Avschick33 - To thank you all for putting up with all this angst, I hereby present you with a much happier epilogue! And, in another couple weeks, I plan to have the "Skating with the Star Wars" sequel up. Stay tuned! I appreciate the support!
The Elvish Jedi – Wow! Thanks! That's the exact reaction I had when I watched RotS in the theater. I was so sad, but at the same time, so happy that Luke and Leia were safe and sound. Thanks for sticking with the story – I know we've been on angst overload, but I'm hoping the next chapter will make it up to you!
Jedi Master Arie Skywalker - Aww, thank you so much. You always make me blush with your sweet comments. I hope you like the way everything gets tied up - we've finally arrived at the very end. I can hardly believe it! Thank you so much for your support - I am deeply grateful.
ILDV - Thank you! I appreciate the support!
ALL - Well, this is it - the epilogue to the story that has been brewing in my mind since AotC. As I post this, I'm both excited and sad... One thing is for sure though - I will never forget how wonderful you guys have been. No matter the twists and turns I threw out there, you stuck with me. What an incredible honor it has been to be your author.
ABOARD DEATH STAR, OVER TWENTY YEARS LATER
He smiled as he gazed upon his son, unimpeded by the ebony mask that had been his prison for so many years.
Tears clung to the younger man's lashes, yet the blue depths shone with an inner peace that was eeriely reminiscent of his mother. Luke, it seemed, had inherited Padmé's gentle temperament while his twin had been cursed with her father's.
Leia... Anakin's heart ached when he thought of the horror his daughter would remember when thinking of him. Luke would try to help her see the truth, of course. He would say that their father was not the one that had held her hostage, nor was he the monster that had coldly ordered her torture. He would tell her that Anakin Skywalker and Darth Vader were not the same man, not any longer.
Perhaps they never were.
The thought gave him enough strength to manage a final raspy breath. "You were right about me..." he whispered. "Tell your sister... you were right."
A dull roar filled his ears as his vision began to blur around the edges. Luke's fervent nod was the last thing he saw before he slipped away, falling into the waiting arms of the Force.
Welcome home, my son.
Anakin blinked warily, startled to feel the familiar weight of Jedi robes hugging his muscular frame. Trembling, he brought a hand to his head, sinking his fingers into the thick and wavy curls from his youth. He then moved around to touch his face, startled to find his fingertips gliding over smooth skin rather than the gnarled scars that had been his companion for over two decades.
He was still standing there, frozen in awe, when a voice rang out, the clipped accent just as warm as he remembered:
"Well, aren't you going to say hello?"
"Master?" he replied disbelievingly. Tears sprang to his eyes as the familiar form of Obi-Wan Kenobi materialized before him.
"Hello, old friend."
"Ma- Master," Anakin stammered again. "I never thought I'd see you again; not after what I had done."
"You certainly chose a difficult path, my former Padawan."
"I know." Anakin's entire body seemed to slump as if overcome with shame. "I failed in so many ways."
"But in the end, you triumphed," the Jedi pointed out. "You came back from the Dark Side - a feat that even the wisest members of the Council thought to be impossible."
Anakin snorted. "Too bad it only took me twenty years to prove them wrong."
Obi-Wan crossed his arms over his chest, shaking his head. "The timing doesn't matter."
"How can you say that?" The young man's reply bled with anguish. "Do you know how many people have died because of my 'timing?' You should know better than anyone. Have you forgotten what I did to you?"
"Of course not." He held up a hand when Anakin started to interrupt. "However, that was also a day that gave me hope."
"Hope?" he echoed.
"Yes." Obi-Wan extended a hand, resting it on his former padawan's shoulder. "You see, when Darth Vader struck me down, I heard something I had thought to be lost." He took a deep breath, his fingers tightening on the coarse fabric. "I heard Anakin Skywalker scream."
Anakin looked away, a flush tinting his unmarred cheeks. "For years, I told myself that you deserved to die," he finally confessed. "And when I finally struck you down... Master, I was glad."
"No, you weren't. Darth Vader was."
The former Sith allowed his fists to unclench before flexing his hands nervously. "I just... I wish it hadn't taken so long. I lost so much - Padmé, Luke and Leia..." He smiled ruefully. "I know I didn't have anything to do with raising them, but... I've never been so proud of two people in all my life."
"And you have reason to be. They are strong and smart, as their parents were." Obi-Wan could see a flash of renewed guilt cross Anakin's face, but pressed on. "Would you like to see them again?"
"Really?" He cleared his throat, but was still unable to keep the excitement from his voice when he spoke again. "Yes, of course! Please, Master, I would be deeply grateful."
"Then let us go to them." Obi-Wan closed his eyes, but opened them again when he felt a firm grip land upon his arm. "Yes, Anakin? What is it?"
"Thank you," came the quiet reply.
His brow furrowed. "For what?"
"For everything."
The dark-haired woman stood in the shadows, an eternal spirit granted the rarest of gifts. She wasn't sure how long she had waited... but she no longer cared, not when her eyes found the three Jedi.
It was true then. He really had come back.
Following the direction of their gazes, Padmé's heart swelled at the sight of the twins sharing an embrace. Luke and Leia had exceeded every dream she had ever held for them. Their light had banished the darkness, had defeated tyranny and hate. Though she knew it would be a long, arduous process, democracy would be restored, freedom would reign and rifts would be healed.
And now it was time for her to heal her own.
Pressing a hand to her abdomen to steady her nerves, she lowered her shields and called for her husband. A shiver danced across her spine when he turned and brown eyes met blue once again.
His lips moved as he spoke her name, the two syllables falling from his lips as reverently as a prayer. Obi-Wan and Yoda met her smile with one of their own, stepping back in an unspoken gesture of approval.
And then, Anakin was running.
He swept her into his arms with an exuberance that time had not diminished, raining kisses over her face and murmuring apologies into her hair. They held onto each other for what seemed like an eternity, yet could never be long enough.
When her husband finally pulled away, he buried his face into the crook of her neck. "I can't believe you're here."
"You didn't think I would wait." Though she had intended it as a question, she wasn't surprised when the words came out as a statement. She still knew the man standing before her better than anyone.
"After what I did..." he mumbled brokenly. "I had no right-"
She cupped his cheek, forced him to look at her. "There will be a time for penance and reparation, Anakin. But for now, let us simply celebrate your return."
Silently agreeing, he tugged her back into his arms and they watched Obi-Wan and Yoda make their approach. When they neared, he gave them a nervous smile. "Is it time to go?"
Yoda leaned on his gimer stick, but the movement was done out of habit rather than necessity. "More friends to visit there are. Waited a long time to see you, they have."
Anakin started to tense at the thought of facing the Jedi, but relaxed when Obi-Wan moved to join Padmé, taking up the position on his other side.
"It will be all right, Ani," Padmé offered.
"We won't leave your side," Obi-Wan vowed. Quietly, he added, "As you can see, we never really did."
And in that moment, Anakin finally understood.
The simplest promises - the ones made out of love, friendship and family... those were the ones that stood the test of time.
Because those were the promises that could never be broken.
-FIN-