Chapter 9 - Crossover
Author's Note: Aaaand this is the end! I hope y'all enjoy how it all ties together! And prepare for all the fluff. ;)
Thank you all so much for reading, favoriting, following, and/or reviewing this story! :D
~ Amina Gila
They got the idea a long time ago, but of course, they had to wait until the next Life Day to actually try going back to Korduku, to use the key to see if there's any way to reverse this.
"This is the place you were talking about?" Poe asks skeptically, scanning the room, "It looks like a pile of rocks."
"It's a Temple," Finn chides.
"It's not meant to be fancy," Rey points out, "Are you ready?"
They both nod.
He raises a hand, calling a cone-shaped object to him. "With a key to the past, a Jedi's future becomes clear," he recites, "I hope that applies in this situation."
"It does affect everything about us," Poe points out.
It's a little unnerving, though. They're opening a door through time and space, and they don't even know where they're going. Finn can see why Rey is slightly hesitant, but he finally twists his wrist, and a gaping black hole, surrounded by blue swirls opens in front of them.
"Wow," she breathes, eyes widening. She may be quite well trained as a Jedi now – she even has her own lightsaber – but sometimes, the kinds of things Jedi and the Force are capable of still amaze her.
Poe's eyes widen slightly at the sight, even if she still looks Poe about it. "Where's it taking us?"
"We'll find out," Rey replies and steps forwards into it. Finn exchanges a glance with Poe and they both head forwards, stepping through, despite her nervousness.
She feels weightless for a moment, before suddenly finding herself on solid ground, somewhere else entirely.
They're standing outside somewhere, right near the Falcon, but that isn't what catches Finn's attention the most. It's the people.
Three of them feel familiar for some reason, and they remind her very much of... Luke, Leia, and Han except they're all different genders?! Unless she's just imagining the similarity, but given how young they all look, and the other person with them, she could almost wonder.
Vader.
How did they end up here?! Rey looks no less alarmed.
"What's that?" the girl who looks suspiciously like Han demands, incredulously, staring at the portal behind them.
"Who are you?" the dark-haired boy demands, stepping forwards, to stand next to Vader.
"We just uhh... are in the wrong place?" Rey practically squeaks, backing towards the portal.
"What are you doing here?" the blonde-haired girl asks.
"Do you know anything about being gender-swapped?" Poe asks lightly, stepping forwards.
The other three exchanges glances. "A little too much, actually," the boy replies. "How do you know?"
"We went too far into a swamp and came out like this," Finn supplies.
"So did we!" exclaims the girl.
Wait, this is... So, this isn't a problem that's just affected them?! Finn has no idea who these people are, but maybe it's something they can all try fixing together. "Who are you?" Rey asks, gaze darting to Vader for a brief moment, "I know we're in the past, but I don't know when or..."
"You are from the future?" Vader asks.
It's strange and unnerving to be talking to him, when the only times Finn has heard of him are on holos that are very anti-Empire. She knows he was once Anakin, but it's still... strange.
"Um, yes?" Rey offers, "We're..."
"In our time, you died like thirty years ago," Poe offers cheerfully.
"What year are you from?" asks the boy.
"36 ABY."
"Okay, none of this explains how you're here," the dark-haired girl interrupts loudly.
"With... the Force," Rey replies, "We were searching for a solution to this, but instead we ended up here."
"You two are Jedi?" the blonde-haired girl asks, perking up, "I'm Lukka Skywalker, the first Jedi in my time, and that's... Lucan, formerly Leia."
"Wait –
"Lukka?" Rey repeats, incredulously.
"This is a different timeline," Finn realizes, stilling. She was almost starting to wonder, but actually hearing it... Well, things have really become a million kinds of weird.
**w**
Hanna didn't know her life could get any crazier, but she should have expected it with Skywalkers around. Especially with Lukka and Lucan's very strange dad. They've been staying with him for about a year now, since this mess first started, and the twins have gotten a lot closer with him, oddly enough. Hanna still doesn't know what she thinks of Vader, but she trusts the twin's judgement.
"How do you know?" Lukka asks.
"In our timeline, you were never swapped," the boy explains.
"And I don't believe you ever... allied," the dark-haired girl with lighter skin says, waving her hand in Vader's general direction.
"Then what did happen?" Lucan asks.
"Did anyone consider getting introduced first?" Hanna interjects, above them all.
"I'm Finn," the dark-skinned girl says, "This is Poe Dameron, and –"
"Rey Skywalker," the boy finishes.
"Skywalker?" echo the twins and Vader.
"I... not by birth," Rey explains, shifting almost uncomfortably, "Luke and Leia trained me in the Force. Them and Leia's husband, Han, were... the only people I ever really saw as my parents, so taking their last name seemed... fitting."
That's beyond weird, to hear about how another version of her – him, technically – adopted a child of sorts. Also – "Doesn't that seem unfair to anyone else?" Hanna drawls, "Other versions of us got to stay normal."
"Been thinking that this whole time," Poe offers, "I wonder if there's other 'versions of me' who did too. How's that possible?"
"The Force. Don't try to understand it," she says, flatly.
"I could almost agree with you," Lukka speaks up, "But I don't know what happened in this other timeline. You said it's thirty years in the future, and that Father..."
"What can you tell us about it?" Lucan agrees, obviously reaching the same conclusion.
"From what I heard," Rey begins, "In 4 ABY, the Emperor built a second Death Star. When he was there, the Rebellion attacked. They blew it up, and Luke... redeemed Vader, but he was..." He trails off, obviously uncomfortable with saying this so directly, but the meaning is clear.
That's... Hanna doesn't even know what to think of that. She's gotten quite used to having Vader around, and she knows how much he means to both the twins. She can't imagine someone with so many creepy Force abilities dying so easily either. Apparently, being gender-swapped really changed a lot of how events would play out. Then again, if not for that, Vader would never have realized Leia was his daughter – er, son.
"We killed Sidious," Lukka declares, "What happened to him in your time?"
"We thought he was dead but he wasn't," Finn cuts in, "He built the First Order, from what was left of the Empire."
"He brought himself back to life somehow," Rey continues, "If he died at all. He was building a secret stronghold on Exegol."
Lukka and Lucan tense instantly, looking to Vader.
"You don't think it's possible he did that here too, do you?" Lucan asks warily, his tone very much implying he's already certain of the answer.
"It is... possible," Vader replies, "My master was always prepared." That doesn't sound good. It was already enough that both of the twins could have been killed in the last battle with him. Hanna doesn't want to have to go through that all over again.
"Then we need to go there before he sees it coming!" Lukka exclaims.
Hanna frowns. "You better not mean today. It's Life Day." Putting it off won't help, though.
"Wait, it's Life Day here too?" Poe asks. "How long has it been since you were swapped?"
"About a year," she replies.
"It was for us too!" Finn exclaims, "This portal is only open on Life Day. That might be why."
Lukka perks up. "You walk through time with it?"
"Technically, the Jedi text I read said 'with a key to the past, a Jedi's future becomes clear'," Rey replies, "But I can't say why it sent us here."
"Perhaps because we have the same problem?" Lucan offers.
"Could we go with you?" Lukka asks, eagerly, "If this is one of a year thing..."
"Are you seriously talking about walking through time, kid?" Hanna asks incredulously.
"We might be able to find a solution to this. And we'll be walking through time," she insists, "Father? Lucan? What do you think?"
"Meddling with time and reality is... dangerous," Vader warns.
"But they couldn't have come here and interacted with us so much if it was going to cause serious consequences, right?" Lucan objects.
"I did this once before," Rey speaks up, "And the universe didn't break. I was careful not to interact with anyone too much."
"We just want to see if there's a way to undo this. You can come if you want," Finn offers.
Hanna can't deny that she's a little interested in seeing how this works, with how many millions kinds of crazy it is, but at the same time, it's... Sometimes these Force things go way over her head, and she'd prefer to stay clear of them. Especially when they'll be walking through time and reality. What does that even mean?
Lukka and Lucan look hopefully at Vader. "Do you want to come?"
"Very well," he concedes at last.
"I'm not letting you walk into this craziness alone," Hanna decides, giving the twins a pointed look.
"Then let's get moving," Poe advises, "I don't want to spend all of Life Day here."
**w**
The galaxy is still in chaos and the Empire has yet to be defeated, but at least Lothal is free. Especially on special days like Life Day, it's the most Ezra could ask for. She's been staying here most of the time – unless she's really needed by the Rebellion – to help rebuild the planet. They need that and constant protection just in case, after all.
The other members of the Ghost crew don't stay here nearly as much, especially not Hera, but they're here often enough. "I was really hoping the others would make it back in time," she comments, as her and Sabine step into the rebuilt version of Ezra's once home. Sometimes being here still hurts, but it's... it's home, along with her new family.
"Me too, but I'm not surprised," Sabine replies, setting his helmet down on the table, "We'll have to celebrate alone."
"Then let's go to Old Jo's," she advises. At least there she'll be more with her people, and...
Something shifts suddenly, in the Force. She hasn't felt a disturbance this strongly since –
"What?" Sabine asks.
"There's something –"
"What's that?!"
Ezra spins around, to see a black hole forming in front of them, and all at once people start filing out of it. All she can do is stare wide-eyed.
That is, until a much too familiar steps out behind the other six – the sound of the respirator echoing much too loudly in the small room.
Oh. Oh no.
Sabine reacts first, whipping out her blasters. "What are you doing here?"
Ezra reaches for her lightsaber, just in case, then realizes the same moment that four of the other people have lightsabers too. Are they all Sith?! They don't feel like it in the Force, but –
"No need for hostilities," a dark-haired boy with a lightsaber interrupts, stepping forwards, holding up a hand, "He's on our side now."
"Who are you?" Ezra asks, dubiously.
"Lucan Organa-Skywalker," he replies.
For a moment, all she can do is stare. "I didn't know... Princess Leia had a twin brother?" she practically squeaks.
"Not another one of these universes," groans one of the dark-haired girls.
"Universes?" repeats Sabine, lowering his blasters but keeping them ready to fire if necessary.
"I'm not her... twin," Lucan replies, "I was her. Before we got... gender-swapped."
Ezra's eyes widen, gaze jumping frantically between them and Sabine. Wait – Now that she thinks about it, that portal was a little similar to the World Between Worlds. "Did you open a portal from the World Between Worlds?" she blurts.
"World what?" the blonde-haired girl with a lightsaber asks.
"We opened a portal through a Jedi Temple," another dark-haired boy speaks up – the one holding a strange-shaped cone, with the Force pulsing weirdly around it, "We were trying to find a solution to it, but we keep ending up in other universes like our own, where someone else was swapped too."
Well. That's weird. "I'm Ezra Bridger," she offers, "This is Sabine Wren. And the rest of you are? ... Wait – Darth Vader got swapped?! Are you a woman now?! Or – you know, I don't even know what you were in the first place." Okay, that's not entirely true, but...
Sabine elbows her. Hard.
"No," the blonde-haired girl replies flatly, "He's our father. He came with us."
"I knew my versions of you briefly," Lucan says, "But your world is clearly quite... different. The last I heard, you were lost in the Unknown regions."
"What?" Ezra squeaks, "How would that have happened?"
"I don't know the details, but it happened when you were fighting reclaim Lothal from the Empire."
"The only one of you I know is Hera," a dark brown-haired girl interjects, "And she's always fighting with me over what's better between the Ghost and the Falcon."
"Nothing is better than the Ghost," Ezra says flatly.
"Nothing is better than the Falcon," she retaliates.
Sabine rolls his eyes. "I think this conversation is quite pointless. Perhaps we should finish introducing ourselves?"
And they do. Apparently three of them are from decades in the future, and... Lucan is apparently secretly Vader's daughter – son – and has a twin named Lukka. Well. Okay then.
"Do you want to come with us?" Finn asks.
"Tickets are open for everyone," Poe agrees cheerfully.
"Come with you and do what?" Sabine asks dubiously.
"Walk through time. See what we can find," Rey offers.
"Sure," Ezra concurs, grinning, "I've been in the World Between Worlds before. This will be... fun. What do you think Sabine?"
"I don't know," he replies, hesitantly, "I thought we were going to be celebrating Life Day."
"That is what we're doing," offers Lukka.
"Hey, no one else is even here. They won't miss us," Ezra argues, "Come on."
"Fine, but if this goes wrong..." Sabine trails off, moving forward.
Ezra can't exactly blame him for being hesitant to walk through time like this, especially not when Vader's here – even if the twins adamantly insist he's helping them now; Kallus changed, too, and he was responsible for a purposeless genocide so the claim isn't that farfetched, but still.
She doesn't want to pass up on this opportunity, though. Not if it's a once in a year sort of thing. And with people from other dimensions?! It's the best thing to do on Life Day ever, if the rest of the Ghost Crew won't be here to celebrate it too.
**w**
A life like this on Naboo is what Paufre always wanted, even if sometimes he does really miss being in the Senate. He's still active in politics sometimes, but he tries to be at home at the Lake House resort as much as possible to help take care of the twins, who are about one year old now.
It's early enough in the morning that Luke and Leia are still sleeping, and Obi, Anika, and Ashan are meditating outside together the same way they do every morning, when Paufre suddenly sees something very strange. It's like a black hole, with blue and white swirling around the edges in a way that very much reminds him of hyperspace.
What is that?!
The three Jedi are already moving, turning towards the portal as people start walking out. And they just keep on coming through, until there's nine people standing in the yard. Paufre is beginning to think he went to bed much too late last night, because this is insane.
"Who are you?" Ashan asks, incredulously.
"Are there an endless supply of these?!" demands one of the girls with dark hair.
"I think this is the last one I want to see," another replies flatly.
"What is that?" Obi demands, as the portal behind them disappears, thanks to a cone-shaped object in one of the boy's hands.
For some reason, Anika and the cyborg are staring fixedly, almost incredulously, at each other, still saying nothing.
"Perhaps we should start from the beginning," the boy offers, "With introductions."
Paufre couldn't agree more.
"I'm Rey, and these are Finn and Poe," he says, gesturing to them respectively, "We're from 36 ABY, and we were gender-swapped just like I assume you were. We found a key at a Jedi Temple to walk through time and reality, and here we are."
"What's ABY?" Paufre blurts out, confused.
"What do you mean what's ABY?" repeats Poe.
"Maybe they're on a different calendar system," offers a rainbow-haired boy.
"The Clone Wars ended a year ago here," Anika replies.
"The Clone Wars?!" Finn and a black-haired girl exclaim.
"Let's finish introductions first. I'm Sabine Wren, and that's –"
"Ezra Bridger," she cuts him off. "We're from almost twenty years after the Clone Wars ended."
"Hanna Solo," offers the first dark haired girl who spoke.
"I'm Lukka Skywalker, and that's my twin Lucan," the blonde-haired girl introduces, and Paufre goes completely still. So do Anika, Obi, and Ashan, actually. "And he's our father... Vader."
"Skywalker?" they all repeat.
"Our children are named Luke and Leia," Paufre says, slowly.
"You were swapped and changed your names?" Anika asks.
"Who are you?!" Lucan demands, sounding almost frantic. Unsurprisingly. Because if Paufre's understanding correctly, these are swapped versions of their children in the future, and Vader is... is he him or what Anika would have been if not swapped?! That's what Paufre is pretty sure of, because he thinks he would know if he was facing another version of himself – even if he can't say why he thinks so.
"Anika Skywalker, formerly Anakin," she replies, gaze darting back to Vader. From how unsettled she seems, it must be an older version of Anakin. Who's going by 'Vader' for some reason.
"Anakin?!" Finn exclaims, eyes going wide, "Anakin Skywalker?! Hero of the Clone Wars?"
"We served in the Clone Wars," Obi cuts in smoothly, "I'm still Obi-Wan Kenobi."
"Obi-Wan?" she repeats, looking even more in shock than before, "You're – you –"
"Paufre Amidala-Skywalker, formerly Padme," Paufre speaks up, and Vader's helmet instantly turns to face him for a moment before just as quickly looking away.
"And I'm Ashan Tano, formerly Ahsoka," Ashan finishes.
"Ahsoka?!" Ezra blurts eagerly, then pauses, "Vader killed you –"
"What?!" comes the general exclamation from almost everyone.
"I did not," Vader interrupts.
"You didn't?" Sabine asks dubiously.
"She survived."
"What are you talking about?" Paufre demands.
"Long story," Lukka offers.
"You're Anakin?" Obi asks slowly, eyes fixed on Vader.
"That name no longer has any meaning to me," he retorts. Paufre blinks. What? That doesn't make sense. It's not a denial or confirmation, but if this is Anakin, he doesn't understand why he's acting like this. It's already extremely weird to see a male version of Anakin. He can't imagine what it would have been like if only one of them got swapped.
"Why not?" Ashan asks, "And why do you feel so... not Jedi?"
"I am a Sith," he replies, stiffly.
"A Sith?" Obi repeats, "What? How did that happen?"
"It's a long story," Lucan interjects, "I don't know that know is the time to get into it."
"Then when is?" Obi demands, "Are you staying here or just leaving?"
"Did you find any answers on how to reverse this?" Paufre asks, hopefully. Though being switched back at this point would almost be weird. Imagine trying to explain to their children that yes, Anakin gave birth to them, so he's technically their mother.
"Not yet," Rey responds, "It doesn't seem like we will. All we keep finding is more universes like this one."
"And this is the last one I want to see," Poe says flatly.
"So, either we all go home, or we stick around," Sabine concludes cheerfully.
And so, that is how they end up with the strangest set of guests the Lake House has ever seen.
**w**
Ashan has no idea what to think of this madness. They invited everyone who wanted to, to come inside, though after Lukka and Lucan saw their younger selves they were too weirded out to stick anywhere close by, not that he can blame them.
It's after that, that Ashan finds himself alone in the same room as Anika, Obi, and Vader. He'd still very much like to know why Ezra thought a future version of Anakin killed him. Although, he has no idea if they even knew each other in this strange alternative reality, anyway.
"Strange being around two of you," Ashan comments.
"Two too many," Obi offers lightly.
"Hey!" Anika protests, though something about the darkness in Vader seems to suddenly coil and intensify.
"I know you may not wish to speak of it," Anika begins, "But I would like to know when things diverged in your time from ours. Or if things were always different."
"When were you... transformed?" Vader asks.
"It wasn't long before Maul went after Satine on Mandalore," she replies.
"And then a few months later I found out Anika was pregnant," Obi interjects, "We all left the Order together when the Council decided to throw her out."
"You left with her?" Vader asks, and why does he almost sound... incredulous?
"It was not an easy decision, but... yes," she replies, frowning.
"And I did, too, because I didn't want to get a new master," Ashan pipes up.
"You remained in the Order?" he asks, uncomprehendingly.
Ashan frowns. "Why would I not have?"
"The Temple was never bombed?"
Anika frowns. "It was, but we found out Barriss was behind it. Someone was trying to frame Ashan, but there wasn't nearly enough evidence to prove anything."
Vader falls quiet, and he feels... Ashan isn't quite sure, but he's obviously upset.
"Are you saying I left the Order in your time?" Ashan deduces, cautiously.
"You were framed and cast out of the Order. After your innocence was proven, you chose not to return," he replies, voice strangely toneless. Well, he always sounds pretty toneless, but something about the way he's talking now is... Ashan isn't sure, really.
"But how did you end up as a Sith?" Obi asks again.
"The Jedi betrayed the Republic," he answers shortly.
Ashan has no idea why that lead him to becoming a Sith, but it's obvious he's not very inclined to talk about it. He thinks that's probably understandable. Anakin was always so light. It must have taken a lot for him to embrace the Dark Side to the point he senses it in Vader.
"Why would the Jedi ever do that?" Anika inquires, frowning.
"They discovered the Chancellor was a Sith and committed treason."
"Why would that make you become a Sith?!" Obi demands incredulously.
"It was treason," he repeats, as though that explains anything. Ashan really doesn't understand this. He doubts he ever will. "They were attempting to assassinate him. I stopped them."
"But he was a Sith," Ashan argues. That doesn't make it not illegal, he knows, but he doesn't see why that would ever make Anakin turn on the Jedi. In this time, she'd helped them to take down Sidious, after all.
"He was still the Chancellor."
Anika sighs. "I don't see a point arguing about this, when we don't even understand all the differences between our universes. And we didn't invite you to stay here to..." Interrogate him on obviously painful things in his past? No, Ashan supposes not, even if he'd still like some answers.
"I just don't understand why you would turn on the Jedi," Obi admits, "What... happened to your family?"
The darkness coils sharply around him again. "I did not have a family."
"But... you have the twins, so you must have been married," Ashan objects.
Vader doesn't reply.
"And what happened to Ahsoka and your version of me?" Obi wonders, confused.
"You never cared for me, Obi-Wan," Vader replies, sharply.
"What?" Anika blurts, "But –"
"Yours is not the same," Vader interrupts, "She is... different now."
Obi scowls. "I cared for you just as much before I was transformed! Were our universes really that different?"
"My Obi-Wan would never stay with me," he replies, bitterly.
They all exchange uncertain glances. Whatever happened and whenever these changes started happening, the universe is obviously extremely different.
"Well, I don't know what was wrong with your family," Ashan chirps, "But you're perfectly welcome to stay here."
"That will probably have to be an annual thing only, if you don't want to be trapped here, but yes," Anika agrees.
"And you can call me Obi," Obi offers.
"I will not call you such a foolish nickname," Vader retorts.
"It's what I go by now," she protests, grumpily.
Ashan rolls his eyes. "Okay, whatever. Why don't we like do something other than discuss what names are or aren't stupid, or depressing things that happened years ago." He wants to spend more time talking to Vader, though. This is another version of his master, and he... wants to get to know him, even if he's not his version.
**w**
Now that Rey is sitting outside the Lake House with Lukka, Lucan, and Hanna, he's starting to really notice the strange sensation in the Force that's centered around Hanna. Well, he actually noticed it immediately, but it really stands out now.
"You were saying we adopted you?" Hanna is the first to break the silence.
"I mostly raised myself growing up. I didn't have anyone," Rey says, thinking back to it – to when his parents had left him there on Jakku. They promised to come back, but way inside, he'd known the truth. "But then I found the Falcon in a junkyard –"
"A junkyard?!" Hanna demands, voice rising. Lukka smothers a smile at how irate she sounds. "How'd it end up there?"
"I don't know, but Finn and I were flying it when Han and Chewbacca found us. We were... looking for Luke who'd disappeared for years, so he agreed to help me."
"Doesn't seem fair that he got to stay normal, and we didn't," Hanna mutters. That much too familiar Force presence that Rey can feel – which seems to be inside of Hanna – is nagging at his attention. He really wants to ask, but it's... rude. They don't know each other that well.
"Why was Luke missing?" Lucan asks.
"His new Order was destroyed," Finn speaks up, "The First Order was hunting Jedi again."
"Everything fell apart again?!" Lucan demands.
"Because of Exegol," Rey interjects, "But you know about it now. Han was... killed... and..." He doesn't really want to explain how, so he's glad when no one asks.
"That's charming to hear," Hanna replies with far too much cheerfulness, "But we all die some time." What a way of looking at it.
"And Luke became one with the Force after training me for a short time, so Leia finished my training. It was right after that when the battle of Exegol happened."
"We need to take care of this as soon as we get back," Lukka declares.
They fall silent, and Rey can't help but reach out with the Force, touching that other very tiny, just forming, presence. It feels like Ben, which is probably the only reason he can sense it now. He's missed this. His greatest regret of Exegol and everything that happened is that Ben was lost, even if a part of him still lives through Rey – and it always will.
Maybe it is plain rude, but he can't just not comment on it anymore. "I don't know if you know, but –" He cuts himself off, suddenly feeling embarrassed.
"What?" all four ask.
"I can sense... Hanna's child." And it's beyond weird to think of Hanna as being Ben's mother, and Lucan his father.
For a moment, everyone just stares at him.
"What?!" Hanna and Lucan demand incredulously. So, they didn't know.
"In my time, I had a Force dyad with Han and Leia's son. I can sense him here now," Rey explains awkwardly.
"You're... pregnant," Lucan says slowly, looking to Hanna.
"No way," she protests, frantically.
"We're... we're going to be parents." Lucan sounds... a strange mixture of excited and alarmed.
"We're not ready for this!" Hanna protests.
"It sounds like we'll have to be ready," Lukka interjects, a mix of amused and nervous. "We'll still have some months to prepare. We should tell Father."
"But this wasn't supposed to happen!"
"If that's true, then –" starts Lukka.
"Do not finish that," threatens Lucan, standing up, "Come on."
Well. This was not how Rey was expecting the day to go.
**w**
Anika isn't sure what to think of what Vader was telling them about his timeline. It doesn't even make sense. There were many times she often questioned if Obi-Wan really cared about her, but she always knew he – now she, whatever – did. It was an instinctive knowledge, even if she often questioned how much. But it never mattered, because they were Jedi first, back then. Now, for all the chaos that the galaxy is in, they're only civilians, and they're taking the time to themselves.
She doesn't care if it's selfish – after everything they did for the galaxy, they deserve a short break.
Whatever happened with Vader, something seems to have gone very downhill, to say the least, between him and Obi-Wan. She wants more details, but she's definitely not going to ask. She can feel how upset he is already, with everything they were just talking about, and that's not what they invited any of the others to stay here for.
"Are you... alright?" she asks finally. It's a foolish question considering the circumstances, but she needs to know. He's so... dark, and it worries her. More than that, he's in pain, and she wants to help him. She doesn't know what she could do, though. She doubts there's much anyone could do.
Vader looks at her, and she finds herself suddenly feeling oddly uncomfortable. "By what measure do you inquire?" Vader asks.
She's not surprised he's being evasive about it – it's not as if she isn't the same way. "I know we upset you," she replies, quietly.
"I am a Sith. Anger fuels me."
She is this close to face-palming. "That's not what I mean. I should have realized it wouldn't be an... easy topic. We shouldn't have kept pressing you about it. That's not what we invited you here for."
"It is of no consequence," Vader insists, though she can feel otherwise. She's struck with the sudden desire to offer some kind of comfort, or maybe it's that their emotions are looping strangely, and she's partially picking up on something he wants.
Anika reaches out slowly, lightly touching his arm. It's mechanical – though she already guessed as much from how he felt in the Force. He doesn't pull away, so she reaches down, taking his hand. It's ridiculously huge it is compared to hers, but it's... the most she can offer him. He doesn't seem to mind, even though he finds it weird. So does she. They're literally the same person. But it's not like everyone doesn't hold their own hand, so it's not that weird, is it? (Why is she trying to convince herself it's not?)
There's a sudden noise in the doorway and Vader immediately pulls back. Anika looks up to see Paufre standing there. "I didn't mean to interrupt," he says.
"It's fine," she tries to brush it off. No use making both of them more uncomfortable about this.
"I must say it's... strange meeting a male version of my wife," Paufre says, dryly.
"I said the same when you were first transformed," Anika says flatly. "That was very, very awkward – I don't know if it's better or worse my future daughter-in-law can say the same." She doesn't know what to think of seeing an adult version of their children. It's even more disturbing knowing they're from what her own timeline would have been like if not for the change.
"I have always wanted to know what my real mother was like," Lucan speaks up, appearing in the doorway. Why are he and Lukka radiating such a strange amount of nervousness? Meeting older versions of her own children is... weird, but she finds that even if they're Vader's, she still deeply cares for them. They're still her's, even if she didn't give birth to them.
"In a way, I... am your mother?" Anika offers.
"Don't put it like that. It's weird," Lukka whines, "You're a female version of our father, and now we have another father who was also our mother once. This doesn't make any sense."
Paufre laughs. "We can all agree with that."
"I'm glad we... have this chance to meet you, though," Lucan says.
Lukka elbows him. "You're just stalling."
He glares at her. "I'm –"
"What is it?" Vader asks.
"You're gonna be a grandfather," Lukka chirps, grinning.
What?!
Okay, this is not the conversation Anika expected to be participating in – but apparently, Hanna is pregnant, and she and Lucan aren't even married yet, and... Vader and Paufre don't seem a great deal more impressed about that then Anika is. "Then perhaps it's time for you to get married," Paufre says flatly, "I know your mother would have expected that too."
"We're uhh..." Lucan trails off.
"Now," Vader orders.
"What?!"
Anika completely concurs. "It's Life Day, and we're all here."
"You mean today?"
"Why not?" Lukka asks.
"Yes. Today," Vader replies, "Unless you have a legitimate reason to put it off."
"Well... no. But I don't know what Hanna will think."
"She will agree."
Anika chooses to ignore that somehow sounds like a threat.
"Alright, fine," Lucan decides, straightening, "I'll go talk to her."
"Well, if we're going to have a wedding here, we'd better start preparing," Paufre decides.
Why does Anika have a very bad feeling about what kind of "wedding preparation" Paufre is intending to force on all of them?
**w**
Lukka is pretty sure the only reason Hanna is so reluctantly willing for a sudden random wedding out of nowhere is because she didn't want some "stupid fancy party" anyway. Frankly, Lukka has no idea what to think of all this, but she can't deny her excitement. She has no idea how to prepare for something like this, though. It's... the first wedding ever, and where do they even start?!
"I always wondered what our mother would be like," Lucan comments again, as they stand outside.
"You're still thinking about that?" Lukka asks. Not that she's stopped, but she's a little taken up with this wedding, thanks for asking.
"Hard to forget the only mother we have is also our father, and we have two siblings who look the way we should."
"That was weird," Lukka mutters, "And unfair." Seeing Luke and feeling the strange connection between them was the strangest ever, and maybe the only reason she's thinking so hard about the wedding is to distract her from the slightest feelings of jealousy. "I wanted this, too," she admits, finally, "I wish we could have grown up together with our parents. We have Father now, but it's not the same, and I know it's not the same for him either."
"I know," Lucan agrees, "Just... seeing everything here..."
"I wished the same," a voice pipes up from behind them, and Lukka jumps, spinning around to see Ezra standing there. "Didn't mean to interrupt," she says, looking sheepish, "But I overheard your conversation."
Lucan waves a hand. "It's fine."
"I wish I could have... you know. But I'm glad you have your parents here," she continues.
"But you can still be a family with them," Rey points out, approaching, right as Anika, Obi, Ashan, and Paufre all come outside.
"Come on, you all need to be preparing for the wedding," Paufre calls.
"Where do we start?" Lukka asks.
"He still has all of his old clothes," Ashan says cheerfully, "I'm sure each of the girls won't mind picking one."
"That won't be necessary," Obi says flatly.
"We'll just stay in our robes," Anika agrees.
"No, not plain robes. This is a special day!" Paufre argues, "And where's Hanna? I'm sure I have something that could work as a wedding dress."
"Wedding dress?" Hanna shrieks, appearing beside them, "I don't need that. I'll stay in these."
"You aren't dressing in work clothes for a wedding."
"They look just fine," she says, stubbornly.
"I have to agree with Paufre here," Anika interjects.
Hanna looks severely betrayed. "No. Absolutely not. I don't wear dresses."
"I'll be the first to be brave enough," Lukka cuts in, smirking.
"I'll come, if I'm invited," Ezra offers, grinning.
"Of course, you're invited," Anika says.
She laughs, almost awkwardly. "I just never thought I'd come here to attend... Anakin Skywalker's son's wedding. Or that I'd see Ahsoka again."
"How well did we know each other?" Ashan asks, raising an eye marking.
"You helped train me."
"What happened? You said that..."
"I don't think now is a good time to talk about that," Sabine interjects, "It will definitely ruin the spirit."
"I would like answers, but I agree," Obi concurs.
"But it's... real nice meeting both of you!" Ezra offers cheerfully, "Ahsoka talked about you two all the time."
"I can imagine she did," Anika replies, in a tone that implies she's very much used to people fangirling over her. Which she probably is, considering how famous she is.
"Come on," Paufre interjects loudly, "There's dresses for all of you to try on, and I'm sure the boys can manage on their own."
"I think we can all manage on our own," Anika objects. She and Obi exchange a glance and scram back towards the house.
"I don't think he's gonna let you hide!" Ashan cackles.
Hanna and Poe exchange a look and take off next.
"Fine. We'll start with Lukka, Ezra, and Finn."
**w**
"Your husband is insane," Poe says flatly, as she, Hanna, Anika, Obi-Wan, and Rey find a good spot to hide in the house, somewhere Anika says someone shouldn't find them immediately. Vader is conveniently standing near the doorway as a deterrent. For once, she can be thankful to the very strange Sith Lord.
"He only wants this to be perfect," Anika objects.
"Which you clearly disagree with or you wouldn't be hiding in here," Poe retorts.
"Our robes are fine," Anika replies, "I do think Hanna should... wear something more appropriate."
"I'm not wearing a dress!"
"She didn't say dress," Obi says dryly, "And it's not that bad."
"Don't tell me Obi-Wan Kenobi has worn dresses," Poe huffs.
"Why's that a bad thing?" Anika asks, though she looks like she's about to start laughing.
"You know what? All of this is insanity."
"I think we can all agree with that," Rey speaks up, "But I'm glad we made our way here. I... I know I didn't tell you before, but I go by Skywalker because in my time, your children... they took care of me."
"Then you are a Skywalker," Anika replies, eyeing him. "Family is more than blood."
Rey nods. "Luke... spoke a lot of you."
"Wouldn't it be Vader he spoke a lot of?" Anika asks.
"No. It was Anakin. And you're pretty much the same."
"Wait," Obi interrupts, "So, if he was like your children's child, that makes you a grandmother already."
"Then you're a great grandmother," Anika shoots back.
"I'm just a great aunt," she huffs.
"You know, you could take that two ways and that's... bragging. I thought you told me that's not the Jedi way."
Obi snorts. "As if any of this is."
"You actually already were grandparents, if Hanna is pregnant," Poe points out.
They both ignore the comment.
"While I'm here, I... want to ask you something," Rey begins.
"What?" Anika prompts.
"I need to rebuild the Jedi Order, and I need to do it right. The last two Orders fell, and I don't want mine too, next. And I... They had a better chance of succeeding than I did."
"How so?" Obi asks.
"Well, Luke was your son, and he knew far more about the Jedi than I do. And he... he wasn't what I am."
"What do you mean 'what you are'?" Poe asks, dubiously.
Rey is strangely quiet, and whatever this is, Poe suddenly thinks it must be something that bothers him more than he lets on. "All my life I was without a last name. Then I found out biologically, it was Palpatine."
"Palpatine?" Anika echoes, eyes widening slightly.
"I'm his granddaughter, technically. I – I wanted nothing to do with him, so I changed my name. I was more a Skywalker than I was his, anyway."
"Being a Palpatine doesn't make you... His being a Sith doesn't change you," Anika reminds.
"I know," he replies, "It's just... after all the things he did to the galaxy, I can't do this wrong."
"You won't. Not if you're that determined," Anika replies.
"We can give you a quick rundown on what Jedi should be like," Obi offers.
"But you don't have to do this to make up for what Palpatine did. That isn't on you. Do it because you believe in it," Anika says.
Rey nods, giving him an almost shy smile.
"Have you seen them anywhere recently?" Poe hears Ashan crowing from right outside the door, sounding on the verge of laughter.
"No," Vader replies. Biggest lie ever.
"I can sense them that way!" Finn calls, and she hears footsteps coming closer.
"Traitor," complains Poe. It's as far as they get before the door swings open, and they step in, Finn wearing a fancy dress which looks... surprisingly not stupid on her, though Poe won't admit it. And nor will she join. "Come on, everyone. What's wrong? We have a wedding to prepare for!" Finn calls.
"Yeah, and for all those too reluctant, we have the perfect solution," Ashan adds gleefully.
"I have a bad feeling about this," Obi deadpans, as if 'bad feeling' is nearly enough to sum up whatever horror is about to occur.
**w**
Sabine is having a lot more fun than he thought he would, with all this insanity. It's also a lot less lonely to be a swapped-by-a-swamp weirdo when there's other people who were too. "Need any help with the flower chains?" Sabine calls, as he passes the next room, where some of the others were plotting their very evil revenge on those who decided not to... cooperate with Paufre.
"We can handle it!" Lucan yells back. Weird that he's so willing to participate in such revenge.
"No."
"Are you sure? Black is... boring. Not to insult your color choice."
"Yes."
Fine. Sabine takes off again, and only moments later she stumbles on the suspiciously missing members to their crazy... family of sorts. "I am not wearing this," Obi complains, as Ashan gleefully dumps a flower chain around her neck and turns to do the same for Anika.
"It's not that bad, Master," Anika smirks.
"I can't believe you're agreeing with them!" Hanna exclaims.
"I'm agreeing this needs to look nice."
"Shouldn't you all be excited for this?" Finn frowns, "I don't even know what this is like. I never really knew it was... a thing until after I got away from the First Order."
Sabine frowns at those words. "You were that secluded?"
"The First Order was the only thing I knew," she replies.
"I can relate... to a point," he admits, "I was once an Imperial cadet, and I... was pretty brainwashed back then."
"Do we really want to discuss this right now?" Rey asks.
"You're right. We don't," Anika replies, "But I know how to escape further... harassment."
"Tell me," Poe urges desperately, skillfully ducking as Ashan tries coming at her with a flower chain next.
"Someone needs to cook something special."
"You cook?" Sabine asks, raising an eyebrow.
She gives him an odd look. "Yes?"
"She knows how to do every odd job you can imagine," Obi says flatly.
Sabine hums. "That must be convenient." Something about the look the two of them exchange gives him the feeling that maybe the reason that's true for Anika isn't something so positive, so he decides to quickly drop the topic. "But I know how to cook too. I can help."
"You do?" Ezra asks incredulously, appearing behind him, arms full of flowers – surprisingly, she's even wearing some herself.
"It's offensive you've lived with me for years, and you don't know that."
"I'm saying your excuse for cooking might ruin the wedding."
"Hey!"
Anika laughs. "I'm sure you can be of some help. Come on. We better get to work."
And they do, so it's a pretty good excuse for them to escape further harassment from Paufre – apparently cooking isn't something he has patience for at all. Obi-Wan starts the stove on fire one time and nearly gets grounded from the kitchen – and Poe almost blows up the stove, so she is grounded from the kitchen, even if that seems a little like discriminatory treatment – but at least they're finishing up their preparations quickly.
Paufre does come to drag Hanna away eventually, insisting that she needs to look nice. And somehow,Lukka and Ezra are able to talk her into letting them braid flowers into her hair, just to surprise Lucan.
"Fine. I'll do it just to look stupid," Hanna finally conceded.
"You look great," Sabine shot back, "If you want, I can add some paint to it."
"That would ruin the effect," Paufre had instantly protested.
But now, they're finally ready for the ceremony.
It's late in the afternoon now, and it's nothing like Mandalorian ceremonies, but it's... nice, Sabine has to admit. He'd glad that they're all here for it. Maybe they can come together like this every year.
**w**
He's married, and Lucan can hardly believe it. It's – It's one of the best moments of his life, and he doesn't know why it suddenly feels so incomplete. (Bail and Breha ought to be here for it. He has three versions of his biological parents, but still, it suddenly hurts that they're gone.)
"What is it?" Vader asks, appearing next to him, where they stand out. Surprisingly, Vader is also suddenly feeling strangely... subdued. (Anika and Paufre said they got married here, which means Vader and Padme probably did, too. Is that even a surprise that he's... not feeling so great at the moment?)
Lucan once found it strange to talk to him about anything remotely personal, given their history, but he can't deny how much he cares for him now. A lot has changed in the past year. "Alderaan," he says, voice surprisingly steady, "They should have been here."
Vader's hand touches his shoulder, and he reaches up, laying a hand over it. It's the most either of them can offer the other, he knows, and he can only take comfort in the fact that his biological father is here. And another version of his real parents. That counts for something.
"Anyone wanna go for a swim?" suggests Paufre.
"I'd love that," Rey smiles, and most everyone is scrambling for the lake in minutes.
Sabine opts to staying near the house, painting something, hopefully with permission. Hanna and Poe decide they're more interested in looking over and criticizing the current technology of the ships there. Vader and Anika finally opt to join them, so Lucan heads for the lake with the others. It's not as though she has anything else to do.
"I didn't know this much water existed until I was nineteen," Lukka comments cheerfully, as they splash around.
"I came say the same," Rey replies, "I lived on Jakku. Everything was sand there."
"And I was on Tatooine, so that's all I saw also."
"I guess the rest of us are luckier," Lucan calls.
"Are you sure you don't wanna join us, Master?" Ashan hollers, swimming over the bank.
"I'm a little busy!" Anika shouts.
"You're always busy with that," Obi yells back. Lucan still finds it a little surprisingly she opted to join in the water nonsense, and it's beyond weird seeing her as a woman – remembering the time she knew Obi-Wan from her own time. Killing him was one of the main things he held against Vader for a long time, but after hearing why... He certainly can't say he doesn't understand it. Anyone would want to kill someone who did that to them.
"But I don't usually get to hear about future technology fifty years in advance," Anika retaliates.
"Fine. Let's have a water war without them," Ashan decides smugly.
"Sure," Ezra chirps, and throws a splash of water in his face before he can duck.
Ashan spits out a mouthful of water, spluttering, and Lucan throws a wave at Lukka before she sees it coming.
Within moments all of them are throwing water at each other, and Lucan lets his melancholier thoughts slip from mind as he enjoys the insanity in the lake with the others. Anika does come to join them eventually, once it's close to sunset, but they don't have much longer to spend before the day will be over.
So, for now, he'll just enjoy this – his wedding day – while it lasts.
**w**
"It's time for us to go," Rey declares, where they all now stand in the main room of the house. It's dark outside now, and they only have until midnight when Life Day is over. Obi knew the moment was coming soon enough, and for as chaotic and exhausting – though in a good way – as the day has been, she finds she's not ready for it to be over yet.
She liked having all of them here – people who, for the most part, are members of their future family, some of whom are people they'll probably hardly even know, if at all, in their own lifetimes. It's also nice being around people who understand and have lived through the same ridiculous predicament that they did. The one she thinks she'll miss seeing around most of all, though, is Vader.
He's another version of Anakin and it's... strange, seeing him here. He's so dark compared to Anika, and Obi really wants to know what happened to him. And why he thinks his Obi-Wan never cared about him, because she frankly doesn't see how such a thing would be possible. Things couldn't have gone over well after he became a Sith, because she can't even imagine how she'd react if Anika randomly Fell, but still. Now isn't the time to ask for details. On another visit maybe, assuming there will be another one. She... would actually not be very happy if this is the last time that she sees all of them, and she's pretty sure Anika, Ashan, and Paufre can all relate to that.
"It is time," Sabine agrees reluctantly.
"We can always come back," Finn promises.
"It won't be until next Life Day. That's an entire year away," Lukka objects.
"You're all free to stay here, if you want," Anika offers.
Everyone exchanges glances with their respective group members. "I think we all need to go home," Lucan says, finally. "We all have duties and lives to attend there."
"Yes," Poe agrees, "We do."
"But we'll come back next year, if we can," Finn promises.
"Make sure you come pick us up," Ezra insists.
"And us," Lukka interjects.
"You can stop here like you did before," Paufre suggests.
"Or maybe next time we can visit one of your realities," Ashan chirps, "I'd like to see the kind of palace you live in." Apparently, Vader is the Emperor in the other reality, and Obi cannot imagine Anakin as an Emperor with how much he hates politics, but whatever.
"It's nothing that special," Lucan protests.
"It's far too fancy for my taste," Hanna insists.
"You get used to it," Lukka offers.
"Not much to see in our place," Sabine says, "I think I'll prefer to come right here."
"You could also look for new realities," Obi says dryly.
"I don't think anyone wants to do that," Ashan deadpans.
"Not to speed this along, but it's probably time we prepare to leave," Paufre speaks up.
Everyone falls almost awkwardly quiet again. It is awkward, because Obi hasn't really had to say goodbye to anyone before. She never had a reason to.
"Oh no, is everyone about to get mushy?" asks Poe.
"You don't need to listen," Sabine says, cheerfully.
"This was one of my best Life Days ever," Finn offers, "I hope we can spend it with all of you next year, too."
Poe sighs dramatically in the background, and everyone ignores her.
"And I'm glad I got to meet my mother who is my father, and my father who is my mother," Lukka says, smiling.
Paufre laughs. "It was good seeing our... other two children."
"And attending your wedding," Anika agrees.
"We'll... miss being here," Lucan says, and there's only a split second of warning before the twins are crushing Anika in a hug. They hug Paufre too after that, before stepping back.
"Maybe next time we can bring someone else here," Ezra speaks up, "Like the rest of the Ghost Crew, or even... Ahsoka! Wanna meet yourself, Ashan?"
"Bring her if she wants," Ashan offers, "That'll be..."
"Strange," Obi supplies.
"Definitely," Anika agrees, glancing at Vader.
Which reminds Obi that she really wants to say something to him, but she's hardly sure what. "I know what you said about your own reality," Obi says, almost awkwardly, looking to him, "But it was... interesting meeting a future version of Anakin." There's more she wants to say, but she doesn't really know how, and their audience makes the situation only more uncomfortable.
Vader's helmet only inclines slightly, so she just leaves it at that.
"Here, take this home as a... gift," Ashan smirks evilly, dumping one of the flower rings in Vader's arms – Obi is mildly surprised when he actually catches it, though he promptly passes it to Lucan.
"That was for you," Ashan complains, but the Sith ignores him.
Or maybe it's that he's looking at Anika now, and Obi almost wonders if they're communicating telepathically from the look on her face. Unless they're just able to read each other that well.
"I suppose it's... time for me to take everybody home," Rey declares finally, once the moment is broken.
The others murmur their agreement, though none of them seem particularly eager about it. Rey finally withdraws the strange key, opening a portal, and all the interdimensional visitors step through, and then just like that it's gone, along with everyone else.
For some reason, she feels a weird sense of... loss the moment they're gone. It's silly, though. She didn't even know them really, and for a moment, she could almost think she'd dreamed up the whole day, if the obvious signs of having more than a dozen people here weren't everywhere.
"Well," Ashan states, "That was weird."
"Yes, it was," Anika agrees, and Obi is pretty sure she's feeling much the same way right now, if not more extreme.
"I could almost question if it was real," Obi says dryly.
"It was. Just look around," Ashan retorts.
"Do you think we'll see them again?" Paufre asks.
"Yes," Anika replies, smiling faintly, perhaps sensing the future, or for all Skywalker craziness, maybe she can still sense her other self across time and space, "We will."
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