It's been soooooo long since I've worked on this story. I got a review from someone, you know who you are, who convinced me that it was in my best interest to write another chapter in the event that doing so would save this reviewers life. So there you go.
I now present to you Chapter Seven...Right? It is chapter seven, right? okay yeah. Chapter Seven. Enjoy.
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The voice was quiet, issuing orders from the shadowy corner. The young woman the voice addressed nodded and left the room going down a long stone hallway, ending in an old fashioned spiral staircase. She passes three rooms; one was a washing room with large pits in the floor that filled with water from a pipe leading from the lakes and emptied from the bottom back into the lakes. This room was used to wash clothes years ago. The second room was too dark for the woman to see into. She didn't know what it had been used for nor did she want to find out. The last door, nearest the stairs was an old comm. room. It didn't work any longer, that she could tell, the equipment being older than she. But she didn't stop to find out of any of it did, just continued walking down the hall, then up the stairs, then through a wooden door leading into the kitchen.
Anakin Skywalker stood before a blazing fireplace. Memories were strong at this spot. He could still see her, hear her voice; still hear their words.
"If you are suffering as much as I am, please tell me."
"I… I can't. We can't. It's just not possible."
"Anything's possible, Padme. Please listen-"
"You listen! We live in a real world. Come back to it. You're studying to become a Jedi Knight. I'm a Senator."
Anakin closed his eyes. He could picture her beautiful face. He could see her stance, defiant, unyielding, regretful.
"If you follow your thoughts through to conclusion, they will take us to a place we cannot go- regardless of the way we feel about each other."
"Then you do feel something."
"Jedi aren't allowed to marry. You'd be expelled from the Order. I will not let you give up your future for me."
"You are asking me to be rational. That is something I know I cannot do. Believe me, I wish I could wish my feelings away, but I can't."
"I am not going to give in to this. I have more important things to do than fall in love."
"It wouldn't have to be that way. We could keep it a secret."
"Then we'd be living a lie and one we couldn't keep even if we wanted to. I couldn't do that. Could you, Anakin? Could you live like that?"
Anakin looked down at the floor watching the flicker of the flame glint off the smooth wood. He could remember clearly the conversation. He could remember his next words and the impact it had on them both. He could see the surprise on her face when he said them.
"You're right. It would destroy us."
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Luke Skywalker woke with a start. He glanced to his left to make sure his wife was okay. She was, sleeping soundly. That was good; she needed all the rest she could get. But, what was the problem? Something had wakened him. He slowly got out of bed, trying not to disturb Mara and slipped into his robe and out the French doors onto the balcony. He looked up at the stars, trying to pick out which ones were different to him. None were. That meant it wasn't someone on another planet. He sent his senses out over Naboo. He could feel Mara and Ben sleeping soundly in their beds. He could feel the cook and the servants asleep, although the Gardener was just waking. He stretched out farther finding various families or couples or caretakers in the random summer homes placed around the lakes. He couldn't find any disturbance. But what had wakened him? He turned in a full circle, seeing nothing out of place. He turned again and, this time, he could see a figure through the transparasteel doors, standing in front of the fireplace staring at the floor. He squinted trying to place a name to the figure. Even the Force remained silent. He couldn't place the man.
Luke started towards the door but by the time he'd made it inside, the figure was gone, as if he'd vanished. Luke walked over to the fireplace and looked down at the floor; only the reflection of the flames. He looked around the room, but saw no one. He began to move away when the faintest of presence caught him. He paused. He knew that feeling. Who was it? The name was there, clouded in a fog in his mind. The Force was of no help to him. Finally he went back to his bedroom, sliding back in bed without bothering Mara. Perhaps the answers would come later that day.
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Ben was up and awake before sunrise, lying in his bed thinking up all the things he wanted to do that day. Perhaps they could go back up to that meadow again, or go swimming, or play in the sand. So many things came to the boy's mind. He stretched out through the Force to see if anyone else was up yet. He shook his head when he found his parents still asleep. Is that all they do anymore? He wondered to himself. He knew it wasn't true, but after a few hours it felt like it. Then he sensed another presence. He crawled out of bed and pattered over to the door, opening it slowly. He peeked out down the hall and saw no one. But he felt someone there. He crept silently down the hall and came upon the small living area with the over stuffed sofa and ever blazing fire. The transparasteel doors to the balcony were ajar. He crept closer to them; slowly pulling them closed, wondering what had opened them. His young imagination ran wild concocting all manner of evil that could have slipped through the door.
"What are you afraid of, boy?" The words were not spoken with any ill contempt, but the voice itself made Ben spin on his heels to confront its owner. His first thought was his father. But the figure that stood over him was not Luke Skywalker. At the boy's bewildered look, the tall figure smiled and took a seat on the overstuffed sofa, not putting a dent in the seat. The man looked relaxed, like he knew the place well. Ben crept closer to him and he turned his head to look Ben in the eye. His eyes, the exact eyes Ben's father had. Ben shook his head confused. "Have a seat…"
"Ben Skywalker." The figure smiled.
"Have a seat, Ben Skywalker." After a moment Ben scrambled up on the sofa next to the tall man, nearly sinking into the cushion. The tall figure laughed and, a moment later, Ben found himself being lifted from the cushion with the force. "Better?"
"Yeah, thanks."
"You have no idea who I am, do you Ben?" The figure asked, the slightest bit of a smile playing over his lips, as though the whole thing was a game. Ben shook his head. "We're obviously related, you could tell from the beginning." Ben nodded. "Your father has my eyes, doesn't he?" Ben nodded again. The man gazed into Ben's eyes. "You're a bit more like your mother than Luke." Ben was confused. This man talked like he was older than Luke, but that couldn't be possible. Ben could tell by his own eyes that this man had to be in his early twenties. The man grinned suddenly, looking strikingly like Luke. "You wonder about our relations don't you?" Ben nodded. The figure leaned towards the boy. "Can you keep a secret?" Ben nodded, open mouthed in anticipation and confusion. "I'm your grandfather." Then, the figure was gone, and Ben was left sitting on the sofa, still held up by the Force. Then, slowly, it dwindled away, until he found himself half sunk into the cushion. He shook his head quickly and pinched himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming some bizarre dream. He struggled out of the sofa and headed back to his bedroom as fast as his legs to carry him, realizing belatedly that the figure had been outlined with the faintest of blues.
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Anakin smiled as he watched his grandson take a running leap to his bed. He suddenly felt very smart. What a better way to let Luke know he was here but through Ben. Maybe it would actually work.
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"Thats very interesting." To tell you the truth, I dont know if I know where I'm going with this. But, like I think I've already said, I'm kind of making it up as I go along. Dont ask who "the voice" is, I couldnt tell ya.
-liljediwriter
Oh yeah, I apologize senserly for any grammer NoNos I may have made, or any spelling errors that you may have encountered. I am not know for such things. So...yeah.
The conversation that takes place between Anakin Skywalker and Padme Amidala was, as you may have been able to tell, not from the movie. I used a book entitled "Attack of the Clones" writen by Patricia C. Wrede. based on screenplay by George Lucas and Jonathan Hales.
