Remember that I never fully go with the lore, I sometimes like to make things up. Just to be a little different (:

2.2k words

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Where is the line then?

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Vader's POV
Batuu, a planet not known to many. Not without purpose. It was meant to stay hidden. It can't be found on any map or in any logs or books. Few know it's existence, if you don't count the civilians who live there.

The reason this place is supposed to be the galaxies secret is because what resides here is far too powerful to be basic knowledge. In the depths of the planet, far below the surface, and all civilization, is a portal. A portal that can take you anywhere in time. You can walk through your entire life, see how it plays out, change what you want, see who you want. It's an incredibly dangerous toy to be played with.

That's why it's important to fight the temptation.

Luke didn't fight, therefore becoming my greatest disappointment.

And now, as a father must, I need to correct his wrongdoings.

With his mother in my arms, I took her there with every intention of placing her back where she is meant to be. I paused in my steps and squinted my eyes closed, the pain in my mind was becoming unbearable. Memories I didn't live were surfacing. I remember her being taken from the ball that night, I remember Ahsoka helping me find her, I remember the stupid decision to go to the night sisters. It was odd being flooded with thoughts and feelings I once didn't experience. But did? This is why I have a headache. Making this make sense to myself was tiring on its own.

I breathed through the pain and continued on my journey down below. Creatures crawled along the cave walls, scurrying away from me if I got too close. Most creatures down here were harmless, they were nothing but oversized bugs. Gross and unsettling, but dangerous? Hardly.

After my walk that took a little over an hour, I reached it. I haven't been here since I learned of its existence, since I once stood here contemplating on doing exactly what Luke has done.

I looked down at her face, she was sleeping so peacefully. I felt sorry for what was about to be done, but she can't remember any of this. She wouldn't be able to handle it. She would obsess over it. She would never let it go until she makes sense of it all. It's who she is.

I set her down for a moment while I took off my cloak to lay on the floor, I then gently set her on top of it so she wouldn't be on the cold stone. I knelt down beside her, "I'm sorry, but this is going to hurt you," I whispered, rubbing her cheek softly with my knuckle, "But no more than it will hurt me."

I held her head in both of my hands and closed my eyes. Every memory of her time here, everything that's happened since being attacked in that bathroom by Maul will be gone. She won't have any memory of him, or me. It'll be like she was never here, just as it should be. The only downside of this is that I will remember she was here. So close to mezcal yet I couldn't have her. It's torture. I have the love of my life here, and I'm willingly letting her go, again..

She started to whimper in pain, "Im sorry," I whispered. Having someone so deep in your head is far from a comfortable feeling. Think of the worst headache you've ever experienced and times it by three. She's lucky she isn't awake for this; as am I, I wouldn't be able to handle the screams of agony she would cry out.

"Let her go!" A yell echoed through the room. I snapped my eyes back open and held my hand out in the direction of the voice.

Luke stopped in his tracks and gripped his neck, "You." I stood. I walked towards him, anger coursing through every vein in my body. He's a smart boy, it was only a matter of time before he realized where she would be. As always though, his timing was shit, "I am fixing your mistake."

Tears streamed down his cheeks as he looked between his Mother and I, "I am trying to save her. How could that be a mistake?"

Without letting him go, I got closer, "You. Can't." I seethed through clenched teeth, "It is a waste of your time. She is meant to die, believe me son I've gone through every scenario imaginable and it all ends the same."

"Have you considered killing yourself?" He thought he was quick. He thought he could get the upper hand on me in this situation by reaching for his weapon and igniting it in my gut. But before he could even get close to doing that, I took it from his grasp and threw it against the wall. The force of it hitting the wall and the floor echoed.

"Of course I have. But then there wouldn't be you or Leia." I released my hold on him and he caught himself before falling to the floor. He instantly went for his lightsaber, but I called it to me when it was midair between us. I was stronger, therefore it changed paths and came to me instead.

He stood straight, dusting himself off. The anger I'm feeling from him reminded me so much of myself, "I'm willing to make that sacrifice."

"I'm not." I can tell by his surprised expression, my response is not what he expected it to be. Regardless of what Luke thinks and the ones who raised him think, I love my children and I won't sacrifice them, even if it means getting her back, "Now that I have your attention and you're not trying to kill me, I'm putting her back where she's supposed to be and you will be staying here. Indefinitely."

"No," He stood his ground, "Just because you've given up on her, doesn't mean I have to." He walked towards her.

I stared daggers into him, my hands tightening on both of our weapons, "If you go anywhere near that portal Luke, I'll put you down."

He stopped to smirk, seeming confident I wouldn't hurt him, "You just said yourself you don't want to lose me. So I'm calling your bluff."

I ignited his and mine, a mix of red and green lit the dim room, "I said I don't want you dead or non-existent. But I have no problem taking a limb or two." I eyed him up and down, "How about your legs? You can live without them."

"My Mom would hate you forever if you even tried." He spat, attempting to pick her up.

"Mom is dead." I threw his lightsaber in his direction. It spun horizontally towards him, the blade split the air between us in half. It almost did it's job of taking his legs, but he jumped to avoid it just in time.

Before it could cut into the wall behind him, he called it to him so it would once again be back in his grasp. He lunged at me, he used hate, he used anger, he used desperation with every swing. Our blades clashed together over and over again, he attacked and I blocked. He was sloppy, he wasn't thinking clearly, he had one thought and that was of me lying dead in this cold room on this stone floor.

I didn't have to try hard to avoid being hit by him, he was losing his footing and the air in his lungs, "If you use every bit of your strength with each swing, you get tired." I parried his attack hard enough to knock him back a little, "Therefore you get slow." I swung at him before he could attack me yet again, "And lose." I kicked him in the stomach, knocking whatever air he had left out of him. He fell to the floor, but only for a moment. I picked him up my his shirt and placed my blade dangerously close to his neck, "How many times are you going to try this with me?" After releasing his shirt, I grabbed his wrist to stop his useless attack. Then with his own hand, I brought his blade to his neck, creating an x formation, "I'm not trying to be unreasonable Luke, I'm trying to help you."

Tears were in his eyes, tears of anger, sadness, and frustration. I felt everything he was feeling, "If you want to help me, you'll let me go back with her."

I shook my head, "No."

"Do you really think you can save her?"

Both of our heads snapped in the same direction at the same time, the entrance to this very 'cave', "Leia," I growled, "Don't you dare." Her very question told me exactly what her intentions were. How long was she there? How did I not notice my own daughter?

"Yes." Luke answered, his eyes shifting between us both. Leia on the other hand, her eyes stayed on her Mother laying on the floor.

"And, is this really her?" She stepped closer to her before kneeling down and scanning her features with an expression I've never seen on her, "Or is this some cruel joke one of you is playing on the other?" Her amber eyes met mine.

"It's her." I couldn't lie. She knew that I would never look her in the eyes and lie.

"And is saving her—" She swallowed, "My Mother, a real possibility?" It seems she heard just enough.

"Yes." Luke answered before I could.

"Leia," I began with warning in my tone "What he's trying to do is not—"

"Shut up." She snapped.

I had to take a moment to really get it through my head that she just told me to shut up. Never has she ever given me this kind of disrespect.

Never.

With her eyes still locked on mine, she slowly pulled her lightsaber from her belt before turning it on and pointing it directly at me, "Let him go."

"What did you just say?" I tightened my grip again, my anger now heightened to new levels I never thought were possible.

"I said," Her voice shook, shattering the confidence I saw seconds ago, "Let. Him. Go." She held her lightsaber to my neck. She looked scared, but I know she wasn't going to back down. But neither was I.

"Kill me." I told her, "That's the only way I'm letting him go."

She was shaking and crying. In this moment she wasn't the warrior I raised, she was a daughter who loved her mother, "Don't you want her back?"

"Not if it means I lose you." I looked from her to Luke, "Or you. You don't know what you're changing, you don't know what the outcome will be at the end of this—" A loud high-pitched scream echoed from the entrance of the cave to where we were.

They found us.

"What the hell is that?" Luke whispered.

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, with my exhale I released a wave of the force that was strong enough to knock both of them off of their feet, "They are the consequences of messing with time. You should know of them by now." I stared straight at Luke who was slowly getting up. I looked down the dark entrance, waiting. How Luke has been able to evade them his entire time there, I'll never know.

"Never heard of them," He groaned.

My gaze went back to my son, "What?" They're not after him? They have to be, that's their job as the keepers of time. Unless... what he's doing is not affecting the timeline in a drastic and irreparable way. Where is the line then?

Leia was up before I noticed, and with my attention being on Luke and my own thoughts she got the upper hand on me. She was behind me, holding her lightsaber to my neck, her other hand gripping my hair, "Go Luke, and don't you dare erase me from existence."

He wasted no time. He grabbed her quickly and tossed her over his shoulder and ran to the entrance of the World between worlds. In a split second he was gone, as were the sounds of the haunting screams from the watchers. She was gone and so were they, but something I can't understand is why they aren't following him.

I looked down at the red blade still on my throat, Leia slowly dropped her weapon after some time passed and she was confident Luke was safe from me. I spun around and gripped her throat, lifting her from the ground, "I am so very disappointed in you." Her lightsaber fell to the floor as she held onto my wrists and struggled for air.  I walked her towards the entrance to the world between worlds, "Why don't we take a walk?"

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Please be honest, do you all like what I'm doing with this or did I ruin it with this time thing? I'm seriously second-guessing myself right now. I don't mind criticism as long as it's kind ❤️