Buffy 'Elisa' Kenobi- 41

Buffy 'Elisa' Kenobi- 41

Obi-Wan Kenobi- 55

Willow Amidala Kenobi- 14 ½

Obi-Wan Alexander 'Alex' Kenobi- 11 ½

Anakin Skywalker- 39

Padme Skywalker - 45

Luke Skywalker- 15

Leia Skywalker- 15

Buffy Skywalker- 11

-o-Demons Pt. 5-o-

"They said they would call with any news," Padme said as she slipped into the room with the adults. She sat down between Buffy and Anakin and took Anakin's hand. "They haven't had any word of someone trying to land without clearance."

"Of course, that's not to say they haven't landed," Buffy said and Padme nodded in agreement. "Palpy could easily 'sway' whoever he talked to into forgetting."

"Which only makes this all the harder," Obi-Wan said as he looked around him. They were all sitting in Shmi's living room, drinking tea and talking about their next move. Though, for the moment, they seemed to be at a bit of a stalemate.

"I hate just waiting for his move," Anakin said and everyone nodded again in agreement.

"How's your mom?" Buffy asked and Anakin shrugged lightly with a small smile on his face.

"Well, I don't think she likes being away from her home, but it's safest, for now." He ran his hands through his hair and looked around at the group. "If they somehow know we're here, if we just..." He trailed off and looked to the door to the room the kids were all sleeping in.

"If it's a trap it's better she and Cliegg aren't here," Buffy assured him, knowing why he didn't want to admit that possibility. Everyone looked up when Han walked into the room; he was holstering his blaster with a small smile on his face.

"No sign as of yet," he said and everyone nodded their heads.

"I'll take the next watch." Buffy's head shot up at Giles voice and she opened her mouth to argue.

'Elisa, he needs to help,' she looked over at Obi-Wan and took a deep breath as he stared back at her. 'He can take care of himself; you've told me many times what a fighter he is.'

'I know,' she agreed with some reluctance.

"Wake me when you're through, and I'll go next," she said instead of the protest she wanted to voice.

"Ok," Giles said, nodding his head as he rose. "See you all in the morning."

A round of 'good nights' went up as Giles walked up and out to the front door. Everyone sat for a long moment, wondering again what their next move should be. Buffy was the first to rise from her spot on the floor.

"We should get some sleep," she said and everyone began to stand. "We'll do a little digging in the morning."

-o-o-

Buffy shot out of bed in the middle of the night and looked around, her breath coming a little fast. There was no noise, nothing that might have woken her. She took a deep breath but remembered no bad dream that could have pulled her from a sound sleep. She looked at Obi-Wan next to her, but he was fast asleep as well. She took another deep breath to slow her breathing and closed her eyes and began to lie back down.

"Nooo!!" Buffy shot back up as the voice filled the entire house. Obi-Wan was up seconds later and they were both pulling on tunics as they rushed out of the room. Anakin and Padme along with Han came running out of their rooms too. Giles flew into the house at the noise and they all looked at one another.

"The kids," Buffy said and they all rushed into the kids' room. Everything looked fine, except that all the kids were gathered around a sobbing Mara.

"What happened?" Buffy asked as everyone crowded into the not so huge room.

"She just woke up screaming," Willow said, stepping back as Buffy stepped forward to sit next to Mara on the bed.

"Mara," Buffy said, gently reaching out to touch her arm. Mara flinched back and Buffy held her arm still. "Mara, it's just me."

"I won't do it!" she cried between her sobbing. "I won't, I won't!" She shook her head violently back and forth, her red hair flying about wildly.

"Mara, what's wrong?" Buffy asked, not liking the tone she was using now. "What happened?" After a few more seconds her sobbing quieted and Buffy squeezed her arm lightly.

"Master Kenobi?" she asked and Buffy was a little surprised by her formality.

"Yes Mara, it's me," she told her, nodding her head.

"I'm so sorry!" Mara cried, looking up to meet Buffy's eyes. "I knew it was wrong. I knew I couldn't trust her and I did it any way!" She lunged forward wrapping her arms around Buffy like a vice. "Now they'll throw me out of the order. I'm so sorry!"

"Mara, honey, you've gotta tell me what you're talking about," Buffy said, sharing a very worried glance with Obi-Wan then Padme. Mara took a shuddering breath as she sat back from Buffy, letting her go slowly. She looked up and met her eyes, but only for a second before her gaze dropped to her lap.

"You know the vision I showed you?" she asked, her voice low and filled with fear.

"Yes?" Buffy said, nodding her head, keeping her hand on Mara's arm.

"It wasn't the first I've ever had," Mara told her; her voice shook a little now. "I've...I've been having them since I was about nine," she said, finally bringing her eyes up to meet Buffy's again.

"Ok," Buffy said, trying to process this information. "And have they all been about Juno?" she asked after a second.

"Yes," Mara answered, nodding her head quickly. "At first...I didn't tell anyone. I thought..." Again she looked down at her hands, but Buffy had caught sight of shame in her eyes before she looked away. "I thought, if the council knew of the connection, however small, they might..."

"Remove you from the order?" Obi-Wan said, softly taking a step towards the bed.

"Yes," she said, her voice breaking as she started to sob again.

"You said 'at first' Mara, what happened? Who did you tell?" Buffy asked, keeping her voice low and level, even as the anxiety began to build in her chest. Buffy could feel all the eyes on them and wished she could be alone with Mara, make this easier on her, but now was not the time for comfort.

"After I got taken on as a Padawan...I had a bad...vision. She made me tell her when I woke up screaming. I..." Now she shook her head from side to side again, crying harder.

"What is it Mara, you can tell us," Buffy said, but Mara just continued to shake her head.

"You won't believe me," she sobbed.

"Mara," Mara's head shot up at Luke's voice. Buffy felt so bad for her in that moment. There was so much pain and hope mixed in her red rimmed, puffy eyes. Buffy moved slightly and released Mara's arm as her Padawan moved to the side of the bed. "You know you're safe here. You can tell them," he looked over his shoulder at the adults. "No one here is going to doubt you." He reached out and took her hand and squeezed it. Buffy watched as their eyes locked and something transpired between them.

"I don't trust her," she finally said after staring at Luke for a good minute. "But who am I to judge? A Padawan? What do I know?"

"Don't trust who Mara? Juno?" Buffy asked and Mara shook her head once.

"No, not her," she told them, taking a deep breath. "Sian Jeisel, my Master." Mara's eyes went from Luke's to Buffy's. "I don't trust her, and haven't...not since..."

"Since?" Anakin urged her on.

"Since she came back from her mission to Ruul," she told them and Buffy noticed her hand had begun to shake slightly in Luke's and wondered if Mara noticed. Buffy said the named a few times in her head, turning it over and over again in her mind. Why did it sound so familiar?

"Didn't she come up against Asajj Ventress on that mission?" Obi-Wan asked and Mara looked over to him.

"Yes," she said, nodding her head. "In her report it said she had to take down Master Rhad Tarn because he'd fallen to the dark side, but..."

"You don't think that's true?" Buffy asked and Mara nodded her head. "Why?" Mara shifted and looked over at Luke. "I'm not doubting you Mara, but I need to know why you feel this way."

"She was pleased," she said sighing, and Buffy could feel her doubt, even in herself. "Pleased when she found out about my dreams...or visions, whatever they are. She tried to hide it, but she was pleased. And she didn't want me to tell anyone else about it. I so badly wanted to..." She shook her head and met Buffy's eyes again. "I wanted to tell you," she said finally. "And when the visions turned from just snippets and blurry images to full life conversations she encouraged me to talk to Juno. I think she was helping Juno...somehow." Buffy nodded her head as she listened to Mara talk. She felt no deceit coming from Mara; she truly believed Master Jeisel had been turned.

"For a while now I've been letting her and Juno think they've got me...considering." Mara said after a long silence. "But now...Juno...she wants me to lead you into a trap."

"Are they here?" Padme asked in concern.

"They landed a little while ago," she told them, nodding. "But I didn't know till just now, I swear."

"Mara, no one here thinks you did anything to hurt us," Obi-Wan told her, looking her in the eyes. "Ok?"

"Alright," Mara said, nodding her head slowly. "What...what do we do now?"

"Now, we come up with a plan," Buffy said, taking a deep breath.

-o-o-

As plans went it wasn't very complex. Mostly it boiled down to 'find Palpy and Juno and stop them from unleashing whatever insidious plan they had.' It took them the rest of the night and into the morning just to find out that Palpy and Juno landed separately and were probably meeting somewhere. They had no idea how to figure out where the meet was, or who else might be with them. Buffy knew that Palpy wouldn't be stupid enough to meet with Juno alone, super demon power or no. Suddenly she wondered who was in charge of the body.

"Giles?" she asked, looking up from a map of the outlands on Tatooine.

"Yes?" he asked, smiling at her and she had a bit of a flash back moment. Suddenly it felt as though they were back in the library and any moment Cordelia was going to come slamming through the doors complaining about something. She blinked and the library was gone again, leaving them sitting at Shmi's kitchen table, maps spread out in front of them. "Buffy?"

"Sorry," she said, smiling a little. She smirked when Willow and Mara looked up from their maps at the other table to listen "Just...got lost there for a second."

"Right," he said, smirking at her as he nodded his head. "You had a question?"

"Right," she said, nodding her head. "Who do you think is in charge?" He looked a little confused and Buffy smiled. "Palpy or the Eyghon demon?"

"Oh, right," Giles said, nodding in understanding. "Well, the demon is not going to give over control easily. And since all Palpatine's knowledge and skills are accessible to the demon, I'd say demon."

"Will it eventually deteriorate like it did with the dead body of your friend?" she asked and laughed at the look on Willow's face.

"No, I don't think so," Giles said, shaking his head as he leaned back in his chair. "That happened because the body could no longer contain the power of the demon but-"

"Palpy's body is used to a lot of power," Buffy finished and Giles nodded his head.

"Plus, when the body is not fighting hard for control, the demon doesn't have to use as much power, and thus the body stays intact for a long while," Giles added and Buffy nodded her head.

"And it wouldn't surprise me if the demon made some kind of a deal with Palpy," Buffy added and Giles nodded his head too. Buffy went back to her map, as did Giles and the girls shared a look before going back to their maps as well.

"I found it!" Mara called out a short while later. "This is it; this is where they're meeting," she said, pointing at a spot. Buffy was a little surprised, no one was supposed to 'find it' they were just looking for potential spots.

"How?" Buffy asked as she and Giles got up and moved in behind her.

"I don't..." She trailed off, her excitement dying down a bit. "I just...do?" she said, looking at the spot on the map. "I can see them there...in my mind. I see them there." Buffy nodded her head and looked over Mara's head and shared a concerned look with Giles.

-o-o-

"Mara is sure this is the spot," Buffy said, pointing out the spot to everyone around the table. "I don't doubt her; in fact I'm sure she's right." Buffy looked around the table at all the adults but it was Luke who spoke up first.

"You think it's a trap Master?" he asked, looking at her. She held his eyes for a moment, proud of him for seeing it too.

"Yes, I do," she told him, nodding once. "A memory planted somehow in Mara's mind during one of her visions," Buffy said and Mara sighed and hung her head. "This is in no way your fault Mara," Buffy told her, reaching over to touch her arm. Mara looked up and met Buffy's eyes and held them for a moment.

"I'm sorry Master Kenobi," she told her, finally nodding her head. "I think I'm just...feeling sorry for myself. And that's not going to get me anywhere. Sorry," she said again and Buffy smiled at her then nodded her head.

"I don't suppose you know how many of them there are?" Buffy asked Mara, only half joking. Mara smiled and shook her head.

"No, sorry," she said again and Buffy nodded.

"Ah well, it's not like we've never gone into a fight blind," she said, shrugging her shoulders. Though, this was the first time she was taking the kids. The idea of that made her want to cringe, but she just kept on smiling.

"These hills here would work for sneaking up on them," Han said, pointing out the few hills that surrounded the area Mara had circled in red.

"I think a real sneak attack is out of the question," Obi-Wan said, shaking his head. "No matter what, they know we're coming."

"That's true," Anakin said, nodding his head. "But they don't know we've figured it out. They don't know we know they know."

"And anyone else suddenly just get a headache?" Buffy asked, raising her hand a little. Padme and Obi-Wan raised their hands too while the teens just rolled their eyes.

"That makes sense, Dad...I mean Master Skywalker," Luke said, nodding his head. Anakin smirked at Luke's slip up but nodded his head for Luke to continue. "If we play it right, and let them think they've surprised us, we'll have the upper hand the whole time."

-o-o-

"Everyone keep your eyes open," Buffy said as they all got out of the two landspeeders. "Be mindful of what's going on," she said, looking back at Luke. She knew just how dangerous this situation was, but she wasn't going to do him any good if she didn't also use this as a bit of a teaching tool as well.

"Deep breath, Willow," Anakin said, looking down at a very nervous Willow. "Master Kenobi is correct. Be mindful of your surroundings."

"Yes Master," Willow said, nodding her head. Giles looked between the two adults and wondered just how much was it killing Buffy and Anakin, to not be protecting their children themselves?

"We've got movement to the west," Giles said, just loud enough for Buffy to hear him. She looked back to him and nodded her head. They were walking into a trap, Buffy hated doing that, especially when she knew it was a trap. Though it was a little more embarrassing when she didn't know it was a trap.

"On our right," Anakin said and Buffy looked to her right. She was only picking up on five other force signatures, so if there were more than five, they weren't Sith, or dark Jedi.

"There's two out in front too," Leia whispered as they all kept walking like they hadn't noticed anything yet.

"They're surrounding us," Padme said and Buffy nodded her agreement. She wasn't overly worried, yet.

"Two more to the east," Obi-Wan said.

"That makes six so far," Mara said and everyone nodded their heads. Buffy looked around the group of nine, her family. She sent a silent prayer up to the force and who ever else might be listening 'Please keep them all safe, and alive,' she whispered in her mind.

"Why aren't they making a move yet?" Han asked and Buffy could see he was itching for a fight, his hand resting on his blaster. That was so like him, he would have gotten along so well with Faith.

"Lulling us into a false security," Leia answered back, a small smirk on her face. Buffy wondered if anyone else heard the sarcasm in her tone, something she surely got from Anakin.

"Thanks Princess," Han drawled, rolling his eyes at her, his new nickname for her, he loved it and Leia wanted to wring his neck every time he said it. She glared back for a moment then her lightsaber flashed on and she was blocking a blaster hit.

"That enough of a 'move' for you?" she hollered as blaster fire began to rain down on them. Buffy looked around and found that everyone who couldn't block had a Jedi shield. Leia had placed herself in front of Han; keeping out of his way so he could fire back as had Willow with Padme and Anakin with Giles. It was amazing how no one had talked this over; she, and none of them, had really thought about that problem, but they solved it without any words at all.

It was too easy and Buffy knew this was only the first wave. She blocked blast after blast till she was almost bored with it. She held back the snicker when all the firing from above ceased and the bounty hunters disappeared from the hill tops. She hated big entrances, and Palpy was most definitely a 'big entrance' kind of demon.

"Well now," a most unpleasant voice said and Buffy watched as the three blaster welding people in their group volleyed a stream of fire at him. Of course none of it hit him, or his entourage behind him. Of the five, Buffy recognized three of them. They all had a lightsaber at their side and a force signature, 'so dark Jedi then' Buffy decided, nodding her head.

"Fancy meeting you here," Buffy said, lowering her lightsaber a little. "Come for a tan did you?" He just glared at her and Buffy snickered.

"As you can see you are greatly outnumbered," Juno said, stepping forward. Buffy could see her eyes seeking out and finding Mara among the group. "Mara sweetie, nice to see you again." Mara just glared at her and took a step forward, but stopped when Luke laid a hand on her arm. "No hug for your mom?" Juno asked and Mara just glared at her.

"Yeah sure," Mara finally said after a moment. "When I get home to Alderaan, I'll give her one." Juno glared at her and raised her lightsaber slightly. Palpatine blocked another few shots and Buffy turned and rolled her eyes at Han.

"Enough," Palpatine said, shaking his head and holding up his hand. Suddenly Buffy felt as though they were all in a scene from West Side Story, only in space. She smiled when she realized the reference would be lost on anyone but Giles. "You cannot believe you can leave here alive?" he asked and Buffy could see the demon, it was beginning to manifest in and around Palpatine's eyes.

'Killing him is the only way.' Buffy looked sideways with her eyes at Obi-Wan but realized the voice wasn't coming from him. She almost laughed out loud when she realized who it was. 'One of us needs to get close enough to take off his head.' Buffy nodded her head once, and then glanced a little farther back at Giles.

'Right," Buffy sent back. 'So, you still all tuned in, huh? Willow never turned this off?'

'No,' he said and Buffy could hear the smirk in his voice in her head. It was a little weird to have any one but Obi-Wan in her head; every once and a while there was Anakin, and she was working on it with Luke, though he was slow at picking it up. 'Any sign of the bounty hunters?'

"Yes, in fact I know we will," Buffy said, glaring at Palpatine. 'No, they quite literally, disappeared.'

'The tractor beam technology?' Obi-Wan asked and Buffy rolled her eyes. There was a time Buffy could remember, once a very long time ago, when the only voice in her head was hers.

'Must be,' she said, tuning the voice so it only went to those she wanted it to.

"A little arrogant, don't you think?" Palpatine asked and Buffy shrugged her shoulders, still smiling.

'Be on the look out for it then. We don't want any surprises,' Buffy sent out and got a loud affirmative from everyone who could talk without talking.

"No," Buffy said, shaking her head. "We're just that good," she told him, wondering just what he was planning. She didn't have to wait long to find out. It seemed like she blinked and he was gone.

"Han!" Buffy screamed a second before Palpatine popped back into life behind him. But it was too late, Buffy watched in horror as the tip of a red lightsaber stuck out from Han's chest. "No!" she screamed as she watched a laughing Palpatine pull the blade from the middle of Han's chest. Everything seemed to slow around her as Han stood there, eyes locked with Buffy. She watched as his blaster slipped from his fingers and hit the ground with a thud. He blinked once and his hand came up to cover the wound then he stepped forward, and collapsed to his knees before he fell face first, into the sand.

"Elisa!" Buffy turned and blocked as a lightsaber came down on her. It was pure instinct as she fought, trying to make her way to Han. It didn't take her long to dispatch the dark Jedi she was fighting. She turned to make her way to Han and came face to face with Juno. She again brought up her lightsaber to block a swipe from Juno's red lightsaber.

"Not so cocky now, are we?" Juno mocked as they fought. Buffy tried to keep her head in the fight, deep down she knew there was nothing she could do for Han, not now. "You took my child from me, it's only right."

"You." Buffy said, swinging down and nicking Juno's shoulder. "Are. Such. A. Typical. Bad guy." She punctuated each word with a hard blow from the lightsaber. She could hear the fighting going on around her and wished she knew how everyone else was doing.

-o-

Padme watched in horror as Han fell to the ground, a cloud of dust going up around her. Voices cried out from all around her, but the one she heard the loudest came from her daughter. Padme shot at the bounty hunters that had reappeared out of nowhere. She made her way towards Leia, who had given up trying to block the blasts in order to get to Han's lifeless body. She shot and hit two bounty hunters on the hill then made it to Han at the same time as Leia.

"I can do this Mom," Leia said, looking up at her mom. Padme knew what it could do to a healer to bring someone back when they were so close to the brink. But she also knew Leia would never forgive herself if she didn't try. Padme nodded her head and gently Leia rolled Han over onto his back.

"Please be careful," Padme said before she turned back to firing at any one who dared take a shot at Leia.

-o-

Mara hardly had a chance to be shocked by Han's fall because almost at once she was being attacked. And it wasn't just a faceless nameless dark Jedi either. Mara, though a very good Padawan, wasn't as good as her Master.

"You still haven't taken everything I've taught you to heart," Sian Jeisel sneered as Mara fought with her. Mara was holding her off, but only just.

"Anger," Mara sneered right back. "Is only a gateway to the dark side," she told her, glaring at her. "I've no desire to join your path, or Juno's."

"Uh-uh-uh," Sian said, shaking her head, pulling another lightsaber from her robes and blocking as Luke struck from behind her. "Nice try," she told him, her tone sarcastic. "You don't sneak up on a Jedi, or at least..." She sneered at them again as she fought them both. "Not a good one."

"Well then," Luke said as he blocked and Mara attacked. "You can see why I might think it would be easy with you."

"Oh...funny," Sian told him snidely. "You must get that from your Master."

-o-

"How you doing over there Willow?" Giles called as he shot at a bounty hunter, his back to Willow's back. She was fighting with the last dark Jedi, someone she was almost sure she recognized, but didn't know from where. She traded blows with the, as of yet, unnamed dark Jedi. She kind of recognized the fighting style of the young man. As she fought she decided he couldn't be much older than her. And finally it hit her, just where she knew him from. The knowledge made her pause for the briefest of moments and he took advantage, slicing into her leg. The pain was unlike anything she'd ever felt before, but, it seemed to pass quickly. She stumbled back a step and hit Giles.

"Doin' fine Giles," she called back, keeping the pain in the very back of her mind. "Aim's still just a little off there, isn't it Martyne?" He seemed a little taken aback at being recognized. "I'll admit though," Willow said, slamming her lightsaber down, crashing with his. "The tattoos threw me a little."

"I don't go by that name any longer." Martyne told her and she rolled her eyes.

"Well then." It almost felt like she was sparring back at the Temple. Even though she had not seen him in over six years, and he had changed a lot in that time, it was easy to get back into their old rhythm. "What do I call you now?"

"I go by Sathin," he told her, fighting a little harder now. It had been six years ago that he had disappeared from the Temple grounds, without a trace. His Master at the time had been devastated and had not taken on a new Padawan, not until Mara.

"Sian kidnapped you?" she asked and he swung down low and growled at her.

"Master Sian showed me the light," he told her and Willow laughed.

"Right, the light, what was I thinking?" she asked as she fought harder to match him. "I really don't want to hurt you Martyne," she said then took a swipe at his arm, nicking his shoulder. "But I will not let you destroy any more life here."

"Well then," he sneered back at her. "We shall see, which path is the correct path."

-o-

Obi-Wan and Anakin fought hard, and without words. Neither spoke nor did Palpatine as they traded blows. It was all a blur of blue and red lights, clashing off one another. Of course though there were no words being spoken, much was being said.

'We could be at this for hours,' Anakin told Obi-Wan and they both jumped and flipped over Palpatine at the same moment. He blocked them both easily as they came at him from the other side.

'I have an idea,' Obi-Wan told him. It was simple, but really, sometimes, simple was the very best plan. They both wished they could see and hear better what was happening with everyone else. But to take your eyes off Palpatine, even for a second, was death in an instant. Again they jumped over Palpatine, blocking his blows from the air as they went and again he blocked them easily as they attacked from the other side.

-o-

"Looks like your precious little Padawan is out of the game I'm afraid." Buffy so badly wanted to know what was going on, but she dared not rise to the bait. "And your daughter is sorely lacking in...well, everything really. Who are you letting teach her?" Juno mocked as Buffy traded blows with her. One strike after another, a blur of pink and red, both fighting as hard as the other. Buffy could feel in the force that, whatever had happened to Luke, he was fine. As was everyone else that she could feel. She took a deep breath but did not let the crushing pain of losing Han affect her; there would be time enough for that later.

"You know, all your talking isn't going to cover for your lack of fighting skill," Buffy taunted her seconds before she caught her in the leg. Juno swore at her in a language Buffy did not recognize, but Buffy could tell it was not nice. And again, just like that, she was gone. "I hate it when they do that," she growled as she took a deep breath and tried to figure out where Juno was going to pop back.

'Behind you.' Buffy wasn't sure who the voice belonged to in all the chaos but she turned just in time to block Juno's attack. "In the back Juno?" Buffy mocked as she blocked again then attacked. "I haven't made you angry, have I?" she asked, smirking at her. It didn't take Buffy long to realize the noise level around her was dropping, she could only hope that was a good sign.

-o-

"I think he's breathing," Leia said, looking up at her mom. "He's got..." Her eyes fluttered a little. "He's got a pulse." She swayed where she was sitting on her knees. "I did...it...mom," she said before she passed out, falling down across Han's chest.

-o-

Mara screamed out as Luke's body went flying across the desert, slamming into the side of a hill and landing in a heap in the sand. Mara turned back and began to attack anew. Sian just laughed as she blocked every move Mara made.

"You feel that?" Sian asked as Mara pushed forward, making Sian move back with each blow. "That's anger, that's gut wrenching black as coal, anger." Mara listened as Sian talked and finally understood what she was trying to do to her. "That's what you're going to need to beat me," Sian told her and suddenly Mara stopped and jumped back and away.

"No," she said, shaking her head. "I don't." Sian was confused then she felt a blinding pain as something struck her from behind. It only took a second, and she was out cold, lying in the sand. Luke was standing there, his broken lightsaber in his one hand, the tip slightly bloody from whacking it into Sian's head.

"Told you I could sneak up on you," he told her, falling to his knees while Mara rushed over to him. She noticed the firing from the hills had stopped and wondered if Giles and Padme had gotten all the bounty hunters.

"You ok?" she asked and he laughed, feeling a little woozy.

"I always did say I wanted to be just like Master Kenobi," he told her as spots filled his vision and he held out the stump that used to have his hand on it.

"Don't you think this is taking it a bit far?" Mara asked, shaking her head. He only got half a nod in before he fell over in a heap, his head landing in her lap.

-o-

Willow looked down at the unconscious body of Martyne and shook her head. She hated that Sian had turned her once upon a time friend into this mess. She looked up at Giles and smiled wanly at him. He smiled back and put his hand on her shoulder. "I almost had him you know," she said and Giles nodded his head. "You didn't have to shoot him," she added and in the moment he was so strongly reminded of Buffy he laughed.

-o-

'This time?' Anakin asked as they fought steadily with Palpatine. They had jumped over him over and over; the demon and the man never tired, but that was to be expected.

'Yes,' Obi-Wan told him as he blocked a blow. 'On three,'

'One,'

'Two,'

'Three' they both thought at the same time, as Anakin jumped, leaving Obi-Wan behind this time. It was only a second that Palpatine was confused, but it was just enough time. Obi-Wan sliced out and through skin and bone with a sizzling sound. Palpatine's body crumpled to the ground and his head rolled a little before coming to a stop.

-o-

"Well," Juno said, shaking her head as she felt Palpatine die. "It was good while it lasted," she said, smirking at Buffy. "I'll be seeing you," she said and Buffy cried out in frustration when Juno disappeared from sight. She didn't think she was coming back this time. Buffy looked around and could see that everyone had come out of this for the better. Well... she hung her head and took a deep breath, holding back the tears.

"Mom!" She looked up as Willow came running at her, a huge smile on her face, with Giles just a ways behind her. "Look!" Willow called half way to her, pointing behind Buffy. Buffy turned and the sight took her breath away. Han was sitting up next to Padme, his head in his hand. Willow reached Buffy just as Buffy took off running.

"Han!" she cried when she was closer. He looked up and tried to smile, but it came off as a bit of a grimace. "Oh thank the force!" Buffy said when she dropped to her knees in front of him, reaching out and checking him over. "How?" she asked, looking to Padme. It was then that she noticed Leia lying in her arms, a soft smile on her face. Buffy could see she was breathing and so she looked back at Padme.

"Leia saved my life," Han said, looking too at Leia. Buffy reached out and touched the girl's arm.

"It seems then, I own both my sons to you," she whispered softly to the unconscious girl in her mom's arms. "I'm forever grateful."

"Me too," Willow said, sitting down next to Han. "Life would be so dull without you," she said, smiling up at Han. Buffy could feel Obi-Wan and Anakin as they approached the group.

"Thanks short stuff," Han said, ruffling Willow's hair a bit.

"Luke," Buffy said, turning before anyone else saw him and Mara coming. "What happened?"

"She got the upper hand?" Luke joked poorly, swallowing hard. Buffy shook her head as she stood and moved over to Luke. It was bad; his whole hand was cut off from the wrist up, almost exactly like her.

"How you doin' Solo?" Luke asked and Han smiled up at him.

"Better than you it would seem," Han told him and Luke rolled his eyes.

"It doesn't even hurt any more," Luke told Padme as tears filled her eyes. "I'm ok mom, really." Padme nodded her head; she knew it could have been a lot worse.

"I know," Padme said, nodding her head.

"I think you take wanting to be just like Elisa a little far, don't you?" Anakin asked, looking down at his son.

"That's what I said," Mara said, smiling at Anakin, sharing in the joke.

"Are we all safe for travel, do you think?" Buffy asked, looking at Padme. Padme nodded her head and Anakin moved over and scooped Leia out of her arms.

"I think we're all ready," Padme said, standing up; she stayed right next to Anakin as he carried their daughter. Obi-Wan helped Han to his feet, and Han leaned on him a bit.

"Not even going to have a scar," Han said and Buffy wasn't all that shocked at the regret in his voice. The three teens walked ahead of the group, telling each other about their separate battles.

"We'll bring the landspeeder around for those two," Obi-Wan said, pointing out the two different unconscious bodies lying out in the sand. "And we should call the council; they'll want...his body," Obi-Wan said and Buffy nodded her head as he walked towards the speeders with Han.

"Juno is still out there," Buffy said to Giles when they started walking. "I really don't like that."

"Let's just chalk this up to a victory, shall we?" Giles asked and Buffy nodded her head, sighing.

"Alright," she told him, leaning on his shoulder when he put his arm around her shoulders. "I wonder what Alex is up to?" she said and Giles smirked; knowing her, and therefore her son, he was sure he was up to no good.

A/N- Ha! Within the week! That has got to be a record for me and updating, yeah? I hope you all like the fighting and understand that each person's own little fight is all happening at the same time. :-) So, reviews are great, fantastic in fact, so, go...Review!