Chapter Text
“You have unlocked the secret of the Temple,” Vader said. Underneath the mask, Anakin was slightly impressed. He, of course, knew the answer to the question he was going to ask, but asked it nonetheless. “How did you accomplish this?”
The teenager looked up at him, his eyes fierce. There was anger hidden there, Anakin knew. This child would have a long path ahead of him, but that inkling of pride persisted; for someone who’d only been but a Padawan when the Order crumbled, Caleb Dume had trained the kid quite well. Nevertheless, Anakin knew that the two of them still had a long way to go.
“You're smart, figure it out!” Ezra Bridger yelled in defiance.
Anakin decided then that it was equally probable that this kid would turn out to be a problem, but then again, he was simply a child, nothing Anakin couldn’t handle, especially if Ahsoka continued to keep a close eye on him and his half-trained teacher. Anakin felt quite bad for Caleb Dume. Depa Billaba’s trainee didn’t deserve this; he should have been given the opportunity to finish his learning. Ignoring the rising feelings of guilt, Anakin reminded himself for the thousandth time that he hadn’t had another choice and instead focused on the angry teen before him.
“No matter,” Vader replied. He needed to get those two out of here so that he could see Ahsoka and speak with her in private. The information he had… it could not be relayed even on the Rebellion’s most secure channels. Of course, he could have gone to Bail directly, but Sidious had sent him after his former Padawan before he’d gotten the chance.
He supposed a part of it was that he ached to see her again, ached to finally tell someone the secret that he’d been keeping for the last sixteen years. He needed someone to know, for he was so incredibly lonely.
As for Caleb and his charge, while Anakin knew that they were probably trustworthy, he couldn’t risk it. They never needed to know.
“The power within will soon serve the Empire,” Vader continued coldly, a fist closed around his lightsaber.
“I don't fear you!” Bridger stated, his eyes burning. Brave as he was, Anakin knew that Ezra in fact feared Vader a great deal, so much so that Anakin could almost taste it in the air.
He looked at the young boy sadly, knowing that what came next was needed to keep up the ruse. If it were Anakin the child was fighting, he would have been granted mercy, however Vader was not merciful, so with a sharp pang Anakin lit his lightsaber and narrowed his eyes as the blood-red blade sprung to life.
“Then you will die braver than most,” Vader said with finality, lunging at the boy.
Anakin would go easy on him, just enough to scare him, not enough to land the killing blow. There weren’t nearly enough Jedi left for that. The fight wore on, and Anakin could clearly see that the kid was already worn out while he himself was just getting started. He would have to tell Ahsoka to help them out, for the fact that they’d even lasted this long only equated to pure luck, as the boy was severely lacking in his techniques.
Vader stuck his blade out and swung it sharply, cutting the teen’s saber in half. A pity, but a necessary move. Anakin knew that he could simply make another one, for the crystal inside was still in one piece. Behind him, a presence made itself known. Underneath his mask, Anakin smiled, relief washing over him.
“Perhaps I was wrong,” Vader said, turning, his fist tight on the hilt of his blade. Anakin almost sobbed. She was standing right there, tall and brave, no fear in her achingly-familiar features. She’d grown immensely, he noticed. Her lekku were longer now, her face more mature, her stature equally so. Force, she was as tall as him now.
“It wouldn't be the first time,” she responded, her voice icy. Anakin’s smile turned sad as the reality of the situation sunk in, grief making its way up his throat, treacherous tears almost forming in his eyes.
“It was foretold that you would be here,” Vader called, and it was all Anakin could do to stop his voice from shaking, for his mind hurt as she stared him down. He couldn’t tell her, not yet. Anakin steeled himself, forced himself to hold on for just a little longer. Vader raised his head. “Our long-awaited meeting has come at last.”
“I'm glad I gave you something to look forward to,” Ahsoka shot back. Anakin resisted the urge to snort. Clearly, her snippiness remained intact, even after everything. He didn’t know what to make of that.
“We need not be adversaries,” he almost pleaded, the vocoder delivering his words as emotionless and condescending rather than what they really were. Anakin allowed himself to be thankful for the cursed thing before slipping back into the role of Vader. “The Emperor will show you mercy if you tell me where the remaining Jedi can be found.”
“There are no Jedi,” she seethed, her words delivering a sharp stab of pain to his heart. “You and your Inquisitors have seen to that.”
While what she said was true, that had never been his fault. He’d tried to save the majority of them, he really had. Ahsoka had to know that. She had to understand.
“Perhaps this child will confess what you will not,” Vader growled, turning back to the boy, forcing the darkness that shielded him to rise to the surface. The Force was an electric storm around him, churning with energy and unimaginable power. The boy, to his credit, was petrified. Sorry, kid, Anakin silently apologized.
“I was beginning to believe I knew who you were behind that mask, but it's impossible. My master could never be as vile as you,” Ahsoka said in response, her words once again delivering a heavy blow to Anakin’s chest. His smile was gone now, and his expression was one of incredible sorrow, though Ahsoka couldn't see it, not while he was still wearing the mask. Something began to prick at the corners of his eyes, but he shoved the feeling down. This would be over soon enough. He only needed to get the two others out of here.
“Anakin Skywalker was weak,” Vader taunted, facing Ahsoka once again and raising his saber, the blood-red glow forcing Anakin to continue. “I destroyed him.”
He couldn't stop now, he was in far too deep. His only hope was that Ahsoka would forgive him. He didn’t know if she would, or even if she should. Time had seen to the both of them.
“Then I will avenge his death,” she replied, her eyes a blazing inferno, fists tight at her sides, her aura almost ethereal in the purple light of the Temple.
“Revenge is not the Jedi way,” Anakin said, then, breaking out of role for just a moment, his voice filled with confusion. The vocoder, however, showed no such intonation.
“I am no Jedi,” Ahsoka growled, taking the two lightsabers from her hips and turning them on.
When the white light blazed to life, Anakin forced himself not to gasp out loud. They were absolutely breathtaking. Of course Ahsoka would carry silver blades. She’d never been a fully-fledged Knight, it only made sense that she had forged herself anew and stemmed away from the role that she’d never had the chance to live.
She lunged, and Anakin began the dance. It was like their old sparring sessions, except they weren’t Master and Padawan anymore, and as far as Ahsoka knew, they were on different sides of the war. Something pulled on Anakin’s heart as he feigned another angry blow. To him, this was a game. He was going easy on her, much like he had for the boy. He doubted that Ahsoka knew, as his guise had grown impenetrable over the years. He forced her away from the main platform to behind one of the corners. She fought with something new, a fierce glint in her eye, a spark of determination that he hadn’t seen before. Force, he was so proud of her. Anakin smiled again underneath the mask. She had grown well.
They neared the edge of the platform, blades clashing in a series of bright white sparks. Anakin knew that the ship was going to come for the others any minute now. He looked into her eyes for a moment and memorized the blue that he had begun to forget before suddenly extending his hands pushing with the Force. Ahsoka was caught unawares, and before she knew it her feet had been swept from beneath her and she was falling away from Vader and the Temple.
I’ll apologize for that later, Anakin promised himself with a slight wince as he watched her sail through the air. He didn’t linger, though, for he had a role to play. Promptly turning on his heel, he marched back the way he came into the main chamber, his dark cape billowing behind him.
When he arrived, the boy was helping his master to the ship, which was floating at the end of the platform, just as Anakin had predicted. Vader reached with his hand and with the Force, willing it to gently tug at the holocron before he put a little more into it and pulled, both the holocron and the boy slowly sliding towards him. He could hear their panicked voices, although their words were lost to the buffeting wind.
He felt Ahsoka before he saw her, but the Force told him to stay still, so he listened, armed with the knowledge of what would happen the second after. He heard her yell just as his eye was nearly scarred again by a bright white blade. Sinking to his knees, he gripped his own lightsaber, his organic hand fisted so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
Ahsoka stood some feet away, tall and still, an avenging angel. She watched as Vader knelt, ignoring Ezra and Kanan’s yells from behind her. It would all end here, one way or another. She would make sure that Anakin Skywalker hadn’t died for nothing. She couldn’t take it for what it really was, refused to accept that this is what had become of him. It was easier to pretend that he was dead. She watched as Vader lifted his head.
“Ahsoka,” he said, and then, she could see. The mask was cut, revealing Anakin’s face underneath. She didn’t pay much attention to anything but his eye. It was clear and blue and so Anakin that she nearly sobbed.
“I won't leave you,” she said suddenly, unbidden emotion rising along with her voice, her inhibitions gone to the wind at the sight of Anakin’s face. “Not this time.”
And then, as the walls to the Temple finally lowered and isolated them, Vader did something completely unexpected. He turned his lightsaber off and dropped it at his feet when he stood, his back straight, head held high. Next, he raised a hand and took off the helmet and the mask.
When Ahsoka could see his entire face, she could see that he was smiling, albeit sadly, his eyes filled with grief. But there was happiness there, too, the old spark that she had long thought gone.
“Good,” he said, and it was nothing like what she had expected. His voice was exactly like his, no menacing tone, no threats. It was Anakin’s voice. Strained and tired, yes, as if he too was holding back tears, trying hard to act like everything was okay, but it was his voice.
“I was beginning to think I’d never find you,” he continued, something akin to desperation echoing within his words. “Fulcrum, isn't it? We’ve got to talk.”
“Vader,” she snarled instead, the moment of clarity gone as she was snapped back into reality. He was only playing some game. Anakin was gone. She raised her sabers, her eyes cold again. “I will not be fooled by you.”
Vader simply rolled his eyes and sighed, his shoulders slumping. Ahsoka found it vaguely unsettling how similar he and Anakin were. He put a hand to his forehead, and Ahsoka saw that it was shaking. Still, her sabers stayed lit, her head a mess of emotions and the familiar want to simply believe him, but she couldn’t, not when she knew that he had betrayed the Jedi, not when she had seen the aftermath of Vader’s infamous rage; entire cities razed to the ground.
“Personally, I blame Bail and Yoda for making this ten times more difficult than it should be,” Vader replied lightly, the tone clearly forced. Then, he sobered, his already-sad smile saddening further. “But before I say anything else, Ahsoka, I just want you to know how very proud of you I am.”
Ahsoka, on her part, grew even more wary, but his words had peaked her interest.
“What do you know of Master Yoda?” She asked. There was something not unlike tears shining in his eyes.
“I promise I’ll tell you everything once we get out of here,” he said, picking up his lightsaber and clipping it to his belt with practiced ease, although Ahsoka could see that his hands were still shaking. “Trust me or not, your choice. Still, this Temple is falling apart, so for now we’re going to have to stick together.”
With that, he grinned again, but then his face was filled with sudden pain as a shockwave swept them both forward. The last thing Ahsoka knew were a pair of dark-clothed arms and a set of haunted blue eyes, and then… nothing.
She woke up coughing. There was rubble everywhere, the pale light of Malachor’s sun casting soft white light upon the rocks, but she didn’t seem to be seriously hurt. She stood, wincing slightly, and that was when she saw him.
Vader’s body was strewn across several large boulders, still passed out. He looked to be alright, but upon closer inspection, there was a nasty-looking gash on his temple from where he must have hit some of the wreckage. Ahsoka rushed over to him, suddenly, the Force screaming in her head, for right then he looked so much like Anakin that it hurt, and all her memories cried out all at once as she knelt beside him and placed a careful hand upon his chest.
His heart was beating steadily, although his breathing was a little shallow for her liking. She shook his shoulders, once, twice, and waited as his eyes fluttered open.
When they did, they fixated on her.
“Snips?” He questioned tentatively, his voice soft and vulnerable. She closed her eyes and fed into the game. She could pretend, if only for a little while. She knew what she had to do, for the Jedi Order, dead at Vader’s hands, for the good of the Rebellion. She would avenge Anakin Skywalker’s death. But first, she would give her grieving heart this one last kindness.
“Skyguy,” she breathed as a gentle hand wiped away a tear from her cheek.
“You’ve grown so much,” he said, his voice still quiet, tears leaking from his eyes as he lay there, the moisture making his skin shine in the hazy light. “I have a mission, Snips.
“What mission?” She asked, closing her eyes, expecting Vader to be back at any second, one hand already closing around one of her lightsabers.
“A mission… To save us all.”
And then, he felled his shields, and Ahsoka was submerged in an iridescent light, surrounding her and cradling her mind in its warmth, and then, she cried out, her eyes watering, for this was truly Anakin and not even Vader could feign something like this and—
Oh. Oh.
She looked at him, teary eyes wide, and he smiled through his sorrow.
“It was Master Yoda’s idea,” he said, confirming her realization, his voice still weak. “The Chancellor was the Sith Lord… but we found out too late.”
The world spun. They had orchestrated Vader. They had fooled even the Sith Lord himself. Anakin coughed, and Ahsoka’s hand leapt away from her blade as she forgot everything and quickly helped him sit.
There was a beat of silence in which their eyes met, blue to blue, and then Ahsoka couldn’t take it anymore. Finally falling apart, she threw her arms around him as a sob broke past her lips. She felt Anakin shake within her arms, his own, softer cries evident as he buried his face in her shoulder. They stayed like that for a while, simply holding onto each other, old friends finally reunited. She hadn't thought that she would ever get to see him again.
“What do you need me to do?” She asked him as she regretfully pulled away, wiping the wetness from her face with the heel of her hand. Anakin looked at her and then burst into a coughing fit, his eyes slamming shut as his chest shook.
“I need to get to Alderaan,” he rasped out once he’d gotten his coughing under control.
“We’ll have to rendezvous with the rest of the Ghost crew on the base at Atellon,” Ahsoka said in response. “Only after can we afford to get away.”
“Alright,” Anakin conceded, more easily than she had expected, a crease between his brows. It scared her, a little bit. The Anakin that she remembered had always been dead-set in the things he’d needed to do, confident. The Anakin before her, however, he seemed somewhat hollow.
“You’re hurt,” Ahsoka stated firmly, looking worriedly to the still-bleeding gash on his head. “We should get to a proper medical facility and get that wound looked at, you took the blast for me, how could you—“
“There’s no time, Ahsoka,” he replied, cutting her off, his bright blue eyes meeting hers. That was more like the Anakin she remembered. His eyes steeled before he spoke, his real hand grasping hers. Ahsoka found that she welcomed the warmth. “Long ago I made a promise to myself. I will always protect you, Ahsoka, even now.”
She knew then that there was no arguing with him, so instead she sighed. “The only ship I have if the one run by the Spectres, and as far as I know, you don’t want to drag them into this mess.”
“No, I don’t. But it’s the only chance I’ve got,” Anakin agreed, a fierce grin lighting up his features. Luckily for me, I’m still a pretty good Shadow.”
“You can’t be serious,” replied Ahsoka, eyes widenng. “There are Force-sensitives on that ship. Ezra and Kanan—“
“Are both hardly Padawans,” Anakin said, cutting her off. “Neither of them will be an issue, trust me. Does your comm still work?”
Sighing again, Ahsoka grudgingly agreed that it was the best plan they had. And, also grudgingly, she realized that Anakin was right. Ezra and Kanan, as good as they were, were nowhere near fully-fledged Jedi. Hell, even she was more advanced than the two of them combined. Anakin was right. They wouldn’t suspect a thing. Although, in close quarters… No, she couldn't afford to think like that.
Taking out her comm, she looked Anakin in the eye and nodded once before dialling the Phantom’s frequency. Luckily for her, Ezra picked up.
“Fulcrum?” He asked. “Is that you? Are you alright?”
“Yes, Ezra,” Ahsoka responded tiredly. “Yes, it’s me. I’m a little banged up, but I’ll live. Is Kanan there?”
“I’m here,” came Kanan’s gruff voice. “Vader?”
“Gone,” Ahsoka stated, her eyes glancing from the comlink towards Anakin’s direction, where he sat listening, eyes rapt with attention. “I don’t think he’s dead, but he won’t be a problem for quite some time. From what the Force is telling me, the blast seems to have weakened him, at least somewhat.”
Anakin rolled his eyes. Thanks, he mouthed at her, sarcasm evident. Ahsoka permitted herself a small grin in return.
“Alright,” replied Ezra after a brief pause. “Send your coordinates and we’ll come get you. Luckily, I’d convinced Kanan that you would be okay. He was all for hitting hyperspace as soon as we broke atmo.”
“Thank you, Ezra. And Kanan, both of you,” Ahsoka said. “Really. I’ll transmit the coordinates to you now.”
“See you soon, Fulcrum.”
With that, the line went dead. Ahsoka quickly input the coordinates and sent them along, knowing Ezra and Kanan were there on the other end. Then, she turned to Anakin. He looked dazed, and his face was suddenly very pale, the bright red of the head wound prominent against his bloodless pallor. He swayed, for a moment, and Ahsoka leapt towards him and put a steadying hand on his shoulder.
“Hey, Skyguy,” she said worriedly. “Hang in there. We have to get you on the ship.”
“Yes,” Anakin repeated faintly. “On the ship.”
“I’ll get your head looked at then, okay?” Ahsoka continued gently, her other arm finding Anakin’s second shoulder as she held him upright. “Just hold on, keep your strength.”
I can’t lose you again, she didn’t say.
Soon enough, she could begin to hear the whine of the Phantom’s engines in the distance. Anakin heard too, and after reaching to the Force for strength, some of the blood had thankfully returned to his face. His resolve hardened.
“Time to disappear,” he said, meeting Ahsoka’s eyes just as the Phantom came into view. And then, with one last look at the sky above, Anakin sunk into the Force and vanished from the world.
“Okay,” she whispered, a gentle smile upon her face. “May the Force be with us.”
And so, the dawn of a new day upon them, Ahsoka felt a little bit more hopeful.