Lost in the Familiar

Chapter 1 - They Never Lose Hope

Author's Note: This fic is honestly the fic we love most of every single thing we've written. Lol. I really, really hope that y'all will enjoy this story as much as we do! :D We'll be updating weekly. ^-^

It was written for Shin_Jam on ao3. :)

~ Amina Gila

Anakin can't even say how it happened.

Sidious is standing, hands outstretched, and he senses the sheer wrongness in the Force. He sees something dark opening up behind the Sith, and Anakin lunges at him again, desperate to stop him from the – whatever he's doing. He's ripping a hole in the Force itself, and Anakin can see stars amidst the darkness. It's like some sort of portal, except – except it's ripping Sidious apart, one bit at a time.

And then Sidious is just gone, leaving a vacuum into outer space behind.

He tries to shield himself, but there's nothing to hold onto, and he's falling. More like flying, but it feels like he's falling, and the last thing Anakin hears is Ahsoka yelling his name from lightyears away, her voice echoing in his mind. He feels Obi-Wan – his master – once more before he's ripped through, and the portal closes over him.

He's still falling, and it feels like he's somehow being disassembled and reassembled on repeat as he falls, plummeting towards something he can't even see.

Something's changing, shifting, and then he crashes through another portal-like thing, hitting the floor somewhere.

Everything feels different. The Force itself feels different. Something is wrong. It feels like something's dying, and everything is so Dark. It's a darkness Anakin has never felt before, but it takes his breath away, and for a few moments, he just lays there, panting.

What did Sidious do?

Anakin opens his eyes, blinking up at the ceiling.

"Who are you?" a voice demands. It's not familiar, but the presence is, and he thinks he knows him from somewhere. Maybe.

Has heard of him, at least. Anakin turns his head a little, looking over at him – his head is throbbing, and he's not quite sure why. Maybe from being unwritten and rewritten or whatever that was – the man has dark hair, and there's definitely something familiar about him. But something is wrong. Everything is... dim. Dull. He can't even understand why.

"Anakin Skywalker," he answers automatically, blinking a few times and pushing himself up.

This person is someone important, but why is he in the Chancellor's office? Actually, why does the room look so... odd suddenly? Palpatine had it all shades of red and brown, with a bit of black here and there. Now, it's... blue? Light blue. And tan. Not much black, though. It looks...

Okay.

Actually, what is happening?

"Who are you?" Anakin asks, pushing himself unsteadily to his feet.

The man's eyes narrow at him. "Your Emperor."

His heart skips a beat and Anakin's mind finally catches up with him. He knows this man. He's seen him on the holonews before – right, it was with Senator Amidala.

Rush Clovis. That's his name. A traitor to the Republic, top member of the Banking Clan, and – what?!

Emperor?

Where is he?

"You're a traitor," Anakin accuses, heart hammering. Something's wrong. Something's – he can't sense anyone. All of his bonds are distant, shielded over and so, so far away that he doesn't think he could reach them even if he tried.