"In Need of Wings"

Chapter the Fifteenth

Sure enough, as planned, Bane and Ahsoka left the med-bay by the following morning. Even though Bane could still hardly walk on his own, and needed Ahsoka's help to get to the ship. Ahsoka's patience had already fallen through thin ice, but she knew she had little right to get mad at him if he complained…it was mostly her fault this happened, anyway.

Bane limped slowly up the ramp of Sleight of Hand. Ahsoka, numb from the nightmares and the pain through the Force she was getting used to by now, let him lean on her for support.

Both of them looked like they had been to hell and back. Trouble of the matter was, they had only taken the first few steps into hell.

"You know, if you don't heal right and get sick, it's your own fault. Since you insisted we leave this early." Ahsoka glared at him, still frustrated that he had been so stubborn on leaving early.

He glared back and mockingly imitated her tone of voice.

"You know, this isn't the first time I've been injured. I can take care of myself," Bane said, seconds before he stumbled in the doorway. Ahsoka barely caught him in time.

"Shut up, Cad." She shut the door and helped him to the cockpit of the ship. "You focus on being annoying, I'll focus on flying this piece of junk."

Bane looked about to say something, but didn't at the last moment. Seemed their old banters were too predictable these days. He fell silent again and didn't speak up again. He didn't even protest when Ahsoka started playing some of her favorite pop music, which Bane had previously described as 'tasteless, obnoxious garbage.'

During the ten-hour flight to Bane's hideout, he debated over how to break the news to Ahsoka. She had to know sooner or later what happened to Anakin. More importantly, what Anakin planned to do to her if he found her. It was wrong to keep the truth from her. But if he told her at the wrong time, it would crush her and she might never recover…then the whole thing would have been pointless.

Bane wondered if he should wait until something good happened to Ahsoka before he told her. Maybe if he found her a cute significant other. Or waited until they had rescued a few Padawans. Then the news might not hit her as hard. Or maybe she would conveniently find out on her own and he wouldn't have to go through the ordeal of telling her at all. All wishful thinking, really.

Hidden away inside Bane's Black Stall Station, Ahsoka kept herself busy by cleaning up around the place and getting things organized. She set aside a small empty storage room to turn into her own temporary home. A spare bed and a storage container for her few belongings were all she needed now.

At least they had enough supplies to last several weeks. Ahsoka even used some credits she saved to replace most of what she had to leave behind at her apartment, mostly clothes and some tools, and cigarettes. Although it more than not seemed pointless now.

For three days, Ahsoka stayed at the station, always ready to help Bane out, eager to make sure he was steadily recovering. The busier she was, the better. It would be a nightmare to be stuck with nothing to do. Ahsoka also liked to keep her music playing in every room, as she tried to drown out the Force. First the music. Then the cigarettes. Then the drinking.

She could feel the Force trying to talk to her. Communicate. Send more messages. It had all warped into a single, constant pain where she couldn't tell individual messages from each other anymore. During the day, if Ahsoka could keep moving, the Force's communication stayed away from the center of her radar, and she could feel like she was functioning normal again. She could play a game of cards or watch holovision with Bane, and not constantly feel like breaking down. However, at night when she had be to left alone, the feelings grew stronger and seemingly more unbearable every day.

But one thing was clear…the Force wanted her to go somewhere. Some specific place that Ahsoka could not understand yet.

It beckoned her, calmly, like outstretched, open arms. It felt that her questions would be answered if she went to this place. And if she went there, something she had once lost would be found again.

If only she could figure out where it was.

Three nights into their stay, Ahsoka had a dream. Not like the other dreams she had been having lately, where she saw everyone she loved tortured and killed in front of her.

This dream took her back to a place she had been to once. Years ago, she had been assigned on a mission to retrieve an item stolen from the Jedi Temple. She remembered that there were ashes on her fingertips. She remembered Anakin had been by her side. She remembered hearing the cry of young infants. There was great darkness and shadow…a lava planet. Lava and fire.

She shot out of bed.

Mustafar.

The Force wants me to go to Mustafar.

Stunned by the memory, Ahsoka got out of bed. Following her new routine, she tiptoed to Bane's room to check on him—every so often she had to readjust him so he didn't aggravate any healing injuries, or give him another dose of pain meds. For now he was sleeping soundly. Ahsoka caught herself staring as her thoughts wandered.

What could be waiting for her on Mustafar? All she knew about that place was that at one time, a dark plot had taken place there to kidnap Force-sensitive children. It had been horrible, seeing those poor kids in danger like that. If anything, Mustafar should be a dangerous place for Jedi to go.

Then again, isn't that what the Republic wanted them to think? Suppose Jedi were hiding on Mustafar and making it a safe haven for that very reason. Some Jedi would be bold enough to do such a thing, after all…

Shaking her head, Ahsoka searched around the station for something to do…no way she would get anymore sleep tonight. Eventually she found a few old pieces of a small, broken droid in the corner of the closet where Bane kept items useful for disguises. Curious, Ahsoka got out the tools and began working to put the droid back together. All the while, she couldn't stop thinking about the dream.

The Force wants me to go to Mustafar…

All night, she paced around. The Force's one signal that had sent through among all the other confusion remained clear. Mustafar. It was the only thing she knew to be real through the Force as of now.

By that morning, Ahsoka had made her choice. She waited until Bane was awake and fully conscious—meaning, he had consumed half a pot of caf, his morning medication, and checked all the security measures around the station—before she brought it up.

"I have to leave," Ahsoka told him. There was no emotion in her tone.

Bane frowned. "No, you don't."

"I do. There are survivors, I can feel it. Some of them are still out there, and I can't abandon them." She decided not to bring up the signal to Mustafar. After all, Bane had been hired to take that job to kidnap those kids, so he would not see Mustafar as a good idea. Ahsoka would have to ask him sometime for more details about what exactly that job was for…but that would have to wait.

"That's suicide. You're not going."

Ahsoka glared daggers at him, rage melting her cold demeanor.

"Excuse me?" she snapped. "Who are you to say 'I'm not going'?"

Bane studied her. She hadn't slept at all that night and it showed. Matter of fact, she had not showered in days and he didn't recall seeing her eat yesterday either. Poor kid looked worse than he did, and that was saying something.

"You're not going, 'Soka. Not when you're like this. I ain't going to let it happen."

"You can't do that!" She snarled. "Who do you think you are, my father?"

"Oh, is that what you want?"

"No! I mean…I don't need one." She turned away.

"You know what, maybe I would go through the whole trouble of adopting you just so I can have the pleasure of grounding you."

She scoffed. "You wouldn't."

"Oh, don't test me."

"I have to go, Cad. I don't think you understand that. I don't have a choice."

"Yes, you do! Can you choose to listen to me, for once? And I say, you can't go."

"Why not? Anakin is still out there! I can feel him!"

The words were out before she realized it. Ahsoka clamped her hand over her mouth. Her eyes widened.

She had felt it all along…the Force had just been so chaotic lately she never knew it was true until now. Mustafar…Anakin. They were connected. They were her only chance at getting answers.

"Oh my gods…my master is alive." Her breath caught in her lungs. "Cad, I have to go to him!"

Bane bit his lip. He had to tell her. Right now.

If he didn't tell her now, Ahsoka would be lost forever.

"What's wrong, Cad?" Ahsoka frowned. "Hey. Tell me."

I know you can hear me, Snips.

I know you want to be here. You may not know it now, but you want to be here.

The lightsaber drew back, as if admiring its own handiwork. His black boots tread across the ash, eyes glowing a furious burning yellow. His face and neck had suffered slight minor burning, as well as the edges of his black cloak. Nothing he couldn't fix.

Kenobi would have clawed at the ground had he not lost both arms. Severed at the elbows, Vader had already kicked them into the lava. As for the legs, they had been severed just above the knee and had already burned up.

Come back to me, Snips. You can feel that's it already happening.

"Anakin…don't…" Kenobi coughed weakly, lifting his face from the ashes.

Vader snarled, lips curling.

"That name has no meaning for me anymore!" Vader lifted his lightsaber over his head. He wanted to strike down and end it, but the moment was too good not to savor. "Anakin Skywalker, that silly little boy who failed you all those times…he's long gone now. Guess who finally killed him." He began to smile, then laugh, thinking of who he had been, compared to who he was now. It had all been a sick joke.

The Chosen One who had never been given the chance to choose his own path. The Hero With No Fear who had known what it was to live in fear every day of his life. Skywalker…the slave, the Jedi, the warrior. They were all just shards of a broken mirror that Vader had finally burst through. Vader was unstoppable, relentless, drunk on rage and so bent on fixing what he had broken that he had long forgotten what it was to be compassionate. His heart had become so big, carrying all the hurt and the suffering, that it had finally exploded into flame.

Biting back another sadistic laugh, Vader cut the edge of the lightsaber across his former master's neck, then kicked his head into the lava. Then Vader turned away and set off to return to Padmé, grinning wildly. Everything was falling into place, one by one.

All that was missing in the picture now was Ahsoka. But she would be here soon. Master promised she would.

We'll be together again, Ahsoka…forever. I'll show you how.

No more dying. No more suffering. Just you and I.

Isn't that what you always wanted too, Snips? Didn't you miss me as much as I missed you? Didn't you wish things could have been different for us? Don't you want to fix it too?

I know you can hear me…!

A/N: So I'm changing some of the major events in ROTS...but who doesn't want to see Vader without the suit and still looking like Anakin? I know I do...