Washed Away
AUTHOR: Abigail
SUMMARY: What if Padme was so worried about Anakin that she went looking for him at the Jedi Temple? The night of Anakin's turn to the Dark Side?
TIMELINE: During RotS, alternate universe.
CHAPTER 2: Fire
RATING: T
DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything that was created by George Lucas.
NOTE: Please review. I'll try to have the next chapter up soon.
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As soon as her ship landed upon the platform at the Jedi Temple, Padme quickly unstrapped herself from the chair she sat in and ran from down the lowering ramp. C-3PO tried to stumble behind her but she quickly called out to him.
"Please take the ship back to my apartment, 3-PO. I will meet Anakin here and he will take me home," she said, as she pulled her shawl tightly around her bare shoulders.
"All right, my lady. Do be careful," he said very acutely as he stepped back inside the ship. Padme watched him disappeared, then quickly began to run up the stone steps of the Temple. It was apparent that the other Jedi had not yet returned from the Chancellor's office and that Anakin was still most likely alone, waiting in the Council Chambers for their return. As she reached the top step, she stopped...her eyes searching in the darkness for the familiar hallway that led to the Council Chambers.
Padme soon found her way, and began to run...her heart pounding wildly in her chest as it ached for Anakin's presence. She was very agile as she maneuvered each twist and turn, finding her way to where Anakin would be waiting for her. It was then that she suddenly heard the cry of a child. She quickly stopped where she was and listened...she heard it again.
Her heart began to beat more rapidly as she was filled with a sudden dread. Padme whipped about the hallway, her eyes and ears searching for where the cry could have come from. Then she saw the open doorway at the end of the hallway, where a tiny head was poking out from it. She rushed to the end of the hall, cautiously looking at the little boy who was staring at her.
"What's wrong?" she said quietly, as she noticed the sudden silence in the Temple. The boy's large eyes peered back up at hers as he answered her.
"They're coming..." he said fearfully, his eyes once again darting down the hallway, as if he were waiting for something awful to appear. Padme was confused as the boy quickly opened the door for her and ushered her inside the small room. She then noticed that the boy was not alone. At least a dozen other children were in the room, most of them huddled around the small window that looked down upon the stone entrance of the Jedi Temple. The younglings turned as she entered the room, sensing her presence.
"Look!" they cried, their tiny hands reaching out towards the window as they peered down below. Padme slowly walked over to the window, curiosity grappling at her skin. She soon realized what they had all been clamoring about when she looked down at the stone steps of the Temple.
Padme quickly took a step away from the window, her tiny hand emitting the loud gasp that escaped her mouth. The battalion of Clone Troopers marched up the large stone steps, being led by a cloaked figure in the front. What frightened Padme even more were the several bodies that lay about the stone steps...
"What's happening?" she whispered icily, as the children all gazed up at her...expecting comfort from the woman that had stumbled upon their safe haven. All of the younglings huddled back into the corner of the room.
"There are too many of them..." the one boy said, as he quietly shut the door behind Padme. He then slipped into the corner with the rest of the Padawans. "We must hide..." he said, trepidation apparent in his trembling voice. Padme walked over to them, kneeling down as she calmly addressed them.
"Do you know where Master Skywalker is?" she said carefully, peering back at the large eyes that stared at her. The little blonde boy shook his head slowly, sadness in his eyes.
"Yes, miss. He left for the Senate Building a while ago...we're all alone now," he said, as a little girl began to cry. Padme sighed, knowing hat her efforts had been wasted. She should have known that Anakin would be unable to stay at the Temple while the other Jedi masters left to assure that the Chancellor was returning Emergency Powers, now that the hunt for General Grievous was over.
Suddenly, Padme heard a distinct noise in the distance. "Shhhhhh..." she hushed quietly to the younglings, as her eyes listened. Then she heard it again. The discrete noise of footsteps...many of them...and they were coming towards them. The children began to whimper as the sound became louder and louder...until it suddenly died away. The room filled with silence as they all waited patiently..
"I think they are gone..." a little girl whispered finally, when they could no longer hear the impending footsteps. Padme slowly stood up and walked towards the closed door, her back pressed against it. She paused...waiting a moment longer before she proceeded forward.
"Where are you going, miss?" the blonde boy asked, as he stood up from the others. She turned to him, her sympathetic eyes searching his scared face.
"I'm going to see if I can get us out of here..." she said compassionately, a small smile forming on her pale lips. The boy sat back down, his head drooping low with defeat. It was then that another boy stood up.
"Do you smell that?" he asked quickly, his eyes frantically searching the room. Padme sniffed the air...and could smell smoke. She had to hurry, if they were going to leave the Temple. Something was happening and it she didn't know what...
"Please stay here. I'm going to make sure this hallway is clear..." she said to the others, not even sure what she meant herself by 'clear'. Padme knew honestly that she had no idea what was going on, but she didn't want to terrify the younglings even further. They needed comfort...and she was going to provide as much of it as she could.
Padme then closed her eyes and reached her hand over to the panel that activated the door. With all the hope in her heart, she pressed the button, the door hissing open. Padme opened her eyes, and sighed with relief to find no one waiting behind the door. But large plumes of smoke suddenly filled the room, pushing Padme back inside. "Stay down low!" shesaid to the younglings as several of them began to cry. "And please be quiet!" she whispered loudly.
Padme then crept back out the door, covering her face as she stepped into the smoke filled hallway. She squinted her eyes trying to look down the hallway. And then, she heard footsteps again. Padme darted across the hallway and hid behind a pillar, her head peering behind it. Then she saw who the footsteps belonged to. The person turned the corner and started to walk down the hallway, their hood and cloak hiding their face from Padme's eyes. The figure then stopped, as if they sensed something. They then revealed a saber, as they walked into an adjacent room.
Padme was filled with relief as she started to walk towards the room, knowing that there was a Jedi in the building that would be able to protect them. She stepped towards the room, but suddenly stopped in horror when she reached the entryway. With wide eyes, Padme watched the Jedi raise their saber and bring it down upon a cowering man in the corner of the room. The man's body crumpled to floor, a loud thud breaking the silence of the entryway.
Padme backed away in horror, her breath coming in short gasps. She ran back down the hallway, her hands shaking as she scrambled to open the door. The children screamed as she came inside, quickly shutting the door behind her. "What wrong?" they asked incredulously, their eyes widening with anticipation and fear.
"Someone's coming..." she gasped, as she backed against the door, running her hands through her soft hair. "You need to hide...I know you're going to want to trust this person if they come in...but you can't. I think it is a Jedi...but I just saw them kill a man in the room back there..." she said in between her panting breath. The children ran to the corner of the room, many of them crying and coughing from the smoke that was pouring into the room.
Padme slumped to the floor and crawled to the corner opposite the entryway. She huddled against the walls, bringing her shaky knees up to her chest. Footsteps sounded again as someone began to walk towards the door. Padme shivered in fear, as the door slowly slid open, revealing the dark figure once more. His yellow eyes scanned the room, not noticing Padme's huddled form. His gaze rested upon the huddled group of younglings in the corner.
Padme slowly stood up, summoning all of her strength as she prepared to save these children, thinking of her own child that lay inside of her. The man continued to creep towards the terrified children. Padme inched towards him, but stopped suddenly. She could feel a familiar presence...so familiar that it froze her body from going any further, even as the figure moved closer towards the frightened younglings.
Then, the little blonde boy stood up, his eyes wide with recognition. Padme wanted to reach out to the boy...but it was too late. He already stood up and had drawn attention from the figure that still hadn't noticed Padme's presence behind him.
"Master Skywalker!" the boy cried, standing in front of the man. "Help us! There are too many of them!" Padme recoiled to the corner of the room, realizing her worst fear. Every thought in her mind vanished, as if she was being wiped clean by some outside force. She tried to move, but could not. She tried to speak, but could not. She couldn't even think, as Anakin activated his saber, drawing it above him as he prepared to attack. A look of confusion and fear fell upon the little boys face, as he slowly backed away from Anakin.
"Master Skywalker?" the little boy said, his pristine blue eyes resembling that of the little boy from Tatooine that Padme knew so well. Padme's motionless body stood still, as her eyes numbly watched Anakin strike the boy down with his weapon...only a sigh escaping the little boy's lips as he fell to the ground. His small body lay on the ground and the other younglings cried out in fright. Some stood up protectively, and others cowered, hiding their faces in their hands as they watched their own Master kill their fellow Padawan.
Padme's body began to tremble violently, her eyes widening with disbelief and fear. The numbness of her body soon faded away, and she struggled to speak.
"Anakin!" she gasped, her shaking hands reaching out towards his turned back. The man in front of her stood still at the sound of her voice, his saber dropping to the floor. He turned around to face her, and at that moment...Padme suddenly realized that her nightmare had come true...
