Shimmer

Summary: She sits and watches her daughter play as a memory of a golden afternoon haunts her. It's just a memory, one of many. But for some reason, the words said that afternoon haunt her this day.

Rating: PGish. Nothing bad. A little suggestive, but with them? What isn't?(A slight glimpse of a story before Cold Water. You don't need to have read that at all to get this, just a simple haunting moment. An AU, Padme is alive and is raising Leia in hiding.

Note from me: There's a line in here that sounds familiar, because it is, I borrowed some of it from the movie Life as A House. I love it. It's one of my favorite lines ever.

Disclaimer: I don't own this. That's fo shizzle. Okay then. Onwards.


Today is not a special day. It is not anything out of the ordinary. I could be any other person in the entire galaxy, I could be just another nameless face. One of the thousands you've murdered, or will murder. Another nameless face.

But I'm not.

She takes my hand and leads me to her favorite spot. We watch the water sweep past us. She sticks her hand in and giggles, amazed at the fierceness of the current. She makes little discoveries like this daily. She is still so amazed by the world. Sometimes I think to myself how can she be so in love with this world, when she was born into blackness? She plays with the water against her fingers as we sit cross legged by the bank. She watches the water move, and is doesn't cease to be amazed by it every time. Maybe the love of water came from her father. You loved water. You were never ceased to be amazed by it…

Jump in.

No!

C'mon, do it.

Anakin, it's so cold. Honestly.

Fine I guess I'll just have to come and get you myself!

Roaring with laughter in the afternoon sun he splashed me with the lake water.

His head throwing back with laughter in the glittering sunlight. He picked me up and we swim. I try very hard without success to suppress my laughter as I scream as he carries me into the water. My clothes as soaked, and I pretend to be mad. This makes him laugh even more.

It's not funny! Look, I'm soaked!

He doesn't stop laughing and a moment passes.

Padme Amidala Skywalker, you, are the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.

He bridges the space between us. Floating in the lake, the afternoon sun soaking us.

Everything, about you is perfect. Even your anger is perfect.

He buries his face into my neck and I sigh. Pounding on his chest.

And you, Anakin Skywalker, are impossible!

He laughs again and tangles himself in my wet hair. I can feel his heart pounding and he is breathing and soaking me in. Everything around us shimmers.

Don't do that. It makes me impossible to stay mad at you…I whisper.

That's why I do it, He is holding me close and smiling to himself.

I do it all for you.


Dusk is setting in and Leia takes my hand as we head back to the cabin. She breaks free and runs ahead to chase a glittering bug. I could be anyone in the entire universe. Another nameless face. Another pawn in your game, another dead by your hands. But I'm not just a nameless face.

I do it all for you.

I hear you say in my head, haunting me.

And I do, Anakin, I do it all for you.