Haunted Anakin POV
The kitchen smelled delicious, who knew I could cook. Well, I could not cook but I could turn the oven on and work the microwave, so that was something. I had wine in the ice bucket getting chilled, I had the Shaak Pot Roast in the slow cooker getting tender, the bread was baking in the oven, and I was letting the pears get nice and caramelized on the stove top. Now all I had to do was watch pod-racing on the HaloNet and wait for my beautiful wife to come home to me. "Yeah" I thought, "I can get used to this."
This was my first night home when I was not in jail or recovering in a hospital, and I wanted to be alone with Padme. She wanted to be alone with me too, and she really tried to get here, but at around 5:30, they had some Senate bill emergency that was going to take another two hours. I was mad, but not at her. I knew that she had to go work with all of the Senators to get legislation done to fix post-Sidious whatever. So while she was working late, I thought I would surprise her with a nice romantic dinner.
So I settled in to watch whatever was on holopad. I scrolled through some boring stuff until I found some pod racing. I grinned as I turn the volume up, and watch the drivers race. They were about halfway through lap two and I was trying to see which planet they were on.
The front door chime went off, and I put the holopad down and went to see Padme.
"Hello Miss Padme," said our protocol droid.
"Hello C-P0."
"You made dinner," she said seeing me.
"Yeah, how does pot roast and pears sound?"
"Wonderful. Especially after the day I had."
"What happened?"
"Oh all the senators are children. Just when I think we finally get somewhere, someone has gotten their feelings hurt. It's a mess."
"Can I help?"
She looked at me skeptically. "Can you lose an argument without wanting to kill someone?"
I looked at the ground and shook my head. She laughed and kissed me. We went to the table and dug in. I'm not gonna lie, I was a pretty good cook. The pears were probably my favorite. Next time, I thought to myself, I am gonna put some cinnamon sugar on them.
She looked down, and suddenly bit her lower lip like she was crying.
"What is it?" I said reaching for her, but she pulled away from me
"I can't," came her small whispear.
"You can't what, angel?"
"I try Anakin." She said standing up. She started to pace in front of me like in my vision. "I try to see the good. I think of how you saved Luke, how you saved everybody. You don't deserve to live in that prison. I know that. You are not a Sith now. But you were. You killed children, murdered Jedi, your friends and family. You struck fear into anyone who saw you. You lead massacres. You are not the man I married. I close my eyes at night and I see the man who choked me. I see his eyes of hatred and I hear his voice call me a liar. He is not my Anakin. Now here you are in front of me, and I don't know you, and I am scared."
I took a deep breath and centered myself in the force. She was scared of me? I thought. The idea made me angry, not at her, but at myself. Suddenly, I was afraid I had lost my wife forever.
"Do-" I started to speak but my voice would not work. I cleared my throat. Now was the time to be brave. "Do you know," I spoke again much clearer, "what would make this better?" I would do anything she asks.
"You are not going to like it."
"It does not matter."
"Could you stay with Obi-Wan?"
I nodded, and went into the bedroom. Slowly, I packed up the little things I had. I got it all into the speeder. She came outside.
"I'm sorry Anakin. Please forgive me," she said.
"I did this," I replied.
I kissed her on the cheek. I took off in the speeder going way too fast just to get my heart racing, anything to get this numb feeling from settling over me. I brushed my hair out of my eyes and felt that there was some sort of water on my face. I stuck my hand up and all I could feel was wind from other speeders passing by. Where was the water coming from? Then it dawned on me. I was crying. How was I crying and feeling like a robot at the same time? Something was wrong. I needed help.
I went to the Jedi Temple and parked my speeder. I got out and pulled my hood over my face to hide that I had been crying. I walked through the Jedi temple and I found looking for my friend and I found him in the library of all places.
"What are you doing here?" I asked.
"I am studying Plagueis whereabouts when he was alive," said Obi-Wan. "I think it might help us find him and the rest of the sith now."
I shook my head. "Your thinking like a Jedi. The sith kill each other off master. They dont nestle in groups like us. If you find one, it doesn't mean you find them all."
"How would you track the sith?"
"I wouldn't have anything to do with them. Someone is bound to become more powerful than Sidious, then my problems are over."
"So be still and ride it out?"
"Yep."
Obi-Wan laughed. "You changed so much."
I felt my face darken. "That seems to be a popular opinion."
Obi-Wan looked at me with his detective look. "What do you mean?"
"Padme is scared of me."
"What for? You were so happy?"
"She said I-" was all I could choke out before I felt myself cry again. No! I ragged internally feeling nothing was better than this.
"Hey," said Obi-Wan putting his hand on me "What do you need?"
"Right now, a place to stay?"
"Alright, lets leave now." He shut down his computer and lead me to his apartment