PART I - ACT I : CHAPTER 2
"Screaming on the inside, I am frail and withered. Cover up the wounds, that I can't hide. Walls that lie between us. The saint within the sinner, I have lost the nerve, but it's all right. Carry the wounded and shut your eyes, all will be forgiven... Stay with me, you're all I have left. I know we can make it out alive."
- Into The Morning – Breaking Benjamin
Anakin held his wife's hand to his lips as he sat at her side. It had been several hours, and she still hadn't woken. He could still sense her but... it was so weak. That was the opposite of everything his Padme was. She was strong and so very much alive. Seeing her like this... it hurt. It hurt more because he knew he was the cause.
He was worried, there was no denying it, no hiding it. No reason to, not anymore. He closed his eyes and sighed, long and heavy.
Obi-wan watched from behind the glass. It was clear how much Anakin loved her. Though, he supposed it had always been clear – even when he thought his affection for her was a simple crush that would vanish in time.
How wrong he was.
Kenobi glanced at Yoda on his right, then back to Anakin and Padme. Movement in the corner of his eye caused him to look back at Yoda, who was climbing off the stool where he had perched himself. The small Master faced Obi-wan, "With me, walk," he said before turned and beginning a slow trek deeper into the facility.
Obi-wan nodded and matched Yoda's slow pace.
"Troubled, you are."
"I'm worried about Anakin," he glanced down at Yoda, "He won't heal from this quickly... perhaps never."
A grunt was Yoda's only sign of agreement.
Another question formed in Obi-wan's mind, "Master," he hesitated,"what happened to him? What I witnessed on Mustafar... I've never heard of anything like that."
"Rare it is," Yoda kept his gaze ahead as he walked, "when another persona develops."
Obi-wan stopped, "Persona?"
Yoda turned to look up at the human, "Anakin and Vader. Two separate beings, they are. Embraces the light, Anakin does. While embraces the dark, Vader does."
Obi-wan looked thoughtful, "Anakin had to fight Vader for control."
"Fighting even now, they are. Sense it I can." Obi-wan had to agree. Anakin's Force signature was still tainted. It would only be a matter of time before Anakin's will gave out – a man can only fight for so long. Obi-wan knelt down, "Can he be helped?"
The short Master thought for a moment, "Possible it is…"
ooooooooooooooooooo
The monitoring equipment beeped steadily, the only sound in the small room. The viewing window had been covered to allow for some measure of privacy. The room was dark, save for the medical equipment neatly littering the room. Two figures were the only occupants. One figure lay deathly still in the bed, clad in white and bulging belly. Dark, thick locks of hair streamed from her head, and her face held an eerie sort of peace.
The other was oblivious to this, however, since he had long since given in to his own exhaustion. His head rested on folded arms on the side of the bed, his right hand gently clinging to hers. In contrast, his face was an emotional explosion as he fought his inner demons, tiring him even in his sleep. His breaths were uneven and sweat was collecting on his brow.
"Ani...," she cried out, willing the cruel and faceless apparitions away. He didn't want to hear her voice unless it was real. But, no. She was still unconscious because of him.
"Ani...," the universe to be too kind if she woke.
"Ani...," after all he's done.
The voice repeated, getting clearer each time. Then a small tremor in the Force and Anakin cracked an eye open, only to be greeted by a dark room and a rapid heartbeat – he never used to be afraid of the dark, he mused bitterly. Gingerly, he lifted his head and turned to look at the face of his wife. Pain flashed across his features, and he lifted his left hand to brush some hair out of her face.
He paused when she took a breath, and shifted under his touch, but she didn't open her eyes. Hope filled his heart and the corner of his mouth twitched upward, "Padme?" he asked softly. He brushed her cheek with his thumb almost tempted to use the use the Force to will her back to the land of the living. She shifted again and her eyes blinked open slowly. He smiled, "Hey," he breathed.
"Ani...?"
Relief spread through his body, and he smiled, "It's me." At this, she sat up as fast as her pregnant belly and tired body would allow and embraced her husband. He hugged her tightly, afraid to let her go – and hoping that, though it was fruitless, she would not remember what had happened.
Padme pulled back and rested one hand on the back of his neck, his hair tangling in her fingers. She noticed the poorly hidden guilt on his face, "Ani-"
His face contorted in anguish as he tried to hold the tears back, "Don't... please..." he begged quietly.
Padme pulled him close again. She remembered what he had done, even if she wasn't quite sure what to believe. She knew this though: the man who attacked her on Mustafar, had not been her husband. The man she clung to now, this was him.
She could feel it.
ooooooooooooooooooo
Obi-wan and Yoda locked eyes as they both sensed Skywalker's relief.
"If we are to help him," Kenobi started, "We must do so quickly. If he hurts her again, it will destroy him."
Yoda hummed in agreement, "For now, allow him time with his wife, we shall." Obi-wan nodded and stood again as Yoda slowly made his way further into the compound. He knew that if anyone could help him accept what's happened, it would be her. Obi-wan looked in the general direction of the couple.
It was risky waiting.
ooooooooooooooooooo
An odd sensation erupted around her belly and she tensed. Anakin pulled back from her embrace to look at her, "Padme?"
She didn't answer right away and worry began to settle in the pit of his stomach. Finally she looked up at him, "The baby's coming."
Many hours later...
Anakin smiled down at his wife, feeling truly happy for the first time since Order 66. The med droid had informed them that she was carrying twins, much to their pleasant surprise. The delivery droid spoke softly, and Padme cried out again. He winced. No one should have to go through this much pain, and he'd finally given up asking if she wanted something for the pain – she'd refused each time, much to his dismay. His head snapped up as a piercing cry cut through the air, but it hadn't been Padme. The droid announced the baby's gender and passed the squirming infant to his father, and Anakin only hesitated for a second before securing his son in his arms. "Luke," Padme said tiredly. Anakin glanced at at his wife and smiled, she'd picked the name – she was so sure it was a boy. She smiled up at him, then her joy was interrupted by more pain as the second child decided to follow. A second droid came up beside Anakin, explaining shortly that he needed to check the child was healthy. He wasn't ready to part with his son just yet, but he complied and gently passed the newborn to the med droid.
Just as he turned back to his wife, another cry and Luke's sister was born. "Leia," he said softly for Padme. They'd agreed on those two names, and it was a good thing they'd chosen two. The droids checked both newborns and deemed them healthy. Leia, wrapped in a thick soft pink blanket, was soon pressed into Anakin's arms and he looked down at his daughter, then to his tired wife and small smile ghosting on his lips.
Soon, the med droids left them alone and Anakin let his wife rest. The room was at half illumination and everything was still and calm. The fallen Jedi held her close as she slept, silently watching over her and the twins, who laid resting in their shared crib near the bed. The minutes ticked by and just as Anakin found his thoughts taking a dark turn - a small sound grabbed all of his attention and all thought ceased. He silently moved off the bed and walked around to the crib. Leia's big brown eyes were wide open and looking up at him. Anakin leaned gently on the crib, and Leia simply watched him while her brother slept soundly. She cooed quietly and Anakin felt the ice in his heart melt further and the noise that Vader was making all but ceased.
This was what happiness was, he was sure of it. But deep inside, he feared for her and her brother. For Padme as well. He couldn't trust himself, not with Vader lurking in the shadows. And Force… Palpatine. He would be looking for his wayward apprentice, and Anakin knew he would never be free till he was dead.
Anakin wondered sadly: what did that mean for his small family?
The opening door cast soft light into the room and Anakin could hear the footsteps behind him. The door closed and a familiar figure stopped next to him, gazing along with him into the crib. "They're beautiful," Obi-wan said softly so as not to wake Padme or the other sleeping twin.
"Thank you," Anakin said softly, his voice rough from little use and lack of sleep. Neither man said anything for several moments, Anakin content to watch his children, and Obi-wan waiting for the right moment. Obi-wan realized the moment would never come, "I hate to take you from this…" Anakin looked at him from the corner of his eye, "but Master Yoda wants to speak with you."
Anakin nodded silently and looked at Obi-wan, "Will you… will you watch over them?" Obi-wan nodded and smiled softly as Anakin left the room silently, but reluctantly. For all his fear, he didn't want to leave them.
Leia began to sniffle as her father left the room and Obi-wan took Anakin's spot by the crib. "Now, now," he said softly, soothing her with Force, "You mustn't cry, little one." She settled quickly and fell back asleep, and Obi-wan looked up at Padme. She was watching him tiredly a question in her eyes and on her lips, "Can Master Yoda help him?"
Obi-wan breathed deeply, "I hope so," he said honestly.
ooooooooooooooooooo
Skywalker found the small Master a few rooms from Padme's room, and he's inwardly grateful that he isn't far from her and the twins. He palmed open the door to find Master Yoda perched on a stool placed at the end of a medical bed. Anakin entered the room and stopped as the door closed behind him. "Master," he greeted the ancient Jedi, who greeted him in return, "Anakin."
The young man stepped forward a single question burning in his heart, "Do you know what's wrong with me, Master?"
"He is not your Master," a voice whispered, and Anakin became visibly uncomfortable.
"Ignore him, you must."
He took a deep breath and focused on centering his mind on Master Yoda, but it was getting more and more difficult, harder to focus on anything. Vader screamed and taunted and whispered, anything to get his attention, anything to drain his mind, to make him weak. Weak enough to defeat.
He set his jaw and look at the Jedi Master, waiting for an answer. Yoda nodded soberly, and Anakin could see the seriousness in the Master's green eyes. "A rare condition you have. Split, you and Vader have become. A dual persona, you have."
Anakin came closer to stand next to the bed, "What does that mean?"
"Vader, emotion, rage and pain, he is. The darkside he embodies." Anakin listened silently, "You, the light embrace."
"Can he be killed?" he asked.
Yoda shook his head sadly, and Anakin's heart dropped. "To kill one, is to kill the other. Without you, live Vader can not. Without Vader, live you can not." Anakin felt as though his chest was being crushed and he found himself sitting on the bed as Yoda continued. "If continue as you are, meld, you and Vader will. After that, help you, I can not. Over power the light, the darkness will."
Anakin sat silently, trying to absorb everything. Yoda sat quietly, saddened that this had happened to young Skywalker, and the choices that were soon to come. 'Difficult, things will be from now on.'
"Can anything be done?" He asked finally. He looked at Master Yoda, and hoped that the wise Master Jedi had the answers. "Yes." Hope filled his heart, but fear raged in the back is mind. While Anakin was losing hope, Vader was swimming in joy that he would sooner or later, be able to take over and do what he wanted. Back to having power and prestige. He could have taken the twins and raised them as royalty, with Padme at his side as a queen once more. But now… fear spread like a wildfire and Anakin reacted without thought. A monitoring device flew across the room and shattered on the far wall. His heart thumped in his chest and he put his head in his hands, fighting the headache and the urge to throw more items against the wall.
"Vader that was. Afraid he is. Fight him, you must."
"I'm almost out of fight…" Anakin said quietly, exhausted from the constant mental struggle.
"Lock him away, I can. Bother you, he will not. Fight you, he will not." Fear tore at him again, and he cringed as Vader pushed against his control. Yoda watched as Anakin fought to keep his waning control. "Warned, you must be," Anakin looked at him, "temporary it is. Try again, he will." The young man nodded. Maybe another solution would present itself, in the meantime, this needed to end.
"What do you need me to do?"
"Lie down, and relax you must." As Anakin did so, he very briefly felt nervous about letting the old master that deeply into his mind, and Anakin knew that he would need to go deep in order to root Vader out and trap him.
It was a given.
That nervousness only lasted until he realized he had no secrets left. He took a deep breath and forced himself to relax, to let Yoda do what he needed to.
It was not surprising to Yoda to find Anakin's mind a complete mess. Shattered and broken, nearly beyond repair. He had reached his breaking point, and that is what had caused the separation. Finding Vader was a simple matter, it was subduing him that proved to be difficult. Vader let out a rage filled roar, a last ditch effort fueled by desperation and fear. He would not be trapped within these walls. He refused.
Yoda's mental image raised his hand and Vader's image was tossed back like a rag doll. A wall appeared behind him, created by Yoda, and Vader slammed into it. The young Sith fell to the floor with a grunt and forced himself to his feet again. Yoda watched calmly, waiting for Vader's next move, "Pointless, resistance is, Vader."
He lowered his head, yellow and red eyes glowering at the green Master, rage embedded on his face, and the glint of fear in his eyes. Vader charged again and ran full tilt toward the small Master. Once again, Yoda tossed him aside against the walls he created, three on all sides, two above and below. Vader's body slammed against the back wall and another wall began to materialize over the opening. Vader, though he knew he was defeated and weakened, stood and ran for the opening, hoping to make it through before it closed all the way. The Sith slammed his fists against the wall and roared in anger.
Outside the newly formed box, Master Yoda could not hear Vader's protests and solidified the prison. It would last several years... long enough for Anakin to come to terms with his recent actions and bolster the strength and gain knowledge to control Vader on his own.
In the real world, the ancient Master withdrew from Anakin's mind and saw the young man in a near sleep state, finally free to do so without Vader trying to force himself to the forefront. He planted a suggestion to sleep into his mind, a suggestion that Anakin didn't resist.
Finding someone to help him learn to control would take time, but Master Yoda knew who he was looking for.
The trouble would be getting her to agree.
-TBC
A/N: Figured I would finish and post this before the poll ended. I managed to add three or so pages to the two and a half pages I've already had since ahhhh 2011. The anti-muse wall hit me hard with this chapter. But whatever. It's done now.
