Disclaimer: The characters of Buffy the Vampire Slayer belong to J. Whedon, etc. The characters of Star Wars belong to G. Lucas. All are used here without permission. No copyright infringement is intended.

Notes/Warnings: Just a little fun and a whole lot of ignoring canon for both worlds. :-D

Whatever Happened To Anakin Skywalker?
By Beriaearwen

Shmi looked down at the boy in her arms as tears filled her eyes. She knew in her heart that the man before her couldn't understand what he was asking her to give up.

Her life as a slave wasn't easy, but she'd been carrying this baby under her heart for so long she couldn't imagine giving him up.

"He won't be a slave where he's going," the man with the odd accent assured.

"He's my everything," Shmi said, stroking the sleeping child's cheek. "He's my little Ani."

The man made a face at the baby talk, but quickly hid it as the horror Anakin Skywalker would wreak through this galaxy played once more in his mind. Had Padme Amidala survived the plague that swept Naboo, he could be left here and all would work out as it should, but with the future queen's death many things had changed in this universe and many destinies became altered.

Without Padme Amidala, Anikin would be found by Darth Maul and trained in the ways of the dark side. He would rise through the ranks and eventually replace Palpatine as emperor, subjecting the galaxy to a bloodbath, suppressing and destroying almost all light and tipping the balance so far to evil that not only this universe, but several other dimensions would be affected as well.

"He'll be free to learn and grow. He'll have friends and be able to choose what he wants to be," Whistler tempted.

If he could get her to agree, he could positively influence another world, one with a dark future. One where there was little hope and the champion they knew to be coming in the future would die before resetting the balance as it should be.

"He'll be loved?"

"Yes," the man agreed without hesitation.

The woman kissed the baby's forehead and handed him to the man, a single tear streaking down her face.

Without another word, the man disappeared.

* ** ** * * **

Sometime later in the distant future in a galaxy far far away

The couple laughed as they headed up the walk to their front door. They stopped short as a strange man holding a baby stood from where he'd been sitting on one of their wicker chairs.

They both recognized him.

"Messenger," the man said, moving slightly in front of his wife to protect her.

"Watcher," he returned. "This is the promised child from the Powers. Care well for him."

With those words, he extended his arms and the wife stepped out to take the baby, instantly falling in love with the babe.

Once the Messenger of the Powers disappeared, the husband moved beside his wife to look at his new son.

Reaching out to move the blanket off the baby's face, he found his finger captive of the baby's fist and a small, soft smile appeared on his lips.

"He needs a good name, a strong name," he said wiggling his finger slightly, causing the baby to smile.

"Rupert. We'll call him Rupert."

The husband nodded, liking the name. "Welcome to our family, Rupert Giles," he greeted as the baby blew a spit bubble.

End.