Aaaahhhhhh, chapter 18...I was worried I wouldn't finish it tonight :D be glad I managed :D

I must say, this chapter was hard to write. It was hard to get what I was seeing in my head down into words. I hope you guys all understand what's going on haha. any questions just ask and I'll try to explain haha.

ANYWAY!

Thank you for the reviews, etc etc, i say this every time but I'm not about to stop hahaha.

Please continue to review and ENJOY!

Anakin was the last one to arrive in the Council Room.

Of course.

He was stiff, standing perfectly straight as he walked in, ready for any reaction that might await his entrance. To his mild surprise, hardly anyone batted an eye when he walked in.

Well, almost no one.

Obi-Wan had a strange look on his face for a few moments before it disappeared and Yoda had a look of mild amusement and sullenness when he saw Anakin. But it was Windu's reaction that made Anakin have to smother a smile.

Of course being the direct cause of Windu's death in a single act of complete betrayal wasn't a laughing matter, but the look on his face was still priceless. He looked ready to pull out his lightsaber in defense as he struggled to keep himself composed under the gaze of all the other Master's in the room. Their individual reactions caused Anakin to begin to suspect only certain people had received the memories of the other timeline.

And here he'd thought everyone would suddenly know of his life as Vader.

Anakin strode to his seat on the Council as Yoda called order to the meeting. "Watch the message now, we will. Urgency I feel in the Force," Yoda said, his voice echoing around the room. Promptly, the wizened Jedi Master leaned over and activated the holoprojector.

All of the Master's sat up straighter as the imaged of a Padawan crawling along the floor sprang to view. A bad feeling took root in Anakin's stomach as he watched the girl drag herself across the floor as she spoke her message as fast as she could, as if she was running out of time.

"This message is for the Jedi Council. I am Padawan Da'leen Shun."

The girl gasped out her words, as if they caused her great pain. Anakin had the feeling that this Padawan most likely had been recently injured. His frown deepened as he watched the scene with growing anxiety.

"My master and I were on a mission here on Andara when we were ambushed by a Sith. He's very powerful, and I am using what little time I have to alert the Order that the Sith have returned. I—"

A new voice came through from someone out of sight, and Anakin felt ice rush through him, his face emptying of color at the familiar yet so different voice spoke with perfect clarity.

"Time's up," Luke said eerily. Anakin couldn't tear his eyes away as a lightsaber blade came within view of the Council, impaling the Padawan through the chest. He felt like he was going to be sick.

The image of Luke's cloaked form entered the holorecording, though anyone who wasn't familiar with the boy would not have recognized him. Anakin only recognized him because of his voice. The sickening smirk twisted across what was visible of this man's features was not his son. He couldn't fathom the thought.

Luke stepped on the tiny device, cutting off the image instantly. Immediately, the Council erupted into a frenzy of exclamations, but Anakin couldn't hear any of them. He stared, frozen in shock, at the spot where the incriminating hologram had been moments before. An overpowering sorrow filled him, causing him to feel as if he would suffocate at any moment.

Someone put their hand on his shoulder, and Anakin jumped slightly, having been lost in his thoughts. Obi-Wan's grim face filled his gaze as he stared numbly up at his former Master.

"Are you alright?" Obi-Wan asked quietly as the Master's argued around them.

Anakin shook his head. "No Obi-Wan, I am most definitely not alright," Anakin said, his voice strained.

"Sidious could not have possibly already gained another apprentice already!" one of the Master's exclaimed.

"Who would have fallen? And how?" another asked.

"I feel that it's someone we all know…" Shaak Ti muttered, causing Anakin to wince.

"Something to share Master Skywalker?" Windu asked, arching an eyebrow.

Everyone's eyes turned to Anakin. The sick feeling in his gut grew and he grimaced. However, it was Yoda who spoke, saving Anakin from having to explain what he knew.

"Return from the mission to Korriban, Skywalker's son did not. That he made a deal to save his father, was all we knew. Now revealed what that deal was, perhaps it is."

Before the masters could say anything against Luke, Anakin spoke up sharply. "It's not his fault though."

All eyes turned to him again, curiosity and skepticism burning in each gaze. "Do tell Master Skywalker," Windu said slowly.

"Sidious cornered him…he gave Luke no choice but to take the deal. Even then, I think that…that Sith Poison might be involved," Anakin said slowly.

The masters around the room stilled, and there was silence for several beats. Finally, Master Secura spoke up. "What makes you say that?"

Anakin hesitated, meeting Master Yoda's gaze for a few moments before choosing his words very, very carefully. "I…it's rather complicated right now…and something I want to go over with Master Yoda first."

Yoda looked at Anakin knowingly. "Discuss it later, we shall. Need to decide what to do about your son, we do."

Anakin ran a hand through his hair, closing his eyes. He wanted to be the first person to speak, reluctant to let any ideas make their way to the floor that could lead to his son getting hurt.

"If I could get the chance to talk to him…I might be able to get him away from Sidious…help him to hold onto the light…"

"How can you be so sure?" Windu asked skeptically.

"Experience," Anakin said shortly. He vaguely wondered how long he could last in these Council meetings with his Vader patience. He hardly ever made it through those meetings with the officers without strangling some imbecil.

Focus on the task at hand Anakin. Get your head out of the past, he thought to himself sternly.

Yoda cut Windu off before he could open his mouth to go at Anakin again. "Give Skywalker time to try and bring his son back to the light, we will."

Windu had an annoyed look on his face, and Anakin gave Yoda a grateful look. The other masters had to have noticed the tension between Windu and Anakin, because the two hadn't gone at each other like this in years.

"Dismissed, this meeting is. Try to save your son from the dark, you must Skywalker. May the Force be with you."

Outside the Council room, Anakin grasped Obi-Wan's arm and pulled him aside. "I need to see you too. As well as Yoda."

Obi-Wan frowned. "What happened? I know the timelines merged, and I must say my new memories are quite interesting…but it's something else, isn't it?"

Anakin glanced around before speaking in low tones. "The other Luke came back with the merge. The original one that saved us all. He's separate from the other one and is full of knowledge of what's going on with him. That's how I know that it was Sith Poison: Luke told me."

"What? Luke…why isn't he merged like everyone else?" Obi-Wan asked, trying to make sense of what Anakin was saying.

"Sidious did something and separated them. Luke can't merge like the rest of us. He's still separate. In fact, he's lying on the couch back at the apartment right now."

Obi-Wan stroked his beard thoughtfully, staring at Anakin intently as he processed this new development. "Is he alright?"

Anakin sighed. "He's not feeling well. He's running a fever and he nearly drowned, but he should be fine soon."

Obi-Wan nodded. "And you? How are you doing?"

Anakin smiled wanly at Obi-Wan's concern. "I'm holding up alright, thank you for asking. It seems Windu is among those who received the memories of our other lives. It's just wonderful, don't you think?"

"Deal with it, Master Windu will. All in the past, your other choice is, young Skywalker."

Anakin started at the sound of Yoda's gimmer stick as the ancient Jedi Master made his way over to Obi-Wan and Anakin.

"Master Yoda. I don't mean to be rude, but I'm not exactly as young as I once was," Anakin said with a small smile as the Master reached him.

Yoda surprised him by whacking him in the shin like he was still a youngling. "900 years old, are you, hmm? When reach that age, no longer young you will be to me."

Obi-Wan chuckled while Anakin rubbed his shin with a frown. "Of course Master Yoda, I'm sorry."

Yoda chuckled a little before he sobered once more, placing both hands on his gimmer stick. "Something to discuss, had you?"

Anakin nodded. "Yes Master; Luke didn't merge like the rest of us. Sidious somehow separated the two from each other, and now the original Luke is lying on the couch at Padme's apartment."

"Hmm…" Yoda leaned forward on his gimmer stick. "Told you of Sidious' deeds, he did?"

Anakin nodded once more. "Yes…he told me that what was happening wasn't Luke's fault, that Sith Poison was involved. He also told me that the title Sidious gave him was Darth Eius."

"Believe he can be brought back to the light, you do?"

"He brought me back."

A momentary silence hovered over the trio. "What are you going to do about the Sith Poison? There's not a cure for it," Obi-Wan said worriedly.

"There wasn't a cure for what I was poisoned with," Anakin responded.

"Yes, but Anakin, that poison was based off of one that there was already a cure for."

"I'm not going to give up on him Obi-Wan: I can't. He never gave up on me."

"Regardless. Careful, you must be. Growing in strength, the dark side is. Danger and temptation everywhere, I fear."

"Of course Master Yoda," Anakin said humbly, doing his best to let go of his growing tension.

Yoda smiled at him. "Now, go visit young Luke, we should. See if find out more, we can."

Anakin nodded. "Yes Master Yoda."

Luke felt absolutely horrible.

He was on the brink of delirium, struggling to stay grounded in reality. He drifted in and out consciousness whilst battling the darkness that called to him.

He did his best to fight off the latter. He knew what the dark side brought. He couldn't succumb to it, not like the other him had. He had to be the one to stay strong despite the temptation.

He came back to himself for a few moments, his eyes fluttering open before he squinted into the harsh light.

"Luke, just rest. You need to recover before you start doing anything. Go back to sleep," his mother said softly, stroking his head gently in a comforting way.

Luke shook his head slowly, trying to hide his grimace. "There's too much to do. I can't afford to sleep much longer."

"I refuse to let you leave this couch until I think that you're well enough to. You might as well take the time to rest."

Luke groaned, closing his eyes once more. His head pounded, and he was sure that the darkness was about to make another try at him. "Where's Father?"

"He'll be back; he had to go to a Council Meeting. It shouldn't be long now."

"I need to see him…" Luke murmured.

"I know Luke, I know, just be patient, he'll be here."

Luke sighed, lapsing back into the darkness momentarily. The dark side descended on him immediately, pulling him away from the light in his weakened state. He could almost feel himself being pulled away from himself, away from the apartment, across the Galaxy…

"You have done well Eius."

Darkness clung to his senses, filling his entire being. There was no light inside of him; no caring, no mercy, no love…

Except for one thing…

Sidious made a displeased sound, his eyes narrowing on him. "Your thoughts draw towards Anakin…"

He hesitated before answering. "Forgive me Master. I never found out if he survived the trip back…"

"Why should you care? It's not like he does."

His heart stopped for a moment. "What do you mean Master?"

Sidious laughed softly. "Do you think he ever truly loved you Eius? How horribly mistaken you are. He preferred the first Luke Skywalker that came back years ago. You served to remind him of the son he lost. You gave him nothing but pain. Why would he love you? You could never live up to what the first Luke was, and you know it. You are just the daily reminder of Anakin's loss."

He tried to shove the thoughts that rose to the forefront of his mind away, eyes closing tightly. It wasn't true…it…

"And now I can sense that the first Luke has arrived in this galaxy. I'm sure that Anakin is with him now, concerned about him. Do you think he has thought of you once? If he has, why isn't he here now? He does not care about you, Eius. He cares for the first one. And now that the first Luke Skywalker has arrived in the galaxy…Anakin has no more need for you. You might as well forget him Eius, because he has already forgotten you."

The darkness choked out the last speck of light that had resided in Eius soul, hardening him towards the one who might have been able to save him.

Anakin swiftly made his way out of the shuttle that had taken Yoda, Obi-Wan, and him to the apartment. In the living room, Padme, Leia, and Han were still congregated around the couch where Luke was laid out. As Anakin stepped onto the veranda, he knew something was wrong. There was darkness heavy in the air.

Obi-Wan flinched at the intensity of the dark side in the apartment and Yoda stumbled in his pace for a moment, but Anakin pressed on. The darkness did not faze him because of his life as Vader. He was starting to find this merge a great advantage for him.

"What happened?" Anakin asked, rushing to his family's side.

Leia shook her head. "I don't know. He's been going in and out of consciousness, and this last time…"

"He still hasn't woken up. And Leia says she can sense the dark side everywhere now, including in him. Even Han and I can feel something very wrong Ani," Padme said fearfully.

Anakin knelt by Luke, putting a hand on his head. Luke's eyes darted back and forth under his eyelids and he was covered with a sheen of sweat. The depth of darkness that he felt in the boy worried him greatly; it scared him even.

"Trying to connect him to his other self, the Force is. Call him back to the light we must, before too late it is. Only succeed in drawing him to the dark side as well, it will. Merge them, it will not, if let this go on any longer we do. Only make things worse," Yoda stated firmly, hobbling over to Luke as well.

Anakin grasped Luke's hand tightly, hand still resting on his forehead as he felt Yoda stretch out in the Force, reaching out to Luke's Force Presence. Anakin copied his actions, starting to catch onto what Yoda was trying to do. He closed his eyes, squeezing Luke's hand tighter.

Come back to us Luke…don't give in to the dark as well, please, we need you. I need you. Come back, Anakin called to him through the Force. He pushed as much light towards Luke as he possibly could, hoping that Luke would be led from the dark by the three bright Force Presences ushering him back.

The young man moaned, tossing restlessly as he had earlier. Thankfully, it seemed that their efforts were gradually working. All three of them pushed more light Luke's way, gently coaxing him away from the dark. The young man followed slowly before, to everyone's relief, the darkness went away.

Most of it anyway.

Anakin could still sense a sliver of darkness left; a sliver he knew came from the sense of being overcome by the dark. It wasn't a part of one's self that was simply done away with. It stayed with them. The best they could do was control that darkness that remained inside them, and it sorrowed Anakin to know that Luke was no longer free of the darkness and full of light as he once had been. Perhaps they would find a way to restore him to that state of pure light later; but for now, he had been tainted by the dark.

Yet it was still better than being completely overcome.