A/N: Ok, this is my first Star Wars fic, and it involves time travel and the impossible. I thought it'd be fun to see young Anakin and Luke together on a mission--or, heck, together period. This fic centers mostly around them and takes place days after the last scene in Return Of The Jedi. For the most part it is light-hearted and fun, but it will get a bit darker in spots, so be warned. Rated T for violence. Nothing too graphic, but it probably isn't the kind of thing you'd want to read to your 5 year old before bed. For my own sanity, in this and any other Star Wars fics I may do in the future, I will be completely ignoring the "New Jedi Order" storyline and the very existence of Mara-Jade. ( How I loathe her:( Fair warning: My fic is going to disagree with the books on probably a great many things. Just so ya know!

Disclaimer thingy: Obviously, I am not George Lucas, and I do not own Star Wars or anything connected with it. Think about it, if I were George Lucas, would I be writing fanfic about my own movies?

Ok, on to the story! ( At first you may have de-ja-vu )

Chapter One

" You're going to pay for all the Jedi that you killed today, Dooku." Young Anakin Skywalker announced once he and his master Obi-Wan-Kenobi had caught up with the fleeing Sith.

Now they stood, lightsabers drawn, not far from the arched entryway inside a large temple of some kinda where the loathed Count Dooku turned to face them.

Anakin felt his blood boil. This was the monstrosity that had put his and so many other lives in danger, this was the fiend who had been both directly and indirectly responsible for the Jedi massacre that was still occurring this very instant! Such actions were not to be withstood.

And Padme'...well, Padme' wasn't going to be safe either with scum like this on the loose.

" We'll take him together," Obi started, a battle plan already forming in his mind, " You go in slowly and I'll..."

But Anakin wasn't interested in battle strategies. " I'll take him NOW! " He declared in a voice that was half hiss and half growl; his eyes narrowed dangerously in an expression of pure rage. He surged forward, rushing Dooku with his blazing green lightsaber.

" No Anakin, no! No! " Obi shouted, displeased by his apprentice's lack of discipline and doubly worried for his safety.

His worries were not misplaced.

Anakin would've done well to heed his master's advice, for no sooner had he covered half the ground between him and his opponent when Dooku's hand shot forward and crackling blue force-lightning erupted from his fingertips, striking him full in the chest before lifting him up and flinging him into a wall as if he were no more than a mere toy.

Dooku smirked evilly, and now his attention focused on Obi-Wan. He circled his adversary the way a patient shark might circle a fisherman's boat. " As you see, my Jedi powers are far beyond yours." He gloated, certain Obi would be no match for him, " Now, back down."

What Dooku most wanted to do right then was leave. Though the idea of teaching Mr. Obi-Wan-Kenobi and his foolish apprentice a painful lesson in the ways of the force was tempting, he had appointments to keep, and backup for his Jedi foes could arrive at any moment, and if that happened...well, then things would just turn nasty. Obi and his padawan he was sure he could take, but a small army was quite another matter. Since he was kinda in a hurry, he twitched his wrist and sent a bolt of power hurling at Obi. It was his hope that he would either strike Obi, or his rival would see he was outdone and rush to the aid of his comrade rather than pursue him.

Neither happened. Less impulsive than his padawan, Obi simply raised his lightsaber and all of Dooku's force lightning vaporized into nothingness upon impact of the sizzling blade.

" I don't think so." The Jedi master replied rather coolly to Dooku's request.

This enraged Dooku. Well then, I guess we'll just have to settle this the hard way! He thought, leaping to the attack. Obi was ready for him, and the two were clashing lightsabers in no time flat.

Meanwhile, on the ground, a dazed Anakin moaned, trying to shake off the effects of Dooku's magic.

X-x-X

Many years in the future...

Luke was starting to get very worried. It was well into the second day since he had last seen Leia and Han, and his instincts told him there was trouble.

" Where could they be? " The young Skywalker paced about, scanning the barren desert landscape of Tatooine with growing anxiety.

Days after the bit where he and his rebel friends had destroyed the Death Star saved billions, perhaps trillions of innocents lives from the icy clutch of the Empire, Han, Leia, Chewbacca, the droids, and Luke himself had flown the Millennium Falcon to Tatooine for a brief stay. It had been Luke's idea: painful as the memories of his dead aunt and uncle were, he needed some since of closure from his home planet, to collect a few of his belongings and say goodbye to a few of his old friends and acquaintances. To just disappear from their lives so suddenly and without explanation had seemed wrong, and now that the Empire was no longer a threat, he wouldn't be putting anyone in danger.

They had parked Han's ship close to the very space in which Luke's old home had stood. Luke himself was standing outside in the pale orange wind-swept desert, with the twin suns beating down fiercely on the fibers of his beige outfit. A hot wind blew up and tossed his dishwater-blonde hair about mercilessly.

" It can't have taken them that long to get supplies." He reasoned, " They should've been back yesterday, or early this morning at the very least."

It was yesterday evening that Han and Leia had gone into town via landspeeders, taking Chewbacca with them and leaving Luke with only the droids for company. Of course, Luke had had things to do--that was the reason he'd stayed behind in the first place--and he had assumed they would be back quickly.

But then a fierce sandstorm had flared up towards dusk, and it had lasted well into the night. Naturally, Luke had assumed they'd rented a room in town to weather the storm. In any case he'd been pretty tired right then--he hadn't been sleeping well lately--and had bushed inside the Millenium Falcon in his own makeshift bed without a second thought.

By morning he was beginning to worry, and now it was mid-afternoon and things were just starting to feel...wrong.

He stood still a moment, inhaling deeply and concentrating on his connection to the living force.

The others were in trouble. He could sense it, feel it as well as fact. I've wasted enough time. I have to go after them.

" They're not back yet, Master Luke? " C-3PO's voice rang from behind, snapping Luke out of his meditation. He turned to see the gold-plated droid standing in the open hatch of the ship; the metal form of R2-D2 behind him beeping and buzzing away in a robotic language he could not understand.

Luke shook his head. " No. I'm going out after them."

X-x-X

Back in the past...

" Master Kenobi, you disappoint me. Yoda holds you on such high esteem." Dooku was clearly enjoying the duel, and though Obi-Wan would never openly admit it, the remark stung.

He knew he was not the most skilled Jedi ever to hold a lightsaber, but he liked to think he was not bad either.

Dooku slashed for his face, and Obi brought his lightsaber up to parry the blow. There was a buzzing sound each time the two lightsabers clashed, and Obi and his rival were dancing around wildly in a deadly contest of skill and wit.

If only Anakin had done what he was told then we'd have a better chance of stopping this madman. He thought bitterly, dodging one of Dooku's blows and aiming one of his own.

Dooku blocked the attack in a way that seemed almost graceful--like fighting all came second nature to him.

He's good. Obi found himself thinking, Too good...Anakin, I need you! Two Jedi were better than one, even if one of the said Jedi was an impulsive hot-headed apprentice who still obviously had a lot to learn. It would certainly be better than fighting on his own.

The laser-blades sizzled, red against blue, as Obi made another successful block.

Count Dooku grinned mockingly. " Surely you could do better."

Obi-Wan kept his expression unreadable, knowing Dooku's taunts were meant only as a distraction to throw him off-guard. From somewhere off to the side, he heard Anakin stir.

That's when Dooku struck: this time Obi was not quick enough and the red saber swung around in such a way that it knocked Obi's clean out of his hand and grazed his arm before continuing downward to swipe him in the thigh.

Obi fell to the floor with a cry of pain. Red lines appeared on the now exposed flesh of his arm and thigh.

Through wasting time, the evil Count raised his lightsaber with the tip pointed downwards and prepared for the kill.

But by this time Anakin had recovered from his shocking experience. Noting Obi's plight--and having absolutely no intention of seeing his master killed--he gathered the force in a tremendous leap that landed him right by his master's side.

Dooku's lightsaber collided with Anakin's a scary distance from Obi's face.

Dooku was not amused." Brave of you, boy. But I would've thought you'd learned your lesson."

" I am a slow learner." Anakin snarled back fiercely, blue eyes burning with rage.

You can say that again. Obi used the force to summon the handle of his now-deactivated lightsaber. " Anakin! " He tossed the weapon to his apprentice, too badly hurt to do much of anything else. He's going to need it.

Anakin caught the extra lightsaber and activated it in a flash. Mind whirling with rage, and thoughts only on the destruction of his foe, he struck out. But the Count very easily parried his blows.

It was not an even match.

Anakin found himself defending more than attacking, and even with two lightsabers Dooku was backing him up.

This isn't right! He couldn't believe this guy. He was a regular lightsaber-dueling champion.

Without warning, there was a blur of red and Anakin suddenly found himself with only one lightsaber--his green one had been sliced apart at the handle and it was a miracle the blade had missed his hand. Oh fudge. This is not good. This is not good at all. He backed away further and sliced a big power cable that was laying along the floor, sending up a brief shower of sparks and plunging the room into dimness. Hopefully, that would help somehow--at this point Anakin wasn't really sure what to do other than to just keep fighting. Obi, I could really use your help about now! He thought as the ex-Jedi quickly closed the gap between them. Is it just me, or are his attacks coming quicker now? It seemed as if someone had flicked a switch and set Dooku from "active" to "hyperactive".

Then Dooku did something completely unexpected. Wanting to end the battle quickly, he feigned a swipe for Anakin's face, knowing the young Jedi would instinctively bring his lightsaber up to protect himself. Anakin did just that, but it was too late because Dooku stopped mid-swing and brought his lightsaber down in a lightning-quick movement to come up under Anakin's right arm in a motion that would sever it.

And it would've worked, too, but in the blink of an eye--when the blade was only inches from cutting off Anakin's arm--the impossible happened.

There was a blinding flash of blue-white light, and Anakin simply disappeared.

Count Dooku's blade sliced only air, and the Sith could not believe his eyes.

Anakin Skywalker was just gone. Just like that. With no trace.

" Well, that's new." Dooku's eyes widened in surprise and he stared blankly at the spot where Anakin had been.

At first he thought it was an act of the force, but then he realized it couldn't possibly have been. No Jedi could just disappear like that. Not even Master Yoda. In order to pull off a stunt like that, Anakin Skywalker would've had to have been a great deal more powerful than any Jedi ever known. He would've had to have been a god.

Obi, too, noticed the strange flash preceding Anakin's absence. And despite his throbbing pain, he was no less surprised than Dooku. He reached out with the force in an attempt to sense his padawan's fate, but there was nothing.

This deeply unsettled him. He would've felt if Anakin were alive or dead, but instead he was getting nothing. It wasn't as if Anakin were merely away, or even if he had died. It was as if he simply didn't exist. How'd he do that?

Neither man noticed Yoda enter just then, and the green Jedi master was somewhat surprised to see both Obi-Wan-Kenobi and Count Dooku staring at a space in thin air, their mouths open in comical little 'o's.

" Watching what are we? "

X-x-X

In the future...

Luke had just started for the ship when a bright blue-white flash struck like lightning and was gone in the blink of an eye, leaving a young man dressed in a dark brown Jedi outfit sporting a large black vest and wielding a blue lightsaber in his path.

" What the..."

The stranger was already slashing from the moment he appeared, and Luke backed up in just enough time to avoid being split down the middle. " Holy Jawas, who are you! " He gasped, though he could tell by the looks of him that the brownish-blonde haired man with a small braid hanging from beneath his right ear was another Jedi.

The stranger looked around, seeming confused and in a state of total shock. " What! Where's Dooku! Where's Obi! How the Hutt's butt did I end up here! "

Luke stared at this new Jedi as if he had just declared himself a jelly-filled donut and the king of Tatooine. Apparently, he's just as surprised as I am.

Anakin spun around in a frenzy, frustrated and bewildered beyond the very meaning of the word. " Where am I! " He yelled loudly, completely ignoring Luke while looking around wildly.

His eyes fell on C-3PO and R2-D2 in the threshold of the ship, and recogintion registered. " Threepio! Artoo! What are you doing here! "

Artoo beeped in response, and Threepio said, " I beg your pardon, Sir, but have we met? "

Anakin was dumbfounded. " What do you mean 'have we met?' I'm your creator! Artoo, you remember me, don't you? "

Now Luke was certain he'd seen it all. " Those are my droids. Were you one of their previous owners? "

Anakin spun around, and for the first time met Luke's gaze. " Who are you? " He demanded, accepting the fact that Dooku and Obi were nowhere to be found, and that something really weird was happening. He deactivated his lightsaber, and noted with interest that the man he now faced also carried the weapon of the Jedi.

He's either a Jedi or a Sith. He reached out with the force and felt that it was very strong with this individual.

" I'm Luke Skywalker." Luke announced, " A Jedi. You must be one too. Have a name? "

But Anakin stopped hearing what Luke said past the word 'Skywalker'. " You're a Skywalker! "

" Yes. What's..." Luke stopped mid-sentence, noting that his last name seemed to startle the newcomer more than anything else, if that was possible.

" I'm Anakin Skywalker."

Now it was Luke's turn to be completely shocked. This is insane! This is incredible! This is...impossible!

" But that's impossible! " Luke gasped, " That was my father's name! "

Anakin shook his head. " No, it's my name, unless someone's going around pretending to be me."

Luke's world had been turned upside-down. The force told him it was true. Anakin felt like his father, Darth Vader, only younger and livelier. He could sense a faint aura of the Dark Side around him, but it was nearly as pronounced as it had been in Vader, and even as it was occurring to Luke that this was indeed a younger version of the same person, it was also occurring that force-wise this Anakin was a mere shadow of his future self. He had never heard anything about the even remote possibility of time-travel, but surely it must be possible.

How else could he be standing next to a man who was most certainly his father, but close to his own age? The laws of nature didn't allow it. Yet here it was happening.

Still, he had to be one hundred percent sure. " Do you know Owen and Beru Lars? Did you fight in the Clone Wars, is your master Obi-Wan-Kenobi? " Luke's questions came in excited bursts.

" Yes on all counts." Anakin answered, a little unnerved. How does he know so much about me?

Now Luke was getting really excited--as if Anakin had just said the magic words. " What's the last thing you remember? "

Anakin frowned. Thinking of Dooku aroused bitter feelings. " Well, I was fightin Count Dooku in a temple on Genosis, and Obi-Wan was there. Right in the middle of our duel, there was a flash like lightning, and the next thing I know I'm here explaining myself to you and my droids, whom I can only assume had their memories erased. " His eye caught the twin suns in the sky. " Hey! This is Tatooine! "

Luke nodded. " Yes."

Anakin fixed Luke with those fierce blue eyes. " Do you know how I got here? And while we're at it, are you a relative of mine? " He narrowed his eye suspiciously at the other Skywalker.

Luke shook his head, barely able to contain his excitement. In all his years he could not remember a single more exhilarating moment, well, outside of destroying the Death Star and finding out Vader was his father. I can't believe it! I'm actually getting to meet my father before he became Darth Vader! Probably before he became my father, too. Had Luke been born during this Anakin's time era, he surely would've recognized the name of his own son right away, despite the age-leap. But judging by his behavior, it was perfectly clear that this Anakin had no clue that he'd been thrust forward in time. Certainly he didn't guess Luke to be his son.

Luke took a deep breath , not caring how it was possible, just enjoying getting to see his father again. " Ok, this may be hard to believe, but I think I know what happened to you. I don't know how or why it happened, but I think you traveled in time and space." He extended his hand in greeting, " I'm Luke Skywalker. I'm your son. Welcome to the future."