Author's Note: Hi everyone! I'm sorry I missed a day of posting, but this is a pretty heavy duty chapter and I wanted to make sure I got everything just right. Hope you think the extra time was worth it. I'll be back on Monday with more, but I think we're entering the home stretch! Enjoy!

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"Oh no, my dear Senator," Jarrick whispered. "Death would be too easy. And well, that just wouldn't suit my plans for you at all."

Padme closed her eyes, horrified that her last sight would be those eyes, as blue as Anakin's, but so cold and unfeeling. She felt him grab her arm and drag her forward just as her mind imploded.

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Anakin lay motionless on the ground, Padme's favorite cloak strewn haphazardly across his back. Jarrick had thrown it in a few hours earlier, taunting him wordlessly with the knowledge that he had her in his grasp.

He closed his eyes, breathing in her scent as he whispered her name in his head, the sound becoming a desperate litany. After a long sigh, he gave in to the nagging thoughts that refused to let him go.

He has her.

She is at his mercy.

I can do nothing.

He didn't even know if she was hurt. His connection with the Force had been so weakened that any attempt to connect with her left him gasping for breath. His Masters weren't faring any better. Both had fallen silent, trying to conserve the remaining energy they had left. His eyes traveled up their still forms until they came to rest on the source of their plight. The gemstone pulsed silently as the light it emitted formed prisms on the ground.

He growled angrily as he struggled to sit up. After several long moments, he succeeded and had to rest his head against the wall in exhaustion. He hadn't been restrained in any way and oddly enough, that only made it worse. He had never felt so helpless and to have it emphasized in such a simple manner was humiliating.

His head rocked forward and he saw that Padme's cloak had shifted with his movements and a few items had spilled out of the inner pocket, trailing across the floor. His heart ached as he saw the blue stone he had given her when they were in the caverns all those days ago. He had known she liked it but didn't realize she had actually saved it. The fact that she did made him smile softly.

His wife, the stoic Senator, had quite a sentimental streak.

His peaceful reflections were shattered as an adjacent door slid open. Slowly, he turned his head and watched warily as Jarrick entered. His eyes were already glowing red and Anakin found the unnatural color more disturbing than usual. Obi-wan and Mace ignored him, not moving a muscle from their spot on the floor...

...Until they saw who was behind him. And even then, their spent bodies could only recoil slightly in sorrow.

Padme...

Anakin always thought he knew what true torture was: holding his mother as she died, sitting next to a gravely injured Obi-wan, watching Padme disappear into an electrified reactor.

But those were nothing compared to seeing the walking corpse of the woman he loved.

She lurched into the room, her hair in tangles as it flowed over her shoulders. Her eyes were dead and expressionless, two blank spots set into the contours of her face. Her lips were pressed together so tightly they had nearly turned white, occasionally parting in a silent scream. Like a blast straight through the heart, Anakin remembered Master Windu's words:

"Milady, you must find a way to stop these visions once they start. Shut them out. Expel this unwelcome visitor from your mind. If you don't, I'm afraid there may come a time where you won't be able to. Your mind will become trapped. Forever."

Anakin closed his eyes, the fight leaving him, as he realized his worst fears had come true.

She was lost.

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The line between her dreams and reality had been blown into oblivion.

She wandered aimlessly, her besieged mind not able to fully take in her surroundings. Images assaulted her from all sides, horrifying her with their content and filling her with hopelessness. She was locked within herself, her world now consisting of brutal images of her loved ones being slain.

Throughout it all, a cold voice hissed at her and though she couldn't make out the words, she somehow understood the meaning.

They will die if you don't cooperate.

Her mother, her father, her sister and her nieces - all were murdered slowly by a man with Anakin's eyes. She was there for their dying breaths, their pleas for salvation falling on deaf ears.

You will be responsible...

Bail Organa lay at her feet, lifeless, his arms and legs splayed at an awkward angle. She reached out a trembling hand and screamed when it came back covered in blood. A pair of blue eyes gleamed in the darkness beyond.

Accept your fate or you shall determine theirs...

She was staring at the funeral pyres of three Jedi. Her hands flew to her throat as she recognized the faces of Obi-wan and Mace, slack and unresponsive.

Reluctantly, she turned her head a little farther and moaned hoarsely as she saw Anakin, his blue eyes closed forever, his face still creased in pain even in death.

The people you love will never find peace...All because of you.

You.

The grief was too much and she let a tiny crack slip in her remaining defenses. Tendrils of fear seized on the momentary weakness and soon fissures of pain spread out, feeding on the feelings that were overwhelming her.

She shattered.

For a long moment, her memories simply dissolved. Jarrick smirked as he sensed victory and sent forth the mist. Heeding the call of its Master, it swirled around her body, preparing to descend upon her permanently. She felt the call of darkness and watched blankly as it rose to meet her.

As it touched her, she pitched forward onto her knees, her hands instinctively moving towards the object that was suddenly embedded in her flesh. She curled her fingers around it and brought the stone to her face, the sudden flash of color causing something inside her to stir.

It was so small in size, yet seemed incredibly significant.

A pair of blue eyes... But these were so warm... So loving...

"You've grown too... only more beautiful, I mean."

"I'm haunted by the kiss you never should have given me."

"I love you."

"I accept this vow with a peaceful heart."

"No matter what happens, we will be together."

"PADME!"

At the sound of Anakin's voice, she snapped from the trance, dragging in big gulps of air greedily. Her hands clenched and unclenched as she tried to work the blood back into her fingers. Staggering towards the far wall, her steps quickly became confident as her memories flooded back and her mind slammed shut against its invader.

In that instant, she knew she had won.

"You fool!" Jarrick screamed.

Proudly, she simply lifted her chin and stared at him steadily as she declared, "I have already told you. You will not take my love. Nor will you take our friends."

"And how are you going to stop me? The weapon is still functioning at full power and cannot be destroyed with a simple weapon," he taunted.

The answer came to her with startling clarity.

Hate is powerful... But it doesn't stand a chance against love.

Turning towards Anakin, she filled her vision with him and let his love wash over her. Closing her eyes, she summoned their Bond and immediately felt the air leave her lungs. Fearlessly, she continued her call, shredding the darkness that clawed at her. She felt herself weakening from the effort, but refused to give in to the crushing weight that sought to wrench away her life.

Time was running out.

Sweat beaded on her forehead as she sharpened her focus, bringing it to a single pinpoint of intensity before releasing it outward, rejoicing at the emotions that were emanating from her in rays.

Love is a force you will never be able to grasp, Dark Lord.

I'm afraid you have lost.

The mist quickly recognized the truth behind her statement and shrieked in anger. With a last burst of energy, she directed her focus towards the gemstone and smiled as she heard it splinter.

Her soul flew to Anakin's as the room was flooded with a calm sense of power, their reunion complete. She felt a moment of satisfaction as the three Jedi rose, whole and strong once more.

"Farewell, Jarrick," she whispered in triumph.