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Returned

Damian groaned as his head pounded. He felt like he'd been beaten by an entire tribe of angry Wookiees. He wasn't currently being electrocuted or stabbed, so he assumed he wasn't in the middle of a battle against the Sith Stalker anymore. He let his eyes slowly creak open, staring up at the roof of his room in the Wraith. He let out a long, slow breath, and just as he finished, Ahsoka sat bolt upright from beside him, eyes wide and already streaming tears.

"Good morning beautiful," Damian smiled. "I'm going to go ahead and assume I lost to the Sith Stalker?"

Ahsoka began to sob happily instantly, pressing her head to his chest and sobbing out that she loved him over and over as he wrapped his arms around her, gently stroking her lekku in the back, kissing the top of her head. They stayed like that for a long time before Ahsoka managed to calm herself.

"He was you," Ahsoka said finally. "He was an alternate version of you from the future. He was what would have happened to you if I hadn't forgiven you."

"That explains why he was so strong," Damian said. "Did you beat him?"

Ahsoka shook her head, sitting up and wiping her eyes, only for more tears to fall. "The Mother possessed you and forced the Dark Side out of him, along with the fragment of the Emperor's soul that was possessing him. Then he explained who he was and how he came to be before he...He made me..."

Damian's eyes softened and he gently pulled her back into him, once again comforting her. "It's alright. If he asked you to do it, then you didn't do anything wrong."

"But he was you!" Ahsoka said.

"Yes," Damian nodded. "And if I'd lived a life without you, I'd have wanted my suffering to end as well."

Ahsoka looked up at him, wide-eyed, and he cupped her face, smiling. Ahsoka, it's better this way. He can finally rest. It's okay."

She nodded, wiping her eyes before leaning down and kissing him for a few seconds. "You've been asleep for a week and a half. Do you want anything? Are you hungry?"

"I just want to hold you," Damian smiled. "Food and water can wait until later."

Ahsoka smiled and nodded, laying down in his arms, holding him tightly. Damian closed his eyes, tucking his face into the top of her head and curled himself around her, feeling her begin to cry again and holding her until she had drifted off to sleep before following. A few hours later, he woke again as the bed shifted. He opened his eyes, seeing Ahsoka trying to sit down without disturbing him, holding a tray with two plates of food.

"Sorry," she smiled sheepishly. "I tried not to wake you up."

He sat up, yawning, then gave her a kiss. "It's alright. I think I've slept long enough. So, what've I missed?"

"Not a lot," Ahsoka smiled, handing him a plate. "We rescued three kids that were fighting the Empire, which included Sato's nephew, Hondo and Azmorigan teamed up for a job, then roped the Ghost crew into it, and Ezra and Kanan infiltrated a TIE factory and got plans for a new kind of fighter with shields. Also, apparently Agent Kallus is the new Fulcrum."

"Kallus?" Damian asked. "Huh. Didn't see that coming. Anything new with the family?"

Ahsoka shook her head, swallowing her bite of food. "We've all been waiting for you to wake up."

Damian nodded and they both finished their food before getting cleaned up and dressed. They walked out into the Wraith's common room where the rest of the family was sitting around quietly. The moment the door opened, it was like someone flipped a switch. He could actually see the life suddenly return to the family, and he was mobbed by all of them. He lost track of who was who for a moment, but he was pretty sure four of them kissed him, though his brain was still a bit foggy, so he couldn't be sure. After nearly ten minutes, they finally settled down and he was able to find a seat, Ahsoka sitting beside him, giving him Alina.

"We were so worried!" Barriss said.

"Really?" Damian asked, making a valiant effort to look surprised. "I couldn't tell."

Barriss rolled her eyes. "So, I'm guessing a lazy day today, then tomorrow we let Sato know you're up and about?"

"Sounds like a plan to me," Damian said. "I didn't miss Sabine and Ezra finally getting together, did I?"

"Not that anyone is aware of," Barriss said.

"They're not," Zera said. "She's as stubborn as ever, and he's clueless and hasn't had us to trick them into admitting how they feel for a while."

"That's true," Damian chuckled.

They spent a while talking before a the door opened and Sabine walked in, worry clear on her face. Damian stood instantly.

"What's going on?" Damian asked.

"You're awake!" Sabine smiled before it faded. "It's Ezra. He's...He's hallucinating Maul. He attacked a pilot because he thought it was Maul. At the briefing this morning he had a...he started freaking out, then collapse on the holo projector, then when he woke up he said Maul had been there. He said he felt fine, but then the thing with the pilot happened."

Damian nodded. "It's the Holocrons." He turned, passing Alina to Zera. "I'll be back. I'm going to check on him. Maybe take him to Bendu."

"I'll come with you," Ahsoka said.

Damian nodded and they left, following Sabine to the Phantom Two, only to stop, looking around and frowning. "They're gone."

Sabine nodded. "They said they'd wait here."

The three of them walked onto the ship, finding a note from Kanan saying they went to Bendu because Ezra had another hallucination. Sabine sighed.

"Well, I suppose we wait here, then," Ahsoka said.

"We should go after them," Sabine said, glancing out at the desert worriedly.

Damian chuckled, setting a hand on her shoulder. "Sabine, relax. Ezra will be fine."

"You know what's happening to him?" Sabine asked.

"I have a theory," Damian said. "Disconnecting the Holocrons partway through like Ezra did, resulting in both being destroyed, formed a sort of link between the two. It also mixed up their visions. Ezra saw some of Maul's, and Maul saw some of Ezra's. However, a lasting effect is that there's a link now. Maul figured it out, and how to use it, probably, and has been projecting himself to Ezra, which Ezra's mind interprets as seeing Maul."

"But why?" Sabine asked.

"Maul wants the rest of his vision," Ahsoka guessed.

"So then, he'll come after Ezra again?" Sabine asked.

"Probably," Damian said. "But it'll be okay. We won't let anything happen to Ezra."

Just then, a datapad beeped off to the side and Sabine picked it up, eyes widening.

"What?" Damian asked.

"It's the tracker," Sabine said. "Kanan had me put one on Ezra's wrist comm without telling him, just in case. Ezra's...leaving the planet."

Damian and Ahsoka glanced at each other.

"Keep an eye on it," Damian said. "Let me know when they jump."

"Okay," Sabine nodded.

He and Ahsoka walked outside, and about two minutes later, Kanan slowed to a stop on a speeder.

"Damian!" Kanan said. "You're awake!"

"Why did you let Maul take Ezra without asking any of us to help first?" Damian asked.

"They just made the jump to hyperspace," Sabine said.

"Oh, hey, sounds like it's time to go," Kanan said, moving to walk past them, only for Damian to catch his shoulder. "Alright, I'm sorry. I knew how your family's been since you went to sleep and I didn't want to bother them with this."

"Well, congratulations," Damian said, keeping his voice quiet so Sabine wouldn't hear. "Now, because you didn't want to bother my family, you might have just lost Ezra."

Kanan's eyes widened as Damian walked onto the Phantom Two with Ahsoka, Sabine following.

"Let's go, Kanan!" Damian said. "We have to clean up your mess."

Kanan walked onto the shuttle and Damian lifted off, piloting away from the planet as Ahsoka called the others and let them know what was going on and that they'd be back soon. Once they were off the planet, they jumped to Hyperspace and Damian closed his eyes, focusing on the Force.

"Where are we going?" Kanan asked Sabine.

"They're still flying," Sabine said.

"They're going to Dathomir," Damian said, opening his eyes. "Not bad Kanan. You've officially introduced your Padawan to a planet just as bad as Malachor."

"What's so bad about Dathomir?" Sabine asked.

"Dathomir is extremely powerful in the Dark Side of the Force," Damian said. "And on it were a group known as the Night Sisters. They used a very primal, and very powerful, aspect of the Dark Side of the Force to magic, which were powerful enough that they were a threat to both the Republic and the Separatists at the same time."

"How do you know all of this?" Kanan asked. "I mean, you're right, but how do you know this?"

"I just do," Damian said. "I can't explain it. It's like...I can just...sense it through the Force. If I had to guess, it's because of the Mother being my ancestor. And it's more...noticeable now. Whatever happened on Felucia changed something. Like...it strengthened whatever connection I have to the Mother."

"Well, she did directly possess you," Ahsoka said.

Damian nodded, remaining silent for a moment before glancing at Ahsoka, who took the controls instantly. "I'm going to meditate until we get there."

Kanan and Sabine nodded and Damian moved to the back, beginning to levitate over one of the seats, eyes closed and allowing the force to flow through him.

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