IMPORTANT: Now that I have posted this chapter, I am going to start a one shot collection called Us Against the World. While it will feature some Clone Wars Era snippets, there will be a lot of one shots that fill in the nineteen years between this chapter and the prologue/next chapter, so it is WORTH going to read. It is not up yet (As of April 14, 2019), but it will be up ideally soon since its easier for me to write one shots during the craziness of the school year than it is for me to write full length chapters.

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Zelina did not tear her gaze from the child in her arms, marveling over him as she carefully wrapped the white blanket around his flailing body. The medical droid hovered over her, tuned out by Zelina's musings as she simply watched Luke squirm in her arms and slowly soaked in his light like it was revitalizing her own.

The droid spoke to her in its mechanical voice, still in another language, stretching its arms out expectantly. Zelina still did not raise her head, eyes trained on Luke, on his waving hand and kicking legs, at the mouth that worked as if searching for something, his little chest moving up and down with steady breath.

Was...was he hungry? She couldn't do anything to feed him—

"Zelina."

Obi-Wan's soft voice broke her concentration, and Zelina looked up to see that he had handed Leia to one of the medical droids. Both Obi-Wan and the other medical droid were looking at Zelina expectantly, with Luke beginning to cry with insistence.

The medical droids would take care of him. At the moment, there was nothing Zelina could do to help him except hand him over to the medical droids so they could take care of him. For the moment...she had to let him go.

Reluctantly, Zelina raised her arms to gently hand Luke off to the medical droid, never taking her eyes off of the child until the droid had left the room and Luke was no longer within her view. Slowly her fingers curled around the necklace still dangling from her hand, gaze unfocused as her thoughts threatened to drag her under yet again.

No, don't think about that—not yet at least. You need to hold it together just a little longer...for Luke's sake...

Carefully, Zelina dragged herself to her feet, using the wall behind her as a support. Obi-Wan stepped forward, but Zelina held out a hand to stop him, trying her best not to look at Padme's body. She could gather her wits long enough to be of use to the newborn Skywalkers. She'd sworn she'd look after Anakin's family; she'd already orward, taking up the rear of the group of five.

Dark images and thoughts danced in the back of her mind like scorned lovers wielding a blade, waiting for the right moment to strike. She ignored them, stepping out into the brightly lit hall and starting after the others. As soon as someone noticed she was following, she met resistance.

"Knight Du'ahn, you should resting, now," Bail protested, holding out a hand like he was expecting to have to steady or catch her.

"Concern you, this conversation does not," Yoda added.

"I mean no disrespect, Master Yoda, but that's not true," Zelina said with barely maintained patience. She was too tired and defeated to be trying to remain cordial right now. "This conversation is going to be about the twins, about where we go from here as some of the few Jedi who remain—this conversation concerns me more than I think you fully realize."

"Zelina," Obi-Wan said in a voice that would have sounded far more scolding if he hadn't sounded nearly as worn as she was.

"No, Obi-Wan," Zelina said, her voice a little stronger this time. "I'm going to be part of this conversation. I need to be part of this conversation."

Several gazes turned towards a displeased Yoda, waiting for his verdict. Zelina gazed at the small Jedi Grandmaster unapologetically, willing him to see that she would not be moved.

"Sit in for the conversation, you may," Yoda relented. "But respect our decision, you will."

Zelina didn't answer his last addition, since she knew if they decided something she didn't like, she wasn't going to remain silent. Instead, she waited until they continued forward, taking up the rear once again. The five of them moved in silence into a small, stark white conference room, collectively finding seats around the central table. After a few moments of heavy silence where Zelina struggled not to think, Yoda spoke.

"Hidden, safe, the children must be kept."

Obi-Wan sighed, dropping his hand where it had been resting on his chin. "We must take them somewhere where the Sith will not sense their presence."

Zelina leaned back in her chair in silence, thumb absentmindedly stroking the designs of the japor snippet still clutched in one hand, mind running through a now extensive list of planets she had tucked away in her head, trying to think of the best candidate for a place to hide. As she considered her list, Yoda proposed another idea.

"Split up, they should be."

A pang went through Zelina's heart at the words, but she kept her mouth shut. She hated the thought of tearing apart the Skywalker family any more than it already had been—Shmi, Anakin, and Padme being going made Luke and Leia the last—but Yoda had a point. For the sake of safety, they should probably be kept apart, at least until they were old enough to look after themselves.

Bail spoke up not long after Yoda. "My wife and I will take the girl. We've always talked about adopting a baby girl. She will be loved with us," Bail stated, adding the last part with particular emphasis as he looked in the eyes of everyone sitting around the table. He clearly wanted them to believe in what he said, to accept that Leia would have a good home with them even if she was separated from her brother.

Obi-Wan nodded, tearing his eyes from Bail and looking back towards Yoda. "And what of the boy?"

"I'll take him," Zelina said quickly, before anyone else had the chance to speak and propose any alternate plans.

She hated the doubtful looks that were instantly sent her way, the pity and the disapproval.

"I'm not sure that's...the best idea," Obi-Wan said carefully.

"Why not? Because I just saw everything I care about destroyed around me and might be unstable? We've all lost everything today, or nearly, that shouldn't be a reason to immediately shut me down. I can take care of him," Zelina said perhaps sharper than she'd meant to, earning more disapproving glances because of her tone.

"It isn't any attacks on your person, Zelina, we're just trying to think of what's best for the children," Satine said softly. "You have been through a lot—more than the rest of us, perhaps. You might not be in the right...state, to raise a child, even if you want to be. And you would be doing it alone, with no knowledge of how to do so."

"Too close to this, you are," Yoda said seriously.

Zelina leaned forward, a hard glint appearing in her eyes and daring them to challenge her further. "I will be the one to look after Luke. Everything in my life has been leading up to this, I'm not going to turn my back on that boy now."

"Live with his family, he should. In a stable home, he will be, on Tatooine, away from the galaxy, away from the eyes of the Sith, he will be," Yoda said sternly.

"That's a terrible idea, Master Yoda," Zelina said sharply. "Again, I mean no offense, but it is. Owen and Beru...while they're nice people, they...or at least Owen...they won't take kindly to the Force, their last experience with it might have left them afraid of it. They might not allow Luke to get the training he'll need. Luke needs to be somewhere he'll be allowed to grow."

"Fit for this, you are not. Respect our decision, you will," Yoda returned, voice hard by Yoda's standards.

"No," Zelina returned bluntly, shocking the others in the room with the blatant disrespect. "I will not respect this decision, because it's the wrong decision. I need to be the one to take care of Luke."

Zelina glanced around at the others, allowing a pause for emphasis, but still speaking up before anyone could try and shoot her down again.

"The last thing Anakin made me promise, was to take care of his family. I couldn't save Padme, I couldn't save him, and I agree that the best way to keep the twins safe is to separate them. If one is found, at least the other will be safe, and I'm okay with Leia going to Bail even if that means I can't take care of her, too. But I can still keep my promise with Luke. Anakin asked me to train Luke, Anakin wanted me to be a part of Luke's life, and as his father—when Anakin was still Anakin, before he turned to the dark side—I'd say his wishes should be respected over what you think is best."

"Zelina, you're under a lot of stress, you need rest," Obi-Wan started to say warily.

"No!" Zelina said sharply, feeling tears spring up in full force as she looked at Obi-Wan. "No, Obi-Wan—I'm not delirious or hysterical. I'm serious. I will take care of Luke, with or without your permission."

Ignoring the fact she pretty much had just said she would kidnap Luke and take off if necessary, and what that might say about her as a person, Zelina pushed forward with making her point.

"I have been having visions of Luke...since this war started," she said in a softer voice, fingertips pressing against the table as she splayed her hand on the furniture's surface in front of her. "The Force has been giving me visions of Luke, visions where he tells me that I could be his protector, his guardian, his teacher, or not there at all. He's begged me to help him, to help his father. I've already failed to help Anakin. This is the one thing I have left to do that matters. Let me take care of Luke. Please. I owe it to his entire family. I promised him and his parents I would take care of him, the Force has basically told me I'm meant to take care of him for years. Let me do this one thing."

By the end of her speech, some tears had escaped her fragile control, but her voice remained strong—even though she was clearly emotional.

"And what would you do if you were put in charge of his care?" Satine asked, voice level. She clearly didn't agree that Zelina should take care of him, but she was giving Zelina the chance to change her opinion, to prove she could.

"I'd take him the last place anyone would expect to find a Skywalker, least of all me—Tatooine," Zelina looked at Yoda. "That part wasn't a bad idea. It is the last place anyone would look for either of us. But as much as I...dislike...the planet, I know it well. I know how to survive there. And while I strongly believe Luke shouldn't be put in the care of his Aunt and Uncle, I do think it would do him well to be around what remains of his family...aside from Padme's family. They're too much in the public eye for us to be around, but Owen and Beru aren't. We'll live near them to give him that connection. I'll raise him there, where I can safely train him without drawing attention because of how isolated it is, where he'll be safe and hidden. Tatooine is overlooked and far from the center of the galaxy—far from Palpatine's gaze."

Several gazes returned to Yoda once it was clear she'd stopped speaking. "I think it sounds like a reasonable idea," Bail said. "If she needed any help, his Aunt and Uncle would be there, too."

Yoda still did not speak, hand rubbing his jaw thoughtfully as he considered her proposal. She found comfort in the fact that he was taking her seriously. Her gaze did not waver from the Grandmaster, praying that just this once, the Order—or what remained of it—would listen to her, would be on her side.

Finally, he spoke. "Take care of the boy, she will. Trust the Force in this decision, we must."

Zelina wilted in relief, feeling a few more tears slip down her cheeks as the pent up remains of her energy and determination finally released as she won the last battle she saw she needed to win...at least for now. "Thank you, Master Yoda. Truly."

"Difficult, it will be. A great responsibility, this is. Prepared, you will need to be," Yoda warned. Zelina wasn't oblivious to the fact that he was including her need to be emotionally prepared in that warning, especially considering her current emotional state of being. The full weight of everything that had happened had not hit her yet, but it would—unforgiving and relentless, it would probably crush her in an instant with the enormity of its burden. But now she would have Luke to look after. She couldn't let it destroy her when it did catch up to her.

Luke needed her.

Clinging to that thought internally, Zelina nodded, finally leaning back in her seat and quietly allowing her gaze to roam over the tired faces that currently kept her company.

"I'll go with you," Obi-Wan offered, clearly ready to help. Initially, Zelina's heart seemed to reach out at the offer, a little bit of hope re-entering its shell—but she quickly squashed it herself for the sake of Luke's safety.

"No," Zelina said softly. "No, we shouldn't have too many Force Sensitives in one place. It won't be safe. Two Force Sensitives in one place, especially with how noticeable my presence and Luke's are already, is plenty. Besides, you're needed elsewhere."

Zelina turned her attention to Satine. "Satine...with the Republic gone and the Empire in place—with the war over—"

"I no longer have the protection of the title of Duchess of Mandalore," Satine finished for her. Zelina nodded.

"Exactly. You're a known supporter of the Jedi, known close acquaintance of Obi-Wan's, known to be stalwartly against tyranny and Palpatine's rule—you're in danger now. You need to disappear." Zelina looked at Obi-Wan. "You should go with her—keep her safe, find someplace for the two of you to lie low. Satine needs your help more than Luke and I do."

That last part was a partial lie, since Zelina felt like she was going to need all the help she could get...but Satine would need help, and it would be too dangerous to have too many Force Sensitives in one place. This was something she'd have to do alone—Force Sensitive wise. Hopefully she would have Owen and Beru's support, at least.

Obi-Wan and Satine exchanged looks, something passing between them in the brief silence before Obi-Wan nodded. "Again...Zelina makes a good point. That just leaves the children from the Temple."

"Take them with me, I will. A place in mind, I have, where hidden, we can all be. Train them while in my exile on Dagobah, I will," Yoda said with a nod.

So they worry about me taking care of one, but Yoda's going to take care of five, Zelina couldn't help but note bitterly, before forcing herself to stop before any feelings over that perception could cement. With these arrangements, attitudes in this moment wouldn't matter for years to come because she probably wouldn't see the others for years, close to two decades, perhaps.

Don't think of how much time that is, she told herself harshly before focusing on the conversation, again.

"Until the time is right, disappear, we will," Yoda announced in a manner that caused the group to believe that was the end of the conversation...for now. Everyone rose to leave except for Yoda, who began to address them individually as they departed. "Rest, you must, Du'ahn, so take care of the boy, you can. Master Kenobi, wait a moment."

As Obi-Wan hung back, Satine came even with Zelina, concern etched in every line of her face as she carefully fell into step beside Zelina.

"I hope you understand I wasn't trying to say you're incompetent, Zelina. I'm just worried about you, and if you can really take on raising a child on your own right now," Satine said softly.

"I appreciate the concern, Satine, but I need to do this...more than I can ever hope to explain," Zelina murmured.

Satine sighed. "At least promise that you will rest enough to regain your strength before you leave for Tatooine. That little boy is going to need you at your best if you're going to keep him safe on a planet like Tatooine."

"I know..." Zelina murmured. She didn't say out loud how Luke was all she had left now, really, considering they were all about to part ways and scatter through the galaxy. Her entire purpose had shifted to focus on the newborn babe in the facility—she would die before she let anything happen to Anakin's son. She wasn't about to let herself get in the way of Luke's wellbeing...but she also didn't know how well she'd be able to put herself back together once reality caught up to her—she already knew she wouldn't have every piece, and as a result, would not be the same person she'd been before. She'd been changing through this whole war, and now here she was, twenty years old, completely alone in the universe, and taking on the care of the man she'd loved's orphaned child, taking him to one of the most unforgiving planets she knew of in the name of his safety. She didn't know what lay ahead of her, and she was afraid.

"I know."

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"I'd ask where you're going, General, but I know its into hiding...so I won't."

Zelina stood amongst her men, plus Jesse and Echo, in the dark corner of a hangar in the city of Theed. Bail had brought them all here when they left the medical facility, and here they would all part ways. Zelina would miss Padme's funeral, and as much as the fact tore another wound in the tattered remains of her heart, Zelina knew it was for Luke's safety she leave as soon as possible. Her men were going to scatter to the corners of the galaxy and try to find new lives to live, Obi-Wan and Satine were going to go their own way, Yoda had already taken the five children who'd survived the Temple attack, and Bail was staying for the funeral.

Zelina was leaving any moment, now, but first...some much needed goodbyes had to happen.

Zelina gave Cruiser a weak smile, clasping his shoulder. "I'd take you with me if I could...but I'm afraid this is a mission you can't follow me on...though I will sorely miss your company." Zelina looked around at the men surrounding her, feeling her throat start to close with emotion. "I'll miss all of you. I owe you all my life, and after everything we've been through together...I consider all of you brothers. Take care of yourselves, all of you...and maybe we'll meet again someday in the future. It will be the distant future...but far better than never."

No words were exchanged to cheapen the moment. Instead, one by one, Zelina hugged the men who were present as a way of saying goodbye, something that mildly surprised them at first, but they gradually accepted as she hugged more and more of them. After giving Keen-eye a firm hug and receiving a murmured good luck from the skilled sniper, Zelina turned to face her Commander once more. Cruiser nodded stiffly, relenting to a hug tense with emotion and a slight awkwardness considering the professional relationship they'd maintained until days ago when he'd found her in the Temple. As she pulled away, he clasped her arm to catch her attention.

"When that day comes...when you come out of hiding...you just need to say the word, and I'll be there," Cruiser told her firmly. Zelina nodded.

"Take care of yourself, Cruiser. I expect to see you again most of all someday."

"Well, I haven't let you down, yet...I won't let you down then, either," Cruiser said with a bitter smile. Off in her peripherals, Zelina saw Obi-Wan and Satine approaching, and knew she had to finish her goodbye.

"May the Force be with you, Cruiser," she said, reluctantly letting go and taking a step back.

"No, General...may the Force be with you—I have the feeling you'll need it far more than I will," Cruiser said in parting before he turned and walked away, leaving Zelina to turn her attention to Satine and Obi-Wan.

When Satine reached her, the two women embraced, giving one another a tight hug.

"Thank you for the credits you and Bail pooled together to get us started on Tatooine. It's going to make things a lot easier," Zelina murmured.

"It was the least we could do," Satine murmured as she pulled away, hands lingering momentarily on Zelina's arms like she was afraid Zelina would disappear as soon as she let go. "I just wish there was more I could do to help."

Zelina smiled sadly. "Well, you could visit every now and then—if its safe for you to do so, of course. It might help me keep some sanity on that dustball of a planet," Zelina said, far too much of her pain leaking into her tone for the statement to completely come off as a joke. The other woman could only attempt another smile in the face of her almost desperate words.

Zelina turned to face Obi-Wan once she was done addressing Satine, suddenly unable to find words to address the only person left alive she'd known since she was a child. Her chest seemed to constrict, robbing her of air to speak, let alone breathe.

"Luke?" Obi-Wan asked, attempting to at least start towards a goodbye.

"Already safely on board, and asleep. If I'm lucky, he'll sleep through most of the trip," she answered softly.

"You'll be good for him, Zelina," Obi-Wan said suddenly, surprising her. "You knew his parents better than anyone...and you're a good person. I know you'll raise him well, so long as you stay true to who you are and try your best. No one knows how to handle a Skywalker better than you do."

Zelina blinked a few times to try and dispel any tears, letting out a long sigh as she tried to gather herself. "Thank you, Obi-Wan...for everything. I know Anakin and I could both be ungrateful handfuls sometimes, but...you were always there for us. I'm going to miss you terribly."

Obi-Wan gave her a pained smile. "As will I."

Zelina nodded, picking up a bag she'd sat down by a rack of crates that needed to be loaded into a nearby freighter. If she didn't leave now, she might never find the strength to turn her back on what remained of her old life. She had to go now, while she still had some control. "Right...well...good luck, you two. Don't waste the time you've got, okay? I'm serious, I better be hearing some juicy gossip about you two every now and then," Zelina said, trying to go for an upbeat attitude while also trying to hint that she wanted them to be happy together, despite everything that had happened. At the same time, something whispered in her mind to just get it over with, to turn and run before she panicked and refused to leap into the unknown.

Satine was smiling, Obi-Wan looking only slightly uncomfortable. "Take care of yourself, Zelina. We'll all see each other again, someday," Satine said.

"I will," Zelina assured her, already making her way towards the ship that she'd hired to take her and Luke away to their new life.

"Zelina," Obi-Wan called, causing her to look over her shoulder and pause. "The Force will be with you...always."

Zelina inclined her head. "May the Force be with you, too, Obi-Wan."

She had to swiftly look away after that, not wanting the two behind her to see the tears that were now welling in her eyes. Every step she took added a new weight to her movements, and she was hyperaware of where the two stood in the hanger. She could feel the distance growing between them, and her throat tightened as that growing distance seemed to be a physical embodiment of everything she'd ever known rapidly disappearing behind her, never to be retrieved.

What was she doing? What was she supposed to do with herself, now, what would her life be? She was alone in the galaxy, she was going to be in hiding for decades, possibly, she was leaving everything she knew behind...

Inside the ship, a baby's cry rent the air, a sound that called her attention from her worsening thoughts.

Luke.

She just had to keep reminding herself that she was here for Luke. The answer to every question she asked herself from here on out...would be Luke.

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Her first step was full of trepidation.

She felt the blast of unforgiving, arid air and felt the sting of sand in the wind pelt her skin as soon as the landing ramp lowered. What little she possessed for now was in three packs slung across her back and shoulders, her Jedi garb stripped to the bare essentials to be more accustomed to the weather and less recognizable. Luke was held firmly in one arm, leaving the other open in case there was a threat, or she needed to do something. He was momentarily quiet, half asleep in her arms as they arrived on what would be their home for years to come.

Zelina stepped out of the ship, feeling any connection she might have convinced herself she still had to her old life sever as steel turned to sand underfoot. She looked out over the endless expanse of sand and scorching sun, subconsciously holding the bundled Luke protectively closer to herself.

Images flashed through her mind's eye as she surveyed the familiar landscape, images of pod racers, of slave hovels, of the gruesome explosion of a triggered chip, of a whip as it cracked through the air, the panic of a Tusken camp one fateful night, of a homestead with temporary gravemarkers not far away from the main house...

These sands were haunted with the memories of her horrid past, of some of her greatest losses, and mistakes both she and Anakin had made. It was almost like she was trying to escape the injuries of Coruscant and Mustafar by reopening her old wounds, like the faded pain could distract somehow from the new.

A harsh wind whipped her hair about her face, sand stinging her cheeks as she looked towards the run down town she'd had the pilot take her to.

Zelina closed her eyes, dragging up a faint memory from so long ago. Once, she'd used it to step into an exciting new life. Then she'd had people she knew and cared about accompanying her, she'd been stepping voluntarily into a life she wanted for herself. This time...she was alone, returning to this place of suffering, forced into hiding...

"Be brave...and don't look back," she whispered to herself, reopening her eyes to focus on the town as she reached for inner strength. For Luke's sake.

"Don't look back."