Chapter 18 - Nighttime Visitations

DISCLAIMER: We (unfortunately) do not own Star Wars. :P

Author's Note: In which their tranquility is disturbed. ;)

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~ Amina Gila

Vader – Anakin, truthfully, because he hardly associates himself with his Sith name anymore – slowly inhales the cool night air. Nightmares have been plaguing him incessantly, and he's still not adjusted to sleeping more than a few hours every night now that he's mostly recovered. He feels… strange. His hair is still short, and it's grayer, but otherwise, he resembles the Jedi Knight he used to be.

After a long struggle with himself, he decided to wear the robes Obi-Wan gave him if only to serve as a reminder of where he came from. His old lightsaber is a familiar weight on his belt, but he still can't help but feel like an imposter, like he doesn't belong here. Obi-Wan and Ahsoka, and even Bail, have been nothing but gracious and helpful towards him. Maybe that's the problem. His life feels too surreal for him to accept. He's uneasy, fearful that the slightest thing could take this away from him.

"You need to stop holding back," murmurs a voice. He jumps, turning to see a glowing figure standing nearby.

"Wonderful," mumbles Anakin, dropping his head into his hands. "I'm seeing ghosts now."

"Yes," Qui-Gon agrees, "I am a ghost, but I'm most definitely real. I've spoken to Obi-Wan many times since he arrived on Tatooine."

He twitches slightly at the name of the planet, sighing as he looks at the ghost. "Why are you here?"

"To help you," the Force ghost answers, "Or maybe because I thought you looked lonely sitting here by yourself."

"And how can a dead person help me?" Anakin demands, crossing his arms.

"Just listen," Qui-Gon insists, moving closer. "Don't let your fear cloud your judgement this time. You can't always protect everyone, but the least you can do for them is to live in the moment with them. Let them help you. And if you lose someone, let their memories guide and lead you onwards."

Anakin honestly isn't sure how to respond to the unsolicited advice. His initial thought is to brush it off, to yell at the Jedi Master for trying to lecture him, but something holds him back. In theory, Qui-Gon is right, but Anakin isn't even sure what exactly it means to live anymore.

He's not sure if the ghost heard the thought or if it's being expressed on his face, but Qui-Gon gives him a sad, yet gentle smile. "Just think about it," he encourages. "You deserve happiness as much as everyone else." And then, he's gone, as though he was never here.

Anakin is still trying to shake off the lingering emotions when he feels the familiar presence of his daughter approaching. It's not the first time she's slipped into the garden in the night, and he briefly wonders if she's always done it, or if it's something that started only when he began staying here. It's not impossible that his dark emotions are affecting Leia.

"I thought you would be here," Leia declares, sitting down next to him on the bench and leaning against him.

"Am I really that predictable or did you sense me?" he queries.

Leia pauses. "Both," she decides finally, grinning. "I didn't sense you inside, so I came out here."

Anakin smiles faintly and wraps an arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer to him. "It's far too late for little princesses to be awake," he teases, his prior gloom evaporating in the face of his daughter's light and warmth.

She crunches up her face. "I'm not little," she informs him primly.

A surprised laugh escapes him. "I once thought the same," he admits wryly.

"Why're you here?" Leia asks finally.

"Couldn't sleep," he answers, shrugging indifferently, "And the garden is beautiful." He pauses, studying her face once more. "I would have thought you'd be more tired after spending so long on lightsaber katas earlier."

"I am," she protests, and then frowns. "I had a nightmare."

The word sends a chill through him. "What happened?" he demands, maybe a tad too harshly. He winces, forcing himself to relax. Nightmares aren't uncommon for children, and just because Leia had one doesn't mean she inherited his curse of premonitions.

"It was dark, and there was something creepy chasing me," she explains. He shouldn't feel so happy that she came to find him instead of Bail or Breha, but he does. Before he has a chance to say anything, she keeps talking. "I had a feeling that I needed to come to you, so I did." So, it was a warning then, and whatever it is must be important enough for the Force to tell her about it ahead of time.

The Force prickles with unease, and Anakin casts out his senses, trying to pinpoint the source. His sweep of the immediate vicinity turns up nothing, so he pushes further, drawing back the second he senses the Dark Side surrounding a shielded person. This is something he needs to investigate personally. To the best of his knowledge, there's only one person here, and he must learn the reason behind the visit.

"Stay close," he whispers to her. "Someone is lurking around here." He silently rises, suddenly infinitely more grateful that he doesn't need a respirator anymore. The person – whoever he or she is – is approaching them, more accurately, approaching Leia. He's keeping himself masked, so someone not bonded to him won't be able to find him.

Leia looks at him, eyes wide with concern, slipping her hand into his as he pulls her into the darkness under a tree. They'll wait here for the intruder. He doesn't dare leave her behind lest something happen to her, but he doesn't know if he'll be able to fight off whoever it is alone, seeing as he's not at his full strength yet. Instead, he reaches out through the Force, tugging gently on his bonds with Obi-Wan and Ahsoka. "Someone is here for Leia," he sends to them. "I'm in the garden with her."

Anakin trusts the palace security, so even if someone did successfully make off with Luke, it would be unlikely that he or she could escape the planet with him. Just to be certain, he shields his son from any trained Force sensitive who might wish him harm. Obi-Wan and Ahsoka are on their way.

Movement catches his eye, and he leans forward to see a dark-robed figure slipping out from between the bushes, crouched low to the ground. "Don't move," he whispers to his daughter through the Force, as he lunges, drawing his lightsaber in the same move.

His blue blade crashes into the red blade of the mysterious figure, and his heart leaps in fear when he realizes who it is. He knew that the Emperor had a special division of people to hunt down potential Hands, and he's certain this is one of them. Barriss Offee. He hasn't seen her in years, but he never forgot her treachery, not that he has any room to talk, seeing as he also betrayed the Jedi – and his family – something he'll spend the rest of his life atoning for.

"Skywalker," she snarls, slashing wildly at him, yellow eyes burning in hatred. "Why am I not surprised to see you here?"

He defeated her at the Temple with nothing more than the Light Side, and he's much more skilled now than he was then. Well, so is she, but he is the true master between them. He doesn't respond, clenching his jaw as he blocks her assault before pressing his own lightning-swift attack. "Why are you here?" he hisses, fierce protectiveness surging up.

"I am here in the service of my Emperor," she all but brags. "Your skills are no match for mine."

"History would beg to differ," he quips, hurling her backwards with the Force. She slams into a tree trunk, and though obviously somewhat dazed, blocks his powerful downward slash. He presses down on her, mechanical limbs giving him the strength he never had before.

Somehow, she manages to push him back with the Force enough to slide away and flip back to her feet, lightsaber held in her hands as she studies him warily. Anakin knows that he shouldn't be dueling too much, but it's giving him a rush of strength and power, the Dark Side humming comfortably within his reach. He takes it, delving into the emotions which have been burdening him for so long as he lets go and throws himself at her.

She sucks in a startled breath, maybe as his eyes bleed yellow. "I wouldn't have thought…" Her voice wavers, and she doesn't finish the sentence, shaking her head as she blocks him again. The fight lasts no more than a minute before Anakin has her pinned on the ground, defenseless.

"You will tell me why you are here!" he bites out, aware that he sounds far more like Vader than Anakin at this moment.

Somehow, even in this position, she manages to look defiant as she clamps her jaw shut. Behind him, Anakin senses the arrival of both Obi-Wan and Ahsoka, who immediately usher Leia away under their watchful gaze. Ahsoka takes her back to the palace while Obi-Wan watches at a distance.

Fine. Anakin isn't above using torture to obtain the information he wants to know, especially if it pertains to the safety of his children. If the Emperor sent Barriss here, it was definitely for a reason, and he will find out why.