Anakin and the Lars
Anakin knew he had to return Owen's speeder, and he wanted to talk to his son. Oh boy, eleven years old and he had a son, Anakin giggled, it meant he had someone he could boss around. Then, he frowned what really had happened to him? He shrugged the thought away as he used the Force to run faster, so fast it was almost like flying. He knocked on Owen's door to find a woman answering it.
"Hello, mam, miss..."
"Lars, Beru Lars."
"Hello Ms. Lars."
"Mrs."
"Yes, I'm here to see Owen and Luke Skywalker."
"Well, then, why don't you please come in."
"Thank you. I'm Anakin Skywalker."
"You are Anakin? That is impossible," Beru shook her head.
"Have we met before?"
"Yes, Anakin, we have. You came to Tattooine to find your mother, but you were much older. A Jedi Knight a believe you said."
"So I do pass the Trials," Anakin said with a smile as he came in.
"Owen is out with the moisture vaporators. I'll go get him. You can just wait here." Anakin nodded as he looked around at the holos. There was his mother with a man Anakin didn't notice, she had one hand on a much younger boy a sad smile on her face. She had missed him. Anakin immediately felt guilty for abandoning him. There was another with Shmi's face turned to look at the stars. She was looking for me. He remembered what Luke had said, how Owen thought he had abandoned his mother. He reached for another holo. One of his mother's wedding day, she was smiling. She was happy with the Lars, he noticed. He shook his head as he picked up one of a small boy playing with his X-wings. Luke, my son."
"Hello, Skywalker," he heard behind him, and turned to see a man in his mid forties staring at him with disdain. "I am Owen Lars. I would assume you are here to discuss Luke."
"Among other things," Anakin said with a smile and a raise of his eyebrow more charactrastic of Obi-Wan than he knew, his lips quirked into a smirk and suddenly he felt much older than his years for Owen was around his age, or the age he should have been.
"Well, what is it? I suggest you get on with it, I don't know what kind of unnatual ability you have to make yourself so young but you aren't taking him."
"He's my son, Owen. You can't keep me away from him. Owen, I'm his father," he stated sadly, "This is a rare opportunity that the force has presented us with. We have to take advantage of it."
"No. Luke is my son."
"Luke is a Skywalker, he's my son."
"Legally, he's my son, and I'm not giving him to you. I love him. Where were you when Shmi needed you?"
"That's not fair!"
"Well, it's not fair for you to show up after nineteen years and claim paternal rights." Anakin was angry! How dare he! Luke was his son, he had come just to discuss taking Luke, he had had no clue he would be turned down. And to bring up his mother like that...it was completely unfair. "It wasn't fair for you to leave Tattooine and Mom. She was sad and she would stare out at the stars thinking about you, wishing I was you."
"She's my mother!"
"And then you show up here with that Senator like you owed the place and you bring her back, dead. And you blamed us!"
"You should have taken care of her! She deserved better than to be kidnapped by the Tuskans, if you had protected her she would still be alive!"
"Calm down, padawan," he heard breaking through a hazy anger that had nearly swallowed him in its grip. Anakin took a deep breathe and looked at Obi-Wan.
"I'm sorry, Master," and tears filled his eyes, tears that he wiped away with the back of his hand. Obi-Wan wasn't able to help himself, he bent down to the young Anakin and brushed his calloused hands across Anakin's cheeks, wiping away the tears. Obi-Wan hadn't realized the distrust and dislike Owen had had for Anakin before.
"Luke is an adult, a legal adult and he had decided to accompany us to Alderaan and Dagabah. Anakin, would you bring him inside."
"Yes, Master," he stated softly and Obi-Wan pressed the child to him, a soft, sad smile on his face. Anakin dashed outside and Obi-Wan watched him go turning to Owen.
"Anakin is to blame for many things, but Shmi's death is not one of them. The boy pestered me about the dreams he had about his mother for months. Shmi's death is not Anakin's fault, if the blame lies anywhere it lies with me."
"And you want to take Luke and turn him into Anakin."
"That is the last thing I want, but Luke needs to be able to defend himself."
"He's safe on Tattooine."
"I don't want safe. I want adventure, I want to see the stars, I want to see the galaxy, I want to be a pilot like my father. I want to get to know him, I don't care if he's just a kid."
"You will be home for the Harvest?"
"I'll try."
"You are a good boy, Luke, but don't trust those Jedi, they are tricky."
"Okay, Uncle. Aunt Beru?" he asked walking into the kitchen.
"I'll just pack you a lunch, just a minute."
"Owen, I'm sorry for everything the Jedi put your family through," Obi-Wan stated sadly, reaching for Anakin's hand. Anakin squeezed his hand back, amazed that Obi-Wan was openly showing him affection. Obi-Wan usually held him aloof, even though Anakin had always regarded him as a father figure and Palpatine as an uncle, he would have suspected that out of the two of them Palpatine would show affection first. Perhaps he had been wrong. Luke returned with a sachel over his shoulder and hugged Beru tightly. Anakin watched in silence for a moment before letting go of Obi-Wan's hand and headed back to the graveyard.
"Maybe Owen's right, Mom. I'm sorry."
"Shh, don't cry my son."
"Mom?" Anakin opened his eyes to see a blueish image of his mother, it looked kinda like a holo. "How is this possible?"
"My son, with the Force anything is possible. Even redeption. Make no mistake, dispite everything I love you and I was always proud of Anakin Skywalker."
"I miss you so much."
"I know you do, son. Obi-Wan loves you, I want you to remember that no matter what happens in the near future, can you promise me that."
"I promise, Mom."
"Can you tell me what happened to Padme?"
"Ani, son, you were gone. There are those who will tell you that she lost the will to live but that's not so, not a strong woman like my daughter-in-law. There are those who say she died in childbirth but that isn't so either, neither is it true that Darth Vader killed her. He loved her too, still does to tell you the truth."
"Then what happened."
"The Emperor and the Empire happened, they killed her, drained her will to live. I'm so sorry."
"Mom, I'll make everything right, I promise."
"I know, son. I know. I have to go now. I want to tell you though that Padme and Qui-Gon still believe in you."
"Mom! Don't go!Mom!"
"Anakin?" he heard and turned to see Obi-Wan. He couldn't face him right now, he dropped to his knees and cried and as he cried the ground shook. Obi-Wan looked at Luke and then at Anakin and he wondered if Anakin could access the powers of Vader. He couldn't remember eleven year old Anakin Skywalker doing more than levitating a few objects and having premonitions. He put his hand on Anakin's shoulder and attemped to calm him. He bent down and held the boy and he whispered to him.
"Anakin, it's alright. Anakin, Anakin, Ani," and Anakin looked up at him as the ground stopped shaking.
"Master, you called me Ani."
"Yes, I guess I did."
"The only ones who ever called me Ani, were Mom, Qui-Gon and Padme."
"I know. Anakin, I'm sorry about your mother, truly sorry but if we don't go we will be found. I've spent years protecting Luke from the Empire."
"You know we're going to have to go to the Empire, Master."
"Yes, but Luke must be trained. Anakin, have you ever done that before?"
Anakin shook his head no, "I didn't mean too, Master, honest."
"I know, Anakin, I know Ani."
"We can go now. I didn't mean to scare you or Luke."
"I know. I know, padawan."
Luke was already in the speeder and he watched the exchange between the padawan and the master and thought there was more love there than his uncle had ever showed him. What had happened to his father? He wanted to comfort him too but he wasn't sure how and Obi-Wan seemed to know. Right now they had a princess to save and a dust bowl to get off of. Artoo beeped at him sadly. Three-pio was mumbling something about his circuits as he watched and Obi-Wan picked up Anakin and put him in the back of the speeder. "Come along, let's go. Someone will be looking for these droids."
"The Empire?"
"Let's go, Luke." Luke nodded and took off for Mos Espa spaceport.