For those of you that read, reviewed, or heard of my previous Star Wars fanfiction failure...I'm back to the Star Wars fanfics. For those of you who never knew I wrote a SW fic...good for you: it kinda sucked.
Anyway...another one-shot song-fic from GD6. Warning: lots of flashback sequences... Is it even necessary to say "spoilers" since by now, pretty much everyone has seen all 6 episodes?
Disclaimer: the all-powerful George Lucas owns everything in the galaxy far, far away...and I'm not making any Republic Credits off of this...
Song: Barry Manillow
Pairing: past AnakinPadme
Got the idea: when the song got stuck in my head one day
The Old Songs
Category: Star Wars
Genre: Angst
Era: Prequel
Rating: PG for angst
Summary: Oneshot. Songfic. Anakin Skywalker does one last thing before taking his place at the Emperor's side. AU RoTS.
"Anakin! I have the high ground…" Obi-Wan called to his former friend. Anakin glared at him from the platform. "Don't try it."
For a moment, Anakin considered jumping to the shore to continue the fight with Obi-Wan. 'No. Wait…' Skywalker glared again at his former Master, then disengaged his lightsaber.
"You underestimate the power of the Dark Side…we will meet again, my old friend." With that, the new Sith turned his back and let the platform carry him along. When Anakin was sure he was far enough away from Obi-Wan, he jumped to shore and walked to meet his master.
"How is she?" Obi-Wan asked hours later. Padmé was in labor, and it looked like she wasn't going to make it.
"Dying, Senator Amidala is." Yoda turned to Obi-Wan. "Know something, you do, that we do not," the short green Jedi Master said, noticing Obi-Wan's shock at the news.
"Yes, Master. The father…"
"Who?" Yoda asked, looking solemnly at the dying young woman.
"The father is…was…Anakin…" Obi-Wan followed the older Jedi's gaze. "I'm going to see what I can do." He went into the room just as a baby boy was held up. He looked down at Padmé as the medical droid made the announcement.
"Luke…" she whispered. Moments later, a second child was born: "Leia…" Looking up at Obi-Wan, who held Luke, she took in a deep breath. "I know there is still good in him…" and she died.
Standing in horror and disbelief on the side of the street, a young man watched the funeral procession. When the end came, he turned and ran to where the people at the front were gathered. Blue eyes narrowed in sadness as the people of Naboo buried their beloved former Queen. Taking a mental picture of the place, the young man turned and left.
Hours later, when all was dark and quiet, the man returned. Kneeling at the burial spot, he stared at the name engraved on the marker. A single tear escaped his eyes as a soft light appeared at the base of the grave marker.
Candles burning Another try…
Glasses are chilled and soon
She'll be by
Hope and pray
She'll say that she's willing to give us
Memories flooded his Sith-brainwashed mind as he set the candle in its place.
"How long have you lived here?" she asked. The nine-year old boy sitting on the counter shrugged.
"Since I was about three…I think. We were sold to Gardilla the Hutt, but she lost us betting on the podraces."
"You're a slave?" she asked, quite taken aback. The kid got defensive.
"I'm a person, and my name's Anakin."
'Pretty rocky first meeting…but…' he thought to himself, remembering it as if it were yesterday. But it had been thirteen years ago. He had thought for sure then that she wouldn't give him a second thought…since they were only there to buy a replacement hyperdrive generator for their ship. Anakin sighed as another memory came, unbidden, to the surface.
And if all those plans I've made And maybe the old songs
Don't melt the lady's heart
I'll put on the old 45's
Will bring back the old times
Maybe the old lines Will sound new
Maybe she'll lay her Head on my shoulder
Maybe old feelings Will come through…
It had been a complete accident. He didn't even know what he was doing, but he did it. A split second before it happened, it dawned on him: 'I'm a Jedi…I shouldn't be doing this…' But it was too late to stop it…
Their lips met, awkwardly at first, but they quickly got used to it. Right as she started kissing him back, she broke it off.
"We can't do this."
If memory served, he had told her he loved her that very night. And she had flat-out refused him. It hadn't made sense to Anakin at that time; he was young, naïve, hormone-driven….a teenager. Just barely an adult at nineteen. A Jedi. That was what had gotten him in trouble.
Under his breath, he recited: "A Jedi shall not know anger, nor fear, nor love." Love. A strong term for a strong emotion. But, a Jedi should not let emotions get the better of them…anger and fear, Anakin could understand; they led to the Dark Side. But love? Surely, love couldn't….such a pure emotion could not lead to something as evil as the Dark Side, he had thought. He realized now…he had thought wrong.
Maybe we'll start to cry
And wonder why
We ever walked away
Maybe the old songs
Will bring back the old times
And make her want to stay
The candle flame flickered as another tear dropped near it. It really hadn't seemed that bad back then…after all, she had returned his feelings. Albeit, it was when it appeared they were going to die, but still.
"I thought that we had decided not to fall in love…that it would destroy our lives." Anakin looked at her, a tiny bit of hope and despair fighting for dominance in his blue eyes.
"I think our lives are about to be destroyed anyway… I truly, deeply, love you…" Then, they kissed again as the cart started moving into the arena.
After that horrific event, Anakin had offered to bring her back to Naboo, as he was supposed to have done in the first place. Once there, however, (he smiled through his tears at the memory) they had been secretly married. Once he got used to it, he enjoyed keeping the secret. It seemed as if no one would ever find out.
'But,' Anakin thought, 'if it seems too good to be true, it probably is.'
It's been too long since I've
Seen her face light up
When I come home
It's been too many
Hours I've wasted staring
At the phone
Sweet old songs I'm counting on you
To bring her back to me
I'm tired of listening alone
They had kept it going for three years. Through the Clone Wars and the Outer Rim sieges, the Skywalker-Amidala marriage stayed the way it had started--a secret.
When Anakin had come back to Coruscant after rescuing the captive Chancellor, it seemed as if it wouldn't stay like that very much longer.
"I don't care if they know we're married…" Anakin started, but Padme interrupted.
"Don't say things like that," she warned. Anakin tensed in her arms for a split second, feeling through the Force. Blue eyes locked with brown as he looked at her face.
"You're trembling. What's wrong?"
"Ani…something wonderful has happened…"
"If you would have only contacted me during the sieges…I could have come to you sooner…" Anakin whispered, running his durasteel hand through his hair. As hard as he tried, he couldn't keep a small voice at the back of his mind adding: 'and brought this whole thing about sooner…Even if she had managed to contact you in your starfighter to tell you she was pregnant…you would still have had those dreams…"
"Shut up," he told himself. "Don't think that way…don't say things like that." But the voice continued, taunting the newly-turned Sith Lord. 'You would still have tried to save her…you would still be where you are right now….Darth Vader…'
"No…" Anakin whispered again. "No…"
And maybe the old songs
Will bring back the old times
Maybe the old lines Will sound new
Anakin leaned forward until his forehead rested against the headstone. Both hands rose to hold his head, fingers tangling in his hair, as he stopped trying to keep himself from crying.
Padmé stood at the balcony, brushing her hair. Anakin stood in the archway.
"You're so beautiful…" he said softly.
"It's because I'm in love," she answered, an amused smile playing over her lips.
"No. It's because I'm so in love with you," Anakin corrected her.
Maybe she'll lay her Head on my shoulder
Maybe old feelings Will come through
Sighing deeply, Anakin righted himself, wrapping his arms around himself.
"I'm so sorry, Padmé…" he whispered to the night. "I wish none of this had ever happened…Why couldn't I have seen it earlier?"
"Hold me," she said, as Anakin moved to do just that, "like you did by the lake on Naboo…when there was only our love…no war, no politics…"
Maybe we'll start to cry
And wonder why
We ever walked away
"Can you ever forgive me? Please….I can't live without you….I need you…I'm so very sorry…" He stood up, eyes never leaving the stone. "Please, Padmé…forgive me."
"We can rule the galaxy together…make things the way we want them to be!" Anakin said, smiling hopefully at her.
"Anakin…I don't know you anymore…You're breaking my heart!" She pleaded. "I love you!" She watched in horror as Anakin's eyes narrowed in hate.
"Liar!" she looked behind her and saw Obi-Wan.
"No! No!"
Maybe the old songs
Will bring back the old times
And make her want to stay
"What is thy bidding, my Master?" Anakin asked, kneeling before Emperor Palpatine.
"Your new weapon, Lord Vader…" Palpatine said, handing Anakin the hilt of a Sith lightsaber. Anakin took it and stood up. He ignited the crimson blade, as if admiring the work. Smirking, he looked directly at the Emperor. Disengaging the blade, he said: "Thank you, my Master."
Well? What did y'all think of my re-emergance into SW? Please tell me...I'm planning on writing more SW stuff