Anakin/Vader versus Palpatine

Darth Vader dimly made his way to his younger self, everything was becoming hazy. He had to save Anakin or he would cease to exist. What had he been thinking when he had brought Anakin to Palpatine. He really couldn't remember. Anakin should have known better than to attack a Sith. Sith Lords were...and he heard a voice as if from the past.

'Sith Lords are our specialty.' Obi-Wan. Was Anakin right? He drew the boy into his arms laying him in front of his chest-plate for he could sense things that had changed. He knew the Death Star was being attacked. He knew that Luke was safe. He reached out with the Force. If he could contact Luke he could slow the imminent attack. He felt rather than saw Obi-Wan and Padme's presences and knew Palpatine needed to get off the Death Star. He nudged Anakin awake as the both simultaneously reached into the Force to choke the Emperor.

"You will leave my son alone," spoke the deep tones of Darth Vader, and he pushed harder with the force against the Emperor, who seemed to be unleashing electricity everywhere. Toward Padme, and Obi-Wan, toward himself and little Ani. It was as if the Force was speaking to him, it was speaking threw him as Obi-Wan took out his lightsaber and stood by his side. Darth Vader ignored their presences and focused on the mission at hand.

"Just like old times, my friend," Obi-Wan stated as he stood by his side.

"Have to get Anakin to safety. Protect Luke," Darth Vader spit out, for it was hard to speak and concentrate on draining Palpatine of the dark side. Padme had a blaster in her hand and was shooting at the Emperor trying to keep him from Anakin. She tumbled to the Dark Lord's other side and took Anakin from him, standing in front of him, protecting his chest, they were like his shield and his sword.

"Does Sky...walker still hold...so much...po...wer...over you?" the Emperor struck out, blindingly aiming for Vader's chest-plate.

"I was wrong to follow you. A mistake I will correct now." He took his eyes off the Dark Lord and looked at Padme. Palpatine was weakening. "Protect Anakin, I'm going to end this once and for all." He used the Force to throw the Emperor as his ignited his blood-red lightsaber and stalked toward the man. Suddenly, something changed. The lightsaber the Dark Lord had ignited changed. The red and blue color seemed to be fighting for dominance of the lightsaber as the entire lightsaber changed, the blue hue dominating the lightsaber. And something changed in the Dark Lord. He still wore the mask, and the suit, but underneath it, the pain, the wheezing, it was gone. Anakin had escaped Padme's grasp and was following him steathily as he looked up at the ceiling and pulled his hands in a yanking movement before pushing the Sith Apprentice out of the way.

"We must leave. Luke is trying to take out the Death Star," Anakin told Darth Vader.

"Obi-Wan, get Padme out of here," Darth Vader told his former master as they headed for a few escape pods. Obi-Wan looked at his former apprentice, something had changed inside of him. He still looked like the same Sith Lord that had brought Anakin to his master, but something inside of him had changed. "Tell Luke about his father. About the good that he did. Tell him, I'm sorry," he stated before he and Anakin got into an escape pod and disappeared into space.

"See, there IS STILL good in him," Padme told her friend, and Obi-Wan couldn't disagree.

"Saving yourself isn't really a sacrifice, Senator."

"Did you see what happened to his lightsaber."

"I did. I also felt the blaze of his presence, of the darkness being pushed down. I must get to Dagobah. Master Yoda will be able to explain what happened better than I."

"I think he's changing things. Anakin is changing the future," Padme stated firmly. "I feel so different," she whispered before she passed out in his arms. Obi-Wan wondered what change had occurred within his old padawan. Had something young Ani said forced Darth Vader to reevaluate his life?