((Hello everyone! I just saw Episode III and LOVED IT! I think it's the best one since the classics. Actually, I've seen the whole one once and the last part twice, due to coughcough ways I don't want to get anyone in trouble about, mainly my 4th block teacher who let a kid bring the download version to school. So, what was y'all's favorite scene in the movie? Mine would have to be the lightsaber fight on the planet (can't remember its name- Mustafo? I know it sounded oddly like Mufasa…) with volcanoes between Obi-Wan and Anakin. Wow, Obi-Wan is actually not misspelled on Word, so it's a word in Microsoft's dictionary…that's weird, but Jedi and Skywalker aren't Overall, the movie was great, but at some parts the actors were not that spectacular. For instance, Natalie Portman did not do a good job on some parts. "You're breaking my heart!" "I know… there's still… good in him…" or "Annie… I'm pregnant". And when Anakin turns into Darth: "NNOOOOOOOOOO!" Of course that may be the script, but…. Anywayz, I'm not here to give reviews, I'm here to give a fan fic! So, on with it!))

Disclaimer: Pretty obvious? I hope so…

Summary: What if Anakin never chose to go to the Dark Side? What would have happened in the events leading up to the demise of the Emperor? It's much better than it seems. SPOILER WARNING! Please R&R.

Chapter One:

A single form continued to pace around the circular room of the Jedi council, hands clasped behind his back. It was Anakin Skywalker, the dubbed "Chosen One". He continued to walk about the room, halting finally by the large window. Clear blue eyes gazed over the scene of the busy airways of Couresant, a deep look of worry and some confusion in them.

Suddenly, he jumped, worry becoming even more apparent. There was a disturbance in the Force, he could feel it. He pondered there for a few moments, then straightened, a look of determination upon features. He drew his cloak around him and strode from the room, coming into a jog as he neared the hanger. He leaped into a spacecraft and headed for the dome building in the distance.

He stopped the speeder and quickly dismounted, taking his lightsaber from his belt and running for the enormous doors that led to the Senate. With a wave of his hand he opened the double sliding doors of the elevator and ran inside, punching in the number of the top floor. He waited impatiently, and when the compartment finally stopped, he ran through the doors and into the Chancellor's office. He immediately halted when he saw the scene unfolding before him.

Mace Windu was towering above a cowering Palapatine, who was shooting Force rays that were like blue lightning from his hands at him. Mace deflected the rays back to the Chancellor with his purple lightsaber, straining to keep a hold on it. From afar Anakin could see Palapatine's face age dramatically, wrinkles becoming more defined and features becoming distorted. His eyes glowed with an unnaturally evil yellow that swayed Anakin somewhat. The chancellor sensed Anakin's presence in the room and shifted his gaze over to meet him.

"I was right Anakin!" he said, "The Jedi are taking over!"

Anakin could see that he was growing steadily weaker with the reflected Force. A sudden feeling of pity rose within him. The old man should not have to suffer. Anger rose towards Mace Windu and the pain he was causing this man, be he innocent or not. And he remembered the Chancellor telling him that he could find away to help Anakin rescue Padme. For the moment, Anakin did not care that he was being selfish, he was thinking of loved ones. That was another reason he wanted the Dark Lord alive. Mace could sense Anakin's misgivings and glanced his way, struggling against the Chancellor.

"Don't listen to him Anakin!" he yelled, slowly gaining the advantage on the weakening Sith Lord. Finally, Palapatine relented and sank back against the wall, breath becoming a rattle. Mace held his lightsaber threateningly above the now contorted man.

Anakin stepped forward.

"He shouldn't have to die!" he retorted, eyes kept upon the Chancellor, "It's not the Jedi way- bring him before the Republic and give him a fair trial." He knew he was being hypocritical, for he had killed Dooku without a second glance. But then someone had been urging him on, namely a Sith, so that was an excuse wasn't it?

"He controls the Senate and the courts," explained Mace Windu, glancing at Anakin, "he's to much of a threat to be kept alive."

"I…" groaned Palapatine, "I'm… to weak to be of threat. Please… mercy."

Mace did not listen, but raised his weapon higher, slowly bringing it above his head. With a flash he started to bring it down to the Sith Lord.

"No!" cried Anakin. He ignited his blue lightsaber and leaped forward, acting purely upon instinct and a driving force upon his mind. In a controlling way it propelled the Jedi forward. He took everything in as if it were slow motion, watching his body acting seemingly on its own without his consent. His hands slashed his lightsaber at Mace, severing his outstretched hand that contained the lightsaber.

He heard a cackle from the Chancellor and backed away in time to see him reach out with the blue lightning he had seen fly from Count Dooku's hands when he battled him. The Force rays electrocuted Mace, causing him to cry out in pain. The rays from Palapatine forced him over the windowsill and to his death below.

Anakin backed away, appalled at what he had done to help the Sith Lord. As he walked back, he felt the interruption in the force a sensitive Jedi always felt when a comrade died. Basically, he had killed Mace Windu. He sank into a chair, shaking and sweating. What had he done? Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Palapatine rise and start to walk towards him, a smirk placed upon features. He seemed almost giddy as he stepped slowly towards Anakin.

Even though this man promised a way to prevent death against loved ones, Anakin started to doubt. How could something like the Dark Side prevent death? He had never heard of a Sith Lord living longer than any normal Jedi- no accounts of immortality among the ones close to them either. And most lied on the Dark Side, so how could he really trust that Palapatine wanted to help him? So many of these thoughts clouded his mind, doubts against him. But the dream a few nights ago wavered in front of his eyes. But couldn't Jedi just have… dreams as well? They were completely human in a way, just had a closer contact with the Force. In all his pondering, Anakin hardly could hear the Chancellor start speaking.

"You have done well, my young Apprentice," he stated, standing above Anakin.

Apprentice? Thought Anakin, since when did I become his Apprentice? Immediately he thought of running, but that was not right, to cowardly. Right then he wanted to be as far from that place as possible. He could not fight him right then, for he was too shaken to give it his best. Should he go along with it, make the Sith Lord think he was obeying him?

His decision was made right then as Palapatine spoke again.

"Your transformation to the Dark Side is almost complete," he said. "Now, embrace this power."

Not really knowing what to do, Anakin kneeled before him, trying not to look the Chancellor in the eye. Conflicting feelings were filling the Jedi, making him uncertain. Definitions between the Dark and Light Side of the Force were clearly defined at the beginning of his training, but now, they were foggy- undefined. He wanted to help Padme, yes, that was the largest impression upon his heart, yet he also wanted to become a powerful and respected Jedi.

The more he thought about it, the more he became confused. One second he was leaning towards agreeing with Palapatine's wishes, the next he wanted to stay as far away from the Sith as possible. Yet, even with those wondering, even more questions started popping into his head. What if the Dark Side was not the only answer? It was never before, if the Archives were correct. They always fell in the classic 'good always triumphs'. Was that totally true? The more he pondered on it, Anakin could not conjure a moment when the Dark Side had proceeded onto greatness without a crushing downfall. It seemed a small voice was whispering this in his ear

The Sith Lord's influence was clouding his mind as Anakin delayed even further. He was clouding his contact with the Force. Whatever shred he could find, he hung onto it, not letting on that he was not going to succumb to Palapatine's influence. Images swam before his eyes- picturing what would happen if he followed his feelings; Padme looked desperate, dreading something- Obi-Wan would be disappointed in his Padawan, an adoptive son.

Once again, Anakin thought he heard a voice. He kept it in his mind, running it over and over again. It was someone- a part of the Force, practically screaming "No! Do not do this Anakin!" Immediately, his memory helped. Could it be? Qui-Gon? How would have the man who rescued him from Tatooine feel about his decision to join the Dark Side to save someone?

Finally, Anakin pictured his mother. The pride in her eyes when she passed away in his arms was something he always remembered. She was proud at his becoming a Jedi. What would she feel if she were alive now? Would he so readily agree to the Sith Lord's wishes to become an Apprentice if she were alive to advise him?

Anakin realized that he must have been pondering way too much, for Palapatine repeated his phrase again, a little louder this time. Anakin knew that he needed to respond in some way. Still trembling from shock and guilt, he raced through words in his mind that would convince the Chancellor that he was on his side. For now, it seemed that he was against joining the Dark Side, but what else could he do?

"Yes Master," was the only reply he could come up with. He said it in an emotionless voice for good measure, trying to steady himself.

"From now on you will be known as Darth...Vader," hissed the Sith.

Anakin made no reply.

"Rise," croaked Palapatine.

Slowly Anakin came to his feet, still not looking the Chancellor directly in the eye. He could still see the permanent smirk upon the Sith Lord's lips. Obviously he thought Anakin was speaking truthfully. All he had to do was not get nervous, for Palapatine would sense it- and that was increasingly getting harder to do.

"The Jedi are your enemies now, Darth Vader," explained the chancellor to Anakin, "We will be rid of them soon enough. For now, follow my orders."

Throat too tight to reply, Anakin nodded at his orders to await the command of "Order 66" and walked out of the room, speeding up as he exited the building. He mounted his speeder and headed off for Padme's apartment, the only place he could think of at the moment. He could hardly see anything in front of him, sweat causing his hair to cling to his forehead.

Besides the shock of the plans, Anakin could only think about what he had done. He had killed Mace Windu. That was the only thing he could think about. True, he had killed before, but those were raged induced and enemies, not close advisors and friends. He could still see the look of hurt and betrayal that was upon Mace's features as he fell to his death.

What was wrong with him? Before, he had been so sure of what to do, but now it was all swirling in the whirlpool that was his mind. Was this the result of letting feelings get in the way? Did he not say before that Jedi were encouraged to love? Three years seemed so distant.

He stopped at the apartment and got off the spacecraft, forgetting to return it to the Jedi Temple. Right now he did not feel like making contact with any more Jedi. Now, all he could think about was the guilt and Padme. Anakin wanted to see her again so bad; it was like an infection that would not go away. He took out a key from one of his pockets that went into an apartment. He glanced around and saw no lights on. Not wanting to disturb Padme, he silently unlocked the door and went inside.

He moved towards the stairs that led to their bedroom, but was stopped by a familiar beeping and whirring. A familiar blue and white droid rolled out, flashing its lights threateningly. Anakin was not disturbed- in fact he was glad that Artoo was doing his job of protecting Padme. The gold plated form of C-3P0 came rushing out of the kitchen towards R2-D2. By now, the small droid had stopped beeping threats and gave a tweet of greeting. C-3P0 nodded to the Jedi.

"Oh, Master Annie," said C-3P0, "pleasure to see you again."

Anakin nodded in reply. Seeing a light come on in Padme's bedroom, he moved around Threepio and into the living room, seeing a familiar figure come towards him. He smiled, relief coming to him from the events of before, though he realized that he was still trembling slightly and panting. He was still shaken from the events of before- and from having to reveal this to Padme, for he knew she was bound to notice something.

His eyes took in his wife, as if seeing her for the first time. In fact, it had been a little less than a month since they had last seen each other, but it felt like an eternity to Anakin. Her facial features were the same as always: sensitive and caring. Her brown eyes were deep and reflected her exact feelings at the moment. Right now they showed relief, love, and worry. Her hair was not done in a style, but let down casually for sleep, slightly tousled. It cascaded around her shoulders down to her waist. The only thing different than when Anakin first saw her years ago was that her stomach was larger from the growing pregnancy.

She sighed in relief and came towards him, throwing herself in his arms. He embraced her lightly, resting his head upon the crown of her head, breathing deeply and also trying to calm himself so he would not worry Padme. As she pressed against him, he felt a movement near his waist. He smiled, releasing her and backing up, laying a hand upon her rounded belly. A hard kick greeted him. He chuckled, relieved that for a while he would be distracted for some time. His hand remained there and another kick came- Padme jumped, giggling.

"He knows who his father is," said his wife, smiling.

"What do you want to name it?" he asked, not letting Padme ask how he had been.

"We've discussed this before," she said indignantly, putting her hands on her hips. "I want to name him Luke."

Anakin laughed again. "What makes you so sure it's a he? By how hard it kicks I'm sure it's a she."

Padme laughed. "I call it female intuition," she said with a twinkle in her eye, "But just to suit you, if it's a girl, what do you think about Leia?"

Anakin nodded, putting his hands up in a gesture of defeat. "Satisfied." He moved forward and embraced her once more, closing his eyes.

"Where were you for so long?" came Padme's voice, muffled by his shirt. "I thought that I saw you near the Jedi Temple earlier today."

Immediately, Anakin tensed, dreading to answer this question. His breathing became heavy once more, but he tried to calm himself to not reveal anything to Padme. He could not bear to tell her that he had actually killed someone, an ally, and had come very close to joining the Dark Side. He shifted uncomfortably, and she pulled away, looking at him. Anakin averted his gaze towards the window.

"What's wrong?" she asked, voice rising slightly.

"Nothing," said Anakin a little too quickly.

Padme reached up, cupping his chin in her hand and turning his head until he looked her fully in the eyes.

"What happened?"

Anakin was silent, wondering what to do, but realized that they had promised not to keep themselves wrapped up in a lie.

"Master Windu is dead," he informed her finally, a lump in his throat.

"Oh my goodness… how did it happen?"

Anakin winced inwardly. Unable to meet her gaze anymore, he parted, turning his back to her and walking towards the balcony, leaning against the railing, head in his hands. He heard Padme move beside him- felt her staring at him.

"Anakin?" she questioned, obviously worried.

"I technically…well… the Chancellor- I-killed him," he stuttered, feeling the tears that he had not shed since killing those Tuskan Raiders so long ago come upon him.

"What?"

"The Chancellor-"

"Wait- why do you keep talking about Palapatine?" she asked.

Anakin shook his head, then finally turned and looked at her. "He's Darth Sideous. The Sith Lord."

Padme still looked confused. "What do you mean 'I killed him'?"

Anakin backed away, going inside once more. He ran a hand nervously through his hair, trying to regain control over himself. He knew that he was probably scaring her.

"I thought he was going to help me," he finally told her. "I cut away Mace's lightsaber and that gave Palapatine the full advantage and he killed him. I finally realized he was truly…"

"Help you?" prompted Padme.

"Help me save you, protect you."

Her face showed that she was feeling slightly irritated at him. She shook her head, grasping his hand.

"Remember what I told you?" she asked, "My exact words were 'I will not die in childbirth.' And a promise is a promise Ani."

She leaned forward as he did, brushing her lips against his. He kissed her firmly, then parted, walking towards the entrance.

"We'll talk more about this tomorrow," she said.

"I need to contact Obi-Wan, " he said as R2-D2 rolled forwards. Artoo beeped in reply and raised his little satellite, contacting Kenobi. Anakin backed away so the droid could scan his image for the message hologram.

((A/N: Ok, I'm sorry that I can't remember the movie word for word, but I think I got some scenes pretty close. This is a slow opener, but it will develop with time. And yeah, pretty much he is not on the Dark Side anymore, but plots are swirling in my head. Ick, I do not like this chapter that much, I may rewrite it later. I included all the little fluff details for those who like that sort of thing. Who knows? The second chapter will pick up the pace a little bit.))

And as always:

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