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Epilogue
The vision did not affect me the way many of my visions do. I simply jolted in my sleep, then awoke, the dull throbbing pain carrying over into my conscious mind. I slowly opened my eyes, breathing hard. I waited for Obi-Wan to speak. He always seemed to sense whenever I had a vision, even the slightest one. Therefore, I was not surprised when he shifted beside me.
Much time has passed since the beginning of the Clone Wars, and the destruction is still continuing. Dooku continues to ravage the galaxy, bringing star systems with him in his wake. Many Jedi have died in the defense of the Republic. Every day, Anakin drifts farther and farther away from us. It was not long afterward that Obi-Wan and I found out about their marriage. They could not keep it a secret for long, for their union was quite obvious.
"Are you alright, Elaina?" Obi-Wan's quiet voice asked from beside me.
I closed my eyes as the pain increased, combined with the breaking pain in my heart. Unbidden, tears came to my eyes as the vision ran over and over in my mind.
How do you tell your husband that you have seen his death in its entirety? How do you tell him that he will live to be an old man long after you have died? How do you tell him that he will be slain by his old Apprentice, my childhood friend, for the sake of his own son, and for the sakes of the people I now know to be Anakin and Padmé's son and daughter? He will die for the son who does not even know him! It pains my heart to think of it. My son will not know his father. What will happen to us in these years to come? What terrors will plague us? How do you tell him, tell the one you love, that you know what will become of him? You do not.
"Obi-Wan, please hold me."
His strong arms quickly come around me, his chin pressing against my cheek gently, his breath stirring my hair. His touch is soothing, but it cannot erase the pain that rests in my soul. I turn and press my face against his chest, wishing that this moment could last forever, wishing that everything could just go away. All the hurt and the pain. If it would just go away, my husband would not die for my son, my son would be safe from harm. I do not care about my own life. I only wish for my husband and my son's lives to be spared. For now, there is peace, but at the same time foreboding. If we could live like this forever, I would be satisfied. But I know that this cannot be.
Obi-Wan holds me, trying to take away the pain, and I rest against him, feeling the life Force within me stir gently. He is not very old, but his faint stirring is somewhat soothing to me. The only thing that destroys the pleasure is his fate that remains always present in my mind.
I cannot tell Obi-Wan. He is happy in this moment too. I cannot destroy him with the knowledge that I hold. I would not wish this gift upon anyone, not even my worst enemies. Obi-Wan is happy. For now he has me and he feels the life Force that rests within me, our child. I wish that this 'gift' would simply go away. It is a curse upon my life, a curse upon the love that I have and cherish. If it would only go away.
"What happened, Elaina?"
"I can't tell you."
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A/N: So, it's done. *sniffle* Bit of a sad ending, eh? Well all things considering, the third one's gonna be even worse. Poor Elaina, Poor Obi-Wan. What the heck, poor Han too! And everybody else who's gonna be affected. Darn ol' Dooku and Palpatine AND Anakin. Ruining everything. And Han will never know. That's depressing. :-) You know what I like to think of though? You know how in this Epilogue, Elaina mourns the fact that her son will never know his father? Well, Obi-Wan would obviously know, correct? So whenever I've gotten done writing this stuff, I like to go back and watch "A New Hope". If you take this story into perspective, when Han is smarting off to Obi-Wan in the Cantina, it seems that there's a bit more than just patience in Obi-Wan's face as he looks at Han. Knowing, perhaps. But again, that's just if you take this story into perspective. And maybe I'm just imagining it because it's my story and I've got a very vivid imagination. What the heck? You guys watch that part and tell me if I'm crazy or not. :-) Just seems like there's this look on Obi-Wan's face whenever Han's smarting off. But again........could just be me and my overactive imagination. ;-)
Thank you guys SO much, all of you who reviewed! You all are awesome! I hope to be back for the third part of this, when the third film comes out of course. ;-) Can't wait to see how it's all resolved. Thanks you guys! It's been really fun!
T.H.