A Second Chance

Description: After marrying Padmé, Anakin makes a difficult decision that he believes is the right thing. Many years later, he must turn back on his decision to save the galaxy and fulfill his role as the Chosen One. AU

Prologue

Anakin Skywalker sat in his bed, late at night. He had just been awoken by a disturbing dream about a man in dark black armor, and its mechanical breathing. He was sweating heavily and his breathing was hard and constricted. He ran his now gloved mechanical hand through his short hair. He and Padmé had been married for only a few weeks now. He looked next to him as she lay in bed, breathing in and out peacefully.

They had just recently moved back to Coruscant, where they bought a new apartment and leased it under fake names. They had spent another week in Naboo after their marriage, and then came back to Coruscant. Both being missing for too long at the beginning of the Clone Wars would seem too suspicious. Upon their return to Coruscant, Anakin visited the Jedi Temple's hospital wing, where he got a special glove fitted for his prosthetic hand so that he wouldn't have to look at the skeletal metal anymore. He laid back down and continued to look at his beautiful wife.

He knew that he was doing something that was forbidden by the Jedi. He was not allowed to love, or to marry. Despite what he had told Padmé on the ship on the way to Naboo, the Jedi were not encouraged to love. But he couldn't help his feelings for Padmé. She was so beautiful, and gentle, yet strong when she needed to be. She was caring, but she could lay her feelings aside when thrown into battle. She understood him, even when he didn't understand himself. She could calm him down when anyone else would only make him angrier. She was the perfect woman for him, and their time alone on Naboo made it harder to not love her.

He had always dreamt of being a Jedi. And when Qui-Gon Jinn came to Tatooine when Anakin was only nine years old, that dream seemed to be coming true. And that dream did come true. For years he fought alongside Obi-Wan Kenobi, his master. But when he looked at Padmé, he forgot about his dream. He forgot about being a Jedi and the only thing that mattered to him was her, and keeping her safe, and loving her. He knew now that he must make a decision. He had to choose where his priorities lay. Which was more important to him; being a Jedi, or being with Padmé? Well, he had already made his decision a few days earlier. He had married Padmé, officially choosing her over the Jedi.

When he first decided to marry her, he figured that it wouldn't stand in the way of him becoming a Jedi. They would just keep it a secret, and both could continue their lives as a Senator and a Jedi, and nobody would know. But these dreams of the man in black, a Sith, were starting to disturb him. He knew that many Jedi in the past had fallen to the Dark Side due to love. Love could form an attachment, which, when broken, could lead to revenge, and, therefore, the Dark Side. And he would never let himself become a Sith. So he must decide on either being a Jedi, or staying with Padmé. He didn't think about it long before he realized he didn't really even have a choice.

Even if he did choose to leave Padmé and continue with the Jedi, it really wouldn't make a difference. He would still not be able to control his emotions if he heard that Padmé was hurt or in danger. This means that it could still lead to the Dark Side. So he knew that his only choice was to stay with Padmé, and he would have to desert his dream as a Jedi. This wasn't such a bad thing, though. They wouldn't have to keep their marriage a secret, so he could be with Padmé whenever he wanted. And her being with a former Jedi wouldn't mar her image as a Senator. So he put his arm around his new wife, closed his eyes, and fell back to sleep within a few minutes.

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The next day he got up very early, before Padmé woke up, and got out of bed very slowly and carefully so he wouldn't disturb her. He didn't want to tell her about what he planned to do, because he knew she wouldn't allow it. She wouldn't want him to give up his dream just because of her. But he had made his decision, and he was going to follow through with it.

He took a quick shower, dressed in his Jedi tunic and robes, and left the apartment without a sound. He got into their new speeder, and started toward the Jedi Temple. They weren't very far, so it only took a few minutes. He lowered the air speeder much closer to the ground, and found the nearest garage. There, he parked the speeder and got out, heading towards the Jedi Temple. As he walked toward it, he wondered how he was going to tell…well, whoever he told. He reasoned that his best bet would be Yoda. He was, after all, the Grand Master of the Jedi Order, so if Anakin were to put himself into self-proclaimed exile, Yoda would be the one to tell.

So once Anakin entered the Jedi Temple, he began to seek out Yoda. He figured he would be either with younglings or in a Jedi Council session. But, to his surprise, Yoda turned out to be in one of the meditation rooms that Anakin went to in order to meditate and possibly sense Yoda's presence so that he could find him. Anakin walked in and sat down on one of the cushioned seats and faced Yoda, who opened his eyes.

"Master Yoda, I have an…important matter to discuss," Anakin said.

"Trouble, you are having…" Yoda replied, a knowing look in his eyes. It was a statement, not a question.

"Yes, Master Yoda. I…I have not been completely obedient to the Jedi Code. I…" Anakin was becoming reluctant. But he had already made his decision, and he had to go through with it.

"Master Yoda, I have fallen in love with Senator Amidala. And…and we have gotten married…"

Anakin could not bear to look up at Yoda. He was afraid that he might be angry. But the voice that came was very soft and understanding.

"Suspicions of this, I had. What do you plan to do?" he asked.

"I…I do not plan to break up the marriage. I want to stay with Padmé. But I know that this can bring about emotions in me that I cannot feel. If someone were to hurt her, I would not be able to hold in my anger, or my need for revenge. So I plan…to put myself into exile. I do not want to risk turning to the Dark Side."

"Hmm…a wise decision, this is. But, The Chosen One, you may be. Ask you to reconsider, I must. Vitally important to the Jedi and the future of The Force, you may be."

"I…I don't think that I'm The Chosen One," Anakin said with a downcast look on his face. After he married Padmé, he realized that he couldn't be The Chosen One. He had broken one of the oldest rules of the Jedi Order.

"I have done things that no Jedi should…I gave into anger on Tatooine, murdered a tribe of Tusken Raiders. I let the emotions get the best of me against Count Dooku, and my anger and aggression led to my defeat. I have defied Obi-Wan many times in my training. And now…I've fallen in love and married Senator Amidala. The Chosen One wouldn't have defied the Order so many times…" Anakin explained his doubts. "And…I can't continue to risk my turning to the Dark Side. It would be better off for me to exile myself…"

There was a long period of silence that followed. Anakin still refused to look up at Yoda. He couldn't do it.

"Hmm…a mistake, this may be. But, allow you to make your own choices, I must."

Anakin finally forced himself to look into Yoda's eyes. He could see the understanding in them, but he also saw sadness in them. But again, Anakin reassured himself that he was making the right decision.

"Thank you, Master Yoda. And…I'm sorry," Anakin said. It seemed very dumb and emotionless when he said it, but he felt it had to be said. He was sorry for having to leave the Jedi Order.

"Your lightsaber, you must forfeit. The weapon of a Jedi, it is."

Anakin knew this was coming, but as he got it out, he didn't want to give it away. It was his powerful line of defense, something that could be very useful even in his further doings, Jedi or not. But he knew he had to. It was part of being in exile. He handed it to Yoda, who closed his eyes and bowed over it. Anakin got the feeling that Yoda felt that maybe Anakin wouldn't complete his self-exile, would change his decision before he handed over his lightsaber. But he didn't. Anakin was now officially in exile from the Jedi Order. He opened his mouth to say something, but couldn't find words to express his feelings, how sorry he was, but how he had to do this…for the safety of the Jedi Order. So he slowly got up, and left without another word.

A/N: Is anyone interested? Should I continue? Constructive criticism? Let me know, please.