Chapter Forty

Anakin cut a careful glance over at Luke and then back to Obi-Wan and Ahsoka's dumbfounded faces. "So, we're just going to let the twelve-year-old boy fly the ship unsupervised now?"

His question was met with resounding silence.

He tipped his head towards Leia, who sat next to Luke in the co-pilot's chair. "And we're good with his ten-year-old sister navigating too, I suppose?"

More silence followed that question as well, punctuated by astounded blinking.

"Are you two really going to sit here and stare at me the entire time?"

Obi-Wan ducked his head contritely at Anakin's churlish query. He, at least, had the grace to appear chastened by his friend's displeasure over his unabashed gawking. Ahsoka, on the other hand, kept right on staring as if Anakin were an alien creature that she had never seen before in her life. Obi-Wan grunted in chagrin and made a feeble attempt to justify their response.

"Forgive us, Anakin…" he began tentatively, "It's not every day that we find ourselves sitting across from a dead man. Allow us some time to process if you will."

Ahsoka nudged Obi-Wan lightly with her elbow. "I think you mean an immortal, dead man, Master," she emphasized, continuing to scrutinize him as if she still couldn't quite believe he was real, "Don't forget that part."

"Well, it just so happens that I'm neither," Anakin quipped dryly, "I'm not dead and I never was." He inspected his hand, noting how the glow that had characterized his flesh since waking to the Daughter looming above him had now faded away leaving his flesh with an ordinary appearance. "And I'm probably not immortal anymore either," he considered thoughtfully, "Though I'm not entirely sure how to test that theory…"

Cognizant of his fading glow along with other subtle changes that were beginning to take place in Anakin's appearance, Ahsoka peered at him with an almost dissecting accuracy and prompted deliberately, "Do you want to explain exactly what happened back there?"

"Which part? You'll have to be more specific."

"Why don't you start at the beginning?" Ahsoka suggested softly, "What was that place? Who were those people? Tell us why you never came home."

"That is a long and complicated story, Snips," he replied.

Ahsoka shrugged. "Well, we've got a long journey," she countered.

Anakin sighed in resignation before he began. "The last thing I remember before arriving on Mortis was confronting Maul on Dathomir," he recounted gruffly, "He had imprisoned Padmé there after the battle of Mandalore. He had taken this wild idea into his head that he could turn me…that we could rule the galaxy together as equals somehow…as 'brothers' he said."

Obi-Wan grunted. "That's certainly a novel idea for a Sith."

"I thought so too," Anakin agreed, "In fact, I was pretty sure he was crazy. But he was holding Padmé captive and…" He trailed off briefly, checking to be sure the children were duly preoccupied before he continued in a much lower tone, "He had a bomb strapped around neck. He said she had to die because she was holding me back. He was going to kill her so I could be 'free.'"

Seeing the anguish that darkened his eyes with that memory, Ahsoka reached over to cover Anakin's hand with his own. "That didn't happen though," she whispered, "Padmé survived. You saved her, Anakin."

"I don't know how she survived…I didn't know she was alive until very recently," he muttered, "The last thing I remember is that timer counting down to the seconds. There was no time to save her."

"Well, you did it," Ahsoka insisted, "I followed you to Dathomir, and when I got there everything on the planet was leveled. Everyone and everything was dead, Anakin…except Padmé. And you were nowhere to be found."

"I don't remember," Anakin mumbled, "There are a lot of things I still don't understand."

"You've missed a lot," Ahsoka agreed in an ironic tone.

Anakin darted another look over at his children, who were currently bickering amongst themselves over who had the stronger Force instincts. He grunted a humorless laugh before regarding Ahsoka again. "Yes. That much is apparent," he murmured, "Care to brief me?"

Ahsoka offered him a small smile. "You first," she reminded him gently.

"Oh right. Mortis," he sighed in afterthought, "I'm not sure how I got there, but when I opened my eyes, the Father was standing over me."

Obi-Wan blinked at him. "The Father?"

"There were three Force wielders on Mortis," Anakin explained, "The Father, the Son and the Daughter. The Son represented the dark side of the Force. The Daughter represented the light side. And the Father was responsible for maintaining balance between the two. They had been there for centuries of time."

Ahsoka picked at microscopic specks of lint on her pants in awkward anticipation of her next statement. "Soo…I like to pride myself on being able to pick up on the subtle cues from others," she began carefully, "and, not that they were subtle in the least, but I got the impression that there was much more than a sibling bond going on between the Son and the Daughter."

"Yes," Anakin confirmed dryly, "They were in love with each other, Snips. The Father knew that if the Daughter ever gave into her brother's advances, she would become corrupted and that such a thing would ripple across the entire galaxy. He confined them on Mortis so that he could have better control of them."

While Ahsoka shuddered her revulsion over that confirmation, Obi-Wan said, "So that explains why the Father would need your help to maintain the balance between them, but it doesn't explain why you agreed to stay."

"That wasn't the first time I had been to Mortis," Anakin revealed, "I was there before in my previous timeline, and the Father made me the same offer then too. I refused…and we know how that ended. And then he made the offer again when I was being held on Nal Hutta by Gardulla. Once again, I refused and, as far as I knew, Padmé and Leia died because of it. I didn't want to risk what would happen if I refused him a third time," he finished with gruff emotion, "I had no idea I was leaving all of you so vulnerable."

Ahsoka made a weak attempt to reassure him. "It hasn't been that bad…"

"Luke told me that use of the Force is forbidden now. How did that happen?"

Obi-Wan inhaled a deep breath, clearly filled with dread at the prospect of answering his question. "It happened when the Republic fell."

"What?" Anakin exploded. His outburst was so volatile that he startled his children, immediately sparking clamoring concern between the two of them. After reassuring them both that he was alright and that they should keep focused on flying the ship, Anakin addressed Obi-Wan in a much calmer tone. "What do you mean the Republic fell?"

"The galaxy is under Imperial rule now," Obi-Wan replied, "It has been for the past eight years."

"Maul?" Anakin uttered in dismay, "Please don't tell me he set himself up as emperor!"

"I won't. That's not what happened. Maul is dead Anakin," Obi-Wan reassured him, "You saw to that."

"Then I don't understand! How are we under Imperial rule if Sidious and Maul are both gone?"

"Our emperor is a man named Kalyn Preet, formerly the senator of Alderaan," Obi-Wan explained, "He assumed power two years after you went missing."

"How?"

"Maul unleashed unimaginable devastation on the galaxy and public faith was shattered after all that terrible business with the clones," Obi-Wan replied, "People were terrified, and they wanted to feel secure. The calls for retribution against the clones became quite ardent, especially when there were politicians who eagerly stoked the fires of malcontent.

"Chancellor Organa was removed from his position and Senator Preet became the new supreme chancellor in his place. His first order of business was to decree the complete extermination of all clones. By the time he issued the law, the action was largely welcomed by most. Anyone who protested the new law was deemed a traitor to the Republic, which placed the Jedi in a precarious position. It was not long after that all Force sensitives were being targeted for similar reasons…which required that many of us into hiding."

"Padmé and the children as well?" Anakin surmised grimly.

Obi-Wan confirmed with a terse nod. "We've all been running for a very long time, Anakin."

Anakin's lips thinned into an embittered line. "So, Maul got everything he wanted after all, huh?"

"Well, I'm sure that being dead wasn't part of his ultimate plan," Obi-Wan considered sardonically, "But yes, I suppose I can agree that he accomplished exactly what he set out for…my death notwithstanding. Though I did come frightfully close."

"I'm sorry, Obi-Wan," Anakin choked thickly as the full weight of Obi-Wan's revelations weighed down on him with smothering gravity, "I'm so, so sorry…"

Ahsoka squeezed his fingers, her forgiveness easily conveyed in that tender gesture. "You didn't know," she said, "I have no doubts that you would have stood with us if you had. But we have not been helpless in your absence, Anakin. We have been fighting back every day since Empire rose!"

"Who is we?"

"Me. Obi-Wan. Rex. Fives. Padmé. We are a part of an intergalactic resistance now."

Anakin closed his eyes and expelled a short, ironic laugh. "The more things change, the more they stay the same," he muttered to himself. Ahsoka was still puzzling over what he meant by that when he asked, "How did the galaxy come to be under Imperial rule at all? It doesn't make sense! Why would the citizens ever agree to that? It was understandable before because Sidious had spent years manipulating matters into his favor, but now…"

Obi-Wan leaned forward to regard him with a sorrowful look. "Anakin, think about it," he urged softly, "None of those circumstances had truly changed. Sidious may have been eliminated, but his influence on the galaxy was not. It only required a spark, and unfortunately, Maul provided it."

"How bad has it become?"

"The Kaminoans were annihilated as part of a 'galactic cleansing.' The Order is fractured," Obi-Wan replied plainly, "Many clones and Jedi have been killed. Those who weren't have spent the past eight years hiding or fighting. Whole planets have been enslaved and conscripted into forced labor. All non-humans have been confined to the outer rim planets and travel into the inner core is severely restricted. Use of the Force is punishable by death. Food and supplies are scarce, and trust is in very limited supply. We do what we must to survive."

Anakin briefly buried his face in hands. "So, you're saying that everything I did, traveling back in time to stop the war, to kill Sidious…all of that was for nothing?" he ground out fiercely, "It still happened anyway? The galaxy is exactly how I left it the first timeline? I didn't change anything?"

Ahsoka whispered his name gently, halting the emotional spiral that he was poised for. "You've changed many things, and you know that," she reminded him, "But you're not a god, Anakin…at least, you're not anymore…I think." Her teasing accomplished what she hoped. It provoked a smile, albeit a fleeting, reluctant one. "I'm glad you're back." She smiled at him through her welling tears. "I've missed you so much."

"I've missed you too, Snips." He glanced over at Obi-Wan. "Both of you. Thank you for taking care of my family. I should have come back sooner."

Obi-Wan regarded him with an expression free of condemnation. "You thought you were doing what was right. I'm not sure if I would have made a different choice had I been in your place."

"What happens now?" Anakin wondered in a hollow tone.

Ahsoka eagerly provided the answer to that. "Now we take you home," she said, "Shmi and Padmé are going to be beside themselves with joy when they see you! And Rex and Fives…there are so many people who will be relieved to have you back!"

His expression became shuttered at the prospect. "If you say so…"

"Anakin, really," Ahsoka admonished him softly, "No one is going to blame you for what happened. You shouldn't blame yourself."

"Where is home by the way?" he asked, ignoring her argument altogether, "Given the circumstances, I don't suppose that's Coruscant or Naboo any longer."

"You're going to love it. It's a desert planet just on the edge of wild space called Figili," Ahsoka told him.

"Really?" Anakin deadpanned, "You had to pick a place filled with sand?"

"Take it up with your wife. Besides, beggars can't be choosy, my friend," Ahsoka laughed, "We should probably comm Padmé and let her know we're on our way back."

Anakin snagged hold of her wrist before she could stand. "Don't tell her about me," he urged softly.

Ahsoka blinked at him in mute incredulity. "You don't think she's going to notice you're alive when you step off the ship?" she asked sarcastically.

"Not over comms," he insisted, "I'd rather do it in person."

"He's right," Obi-Wan agreed, "She's believed him dead for ten years, Ahsoka. That's not commlink conversation."

She tipped a nod over at Luke and Leia. "Who's going to tell them?" she asked, "They're ready to burst with excitement over this secret."

"I'll do it," Anakin volunteered unenthusiastically, "I've got a decade of missed parenting to make up for."

Ahsoka reached out to pat his shoulder. "Those two can be a stubborn lot," she warned, "So, good luck with that."

With a fair degree of trepidation, which Anakin found ridiculous given the fact he was going to be dealing with two children, he approached Luke and Leia and hunkered down in between their seats. "So…how's it going?" he began rather inanely.

Luke favored him with a droll, sideways glance. "You don't have to hover, Dad," he said, "I've been flying since I was four years old. I know what I'm doing."

"I can see that," Anakin acknowledged with burgeoning pride, "Who taught you?"

"Mom did."

In what was quickly becoming a common occurrence, Anakin felt his throat tighten with emotion. "She did a very good job," he whispered in a thickened tone, "Maybe one day you'll let me show you a few tricks of my own."

Luke grinned at him. "I'd like that."

Anakin looked over at Leia and found her regarding him with a strange, speculative look. "What about you?" he asked softly, "Do you like to fly?"

Rather than answering his question, Leia addressed what she knew he was leaving unspoken. "Mom's not going to be mad at you," she reassured him in a whisper, "You don't have to hide from her."

Surprised that she had discerned his emotions so easily, Anakin reared back to study his young daughter in open amazement. "You're a very perceptive little girl, aren't you?" he murmured.

"I think it's annoying," Luke interjected in aside.

Ignoring her brother's ribbing, Leia pressed Anakin in an anxious tone, "You're not going to run away from her, are you…or from us?"

"No. I'm not going to run away, but I don't want her to know about me just yet. I want to do that when we're face to face. Do you understand?"

Luke groaned at the request. "You mean you want us to wait?" he balked.

It was hard not to laugh over how disgruntled he sounded. "Yes. I'd like you to wait."

"But she'll want to know!" Luke insisted stubbornly, "This is huge! You don't understand how this will change everything! We can't keep it from her! She deserves the truth! I want to tell her!"

"I know you do," Anakin whispered, "I want to tell her too but…I don't want to shock her."

As expected, Luke responded with more sputtered protests, followed by childish complaints, whining, and wheedling arguments before he finally conceded to his father's appeal. "Fine," he muttered with a marked lack of enthusiasm, "I guess that means I'll just have to fly even faster."

Anakin was still chuckling over his surly response when his daughter placed her small hand on his shoulder, prompting him to look at her again. "It's going to be a good surprise for her, Daddy," Leia reassured him with a smile, "Just like it was for me."

Overwhelmed with emotion yet again, Anakin framed her face in his hands and smacked a sound kiss to the middle of her forehead. "You really are more perfect than I could have ever imagined," he told her reverently, "I love you, Leia Skywalker."

While Leia basked in the glow of her father's praise, Obi-Wan beamed with pride, Ahsoka rolled her eyes and Luke grumbled derisively, "Yeah…she's alright."

Later, when the ship had been in hyperdrive for several hours and Obi-Wan, Anakin and the children had retired below deck for some much-needed rest, Ahsoka took a moment to raise Padmé on comms. Though she was just as exhausted as everyone else, Ahsoka felt too restless to sleep. And since Padmé was long overdue for an update from her, Ahsoka thought it would be a wise idea to touch base with her friend. She was filled with excitement and dread at the prospect. Keeping the truth about Anakin a secret would be a tall order, especially when she aware of how much his "death" had devastated Padmé…and still did.

Ahsoka knew it was probably late on Figili, but she wasn't surprised when Padmé immediately answered her call. Her friend often spent her nights plagued by restlessness as well. Insomnia had been a staple in Padme's life ever since Anakin "died." She and Ahsoka had developed a running joke between them about who could get the least amount of sleep in a week. Padmé often won. Ahsoka rejoiced at the thought that Anakin's return might dispel that lingering anxiety from Padmé's heart. She was still smiling at the thought when Padmé's face finally materialized over her commlink.

Padmé, on the other hand, flinched when she caught sight of Ahsoka and noted how haggard she appeared. "You look terrible," she observed bluntly, "I think you may have me beat this time."

"Hello to you too, friend."

"Sorry. But you look tired, Ahsoka. When was the last time you slept?"

"How long have we been gone?"

"Less than two days," Padmé replied, "Why?"

Ahsoka balked at the notion. "Really? It feels like a lot longer than that," she muttered.

"Does that mean your spice run was successful then or did things not go your way?" The tone in which she asked the question was heavy with skepticism. Ahsoka sighed.

"I suppose you already know there was no spice run, don't you?"

"Yes. I know," Padmé confirmed, "I doubt Luke and Leia would have risked incurring my wrath otherwise. Besides, I thought it was rather odd when you didn't take Sel along with you." Ahsoka's expression flickered with concern. "Don't worry," Padmé reassured her, "He's been a very good boyfriend to you. He's kept all your secrets locked tight."

"I have a good reason for keeping you in the dark," Ahsoka assured her, "Are you angry with me?"

"I'm more curious than angry. You and I have never made a habit of keeping secrets from each other before. I'm wondering why you would start now."

"Right."

She was grateful that Padmé didn't press her for answers, but instead replied mildly, "I expect you'll tell me where you really went when you get back here."

"I will," Ahsoka promised.

"Are you on your way home now?"

"Yep. It has been an eventful trip to say the least." She grinned to herself when she imagined the look on Padmé's face when she saw Anakin again for the first time in a decade. "I have a surprise for you when I get to Figili."

"More surprising than my children stowing away on your ship?" Padmé asked wryly.

"They have been a delight as usual."

"Oh, I'm sure they have been," Padmé laughed before sobering abruptly to add, "They scared me to death, you know?"

"I'm so sorry about that, Padmé," Ahsoka whispered in commiseration.

"And I know that it's partly my fault…that I hold on to them too tightly," she acknowledged gruffly, "I know that I should give them more freedom and I'm trying. I really am, Ahsoka. But I'm always so frightened for them, and it's hard to let go. I want to shield them from every bad thing that I can."

"You have nothing to feel guilty for, Padmé," Ahsoka whispered, "After everything you've been through, how you feel is understandable. I'm not judging you."

"You don't think I'm a bad mother?"

"I've never thought that. Not once."

"Well, at least something good came from them running away," Padmé murmured wryly, "Shmi and I are finally on speaking terms again."

"Thank the stars!" Ahsoka sighed dramatically, "It's never pleasant when the two of you butt heads. There's no worse drama than Skywalker drama!"

Padmé responded with an expansive eye roll. "You're not funny, Tano," she grumbled, "If you're finished teasing me, maybe I can tell you about what I found while you've been gone."

"What did you find?" Ahsoka asked, her interest piqued by the excitement she heard in Padmé's voice.

"I've been studying the plans for Tarkin's Death Star, and you won't believe what I found," she said, "There appears to be a weakness in their defenses, and I think we might be able to take advantage of it. I've reached out to Mon to see if my theory is correct. How soon until you get to Figili?"

"We'll be there by morning."

"Excellent! We have much to discuss. Try to get some rest in the meantime. And tell Luke and Leia that I love them, please."

"Why don't you tell them yourself?" Ahsoka suggested dryly, swiveling around in her seat to find both children standing behind her. She made a disapproving face at them. "Since neither of them are concerned with the fact that it is clearly past their bedtimes," she added in pointed exasperation.

Luke offered Ahsoka a sheepish smile before acknowledging his mother. "Hello, Mom."

"Hello, stowaway number one," Padmé replied affectionately before tipping her head towards Leia, "and stowaway number two. I trust that you're not giving Ahsoka and Obi-Wan too much trouble."

While her brother flailed about for an answer that wasn't a bald-faced lie, Leia answered with her usual round-eyed innocence, "No. No trouble at all."

Padmé favored her daughter with a warm, knowing smile. "You're a liar, Leia Skywalker. A very cute one, but a liar nonetheless."

"You always say that impugning bad motives to others is hurtful and unjust," Leia reminded her, "I'm offended that you have assumed the worst in me, Mother."

"There you go throwing my own words back at me again," Padmé laughed, "Clever girl." Her smile was tempered a bit by a stern frown when she added, "This, by no means, negates the fact that you two will be punished for the stunt you pulled. You had me and your grandmother worried sick!"

Luke groaned at the reminder. "We're really sorry for causing you both so much distress," he said sincerely, "But I promise you that we had a very good reason for doing what we did!"

"Is that so?" his mother challenged, "I can't wait to hear it."

The siblings exchanged secret smiles before Luke declared with unshakeable confidence, "It's going to be good. I bet you'll even change your mind about grounding us afterwards."

"I think that's a bet you're going to lose, my son," Padmé deadpanned.

She sounded so certain and so exasperated with them both that Luke and Leia had difficulty suppressing their mischievous giggles in response. Ahsoka quickly ended the transmission before they could give away the secret entirely. She regarded them both with a wry shake of her head after the comm was terminated.

"You two are so obvious that it's painful."

Luke and Leia were too wired with excitement to go back to sleep afterward and Ahsoka wasn't surprised. They spent the remainder of the night bickering back and forth about everything from the basic truths of the Force to which of them deserved their father's attention more. They were so filled with anticipation and excitement for the next morning that they could barely sit still. By the time they had entered Figili's atmosphere, Ahsoka still hadn't slept a wink and they were close to driving her crazy.

But, for all his children's boundless energy, Anakin was a great deal more subdued. He was filled with more dread than actual excitement. As soon as Obi-Wan began preparing the ship for landing, Luke and Leia wasted little time scrambling above deck in their hurried eagerness to disembark, but Anakin continued to hang behind. As Luke and Leia's excited anticipation grew so did Anakin's nervous anxiety. Ahsoka found him seated on one of the bunks, his hands clasped loosely between his legs and his head bowed low.

"Are you meditating?" she asked incredulously, "You do that now?"

He bit back a smile over how dubious she appeared. "I'm still not very good at it, but yes. I do that now," he replied wryly, "But I'm not sure how much meditation will help my current situation."

Ahsoka scooted into the empty space beside him. "She's going to be happy to see you," she whispered, "You know that, right?"

"I don't know, Ahsoka," Anakin sighed expansively, "Padmé has spent these last ten years on her own. She raised the children without me. She went into hiding without me. She's fought rebellion without me. I'm not so sure that I even have a place in her life anymore."

"I think that might be the dumbest thing I've ever heard you say," Ahsoka replied flatly, "Stop being ridiculous! After you disappeared, Padmé did what she had to do! We all did! But that doesn't mean that we forgot about you, Anakin, or that we didn't need you!"

"Maybe it's easier for me to believe that you didn't," he muttered.

"No, we're not doing this again," Ahsoka announced abruptly, hopping to her feet, and tugging Anakin along with her.

Anakin reluctantly complied with her obstinate efforts to pull him into a standing position. "Doing what?" he grumbled.

"That thing you do where you sink into a vat of self-hatred and second-guess everything," she clarified tartly, "That attitude reeks of regression and I'm not having it! We've come too far, and you're too old for that now!"

"Alright," Anakin conceded, resigning himself to the lecture he knew was coming, "I'm listening."

"You and Padmé have been apart for ten years! She has missed you! You have missed her! You love each other! Now is the time for happy reunions and not morbid regret, Skyguy!"

He acknowledged her words with a faint smile. "I hear you."

"Then come with me and say hello to you wife!"

Despite that stirring peptalk, Anakin was still the last person to move down the gangplank after the ship landed. As he made his way to the open hatch, he surveyed the scattered reunion scene before him. He immediately began scanning the small crowd that had gathered in anticipation of other arriving ships for a glimpse of Padmé. She wasn't very difficult to spot at all. Luke and Leia made an immediate line for her as soon as they cleared the ship. Anakin's breath hitched painfully when he saw her.

The first thing he noticed was how thin she appeared. She had always been slender, but there was something almost wiry about her frame now. She was still incredibly beautiful, even dressed in plain tan trousers and high-kneed boots and a blaster fastened at her hip, but there was an angled hardness to her features now that hadn't existed before. However, when she spotted their children, her face wreathed with an immediate, overjoyed smile as she ran to greet them and, in that moment, Anakin saw a glorious glimpse of the wife he remembered.

As she hugged both children against her, intermittently peppering their faces with motherly kisses she was eventually joined by another woman. Anakin frowned as he watched the woman embrace Luke and Leia with the same exuberant affection that Padmé had. He was stunned when he realized that the stranger was his mother. In the decade since he'd seen her last, Shmi Skywalker had aged significantly, her beautiful features deeply lined with weariness, her once luxuriant dark brown hair now faded to a steel gray.

Anakin was still mourning the change in her appearance and wondering how much his absence had contributed to the stark change in her when Cliegg also arrived to dispense his own happy greetings. And Anakin had to assume the man was Cliegg Lars due to the repulsolift chair because he, like Padmé and his mother, was much altered in appearance as well. Thinner, grayer, and deeply world-weary.

Because it hurt too much to look at them right then, Anakin deliberately glanced away to take note of the other private reunions that were taking place in the small clearing. To Anakin's stunned disbelief, Obi-Wan and Satine Kryze were being surprisingly affectionate with one another in full view of others. He marveled to see his old master kissing the woman he loved openly because the picture was so incongruent with the Obi-Wan he'd known. Anakin digested that scene with blinking surprise, only to be further shocked when he looked over at Ahsoka. She too was locked in an intimate embrace, sweetly kissing and embracing a…Zygerrian? What the hell had happened in the last decade?

Scowling as he took it all in, Anakin started to inch his way down the gangplank on legs that felt like aspic. He was in the middle of mentally formulating a plan for how he would approach his family and announce his miraculous return from the dead when he suddenly became aware of Luke and Leia anxiously glancing about in obvious search for him. The expressions on his mother's, Cliegg's and Padmé's faces seemed to be a mixture of genuine concern and confusion. And then, before Anakin could emotionally prepare himself at all or dart back into the ship as he wanted to do, Leia spotted him through the sparse crowd and then pointed directly at him.

"There!" she cried triumphantly, "There he is, Mom! See? I told you we brought him home!"

The whole world seemed to grind to a halt when Padmé looked up and suddenly locked eyes with him. Anakin was only vaguely aware of everyone else stopping to stare as well. He had eyes for Padmé alone. As she straightened slowly, she uttered his name in a broken gasp, every drop of color draining from her face. She made a stumbling approach, her expression dazed as she gradually closed the distance between them.

Anakin wasn't even aware that he was moving down the gangplank to meet her. With his eyes locked on her stricken face, Anakin's limbs propelled him forward as if on an autopilot setting. And he was glad that they did. Because when Padmé's knees inevitably buckled and she pitched forward, he was there to catch her before she could hit the ground.