THE NIGHTMARES RETURN

When Anakin kills Palpatine instead of joining him, he is, at first, haunted by the nightmares of what would have come to pass had he turned to the Dark Side. After several weeks of counseling by Master Yoda, Obi-Wan and Mace Windu, he is finally free of the troubling dreams...until he meets Obi-Wan's new apprentice, whose appearance triggers their reocurrance...

Chapter 1- First Meetings

Eight months after the destruction of Darth Sidious:

Anakin stood on the landing platform. Obi-Wan was on the shuttle that was just now coming in for a landing. Obi-Wan had just recently taken a new Padawan and he was eager to introduce him to Anakin. He also wanted to take this opportunity to visit with Anakin's 7-month-old twins, Luke and Leia. Even though Anakin had left the Order, he was still in close contact with the Jedi, and none more than Obi-Wan. The Clone Wars had brought them very close, and since the incident with the former Chancellor, Palpatine, that bond had grown even stronger. Anakin made frequent visits to his former home and spent many hours consulting with the now aging Jedi master, Yoda. Anakin had a grasp of the Force that was unrivaled at the Temple and the Council members were eager to hear what he had to say. He was instrumental in some of the changes now incorporated into the tenets of the Order. It was now policy to allow familial visits with the younglings at the Temple and when they became Padawans, they were allowed to visit their homes in the company of their masters. The Jedi had never fully accepted Anakin's decision to leave the Jedi, and were always open to his opinions. Ironically, the trust that he sought as a Jedi, he now gained as an affiliate to the Order. His quarters there remained unoccupied and ready for him whenever he returned to Coruscant.

As the shuttle made its final approach, Anakin thought back to the days when he had been Obi-Wan's Padawan. He realized now that he had been a difficult apprentice, but Obi-Wan had somehow managed to mold him into the Jedi he had aspired to be since he was a young slave boy on Tattooine. Would this new apprentice be as challenging as he had been? Anakin smiled to himself; no, no one could be that difficult.

Then the shuttle doors were opened and the passengers filed out; and there was Obi-Wan followed closely by….The smile faded from Anakin's face. He knew this boy; this boy had been in his nightmares. He had…killed him.

"Anakin? What is it? What's wrong?" Obi-Wan asked him.

"Nothing." Anakin replied unconvincingly.

"I know you better than that; now, tell me."

Anakin sighed, he could hide nothing from Obi-Wan, not now, not since the sith.

"Not here." Anakin answered.

"Alright, later then." Obi-Wan agreed. "Now this is Zak Perrin; Zak, this is Anakin Skywalker."

The Padawan bowed politely, "I am pleased to meet you, Master Skywalker. You are a hero."He said.

Anakin's smile returned. "No, I am a Jedi, I did my duty. Let's go, Padme has lunch waiting for us."

Obi-Wan and Zak followed Anakin to his speeder and they all piled in for the ride back to Anakin's home outside the city. The trip was a quiet one, Anakin, for reasons that Obi-Wan did not understand, was reluctant to talk. He respected this and remained silent.

As Anakin had promised, Padme had the meal waiting for them. It was a pleasant day and they ate on the veranda overlooking the large lawn. The twins had been fed early and were now napping together in a cradle next to Padme. Anakin was still quiet, but Padme kept up the conversation with news of her new position on the city council. Anakin was also busy; he had taken the position of flight instructor for the defense ministry. Obi-Wan could not think of a better job for him. When they had finished, Padme started to clear away the dishes.

"Zak, why don't you help her?" Obi-Wan suggested.

"Oh, it's alright, Obi-Wan, I can handle this." Padme told him.

"I would like Zak to help you." Obi-Wan insisted and looked at her.

Padme now understood; he needed to speak with Anakin without the presence of Zak.

"Oh, yes, of course. Here Zak, take these." She said as she handed Zak a stack of plates.

When they had gone into the house, Obi-Wan turned to face Anakin.

"Now, tell me what's bothering you."

Anakin sighed again and closed his eyes. Where to start? "Do you remember those nightmares that I was having just after…well, you know." He began.

"Well, yes, but I thought they had stopped." Obi-Wan said.

"They have, but I still remember them." Anakin continued.

"But I don't understand; do they still bother you?" Obi-Wan asked.

"They didn't, not for awhile now. At least not until today." Anakin told him.

"What happened today?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Obi-Wan….your Padawan…he was in those dreams." Anakin revealed.

"What?"

"I…killed him. In that nightmare, he was one of the ones I killed; and he spoke to me, before he died." Anakin said.

"Oh, dear; what did he say?" Obi-Wan asked.

"'Why', that's all he said; just 'why'." Anakin answered.

"I'm so sorry Anakin. I should not have brought him here. We will leave immediately." Obi-Wan replied.

"No, I don't want you to do that. This is not your problem; it's mine. It just took me by surprise, that's all." Anakin said.

"Anakin, if this is going to be painful for you, I really think we should leave." Obi-Wan countered.

"And then what? I won't see you until your Padawan is knighted? No, Obi-Wan. I need to face this. My problems in the past were caused because I couldn't face my worst fears and it almost cost me everything. I won't make that mistake again, and I won't isolate myself from you either. You're my best friend; I can't let this ruin that." Anakin answered.

Obi-Wan was silent for a moment. Anakin had grown stronger.

"You've grown up, Anakin; and you're right, of course. We can't avoid each other for that long. But I still don't understand why Zak bothers you; don't you get the same feeling when you come back to the Temple?" Obi-Wan replied.

"Yes, a little, I guess. But in those nightmares, the ones I killed, there were no clear faces, not one; except for Zak." Anakin explained.

"I wonder if you shouldn't visit with Yoda again. He may be able to give you a meditation exercise to help you work through this." Obi-Wan suggested.

"Let me try first on my own; if I can't do it, then I will come to Coruscant and talk to Master Yoda." Anakin decided.

"Fair enough. But don't wait too long, Anakin." Obi-Wan answered.

"I won't, I promise." Anakin vowed.

The rest of the day passed pleasantly and they spent most of it out on the veranda or out on the lawn.

Anakin sat watching as Obi-Wan swung Luke high into the air. The boy laughed with delight every time and complained whenever Obi-Wan stopped to take a rest. Leia was content to sit and watch. Anakin reflected on what would have happened if he had turned to the Dark Side as he had in his nightmare. The twins would have been orphaned, Padme would have died soon after their birth and they would have been split up. He would not see them again until they were grown. They would be his enemies. He would imprison his own daughter and try to kill his son. The Jedi Order would have been completely destroyed and Yoda and Obi-Wan would have been exiled; eventually, he would succeed in killing Obi-Wan. It would have been a terrible future.

That night, Anakin had the nightmare again, this time it centered on Zak. Over and over, he saw himself kill the boy until he finally awoke in a cold sweat. Sleep eluded him and he got up and looked out the window. Not again, he couldn't go through this again.

"Annie, what's wrong?" Padme said sleepily.

"Nothing, go back to sleep." Anakin answered.

"Annie, something's wrong, please tell me. We promised not to keep secrets anymore." Padme pleaded.

"The nightmares, they're back." Anakin replied.

"Oh, no. I thought you had gotten over them." Padme said.

"I did too; but today, something happened." Anakin told her.

"What? What happened?" Padme asked.

"Obi-Wan's apprentice." Anakin answered.

"Obi-Wan's apprentice? What does he have to do with it?" Padme wondered.

"I killed him; in that nightmare, I killed him." Anakin admitted.

"Anakin, have you told Obi-Wan?" Padme asked.

"Yes, this afternoon when you and Zak were cleaning up." Anakin said.

"Maybe he should leave. You can't keep having these nightmares, it's not healthy." Padme told him.

"It won't be healthy for me to end my friendship with Obi-Wan either. He's like my brother, Padme. I don't want to lose that. He wanted to leave, this afternoon, but I wouldn't let him." Anakin argued.

"Then what are you going to do?" Padme asked.

"Try to work through this; and if I can't do it alone, then I will see Master Yoda." Anakin answered.