A/N: Hey guys. Here's the conclusion of this series. Sorry it's taken so
long to get it posted, but between a hella hectic senior year and the mad
case of writer's block I was struck with, "Binding" just kinda fell by the
wayside. My apologies. Hope you enjoy the last part. Happy reading. =)
She saw him stiffen in shock, but she continued. "I told him that you came back last night. And that I think that things have changed. I know that you've changed. I felt it even before you buried your head in my shoulder and told me you were sorry. Obi-Wan was so overwhelmed. He dismissed himself from in front of the holovid for a couple of minutes. When he came back, I could tell he'd been crying." At this, he twisted his body to face her. "What?!" he asked in surprise.
"Obi-Wan loves you," she replied, "As if you were his own son. He was so hurt when you went over to the Dark Side." She looked down, and whispered softly, "As was I. But then again, I know it wasn't easy for you either."
Anakin opened his mouth to speak, but she silenced him by putting two fingers against his full lips. "Ani, neither one of us has had an easy life, but compared to you, mine's been paradise." Tears welled up in her eyes as she continued. "There's been so much pain in your past, and I know I haven't always made an effort to help you through it. In fact, I've probably been a contributor. I've always made it clear that my senatorial obligations came first, and you were always, always second. I've pushed you away so many times. And in that, I probably helped push you to the Dark Side. For that, I'm truly sorry." She met his eyes and saw her tears mirrored there. "But I love you. By the gods, I love you so much, and I don't want to lose you again."
When she stopped Anakin turned back around, processing the things she'd said, his shoulders sagging. Then he began to speak his voice husky with emotion. "You're so amazing. Even after everything I've done. Please don't take the blame for all those things. I chose the Dark Side, not you, no matter what happened between us." His voice quivered as the tears threatened to spill over. Gently, Padme pulled him into her arms. He remained there for a minute, allowing her comfort to seep in through his skin, before pulling back to meet her eyes. "Force, I love you more than anything in this universe. But I don't know if I can be the man that you want me to be. When I look at you and Obi-Wan, I know that you're both such good people. It's apparent in everything you do. I'm not Padme. I know I'm not. I'm a jerk. I'm rash, and bad-tempered, and impatient, and selfish. Force Padme, the things that I did to those Tuskan Raiders. That I've done since then.. That's why I went to the Dark Side in the first place. I thought that nothing I could ever do would make me what you and Master Obi- Wan are, no matter how hard I tried. But." It was then that he felt the fine trembling that was beginning to shake he small frame.
Padme felt herself beginning to become hysterical. She couldn't handle losing him. Not this time. Not ever again. She took a deep breath, trying ineffectively to stop the involuntary tremors that were shaking her body. "Ani- people aren't born perfect. I'm not this intrinsically good person that does everything right all the time. Neither is Obi-Wan for that matter. But we try, that's what makes us what we are. You're not evil Anakin. I know that if-
She was again halted in her speech when Anakin, like he had the previous night, placed a hand over her mouth. But this time, instead of the roughness, and the lust tipped with rage, she felt nothing in his touch but love. He spoke. "That's what I'm trying to tell you Pad. I don't want to be on the Dark Side. Not if you're not there. All those months of trying to embrace that part of myself fully, trying to let go of everything else. And I almost did. Except- I couldn't let go of you." When he began, he had shifted his hand to her cheek. Now he let his hand slowly trail down her body. "Like I said, I don't know if I can be the man you want me to be. But I want to try." As he spoke, he continued to trail his hand down her body. Padme was smiling at him now, as joy and relief flooded her body. Leaning forward, she brushed her lips against his in a gentle, chaste kiss, full of promise for what was to come. Anakin, for his part, continued to glide his hand down to her belly- and abruptly stopped. Through the Force, he felt a tugging, as one, no two sparks of life flared under his hand.
She was startled when he suddenly pulled back from the kiss, his eyes searching her face for.something. "What?! Anakin is it?!" He looked back down at her belly, then raised two wide, wonder-struck eyes back up to her face. "Padme- you're pregnant."
A/N: Well. That was certainly not what I originally intended for this story. I swear this story took on a life of it's own. I'm just the channel that it flowed through. When my writer's block finally went away, that is. I was going to conclude it with another love scene, but this little cliff- hanger just sort of sprung up. I'm thinking on leaving it this way. What do you guys think?
She saw him stiffen in shock, but she continued. "I told him that you came back last night. And that I think that things have changed. I know that you've changed. I felt it even before you buried your head in my shoulder and told me you were sorry. Obi-Wan was so overwhelmed. He dismissed himself from in front of the holovid for a couple of minutes. When he came back, I could tell he'd been crying." At this, he twisted his body to face her. "What?!" he asked in surprise.
"Obi-Wan loves you," she replied, "As if you were his own son. He was so hurt when you went over to the Dark Side." She looked down, and whispered softly, "As was I. But then again, I know it wasn't easy for you either."
Anakin opened his mouth to speak, but she silenced him by putting two fingers against his full lips. "Ani, neither one of us has had an easy life, but compared to you, mine's been paradise." Tears welled up in her eyes as she continued. "There's been so much pain in your past, and I know I haven't always made an effort to help you through it. In fact, I've probably been a contributor. I've always made it clear that my senatorial obligations came first, and you were always, always second. I've pushed you away so many times. And in that, I probably helped push you to the Dark Side. For that, I'm truly sorry." She met his eyes and saw her tears mirrored there. "But I love you. By the gods, I love you so much, and I don't want to lose you again."
When she stopped Anakin turned back around, processing the things she'd said, his shoulders sagging. Then he began to speak his voice husky with emotion. "You're so amazing. Even after everything I've done. Please don't take the blame for all those things. I chose the Dark Side, not you, no matter what happened between us." His voice quivered as the tears threatened to spill over. Gently, Padme pulled him into her arms. He remained there for a minute, allowing her comfort to seep in through his skin, before pulling back to meet her eyes. "Force, I love you more than anything in this universe. But I don't know if I can be the man that you want me to be. When I look at you and Obi-Wan, I know that you're both such good people. It's apparent in everything you do. I'm not Padme. I know I'm not. I'm a jerk. I'm rash, and bad-tempered, and impatient, and selfish. Force Padme, the things that I did to those Tuskan Raiders. That I've done since then.. That's why I went to the Dark Side in the first place. I thought that nothing I could ever do would make me what you and Master Obi- Wan are, no matter how hard I tried. But." It was then that he felt the fine trembling that was beginning to shake he small frame.
Padme felt herself beginning to become hysterical. She couldn't handle losing him. Not this time. Not ever again. She took a deep breath, trying ineffectively to stop the involuntary tremors that were shaking her body. "Ani- people aren't born perfect. I'm not this intrinsically good person that does everything right all the time. Neither is Obi-Wan for that matter. But we try, that's what makes us what we are. You're not evil Anakin. I know that if-
She was again halted in her speech when Anakin, like he had the previous night, placed a hand over her mouth. But this time, instead of the roughness, and the lust tipped with rage, she felt nothing in his touch but love. He spoke. "That's what I'm trying to tell you Pad. I don't want to be on the Dark Side. Not if you're not there. All those months of trying to embrace that part of myself fully, trying to let go of everything else. And I almost did. Except- I couldn't let go of you." When he began, he had shifted his hand to her cheek. Now he let his hand slowly trail down her body. "Like I said, I don't know if I can be the man you want me to be. But I want to try." As he spoke, he continued to trail his hand down her body. Padme was smiling at him now, as joy and relief flooded her body. Leaning forward, she brushed her lips against his in a gentle, chaste kiss, full of promise for what was to come. Anakin, for his part, continued to glide his hand down to her belly- and abruptly stopped. Through the Force, he felt a tugging, as one, no two sparks of life flared under his hand.
She was startled when he suddenly pulled back from the kiss, his eyes searching her face for.something. "What?! Anakin is it?!" He looked back down at her belly, then raised two wide, wonder-struck eyes back up to her face. "Padme- you're pregnant."
A/N: Well. That was certainly not what I originally intended for this story. I swear this story took on a life of it's own. I'm just the channel that it flowed through. When my writer's block finally went away, that is. I was going to conclude it with another love scene, but this little cliff- hanger just sort of sprung up. I'm thinking on leaving it this way. What do you guys think?