Bringing Him Back to the Light

The Promise

Anakin

"Padmé!", Anakin screams out in desperation and pure utter terror.

"Luke? Leia? Ahsoka! Where are you?!", he frantically runs his fingers through his long curly hair, tugging harshly at the ends.

Anakin feels his heart pounding in his chest as he realizes his most dreaded nightmare has come to reality. This can't be happening.

He sprints around the house shouting the names of his loved ones, searches the gardens, forages the beach by the lake, but his family is no where to be found.

This can't be happening, he tries to convince himself, I'll find them. If it's the last thing I do I will find them.

He repeats this in his head as he continues to turn the property upside down searching high and low to find his wife, twins, and basically adopted daughter. His everything.

"Skywalker you fool", a cold eerie voice chants from a distance.

Anakin immediately ignites his lightsaber, anger and adrenaline instantly coursing through his veins, ready to fight for his life, his everything.

"Palpatine... show yourself you fucking coward!" he yells back in fury, trying to push back his strong emotions so he can focus purely on defeating his enemy and getting his family back.

"Ahhhhh such anger, such potential! You should have joined me while you had the chance young Skywalker", Palpatine's chilling voice echoes in Anakin's ear.

"I'll never join you!", he promises his opponent, but also to himself, "I will never make that mistake again! You manipulated me when I was in my most vulnerable state into thinking I could save the people I love while turning me against everyone important to me! You brought out the darkest parts of me to the point of being unrecognizable to my family! And for that I promise I will have my revenge" Anakin screams with intense passion, but mostly rage.

But you told Ahsoka that revenge is not the Jedi way... his subconscious reminds him as he cringes at the thought.

"Oh?", Palpatine says clearly unfazed, "I just have to wait a few more years, then I'll have my pick at your two children for my new apprentice", he sneers nastily, "in the mean time... how about I take your precious little padawan, Ahsoka Tano" he bitterly spits out".

"NEVER!" Anakin yells.

Suddenly Palpatine appeared out of the shadows and he wasn't alone.

Anakin met his wife's fearful eyes immediately and his face involuntarily softened at the sight of her for a split second, but returned to a stern expression of stone cold hatred and determination as he gathered the rest of the picture.

Palpatine pressing his blazing red lightsaber just inches from Padmé's throat.

A storm trooper clutching his sobbing babies who were attempting to reach their mother.

And two other troopers restraining Ahsoka with blasters to her temples as tears streamed down her cheeks.

Anakin analyzes the situation quickly as he strategizes in his head how he'll manage to get all four of them out alive, but not quick enough.