Spoilers: Some small references to events in the Original Trilogy.

Disclaimer: Mine it is not.

A/N: This chapter was incredibly fun to write, and I hope that you enjoy it!

Slipping Into Darkness

Chapter 12

There was no pain… There was no death… There was only the Force, drawing him closer, ever closer… The words of the Jedi Code seemed to echo in the empty void around Anakin as he listened to the voice of eternity. It seemed as though he were floating. He was surrounded and cradled by the peaceful darkness that had taken him moments before, and he still felt the same sense of serenity.

This peace was far beyond any he had ever experienced as a Jedi. For once, there was no weight of responsibility on his shoulders, no weariness of mind that always came with his duty. There was no more guilt, no more despair. He was free from the turmoil that had filled his life.

He knew that he was being drawn further into the Force and didn't resist. This was what he wanted. He didn't want the burden of being the Chosen One, he never had. He wanted to rest forever in the beauty of the Force.

He was so close, he could almost touch it. Before him was the very gate between life and death, and he was about to step through it. Anakin reached out his hand, and for the briefest moment, he was part of the very fabric of the universe, one with the Force itself. But suddenly, Anakin felt himself being pulled back.

No! Anakin protested silently. But the invisible power continued to drag him back, relentlessly pulling him away from the promised rest. No! Anakin cried again. They couldn't take this from him, they couldn't! However, no matter how hard Anakin struggled, he could not fight the invisible presence that held him.

Can't I ever have peace?! Anakin finally screamed. Silence answered him. For a fleeting instant, the young Jedi wondered if his punishment was to be trapped here, so near to the peace he desperately longed to have, and yet unable to reach it. But then he sensed something behind him. Quickly, he turned to face it.

There, in the distance, a spark of light had entered the darkness. It flicked briefly, then began to grow, and Anakin found himself enthralled by the sight. The light expanded slowly, growing until it illuminated the vast space. As Anakin focused his eyes, he realized that he could see shapes within the light. He felt a wave of confusion. What is this? he wondered. He continued to watch and soon, he could see that the shapes were human: a man and a woman.

Was this a picture of him and Padmé? As the image in front of him became sharper, he saw that the man had blond hair and blue eyes much like Anakin's own, while the woman had hair and eyes matching Padmé's. Anakin strained to see the features of the two figures, but they were still obscured. As time passed, he realized that both figures were holding lightsabers. Jedi! Anakin exclaimed in surprise. But who were they, and why did the Force want him to see this? Finally, the faces of the two Jedi became clear.

The two seemed to be the same age. The young man had a serious brow and slightly cleft chin. Anakin felt a strange sense of pride as he watched the young man wield his saber, blocking attacks from unseen adversaries. Then Anakin turned his gaze to the woman.

She was petite and beautiful, and her presence seemed to speak of unknown strength. She also twisted her saber in graceful arcs, deftly blocking any attempt to get through her defense. Again, Anakin felt pride sweep though him at the sight.

Why? Anakin didn't understand. He had never seen these Jedi before, they were complete strangers to him. And yet, somehow, they felt so familiar…

Anakin froze. He knew with sudden, inexplicable certainty that the Force was showing him his children. Anakin felt tears well up in his eyes. He wasn't sure how tears could form in this state of being. After all, could spirits cry? But his questions seemed insignificant as he focused once more on the figures before him. Two children…Padmé was carrying twins. The tears he had been holding back began to fall.

These were his children, grown up and Jedi Knights. The pride he had felt for them only grew as he looked on. The skill with which they fought was incredible, and in their eyes he could see a look of fierce determination. Anakin didn't know whom they were fighting, but the battle was intense. He watched with surprise as the struggle seemed to become even greater.

Anakin's worry spiked. Surely his children would be victorious, and for a moment, it seemed that they would. But behind them, Anakin sensed something rising: a shadow. From this darkness he sensed a malevolent presence, and in the next instant, he heard Palpatine's cruel laugh. He saw the twins turn to face this new threat, but he knew they couldn't hope to win. The Sith was too powerful. Anakin tried to move forward to help, but something held him, keeping him where he was. He watched helplessly as both of his children were forced to their knees.

As they both cried out in pain and rage, the blades they had been holding, once both sapphire, turned the color of blood. The twins screamed in obvious agony, thrashing wildly. Horror swept through Anakin, but still he couldn't move. Finally, the two figures before Sidious bowed their heads. Their shouting ended, and he breathed a small sigh of relief. Perhaps their torment had stopped as well.

But that notion was quickly proven wrong. Something had changed in the two kneeling figures. Not only did they no longer cry out; they no longer moved. Ice cold fingers of fear gripped Anakin's heart. That frigid fear morphed into terror as Anakin saw the twins slowly being transformed into statues of stone. Suddenly, Anakin heard a roar of wind, and the two figures began to erode. He watched as cracks began to appear, and he fell to his knees as the broken rock crumbled into sand. Within moments, the sand was swept away, a poignant reminder of the sandstorms Anakin had often witnessed on Tatooine. It was as if his children had never been. No! Anakin screamed. But it was too late. Already the darkness had completely engulfed the light. In the distance, once again, he heard Palpatine's cruel laugh.

As quickly as it had begun, the vision ended, and the space returned to solemn silence. Anakin breathed raggedly, never even wondering how it was possible that he could draw breath.

This was far worse than the first vision he had seen of the future, worse than he could have ever imagined, for now he was powerless to change it. He had chosen to die, chosen not to fight. He thought that he had made the sacrifice purely for his family, believing that he was the real danger they faced, and that his death would give them a chance to live.

Only now did he know. He had been selfish. He had thought only of the fact that he would no longer be forced to confront his inner darkness, no longer need to face the consequences of his actions. But he had never realized that by refusing his duty the burden would be passed onto his children. Though incredibly powerful, they were not strong enough. This destiny was his and his alone. Only he could do what had to be done: only he could defeat the Sith.

A profound sense of purpose and hope arose in Anakin, and the Force spoke to him clearly. His despair had vanished, replaced by knowledge of the truth. Palpatine had lied to him. It was not the destiny of the Chosen One to destroy the Jedi, rather it had simply been the path Anakin had been following. Now, Anakin realized that even if events had transpired as he had seen in his vision, and he had become Darth Vader, at some point in the future, he still would have done what he was meant to do. He still would have defeated the darkness and brought balance to the Force. The road to accomplishing this would have been long and hard, but something would have returned him to the Light. He wondered briefly what his redemption would have been. His children, perhaps? He believed that would have been the case. But what could he do now? How was he supposed to complete his duty when he was dead?

Then, Anakin felt it: a flicker of life in this place of passing. He wasn't dead…not completely, anyway. But the spark of life was very faint. Could he re-ignite it?

Well, I did once vow to stop people from dying, Anakin thought wryly, his humor returning along with his newfound determination. Time to see if I can keep that promise.

With that, the young Jedi closed his eyes and called upon the Force. He felt it move through him and rejoiced in the symphony of beauty and light that filled him. He had never touched the Force like this. Its peace warmed him, centered him, and surrounded him, expelling the darkness. After a few moments, he realized he was moving. Anakin felt almost a sense of joy as he once again became aware of the pain of his injuries. Pain was not such a bad thing, Anakin thought. It meant that he was alive. And where there is life, there is hope.

TBC

A/N: The next part will be up on Thursday.

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