"Ahsoka," Anakin said firmly, as he strode up to where she was guarding the underground detention cell at the Jedi Academy. Obi-Wan followed close behind him, a grim but determined expression on his face. "You're coming in with us."

He felt a flicker of surprise from Ahsoka, but she moved away from the door to let Anakin through anyway. "I thought you were still at the hospital," She said in surprise, as Anakin began the unlocking sequence only he and Obi-Wan knew.

"Padme's awake, and Vokara said she's going to be okay. My mother is there with her," He assured her shortly, "Now, I'm going after my son myself. Before Grievous dies, I'm going to get what answers I can to aid in that search."

Ahsoka hesitated. "He won't tell you. You know that, right? He's been trained…"

"I don't care." He paused, looking at both of them. "We're going to mind-trick him into it."

They were silent, both of them shocked.

"But…his mind is way too strong." Ahsoka stated the obvious.

"That's why I'm not doing it alone." He looked at Obi-Wan. "We did this once before during the Clone Wars to Cad Bane, also to locate the mission children." He glanced back at Ahsoka. "You were the one to actually suggest it. Don't you remember, Snips?"

She hesitated, thinking back. Ahsoka remembered most of her past life, but there were still things she didn't remember. "I remember the mission where we rescued the children," she murmured, "And, I think…I vaguely remember it. And, it worked?"

"It did, though it was a struggle." Anakin confirmed, his jaw set determinedly. "So, we're going to do it again."

"Well, alright, Skyguy." Ahsoka squared her shoulders. "Let's do this." Anakin nodded and finished the code and pressed the switch that would open the ten-inch thick steel door. There was a sharp beep, and it swung open, revealing the villain within the room.

Grievous.

He snarled at the sight of them, his golden eyes narrowing. "Jedi-Scum," He spat, "Come to kill me at last?" If Anakin wasn't so focused on his mission to get answers to help find his son, he would have thought it strange to see Grievous without his metal arms and legs. He was bound with thick chains and suspended in the air, and there was nothing in the room that would be available to him should he try to break out. He was totally trapped, and Anakin could see that knowledge reflected in the gold of his eyes.

"I want answers, Grievous." Anakin said darkly, getting straight to the point. He crossed his arms over his chest and faced his old foe. He didn't have time to drag this conversation out. He would get his answers. "And you're going to give them to me."

That made Grievous laugh, the sound anything but humorous. "You won't get any answers from me, Skywalker!" He practically spat, "I know you Jedi don't torture, and…"

He was tired of waiting. He was tired of listening and not getting anywhere. His son was in danger, and it was up to him to find Luke and bring him home. Anakin closed his eyes and extended a hand towards the still talking cyborg. "You will tell me where my son is."

Grievous stopped, surprised. "A mind trick?" He asked incredulously, "I am not so weak minded that…"

Obi-Wan reached out. He was much better at mind tricks than Anakin was—he excelled at them, actually. They were his forte. Well, one of them. "You will tell us where Luke is."

Grievous was silent for a moment, stunned. "What?"

Ahsoka reached out, and as one, all three Jedi said, "You will tell us where Luke is."

Under the pressure of three Jedi Masters using the Force to draw information out of him, Grievous began to squirm. "I will…no, I don't…"

They did it again, all three of them pressing through the Force towards the cyborg's dark and twisted mind. "You will tell us where Luke is!"

The cyborg cried out, his head turning wildly as if he were trying to get away, but without arms or legs there was no way for him to get away from the Jedi's influence. "I will tell you where Luke is," He finally conceded, his voice tight with pain. Anakin waited, though he still kept his hand outstretched. "He's with Ventress. She had her own plane. She was going to take him back to Palpatine. That's all I know, I swear!"

Most of that was already information Anakin knew, and it didn't help him in the least. Still, Grievous' mind was now practically an open book, and Anakin could feel that the cyborg was telling them the truth. He could feel Obi-Wan's and Ahsoka's realization of that fact as well, and both of them turned to him questioningly. "Where is Palpatine?" He asked, his voice low. He didn't use the Force. Not yet. The mind trick's effects were still working on Grievous, though it wouldn't hold for much longer.

"He's on the move. Constantly. Only the highest officials know where he is at any given time. I was never given that information." Again, Anakin sensed that he was telling the truth, and it was nothing more than what they had already long suspected. The mind trick was going to wear off. He had time for just one more question.

"Who has been helping Palpatine with resources to do all of this?" This was a question that he knew they didn't have any information on. Before, Palpatine had used his connections with the U.S. government to build the resources he had. Now that he was a wanted man and on the run, it had always seemed strange to the Jedi that he had resources to pay men like Grievous to do his dirty work.

"He…he has men all over the world." The mind trick was beginning to wear off, and Grievous was struggling with the words. "He has allies with multiple governments. They provide him with safe houses, money, supplies and provisions, and even," He hesitated, really fighting on this one, "Soldiers. Enough to build an army, completely loyal to him."

This, Anakin and the Jedi did not know. He glanced at Obi-Wan in alarm, saw the grave expression on his friend's face, and knew that Obi-Wan was also surprised. They had assumed Palpatine just had hired goons to do his dirty work. But an army?! Suddenly, Palpatine's plans didn't just seem to be centered on destroying Anakin and his family. No. They suddenly realized, with dawning horror, it was much, much bigger than that...far bigger than they had ever anticipated. He wasn't just satisfied with revenge. Oh, no. It was worse...far, far worse...

Palpatine wanted the whole world. He was seeking global domination and subjugation!

"What countries are these men coming from?" Anakin demanded, suddenly desperate for answers. If Luke was being taken to Palpatine, and he turned Luke to the Dark Side, that world domination-plan might actually work. Suddenly, Anakin understood the true gravity of this situation…It wasn't just about saving Luke alone...No, this was also about saving the billions of people on Earth from this tyrannical Dark Side despot who was hell-bent on seizing control of the entire planet!

"Tell me!" He roared.

But, the trick had worn off. Grievous glared. "You'll get nothing more from me, Jedi-Scum!" He hissed. Anakin debated on trying the mind trick again, but this time Grievous was ready for it. He could feel Grievous preparing himself for it. Anakin knew that he could break that defense by taking the mind trick a step further and completely invading his mind, pulling the answers out himself, but that was the way of the Dark Side. He had sworn never to cross that line again. He doubted he would ever join Palpatine again, even if he ever did become a Sith once more…

But two Sith Lords with very different agendas fighting one another…Force, it could tear this world apart! He had seen firsthand what it had done to their old galaxy when Maul had returned and tried to take the galaxy for himself while Palpatine had also been slowly taking the galaxy over. Ugly and wretched were understatements to describe the outcome of that debacle.

So, Anakin dropped his hand, going to his lightsaber. He glanced at Obi-Wan, his fellow Grandmaster. Do we end it? He asked through their Force connection, arching his eyebrows questioningly.

We can't risk Grievous escaping and returning to join Palpatine. With both Grievous and Ventress, Palpatine would be that much harder to take down. Not to mention the damage Grievous has already done to our families. Obi-Wan replied, and for once, he didn't sound disapproving of the death. Instead, he was calmly in agreement of the decreed punishment. He had fully accepted the need for Grievous' death, and was more than willing to carry it out. Shall I, or would you like to carry it out?

I'll do it. I have a promise to keep. Obi-Wan silently nodded. He would be lying if he thought he said that because he wanted a little bit of revenge, not only for Mindy's death, but for what Grievous had done to help his son get kidnapped. But like Obi-Wan, there was even more of him that wanted to do it solely to make sure the cyborg couldn't bring more harm to his family or the Jedi Order. "Grievous," Anakin said, turning back to the creature. "For your crimes against the Jedi Order and for the crimes you have committed against those they strive to protect on this planet: We hereby sentence you to death."

Grievous snarled, though Anakin saw a flicker of fear in those golden eyes. There was nowhere to run. Anakin wondered if this had been Palpatine's plan all along. It wouldn't surprise him. Palpatine had never trusted Grievous like he had his actual apprentices. If the Emperor had no more use for the cyborg, he would give him over to his enemies almost as a gift, a way to make his enemies feel like they'd achieved a victory when in fact, it was hollow and meaningless.

Perhaps this was exactly that. A ruse. A hollow victory. Still, Anakin felt no guilt whatsoever when igniting his lightsaber, looking the cyborg straight in the eye, and plunging it straight through Grievous' chest. Grievous howled for a split moment, but the light left those golden eyes, and he went limp. Without the life in his eyes, he looked almost like a deactivated droid: Useless, lonely, and pathetically sad.

For a moment, the three Jedi stood there in silence. Anakin retracted his saber and returned it to his belt. Turning to Ahsoka, he ordered, "Snips, you, Peter, and Will take that," he gestured with his hand toward Grievous, "and melt it down completely. Make sure nothing is left of it. I'm going to go get the plane ready." He finished speaking, turning around to leave.

"But, SkyGuy, we still have no idea where he was taken." Ahsoka reminded him, turning to follow. "And now he could be guarded by an army…"

"I don't care!" Anakin snapped, whirling back to face his fellow Jedi. "That is my son out there! I don't care if I have to fight the entire world. I will find him, and I will bring him back home!" He glanced at Obi-Wan, glaring, as if daring him to object. In the past, Obi-Wan would have warned Anakin about attachments, and likely would have counseled Anakin to let go and leave Luke to the "will of the Force."

But, Anakin had long since learned when to let go, and had done so when appropriate over recent years. This was not the case. This was his son. Luke was his responsibility to protect and love. This was his family. He couldn't just sit around and wait for a solid lead. Every second they delayed brought Luke closer to Palpatine, and after what Grievous had just told them about Palpatine's private army, bringing Luke home was even more imperative than ever.

Obi-Wan knew this, and now that he was a father himself, the response he would have given Anakin a long time ago was no longer the same advice he would give now. "You won't be doing it alone. I'm coming with you."

"Then I will, too." Ahsoka said, stepping forward.

Anakin was already shaking his head. "Sorry, Snips, not this time."

Ahsoka frowned, taken aback. "But, why?" She demanded, "You could use my help!"

"I know we could." Anakin agreed, "But right now, even though I have Jedi protecting both my family and Obi-Wan's, they're not as experienced as you are. After…after everything that's happened over the last few days, I'd feel a lot more secure knowing you were here to oversee the protection our families. We need a fully fledged, fully trained, combat ready Jedi Master here at Headquarters, Snips."

She looked like she was about to argue, but after considering his reasoning, she relented. "Fine. But don't hesitate to contact me if you need more help."

"We will." Obi-Wan assured her with a tight smile. "Thank you." Anakin nodded and turned back around, his mind already beginning to work on strategies that could be used in helping find Luke, but as he walked back into the hallway, he felt it.

I'm sorry, Dad.

Anakin froze, every muscle tightening. He knew that voice. Luke. It was clear, but distant, and Anakin could sense the pain, the anguish in just that brief touch. It almost knocked the breath out of him, and he had to put a steadying hand on the wall to keep himself from sinking to his knees.

Wherever he was, Luke was in severe pain. Not just emotional, but physical pain. It was enough to cause anger and worry to rush through him, and his hands curled into fists. He wanted to blindly run to his plane, hunt these monsters down, and kill them for hurting his son. His son! How dare they even think of hurting him!

But he forced himself to take deep breaths as the feeling of his son's mind began to slip away, his own presence reaching out and latching onto the trace just as the feeling disappeared…

Leaving behind a faint, but just barely discernable sense of where the bond had originated from. It felt almost like an inner compass, shaky, but pointing in the general direction of where his son was. How could he have been so dumb? He realized with a shock—he'd had the ability to find his son all along. Their bond had always been strong, stronger than most bonds with perhaps the exception of Luke's bond with Leia. As long as Luke didn't purposefully hide his presence, Anakin could track him down.

"…Skyguy?" Ahsoka's voice brought him out of his trance, though he still held a firm grip on that bond through the Force.

He blinked, focusing, to find Obi-Wan and Ahsoka there, concerned looks on their faces. "Are you alright, Anakin?" Obi-Wan asked cautiously.

"I'm fine," Anakin's voice was raspy and breathless, "Better than fine." A slow but grim smile began to spread across his face. "I think I know how to find Luke."


Ventress waited on the deck of the ship, watching as Darth Sidious' private plane rolled to a stop at the end of the runway. Her black cloak whipped around her, the wind pushing it against her. She hated being on this ship, especially on the deck. It was always infernally windy, and she hated the salty brine smell that came with it. She wished her Master would hurry up and get off the plane so that they could go back into the cramped quarters of the ship below and away from the outside elements.

He would not appreciate her impatience, however, so she remained still, watching as the steps lowered and her Master carefully descended from the plane to the deck of the ship. He, too, was cloaked in black, though the wind didn't seem to be bothering him as much as it did her.

Perhaps he was using the Force to block some of it.

He spotted her and leisurely made his way towards her, his posture almost one of taking a pleasant stroll. He never did anything quickly. People waited on him, not the other way around, and they most certainly never rushed him. So, she silently waited, forcing herself to be patient, until finally he approached, and she knelt before him on one knee. "Master." She greeted, bowing her head, forcing her voice to be reverent. Maybe it would have been easier to be reverent if he would just take her on as his apprentice, not merely his assassin.

"Rise, Ventress." His voice was carefully neutral, not betraying his thoughts. She winced before she stood—that was never a good sign. But then again, him coming out of his hiding spot to personally come meet the Skywalker boy was definitely not a good sign. "Bring me to the boy."

"Yes, Master." She turned and began to walk back to the ship, Sidious close on her heels. Once they had entered the ship, and she began the long trek through claustrophobic hallways and doors to the lower level detention cells, Sidious finally spoke. "I thought I had made myself clear when I said to kill the Skywalker family, Ventress."

She hesitated. She had a feeling his personal visit had to do with her decision to take the boy instead of kill him. "He is strong in the Force, Master," She began, "I thought he might be a good addition to…"

"He is probably too old to turn now!"

Sidious interrupted, the annoyance finally shining through his voice. "I'll have to kill him myself."

Truth be told, she wasn't fully sure why she'd taken the boy in the first place. Her orders to eliminate the Skywalker family had been clear. But, something about the boy had called to her. Perhaps it was because of his bravery in standing up for his mother. Perhaps it was because the thought of Sidious turning the boy to the Dark Side and against the rest of his family...specifically his father...amused her. Or, perhaps she'd done it because she was tired of doing everything exactly as her master told her to and getting little in return.

Now that she had taken him and had realized just how strong in the Force he really was, she wanted to try to make her blunder into an advantage for her Master...and herself. It would certainly lessen any punishment she would likely receive otherwise. "There may still be a chance, Master. It's risky, but I believe, given the circumstances, it might work."

That made Sidious pause, and though she couldn't feel his emotions through the Force (he was much too careful...and powerful...for that), she imagined that he was, at least, curious. She had certainly gotten his attention. "What circumstances?" His voice was guarded, but grudgingly intrigued. She tried not to smile.

"He shot his mother." Sidious stopped, and she stopped to turn back to meet his golden eyes. "He was trying to protect her. He would have shot me, but he ended up shooting her instead. She may or may not be dead now," She shrugged, "But it wouldn't be too hard to convince him that he killed her."

Sidious was silent, watching her while processing this. She secretly felt thrilled to know something he didn't. It was, after all, a rarity. She made certain not to show that on her face, however. "I see," He finally murmured.

"Furthermore," she continued, "I've worked on softening him up. He hasn't had food or drink since he arrived, and I had the men beat him." It was simple interrogation tactics that they used all the time. Soften the prisoner up first, and then begin the real interrogation when the prisoner was weak and unable to resist their interrogator. This wasn't exactly the same situation, but she knew that if this was going to work, it was the best method to get it to work. "Perhaps…"

Sidious raised a hand, cutting her off. Though most of his face was shadowed under the hood and the dim light of the corridor, she could see that he was working out a plan in his head. "You might have actually done something right after all for once, Ventress," he finally conceded. "I have an idea that just might work."

"And, if it doesn't?" Ventress asked.

A cold, malevolent smile spread across her master's face, causing a chill to run up her own spine. "Then it will kill him, and I won't be inconvenienced either way." There was a sort of anticipation surrounding him now...One that made her skin crawl. "Show me to the boy."


The door to his cell opened, and two soldiers thudded into the room, their boots unbearably loud after having heard nothing but the ship's hum for who knew how long. He hadn't moved since they'd last thrown him in there, and he didn't move as they came towards him. He didn't care. They'd already taken everything from him. His mom. His dad. His family. His home. The Jedi. His dignity. What else could they take from him?

They yanked him up from the floor by his armpits, not caring that he involuntarily jerked in pain, and dragged him out between them, his bare feet dragging across the hard cold floor. He winced at the sudden movement of muscles that he hadn't moved since he'd been beaten. For the first time, he realized how truly sore they were, and as he was pulled into the dim light of the hallway, he squeezed his eyes against the sudden light.

Now that he was upright, he realized just how much he didn't feel good. He still had yet to eat, though he wasn't sure how long the food would have lasted with the way the ship was rocking. He knew he was bruised, dirty, and covered in dried blood. He wanted nothing more than to be put back in the room so that he could lie there and forget all of that. But the men dragged him through hallway after hallway, and he quickly lost track of where they'd gone, until they finally reached their destination.

They tied Luke to a chair in a smaller, darkened room with only one light above that swayed and creaked with the rolling ship. Once they were sure that he was secured, they left, slamming the thick metal door behind them and leaving Luke alone in the room.

Or, so he thought.

"Luke Skywalker," an unfamiliar, gravelly voice rasped from the shadows. Weakly, Luke reached out with the Force to try to find the source of the voice. First, to his displeasure, he sensed the woman, watching him from the corner. But then he felt the presence of someone or something else. Whoever it was didn't feel human to Luke—how could anyone be filled with so much hate and anger?! It almost felt like a mass of total darkness rather than a person.

"We meet at last."

A cloaked figure stepped into the meager light, standing over him. All Luke could make out in the dim lighting were two golden eyes, staring unblinkingly down at him. For a moment, Luke was stunned into speechlessness. "W-Who are you?" Luke eventually stammered, squirming a little against his bonds. This…person didn't feel right to him.

For whatever reason, Luke's question seemed to please the man. "Your father never told you of me?" He asked, and Luke frowned, trying to remember if his dad had ever told him about creepy golden-eyed guys in hoods. He couldn't remember that…

"My name is Darth Sidious."

Oh. That Luke knew. "He made you up." He frowned, "In a bedtime story. You were mean to our family in the story."

That got a brittle laugh that was more of a cackle than anything else. It sounded so evil it made the hair on Luke's arms and legs stand on end. "Oh no, my dear boy, I am no bedtime story. I am, in fact, all too real." He paused, his golden eyes narrowing. "And now, I am your master."

Uneasiness settled into Luke's stomach while his mind swirled with confusion. "No," He began hesitantly, "My dad is going to be my master…he's going to teach me the ways of the Force."

Sidious scoffed. "And do you think your father would want to mentor you now? After you killed your own mother?"

Every muscle in Luke's body stiffened. "She's…not dead." Even to his own ears, he didn't sound sure, because, truthfully, he wasn't sure.

Sidious shook his head with a sigh. "Poor, naïve little Jedi. I have agents all over the world. I had them check on your mother, but by the time they arrived, she had already died. Tragic. To be killed by her own son…"

Luke began to breathe hard, not wanting to listen anymore to the man. He squirmed in earnest against the ropes. He didn't even want to be near him. The darkness the man emitted seemed to reach out and swallow everything around him...like those black holes in outer space he'd learned about in science class. "I didn't…I didn't mean to…"

"Oh, I believe you," Sidious said, "But, will your father, I wonder? He was ever so in love with her." Sidious' expression grew mocking.

Luke shook his head, willing with all of his might for Sidious to just go away. He even tried to use the Force, but with Sidious' powerful dark presence surrounding him, choking him, it was hard to maintain control over any of it. "You're…you're a bad guy!" He hissed through clenched teeth. "Bad guys lie!"

Sidious snorted in contempt. "That may be true." He agreed, "But, you will believe me. Of that, I assure you."

"No," Luke began again, shaking his head and glaring up at the hooded figure, opening his mouth to protest more. Instead, Sidious raised a pale, wrinkled hand, outstretching it towards Luke. "What…?" Luke began, but that's all he managed to get out before his head exploded with pain.

It felt as if cold hands had somehow reached into his head, ripped opened his brain, and began to draw out each memory that he had to examine it. He saw himself and Leia playing in the backyard with Jedi and Artoo. He saw his parents, his dad looking at his mom like she ruled his world. He saw his dad showing him how to fix things, saw his dad giving him and Leia plastic lightsabers to play with. Every birthday. Every happy moment, sad moment, even the boring moments.

All of it flashed before his eyes.

Then, the pain began intensifying, the memories began to morph and change. No longer were there happy memories. Some memories disappeared entirely, while others changed into something completely different. Each change that was created felt like a dagger was being stabbed repeatedly into his head, and he couldn't even see reality anymore. Just those changing memories.

It seemed to take years. Distantly, Luke was aware that someone was screaming—that he was screaming, squirming, trying to get away from the hand that was causing this pain to happen. But finally, as he reached the memories of him killing his mother, the pain began to crescendo, new memories forming in his head, until finally…

The world went black, and as he fell into the dark oblivion, the new memories swirling and throbbing in his brain, he felt something within him snap, something important, something…

He couldn't remember what, and darkness swallowed him, claiming him, before he could care enough to figure out what had just happened.


"Are you picking anything up, Artoo?" Anakin called back. Artoo was right behind them in the cockpit of the plane, scanning the area for any sign of anything unusual, such as an unscheduled plane, or stray radio signals. So far, there had been absolutely nothing, and Anakin and Obi-Wan had just begun flying over California.

Artoo mournfully beeped a negative, and Anakin sighed. "Okay. Keep trying, Buddy."

"Are you getting anything?" Obi-Wan asked, glancing at Anakin from his place in the co-pilot's seat.

Anakin reached into the Force and found his Force-bond with his son, giving it a soft tug. "If the bond is correct, we should still be on the right course." He frowned. "Though it still seems far away…"

"It will probably stay that way until we actually get near him." Obi-Wan warned. "But, don't worry. We'll find him." Anakin hoped so. He concentrated on the bond again, trying to get an idea for what Luke was going through. He knew that he shouldn't—he couldn't do anything to stop the conditions. Not yet. But when he did find Ventress…

His grip tightened on the plane's controls, and he had to take several steadying breaths. "It will be alright, Anakin," Obi-Wan said, noticing his friend's distress. "Luke is stronger than he seems."

"I know," Anakin managed to say tightly, "But, he's still just a kid, a kid who only barely started his Jedi training. He's no match for Ventress, and especially not Palpatine."

Obi-Wan couldn't argue with that, and fell silent, leaving Anakin to once again try to feel what his son was feeling. So far, most of it had been a sort of numbness. Anakin wasn't sure if that was a blessing, or if it was terrifying. He wasn't sure what he would find when he found his son again, but…

Suddenly, he felt pain. Intensely severe physical pain. Far more than an ache, it made Anakin clench his jaw. "Luke is in pain."

Obi-Wan glanced at his friend. "I think you shouldn't be dwelling so much…"

"But, I can feel it, Obi-Wan. Now that I'm focusing on the bond, I can feel what he's feeling and…" he trailed off in shock as Luke was suddenly wrapped and enveloped in darkness, a darkness that was filled with so much malice and evil that Anakin swore. "Palpatine! Obi-Wan, Palpatine is there! With Luke!"

Now, it was Obi-Wan's turn to curse. "So much for finding him before Palpatine gets him," he muttered under his breath, but Anakin wasn't listening anymore. He continued to focus on his son, trying to figure out what exactly was going on based on the emotions that were going through the bond, when suddenly….

Anakin cried out, letting go of the controls to grasp his head in his hands, as almost unbearable pain lashed out through his mind. "Anakin?" He could distantly hear Obi-Wan ask, and Artoo's worried chortle from behind him. "Artoo, put the plane in auto pilot…"

"N-No," Anakin struggled to get out as he forced himself to build a shield between Luke and himself, cutting off some of the pain so that he could at least see and think. He still felt his bond, felt the pain his son was in, but not enough that it was overwhelming to him. "Palaptine is doing something to him…something I don't recognize."

"Describe it." Obi-Wan said, watching Anakin like he expected Anakin to drop at any moment.

"It's….it's like he's forcefully going through his memories," Anakin himself had never had that happen to him, but he had done that to others on occasion as Darth Vader. "But…but this is different, somehow. Like…"

He never finished his sentence, because suddenly, the Force bond, the bond that had been there essentially since Vader had dueled Luke on Bespin in their old galaxy, the bond that had rekindled at the re-birth of his son in this world, severed.

And it was gone. Completely, utterly, totally.

Now, it was Anakin who gasped, clutching at his chest, his vision going black as he slumped to the side. He could distantly hear Obi-Wan frantically ordering Artoo to put the plane on auto pilot, felt Obi-Wan's hands as he caught him and eased him out of the chair and onto the floor…

But, his vision was black. His son…he couldn't feel him. It wasn't like death—no, that bond would have stayed, even had his son died.

It was simply gone, vanished. As if it had never existed.

He felt as if a part of himself had been ripped away from him. He couldn't breathe. He felt as if he were having a heart attack. He could vaguely feel Obi-Wan frantically trying to bring him back to consciousness, but instead Anakin slipped further and further into unconsciousness.

Just before he succumbed to the numbness of the darkness, he managed to weakly gasp out, "Luke…bond….it's gone…."

And everything faded away.

Including any hope of finding his son.


Fast update, I know, but my Beta got the edit done faster than I expected, so why not?

This situation is one that I don't think I'll be able to please everyone, and for that, I apologize. However, I have put Anakin in a very difficult, painful situation. His son is kidnapped, his wife shot, his daughter distraught... no one wants to be in that situation. It means that Anakin will have to make a lot of hard choices, choices that don't really have a right or wrong answer because either way whatever choice he makes is going to seriously suck. To add on to that, Anakin is a passionate person, with a deep bond to both his wife and Luke. Relationships, especially romantic and familial ones, are complex, with tons of different approaches to making them work. I think if this situation were to have happened in canon...I honestly can't say for sure who Anakin would go to first, because, like I said, he cares deeply about everyone in his family to the point of almost obsession. But the challenge when approaching a situation like this is this: either it can bring a family closer together, or it can tear them apart. If I don't approach this very carefully, the latter would logically happen, and no one wants that. Just know that my goal is to ultimately strengthen the characters and their relationships, and that there are many routes to do that, but I can't pick all of those routes.

The song for this chapter is "I Can't See You Anymore" By James Horner from The Amazing Spiderman.

Review!

Love,

Sarah