Who: Anakin and Rey What: They meet Where: Outside of Anakin’s work When: Saturday Afternoon Rating: Low. Spoilers for Rise of Skywalker
She was glad for Poe to have found out that he still had his girlfriend in Madison Valley and the teenage boys to which he was guardian of. For him it had only been a few days and meeting Pheobe had been nice. It seemed like Poe had a nice life here, even if it was still taking Rey some time to wrap her head around this whole place. After a few hours, she excused herself to talk to the Welcoming Committee and explore.
After the Welcoming Committee assigned her an apartment, Rey found a floor board that was loose and hid Luke and Leia’s lightsabers under the floor for safe keeping. Stepping foot back on the streets of Madison, there was no question for her as to where she needed to go. Ever since she got here she had felt the presence. Poe mentioned Anakin was here, as well as Leia. Rey couldn’t bring herself to see Leia just yet - she didn’t trust herself not to break down in front of her former teacher. And so she went towards the one that was stronger.
Still donning her staff on her back and her own newly-made lightsaber on her hip, she walked towards a place called ‘Monty’s Car Clinic’. She didn’t go inside, but instead stood out and waited.
--
Anakin had felt a presence all day. A presence he was unaccustomed to. At least, he had grown unaccustomed to it. Rey had been here before, while Anakin had been here. This felt similar to her presence, only… a bit different. A bit stronger, perhaps? He wasn’t completely certain. But sometime during the afternoon, it grew stronger.
As it was almost time for him to go home anyway, he wiped his hands on a towel and then clocked out. He was far too distracted to be of any use to his employers at the moment. He was sure they would understand.
“Rey,” he said softly, as he spotted the woman standing outside. “I had a feeling it was you.” He wasn’t sure if she would remember being here before, but he had a strong feeling she knew who he was.
R2D2 was with him, as he often was at the car clinic. He remembered Rey from the last time she was here as well, and beeped rather excitedly. “Artoo, give her a moment,” Anakin told the droid.
--
There was a momentary look of confusion before it passed. Poe had mentioned that she had been here before. She supposed she was going to need to get used to the fact some people were going to know here and she didn’t. It was an unfortunate feeling, especially since she had no idea what sort of interaction she had with any of them. The presence of R2D2, though, made her smile to the droid. “I’d say I missed you too, but to me I only just saw you a few hours ago.”
Her eyes moved back to Anakin and she looked a little apologetic. “I’m sorry. I know I was here before, but I can’t seem to remember. Poe got his memories back when he arrived with me, but somehow I did not.” She remembered feeling him though, moments before she felt the strength surge within her to help.
--
Anakin had had a feeling that Rey wouldn’t remember her time here previously. After all, Leia hadn’t. It was odd, how some people remembered being here before and some people did not. But she seemed to be taking his presence here well enough, so that was definitely a good thing. “You know who I am?” he asked, just to verify. He didn’t want to assume that she knew him. Or, at least, knew of him.
R2D2 gave Anakin a few choice beeps when Rey acknowledged his presence, and headed toward the young woman. Anakin just rolled his eyes at the small droid. “Yes, I know she likes you best.” And he smiled slightly when R2D2 beeped at him again. “Leia too, yes.”
He looked up at Rey once more, “He acts like I can’t just turn him off whenever I want.” Then, becoming serious once more, “You just arrived today?”
--
Watching Anakin and R2D2 interact was a bit surreal considering what she knew of the past and of the droid. It was nice in many ways, though she couldn’t help but wondering what R2D2 back home would think of this. Rey brought her attention back to the present. “Yes. Only a few hours ago. We were supposed to be stepping off onto Tatooine, but Poe and I ended up here instead.” She wished the Falcon had stayed. She knew Poe had the same feeling as well. She was just grateful not to be the only one stuck here from their world.
“I know of you. We never met… obviously. But -” Rey paused just briefly. “I’m sorry. I don’t really know what the rules are here about what I can and cannot tell you.” It was frustrating to be in the dark about so many things… again.
--
“Did we not meet because of Darth Vader or because I died?” he asked. “I mean… because I died after becoming Darth Vader.” Yes, he knew of his future. And he was trying everything he could to not allow that to happen. He had Padme here, and Leia. Hopefully with those two being here, he would not turn to the Dark Side.
He couldn’t make any promises, though.
“I think it must have been because I died before you were born. If you’re from Poe’s time.” He arched an eyebrow at Rey’s words, “You were going to Tatooine? Nothing good comes from that planet. ...except Luke. And he wasn’t born there as far as I know.”
--
Rey looked a little relieved when Anakin started to talk about what he knew. She hadn’t been about to say that part, but that he knew about it made things easier, like her knowledge of what would happen wasn’t as taboo as it had felt to her.
“Maybe,” She replied about Tatooine, “But I found myself without a place to call home.” Rey opened her mouth to continue, but then tilted her head and reconsidered. Something was nagging at her. “What did I know the last time I was here? If we can come from any point in our lives, then I wonder how much she - I - knew.”
“I know you because I heard you. Felt you. When I asked for help from the Jedis.”
--
Yes, Anakin knew some of his future. He was to become a Sith Lord in his future. “I had been on the verge of joining Palpatine before I was pulled here. He convinced me that it would help save my wife. I killed Master Windu for him. I was determined to save Padme, her dying seemed worse to me than anything else I could fathom.” He didn’t particularly like admitting this to anyone, but Rey likely already knew all this. It would be silly to not admit what he knew, what he’d done.
He considered her question for a moment. “I did not spend a lot of time with you, the last time you were here,” he admitted. “I believe Luke had died, after allowing the Resistance to escape from Kylo Ren. When Kylo Ren realized that it wasn’t truly Luke there, you helped the Resistance escape on a ship called the Falcon?” That was really all he could remember from his conversations with Rey the last time she was here.
“I also know who this Kylo Ren is, in relationship to me.”
He tilted his head slightly at her next words. “I helped, when you asked for help from the Jedi?” he asked.
--
Having heard him say his future so easily was a bit of a surprise to Rey, but she realized he might have had a lot of time to come to terms with everything. She wasn’t quite ready to mention her relation to Palpatine to anyone, despite having decided her lineage did not define her. When she was ready, she would tell Poe first, and then perhaps the others. Her grandfather was responsible for a lot of things. These were her thoughts as she stood there, but the words that left her contradicted everything.
“Palpatine was my grandfather.”
She held a sudden look of defiance in her eyes, only for a moment, as if to say ‘I dare you to compare me to him’. Then there was a moment of confusion why she had told him, of all people, first. Rey would have to dwell on the later.
“Yes.” She decided to focus on his question first. “I felt you, like I felt Luke and others I don’t know the names of. I didn’t know it was you until right now, actually. But it was definitely you.” It felt strange to want to apologize about Luke to his father - a man she had never met until now.
“As for Ben…” Rey paused. She swallowed for a moment, her eyes momentarily turning a little glossy though she was doing a good job of keeping herself as calm as she could. It was hard not to feel the loss as deeply as she did. What had first started off as annoying and an inconvenience with what Palpatine had called a Force Bond now left Rey feeling like she was missing something. Sometimes she would sit there and reach out for Ben and she would, of course, get nothing in return. “Ben Solo saved my life. He… was a good man.”
--
He remained quiet for a moment, considering what Rey had told him. “The last time you were here, you were unsure of who your family was. It appears that you have learned about them since then.” No, Anakin hadn’t known that Palpatine was her grandfather. But he knew that just because she was the man’s granddaughter didn’t make her like Palpatine. After all, Luke and Leia hadn’t turned to the Dark Side even thought Anakin had.
He knew that people could be different from their parents, or their grandparents. He would not compare Rey to Palpatine, because he wouldn’t want to be compared to Darth Vader. Even though he was to become the Sith Lord, that’s not who he was at the moment.
“Ben had good parents,” he said. “I met a version of Han here, and he was a good man. And Leia…. well, I might be a bit biased when it comes to Leia.” Seeing as Leia was his daughter and everything. “She is here. As is my wife, Padme. Padme is very pregnant at the moment, but I am sure she would love to see you.”
Then, as almost an afterthought, “She’s not pregnant with Luke and Leia this time.”
--
“I have.” She meant about her family. “I still don’t know a lot about my parents, but I do know enough to know they were good people.” And that made her smile, if somewhat bittersweetly.
Rey had liked Han a lot. It had been hard to learn that he had been killed. She found herself wishing that, like Leia, Han could be here. Then her mind spiraled to Luke and Ben and she stopped herself before she dwelled too much on the ‘what ifs’. Instead she smiled. “I’d like to meet her. And see Leia again.” Rey was a little worried about seeing Leia again and how she should approach that. There was a small part of her that hoped Poe would see her first and tell her everything. “And congratulations. Poe mentioned to me that people here often find new lives...I am glad that can be said for you and Padme.” Rey wasn’t exactly sure how she felt being here in Madison, but she knew she didn’t feel a desperate desire to get back. She didn’t feel the need to stay either. It was a conflicting feeling about her present situation.
--
"Padme is due on the 25th. So she is very pregnant, and miserable. But she's putting on a brave face, even though I know she's nervous about everything. So am I. But I am certain she will be glad to see you. She needs a fresh face around, someone who isn't me, R2D2, or Leia."
R2D2 beeped a bit at this, and Anakin smiled slightly. "Yes, I know. You have been a great help." He looked up at Rey, and shook his head slightly. As though saying no, he hasn't.
"I hope you like it here. It's better than Tatooine, at least."
--
Rey smiled back as Anakin shook his head. It seemed like some things never changed - it was a nice feeling. “I guess this means C3PO isn’t here.” She looked to Anakin first and then to R2D2. She was certain if C3PO was, he’d be around R2D2. “I’m sorry, Artoo.”
“I’d like to come and visit then. Maybe in a day or two, so you can prepare Padme. I don’t want to stop by unexpected.”
--
"No, he isn't. Poe has a droid named BB-8 here, but C3PO is not here. It would be nice to see Threepio again, though. He may come here one day. After all, Artoo arrived, after I did." It had been a nice surprise, seeing R2D2 again.
"Sometimes the Dome lets us have things from home. It all depends on if it's feeling generous. It gave me R2D2 and my podracer from when I was a child. So it may let us have C3PO."
He nodded slightly, "I will let her know. I'm sure she'll be glad to see you."
--
“BB-8 and I are good friends.” She was glad that the droid was here, in fact. She craved some familiarity and she hoped BB-8 would help with that. The fact that he referred to the Dome as something that could be sentient was interesting. She was also interested in his podracer, though she refrained from asking about it right now. It seemed a little much.
Rey took a step back with a small smile. “I should let you get to your wife and I should probably go explore and get a sense of this place.” A part of her wanted to see Leia, but she was worried how that would go.
--
"Ah, yes. But please do not hesitate to reach out if you need to. Both Padme and I will be here for you if you need us. I know it is a lot to take in, especially if you don't remember being here before"
He eyed his droid for a moment, "Come on, Artoo. You'll see her again soon." He offered Rey a small smile, "I'll see you around?" He asked.
He hoped he would. He liked Rey.
--
"Yes, I hope so." Rey wanted to see him again. Part of it was because he was familiar to their world, but also because she wanted to learn more about him. She knew, too, she could possibly learn many things from him.