Saga Lost and Found: A Skywalker family AU, New chapter, 12/24

Title: Lost and Found

Rating: PG

Timeframe: Inter-trilogy

Genre: Drama, angst, AU

Characters: The Skywalker family, Obi-Wan, cameos
from other OT and PT characters.

Author's Notes: Everything through AOTC (and the three years afterward) has happened, but at some point during the Ep. III timeframe, events branch off and this story becomes very different.

For readers of my ongoing series in the ByTS forum, I'm still planning the "Sandstorm" sequel and hope to begin posting it soon, too, but lately this plot bunny just wouldn't leave me alone.

Hope you enjoy it!

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Lost and Found-Prologue

Tatooine?s double suns shone with their relentless intensity; the sky was the usual brilliant blue, and the morning warmth just beginning to evolve to scorching heat. None of these things did anything to dispel the air of heartbreaking sadness that surrounded a young couple and their newborn twins standing beside a small ship on the edge of a lonely desert homestead.

?Are we doing the right thing, Padme?? Anakin asked in a hoarse whisper. He didn?t really expect an answer, though. They?d discussed their options, nonstop, for the last three days. Everything that could be said had already been said.

They couldn?t completely turn their backs on a galaxy in desperate need, but they could not bring their children into a war. Dangerous as it was, Tatooine was the safest place for Luke and Leia. Yet Anakin would not-could not-leave them alone on this harsh world that had already taken so much from him.

So he and Padme had made the hardest decision of their lives, and were saying good-bye for what would be a long, difficult separation.

?We?re doing the best we can,? She answered, struggling to keep her voice steady. ?We?ll just have to pray that it will work out.?

He nodded and turned his attention to the sleeping, dark-haired baby in his arms. ?You?re so beautiful, baby girl. Just like your mother.? He dropped a light kiss on her forehead, but Leia was much too young to understand the circumstances and she didn?t appreciate being awakened from her nap.

Her tiny face screwed up, and her mouth opened wide. An instant later an ear-splitting howl rent the air.

The corner of Anakin?s mouth quirked upwards. ?Yeah, that?s exactly how I feel about things, too.? He glanced at Padme rather apologetically. ?Sorry, I didn?t mean to wake her.?

Despite her sorrow, Padme tried to smile. ?It?s all right. Here, take Luke.? They exchanged babies, and as his wife soothed their daughter, Anakin cradled their son close. ?Hi, buddy. You take care of your mom and sister for me, okay??

Luke gazed at him with wideset, impossibly blue eyes, and Anakin tenderly ran his fingers through his son?s wispy blond hair, then looked back up at his wife. ?Hey, I think he smiled at me.?

?He?s too little,? Padme pointed out. ?The baby books said they won?t consciously smile or laugh for another month or so.?

?Well, it looked like a smile to me,? Anakin held Luke up to his shoulder, carefully supporting the still wobbly infant head. ?Tell your mother you?re a Skywalker, son. Of course you?re going to be advanced.?

An approaching shadow made them look over at the man who had arrived just a few days earlier, and who had turned their lives upside down.

Obi-Wan Kenobi cleared his throat and said awkwardly, ?I know it?s hard to leave, Anakin, but it is time if we?re going to make the rendezvous on schedule.?

Anakin and Padme favored him with identical cold stares before turning back to each other.

?Padme, I wish I didn?t have to go,? he choked. ?I wish you could be with your family on Naboo, at least. You deserve better than this. And the kids-they should be growing up at your lake house, with grandparents, and aunts and uncles and cousins all around. And instead, this-? he waved his free hand around at the stark landscape. ?is the best I can give you.?

?Hush,? Padme shifted Leia to one arm and reache

 

OH I can't wait! I love to read stories where Anakin never leaves his family or joins Palpy! Great start!


?Well, it looked like a smile to me,? Anakin held Luke up to his shoulder, carefully supporting the still wobbly infant head. ?Tell your mother you?re a Skywalker, son. Of course you?re going to be advanced.?
Loved this! So typical of Anakin!

Looks like this is going to be a good one! I'll just prop up my feet and wait for the next post! Hurry!

 

Yea! You started another story, kristeh!! A wonderful beginning.

That was such a heartbreaking goodbye.

Can't wait to read more.

 

Ooh, great start! I look forward to much angst.

Kimberley already picked out my favorite line but I'm sure there will be plenty of others. Do you know how long this is going to be? How much time are you going to cover? Is Anakin going to become Darth Vader? Oh, too many questions, I know, but I'm so excited!

kayladie

 

This looks very interesting.

 

This looks great!!

Can't wait for more

 

This looks really good. I liked the entire thing where you had Anakin harping over his son smiling at him. That was cute. Nice to see Anakin have earlier suspicions about Palpatine's true character instead of falling into his trap.

 

Kimberley: Thank you!
>>>I love to read stories where Anakin never leaves his family or joins Palpy!

Me, too! And also "Anakin survives" stories!

Gina: Thank you!
>>>That was such a heartbreaking goodbye.

And there's more sad parts to come, too. But it'll have a happy ending.

kayladie: Thanks!
>>>I look forward to much angst.

Now, what makes you say that? Actually, this is going to be a humor story. Ooops, I already blew my cover with my reply to Gina, didn't I?

To answer your questions-Mmm, LaF will be fairly long, but I can't give you an exact page count yet. The main story jumps ahead 10 years after the prologue, and will cover a timeframe of about 6 months. Anakin will (probably) remain on the lightside, but he may push the boundaries a few times. It's what he does best, after all.

Starfighter: Thank you!

LaYa: Thanks! I'm working on Ch. 1 tonight, in fact.

LukeAnaSkywalker: Thank you! The "smiling" scene seems to have been a hit. I'm really glad you liked it. And there's just so many different things that could have changed Anakin's fate. I think if he had realized that Palpatine was trying to kill Padme, that would be one thing that would have made a HUGE difference.

Thank you, again, everyone!

Kristeh

 

This one looks like it is off to a very auspicious start! I like the fact that Anakin and Padme are still together. It will be interesting to see Obi-Wan and Anakin interact. I hope we will see more of Padme and the twins as well.

 

oooh, looks good so far.

 

Great story! Anakin joins the Rebellion and Padme stays home with the kids... I hope he gets to visit once in a while.

 

?Don?t cry, Luke. He?ll be back soon. And then we?ll be together forever. I promise.?

Why does that seem vaguely forboding?

I'm liking what you've got going on here! I'd love to hear more about what happened before this fic started, but I guess you'll reveal all in good time.

Great fic!

 

Well, it looked like a smile to me,? Anakin held Luke up to his shoulder, carefully supporting the still wobbly infant head. ?Tell your mother you?re a Skywalker, son. Of course you?re going to be advanced.?

I loved this! Of course a Skywalker would be advanced!


So many things had changed that night. It was then that they had begun to piece together Palpatine?s schemes. It was then that they had realized the terrible danger their family was in. It was then that Anakin had finally accepted that he could not be a Jedi, and a husband and father too.

So he had quietly left the Order, after warning them about his suspicians of the Chancellor, and the Skywalkers had fled the lives they had always known.

Yes, that does seem inevitable. I liked how Anakin didn't turn but I don't want Padme or Anakin to be mad at Obi-Wan. He didn't do anything wrong.

I am utterly hooked on this story so I eagerly await more! Great job by the way.

 

Yay! Kristeh's writing a story with a cool premise! <--my reaction to seeing this.

Now, everyone's stolen the best line, so I'll say AWESOME START, MORE PLEASE!

 

Hi, everyone,

Let me reply first and then I have ch. 1 ready.

AnakinsHeir: Thank you, and I hope you'll continue to enjoy it. There will be Obi and Anakin interaction later in the story, but it might be a little different because the main story is set 10 years after the prologue.

RebelMom: Thank you!

mixza: Thank you!
>>>I hope he gets to visit once in a while.

Oh, he does. After 10 years.

Kazzy: Thank you!
>>>Why does that seem vaguely foreboding?

Mmmm, good question.

>>>I'd love to hear more about what happened before this fic started, but I guess you'll reveal all in good time.

Well, I'm certainly going to try!

VadersMistress Thank you!
>>>I don't want Padme or Anakin to be mad at Obi-Wan. He didn't do anything wrong.

Well, they were mostly upset because they had wanted to escape the war and find a place to live quietly and in relative safety with their children. Then Obi-Wan shows up and lays a major guilt trip on Anakin, convincing him that it's his duty to help them fight against Palpatine.

Now, of course it is Anakin's destiny to do that, and it's not Obi-Wan's fault, but they can't help feeling a little resentment towards him.

>>>I am utterly hooked on this story so I eagerly await more!

Aw, gee! Thank you!

DarthIshtar: Thank you! Well, I hope it's a cool premise, at least. Now to see if I can write it as well as I can imagine it in my head.


Thanks again, everyone! Hope you enjoy ch. 1.

Kristeh

Lost and Found Chapter 1

Ten years later.

?But everyone else is going,? Luke pleaded. ?It?s just for one day. One day won?t make any difference to the harvest. Please.?

He gazed earnestly at his uncle. The pitiful look almost always worked on Aunt Beru, but his uncle was a different matter. Sure enough, Owen simply washed down his bite of dustcrepe with a swig of blue milk before saying impassively, ?I?ve already given you my answer, Luke. I don?t want to hear any more about it.?

?It?s not fair! You never let me do anything!? Luke jumped up from the table and rushed out of the kitchen to the hall. He expected to be called back-neither of his guardians permitted bad behavior-but for once they let him go, and he headed for the front door. He almost slammed it shut behind him, but decided that would be pushing his luck a little too far.

He contented himself with scuffling the sand with his feet instead, creating miniature dust devils around his ankles, as he stomped over to the nearby canyon rim and plunked himself down at the edge.

It really wasn?t fair. The first official holiday for as far back as he could remember, the biggest celebration Anchorhead had ever seen-and he was going to miss it. There was going to be a parade, and games, and races, and free food, and absolutely everyone for miles around would be there. Except for the Lars.

Uncle Owen had said that they couldn?t afford to miss a day?s work, but this late in the season most of the harvesting was completed. Luke couldn?t believe that one day was that crucial, at this point. Uncle Owen was just making up excuses. But why?

True, his uncle had never enjoyed going to town, and he kept his family at home as much as possible, but this was a once in a lifetime event. The whole galaxy was celebrating their independence. The Empire had finally been overthrown after a ten-year reign of terror, and a new democratic government was being formed. Surely even Uncle Owen could take a few hours off to honor the occasion.

Luke sighed and tossed a rock into the canyon, watching with idle interest as it bounced off the sides before hitting the bottom. He wondered if he dared to sneak into town on his own, but then discarded the idea. He was trying to convince his guardians to buy him a skyhopper for his birthday next month, and he thought they were pretty close to giving in on that one. He didn?t want to do anything to jeopardize that.

Besides, although he might argue and compl

 

Wow! That chapter was FULL of surprises. Yes, I am most definitely curious about Padme and Leia. Very surprised at Anakin's arrival and VERY curious to see Owen's reaction to it!

Excellent chapter, kristeh.

 

We have to wait until the WEEKEND to find out what happened to Padme and Leia?

[Obi-Wan]Nooooooooooooooo![/Obi-Wan]

Great post, though.

 

Wooboy...

 

Great chapter!!!! And I want to know what happened with Padmé and Leia!!!

Once again, that was a great chapter

 

Padme and Leia are DEAD?! I hope that Beru and Owen are somehow mistaken about this!

Boy, is Anakin going to be peeved at Owen for not telling Luke about his real parents...

Oh, I can't wait for more of this, it's fantastic so far. I can really feel poor Luke's frustration at not being allowed to do things that other kids are. And he senses that something big is behind Owen's reasoning, but just doesn't understand what.

I loved the description of Luke's feelings as he unknowingly sees his father for the first time in ten years...that was very nicely done.

More, more, more and SOON!

 

Oh, lots of surprises there. I'm quite anxious to find out the answers (but I'll wait). Luke's feelings on seeing Anakin were well written.

 

Wow!!! I can't believe you killed Padme and Leia!! Let's hope they're only "missing" and not really dead as Beru and Owen says. I loved how Luke was picking up on his father's aura.....and Anakin's sudden appearance was a sweet surprise.

I guess we'll have to wait to see what goes down in the Lars homestead now that Anakin is back....me thinks Anakin won't be too happy knowing that his son has no clue about his parents and sister. Anyways....great start! Can't wait for the next postie!!!

 

Hi, everyone,

Gina: Thanks!
That chapter was full of surprises.

Yeah, I guess it was, huh? Hopefully, chapter 2 will satisfy your curiousity, at least partially.

mixza: Thank you!
We have to wait until the WEEKEND to find out what happened to Padme and Leia?

***Hides face*** Sorry. Blame my husband, children, and assorted pets that all seem to think taking care of them is more important than writing fanfics.

DarthIshtar: Thank you!
Wooboy...

You can say that again!

LaYa: Thank you! You'll know more about what's happened to them this weekend.

kayladie: Thanks! Well, I really can't say much about Padme and Leia at this point. Don't want to spoil the story, you know. So I guess you'll just have to wait and see.

Boy, is Anakin going to be peeved at Owen for not telling Luke about his real parents...

He's not going to be too happy, that's for sure.

RebelMom: Thank you!
Luke's feelings on seeing Anakin were well-written.

I'm so happy you liked it. When I was writing, I wasn't sure if it would come across well, or just sound silly. But even though Luke is untrained, he is strong in the Force, and I think something in him would respond to his father's Force presence. although he wouldn't really understand it.

BrownEyes_Blue: Thank you!
I can't believe you killed Padme and Leia!!

Well, like I said to kayladie , I can't say too much about that now, but I'm really glad you liked the rest. And you're right, Anakin won't be very pleased with the Lars.

Thank you, everyone!

Kristeh

 

That was full of surprises and very interesting. Can't wait to find out what happened to Leia, Padme, or Obi-Wan. Looks like the impossible just happened as far as Owen is concerned. Isn't he in for a surprise when Anakin comes waltzing in with Luke. Honey, I'm home. Begins to giggle.

 

This is looking good, kristeh. I like that Anakin doesn't turn. I definitely want to know what happened to Padme and Leia. And I hope Anakin doesn't go too hard on the Lars.