The next morning Keira got up and sensed that Sheen was still asleep, so she decided to leave him alone and made her way over to the main room where she sensed her masters' presence. Anakin could sense her hesitation as she stood behind the couch, worried that he would never forgive her. Keira forced herself to sit down next to him, wanting nothing more that to turn back in time, the ability to avoid this whole mission.
"I made a report to the council." Anakin stated, trying to break the silence. Keira only nodded in response, not really in the mood to talk. The tension between them was so thick, Keira thought desperately to find a way to break it.
"Are we going back to Coruscant?"
"Well, the council decided that in the heat of recent events that it would be better to go back. To give us time to mourn, especially for Sheen and your sake."
"When are we leaving?"
"Soon… I would like to wait until Sheen wakes up though." Once again, Keira nodded, not sure how to respond, but Anakin gave her a comforting smile.
"I'm not upset with you. I may be disappointed with your choices but I knew that something like this was going to happen."
"Well if you knew then why didn't you stop me??? If you knew that Cadi was going to die then why did you let it happen???"
"Keira, you have to understand that I didn't know Cadi would die… I let you come on this trip because I thought it would be a good experience for you, and with given time you will be able to benefit from this experience."
"How could you say that??? I… I…" Keira broke into tears, not wanting to hold them back anymore.
She couldn't understand how she could benefit from her best friend dying, nor could she understand how her master could be so calm about the whole situation. Anakin placed an arm, around her shoulders, trying to comfort her. He knew that she was still having a difficult time processing everything that had happened. Obi-Wan walked into the room and stopped when he saw Keira crying into Anakins chest.
"I told Sheen about our plans and we are ready to take off." Obi-Wan sent telepathically.
Anakin nodded in response and continued to hold Keira in a protective embrace. Obi-Wan headed to the cockpit and had Shawn help him plug in the coordinates. Shawn was in dire need of piloting practice, for it was not one of his strong suits. Anakin comforted Keira until she stopped crying and looked her in the eye.
"I will always be here for you Keira, never forget that." He said as he used his sleeve to wipe the tears from her face.
"Thank you…"
Anakin got up and joined Master Kenobi and Shawn in the cockpit, as Sheen came out of his room and sat next to Keira. He rubbed his eyes, and closed them as he leaned back on the couch. Keira looked over at him and noticed that he seemed to be more at ease then the night before, but was still processing just as much as she was. Keira had remembered the last conversation that Sheen and Shawn had, and felt bad that Shawn had said that.
"So, have you talked to Shawn since… well…"
"Since he ripped my heart in two? No. And I don't feel like saying anything to him."
"Sheen… he didn't mean what he said. Everyone was on edge and although he should have thought about what was about to come out of his mouth he wasn't intending to hurt you. You need to talk to him… he's your brother."
"I guess… you know what? Your right… I need to talk to him." Sheen got up and walked over to his brother, started to talk about how he had reacted and Shawn apologized. Sheen instantly forgave him and they both walked back over to Keira.
They all sat there silently, lost in their own worlds, mulling over everything that had happened. Without thinking, Shawn wrapped his arm around Keiras shoulders and pulled her closer to him. She rested her head on his chest and closed her eyes; Shawn smiled and stroked her hair. Anakin sensed what was going on but decided not to worry about it, for now he knew that Keira just needed to be held.
When they finally landed in the Jedi temple landing bay, Keira got up and dusted the imaginary dust of her robe and sighed. She knew that the council had been notified of everything that happened while they were gone, and that she would have to go before the council and give a report. Shawn stood up behind her, sensing what she was thinking about and hugged her.
"It will be alright, you will not be alone, Sheen and I will be with you."
Keira nodded and sighed, accepting her fate and held onto Shawn for a little while longer before pulling away at the sound of her masters voice.
"We must meet with the council soon, you should all go back to your quarters and get prepared." Anakin sighed and made his way down the ramp.
Everyone followed him and walked to their rooms, Keira took a quick shower, wanting the warm water to wash away all of her
"Forward Motion" by Reliant K
whoa-o...i've been banging my head against the wall
whoa-o...for so long it seems i knocked it down, yeah it got knocked down
whoa-o...and the heating bill went through the roof
whoa-o...and the wall i knocked down was the proof
that my landlord needed to kick me out
i got evicted now i'm living on the street
my spirits lifted...oh wait, that wasn't me
too many turns have turned out to be wrong
this time i learned that, i knew it all along
when car crashes occur
then i'll be what you were
when i see what i should
when i see that it's good (that it's good)
to experience the bittersweet
to taste defeat
then brush my teeth
experience the bittersweet
to taste defeat
then brush my teeth
cause i struggle with forward motion
i struggle with forward motion
we all struggle with forward motion
cause forward motion is harder than it sounds
well everytime i gain some ground
i gotta turn myself around again
it's harder than it sounds
well everytime i gain some ground
i gotta turn myself around again
whoa-o...i've been banging my head against the wall
whoa-o...for so long it seems i got knocked out. yeah, i got knocked out cold
whoa-o...and the medical bills went through the roof
whoa-o...and the scar on my head is the proof
that i'll still remember this when i get old
i got evicted now i'm living on the street
my spirits lifted...oh wait, that wasn't me
too many turns have turned out to be wrong
this time i learned that, i knew it all along
when i grasp the concept
then i'll sleep where you slept
when i know i need help
when i allow myself (allow myself)
to experience the bittersweet
to taste defeat
then brush your teeth
experience the bittersweet
to taste defeat
then brush your teeth
cause i struggle with forward motion
i struggle with forward motion
we all struggle with forward motion
cause forward motion is harder than it sounds
well everytime i gain some ground
i gotta turn myself around again
it's harder than it sounds
well everytime i gain some ground
i gotta turn myself around again
cause i struggle with forward motion
cause i struggle with forward motion
we all struggle with forward motion