~Anakin's POV~
"Jedi scum! You shall….Ugh!" His lungs were on fire. Anakin snarled at his opponent. He was tired, the Dark Side was pushing against him, the smoke in the air making every figure surface from murky, thin, depths as if a ghost.
At times the thought that this was his future in the next five minutes popped into mind. He turned back to the building just as his wife, his queen; his Padme came back out, also appearing like a ghost, though the kind he preferred, the sort with a halo. An angel.
"Well?" he demanded; voice harsh with panting exhaustion. Anakin bent over, putting his hands on his knees. His throat screamed for water, his heart ached with over-strain. He put his head down, gasping and choking out several droplets of blood.
Padme put a worried hand on his shoulder, kneading. He had never fought so many Sith altogether in his life. Most of the buildings had ceased burning, the fires having eaten away all that there was to eat. Yet caustic smoke still hung in the air, and red sabers would emerge out of nowhere. The force was diluted by the Dark Side.
"The others," Padme moved quick enough to outstrip Yoda of his speed. The ambush halted in mid-stride, the Sith dropped, adding to the several bodies of his dead and dying brethren around them. "Are busy at the moment," she spat out. Anakin's head snapped up. "Busy?" He choked, incredulous.
Padme nodded. "They assured us we would be fine, Ani," she sighed, obviously outraged by their friends behavior. "Obi-wan…?" Anakin asked. Padme shook her head sadly. Anakin's heart panged.
He would have at least thought his brother would come to help him. Obi-wan always came. Anakin felt a flicker of rage. After all that they had been through together; weren't they supposed to be a family…?
Then he sighed. "They've forgotten, Padme. Just like we did. They forgot what we're fighting for; what it means. It took us tearing apart our own family to realize what we had forgotten. We can't expect them not to have to go through the same," he said.
Padme crossed her arms, eyes searching the area above his head. "Can you take them all?" she asked, softly. Anakin shook his head. "No. P-Padme, I'm sorry. I'm too tired, too weak. One good strike will do me in soon, or will knock me out. I'll be taken before Sidious," he told her, sorrowfully.
Padme nodded in understanding, acceptance, and he saw her eyes twinkle with tears. "So this is it," she croaked.
There was no tremble in her voice. "No," he straightened out. "You have to get out of here. Hide, find the twins," he determined. She turned her head, slowly, agonizingly slowly, to meet his eyes. Her own pupils were filled with disappointed, anguished, guilty sorrow. "I won't leave you, Anakin, not again," she told him.
Anakin opened his mouth, but a small, delicate hand slipped into his. "Besides," she gave him a lopsided grin. "I'm not afraid to die. I'm afraid to live without you," she admitted. Anakin had lived the same fear for two eternal weeks. Torturous weeks.
A tear ran down his cheek. "I can't let them take you. I won't lose you again," he whispered; his voice cracked. Padme only shook her head, and lifted a hand to rest on his cheek. Her thumb traced the tear away.
"You won't have too. Neither of us is getting captured. We'll leave this universe together. And you'd better believe we'll go down fighting," she assured him, with those lovely brown eyes like his mothers, assuring him of everything.
Everything would be alright with Padme by his side. It always was. He kissed her forehead. "Whether in sickness or in health," he recited. "Rich or for poor," Padme added, pressing herself to his chest. Her eyes spoke her soul. I'm sorry. He smiled, foolishly. I'm more so. He grinned.
"For better or for worse," he said.
Padme smiled back. "Peace or war."
"Until death do us part;" they finished in unison.
So, they began anew. "I am touched! Truly, this is endearing," Anakin let out a sighing groan as a familiar voice-his own voice-rang out. A second later, propelled by the Force, the smoke cleared and the air was once again free of toxins.
Upon the sight that greeted them, Anakin half wished for the smoke again. Standing a few feet away, encasing them in a circle of sneering, tittering Dark Side malice was the entire Sith Order, trapping them against the remains of the fire-smoldered building. Brilliant.
Padme gasped lightly and her blasters flashed into her hands, pointed directly at the encroaching army. Anakin ignited his lightsaber and stared straight ahead at Darth Vader. "I'd rather die than become Sidious's slave," he told his clone nemesis, rasping.
Vader offered him a tight smile. Somehow, the glee in his eyes gave the distinct impression that he had gotten crazier since Anakin had last seen him. The ambition and stunning need for praise floating about him in the force told Anakin all he needed to know.
Vader was the most insecure Sith in the Order so far, worse than Sidious.
"Yes," Vader agreed, merely. "But are you willing to let her die, as well?" he asked, nodding to Padme. Anakin's heart skipped a beat. No. "We die together, Sith spit," Padme piped in, fearlessly. Oh, his brave wife. He did not deserve her at all, in the slightest.
Anakin brandished his weapon, swinging it in a low arch. He breathed in, out. He would die in the light, no matter how much the Dark Side tried to sway him at this vital moment.
Padme raised her blasters, brown eyes cold and hard. She set her mouth grimly, looking for all the world like that woman who had fought alongside the Jedi on Geonosis, and held her own while many of the Jedi fell. They were the ultimate couple.
"Bring it on," he dared. "Sith," Vader raised a palm, ready to give the signal. "Attack!" the Sith rushed forward in a cascade of screaming, revenge-stricken warmongers…
And were flung backwards as if individual sacks of potatoes. "Hey!" shouted a very unhappy and quite familiar tone. A tone that Anakin knew so well that he had often called her his daughter, his little sister; his comrade in war, partner in peacekeeping, his Snips. Anakin inhaled sharply. It could not be… After all these months, and all this time…
"Whoever gave permission to start the party without me?" With that demanded, Ahsoka Tano dropped down from whatever hiding place she had devised, and landed skillfully besides Padme, lightsabers flashing green and lime. Anakin gawked at her.
Padme did likewise. "Ahsoka?" they gasped as the Sith alliance scrambled to their feet, enraged at the very undignified face-plants they had all performed in due to Ahsoka's force push.
"Hi guys," Ahsoka greeted simply, cocking a white eyebrow at them. Anakin stared at her garb. What was she wearing? She looked like a bounty hunter. "I thought you were busy," Padme said, narrowing her eyes.
Ahsoka grinned. "Never too busy to save your behinds," she chirped. Anakin let out a breath of relief. "Thanks, Snips," he said. Ahsoka shrugged. "I should have come a long time ago," She lamented.
"Look here, brothers," Vader called, calmly swiping his tunic free of dust. "We have with us The Charlatan Queen. Another stately prize to take back to the Sith Palace!" he jeered. The Sith burst into merciless cackles. Anakin glanced around. great; now they were all going to die. They could not take this many Sith alone, even with Ahsoka.
"I have an objection to that!" A second voice contradicted. Out of the blue, hundreds of sharp shards, glass, Anakin assumed, were hurled, with outstanding force power, at the Sith, who howled in pain as they backed away, trying in vain to deflect the small, sharp chunks of resourcefully crafted ammo. On Anakin's side, Intrepid suddenly appeared, silent and swift as a shadow.
"Intrepid?" They all gasped in unison. Anakin gawked, now what was she wearing? Were those rags? What was the usually dignified, sharp-tongued, detached, clever Intrepid doing in rags?
"What are you doing here?" Ahsoka demanded. "I thought you were busy!" Padme added, completely frazzled. Intrepid shrugged nonchalantly, much like Ahsoka had. Anakin noticed some of the old sparkle in her eyes was gone. "An old friend called," Intrepid replied calmly. "Said she needed help!" She explained.
Padme grinned, and Ahsoka harrumphed. Anakin smiled as well, his heart rising just the tiniest more. He reached over and squeezed Intrepid's dirt-caked shoulder, sending a quick thought through the Force.
Thanks for coming, my friend.
"That's why I'm here!" Lux Bonteri- blast, Anakin loved that kid now-called in tandem when, from out of nowhere, a cable smashed into the cement on the other side of Ahsoka, sending small pieces of cement flying, Lux slipped down that cable, belt around his waist holding several blasters.
Anakin sensed his new appendage, and concern shot through him. What had Lux been doing? "Hello," Lux Bonteri chirped, nodding cordially at the Sith. "More of you?" Deathdera screeched, infuriated at the constant interruptions.
"Obviously," Padme chuckled, glancing at Lux with sparkling eyes. Intrepid and Lux suited up, lightsaber buzzing and blaster raised.
It still would not be enough.
"Enough of this! Sith, attack now!" Anakin tensed. The force rippled with danger. "Look out!" he raised a hand, anticipating the coming debris before they were even flown by the impact of an enormous chunk of building. The outside ring of the Sith either scattered or were catapulted from the ground and into the air, screaming with the loss of limbs.
Where they had been standing, an immense crater stood witness, and in the crater was a large, lopsided boulder. Ahsoka and Intrepid raised their hands, deflecting the sprinkling remains with the force. "What was that?" Padme gasped.
Anakin grinned into the diminishing mist of dirt and rubbish. He had a very good idea… "Hello darlings!" Nava announced her presence, strutting up to them cheerfully. Anakin was tempted to laugh. His heart filled with illuminating delight and warmth.
The Jedi masters were in the house.
Obi-wan followed suit, hands folded behind his back and lightsaber casually swinging on his hip.
The force twisted around them. Obi-wan scowled, looking around. "So uncivilized," he muttered, noticing the catastrophe of limbs, dead, fire, destroyed buildings and homes, along with Sith. "Master!" Intrepid cried happily. "Obi-wan!" He said also.
"Yes, hello Anakin," said his friend, waltzing up. Nava grasped Padme and Intrepid into a hug, commenting on Intrepid's rags and Padme's hair. Obi-wan looked at the Sith scattered over the pulverized land with distaste.
"Who are all these people on the ground? The ground is no place for civilized people," he scolded. Anakin laughed, though he knew Obi-wan was perfectly serious. He clapped Obi-wan on the back. "It's great to see you again, big brother," he replied.
"ENOUGH!" Anakin jumped as Darth Vader suddenly swiped away the clouded air with one hand, eyes glowing with fury. Uh, oh, they had made him angry.
"No more!" He roared. Anakin looked over, and shivered at the look in Vader's eyes. Would he have been that deranged, once? Would he have been…Like that? So alone, so desperate for attention, for praise, a kind word, unloved?
So…Miserable?
It did not matter. Though Obi-wan and Nava's dramatic entrance had slimmed the Sith down, there were still too many. They were still going to die.
"We can't take them alone," he muttered to Obi-wan, hoping that his master had a plan, at least. "What?" Ahsoka snickered, apparently unworried, having overheard. "You think I came alone?" She asked, with a mischievous grin. "Or me?" Lux added. "Or me?" Intrepid snorted.
"Yo!" Ahsoka roared, cocking her head to be heard for miles around. "What the kriffing frick does you clot-heads think you is doin? Get out here!" She ordered, brusquely. Anakin felt his jaw go slack, along with everyone else's.
They had never heard Ahsoka speak in such a tone, language, improper grammar, or…Or…At all. Like that. From the very cracks and crevices of the ground and alleys came…Were those drug dealers? "Cadets!" Lux suddenly snapped.
"Fall in!" Several dozen cables slammed into the ground around them, and several more dozen young men and women of all different species and cultures filed down, and surrounded them protectively, fierce battle eyes trained on the enemy without a trace of fear. "Heeeeyyyy!" Intrepid hallooed, in third. "Is anyone ever going to show up?" She wondered.
"Shut up! We're comin!" A sassy voice replied. Several more people, also dressed in rags and smelling distinctly of the underground, (for it had a particular smell, unique to the galaxy in general) came; several more blasters were raised.
Now, they had a small army.
Now, they could take them easily.
He exchanged a smile with Padme, and raised his lightsaber into defensive position. The others followed his idea, smiling devilishly. "Okay," he cocked an eyebrow, smugly. He had not felt so good; so powerful, so completely utterly free in months. "Now this is where the fun begins," he laughed.
With that decreed, they charged.
