A/N: Here's chapter two. Hope you enjoy!

Chapter Two: Grown up children

Luke stayed four steps behind both the Jedi Masters. He struggled to up with their long legs and fast pace. What was with these people always in a hurry? Didn't they know how much taller than him they were? Besides, Luke didn't want to rush, even if he could keep up. Partly because he was in awe with the inside of the Jedi Temple, and the other part had everything to do with him not wanting to reach the High Council Chamber.

He didn't know what the Jedi were going to do to him, but he did know that it wouldn't be pleasant. Luke could only think of two possibilities. They would kill him, or they would try to turn him.

And Luke would never turn. The Jedi were the enemy. It was the only useful advice his father ever gave him.

Luke couldn't take his wide eyes off the body that had fallen to floor. His father stood over the broken body, with his ruby red lightsaber still ignited, and with a hint of yellow in his eyes. Luke took two steps backwards.

"Don't be afraid, son," his father told him grimly. "Go get your brother. Tell him I need his assistance."

Luke did not move. His eyes did not shift away from the young man that his own father had put a lightsaber through. He was terrified beyond all belief. "But…why did you just… what'd you do that for?"

"That was a Jedi," said his father with disgust, kicking the dead man's body. "He was here to take you and Gage away from me!"

Suddenly not so afraid, Luke finally lifted his glaze from the dead body, and onto the window. A sandstorm was brewing outside, and he hoped that his older brother wasn't stuck in the middle.

Luke's father kneeled down and placed his hands on his seven year old son's shoulders. "Listen to me, Luke. Jedi are bad people. They kidnap special kids like you and Gage, and brainwash them, turning them into Jedi slaves. That's why I couldn't live him live. Do you understand?"

Luke nodded his head violently. He would do anything to get away from his father, and the Jedi corpse.

"Good boy," he said, clapping a hand on Luke's head and ruffling his hair, causing Luke to flinch. "Now go get Gage."

Luke turned and ran from the room as fast as possible. He never looked back.

"Stop stalling, Luke," Anakin told him as he stopped and turned around.

Luke had meant to respond. He had meant to, but his lips stopped working. Instead, Luke stared blankly at Skywalker, suddenly forgetting how to put one foot in front of the other. Somehow, Luke was stuck. Skywalker approached him briskly, fading in and out. How was he doing that? Was it some kind of Jedi trick? His father had told him all about those, too.

"Are you okay?" Skywalker's voice sounded distance despite him being so close to Luke. Waving his hand in front of Luke's face, Skywalker tried to get a response, but failed. Finally Skywalker put his hand on Luke's forehead, and with the touch, Luke was out cold.

Anakin listened to the steady rhythm of Luke's heart regulator while watching his son's chest fill with breath and then deflate again. Out of all the expectations Anakin had for the day, this sure wasn't one of them. Never did Anakin think that he would be sitting by his lost son's bed in the Medcenter when he woke up that morning, but the Force seemed to have a sense of humor because there he was, worrying about someone who wasn't even in his life a day ago.

Not that he was complaining. It was one of the best days Anakin had had in a long time, it was just unexpected. It was so unexpected that it had thrown Anakin in some sort of shock, and as he stood over Luke, he wasn't sure how he should feel.

Happy, definitely. But worried? Not only for Luke's current health situation, but for his sanity. How far in the Dark Side did his son go? Did it really even matter? The Dark Side was the Dark Side, who was to say that it had different levels? And if Luke didn't have a Master, how was he so composed with the Force.

The whole situation made zero sense to Anakin. He just wasn't sure how to process all of it. Sure, he wanted to be happy, but how could he be with the thought of a duel with his Dark-Sider son?

"Ani," He turned his head to see his lovely wife descending the stairs into the Medcenter. "I ran into Obi-Wan in the hall. Is everything okay? Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine," Anakin replied. He wondered how to tell her that the boy asleep in the bed was Luke, but luckily for him, Padme's big brown eyes found him all by themselves.

"Anakin," she said sternly. "Who is that?"

"Don't you recognize your own son?" Anakin's voice boomed with the kind of happiness that only comes when giving someone extremely good news.

"What?" Padme asked. Did she hear him correctly?

"Padme, its Luke."

Padme glanced over at Luke, tears forming in her eyes. "Are you sure?"

"Positive," Anakin said. "I had them run DNA tests right when he got here. They match."

"Ani, this is wonderful!" Padme threw her arms around her husband. He pulled his arms around her, and enjoyed the happy moment together.

After they let go of each other, Padme went back to Luke's beside. "He looks just like you."

Anakin frowned, realizing that he would have to tell Padme the bad news about Luke. He explained everything to her. That he was only five years and a power trip away from being a strong Sith Lord. That he harbored an intense hatred for Jedi, and that he was a runaway from Tatioone, which was really only bad news for Anakin.

"They knew exactly where to hide him," Padme stated. "They knew we'd never look there."

"Yeah, they were right," Anakin collapsed in a nearby chair, giving in to his tired feet. "Out of all the worlds in the galaxy, Tatioone never even crossed my mind."

"It's not your fault," Padme knew Anakin's tendency to blame everything on himself all too well. "As for all this nonsense about the Dark Side, I don't think we need to worry about that now."

"Nonsense?" Anakin questioned unbelievingly. "Padme, it's the Dark Side. The only thing he was taught is hatred and that doesn't go away over night. I doubt he'll accept that were his parents, either. He'll just end up hating us more."

Padme only stared at him with determination and shock in her eyes. It was always hard for Anakin to tell what exactly she was thinking. He narrowed it down to her being angry, or her agreeing with him. He doubted it was the latter.

"Ani, hasn't anyone ever told you that the future is just your imagination?"

"Huh?" Anakin didn't have the slightest idea what Padme was talking about, or how her question even applied to their current conversation.

"Yeah," she continued as if Anakin knew what she was talking about. "It hasn't happened yet so we can safely assume that it is only a product of our imagination."

"Sure," said Anakin, reluctantly. He wondered when Padme's sudden wisdom had come from.

"And it's almost the same thing with the past," Padme said. "It's over. It doesn't exist anymore."

"So?"

"So, if we throw out Luke's past, and stop worrying about his possible bad future we get a thirteen year boy who doesn't have a home and probably needs a whole lot of love."

Anakin processed this. It made sense. Why should they worry about the future? It was a long way off, and as far as Anakin was considered, present tense Luke mattered a lot more now than a futuristic Luke did.

"When did you get so wise?" Anakin smiled, and pulled Padme closer to him.

Looking up at her husband, Padme gave a small smile back. "It was definitely after I meet you."

"Oh, wise and funny, huh?" Anakin meant to kiss her, but right when his mouth was close to hers his former Padawan came bursting down the stairs.

"Yuk!" Ahsoka shouted. Didn't she know there were sick people trying to sleep? "Can't you two get a room?"

"Can't you go away?" Anakin retorted, pulling away from Padme.

"Anakin!" Padme said. She turned to Ahsoka. "He meant it's good to see you, Ahsoka."

Ahsoka gave Anakin a glance declaring some sort of victory that only she knew about. "Master Kenobi sent me to tell you you're late for the Council meeting."

"I'm not going," Anakin dismissed.

"He said that you'd say that," Ahsoka said, "he also said that the meeting is mandatory and I'm not supposed to leave you until you walk through the High Chamber doors."

Anakin made an indistinct growl of annoyance. He did not want to go to that meeting. He was stressed enough with everything else to have to worry about discussing trivial matters with the Council. They never liked any of his ideas, anyway.

"Tell the Council I'll attend their meeting when they stop treating me like a Padawan," Anakin commented, hoping that Ahsoka would actually relay the message. Even though the Medic had told him it was only exhaustion that made Luke faint, Anakin felt like he couldn't leave his son while he was just laying there in a Medcenter bed.

"Maybe they will when you stop acting like one," Ahsoka said, pushing Anakin a little too far where he was actually angry.

"And maybe you should just do as you're told," Anakin told her sternly.

"You're not my Master anymore."

"Oh for goodness sake!" Padme interpreted. She would never be used to the two of them bickering like children. "Anakin, be a grown up and go to your meeting."

Anakin frowned teasingly. "You always take her side."

"Just go," she said, glancing back over to Luke. "And try to rush them. I want to take Luke home as soon as the Medic says he can go."

Anakin took one last look at his son and his family before ascending the stairs with Ahsoka. He didn't have the heart to tell Padme that the Council may not let Luke go home until they make judgment, or maybe not ever.

A/N: … what do you think?

VAD

For everything God created is GOOD, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving. 1 Timothy 4:4