Crimson Tears
Chapter 15
By aznJEDI13
Disclaimer: George Lucas owns Anakin and Amidala and everyone else. Heck, he owns just about everything in the story. This is purely for fan enjoyment.
Notes: This takes place during the Clone Wars. I must warn you right now that I'm not a big fan of Anakin turning into Darth Vader so it probably won't end with anything like that. I hope you like this; I've been reading too many ami/obi ones I was sooooooooooooo mad. That was completely random and I'm going to write a bunch of stories to rebel against them!
Thanks to everyone who left a review! Please continue to do so. I was so shocked, I've never had so many reviews and I enjoyed reading them over and over again so please continue! I like long reviews too!!!
Speaking of confusion! Sorry about Chapter 12 being posted three times! Something happened when I uploaded it and it's very weird. I'm just going to have to leave it like that because other wise it won't read my posts!
Sorry that it seems like I've been absent lately! But I'm back!!!
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'…You gotta set free what you love just to bring it back…'
His right foot came forward and he looked up to see a smiling Padme. He smiled back. She was clutching her chest in anticipation. The water around him allowed him to move more easily. He gripped the rail and then reached up and wiped away a bead of sweat.
He looked down. Slowly and carefully, his left foot began to move.
He stopped just barely ahead of his right foot. He let out the breath he hadn't realized he had been holding.
Padme gasped.
It made him feel proud knowing she was happy with his progress. His right foot came forward with ease.
He sucked in air.
He gripped the rails, slowly with his fingers trembling he began to move his left foot forward. Halfway through, his foot stopped. His muscles tightened slightly; he breathed in with the pain.
He let out of the breath and moved his foot. It landed safely in front of the other. He laughed, looking over at Padme, and smiled.
She screamed in joy and then swam over to him and hugged him from behind.
She kissed him on the cheek and then whispered in his ear, "Good job, Ani--Anakin…"
It was too late for her to catch herself.
He turned around to look at her; eyeing her suspiciously "Ani?"
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean too…"
He shook his head and studied her. "No," He shook his head some more, "No…you, you use to call me that…"
She let out a relieved breath and then her look changed to bewilderment, "I use to call you that?"
He smiled, brushed a strand of hair away from her eyes and put the back of his hand on her cheek, "Yes, I remember…"
She breathed in and whispered, "That's so good…"
He let out a sigh of astonishment, "I can't believe I remember, Padme."
She placed her hand on his hand that was tenderly holding her cheek, "I know,"
He leaned forward as she pressed on towards him.
Just then, breaking the moment, Collin came over and smacked him on the back, "Good job, Anakin…" He looked over at Anakin and then at Padme, "What's going on?"
Padme turned away and removed her hand from Anakin's. Anakin's hand dropped to the water with a spatter, "Uh…" She looked bashfully at Anakin, "Nothing…" She paused, "My quarters tonight right Ani?"
"Ani? You two, tonight, in her quarters?" Collin asked jealous, but was ignored.
Anakin smiled, a lopsided, seemingly distracted smile, "Yes, of course…"
He watched her figure exit through the door with a dreamy look on his face. Her auburn hair created a pool in the middle of her small back. His smile widened for a second and then dim slightly. Collin smacked him on the back again, "With your mouth that open, you'll drink the whole pool."
Anakin snapped back to reality, "Shut up."
"Hey," Collin swam around to look at him; "You wanna know something?"
Anakin raised his eye brows, "What?"
Collin laughed; "You wanna know why she's here?"
"Yeah…" His brows raised in consternation.
Collin was down to his last resort, "I'll tell you then…"
Silence. A thoughtful silence.
"No." Anakin signaled to the man in the crane to lift him out of the water. Slowly he began to rise.
"No? A beautiful girl walks into your life and you don't want to know why?" Collin pulled on his legs so he'll stay, but he's pushed away by an upset and now angry Anakin Skywalker.
Now, in his wheel chair, Anakin rubs his hair with his towel and the places it on his lap, "No I don't."
"But Anakin, you have to be curious and--"
Anakin cut him off, "I'm curious to know, I'll give you that, but I want to know from her. Not from you. She'll tell me when she's ready."
"Anakin--" He began, only to get cut off.
"Has it ever occurred to you, sometimes people keep things secrets for reasons?"
"…If you would just come back to me I would be so good…"
"You can cook?"
He asked, smelling the burnt scent. They were in her quarters as she was trying to cook. He would never admit it to her, but she was lousy. Rather that or it was his imagination, but he doubted that.
"Most woman can." She laughed just as more smoke came out of the pan.
He cleared his throat, "Well I just thought-"
"Any ways, just sit tight, I'm almost done." She cut him off before he could speak more, knowing the words that were forming in his mind.
Before he knew it, a plate of some kind of meet was before him. He looked at it and gulped. Taking his fork, he stabbed at it. When his fork had finally sunk into the meat, he tried to cut it. But the meat would not allow his knife to saw through it.
He looked up at Padme, who was in turn looking at him with a disgusted look on her face. He was sure it mirrored his own facial expression.
"It's bad, isn't it?" She asked, the disgusted look on her face growing more as she continued to try and bite the meat.
"The truth?"
She gulped, "Please."
"Yeah." He couldn't help laughing, to his amusement she laughed with him.
Twenty minutes later they were in the cafeteria eating a much more tender meal. They were laughing also and it wasn't because Padme had managed to over-over-cook a meal.
The group sobered. Anakin looked at her pensively and then spoke quietly, "So what do you think of Collin?"
Padme laughed one again poking at her food with her fork, "Collin?" she looked over at him, "You're serious?"
He shrugged and looked down at his food again, "Yes, I am, why wouldn't I be?"
She stopped chewing, "Well, I don't know…"
He glanced up, "What do you think?"
She laughed again sipping her drink, "Of Collin?"
"Yes." He nodded.
She laughed again, "I laugh every time I think of him."
Inside he was rejoicing, but he masked it carefully on the outside, "You don't like him?"
"No, of course not." She paused, breathing deeply, "My heart belongs to some else."
He glanced at her hand, "Your husband?"
She paused thoughtfully, the words coming out her mouth slowly; "You could say that."
"Who is he?" He questioned.
"My husband? I'd rather not talk about it."
Silence invaded them. A suffocating, uncomfortable, unavoidable silence.
He looked at her and took her hand, "Padme…"
"Yes, Anakin?"
"Why are you here?"
She furrowed her brow, "What?"
"Why are you here? Why are you trying to get me to walk? Why are you cooking me dinner?"
Her eyes narrowed, "I don't understand, Anakin."
He squeezed her hand, "Padme, there's more to you then you've told me…I know that…"
Silence invaded them, should she tell him the truth? Should she reveal the reasons behind her gentle touch, patient eye, and loving heart? Should she?
What would the consequences be? How much would change?
Would she lose Anakin the friend to reveal that he was once and is her husband? How much would change? How many things would be different from then on?
Was love worth that much? To lose the friend she had gained once again and yearned to be with? For the lover she was dying to have and to love and care for? Or would he turn his back and run, then she would have lost the lover and the friend.
Was it worth that much?
No, no some things were better now left unsaid.
He gripped her hand tighter, "Padme…tell me, please?"
"Tell you what?" She blinked back tears that threatened to come out.
"Tell me why you're here, why you want me to walk, why you're being my friend?"
Silence. A contemplating silence.
"There are reasons, I do not wish to discuss at this point."
He looked away and then back at her, "I don't remember Padme, I don't remember, but I want to know."
"Anakin, I said…"
"I know what you said Padme." He took a deep breath, "I want to know things though, you're from my past aren't you? You were someone to me…but I don't remember. I don't remember so I don't know why you're here…I want to know why you're really here…"
Releasing his hand, she reached up and cupped his cheek, "Anakin, if I told you, things…things wouldn't be the same."
His brows creased in consternation, "Why?"
She shook her head; "They just wouldn't be."
"You're not willing to take a chance?"
She took a deep breath, pressed her hand gently on his cheek, "I took chances once, but it got me nowhere."
To be continued…
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