I finally updated! Hurrah! Aren't you all so happy? Thank you sooo much to my reviewers. You are what keeps me going! Soo sorry I didn't update in so long, but school is finally out so I should update at least once a week if not more. Plus, this chapter is both short and dumb. I'm tried to write a conversation between Padme and Anakin and failed miserably. I'll actually probably delete this chapter and completely rewrite it. Thanks especially to TorontoBatFan. Now anyway, even if you do hate this chapter, PLEASE review anyway.

It's black. Everything is black. But I can hear Padme's voice, and that's all that matters. She's alive, she's safe. But for how long?

"Padme…"

"Anakin, lay down! You aren't strong enough. Padme, you must stop crying, you must. Go into the cockpit, and look under the copilot's seat. There should be a medibag there. Bring everything in here. Anakin, hold on. It'll be alright." If I could, I would be smiling right now. Obi-wan, so in control and in charge.

Sounds are still muted, but I can now see vague outlines and faint forms. And what is dominating my black and white world right now is the figure of Padme. "Oh, Anakin. Anakin, I'm so sorry."

You've done nothing wrong. If I could, I would kneel before you and beg you for your forgiveness. I would beg you to accept my love, tainted though it is. I would tell you I understand that I am not worthy of your love. But if only I could hold you one more time.

"Padme, move aside. I have to help him."

"Let me help him, too, Obi-wan."

"Fine. Put this oxygen mask on him—that's right, strap it behind his ears."

I can tell by the way he speaks to her, and she to him, that there are no feelings between them.

Then why was she bringing him to kill me?

"Here, Padme, open this pouch," says the man who tried to kill me as he wipes blood off my face and the stubs that were once my limbs.

I can see, now. Padme's opened the pouch, and inside is a blanket. She drapes the warm cloth over my body, and looks at me worriedly. Tears are falling down her soft cheek. "Is that all we need to do, Obi-wan?"

"It's all that we can do. We are going to another planet in this star system—Anakin, LAY DOWN!—Queeshnow Buysta. It's only about 500,000 miles away. It's not the best, but they'll keep him with us and get him out of any immediate danger. Then we'll be heading to Harrulop."

"Obi-wan…can Anakin and I please speak to each other alone?"

Oh, no. Please, Padme, don't do this. Don't make me remember what I did to you. Don't make me remember what I did to everyone else. Being near you is unbearable. Every time I hear your voice, I think of what I almost did. It feels me with a guilt I never would have dreamed was possible in the past. Instead of filling with happiness so rich and deep at your soft touch, I wish I was never born.

At first I think Obi-wan is going to agree with me. I can feel the soft murmurings of his thoughts through our Force connection, a connection I feared I'd completely severed. I'm surprised to feel the connection is as strong as ever. How can I let him do this? He's just come back to me. I cannot let him leave again. Are the distressed hummings coming from Obi-wan.

But in the end he must have decided it would be more harmful for us to be apart, because, like the father he is to me, he nods his consent as he smiles sadly. I cringe as I realize that I am the cause of his sorrow.

"You two can have some time. Padme, don't let Anakin move. And if there's any bleeding or pain, I want to hear about it immediately."

She nods her understanding, and then we are alone. She kneels down by my bed and kisses my cheek gently. "Anakin. I'm so glad you're back with me."

We are both silent for a minute as her hand runs along the remains of flesh on my face. All the while she is determinedly not looking at me.

After a while she turns and faces me. I see a sharp intake of breath when she sees my face.

Then she instantly bursts into tears.

Padme, I'm so sorry. I should have died, rather than murder my own soul and hurt you so. I should have killed myself fighting side by side with Master Windu to take down Darth Sidious. Anything but the choice I made.

It was all for nothing. I made my choice. The wrong choice. Then I came back before I could save Padme.

"Padme…" my tongue feels numb and thick, "please, please don't cry. I'm sorry. I thought…I was doing the right thing. I understand…if you…don't want to be together anymore. I want you to know I still love you." I've never said anything so hard or so true in my life…Padme, please tell me you'll try to love me. Please.

"Anakin, I love you more than life. If you hadn't come back to me…I think I would've died. I'm so sorry for everything."

"Sorry for what? You didn't do anything. You tried to bring me back. I tried to kill you. How do you even feel safe talking to me?"

"Because the man who tried to do those things to me wasn't you, Anakin. It was a creature who'd been hurt, abused, convinced he'd been betrayed. And I sounded like I was accusing you of killing younglings…I didn't mean for it to sound that way…"

"Can we please not talk about the younglings?" I ask, in a voice that is cold and commanding. If I make it any other way, I will cry. I'm a murderer. A cold-blooded murderer. Of course I don't want to talk about it!

She looks at me fearfully. She bites her lip and shakes her head. "You need to rest…I think I'd better go. Everything will be fine, Ani. I promise."

She turns to head out the door. As she pulls it shut behind her, I call out, "Don't make promises you can't keep. I learned that the hard way."

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