Its not as short as I thought but here we go anyway. Some people are going
to have some catching up to do!
---
"Ow.."
Anakin moaned slightly, trying to focus his eyes, but all he could see was darkness. The never-ending darkness that had been there every time he shut his eyes, and now no matter which he did, it was there, chilling him the bone. Or maybe cold stone floor he was lying on was doing that just fine. Perhaps a little of both.
Feeling a little less disoriented, he questioned his surroundings. He's felt the dark side presence in his room last night, and after a few minutes after that there was nothing, just a huge blank.
He reached out a hand to feel his shadowed surroundings, struggling to keep his uppity stomach from jumping. Fear was something he's gotten used to in recent years, why did it still feel like a cold, death grip on him? There was no answer and he hadn't been expecting one either, so he wasn't so disappointed.
There was something that felt like a brick wall behind him, judging by the crevices and solidity of it. He bought one foot round in an effort to stand up, but his legs buckled almost immediately as dizziness filled him, making his stomach lurch and heave.
He collapsed in an unceremonious heap against the would-be wall, and tried to calm down. He shut his eyes and for the first time in weeks, attempted to feel through the force. He shivered as he hit a large dark presence that made him physically and mentally quiver slightly.
'Okay, Skywalker, think!'
He could almost hear Obi-Wan's voice commenting that it would be easier to being universal peace than to get him to think about something before doing it. He choked down a small laugh and struggled against the tears threatening his eyes. Not now!
What does the hunter do when it captures its prey? Kills it would have been the obvious answer. Strike that out, he wasn't dead, not yet anyway.
So what was he up to?
Either way, he had to find a way out of here. He tried gently to find Padme's presence through the force. Finding the etching of an angel through the millions of people shouldn't have been hard and he called to her.
---
"Oh!"
"Are you alright, my lady?"
Padme looked up to see Dorme's worried face looking at her. It was a valid question, considering the odd shiver she'd just felt. It was a hot taxi, after all. This was so completely odd, this shiver; she'd only ever felt it perhaps once, a long time ago, a lifetime in fact.
Not since Naboo.
She wondered.
'Ani?'
---
As soon as he felt Padme's presence answer, it was like a lock down happened. He could barely feel anything, like someone had just shoved a wall up between him and the force. He could still feel it, just not anyone.could he? The was a slight very small presence he could just about see.
He tried to reach it; the evasiveness of it seemed almost childlike. Running away from the person that was "It" if you like.
It felt so useless.
---
"Oh, shush."
Sola tried shushing her nephew who had started screaming his head off moments before. She was a mother, she understood that children cried. Everyone cries, sometimes. But he'd eaten, been changed, been held and had been sleeping quietly. She couldn't understand what was wrong.
"You are not a happy baby, are you?" She bounced him slightly, only to have him throw up on her. "Ooh, are you sicky? Is that what's wrong?"
She set him down, to get cleaned up, thinking that would help him a little. But it didn't. When she came back in, the toddler was still lying in bed screaming. Even Leia, who was opposite him, was starting to look upset.
"Do you miss your mommy? Is that it?" She picked the twins up, bringing them into the front room, Leia was already sniffling and Luke was still screaming.
"She'll be back soon," she said, sitting them on the sofa together, hoping they'd feel better. But seemingly not.
And to top it all off, the door knocked. It was probably Padme, or so she hoped. But who else would it be?
She looked to the twins and smiled.
"See? That's your mommy!"
---
"I am forced to agree, Master Yaddle!" Padme told her, upon hearing the situation. She tried to keep the respect in her voice, after hearing that out of the council, Yaddle had been for his training, and it meant they had got on. Surely she knew this, then. "Anakin wouldn't get up and leave of his accord."
"Mmm." Siri, who had joined the investigation, commented.
Them was referring to Obi-Wan, who was still looking around the room, as the three of them sat in the waiting area. He was determined to find something - Anything! - that showed that Anakin didn't just leave.
Although Padme didn't know which to hope for. If he'd just left, in his current state of mind, anything could happen but if someone took him, the same applied.
"Believe this, I do not want to." Yaddle commented. "But, evidence? There is none!" The fact she sounded a little distressed was a little comforting, at least she believed there was a chance of it.
Then again, all of them probably looked distressed. Even Siri, who was rumoured to be unflappable. She even looked a little pale.
"Are you alright?"
Siri looked up at her with a faint wry grin, "Tired."
"Aren't we all?"
At that moment, Obi-Wan came into the room holding something in his hand, "I found something." He held it out, and Anakin's braid lay crumpled in his hands.
"His padawan braid," Siri stated.
Obi-Wan nodded. "This meant a lot to him, he wouldn't have left without it." He looked at Master Yaddle. "I'm sure of it."
The Master nodded, "Puzzling, it is. But truth."
"Who would have taken him?" Padme asked no one in particular.
Siri shrugged, "I suppose someone imperial?"
"Or Palpatine himself." Obi-Wan stated grimly.
"But he's dead!" Padme exclaimed. "Tell me he's dead." she added off their looks.
"He kept saying he was coming and I didn't listen." Obi-Wan said, sitting on the chair closest.
"No one would have." Padme said gently.
"And feeling sorry for yourdelf won't help!" Siri commented, but her voice lurched hoarsly at the end.
Obi-Wan looked up at her. "You alright?"
"Yes!" She boomed back.
"Disturbing, this turn of events is." Master Yaddle commented to clear the air, the wrinkled a brow. "Perhaps linked, to your strange calls, they are, Senator."
"Maybe," Padme allowed, "But they have Anakin, or him, or whatever. What would they want from me?"
Padme looked up at Obi-Wan and recognition hit their eyes, and Padme filled with panic.
"The twins!"
---
I know it's a little short, but as I said, it's a two parter.
---
"Ow.."
Anakin moaned slightly, trying to focus his eyes, but all he could see was darkness. The never-ending darkness that had been there every time he shut his eyes, and now no matter which he did, it was there, chilling him the bone. Or maybe cold stone floor he was lying on was doing that just fine. Perhaps a little of both.
Feeling a little less disoriented, he questioned his surroundings. He's felt the dark side presence in his room last night, and after a few minutes after that there was nothing, just a huge blank.
He reached out a hand to feel his shadowed surroundings, struggling to keep his uppity stomach from jumping. Fear was something he's gotten used to in recent years, why did it still feel like a cold, death grip on him? There was no answer and he hadn't been expecting one either, so he wasn't so disappointed.
There was something that felt like a brick wall behind him, judging by the crevices and solidity of it. He bought one foot round in an effort to stand up, but his legs buckled almost immediately as dizziness filled him, making his stomach lurch and heave.
He collapsed in an unceremonious heap against the would-be wall, and tried to calm down. He shut his eyes and for the first time in weeks, attempted to feel through the force. He shivered as he hit a large dark presence that made him physically and mentally quiver slightly.
'Okay, Skywalker, think!'
He could almost hear Obi-Wan's voice commenting that it would be easier to being universal peace than to get him to think about something before doing it. He choked down a small laugh and struggled against the tears threatening his eyes. Not now!
What does the hunter do when it captures its prey? Kills it would have been the obvious answer. Strike that out, he wasn't dead, not yet anyway.
So what was he up to?
Either way, he had to find a way out of here. He tried gently to find Padme's presence through the force. Finding the etching of an angel through the millions of people shouldn't have been hard and he called to her.
---
"Oh!"
"Are you alright, my lady?"
Padme looked up to see Dorme's worried face looking at her. It was a valid question, considering the odd shiver she'd just felt. It was a hot taxi, after all. This was so completely odd, this shiver; she'd only ever felt it perhaps once, a long time ago, a lifetime in fact.
Not since Naboo.
She wondered.
'Ani?'
---
As soon as he felt Padme's presence answer, it was like a lock down happened. He could barely feel anything, like someone had just shoved a wall up between him and the force. He could still feel it, just not anyone.could he? The was a slight very small presence he could just about see.
He tried to reach it; the evasiveness of it seemed almost childlike. Running away from the person that was "It" if you like.
It felt so useless.
---
"Oh, shush."
Sola tried shushing her nephew who had started screaming his head off moments before. She was a mother, she understood that children cried. Everyone cries, sometimes. But he'd eaten, been changed, been held and had been sleeping quietly. She couldn't understand what was wrong.
"You are not a happy baby, are you?" She bounced him slightly, only to have him throw up on her. "Ooh, are you sicky? Is that what's wrong?"
She set him down, to get cleaned up, thinking that would help him a little. But it didn't. When she came back in, the toddler was still lying in bed screaming. Even Leia, who was opposite him, was starting to look upset.
"Do you miss your mommy? Is that it?" She picked the twins up, bringing them into the front room, Leia was already sniffling and Luke was still screaming.
"She'll be back soon," she said, sitting them on the sofa together, hoping they'd feel better. But seemingly not.
And to top it all off, the door knocked. It was probably Padme, or so she hoped. But who else would it be?
She looked to the twins and smiled.
"See? That's your mommy!"
---
"I am forced to agree, Master Yaddle!" Padme told her, upon hearing the situation. She tried to keep the respect in her voice, after hearing that out of the council, Yaddle had been for his training, and it meant they had got on. Surely she knew this, then. "Anakin wouldn't get up and leave of his accord."
"Mmm." Siri, who had joined the investigation, commented.
Them was referring to Obi-Wan, who was still looking around the room, as the three of them sat in the waiting area. He was determined to find something - Anything! - that showed that Anakin didn't just leave.
Although Padme didn't know which to hope for. If he'd just left, in his current state of mind, anything could happen but if someone took him, the same applied.
"Believe this, I do not want to." Yaddle commented. "But, evidence? There is none!" The fact she sounded a little distressed was a little comforting, at least she believed there was a chance of it.
Then again, all of them probably looked distressed. Even Siri, who was rumoured to be unflappable. She even looked a little pale.
"Are you alright?"
Siri looked up at her with a faint wry grin, "Tired."
"Aren't we all?"
At that moment, Obi-Wan came into the room holding something in his hand, "I found something." He held it out, and Anakin's braid lay crumpled in his hands.
"His padawan braid," Siri stated.
Obi-Wan nodded. "This meant a lot to him, he wouldn't have left without it." He looked at Master Yaddle. "I'm sure of it."
The Master nodded, "Puzzling, it is. But truth."
"Who would have taken him?" Padme asked no one in particular.
Siri shrugged, "I suppose someone imperial?"
"Or Palpatine himself." Obi-Wan stated grimly.
"But he's dead!" Padme exclaimed. "Tell me he's dead." she added off their looks.
"He kept saying he was coming and I didn't listen." Obi-Wan said, sitting on the chair closest.
"No one would have." Padme said gently.
"And feeling sorry for yourdelf won't help!" Siri commented, but her voice lurched hoarsly at the end.
Obi-Wan looked up at her. "You alright?"
"Yes!" She boomed back.
"Disturbing, this turn of events is." Master Yaddle commented to clear the air, the wrinkled a brow. "Perhaps linked, to your strange calls, they are, Senator."
"Maybe," Padme allowed, "But they have Anakin, or him, or whatever. What would they want from me?"
Padme looked up at Obi-Wan and recognition hit their eyes, and Padme filled with panic.
"The twins!"
---
I know it's a little short, but as I said, it's a two parter.