Edward Artorius loved his children.

Talulah was a joy in his life. More often even as a baby, she was smiling, happy as he had ever seen in a baby. She always giggled and laughed, walking on her stubby legs. No matter how much of an exhausting or tiring day, Talulah always lit a smile up on his and his wife's face.

That was not to say that he didn't favor Talulah over Anakin. But he had noticed peculiar traits of his son that took some time to discover, far too busy with work to notice.

Anakin was a quiet child. Unlike Talulah, his son had seemed to be the complete opposite. Far reserved, he was almost the exact opposite of Talulah. He did smile, but it was far more reserved, and he had noticed it was only around them that he smiled more often. Even as a baby, Anakin hardly ever cried.

There was also a fierce overprotectiveness from Anakin that even Edward thought far surpassed him and his wife's own.

Even as toddlers, Anakin had always kept Talulah in close proximity, and he may have been a trick, but it was as Anakin knew his sister felt or where she was. Their hands were often found interlocking, as if he didn't want his sister out of his grasp ever.

Talulah had often whined that he was far too overbearing on him and that she could take care of herself, her face flushing pink in embarrassment at her younger twin's adamant closeness to her. Teasing mirth glowed in Anakin's sky blue eyes, enjoying his sister's plight, but even then, it was clear both deeply cared for each other. His teasing was never overboard.

As they grew, Anakin had often latched onto Talulah in a gesture that Adalinda herself found adorable, and perhaps it had just been himself, perhaps he had just been looking deeply into it, but even despite being the younger of the twins by just three minutes apart, Anakin's eyes narrowed whenever they had left their home. While Talulah looked on with amazement as with many children, the look of Anakin was far akin to that of a warrior; it was a look that should not have fit on a child. It was cautious and wary, and that had made both parents concerned, as if the child sensed something was wrong that they could not.

For only a period of a couple seconds, Anakin stared off into space, as if he was concentrating on something, before he swore that his son shook his head and he stuck close to them once more.

However, there was something far more that he had noticed recently.

When reaching the slums, passing by homes of the Infected, while Talulah knelt closer to them, Anakin narrowed his gaze in what seemed to be disgust, not at the sight of the Infected but the slums itself. It felt as if Anakin was abnormally mature for his age, as he felt and detected the emotions, and had a refined level of control over himself that adults were often shown to have compared to children.

Despite the oddities he and Adalinda have noticed, Anakin was still their child. Both still loved their son as with Talulah equally, and regardless of his strange and perhaps frightening maturity for his age, Anakin cared deeply for them.

Talulah was a bundle of nerves and excitement right now, as she bounced on the balls of her feet. "Mama! Papa! Are we gonna see Ch'en-Ch'en again?! Please! Can we?!"

Edward took time to consider it over. Though he was often busy with his duties, it left him with very few opportunities to look after his children as time passed. It was more so that he could not look after them as often or play with them that Edward regretted for missing out on their lives, but knew his children were happy regardless.

Adalinda smiled. "We'll see, sweetie. Perhaps tomorrow?" She hoped that her brother, Wei Yenwu, would allow time.

Both Anakin and Talulah seemed to get along well with Ch'en. Ch'en was far reserved, while Talulah was far more outgoing. Anakin however, lied in the middle, as while he did enjoy how exuberant and outgoing Talulah was, he also had a degree of quiet contemplation that was more in line with Ch'en. He did tease her, but more often than not, he was far more silent.

Talulah was excited at the very news! She and Anakin could play with Ch'en again! A cheer of happiness escaped her lips as she bounced on the balls of her feet in happiness.

"I'm going to set up dinner. Talulah, would you like to help me?" Adalinda began the necessary prep work to begin cooking.

"Yes, Mama!" Talulah was always eager to assist in cooking.

"Edward, where's Anakin? Is he in his room?"

The question made the Draco pause for a moment to recall. Anakin had not gone out since lunch. He had simply ate before he departed back to his room, and Edward had assumed that his son was busy tinkering with work or whatever various tools he could get a grasp on.

But before he could answer, Talulah did. "Ani said he was gonna go out somewhere and do something."

Edward felt like it should be nothing, as Anakin had often kept to himself, but he was immediately concerned. "When did he go out, Talulah?"

"Around three? He said he wanted to do something alone, but I don't know what! He won't tell me." Talulah pouted, an indication that she was slightly hurt by his insistence to be alone for the first time since they played with each other. Edward felt he was learning something new, something he had never previously discovered before about his son every day.

Edward grabbed his jacket and donned it. He turned to both his wife and daughter. Concern flooded him with his missing son, and both his wife and daughter could feel it. The former set aside her daughter for one instance, and whispered to her husband. "Edward, he can't possibly be-"

"It's fine." He tempered himself, but felt a candlelit flame come to life within him if his son was ever harmed. Yet there was nothing. They were simply grasping at straws. "He might just have lost track of time. I'll go get him. I'll call you if I find him, but if I'm gone for more than three hours, then you know who to call."

Adalinda nodded. She would have faith in her husband.

He went up to Talulah and smiled down at her. "Help your mother cook. Okay? Don't worry about your brother. I'll get him."

"Okay Papa!" With those final words, Edward Artorious set off in search of his son.

—-

Throughout his tenure as a Jedi and later as a Sith, Anakin studied deep into both aspects of the Force through Holocrons. Though he had never been granted the rank of Master thus leaving him unable to access the Jedi's secret Archives of Holocrons, and Palpatine restricted him severely through the higher mysteries of the Dark Side, even after he forced his way through the Archives, their knowledge of the Dark Side was heavily restricted, and Anakin had a feeling that it was after due to the fall of Sora Bulq, a Jedi Master he had heard that was the cocreator of Vaapad, and Quinlain Vos's own temporary fall, that even more information was restricted per rumors by other Jedi. Anakin resisted the urge to sneer. The Jedi's fear led them to ruin.

Most of the Sith Holocrons that the Jedi had obtained from Bane's, Zannah's, or even Lord Kaan's Brotherhood of Darkness, an Order of Sith that predated Bane's Rule of Two gave him more understanding as a Sith Lord, and though Anakin rejected the Sith title now, he would not give away the power for anything.

Being reborn entirely in a new body was proving to be something else entirely. Though thankfully, his usage of the Force was not taken away, it had also meant that he had to relearn his use of the Force, as he had done with Mustafar, where Obi Wan had left him…

Being reborn in a small family of four and a sister he could not help but see but almost like his nine year old self on Tatooine.

Anakin enjoyed Talulah. While she had been the older twin, Anakin felt at times if he was the older one. There was a childish, naive innocence to her that was far too familiar with Anakin of the past.

Anakin did not know why, but he had a feeling it would disappear soon. It would vanish, and he felt that she lost that innocence that most children had. It stung, and as Anakin watched the streets of Lungmen, of the Infected, his disgust and anger grew.

That innocence Talulah had would vanish eventually. It did after he left Tatooine. The nine year old died in the Tusken Raiders camp, and he saw how truly disgusting the world was.

It was part of the exact reason why he had begun to train himself once more with the Force. The first step had been telekinesis, the most basic use of it. Though Anakin found it extremely simple to lift a pencil or any simple objects just as barely a thought to using it. The Mind Trick and Beast Manipulation were just as easy as they had been. Anakin ordered an ice cream vendor to pass him more ice cream to give to Talulah. He initially felt a tinge of guilt for using the ability for such purposes, but brushed it aside after seeing the look of happiness on her face, telling their parents that the ice cream vendor gave it to them for free. The Beast Manipulation had been against a feral racoon prowling in the gutters, hissing angrily at him, but calmed as Anakin sent a soothing comforting presence through the Force, and it curled up contentedly with him. Though with this ability, Anakin was not sure what creatures Terra had contained so far, and he would have to experiment cautiously if the creatures could be influenced with the Force. A few creatures he had seen from his own galaxy had contained some immunity with the Force, and with this world, Anakin could not explore to see yet what it contained that could possibly be controlled or tamed.

Anakin however, had come across more significant problems when exerting more control with telekinesis.

Lifting heavier objects, such as his bed in his room, eluded him. Anakin's arms trembled as his entire concentration had been on lifting his own mattress, yet it was so daunting, and Anakin felt a surge of rage at the humility of it all, at his inability to even lift such an object. As a Jedi and a Sith, it should have been an effortless gesture that he wouldn't even have to lift a finger or look at it, yet here he was, the effort of lifting it to touch the ceiling was beyond him, and it infuriated him! Dropping the mattress, he hurled a wrench that he used out of the window with blinding speeds, shattering on impact as glass tinkered to the floor. His parents came after, and Anakin felt shame, not at just breaking the window, to which they made clear by scolding him; reminding him of the time where his past life's Shmi Skywalker scolded him for his own behavior sometimes, but also at his anger.

It was then Anakin learned that while the Force flowed through him, it was still difficult to call on it as easily as he had done in the past, thanks to his new body. He commanded the Force, and it responded to his will almost immediately, but his rebirth now caused problems when lifting heavier objects, as it took extreme effort to even lift it a meter beyond the ground.

It meant more advanced abilities such as Lightning and even Maelstrom, which Anakin was sure that after no longer being confined to the mechanical suit, that he was able to channel both. But as a child now, he was in effect limited in his use of the Force. Anakin was sure that as a child any attempt would backfire tremendously on his part and be dangerous to him at his current form.

That however did not mean the former Dark Lord of the Sith wouldn't try to push himself nor deter him from pushing himself to master the Force as quickly as possible. As both Jedi and Sith, Anakin had always pushed himself training beyond and past his limits, in either lightsaber or with the Force. With no weapon now, Anakin was sure as hell that both his parents would be incredibly concerned if he had one either way but that went without saying, forcing him to practice whenever possible that would be a distance away from home with sticks. With the Force, Anakin had to relearn various applications of it, and see which abilities he could use instinctively or which were far more difficult.

As he stared at the rusty, ruined down car from one of the empty slums, abandoned from its owners, Anakin turned away from it, and reaching out to make sure that there were no nearby presences he could detect, he sat down, facing away from the broken car.

Letting his hand lay lax to his side, he began to concentrate on the Force, letting it flood through him. The energy that surrounded him flooded through his nerves as the former Dark Lord began to concentrate once more, channeling through himself, his focus no longer on the smallest of noises around him, but he, the Force, and the very object he exerted his will over: the car.

The hand to his side curled up but there was nothing. Anakin's brows narrowed as his eyes closed and he began to further draw on the Force, his muscles straining with the effort. A creak from behind him was all that was sounded out and he concentrated further, his brows narrowed as he surrounded the car with the ethereal energy, forcing and demanding it to be crushed from its outer shell.

The car violently creaked as Anakin strained himself further and further in an attempt to crush the vehicle before him, the metal straining as it protested against the invisible force, rattling and creaking. Glass began to puncture and break from windows and rear shield as Anakin channeled his entire being into crushing the object before him. The smell of oil mixed in with the smell of the slums of Lungmen and Anakin pushed himself further and further to turn the offending object into scrap. The metal from the car began to creak, exerted by the will of the owner who desired nothing more than to see it turn into a hunk of scrap. Anakin's hands burned as his fist closed tightly, droplets of sweat from his brow as his teeth gritted, an indication of the effort he put into crushing the object before him. Yet it fought against his will, and the Force itself, and that was enough to drive Anakin over the edge.

With a snarl of rage, Anakin squeezed his fist tightly, digging his nails deep into his palms to draw blood, exerting his entire being into crushing the object in his own fury. The former Dark Lord and now young Draco roared as the vehicle was finally crushed from its metallic shell, crumpling and snapping apart like tinfoil.

With the full effort of the Force, Anakin nearly collapsed forward, his eyes immediately bleary as he fell, barely managing to halt himself as his face nearly collided against the dirty floor, his hands immediately halting his descent. Fatigue consumed almost every inch of his body, and Anakin almost welcomed it, if not if the reminder of his task. Ignoring the fatigue and burning sensation that trembled in his arm, Anakin turned to see the result of his handiwork.

The car was completely crushed from within. What used to lie on the empty street was now a compacted piece of metal that bent from all angles, just barely resembling a car he had seen earlier, no longer stretching out on the empty street. Yet the state of it was all that mattered to him, and Anakin smirked, even despite his exhaustion.

Force Crush had been a complete success.

Though it took strenuous effort, and he couldn't replicate the level of ease that he had utilized Force Crush as a Jedi and Sith or even his former Sith apprentice, Galen Marek, or by his alias given to him, Starkiller, could have done, it was still a success.

That said, he looked over the car once more. The amount of time utilizing said ability took far too long to make use of it in any battle or combat scenario, and the car paled in comparison, was nothing more than an ant, than what he or Starkiller had used on AT-ST Walkers or any other. In fact, from what Anakin had seen of this world so far, Terra was significantly less advanced than Coruscant from what Anakin had seen so far.

He would have to add Force Crush as one of the abilities in his to-do list, and it seemed that was the one of the few abilities that provided him a major challenge. Lightning, Maelstrom, Wound, and Grip and even basic applications such as Force Speed were out of the question. Maelstrom being one he remembered Darth Malgus known for this ability, remembering him being renowned for demolishing entire towns in a blink of an eye. Yet he could not try it without posing a danger to himself or even others, not in his current form.

For now, Anakin was satisfied, able to utilize one of the more advanced abilities to compensate for the difficulty in lifting heavier objects.

Departing away from the slums, he began to make his way back home. No sooner than later, however, a distant voice could be barely heard, as Anakin amplified his hearing with the Force to hone in on the voice. "Anakin… Anakin!"

Recognizing the voice, Anakin immediately went to the source of the noise. It was his father, Edward, as he walked down the streets, his eyes scanning his surroundings in an attempt to find his son. His eyes turned, falling directly on him and rushing towards him. "Anakin!"

"Dad." Anakin knew what was about to happen, and so he braced himself for the scolding to come. The former Sith of another time received a bone crushing hug that he was sure his back was rearranged, before Edward released him and with a short glare. "Anakin! Where were you? What have you been doing?!"

"I was busy doing something. I lost track of time. Sorry dad." The Hero With No Fear, the Supreme Commander of the 501st Legion, former Dark Lord of the Sith, was now being scolded by his own father.

In a way it was humiliating, but also touching. Though with many other children, or simply the circumstances of being reborn in a child's body, or through deception, Anakin felt a tinge of regret.

Edward held his son once more before he scolded his youngest. "Don't ever try to leave again without telling your mother and myself ever again! You hear me! You inform us where you are going next time!"

Anakin winced, nodding in humiliation. He couldn't wait to grow up again. "Yes dad. Sorry."

"Now we're going to return home." Edward shot a final look at his son once more, before it turned to one of concern, as he crushed his son into a hug once more. "Please don't do that again, Anakin. We were worried when you left without even telling us."

God, Anakin hadn't remembered being scolded since as a Jedi when Obi Wan lectured him. He didn't feel like the Chosen One at the moment. "Sorry, dad. I won't do it again. I'm sorry."

Edward sighed, ruffling his son's hair. "It's okay kiddo. I know you just want to go out and do your own thing from time to time. But please let your mother and I know next time. Your sister told us you were heading out."

Anakin nodded, "Is Tal mad at me?" As much as he enjoyed Talulah, the former Dark Lord needed to immediately begin retraining himself once more. It was hard to even forget that he was a child, along with having a sibling, as Anakin of the past life was an only child, and to move beyond the mindset of his lifestyle as a Jedi and Sith of his prior life. A part of him was still tied to the past intrinsically

Edward met his eyes. "She was upset that you ignored her today just a bit and wouldn't explain why."

Ah. Really, how could he respond to that? While he was a child once more, a part of him that was Anakin Skywalker and Darth Vader was still tied to the Force and though now he could enjoy his life as a child, he felt it, even without the Force, that something would happen that would affect him and his new family. He needed power.

While he would have many regrets of his prior life as Darth Vader, the lapdog and face of the Empire, one thing he would never regret was power. The Jedi were hypocrites in that they didn't desire power, which he thoroughly enjoyed watching them amass holocrons of the Old Sith Empire. The Sith at least had been open about their desire for power. Power was the only thing that allowed one's voice to be heard, one to turn eyes and ears, enabled one to defend oneself.

In a way, it brought about a nihilistic view of things, and why even if Luke placed his faith in him and he did manage to survive, he could never return to being a Jedi. He could never forgive the Jedi nor their Code from saving his mother, forbidding him because he was too "attached". Their hypocrisy was astounding even after multiple Jedi had converted to the Dark Side such as Dooku and Barriss, speaking out against the Jedi hypocrisy. Those regulations restricted Anakin, and he had not been exactly a slave to the Jedi, nor was it their intention, Anakin might as well have been. Then, after he joined Sidious, he became a slave once more.

But as a lifetime of both, power was what he had as partially as a Jedi and as a Sith, he was the strongest being, besides Sidious, in the galaxy. Eyes regarded him with fear and respect. But even then, Sidious restricted his power in the Force significantly. It had been the reason why he turned to Galen Marek, Lumiya, Ahsoka, and then his own son.

While Anakin would use his power right now to protect his Artorious name, he would never give it away ever. He would never support a regime totalitarian dictatorship like the Empire again, but he wouldn't be lying if he did desire power. The Jedi denied him his birthright because they feared him. The Sith, even after he was the Empire's will, restricted his knowledge.

Both are gone now. He would never be shackled by any organization that denied or feared him or tried to leash him. It meant sacrificing a part of himself and tying himself to their standards that he would never be good enough in their eyes, being bound by rules he would never grow accustomed to, regulations that would restrict him.

Anakin would never tie himself or commit himself wholly to any organization. All had their secrets. All worked behind the scenes or used whatever means to further their own gain. It was the reason why Anakin was never good enough for the Jedi. He was just their weapon and tool to lash out at anything they deemed a threat. It was why he, as Darth Vader, as Sidious had mocked him for it, could never commit himself to the ways of the Sith in its entirety. He was just a means to an end.

He could not explain any of it to his family. It wouldn't take a second that they would be understandably scared of him or what he was attempting to do or what if they saw him doing. Deception was unavoidable, as both Jedi and Sith utilized it during the time of the Old Republic and the Clone Wars of Republic and Separatists. In this case, Anakin had to lie. But so did everyone. Everyone deceived or had secrets they would never impart to others.

Edward smiled and ruffled his hair. "She isn't too mad at you. Just a bit upset."

He nodded, "I'm sorry. I just wanted to do something alone."

"What was it that you had to go out alone?" Edward's inquisitive gaze fell on him, curiosity in his tone.

Anakin met his gaze, though not entirely. Why couldn't adults just accept his response? He recalled the times where he had to tell Obi Wan whenever he visited Padme that he had been simply out somewhere tinkering with a speeder

"It's… it's something I couldn't do with her."

Edward didn't look convinced. "I see…" A soft sigh escaped his lips, and he decided to drop the subject if his son wasn't willing to reveal his whereabouts. Next time, he would have to see where his son was departing next and keep a closer eye on him. He did not want to, but if his son was going to make this a habit then…

Anakin knew by the look and even without the Force knew what he was thinking. It seemed that that was the end of his self training, at least with more advanced use of the Force. Dammit. He swore silently under his breath, careful to make sure that his father did not hear his language.

The pair of father and son continued their walk home. Anakin groaned in displeasure at his father holding his hand in objection, but could do nothing about it. Jedi Knight turned Sith Lord turned… Draco child, was now holding his father's hand. This was more embarrassing and humiliating than anything he had experienced as a Jedi. He could almost hear Ahsoka laughing at him now.

When they arrived home, Edward opened the door, and the form of Talulah came bounding up the entrance. "Daddy, you're back!"

Edward picked his daughter up, swinging her around. "My little spitfire!"

Talulah giggled, her cheeks nuzzled against her father's face, and Anakin watched the sight with a small smile.

Adalinda arrived and she greeted them both. "Edward! Anakin!"

"Hi mom…"

She crushed him in a hug before finally releasing him. "Where were you? Your sister said you went out without her!"

Talulah was reminded of that fact, and she shot a glare at her brother. Anakin now felt a bit of shame, even as he reminded himself what he was doing it for and why. "I just had to go and do something alone. Sorry, mom. Sorry, Tal."

"What was it that you had to do alone?"

"I… It's something I had to do."

"Anakin." His mother stared at him with disapproval, and he was reminded once more of his mother from his prior life and Obi Wan.

Anakin felt the next few minutes as a tingle in his head. He brushed it off. "It's something I just wanted to do alone."

Now he felt like an asshole when he saw the hurt on his sister's face.

"What was it that you could not do with your sister?" The look of concern was more prominent and Anakin wondered why couldn't they just accept his explanation as satisfactory. Of course, they were parents. They were meant to care.

But yet he could not explain to them what he had been doing. "I'm sorry. It's just… I wanted to go alone and do it alone. I promise I'll tell you next time and I won't go alone! I'll bring Tal along!" That was a lie. Anakin likely would never attempt any use of the Force again after this, not at least with his father now keeping an eye on him. He would have to restrict his use in the safety and security of his room it seemed. "I'm sorry, Tal. I'll play with you this time. Please?"

Talulah no longer pouting and instead staring with the same look of concern their parents donned, her glare softening to something far lighter. Approaching him, she glomped him tightly so much that Anakin was sure his spine would be dislocated. "You better keep your promise, Ani."

Anakin felt his heart being stabbed as she called him with the same pet name Padme used to call him and his mother of the previous life. Though his sister called him it now to tease and the same way that Anakin called her "Tal" for her full name for short, Anakin could not help but still be reminded of his previous life before.

He would refuse to cry though. "I promise. After dinner." He smiled, gently squeezing his sister's hands.

Talulah's gaze concentrated on him once more, as if considering his response was a lie, before it brightened and vanished, and she was happy as she was before. "Thanks, Ani! And after dinner, can you also show me what you've been working on? Please, please, please?!"

Anakin chuckled, "Okay! Why not! I'm almost done with it, but okay!"

Both parents watched the scene, before Adalinda remembered and reminded his family. "Ah! It's dinner. Both of you clean up and get ready."

"Okay mama!" Talulah chimed happily as Anakin replied. "Yes mom!"

As he and Talulah approached the bathroom, Anakin turned, from the reflective gaze of the mirror, of the photo of them as a family. Talulah's arms were wrapped around him in a hug, and both their parents were happy.

As he turned to face Talulah, his mind was set on one thing, one fact of the matter, as she happily hummed while washing her hands.

He would protect his sister as long as he breathed. If anyone would dare to threaten her or his new family, if this world threatened to take away his new family; Anakin had not received visions yet with Farsight but if there was someone who would dare threaten to tear his family apart, who would dare separate them...

He would show the whoever dared threatened them and this entire world, never touched by his former life, why the galaxy feared Darth Vader.

As of posting this chapter, I've decided to reconsider Anakin and Obi Wan receiving a pairing, as I thought it over while drafting the chapter. Again, it's a maybe, but for anyone who does wish for Anakin and Obi Wan to get one and the possibility I will take the story in that direction, they will not get over Padme or Satine respectively anytime soon.

Also, to alleviate concerns, Anakin will not be with Talulah or Ch'en. Just… no. Just no. There was a point where I did consider Anakin and Talulah, under the premise that they were not siblings or even blood related in any way, but it felt more fitting for Anakin to be Talulah's and Ch'en's brother.