairs.

Away from Jedi and Threepio, lying motionless on the living room floor.

Away from the cops who were now storming into the front of his house to save them.

Away from his mother, who lay in a pool of her own blood, blood that was spilled…

Because of him.


*Closes the blast doors* PLEASE DON'T KILL ME. Like...I'm really happy how this chapter turned out, but I'm also terrified to post it. I am a strong believer of not giving away spoilers (I was the person who turned off all of her social media to avoid Ep. 7 spoilers for two weeks), so like... I'm sort of in an awkward position cuz I want to tell you so you don't all hate me, but at the same time, my ingrained instincts to stay away from spoilers is like a physical barrier from doing so. So...just...don't kill me.

The songs for this chapter are You're not getting out of here from The Scorch Trials and Tsimtsum from Life of Pi.

Review! Don't kill me, but reviews=faster update!

Love,

Sarah

P.S. Don't kill me.