"Fall From Grace"
By Across the Stars
Rated T
Summary: Padme's life takes a spiral downwards, fast. Will Anakin be able to save her in time?
WARNING: This story contains self-injury. If you have a problem with that, don't read.
-The italics indicate thoughts
Fall From Grace
She ran for her life under a cover of darkness. The streets of Coruscant were dank and wet, setting the perfect stage for an attack on someone's life. Her's, at the moment. All she wanted to do was see her favorite perfume vendor. She was waiting for an order of Nabooan scent. Padme could hear the footsteps behind her, and she tried to run even faster.
Up ahead, she saw a speeder bus. Padme jumped aboard just as it was beginning to rise. She slammed a couple of credits in the box and found an empty seat. As she looked out the window, she let out a shuddering breath.
Padme opened the door to her apartment with shaking fingers. It was dark; Threepio had powered down for the night, she guessed. Padme stumbled into the fresher and turned on the water for a shower. She wasn't really crying, per se, more like gasping for breath and choking on the air. She struggled to take her heavy dress off, and stepped into the shower.
She sat down on the floor of the shower, letting the water pummel the top of her head, washing her sins away. The attempts on her life were starting to wear down on her. How she wished she and Anakin could live out there life in peace on Naboo. But in her darkest thoughts, she knew that would never happen.
He could be dead, for all you know. Or maybe he's gotten tired of you and sought out comfort in the arms of one of his many female admirers. Stupid girl, you believed him when he whispered his love to you…lies, all of them! He doesn't want you, he doesn't love you. He never did, you insipid little girl.
The voice in her head was getting increasingly harder to ignore. And more and more, Padme felt herself succumbing to her thoughts. After all, Anakin had been gone for eight standard months, the longest they'd been apart since they were married. Not a word from him, nothing at all. It's because he doesn't care for you anymore. He's found someone else.
A sob wrenched out of Padme's throat. Oh, the voice was terrible, but it was rational. Why had Anakin been gone so long? It was almost like he had forgotten about her. Surely a diplomatic mission couldn't be taking this long. Padme let the tears fall freely now.
Her vision focused on a metal object on a ledge in the shower. Anakin's spare shaving blade. Go on, end it now. Save him the trouble of having to come back and tell you he doesn't love you. It's better this way.
Padme reached for the blade, caressing the shiny metal. Really, it would be so easy. Just to see what it felt like, she told herself, as she lightly dragged the blade across the inside of her wrist. A line of blood appeared on the line, but it was quickly washed away. Padme watched it swirl down the drain in fascination. It was beautiful. So red, so powerful, so mysterious.
She tried a little harder. It still didn't hurt very much. It gave her a sort of rush to watch the blood run down the drain. It was graceful, she decided.
Hurry up, you stupid twit. Waiting isn't going to make him come back.
Padme obeyed the voice inside her head, and slashed across her wrist. The more cuts she made, the more blood came. She continued until she couldn't hold the blade anymore. Her thoughts were coming slower, and her vision was descending down into a dark void. Then, there was black.
Anakin Skywalker had just parked his speeder outside his wife's apartment. Strangely, the place was dark. He frowned as he walked into the main room, but then he saw light from under the fresher door and heard the sound of water running. Padme was in the shower. I think I'll go and surprise her. It had been eight months since Anakin had seen his wife, and he couldn't get to the fresher fast enough.
Literally.
A/N: yeah, that was a MAJOR cliffhanger. Reviews are appreciated, no flames please! You guys tell me if I should continue….thanks!