Disclaimer: Star Wars is owned by Disney and Lucasfilm Ltd. The following work is not intended to add to, promote or distort this series. This is a work of fanfiction, and the author does not profit in posting. This is simply a writing exercise written for fun.
Anakin moved stealthily through the home, recognizing several safe places to hide and survey as he did. And with every motion, he and Ahsoka traded leading off, treating this as though more of a mission in enemy territory than anything.
Truthfully, he felt violated. This was just as much his home as Padme's apartment was and these impostors had infiltrated both. His mind was filled with the various ways he could seek his revenge.
Tiptoeing behind him was Ahsoka, who was as cautious as he. But her eyes meandered all over the place, seeking a clue as to why the Darklighters were really here. It was she who discovered the gloved hand hanging over the edge of the plush couch in one of the sitting rooms.
"Psst." Ahsoka called to the dishwater blond as he nearly passed the room by, "I found one."
Anakin turned and peeked inside the dimly lit room, thanks to the fire in the hearth that automatically came on when someone was in the room. All the lights were out and all that showed was the silhouette of the couch, the black hand over the side of it. Slowly, he snuck around to the far edge of the room by the glass doors, observing who was on the couch. He faltered at the ragged sight of the man he'd sought out.
Despite his insistence this man was not his brother and that he was likely up to no good, a part of Anakin suddenly felt an overwhelming amount of concern for him. The way Jacen's originally tanned skin had lightened to an ashen color, and how his skin had started to wrinkle concerned him greatly. Only a day ago, he'd seemed around Anakin's age, but he was now starting to wonder how much truth that held. Is he sick? The man wondered in awe. When he reached out into the Force and felt an overwhelming amount of nothing, the young Jedi could only gulp away his fears. Or is he dying?
Ahsoka followed suit, glancing back and forth from one man to another as she observed the face of their quarry in the crackling fire's light.
"Wow." she commented quietly, "I see why they think he's your brother... you two do look a lot alike... but, well... isn't he kind of old?"
Anakin shrugged a moment, "He didn't look like this on Coruscant... something's happening to him." That simply made Ahsoka's eyes widen.
"Do you think whatever it is is contagious?" She wanted to know as fear rose in her chest.
Anakin glared at her, not even wanting to think about those implications, and then moved forward towards the glass table. He'd spotted a black and silver cylinder resting there and thought he knew what it was. Upon removing the object, he found he was right.
"So he is a Jedi." Anakin informed his Padawan as he showed her the lightsaber.
Ahsoka glanced at the object curiously a moment before turning back to the sleeping man. "His lightsaber reminds me of Master Kenobi's." She admitted. Anakin had to concede to that with a nod. But then Ahsoka curiously approached the sleeping man, dressed in as much black as her master wore, and sleeping soundlessly like her master did.
His hair wasn't quite as long, and it seemed to curl just a little bit more than Anakin's. It was also a little lighter, as though he'd seen more sun. Even his skin was a tad darker, despite the ashen color it had recently taken on, probably for that same reason. But everything, from the shape of his nose to the slight cleft in his chin, reminded her so much of Anakin. She had to wonder why her master did not believe this man was his brother... or uncle even.
"Why is his Force-presence so... gone?" She wondered suddenly, finally noticing why he hadn't realized they were there. Normally a Force-sensitive would have woken up by now.
Curious over that same question, Anakin holstered Darklighter's weapon and approached him, carefully surveying his energy field with his flesh hand in the air. Not once did the man stir.
"He's very hurt, which is probably why he's aged so much." Anakin realized, his voice grim, "The strain of keeping himself alive has worn him out, making him look a lot older than he actually is, that happens when someone overuses the Force. Potkin was right, though, his presence is immense... but his body hasn't the strength to handle it right now."
Ahsoka nodded, "That explains why he's resting so deeply." She noticed that Anakin stepped back, crossing his arms and entering a pose that usually meant he was thinking. "What is it?"
"He usually keeps his presence held back... this is the first time I've had a chance to really feel who he is." Anakin realized, his brows furrowed, "And he does feel a lot like me." Ahsoka nodded in agreement.
"I noticed that right away." She admitted as she stepped back, her sensitive montrals suddenly hearing a noise from above, "It sounds like this Jaina is above us." But her master didn't hear her. He was still too lost in thought.
"Who are you?" Anakin wondered, looking deeply inside himself for a believable answer, "If you aren't my brother.. who are you?"
It was then that they got a particularly disturbing vibe in the Force... coming from the kitchens. Wordlessly, the pair tip-toed around the sleeping man on the couch and beelined it towards the danger the were bracing for.
The swinging door creaked a bit as they did, but it was to their good fortune that Jaina had descended the stairs around that same time, making a bit of noise. It seemed she was filled with energy, but she too had retracted her presence into herself.
"Did she sense us?" Ahsoka wondered aloud, but Anakin shook his head and held his mechanical hand to his mouth, indicating she should be quiet. Carefully, they slinked into the shadows, stepping around the island that Luke had formerly injured himself upon. The gold flecked granite showed no indication of his injury.
A faint rustling indicated the nefarious thing they were searching for, but neither could pinpoint its exact location. It moved from the sink to the window and back, as though pacing in a space that wasn't there.
"Where is it master?" Ahsoka wanted to know.
All Anakin could do was shrug.
His dreams were tainted with darkness again, as that dangerous voice from before taunted him. But this time, deep in the shadows that insisted he was an insignificant worm, a monster made of sin, there was no light to push away the darkness. His grandmother's ghost was not present to force the monster out. "Who are you?" Luke demanded in a growl of frustration, "Answer me!"
With a snigger like a predator, the voice echoed back, "I am Demantis, ruler of the highest of Advorosian Clans... I am your new master."
Luke scoffed, having heard that one many times before, "As if."
Again, the voice chuckled maniacally, "Darkness flows in your veins, son of Vader." He then paused to add, "Don't let your namesake fool you into believing otherwise."
Luke grumbled to himself and was about to respond when-
-suddenly, the single door from the hall few open, revealing the entryway from the street and the stairs. Leia had run through them, so very excited as she clutched a large, white and beaded dress. "LUKE!" she shouted in glee, "Wake up! You have to see this!"
With a slight snort and a start, the blond man shot up from the couch, "What?!" he asked, somewhat sleepily as he darted his eyes around. Glancing in the doorway, he saw the wide smile on his sister's face, her chocolate colored eyes glittering in excitement. "What did you find?"
Holding the dress out so he could see it, Leia beamed, "What does this look like to you?"
Luke furrowed a brow as he took in the sleek, low cut, A-line dress, not that he would know to call it that. It was a two piece dress, with a well embroidered and beaded design that was covered by an equally elaborate overcoat. The sleeves puffed out a bit, giving the dress a bit of definition. And it was apparent that it had a train, and at least he knew what that was.
Deadpanning as he sat back, putting his bare feet on the ground, Luke replied, "A dress." Leia stared at him awkwardly for a moment, her expression inquiring as to whether he was serious or not, so Luke timidly added, "A very pretty dress." Again, she just gawked at him, to which he defended himself, "Oh come on Lay, I grew up on Tatooine...a peasant... I know nothing about dresses." He reminded her.
Leia didn't take too kindly to Luke's defense, "It's a wedding dress!" In hearing that, Luke paled and furrowed his brows together as he thought.
She watched as Luke leaned forward, "Are you sure?... She has a lot of fancy dresses, based on what we saw at her Coruscanti residence." Leia scoffed and stepped forward, standing before a mirror near the fireplace to admire herself with the dress.
"It just has to be... It looks just like one." She then turned to Luke, And you know what this means, right? Luke sighed and turned away.
Much as I want to believe they were married... Luke informed her, clearly not used to being the realist between the two, "That could just be an heirloom." Leia shook her head, not wanting to cave in to her gut feeling.
She suddenly turned about and continued to admire the dress, "You've had to pull yourself away from the Force to heal," she reminded him in an almost aristocratic manner, "You can't let your instincts guide you right now... my instincts say they're married and this dress is proof." Luke just let her stand there in her certainty, not wanting to halt her dreaming. Truthfully, he looked pleased.
"Gods Luke!" Lay suddenly gushed, We're legitimate! She spun herself about with a wide grin on her face that really made him question what he was seeing, You were right! We weren't the product of a fling! Our parents actually loved each other! She then stepped forward, clutching the dress like a treasure, "I wonder when they tied the knot... what with their positions..."
Luke snorted, "Yeah, it takes a lot of nerve to forget about the Jedi code." He then dryly inserted, "No wonder he turned to the dark side."
Leia turned to Luke, her jaw dropped, "What's wrong with you?" She near demanded, Usually you're the one preaching about the goodness in our father, about how he loved us more than he did power. There was silence in the room, silence as they both contemplated what was really making Luke turn back to the way he was before he'd confronted their father.
Both were so withdrawn from the world around them in their thinking, that neither could even detect danger in the vicinity, much less the two suspicious Jedi in the next room. No, all that mattered to Leia right now was fixing her brother. Just as her brother fixated on her emotional stability when she faltered. Though, Luke admitted to himself more than he did his sister, you've a much pushier stare, sis. Leia merely snorted, laxing on the gown a bit once more.
And, finally, Luke relented, "You're right... I'm sorry."
Setting the glistening dress down, Lay took her brother's arm and held him close as he explained his own turmoil, "That voice is back."
"The evil one?" She wanted to know, Luke nodded.
After a time, Luke replied with "His name is Demantis." Leia's brow furrowed, wondering more about the name, "He keeps trying to convince me that darkness is all I have... it's very draining to repel him." And Leia nodded, understanding.
There is no darkness in you Luke. She assured him, "You do all you can every day to keep the darkness out, you've no reason to fear him." It was then that Luke swallowed and shook his head.
After a time of silence, the young man suddenly inserted, "I bury it deep... like father is doing now." Leia shook her head and then she stood up and held the dress to herself once more.
"You just have to focus on what makes you happy, Luke." She reminded him, "Happiness can make even the darkest feelings insignificant." The man grinned at her.
"Hmm... you keep talking like that and I might forget who's the master and who's the Padawan." Luke joked at her.
The two of them were clearly enjoying the silence as Leia continued to regard her reflection in the mirror. Finally, she voiced her thoughts, "She must have looked beautiful... I mean, my dress wasn't anything like this."
"You made the dress beautiful." He pointed out, "Not the other way around." Flushing a bit, Leia grinned at her brother.
"It's too bad we have no way of knowing..."
Sitting forward, Luke half-grinned and suggested, "Well, there is a way to find out."
Turning, Leia dropped the dress a bit and furrowed a brow, "How?"
Chuckling, Luke sat back once more and sighed, "You look just like her... try it on." Leia's eyes went wide when she heard that.
"I can't do that!"
Shrugging, Luke wondered, Why not?... I thought it was some ceremonious thing for daughter's to try on their mother's old clothes or something.
She doesn't know she's our mother! Leia gasped, looking as outraged as ever, "That's a serious invasion!"
Rolling his eyes, Luke sighed, Leia... she's dead in our time, it's not like you'll get permission from her then either-
"-But I can ask Pooja." Leia cut in, then timidly added, Once I convince her we're cousins and we verify that the dress wasn't... donated. Luke raised his brows as his sister muddled it over.
After a heavy silence, Luke added, It was probably her dying wish.
Leia turned to him, her eyes sweet for a moment before that familiar Skywalker flicker entered them. Sarcastically, she added, "She died when we were born Luke, chances are her dying words were 'Gods, why'd they're have to be two of 'em!?'" Luke snorted at his witty sister, shaking his head.
But, then she smiled and held the dress up, But you're right... this might be my only chance to feel like her daughter... And suddenly, with a grin, she ran over to her brother and kissed his cheek, "Thanks for the support, little brother." And then she dashed out of the room like a teenaged girl filled with glee.
"Little brother?" Luke called sarcastically, "I still say I'm the oldest one."
Leia's voice called from the powder room across the hall, "Whatever!"
Once she was gone, Luke sighed and stared into the fire.
The flames in the hearth were much higher now than before, and their dances were comforting to him. And he was glad to be a comfort to his sister. But he could still feel his injuries. His body was tired, just as the faceless man had told him it would be. He could feel himself slipping, falling into the horrid state of becoming half of what he was... dying, almost. He knew his spiritual energy was fine, as his connection to the Force was as stable as ever. It was his physical energy that was lacking, the very energy that kept him alive. Though that energy was also made of the Force, it was a different kind of energy all it's own. One Luke couldn't really summon or push away.
This was also the energy he'd learned Shaetin feed on.
So, staring at the flames, an idea struck Luke. Cautiously, he stood and ambled slowly, his whole body still exhausted and his mind dizzy. His target was the hearth, and he reached it carefully, kneeling down beside it like an old man. Tentatively, he raised his flesh arm and stretched his fingertips into the blaze of the hearth while beginning to focus.
He remembered the faceless man, how he touched the light of stars to replenish himself. Stars were nothing more than balls of intense fire.
The flames suddenly flew into Luke's left arm, popping and snapping as they did until the hearth was empty. Almost instantly, he felt better, stronger even. He glanced down to his flesh hand and even noticed how the signs of age had faded away from them for the most part. "Interesting" was all he said before he stretched his senses out, finally feeling that overwhelming presence of darkness in the house.
And two specs of light that hadn't been there before.
It had taken him a while to realize that the spy droid was hiding in the walls, using infrared cameras to track their every move. Praying Padme would forgive him for bringing harm to her beloved hide away, Anakin entered a horse-stance and plunged his ignited blade straight into the wall. The resounding crunch from the collision was anything but satisfying.
Behind shattered tile and dust from drywall were the charred remains of a tiny, octopus like SPI-1000 model droid. They were rare combinations of technology that the recent droid factories began pumping out and they were expensive. Which begged the answer to the question of why this droid was here. All the reasons Anakin could surmise did little to ease his worry.
"Well, either our guests were followed," Anakin decided as Ahsoka approached him, "Or Padme's in trouble again."
Ahsoka sighed, "Take your pick." She acknowledged, "Senator Amidala does have a pretty long list of enemies... course we know nothing about your 'kids.'" she teased him.
Anakin merely stared at her incredulously, wanting that lousy joke to die. He vowed up and down the kitchen that he would re-calibrate Threepio's processor personally on his first day of meditative leave. But rather than address her for her supposed insubordination, Anakin halted and turned towards the doorway; someone was listening.
Or is he?
Sensing an anomaly, Anakin's eyes darted over by the ice box, where a strange shadow stood that wasn't there before. But Anakin wasn't fooled long by it, "Who the hell are you?"
Stepping out from his hiding place in the shadows, Jacen answered, "A friend." was all he said, "And that is all you need to know Skywalker."
The sight of his rejuvenated self astounded both Anakin and Ahsoka, both of whom were without words at his recovery. Jacen no longer looked as though he'd entered his late fifties, rather, his was the appearance of a man in his mid-thirties. But Jacen didn't take note of that as he stepped further into the kitchen's open space. And Anakin moved to match his every step.
Ahsoka was right behind her master, gawking at the man as she attempted to register his voice. It was a lot like Anakin's, gentle sounding despite the ferociousness there. Even the way he stared at them with his light eyes made her think of her master.
"That isn't good enough." Anakin decreed as he stomped forward, "Why are you here? Why are you going through Padme's things?" Jacen visibly swallowed and turned to face the man again.
"We are here because we need to protect her." the man began, suddenly opening up his presence in the Force. He poured out his good will, filling the room with a calm state that made Anakin's temper die somewhat. Stepping back to attempt to regain his clarity, Anakin brought his mechanical arm up to his head, trying to shrug the feelings out. "Someone had planted pin cameras in her house, and we removed them." Jacen soon informed them as he added more friendliness to his presence. Anakin's knees began to tremble from the effort to get Jacen out of his mind.
Ahsoka was doing the same as her master, "What's he doing master?"
Despite knowing the answer, he could not address her inquiry with Jacen still in the room, so Anakin focused on the topic at hand, "Why are you protecting her?..." he then stepped forward and demanded through a pained hiss, "Who is trying to hurt her?"
Suddenly breathing heavily, as if his hypnosis technique were tiring him out, Jacen replied carefully, "Three warriors... dark Jedi actually." That did little to satisfy the man.
"Why?!" Anakin demanded, gritting his teeth at the thought of his beloved Padme facing fiends like Ventress or Dooku. Luke turned his eyes away for a while, clearly thinking.
"I'm not sure I should tell you." He replied gently, lowering his presence to allow the now much calmer Jedi to breath a little, "It's very complicated."
Sighing, Anakin stepped closer to Luke, now standing on the plush carpet that ran under the kitchen table. Facing one another, it was apparent that both men had a presence not to mess with, even as Anakin's height appeared to offer him the advantage of being imposing. But Jacen, his countenance didn't waver once. "I don't care." Anakin informed the man sternly, "She's as much my responsibility as my Padawan. I will not let a friend suffer while I pass by."
Smiling wide now, Luke nodded and conceded... sort of, "The Dagoyan masters have foreseen that she will play a large part in reshaping the galaxy. There are some who wish her harm for that reason." Staring at him a while while his Padawan closed the gap between the conversing men and herself, Anakin did his best to read him. After a time, he made his decision.
"You're lying."
Again, Luke smiled and nodded, "Only because I have to."
Once more was there was a long pause as the two men stared one another down. Ahsoka turned her blue eyes back and forth between them, amazed at how similar and different they were. Their countenances were perhaps the greatest contrast between them. Anakin wore a look of calm anger while Luke stood by in absolute serenity. One man scowled, the other smirked. One man had dark blue eyes, the other's eyes were like the ice of Ilum. But both were so alike it startled her.
And then she remembered the reason they were there.
"Are you his brother?" She had to ask. It was sheer compulsion, but she knew she needed to hear that statement nullified.
With raised brows, Jacen turned to her with a slight grin. "And where would you come up with that off the wall idea?" He inquired.
Anakin swallowed and stepped forward, "Master Yoda seems to believe you are my brother." He then began circling the shorter man, his eyes never leaving him. Unlike other suspects Anakin had interrogated, Jacen didn't watch him move. Rather, he kept his eyes on the floor. "I'm not so convinced."
To that, the older man chuckled, "Your instincts serve you well."
Anakin stopped in hearing that, "So you are not my brother?" He asked to confirm and when the man nodded, he then inquired, "Then I'll ask again... who the hell are you?"
Turning to him, Luke half grinned and asked him, "What do your instincts tell you, Knight Skywalker?... Are Jaina and I really such a threat?" Stepping back, Anakin nearly tripped over the rug, he was so surprised by that wise, Jedi retort.
The silence between them was daunting, and only broken when Leia returned to the room clad in Padme's dress. But she did not realize they had guests, having been so distracted by her own glee. Though she anticipated her brother's smile, she halted mid step at the angry pools of ocean that were her father's glaring eyes.
Luke had been right, it was an heirloom from Padme's grandmother, and Anakin had been taken aback by how beautiful his wife had looked in that dress on their wedding day. It sickened him to see another woman wear that dress just as well as Padme. At first, at least.
Jaina was shorter, but she had more curve to her, and so the dress fit her more closely than it had Padme. What irritated Anakin was that she seemed to beam in it, as though the dress should have belonged to her when it clearly did not.
Trying to ignore the discomfort, Jaina took a deep breath and regarded herself in the reflective pannels of the ice box. "What do you think?" She asked of her brother, who smiled at her, before turning to Anakin and Ahsoka, "This is a wedding dress? Right?"
Ahsoka clearly nodded while Anakin scrambled for words. Part of him felt it appropriate that Jaina had his wife's gown on, a part of him he didn't understand, nor did he want to listen to. But it still forced him to regard her with eyes of appraisal, measuring her beauty and finding her a pleasing sight to him. Not one of attraction, but one of pride.
But those feelings were flickers that came through the punctuated red he felt at the sight of this daring young woman. His anger was building and he realized that. If he looked at that woman any longer, he would attack her. "Get out of that dress!" he bellowed, "You've no right infringing on Padme's privacy like that!" Even Ahoska was frozen at his crass retort.
But the bewilderment of the unwanted guests did not last long, as Jacen and Jaina smirked a moment, with Jacen crossing his arms and responding to Anakin's warning, "You look beautiful, but he is right... perhaps it is time to put the dress back."
Dreamily, Jaina nodded, staring at herself in the mirror once more before returning to the powder room. Ahsoka watched her go, marveling at the dress. It was clearly a wedding dress to her, plain as day. Though she, as a Togruta, would not wear anything of the sort, she could not help but marvel at how Jaina looked in the gown. But then she noticed how angry her master had been made by the sight of it, and she had to wonder.
Furrowing a brow, she asked very carefully, "Why does Padme have a wedding gown?"
Startled a moment, Anakin turned his jaw-dropped face towards his Padawan and replied, "Why would I know that answer?... I know she isn't married!"
Luke chuckled in observing the scene, amazed at how his father was just as he'd imagined with Ahsoka. Confident one moment and stuttering the next... Now I know where I get it from. Still, he was the one poised with an answer, "Many aristocrats keep heirloom dresses. It is no surprise to us that she has one." Anakin growled in agreement, for once grateful that the man was there.
Standing up straighter and trying to relax, Anakin suddenly challenged this Jacen, "How long did you know we were there?" He then crossed his arms as he stood before the kitchen island, "You're presence was deeply retracted... you shouldn't have been able to sense a fly."
Shrugging, Luke sat down on one of the chairs, his arms spread out on the table as he took a deep breath. He was getting tired again.
"I opened myself up to the Force again a few minutes ago."
Impressed more than anything, Ahsoka joined him on the couch, "You mean, even with your injuries, you could still control the Force as though you weren't hurt?" Luke nodded, "That's amazing!"
"I do what I must for Jaina. Our bond goes deep." Luke replied carefully, "We've only got each other."
Suddenly relaxing, Anakin turned to lean on the island as he stared at the young man. "You truly don't mean any of us harm?" He noted, to which Luke nodded, "Then... who is really threatening Padme? Let us help you!"
Luke was about to reply when suddenly his eyes turned to the terrace. A half a second later, Anakin sensed it too. Both men rushed out the glass doors with Ahsoka at their heels to watch a small separatist fighter descend into the river valley.
Its lights in the dark of night made the repulsion jets glow, almost masking the large form that flew out of the piloting cab. And, with a stone-craking smash, the three braced themselves for the cloaked, machine menace that was the four-armed Grievous.
With a slight laugh in his voice, the droid commander turned from Skywalker to Tano and then to 'Darklighter.' Dooku was right, he is a separate person, He thought with glee. "Jacen Darklighter!" He cried out wickedly, "Count Dooku sends his best regards!"
In a sudden moment of urgency, Luke reached down to grab his lightsaber, only to discover it was not holstered on his belt as it should have been. Scrambling to understand where it went, he suddenly heard the voice of Anakin Skywalker cry out, "Jacen!" In his mechanical hand, Luke found the hilt of his trusted emerald weapon.
As Grievous rushed him, Ahsoka charged to buy the two men some time to formulate a plan.
"Grievous!" She cried out, "At least we now know who sent that SPI droid!"
Grievous chuckled some, before stepping back to make a daring slice at the young Togruta. The young warrioress flipped past his blade narrowly before attempting to counter him.
Meanwhile, Luke retrieved his weapon swiftly and suddenly charged on Grievous with speeds unseen before. With moves Ahsoka only saw Master Yoda use, he took the first glowing swings at Grievous's left side, the droid commander repelling him as best he could while being forced back towards the water. But even his power was not the greatest shock, rather Ahsoka was amazed he could control so much when his presence flickered on and off like a dying light bulb.
"Why me?" Luke demanded as Grievous caught one of Luke's weakening strikes in a cross of lighsaber blades.
Chuckling, Grievous did not respond with anything more than, "Because I want to." He then unleashed his spare arms, attempting to slice Luke up the side, but a dark blur called Anakin soon appeared there, blocking one arm before stopping the other.
Jumping back, both men brought their sabers level to engage the opponent once more, Ahsoka off to the side and doing the same. Grievous looked from one to the next, amused with this blatant defiance that he saw in themselves.
But he was no dark side user, and so he did not detect the overhead attack from Leia on the second floor. Without so much as a word, she descended, drawing her blue blade with a pop-hiss at the last moment before she connected with Grievous. Her sneak attack did not allow Grievous to prepare, and so one of his arms was removed as Leia's feet hit the ground.
Expecting retaliation for her cleverness, Luke rushed in and began blocking the two side blades with his own easily. Leia moved in a slight crouch, the two of them matching the levels of Grievous's sabers as they moved in tandem, practically dancing with one another. The speed at which they moved made the lightsabers sing non-stop, putting Anakin and Ahsoka into a sense of awe. They could only watch the weary warriors.
They'd never seen two people fight like that before.
"It's like they are one person." Ahsoka noted as she approached her master. Anakin nodded, completely dumbfounded. The energies he felt from them as they fought were starting to scare him.
They were so much like his.
Just as it appeared that Grievous was about to lose, the droid commander pressed a button on one of his unsevered arms and leaped into the air. Luke was about to chase him there, but Leia grabbed on to him, giving him a look of warning.
Together they watched as Grievous disappeared into the night sky.
Author's Note: Every time I read that scene with Grievous, a voice in my head just goes "And victory goes to Leia with a death from above!" I don't know why, but I just find that set up funny.
Well, a lot happened and didn't happen in this chapter. I just feel bad for poor Anakin, who's so close to the truth but too stubborn to actually figure it out. It seems like a part of him has though, based on that dress scene. I had to include the trying on the dress thing, by the way. It was fun writing in a something special that would make Leia finally feel like her mother's daughter. I hope you all enjoyed it!
Please don't forget to review! I love reading them!