He was sure the proverbial steam was visible, rolling off his head in a cloud of barely suppressed fury. Taking some deep breaths in, he tried to calm down, but damn, it was hard.

Anakin almost couldn't remember the last time he'd been this angry. Almost. It'd certainly been a long time….Close to twenty years ago, actually...the one time that Padme had been out on a date with another man, and that thug had attacked her. Or, maybe the day that Ventress had attacked his family at their home when the twins were eight and Hayden a newborn. Yeah. Either of those times, but he'd not felt this level of anger since then.

And, he didn't like it one bit. It reminded him too much of his days as Vader, and he certainly didn't want to go there with his own kids. Though, this stunt could almost qualify for some Dark Side punishment. Yeah, if anything qualified for that, this would be it, he fumed to himself silently.

When he'd felt the danger Luke and Leia were both in a few hours before, he'd checked down their bond and found they were clear across the city going after Ventress, of all people! With only Mara and Solo and the Wook-….eh, Bacca, or whatever the hell they called him here, for backup. In hindsight, he should have known Luke was in a foul enough mood to go off and do something stupid. Just like this. He was a Skywalker, after all. Hot-headed stunts were in their DNA, apparently. It's what he might have done in his shoes back in their old galaxy (and had done, on more than one occasion, as Obi-Wan could testify to). But, he'd decided to give him some space, allow him to digest what they'd tried to tell him about his past before approaching him again to discuss the issue. But, it wasn't just Luke in danger, but Leia, too, and now that they were safe and in his ship, he was pissed as hell, and cursed in Huttese silently to himself.

He blew out several hard breaths, his nostrils flaring. Vaguely, he wondered if his eyes had unknowingly tinged yellow. He hoped not. Glancing in the rearview mirror, he was relieved to see they weren't. Still blue….dark, midnight blue, maybe, but blue nonetheless. Good. He was a Jedi Grandmaster. Tiptoeing into the Dark Side wouldn't be the wisest thing for him to do right now.

No matter how much he might be tempted to.

Instead, he kept his mouth shut, hands gripping the controls so tightly, his knuckles turned white. In his head, Leia was explaining through their Force bond what happened. She, like Luke, could see and feel how angry he was, but unlike Luke, who was currently assuring Mara everything was fine (for both Mara and Solo's ships had shown up just as they were leaving the rooftop and were now following them), Leia was explaining to her dad why she hadn't come to him immediately when she'd found out where Luke was going.

Dad, I've gone after him so many times with just Han and Chewie with me...y'know, in our old galaxy. It's what we've always done—gone after each other when we're in trouble, consequences be damned. It was just instinct, and I'm sorry. She finished telling him, and his grip tightened even further to the point where his hands ached. He understood the reasoning. Really. He did. In fact, he'd used that exact instinct himself, as Vader, to his advantage back on Bespin in one of those daring rescues they all seemed to somehow get sucked into. But, that wasn't the point here. The point now was that they weren't alone anymore. They had a whole team of Jedi to help them…

The landing pad behind their home came into view, and Anakin prepared the ship for landing. Anakin. Obi-Wan said through their Force bond, his voice full of concern. You need to calm down.

No doubt he looked ready to go full-Darth-Vader on his kids. He wouldn't, of course, (he checked his eyes one more time in the mirror. Yep, still blue) but it really had been a very long time since he'd been this angry. He'd been terrified, of course—and determined to help bring down Ventress as well. They might have done so, too, if Ventress hadn't shot down the speeder his children had been in. Choosing between capturing Ventress and saving his children had been a no brainer—he'd chosen his children. Once he was sure they were safe and unharmed, thanks to Luke's quick thinking and natural in-born Skywalker abilities, his terror had turned to full-on fury. I'm fine, Obi-Wan. I'm pissed as all get out, but I'm still in control. He assured his best friend and co-Jedi Grandmaster, who simply gave him a dubious look, as he gently pulled on his beard in that classic contemplative way he had.

Seriously. I got this. Ok? Anakin turned to give Obi-Wan a pointed look, and the older Jedi simply nodded. He was a father, too. He understood.

Of course, he'd asked Obi-Wan to come with him. If he was going to get into a fight with Ventress, he had no better person he could think of to cover his back. On the way to finding Luke and Leia, while Artoo had monitored police frequencies with last known locations of his children, Obi-Wan had monitored the aerial footage of the high-speed chase—at least until Ventress and Luke had lost the police and their ships. Obi-Wan had whistled, impressed despite the grim situation. "He definitely takes after you in the skies, Anakin…like that time you sent us careening through the Coruscant skies in a stolen speeder after that shapeshifter who tried to kill Padme. Remember?" Anakin snorted and flicked a glare over at his friend. Obi-Wan raised his eyebrows and smirked, "At least he hasn't thrown himself out of the speeder yet. Just saying."

Yeah, he might have been proud by that comparison. After all, flying came as naturally to a Skywalker as breathing, but at the moment, with the information they'd discovered about Luke not having a license to fly, and the natural conclusion he had figured out on his own, he couldn't really feel much pride at all. In fact, it only added to his fury.

He landed the ship, clicking the droid-socket release as he got out. He didn't bother turning around—he knew Obi-Wan and his children were following suit. Padme stood waiting where he'd left her on the landing pad, hands on her hips, tapping her right foot on the ground, her mouth pressed into a thin line. He watched her look their twins over once to make sure they were safe, before the worry fled her eyes to be replaced with just as much fury as he was feeling. He could feel it rolling off his wife in waves. Behind him, he felt his wife's tsunami of vexation slam into the twins through the Force. They both had the good grace to wince. Obi-Wan wisely said nothing; though, he felt Padme's anger, too. Oh, Yes….the Skywalker twins were in very big trouble. Probably grounded for the rest of their lives, kind of trouble. Anakin had still been talking to her about their failed conversation with Luke when he'd sensed the danger they were in. She hadn't hesitated in telling him to go after them. Now, they were home, and Mama was as pissed off as Dad was.

This wasn't going to be pretty.

He approached Padme, leaning close, first giving her a quick kiss; he then spoke directly in her ear. "They're safe, Angel, but I think it's best if we talk to them separately." He whispered. They'd done this tactic many, many times before when the twins were young. They had a tendency to defend one another if they were together while they were getting reprimanded.
Padme nodded, just barely, looking up into his eyes.

"Right. I'll take Leia." She gave him a knowing look with a quirk of one eyebrow, and his jaw tightened as he recalled their conversation before he'd sensed the danger. He'd expressed his worry that he was just making things worse with Luke, and that maybe he should let her take the lead in helping their son.

"That's not a suggestion I ever thought I'd hear you say." Padme had said, worry in her eyes as she brushed his cheek tenderly with her fingers.

She was right. He never gave up on people he cared about. It wasn't in his nature. "I don't know what else to do, Angel." He felt defeated, and if stepping away to give Luke space was what Luke needed, he'd do it.

But Padme, his dear, sweet Angel, had looked him right in the eye and firmly said, "I will do no such thing. While you know how much I love him, and while I know he currently has complicated feelings about you, your bond with him has always been and will always be deeper than anything I could ever imagine - or aspire to. What you two went through together—that's the kind of bond that surpasses space and time and reason. I can help as much as I can, and you know that I will, but I think, in this instance, Honey, the person he needs to hear from is you. Besides, you understand what he's going through more than I ever could, both as a man and through the Force, whether he chooses to believe that or not."

So, when Padme suggested taking Leia, even though their daughter was still his Padawan and really he should have been reprimanding her as not only her father, but her Jedi Master, Anakin nodded, letting Padme take the lead there. "Alright, I'll take Luke."

Padme sighed. "May the Force be with you, Ani." And, he knew she meant it. Force knew he needed it.

Why did parenting have to be so hard, and why did he suddenly feel so old?

"Mr. Skywalker!" Anakin cringed, before turning around to find Solo running over. Already, Leia's face had gone beet red, and he could tell Leia had not asked or wanted Solo to do whatever stupid thing he was most certainly about to do. "This is my fault, Sir." Han said earnestly when he approached. "I'm the one who asked Leia to come. I told her not to ask you to come—"

"Han!" Leia hissed. "Shut up!"

"What?" Han frowned at her, "It's true…"

"Solo." Anakin ground out a warning from between gritted teeth, his hands clenched into fists at his side. Mara was also now approaching the group, and if she tried to start throwing her two cents in as to why he shouldn't be upset with Luke, he might just explode and start Force-choking someone anyway. "Back off and let me parent my underage children."

Han opened his mouth to argue further, but Mara put a hand on his arm. "Let's go, Han. This is a private family matter, and Skywalker Sr isn't going to choke the life out of his own children...at least not at the moment." She gave him a sardonic look before she forcibly pulled Solo away. Obi-Wan, in apparent quiet agreement that this was a private family matter, turned and walked across the pathway to the fence, opening the gate and going through to the Jedi compound, closing the gate with a soft click behind him.

Anakin narrowed his eyes in annoyance and ground his teeth so hard at Mara's jab, his head began to pound. "Luke." He barked in his deep baritone, turning around to face his firstborn. "This way." He didn't wait. He didn't bother to turn around to check that Luke was following. The message was clear: He expected Luke to follow. No messing around.

And follow Luke did, with Artoo close on his heels, until Anakin had reached his workshop in the back of the yard. Vaguely, Anakin (and Luke) registered Padme's clipped orders of, "Come with me, young lady," to Leia, followed by the sound of Padme's heels clicking sharply against the stones of the patio along with the shuffling of Leia's softer footfalls, then the opening and closing of the kitchen French doors. Knowing his wife had their daughter firmly in control (and that his discussion with her as his Padawan would come later), Anakin said not a word until he had reached his desk along the back wall, which was littered with machine parts and plans, and Luke had closed the door after him. Anakin still didn't say anything as Artoo rolled to his side and let out a low moan of concern. "Artoo." Anakin finally said in a low, barely controlled voice. "Pull up footage from tonight's escapade."

Artoo chirped obediently, and when Anakin finally turned around to face his son, his hands now on his hips, Artoo was projecting the footage from the news. For a moment, both he and Luke watched it in silence, and Anakin crossed his arms over his chest as he watched that speeder make maneuvers even experienced pilots wouldn't dare. Yes, he might have been proud, and maybe one day he might look back at this footage and feel that sense of parental pride, but that day wasn't today, and right now, he was looking at footage that showed a million different ways that he could have lost both of his twins...forever. As a father, that upset him to his very core. "Explain, Luke." The words were an order.

Luke's eyes were shadowed as he carefully responded, "I got into a high-speed chase with Ventress. That I might've won if you hadn't interfered…"

Anakin closed his eyes, counting backwards from ten. Force, Luke was testing his ability to keep the Dark Side of himself leashed. Opening his eyes, he pierced his son with a stern look. "It was a trap, Luke. Ventress would have led you straight into a waiting ambush...a group of very heavily armed Inquisitor ships. Obi-Wan and I ran into them on the way there." Those kids didn't know what hit them. They hadn't expected him to be the excellent flier that he was. He'd not only outmaneuvered them, but he'd also shot out their ships in such a way that it would merely lead to a controlled crash landing. He'd had his Jedi waiting, under Galen's lead, for just such an occurrence, and the Jedi were ready and waiting to go pick them up and take them back to the Jedi compound. "You would have either been shot down and killed, or you and your sister would now be her prisoners. Obviously, I'm not keen on losing either of you again." Anakin continued to stare hard at his son, letting this information sink in.

Luke shifted where he stood and fell silent at that, and Anakin could feel that Luke realized he was right, but was still fighting against admitting it. Stubborn, stubborn boy. It was like both his and Padme's stubbornness had combined and been infused in both of their twins...in some kinda mega-dose of pigheadedness. Frustrating was an understatement in dealing with it, with them. "I had it under control." Luke insisted. "I had Han and Mara coming to help me—"

"And, if they'd been too late?!" Anakin interrupted, his fists clenching. "I got there before your friends did! And, you didn't even have a license, Luke! Have you even gotten flying lessons?!" Luke was silent, a confirmation of his father's suspicions. "Just as I thought. So," Anakin started ticking off on his fingers his son's sins from this escapade,"you engaged in a high speed chase through downtown Houston, endangering yourself and your sister, not to mention all the other innocent fliers on the skyway and the unfortunate innocent pedestrians on the ground under you, and you knowingly did it without any flight experience whatsoever! What the HELL were you thinking?!" Anakin practically shouted the last comment at his son.

"I was thinking that it was time to bring Ventress down." Luke replied scathingly. "At least Han and Mara have been out there looking for her while we just…sit here! Palpatine is out there, and I'm not keen on letting him get the first blow on us again, unlike you, apparently!"

"That's where you're wrong, Luke! I have been trying to find them as well, and fine, I'll admit that, at least in this world, I'm not as familiar with how Palpatine may be moving about. But, I might be able to help a whole lot more if you'd just work with me, dammit!"

"Well, excuse me for not wanting to throw my lot in with a guy who honestly believes we're reincarnated here from a different galaxy!" Luke snapped, crossing his own arms over his chest.

Anakin had had it. He'd been patient, and it didn't seem to be working. He was done holding back. "Son, the only reason...and I mean the ONLY reason...you're still alive tonight is because of all that flight experience you naturally remember from that previous life! Believe me, Luke, no one just knows how to fly a ship by instinct, much less survive a dog fight in the middle of a crowded city skyway!" Luke opened his mouth to argue, but Anakin pushed forward, ranting now. "How in the hell do you think flying comes so naturally to you? Hmm?...Why do you think things like assembling a fully complete lightsaber on the first try was even possible for you?"

"Wait, how did you…?" Luke frowned, trying to interrupt his father's tirade. Anakin ignored him.

"Why do you think Palpatine is after our family in particular? Huh? Why not go after all the other Force-sensitive families involved in the Jedi order, too? Why is he so hell-bent on taking down just the Skywalkers? Ever thought about that?!" Anakin turned around, his hands going to the rolled-up plans that he'd taken from Luke's room back in England when he'd gone off to explore it on his own while they waited for Luke to return. He turned around, unrolling it so that Luke could see what it was. "Do you know what this is?"

Luke frowned. "Hey, I've been looking—why do you have it?!"

Anakin ignored the question. "Answer me, Luke. What is this?"

"It's just a ship idea." Luke was flushed now. "It's just….I mean it's…."

"Did you see this design anywhere, at any time during your time with the Inquisitors?"

"Well, no, but…"

"This design is pretty detailed. It's not just a drawing, but rather it's accurate schematics. Can I assume you learned shipbuilding techniques with the Inquisitors?"

"Ah, well, no, but…." Luke was stammering now, trying to come up with a logical explanation that didn't involve the truth.

"Oh, so you just happen to know advanced engineering then. At seventeen. Without any engineering background or classes under your belt." Anakin shook his head and put the schematics gently on the desk again. "Luke, that's the schematics for an X-Wing fighter. It's the ship you piloted throughout the Rebellion against the Empire."

He almost missed Luke's flinch at the name. "N-no," Luke said tightly, shaking his head slowly, "It's just an idea. I probably picked things up from you. I mean, you're the guy who made all these ships possible, so…"

Anakin rolled his eyes. "That's a dumb excuse, and you know it. You might have inherited some of my skills, yes, but you didn't get my engineering and physics knowledge through osmosis. It doesn't work like that, and you know it." He sighed, turning around to face out the back window overlooking the stream that ran through the back of the property, trying to calm himself down. "I'm trying to help you, Luke. I know what it's like…."

"No, you don't!" Luke interrupted, anger in his voice now. "Just because you've made up stories of being this Darth Vader dude or whatever, that doesn't mean you know what it's like…"

"I'm telling you, I'm not lying, Luke!" and Artoo squeaked as the machinery on the table crunched simultaneously. "It's been years, years and another lifetime entirely, Luke, and I still dream about it almost every night. I remember betraying the Jedi order. I remember murdering them all. Adults and children...even babies...alike."

"Father…"

Anakin didn't stop. "Dammit, I remember using the Force to choke your pregnant mother! I remember the fear in people's eyes as I passed by. Monster, they called me, and I was a monster, vile, evil, full of hate, anger...I accepted it. I owned it. I killed people for merely annoying me."

"Father…." There was real alarm in Luke's voice, but Anakin didn't hear it, he was so caught up in the throes of memories that still haunted him.

"I killed whole cities of people with my own power. I ordered the destruction of many more. I stood aside as an entire planet was blown up and destroyed, your sister's planet to be precise. I held her back and made her watch it happen. I even cut off your hand…"

"DAD!" That snapped him out of it. Anakin whirled to find Luke gripping his head, his whole body shaking, skin pale as death. Heart dropping into his stomach, he rushed forward just in time to catch Luke before he passed out and collapsed.

Kriffing hells! He'd done this. He'd been so engrossed in trying to get Luke to believe him, he hadn't noticed Luke having flashes of old memories, causing that awful searing pain. Vokara's words rang in his ears, as he frantically reached through their Force bond, trying to assess Luke's condition. He was still having a vision, but what it was, Anakin couldn't tell.

He had to do something. He had to. Fast. Forcing himself to calm down, he reached out, probing the defenses Luke had weakly thrown up around his mind, looking for a way in. He wasn't sure what he was doing as he found a weakness in that mental wall, but it was better than just sitting there hoping that Luke would pull out of it with his mind still intact. So, taking a deep breath, Anakin dove into Luke's mind.

And found himself defending himself as Luke against the imposing figure of Darth Vader.


Luke had never had such a horrifying vision, nor one that felt so real. At first, he'd just been trapped in a dark, red and blue room. A figure swathed all in black stood atop some metal stairs, his breathing mechanical and loud through an emotionless mask. "The Force is with you, young Skywalker. But, you are not a Jedi yet." Vader had said.

Luke wanted nothing more than to run, to hide, to do anything except walk calmly towards the imposing figure. He certainly didn't want to ignite a blue lightsaber and prompt the figure before him to ignite his own red one.

Darth Vader. He recognized the description from his dad's crazy story from earlier that night. There was no mistaking it. Luke wasn't in control of his own body. He fought it, trying to escape the vision, causing his head to feel like splitting in two from the pain. But, there was no way to scream in pain, no way to release it as it built up within him, and he began fighting with the monster known as Vader.

And damn, he was doing it badly. Bravely, yeah, but badly just the same. Vader was toying with him. He wasn't even trying as Luke tried and tried to defeat him. He tried to make his body do the proper techniques, but Luke was helpless as Vader almost trapped him—but he wasn't done for. He escaped, and the battle continued. That wretched breathing echoed in his head, each breath making this pain worse and worse until he wanted nothing more than to give up and die.

The fight continued, until Vader literally broke open a window and sent Luke flying backwards out of it, sucked into a void from the depressurization. Luke could feel the sensation of falling, but he managed to grab onto an aerial walkway stretching over a massive expanse inside of what looked like a huge round building. He glanced down into the pit. It seemed to stretch forever and ever, growing dark near the bottom, and thankfully, his body agreed with him and climbed onto the walkway.

Great, Luke thought, good time to escape Vader. But no, dream Luke continued to be dumb and go looking for Vader. He entered a silent, triangular hallway, treading carefully, and…He ducked as a red lightsaber ignited and flashed at his head from within the darkness. And, as he once more faced Vader, he ignited his own lightsaber and began furiously defending himself, the pain in his mind escalating to be nearly unbearable, and at that moment, another presence joined his own in his head. Luke. His dad's voice. His dad's presence. Oh Force, this isI'm so sorry, Luke, I didn't realize….

He and Vader fought furiously across the walkway, lightsabers clashing, sparks flying as they hit the metal railings. What is this? He asked his dad. What's happening?!

A very, very bad memory. For both of us. His father responded darkly. In the vision, he fell backwards, and Vader had his lightsaber leveled at his chest. "You are beaten." The deep voice, not at all like his dad's, said. "It is useless to resist. Don't let yourself be destroyed as Obi-Wan did." That seemed to piss off dream Luke, and he wildly fought back, getting onto his feet.

I'm going to try to pull you out…and Luke felt a tug on his own presence, and he screamed as he felt like he was being torn apart. The tugging immediately stopped. Shit. Luke, I didn't want...I didn't mean for you to see this now…or ever, honestly.

In the vision, Luke managed to hit Vader's shoulder with the lightsaber, causing Vader to yelp in…not pain, but annoyed surprise. What the hell? That should have done more damage than that! Luke said, alarmed, to his dad.

Yeah, well, uh, lightsaber resistant armor, y'know. It does have its perks. But his dad didn't sound happy at all. Have you tried to wake up?

I can't. Luke said miserably as Vader suddenly attacked ferociously at him, and…Vision Luke screamed as his hand was cut off, both the hand and lightsaber falling into the pit below. Luke felt the pain of that slice as vividly as if it really happened to him, and from the pained cry from his dad, he knew his dad had felt it, too.

Luke...I'm so, so sorry. And there was so much pain in his father's voice, Luke knew he meant it. But, even as dream Luke looked up, listened to whatever words Vader was saying, the pain in his head escalated, and… No. Listen to my voice. And he felt his father's presence enveloping him, shielding him, and the pain began to recede. Clear your mind. Don't resist the vision.

But…

Please don't argue. What's about to happen—it was traumatic. And my fault. And it's now my fault you have to see this again. If you want to come out of this with your mind intact, you need to do as I say and trust me.

Luke wanted to reject it. But as dream Luke began to climb away from Vader, something in the Force whispered to him to listen to his father. His very life depended on it. So, he did as his father said, clearing his head, reaching into the Force…where he found his father waiting to join him. "I'll never join you!" Dream Luke snarled at Vader. And, though Luke didn't want to say anything at all, for all he wanted was to leave…he accepted it, and allowed the dream to play out, his father's presence supporting him through what was about to happen.

"If you only knew the power of the Dark Side." A pause. "Obi-Wan never told you what happened to your father."

"He told me enough!" Luke tried to remember the stories his father told him as a child, trying to prepare…and he felt that searing pain again. No, let it happen. His dad didn't sound happy about it either. Reluctantly, Luke again cleared his mind. "He told me you killed him!"

"No. I am your father."

He felt dream Luke's shock and horror and disgust and disbelief clamor through his body. "No," he shook his head, eyes wide. "That's not true. That's impossible!"

"Search your feelings. You know it to be true!" And, Luke could feel that truth through the Force, both for dream Luke, and himself. And this time, it brought with it another truth. Earth shattering in its intensity.

This was real. All of it.

This…this really happened. To him. In another life. He'd fought his own father. His father had cut his hand off, had tried to strong arm him into joining the Sith to rule another galaxy. His father…his dad, who was still with him in his mind, giving him comfort and strength even though he could feel how miserable re-experiencing this was for him, how ashamed he was that he'd done this…Yes, his father had once been Darth Vader.

This was real. All of it.

And now, he was forced to accept that truth, the vision blurred, and both he and his father were being pulled out until….

He woke up on the floor of the workshop, in his dad's arms. They were both breathing hard, sweat running down their skin. And yet, as he looked up and met the blue eyes that matched his own…there was no pain. It was as if that too, were just a memory. "Why?" Luke croaked, his voice rough.

Hesitation. "I thought you were dead, Son. Palpatine told me I'd killed you and your mother when I Force choked her on Mustafar. When I found out you were alive…you gave me meaning again. I was determined to have you on my side to…"

"No," Luke interrupted, shaking his head. "Why are you helping me?"

His dad frowned in confusion. "What do you mean? Of course, I'd help you, you're my…"

"You didn't have to relive that. I could…I can feel how it opened old wounds for you. You could have left me alone in there, but you didn't. Why?" He truly wanted to know. Sure, he was his dad, but that fact hadn't stopped him from at one point cutting off his hand. So, the "I'm your dad" excuse didn't fit, not really.

His dad considered it all for a moment. "I tried to tell you earlier."

"I didn't listen then." Luke acknowledged. "But, I'm listening now."
His father continued to frown. "I could…I could tell you. Or, I could show you." And Luke felt his father open up in their bond. An invitation. "I don't think you'd be in danger of being in pain if you saw it from me through my memories."

Luke wasn't sure he believed that theory, but…if he went into his father's mind, he wouldn't be alone. If he did have pain, perhaps he could combat it the same way he had the last vision. "Okay." He said, and he was surprised that he wasn't afraid. Not any longer. He closed his eyes, reaching through the Force, and…

He was once again fighting vigorously with Darth Vader. This time, he fought with more aggression...and skill. He used the Force to kick Vader down the steps, and Vader cried out as he hit the floor. An evil sounding cackle echoed in the room. "Good. Use your aggressive feelings, boy. Let the hate flow through you." Luke turned, and found the hooded, shriveled figure of Palpatine. He wouldn't have recognized him, except that the Force whispered that this was who this was.
Slowly, he turned off his green blade, turning back to Vader, who had gotten up. "Obi-Wan has taught you well." There was hesitation in his voice, and resignation. I knew the Emperor wanted to replace me with you. That is the way of the Sith. Palpatine believed that you were stronger than I because you were younger. He wasn't wrong, and I knew it. His dad explained in his mind.

"I will not fight you, Father." Luke didn't understand that. Growing up with the Inquisitors, he'd been taught to kill first and ask questions later. If someone approached with their lightsaber drawn, you didn't hesitate. You fought. But, dream Luke…no, his past self, was sincere. He didn't want to fight Vader.

Even Vader was silent as he approached again, as if considering, deciding. Before this fight, you asked me to join you again. To forsake the Dark Side. Seeing you there, hearing how sincere you were, seeing the hope in your eyes...I didn't understand it. Why, after everything I'd done to you and your friends, would you not want to kill me? You had the chance, I'm sure you saw that. He had. And like Vader, he was confused by it.

But, Vader didn't give in. "It is unwise to lower your defenses!" And he struck, but Luke was just as quick, and the fight continued. Again, Luke felt how he could have destroyed his father, and yet Luke instead leapt away on top of an overhanging walkway. "Your thoughts betray you Father." Luke said, confidently. "I feel the good in you. The conflict." And, it was true. Even in the vision, Luke could feel Vader's conflicting feelings.

"There is no conflict."

"You couldn't bring yourself to kill me before, and I don't believe you'll destroy me now."

"You underestimate the power of the Dark Side. If you will not fight, then you will meet your destiny!" And, he threw his red lightsaber at Luke, who ducked away even as the walkway collapsed, and he tumbled down, the room filling once again with Palpatine's grotesque laughter.

Vader prowled the room, searching for Luke. "You cannot hide forever, Luke."

Luke answered from the darkness, hidden in the Force. "I will not fight you." Stubborn, stubborn boy. His dad sighed in his head. You could have gotten yourself killed here, too. And yet, your insistence not to fight me baffled me.

"Give yourself to the Dark Side. It is the only way to save your friends."

That was a gamble. I figured that if you were anything like me, the only thing that could lure you to the Dark Side would be the protection of your friends.

You wouldn't be wrong. Luke said softly.

I know.

Sure enough, Vader seemed to sense this. "Yes. Your thoughts betray you. Your feelings for them are strong. Especially for…" Vader paused. "Sister. So, you have a twin sister. Your feelings have now betrayed her, too."

I had no idea until that moment that Leia Organa, a princess from Alderaan, was also my daughter. Even now, I just knew you had a sister, I didn't know who. I was almost angry you so brazenly projected her existence into the Force, because I knew Palpatine would have sensed the thought as well.

"Obi-Wan was wise to hide her from me. Now his failure is complete. If you will not turn to the Dark Side, then perhaps she will—"

"NO!" Luke screamed furiously, igniting his lightsaber and leaping from his hiding place. Now, Luke knew he was honestly trying to kill his father, for his movements were now very aggressive. Deliberately attacking, searching for any weakness. Vader was on the defensive, and he could sense his surprise. Even I didn't anticipate how angry that would make you. Now I understand—you and Leia always have been protective of each other.

Luke forced Vader to his knees, pounding and pounding on his lightsaber with his own, until finally he broke through and cut off his father's hand. Vader cried out, falling to the floor, his breathing turning raspy as he stared up at Luke, at the lightsaber poised at his neck, his hand reaching out, as though he wanted to beg for his life….but was too proud to actually do it.
Palpatine's cackle filled the room. "Good." Luke turned to find the robed man walking towards him. "Your hate has made you powerful. Now, fulfill your destiny, and take his place at my side."

Luke looked back, back towards the hand he'd cut off, showing a mess of wiring. Then, at his own hand, the one that Vader had cut off previously, the one that Luke could feel was mechanical and clenched it. He took a deep breath, and…

He turned off his lightsaber and turned back to Palpatine. "Never." He threw the lightsaber across the room. "I'll never turn to the Dark Side." He stepped towards Palpatine. "You failed, your highness. I am a Jedi, like my father before me."

The vision ended, and Luke was blinking back into his father's unmasked face. "You could have killed me." His father's eyes were soft, full of wonder, even after all these years. "You should have killed me, after everything I'd done to you. To your sister. To the galaxy." His father closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. "But you didn't. You threw away your weapon, and sided with the good person I used to be. You saw that good in me, just as your mother had done, and you believed I could be that person again. No one else would ever have done that. No one, Luke. And yet, you did."

Luke's throat was tight, and he slowly sat up, staring at his hands. He had no doubt it was real, that his father had once done things that made what he'd done look like silly mistakes. Yet, at one point, he'd believed his father could come back to the Light. Anakin smiled softly and continued, "I turned on the emperor, and sacrificed myself for you. Instead of meeting my fate in death…I was brought here. To Earth. To have a second chance at life. With your mother, Obi-Wan, the Jedi, you...It wasn't easy. I still had a lot of demons to come to terms with. It's still not easy, but now…now, I hope I'm the kind of person you'd be proud to call your father."

Luke didn't even know what to say. He was stunned, almost to the point where he couldn't even think. "So, that's why I'm helping you. I'll be honest, Luke, this path you're now on…if you don't turn from it, I'm afraid you may repeat my mistakes from so long ago and become the person Vader would have wanted you to be. Unlike me, you didn't have much of a choice. You were taken by Palpatine's order, and forced into something that isn't you. Now, you're kinda in limbo, and you don't know where to go from here, you just know you have to fix it. From here on out, these choices are yours, and you can continue to choose to use any means necessary to destroy Palpatine and risk losing yourself to the Dark Side…" his father paused, looking deep into his son's blue eyes. "Or, you could let me help you, not just destroy Palpatine once and for all, but also find yourself again."

His father was so…sincere. He'd never heard anyone so sincere in his entire life, and the offer was so…Force, he didn't know what to think of it. One thing he did know, though, was that if he accepted it, the road ahead of him would be much harder than he anticipated. He'd have to open himself up in ways he wasn't used to, to someone he'd falsely been led to believe wanted nothing more than him dead. "I need to….to think." He finally answered, his voice hoarse.

"I understand." His dad said, nodding his head.

Slowly, Luke got to his feet, his head whirling….but not in pain. He turned for the door, and stopped. "I am sorry, Dad. For tonight, I mean." And everything else, he mentally added, but he couldn't get the words out.

But, he felt the understanding through their bond. "I know. I am, too."

"It won't happen again." He was surprised to realize that he meant it, and he didn't miss the relief in his father.

"I'll hold you to that." Father and son shared a small smile, and then Luke opened the shop door and walked out into the night, heading for the house, leaving his father alone to lean against his desk and contemplate their pathway ahead.


Luke couldn't sleep. How could he? Given everything he'd learned. When he'd come into the house, Leia was already in her room, light under the door. He felt Mara reaching out in the Force to check on him, but he ignored her, and had entered his own dark room and simply stared ahead, unseeing, feeling more out of place than he'd ever felt before.

He'd tried lying down. It didn't work. He tried pacing. It didn't work. He tried forcing himself to go to sleep. It didn't work. He felt his father come in the house eventually, and come upstairs to the bedroom he shared with his mother. He'd felt him check on him through their bond, to make sure he was okay or if he was still home, he wasn't sure. But, he gave him the space he needed to think.

Except…he couldn't.

He'd actually had another life. All those visions he'd had, those painful, awful visions…they were real. Every one of them. As real as he was now. He'd known Leia. Han. Hell, Chewie had been some giant hairy thing that roared…although, now that he thought about it, that wasn't actually hard to picture. The Russian wasn't that different in this life, except that he was human and only Han seemed to understand him still. He smirked. He'd known Uncle Ben, too. Who else had he known? Ezra? Mara? His stupid English teacher?

He sat on the edge of his bed, running a weary hand over his face, wincing at the slight pain of touching the bruise around his eye. His relationship with his dad was even more complicated than he'd realized. He didn't even know what to DO with that information. He could no longer ignore it, that was for sure. He could no longer ignore either of his pasts. But damn, did he want to.

Finally, when his phone told him it was 4:00 AM in the morning, he stood and tip toed downstairs. He could feel both his parents asleep, though his father was more in a light, restless one. Hayden was deeply asleep, and Leia…

Boy, he'd messed up with her last night. His father was right—he'd stupidly put her in extreme danger. Sure, he hadn't exactly meant to, but the moment she'd gotten into that speeder…he should have let Ventress go. Leia was his little sister, his twin, and if he lost her…he recoiled from the thought.

He entered the kitchen. Threepio was standing against the wall, hooked into the charger, going through his recharge cycle. Artoo was there as well, and he flickered to life when Luke entered. He whistled softly. "It's okay, Artoo. Don't worry. I'm not going anywhere." He promised, and he began looking through the cupboards. Perhaps there was some sort of medication to help him fall asleep, or…

He spotted it. A box of hot chocolate. He hesitated. He'd always had a weakness for it. He remembered drinking it with Talia on one of their excursions, and he'd fallen in love with the smooth, creamy concoction, and kept ordering more and more cups of it until the table had been full of empty cups. Talia had laughed, and called him hot chocolate boy for days.

Figuring he wouldn't fall asleep anyway, he pulled it out and began making himself a cup. A large cup. The biggest cup he could find in his parent's cupboards. This was Texas, after all, and everything was bigger in Texas, including the cups his parents had picked up from some restaurant. He was pleased with this, and he used almost every packet of mix in the box to make it taste rich and chocolatey. As it finished, he heard another noise.
"You always loved hot chocolate." He turned and found Leia standing there, dark circles under her eyes.

He relaxed, and sipped at the drink, sighing as it warmed him. "Always? As in always in this life? Or my last one?"

Her eyes brightened a little. "Do you remember?"

"Other than what little I've been shown in visions? No." Luke shook his head.

"Oh." She sounded disappointed.

"Do you remember, Leia?"

"Most of it, yeah. Up until I felt Han die." And, he saw the flicker of pain there in her eyes. Luke wanted to ask what Han meant to her, to them both, but he didn't. He couldn't find the courage to. He'd already learned way too much tonight as it was.

"It must be weird for you, huh?" He took another gulp of the hot liquid.

"It is, but I've come to accept it. Honestly, it's probably weirder for you."

"You can say that again." He continued to drink the chocolate in silence. "I'm sorry, Leia. About tonight."

Leia sighed. "Mom told me off good fashioned, and then she grounded me, But, I deserve it, though." Luke didn't bother to mention that he hadn't actually been grounded—to his knowledge, but he figured his parents would get to that bit later this morning. "We always looked out for each other, y'know. For most of our past life, we were all we had. Just you and me, against the whole galaxy. If I got into trouble, you came running. If you got into trouble—which by the way was way more often than me—I came running for you. I think even before we knew we were siblings, we somehow knew."

"I understand. I should have realized you'd come after me. Though, I didn't realize Han would tell you." He made a face, and Leia laughed a little.

"Han is terrible at secrets. Just so you know."

"Yeah, I've sorta figured that out." He smiled, and finished off his chocolate. If Leia was surprised that he'd downed the whole cup of hot chocolate so quickly, she didn't show it. He must have really loved it, then.

Leia yawned, and headed down the hall to the living room couch, where she plopped down and patted the seat next to her. Reluctantly, Luke followed, sitting down beside her. The moment he'd sat down, Leia leaned her head on his shoulder. He tensed, not daring to move. "You're a good person, Luke. You're the best person I know."

"Even now?" he croaked.

"Even now. You just…don't realize it yet." She yawned again. "I just don't want to lose you again."

"I don't want to lose you either."

"So stay. Work with us. Don't run away anymore." Her voice, drowsy as it was, was earnest. "Don't leave me again, Brother."

Luke was quiet for so long, that by the time he answered, "I won't," she had fallen asleep against his shoulder.

He didn't know when he fell asleep. He'd been too afraid to wake her up, and soon his own eyes had drifted shut. When he awoke a few hours later, his head was resting on top of hers, and he sensed his dad nearby, standing on the staircase to the kitchen, evidently in the middle of coming down to check on them. He craned his neck painfully so that he could see his father. "Sorry." His dad said on a smile, "You guys weren't in your rooms…I just…"

"Wanted to check that we were still here." Luke replied, yawning. "Yeah. I'm a little stuck at the moment." He motioned to Leia still fast asleep on his now numb shoulder.

"So I see." He heard the amusement in his father's voice. "Well. You need a day to rest after yesterday, so you'll go back to school tomorrow. You'll need to write your English teacher an apology letter, though."

Luke groaned. "I didn't even do anything except point out that the assignment was useless and stupid."

Anakin chuckled. "Yes, well, sometimes learning is a matter of following instructions, even if they sound ridiculous."

Luke made a face. "Fine. I'll write the stupid letter. But, I won't like it."

Anakin laughed. "Good night, Luke." And, he stood and turned to head back up the stairs.

"Wait." His father paused, turning, waiting for Luke to say something. Luke took a deep breath. He couldn't believe he was about to say this, but…it had to be done. If he wanted to really, truly find himself, he had to do this. "I wanted to ask." He face burned, and he tried to voice it, and the first few tries nothing came out. Still, his father waited patiently. Oh, to hell with it, he thought, and in a rush, he asked:

"Will you train me to become a Jedi?"


BOOM! Long chapter. With lots of things that happened. But now Luke will officially begin training to become a Jedi...like his father before him. XD I love that lightsaber battle, btw. The emotion in it is beautiful.

So, two chapters in one day. I'm working on the next one. We'll see what happens next!

Review!

Love,

Sarah