Chapter 4: Reunion (Part I)
Disclaimer: If I owned any of these characters, I'd be living the sweet life in Chi-town, with a house in Hawaii for the winter monts, not living in St. Louis, capital of Boredom. Needless to say I'm just borrowing these characters to play with, no harm meant.
Author's notes and Review Responses at the bottom.
The term 'and the crowd goes wild' didn't truly suit the mood, Buffy thought as the crowd surged forward onto the track as Anakin brought his Pod to a skidding halt. The crowd rushed forward to greet the new hometown hero, but Buffy reached him first and hoisted her brother out of the Pod and onto her shoulders and paraded him around. The two siblings were joined by their Mother, Padmè, Jar Jar and Artoo as the observation platform lowered to the ground.
Meanwhile, Qui-Gon made his way up to Watto's private box, where the Toydarian was busy paying out all of his credits. As the last better left, Watto stared dejectedly out at the crowd as it swarmed around his slaves (well, his former slaves) Pod.
Soon, he spotted Qui-Gon coming into his box, and he flew at him, shaking with undisguised fury.
"You! You swindled me! You knew the boy was going to win! Somehow you knew it! I lost everything!"
Qui-Gon gave him a bland smile. "Whenever you gamble, my friend, eventually you'll loose. Today wasn't your day." Suddenly the smile dropped away and his voice turned hard. "Bring the hyperdrive parts to the main hanger right away. I'll come by your shop later so you can release the boy and his sister."
"You can't have them!" the Toydarian shouted, pressing his snout up against the Jedi's face. "It wasn't a fair bet!"
Qui-Gon stared back at him with an icy stare. "Would you like to discuss it with the Hutts? I'm sure they would be happy to settle the matter."
Watto jerked back as if he had been struck. "No, no!" he said, his eyes full of spite. "I want no more of your tricks. Take the boy, and his sister! Be gone!"
With that, Watto turned and flew out of the box, leaving Qui-Gon alone with his thoughts. He was so engrossed, as a matter of fact, that he failed to see the Sith probe droid hovering just outside the box.
An hour later, the arena had cleared out. The only things left on the track were the many salvage droids, eagerly picking away at the wrecks of the crashed Pods like vultures on a fresh carcass. In the hangar, most of the pilots had already left for the day, whether by stretcher, or under their own power. Most didn't have a reason to stay, as the bulk of the Pods had been too badly damaged to worry about salvaging.
Of all of the pilots that had raced, only Anakin remained as he gave his battered Pod a thorough look-over.
The boy looked a little worse for wear- his face was grimy with a mixture of sweat, dirt, and grease; his clothes were tattered and splattered with his own blood from a wound that had been opened during his battle with Sebulba, and his hair was wind-swept and spiked from the high velocities, despite the fact that he had been wearing a helmet. Qui-Gon observed the boy from across the bay as he, with the help of his sister, Padmè, Jar Jar, and the droids started checking out his port engine. Watching him, he couldn't help but feel a flicker of hope. Could it be possible? Could he be the boy of the prophesy?
And if he was, what did that make the girl?
Qui-Gon walked across the bay to the boy and kneeled down in front of him.
"You look a little worse for wear, Annie. But you did well." The Jedi smile warmly at the boy, then wiped a smudge of dirt off of his face. "There, good as new."
The Jedi ruffled his hair, messing it up even more, then moved to look over his wounded arm. Shmi and Padmè came over and gave Annie another round of hugs and kisses, and Buffy observed that while Annie squirmed under his mothers caring embrace, he wasn't at all squeamish under Padmè's loving touch.
"Ah, gee…enough of this." Anakin mumbled in embarrassment. Buffy couldn't hold back a chuckle as she came up behind him, wrapping him in a hug.
"Funny, you didn't seem to mind a minute ago…" she teased, causing Annie to scowl, then playfully slap her on the arm. Shmi smiled in amusement at the antics of the two children.
"It's so wonderful, Annie- what you've done here." She said, still smiling. "Do you know? You've brought hope to those who have none. I'm so very proud of you."
"We owe you everything." Padmè added as warmly as the look on her face. Anakin blushed.
"Just feeling this good is worth anything." He declared, smiling.
Soon the hyperdrive parts were loaded on an antigrav repulsor sled, harnessed to a couple of eopies. Qui-Gon glanced around warily, as something tickled his Jedi senses that something wasn't right. Abruptly he turned to his group.
"Padmè, Jar Jar, let's go. We've got to get these parts back to the ship."
The group moved over to the antigrav sled, laughing and talking all the way. As they mounted the animals, Padmè hugged and kissed Anakin once more, causing the young boy to blush. Jar Jar tired and failed to mount his eopie, falling off on the opposite side. Artoo whistled encouragingly as Jar Jar tired again, and this time managed to stick the landing. Goodbyes and thank-you's were exchange, but it was an awkward moment for Anakin. He felt like he should say something to Padmè, but he didn't know what. Instead, he moved up beside the handmaiden and stared up at her expectantly, but all he could manage was a sad, confused look.
Buffy saw the look on his face and sighed. She knew that look well- she had had the same look when Angel had left the first time, when Angelus had been playing with her mind. And she had had it again when he left for the second time, leaving Sunnydale for good. Buffy shook the memories away, rationalizing that she wouldn't help Anakin by dwelling on the past.
Slowly, the group started to move off. Anakin moved over by his mother, Threepio, and Buffy.
"I'll return with the eopies by midday." Qui-Gon called out over his shoulder.
Padmè didn't look back at all.
The company rode slowly out of Mos Espa and into the Tatooine desert, moving carefully so as to not disturb their precious cargo. As such, it was nearly midday when the convoy, headed by Artoo, reached the Queen's transport.
Obi-Wan appeared as they came to a halt, coming down the ramp with a one of the Queen's handmaidens in tow. Both had intense looks on their faces, though the handmaiden's was more full of worry and was directed at Padmè.
"I was getting worried." Obi-Wan said to his master, even as the handmaiden moved to help Padmè dismount.
"He wasn't the only one." Rose remarked, giving them a cursory once-over. "Are you okay?"
Padmè couldn't help but smile at her sister's concern. It was a welcome feeling- she hadn't smiled since she had left Annie back at the hanger. She found that she was really going to miss his youthful exuberance, his innocence- two things she hadn't had the luxury of having in a long time.
"I'm fine, Rose." She stated, placing her hands on Rose's shoulders to calm her. "How is the Queen?"
"I haven't had the chance to speak with ther today, though I'm guessing that right now she's anxious to leave, and yet sad at the prospect at the same time."
Padmè gave her a small smile. "You always were good at reading people, Rose." She said quietly. Rose gave her a small smile in return.
"It's a gift."
Meanwhile, Qui-Gon was busy talking business with Obi-Wan. Both Jedi's glanced over at the two sisters, then looked back to each other.
"There's one mystery revealed- they are sisters." Qui-Gon said.
"Still doesn't explain how she curries such favor." Obi-Wan added. Qui-Gon nodded thoughtfully.
"Well, there will be time enough on our journey to Coruscant to figure it out. In the meantime, start getting the hyperdrive generator installed. I'm going back. I have some unfinished business."
"Business?"
"I won't be long."
Obi-Wan let out a long sigh. "Why do I sense we've picked up another stray?"
Qui-Gon took him by the arm and led him away from the group. "It's the boy who's responsible for getting us these parts. The Boy whose blood sample you ran the midi-chlorian test on last night."
"And what of the other test? The girl?"
"Buffy will be joining us as well." Qui-Gon confirmed, causing his protégé to release another long-suffering sigh. "There is something about them, Obi-Wan. Both of them. They are both mysteries, convergences in the Force. It is something that must be taken before the Council."
Obi-Wan gave his Master a long, hard look, then turned away and headed for the ship. Qui-Gon mounted his eopie, gathered the reigns of the other animals, and started to head back into town.
And a short distance away, a Sith probe droid hung motionless in the air, sending one final transmission to it's master before flying off.
Anakin Skywalker was depressed.
As the euphoria of victory started to fade, he began to think once more about what would
happen now. Watto was sure to be angry with him, since it was a sure thing that he had bet everything on Sebulba. Heck, for that matter, he might not even belong to Watto anymore. All he knew about that was that Qui-Gon had told him that Watto had relieved him of any further work for the day, which gave him plenty of time to wander around the streets of Mos Espa's slave quarters.
Anakin sighed, because as he thought of Qui-Gon, he couldn't help but think of Padmè. He had wanted her to stay, he had wanted to ask her to stay, but when the time came, he found that he couldn't speak. He knew that, even if he could ask her, she wouldn't be able to. She was a Handmaiden for a Queen. That kind of duty wasn't abandoned lightly, and it sure wasn't abandoned for a boy nearly ten years younger than her that she had just met.
So he found himself wandering the streets of Mos Espa, surrounded by his friends, waving to the people who called out congratulations to him as he made his way through the town. Even with all of the good cheer, he couldn't shake the depression that was threatening to swallow him whole. So when a rather large Rodian child named Greedo accosted him and accused him of cheating, saying a slave could never win nothing, Anakin snapped.
Greedo never saw him coming.
Anakin may have been small, but he had a big sister that knew a lot about fighting. As such, Buffy had taken the time to show him a few moves to use if he ever got into a situation where he had to defend himself. Buffy's motto was simple- hit 'em first, and don't give them a chance to hit back. Since he was so much smaller than the other boy, he still couldn't pull off some of the more advanced trips or throws she had taught him, so he opted for the next best thing-
He tackled him.
Before the Rodian could react, Anakin was atop him, raining down blow after blow. It wasn't that he was even that upset about being called a cheater; it was about the fact that he had lost Padmè.
Before the fight could get very far, Anakin found himself being pulled off of Greedo by the returning Qui-Gon, who looked at him sternly as he asked what was going on. Anakin told him the cause, and winced inwardly at the look of disappointment that registered on his broad features. Qui-Gon asked Greedo if he still thought Anakin had cheated, and Greedo said he did. Qui-Gon then placed his hand on the glowering boy's shoulders and led him away. As they walked away, Anakin heard one of the Rodian friends say "If you keep messing with people like that, Greedo, you'll come to a bad end."
Qui-Gon guided the boy down the streets back towards his house. "You know, Annie, fighting didn't change his opinion." The Jedi said thoughtfully. "The opinions of others, whether you agree with them or not, are something that you have to learn to tolerate."
The two continued on the way back to the boy's home, with Qui-Gon counseling him on life and it's many mysteries. As they neared the hovel, Qui-Gon reached inside his cloak and retrieved a leather pouch that was full of credits.
"These are yours," he said, handing the pouch to Anakin. "I sold the Pod to a particularly surly and rather insistent Dug."
Anakin grinned broadly and accepted the bag, forgetting the fight and its cause. He ran up the steps to his door and burst through, screaming "Mom! Buffy! Look!" Qui-Gon smiled and followed the boy in silently.
"Guess what! Qui-Gon sold the pod! Look at all the money we have!"
Anakin handed the pouch over to his mother, who got a startled look on her face. "Oh, my goodness!" she exclaimed, feeling the weight of the pouch. "Annie, that's wonderful!"
"Yeah, shopping spree!" Buffy exclaimed, deftly lifting the pouch from her mothers' hand. "Too bad there isn't a Nordstroms around here…"
Shmi playfully slapped Buffy's hand, and she handed the pouch back to her with a sheepish smile. "Can't blame a girl for dreamin'…"
"There's more." Qui-Gon said, smiling at Shmi. "Both Anakin and Buffy have been freed."
Anakin's eyes grew wide, even as Buffy's jaw dropped. They both reacted at the same time.
"What?"
"Huh?"
"Neither of you are a slave any longer."
The look of shock and disbelief on Shmi's face was mirrored in the two children. Anakin grinned madly.
"Mom? Did you hear that, Mom?" Anakin let out a whoop of triumph, then turned back to Qui-Gon. "Was that part of the prize, or what?"
"Let's just say Watto learned an important lesson about gambling."
Shmi was both elated and sadden by the news On the one hand, her children were free. On the other, though, she may never see them again. Putting such thoughts out of her head, she reached out for her son and drew him to her, hugging him tightly.
"Now you can make all of your dreams come true, Annie." She said. "You're free." She then turned to face Qui-Gon.
"Will you take them with you? Are they to become Jedi?"
Up until that comment, Buffy had been in shock. The reality of her enslavement had sunk in long ago. To suddenly find her self free once more… it was like a dream.
And then her mother's comment sunk in and ruined the moment.
"Whoa! Wait a minute!" she exclaimed. "I'm SO not Jedi material!"
Qui-Gon eyed the girl for a moment before speaking. "Our meeting was not a coincidence. Nothing happens by accident. Annie is strong with the force, Shmi. And Buffy- well, she is unique. But neither of them may be accepted for training by the Council."
"Yeah, well considering my past experiences with Council's, that's not necessarily a good thing." Buffy said, defiantly raising her chin.
Anakin ignored this exchange, though. He had heard enough- he was free! And he was going to become a Jedi! "Does this mean I get to go with you in your starship and everything?"
Qui-Gon knelt before the boy. "Anakin, training to be a Jedi will not be easy. It will be a challenge. And if you succeed, it will be a hard, lonely life." He said somberly. Anakin just shook his head.
"But it's what I want! It's what I've always dreamed about!" He quickly turned to face Shmi. "Can I go, Mom?"
"The path has been placed before you, Annie." Qui-Gon said, glancing up at Buffy at the same time. "The choice to take it must be yours alone."
Buffy desperately wanted to say something, to dissuade her brother from this path. But she held her tongue. If this would make him happy, then so be it. She'd just go along and try to keep him out of trouble.
Annie, meanwhile, had made up his mind. "I want to go."
"Then pack your things. We haven't much time" the Jedi master said.
"Yippee!" Annie yelled, jumping for joy. He ran towards his bedroom, but stopped short of the door, and Buffy saw that Annie had just come to the same realization she had.
Buffy had just realized that both she and Annie were free.
But Qui-Gon never said anything about Shmi.
Anakin turned back to Qui-Gon, a look of dread on his little face. "What about Mom? Is she free, too? You're coming, aren't you Mom?"
Qui-Gon looked at the boy with sad eyes. "I tried to free your mother, Annie, but Watto wouldn't have it. It was a stroke of luck that I was able to free Buffy."
"But the money from selling the Pod…"
"Would not be nearly enough."
A hushed silence fell over the group, and then Shmi came over and sat down beside her son.
"Annie, my place is here. My future is here. It's time for you to let go…to let go of me. I cannot go with you."
Annie swallowed. He didn't want to be alone out there. He didn't want to leave his mother, or Buffy-
"You won't be alone, Annie." Buffy said quietly, derailing his line of thought. "I'll be going with you. And I'll stay with you, as long as you want." The former Slayer looked up at Qui-Gon, some of the old defiance shining through her eyes. "And if your Council has a problem with that, then too bad."
"This is what was meant to be, Annie." Shmi said softly. "This is your destiny. Listen to your feelings, Annie. You know what's right." With that, she pulled her son into a warm hug. When she finally pulled away, Annie's eyes were brimming with tears.
"I'm going to miss you so much, Mom."
His mother nodded. "I love you, Annie." She finally stepped away from him. "Now, hurry."
Annie gave her one more quick, hard hug, then ran from the room, tears staining his face. Shmi turned to Buffy, who met her gaze with understanding.
"I'll keep him safe, Mom." She said. "I promise you that." And with that, Buffy wrapped her arms around the woman she had come to know as a mother, then quietly and quickly left the room to pack.
Fifteen minutes later, Anakin, Buffy, and Qui-Gon left the Skywalker residence for the last time (though Annie ran back to give his mother one last hug, and he promised that one day he would come back for her. Buffy heard that, and whole-heartedly agreed.
I might just come back a whole lot sooner, she thought, though a small voice in the back of her mind doubted that she'd be able to free her new mother anytime soon.
The trio made their way to Watto's shop first, where the Toydarian completed the necessary paperwork to ensure Anakin's and Buffy's freedom, and then deactivated the transmitter that bound them both to slavery. But when it came time to remove Buffy's control collar, however, Watto steadfastly refused to deactivate it. Instead, he handed the controller over to Qui-Gon.
"You deactivate it, but only when you are far away from here!" the Toydarian exclaimed. Buffy gave him a wicked smile.
"What's the matter, Watto? Scared of a little girl?"
Watto snorted. "You forget, 'little girl', I was there when you assaulted Abdullah the Hutt."
This time Buffy sorted. "Yeah, well, he shouldn't have touched me there. And he didn't touch anybody for a long time afterwards."
Watto handed Qui-Gon the collar's remote, which Buffy eyed warily as he put it into his poncho. Seeing her stare, the Jedi Master gave her a reassuring smile.
"I give you my word, Buffy, that I will remove the collar as soon as we are aboard the ship."
After they left Watto's shop, Anakin insisted on going to visit Jira. He handed the old woman a handful of credits to pay for a new cooling unit and said goodbye.
As they started walking down the street towards the edge of town, Buffy's Slayer-sense started going haywire. Quietly she started glancing around, trying to find the source of her discomfort, when she caught a glimpse of something behind Qui-Gon.
The Jedi must have sensed it as well, for just as she was about to say something he whipped around and ignited his lightsaber. The green blade deftly swiped downwards, slicing through the object and causing it to fall to the ground. Just as quickly as he had turned it on, Qui-Gon turned the lightsaber back off and knelt down to inspect the device, which was still sparking and sending off acrid smelling smoke.
"What is it?" Anakin asked, peering over Qui-Gon's shoulder.
"Probe droid. Very unusual. Not like anything I've ever seen before." The Jedi glanced around worriedly, his eyes looking for anything else unusual.
""I've got a bad feeling about this." Buffy said, glancing around herself.
"Come on, you two." Qui-Gon ordered as they moved quickly away.
The three raced out of Mos Espa towards the Queen's transport. Qui-Gon and Buffy, with their respective training and abilities, had no problems setting a fast pace. Anakin, however, was still a nine-year-old with rather short legs. As such, he had a hard time keeping up.
They were nearly to the ship when Buffy's Slayer sense went crazy once more. Abruptly she came to a halt and spun around, and what she saw chilled her bones.
Some kind of being, with a red and black tattooed face was speeding towards them. What's more, at it's current heading, it would run right into Anakin.
"Annie, get down!" she yelled, at the same time that Qui-Gon yelled for the boy to drop. No sooner had he done so than the figure raced right over his prone form, then leapt off of the speeder. It ignited a crimson lightsaber in midair and brought it down on Qui-Gon, just as the Jedi Master activated his own green blade. The creature flung out one of his hands, and suddenly Buffy found herself flying backwards. She landed hard, only a few feet from Anakin. Scowling, she turned to face her brother.
"Annie, get to the ship. Tell them to take off and swing around to pick us up. Got it?"
"But what about you?" the boy cried, panic evident in his voice.
"We've discussed this, Annie." Buffy replied, a steely edge in her voice. "This is what I do. Now go!" And with that, the Slayer was on her feet and heading towards the two combatants. With one final glance, Annie pulled himself up and ran towards the starship.
Qui-Gon was a Jedi Master. He had spent hours training in lightsaber combat with some of the most gifted duelists the Order had to offer, From Master Yoda, to Master Windu, to Nejaa Halcyon, a newly instated Knight of the Order. He himself had come to be regarded as one of the best duelists in the Order, using a style of combat that was as effective in deflecting blaster bolts as it was in parrying another lightsaber.
So the fact that this- demon- was not only holding his own against him, but was winning- well, it was a tad disconcerting.
The two figures spun around each other gracefully, the demon on the offensive, raining down blows hard and fast on the Jedi Master. Soon he found himself being forced backward as he continued to block- and then it happened. The beast thrust out it's hand, and a powerful Force blast sent him sprawling onto the ground, and his lightsaber flew out of his hand, landing just a few feet out of his reach. The Demon howled triumphantly as he brought his crimson blade up to deliver the final blow. But just before he could, a blur of a figure leapt at him, hitting him with a flying dropkick that sent him sprawling. He didn't stay on the ground for long, however, as he jumped back up to his feet-
Just in time to see Buffy, the Vampire Slayer, kip up.
"Okay, horny-boy, now I-" Buffy stopped suddenly as she realized what she had just said, and her face screwed up in disgust.
"Okay, got to think of a better name for you…" But she had no more time for quips as the figure attacked the unarmed girl.
"I was so worried for you! What were you thinking, going out there like that?"
Padmè rolled her eyes. For the past hour, ever since Rose had cornered her in her quarters, it had been the same argument. She had been reckless, it was too dangerous, blah, blah, blah… Finally, she couldn't take anymore.
"Rose!" she yelled. The red-head stopped talking, opting to glare at her chosen sister instead.
"I wanted to learn about this place. And I was with a Jedi Master the entire time, so I was well protected. Plus, it didn't hurt that NOBODY KNEW THAT I'M THE QUEEN!" she finished, hissing the last sentence so nobody would here.
It was the oldest practice in the Naboo monarchy, as some liked to call it. In dangerous situations, the Queen would switch places with one of her handmaidens, so she would become a less-obvious target. It was the main reason that the Queen had handmaidens.
Padmè didn't usually take part in this practice; she hated hiding behind her handmaidens, and loathed putting them in undue danger. She preferred usually to deal with matters herself, damn the consequences. Of course, there were times when the practice came in handy. Without it , she would never had been able to visit Mos Espa, never had met Anakin, or Buffy…
Just thinking about the Skywalker children sent a pang through her heart. She hated having to leave them behind, still enslaved. She vowed that, once the threat to her own planet had past, she would find a way to free them…
Shaking herself out of the reverie, she looked back up at her sister, who looked like she was about to start the argument over again, and sighed. The life of a politician…
A sudden commotion outside the room caught her attention, and she used the excuse to end the argument.
Is never boring. she finished to herself as she opened the door. The sight that greeted her startled her.
Anakin was on the ship, and telling Captain Panaka that Qui-Gon was in trouble, and that they had to take off. A glance to Rose told her sister to get to the cockpit as she went to see to the boy.
Panaka was eyeing the boy with suspicion. "Who are you?" he asked.
"He's a friend."
Padmè came up to the tow and seized Anakin by the arm gently. She led him towards the cockpit, calling out to Panaka Wan behind them. "Hurry, Captain."
Padmè led Anakin into the cockpit of the vessel. Inside, Anakin saw a small group of people already occupying it. There was a man sitting behind the controls, wearing what appeared to be a pilots insignia on his uniform jacket. There was another handmaiden with a pale face, green eyes, and shocking red hair. The third person appeared to be another Jedi, judging by his clothes and hairstyle.
"Qui-Gon's in trouble." Padmè announced to the group.
"We're supposed to take off and pick them up."
"Them?" Padmè asked in surprise. Annie nodded.
"My sisters out there, too. She was going to help Master Qui-Gon out…"
Obi-Wan was on his feet at once. "Where are they?" he demanded, then turned to look out the cockpit windows. He scanned the horizon for a few minutes until he finally spotted them. "Over there!" he shouted, pointing off into the distance. "Get us into the air and over there! Now! Fly low!"
The man in the uniform threw himself into the pilot's seat, while everyone else scrabled to find a seat of their own. Ric closed the loading ramp and started the engines; with a low growl, the vessel rose up into the air and wheeled about, heading for the combatants.
Well, this was a brilliant idea. Buffy thought as she ducked another swing from the demon's glowing blade. Again and again the warrior swung the crimson blade at Buffy; hacking, slashing, slicing through the air. But that was all it was slicing through- air. Buffy was ducking, bending, flipping and jumping with an almost inhuman grace.
In short, she was moving like a Slayer.
Of course, the downside to this was that she hadn't really had the chance to move like a Slayer for nearly two years- asides from some fights she had gotten into on Tatooine, and the occasionally patrol she took through the streets on sleepless nights, she had been mostly inactive. As such, she immediately noticed that her reaction time was somewhat sluggish, her movements jerky. She knew she couldn't last too long, especially unarmed. As the Demon moved in closer, Buffy bobbed and weaved, slapping his arms or the long hilt of his lightsaber to the side, throwing off his aim.
Buffy glanced around, looking for a weapon to use. She saw Qui-Gon's lightsaber, lying just a few feet away, but clearly out of her reach. Then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw something that brought her hope- a sleek, silver vessel, lifting off and heading their way. Her ride was coming! She only needed to last a few more seconds- Buffy spun around to dodge another attack, then howled in pain as she felt a searing pain in her back as the demon finally landed a blow…
Qui-Gon stared on in amazement as the mere slip of a girl held her own against what he was beginning to suspect was a Sith warrior.
No mere girl could do that! He thought to himself. Even the Jedi of old couldn't go up against a Sith warrior unarmed! In his amazement, he didn't even think about helping; all he could do was watch the girl deftly outmaneuver the Sith- until he saw her spin around, moving out of the way of the crimson blade, only to be struck by a glancing blow from another blade that briefly flashed to life at the bottom of his lightsaber. In an instant Qui-Gon leapt to his feet and summoned his lightsaber to his hand. He was about to go assist Buffy when suddenly the Sith took a wide swipe at her with the lightsaber. Buffy jumped up managing to both flip over the blade and kick the Sith in his jaw, sending him sprawling backwards.
Buffy landed somewhat inelegantly, then risked a glance over her shoulder. Seeing the Jedi coming towards her, she shouted to him "Get on the damn ship, Jedi-boy!"
"What about you?" he called back. Buffy took a moment to sideswipe a downward swipe from the Sith and deliver a right cross, followed by a left hook to it's face. "I'll be along in a minute!" she yelled back.
On the ship, Obi-Wan watched as his Master was knocked down by the creature, only to be aided by the girl that was with him. He was astounded how she moved! Putting it out of his mind for the moment, he concentrated on the distance to the two figures.
"Captain, lower the ramp!" he said to Panaka as he rose from his seat. "I'll go back there to great them." Obi-Wan left the cockpit to go to the ramp, and Anakin followed close on his heels.
Rapidly the ship closed in on the three figures. As it reached Qui-Gon it slowed a bit, and the Jedi Master used the Force to leap up on the lowered walkway. Grasping one of the struts, he held on tightly, preparing to help Buffy up.
He need not have bothered.
As the ship reached Buffy, she did a backflip, grasping some loose dirt and rocks in her hand. She landed in a crouch and threw the rubble into the demon's face, blinding him momentarily, then sprang into the air again, executing a nearly flawless backflip that landed her on the ramp. If it had been flawless, like she had planned, she would have landed ead center on the ramp.
As it was, she landed right on the forward edge.
Buffy waved her arms frantically, ignoring the burning pain in her back as she tried to keep her balance on the edge of the ramp. Just as she was about to topple off, she felt an invisible force yank her back, and Qui-Gon's strong hand grasped her arm and pulled her into the ship. The ramp closed and the vessel rocketed away.
Obi-Wan and Anakin reached the pair just as the ramp closed. Both figures looked over the two warriors critically, assessing their injuries and seeing if they were okay. The Jedi Master and the Slayer exchanged a look, and neither could hold back a chuckle.
"Are you two alright?" Anakin asked with concern.
"I think so. That was a surprise I won't soon forget." Qui-Gon replied, then looked to Buffy. "But I believe your sister was wounded…"
"Not a problem." Buffy replied quickly. "Just a scratch. It'll be okay in a day…or two," she added quickly, then gave a nervous laugh. "What can I say? I heal fast." She finished defensively.
Obi-Wan opted to ignore the mystery of the girl for one he found of greater importance. "What sort of creature was it?"
Qui-Gon shook his head. "I'm not sure. Whoever or whatever he was, he was trained in the Jedi arts. My guess is he was after the Queen.."
"Do you think he'll follow us?" Anakin asked. Qui-Gon considered this for a moment before replying.
"We'll be safe enough once we're in hyperspace. But I have no doubt he knows our destination. If he found us once, he can find us again."
"What are we going to do about it?"
By now, Obi-Wan was openly staring at the boy with a look that screamed 'What do you mean, we?'. Anakin saw the look and looked back at him, his face blank. Buffy just raised an eyebrow at the two. Men, she thought.
"We will be patient." Qui-Gon advised. He then straightened himself up and looked between the three. "Anakin and Buffy Skywalker, meet Obi-Wan Kenobi."
Anakin reached out and grasped his hand, shaking it as firmly as a nine-year-old could. "Pleased to meet you. Wow! You're a Jedi Knight, too, aren't you?"
Obi-Wan looked ot his Master and rolled his eyes in despair. Buffy caught the gesture and scowled slightly, then smiled brightly and stuck out her own hand. "Nice to meet you, Benny."
Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow at the name, then grasped her hand and shook it. "Actually, it's Obi-Wan." He said, then winced. By the Force, she had a grip!
"I dunno, you look like a Ben to me. Besides, too many weird names around here for my liking."
Anakin gave a cough that sounded suspiciously like 'Buffy!', then tried to hid a grin. Buffy scowled, playfully this time, and ruffled his hair, oblivious to his protests.
Qui-Gon hid his own smile as he led the way to the cockpit. None of them even noticed a handmaiden who had been headed out of the cockpit to the Queen's quarters; a Handmaiden with a pale face and wide, green eyes.
It was several hours later when Padmè, just after seeing Annie in the situation room, made her way to the room she shared with her sister. She was frowning, deep in thought about the conversation she had just had with the sad little boy as she fingered the small carved japor snippet he had given her. She reached the door to her room and pressed the control to open it, but she stopped suddenly when she saw who was inside.
Rose was sitting on the edge of the bed. She was shaking, and it appeared as it had been crying. Worriedly, Padmè rushed inside and closed the door, then after a moments thought, locked the door and raised the privacy shield.
"Rose? Rose, what's wrong?" the younger woman asked, kneeling in front of her chosen sister and grasping her hands. Seeing the lack of response from the red-headed girl, Padmè decided to try a different approach. "Willow? Tell me what's wrong."
Willow looked up at Padmè, shocked that she would use her true name. Of course she knew it- Padmè and her family, which had become Willow's family, found out her true story only a few days after she was found by them. But it was agreed between them all that Willow Rosenberg, for her own safety, must be thought to be dead. That was why she chose the name Rose, part in honor of her former name, part as a disguise for herself. The surname Naberrie came shortly thereafter, when they had adopted her into their family. So the fact that Padmè used her true name here and now got her attention.
"Willow, what's wrong?" Padmè asked, concern evident in her voice. Willow stared at her sister for a moment, then took a shuddering breath and spoke.
"Tell me about the Skywalkers."
Buffy walked into the situation room and found Anakin huddled down on the floor next to a bulkhead. He had wrapped himself in a red and gold blanket and looked to be dozing off. Buffy smiled to herself.
My little Gryffindor. She thought to herself. Buffy leaned against the bulkhead and slid down to the ground next to her brother, wincing slightly as the burned skin on her back stretched. Anakin, who noticed the wince, glanced at her pained expression.
"Are you okay?" he asked, then yawned. Buffy affectionately ruffled his hair.
"I'm fine, Annie. Remember, we discussed this? This is what I was born to do. Sometimes, I get hurt. But I'll always come home."
Anakin let out a small chuckle, then looked away. Buffy eyed him suspiciously. "What's wrong, Annie?"
Anakin sighed. "But you won't be coming home anymore, will you?"
Buffy's brow furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean?"
"We're free, Buffy." Annie started in a sad voice. "And I'm going to be trained as a Jedi, I hope. But if I am, what's going to happen to you? And will I…" his voice chocked on the rest of the sentence, and Buffy looked at him in understanding.
"Will you ever see me again?" she finished for him. Taking a deep breath, she looked down at him and smiled. "Okay, Annie. Since you look like you're about to pass out from exhaustion, let me tell you a bed time story- stop me if you've heard this one before. And don't roll your eyes at me, you'll see the relevance in a minute.
"Once upon a time, there was a girl named Buffy. And Buffy was the Vampire Slayer. One girl in all the world, blah, blah, blah, The Chosen One, blah, blah, blah… chosen to fight the vampires, the demons, the yadda, yadda- you get the picture. At first, Buffy hated her new calling. But after a while, she kind of grew into it. You want to know how? Because she had a family- her mother Joyce, her Watcher Giles, her annoying little sister Dawn, and her best friends Xander and Willow With them by her side, she faced her calling, and thrived."
Unbeknownst to Buffy, at that moment, a lone handmaiden stood just outide the room. The handmaiden, know by most as Rose, and by only a few as Willow, listened to the bedtime story as tears started to run down her face.
And on the opposite side of the room, just outside, Obi-Wan Kenobi stopped short, listening intently to the story, hoping to gleam some information on the mysterious girl.
"Anyway, over the years, Buffy's family grew. Her friends grew up, and son fell in love. Buffy fell in love too, but, well…we're not going to talk about that.
"Xander fell in love with a girl named Anya, who was very…colorful. Willow, meanwhile, fell in love with a beautiful, shy witch named Tara.
"Tara was an interesting person. You see, the people who were supposed to be her family spent most of her life telling her that she was part demon, and on her 19th birthday, the demon would come out. And then all of her friends would see what she really was and hate her, and the only people who could control her were her 'family'.
"Well, Tara didn't like that one bit. So she went away to college, and ended up in Sunnydale, where she fell for the above mentioned, up-and-coming witch named Willow. But every free moment she had she spent looking for a way to get rid of the demon she thought she had in her, and on a couple of occasions, it led to her lying to Willow and others to protect her secret.
"Well right before her 19th birthday, her 'family' showed up to take her home. But she didn't want to leave her new friends, or Willow- she wanted to stay. So when her 'family' told her that, if she didn't come with them, they'd tell her friends her secret, she took drastic action. She cast a spell on her friends, a spell that made it so they wouldn't be able to see the demon aspect in her.
"But what she didn't realize was that her spell made it so they couldn't see demons at all. So when a group of demon assassins came to kill her and her friends, she was in a bit of a bind. Buffy tried to fight back, but she couldn't see what she was fighting! Things were looking grim for our heroine."
Outside the door, Obi-Wan listened on in confusion. Witches? Demons? Vampire Slayer? The only two words that struck any sort of chord with him was 'Chosen One', but didn't Master Qui-Gon believe it was Anakin?
What was going on?
And outside the other door, Willow was doing her best to stifle her sobs as tears ran freely down her cheeks.
"Well, once Tara realized what she had done, and how much danger she had put her friends in, she came back and lifted the spell. Buffy, being the bad momma that she was, took out the demons, then confronted Tara, who told them everything. Her 'family' took that moment to come in and try and take her away, citing that only they could control the demon.
"But then a rather annoying pain in Buffy's…err… rear, named Spike, asked what kind of demon Tara was supposed to be. And when they couldn't answer, he took matters into his own hand. You see, Spike had a chip in his head, kind of like the chip we had in us. Only his chip just caused him pain when he tried to hit a human, but did nothing when he hit a demon. So, to see if what her 'family' was saying was true, he hit her. And then screamed in pain.
"Realizing everything she had been told about her and the women in her family, she refused to go with them. And then they told her that they would force her to come home. Do you know what Buffy did then?"
Anakin shook his head, engrossed in the story.
"Buffy stood up for her. Even after nearly getting me killed, I stood up for her. We all did. I actually think Dawn scared them more than I did, come to think of it. And do you want tot know why?
"Because she was family. My family. And I never abandon my family."
Willow had slid down the door, sobbing uncontrollably. Oh, god Buffy, she thought, I'm so sorry….
Buffy gently cupped Anakin's jaw and brought his face up so she could look right into his eyes.
"Annie, I promise you this. If the Jedi train you, I'll be there for you. If they don't like it, well, I've faced bigger bad's than a bunch of glow-stick wielding monks with attitudes.
"If they don't train you, then we'll find a place to settle down. Maybe we could swing a favor with Padmè to get us set up somewhere on Naboo.
"If I find a way to get home, and you're not being trained, I'll take you with me, if you want. Then you, me, and Dawn can be a family. If you're being trained, then I promise if I find a way home, I won't go until I can find a way to come back as often as I want to see you.
"You're my brother, Anakin. Maybe not by blood, but by everything else that matters. And I will NOT leave you alone in this galaxy. I swear I won't."
Buffy gathered Annie in her arms and gave him a hug. All to soon, Annie murmured a 'Love you, Buffy." and fallen asleep. Smiling, Buffy laid the boy back down onto the deck and wrapped the covers around him tightly. Suddenly sensing a presence behind her, she poke over her shoulder, "You know, it isn't polite to listen in on private conversations, Benny."
Smoothly Buffy stood, hiding the pain she felt as the burn on her back pulled and twisted slightly. She turned to face the Jedi, who was doing his best to hide the surprise on his face.
"That was a most unusual, if not enlightening, bedtime story you told him." Obi-Wan said. "And now I find myself curious as to exactly what a 'Vampire Slayer' is? Or how you know about the Chosen One?"
Buffy stared back defiantly at the Jedi, with a small sneer on her face. Unconsciously the two started to circle each other.
"Listen up, Jedi-boy. The only thing you got to worry about is getting the Queen to Coruscant, not about fairy tales. So you can just forget about Slayers, and Chosen Ones, or me sharing anything with you."
"The Council will be most interested in both you and your brother, Buffy." Obi-Wan said. "Both of you are enigmas…"
Buffy let out an annoyed sigh. "And they want answers, is that it? Well I'll tell them what I told the last Council that wanted me to answer to them, and that was to go fu…" Buffy's voice trailed off as her eyes grew wide and fearful. She slowly started to back away, her hands raised in a defensive position.
"P-p-please, you d-d-don't need to use t-t-that," she stammered out fearfully. "I promise I'll be good…"
Obi-Wan's brow furrowed in confusion to this sudden change in the girls demeanor. Noticing where her eyes were fixed, the Jedi looked down at his hand- and he realized he was still holding the remote for Buffy's collar.
Qui-Gon had asked him to go and remove the collar from the elder Skywalker. He had mentioned to him Buffy's seeming fear of the device, but Obi-Wan had dismissed it out of hand. The girl had met a Jedi-trained warrior in combat, unarmed, and survived. How could she possible fear something like a control collar?
Of course, seeing her reaction now kind of put it into perspective.
Keeping the device by his side, Obi-Wan lifted his other hand up in a calming gesture. Subtly, he sent some of the Force to the girl in an effort to calm her down. "Buffy, listen to me," he said in a soothing voice. "I'm not going to use this on you. Qui-Gon asked me to find you and take the collar off. I need the controller to deactivate it."
Buffy looked at the Padawan, While the fear was still evident in her eyes, he saw a flash of something else there- hope. "You're not going to use it?" ked in a small voice. "You're really going to take it off?"
"Yes, Buffy. I give you my word as a Jedi, I will not harm you." Obi-Wan approached the Slayer cautiously. Buffy stiffened, but let the Jedi bring the controller up to her neck. Setting the end of the controller into a small slot set into the collar, just below her left ear. There was a brief hum, and Buffy tensed, expecting the device to activate, then expelled a breath she didn't realize she was holding when the device shut down. With a click, it opened, and Obi-Wan removed it from around her neck. Buffy sagged visibly; the one thing she had feared more than anything else was gone, she was truly free.
Obi-Wan examined Buffy's neck, looking over the damage. "It looks like there have been some very serious burns, and a decent amount of scarring. I should go get some antiseptic…" The Jedi's voice trailed off as Buffy stiffened once more. Looking at her face, she saw the girls eyes were wide once more, but this time with shock.
"Willow…" she whispered. Obi-Wan spun around to see Rose standing in the doorway, tears streaming down her anguished face.
"Oh god, Buffy…"
TBC
A/N: Well, I kind of screwed up.
In my zeal to get the story of Episode I down, I wanted to put in almost everything that kind of foreshadowed Anakin's fall, including the fight with Greedo and his leaving his mother . And that took up space.
A lot of space.
It wasn't until I got to the fight with Darth Maul that I realized that there was no way I was going to have a proper reunion between Buffy and Willow in this chapter. This chapter clocks in at 20 pages, and over 8,000 words. So here is what's going to happen: Next chapter, Willow and Buffy reveal pretty much all to the Jedi, and each other, and the group (finally) arrives on Coruscant. How does Buffy react to Senator Palpatine? The even bigger question is this- how does a girl with a severe fear of heights react to Coruscant? Find out in about two weeks, god willing!
Now, on to reviews!
Chapter 4 Review Responses
RaeAngel, cycloneozgirl, spikes-storm, stcobb, aeroprime : Thanks to each of you for the reviews! Glad you all like it, and I assure you that I am hard at work on the next chapter even as we speak.
Angus Hardie: I'm glad you've liked it so far. The Midi-Chlorians will be addressed throughout the story, so have patience!
Allen Pitt: You're righter than you know, about Willow, at least. And Buffy, to an extent. Indeed, the Council's views on Willow and Buffy play a big part in the overall story. As for Sunnydale, be prepared to a trip back to the homestead near the end of Episode I.
Saint Maverick: Get down with your bad self! Thank you for your praise, hope you like what's coming! Just Me: Glad you liked the race scene. It seemsthat the people out there actually liked it, and for that, I'm both flatteredand grateful. As for the Midi-Chlorians- stay tuned! And thanks for the review!
Korrd: Buffy on Coruscant will happen in the next chapter. And no, no Vampires in this universe. Just the monsters of the Sith variety.
w1cked angel: Obi-Wan will play a larger role in my stories, but mostly in Episodes 2,3, and 4. In 1, we've got Qui-Gon, and in 5 and 6 we got…well, I'm not telling;)
Jedi-Princess/Nascar Girl: I really thought about having some pairings, but in the end, it just didn't fit with the Code. I AM, however, thinking of having pairings in my take on the Original Trilogy. As for Willow, well, the story's still young… cackles evilly As for wrestling, yes, I am a wrestling fan. Though right now I tend to lean more towards the classic product- the stuff between the late seventies up till 2000-2001. I'm talking Roddy Piper, Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, Ricky Steamboat, and of course, Ric Flair and the Four Horsemen. Those were the men, baby. Wooooo!
Lin: Glad you liked the race! And yes, Buffy and Willow did meet up again in this chapter, but it really gets going ext chapter. Thanks for the review!
Victoria87: 'Phantoms and Slayers' can be found at Twisting the Hellmouth. Winterd has finished Episode One, and I believe will be continuing her trilogy under the same story. And yes, Rose is Willow. And now we now WHY Rose is Willow. Glad you liked it, hope you enjoy the rest!