Author's Notes: I wrote this on a sugar high. This is my view of what happens just after ROTJ right after the Empire drops for good...
DISCLAIMER: Star Wars and all publicly recognisable characters, names and references, etc are the sole property of George Lucas, Lucasfilm Ltd, Lucasarts Inc and 20th Century Fox. This fan fiction was created solely for entertainment and no money was made from it. Also, no copyright or trademark infringement was intended. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author. Any other characters, the storyline and the actual story are the property of the author.
The music of the Ewok celebration drifted toward Luke as he stood on the edge of the huge treehouse, watching the last smoke from his father's pyre drift toward the heavens. Did it carry Anakin Skywalker's soul to the next life? Luke didn't know.
He had seen his father, and Ben, and Yoda... standing by the fire and smiling at him. Then Leia had drawn him back into the circle of friends celebrating the end of the Empire and the restoration of the Republic.
Now night had fallen in its entirety. The others were asleep, but Luke roamed the treetops like a restless womprat. Too much had happened in the last few days for him to sleep.
Faint conversation reached him. Luke swung down and slid down a branch, and found himself looking at a strange little group.
Their shimmering forms showed them to be apparitions. A smiling Yoda was there... as were other Jedi. A tall, bearded man with long brown hair, sitting atop a rock and idly kicking at some wet leaves. A name sprang unbidden to Luke's mind: Qui-Gon Jinn.
A young man with close-cropped hair and a wide, boyish grin was by Yoda... Ben! Obi-Wan Kenobi! Luke gawked at him; it seemed almost inconceivable that this young man, looking barely older than Luke himself, could be the eccentric old hermit who had started Luke's Jedi training.
Ben... Obi-Wan glanced at Luke and smiled, waving a little in greeting.
And sitting by the man called Qui-Gon Jinn was a boy, about ten years old. He wore the clothes of a Tatooine slave. Dark eyes peered out of a fair-skinned face, looking solemnly at Luke. For a brief moment, the young Jedi had no idea who the boy was.
And as the vision of a breathmask came into his mind, he knew. Anakin Skywalker... as a little boy.
Other figures came into view: a middle-aged woman from Tatooine whose worn features bespoke more of warmth than of beauty. She smiled lovingly at Anakin Skywalker, who held out his arms like a child for a hug. She must be my... grandmother, Luke thought with a shock.
A tall, dark-skinned Jedi with a shaved head and inquisitive eyes. Other Jedi figures appeared and vanished in a mist, too fast for, and Luke had the distinct feeling that he was being greeted by those gone before his birth.
And finally, a beautiful young woman with long brown hair tied in braids, and eyes full of light. She smiled at Luke with an expression full of love, sadness and joy. By the Maker... my mother, Luke thought.
He studied her face, seeing hints of Leia in her features. Tears rose to his eyes as he looked at her.
As his mother walked toward Anakin Skywalker, he rose from his seat on the rock and his form shimmered, becoming that of a muscular young man wearing Jedi robes. They hugged, tears streaming down the young woman's.
Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon first smiled at the embracing pair, then looked at Luke. Qui-Gon leaned to the side and said something that Luke couldn't hear. Obi-Wan laughed.
Qui-Gon got off the rock and walked toward Luke, smiling a little. "You're Luke Skywalker?" he said quietly in a deep, soft voice.
Luke nodded, still a little awed by the spectacle before him. "Yes... Master... uh, Jinn."
Qui-Gon nodded, looked pensive for a moment. "You know who all these people are?" he asked, pointing at the group.
Luke opened and closed his mouth, not certain what to say. "Yes," he said quietly. "I mean, I don't know who some of them are, but..."
Qui-Gon pointed out the two women in the group. "That is Shmi Skywalker, your grandmother. And your mother, Queen Amidala." He grinned, looking almost boyish. "She prefers to be called Padme." He sobered somewhat, putting a surprisingly solid-feeling hand on Luke's shoulder. "You should speak to her, you and your sister both."
Luke found himself babbling. "How... how do you know... about Leia?"
Qui-Gon smiled. "I've been watching you... and your sister... for about twenty years. All the Jedi have."
"But... I thought the Jedi were extinct," Luke said.
Qui-Gon shrugged. "Most are... some still exist.... but life doesn't end with death, Luke. You know that. The dead Jedi are a part of the Force now... and will always be here for you, when you need help."
Luke glanced around the clearing, at Yoda, at his father and mother, his grandmother, Ben... and smiled at them. He hurriedly scrambled up the treetrunk and called into a small window, "Leia? Leia?"
"Hmm?" a voice mumbled from the darkness.
"Wake up. I need to take you somewhere."
There was a muffled groan from the dark, and Leia emerged into the moonlight, wearing a simple tunic made of Ewok leather. "This had better be good," she muttered.
As they reached the ground, Leia gasped and took a step back. The gathering was still there, still talking. At the sight of the two, Anakin Skywalker and Padme stood up and walked toward them. Leia's dark eyes were touched with fear as she glanced at Luke, then at Padme. "Mother?" she whispered.
Padme nodded. "Hello, Leia. I missed you."
Luke watched his mother and sister, smiling for the reunion with the mother he had never known. Then he realized that dark eyes were staring at him. He glanced behind his mother at Anakin Skywalker, wearing the robes of a Jedi Knight and looking very embarrassed. Luke realized for the first time just how much he resembled his father before Anakin had fallen to the dark side.
"Luke," he said quietly. "Thank you."
Luke nodded. No more words were necessary. Nearby, Obi-Wan was watching Luke with a satisfied smile. He leaned towards Qui-Gon and whispered, "I think I did well enough with him."
"With Master Yoda's help," Qui-Gon teased.
Obi-Wan looked embarrassed, then warmed as Anakin lead Luke to them, looking somewhat ill-at-ease. Luke glanced at Master Yoda, who was sitting with his eyes half-closed in contentment. He looked considerably younger, not to mention happier. "A question, have you?" Yoda asked Luke with a small smile.
Luke gestured at the specters milling behind him. "I... there are other Jedi out there?"
Yoda nodded. "Find them, I know you will."
Luke glanced at the sky. "And... you... all of you... will always be watching?"
Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Yoda all smiled. "Yes," Qui-Gon said quietly. "All of us will be watching you."
"You're never alone, Luke," Obi-Wan said quietly. "We're all going to be here when you need us."