MASSIVE SPOILER ALERT!

This is Part VI, also known in The Clone Wars TV series as S06E07, "Crisis of the Heart".

Author's Note: I want to apologize, first off, for the horrible writing I did in this chapter. I was in a hurry, trying to get this done before I lost my battle with sleep. I'm fairly certain it's obvious, and for that, allow me to extend my deepest apologies. The next one is going to be better. Be sure to comment anyway!

{trinity6diversia}

When Anakin returned to the Jedi Temple, he walked slowly down the hallways, avoiding everyone within sight, his eyes downcast so they couldn't be read. He shielded his mind with the Force, more than usual, to keep others from reading his thoughts. He knew his actions would seem suspicious, but it didn't matter. Padmé had sent him away; she had put their relationship on hold. The warm bed he might have had the luxury to sleep in that night would be warm only to her. She didn't want to see him; she didn't want him.

Back in his room, Anakin picked up a tool and started working on something that didn't need fixed. Tinkering on mechanics always helped to calm him when he was angry or frustrated, but this time, the project was too routine. He needed something to do. There were no battles that needed his attention, no padawans he could train, no masters he could argue with. And there was to be no sleep that night; not the way things were now.

Slamming his tool down on the workbench, Anakin grabbed his cloak and left the room, heading in the direction of the hangers. He had been issued a new starfighter. It was a replacement for one he had, uh, disintegrated, a few months earlier. His missions between then and now were strictly on the deck of the large Jedi troop carriers, or riding in landing ships flown by clones. Every other time at the controls of a starfighter had been group issued, not one man. This starfighter was to be his, until it too disintegrated. It was yellow, per request, sleek, shiny and probably quite gutless, by Anakin's standards.

In the hanger, Anakin grabbed a box of tools and went to his new starfighter. It didn't take him long to expose the wiry innards, and once that was done, he was too absorbed in his work to think much about anything. He didn't even know how much time had passed; time, to him, was calculated by the amount of grease accumulating on his hands.

"Anakin?"

Obi-Wan.

"Anakin, what are you doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing, Master?" Anakin rubbed his dirty hands on a rag. His cloak had long since been cast aside.

"It's two hours past midnight."

The young Jedi Knight said nothing, but dove back into the underbelly of his starfighter so Obi-Wan wouldn't see the look in his eyes. The argument with Padmé returned in full force, and he could recount every word she'd said. Like it or not, our relationship is built upon lies and deception. No relationship can survive that.

"Anakin?" He could sense Obi-Wan crossing his arms and sitting down on an empty cargo container. "What is going on?" The question was not unkind, but it demanded an answer.

"Nothing. Nothing is going on, Obi-Wan. Just… tired. I wish I wouldn't have to be everywhere, doing everything. I really need a meditative retreat about now."

"Don't we all. But…" He paused, and Anakin finally looked at him. "I don't get the sense this is about the war, or about your peace with the Force. There is something elsewhere, something elusive, taking your thoughts. I may, or may not, be able to guess what it is."

Anakin snorted and turned back to his starfighter, though he could no longer focus on his work. Obi-Wan did not speak, and without that distraction, Anakin was forced to think about the unhappier memories of that night. He couldn't get past it; he couldn't let it go. All he saw when he closed his eyes was the sadness in Padmé's face when she said she wasn't happy and she didn't feel safe. It wasn't the war; it was him. He was the one who made her feel threatened; the very one who should have protected her now made her afraid.

The reality suddenly very clear, Anakin's anger at himself could no longer be held down. He threw the wrench he was holding across the hanger bay, watching as it smashed into a pile of oil cans. It didn't make him feel any better. He took a deep breath, which only accelerated his anger, and his fingers balled into a fist, slamming into the side of his starfighter with back-breaking force. He knew this same anger could have killed Clovis.

"I don't know who's in me sometimes!" he yelled then, whirling towards Obi-Wan, and for the first time, the sadness and shame in his eyes was clear as day. "I make people afraid. Those closest to me are afraid of me, Obi-Wan. I don't know who I am, or what I'm supposed to do, or where I'm going. All I know is that… there isn't any happiness anymore. Just anger, and fear, and bitterness, and it's because of me."

There was a very long moment of silence, in which Obi-Wan kept his eyes turned downwards, arms still crossed, unmoving. He made no move to speak, not even a single twitch of his muscles, and at last, in exacerbation, Anakin threw his hands up.

"Say something, Obi-Wan."

"What do you want me to say?" asked the Jedi Master then, looking up and meeting his young student's eyes. There was sympathy and compassion in the blue depths of his own eyes, which helped to calm Anakin, if only a little.

"That… I'm better than this. Because I know I am. But I don't believe it."

There was another long moment of silence, but at least Obi-Wan looked like he was trying to say something. At last:

"Anakin, I am very proud of you. I know you know the difficulties of teaching someone else. Ahsoka was like you are in many ways. But you have always been worse. You have been reckless, and careless, and ambitious, and your greatest thrill is getting yourself into a fight." Anakin cringed at this. "But that is your strength. You know more about yourself than quite a few Jedi in this Order. There are some who wouldn't admit things that you do admit. When you aren't yourself, for example, or now, when you know that you have hurt someone, or more than one, and you are upset by that. You know how Master Yoda feels about over-thinking, and speaking into things that are not issues, but I am also willing to accept your point of view. That if you don't assess your wrongs, you cannot make them right. I will not ask what you've done. I suspect it has to do with a fight…" Anakin looked away. "Possibly a necessary one, but an altercation nonetheless, which caused someone not involved to be greatly hurt as a result."

"And… if this were the case… how could I rectify it?" asked Anakin, not meeting his Master's eyes, for fear Obi-Wan would know the truth. He shot very close to the mark, even without reading his young apprentice's mind. "How could I make her trust me again?" This was added as a whisper, but Obi-Wan heard it anyway.

"That is up to her, Anakin," answered Obi-Wan, standing. "All you can do is acknowledge your wrongs and try to make them right. You can do it; I have faith in your methods of survival. But in the end, only those hurt by you have the power to forgive you."

Anakin nodded, certain that Obi-Wan knew the whole story by now, in not so many words. Indeed, Obi-Wan knew fairly well, and was choosing to ignore. No names were spoken, so in that respect, he knew nothing.

Anakin never slept that night, and early the next morning, forgoing breakfast, he took a Jedi speeder and flew to the Senate Building. Clovis and Padmé would be revealing their Banking Clan investigation results to the entire Senate, and Anakin had been sent by the Council to be a Jedi presence during that meeting. He chose to respect Padmé's wishes for separation, arriving at her pod just as she and Clovis were floating out into the main Senate arena. The sadness returned, but not as strong as before. He knew they could make it work, they just needed time. The war had taken its toll without any shots being fired.

The investigation results were clear as day when Clovis and Padmé laid them out, and within minutes, Chancellor Palpatine was calling to vote for a new leader of the Banking Clan. The only option was Clovis, as he claimed to be neutral in his intentions. The results were mixed, and though the Chancellor claimed an "overwhelming" support for the Senator Clovis, Anakin knew that a vast majority of the Senate was against Clovis taking over the Banking Clan. In the end, though, their say meant nothing, and Clovis was named the leader of the InterGalactic Banking Clan.

With the Senate adjourned, Padmé's pod returned to its docking station, which Anakin didn't realize until it was too late. He was too busy watching the outraged reaction within the Senate, and the outpouring of anger and frustration he could feel in the Force. When he looked back at the pod, Padmé and Clovis were already walking towards him, and quickly he pushed himself upright, forcing his hands to his side. With a quick jerk of his head, he nodded to both of them in turn, choosing to address Clovis with the entirety of his attention to avoid meeting Padmé's gaze.

"Senator Amidala, Senator Clovis. The Council has offered their services in the form of an escort on your return trip to Scipio. As the new leader of the Banking Clan, your security is the number one priority for the Jedi Order."

"Thank you, Master Jedi, but the Chancellor has already prepared a clone escort. Give my thanks to the Jedi Order for their courtesy."

"Of course, Senator," acknowledged Anakin, then with another incline of his head, he turned and departed from the pod bay in search of the Chancellor. As far away from Padmé as possible was his best bet, and it wasn't lost on her. She watched him go and her heart broke. She knew he was simply doing as she wished, and part of her wished she hadn't drawn that straight of a line for him to follow.

Padmé and Clovis left Coruscant within the hour, with a full clone escort and a Republic cruiser. Anakin watched them go. Then, knowing he would not be needed again that day, returned to the Jedi Temple to eat something and catch up on his sleep. He knew when Obi-Wan came and checked on him, but he feigned a state of deep sleep and was not disturbed. Not that time, at least. When Obi-Wan came again, later that evening, Anakin was even not given a chance.

"Anakin, wake up, there is an urgent message from the Chancellor."

"The Chancellor?" groaned Anakin, rolling over and propping himself up. "What happened?"

"We don't know, he didn't tell us. Something must have happened on Scipio.

"Scipio!" Anakin was fully awake now, throwing on his boots and grabbing his lightsaber before his brain even had time to catch up with him. He and Obi-Wan were racing towards the hanger bay a moment later, and as he jumped into one of the Jedi speeders, Obi-Wan backed away.

"The Council has ordered me to oversee a battle group formation, if it comes to a rescue mission. I will await your signal."

And then Anakin was flying off to the Senate Building, sleep a very near memory.

The Chancellor was agitated when Anakin arrived at his office. There had been mixed communications coming from Scipio, but if the reports were correct, the neutral planet was under Separatist attack. No further signals had been sent to Coruscant, and the Chancellor was clearly worried. Anakin tried his best to stay calm, if that was at all possible.

And then there was a beep as an incoming transmission was received, and a moment later, a static hologram of Padmé appeared on the holopad.

"Chancellor Palpatine, negotiations on Scipio have failed! The planet is under attack!"

"Impossible!" was the Chancellor's defiant response. "Scipio is not a war zone!"

"It is now! We need reinforcements!"

"I cannot condone a course of action that will put the vaults on Scipio at risk."

"The vaults have been compromised! The war is here, Chancellor!"

"Senator Amidala, I want you off that planet immediately!"

"I can't!"

"Surely you can get to a ship," said Anakin suddenly, stepping into the conversation. His voice was calm and even, something that surprised even him, and he tried to make himself seem as diplomatic as possible.

"General Skywalker," said Padmé, and her eyes turned softly to him, though they were sad and bespoke many hours spent crying over him the night before. "I'm afraid there is no way off this planet. I'm trapped."

The sound of droids were heard in the background as she quickly glanced behind her, and then they jumped on her, grabbing her and dragging her down. The hologram sputtered and faded, and when it was gone, Anakin realized that he had leapt towards it, hand outstretched, the other on his lightsaber, his eyes wide with horror. His heart was beating fast.

"Call an emergency session of the Senate!" The Chancellor had wasted no time leaping into action as he communicated with his private secretary. Anakin shook himself, still staring at the place where Padmé had been only a moment before. "Anakin, my boy, I need you to take a strike force to Scipio to retrieve the Senator and safeguard the vaults."

The order, if it was indeed an order, didn't seem to register in Anakin's mind, but he raced from the room anyway, not knowing where exactly he was going. Out in the hall, suddenly, like a bolt of lightning, it hit him. The Chancellor had ordered him to rescue Padmé. And Obi-Wan was preparing his strike force.

"Obi-Wan!" he shouted into his comlink. "Come in, Obi-Wan!"

"I'm here, Anakin!"

"Are the warships ready?"

"Momentarily. The Council has ordered a strike force, per Chancellor Palpatine's command. Lucky for you, I'm already a step ahead. Master Yoda and Master Windu will meet you at the site. You're ordered to the Dauntless bridge, immediately."

"I'm on my way."

There was no regard to traffic signals or patterns as Anakin raced through the city in the direction of the staging grounds for the Republic fleet. He arrived later than he wished for, but sooner than expected, and forced himself to stay calm when he met the two senior masters on the Jedi Council. They were expecting him.

"Skywalker, great emotion you will find on Scipio, will you not?" asked Yoda first, which was an unexpected question for Anakin to be given first thing.

"I am worried for Senator Amidala," answered Anakin in an even tone which deceived him. "I'm afraid we may be too late."

"Correct, you were, about Clovis," continued Master Yoda. "But let go of your selfishness, you must, if you are to see clearly on Scipio. Not all is as it seems."

"I understand, Master," answered Anakin, inclining his head.

"Go then," said Master Windu. "And may the Force be with you."

And then Anakin was racing for the boarding ramp onto the Dauntless, feeling as though time were against him. Obi-Wan met him.

"I will say nothing that the Masters may have already said. So all I will say is, good luck, my friend. Find what you are looking for."

"If I knew what that was," grinned Anakin, trying to put on a positive face. They clasped each others shoulders, and then Anakin was racing down the ramp into the massive ship. A moment later, it levitated and slowly made for the sky.

Scipio was a mess, with Separatist cruisers and droid fighters everywhere the eye could see. The Republic fleet was attacked as soon as they were out of hyperspace, but their advantage was in numbers, and the Separatists were easily pushed back. And then, just as quickly as the battle was started, it was ended. The Separatist fleet pulled away and burst into hyperspace, leaving their ground forces stranded on the planet, and destruction everywhere.

Anakin quickly located Padmé's homing signal, and taking a small strike force led by Captain Rex, they descended onto the planet. Landing at the entrance to the vaults, they blasted their way through into the main body of the complex. Anakin went on ahead, slicing a path through the droids while the clones exterminated them entirely. Taking the stairs two at a time, he raced towards Padmé's signal, coming from a tower where he was certain to find Clovis with her.

Sure enough, Clovis was there, his back turned to the door when Anakin arrived, surveying the damage to Scipio in horror. Padmé was being held by two droids. She lowered her voice and said, gently but firmly: "Clovis, you have to turn yourself in."

Anakin kicked the door down at that very instant, Clovis turning as he did so, and the droids who had held Padmé. Anakin quickly sliced through them, but not quick enough to stop Clovis from grabbing Padmé and putting a blaster to her head. Hoisting his lightsaber, Anakin remembered what Master Yoda had said, and tried to stay calm.

"It's over, Clovis!" he said.

"Stay away from me! I didn't do anything wrong! You have to believe me!" His finger shook on the trigger, and there was a worse fear in Padmé's eyes than anything she could have felt in Anakin's presence.

"You don't want to do this," said Anakin, measuring out the words as he said them.

"You don't understand!" cried Clovis. "You've all been deceived! I'm not the villain here! Tell him, Padmé!"

"Let me go, Clovis," said Padmé, fighting against him, but he held her all the tighter, and his finger shook even more. Anakin dared not jump on him, for fear the pressure he had on the trigger would cause it to go off. He kept his lightsaber raised, so if it came down to a fight, he would be prepared.

At that moment, there was a flash of light, the sound of splintering glass and balls of flame and debris falling all around them. A Separatist fighter had been shot down and had spiraled directly into the tower office that was Clovis'. The floor tilted and slid, causing all of them to loose their balance. Padmé and Clovis lost their footing and slid down the tilted floor and over the edge, but not before Anakin dove and caught both of them, hooking his feet around a secure hold as he did so.

"I can't hold both you!" he yelled over the noise. His eyes, though, were only on Padmé. He could feel her loosing grip.

"Let me go!" yelled Clovis, and in his eyes was a mixture of despair, and a certainly that death, whatever that might entail, would be better than a life full of heartache and deception.

"No, Anakin, don't!" begged Padmé, and he didn't. He couldn't. He had almost killed Clovis before; he wouldn't let him die now.

"Try and climb," said Anakin to Padmé, knowing that she was the lighter of the two.

"I am," whispered Padmé, but with little luck.

"I'm loosing you!" It was true. Anakin's grip on Padmé's hands was sliding. He would hold on until the end, but that end would come soon.

And then Clovis looked at Padmé, and his eyes were sad and pained. "I'm sorry, Padmé…" And he let go.

"No!" screamed Padmé, watching him fall away, even as both of Anakin's hands came to wrap around hers. The emotion was too close to even allow for tears as she watched Clovis' body laying lifeless so far below them. It was so real; so present.

And then Anakin was pulling her up, straining, and his strong arms wrapped around her waist as he brought her further up the tilting floor of the tower.

"It's okay," he whispered, wrapping his arms around her shoulders and leaning his forehead against her hair. He didn't know what else to say; it was a horror story, the whole thing. "You're okay."

"I'm sorry, Anakin," whispered Padmé, and the tears came then, even as she clung to him. "I'm sorry."

"It's over now," whispered Anakin, and their eyes met as he leaned his forehead against hers. "It's all over now."

And it was. The battle had been won, the Republic forces were landing on the snowy ground surrounding the vaults, and Padmé was back in Anakin's arms. But he wasn't happy. Clovis was dead, and it wasn't his fault, but he could still grieve. He and Clovis were so similar, all along; they both were lost, and every bit of guidance they knew was in the wrong direction. And Clovis had given up, as Anakin had wished he'd given up at other times in his life. But he wouldn't now, because he was holding something that was more valuable than life itself.

Padmé.