Chapter Four

Dealing

Anakin found it hard to believe that he had murdered Padme. He couldn't believe that he had done it, murdered his beautiful angelic wife, and yet he had murdered the Tuskan Raiders without a thought. He hadn't been thinking, not really. They had been animals and had slaughtered them like an animal, an instrument of the force, of the dark side? he wondered. He had used the dark side, he knew, without thought only focused on making them suffer as he had. He pushed the memory aside, as he levitated objects using the force. How could Vader use something so natural as the Force to destroy so many. He had already been told that in whispers Vader was known as the Executioner. He did not want that fate. He also wanted the Obi-Wan from his time back, he couldn't bare looking into old Obi-Wan's haunted eyes. He used the Force to slam objects into the wall of the falcon.

"Easy, Skywalker," he heard behind him.

"Still think it's all tricks?"

"Pretty good tricks," Han said with a grin. "I don't know what happened between you, the fossil, and Vader but he's enough to make anyone feel that way. Take it from an old space pirate," Han said. Oddly enough, Anakin felt he could talk to him. He couldn't tell Luke, he deserved to know the best of his father, not the worst, and Obi-Wan was so guilt-ridden and weak it would be unfair to ask him anything. Anakin sighed, once again lost by wanting to do the right thing. According to Darth Vader, he had killed his pregnant wife. Did that mean that Vader had no knowledge of Luke? Anakin was going to protect his son from Darth Vader, for Luke was his son. He didn't want Obi-Wan too suffer anymore, although Anakin was suffering mentally. He had no where to direct his anger except to himself. It was painful caring the fear and anger inside.

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"We'll be coming upon the rebel base any moment," Solo commented.

"Vader must be destroyed. He goes against everything I've ever believed in, everything I've ever fought for."

"Sure, Skywalker. Do you think that a girl like that and a guy like me..."

Anakin laughed feeling his inner darkness slip away. "Would you believe that a slave boy from Tattooine married a Queen of Naboo."

"No Sithing way, it would be like a droid and a Wookie."

Anakin smiled, "Yet that's exactly what happened, of course by that time I was a Jedi padawan and she was a Senator of Naboo at he beginning of the war. There had been assignation attempts because of some vote or something another. I never cared much about politics. My first assignment on my own was to be her Jedi guardian."

"I bet you loved that," Han said with a grin, imagining the possibilities.

"It wasn't as great as all that. Master Obi-Wan got himself captured and although the Council ordered me to stay where I was and to protect the Senator, there wasn't much I could do if she wanted to save Obi-Wan and I had to tag along to protect her, was there?"

Han laughed, "You are one in a million, Skywalker."

"Never give up if that's what you want. You don't think I married Padme but sitting silently on the sidelines and waited for her to realize what I already knew, did you?"

"That's incredible. The Flyboy's parents are a Jedi and a Senator."

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Anakin heard crying and went to find out where it was coming from. From the sound of the females whimpers, it had to be Princess Leia. He knocked softly and then opened the door and let himself in.

"I wasn't crying," she said sniffling, as she used the back of her hand to wipe away the tears. Anakin smiled tenderly.

"Perish the thought, your highness. So tell me, what weren't you crying about?" Anakin asked, earning a small smile of gratitude for not mentioning the fact that they both knew that she indeed, WAS crying. Leia smiled liking his ability to joke, his voice sounded so familiar as if she had heard it a long time ago.

"Please, Anakin, call me Leia," she said as most of her crying subsided. "Governor Tarkin and Darth Vader, they destroyed my home, everything I held dear. I'm Princess and Senator of Alderaan, but there's no Alderaan," she said as tears began to fill her eyes once again. Anakin sat down and put an arm around her shoulder.

"Hey, there's going to be none of that. I'm counting on you to help me make a great impression with the Alliance," he said, they both knew he had used the word great and not good and Leia laughed despite herself.

"Everyone I've ever known was killed in the blink of an eye, and for what purpose? So that Darth Vader would know the location of the Rebel base. After I gave up a name, not true, but still. Governor Tarkin still...he's the one holding Vader's leash, you know," she said angrily.

Anakin stiffened at the mention of Darth Vader, but Leia didn't seem to notice. "I understand. My mother died in my arms."

"No you don't," came the harsh angry reply that sounded so much like him that Anakin was taken aback. "I hate them. I want them to suffer as I am, to suffer ten times more. I wish I had had my blaster."

"What would you have done, Leia, if you had had a blaster in your hands?" Anakin asked knowing the answer. He posed her question very tenderly, the words sounded all too familiar. He knew what he had done, and was only beginning to understand what he had yet to do and if he didn't know better he would swear she was his daughter but that was impossible he knew that Luke was his son.

"I would have done no more than what I had to. No more than he would have done to me, no more than he's done to billions of lives across the galaxy. If Vader and Tarkin were dead think of all the innocent lives saved," she said with an inner fire, justifying her own actions.

"Leia, it would change who you are. You would become no different than those you hate. You would become the very thing you are fighting against. There has to be another way, other than losing your humanity," Anakin said sighing. "Would you believe that Vade rand I have something in common?"

"No. You rescued me. He tried to have me terminated."

"Yet, we were raised with the same ideals. We were both Jedi, we lived at the Temple. We were both taken from our families at a young age. What if the choices I make change me into him."

"That could never happen," she said with certainty. "You are a hero, he's a monster."

"What separates the two. Someone who is a monster surely doesn't see it."

Leia took off her watch and began working on it. "It broke," she mumbled. "I'm good at fixing things. Life seems so much simpler when you are fixing things."

"I know," Anakin mumbled shocked at the parrel between him at the Princess of Alderaan. "One day, Leia, I'll tell you about the day my mother died."

"I would like that, Anakin."

Anakin knew she was force-sensitive he could feel it, however she was highly untrained. "Who was your father?" he found himself asking.

"Senator Bail Organa, King of Alderaan."

"I remember him. He was good friends with my wife, Padme Amidala."

"Senator Amidala was your wife. She's always been an inspiration to me. Well, Anakin. Thank you for everything. Now I have duties to attend to."