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Chapter Text

Sith Reality

The Force feels... wrong. It's the first thing Anakin realizes even before he opens his eyes and consciousness slowly fades back in. It feels dark. So dark that the sensation is enough to take his breath away. It's – what in the galaxy happened?

A familiar presence brushes against his, and Anakin looks up from where he lies on the ground – he was knocked out in an explosion, he thinks – spotting the figure instantly. Except... instead of the brilliant light in his padawan's presence, she feels dark. It's not like she was on Mortis, either. It's something entirely different.

"Master, are you alright?" she asks, crouching beside him. The golden of her eyes freezes him in place, an icy dread washing over him.

"Wh – Ahsoka, are you – what's happening?" He pushes himself upright, looking wildly across the battlefield.

"Why are you..." Ahsoka frowns. "Why can't I feel the Dark Side in you?"

"Why do I feel it in you?" he retaliates, scrambling to his feet and backing away. This feels like something out of one of his worst nightmares. Maybe it is, but the darkness in the Force is too real.

He senses the concern pouring off her in waves. "I don't understand, Master," she admits.

Anakin's gaze is drawn to where his lightsaber hilt lies on the ground and calls it to him with the Force. The kyber crystal in it feels strangely wrong, as if it's crying. Oh, no. Hesitantly, he ignites it, flinching when a blood-red plasma blade shoots out the end. "Why's it red?" Anakin blurts out half hysterically. "It's supposed to be blue!"

"Blue?" Ahsoka asks, her expression one of almost-disgust. "Don't be silly, Master. Blue is a Jedi's color."

"You're a Sith?"

"Master, are you alright?" Her yellow eyes are filled with a mixture of confusion and concern.

"No!" he exclaims frantically. He's never been so lost and confused in his entire life. Is he dreaming? "What in the name of the Force is going on here?!"

"A battle?" she asks, eyeing him. "You were knocked out in the explosion. You know what? I'll just call Lord Kenobi."

"WHAT?" Anakin all but screams.

His not-padawan spares him a curious glance, pressing a button on her comm. "Lord Kenobi, something's happening to Anakin. You might want to get over here."

The very familiar voice crackles over her comm with an, "I'll be on my way", but something about his presence, too, is wrong. It feels dark. Obi-Wan's never dark, and – and if Ahsoka is a Sith, and he might be too, and where in the world is he? This isn't the galaxy Anakin knew, and it's not where he belongs. It's... a different reality?

He only has a few minutes to ponder it, during which Ahsoka studies him warily, before Obi-Wan arrives. He's dressed in black, which looks jarringly out of place. What hits him hardest is the darkness swirling around him, in stark contrast to the light Anakin is so used to. And his eyes are golden.

Anakin is hit by the sudden urge to run, to get out, because this is so wrong, and he doesn't know how to react. His hands tighten on his lightsaber, but he doesn't back away; he's long since learned it's considered a sign of weakness.

"Anakin," Obi-Wan greets him, warily.

The instinctive part of him wants to reply with 'Master' but he refrains, because this is a Sith. He shouldn't call a Sith that.

"He's half out-of-it," Ahsoka declares flatly.

"I'm in the wrong place," Anakin snaps back.

"Calm yourself," Obi-Wan instructs, stepping forwards. It only serves to further his panic, because it's such an Obi-Wan-like thing to say, but he's a Sith. He's – how is it even possible? "Are you injured?" he asks.

Anakin shakes his head. He doesn't think he is, anyway, at least nothing notable.

"What's the last thing you remember?"

"The battle?" Anakin glances around the area again. It's the same as he remembers, so why...?

"Yes," he confirms, shooting a questioning glance at Ahsoka.

The Force feels so dark, and in the moment of silence it overwhelms him again. "This is crazy," Anakin groans. "It's impossible. You –" Suddenly, it occurs to him that both Obi-Wan and Ahsoka are Sith, and the Clone Wars is still clearly going on. There were only two Sith before, and... here, it seems like there's more, which means... No. Absolutely not. It's too outlandish. "What's happening?" he demands. "The Clone Wars is happening... right?"

"Told you so," Ahsoka sing-songs, smirking when Obi-Wan glares at her.

"They are," he confirms.

"I'm in the wrong universe," Anakin states flatly. "You're not supposed to be Sith. This is insane."

"Of course, we are." Ahsoka gives him an odd look. "We always have been. Well, you weren't always, but we were."

No. This cannot be happening.

"We should return to Coruscant," Obi-Wan states. "The Council can figure this out."

He doesn't know if he should laugh or cry; maybe a bit of both. The Council are Sith now? And Obi-Wan wants to take him back there to face them. "No," Anakin objects sharply, backing away. "They – they're Sith?" He tries to imagine Master Yoda as a Sith and can't quite manage it. He can't say he'd be terribly surprised about Windu, but...

"What was it like in the place you're from?" Obi-Wan asks.

"You were my Jedi Master," Anakin answer slowly. "Ahsoka was my padawan. Dooku is the only known Sith of my time."

"And one of the only known Jedi of ours," Ahsoka chirps. "Ventress is the other."

No way. This cannot be possible. Anakin stumbles backwards, mind whirling. This cannot be happening to him. Everyone he knows are a bunch of Sith? How is he supposed to get back home? And what happened to this world's version of himself? Hopefully, he didn't land back in Anakin's reality.

"I would recommend sitting down for this," Obi-Wan states dryly. "You have nothing to fear, Anakin."

They're Sith. Obi-Wan is a Sith Lord, apparently, and it would maybe help a little if he was able to trust them, but he can't. Not after the Hardeen incident only a month ago. If Obi-Wan is a Sith that means they're enemies, and – and they're on opposite sides of the conflict, and Obi-Wan won't hesitate to hurt him, and Anakin really, really doesn't want to fight him again, not now, not ever. And the Council... "No!" he protests, "You can't – I can't go back there."

"They can be reasonable," Obi-Wan promises. Anakin gets the feeling he's trying to be gentle and soothing, but it's having the opposite effect. It doesn't help that this isn't his Obi-Wan, so he has no idea if his not-former master has other intentions.

"Like Dooku was reasonable every time I ran into him?!" Anakin yells.

"You're not our enemy. You're my apprentice." Obi-Wan approaches him. "No harm will come to you."

"I once thought that about the Jedi Council," Anakin retaliates sharply, "And I was wrong."

"They may be highly unreasonable," Ahsoka interjects, "But they will listen, Master."

It's unsettling to hear a Sith call him that. "How do you know they won't decide I'm their prisoner?" he asks bitterly.

Obi-Wan's expression darkens. "The Jedi have harmed you, haven't they?"

"What? No, they – they wouldn't."

"What are you afraid of?"

His first instinct is to deny it, but it's too obvious. His heart is pounding, and his breathing quick enough there's no way they couldn't notice. "I don't know how I ended up here."

"The Force brought you here," Obi-Wan replies. "What we don't know is why or how."

Great. So, this mess is the Force's fault, apparently.

There's something... knowing in the other's eyes, suddenly. "May I touch you?"

Anakin narrows his eyes. It's a strange question, and most of all, he's being asked it by a Sith, who likely has ulterior motives. He has no idea what he means by this. "Why?" he asks, sharply.

Obi-Wan's expression doesn't change, though Anakin definitely feels a flicker of... something in the Force. He steps forwards, slowly. Anakin stands his ground, stubbornly refusing to move away, even as something inside him twists with apprehension. Obi-Wan's hand lays on his shoulder, his touch surprisingly gentle.

Anakin flinches, anyway, suddenly unable to shake the memories of what happened not so long ago. He'd only recently gotten out of the medbay from... Orondia and the Festival of Light, after all. He tries not to think about it, because it hurts too much, but it doesn't change how this isn't his Obi-Wan, and it's really someone Anakin doesn't know.

"Sit," he orders, guiding Anakin to some nearby rocks.

He complies, reluctantly, simply because he doesn't have the energy to keep standing. He's exhausted from the battle – it must have taken longer than he thought – and this situation is not helping.

"There must be some reason the Force brought you here," he says, which... yes, there must be, but Anakin can't begin to fathom what it is. "I will speak with the Council. They may be able to help."

Sith don't help, but Anakin doesn't dare point that out. He can't think about anything except how Obi-Wan is too close, and he feels too dark, and he just wants to get away from that, to go back home and get as far as possible from whatever in the galaxy this is.

"You should come back to the ship," Ahsoka suggests. He doesn't want to go anywhere with these Sith, but... he doesn't have anywhere else to go.

***

Jedi Reality

Something is not right. Anakin can feel it in the Force, pulsing around him. The Dark Side always answers strongly to his call – especially now with the war going on, when there's so much constant death and destruction – but right now, the Force feels Light. Far Lighter than he's ever felt before, than should even be possible, especially since he can still feel the chaos of the war surrounding him.

Maybe he really did hit his head a little too hard this time, in the explosion he was caught in.

Anakin opens his eyes with a quiet groan, gaze promptly landing on Ahsoka. But... something's very, very wrong with her, because why are her eyes not golden? Why does she feel so Light, instead of Dark?!

"Master?" Ahsoka calls, a touch of wariness in her voice, "Are you... alright? Why do you feel so..."

"Ahsoka?" he queries, studying her, equally wary. Why are her eyes so blue? It's not that he hasn't seen her eyes blue before. He has, but only when they spend one-on-one time together with each other. And sometimes... with Rex and the boys, though that's not something they ever talk about.

"Why are you – you're... using the Dark Side?" she asks, almost incredulously, taking a step back when he slowly pushes himself into a sitting position.

"Why aren't you?" Anakin demands. This doesn't make any sense. What's going on?!

"... are you alright, Master?" she questions, crossing her arms, "Did you hit your head? Because this isn't funny."

"I don't know. What's happening here?" he asks, desperately scanning his surroundings. The battle looks exactly the same as it did when he was thrown down in the explosion, so he doesn't understand at all.

And that's when something else occurs to him. His lightsaber feels strange. It's humming with a strange sense of serenity that he's never felt before, and he pulls it out, activating the blade.

Except, instead of being red, it's blue. What?!

"A battle?" Ahsoka asks, raising an eye marking, "What are you... doing?"

"Why is this blue?!"

"Why wouldn't it be blue?" She's starting to look as freaked out as he feels now himself, and that inexplicably makes him feel bad. Sith aren't supposed to feel bad about those things, or really anything, but Anakin has never been like most of them. Even if he tries.

Reaching out with the Force, he can tell Ahsoka's crystals feel of the same serenity too, and that means... The only crystal he's ever felt like that was Dooku's on Geonosis – the traitorous Sith turned Jedi. Wait –

"Why don't I just call Master Kenobi," Ahsoka decides, pushing a button on her comm.

"What?" Anakin demands, voice rising, "What do you mean 'master'?"

"Master Kenobi, something's happening to Anakin. You might want to get over here," she calls, before looking up at him again.

"I'll be on my way," Obi-Wan's familiar voice replies, except he feels strange, too. He feels of rain as always, but it's not dark. It's strangely light in a way it definitely shouldn't be. What's happening?!

"...Why are you calling him that?" That is not his title. Not unless –

"What else would I call him?" Ahsoka replies, looking hopelessly confused, and even more freaked out than before.

"... Lord?" That's his title, after all.

"What?!" Ahsoka huffs out a breath, taking another cautious step away from him. "Okay, why don't we just wait until he gets here."

None of this makes any sense. Even the Force itself feels entirely different, and it... shouldn't. It should never feel this Light, and for a terrifying moment, he has to wonder if he's in... another reality. He must be. That's the only way of explaining how any of this is possible, because it shouldn't be. These things couldn't have changed, especially not so fast, without him knowing.

It feels like both Obi-Wan and Ahsoka are Jedi, after all, a theory that's only proven further when he sees his former master approaching, except instead of the usual dark robes, he's wearing a lighter tan.

And it looks so wrong.

Obi-Wan's eyes are blue, too, weirdly enough – it's not that he never saw his master's eyes as anything other than yellow before, but it was rare. He can't actually remember the last time it happened. Maybe sometimes, when they were both a little younger, before Obi-Wan started becoming so well-known among the Sith. Maybe, if there was a time he looked at Anakin with anything other than possession.

But Ahsoka called him master. How can Anakin know this version of him won't be... worse?

"Anakin," Obi-Wan states, an obvious note of wariness in his voice.

"He thinks we should be calling you Lord. I don't know what happened to him," Ahsoka calls.

"I'm in the wrong place," he snaps, heartrate picking up as Obi-Wan moves a little closer. He has no idea what's about to happen now. He doesn't know how Jedi would treat a captured Sith, and he doesn't want to.

"Are you injured?" Obi-Wan asks, crouching in front of him.

"I – don't know." Because he has no idea if he's hallucinating all of this and has completely lost his mind, or if he's actually... somewhere else somehow. But this is so confusing, and he doesn't see why the battle had to get even more complicated, when they were having a hard enough time fighting as was.

Obi-Wan frowns, looking as though he's considering moving closer, but then decides better of it. "What happened?"

"I don't know," he bites out. He has no idea, and –

"He woke up acting crazy," Ahsoka replies, flatly.

"You're both Jedi!" he yelps, "We're supposed to be Sith!"

Obi-Wan and Ahsoka share a glance. "I see what you mean," his master says, dryly, before turning back to him, "What's the last thing you remember?"

"The battle?"

"Then why are you suddenly a Sith?" Ahsoka demands.

"I believe... I'm in the wrong reality?" he guesses, gaze darting around again. That's only thing that could explain this, as outlandish as that is. But it makes more sense than... everyone he ever knew randomly becoming Jedi.

"We should take this to the Council," Obi-Wan decides, "They can determine what to do."

The Council. The Jedi Council? Because apparently, somehow, in this reality, they have enough members for a Council? He can't – can't – let them know he's here. The Sith Council were so wary about him in his reality, and if he's outright on the opposing side here, he doesn't want to know what will happen. "No," Anakin objects, standing sharply.

Obi-Wan stands as well, taking a step back. "Anakin, the Council will know what to do."

"No," he repeats, panic clawing its way into his chest. "They can't know."

"They can find a way to... reverse this."

There's nothing he wants more than that, but it's not a risk he's going to take. How would the Council know how to do that, anyway? It's not like something of this nature has even been heard of before. "They're Jedi," he retorts, "I am what they've always hunted."

The Jedi nearly wiped out the Sith in his time a thousand years ago, but eventually, the Sith had been able to gain the upper hand, completely destroying them instead. Only ten years ago they found out that apparently some Jedi were still around, likely still bent on destroying them. He can't imagine a galaxy where everyone he knew as Sith are Jedi now, and –

"You're not our enemy, Anakin," Obi-Wan replies, in what sounds like an attempt to be soothing, but Anakin knows better than to trust it. "None of us understand what happened here."

"That won't matter," he snaps. Not if the Jedi here are anything like Dooku, and he doesn't want to find out.

And even if they're not, he knows better than to trust them. He doesn't trust anyone anymore. He trusted the Sith one time, long before he had any idea what they were really like. He was a child, blinded by rumors. He didn't... know.

"They will not... harm you, if that is what you fear," his not-master assures. It does very little to help. "The Jedi are not like the Sith."

"That doesn't make them better," Anakin retorts. Instincts are dangerously close to kicking in, to just do what Obi-Wan tells him to and let him... take control, the way he was always so instant on doing, but considering that this is a Jedi, Anakin can't do that. He has to... fight him. He should have already.

Obi-Wan in this place would have already. He would have known what to do.

He wouldn't even be thinking about letting the Jedi take custody of him, because it seemed easier than the alternative. But... Anakin can't leave, can he? It's not as if he has anywhere he can go, unless he can find the Sith of this reality. But he has no reason to trust them, either.

"Is there a war here?" Anakin asks finally, bluntly.

"The Clone Wars," Ahsoka answers.

"The Separatists are – is Dooku their leader?" he asks, warily.

Ahsoka nods. "He's the only known Sith here."

Dooku's the Sith. Of course – it would make sense. If he's the only Jedi in Anakin's time, he'd be the only Sith here, and there's no way Anakin can go to him. It doesn't matter if they're both Sith. He could never trust Dooku, and that leaves him with no idea what to do.

"There must be some reason the Force brought you here," Obi-Wan points out, "Even if we do not know why or how. Likely, there is a way to reverse it, but we must return to Coruscant."

"No," he repeats again, sharply, even if the argument feels pointless because this Obi-Wan isn't going to change his mind, "I'm not going there."

"The Council is reasonable, Anakin." He's visibly annoyed now, and Anakin can't help flinching back from him. Not even his Obi-Wan would outright hurt him, but he... can't help it. He can't stop being afraid he might. Was that true here, too? "There's nothing to be afraid of."

Anakin's eyes narrow. "They'll kill me."

"This is a different situation," Obi-Wan objects, "And regardless of whatever was true in your reality, the Jedi don't execute people."

How can I know you're not lying, Anakin doesn't ask. "They'll still imprison me," he protests, even if he knows that... that arguing is pointless at this point. If he's not going to give in, he needs to fight or run now. Not keep talking.

"Not if you're cooperating," Obi-Wan argues, "It is already quite apparent you do not know how ended up here."

"Why don't we go to the ship?" Ahsoka advises, gaze darting between them.

Right. Because it's not like they'll let him go anywhere else. For a moment, he finds himself contemplating lashing out and running, but that's not realistic. He has to go with them. And... he can't leave them, either.

Yes, his attachment to them is a weakness, but he can't stop it.

"Come," Obi-Wan orders. The commanding note in it makes it hard to even consider refusing, even if he tries reminding himself that this isn't his Obi-Wan, so he doesn't have to listen to him. Still, it feels like there's little he can do but follow as they head for the shuttle waiting nearby.

***

Sith Reality

He isn't feeling any better than he already does when he arrives on Coruscant. Worse, actually, because the Dark Side hits him full force only when he sees the Temple. All he knows without a doubt is that he does not want to be anywhere near there if his life depended on it.

He just wants to – to run, but he can't because Obi-Wan and Ahsoka are already there with him, hovering far too close. "They want to speak with you in person," Obi-Wan tells him – as though he hadn't already guessed that.

But somehow, he doubts there will be much talking worth speaking of. He's going to see a Council of Sith, when the Jedi here are the ones hunted. He can't imagine that, and he can't deny that he's terrified of what they're going to do to him. He remembers with far too much clarity everything Dooku did to him – all things he wishes he could un-remember.

He can't bring himself to respond; it feels like he can hardly breathe.

"Anakin, it'll be fine," Obi-Wan assures, "We're not your enemies."

"You're Sith," he grits out, "I'm a Jedi. There is nowhere here that we are not enemies."

"You are still my apprentice."

"I am not. I am not even from here."

Obi-Wan stops walking, turning to face him suddenly enough that his heart nearly stops. "You're still Anakin, either way."

He doesn't really know what to think of the look in his master's eyes when he says it. There's something... possessive about it that he's never once seen in Obi-Wan before, and it's terrifying to see it now. It's hard to look at him and see the way his eyes burn yellow.

"They will not... see it that way," he says quietly – it comes out more of a whisper than he intended. At least not if they're anything like they were in his time. He still can't imagine them as Sith. He can't help flinching again when Obi-Wan makes a move towards him.

"Go on," he commands, "I'll be right with you."

That does little to nothing to calm his racing heart, but Anakin can do nothing except step inside, keeping his gaze down at the floor. He does it every time he's in the Council chambers. It's instinctive, but... it's much worse now.

He doesn't dare look to see if the Masters are the same. He doesn't want to know if Yoda's here. Somehow, that would be far more shocking than Windu.

"Lord Kenobi told us what happened." Oh, yes, it is Windu. Anakin almost thinks that's worse, because he really doesn't want to be dealing with the said Jedi Master now Sith Lord. He, least of all, will be understanding of the situation.

Anakin nods, gaze down. He doesn't look up from the spot on the floor. He can't help thinking it looks disturbingly similar to the one in the Jedi Temple.

"Explain this to us, in your terms, you should."

He bites his lip to withhold whatever sound nearly escaped him at hearing Yoda's voice. "I have nothing to add. I appeared there. I – I don't know how."

"Appeared?" Windu repeats dubiously.

"I don't understand what happened." He wishes he could somehow pull himself together and... something. Anything, except just stand here and panic while knowing how pathetic it is and how much it's like what the Sith want.

"You say you're from a reality where all of us here are Jedi?" It's Mundi this time, and he sounds suspicious.

"Yes –" He hastily cuts off the instinctive urge to add "master'. He will not address Sith like that.

"How do we know they didn't send you here intentionally?" Windu demands.

"Why would I choose to be here?"

"That is the question we are asking you."

He knew this would happen. They aren't listening – they never did as Jedi either. "I do not wishto be here. I belong where I came from."

"And," Windu repeats, "You expect us to believe that a Jedi came here accidently?"

"How would I have found a way through... realities?! I did not know it was possible!"

"You are – were the Sith'ari," replies Mundi, "If anyone were powerful enough to do it, it would be you."

Sith'ari –

That – is that the word for Chosen One for the Sith?!

"Sith'ari," Anakin repeats slowly. "We don't have that where I'm from."

"Then what do they call you?" It's Obi-Wan this time.

"The Chosen One," he replies numbly.

"Destined to destroy the Sith the same way the Sith'ari is the Jedi?" Windu asks coldly.

No, this is bad. Suddenly, he has a very, very bad feeling about where this conversation is going. Even so, he can only nod. If he lies, that's going to get much, much worse.

"And you still expect us to believe you're coming here was an accident?"

"I am not here to fight you," he protests.

"Yet you have not given us any proof of that."

"What proof can I give you?" He can't help his desperation now. It feels like they've already decided one whatever it is they're planning to do to him, and he doesn't want to know what.

"The truth," Plo advises, and Anakin can't believe he's a Sith, too. Plo was... kind. Anakin can't imagine him being dark.

"I already told you –"

"You expect that will be enough for us to let a Jedi walk out of here?" Windu demands.

No, no – He knew this would happen, and what are they planning to do?! He looks up instinctively to Obi-Wan, as he... often does in the past in such situations, only to remember that this isn't his Obi-Wan – especially not when all he can see is twelve pairs of yellow eyes boring down on him.

"We should interrogate him," Mundi suggests.

"I do not believe he knows more than he has already told us," Obi-Wan objects.

"You will always speak in his favor," Mundi retorts.

"Unclear on this matter, the Dark Side is," Yoda interjects. How many times has Anakin heard Yoda say things like that?

"We will take him to the interrogation room," Windu says, and they all stand.

Anakin flinches back – it's the first time he hasn't been able to reign it in, but he knows there's nowhere he can go to hide. There's nowhere he can go that's safe. The Sith will find him there, and it's not as if he'd make it far, and all he'd do is make them angrier.

He can't run, and he can't fight – there's way too many and they have him surrounded. And Obi-Wan isn't doing anything to... stop them. Not that he expected otherwise. This isn't his Obi-Wan. He's a Sith.

So, he doesn't know why it still hurts.

Obi-Wan is the first one to reach him, taking his arm far too gently considering what's about to happen. "Come," he says, as though it's a request, as though Anakin even has a choice.

His heart is hammering harder as they lead him out of the Council chambers. He can't help wondering what if he just tried running, because even if he might not get far, at least he wouldn't be trapped here.

He wouldn't even make it though, would he? And then it would just be worse –

But seeing as he's probably about to be... whatever Sith do when they want to force Jedi to talk, he doesn't think things could get a lot worse.

***

Jedi Reality

The trip to Coruscant goes far too quickly, considering everything. He doesn't say anything to the others on the way, though they're obviously keeping a close eye on him. That doesn't stop how he's dreading every moment of this, especially when he finally arrives on Coruscant, to feel how the Light Side lingers so strongly in the air, as opposed to back... home.

He just wants to find a way back.

And apparently, the Jedi Council are probably his only hopes at that. It's insane. He doesn't even know how it happened – the Jedi are never going to help him. He's a Sith. And maybe it's not all wrong that they hate the Sith, because he... can understand that sometimes, but he's still their enemy.

No, they're not going to be like the Sith Council.

But like he told Obi-Wan, that doesn't mean they'll be any better.

"Are you okay?" Ahsoka asks, pausing and glancing up at him. There's thinly veiled worry in her eyes, and it makes his heart clench painfully. She shouldn't be worried about him. Doesn't have a reason to be. But admitting otherwise is a weakness, and he can't let it show. Not even to her.

"I'm a Sith," Anakin replies shortly.

"You are still Anakin," Obi-Wan reminds, pausing. But he doesn't look anything like the master Anakin knew. He's... somehow colder, and it hurts. "Even if there is something more here happening that we do not understand."

Yeah, tell them that, he wants to snap, but he holds it back. Outright antagonizing Obi-Wan would be the dumbest thing he could do. He already knows that. Same for the Council. That doesn't mean he's not going to make it perfectly clear that he is a Sith, and he won't be ashamed of his beliefs. (He already is, actually.)

Ahsoka stands right outside the door when Obi-Wan leads him inside. Right outside, as he knows he would be if their roles we were reversed, if – but it doesn't matter. This isn't his apprentice, even if she looks the same.

He's careful to keep his eyes down when he walks to the center of the room. Obi-Wan moves to his seat – it's even in the same direction. But he doesn't want to see if all the Sith Lords are Jedi Masters here.

"Told us what happened, Master Kenobi did," Yoda says. Because he's a Jedi, too? "Explain this to us, in your own terms, you should." His voice sounds soft. Too soft, because Anakin can feel the tension and suspicion in the room. He doesn't like it. It feels like their decision is already made.

"I was fighting," he answers. They want the full story from him, don't they? "Then I – I think I lost consciousness. I'm not sure. All I know is that I was waking up here by... my apprentice." What should he call her, anyway? Her name? Her title? Should he give away that they were on first name basis? Probably not? The Sith Council would've been angry. Anakin can't risk her like that, not even this version of her.

"What did the surroundings look like?" Windu. Force. He was literally the darkest of the Sith.

"The same." Do they want more? How much do they want? He has no idea how to read this.

"So, you believe you woke up here?" Windu deduces, and he nods, still not looking up. He wishes he could do something other than being small and unnoticeable and –

"How do you expect us to believe that you were not sent here intentionally, or that you are not collaborating directly with the Sith?" Windu asks, and Anakin's head snaps up.

"I – I'm not. I just came here. I'm not even from here. I don't –" He should calm down. Somehow. Drawing on the Dark Side right now is probably a bad idea. To be fair, whatever he does or says is probably a bad idea.

"You claim to be from a reality where we are all Sith," Mundi replies, "Yet you have given us no reason to believe your words."

"How could I?" Anakin asks, disbelievingly, "I already gave you everything I could. I –"

"If this is true, how can we know that your presence isn't intentional?" Windu asks.

It's stupid and childish how much he wants to cry right now. Obi-Wan usually defends him if the Council is getting too aggressive. He's not now, though. Because he sees Anakin as a traitor, too. "I don't know anything about this – reality jumping, or whatever it was. I would have no way to –"

"We know you are the Chosen One," Mundi replies. Is... that this universe's version of the Sith'ari? Somehow, that just makes his fear grow even more.

"The what?" he echoes, anyway, because he's not fully certain. And these things are too important to guess.

"The prophecy of a Jedi who is said to destroy the Sith," Windu explains, "Though there is much doubt to the truth of this... legend."

He bites his lip. It's not like he'll dare confess the Sith have a similar prophecy of the strongest Sith to live, who will give them more power than ever before.

"If there were any Sith powerful enough to break through barriers in reality, it would be you," Mundi concurs, eyes narrowed.

"We are already at war in my reality. Why would we start one here?" Anakin protests. It doesn't even make sense, and he doesn't understand... Well, yes, he does. He already knew they weren't going to listen to anything he has to say, any more than the Sith Council did. And it's worse when he's actually their enemy.

"Do they have something of this nature in your reality?" Obi-Wan asks. Of course, he just had to ask the worst possible question which will only put Anakin in an even tighter place.

"They... call me the Sith'ari," he answers. Breathe, he tells himself. Don't panic. Nothing will stop that though.

"Meaning?"

"That I am to... destroy the Jedi and make the Sith more powerful." There's no point lying, or they'll feel it. "Though the Sith there do not believe me... strong enough to fulfill it." It's a useless addition – though it's true – in the hopes of calming them, but he doesn't think it helped at all, if they way their emotions flux to greater suspicion is anything to go by.

"And yet, you expect us to believe you're coming here was an accident?" Windu demands.

Tamping down on his fear is pretty much impossible now. "I am not here to fight you."

"We need proof of that." It's Shaak Ti this time, and it's so jarring to see her as a Jedi.

"What proof could I give you?!" Aside from the fact that if they truly believe him capable of killing all ten thousand Jedi in the Temple, they must be truly as weak as the Sith teach. He's relatively certain that will make them all angry if he points it out, though.

"Even so, you must know we cannot let a Sith walk free," Plo replies, apologetically.

Of course,they would do this. He knew it would happen, but that does little to stop his spiraling fear. He has no idea what being imprisoned by the Jedi would be like, and he doesn't care to find out. "I have no intention of... fighting you," he objects, "I only seek to return to my reality."

"Find a way to reverse this first, we must," Yoda state.

"Until then, you will be held in the Temple," Windu replies, and Anakin jolts back when he hears some of them moving. They're going – going to keep him here. The Jedi won't – probably – go as far as hurting him as he knows the Sith would, but they can... do worse. There is always worse they can do if they tried.

They probably already figured out how close he is with Obi-Wan and Ahsoka, considering he was willing to come back here, and they will no doubt use that to their advantage. He should've left when he could have. Even now, he could try. But how far would he get? He could cause a lot of damage, sure. But he could never get through all the Jedi here and out. Even if he could, he has nowhere to go.

Still. It feels like he's entirely alone here, and he is. He always has been, but this isn't even his place.

Anakin glances towards Ahsoka as he's led out, though she doesn't outwardly react. Her eyes follow him, but she doesn't move to stop it. Not as if there would be anything she could do, anyway.

There's nothing more he can do either, as the Jedi Council lead him away. (He should've guessed Obi-Wan would let them do it, but that doesn't mean it doesn't hurt.) He wouldn't want her to get involved and hurt because of it. But really, now Anakin can only wonder if he's ever going to be allowed out of this place, or if he'll... see his family again. Not that these people are really his family anymore. Not as if they were exactly before, either.

Chapter Text

Sith Reality

Apparently, things can still get worse. The area they take him do feels of the Dark Side – of pain and he wishes he didn't know why. It's not like this area in the Jedi Temple – this is darker, far more sinister, and at least at the Jedi Temple, he was never here as the prisoner.

They're not planning to hurt him, at least not quite yet, because the fact that he's firmly restrained to a... something in the center of the darkened cell is a telltale sign that they wouldn't hesitate to if he's being noncompliant.

He can't even move, and that's torture in and of itself, with how helpless it makes him feel.

And they won't stop barraging him with questions and then claiming that he's lying no matter what he says and – it doesn't help that Obi-Wan didn't do more than take him down here before leaving.

"Then perhaps your time in here will allow to determine what it was you were actually doing here," Windu says icily to his... probably one hundredth denial by now before they leave, plunging the room into a deafening silence.

The room is dark, far too dark. He can only watch the door, expecting them to come back, more like desperately hoping they'll come back. He has no way out of here, and they can't just leave him tied to this, can they?

He's been in solitary confinement before, never for very long, usually when he was too out-of-it for it to even matter, but this is different, because he's fully conscious and with no guarantee of anyone finding him. He doesn't have anyone to find him, unless whatever happened will switch him back, and right now, the Force is so muddled by the Dark Side, he can't feel anything outside of the pain and fear lingering in the room oppressively.

How the public could stand for this, he has no idea. He doesn't really want to know, either.

It makes even less sense that the Sith aren't ruling the galaxy the way he would have expected – or at least he doesn't think they are, because there was a Senate, and it looked identical to the one in his time. And Yoda is clearly the Grandmaster of the Sith Order, so he's assuming they have a similar role to the Jedi.

As similar as such a role could ever be for Sith, that is.

He still doesn't understand how Obi-Wan and Ahsoka could be Sith. He doesn't understand how he could have been one here or how he ended up in his counterpart's body in the first place. Or why.

(He also doesn't understand why Obi-Wan left him here. Especially after he promised that they wouldn't hurt him. Well, he does know why, so why does it hurt as much as it does? This Obi-Wan isn't his.)

But right now, he almost wants them to come back, because he can't stand this silence anymore, this – inability to move. It could have been hours or only minutes now, for all he knows. Not that they're constant questioning is any better, but...

He just wants to go back.

He's too afraid to let himself fall asleep. It's not as if he could even if he tried. It's been... a while when he finally senses them returning. They do come back eventually – and other then to... very briefly let him down – it's for nothing but to keep questioning him, and they stilldon't seem to believe a word of what he's saying. He doesn't even know why they're bothering, but at least they let him up once in a while.

Judging from how thirsty and worn out he feels by now – not to mention sore – he thinks it has to have been several days by now.

He doesn't want to risk sleeping, and any time he gets close, it seems they show up to start pestering him again. They haven't used the... device he's strapped to, but he can't shake the feeling that they might if this continues much longer. He's still not convinced this isn't more a nightmare.

Because yes, he and Windu had problems, but threatening to torture him? And Yoda preaching about the Dark Side?! This is... he can't believe there could be a universe like this, but it's undeniably what he's trapped in.

The silence is beginning to drive him out of his mind when the door finally opens again, except this time it's... Obi-Wan. Anakin is not ready to see him again – he's not sure he ever will be.

It's hard to read his expression in the darkness. "Anakin?"

Anakin makes a quiet sound of acknowledgement, not wanting to talk beyond what he has to.

"How are you?" he asks.

"Why are you asking me?" he demands tiredly, "Don't disguise why you're here."

"I'm here to teach you our way," he replies. Anakin senses him approaching and hears the familiar hissing of the restraints hissing open. He doesn't dare move yet, either way – he doesn't know what Obi-Wan is doing. Doesn't know if he'll be willing to hurt him or... anything.

"I will not become a Sith," he insists.

"I'm not here to listen to your stubborn refutes, either," he chides. "Come, get up. I imagine you'd want a drink at least, by now."

Anakin won't admit to that – to just how much wants that, and to just be out of here already – but he gets up as ordered, standing a little unsteadily. Obi-Wan takes his arm to steady him with a surprising amount of gentleness, but somehow, those yellow eyes looking at him are even more unsettling in the darkness.

"Come," he instructs again, and Anakin follows, as though he has much choice. He can't trust this. He has no idea where he's taking him, and if he really cared, he wouldn't have waited days to show up.

"How long... has it been?" he can't help but ask as they step into the hall, and he blinks, trying to reorient himself to the sudden light.

"Three days," Obi-Wan replies, pressing his lips together in a near scowl, "They would not let me come sooner." His displeasure is obvious, but Anakin can't trust it. He has no way to know that it's truly fake and not a ruse for something – he knows better than to trust a Sith.

They leave the prison level but stop on a floor that doesn't... look much better, and Obi-Wan leads him into one of the rooms. It looks like a normal room, but it's obviously intended to contain its user inside.

He fights the instinctive urge to tense when he hears the door lock behind them. He expected this, though. Obi-Wan isn't here to free him – he's just doing what the rest of them are, only differently. That doesn't really make it better. It's worse with Obi-Wan, because Anakin always expected – trusted – him to protect him. Even if... after Hardeen, that changed.

"Sit," he orders, before moving to hand him a glass of water.

He does as he's told, more than relieved to not be walking right now. He's very worn out, even if he won't show it. He can't stop himself from downing the entire cup the moment he's given it, though. "What is it you want?" Anakin asks finally, unable to bring himself to look up. He can feel Obi-Wan hovering far too close, watching him. "I already told you what happened that brought me here."

"I know," his not-master assures, studying him. Something about his expression looks hungry. Anakin never thought he could see Obi-Wan look like that, but he is now. And it makes his skin crawl to see – his master was so light and good and kind and... but now he's... he's willing to hurt Anakin as if whatever they had in this universe meant nothing to him, and for all Anakin knows, considering how different it could've been, it probably doesn't.

He has to double-check with the Force just to make sure this isn't poisoned or drugged or something before drinking it – it's not. Thankfully. He was worried about it. Honestly – he wouldn't see it past the Sith to drug him just to see if it would make him talk or... whatever it is they want from him.

"What was it like in your reality?" Obi-Wan inquires. It's an innocent question, but Anakin knows what he's probing for.

"Regarding what?" he inquires.

"Well, us, mostly."

"I... don't know." Thinking about his own master again sends a stab of sharp, shooting pain through him. He misses Obi-Wan, but it doesn't matter – he knows how little he means to him now. He knows that he will only be used by whatever means the Jedi deem necessary for the greater good. He shouldn't resent that as much as he does, but he can't help it. Maybe that's why he's so afraid right now – afraid that the Sith will succeed in turning him.

And he doesn't want to Fall. He doesn't want to disappoint his Obi-Wan.

"What does that mean?" Obi-Wan queries.

Anakin tenses automatically. He doesn't know how or where he could start explaining, but he can't give the Sith information about himself. They'll only use it against him. "It doesn't matter," he says instead, silently begging that this not be a very, very bad thing to tell him.

"Yes, it does," the Sith insists, leaning forwards, studying him closely. "Did he care about you?"

"What concern is it of yours?"

"Anakin," he chides in the exact same tone his own master used on him. It's beyond jarring to hear the similarity. "You must have been my padawan in that reality. Either way, you were my apprentice here, and you are now, whether you intended to be or not."

Air freezes in his lungs at the sheer bluntness of it. "I am not – I am not your anything."

"You are," he promises, leaning closer. He's way too close now. "You always will be."

The possessiveness scares him, if he's being honest. It's – it's frightening to see someone being like this towards him, even if he has wanted the assurance that someone cares for him. But a Sith?

"Did he hurt you?" Obi-Wan asks.

Anakin turns his head away, looking down, desperate to avoid that gaze. It makes his skin crawl to look at Obi-Wan like this. He can't let the Sith see his weakness. He's only afraid it's too late for that.

He flinches, slamming into the back of his chair when Obi-Wan suddenly reaches out to touch his cheek. His hand feels so much like his own master's that it hurts. Any other time, he may not mind, but right now, it's a jarring reminder of how these were the same hands that were hurting him not long ago. "Don't touch me."

"This wasn't normal for you?" he inquires, sounding confused. He pulls back though, at least, and a faint sound of relief escapes Anakin.

"What? Him touching me? No. Rarely."

"What was he like to you?" Obi-Wan asks.

He keeps asking about that, and Anakin isn't entirely certain if he can continue dodging the question without making his master angry. "We... were close."

"Then why are you so afraid?"

"You're a Sith," Anakin retorts.

"If you trusted him, you wouldn't be so afraid to trust me," he replies. He's eyeing him with that look again, and it's unsettling. Especially because what he's saying isn't wrong. He doesn't trust his own Obi-Wan to protect him anymore, for as much as that hurts. And... he definitely doesn't trust a Sith version of him. At all.

"I'm not... afraid," he argues.

"Really," he replies, dryly. "I suppose I'm imaging the fear I feel from you, then."

He can hardly outright deny it, but he hates how vulnerable this is making him feel. "What do you want?" he demands again. "I'm not going to Fall."

"Tell me what he did to you," he requests, except it sounds more like an order.

As if he could even begin to speak of what happened with Hardeen now? He doesn't think he could talk about it to anyone, least of all another version of his master. "I – I don't want to talk about it."

He leans back – finally – eyeing Anakin speculative for a few moments, though he doesn't speak immediately. "You do not have to, then, but... I find it concerning a Jedi would hurt you this much."

"He was only doing his duty," Anakin argues, past the instant swell of emotions just thinking about what happened there. He doesn't want to think about it. He can't think about it. Some things... hurt too much.

"Precisely my point," Obi-Wan interrupts, "If what he did is what 'his duty calls for' what else is he capable of?"

The words cut far more deeply than he even wants to think about, especially because he's already wondering that. He never realized how little he meant to his master until now, in the face of his 'duties'.

... Is this what he's trying to do? Make him start questioning the Jedi way and everything he believed in? Because it's working, for as hard as he tries to suppress those thoughts.

He shakes his head, turning away. He cannot continue this line of conversation. He knows where it's going, and he can't let that happen.

"How long before he does something of that nature again? Jedi do not believe in emotion, do they? I can't imagine he has ever... put you first."

"That has nothing to do with this," he throws back.

"I believe it does, if you... fear me, expecting I will be the same as he was."

He needs this to stop. He – just wishes he was back home.

Obi-Wan shifts forwards suddenly again, then stops. "May I touch you?" he asks, and the question throws him totally off-guard again.

Anakin nods tentatively – saying no will only show just how scared he truly is, won't it? At least he's... asking, for whatever reason.

His master reaches forwards, resting a hand on his shoulder. "Consider my words," he requests, "I will not be gone long."

He leaves after that, leaving Anakin here alone. Not that he can even complain about it.

He has no idea when his not-master plans on coming back, and he's not going to wait. He can't. His mind is already spinning with questions, and he won't give in to that. He needs to leave now.

***

Jedi Reality

At least this level of the Jedi Temple – unlike the Sith Temple – doesn't feel quite as much of pain and misery, Anakin notes with no small measure of gloom as he stares at the ray shield in front of his cell, trapping him inside.

They haven't hurt him, and he doesn't think they actually will, but that hardly makes being trapped in here any easier. The silence is enough to drive him insane, especially with the knowledge that he has no way of getting out unless they decide to let him. Which they already made perfectly obvious they have no intention of doing.

The fact that no one's come to see him again even though it's been... he has no idea how long really, but it has to have been at least a couple days by now, is only making it even worse. Not that he has any interest in talking to them, but still.

Are they even going to bother telling him what they plan to do with him – or just confirm that they have no way of reversing whatever happened, something he's already suspecting – or will they just leave him to wonder indefinitely?

The only thing he has now is his mind, and it's never a... good place to be for extended periods of time. Questions flood his mind constantly whenever he thinks too much, and now, he can't stop comparing the realities, wondering what's... different here.

He can't stop wondering if... his mother is dead here, and if this universe's version of him married. He can't stop wondering what his relationship with Ahsoka was like, if he also struggled with following the Council and often felt like Ahsoka was the only one who would – somewhat – help with that. Or what his relationship with Obi-Wan was like here, but he definitely doesn't want to center on that. Does this Obi-Wan even care about him? And does this version of him even care about Rex and the clones?

Was him as a Jedi capable of caring, period?

If he was... why was everyone else so cold to him? Wouldn't even a Jedi Obi-Wan understand that?

It was... hard back at home, in his reality. But at least that was familiar, and he knew how to handle it. That's not true here. Here, he's just lost.

He wants to get to talk to someone again. He misses people. But the Jedi don't care about that, of course. Are they trying to make him darker? Because it's succeeding.

Why did Obi-Wan leave him here? Or is this version of him as close with the Jedi Council as Anakin once knew him to be with the Sith? He can't even fathom such a thing. Obi-Wan was... he was one of the best of them. Everyone knew it. He was... brutal, and often unkind. He was fierce. Ruthless. He never acted like he cared, except for a few rare times where Anakin was able to see it. But he knows Obi-Wan enough to understand that his sporadic moments of fierce possession are what he defines as caring.

Jedi Obi-Wan doesn't even give that.

It was... in Anakin's reality, he has good reason now to question how much Obi-Wan truly cared for him. He doesn't mean to, but he can't help it either. After all, Obi-Wan hurt him. He can't forget that. He will never be able to stop remembering it. He's not sure if Jedi Obi-Wan is the same way or not, but... he has no reason to believe otherwise.

He has no reason to expect that anything in that regard is different with Jedi Obi-Wan. If anything, he would care even less.

It's not that Anakin's master didn't care. He just cared about the Sith and the Council and their way even more. But really, brooding about it won't change anything.

He stirs at the sound of someone approaching.

Anakin looks up for the first time, warily, as the ray shield deactivates, and Obi-Wan enters his cell. "Anakin." He's guarded, cautious. As if he's afraid Anakin might lash out at him. And he should. A true Sith would. But... Anakin hasn't ever been that.

"Why are you here?" he demands, tiredly. He's not up to dealing with it. Not up to dealing with anyone. But he doesn't want to be alone down here anymore, either. It's driving him crazy. Literally.

"I came here to speak with you."

"On orders of the Council?" He can't help asking, because he has to know.

"There is a war going on," Obi-Wan replies, "I had other matters to attend to."

Right. Ones that are actually worth his time. Anakin bites his lip and turns away, bitterness surging through him.

"Are you alright?" he inquires finally.

"What do you define that as?" Anakin asks, glancing up at him and just as quickly looking away, back towards the wall that he's been staring at for the past few hours. He's tired of pacing. Mostly, he just wants to sleep, but he can't do that very well. Or preferably, just find a way back home.

Obi-Wan lets out a frustrated sigh. "You know what I mean."

"Do I?"

He doesn't really know what else Obi-Wan expects him to say. It's just... the truth.

"Now is not the time to be difficult," Obi-Wan replies. He looks irked. Anakin's not entirely sure why. Aren't Jedi supposed to be calm and emotionless?

"Did you care about him?" Anakin blurts out. He's not sure why he says it, but maybe it's just that he's for some reason desperate to know what this reality was like for this version of him. "This... reality's version of me," he clarifies, when Obi-Wan stares at him blankly.

"Of course, I did," he replies, sounding almost offended, "But that does not matter."

In other words, I care about him but not you. Not like Anakin could expect anything different. It doesn't make him feel any better. It also... doesn't not. "What are you here for?" Anakin asks finally, standing. He doesn't have a reason to stay sitting. And it's making him more uncomfortable to be at uneven ground, anyway.

"What was your reality like?" Obi-Wan asks.

He's here to talk then. Likely, he'll be doing most of the talking. Anakin is fairly certain the Jedi won't hurt him, but he can't help being jittery about it, anyway. His Obi-Wan was... good at making people talk. It's not like Anakin knows the details about that. But he was still well known for it. How, Anakin's not really sure. From the time Anakin spent around him, it always felt like Obi-Wan talked way too much. He never listened to any of Anakin's endless list of questions or concerns about their way of life.

"In regards to... what?" Anakin questions, finally.

"The Jedi and Sith, to start with," he replies.

"The Jedi were... Dooku and Ventress," Anakin answers slowly, "They were the only ones I knew of." Well, there was also Maul, but he was believed dead years before, killed by Obi-Wan. "The Sith Order had the role the Jedi do here... I believe." Or something similar, at least. He's not really sure.

"The Sith tried to maintain peace?" he asks, very disbelievingly.

"They did," Anakin replies, purely on instinct. He doesn't entirely believe it. He often doesn't, because they clearly weren't very successful, but Anakin has been trained to be loyal to them. And he does owe them everything. They freed him, after all.

Technically, Qui-Gon freed him, and he was always a bit rogue.

"Did we know one another?" Obi-Wan inquires.

Anakin glances up at him, trying to gauge something. He can't make sense of the expression on his face, though. Jedi Obi-Wan is slightly more difficult to read. Maybe because his... temper is slightly less evident. For all the difficulties Anakin had with his own master, he craves for his presence so much right now. Being down here is lonely. It's maddening. He misses human contact, and Obi-Wan isn't... he's not touching him. He usually did. Even if it was often brief. "You raised me," he says, looking away again.

"I cannot imagine what I would be like as a Sith," Obi-Wan replies.

"Terrifying," Anakin supplies.

There's an odd expression on his face Anakin can't quite read. "Did I – he... hurt you?"

That's a hard question to answer. Especially when Anakin wonders the same about this Obi-Wan and himself, because he has no reason to think otherwise. "Sith learn through pain," he answers finally, swallowing back bitterness that tries to creep into his voice, "If he ever hurt me, it was because he cared. Not as though it matters. I'm your enemy, either way."

And Force, he should really control his tongue. Obi-Wan does not need to know anything about that. He could easily twist that to his advantage. He was always good at that.

"... he would not have harmed you if he cared. A Sith cannot care."

Anakin glares at him. "Yes, they can. I do. My – Obi-Wan does. My apprentice does."

"You have always been different," Obi-Wan replies slowly, "Even here, you... had frequent disagreements with the Council."

Well, that's nothing new. The only difference is that here, the Jedi version of him probably – hopefully – didn't need to constantly worry about getting intentionally killed off because he upset the wrong High Lord too much. But still. That versions of him struggle in much the same way in other realities as in his own doesn't make Anakin feel any better. Is he meant to not fit in anywhere? Will that ever change? Can it even change?

"Do you know of a way for me to go back?" Anakin inquires, because that's the only thing that really matters. None of the other things that Obi-Wan can come up with matter. This Obi-Wan seems just as good at manipulation, and Anakin does not like it. The longer he stays, the more at risk he is of something... changing.

"Considering how we don't understand how you came, no. We aren't entirely certain there is a way to." He certainly doesn't sound happy about that.

"There has to be," Anakin argues fiercely. There must be. Somehow. Somewhere. Something. He can't forever be trapped in a world that's not his own.

"We can't give any guarantees," Obi-Wan replies, "Seeing as we know very little about the multiverse, let alone multiversal travel. It would help if you had more information to share."

"I told you everything I know," Anakin replies, sullenly. Not even Obi-Wan believes him, does he? And with good reason, true, but it still hurts. He's not sure why. He is a Sith. The enemy of the Jedi. And he needs to remember that. He needs a way out of here. But where would he go? "Who did I know in this reality?" Maybe it's too close to what he needs to know, but he's still curious.

"You actually had very few friends," Obi-Wan replies, "But you were close with your padawan, as well as... Senator Amidala." Whoever that is. "And... the Chancellor."

Anakin brightens at the mention of him. It was Palpatine who introduced him to... his now wife, Riyo Chuchi. Obi-Wan never mentioned her, though. But Palpatine was always good to him. Kind, when no one else was. "Here too?" he asks dryly.

Something flashes across Obi-Wan's face. "Unfortunately." He sounds very unhappy about that.

"Are you jealous of him?" Anakin asks incredulously, disbelievingly, "Jedi don't have those emotions." They don't actually have emotions at all, really. So yes, he is freaked out. And with good reason.

"Jedi do not feel jealousy," Obi-Wan informs him immediately, insulted. Any other tone, Anakin might've believed him. Not that he's arguing the point.

"I thought Jedi don't feel any emotions," Anakin objects, after a pause. So how much this Obi-Wan actually cares for this version of him, he can't really say.

"We feel them as everyone does, but we cannot allow them to cloud our judgement," he replies, shortly.

In summary, the exact same kind of thing the Sith teach, just differently. There, it's only specific emotions – like affection – that are considered weaknesses, too easily exploited. "What now?" Anakin asks, finally, unable to keep all the bitterness out of his voice, "You're just... going to leave me down here?"

His not-master hesitates for a moment. "For now."

"Until when?" he questions, "We don't know if this will ever be reversed." He can't imagine that. He can't be trapped down here for... forever, really, never being able to see his only family again. This reality's versions of them are too... different.

"That is the Council's decision," Obi-Wan replies, turning for the door.

It probably was, yeah. That sounds like something they would do. That doesn't make him feel any better, though. It still feels like it's Obi-Wan's fault in part. To be fair, it kind of is. It was Obi-Wan who brought him here, insisting everything would be fine. But he's a Jedi, after all. Of course, he lied.

And he's one of the most important leading members of the Council, so it's not like he doesn't have a say in what happens to him.

He can only watch, with no small measure of bitterness, as Obi-Wan leaves and the ray shield closes behind him. But Anakin can't stay here. He... can't.

Chapter Text

Sith Reality

Most of the plan he has to improvise on, but it turns out the Sith Temple isn't that much different than the Jedi one. And the cell wasn't entirely built for restraining one with his Force abilities – though he did leave a lot of property damage behind, and alarms went off instantly.

Anakin immediately feels Obi-Wan reaching for him through the Force, and he tightens his shields, firmly ignoring him.

But now that he's out, he has no idea where to go. Is this version of himself married to Padme? Even if he was, she's not his, and he never wants to see a Padme who supports a... system like this. Besides, she's not his. And he wouldn't want to risk putting her in danger.

The only person he can possibly think of to go to now – especially at this hour of the night – is Palpatine.

Though the moment he finishes technically breaking into the Chancellor's apartment – because he literally has nowhere else to go, especially since he's certain there's already an alert out for him – Anakin immediately starts to question his decision. How does he know Palpatine isn't a Sith here?

What if he doesn't even know the Chancellor? Now he'll probably be arrested for trespassing or attempted burglary or suspected assassination, or treason, or –

The sudden noise coming from down the hall stops him cold, before he back out. "Anakin?" Palpatine asks, surprise and confusion in his voice as he stops in the doorway.

How did he even manage to wake him up?

"I –" How does he even explain this?! This isn't his Palpatine either. "I should not be here, but –"

Palpatine moves closer, flicking the light on. "What happened?"

It's hardly the first time Anakin's been in the Chancellor's quarters – oddly enough, they look quite similar here, though there's not quite as much red and the artwork is different – and he thinks that might be true for his counterpart, too.

It calms his pounding heart, just a little. Maybe this wasn't a mistake. Maybe. "I – the Council is... looking for me."

Hopefully this isn't a serious mistake.

Palpatine frowns. "Why? Anakin, what happened?"

He'll have to explain this somehow. "Something happened on – on the last mission. I do not know how it happened, but the Force... brought me to this... reality. I am not from here."

There's a very long pause of silence. "You reality-jumped," he repeats finally, sounding thoroughly mind-blown.

"I'm from a world where... there are Jedi instead of Sith. I'm a Jedi. The Council – they had me imprisoned. I... escaped. I –"

Palpatine is eyeing him with this look in his eyes; it's almost... he doesn't know exactly. "We knew each other in your reality, then?"

Anakin nods. "Yes. You were... my mentor." There's no other word that could describe it better.

"I was to... your Sith counterpart as well. He had questions about the Sith way. He came to the Order late, and they were never understanding of it."

It sounds so much like himself, it's almost terrifying. "I came to the Jedi late," he admits, "I never... fit there either." Sometimes, I think you were the only one who helped me make it through, he wants to add, but doesn't.

"But you are still loyal to their teachings?" Palpatine asks.

All the questions he's had over the years spring to mind instantly, but he suppresses them. He may not understand things, but he knows that's his fault, not the Jedi's. "Yes," he replies, firmly.

"Then there is something you should know," he replies, "But you cannot speak of this to anyone here."

Something twists uneasily inside of him. What's Palpatine getting at? "You have my word," Anakin promises.

Palpatine pauses for a long moment. "I am a Jedi as well."

The world feels like it's just screeched to a halt, and all Anakin can do is gape at him, blurting out a barely comprehensible, "What?"

"We have hidden from the Sith for a thousand years, few in number to conceal ourselves."

"You know the Force?" Anakin repeats. "How..." It's just – this isn't his Palpatine, but he can hardly imagine him being a Force user.

"My master trained me in the Light Side. I gave Dooku guidance to becoming a Jedi as well, and he created the Separatist movement so we could reform the galaxy. Of course, the Sith immediately instigated a war, though the movement was perfectly legitimate."

Anakin blinks, almost uncomprehendingly. This... "It was the same in my universe, but the reverse. Except you are not a Force user." He's not, right?!

Palpatine nods. "It appears our universes were quite... similar." And Anakin doesn't know what that will mean for the future, because... how could the Jedi and the Sith have almost the exact same roles and things have proceeded the same?! "I intended to turn you to the Light, so you could aid in reforming the galaxy."

"What... now?" Anakin asks.

"I had not... prepared for this," he replies, "But we can work it out. You must go into hiding. Perhaps I can send you to Dooku."

Fear clenches in him, instinctively. "I –"

There's a look of sudden realization in his eyes. "He harmed in your universe, did he not? He fought the version of you here, and it did not... end well."

Anakin only nods. He has no idea how to even handle this. Of course, he'll help Palpatine if he stays here, but he doesn't want to stay here. He just wants to go home.

"We can speak of this in the morning. You should... rest, my boy. You do not look well," Palpatine says, taking his arm and guiding him to a chair.

Anakin sinks into it immediately, gratefully. "Do you know if there is any way you could... send me back to my reality?"

"I have never heard of anything like this, but I will look into it," Palpatine assures, "I may have to look for more hidden holocrons to see if there is any records of it. Maul may be able to assist with that."

Anakin's eyes widen. "Maul?"

"He was my apprentice." Palpatine looks almost... angry for a moment. "He was critically injured when he fought Sith Master Jinn and his then apprentice, Kenobi. For years, I did not think he would survive it."

What what what – Okay, Anakin shouldn't even be shocked anymore. "Maul killed Qui-Gon in my time. I thought Maul was killed." He's not still alive in there reality too, is he? And how was Qui-Gon a Sith?! Somehow, that's almost more disturbing than Obi-Wan.

"Perhaps he was, in your reality. Lord Jinn was killed here too. Maul has been... struggling with the Dark Side, after what Kenobi did to him. I sent him to... find balance."

"Oh," Anakin says numbly. He doesn't think he even wants to know any more details.

His mind must be taking a very long time to process, because it suddenly dawns on him what Palpatine was saying moments ago. "Wait. Here, the Jedi started the war?!" He keeps his voice down, of course, but it's hard to not flip out over this. It doesn't make sense.

"For the greater good," he replies with certainty, "You must know how that is."

"But that means – all the destruction, it's..."

"It would have happened either way," Palpatine replies. "It was merely a question of whether it would be a controlled fall."

"But that... still makes you responsible for what's happening." He's confused, and normally, he would never dare speak this way to the Chancellor, but right now, he's thrown completely off-guard. He has no idea how to deal with the implications of what he's being told.

"We are preventing a much worse future from unfolding," he reminds, "And we must save the galaxy from the Sith before they destroy it completely."

"I do not see how that justifies this... destruction," Anakin argues. He cannot believe they're having this conversation. Somehow, it's even more confusing than his talk with Obi-Wan was earlier, because Palpatine has always had the best interests of the Republic in mind, hasn't he? Why would a Jedi version of him be worse?! "What are you waiting for to end it?"

"It's not as simple as it appears. The galaxy itself is unintentionally pushing for it to... continue." That doesn't really answer his question, and why does he get the feeling it's because Palpatine isn't planning on explaining all the reasons to him?

"We can speak of this more in the morning," Palpatine decides, "It's not safe for you to remain here. I have a concealed place where you can stay hidden until we can determine our next move."

'Our'.

Palpatine assumes that Anakin's going to help him with... whatever he's planning, presumably, and he has no idea what to think of that. He can't look at him the same way, knowing this. It doesn't speak for his own Palpatine, but still.

Maybe he somewhat understands the reasoning, but that doesn't excuse it. Not when the Sith did the exact same thing in his reality, for presumably the same supposed reasons. He doesn't understand how all of this could be so similar, yet so different.

***

Jedi Reality

The cells might've been made to hold Force-sensitives, but they weren't designed to hold in anyone as powerful as Anakin. Yes, he knows that breaking out is only going to put him in a worse position with the Council, but he can't continue to stay here indefinitely. If they won't help him – which he didn't think they would in the first place – then he has to figure it out on his own.

There are... some people he can probably trust. He can trust Palpatine, no doubt, if he's anything like he was in Anakin's time. Either way, he has to try.

He waits until he's certain only the guards will be down here for a while, and then he makes his move. Breaking out of the cell could've gone worse, he supposes, but at least he's out now. Alarms are blaring through the Temple, so he has to move.

He can feel Obi-Wan and Ahsoka trying to reach him through the Force – or trying to figure out where he is – but he stubbornly blocks them out and keeps moving. The layout here is a little different than the Sith Temple, but it's similar enough that he can maneuver his way around all the Temple guards, and sneak out through a back exit.

Sneaking into the Senate distinct and then breaking into the Chancellor's apartment is a little more difficult, but now he's almost wondering if this is a good idea. He could hardly have gone to Riyo Chuchi – his wife in his reality, because he doesn't know if they know each other here – but he doesn't know what this Palpatine thinks about the Sith.

But still, he has to try. And he's certain that, either way, Palpatine would never outright turn him over to the Jedi. The Chancellor cared about him. Anakin has never once doubted that. He knew it more certainly than he could believe that about... most people.

"Anakin?" a voice asks, before he can second-guess his decision and back out.

The Chancellor, at least, looks the same. Something feels different about him though. His presence feels... darker somehow, lacking the familiar tinge of brilliance that Anakin used to feel from him. "I know I'm not supposed to be here," he blurts out in a rush, fumbling for some semi-sensible thing to say. "But I... didn't know where else to go."

"What happened?" he asks, confusion evident as he moves closer. When he flips the light on, Anakin can't help but notice the instant differences in his surroundings. There's a lot more red, and just... He could swear some of those designs look like ancient Sith art. It's strange to see how different this reality is. What if Palpatine is nothing like Anakin once knew him as? "Of course, you can come to me if something is troubling you, my boy."

He swallows hard. The possessiveness – it's familiar. It reminds him of Obi-Wan. Of home. But still... the Chancellor has never been like that. "Technically, I'm not... I'm not from here. I don't know what happened. No one does. I'm from another... place. Another reality. I was a... Sith there, and now the Council is looking for me. I escaped but I don't know for how long or –" He sounds insane. He knows that. But it would sound insane to anyone. "I didn't know who else to trust," Anakin finishes finally, cutting off his own useless ramblings.

"In your... reality, was there a Sith Empire?" he asks. It's a strange question.

"No. It... it's like here, except everyone I used to know are Jedi here instead of Sith. I... think the same is true in reverse, too."

"That sounds concerning," he supplies finally. Which, for someone who knows nothing about all this, is really the best he can offer, no doubt.

"I – I don't know how to get back, but the Council can't find me again," he murmurs. He can't let them imprison him again. Especially because he's certain they'll probably take more measures to contain him, and what that will mean, he doesn't want to find out.

"We... knew each other in your reality, then?" Palpatine asks, studying him. He doesn't know why that gaze is almost unsettling right now – it certainly never was with his own.

"Yeah," Anakin answers, slightly bashfully. "We did. We were... close."

"We knew each other well here," the Chancellor tells him, "You were always different from the other Jedi, and they would never accept it."

Anakin swallows hard. "That... was true in my reality, too. The Sith were – I could never fit in with what they wanted of me. You were the only one who... helped."

"But you gave them loyalty," he replies. "That is a rare trait that should be valued."

"They freed me," Anakin objects, "I owe them loyalty. I would have nothing if not for them."

"In an order of many, it is easy to see how they could vary from their path."

Anakin eyes him. "I have... wondered if that would be any different in the Sith of this time. I don't know how the war broke out, or if it was the same."

"Corruption, even among the Jedi, pushed the galaxy to war," he replies, "I imagine you have seen their hypocrisy, while you were there."

Well. Clearly, he doesn't like the Jedi any more than Anakin's Palpatine liked the Sith. Maybe going to him was a good idea, after all. "I have," he confirms, "I don't know how the galaxy can stand for this." He doesn't entirely feel comfortable telling Palpatine this, but he keeps talking, anyway, maybe because it needs to be said. "I think this war in... both places, needs to end, no matter what the cost is."

"Even if it meant the loss of the Order?" he inquires.

It's hard to say, but it's the truth. The Jedi are enemies, and the galaxy won't find peace with them. "Yes."

"I am inclined to agree," Palpatine murmurs. He moves closer, laying a hand on Anakin's shoulder. Something about the gesture is strangely... possessive. "And what do you think of the Sith way? Not that of their Council, but how it is meant to be?"

"I..." He doesn't know. "It's the only way of life I've ever known," Anakin answers slowly, "I don't think there's anything wrong with it. I think it's just that... their power has corrupted them. Destroyed them."

"I see," he muses, "Then there is more you should know, but you cannot speak of it to anyone."

Why is this making him so uneasy? It's not as though he has anyone to tell, anyway. "You have my word," Anakin promises.

"I have learned the ways of the Sith," he replies, "The Jedi hunted us almost to extinction, but we have... survived."

For a moment, all Anakin can do is gape at him, because what?! How could Palpatine be a Sith?! (It explains the possessiveness, though; it's much how his own Obi-Wan treated him, and very much not like how this one was treating him.) The most he can manage is a strangled, "What?"

"I intended to turn you," he continues, "So you could aid in the reformation of the galaxy, but it appears that is no longer necessary."

His mind races, struggling to catch up with the implications. "I – you're – in my reality, they say the Jedi, Dooku, started the war. You...didn't do that here, did you?"

"I have merely used the corruption that is already there, to reform it to something better," Palpatine replies, "The Jedi will fall, and a true Sith Order will take their place."

That's – maybe it would be better, he doesn't know. But he doesn't want to stay here through that, with none of his own family with him, and with no hope of getting any version of them back. "I'm not from here," Anakin objects, "We might be... switched back at some point. You don't know how to reverse this, do you?"

"I do not," he confirms, "And for as long as you are here, you can remain here, hidden from the Jedi."

"...Thank you," Anakin offers, uncertainly. This is all so mind-boggling. And – his Palpatine's not a Jedi, is he? That couldn't be possible. Right? Suddenly, somehow, he's no longer entirely certain of that. Palpatine was... very light, and often far too kind when Anakin knew him, but that's not like the Jedi here are. Unless the Jedi there are different? It... is true that organizations can destroy people. That, Anakin knows with certainty.

"Of course, my boy." There's that look in his eyes again, that silently reads 'you are mine'/ "What was your Sith name, in your reality?"

"I... didn't have one. Only High Lords on the Council get them. And they're still often known as their... previous names."

"I see," he says, as though considering something, "We will speak of this more in the morning. It is not safe for you to remain here. But there is somewhere the Jedi will never consider searching for you."

***

Sith Reality

Anakin isn't surprised that Palpatine's secret place is in the Works, somewhere no one would think of looking.

Or at least, he thought no one would think of looking here, but it's not quite dawn when he suddenly senses far-too-familiar approaching presences.

No.

The Sith tracked him here somehow. How did they do that?! How could they have found him?!

Strongest of all, he can sense Obi-Wan and Ahsoka's presences, and this is bad. Neither of them feels happy, either. They actually seem... angry. At him. At least probably at him. He doesn't want to be anywhere near them when they're like this. They're Sith.

There's nowhere he can run either – he can already see they brought ships to surround it. He could shoot his way out, but there's clones on some of those incoming ships, and he doesn't want to hurt them. All he can do is... prepare for a fight.

If that's what they're here for.

Because he doesn't know if he'd be able to fight them anyway, even if they're Sith versions of his family. It's not as if he has a lightsaber with him either.

They don't keep him waiting long. The ends of two red blades plunge through the door, cutting a neat circle before someone kicks it in, and the two duck through.

"Anakin," Obi-Wan says sharply, voice hard. He feels sharp and cutting, like ice now, but that's how Anakin's Obi-Wan also felt when he was angry. He just never thought he'd have to face it on a Sith version of him, but that's worse, because he has no idea what... he may be intending to do to him. Or more accurately, what he wouldn't be willing to do to him. (He tries to shake from mind the gentle way he'd touched him earlier – he doubts he'll be seeing that side of him again, if it were even real.)

"Do you have any idea of the situation you've put yourself in?" he demands, "They gave me the chance to talk to you on condition you would be contained. They will not be so willing to let you out a second time."

As if that changes that Obi-Wan is still here to take him back, despite knowing that. "You're the one who – put me there," he argues.

"The Council put you there," Obi-Wan counters, "They had no choice."

No choice? "They know I do not even want to be here," Anakin protests.

"They had little reason to trust your intentions, especially now." He's... siding with the Council again, isn't he? The same he always did in Anakin's time, and he has no idea why it hurts so much.

"If you hadn't run, we could have reasoned with them, Master," Ahsoka speaks up, for the first time, "That you did, changed everything."

What else was he supposed to do? "How?" he asks, bitterly, "They still had me imprisoned. They would not have let me out."

"They would have, once you accepted our way," Obi-Wan replies.

That is all Obi-Wan was going for, wasn't it? It was never because he cared. (He can't forget that look his master was giving him, though, and that wasn't feigned. That... hardly seems to matter now.)

"Then it wouldn't have mattered," Anakin throws back, trying to bury his hurt, "I would never Fall. I will never join the Sith."

"You would have," Obi-Wan snaps, "Else, you'd have rejected your friends. Your family."

"You're not my family," Anakin argues. "I'm not your Anakin, either. I don't belong here." It's not as if he belongs anywhere, though.

For the briefest moment, he thinks Obi-Wan's expression softened, but it hardly means anything in the face of his visible rage, and it does nothing to calm Anakin, either. Every passing moment, every step Obi-Wan takes towards him is making him sharply remember Hardeen. He wants to be anywhere but right here.

"Surrender," Obi-Wan commands, "Don't make this more difficult."

"I – I cannot," he protests. "I can't go to a prison for the rest of my life. You know that. How can you do this?"

"It was you who chose this path, not me."

He doesn't see a way out of this. He can't fight it out – Anakin is certain the Sith will be more prepared than that. Not short of begging, and he doesn't – can't let himself to that level, not for a Sith, but with the fear crushing him, he almost doesn't even care for that anymore. "Obi-Wan..."

Ahsoka's shoulders slump. "Master," she says, stepping forwards. She's moving towards him slowly, a surprising amount of regret burning in her eyes. Obi-Wan might not understand how upset and terrified he is, but she clearly does. For a moment, Anakin dares to let himself think that she's trying to comfort him. Trying to be genuine, but he knows better than to trust a Sith, even his own... apprentice. His hand twitches, intent on grabbing her lightsaber from her when she gets too close.

He would've, and he doesn't think she would have noticed, but Obi-Wan lashes out before she can touch him.

Anakin should have seen it coming, but it was too sudden. It's a Force-shove that flings him against the wall, his head slamming sharply into it.

His head is spinning violently, and his vision is blurred over with stars. He feels like he's falling, through the currents of the Force itself, but he's probably imagining it from the state he's in right now.

He has no idea how long he's been on the floor, but he can faintly hear Ahsoka calling his name, and he senses Obi-Wan nearby.

Except... his presence doesn't feel quite as dark as it just did.

Ahsoka's doesn't either, and instead, of the smothering feel of the Dark Side permeating everything, it feels Light. Still violent and chaotic of the Clone Wars, but... it takes a moment to remember that this is how it felt in his galaxy.

"Master?" Ahsoka asks again, and Anakin dares to open his eyes, blinking up at her. Obi-Wan is on his other side, frowning as usual, except their eyes aren't yellow.

And somehow, he knows that he's home. The very thought of finally being back where he belongs is nearly enough to make him cry, and he jolts upright, tackling them in a hug half to make sure they're really real.

Obi-Wan makes a most undignified noise, and Ahsoka lets out a yelp of surprise, but she returns it.

"You would not believe what happened," Anakin rasps. He can't stop touching their presences in the Force, just to make sure they're really here, and that they aren't going to disappear again in an instant.

"I was going to say the same thing," Ahsoka says flatly.

And one glance around reveals that he's in the Works in the same place he was before. He thought the parallels were creepy before. Now? It seems almost entirely the same. He holds onto them a few moments longer, long enough to try reassuring himself that they're not going anywhere, and the past few days have been little more than a nightmare.

"You are no longer a Sith, are you?" Obi-Wan asks, a touch warily.

"No. I – suddenly woke up in this reality where all of you were Sith," Anakin explains in a rush.

"We just met a Sith version of you who was saying the same thing," Ahsoka replies, "Come on. Let's get out of this place. What even is it?"

Wait.

Wait.

Oh no.

If his Sith counterpart came here, does that mean that Palpatine is a Sith?! That can't be possible. It shouldn't be possible. This is very, very bad.

"I... It's a long story," Anakin offers.

***

Jedi Reality

With how strongly Palpatine's secret place in the Works feels of the Dark Side, Anakin's mildly surprised the Jedi have never noticed anything. Then again, Coruscant in general has a... darker feel, likely because of the kind of place the Underworld is.

He's hoping that it'll stay a secure place to hide, but then he suddenly senses two much too familiar Force signatures.

Obi-Wan and Ahsoka are coming here.

How could they have found him?!

But it doesn't really matter. All that does is that they did, and he needs to get out of here now. Except he can't, because he can sense them already landing in the hangar – somehow. And they do not feel happy. At all.

He really would appreciate having a lightsaber right now. He doesn't want to fight them, but he's likely not going to be given much choice, because they'll take him back by force if he doesn't come. He can hear other ships arriving too, clones' ships, which means... There'll be a lot of destruction if this escalates into fight.

Blue blades plunge through the door in front of him, cutting it down. There's no other way out that's not surrounded, or he would've tried running already.

"Anakin," Obi-Wan greets sharply, as he and Ahsoka step through the opening, lightsabers poised. His presence feels sharp and cutting like ice, even if it's not as dark as Anakin's master's was. That doesn't make it any easier seeing him this angry.

Anakin doesn't have a lightsaber here. It would be far easier if he did. "I'm not a threat," Anakin snaps, stepping back. He's scared, and he's lashing out, keeping the front of being angry. "I have no intention of hurting anyone. You know that."

"How can we know that?" Obi-Wan throws back, "You're a Sith."

"Did you expect me to just sit in a prison cell for the rest of my life?" Anakin asks incredulously.

"The Council would make the right choice," Obi-Wan argues.

Anakin glares at him, the anger and bitterness he often feels towards his master boiling to the surface, no matter how unwarranted it is. "Right. Because you're on the Council."

"We must do what is in the best interests of everyone," his not-master replies, steely.

He lets the sharp sting of the words fuel him, because really, he hasn't even done anything to give them a reason to distrust him, other than that he's a Sith. And he wouldn't trust a Jedi who randomly appeared in his reality either, but still. "I haven't even resisted you," Anakin snaps, "I have no interest in... fighting the Order."

"They aren't going to trust that anymore, Master," Ahsoka argues, speaking up for the first time. She's upset too, but she seems more accepting.

"They never believed it to begin with," he replies, bitterly.

"If there were no way to reverse this, we would have let you out eventually, if you proved your trustworthiness," Obi-Wan argues.

If not for the situation, he could almost laugh at the ludicrousness of the statement. Prove his trustworthiness... how? By sitting there staring at the ray shield for days? "Don't lie to me. I won't fall for it again." Not that he truly believed it in the first place, but... but still. It hurts.

"Surrender," his not-master orders, "This does not need to get worse."

Does he really think Anakin is just going to willingly come back? He knows they'll take extra efforts to contain him, and he can't go back there. No matter how hard it is to disobey a direct order like this. His mind can't seem to understand that this isn't the master he has any reason to listen to. "I'm not going back there," he bites back, with more firmness than he truly feels.

"Master..." Ahsoka requests, taking a step closer. "We can still find a way to work this out."

"How?" he demands, "You know what they will do."

Ahsoka hesitates, gaze momentarily darting to Obi-Wan. It's that moment Anakin realizes her lightsabers are close enough that he could call them to him, without someone being able to stop him.

He doesn't want to fight them, but what else can he do?

Obi-Wan lashes out suddenly, faster than Anakin sees it coming, and Force-shove flings him against the wall, his head slamming sharply into it.

Everything is spinning around him when he lands on the floor, vision blurred out by stars. It still feels like he's falling, maybe even through a rift in the Force itself, but his head hurts too much to tell anything straight.

The next thing he knows, the dizziness is finally starting to fade a little. Distantly, he can hear Ahsoka calling his name, and Obi-Wan's familiar dark presence right next to him.

Wait, dark?

That's –

He forces his eyes open, to see two sets of yellow eyes staring down at him, and they feel Dark. The entire Force feels strongly of the Dark Side, and he's never been so relieved to feel it in his life, because unless he's totally lost his mind again – assuming that's not what happened to begin with – he's back home.

"Master?" Anakin asks uncertainly, blinking a few times. Obi-Wan's eyes are yellow, the same shade they always are, and it's the first time in a while that he's looked genuinely worried. But it's – it's him, and Anakin couldn't be more relieved to be back home.

"Anakin," he says, touching his shoulder, and he's never been quite so relieved to be touched before. The other Obi-Wan's aloofness had been... it hurt.

Anakin pushes himself upright, uncaring how the move jars his head, tightly wrapping an arm around each of them. He can hardly believe this is real.

"You're back," Ahsoka breathes, pressing her face against his shoulder. He shifts so there's enough room for her, and for Obi-Wan to hold him close, which he does, unquestioningly.

Both of them seem immensely relieved. Wait a minute – "What happened here?" Anakin asks, "I woke up in some Jedi reality."

"You suddenly became a Jedi!" Ahsoka exclaims.

For a moment, Anakin can't help but wonder how the Sith treated him. It couldn't have been anything pleasant.

"Are you alright?" Obi-Wan asks, frowning.

"Yeah," he mutters, glancing around. At least he thinks so. But he... has so many questions, about everything, most of which he also doesn't think he wants the answer to.

"Then we should go," he says, offering Anakin a hand to pull him to his feet, not that he needs it, but he takes it gratefully anyway.

"Where is this place?" Ahsoka asks, frowning.

Anakin freezes. Wait.

If his Jedi counterpart was here, does that mean Palpatine is a Jedi?! But that's... it's... Oh no. This is not good.

He could just tell them, but he – does he really want to do that? He'd rather confront him about it in person first, but he'll have to think of something to say, and fast.

"It's a long story," Anakin offers.