To say Anakin wasn't looking forward to meeting Dooku again that night would be an understatement similar to calling the Death Star large. The very thought made Anakin sick. He didn't feel angry about it, for once (maybe he was finally breaking that habit? He hoped so because that would be something good to come of the situation), but more resigned and tired. Between the emotional and mental exhaustion of the past few days combined with him having to potentially perform an extremely undesirable task, it was all he could do to make it to his classes that day.

During their lunch break, he sat at his usual table, missing Coira rather sorely as she would be eating in the cafeteria reserved for knights and padawans. Maelee, the only other person there who knew more about him, kept shooting him worried glances, but didn't seem to know how to approach him about it. He wasn't sure whether to be grateful or disappointed.

After their group had finished eating, they all decided to spend the rest of the time block in the Room of a Thousand Fountains and all made their way there. Hik'te spoke excitedly with Tru and Darra, with Maelee following close behind. Then Thoran and Hale and finally Anakin, who trailed after them on autopilot as he tried not to think of what he would have to do later that night.

Maybe he shouldn't have been surprised when he finally noticed the large, quiet boy by his side, but he was. Mentally, he kicked himself for not paying attention to his surroundings. He was in the temple, true, but that didn't mean nothing could happen.

Before they got to the room, Hale held out an arm in front of Anakin, gesturing to the side of the hall and away from their little group (who didn't notice, apparently). They went down the hall's off-shoot just a little ways before Hale turned to face him.

"Hale... is everything okay?" Anakin asked, a little worried.

"I was just going to ask you the same thing," the older boy said, a troubled expression on his face.

Anakin blinked. And the observant children strike again.

"Am I that obvious?" he asked quietly.

Hale rolled his eyes, exasperated. "Not this time, no. I mean, you're quieter, but you've been talking normally so," he faded off with a shrug.

"It's nothing," the time-traveler said after a moment, repressing a tired sigh.

Hale's frown deepened. "I promised Coira that I'd look after you while she's not here," he said. Anakin's eyebrows rose. What? "And right now, I know it isn't nothing."

Anakin found himself smiling a sad little thing that hopefully showed his regret. He wasn't about to go sharing everything with even more children. He'd been lucky Coira and Maelee could keep it quiet. Not that Hale couldn't, but the fewer people who knew, the better. He still regretted it a bit as he could tell that the other boy was genuinely worried.

"It's not something I can discuss right now," he said. "But I have spoken of it to Master Yoda, so I promise it's been addressed."

Hale still didn't look happy, but he did nod his head. "Good. She'll be glad to know you're starting to care about yourself more."

And with that, he gestured with his head back towards the hall, obviously with the intent to catch up to the rest of their group. He left Anakin wondering if all children except him had been born insightful.

He did find himself smiling as he followed Hale to the Room of a Thousand Fountains. It felt good to realize that there were people watching out for him again, even if they hadn't gone through puberty yet. They seemed better for him than most adults in his former life had been. He wasn't sure what that said about him... or them. Or both, perhaps. And at the moment, he couldn't bring himself to care.

xXx

"Hey, you can do this," Siri said to Anakin as she dropped him off at their rendezvous point. Today she was dressed in more normal clothing, albeit the outfit looked more akin to what someone would wear to go clubbing in. Well, to Anakin it seemed more conservative somehow, even if the outfit covered just about as much as the other one had. Of course, this time she left her robe and an extra change of clothing with him, and he'd leave said clothing here at the little motel room they'd rented specifically to get ready. Then Siri had shown up, already ready to go and Anakin had wondered what the point was. Ah, well. At least she wouldn't have to mind-trick everyone in tonight's bar into thinking that she worked there and have to leave in a hurry rather than have a confrontation in front of a potential darksider.

Tonight, she'd be going into the bar alone, as a patron. She didn't have the time to get herself situated as a worker in this bar, nor did she have the inclination after the last one had turned out. She said she'd just have to subtly mind-trick anyone who hit on her who she couldn't shut down with a couple of well-placed words.

Anakin shifted his bundle of limbs and went to get out of the speeder, far more slowly than he normally would have. He could do this, yes. Didn't mean he wanted to. He still sent Siri a nod and what he hoped was a reassuring smile. She didn't look convinced, but drove off so he must have been somewhat successful.

He let himself into the room and dropped the bag on the old bed. At least it was clean. In a couple of minutes, Anakin had the limbs and mask strapped on. Leaving Siri's change of clothes with the bag behind him, he ducked out and made his way to the new bar.

He doubted they'd stay there for long.

He waited until Siri had been in for a little while before he went in himself. It was still fairly early as far as the night life went, and so not too crowded. Anakin once again found Dooku sitting towards the back at a rather secluded table. Siri was seated at the bar near the man and she nodded minutely at Anakin as he passed. He still scanned the room and felt for disturbances. Just because Siri had cased the joint didn't mean he should slack off. Thankfully, he found nothing.

"Ah, Luke," Dooku said as Anakin sat down. "Good evening."

"Count Dooku," the former Sith replied, hoping he didn't sound as stiff as he felt.

"How was your day?" Dooku asked, perusing the menu.

Anakin frowned, then shook his head. The truth had worked with the man so far, so why not? "You have my apologies, but I am far too concerned about what you are proposing to make small talk tonight." And apparently far too uptight to use the more casual slang he'd been trying to cultivate to get away from Vader's hard-won upper-class accent the Emperor had insisted upon. He never had fully mastered it, but he'd come pretty close and had spoken like that for so long...

Hale had said he was speaking 'normally' (like an eleven-year-old former slave – something he still had to concentrate on doing) earlier that day, but he couldn't help being grateful that he didn't have to bother in his Luke Lars disguise.

Dooku eyed him for a couple of moments before he set the menu down and nodded. "Understandable."

They sat there in awkward silence for a bit before Anakin spoke.

"Are you positive you want to try this?"

The Count thought about it for a moment, then nodded. "I've made up my mind, Luke." Well, at least he'd gotten to where he could use the name smoothly. Typical Dooku, looking and acting completely unruffled even in the worst situations.

Anakin slumped just a little. "Very well," he said softly, "I will help you as best I can."

The older man blinked for a couple of moments before he smiled warmly. "Thank you, Luke."

"But, I have to clarify some things: First, I have no idea if this will work at all. You may not be able to touch the dark side without Falling completely."

Dooku nodded and held up a hand. "If that happens and I lose my head, please kill me."

Anakin felt his breath catch in his throat. He hadn't killed since he'd come back... he didn't want to. It felt too much like Vader... And yet, he had to give Dooku some reassurance. So he nodded, slowly.

"You have my word."

The former Jedi smiled a little sadly at Anakin. "Thank you."

More silence until Anakin decided to continue with his explanation. "Secondly, I have... instructed apprentices in both the dark side and the light side... neither one of those situations turned out very well." Although, one of his apprentices had turned out pretty amazing despite his inadequacies. "I'm positive part of that is because I am not the best teacher."

Dooku frowned, but nodded again.

"And lastly, I have a colleague who will accompany us. You have my word that she is trustworthy, and she will likely not take any part in any instruction or experimentation."

That seemed to surprise the Count as he didn't seem to know what to think of that.

"A... colleague. Is she... Force Sensitive?"

Anakin nodded.

"A... darksider, as you so aptly put it?"

"No," Anakin shook his head. He could tell Dooku wanted to ask more, but the man refrained, for which Anakin couldn't help but be grateful.

"As long as she can be trusted," he finally said, sounding unsure for the first time.

"I guarantee you, she can be."

Dooku still didn't look pleased, but he did concede. Probably understood that if he rejected Siri's involvement, it would be a deal-breaker for Anakin.

"I must insist that we begin as soon as possible," the Count said, coming forth with his own terms.

Anakin nodded grimly. "I thought as much. She will meet us at a rendezvous point tonight."

Dooku's shoulders relaxed a little. Apparently he hadn't thought Anakin would agree to that. "I see you are treating this with the proper gravitas and support. I thank you for it."

The former Sith only nodded, not really trusting himself to speak further.

"I must insist that we have dinner, though." Anakin wondered how the man could eat. Although, he could use a good, stiff drink at the moment. Was it worth Siri's wrath when she saw? Because he doubted he could hide it from her with how clumsy he still was with these limbs. He could pass off as an alien, but he couldn't work slight of hand. Hmm... no, probably not. More's the pity.

"Very well," he said, perusing the menu and the soups they had. It would probably be all he could swallow anyway. As discreetly as he could (mainly, under the table where Dooku couldn't see) he signed to Siri that they'd be there for a bit longer so at least one of them could be comfortable while they waited for Dooku to finish his meal.

xXx

Thankfully, Dooku and Anakin finished eating at about the same time. After Dooku covered the tab, they both got up and left, Anakin following Dooku (figuring the man turning his back to him was also him saying 'I trust you'... or 'I have to trust you' – Anakin wasn't sure which one bothered him more).

They caught an air-taxi close to the rendezvous point and then Anakin directed Dooku to a turbo lift before following him in, not quite able to completely trust the man himself.

He couldn't help but feel that this had all the markings of a remarkable failure waiting to happen. He wondered if they could withstand the fallout...

'They' meaning the galaxy.

The two of them exited at the right level, one with just enough grime to show its age and general state of care (not a lot) while being industrial enough to be practically deserted. Anakin showed Dooku to one of the buildings – this one wasn't abandoned, but it was rented out on a flexible basis by a... less than reputable person. It loomed in the dark shadows and dim lights of the Coruscanti underworld like a beast, ready to swallow them all whole.

Anakin didn't even pause as he walked inside as he and Siri had made sure to take out all of the security before-hand, even the hidden security. That didn't mean he wasn't on edge. He'd scanned the whole thing with the Force a half-dozen times before they'd even gotten out of the speeder. He could sense no one inside, and the security they had set up hadn't been disturbed, so he tried to act as confident as he could instead, hoping some of that false bravado could get him through what was to come.

He and Siri had set up a little room off to one side with some chairs and little else. It felt a bit like an interrogation room, although Anakin wasn't sure who was being interrogated at this point. He took a seat as gracefully as he could in the stilts as Dooku walked to the seat across from him.

"Before we get started," Dooku began, reaching into his robe. Anakin tensed for a moment, then relaxed as the older man pulled out a data pad and held it out. Anakin took it carefully and began to look through the information on it. "I've taken the liberty of looking up different ways to help or prevent addiction in the medical field. You likened the dark side to a drug, so I thought this might help."

Anakin blinked behind his mask. This wasn't a bad thought... but it was one he couldn't see helping the situation. He tried to look as graceful as possible as he worked with his motor control to overlook the information on the pad. He hadn't done much in the way of finer functions when he'd had the arm extensions on before. Whether he managed or not, Dooku didn't say anything, so he just went on. He examined the procedures outlined in the different articles, but once he got to the end, he sighed and handed the data pad back.

"There is one major problem I can see with this," Anakin said. "The substances for these procedures are highly controlled and given to the patient under watchful care... but all of that is rather negated when you have ready access to the addictive substance. There is no way I – or anyone, really – could limit your use of the dark side without cutting you off from the Force altogether." Well, there were ways to cut people off from one side of the Force, but they required some pretty specialized objects that Anakin didn't have access to at this point. And neither did Dooku, he was sure.

Dooku sighed and nodded grimly. "Yes, I saw that as well. But since the thought had merit..." he trailed off.

The former Sith nodded in agreement. "It was a good idea," he said.

The older man shot Anakin a dry look. "I don't need pity or condescension."

Anakin held up his hands. "That was not my intention, and I apologize if it came off that way."

Dooku looked at Anakin for a couple more seconds before deflating. "No, I suppose you didn't."

They were both on edge, and they knew it. This went against everything Anakin had ever said to the man, and against everything Dooku had ever been taught. He supposed it was natural they'd both be nervous.

Anakin cleared his throat and figured he could share his own thoughts while they waited for Siri. "I'd actually like to inform you of my own idea. Coming back from the dark was… difficult, to say the least, and not all of that has to do with the emotional and mental states of the person in question. The techniques tend to be different because the goals of those who touch each side are different. For instance, Jedi meditation is difficult to achieve as a darksider. The light, however, tends to be a little more flexible."

Dooku cocked his head to one side. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"I still have… difficulties meditating in more conventional ways. The dark side lends itself to intense passion. One learns to focus on an emotion – an intense emotion, such as anger or hatred – to touch the darkness and meditate. The traditional light techniques tend to focus on nothing and allow oneself to become one with the Force much like a blank slate. I currently meditate by focusing on an intense, positive emotion as it is a sort of half-way point – a bridge between the two techniques, if you will.

"If you are amenable we could try to teach you that technique but… I am unsure as to whether we have enough time for you to fully adapt to and thus adopt it."

Dooku thought about his words for several seconds before shaking his head. "It is a good idea, and I agree that if we had more time, it would be promising, but I was a Jedi for years. I avoided intense emotion as often as possible and I can admit that is not a habit I can simply break at the moment."

Anakin's heart sank, just a little. "Yes. I thought you would say that."

He faded off and the room fell into an awkward silence. After a couple of seconds, Dooku took out his comm and checked the time. "When was your... friend supposed to be here?"

Anakin frowned. "She should have been here already." Between his reading Dooku's information and his rejected proposal, it should have given Siri plenty of time.

He got up and walked over to the door, peering out into the empty maze of rooms and hallways outside. Then he took out his comm and called Siri.

"Hello?" she answered, sounding perfectly nonchalant.

"Did you run into a problem?" he asked.

"You could say that. I'm actually pulling up now."

"Alright," Anakin said slowly.

"I decided to change a couple of things. You'll see when I get there. Zora out."

Anakin blinked. Zora? The under-cover persona she'd taken for the slavery gig... that she hadn't gone on in this time. Oh. Well, that seemed appropriate, he supposed.

The woman that walked up to them not two minutes later was not the same woman he'd dropped off at the bar. Anakin raised his eyebrows behind his mask and his first thought was 'how does she have so many wigs?' Her normally blond hair was covered by a short, natural-looking red-haired wig. She had a tattoo on the side of her face and armor befitting a bounty hunter. Where had she gotten that?!

The former Sith crossed his arms. He didn't even have to say anything as she just shrugged.

"Sorry I'm late."

Anakin sighed. "You always say that." May as well roll with it, right?

She scoffed. "When was the last time I was late to anything?"

The former Sith just shook his head and turned back to the room. "Count Dooku, meet Zora."

He didn't look too impressed, but he did nod in her direction. "A pleasure."

Siri nodded back to him, barely polite, before turning back to Anakin. "So I just sit here and make sure he doesn't go crazy?"

Anakin put a hand to his forehead and found himself even more annoyed when the digits met the mask and not his flesh.

"S-Zora," he muttered, barely catching himself. He never had been good at this 'undercover' thing.

"You asked me to be here," she said pointedly as she strode past him. A third chair had been set up in the corner and she took to it with a casual plop. "Don't mind me."

Dooku's expression could have sucked water out of the air on Tatooine. "She's not dark, you say?"

Anakin sent his general disapproval through their bond to Siri. "'Rude' is not necessarily synonymous for 'dark'."

"Hmm," Dooku replied, shooting one last look at Siri. Then he dismissed her and turned to Anakin. "Shall we, then?"

xXx

Anakin started by going into a deeper explanation on the theories around emotional focal points and how to use them to draw on the dark side. He also touched on how they were necessary for maximum control and power, before going on to describe some specific techniques of Sith meditation. He also explained the difference between asking for help from the Force normally and demanding subservience from the darkness. He then reiterated how one cannot waver or the dark side could swallow a person. That was only one of may ways in which it would completely twist everything about the user. Dooku nodded along, asking appropriate questions in that all-too-calm voice of his. While he appreciated the Count and his stoicism, it still didn't help Anakin's nerves much.

Eventually, they decided to try and see what he could do with mildly negative emotions first, mainly due to the older man's suggestion.

While he agreed to the experiment, Anakin knew it was a lost cause from the beginning. Mildly negative emotions, unless tied into something much stronger, just didn't have the necessary power behind them to motivate one into touching the dark side, let alone control it. Still, Dooku did everything Anakin told him to, focused on his emotions, tried to use that to his advantage, demanded the Force come to him…

It didn't.

Half an hour later, Anakin sat back in his chair, calming his annoyance by releasing it to the Force.

He sighed. "I know we have not been working on this long," he finally said, "but I... really just do not think a controlled fall is possible in the time we have. It goes against the very nature of the dark side."

Dooku, looking frustrated gave a small, 'humph'. Then said, "It seems the Sith holocron I studied at the temple was correct after all."

Anakin blinked. "At the temple?"

The former Jedi nodded. "I... came across one while I lived in the Jedi temple. I... didn't entirely trust what it told me."

The former Sith blinked. Not entirely trusting what a Sith holocron told you wasn't exactly a stupid idea... but he couldn't help but wonder how long the older man had been disillusioned by the Jedi. Just how much had the dark side influenced him, with or without his knowing? And why hadn't he mentioned it before?

"Did it... match with the rest of what I said?"

Dooku scoffed. "Not entirely. And I was more inclined to trust your word."

Anakin felt a twinge of pride – and even warmth – at that. So he had won over the man, even if only a little. Then he frowned.

"So you believe me over the holocron, but in this case I was incorrect?"

The Count studied Anakin for a bit, then shook his head. "No. You said this was highly unlikely. The holocron said it was impossible. Not in so many words, as that was not what I was studying at the time, but that is the gist."

Ah.

They fell into a silence that stretched for several seconds before Dooku tentatively, he spoke up. "If I may be so bold... how did you Fall?"

Anakin stiffened and he felt Siri do the same through their bond, even if he couldn't see her so much as twitch a muscle from her lazy position. He reclassified her undercover skills, moving them from 'good' to 'excellent'. He shouldn't be surprised with how often she'd been tasked for work like that in their previous life. It was still something to note a master at her craft.

It only took him a moment to realize he'd thought on a tangent again and pulled himself back to the question at hand, as undesirable as it was.

"I..." he wasn't sure he was willing to tell his story to Dooku, of all people... and yet... Maybe if he could speak to the Count about everything, the man would understand how futile the whole situation was and give it up. One could hope. Anakin bit his lip, but decided to push aside his own fears for the sake of the galaxy.

His Obi-Wan would be so proud.

"My... fall was a... combination of many things," he said softly. "I had so much on my plate, was hiding some pretty big secrets and had a certain Sith Lord convince me that he was a good confidant." Dooku raised his eyebrows, but otherwise didn't react, so Anakin continued.

"Someone I... cared very deeply for – my secret wife," may as well give him as encompassing of a picture as possible, "was pregnant. I was fighting a war and had the atrocities of that in my recent background and I began to have visions of her dying in childbirth. I was desperate to save her and convinced that the friends I had at the time wouldn't understand. Like I said, we'd kept our relationship secret."

Dooku raised an eyebrow. "Some friends."

Anakin tried to shrug nonchalantly. He wasn't sure how well he pulled it off. "The situation in general was my fault as much as it was theirs." Or more. "In any case, I finally went to the Sith for some council. He told me he could save her, but only if I joined him. At first I refused, but when I brought his works to light, my friends decided to fight him then and there."

At this, the Count raised an eyebrow. "Fighting a Sith? Were they mad?"

The time-traveler sighed. "Just desperate. They wanted the war to end and were willing to kill him to do it. But if I lost him, I lost my chance to save my wife." He snorted derisively. "The son of a bantha set it up so well. I had a choice to make – help my 'friends' who I couldn't trust, or him, who could possibly save my wife and children. I... chose him." He swallowed. "I chose wrong. My wife died anyway, but by that time..." he shook his head. "The man had me believing that I killed her myself. With the power-high I'd been on... it wasn't exactly implausible." He was still convinced her death was on his hands.

He felt Siri reach out to him through their bond and he sent a feeling of gratitude back. He needed (and appreciated) the support right now.

"It took me far too long after that to realize what he'd done and just how he'd set it up. Then it took me nearly two decades to find the motivation to stop and fight back."

Dooku frowned. "That is... quite a long time." Anakin could see the gears in his head turning. Likely trying to put together a timeline, probably realizing that not everything matched up. Where had 'Luke Lars' been after this so-called fall of his? How had this gone on when Sidious was running for office and serving in the Senate? He just went with the first excuse he could think of.

"It was," he confirmed. "I mostly ran errands for him in the outer rim," he said, truthfully. "I rarely had extended contact with him after that." And when he had, it had been...

Anakin shuddered.

He got a hold of himself again quickly before fixing his eyes back on Dooku. The man had more questions, but he must have decided against asking them in favor of voicing some observations.

"It seemed he used more than... anger to turn you," the Count commented. "I was under the impression that that is the... normal rout a fallen Jedi takes."

Anakin bit his lip, thinking carefully before he spoke. "The best dark side techniques are fueled by anger, yes, but no darksider uses only anger. They tie into other emotions to make the anger and hate stronger – similar to a feedback loop. Desperation, for instance, is a very powerful tool."

Dooku sighed. "Then it seems I am not... desperate enough."

He frowned thoughtfully. "You have mentioned that you have trained apprentices before." Anakin nodded carefully. "How would one go about training a child in use of the dark side?"

The former Sith tried not to flinch. He wasn't sure how successful he was.

"Torture," he said softly.

Dooku's eyes widened. "Pardon me?"

Anakin looked away. "If one can find an apprentice who is already angry, all the better. But to break someone, they are put through mental and/or physical torture. But breaking people who have a solid emotional and mental foundation is far more difficult – and time consuming – than it may sound. Sith are always on the look out for someone ripe for the picking, so to speak, because this, once again, minimizes effort and maximizes 'output'."

The Count frowned again. "I am not exactly the epitome of an emotionally unstable person. So, why does he want me?"

Anakin scoffed softly as he sat forward. "Isn't it obvious? It's a matter of skill. He doesn't have the time or patience to train a new apprentice, so he is seeking someone who already has a lot of what can transfer from one side to the other under their belt – someone who is useful to him. That is all. He is using your frustration with the Jedi and perhaps even the death of your Padawan to get to you."

Dooku's fists tightened on his lap, perhaps from Anakin saying those words so easily, or perhaps from the truth of them. Anakin wasn't sure.

He also wasn't sure he wanted to say what came to his mind next, but after several awkward moments of silence, he opened his mouth, the words coming out slowly, carefully, almost afraid they would break something. They just might.

"That anger – at him using you like that – at the Jedi for not listening – at the Sith for killing your former apprentice – at the general state of the galaxy and the corruption in the Republic – that, Count, is what could turn you."

The white-haired man looked up in surprise, then back down at his hands. His jaw set in determination and Anakin felt a sense of foreboding. He shot a look over at Siri, who had shifted into a position that would allow her to rise easily. She nodded at him to let him know she was ready.

Then Dooku thrust his hand out, eyes focused and concentrating. It took a few seconds for a sense of cold to wash through the Force and the ball he'd been focusing on before shot into the air. Siri's hand inched towards where her lightsaber was likely hidden. Anakin, on the other hand, just closed his eyes. Another person on his list of people whose lives would have been better without him in it.

It was so anti-climactic and disheartening and...

He suddenly just felt so... tired.

It was official: Count Dooku had Fallen.

After a couple of seconds, the former Jedi looked down at his hand. "Well, that seems like a bit of a waste."

Anakin forced himself to swallow. "Because you can do so much more with it?"

Dooku looked up. His eyes remained their blue-gray color, but there was a hunger there that Anakin did not like. The man didn't answer the question. He didn't have to.

"Perhaps you should see if you can use the Force like normal?" the former Sith suggested as nonchalantly as he could.

The Count blinked at him. "Why?"

A ball of carbonite began to form in Anakin's stomach. He ignored it. "To make sure you have more options available to you."

A tense silence fell over the room as Dooku studied Anakin. Despite him looking at his hand and then the other occupants of the room, the ball still hung in the air. After a couple of seconds, Dooku nodded and the cold dissipated as the ball fell. Before it could roll off the table, though, the former Jedi stretched out his hand and it lifted, far more calmly, into the air again.

Anakin released a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. At least that was something. It was a small reassurance in the ocean of grief and self loathing that threatened to overcome him. He clung to it like a dying man would a raft in a storm and hoped that didn't show in his body language.

Dooku seemed surprised as he once again looked down at his hand, leaving the ball hanging in the air.

"It seems Master Yoda was wrong."

Anakin allowed himself to frown, despite the fact that Dooku couldn't see it. "How so?"

The older man waved a hand dismissively. "He said that once you start down the dark path, will it dominate your destiny forever."

The former Sith sighed and slumped a little, still ready to move if he had to, but willing to (having to) give the benefit of the doubt for now. "He isn't entirely wrong," he said softly. "The dark side will always be a part of me – of who I am. No matter how I wish it otherwise." He looked up at Dooku. "And now, you too. You can use the Force like normal, which is good, but that doesn't negate your decision to turn to the darkness."

Dooku hummed and looked down at his hand again. Then the cold was back and Anakin shot a worried glance over at Siri.

"There is so... much here," the Count whispered. "We could do so much! Why wait? Let us go and destroy him now!"

And there was the power high.

Anakin tried not to panic as he shook his head. "If you go to him right now, he will utterly destroy you."

Dooku looked like he honestly couldn't compute that. Definitely a side effect of Falling. Dooku was usually much faster on the uptake.

Then his brow furrowed in the beginnings of anger. And there was the Count Dooku Anakin remembered. "How–"

Anakin cut him off. "Everything you're experiencing right now, he did decades ago. He has power, experience and years of planning on his side. We have one recently turned dark-Jedi, a recovering Sith and a recovering..." he paused, looking over at Siri.

"Force user, bounty hunter, back-up dancer?" she gave a couple of (rather ridiculous or far too vague) suggestions, obviously trying to lighten the mood.

The former Sith rolled his eyes, even if he did appreciate her efforts, then looked back at Dooku. "I know you feel like you can do anything right now, but you can't. Turning to the dark side isn't just a simple step where everything you knew as a Jedi transfers over. Having experience in using the Force helps, but I've already explained how the most useful techniques require a completely different state of mind that takes time and effort to reach." Not that he wanted Dooku to reach that point... again.

It was still looking like the Count was having issues really understanding the concept. Anakin could almost hear him thinking, 'How can I lose with this kind of power at my fingertips? How can it be so different?'

"Even together, we wouldn't stand a chance at the moment," Anakin said, wishing he could rub the bridge of his nose. He'd felt like that a lot as Vader when he couldn't reach his face through the mask... and the memory alone wasn't helping his current situation. He could practically feel his control slipping and had to take several deep breaths to try and calm down, fighting the panic, frustration and sheer exhaustion the entire situation seemed so determined to pile on him.

"Don't count on me, right now," Siri piped in, sounding a bit annoyed herself. She fixed her gaze on Dooku. "I'm still recovering from a rather debilitating spell I had recently. I cannot guarantee I would be able to fight to the degree I would need to throughout an encounter." He heard her steady undertone, and she didn't even look over at Anakin. He got her message anyway. She could feel Anakin's fluctuating emotions and was trying to get the Count to see sense.

She also had a point. That would be an emotionally charged battle and Anakin could easily send her back into a relapse if he wasn't careful.

"Besides, I don't have the skill, at the moment," the time-traveler muttered, his frustration growing. Because despite everything he and Siri had said (and his better judgment), it was a tempting offer. Barge right in with Siri and Dooku in tow and confront Sidious then and there... but he wasn't in a good state of mind and while his lightsaber skills had improved, as had his Force skills while meditating with Master Yaddle, he knew that a confrontation would not end well. They were all unstable and he knew it. With Dooku's recent Fall, the man wasn't in the proper mind-set and Anakin himself... well, he didn't feel the greatest, and he did not want to go through a battle with Sidious. Not only was this a terrible place and time, but with Dooku and Siri there...

No, he had to retreat, before something really bad—

"Very well. Then I will go myself," Dooku said.

Anakin's mind ground to a halt as he watched the Count spin gracefully around and walk towards the door.

"Did you not hear a word he just said?" Siri asked, sounding as incredulous as Anakin felt.

"The words of weak cowards," the man said with a wave of his hand, brushing off her objection nonchalantly.

Anakin already knew how fast shock, despair and frustration could become anger. He'd known for far too long.

It probably didn't help that Anakin felt like a coward for not confronting Sidious already, or that he was fighting off his own memories of when he'd first fallen and knew the state of mind the older man was in at the moment and that the only thing that would knock some sense into him would be someone forcing him into humility again, or that said man was about to take all of their hard work – everything so many people had been striving towards for the last two years – and throw it all out the window.

Throw Obi-Wan's sacrifice to send him back out the window.

And Anakin saw red.

xXx

Sheev Palpatine blinked, looking up from his data pads and the letter he'd been signing. Then he turned to the large window of his office, carefully allowing a fraction of his power out to feel around. Something had... changed.

It took him a minute or two to figure it out, but when he did, he couldn't help but grin triumphantly.

Dooku had Fallen.

Finally.

He would have to confront him and offer—

Then, a wave of pure power hit the Chancellor hard enough that he actually flinched, dropping the stylus he'd been holding. Then he blinked for a couple of seconds while he regained himself, thankful that no one else had been in his office at the time.

After only a couple of moments, he opened his desk drawer and pulled out a comm unit. He merely opened the holographic keypad and sent a text only message, closing his eyes for only a moment to figure out exactly where he felt the presences. The industrial area... yes. Right on the cusp of this district and the next.

He doubted his men would find anything – was rather sure they wouldn't even be able to find the right building, Force blind as they were. But even slime could get lucky.

Then he put his work off to one side and opened his personal computer. It was time to slice into some of the security holos in the area and see if he could spot something as well.

"Good evening, Lord Vader. Let us see if you can dodge my net this time."

xXx

AN: I'd say I'm sorry for the cliffhanger... but I'm really not. :p ;)

I would like to thank my beta readers, Carradee, Quathis and Khalthar! Thank you guys so much!

So, I have some bad news. My manager (of my webcomic) and I have decided to enter a webcomic contest. For those of you who follow my webcomic Bittersweet... well, this is nothing like that. It's going to be a fantasy about someone learning to trust so they can start healing from childhood abuse, so much more like the Many Sights series. And we'll see if I can do that in 5 episodes. ^^; Wish me luck. I'll need it.

Also, while I don't expect it to affect the posting of this story, having to work on the webomic crunch like that might take away all my time for answering comments (although I read every one of them and love them!) and even posting more of the story. I still plan on posting this once a month (I should be able to get a chapter posted once a month for the next four months), but it really depends on what goes on with the comic.

If you'd like to support my current comic, you can go to Webtoons, search for HACamp and it should come right up. :) Don't forget to rate it (honestly, please). Thank you!

Sorry for the potentially bad news, but please, wish me luck. :) Four months and it'll be over one way or the other. Promise. :D