An Even Greater Sin

Chapter 2 ... become the crimes of the other

When Luke awakened, the cool air and the hard floor of the hotel room were the first things he felt. The headache... slammed into his consciousness immediately afterwards. He let out a shout, then decided that silence would be the better course, as his own voice rang in his ears like the roar of a Star Destroyer's afterburners.

Carefully, he pried his eyes open, glad that the shades were drawn. It was dark, and it reeked of sex and fresh vomit. Shifting slowly, Luke found that he was still somewhat sticky from... the activities.

No matter how drunk he had been, the memories were as clear as day- and a welcome way to distract himself from his hangover.

'Waitaminute!' he thought. 'Did I just... get laid by a guy?' Tentatively, he forced his sore muscles and pounding head to cooperate and allow him to sit up. Still fully naked, he shivered in the chilly air of the morning. Resting his head- his skull, not his lower head- in his hands, he groaned. For all Luke knew, the man was gone.

Hold it. There was water running, and Luke hazily reached out with the Force. It throbbed like his aching head, but yes- his benefactor was in the 'fresher, taking a shower. The man's presence was still incredibly powerful, even just waking up. He had to be a Force-user.

"There's some caf left, if you need it," the man called, apparently sensing Luke awaken. "On the counter to the left of the couch."

"Thanks," Luke returned hoarsely. His throat hurt, and he wondered just how loud he screamed last night. Steadying himself on the couch, he shakily rose to his feet. His face flushed as he noticed that he was covered in caked-on semen, plus several bruises- some of which were probably hickeys. Rubbing between his eyes, he looked elsewhere.

This hotel was clearly a dive. Not well kept at all, it seemed like the last time a vac-droid had visited was several years ago. Dusty furniture which was way out of date, a rough carpet that Luke could still feel in the rugburns on his back, and one small bed, unused, in the corner.

Luke could swear he smelled a recent spice-raid, and smirked dryly at the sight of a blaster scorch on the wall near the bed.

His right arm ached vaguely where it had been severed.

Stretching cautiously, he wobbled his way to the counter, and not even bothering to look for a mug, began drinking the hot caf right out of the pot. Slowly, he began to wake up, and the throbbing subsided as he took the pot to sit on the couch.

He couldn't see in the dim light which clothes were his, and which were the stranger's.

Stranger? He lost his virginity to a man who he hadn't even known? Luke knew that he should have been unsettled by this, but something in the Force told him that he had bigger problems.

"Hey, save some for me," the man remarked as he emerged from the 'fresher, a towel around his waist and another around his neck.

The man's eyes- Luke STILL could swear he'd seen them somewhere- were squinting, and he ran a hand through his dripping hair.

Luke handed the caf-pot over. "Sorry. Forgot my manners."

"It's fine. I think we both did." Taking a large swig out of the pot, the man placed his head in his artificial hand. His eyes grew wide as he seemed to realize something. "Oh, fuck."

Luke, in a sarcastic tone, replied, "No, not now. I'm still sore-"

"That's not what I meant!" The man snapped, and Luke drew back, his headache growing again. "I meant that I'm in trouble."

"You're in trouble? YOU'RE in trouble? I'm in a filthy hotel room with a guy I just met covered in my own damn cum and I have no idea where the fuck I am? Or WHO the fuck YOU are?"

The man, clearly startled, blinked and rubbed his temples. "I'm sorry. I don't know WHAT got into me last night- well, I guess I do. Too much alcohol- but that's not the point. I'm sorry. I brought you here just thinking that I couldn't get home as drunk as I was- or COME home as drunk as I was- and it just... didn't happen the way it... should have."

Luke groaned. Somehow, he didn't have the heart- or the energy- to stay angry at this guy. "Forget about it. I'm sorry I even brought it up. But I still don't know your name."

The stranger grinned slightly, and replied, "Anakin."

It was as though a bolt of lightning raced through Luke's brain. No- it couldn't be! Fighting to maintain control, he stammered, "A-Anakin... Skywalker?"

Almost shyly, the other mumbled, "Yeah. So you've heard of me."

Either this was a very nasty trick, or- "Some."

The man snorted, and shook his head. "Hero Without Fear: Now that's the most annoying thing I've ever been called- made so much worse by the fact that it's the idiot media running it all over."

Luke wanted to scream. Instead, forcing himself to remain steady, he asked, "What's the date?"

"Hrm? Oh... uh..." The man stumbled to the table, where a computer screen lay inactive. Flipping it on, the man squinted at it for a moment before replying, "Tenthmonth twenty-eighth, RD 976."

Republic Date 976? That was... the year corresponding to... ID (Imperial Date) -1! The final month before the establishment of the Empire? Luke shook his head in confusion. "And... what planet am I on?"

"Coruscant. Force... you must have REALLY been hammered." Turning off the screen, "Anakin" asked, "What's your name?"

Could he risk using his own name? He sure as hell couldn't use his surname- even if this WAS some weird trick, he was a wanted man- but the signatures this man gave off in the Force told him that it wasn't a lie. It was less than a month before his birthdate, but... he decided to chance it. "I'm Luke."

With a tired smile, "Anakin" nodded. "Good to meet you- I just wish it was under better circumstances."

"Uh... yeah. Would you excuse me?" And Luke rushed to the 'fresher, where he was noisily sick.

It was impossible. But hadn't Master Yoda warned him against using the word impossible? As much as Luke didn't want to believe it, the entire Force was telling him that everything the man had said was true. But if it was-

He continued barfing.

It was more than an hour later when he stepped out of the 'fresher, having puked, then showered, then puked again. All the time, his mind was racing around, struggling with the concept of what had occurred. Anakin Skywalker... Coruscant... more than twenty years ago! It was too much.

And still, images of the previous night ran through his head- sweat and tears and sex- sex with a stranger- sex with a Force-user- sex with...

He broke down as he realized just who he had lost his virginity to, and sobbed in anguish as the guilt, disgust, and shame swept through him. But these feelings of depression were soon replaced by a twisted form of anger, and self-righteousness. If this man was truly- was Anakin, then he was Vader, as well. Not formed into the mechanical nemesis his mentors had encouraged him to confront- not yet.

But slowly, it dawned on him. Was this the confrontation that he was destined to have- one not with Vader, the cold, calculating Sith who had tried to bury his heart- but with Anakin, the confused, hot-tempered youth?

Was he here to give Anakin another chance? But- what about last night? Could something- a friendship- still be saved?

Taking a deep breath, he carefully asked, "So, why are you in trouble?"

"My wife."

So he was married. That made sense- Anakin didn't seem the type to take commitment lightly. And it would obviously be to Luke's mother- who would be pregnant with him? Of course. Him and Leia. Slowly, he asked, "She doesn't know where you are?"

"Right." Using the Force to retrieve his shirt, Anakin sighed. "And if she found out about us-"

"Last night was a mistake."

Nodding enthusiastically, Anakin agreed. "A huge one. Also, there's the matter of others."

"Others?"

"My mentor."

His mentor- "Master Kenobi?"

"Right." Shaking his head ruefully, he continued, "I'm not even supposed to be married- let alone having an affair. I'm now in bantha pudu up to my neck."

"Where before it was just to your waist?"

A bitter laugh. "So you're a Rim-worlder too. Where are you from?"

Luke swallowed. If, as he had been told, his father was from Tatooine, he didn't dare say he was, too. "A backwater so crappy no one ever bothered to name it."

"Even worse than Tatooine?" So he was right.

"I've said it before- if there's a bright center to the universe, it's the planet that it's farthest from."

"Man, that sucks. I hate Tatooine. I hate everything about it. The slavers, the Hutts, the fucking Tuskens..." At each word, Anakin's eyes tightened, until his face was contorted in pain and fury. "If there's ANYTHING good about Tatooine, I'm a fucking womp rat."

"You sure don't look like a womp rat to me. Believe me, I know how bad Tatooine is."

"Heh." Anakin shook his head. "I need to get my mind off of this shit. I'm a Jedi. I shouldn't let this get to me."

"I know what that's like."

Anakin turned those piercing eyes back to Luke- so THAT's why they were so familiar!- and remarked, "You use the Force."

"Yeah."

"I saw your lightsaber."

Exhaling nervously, Luke said, "My mentor just died."

"I'm sorry. Who was he?"

Uncomfortable at being put on the spotlight, Luke answered, "You wouldn't know him." It wasn't a complete lie- even if Anakin knew Yoda in this time, he wouldn't know the Yoda of Luke's time.

"He wasn't associated with the Temple?"

"The... Temple?"

Anakin blinked. "You... don't know... about the Temple?"

"I'm afraid not. I had a very unconventional training."

"I guess so. But you're not a Sith."

"Hell no!" Luke had to laugh. "My Master would probably burst a vein if he was called a Sith."

"Are you a Jedi?"

Luke glanced away nervously. "I'm not- not yet, anyway. I left to save my friends- interrupted my training. When I returned to complete it, my Master was on his deathbed. Then I got blitzed and crash-landed where you found me."

"So do you need to see the Temple? They can determine if you're ready to face the Trials."

"My Master said that I would be a Jedi after I faced- after I faced my greatest fear."

"I see." Anakin scratched his head, and stood. "Well, let's get something to eat. It's almost noon, and I'm bloody starving."

Luke grabbed his boots, and without speaking more, they left.