Welp. It's been nearly 3 years.............

Yeah........

A thousand apologies for this being so late, especially considering I promised you that you wouldn't have to wait long..... 3 years... For literally the last chapter...........

Nobody probably even remembers this fic because it was pretty sloppily made, was made when I was a idiot teenager and it's been literal years so no one is going to care anymore...........

But believe me when I say my writers demon never let me forget...

It never lets me forget unfinished work...

So despite being a different person to the version of me that started this fic years ago, I am finally going to finish it, not because I actually cared about the story - idiot teenage me wrote this - but because even I need closure lol! And I have also fallen out of love for the Star Wars brand recently so there's that.

Oh yeah and if you're wondering where the hell I have been for the past 2/3 years since my account was basically inactive, long story cut short: my school gave me depression. Yay.

I have been working on fics behind the scenes though, all unpublished, half finished and waiting in the wings so now that I'm back on my feet so to speak, I hope to finish old fics which people have been waiting for so long, as well and get some new ones out eventually (totally not an advertisement for you to follow me for future content once I get the ball rolling on this account again).

Also I am not rewriting the section of the fic I already wrote like 3 years ago. I do not have the energy for that. So instead I will just indicate where I continued on. I say this because I started this story as an idiot teenager and will be leaving this fic as an Undergraduate Creative Writing and English student........ So needless to say the quality will be different.........

Also I didn't proof read this so be warned.

So without further ado, please finally enjoy this last chapter:

The Republic Fleet had been flying blind for the past day as they knew they were not needed until their teams on Endor's surface had taken down the shield generator and left the planet destroying war ship exposed for them to take down. They knew it was integrol to the stealth side of the plan that they wait in the shadows until needed otherwise the opportunity to finally put an end to Maul's criminal empire could pass them by - but that didn't mean they liked the waiting game. Many of the fighters and ships that made up this massive onslaught fleet consisted of loyal armies to the Republic, mostly those with personal vendettas like the Mandalorian forces; they had seen their moon Concordia blown in half, many loosing friends and family along the way as well as their already shaley government splitting at the seems from the impact - then of course their was Minister Korkie who had managed to keep the peace despite everything and the obvious spark of revenge he wanted against the death of his newfound father, Obi-Wan at the hands of Maul.

Chancellor Bail Organa, like Korkie, had more reasons than most to despise the loathsome sith. His homeplanet of Alderaan had been victim to Maul and though he had managed to somehow recover the pieces of his culture, setting up relief acts for all refugees, anyone who knew Bail personally knew how big of a blow this had been. He had wanted to join the fleet, many senators had insisted on accompanying their armies with the fleet to either command them personally, boost moral or to just witness firsthand Maul's destruction - or their own, it depended on if they were pessimistic or not. But of course, everyone had advised Chancellor Organa against this and he begrudgingly resigned himself to stay behind on Coressant, but that didn't stop him.

Like the rest on the ship, he didn't seem to sleep at all that night as he was constantly sending and receiving reports, giving speeches and overall just doing all he could from his post back at the capital.

Whilst the other senators did the same, all seemed restless, it was Senator Amidala-Skywalker that showed the definition of courage in this deep breath before the storm. Padmé had always had a reputation of a strong leader in every sense of the word - she was ever the diplomat, negotiations and peace came naturally to her as easily as confidence, but she was also no stranger to combat and tactics, she knew that when there was no possible outcome for a peaceful solution, violence was the last resort but when it was, she knew how to handle it well and calculated.

She went about the main command ship, constantly on her feet, visiting and checking up on all sections and devisions. Whilst Bale would make the strong, hopeful speeches, Padmé knew there was also substance in just talking to people and showing them a knowing smile. Many in the fleet were terrified and honestly, she couldn't blame them, but there was no use in patronising them and trying to act overly positive. Padmé knew that simply being there was enough.

(This where I finished 3 years ago. Let's continue, shall we...?)

But her smiles were hollow, as were the ones returned to her. 

A life in politics had taught her all the ways in which to compose herself in front of people; less respect was often awarded to leaders that showed cracks in their capabilities to keep a situation under control, even if it was out of their hands. It was the unfortunate truth of politics to sell lies in order to convey truths. Though her gentle nature meant those lies came less than naturally and she often didn't play into idle delusions devoid of practicality, she couldn't deny that despite all her wishful thinking, she still betrayed herself in how she acted towards others.

All she wanted to do in that moment was be alone, seclude herself away in her quatres and wait out the night like everybody else, with nothing but her thoughts and most likely a river of silent tears. So many of the people she loved were down on the Moon of Endor, her husband and children at the forefront of the conflict. Being high ranking gave her the pleasure of knowing just how much of suicide mission this endeavour was without the half-hearted sugar coating everyone else was treated to by people like herself. She knew there was a real possibility of failure. She just wanted to be alone to cry out her anxieties towards the following day.

But she couldn't. It was as though her body was firing on autopilot, smiling and standing tall as she always did. Even if she wanted to be alone, she couldn't. She knew those around her needed someone to cling onto in the calm before the storm and she was more than used to filling that roll. Knowing that they couldn't be fooled with false hope and empty promises that everything was going to be just fine, Padme would just sit with people and talk genuinely. She tried her best to smile, but everyone knew those smiles were from a place of bravado in the face of the abyss.

All they could do now was wait.

***

The world around Mara seemed to slow down and speed up both at the same time, as though she was slipping in and out of consciousness but remained completely lucid. She had just enough sense to try and drown out the thumping  of her own heart as it throbbed in her ears, instead trying to listen to what was truly happening. It was always required of a challenging fight like this to require concentration on the elements at play, and whilst the anger bubbling inside of her threatened to spill over and transform her into a murderous rage-filled frenzy at her former-Master, she knew she had to keep at least some level of sanity if she wanted to remain alive and not slaughtered so easily because of sloppy mistakes.

Though a part of her wished the fight would have been held between just her and Maul, given er extensive history with her former authority, she was ever greatful for the company she now kept. As powerfull as she was, she knew defeating Maul was most likely above her skillset and it would be sheer arrogance to think she could do this alone.

Though not so long ago she would have cowered and scoffed at the thought of Maul being defeated, she had something she had never had before: hope. Up until recently she had been a slave beneath his boot, happy to serve at his beck and call, and now she was there, the two most powerful Jedi in all the galaxy by her side, fighting alongside her as equals.

Maul leapt forward from his throned platform, moving to strike Anakin first. He knew that he was by far the superior fighter and if he could eliminate the older Skywalker quickly, the other two would be easier to handle. Maul was no fool and just like Mara, he knew he needed to balance out the scales in the fight quickly and though is seething anger wanted him to directly focus on his traitourous former apprentice, he willed himself to focus on the Skywalkers first; the dominant malicious side of his mind could almost enjoy the idea of leaving her to the end if only to give her a slower death, cutting her down first didn't seem the most ceremonious, and he sure did love prolonging someone's suffering before ending them, and though his rivalry with the Skywalkers was older, his fury towards Mara was fresher.

Anakin was quick to react, igniting his saber and blocking Maul's red blade, pushing back against the attack. The older Skywalker had always been heavy built in his stance and often brought his own ferosity to a fight, and though he had reacted just in time to block Maul, he knew better than most to underestimate Maul; Anakin was almost completely unbeatable when given the upperhand on opponents, his offence was always strong and difficult to break, but all it would take would be for Maul to force him to into defence and the scales of the fight would change.

Red met blue as the two continued to clash in a frenzy of strikes, the illuminations of the lightsabers mixing mid air to form momentary purple swirl. 

With Anakin's fighting forte being heavy offence, it didn't take long before the fight favoured him. Though Maul had made the initial move and had pushed his opponent back, Anakin was soon controling the trajectory of the fight, backing Maul closer to the stairs that lead to his throne-like plinth. With each brutal swing of his blue saber, Maul was forced to snarl through his teeth and focus on his deafence.

Anakin was often described by those around him as a jokester, a man who could turn any situation into lighthearted humour. Mara had heard some of the clones under Anakin's command parise their leader as always being able to see the humour in any given scenario. For a long time Mara assumed the man a fool, someone who cold not take anything seriously and yet how wrong she was; it seemed Anakin Skywalker was more than serious in the fights that mattered.

Anakin's fury was something never to be matched and he had always known it. He knew all too well how easily he often let his emotions guide him, especially anger. His former life as a slave had left him more than a little vulnerable and the constant self-doubt over the years had not helped. But he had come to terms with his emotional side the day he had seen the truth of the former Chancellor Palpatine and how close he had been to destruction at his hands because of his volatile emotions.

But he was older now and knew just when and how to use his emotions to his advantage. While many more traditional Jedi often called for a complete void of emotions in life, specifically anger, Anakin knew his rage was powerful and whilst he had used that less than morally in the past, he now knew better. His grief and anger from Obi-Wan's murder at Maul's hands was now channeled directly into the fight, a brutish pushback for Maul who was taken aback by the intensity of Anakin's bombardment. He knew where his anger lay and how to channel that efficiently into his heavy strikes without compromising his stance in blind rage.

Encouraged by this, Mara and Luke entered the fray.

Mara, seeing the opportunity of vulnerability in Maul's stance, opted to take directly to the stairs to outflank the Sith Lord, Luke following her lead.

Unlike his father, Luke was not a powerhouse of brutish strength in fights instead opting for agility and more patient approaches. Mara had fought with Luke many times and though at the time she had hated him for his miraculous escapes and the lack of conclusion to their continuous feud, she had now come to appreiciate his skill as a duelist and gymnast. Whilst Anakin played most of his cards into strength and the power to control a fight with his heavyhanded fighting, Luke was far less confrontational. He kept a healthy balance of attacking and dodging; he knew when to sacrifice his opportunity to strike if it meant dodging out of the way and opening up a new opporunity to put his opponent off balance and vulnerable.

Mara, still trying her best to not let her own emotions interfere with her fighting, was greatful to fight beside Luke as they begun their own barrage of attacks against Maul. Whist she doubted Maul was particularly used to being put on the defensive considering it was not his place to cower at anyone, Mara knew not to underestimate her former master, and so far, even with all three of them boxed around the Sith Lord, he was still holding steady with his same smiling snarl.

Anakin would push Maul back and though some attacks were mighty enough to stagger the tyrant, Maul still found his footing in time for Mara and Luke's evasive attacks from behind. Much like Luke, Maul was no stranger to using his agility in fights instead of brute force, but Luke did not know that. 

The first true hiccup in the fight came when Maul ducked away from the swing of Luke's green lightsaber and he used the momentum of his spring back to jump, swinging his body around midair to slam his boot heel directly against the side of Luke's face. Obviously surprised from this wildcard in the mix and the directly blow to his head, Luke staggered back. With that, the carefully configured fight started to break apart, there was now an opening for him to exploit.

"Luke!" Mara gasped in exasperation, some speck of blood splatting on her face from where it was dragged along the curve of Maul's kick.

Maul tried his best not to cackle out a laugh at the irony of allies - he thought it so tedious to even pretend to care about anyone, much less allies since that only ever harmed the fight and this was a perfect example. If he had just staggered Luke, his opportunity would still be free for the taking but it wouldn't be as easily if it wasn't for the fact the two other member of the fight also lapsed slightly from the blow. Mara rushed to fill herself in for Luke, stepping in front of him to block an attack from Maul that would have been devistating, protecting him from harm. But in her concern, she had to look behind and make sure he was ok, in doing so she was not only responsible for the work of two, but was distracted. And as for Anakin, his angry was seething and his attacks became ferosious but his stance wavered. Pathetic.

Completely turning away from the elder Skywalker, now focusing on the others, he used Mara's distracted concern for Luke to kick her square in the stomach and completely break free from the caged animal he had become at their hands. Maul ducked under Anakin's next blow and stepped back away from the stairs, leaving Luke and Mara behind to draw Anakin back into a fight just between them, and this time, he had the upper hand.

Mara, winded and gasping for breath, turned back to Luke. She knew she shouldn't waste precious seconds when the fight needed to be won, but her chest was filled with both her own pain and also concern for Luke. Maul had always taught her never to care for allies in a fight, if they fell, then there was nothing to do but continue the fight, and yet she had wavered. Perhaps the evidence that her distraction had caused the fight to change was proof of that teaching but she didn't care, in that moment she only cared about seeing if Luke was alright, the feeling of panic even overwhelming her bloodlust.

Half of Luke's face was blotchy red and a small stream of blood trickled from a split in his skin where the sharp edges of Maul's boot had made contact wit his cheek and ripped across with speed and power. The injury itself was not too bad in comparison to some of the things she had sustained in fights, but she would never wish anyone such a concussive blow to the head. He was disorientated for sure but she felt his resolve ripple through the force as he reached out for her arm. Her chest burned from the sharp intakes of air she tried to force down and no doubt the ache of some bruised ribs underneath, but, like Luke, she couldn't let thus get the better of her.

"I'm ok," he assured with a squeeze to her arm, "Come on, we can't stay idle for long."

Shaking away their lapses, Luke and Mara reignited their lightsabers and jumped back to the fight at hand. Everyone was relying on them and they couldn't afford to lose.

With Maul now completely focused on the older Skywalker, it was clear Anakin was beginning to tire. His blows may always land like a force of nature, but there was only so much strength he could harness at one time, and he knew he couldn't keep up this back and forth all by himself for too long. Even with unrelenting ferosity, his body was screaming in pain at the effort it was taking to keep up his stance. Relief came when Luke and Mara rejoined him.

Luke jumped through the air, stabbing his lightsaber down into the fray, rewarded with a shrill hiss of pain as it contacted with Maul, slicing down againgst the edge of his shoulder blade. It was a graze, not stabbing directly into the flesh but instead shredding through his dark shirt and charring his flesh in a straight line from the top of his shoulder blade down to his lower back. Though the blow was no fatal, it was just the comeback they needed, even as Maul let out a burst of force energy, making the three of them stagger back to give him a few precious seconds of relief. 

Mara screamed in utter frustration as she pushed back against his invisible force wall that tried to keep her at bay. But if Maul had taught her anything, it was that her anger was her most powerful tool, so she screamed in a frustrated howl and let her mind fill with boiling hot promises of vengence and rage. Seeing red, her vision almost blurred to obscurity but she felt her feet carry her forward.

"I am going to make you pay for your crimes in blood if its the last thing I do!" she snarled, stalking closer.

Maul, still pushing against her and in agony from his back being sliced near down the middle, was not ready when Mara came forward. Realising she had at some point dropped her lightsaber, probably when she was pushed back, Mara didn't even hesitate as she raised her fist and slammed it down into the Sith Lord's jaw. 

By this time, Anakin and Luke had also thought their way to her and took advantage of the downed dictator with Luke handing Mara back her lightsaber and Anakin kicking at Maul who collapsed down. He tried to get back to his feet, raising his knee from the ground to spring back up, but Anakin stabbed his lightsaber down, stabbing right through his knee and down straight through his lower leg and breeching into the metal of the floor.

Maul howled in pain and fully collapsed to the floor, hissing even more when his back hit the ground heavily. As if on instinct, he raised his hand again to push them all back, but this time they knew it was coming and stood their ground. 

Mara leapt forward onto him, pinning him down as she ignited her own lightsaber and glared down into his eyes of malice. And for the first time ever, she saw a new emotion lurking withing his terrifying red pupils: fear. Mara couldn't even contain the manic smile that passed her with the irony of the situation, her former Master that used to beat the fear out of her and taught her to inflict fear on others, now lay beneath her, crippled, in pain and terrified.

"Goodbye, Master!" She snarled, plunging her saber down into the middle of his chest and deep into the metal of the floor.

For a moment, Mara thought she saw something else flash in the Sith Lord's eyes, a colour different to his Sith red and yellow. She had no idea what he was seeing in that moment, but she hoped he was seeing his whole life flash before his eyes - if only to find it m0re painful knowing he had raised his own downfall.

She felt an arm slink around her shoulders and she let herself be hauled back up to her feet - and grateful for it's supsiquent support as she now found her body almost numb in the aftermath of her actions and her legs nearly gave way to exaustion. She recognised the presence enveloping her as Luke, and so she leant against him, never taking her eyes off of Maul who was still withing on the floor, clinging to life with all his being. 

Though she knew it was perhaps not a good sign for her rehabilitation to take pleasure in someone's pain, Mara was not above enjoying the sight as she smiled down at the sight of her former Master die slowly. Lightsabers may be one of the most dangerous weapons, but the beauty of its heat cauterising wounds made dying more of a process than an instant. There was no blood, but the wound was fatal and all it would take was time.

"I -" Maul tried to speak but words would barely form between his indulgent gasps of breath, "You- Traitor - wretch!"

His face was twisted into desperation as he continued to writhe and gasp, clinging onto his life but with every passing second, Mara could see in his eyes the dawning of the inevitable. Mara knew this was not the first time in his life he had been near death but she saw in his eyes he knew this was the end, and she reveled in the confusion and desperation he held, like he couldn't truly grasp the concept of his own mortality even as death seeped in.

"It's over, Maul," Anakin spoke up, "Accept it!"

"Never!" the husk that was once a Sith Lord replied in a growl.

Anakin came forward and looked down at the writhing body. With a last grunt of his own, he swung his lightsaber down and sliced directly through Maul's neck, separating his head from body. The writhing stopped and his limps went limp. Maul's eyes still darted round momentarily before they drained of colour and he finally gave in to death.

Mara looked back at the elder Skywalker with something like a childish pout, trying and failing to hide her disappoitment at the swift end to a slow death. Anakin offered her an understanding look as he belted his saber and looked back at the body.

"Didn't want to risk it again, this guy never stayed dead for long," though he was joking, she knew it was perhaps not the entire truth, "Besides, this ship will be going down any minute-"

As if on cue, the floor beneath them shook violently, clearly their signal that their ground forces on the moon below had succeded in their mission and now the fleet barrage was in effect. They needed to get out of the ship if they wanted to live to tell the tale of their victory.

Still feeling numb at what had just transpired, Mara was ever thankful for Luke as he held her arm and supported her on her feet as the three of them navigated their way back to the docking bay. Most of the Maulian soldiers were at their battle stations but the ones that weren't were easily dispatched by Anakin.

***

The celebrations were already in full affect when Anakin, Luke and Mara touched down on the moon. They had left Maul's grand warship just in time to watch it crumble and explode against the might of the Republic fleet. Considering the fleet itself seemed relitively unscathed, courtesy of their surprise and unrelenting attack meaning the battle was over before it had barely begun, Anakin directed their shuttle towards the ruins of the Maulian base down below.

Leia and Han were there first to greet them when the doors opened but the rest of their battalian cheered and clapped at their return. Anakin, ever the dutiful father, welcomed Leia's oncoming hug and all but crushed her in his arms, ever thankful for his daughter's safety and pride that her side of the mission had seemingly gone off smoothly. Han, not really wanting to be pulled in for another group display of affection, not really his style, stood back and politely declined when Leia tried to coach him forward. When they parted, Anakin instead saluted Han in mock comradery and though they both understood it was out of genuine respect, they rolled their eyes all the same.

Luke and Mara hung back inside the ship a little longer, lingering in the entrance to look out at everyone but not join them just yet. Whilst Luke would have been fine to go out and join his friends and family, he sensed Mara's hesitation. 

Although she had been on her path to rehabilitation in the eyes of the Republic, this was still all new to her, the concept of playing the hero. The idea of having everyones eyes on her and praising her was not something she was used to nor something she knew how to deal with. It was all too much considering she had helped kill Maul, her former torturer, not long ago - she didn't know if she really wanted to be surrounded by all these people right now. 

Though she had not let go of his arm since the throne room, Mara still clutched to Luke's side like he was her liferaft in the middle of the ocean and if she let go, she would drown. A part of her still chuckled at the delicious irony that she had once considered him her arch enemy and now she was clung onto him like one of those fragile damsels in those old tacky holofilms. She liked to think her strength would repreive her and she could resolve herself and put up her front for the audience outside, but she couldn't. It was over - truly over. And all she could do was be grateful for Luke's support.

Leia noticed the two of them in the doorway, and if she hadn't been caught up in the moment of celebration, she would have sensed their reasonings for not wanting company, but instead she felt overwhelming relief at the sight of her brother alive and well. She ran up to him and all but tackled him into a hug which he tried to match with his only free arm.

She opened her mouth to either say her congratulations or, more likely, something snarky against her twin, but her eyes darted to Mara and the words never came. Though Mara knew the twins were always sarcastic and somewhat antagonistic to each other at times, she knew that was just how siblings were - a part of her wished she had something like that. But she also saw how sincere they could be as well, and Mara was ever grateful for that unspoken sibling understanding and love since Leia didn't even need to ask to know that Luke was simply being there for Mara, and she didn't need to interupt the moment to know it wasn't her place.

Leia offered Mara a soft, understanding smile before quietly slipping away and back to the celebrations which were being arranged as the sun begun to set.

Luke leant against the doorframe and pulled her closer to him. Mara didn't have the heart to protest or even attempt a joke of her own, and simply welcomed the hug she didn't know till now she needed. She slumped against him, head lulling down to rest over his chest and arms losely wrapping around him to match his own which sat softly round her middle, careful of her still pained chest. The both of them had taken healing stims the second they were out of danger, Mara's middle still twinging but otherwise stable and Luke's face finally returning to its usual colour and thankfully no longer bleeding.

The voices outside still rung out in the sounds of celebration and in the distance they could hear more ships beginning to touch down, likely the Republic fleet joining them - it would take time to refuel anyways before getting back to Coresant, but why waste their celebrating time?

Finally, Mara stood back up and rested her full weight back on her feet. Knowing she was putting herself back together, Luke separated himself from her and stood up straight as well, sending his encourgement in the force to her which she accepted happily. She shot him a warm smile, full of her gratitude which he replied in kind.

"Thank you..." She finally said at long length, "It is just a bit too much, all at once... After Maul's death, I just felt a bit numb... I have always lived my life one objective to the next, one target to the next. I thought my life was empty when I turned away from his teachings, but I still had revenge on my mind. And now he's gone... I'm not sure what to do with my future, especially when I'm still coming to terms with my past..."

"Well I guess that's the best part," Luke mused, offering his hand which she accepted, "Your life is yours again, probably for the first time in a long time. It's daunting, I understand. But you're free... What do you wanna do?"

Mara considered his words before raising her hand to his cheek, softly brushing her fingers against his jaw and carefully avoiding any areas that still looked enflamed. She looked into his eyes with an almost silent exchange - he smiled warmly at her touch and she replied in kind, gazing at him with a wonderment. He was right, she was free. And there was nothing left to stop her from just enjoying this moment without any claws of shame digging into her mind - no silent voice that told her this unlikely 'relationship', if she could even dare to call it that yet, was a doomed, idiotic idea. Luke may have been the object of her rage and bloodlust for a long time, but things had changed, she had changed, and she was ready to finally be happy with that.

"I have no idea... But whatever happens, I hope you will be with me..."

"Of course I will."

They had kissed before, but this time felt different. 

Affectionate was not exactly the word she would ever use to describe herself, but, thankfully, it was definitely a moral Luke stood by. He had no right to be as understanding or as loving towards someone like her of all people, especially considering her past. But even as far back as the night he had pulled her from her crashed ship to save her life, Mara had seen his compassion. They had been fought numerous times and been near to killing each other, so at the time she wondered why he would bother saving her, but she knew now that Luke had the kindest heart.

It was that selflessness that inspired Mara to be the person she now was, or at least whom she now hoped to become: a good person. And despite everything, Luke had been by her side and had never judged her for her past. And earning his affection was an even greater reward - probably coming second best to her revenge against Maul but she wasn't going to tell him that in a hurry. 

When their kiss finally parted, they stood a few moments in comfortable silence, resting their foreheads against each other, occasionally smiling and stealing another quick kiss.

"I think I am ready to face the world again..."

***

The parties went on all night, celebrating the Galaxy's freedom from the tyranny of Maul. Anakin adored the evening, surrounded by friends and family alike, the people he loved most in the galaxy. He had spent most of his life in and out of wars, but he knew that this was the difinitive end to the catastrophic conflicts that that plagued the Galaxy for decades, he could just feel it.

Ahsoka was sat beyond the fire, talking to Rex in high spirits. As a generation 1 clone, Rex had definitely seem better days, but even if he now sported a bushy white beard and a few wrinkles, Anakin was still proud to call him a close friend and proud to have served beside him for so long. He knew many clones of his generation had been offered paid retirement for their services, and despite it being obvious that some people in the Senate didn't trust the cabability of older soldiers and saw the as a liability in war, many of the clones refused to leave including Rex. Anakin had always apprieciated his company and his loyalty.

Ahsoka was far from the young brash teen he had first met all those years ago. She was all grown up now, a ferice leader and capable Jedi in her own right, and though Anakin did miss all the time they used to spend together, he was proud of the person she had become, leading her own missions, living her life, becoming a mother. They still talked of course and got themselves into trouble all the time, he doubted that would ever leave them, even as they grew older and should have started acting 'more their age' as others said they should. He had nothing but pride for his former student, a person he would happily have considered as his little sister.

Padme had long since fallen asleep on his shoulder where they sat by the fire. He tried not to laugh at the fact she, of all people, had been so quick to fall asleep. Everyone, even the soldiers that were tired, still partied on into the night, and yet she had been been awake to have a few drinks, have a few coversations with friends, then almost immidiately fell asleep when she gravitated back to her husband. She must have been tired considered the party was loud and she seemingly didn't notice. He just wrapped his arm around her and let her sleep since he didn't have the heart to wake her. In fact a part of him still loved the idea of being able to hold her in public like this; even though it had been over twenty years since the abolition of the 'no attatchments' rule of the Jedi Order, he still felt lucky to have her.

Luke and Leia, ever the stubborn siblings, had started up a drinking game with some of the Clones of the 501st, probably a result of a dare or challenge. He knew that perhaps it wasn't something to be proud of, but he knew their penchant for trouble and otherwise lack of self preservation in the eyes of doing something funny or cool, was probably a trait they got from him and possibly Ahsoka - which she did admitedly also get from him. And he knew his troopers probably should be encouraging the two to drink themselevs into an early grave just because one of them likely told the other they were a lightweight and they were now both trying to prove a point, but considering those clones had seen him and Ahsoka get themselves in trouble one too many times over something petty, he wasn't going to bring it up.

Han and Mara seemed to be getting on well, and though they had mostly stayed off to the side at first, probably feeling out of place around everyone else, it seemed the few drinks they had been sipping was enough to make them relax a lot more around everyone. Han was much more well aquainted with the others than the former sith apprentice, and so stood by Leia, laughing along with the others. Anakin had been skeptical of the ex-smugglar in the past, he was pretty scruffy looking and was always trying to be more smoothtalking than was needed, but otherwise, he was a good man. Han may not have been the paragon of sophistication, but he had been a a great asset to the cause and more importantly, a loyal and reliable friend. And as far as Anakin was concerned, Han was making Leia happy, and that made him alright in his books.

The elder Skywalker still didn't really know what to feel about the ex-sith however. A part of him still resented her for supporting the evil tyranny that had killed Obi-Wan and countless others, and he knew that, unlike Luke, he wouldn't have trusted her this far to see her redemption and probably would have killed her the second he had the chance - or at the very least, he would have left her to burn in her crashed ship unlike Luke who had pulled her to safety because he wasn't just going to let someone die like that. Despite his skepticism and obvious confusion as to why anyone would save the life of the woman who tried to kill them multiple times and was someone obviously beyond redemption, Anakin couldn't help but be proud of his son for having the restraint, patience and understanding to help someone so damaged redeem themselves.

And redeem herself, she had, at least in Anakin's eyes. She was no longer who she used to be, and he had trusted her to the end when they confronted Maul. And he was happy for her.

She was leant up against the roots of the trees, still included in the little gathering around the Twins, but still slightly shadowed as if not really sure if she was allowed to be included. But she gulped her drink down happily and looked between the twins just as everyone else was, enjoying the rediculous show. Anakin noticed how her eyes always lingers at Luke with a look Anakin knew all to well. Despite respecting her for the person she was, Anakin was still a father first and foremost and his trust had wavered a few times when observing the two. 

Up until now, when he had seem their unspoken exchanged, he had tried to ignore it as though it would go away - Luke could trust her all he liked but perhaps a romance was a little too close for comfort. And yet as he observed them now, he decided it wasn't his place to judge them. It seemed his family just had a penchant for finding love in the most unlikely of places. Mara was a good person now, he was sure of it, and if the two of them wanted to be together, he would accept it just like he had done with Han. Besides, he knew that what she probably needed now would be people to help her adjust to whatever is considered a 'normal life' back in the Republic. He would gladly welcome her to their weird family.

He had no doubt she would still have a long way to go to redeem herself in the eyes of everyone else, but since learning of her story, he did feel sympahty for her plight and was actually happy for her when Maul finally died because she was finally free of him. If no one like Luke had trusted her, she likely would have died still twisted into that thing of rage and bloodlust that Maul had raised, but by trusting her, they had learnt her truth, knowing that she did not choose such a life and was instead brainwashed into it.

Anakin had been in her shoes once without knowing it. He had been under the manipulation of a Sith Lord. He wondered what the galaxy would look like if he had still been blinded by Palpatine and brainwashed to be at his side as was his plan. It was a question he had pondered many times.

What if none of this had ever happened?

...The End...

Welp, its finally over! And sorry again for it taking literal years!

Huge thanks to @Shadowpsych for giving me the kick up the butt I needed to finally get this chapter finished! I hope you enjoyed this since you've been waiting so long!

Again, please consider following me as I am finally coming out of hiatus on my account and though I may not be focusing on Star Wars since I don't really care about the franchise anymore, I do have several other projects unpublished behind the scenes for many other fandoms, old and new I will be working on from now on.

As always, please comment! I'd love to hear from you!