Chapter 2

As Vader stared at Gardulla, he felt the cold coil of familiar rage twisting within him. He remembered killing the Hutts on the Hutt Council with the assistance of Doctor Aphra - including Gardulla and her daughters. At the time, he was still consumed by the Dark Side and the slaves who had been placed in danger were only viewed as mere casualties and nothing else.

But now, Vader was seeking atonement, not wanting to cause unnecessary deaths when all of these lives could be saved.

Still, his rage increased when Gardulla shrieked and immediately snapped forward her whip, speaking in Huttese. Vader's anger burned at seeing his mother being treated like that.

"Get to work, slave! You know your orders!" The woman gave Anakin to Vader and instinctively began to walk up to the Hutt to fulfill her orders, only for Vader to put his hand in front of her and offered her son back to her.

He looked her in the eye, not saying a word but giving a subtle shake of his head. Shmi appeared conflicted but she swallowed, instead taking her son back into her arms and looking at the Hutt with no small amount of fear.

Gardulla snarled. "You dare-!"

Vader stepped closer, planting his hands on his belt as a way to vent his frustration.

Control...

No matter the decades that had passed, Vader still could speak Huttese fluently. Speaking galactic basic had been a way to assert his presence to Jabba and his lackeys, but he was not here to antagonize Gardulla - not just yet anyhow. Not when she still had dozens of slaves that chips could go off at any moment.

"Greetings, great Gardulla," Vader said calmly, composed and soft-spoken as ever.

Shmi looked at the whip in Gardulla's hand and hoped that her refusing to wash the Hutt as expected of her would not lead to a harsh punishment. Had Vader not been here, she would have obeyed without question, but he'd promised her freedom and she is staking everything on a better future for her and Anakin...

Gardulla eyed Vader up and down, her lips curled together in distaste as she made a subtle motion to the guards at the corner. A few guards stepped forward, hands going near their blasters, and Vader knew that he would have to be careful, restrained himself like a perfect Jedi would do in this situation.

Like Obi-Wan...

"I mean no disrespect to your intelligence, madam, but I believe that I have a tempting offer in exchange for these two slaves,"Vader continued.

"Bah! Away with you! This woman has served my uses well."The Hutt interjected.

Still keeping his tone stoic, Vader responded. "We seek the same thing, Gardulla, I am a traveler, and I require slaves. I would agree to your terms."

Gardulla frowned. "If you wish to purchase slaves, you should go to the slave market. Her sniveling brat would soon be useful."

Vader fought a scowl, making a vow to himself. That slave market would one day be disbanded when Vader established some law and order on this damn planet.

"I believe we can trade on fair terms,"Vader replied. "Surely, someone of your stature would not be above a game of sabacc: an exchange."

"Hmm, and what do you have to offer me if I win?"Gardulla queried, intrigued.

Vader pulled back his cloak and revealed his two lightsaber hilts. In a move that would have made Obi-Wan Kenobi proud, he responded like a negotiator. "I have acquired these in my travels. They are rare to find in this part of the galaxy. Lightsabers could be sold for a high price, and many would want to get their hands on them. I encourage you to think about this. In return, I would not only take these two slaves but a functional speeder."

Gardulla's eyes became considerate. Briefly, the chambers became silent, and Shmi began to think that the Hutt would not accept negotiations. Vader's expression remained neutral behind the hood...

Then the Hutt chuckled. "You strike a hard bargain, traveler, but you got yourself a deal."

The game of sabacc began soon after.

Vader chose not to use the Force and beat Gardulla fairly. He was quite skilled in the game. The little fact about Darth Vader was that he has played sabacc on several occasions, both as a means of passing the time and as a way of gaining information or settling disputes for the Empire. Vader and Grand Admiral Thrawn played sabacc together while on a mission. The Sith Lord had also played sabacc with the ruthless gangster Prince Xizor to gain information about the location of Han Solo, as well as a group of smugglers in order to win a valuable piece of information about the Rebel Alliance.

Damning the stakes may be, but Vader knew the game from personal experience. The game required patience and calmness, thinking logically before throwing his hand down. He wanted the satisfaction of knowing that he'd trump on her parade fairly.

Unsurprisingly, the Hutt lost to Vader, causing her to roar like a demented animal, throwing her cards down onto the table in defeat, proclaiming sharply.

"You win, traveler."

Angry as she may be, Vader sensed no threat in her tone, for unlike Jabba who would have assured this would have devolved into chaos, Gardulla had some sort of twisted honor and will go out in stride.

That does not mean Vader wished to take a risk of grating on the Hutt's nerves, especially since her double-crossing him is still a possibility.

"Give him the slave chips and prepare a speeder from the garage." Gardulla said acidly to the sniveling worm beside her.

Her majordomo snapped to action and brought forth the transmitters for Shmi and Anakin's detonators to hand to Vader, and he gave a gratuitous farewell to the Hutt before exiting with both Skywalkers.

Shmi didn't know how she felt as she exited alongside Vader. Only seconds after, a realization dawned on them; Vader knew Huttese. She could just shrug up the fact that it was the native language of the Hutts and was the second most prevalent language in the galaxy after galactic basic. She could justify that by stating it served as the lingua franca for both Hutt space and most of the space surrounding the Hutts' territory. Because of the Hutts' commercial and criminal influence throughout the galaxy, Huttese was widespread. But there was a big question of... skepticism in the back of her mind...

"Well, that was easier than expected," Shmi said, rubbing the back of her head, hoping to find out more about his past.

After loading her and her son onto the speeder that Gardulla gifted them and driving off, Vader simply replied. "The Hutts short-sightedness will always be their weakness, no matter whom."

"Where are we going?" Shmi asked, frowning when she noticed that Vader was not heading back to Mos Espa, instead driving on the outskirts.

Vader continued focusing on driving, and she didn't see the smirk on his lips.

They arrived at the outside of a Homestead, and Vader stood, indicating that their ride was over as he grabbed the two transmitters.

Shmi ejected from the speeder with Anakin and entered slowly at his beckoning, shocked when she sees how big it was. To a traveler, it would be nothing special, yet to a slave who just seemed to have been free, it was luxurious and beyond anything that she could have imagined.

Doing a check, she saw that the Homestead had three bedrooms, as big as one another.

There was also a living room with what Shmi recognized as a Holo-film on the table across a couch.

Beyond the living room, there was a kitchen, one that had all the requirements necessary for a satisfying meal.

Vader motioned to the couch with his right hand. "Relax, Shmi."

Shmi knew he was right. Even though she was shocked, she had to pull herself together.

Vader stood across from her, looking at her and her son who struggled to wiggle out of her arms.

"First thing's first."

Vader punched in the command codes for both transmitters, an ever-relieving sound announcing their freedom. No one would be able to reuse the transmitters ever again once Vader is done with them. Had Shmi not been sitting down and holding Anakin, she may have given into emotion of relief and freedom. For now, she had to keep control of her son. He didn't trust that Gardulla or one of the foolish worms in her palace wouldn't get drunk enough to activate them.

In truth, he partly reminded her of Pi-Lippa. She was kind to her and taught her technical skills that helped her win favor with some of the masters that came. Though Pi-Lippa had planned to free Shmi, she'd died before she could, and Shmi instead became the property of a crueler master who was related to the woman, who did not want to free her. After that, she and Anakin were tossed around with masters until they were placed under the services of Gardulla who seemed just as bad if not outright even worse than all before.

"Let's talk about your son." Vader stated softly.

Not certain what to say to that, she rubbed her hands in the boy's sandy developing hair. The small boy looked up at her with a slight pouty stare, undoubtedly wanting to investigate his new surroundings.

Vader approached the two and softly waved his hand in front of the boy's face, making him giggle slightly at the alluring presence. "He is not like other children. Everything that they may take years to do would come faster for him. Had the Jedi found him, they would have taken him to their Temple and raised him, devoid of emotion and morphing him into someone who he will never be. Fortunately, while I was taught in their arts, I do not seek separation between you two."

Shmi's hands tightened up into fists. Devoid of emotion? If the Jedi found him, Anakin would never be allowed to feel emotion. He wouldn't even been given the chance to know her. The woman didn't know how to feel about that, but she knew that would still be preferable instead of allowing him to be enslaved by any random slaver and most of all the Hutts.

She always wanted to raise Anakin away from Tatooine or away from the slavery life at the very least, but she knew that was nothing but a fantasy...

"However, he must be trained in the Force, taught to harness his abilities-" Vader declared.

Shmi finally released her son who gone off to do his own observation of the place.

"Vader-" she choked back on the words, fearing his anger, "not now." She swallowed back a noise that sounded like a wounded animal. "We-I... We have just been freed. Let him choose when the time is right. I want to raise him like... a normal parent with their children."

Vader nodded, closing his eyes, and avoiding the stare that Shmi gave him. He hated that she fell into that old instinctive habit of appeasing him. He remembered living life as a Jedi Padawan, those days when he constantly feared Obi-Wan's anger. Although his Jedi Master didn't wear his emotions on his sleeve like Anakin did, there was times where the man was irritated to the point where the boy at the time feared he would have struck him. It had taken a long time for Anakin to stop fearing Obi-Wan's anger and realized that the man would never hurt him in the right mind...

No matter what, the Anakin Skywalker of this timeline would not end up the human disaster like Vader.

"Of course," he responded, understanding her reasoning. "I would only ask for you to help maintain chores around this Homestead and him to do so likewise, but that's it. You are not my slaves. Living beings can't be brought. You would never be enslaved again." He turned his back to her. "I have my own business to attend to in the time being. I encourage you to rest. Tomorrow, I will take both of you to town to get your slave transmitters removed."

Shmi nodded in understanding. Now that she was a freed woman and seemingly will never be enslaved again, she could get a feel for her new surroundings and perhaps raise Anakin the way he is meant to be raised. There was no doubt about it; she would still have to be careful on this planet, but Vader made it clear that he cares about them somewhat and was an honorable man.

Vader began to walk out of the Homestead, but he was halted when he felt something pulling onto his pant leg. His younger self looked up at him with baby blue eyes, and Shmi offered a small and tired chuckle as she bent down to grab him.

He reassured her quickly, "I'll take him with me. Relax yourself."

The woman nodded, and Vader walked out to the nearby speeder, securing him onto the passenger seat, before driving away from the Homestead.

Seeing that the child was unbothered, Vader's thoughts strayed yet again. Even though he had saved his mother this time around, he still remembered those many decades ago when he'd found her bonded, assaulted by the Tuskens in all forms. He remembered the day when he'd slipped into the Dark Side and did something irredeemable.

He may never forgive himself for what he had done like countless others, for he knew his mother wouldn't have wanted him to seek revenge. No matter how he'd tried, that was another deed that he couldn't justify.

It seemed like no matter where Vader went - in his lifetime as both Anakin Skywalker and Darth Vader - he'd always led back to Tatooine.

He felt the boy whimper, attracting Vader's attention, as the boy looked at him. He'd never received the chance to raise his own children at this age aside from Ahsoka and Galen, though Ahsoka was a teenager when he'd started her training and Galen was mainly training around Droids because Vader had to fulfill his duties to the Emperor.

Even so, while Ahsoka's teenager tantrums was normal, Anakin Skywalker did learn how to curb her behavior. And whenever Galen did get angry, Vader often encouraged him to feed onto the Dark Side and use that rage to make him stronger.

'Daddy, why are you upset?' He heard a voice and tilted his head to stare into Skywalker's big blue eyes. Force all, how was Skywalker unconsciously reaching out to him?

"Stop that," Vader snapped, continuing to focus on driving as he attempted to fight a spasm of guilt in his chest. "I'm not your father."

As a result of his coldness, the baby hiccupped slightly before tears started trailing down his eyes. Penitence resonated within Vader briefly, but annoyance soon resided in its place.

Vader wanted nothing more but to cover his ears, but he had to made sure he didn't crash, or else things would be even more complicated. Had the Force abandoned him just now to punish him even further? It was not like he hadn't been living twenty-three years in that confinement that kept his body intact!

Vader tightened his hands around the speeder controls in frustration and brought the speeder to a screeching stop, grabbing the boy and staring down at him, not tight enough to hurt him. If he continued to display such emotions, the Jedi or Sith could find them. The fact that the boy continued to reach out into the Force almost instinctively wasn't helping the stress on his shoulders.

And Vader didn't wish to jeopardize Shmi and made events far more complicated in this timeline because of the boy's impudence and resistance to him.

"You are not meant to be attached to me," Vader murmured under his breath as he gently tried to push little Force suggestions into the boy's mind to put him asleep, but try as he might the baby continued sobbing, almost as if resisting his probes. The last one who had been able to do such a thing was Galen when he'd completed his training and even so he'd struggled at the time.

'Father! Please!' Words said to him by Luke on the second Death Star, a desperate plea. Vader felt the insistent prodding of Anakin, his younger self wanting acceptance, wanting to make himself known. Even now, he was ever the fighter, a frustrating spitfire that even Luke possessed.

In only a few seconds, Vader had no choice but to accept defeat. He would not admit that. He would not lose control and allow his rage to consume him yet again.

Kark it, he had no choice...

Giving into the Force, Vader focused on his tentative and fragile subconscious, reaching back to him like Anakin instinctively did. He felt fear and worry for him but there was something more: his younger self wanted to help him. Unexpectedly, a warm sensation filled him, just like his last moments with Luke after killing the Emperor. That feeling of isolation and loneliness was filled by a void of... hope and love.

"You were worried about me," Vader said softly in realization, hand touching the boy's cheek and wiping a strand tear from the little one's eye. A brief hiccup made Vader wonder if that was the aftermath of his crying earlier or a confirmation. He was leaning to the latter...

Guilt took over yet again. He was being selfish. He'd allowed his younger self to detect those feelings of rage and anger, unintentionally took his wrath out on him in a moment of vexation. Anakin Skywalker was born in a dark galaxy, and the anger Vader reverberated must have reminded him of the people who often hurt his mother.

"I'm sorry, little one," Vader apologized, and he meant it as he held onto him, wanting the boy to feel nothing but contentment instead of the same darkness that he had been born to.

Vader sent soothing waves through the Force to the child, wiping away a strand hair. While there was still an occasional hiccup from the child, he could sense that the boy was no longer upset, instead outstretching his small fingers to his cheek.

'Daddy, can I be a Jedi.. just like you when I grow up?'

Vader fought against the pang in his chest again at being called "Daddy", a tight clenching sensation engulfing him in an instant as he envisioned Luke, Leia, Ahsoka, even Galen.

"Of course you can be a Jedi when you grow up..." something wet was in his throat, strong, clenching, "just like... daddy."

The baby cooed and pressed himself against his cloaked chest. That reminded him; he was going to need to make a quick stop at Mos Eisley to get baby supplies, as well as some decent clothing for the child.

But for now, Vader would soak in the innocent presence of Anakin Skywalker and hold him as long as he needed such comfort.

Arthur's note: If one can't tell, Vader is going to be Anakin's father figure in this fic. Anakin's two years old whereas Vader is twenty-three, a twenty-one year age gap which is perfect for that sort of role. Also, I believe that Obi-Wan had a more brotherly role to Anakin than a father figure, at least throughout the war as Anakin did see Obi-Wan as a father figure during that ten years age gap after TPM. Relationships do change over time. There was many complications with Obi-Wan and Anakin's relationship and Vader's older than both this time around so he would be serving as the parent Anakin needs in this fic(trilogy?).

That aside, I always imagine if Vader survived the second Death Star, he would have struggled with his past and the constant temptations of the Dark Side, along with the consequences of his crimes by being judged by the Rebellion, and being in the wrath of his justifiably unhappy daughter. I should do a fic one day about that but got to finish my current first. Lol

In Jedi Quest: The Shadow Trap, Gardulla is regarded as being dead and succeeded by her daughter Decca The Hutt. I am disregarding that because she appeared in The Clone Wars so she, Decca, and Gardulla Besadii The Younger (Gardulla's other daughter) died to Vader and Aphra in this.

The reason why Vader didn't tell Shmi about his future is because her mind is still wrapping around the fact that she's now freed along with her son. Things take time, and I doubt Vader wants for her to know everything. Rest assured, Shmi would not be kept out of the loop forever. That's all the spoilers I'm giving (I hope XD).

May the Force be with you all always.