An-Sorry for the late chappy. My family decided that after the trip back from Singapore that we should all go to another place local for a few days so posting this was longer, not to mention that I had no internet connection when I was there. That was torture. So I was watching the series I downloaded and became a fan of Dexter.

Digressing further, this is pretty random, but when I was listening to music the other day I ended up listening to Linkin Park, Crawling and it just reminded me so much of Anakin and this fict. Just so you guys know.

And once again thank you all for the reviews you have all given me. There was one of the reviewers that kept reminding me of the errors of my fict, and for that I am sorry. I do try to work on editing but I'm not very good. I have actually tried to find a beta for this fict in the past, but when I send out the requests no one replied back, and I did a couple so I kinda gave up on doing that.

Hurt

He could feel a small hands stroking his head, pushing aside his curly blond locks in a tenderly fashion. Loving kisses were peppered across his face as an angel spoke his name.

"Ani," she cooed at him.

This was heavenly. Anakin felt like he was floating, high in bliss and he never wanted to return from this. Opening his eyes languidly, he saw his beloved smiling at him as she continued to stroke him.

"Well, hello there." Padme greeted him smiling.

"Are you an angel?" He asked.

Her sweet, sweet laughter rang out and it was utter music to his ears.

"No, I'm not, but a certain someone thinks I am."

Padme's smile was contagious and Anakin felt one lighting up on his features, "Well, that someone must be a wise man. How could one not see an angel before them, even a blind person couldn't miss you."

lightly swatting his chest, Padme giggled, " always the charmer."

Propping himself up on his elbows, Anakin reached his flesh hand to caress his wife's soft, smooth skin. "You're here," he said simply.

Puzzled Padme answered, "of course I am, why wouldn't I be?"

"You're here," he repeated, "after fifteen years you came back to me."

"What?" Now Padme started to grow alarmed. She had thought that last night's breakdown was a temporary one. It wasn't that unusual for Anakin to get too tightly wound and react badly to it. Usually after seeing her and spending some quality time together, Anakin would be back to his old normal self. Clearly this was not the case.

Suddenly a lonely tear slid with ease down the youthful face of the man known as the 'Hero with no Fear'.

"Ani?" she started to get worried. Then his face crumbled into a mask of despair as he looked away.

"No," he whispered almost inaudibly to no one in particular, " this is just another dream. One that I will soon wake from. Where everything will go back to is way it is...all alone."

"Anakin," she said while turning his stubborn head to look at her, "You're not alone. I'm real and I'm here. Most of all, I'm not going anywhere."

"Liar!" Anakin shook his head in disbelief. "That's what you always say! What everyone says! You're all dead, everyone. All killed by..." The last word was too soft to be heard by Padme.

"This isn't a dream." Padme tried to reassure her husband. "Everyone isn't dead. The people you love are all here. You have me, Obi-Wan-"

"Obi-Wan!" Anakin spat in disgust."He isn't anyone I need, I should have seen the through the lies that he told me, but I was too blind to do so. To think he might actually care," Anakin spat bitterly.

Padme was appalled by her husband's words. In all her years with him, sure he may have complained and whined about his master from time to time, but to say that he didn't want Obi-Wan in his life. Something was wrong. Very, very wrong.

"Anakin, do you hear what you're saying!"

He looked calmly towards her, "I know exactly what I'm saying, what I should have said in the very beginning."

"That's not true. You love obi-Wan, and he loves you too though he will never say it out loud. How can you say such a thing."

" I only speak the truth."

There was a pregnant silence between the two, the happy moment before long gone replaced by a tension so great Padme didn't think a lightsaber could cut through it.

Clearly not knowing what to say, Padme wringed her hands together trying to think of a way to broach a way to identify her husband's problem without him shutting down.

"Anakin-," she began.

"You know what we should do?" Anakin said out of the blue.

Tilting her head slightly to the side, she questioned, "do?"

"Yeah!" Anakin replied excitedly. "Let's just go to Naboo, just the two of us. No one else. No war, no Politics, no troubles, no distractions; Just us."

"Go to Naboo, right now? Anakin, there are just too many things going on right now. We can't just get up and go when we want to, we have a responsibility-"

"Fuck responsibility!" He growled.

Padme quieted down as Anakin continued to rant, "We give so much, and for what?" He snorted in disgust, "responsibility has taken everything away from me once, I won't let that happen again," he finished looking straight at her.

Why couldn't she understand! This was their chance to run and go. To forget everything and run away.

Let us experience peace and live the life we had always wanted for the both of us he thought in desperation.

"Anakin," Padme decided to put her foot firmly on the ground, "we can't. I know times like now are difficult, suffocating even, but we must not put our needs above duty. You know that as well as I do. And while you may be fine with giving everything up and going, I can't."

"And what had duty ever brought the both of us?" He questioned angrily. "Honor, glory? You and me could care less about that."

Padme was about to speak but Anakin placed his hand up in a gesture of silence. "Admit it, You may love your duty and what you do, but at the end of the day, as rewarding and happy the people look you're left feeling empty inside. While the people you help laugh and enjoy their lives, here we are suffering in silence with our obligations."His eyes seem to bare into her soul as he continued onwards, "give our hopes and dreams a chance for once, don't push it into the sidelines for the sake of duty."

Padme bit her bottom lip and looked down. He was right. Though she had loathe to admit it, he was right in some ways. While she did love her duty to those of her people, their marriage was a heavy burden that bared down to the both of them. A joyous but painful burden that she had absolutely no desire to give up.

Padme's resolve on Anakin's idea was slowly crumbling at the seams.

"Don't we deserve a bit of happiness for once. Without the constant scrutiny of others telling us what we should do, how to live our lives." he questioned firmly while glaring down at his leather covered mechanical arm.

Padme opened her mouth but nothing came out. How was she suppose to snap him out of this one? In these types of moods, it would take a catastrophe and then some before Anakin would relent to anything. This problem would take some major delicate poking and prodding with the occasional coaxing.

Thinking he needed time to cool off she switched the topic altogether.

"I cleared my day while you were still sleeping. Can we please not waste our precious time together on arguing." Padme was more than surprised at what she had said and suggested. It was the type of words that Anakin was the one always saying, and yet she was here saying the exact same words with hints of desperation laced in her voice.

Anakin narrowed his eyes and was about to say more but then shut it abruptly and nodded numbly.

Smiling now Padme extended her hand.

He looked up in a questioning gaze as she answered his unspoken question.

"Are you going to lie in bed all day? I don't know about you but I'm pretty hungry right now so I'm going to get something to eat. Care to join?"

Anakin immediately reached for her hand and followed her to the kitchenette, not for the food (though he was hungry) but to be in her presence as long as he could.

I will convince her to come with me Anakin thought while he looked at Padme's back as she gathered plates.

She could feel his intense gaze bearing into her back and thought to herself, I'm going to solve this puzzle sooner or later.

Hopefully sooner the better.


Obi-Wan Kenobi paced the modest living room space glancing at the chrono every few seconds or so. Anakin had still yet to come in and announce his presence to the council or him for the matter. If that wasn't enough, Obi-Wan could not contact him at all.

It wasn't an abnormal occurrence for the master jedi to be unaware of his former padawan's whereabouts, but it was only rare occasions that Obi-Wan couldn't get in contact with the young man (Albeit after trying numerous times).

Anakin would always come back to the temple in the morning or give some sign that he was still existing, but the former master continued to pace as he had none.

Earlier on, Obi-Wan checked Anakin's sparse but messy apartment for any sign or where the young man had gone off to, he didn't find anything.

The most concerning thing to the jedi master was that he had yet to tell the council of Anakin's strange behavior. He didn't know what had possessed him to keep this to himself, but it felt right at the time to see if her could handle the situation before bringing more into this complication.

If he had to wait any further, Obi-Wan didn't have much faith that he could keep up the pretense of normalcy (If one could call Anakin's disappearance for the night and indignant actions normal, which unfortunately, he could...to a certain extent.)

How could he help the man when he didn't even know where he was. Then it clicked.

Of course!

Why didn't he think of it sooner.

Obi-Wan made a beeline for the door as fast and dignified as he could.

Force, please let him be there Obi-Wan thought in desperation.


It felt so familiar yet alien at the same time. There they were, back in bed talking about everything and nothing, but avoiding the issued that needed to be addressed the most. While that wasn't that bad of an unfamiliar occurrence, the way he acted around her was.

During their idle chatter was the familiar loving, gentle caress. Though Padme found it strange at the rather timid attempts of touch as Anakin was anything but timid in their relationship. When Padme tried to encourage attempts to something more it was all a failed endeavor. It seemed that Anakin physically shied away for her.

It had hurt.

But more concerning was why.

And she had no idea why.

She wanted to address the topic of her concern, but was afraid that is was related in any way to the previous problem. If so, then this was becoming a much larger concern than she had anticipated.

Reaching up to him, Padme let her small hands run down the hard planes of Anakin's chest. Giving him a mischievous look, she leaned in to kiss him, only for him to turn to the side in the last minute to deflect the kiss to his cheek instead.

Frowning and hurt, Padme looked away but Anakin realized his mistake.

"Padme, I-" But was interrupted by the light rapping on the bedroom door followed by the ever faithful but annoying voice of C3P0.

"I'm terribly sorry to interrupt, but Master kenobi has arrived."

Bolting up right, Anakin adopted a darker tone in his voice, "What? When?"

"Why just moments ago, master Anakin. He request Mistress Padme's presence. How should I proceed ?"

It took a moment of silence and darkness before he replied back, "send him away. Don't let him anywhere in here," he stated with finality.

"Right away, master Anakin." The sound of footstep echoed away.

Smirking at the door, the two ignored it until not only minutes later the same rapping could be heard on the door again.

"I apologize for coming back here once more, but master Kenobi refuses to leave. Why, it was rather rude of him to barge in here-"

"He did what!" Anakin roared while getting out of the bed.

"Ani.."

"Padme, stay here and let me take care of things. Don't worry, it will only take a moment," he added in the end when he saw her hesitation.

Take care of this? How I should be the one to do it. Padme got out of the bed to tell him to stop but he was already out of the room.


Obi-Wan Kenobi was a man that had patience and above all, respected boundaries. But this was not a time for boundaries or patience.

He knew that Anakin was here, could practically feel the force screaming at him about it.

Patience and respect could wait where Anakin was concerned.

Glancing around the elegant and lavish apartment, Obi-Wan could see the retreating figure of the golden droid as he knew that the droid would bring the one he wanted the most.

Standing firm, Obi-Wan braced himself from the less than pleasant confrontation.

It was a good thing too. It was only a minute later when he heard the harsh, heavy footfall of a certain someone.

A someone who looked beyond enraged.

Here we go Obi-Wan thought to himself.

"What are you doing here, and what do you want?" Anakin spat.

"I could very well ask the same to you."

Marching right up to the older man, Anakin was only inches away as spoke in a low, deadly whisper, "You have no right, no right to barge in here and demand what you want." Leaning back slightly Anakin let out a harsh laugh. "What, after all those years of nagging me of respect and control and now this. Yeah, I can see you setting a great example. You deserve an applause."

Obi-Wan just let out an exasperated sigh before looking the younger man straight in the eye.

"I didn't come here for a fight. I just came for answers."

"Then you shouldn't have come at all."

The older jedi's lips thinned in frustration. "I'm trying to help, but you're not letting me. How can I hope to help fix what troubling you if You. Won't. Let. Me. In!"

"Maybe it's because I. Don't. Want. To!"

Both men glared at the other, breathing deeply with barely constrained emotions.

"Anakin..."

The two turned to see Padme's confused and quickly growing concerned face staring back at them.

Her eyes practically begging, asking 'what's going on?'

Without looking back at his former master Anakin replied, "It's nothing, go back to the room. I'll join you in a minute."

Obi-Wan could barely hide the shock from his face ,yet he didn't even know why he felt it. He had suspected all along. From the many absentees to the longing looks he had caught when the younger man had thought no one was looking.

Turning back to face the jedi master Anakin scoffed.

"Surprised? Angry? Confused? You'd think I'd just listen to your orders and give up the best thing in my life. Your wrong. Everything's wrong!"

Obi-Wan was at a loss for words.

"I'm sick of hiding. Hiding something that so many share but not us. NOT US! This is more that you see-"

"Anakin!" Padme shouted in warning.

"No, Padme. I don't want to keep this a secret only for the two of us. Who are they to deny us the right to be happy!...We're married," was his final declaration.

Just like that the room was encased in deadly silence. The mood could be felt by even the most oblivious stranger. Confusion. Anger. Hurt.

"Did you think that it was just some casual fling? Or some hopeless puppy love crush. No, It's not. It never was."

The room filled with silence once more.

"Why...Why didn't you tell me."

"And what, have you tell the whole council like the perfect little jedi everyone thinks you are? You aren't!

"...I never said I was perfect. I would have-"

"You would have what? So what're you going to do now?"

What am I going to do? Obi-Wan was torn between his duty and the one he secretly called his brother and son.

Quietly stepping forward, Padme was now directly behind her husband, frantically thinking of ways to salvage this situation. Unfortunately, nothing came to mind. It was over. All over.

"Anakin," Obi-Wan started but was cut off.

"Leave now, and don't come back here."

"No."

"Go NOW."

"No, not without you."

"Go!"

"I will not-"

"I HATE YOU!"

Any semblance of warmth was sucked out of the room by the ring of those three words.

Obi-Wan had thought that the dozens of countless injuries he had acquired during the war had hurt. That when his fellow jedi brethren had fallen at the hands of the Seperatists, had hurt. When his own master had perished at the hands of the sith, had hurt.

But standing here now with the words echoing off in his mind, seeing the very man he had raised and...loved seething with hatred made the words all the more real. After Qui-Gon had died, he thought nothing could have hurt more.

How so very wrong he was.

"Get out." Pointing to himself then the jedi master he continued, "whatever we had together never existed. It was an illusion created by unfortunate circumstances. You were always complaining about me and my 'disobedience' day in and day out, well, I release you of the burden of dealing with me. I don't ever want to see you again. "

Each and every word was breaking the always carefully composed jedi into a million pieces as he felt the air in his lungs give out only filled with a suffocating feeling of pain.

Padme could only look on in complete shock and disbelief.

Hate Obi-Wan? Anakin was physically incapable of that. How could he say such a thing? To even think it?

Without another word, Anakin stalked off, half leading half dragging a bewildered Padme. All the while leaving Obi-Wan by himself as the two retreated off.

He didn't move for force knows how long. It could have been a minutes or countless hours, but it didn't matter anymore.

"Master...Kenobi," came the tentative call from the golden droid, "Are you...alright."

Rising his head to meet the droid's he took his time to stare making C3PO quite uncomfortable before hurriedly leaving, pushing past the hopelessly confused droid.

Nothing registered anymore to the Jedi master. All that he could hear was the poisonous echo-

I HATE YOU...


Okay, for those that are annoyed that Anakin keeps hating Obi-Wan, it's not going to last that much longer so bear with me.

Reviews are lovely!