A Long Time Ago, In a Galaxy Far Away

Chapter 35

Luna got up early, despite the late night. She felt hollow inside.

She knew she would never see Anakin or Obi-Wan or Padmé again, and that hurt. A lot. Then there was that underlying fear of her father.

She looked at the Leia costume she had made as the other three began to put on whatever they had gotten together for Halloween, assuming they had even bothered.

What's the point? You aren't even Trick-or-Treating, she thought to herself dejectedly.

Luna grabbed a midnight blue dress and quickly put together a new costume.

When she looked in the mirror, she realized that she looked like a cross between some type of assassin from the Star Wars universe and an old fashioned huntress that thought dark blue was good camouflage. Luna found that it matched her current state of mind perfectly.

Luna then used some of Chelcy's hair products to dye a few sapphire colored highlights into her hair, after checking to make sure it would wash out.

She then put her hair up in two buns like what she was going to do originally when she was planning to be Leia.

Lastly, she grabbed the heavy black cloak that had caught her eye when she was shopping to complete the outfit before going to school.

Luna felt uneasy as soon as she walked out the door and pulled the cloak closer around her. It made her feel somewhat safer.

Nothing happened on her way to school, but the feeling didn't leave.

***

Anakin watched in the shadows as Luna went to school. He vaguely wondered what happened to being Princess Leia, because Luna's outfit looked nothing like the material she had bought the other day, but decided that it wasn't important just as quickly when he saw a few men tailing her.

Anakin followed them. They turned down an alley not long after, letting Luna continue on her way.

Anakin sensed a trap, so instead of following the men into the alley, he Force jumped onto the roof of a building beside the alley they had gone into and waited to see what they would do as they waited for Anakin to enter the alley. He had to remind himself to try to be patient as he waited to see what they would do. It didn't last long.

Anakin jumped down into the alley and Force shoved the five surprised people into the walls, simultaneously using the Force to disarm them.

The men then attacked him, but Anakin easily defeated all of them within moments.

"Why are you here?" Anakin asked angrily.

"Give me one good reason I should tell you," the man replied in a tone that began to majorly test Anakin's patience. He put a sleep suggestion into the other four's minds before he took out his lightsaber.

"Is this good enough?" Anakin growled as he turned on the saber.

***

"I didn't get much, their working for someone who wants to get Luna. They didn't know why, but they did know that they were supposed to find out her routine. They were to kidnap her if there was an opening, but they don't know when an actual planned kidnapping will happen. They were thinking of taking her on her way to school today," Anakin told Obi-Wan and Padmé once he had gotten back.

"We'll just make sure she is safe until she is relocated," Obi-Wan said.

"How do we know they won't come after her again? This obviously isn't the first time this has happened."

"It's not like we can watch her! We need to leave as soon as we can. We all have responsibilities."

"But what about Luna? She's helped us, the least we can do is make sure she's safe."

"And what, bring her with us? Anakin, we're at war she'd be in even more danger."

"She wants to come with us."

"Now, yes, but how about when she realizes exactly what happens? Yes, she knows people die, but watching it on the other side of a screen is much different than being there when it happens," Obi-Wan respond. "She's better off here on Earth."

"But Master—"

"Anakin, we can't just take her. Luna belongs on Earth, and they'll notice if she just disappears. Where would she even go if we did take her? You most certainly couldn't care for her—"

"I could," Padmé said, entering the argument. "But Obi-Wan has a point. Ani, Luna grew up here. If this isn't the first time that these people have come after her, then obviously the authorities here know how to keep her safe. She may know about our galaxy, but she doesn't know what it's like living in it. It's better for her."

Anakin knew he wasn't going to win the argument, but he couldn't help but feel that Luna needed to come with them.

"What about her helping us change the future?" Anakin asked. "Only she knows what's coming."

"And she has tried to give us information to use. The plan never was to bring her with us," Obi-Wan countered. Anakin gave an exasperated sigh. "We'll make sure Luna's safe for the remainder of her time here, but then we are going to go our separate ways."

Anakin was about to begin arguing again, but was stopped by Padmé touching his arm.

"Ani, it's better this way," she murmured, locking her deep brown eyes with his azul ones.

Anakin couldn't help but feel like it was anything but.