Chapter 7 – Through the Barrier

Author's Note: There's only one chapter left. :')

~ Amina Gila

Anakin should have known Sidious would try something like this. In truth, he'd expected it, from the moment he felt the tug on him through the Force. Of course, the Sith would have a contingency to trap Anakin's Force ghost here. He didn't know it was truly possible, but he should have.

Dark walls seem to permeate the Force itself here, walls he won't be able to escape from when there's only so much he can physically interact with. He'd tried to immediately reach out for Obi-Wan, telling him to stay away, but of course, his idiot former master had promptly come through anyway.

"I'm not leaving you again," he'd said immediately, and come anyway. But even together, Anakin doubts they'd be able to fight through it like that.

At least not after the doors between life and death close. But for as long as they're open, they give him the opportunity to interact with the living in a way that won't break the laws of the Force.

And now he's only waiting for one last thing to slide into place before he makes his move.

But what hurts most is the torn, agonized look on his son's face. He did all of this to bring Anakin back, and he could never say how much it hurts to see Luke in such despair. Even if Anakin wanted to stay dead – he does – he'd almost agree to come if only to make Luke feel better. But because of what it will lead to, he can't. That bond between them... Sidious will be unbeatable, unstoppable.

He might even have access to the power of the Chosen One. Anakin can't allow that. He can't. And if he came back to life and they succeeded in killing Sidious anyway, Luke would die too. He can explain to Luke later, but for now, there's little he can do.

"Father, please," Luke pleads, and it's an echo of the words he said on the Death Star, "I did all of this – for you."

"I know," Anakin says, his heart only breaking further if that were possible, "But you also did it for the galaxy, didn't you?"

Luke nods slightly, jerkily. He looks close to tears, and it makes Anakin want to cry. He hates even more that he can feel how much Sidious is enjoying this, but he has to say this much before he finishes what he's planning.

"Sidious has been lying to you this whole time. If he ever intended to bring me back; it was only so we would both be his slaves. You know he only means to destroy the galaxy, and if he has me, he will be unstoppable."

"I already am," Sidious gloats, "You are trapped here forever, and now, your children are here too. You will have failed, Lord Vader."

"That name no longer has any meaning to me." Anakin turns away, back to his son. "He's been blocking me from reaching you, Luke."

"He is lying, boy. He is trying to take this away from you, after everything you've done for him. He is betraying you as he betrayed me," Sidious says lowly.

Luke looks between them, almost desperately.

"Luke!"

Anakin's gaze turns past them, right as the door swings open, and Leia sprints into the room, followed by Han and Chewbacca.

Now.

"I'm sorry, my son," Anakin says, and that's all he can say, really before he lashes out with the Force, for Sidious.

"What are you doing –" Luke starts to protest, but Anakin can't listen right now. He can feel the dark energy of the room, pulsing around him and Obi-Wan, he lashes out, latching onto it. He can't break it down, but he doesn't have to. Not yet.

He latches onto Sidious' presence, now possessing Snoke's body, to pull it free. Sidious resists with everything he has, but Anakin is an embodiment of the Force now, and maybe Sidious never quite considered what it means to be the Chosen One – even after death.

And he foolishly opened the door between life and death, so nothing Anakin does now will break the rules of the Force. And his children are both here and safe for the rest of what he has to do.

He's fighting with Sidious presence, so hard that the Sith doesn't have time to react when Leia whips out a blaster and fires at Snoke, hitting him straight through the heart.

The figure topples forwards, off the throne, and Sidious' spirit abruptly rips free from the body. Anakin reacts instantly, wrapping his own presence around it, fighting to prevent it from escaping to possess something else, fighting to destroy it.

He doesn't want any more death on his hands, but he has to do it this one last time. He and Obi-Wan talked about it. He knows what he has to do.

He is the Chosen One; he has to bring balance to the Force, and he will.

Everything Sidious has done here is against the Force itself, and he throws all of that, and his determination and love for his family at the spirit. Abruptly it starts to disintegrate.

He doesn't wait, because if he does, the barrier will start to close and he won't be able to finish what he's started, and then, his children will still die.

Anakin reaches out past that, towards the atmosphere of the planet, whipping up a violent Force storm, bringing the blasts of lightning crackling down through every last one of Sidious' advanced Star Destroyers. He can see it even though he's not there, as the storm starts ripping through them. Even with their design, they are insignificant compared to the power of the Force.

There's few, if any, people around out there, thankfully, so he doesn't need to worry about hurting anyone. One by one, they all start to go down.

Sidious is still trying to fight him off, but he's not strong enough, not when his presence is already weakening.

Then all at once, the last of Sidious' presence disappears completely, and he can feel it as his spirit dissipates, drifting away into the currents of the Force.

It's over.

The dark barrier surrounding the room is starting to disappear, too, now, and he needs to make sure his children are okay.

**w**

Luke can only gape at the power Anakin is displaying right now. He feels it as his own bond with Sidious breaks, as waves of darkness start to disappear into the Force, and somewhere beyond the throne room, he can hear the sound of destruction of some kind.

Leia... what's she doing here?

But right now, all his focus is on Anakin. He was supposed to bring his father back, and now –

But Sidious is gone, so even if he was bonded it would only be to Luke, right? But he realizes with growing dread and horror, he doesn't know how to do this by himself.

"Father!" he calls, frantically, "You can still come back. Sidious is gone now. We can figure it out together – "

The window between space and time and death is closing though, and he doesn't know how much longer he'll be able to hold it open all on his own.

"Luke, you can't," Anakin objects, "You aren't strong enough, and I will not bind my life to yours like that."

No, no, no – this, all of it can't have been for nothing. It can't be – "But..."

Anakin moves closer, stopping in front of him. He looks... sad, but he reaches down, laying a hand on his arm.

Luke nearly freezes when it feels physical. Something about it doesn't quite feel like normal human touch, but it's close. "Father..." he breaths, and doesn't wait, throwing his arms around him. Anakin returns it with almost surprising fierceness.

Emotion swells in him, practically choking him as he clings to his father. This – it's what he's wanted all this time, all his life. And he can't –

"Listen to me," Anakin begins.

Luke's grip tightens and he buries his head against his father's shoulder, feeling for a ridiculous moment like a child again. "What?"

"I told you already, but I can't come back."

The words freeze him again, sending an icy fear clawing through him.

"No," Luke whispers, and doesn't care to stop the tears abruptly spilling down his cheeks, "I did all this for you. I can't lose you again."

Anakin's grip around him tightens. "You aren't losing me, little one. I'll still be there. I've always been there."

"Then why couldn't I see you?!"

"I told you, Sidious was blocking it." He trails a hand down his back, holding him no less protectively.

He really is refusing, isn't he? But – it's not as if he can agree really anyway, can he? There isn't much choice here, but no, this can't really be the end. After everything he did, it can't all have been for nothing. Yes, Sidious may be gone and whatever else Anakin destroyed, but...

"It's n-not the same," Luke protests, voice breaking.

"I know," he says softly, "But death can't be reversed, Luke."

It feels like everything he's ever done is collapsing around him, everything he worked and dreamed for, and he thinks the only thing that's keeping him from shattering completely is his father's arms around him Something he'll never feel in person again. "It's not fair," he protests, through his tears.

"My own choices led to this." Anakin sounds... tired, a tired kind of acceptance, Luke supposes. He wishes he could feel the same. He wishes it didn't feel like his heart got ripped out all over again, like his father will be a million miles away forever even if he's holding him in arms right now.

"I don't care. I just want you back."

"And I will be with you, all the time. Probably more than I could be if I were alive." Luke knows he's just trying to make him feel better, but it does little to help right now. "We can still talk. We can still interact physically with each other. That is more than I ever could ask for. I know it's not fair to you, Luke, but this is what my actions led to."

He sniffles, holding onto him tighter. "You were there all along?"

"I was," Anakin sounds... Luke doesn't know but it hurts. There's no way his father is pleased with what he saw Luke doing. He knew that would be true because Vader had turned back, but he... It was easier to ignore when he remembered Vader and what he felt like, instead of Anakin and what he feels like now. And he'd kept telling himself that it would be worth it somehow. But now...

"But you need to close the barrier. It's dangerous to you and the galaxy to leave it open. We can talk after that." Anakin trails a hand through his hair and it's strange how physical it feels, even though there's something 'translucent' about it at the same time. It's not a feeling he can even put into words, but he knows there's nowhere else he wants to be than here, in his father's arms.

"Now?" he asks, miserably.

"Yes, now," Anakin prompts, hand falling to Luke's shoulder, "I will still be here. Always."

Luke draws in a shaky breath, finally pulling away, for as much as he doesn't want to move or do anything – maybe dying along with his father would have been better. Okay, he knows he's just overreacting right now, but it still feels...

"I know you can do it," he encourages, and Luke nods. Maybe at least he can do one thing to begin to make up for what he did – and to make his father proud. He ingrains the mental image of Anakin into his mind forever before he reaches out with the Force to close the gateway.

The world seems to come cascading in around him, and everything spirals into darkness.

**w**

Heart pounding, Leia darts across the room, kneeling next to her twin, where he lies motionless on the floor. He looks seriously worn out, but at least he's alive and here, and Sidious is dead. He can't take her brother away anymore.

She reaches down, taking his motionless hand in her own. "How is he?" Han demands, hovering behind her. Chewie approaches, growling in equal concern.

"He'll be fine, I think," she replies breathlessly. And once he wakes up, the two of them will be having a serious talk.

It hurt so much, though, seeing how devastated he was over losing his – their – father. She knew it was bad, but she didn't know it was that much. In truth, she's never seen him cry before now. She should have noticed more. She thought he might just want some space at first and in truth, she'd been so busy with the Alliance she hadn't pushed when she probably should have.

So, he ended up with Sidious instead.

"It's not your fault, Leia." She looks up sharply, to see Anakin standing over her.

Anakin who just destroyed Sidious again and the last remnants of the Empire, even when he could otherwise have had the opportunity to come back to life.

If that doesn't show the kind of person he is, she doesn't know what does. "I should have been there for him," she mutters, shaking her head.

"Are you talking to your ghost dad again?" Han asks dubiously.

Leia gives him an incredulous look. "If that's how you want to put it. Chewie, we need to get Luke to the ship."

She stands, looking between Ben and Anakin. She feels like she should say something to him, but suddenly, she feels speechless, despite how ridiculous that is. She's a princess, and a former senator! "I... should thank you," Leia begins, slowly, "You helped me find him, and you... You destroyed the Emperor."

Anakin gives her a soft smile. "Of course Leia. It was... my duty."

"You could have come back if you wanted," she adds, and doomed the galaxy, though she doesn't say that. "But you... I suppose Luke was right."

"You know he redeemed himself, Leia," Ben interjects, moving to stand next to her... father.

"I know, but it's different when I can see it," she replies. Ben trusts Anakin, and she trusts Ben, but now, she thinks there's more to her newfound... not quite trust of him than that. "You two go along to the ship," Leia adds, turning to Han and Chewie who are both eyeing her curiously, probably wishing they could hear the other end of the conversation. Hopefully, they'll be fine without her.

"If you'd like a word in private, I will... be around," Ben says, before fading out, leaving the two of them alone.

"I may have said this before, but I am sorry, Leia," Anakin speaks up. "I know you have been hurt so much because of me. All of this Luke did was because..."

As true as that is, she knows it's not all Anakin's fault, even if sometimes when she was angry at the world and everything, she'd just wanted to blame someone. But in the end, the only one she can really blame is Sidious. And she'll be having a serious talk with Luke later, but she can't say she blames him, even if she is very upset with what he's done. "You don't need to say it again. This... wasn't your fault either."

She pauses, drawing in a deep breath. She doesn't know why she's saying this, or maybe she does. "You know, I... always wanted to know my biological parents," Leia continues, "I – I always saw my parents as my real ones, but still it... wasn't the same. After what happened, it was... sometimes easier to think about my biological parents than – Alderaan." A wave of agonizing pain washes through her as she thinks of that day again. It's hard to even think about when formerly-Vader is standing right in front of her.

In truth, it's an ache she doesn't think is ever going to go away, even if it fades in time. It haunts her constantly, ceaselessly, even years later. Her pain over that pretty much whites out... what Vader did to her on the Death Star.

She's certainly far from happy that he tortured Han or cut off Luke's hand, but... She's already seen the things Luke was doing when he was lost to the Dark Side, and he's not all evil. At all. He's just... She doesn't know what happened to him, but she can tell it was nothing but a series of terrible mistakes, one after the other, and looking at how Anakin is now, she has to think the same was true for him.

In a way, it gives her more hope that she can fix this. With everything Vader did, he was still capable of changing, and that means she can definitely reach Luke if she tries.

Anakin looks... sad, almost. "I should have been there to raise both of you, and it was my choices that led to this, but I am grateful you were raised by good parents. It's a better life than I could have given you. I'm sorry the Empire took that from you too."

She swallows back her instinctive emotions as she thinks about it. She'd never blamed Vader for that. It had just been... she was angry with the Empire and everyone, but most of all, Tarkin. He was dead, though, so that left only the Empire to fight. It filled her with determination to defeat the Empire, and she wouldn't stop until it's gone and a new Republic is restored. "When I felt you then, you were – You were very different than this."

"I was Fallen then," Anakin reminds.

"No, I mean you felt..." She frowns, pulling up the memory of when she sensed Vader, "– you felt lost, I don't know. Nothing like what you looked like."

"I thought I had nothing else," Anakin replies, "I was a coward, and Sidious was all I had. I was scared to leave him, and I feared him most of all. He was not... a kind master."

Leia winces. She doesn't want to think about what that would mean for what he's been doing to Luke. "I don't know what happened and I have a lot of questions," she admits, "I want to know, and I'm sure Luke does too, especially after whatever Sidious has been telling him."

Anakin nods. "Whatever you want to know."

"Maybe we should talk about this once we're out of here... Father?" Leia suggests. The word feels strange on her tongue, especially using it on someone other than Bail. She can't really say for sure why she did, but it just felt... She doesn't know. It feels right.

Something about his expression softens further, and it... pulls at something in her. "Go, Leia. You should leave the planet before you are found."

**w**

Luke opens his eyes, instantly aware of the exhaustion nagging at him, and the pulsing ache of an entirely different kind in his chest. He... he failed. Forever. His father will never be alive again. He still can remember the feel of his father's Force ghost holding him, but it's... not the same.

And it means everything he did was for nothing.

He squeezes his eyes shut again instantly, breathing in shakily. No, that – that can't be true. He had to do it to take down Sidious, but there was still more, and the guilt and pain are smothering him. He wants out but he deserves no less for his choices. He wants to fall asleep, and pretend the past few months never happened. That it's before Endor, maybe.

"I can see you're awake."

Luke opens his eyes again, to see Leia hovering next to him, expression tense. Shame floods him full force, but he slowly pushes himself upright. There's no avoiding this conversation anyway. He doesn't even know what to say to her.

She moves forwards first, yanking him into a fierce hug. He freezes for a moment, then returns it instantly, just as tightly.

She's his sister, his twin, and they're... The bond they have – or once had, because he doubts it can ever be the same – is something he could never share with anyone else. Somehow, he'd known it from the moment he first saw a hologram of her from Artoo. It was like a part of him missing that he finally found again.

And he threw that all away.

He did what he had to do, but –

"What," Leia demands, "Were you thinking?"

"I wasn't," Luke offers.

Leia pulls back, giving him a severe look. "So I figured out!" she exclaims, "Father said –"

"What?" Luke sputters, eyes widening. She just called Vader Father.

"I told you, he's been talking to me," Leia replies, "And that Sidious was blocking him from talking to you. He told me Sidious was manipulating you, and I wanted to find you, but it was dangerous to go to Exegol. If not for what Anakin did, I don't think we would have gotten out of there."

Luke winces. "What... happened?"

"He destroyed most of the Emperor's fleet. All survivors were going to stop us, but there was too much chaos, so escaping off the planet was easy. We're on the way back to the rebel base now."

Right. Right. He – no, he doesn't want to go back there. He has no right to go back there, although where he really belongs is... in prison, probably. He'll tell Leia what he's thinking, but maybe not this very moment.

"And I'd like an explanation for what's been going on before we get there," Leia says flatly, taking a seat on the bed next to him, "Unless you'd prefer to talk about it later. I believe you owe me that much."

"Yeah," Luke mutters, running a hand through his hair, "I – I'm sorry. I didn't mean for things to go this far. One thing led to the next and I – didn't know how to stop." It sounds like a lame excuse, but Leia says nothing, only waiting for him to continue.

"There was a voice talking to me. At first I thought it was my own thoughts, but then I realized it couldn't be. He was encouraging me to be angry." Something twists in him as he thinks about it, remembering his anger. It's still not gone. The Alliance still murdered his father. None of this changes that. "Everything he said wasn't a lie."

Leia doesn't look the happiest, but she doesn't argue. "I can't blame you for being angry about that. I knew you were closing yourself off, but there was so much going on, and... At first I thought you just needed a little room."

"I didn't want to talk to anyone," Luke replies, "You were – I can't understand how the Alliance could do that."

"It wasn't right. I'm not going to pretend otherwise," she agrees, "But I do imagine the decision would have been different if they'd actually discussed it, beyond only a few people."

"That's what I mean," Luke retorts, "I didn't join Sidious because I thought the Alliance was wrong, but I don't think either side is right. That is the kind of thing the Empire does, and if they can do that, what else can they do?"

She looks... troubled, and he imagines it's something she'd need to think about before actually expressing her opinion. "It was a mistake – but it was one that cost a life needlessly, so I'm not going to justify it. What happened after that?"

"I tried bringing Vader back once and failed, but I – had to use the Dark Side. It was right after that that I –" He doesn't want to talk about this, but he owes her answers, "–That I got back to the base. I was drinking a little and one of the pilots said something, and I lost control. I didn't really mean to, but I know – that doesn't change it. I panicked and ran. I knew I couldn't go back, so I went to find the voice and that's when I realized it was Sidious. I saw everything he was building and I knew the only way to destroy him was if I stayed. And I thought if I had Vader back, he would help. I know what you think of him, but he –"

"He is different than when I met him," Leia interjects, "I get it. I just..."

She needs time to think about this, too, just like Luke does. He doesn't think merely just 'time' will remotely solve this, though. She saw him killing people – people she knew. It's a wonder she's taking this as calmly as she is.

"No that doesn't just make it right," Leia breaks the silence finally, "But I can see – where you're coming from. It's – all I can ask is that you never do something like this ever again."

"I won't," he promises instantly, "I think I learned my lesson well enough." It still hurts though, that he'll never be able to truly have his father back. He misses him terribly already.

"There's... something I should ask you," Luke says, past the guilt swallowing him.

"What?"

"What happened to Lando and... my fighter squadron?"

Leia stills, paling. "That was you?"

He squeezes his eyes shut, drawing in a ragged breath. "Sidious ordered me to do it, or he was going to – I don't know, but... After what he'd just done, I didn't want to push it further." If she's furious enough to leave him, he probably deserves it.

"What?" Leia asks, voice strained, "What did he do?"

Luke reaches down in spite of himself, tugging up the sleeve on his right arm. The scars from the lightning are still there, though fading.

Leia's eyes zero in on it, twisting with horror and fury. "He was torturing you?!"

"Sometimes. It's just – how he teaches."

"How he teaches," Leia repeats incredulously. "You – okay, I –"

"What happened to them?" Luke asks again, eyes on the floor as he pulls his sleeve back down.

"A few of your squadron are dead, I don't know if it was from you –" She nearly trips over the word, "– Or the other Imperials. Wedge is okay. Lando is injured, but he'll recover."

Luke breathes out a quiet sigh of relief. "That's..." Better than he was afraid of, but that doesn't change that he probably is the one who killed some of them. He doesn't want to know. "I can't go back to the Alliance."

"Why?" she asks, looking up at him again, "I'll explain what happened, and..."

"No, I – I still don't believe in them, and I just – I think it will be easier for everyone if I'm away. I need time to work through all of this."

"If that's really what you need," she concedes, "And if you're ready, Han and Chewie want to see you."

"Right," Luke mutters. He's really not ready for that.

Leia slips out, and Han and Chewie come in moments later.

Seeing them makes another wave of nearly intolerable guilt crash over him, but he forces himself to look at them anyway.

"Good to see you here, kid," Han speaks first. He seems a little uncertain, which is very unusual for Han, "Was that really you all along?"

Luke betrayed all of them, even if it was the only thing that defeated Sidious in the end, even if he still doesn't know what else he could have done. "It was."

"Why?" Chewie demands.

"I lost faith in the Alliance," he replies, flatly, "And then when I saw what Sidious was doing, I didn't know how to take him down without staying with him."

"You killed people, kid," Han says, and he expected the tone to be more accusing than it is.

"I know. And I won't pretend I was right. But at the time, I didn't see another option. I'm... sorry." In truth, he still doesn't, but there had to be something. Maybe.

"I did see all those Star Destroyers," Han comments, "Crazy stuff. How did you think staying with him would help you destroy them?"

"You know there was no way the Alliance could take them all on," Luke replies. "I still don't know what will happen to the galaxy. Everyone will not just stop fighting."

"That's what the Alliance is ending," Chewie argues.

"I can't forgive them for what they did, and I can't trust them," Luke replies, bluntly, "They may be doing their best, but everyone has their own agendas."

There's a moment of silence. Neither of them argue the point.

"Leia said you Fell," Chewie replies, uncertainly.

"I did. Initially it may have been... clouding my judgment," Luke admits.

"This is why I have no use for mysterious energy fields, kid," Han deadpans.

Luke cracks a smile, in spite of everything. "I know I betrayed you, and I don't expect you to let that go, but... I suppose there's nothing more I can say than that." He just wants his father back, and it still hurts that he will never get that.

"No need to put it so dramatically," Han offers with a strange amount of cheer, bonking him on the head. Luke elbows him. "But don't do it again."

It's not like before and that hurts. He can still feel their wariness, their feelings of betrayal, and that's... fair. He was fighting them, after all. It'll take time for them to accept. It hurts how he'll have to rebuild everything with them, if they even want to be around him anymore, but they haven't kicked him out yet. Even if maybe he deserves it. They're still here, and now, there's just his father. He wants to see him again, even if he last did only hours ago.

Final Notes: If you want to join our Discord to receive updates or just hang out, here's the invite link, and please delete the spaces! :) discord . gg / nqSxuz2

You can find us on tumblr at fanfictasia (which is our more serious blog which does have controversial posts on it; I won't be offended if you choose to block it, promise), and disastertriowriting (which is our fun blog with crack posts or incorrect SW quotes; we also advertise our SW gift exchanges on there)

And! We have a YT channel for tributes! Please delete the spaces in the link. :D youtube channel / UC_g1M5rSCxJUzQCRS29B6pA

Finally, if you're interested, you can submit a SW gift fic request via the following form (delete the spaces): forms . gle / rmXWtRomMMaULuPa6