Live in the Present

Darth Vader watched as his master electrocuted his son, Luke Skywalker.

"Father, please!" Luke's voice called out. When Vader heard his son's pleading voice, something in him snapped.

He was wrong.

"No..." Vader said as he walked over to the Emperor, "NOOOO!"

He grasped Palpatine at the waist. The Emperor never stopped his force lightning, electrocuting Vader in the process.

Anakin chucked him over the edge of the reactor shaft as his skin was burning. It felt like Mustafar all over again.

Even though he was dying, he didn't feel miserable. If anything, he'd felt more alive than he had felt in his entire time of being Darth Vader.

His son supported him as they tried to make it to a shuttle before the Death Star II exploded. Anakin stumbled, falling to the ground.

Luke kneeled beside his father.

"Luke, help me take this mask off." Anakin spoke wearily to his son.

"But you'll die."

"Nothing can stop that now. Just for once, let me look on you with my own eyes."

Luke helped his father take off his mask and was met with an older man's face. His skin was pale in contrast to his dull blue eyes. His face was very disfigured, yet Luke still looked at him lovingly.

"Now… go, my son. Leave me." Anakin said, smiling as much as his face would allow.

Luke denied his father's offer. "No, you're coming with me. I won't leave you here. I've got to save you."

Anakin continued to smile. "You already have, Luke. You were right. You were right about me. Tell your sister… you were right."

Anakin slowly faded away into the force. He had been redeemed and lived up to the prophecy of the Chosen One, bringing balance to the force.

Once he entered the force, he was met by the face of his old master, Obi-Wan Kenobi, as well as Grand Master Yoda.

"Welcome, young Skywalker." Yoda said warmly. Anakin hadn't expected to be welcomed so easily. He had inflicted so much pain and death. He had been the reason for the fall of the Jedi Order.

There's so much he could've done to prevent all of this.

All Anakin could think about was what he could've done differently if he hadn't aligned himself with Darth Sidious. He would take it all back if he could. Maybe he could've saved Padmé.

He had just been a pawn in Palpatine's game of sabacc.

He looked at his surroundings and found himself on the Forest Moon of Endor along with his two companions, all sporting a translucent light blue color.

He saw his son leaning against a wall of sorts. He smiled at Luke, and Luke smiled back.

It was odd, because Anakin could actually smile fully. His face never allowed for such smiling in his helmet.

He then saw his daughter whom looked at him with wide eyes and a bright smile. Not for a moment did she look at him in fear, which was odd.

Anakin looked at his companions. They smiled at the twins and everything seemed to fade from view.

He looked at his hands. One was tan and veiny, the other a shiny metal. He was wearing his old customary Jedi robes. He lifted his hand to his head, which was full of his old long blond locks.

His appearance was from before he fell. If he never fell, everything would've been different.

No Empire, no Vader, no murdering of complete innocents. He brought balance to the force, but he could've done it a different way. Without having to abandon the Jedi lifestyle.

He was the chosen one after all.

Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Yoda spoke for a bit about everything. It was mostly Anakin talking about all of his mistakes though.

Obi-Wan and Yoda knew Anakin was seduced to the dark side by the thought of being able to save everyone he loves (though attachment was forbidden) from dying.

If he hadn't gone to the Emperor's aid that day, Padmé could've still been alive. Mace would've been alive as well.

Master Windu became one with the force when he died but could never forgive Anakin for his disobedience against the Jedi order.

Anakin really did mess up everybody's lives.

As if on cue, he was swept from his position besides his old master. He was thrown into a bright white light.

Anakin immediately closed his eyes, wincing at the light. The white light dulled into a tan colored glare.

He slowly opened his eyes. He was on the troop transport on Geonosis. Stood next to him was Padmé and Obi-Wan.

'What the hell?' Anakin thought. His mechanical hand was now flesh.

Padmé looked at Anakin's bewildered face. His eyes were wide, and his face had a look of confusion.

"Are you all right, Ani?" She asked, resting an arm on his bicep. His face automatically softened, looking at his wife.

Who wasn't his wife yet.

Was this a force vision of his past?

He knew the ship was going to shake and knock Padmé off of the ship. He took his newly flesh arm and grabbed onto her, right as the ship shook.

This felt all too real to just be a vision. Was he in the past?

Padmé grabbed onto Anakin's waist.

The ship landed. Obi-Wan and his Padawan ran into the cave-like structure Dooku went into.

He ignited his green lightsaber. It's been awhile since he had wielded anything other than red.

Anakin didn't say anything. He had remembered the events that occurred on this day - how many Jedi were injured by the Count.

"We'll take him together. You go in slowly on the left, I'll go right." Obi-Wan said.

Anakin was so used to following the Emperor's orders, he'd obliged. Obi-Wan was shocked to say the least as his padawan listened for once.

They flanked him slowly.

Dooku shot force lightning at the younger, but he absorbed it into his green lightsaber.

Obi-Wan had never taught him how to do that. It seemed like Anakin was just full of surprises.

While Dooku was preoccupied with Anakin, Obi-Wan took the chance to strike at the former Jedi.

The Count ceased the force lightning and unsheathed his curved red lightsaber.

Dooku and Obi-Wan engaged in combat. Their lightsabers clashing emitted a white light.

Anakin began throwing rocks at Dooku to catch him off guard. If there's anything he'd learned when he was Vader, it was the force was more powerful than a lightsaber.

Obi-Wan obviously wasn't beating Dooku, so Anakin decided to jump in and help.

Obi-Wan was flung off to the side, hitting a rock wall.

At this point, Anakin already had unsheathed his green saber. The adversaries were circling each other, waiting for who would strike first.

Anakin noticed the Makashi form Dooku had been using and decided to counter with Juyo. He was sure this body could handle the aggressive tactics of this form.

He had known this form was close to using the dark side of the force, yet he decided it was time to destroy Dooku.

The two moved in perfect synchrony as their blade strikes met.

Anakin got the upper hand on Dooku and disarmed his lightsaber. The sith lord looked at the padawan in awe.

He was just one upped by a child.

Obi-Wan saw the ordeal and was shocked at his younger half. 'Has he been studying other forms in his spare time?'

Anakin wasn't going to make the same mistake of beheading Dooku. He wanted to give Palpatine no satisfaction.

Instead, the Padawan and Master restrained him. They took him to the troop transport that had just landed, occupied by master Yoda and more clones.

"Do you mind helping us with this, Master Yoda?" Obi-Wan spoke to the small man.

"Seems like you don't need my help, it does."

They safely transported the sith lord to Coruscant. He would be held a trial for multiple counts of murder, attempted murder, treason against the Republic, and conspiracy with the Separatists.

"You put on quite a show back there, my young padawan." Obi-Wan said.

"I know, Master. It worked, didn't it?"

"When were you going to tell me you took up Juyo?"

"There are many things you don't know about me, Obi-Wan, and it's better to stay that way." Anakin replied, shrugging it off. He knew his master wouldn't stop asking him about it, but for now he could relax.

Or so he thought.

"Anakin! My boy! I heard you were successful in the capture of Count Dooku. Congratulations on a job well done." The sickly-sweet voice came from the one person Anakin absolutely loathed.

"Thank you, my mast-mister Palpatine." Anakin tried to play off his slip-up. The chancellor and Obi-Wan looked at Anakin strangely.

"I think it's time my Padawan and I got some rest. We have gone through a great ordeal in the past few days." Obi-Wan excused them. They headed back to their quarters.

"Now, do you want to tell me what that really was back there?"