Chapter 10 To Die Fighting

The place buzzed with clone troopers, but Jesse, lacking the Jedi look thanks to three years away from the order, was unhindered in his journey to Padme's quarters. To say that Padme was looking worried would be to say that Hoth was chilly. Jesse wasn't sure which would be more of an understatement. The fact that she didn't even mention Jesse's long absence only underlined her anxiety.

"Padme, where's Anakin?" he cut to the point.

Padme didn't take her eyes off the window. "Why do you want to know?"

"Come on, Padme, this is me, Jesse. You know, the little boy who fought with you about Gungans and joked with you on Tatooine. The one who was so excited about going on a real mission."

"Is it?" Padme turned to face him. "We've all changed, Jesse. I felt so old back then. Now I feel ancient."

Jesse knew the feeling, but he didn't say anything.

Padme turned back to the window. "Maybe Anakin's not the same either."

"Maybe, but I think he is. Let me prove it. Padme," Jesse took her hand and leaned forward, locking onto her brown eyes. "Anakin has been deceived. There may still be time to help him. Please. Help me to help him."

Padme's eyes filled with tears and Jesse played his last card.

"Your children will need their father. For their sake, I have to try."

Padme looked down at her protruding abdomen. She stroked it absentmindedly.

"Mustufar." She whispered.

Jesse nodded and stood. "Thank you."

"Jesse." Padme clung to his hand. "Help him. I don't know what's happened, but he's in danger. Help him."

"I will."

> > > >

On his way out, Jesse took a detour, drawn unexplainably to the Supreme Chancellor's office. It may not have been that safe, but he somehow knew that it was empty. And there was something he had to see.

The window was broken and scorched lines marked the edges. Jesse ran his hands along the smooth metal and closed his eyes. He knew without a shadow of a doubt that this was where his master had fallen.

Former master. His mind corrected, but he brushed it aside. Somehow he'd never been able to think of Mace Windu as a former; his lessons and memory were so constantly with him.

"And they still will be." He said firmly, standing taller and looking out the window, imagining the scene that must have taken place.

He turned to go. Mustufar awaited.

> > > >

Kitch landed on Mustufar and quickly disembarked. He could feel Anakin flowing with the dark side just as easily as he could feel heat from the melted lava. Steeling himself for a bloody battle, Kitch followed the Force-presence to a building complex near where he had landed, having no doubts as to who he would find once there.

Kimmy rocked the sleeping baby as Jesse flew closer to the volcanic planet. She hummed softly, knowing that if she just kept all her attention on the infant, she'd be able to stay strong. She couldn't even begin to think of everything that had happened without wanting to run and hide under the covers.

"I wonder what his name is." She mused to herself.

In the cockpit, Jesse only heard her vaguely, and then it took a few seconds for it to register that she'd said something.

"What's that?"

"His name." Kimmy said in a louder voice. "We don't know what it is."

Of all the trivial things to be thinking of… Jesse wanted to say, but he knew she needed to think of something, anything, else. He shrugged.

"Give it a name then."

Kimmy studied the baby's face. "He's almost a year old, I'd say."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Jesse muttered to himself as they came out of hyperspace. Mustufar loomed ahead, beckoning them. Jesse involuntarily shivered.

> > > >

Kitch arrived just in time to see the door close in the main control room. He opened it with the Force and entered. Already of the separists were dead, piled randomly on the floor.

"Anakin." Kitch stepped forward menacingly. He didn't know Anakin as well as Kimmy did, but that made it all the easier to do what he had to.

The lightsabers clashed, and Kitch new in an instant that he wasn't strong enough to defeat the new Sith. But he would die trying. Twisting away from Anakin's attack, Kitch turned and lunged forward. They parried back and forth, neither tiring, until Anakin got tired of this game and delivered a sweeping blow, attempting to cut Kitch's legs out from under him. Kitch leaped into the air and landed lightly, saber poised as Anakin carried on his attack. The fallen Jedi wasn't playing around now; the gloves were off. As they fought, each trying to overpower the other, Kitch staggered under a blow to the side. Without hesitation, Anakin ran the blue blade through Kitch's heart.

That accomplished, he turned to leave, but suddenly the door was blocked by two people. It took Anakin a moment to recognize one of them.

"Jesse." his face revealed no surprise, only hatred. "You want to have a go too? Very well." He stepped back. "Your move."

Jesse motioned for Kimmy to stay back and held his lightsaber poised, but he didn't attack. He was still hoping Anakin could be saved.

"It's not too late Anakin. You can still turn back." He said, knowing it probably wasn't true, but needing to believe it. Now that it came down to it, he didn't think he could kill him, the little boy from Tatooine who had saved him from a dug.

That isn't the person in front of you. He told himself. That boy is gone.

But there may still be part of him left. He argued, still on the defensive, still avoiding battle.

Anakin wasn't though. "If you're not going to do anything but talk…" he said, attacking Jesse.

Instantly, Kimmy was by Jesse's side, and the two fought against their former friend. A ship landing caught the three's attention. Anakin glanced at the person disembarking and hissed. Then he leaped through the open door and shut it behind him.

Jesse leaped forward, but wasn't in time to activate the motion sensors in the door. He slammed his fist against it.

"Jesse, was that Padme?" Kimmy asked.

"I think so." Jesse fumbled with countless buttons and switches with no results. "It's sealed."

"I thought you knew how to override locks." Kimmy remembered the night in her quarters.

"I'm trying." Jesse snapped, not meaning to be short, but he needed to think.

Kimmy shrugged and looked at the bodies on the floor. "We should do something about them." She mumbled.

Jesse heard but didn't answer. He was working his way into the computer's main system.

"Voice activated." He concluded.

"So we can't get it open."

"Not necessarily, I just have to add my voice to the activation." Jesse dug deeper into the computer, and Kimmy went back to her silent perusal of the room.

The sight of a body lying on the floor made her stomach clench. "Kitch." She whispered, dropping to her knees beside the lifeless form. As if it was the last straw, the dam Kimmy had built burst and she broke into tears.

Jesse looked up from what he was doing and immediately moved to Kimmy's side and held her in his arms.

Kimmy tried to build herself back up, but she was destroyed inside.

"Everyone." She sobbed. "There's no one left."

"Shhh." Jesse stroked her gently. "We're here. We can still go on."

"Why? What's the point? What's the point of anything?"

Jesse held her for a minute before answering. "Not everything's destroyed. There's still good."

"Where?" Kimmy sounded like a little girl.

"Here." Jesse tipped her chin up and put his hand on her heart. "Here. Kimmy, I love you. You know that."

Kimmy nodded.

"We once said that in another time we could be together. The time is now, Kimmy."

"But…"

"No buts. The order is destroyed, but we aren't. and I don't think we'd be dishonoring the code or the order by our love."

"You're sure?"

"I've never been more sure." Jesse said and leaned forward to take the kiss he'd been longing for for three years.

Kimmy melted into him, feeling his strong steady heartbeat and his warm lips burning into hers.

When they came up for air, she smiled, "So long as you're sure."

"I am." Jesse stood and helped her up, and then he went back to the controls. In a few minutes, he'd opened the doors.

I've been wating a long time for that moment.Bad timing, but it was still good.