HOME | DD

Description
4. Dark

Anakin walked down the streets of Coruscant, watching as speeders flew by. He had just returned from Mandalore, having left his old master there. Obi-wan had told him that he and Satine needed to "catch-up". Anakin was pretty sure that "catching up" involved a lot of clothing removal, and it took all of Anakin's Jedi training to get that thought out of his head. He smiled softly, though, as he thought of his darling wife, who was probably going to murder him as soon as he got home for leaving for Mandalore without warning. She would forgive though, and as soon as she did that, Anakin was sure he would do some "catching up" of his own. He grinned to himself, and started planning something really romantic for when his wife got home that night. His planning, however, got interrupted by a soft ripple in the Force. Before he understood why he was doing it, he quickly dodged to the left. Where he had been standing, a male sentient's body fell, creating a dent in the permacrete. Anakin moved over to him, and identified the body as a male Twi'Lek, who had been very pale, and rather bulbous. Anakin looked up at the building he had been standing next to, and he spotted the broken window several stories above him. He looked around at the gathering people, and pushed through them, entering the building, and rushed up the stairs. He went through his memory, and judged where the room would be. He paused when he got to the right floor, though, realizing that he probably didn't need to try to remember. In front of him, the room he knew to be the one with the broken window had an open door and strong winds whipped through it. The wind moved around a little girl, who stood in the middle of the almost empty room. Anakin moved cautiously into the room and looked at the little girl, kneeling next to her. Her wild red hair whipped behind her giving him a good view of her face, which was battered and bruised. Her green eyes showed her anger, though one was practically swollen shut. Her clothes were ripped and torn, and appeared to not have been washed in a very long time. When he closed his eyes he could feel the anger radiating off her, dark and very powerful. He slowly opened his eyes and noticed that she still didn't know he was there. She was focused on the broken window, her hands slowly clenching and unclenching. Anakin slowly took a deep breath and he set his hand on her shoulder. She jumped, whirling around to look at him. Anakin made sure she didn't escape his grip. "Hello," he said softly to her, trying to keep her calm, "did you push that sentient out the window?"

The girl's green eyes widened at him before she looked at the door, gauging her chances of escape. She looked back at the man who just shook his head. She took a deep breath and said quietly. "He was hurting me…I started feeling really angry…and then…" She shoved her hands out to him before she bit her lip. "Then he was falling."

Anakin looked at her and could feel the anger melting away from her and turning into fear and guilt. He took a slow, deep breath. He knew what it was like to do something out of anger. He looked away for a moment then looked back at her saying softly, "It's alright. You did what you thought you had to in order to protect yourself." He stood up slowly and looked around the room, weighing his options as to what to do with the girl. He took his portable comm. unit and he moved to the other side of the room. He kept his eyes on her in case she decided to run. He called the Council and explained what had happened, and asked them if they would be willing to do an assessment. He told them he would be over later before he cut off communications. He moved over to the little girl, whose eyes watched him the entire time. He paused for a moment as he looked at her. He just realized that she was about the same age as his own kids, and he couldn't imagine beating a child to that degree. He held his hand out to her and asked, "Would you please come with me? My name is Anakin Skywalker, by the way."

The girl looked at him and she took his hand "My name is Mara-Jade". They walked out of the building, passing the group of sentients that had gathered. She walked in silence for several moments before slowly looking up at the Jedi who walked next to her. "What are you going to do with me?"

Anakin looked down at her as the question was asked and he chuckled lightly. "'Do' with you? Nothing. Right now, we're going to my apartment. After that, I hope that you will accompany me to visit the Jedi Council, so that we they assess you."

Mara raised an eyebrow and looked up at him. "Assess?"

Anakin paused, not sure if she was asking what the word meant or what kind of assessment he was talking about. He answered, "To assess is like to test, figure out if you're good at something or not. The assessment will see if you're strong with the Force."

"Oh." She didn't ask any more questions, however. Anakin looked down at her, curious about her lack of curiosity. He took another deep breath and decided not to prod questions out of her that didn't want to be asked. He was sure that she would ask questions if she had them. They walked together in silence until they reached the apartment building.

Anakin glanced down at the girl as they stepped into the lift. She didn't look back at him. He was honestly a bit surprised when she didn't seem in awe of the building, but this was Coruscant after all, maybe she had been to a building like this before. Her eyes widened exponentially when the lift doors opened, however, and she let go of his hand to move into the living room. Anakin smiled softly as he watched her before moving himself out of the lift. "This way," he said, walking down the hallway.

Mara-Jade moved to him and tugged on his sleeve. She waited until he looked down at her to say, "You didn't tell me you were rich."

The Jedi's answer was nothing more than a chuckle. He moved into the refresher and started the shower. He turned to her and asked, "If I bring the soaps down, can you take a shower by yourself?" The little girl nodded, and with a nod Anakin reached in and put the soaps on the bottom shelf so that they were within her reach. He looked back at her. "Alright, I'm going to get you some clothes." He watched her nod. "I'll come back when I have clothes for you." He turned and walked out. He quickly moved to his children's room, and took a glance at the two closets in the room. His first reaction was to go to Leia's, but after thinking about it he figured that perhaps Luke's would fit her better. He didn't want her wearing clothes that were too small for her in front of the council after all. He moved over to his son's closet and pulled out a tan tunic and a pair of off-white pants from their depths. He looked the clothes over with a cursory glance and judged them to be about the right size. He draped the clothes over his arm and turned, stepped out of the children's bedroom, and listened for the shower. When he heard that it was still running, he moved down the hall and called, "Threepio!"

The gold protocol droid stuck his head out from Padme's office where he had been cleaning. "Yes, Master Anakin?" the droid called back before shuffling his body over to his creator.

Anakin nodded to him. "We have a guest using the shower right now. What could you make quickly for her to eat?"

The droid paused a moment, turning his head a bit as his mechanical brain composed a list of everything edible in the kitchen. "There is some left over nerf steak from last night's dinner, would that do?"

Anakin nodded "That would be perfect, thank you, Threepio."

The droid nodded back to him before shuffling off. Anakin was about to set the clothes down and go get Leia's brush when a small voice said, "Mr. Skywalker?" Anakin looked over to the 'fresher and saw Mara-Jade standing outside the door, wrapped in a towel, and he could see the shower still running. "I can't figure out how to turn off the shower," she said, and the defeat in her voice nearly broke Anakin's heart.

"It's okay," he told her gently. He moved into the refresher and reached into the shower. "I can turn it off." He reached with the hand that didn't have the clothes on them and he turned off the shower. He turned and looked at the red-head before kneeling down. "Here you go. Don't get back into those ragged clothes you were wearing before."

Mara nodded and took the clothes from him. "Thank you," she whispered. She waited until he left before getting into the next clothes.

Anakin waited for her outside before he looked down at the opening door and the girl who walked out of it. He smiled quite proudly. "Looks like I picked clothes that fit." Mara nodded and tugged a bit on the tunic nervously. Anakin took a deep breath. "Are you hungry, Mara?"

Mara looked up at him and gave a slight nod. She followed Anakin into the kitchen, and let him pick her up and set her on the tall stool. She nodded a promise when he asked her not to fall off from the stool and then looked up as a gold droid moved over and set a plate of reheated nerf steak in front of her. Her ears listened as the droid introduced himself as "See-Threepio" but her eyes, nose, and mouth were firmly glued to the steak. Anakin watched her and informed her that, yes, she could eat. Her green eyes looked at him warily before she looked back at the steak. She picked up the utensils carefully and methodically cut her first bite of the steak. She took another quick glance at the Jedi before she used her utensils to stab the cut piece and put it in her mouth. "Mmm…" was all that she could get out as the taste of the steak filled her mouth. It was a bit dry, from being reheated, but it was the best thing she had eaten in quite a while. She chewed it slowly, enjoying the taste of the juices before she swallowed the bite. She paused for several moments, seeing if the steak would make her feel sick. As soon as she determined to herself that the steak was safe, she took the utensils and began scarfing the food down eagerly.

Anakin chuckled softly as he watched the young girl. He took this moment to stand and walk out, moving to the living room and grabbing his daughter's hair brush. "She won't mind," he muttered to himself before walking back into the kitchen. He moved over and carefully put the brush on her head. She paused a bit when she felt the brush in her hair, but she calmed down and let him continue. Anakin slowly brushed her hair and then said, "I brush my daughter's hair a lot."

Mara paused and she looked back at him without turning her head. "You have kids?"

Anakin nodded. "Yes, I've got a son and a daughter. They're about your age."

Mara looked down at her food, swinging her feet a bit. "Can I meet them sometime?"

Anakin chuckled softly and he nodded. "Of course." He ran the brush through her hair a final time before setting it down. "Are you done eating?" She nodded and he nodded after her. "Alright, then we should go." He smiled to her, and then lifted her up and set her on the floor. She looked up at him, and though she still had a black eye, and her skin was a bit battered, she looked ten times better then when he found her. "Are you ready?" Mara nodded and he smiled. He held his hand out to her and they walked out of the apartment together before walking to the Jedi Temple.

Here Mara-Jade stood in awe of one of the oldest buildings on Coruscant. She stared up at the five spires, and her mouth sat somewhat agape. She felt severely intimidated and she pulled her hand out from his. "I don't want to go in."

Anakin paused and looked at her. "What? Why not?"

Mara shook her head. "I can't go in…they won't like me…"

Anakin took a moment to think before he kneeled down in front of her. "You might be right." He put a hand on her shoulder. "They might not like you, but if they do like you, you could have a good life. You want a good life, don't you?"

Mara-Jade looked at him, and bit her little lip before she nodded slowly. Anakin smiled softly and he stood up, holding his hand out to her again. She took his hand again and they began walking. Once they were inside, Mara was more intimidated then she had been outside. The ceiling was high above them, and the columns made her feel incredibly small. She kept a close eye on where they were going as Anakin walked through, just in case she would have to leave the building quickly. She didn't sense that these people wanted to hurt her, but she had been wrong before. He lead her into a room where there were very important looking sentients sitting in a partial circle in rather comfortable looking chairs. A bald human male looked up and he looked down at Mara-Jade. "Is this the girl?" the man asked, looking at the man who had found her earlier.

Anakin nodded and grinned, about to say something smart. Mara noted that the human male gave him a sharp glance which caused Anakin to wipe the grin from his face. A short green alien looked at them and he glanced over Mara. "Come here, would you?" the sentient with the long green ears said, gesturing her with one three-fingered hand. Mara swallowed hard and she moved forward, looking around the semi-circle. The green alien raised an eyebrow as he looked down at her. "Nervous, are you?" Mara nodded and the alien shook his head. "Don't be…ask some questions, we will."

Mara nodded a bit. The bald human asked Anakin to leave, and once he did the assessment began. They asked her to guess what was on a hidden screen, and to lift small objects and make them hover in the air. At one point, a Kel Dor male moved over and pricked her finger, taking a small sample of her blood and analyzing it. After a few more tests, they also excused her. She stood next to Anakin outside, bouncing lightly on her toes. Anakin looked at her and chuckled, setting his hand on her head, causing her bouncing to stop. After a few moment of excruciating waiting, they asked them to both come inside. The bald human took a deep breath and he looked at them. "We've made our decision."

Anakin nodded and he set his hand on the girl's head again. "And what have you decided?"

The small green sentient shook his head. "Jedi apprentice, she cannot be."

Anakin paused, his eyes widening. "What? Why not? Did she not pass the tests?"

The green sentient sighed softly. "Passed the tests, yes. Dark, her future is…angry, hateful, and painful."

Anakin took a deep breath and he looked down at Mara. "Maybe her future doesn't have to be like that." Anakin looked around at the members of the council, and he smiled lightly at the thought of his old master, whose master had been in a very similar situation years ago. "You were worried about my future as well, and I stand here now as a Jedi, couldn't she have the same fate?"

Mara watched as the short sentient raised an eyebrow towards the Jedi at her side. "Suggestion, do you?"

Anakin took a deep breath. He couldn't remember the last time he had taken that many deep breaths. "I'll train her," was his answer. "Just give her a room here, and I'll take care of the rest. I'll train her, and if it turns out I'm wrong…" Anakin paused for a moment, collecting his thoughts. "I'll deal with it."

The green sentient thought for several moments before he nodded. "Fine compromise, that is. Make arrangements for her immediately, we will."

Anakin nodded and he walked out of the room with the little girl. He knelt in front of her and looked into her eyes. "You're going to stay here, alright? They'll give you a room with a bed, and they'll give you food as well. I'll be here tomorrow to start your training." Mara nodded, absorbing all the information. Anakin smiled softly and he said, "I think that you should take tonight to get settled, but would you like to come to my apartment for dinner tomorrow night? You can meet my children." Mara's eyes widened a bit, and she nodded excitedly. "Good." His smile brightened considerably. "I'm going to go now, my family will be home soon…I'll leave you with Mace Windu, he's the human who probably asked you those questions, he'll take good care of you today. Will you be alright?"

Mara looked around before she nodded. "Yes, I think I'll be alright."

"Good." Anakin stood and he led her over to the Jedi master who was leaving the Council Chamber. He passed Mara off to him, and said his goodbyes to her. As she walked off with Windu, he reached out with the Force to sense her. The darkness that he had felt surrounding her earlier had completely disappeared, and Anakin made a vow right then that it was going to stay that way.

Description
4. Dark

Anakin walked down the streets of Coruscant, watching as speeders flew by. He had just returned from Mandalore, having left his old master there. Obi-wan had told him that he and Satine needed to "catch-up". Anakin was pretty sure that "catching up" involved a lot of clothing removal, and it took all of Anakin's Jedi training to get that thought out of his head. He smiled softly, though, as he thought of his darling wife, who was probably going to murder him as soon as he got home for leaving for Mandalore without warning. She would forgive though, and as soon as she did that, Anakin was sure he would do some "catching up" of his own. He grinned to himself, and started planning something really romantic for when his wife got home that night. His planning, however, got interrupted by a soft ripple in the Force. Before he understood why he was doing it, he quickly dodged to the left. Where he had been standing, a male sentient's body fell, creating a dent in the permacrete. Anakin moved over to him, and identified the body as a male Twi'Lek, who had been very pale, and rather bulbous. Anakin looked up at the building he had been standing next to, and he spotted the broken window several stories above him. He looked around at the gathering people, and pushed through them, entering the building, and rushed up the stairs. He went through his memory, and judged where the room would be. He paused when he got to the right floor, though, realizing that he probably didn't need to try to remember. In front of him, the room he knew to be the one with the broken window had an open door and strong winds whipped through it. The wind moved around a little girl, who stood in the middle of the almost empty room. Anakin moved cautiously into the room and looked at the little girl, kneeling next to her. Her wild red hair whipped behind her giving him a good view of her face, which was battered and bruised. Her green eyes showed her anger, though one was practically swollen shut. Her clothes were ripped and torn, and appeared to not have been washed in a very long time. When he closed his eyes he could feel the anger radiating off her, dark and very powerful. He slowly opened his eyes and noticed that she still didn't know he was there. She was focused on the broken window, her hands slowly clenching and unclenching. Anakin slowly took a deep breath and he set his hand on her shoulder. She jumped, whirling around to look at him. Anakin made sure she didn't escape his grip. "Hello," he said softly to her, trying to keep her calm, "did you push that sentient out the window?"

The girl's green eyes widened at him before she looked at the door, gauging her chances of escape. She looked back at the man who just shook his head. She took a deep breath and said quietly. "He was hurting me…I started feeling really angry…and then…" She shoved her hands out to him before she bit her lip. "Then he was falling."

Anakin looked at her and could feel the anger melting away from her and turning into fear and guilt. He took a slow, deep breath. He knew what it was like to do something out of anger. He looked away for a moment then looked back at her saying softly, "It's alright. You did what you thought you had to in order to protect yourself." He stood up slowly and looked around the room, weighing his options as to what to do with the girl. He took his portable comm. unit and he moved to the other side of the room. He kept his eyes on her in case she decided to run. He called the Council and explained what had happened, and asked them if they would be willing to do an assessment. He told them he would be over later before he cut off communications. He moved over to the little girl, whose eyes watched him the entire time. He paused for a moment as he looked at her. He just realized that she was about the same age as his own kids, and he couldn't imagine beating a child to that degree. He held his hand out to her and asked, "Would you please come with me? My name is Anakin Skywalker, by the way."

The girl looked at him and she took his hand "My name is Mara-Jade". They walked out of the building, passing the group of sentients that had gathered. She walked in silence for several moments before slowly looking up at the Jedi who walked next to her. "What are you going to do with me?"

Anakin looked down at her as the question was asked and he chuckled lightly. "'Do' with you? Nothing. Right now, we're going to my apartment. After that, I hope that you will accompany me to visit the Jedi Council, so that we they assess you."

Mara raised an eyebrow and looked up at him. "Assess?"

Anakin paused, not sure if she was asking what the word meant or what kind of assessment he was talking about. He answered, "To assess is like to test, figure out if you're good at something or not. The assessment will see if you're strong with the Force."

"Oh." She didn't ask any more questions, however. Anakin looked down at her, curious about her lack of curiosity. He took another deep breath and decided not to prod questions out of her that didn't want to be asked. He was sure that she would ask questions if she had them. They walked together in silence until they reached the apartment building.

Anakin glanced down at the girl as they stepped into the lift. She didn't look back at him. He was honestly a bit surprised when she didn't seem in awe of the building, but this was Coruscant after all, maybe she had been to a building like this before. Her eyes widened exponentially when the lift doors opened, however, and she let go of his hand to move into the living room. Anakin smiled softly as he watched her before moving himself out of the lift. "This way," he said, walking down the hallway.

Mara-Jade moved to him and tugged on his sleeve. She waited until he looked down at her to say, "You didn't tell me you were rich."

The Jedi's answer was nothing more than a chuckle. He moved into the refresher and started the shower. He turned to her and asked, "If I bring the soaps down, can you take a shower by yourself?" The little girl nodded, and with a nod Anakin reached in and put the soaps on the bottom shelf so that they were within her reach. He looked back at her. "Alright, I'm going to get you some clothes." He watched her nod. "I'll come back when I have clothes for you." He turned and walked out. He quickly moved to his children's room, and took a glance at the two closets in the room. His first reaction was to go to Leia's, but after thinking about it he figured that perhaps Luke's would fit her better. He didn't want her wearing clothes that were too small for her in front of the council after all. He moved over to his son's closet and pulled out a tan tunic and a pair of off-white pants from their depths. He looked the clothes over with a cursory glance and judged them to be about the right size. He draped the clothes over his arm and turned, stepped out of the children's bedroom, and listened for the shower. When he heard that it was still running, he moved down the hall and called, "Threepio!"

The gold protocol droid stuck his head out from Padme's office where he had been cleaning. "Yes, Master Anakin?" the droid called back before shuffling his body over to his creator.

Anakin nodded to him. "We have a guest using the shower right now. What could you make quickly for her to eat?"

The droid paused a moment, turning his head a bit as his mechanical brain composed a list of everything edible in the kitchen. "There is some left over nerf steak from last night's dinner, would that do?"

Anakin nodded "That would be perfect, thank you, Threepio."

The droid nodded back to him before shuffling off. Anakin was about to set the clothes down and go get Leia's brush when a small voice said, "Mr. Skywalker?" Anakin looked over to the 'fresher and saw Mara-Jade standing outside the door, wrapped in a towel, and he could see the shower still running. "I can't figure out how to turn off the shower," she said, and the defeat in her voice nearly broke Anakin's heart.

"It's okay," he told her gently. He moved into the refresher and reached into the shower. "I can turn it off." He reached with the hand that didn't have the clothes on them and he turned off the shower. He turned and looked at the red-head before kneeling down. "Here you go. Don't get back into those ragged clothes you were wearing before."

Mara nodded and took the clothes from him. "Thank you," she whispered. She waited until he left before getting into the next clothes.

Anakin waited for her outside before he looked down at the opening door and the girl who walked out of it. He smiled quite proudly. "Looks like I picked clothes that fit." Mara nodded and tugged a bit on the tunic nervously. Anakin took a deep breath. "Are you hungry, Mara?"

Mara looked up at him and gave a slight nod. She followed Anakin into the kitchen, and let him pick her up and set her on the tall stool. She nodded a promise when he asked her not to fall off from the stool and then looked up as a gold droid moved over and set a plate of reheated nerf steak in front of her. Her ears listened as the droid introduced himself as "See-Threepio" but her eyes, nose, and mouth were firmly glued to the steak. Anakin watched her and informed her that, yes, she could eat. Her green eyes looked at him warily before she looked back at the steak. She picked up the utensils carefully and methodically cut her first bite of the steak. She took another quick glance at the Jedi before she used her utensils to stab the cut piece and put it in her mouth. "Mmm…" was all that she could get out as the taste of the steak filled her mouth. It was a bit dry, from being reheated, but it was the best thing she had eaten in quite a while. She chewed it slowly, enjoying the taste of the juices before she swallowed the bite. She paused for several moments, seeing if the steak would make her feel sick. As soon as she determined to herself that the steak was safe, she took the utensils and began scarfing the food down eagerly.

Anakin chuckled softly as he watched the young girl. He took this moment to stand and walk out, moving to the living room and grabbing his daughter's hair brush. "She won't mind," he muttered to himself before walking back into the kitchen. He moved over and carefully put the brush on her head. She paused a bit when she felt the brush in her hair, but she calmed down and let him continue. Anakin slowly brushed her hair and then said, "I brush my daughter's hair a lot."

Mara paused and she looked back at him without turning her head. "You have kids?"

Anakin nodded. "Yes, I've got a son and a daughter. They're about your age."

Mara looked down at her food, swinging her feet a bit. "Can I meet them sometime?"

Anakin chuckled softly and he nodded. "Of course." He ran the brush through her hair a final time before setting it down. "Are you done eating?" She nodded and he nodded after her. "Alright, then we should go." He smiled to her, and then lifted her up and set her on the floor. She looked up at him, and though she still had a black eye, and her skin was a bit battered, she looked ten times better then when he found her. "Are you ready?" Mara nodded and he smiled. He held his hand out to her and they walked out of the apartment together before walking to the Jedi Temple.

Here Mara-Jade stood in awe of one of the oldest buildings on Coruscant. She stared up at the five spires, and her mouth sat somewhat agape. She felt severely intimidated and she pulled her hand out from his. "I don't want to go in."

Anakin paused and looked at her. "What? Why not?"

Mara shook her head. "I can't go in…they won't like me…"

Anakin took a moment to think before he kneeled down in front of her. "You might be right." He put a hand on her shoulder. "They might not like you, but if they do like you, you could have a good life. You want a good life, don't you?"

Mara-Jade looked at him, and bit her little lip before she nodded slowly. Anakin smiled softly and he stood up, holding his hand out to her again. She took his hand again and they began walking. Once they were inside, Mara was more intimidated then she had been outside. The ceiling was high above them, and the columns made her feel incredibly small. She kept a close eye on where they were going as Anakin walked through, just in case she would have to leave the building quickly. She didn't sense that these people wanted to hurt her, but she had been wrong before. He lead her into a room where there were very important looking sentients sitting in a partial circle in rather comfortable looking chairs. A bald human male looked up and he looked down at Mara-Jade. "Is this the girl?" the man asked, looking at the man who had found her earlier.

Anakin nodded and grinned, about to say something smart. Mara noted that the human male gave him a sharp glance which caused Anakin to wipe the grin from his face. A short green alien looked at them and he glanced over Mara. "Come here, would you?" the sentient with the long green ears said, gesturing her with one three-fingered hand. Mara swallowed hard and she moved forward, looking around the semi-circle. The green alien raised an eyebrow as he looked down at her. "Nervous, are you?" Mara nodded and the alien shook his head. "Don't be…ask some questions, we will."

Mara nodded a bit. The bald human asked Anakin to leave, and once he did the assessment began. They asked her to guess what was on a hidden screen, and to lift small objects and make them hover in the air. At one point, a Kel Dor male moved over and pricked her finger, taking a small sample of her blood and analyzing it. After a few more tests, they also excused her. She stood next to Anakin outside, bouncing lightly on her toes. Anakin looked at her and chuckled, setting his hand on her head, causing her bouncing to stop. After a few moment of excruciating waiting, they asked them to both come inside. The bald human took a deep breath and he looked at them. "We've made our decision."

Anakin nodded and he set his hand on the girl's head again. "And what have you decided?"

The small green sentient shook his head. "Jedi apprentice, she cannot be."

Anakin paused, his eyes widening. "What? Why not? Did she not pass the tests?"

The green sentient sighed softly. "Passed the tests, yes. Dark, her future is…angry, hateful, and painful."

Anakin took a deep breath and he looked down at Mara. "Maybe her future doesn't have to be like that." Anakin looked around at the members of the council, and he smiled lightly at the thought of his old master, whose master had been in a very similar situation years ago. "You were worried about my future as well, and I stand here now as a Jedi, couldn't she have the same fate?"

Mara watched as the short sentient raised an eyebrow towards the Jedi at her side. "Suggestion, do you?"

Anakin took a deep breath. He couldn't remember the last time he had taken that many deep breaths. "I'll train her," was his answer. "Just give her a room here, and I'll take care of the rest. I'll train her, and if it turns out I'm wrong…" Anakin paused for a moment, collecting his thoughts. "I'll deal with it."

The green sentient thought for several moments before he nodded. "Fine compromise, that is. Make arrangements for her immediately, we will."

Anakin nodded and he walked out of the room with the little girl. He knelt in front of her and looked into her eyes. "You're going to stay here, alright? They'll give you a room with a bed, and they'll give you food as well. I'll be here tomorrow to start your training." Mara nodded, absorbing all the information. Anakin smiled softly and he said, "I think that you should take tonight to get settled, but would you like to come to my apartment for dinner tomorrow night? You can meet my children." Mara's eyes widened a bit, and she nodded excitedly. "Good." His smile brightened considerably. "I'm going to go now, my family will be home soon…I'll leave you with Mace Windu, he's the human who probably asked you those questions, he'll take good care of you today. Will you be alright?"

Mara looked around before she nodded. "Yes, I think I'll be alright."

"Good." Anakin stood and he led her over to the Jedi master who was leaving the Council Chamber. He passed Mara off to him, and said his goodbyes to her. As she walked off with Windu, he reached out with the Force to sense her. The darkness that he had felt surrounding her earlier had completely disappeared, and Anakin made a vow right then that it was going to stay that way.