Fading

Chapter 1 - Into the Past

"I accept," Obi-Wan replies, "But I have questions. What time am I going back to?"

"As I said, right before everything fell apart."

Right before? He doesn't know what that means. "What do you mean 'third chance'?" he asks, thinking back to the beginning of the conversation.

"I cannot tell you what choices you need to make or what to change," Qui-Gon replies as though that answers anything. Why did he expect anything clearer? "You must leave now."

Obi-Wan doesn't have the chance to reply before he feels the Force surging around him. He's never felt a disturbance of this magnitude, and before he can prepare himself for what's to come, nothingness whites out his vision.

***

For a moment, Obi-Wan's only thought is that he's dreaming, because the Force is teaming with such light and life, like he's never felt in so many years. He opens his eyes, to find himself in a mediative position on the floor of his room at the Jedi Temple.

A room that he hasn't seen in so many years, he's forgotten the small details of what it looked like, even if he could never actually forget it, seeing that he spent so many years here. Not that he cares for those little details right now. He's – he's really in the past.

The Force is still dark, but it's nothing like before. He can feel the light all around him, as he once did when the Jedi were still there.

Because they are still here now.

But what shines out most of all is the most brilliantly pulsing bond he's had with anyone, long gone for years as he agonized over it every day. It's –

Obi-Wan reaches out with the Force, almost desperately touching Anakin's presence. He hasn't felt him like this, so light, since – since –

And now Anakin is here and alive because he's back in the past where none of this happened, and –

That's all it takes for the reality of the situation to crash down on him again. This is right before everything fell apart. He doesn't know when exactly, but it's... He doesn't know when Anakin started working for Palpatine. (He doesn't know when Vader was... created.)

All he wants is to go see Anakin again, but suddenly a part of him is... Uncertain. Wary.

He's longed for Anakin every day for years, and to see him again, only to lose him again would be... He couldn't go through that a second time, he knows already. He couldn't kill Vader twice, and he knows he never could this time either if he had to. Now would be even worse, after seeing Anakin's face again.

Because he is going to see him again.

Unless it's not too late to save him. Obi-Wan really wants to believe that, but he doesn't dare get his hopes too high. Not after everything that just happened.

He will talk to Anakin again, but not tonight. He's probably with Senator Amidala, anyway. She's alive too, he realizes numbly. Everybody is alive. Everybody he lost and mourned for years are all alive, and he has the chance to do something differently this time. Qui-Gon was really less than helpful on what that should entail.

He'll talk to Anakin in the morning once he has his head on straight about all of this. (Despite himself, a strange sense of nervousness and excitement flood him, but he immediately tamps down on them.)

For now, he needs to take everything he knows about the future to the Council immediately. Although they don't have time for a lengthy meeting right now and explaining all of it to just a couple of the leading members might be easiest right now. Yoda was on Kashyyyk, he remembers belatedly, which means he'll have to take all of this Windu.