Two Halfs of One Warrior • Obikin/Vaderwan One-Shots

Stay With Me (sequel to Not Enough)

• Summary: Ten years has passed since the ascension of the Empire. Ten years has passed since the destruction of the Jedi Order. Ten years has passed since Anakin's heart broke. Now, he has to come back to the Temple to save Reva again. And doing so he will have to cross paths with the only man in the galaxy he hoped to never see again, the man he still loved: Emperor Obi-Wan Kenobi.

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Anakin knew he had to act quickly. Time was ticking down fast. If his tip was right, Reva was going to act tonight - and Quinlan was never wrong.

Ten years had passed since Obi-Wan's betrayal. Ten years since the rise of the Empire, since the destruction of the Jedi Order; and the galaxy seemed to have forgotten them. Every new Force Sensitive child was sent to a school where they were trained to be the most special force unit in the Imperial forces: the Inquisitors. It was seen as an honour to give one child to the Empire to serve from a young age. The first batch of Inquisitors began to populate the imperial army. They were strong, they were quick, they were smart. There was only Obi-Wan over them, and he didn't let them pursue any other career.

Meanwhile, the peaceful Jedi had been relegated to legends. Goodness wasn't something for this galaxy. Everyone expected something in exchange for help. Anakin hoped that the group of survivors that were training under Master Yoda's care would become Jedi in the future, and that the Order would rise again.

Anakin was meant to be one of the Council Members. He knew the galaxy, he knew about its ruthlessness; he could guide them. He had been one of the few Masters to survive. He had the knowledge and the intel to guide this hidden Order. But after this night, he knew he had to rely on everyone else to make the Order survive.

He observed the tall walls of the Imperial Palace. He hadn't wanted to believe that Obi-Wan had sat himself in the former Jedi Temple.

Master Yoda believed it was because of the Sith Shrine under its foundations; it gave him strength in the Dark Side.

Anakin thought it was to assert dominance over them.

In either case, tonight it benefited him: better than anyone, he knew how to slip inside its walls without being seen.

From the outside, the Temple had changed: new doors, some new hallways, new walls; but the basic structure was still there. Anakin could still move in that building blindfolded.

He entered, tiptoed, and the silence of the place hit him. The Temple had always been a place full of life. Even at night, when everyone was asleep, you could feel the thousands of Force Signatures everywhere, resting, waiting to give the Council headaches in the morning. Now, the Temple was silenced; there was no vibrancy, no waiting for the morning to arrive, no young Padawan or Knight coming from a night in the Coruscanti low levels, no guards smiling at them from behind their masks. There were only Stormtroopers, dead inside, and the breath of the Temple, steady and languishing. Nothing was left of the energy of generations of Jedi laughing, and nothing was left of their horrible death. It was as if the Temple was waiting for their return. A return that was never going to happen, scattered as they were.

Anakin caressed the columns of the great hall. He felt a nudge in his Force Signature. Was it the Temple? Was it recognising him and asking him to come back? Was it something else? More dangerous?

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I have not returned. I need to save someone."

The nudge seemed to understand. If it was from the Temple, it was the ghost of thousands of Jedi who had lived here. They knew about saving people, about putting themselves at great risk for others. Anakin wasn't sure if he had the Temple's help, but thinking that way was reassuring. If something happened, he would be able to escape.