The Fall Of The Jedi
"Anakin! Ani!"
Anakin tossed in his sleep, his mother's cries echoing in his dreams. He saw her, torn and battered there in front of him. He knew that all he needed to do was touch her. Take her outstretched hand, and she would be saved. But for all his strength, he could not move. His body would not obey, and his mother was dying because of it. She lay there, pleading, then her life finally extinguished. For a moment, Anakin felt relieved. The common sense within him knew that no matter what he had done she would not have been saved, and she was now free from pain. But rage quickly erased any emotion other than itself, and all Anakin felt was a desperate need for revenge.
Then he stepped away from his body. His mind watched in horror as he saw what he had done on Tatooine; slaughtering dozens of Sand People. Anakin wished he could cry, or at least stop the maniacal man slashing at innocent beings, but had no physical way of doing so. He wanted to scream, but could not. In his mind, he could hear the sound breaking from his throat, but there was no sound in his ears.
"Anakin! Please, stop!" A young woman. Anakin's subconscious heard it, but would not respond. She sounded familiar... Mother? No... he ignored her plea.
"Ani, please..." The voice sounded as if the speaker was on the edge of tears. This voice broke through, and the slaughter in Anakin's mind disappeared.
His eye's snapped open, and Padme's face, stained with tears and worry, was very near to his own. Anakin moved to comfort her, but realized she was only there because she had hoped to comfort him. And he had brought her to tears. They looked foreign on something so strong and beautiful as Padme's face, and yet they were there, running down her cheeks and falling from her chin on to her pale nightgown. She spun quickly away from Anakin and ran for the door, her face in her hands.
"No!" Anakin needed Padme's stability, otherwise he did not know what he would do. She grounded him, and at the same time had to power to send him cascading from reality. "Please... I'm sorry."
She peered over her shoulder at the man she loved. Fear was etched into every crevice of her being, and it was obvious.
"I know you don't know what you were saying..." she hesitated, but Anakin's persistent stare prodded her forward. "But you scare me. You scream and say terrible things that I..." Her tears choked the words, and she was forced to stop. Anakin rose from his bed. He pulled her into a tight embrace, and she freed her tears as she sobbed into his shoulder. "...That I don't want to know what you are talking about." She finished.
The words stung Anakin. Padme didn't want to know? That was... different. But why didn't she want to know? She should want to, she was his wife! His rapid thoughts were beginning to feed his anger, but something caught him. He looked down and saw Padme's eyes, darker than usual in the dim light, brimming with tears again.
"I know what you are thinking. And I do care... but you sound as if you are in pain, or causing it... or both." She sounded almost like she was pleading for something.
"And you wouldn't want to help me if I were in pain?" Anakin rose his voice slightly, and a familiar scowl was forming across his face. "You wouldn't want to be there for me?" He tightened around her, pulling her closer and holding her almost prisoner in his strong arms.
Anakin wanted so badly to tell her what he had dreamt of... And of the night he had seen his mother die. Padme knew of his killing the Sand People, but not of the fact that he had enjoyed it. He wanted to tell her, and the only way he knew how to make her ask was to frighten her into it. There was very little Padme was afraid of, but her husband was one of those few things. The darkness that resided right beneath Anakin's surface she had seen too many times, and could not stand it.
"I would be there," She answered, resisting Anakin's tight hold. "I would, you misunderstand..."
"I don't misunderstand anything! You just said you didn't want to know what was wrong, even if I was in pain!" Anakin let go of her, and was now shouting.
"You twist my words! You do it to everyone, but I won't have you doing it to me!" Padme knew she could be vicious if need be, and she felt now was as good a time as ever to bear her weapons. "You know exactly what I meant, and you can't use fear on my to get what you want!" She spat the words at him, hoping they would carry more meaning that way.
"Don't you dare yell at me!" Anakin roared, his voice echoing off the solid surfaces of the room and heightened by the force. The Dark Side of the Force. "Don't ever yell at me!"
Padme was finally truly frightened. She trembled where she stood as she realized that she may have pushed him too far. There was no winning this argument for her, but she would never back down.
"I will yell all I want!" In the back of her mind, she remembered being six years old and screaming that phrase at the top of her lungs. The memory of her anger fed her fire now. "And I will wake everyone in the building to let them know that I will!" She was screaming now, all reason gone. She wanted to win, to make Anakin back down.
But it would not happen. He raised his hand to strike her, and she saw it coming. He hit her hard across her face, her body crumpling to the floor. She lay there, sobs breaking through her small frame. Anakin stepped over her towards the door, hoping to find some fresh air and silence away from her wailing. But as he opened the door, he gasped the find Obi-Wan standing there, the Jedi's anger in his Padawan's behavior obvious.
"Anakin! Ani!"
Anakin tossed in his sleep, his mother's cries echoing in his dreams. He saw her, torn and battered there in front of him. He knew that all he needed to do was touch her. Take her outstretched hand, and she would be saved. But for all his strength, he could not move. His body would not obey, and his mother was dying because of it. She lay there, pleading, then her life finally extinguished. For a moment, Anakin felt relieved. The common sense within him knew that no matter what he had done she would not have been saved, and she was now free from pain. But rage quickly erased any emotion other than itself, and all Anakin felt was a desperate need for revenge.
Then he stepped away from his body. His mind watched in horror as he saw what he had done on Tatooine; slaughtering dozens of Sand People. Anakin wished he could cry, or at least stop the maniacal man slashing at innocent beings, but had no physical way of doing so. He wanted to scream, but could not. In his mind, he could hear the sound breaking from his throat, but there was no sound in his ears.
"Anakin! Please, stop!" A young woman. Anakin's subconscious heard it, but would not respond. She sounded familiar... Mother? No... he ignored her plea.
"Ani, please..." The voice sounded as if the speaker was on the edge of tears. This voice broke through, and the slaughter in Anakin's mind disappeared.
His eye's snapped open, and Padme's face, stained with tears and worry, was very near to his own. Anakin moved to comfort her, but realized she was only there because she had hoped to comfort him. And he had brought her to tears. They looked foreign on something so strong and beautiful as Padme's face, and yet they were there, running down her cheeks and falling from her chin on to her pale nightgown. She spun quickly away from Anakin and ran for the door, her face in her hands.
"No!" Anakin needed Padme's stability, otherwise he did not know what he would do. She grounded him, and at the same time had to power to send him cascading from reality. "Please... I'm sorry."
She peered over her shoulder at the man she loved. Fear was etched into every crevice of her being, and it was obvious.
"I know you don't know what you were saying..." she hesitated, but Anakin's persistent stare prodded her forward. "But you scare me. You scream and say terrible things that I..." Her tears choked the words, and she was forced to stop. Anakin rose from his bed. He pulled her into a tight embrace, and she freed her tears as she sobbed into his shoulder. "...That I don't want to know what you are talking about." She finished.
The words stung Anakin. Padme didn't want to know? That was... different. But why didn't she want to know? She should want to, she was his wife! His rapid thoughts were beginning to feed his anger, but something caught him. He looked down and saw Padme's eyes, darker than usual in the dim light, brimming with tears again.
"I know what you are thinking. And I do care... but you sound as if you are in pain, or causing it... or both." She sounded almost like she was pleading for something.
"And you wouldn't want to help me if I were in pain?" Anakin rose his voice slightly, and a familiar scowl was forming across his face. "You wouldn't want to be there for me?" He tightened around her, pulling her closer and holding her almost prisoner in his strong arms.
Anakin wanted so badly to tell her what he had dreamt of... And of the night he had seen his mother die. Padme knew of his killing the Sand People, but not of the fact that he had enjoyed it. He wanted to tell her, and the only way he knew how to make her ask was to frighten her into it. There was very little Padme was afraid of, but her husband was one of those few things. The darkness that resided right beneath Anakin's surface she had seen too many times, and could not stand it.
"I would be there," She answered, resisting Anakin's tight hold. "I would, you misunderstand..."
"I don't misunderstand anything! You just said you didn't want to know what was wrong, even if I was in pain!" Anakin let go of her, and was now shouting.
"You twist my words! You do it to everyone, but I won't have you doing it to me!" Padme knew she could be vicious if need be, and she felt now was as good a time as ever to bear her weapons. "You know exactly what I meant, and you can't use fear on my to get what you want!" She spat the words at him, hoping they would carry more meaning that way.
"Don't you dare yell at me!" Anakin roared, his voice echoing off the solid surfaces of the room and heightened by the force. The Dark Side of the Force. "Don't ever yell at me!"
Padme was finally truly frightened. She trembled where she stood as she realized that she may have pushed him too far. There was no winning this argument for her, but she would never back down.
"I will yell all I want!" In the back of her mind, she remembered being six years old and screaming that phrase at the top of her lungs. The memory of her anger fed her fire now. "And I will wake everyone in the building to let them know that I will!" She was screaming now, all reason gone. She wanted to win, to make Anakin back down.
But it would not happen. He raised his hand to strike her, and she saw it coming. He hit her hard across her face, her body crumpling to the floor. She lay there, sobs breaking through her small frame. Anakin stepped over her towards the door, hoping to find some fresh air and silence away from her wailing. But as he opened the door, he gasped the find Obi-Wan standing there, the Jedi's anger in his Padawan's behavior obvious.