Obi-Wan rubbed the weariness out of his eyes as he continued to scan through the records, looking for…something…

He stifled a yawn and checked the chrono, which told him that even if he went to bed now, he would only get about 2 hours sleep. Reaching out, he felt Sora's presence in their room, and heard her peaceful breathing that echoed through the quiet and dark hut. Wind rattled the windows and door, reminding Obi-Wan that a large sandstorm was predicted for tonight.

He shut down the computer terminal, saving his information and got up to go closed the storm door. Inching it closed, he stopped suddenly as he saw a dark figure in the distance. His thoughts flashed to Sora, sleeping soundly in the bedroom and his head instinctively went down to his lightsaber.

Leaving the door open just a crack, he reached out with his sense to try and figure out who it was. But as quick as he had seen it, it was gone again and the hot desert landscape was once again blank, the howling wind and sand blocking much else from his view.

He tried to calm his heart as he thought about the last few months. Closing the door, he breathed silently as he remembered.

Mace Windu dead…Yoda, believed to be alive, but in hiding…Jalia was dead. That death brought an ache to his heart as he remembered so vividly her pain. Killed by Garris Shrike, Obi-wan blamed himself for not protecting her more. He had gone to Corillia with Sora to try and find her young son, Han, but it was no use, and the two of them came up with nothing…Padme was at least safe. As far as he knew. His eyes flickered over to the computer terminal that was still glowing brightly. Certainly they would report on the death of the senator. Just a few weeks ago, Obi-Wan had finally found a copy of the adoption papers from Bail Organa. Little Leia was now as protected as she ever was going to be. Luke…well it was just as well that Luke stayed where he was for the meantime. Though something in the back of Obi-Wan's mind still held doubt that the small child would ever be safe. He flicked the latch and shuffled to the back room, his thoughts still burning with unanswered questions.

The dark presence that he had been feeling lately was growing stronger and stronger. He had pinpointed it down to Tatooine…which made his nightmares become worse and his fears steadily increase. As he reached the doorway to the room, he stopped and stared down at his sleeping wife. About eight and a half months pregnant, her abdomen had swollen greatly. Her ebony hard was braided back tonight, a small smile played across her lips as she slept. Obi-Wan sighed and smiled. He wondered what she was dreaming about. Maybe she was with their child…maybe she was back with her father again…maybe she was with him…

He tenderly reached out towards his young daughter's life. So small and innocent that it had almost scared him the first time her felt her. He remembered as Sora had told him the news. How they had debated for hours whether this was the right time to bring a child into the world…it had all been in vain, for their little girl could be born any day now, and Obi-Wan had never seen Sora happier. He himself was having a hard time focusing in the looming shadows in the background.

His eyes caught a slip of paper on their dresser, obviously scribbled in a great hurry. Picking it up, he scanned its contents. It only took him one guess to figure out what it was.

They were names…girl names that Sora had obviously written down as ideas. They had not yet thought of a name for their child, and Obi-Wan was anxious to do so. As he looked on the different names, one caught his eye.

Mara…

Somewhere…somewhere he had heard that name before…somewhere…

Suddenly he heard a soft moan behind him and his heart skipped a beat as he tried to figure out what it was. Flipping his head up, he saw Sora's eyes open, fixated on him.

"Sorry," he said softly. "Did I wake you?" He walked over to the side of the bed and sat down next to his wife. She leaned into his embrace and they both closed their eyes.

"No…I just had a dream," she sighed. "It woke me up that's all…"

Obi-Wan smoothed out her hair and kissed her head. "You want to talk about it?"

"Mmmm…no…" Sora said dreamily. "I just wanted you to hold me…"

Obi-Wan didn't bother to hide his smile. "You woke up just for me?"

"mm…I guess I did," he heard her yawn and he himself felt sleep coming quickly.

"What were you doing up? I never heard you come to bed?"

"Oh I was just checking through the files again…" Obi-Wan held her tighter as fear started to seep into his mind again. What if it happened to them? What if…What if their daughter had to be taken from them… What if…

"Are you getting all fatherly on me again?" Sora smiled wickedly and Obi-Wan let out a short laugh.

"It is a new concept for me," he adjusted his grip on her as they both lay down in the bed, their thoughts straying to their small child. "Give me time…" he said softly. "I'll get used to it…"

"Did you like any of the names?" Sora asked.

"You were watching me then?"

"Only for a little while."

Obi-Wan sighed. "Mara…" he said softly.

Sora wiggled a little in his arms and turned to face him. "You serious?"

"Why? You don't like that one?"

She reached over and grabbed the paper out of his hand, folding it open to revel the names again. She put her finger on the name Mara and Obi-Wan saw for the first time that there was a star next to it.

"The other's were just a back up, incase you didn't like it," Sora revealed.

Obi-Wan looked down on her and gave her a half grin. "You like to mess with my mind don't you?"

"Every day…" She reached up and gave him a deep kiss. He pulled her closer, being careful of her swollen abdomen, but kissing her still tenderly all the same.

She they pulled back, he could have sworn he saw a twinkle in her eyes.

"I love you Obi-Wan…"

Obi-Wan grinned back and chided her. "Sora Jade I do believe you are becoming a romantic on me…"

Sora bit back with a surprised expression. "Who me?"

Obi-Wan laughed and leaned down into his pillow, the fatigue finally getting to him.

"Have you heard back from Master Yoda yet?" the abrupt change in topic seemed to relieve Obi-Wan for a moment, but only for a moment.

"No…no one quite knows where he is now…but I found a different report today that you might want to see…"

Fighting back his weariness, he got up and went back to his desk, grabbing two sheets of paper off of it. He handed them to Sora before snuggling back into her embrace.

As her eyes scanned the paper, he noticed her hands begin to shake more readily. The one bolded word on the paper jumped out at him again.

Vader…

Somehow Obi-Wan knew it would happen, but he still quite couldn't believe it.

"How did he come back?" Sora finally spoke.

"No one really knows…" he slipped the second piece of paper out form the first and put it in front of her. "This is what he looks like…"

It was a dark and sinister picture, reminding Obi-Wan of his near death experience on the volcano, the last ever place he saw his padawan. Only now, this man was not human. Obviously being kept alive by computers and life support systems, he was more machine than man.

"This can't be Anakin Skywalker…" Sora said softly, shaking her head.

"No it isn't…" Obi-Wan crumbled the paper up in his hand and closed his eyes. "Anakin Skywalker is dead. This is Darth Vader…"

Sora herself crumbled up the report and they sat in silence for a moment.

"Why did you not copy these onto disks Obi-Wan?"

"Because…" he pulled out a small torch and flicked it on, holding it up to the crumbled picture. "Paper is easier to destroy…" he let it burn in a small plate beside his bed, doing the same with the other sheet.

"I have already cleared the records as much as I could. No one need know that Darth Vader was Anakin Skywalker…"