A/N: I was listening to 'I'm With You' by Avril Lavigne, when this popped into my head. I don't own the song, and I don't own the characters. Happy Easter!
I'm standing on a bridge
I'm waiting in the dark
I thought that you'd be here by now
Siri tightened her cloak around her, once more checking both directions. It was late, much later than she'd have liked, and she was stuck here until help arrived. Lightning crackled above her, and an animal howled in the distance. Once more attempting to send a distress signal, Siri sighed as her burnt-out comlink whirred and fell silent, the small holoscreen going blank, the water and partially fried electrics finally getting the better of the device. Tucking herself further under the railing, the young Jedi Knight shivered, feeling the cold rain soak her as the wind changed direction.
There's nothing but the rain
No footsteps on the ground
I'm listening but there's no sound
Siri stretched out with the Force, trying to contact anyone, unsuccessfully. She'd never thought this mission could turn out so disastrously. The natives had sought their political problems out , with considerable interference on Siri's part, but when she'd been forced to rescue a dignitary's four-year-old son by Force-pushing him out of the way of an assassin, the natives had turned on her, naming her a witch and chaining her to this Force-forsaken bridge to die. Unarmed, and her chain not merely locked but actually welded to the bridge, Siri was helpless.
Isn't anyone trying to find me?
Won't somebody come take me home?
Images of her friends and teachers swam before Siri's delusional mind. Master, she called, as she imagined her dear Adi Gallia's face. This changed to an image of her friend Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Siri once again called out feverishly. "Obi-Wan," she sobbed aloud. "Adi," she coughed, huddling up under her wet cloak. Only metres away, a palm tree was struck by lightning, and a frond fell to the ground accompanied by the crash of thunder.
It's a damn cold night
Trying to figure out this life
Won't you take me by the hand
Take me somewhere new
Shivering once more, Siri pondered how she'd ended up here. They natives had known she was Jedi, for that was why she'd been there – a representative of the galactic government. It was only when she'd saved the child's life that the mission had fallen apart, and Siri had been sentenced to a lonely death. A sound caught her attention, and Siri looked up weakly to find a blurry figure in front of her. The blur got smaller, and she dimly realised that the person had crouched to look into her eyes. He said something which she couldn't make out over the wind and rain, but it seemed reassuring, somehow.
I don't know who you are
But I... I'm with you
I'm with you
Siri didn't know who it was, or even if she was hallucinating. But this person represented, to her dim awareness, a chance for escape from this depressing fate. "With," she tried to say. "I'm with," she panted, "you."
I'm looking for a place
I'm searching for a face
Is anybody here I know
'Cause nothing's going right
And everything's a mess
And no one likes to be alone
Lightning flashed, and when Siri closed her eyes against the blinding light, her saviour vanished. "No!" she cried, though it came out more as a weak whimper. Forgetting her attempts to stay moderately dry and warm, Siri moved around as much as she could, searching for her rescuer. The wind whistled in her ears, and she pulled back into her meagre shelter under the railing, collapsing into tears as she felt her hope fade away, just like the hallucination. "Adi," she mumbled, once more hopelessly calling for her mother-figure. "Obi-Wan!" She needed her best friend here, now more than ever, to get her out of this mess. She wrapped her arms around her knees, remembering days when she and her friends at the Temple had played Search and Rescue as younglings. Siri had rarely been the 'damsel in distress,' as the role had struck a chord somewhere deep inside her, and she hated being helpless. Always, though, another youngling would heroically fly in to the rescue.
Isn't anyone trying to find me?
Won't somebody come take me home
It's a damn cold night
Trying to figure out this life
Siri closed her eyes, losing the last echoes of her hope as the thunder intensified, and the rain seeped through the last dry patches of her clothing. Violently shivering now, the young Knight fell flat on the ground, arms covering her head as she let her emotions out. Here, at the last, she would die. Not defiantly defending the Republic, as she'd always expected, but chained to miserable bridge in a storm. She lay there, sobbing desperately, until lightning struck another tree only a few hundred metres away, and the loud boom of thunder shocked her out of her state of hysteria. A pale blur was before her, and she felt a light touch on her forehead.
Won't you take me by the hand
Take me somewhere new
I don't know who you are
But I... I'm with you
I'm with you
The light of the full moon, heavily obscured by storm clouds, illuminated the bridge that would Siri would haunt in ages to come. The touch on her forehead vanished as Siri reached for her hero's hand, only to find a damp leaf in her grasp, detached from one of the many trees in the area. Siri threw her head back and cried, tears mingling with the rain on her face.
Oh why is everything so confusing
Maybe I'm just out of my mind
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Sounds of footsteps reached Siri's ears, and the young Knight slowly turned to face the source of the sounds. A smaller shadow detached itself from a larger one, and approached Siri slowly. She vaguely tilted her head, trying to discern whether this was yet another hallucination, or an actual rescue. The shadow shrank, and Siri reached out to touch it, but a flash of lightning caused both shadows to vanish into the mist.
It's a damn cold night
Trying to figure out this life
Won't you take me by the hand
Take me somewhere new
I don't know who you are
But I... I'm with you
I'm with you
Siri collapsed to the ground, and watched, almost disinterested, as yet another phantom approached her prone form. There was no point wasting her precious energy in a response to the shining apparition, as the delusional subconscious mind of Knight Siri Tachi seemed to be perversely amused by dangling the prospect of a rescue in front of her. This time, when the vague shape of a hand reached out to touch her, it seemed to reach below her shoulders and hip, and she vaguely noticed that she'd rolled onto her back.
Take me by the hand
Take me somewhere new
I don't know who you are
But I... I'm with you
I'm with you
A hand grasped hers, and in the other, her rescuer held a blazing beam of blue energy, though the small part of Siri's mind which could still register her surrounds was sure it was only lightning. She felt the restraints give way, and was dimly aware of being picked up in the arms of another person. "My Knight," she whispered feverishly, "In Shining Armour."
Take me by the hand
Take me somewhere new
I don't know who you are
But I... I'm with you
I'm with you
I'm with you...
Obi-Wan checked on his fellow Knight, as she lay sleeping in a back room of the small cruiser. He shuddered, remembering how he'd found her, so close to death, on that Force-forsaken bridge. Running a gentle hand across her cheek, he whispered to her softly, "You'll be fine, Siri. I'll take you home, I'm with you."
The drenched Knight tossed restlessly, scratching the surface of consciousness. She mumbled some words, which Obi-Wan could barely make out. "I'm with you."