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 7: The Creation and Demise

RATING: T

DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything that was created by George Lucas.

NOTE: Sorry if this took a while. I was trying to perfect it. As always, I love hearing your reviews...it motivates me and inspires me. Thanks.

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Such a silence followed Padme's question...and with it came a vacuum that mercilessly sucked every ray of hope from her fragile face. Obi-Wan felt dumbfounded, at a loss of word or thought...His lips moved slightly, as they began to form the words. But he stopped himself when Padme captured him with her delicate gaze, her soft brown eyes glistening with emotion. If Obi-Wan were to allow himself to speak those words to her...his mind shuddered internally from sadness. Not only would Padme be heartbroken, but her stubborn nature would be unable to understand...unable to comprehend...unlike the many other times where she has been strong, impenetrable to the cruelness of even life itself.

Obi-Wan was finally able to resolve the conflict in his head, knowing fully the ramifications of the decision he was about to make. For it was a decision...as was everything he was about to tell Padme...

"Padme..." he started, the calmness of his voice sounding oddly foreign to him as it shattered the silence that had filled the room. Obi-Wan allowed himself to eye the droid who still stood quietly in the corner, warning him that he should vacate the room...and without a thought or word, the droid did leave, the metallic patter of his feet sounding throughout the corners of the small ship until he disappeared into the cockpit.

He continued. "Do you remember what happened...at the Jedi Temple?" he asked slowly, his eyes searching into hers, looking for answers...She also gazed back at him, her body still lying corpse-like in the small confines of the Medical Capsule. Her head shifted slightly, but otherwise...she appeared to convey no physical recollection to what he had said. "Padme...do you understand what I am asking you?" he added coolly, his face leaning towards hers as he tried to grasp her attention. But as he looked deeper into the stillness of her eyes, he could see how distant they were. They seemed to be focus on something else...other than the pressing question he asked her...

He then noticed her hand trailing down toward her stomach, where it rested lightly against the large swell of flesh that had consumed her abdomen. Her eyes frantically darted to his face, suddenly filled with that same fear he had witnessed earlier. "My baby..." she whispered. With a sinking heart, Obi-Wan watched Padme's other hand clench painfully at the flimsy sheet that covered her now trembling body. Her face reddened with pain, twisting as her body succumbed to the sudden pain of labor.

Obi-Wan immediately stood up, his hand searching the alarm button on the adjoining wall. The room lit up with a powerful red sheen, covering the walls with its signal of alarm. A blaring siren sounded through the entire ship, sending its warning through the air. Only seconds later, the droid hurriedly entered the room. It was here, that he found himself thrown into the chaos that he and human didn't share. Birth.

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Padme was drowning in the gentle waters of her mind. It was a peculiar feeling, to be peaceful as you slowly slip away from the clutches of reality...as though to die would be a painless ordeal. Yet, she went with the flow of all that she knew...letting it control and consume her, as it was the only thing that could direct her anywhere. But she slowly felt herself drifting back up...up towards the light the shone above her. She tried to struggle, for she knew what the light would mean. The light meant she would have to open her eyes...open them to the horror of what lay outside the comfort of being in the dark and not letting the unknown reveal itself to you.

But she had no choice...for in Padme's case, Forces beyond her control were willing her to come back. They wouldn't allow her to slip away...not when she was so close. Her eyelids softly fluttered open, adjusting to the harsh light that was being penetrated into her blinking stare. Small, distorted images soon came into view, their focus and clarity becoming sharper as she slowly awakened from her deep slumber. A figure stood above her, their gaze boring down upon hers. She felt a pang of familiarity strike at her heart, the only feeling or emotion that she could muster at the moment. The rest of her felt empty...as if part of her had been taken away and replaced with nothing but stagnant air.

"Obi-Wan," she mumbled softly, her parched lips feebly attempting to speak. Padme's arms struggled to move, but she realized that they were laden with sluggishness and dormancy. Obi-Wan bent down to help her adjust herself, as if she were some sort of crippled child, unable to operate without the help of others. But when his arm gently brushed past her stomach, the confusion and slurred feelings of her mind disappeared. Her eyes widened as she looked into Obi-Wan's now sorrowful gaze. He slowly backed away from her, positioning himself above her once again, taking in her sudden surprise and epiphany.

"The baby...?" she asked faintly, her eyes gripping his as her hands passed over the barely noticeable vacancy in her stomach. Where life had once so vibrantly been throbbing deep within her, was now devoid of any pulse at all. But he continued to stare at her, his eyes still bearing that look of remorse.

"Please..." she pleaded with him. "I want to see my baby," Padme begged feebly, her muscles contracting with a foreign fear as she continued to feel the strange emptiness inside her.

As soon as he started to speak, Padme already felt the power of his words. She watched him slowly move his mouth, but his words, she chose to ignore. As Padme laid motionlessly on the bed, she felt the feeling grow. Her eyes were aflame, staring wildly around her. The fire crawled up her body, nibbling painfully at her veins. She strained against it, but she was confined to the bed...bound by her resolve to live. It was Padme herself, who had realized in the dire moment that it was her choice...to surrender and die, without learning of the painful mystery that had been haunting her, or to endure reality and live, knowing the fullness secret that had plagued her for so long.

And as she continued to watch him speak, the fire continued to consume her. As it crept up into the recesses of her mind, it captured her, engulfing all emotion and scorching dry thoughts like leaves. Padme felt part of her slowly dying, as it melted away with the flames of truth. Not even the icy chill of her weeping tears could put the fire out, for the truth was real...and nothing could extinguish the harshness of its element. She sunk further and further into the barren and scorched recesses of her mind, the only place she could go. The fire tugged at her heart, pulling her deeper and deeper into her emotion. Her throat released a harsh cry, a wailing sound that caused Obi-Wan to sympathetically clasp her hand.

"Padme...I'm so sorry that I have to tell you this. You have to understand that it was beyond our control...I did all that I could..."

"What do you mean?"

"During birth, there were complications...severe complications..."

"No..."

"Yes, Padme. The baby wasn't strong enough. He didn't make it. I'm so sorry..."

His sad face reflected upon Padme's own mournful façade, as he watched her absorb his words, painfully and slowly. Yet, what troubled him more deeply, was the fact that the very words he had told her, which caused her to react this way...were all but a deception. A twisted ruse to hide her from what she could never learn. It pained him to know that Padme thought her child was dead...the very baby that Anakin and she conceived through their love.

Obi-Wan had made the decision the moment that she slipped back into unconsciousness almost a day ago. He sought a Medical Center at a nearby system, away from Coruscant. There, Padme robotically went through the perils of labor, giving life to a beautiful pair of strong children. As Obi-Wan held each child in his arms, he knew that what he was doing would only benefit Padme in the end. It was then, to his surprise, that Yoda arrived, bringing with him wise confirmation of his decision. With the Jedi Master's help, they sought two separate homes for the boy and girl, ensuring that they presence would be easily undetected by the clutches of the Empire.

It had come to Yoda's attention that if Anakin discovered that his children were alive, he would only use them for his benefit and twist their innocent souls with the ways of the Dark side. They also understood that Padme would most likely return to Anakin, and it would be best if she understood that her child had died. Although Obi-Wan wished to at least tell Padme that she had given birth to two attractive children, Yoda disagreed, wisely warning Obi-Wan that the less Padme knew about the sudden birth and death of her child, the better. And so, with a despondent heart, Obi-Wan waited for Padme to wake...so that he could spin his web of lies inside her heart...a web of lies that would gradually darken Padme's heart and smother the light of hope that once glowed strongly inside of her.

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The sound of his hollow footsteps pounded inside him like the beating of his heart. As he walked through the activated door, he felt his power surging...like a fire that grew as it destroyed everything in its path. And that's exactly how Anakin felt, as his rage swept over the Conference Room that sheltered the dumbfounded Separatists Leaders. They burned and shriveled under his power, feebly begging for mercy as he mindlessly struck them down, his red weapon slashing through the air like a streak of blood...a constant reminder of the suffering he had undergone to make it this far. And then he stood silent in the empty and lifeless room, surveying his destruction. Their bodies lie about him, like small heaps of smoldering fires, their lives so quickly extinguished by the simple movement of his agile wrist.

His eyes flared from underneath his hood, slowly scanning the windowed view in front of him. The Mustafar system was the very lair of all things dark and sinister...its massive lava domes constantly spewing their fire and the unbearable heat consistently penetrating its very few inhabitants. Anakin felt a likeness grow inside him towards the fiery landscape. Perhaps it was because it hellish scenery resembled his heart...or maybe it was because the heat kept him from thinking...from rationalizing. Like a fever, it protected his body from unknown things that he wished not to think about.

But Anakin's disadvantage in the situation began in the Force. Through it, he felt every ripple...every disruption...And it nearly paralyzed his body with emotion when he felt a large wave in the Force cascade over his body. A gripping fear attacked him, seizing all thought and forcing him to come to a standstill in front of the glaring window. The dislocation in the Force was rooted deep within his heart, and it pulled at his every nerve...painfully...

The pain and sorrow increased, until he felt it retreat and mutate. Slowly, the rippling tremors slowed and ceased to flow through his body. But as he stared out the window, his face ashen with sudden sadness and remorse, he felt a strange sense of loss. As though, someone had taken a piece of him, a very important piece of him, and stolen it away...The large gap he now felt continued to increase, forcing him to look inward and reflect on all that had transpired. He felt ensnared and gone astray, as his mind wandered frantically throughout the conflict of his emotions. Soon, thoughts of Padme's well-being were emerging...and those simple thoughts were all it took to send Anakin reeling to the floor.

And while he lay there helplessly, the coldness of the floor sunk into him, past his clothing, past his skin, and straight through to the bone. With a sweeping motion, it passed over his entire body, freezing him to the point of shivering. He felt like a small child, alone and weeping as he shuddered against the cold of night. The crazed fever left his body, leaving him vulnerable and exposed to his emotions. They overwhelmed him, washing over him in waves like chilled water. Every recent event and chaotic thought poured into his brain, after hours of being held at bay where he could choose to disregard them. But those sensations could not be ignored and such an irony arose in his heart, when he weakly gazed over his shoulder to see the expired body of a Separatist Leader. Anakin had become one of his victims...terrified, weak, and begging for mercy, from the heartless face that resembled his past...