Spoilers: No new spoilers in this chapter.

Disclaimer: Belong to me, Star Wars does not.

A/N: Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed the first chapter! I'm glad that you're enjoying it.

Slipping Into Darkness

Chapter 2

Obi-Wan paced uneasily in the healer's ward at the Jedi Temple. While the room's design was meant to stimulate peace, Obi-Wan felt anything but. The healers had rushed Anakin into a critical care room immediately. They had been in there for hours now, and still, no one had come to speak with him or Padmé.

The Senator sat near a window, staring blankly into the traffic lanes outside. Obi-Wan had tried to speak with her, but her worry seemed too great, and she had answered quietly that her thoughts were only of Anakin.

Looking at her now, Obi-Wan finally admitted to himself something he already knew. Anakin and Padmé loved each other, and that love went far beyond simple friendship. Anakin's eyes lit up every time Padmé's name was spoken. And the way she had held Anakin on the ride to the Temple, it had been the way a wife would care for her husband. Could that be what Obi-Wan had sensed from them of late? Could it be that they were married?

It had not escaped his notice that Anakin had been laying in Padmé's bed when he'd arrived at her apartment. And, though Padmé had tried to hide the evidence under the folds of her robe, Obi-Wan knew she was with child. Was it possible that the child was Anakin's? It was very possible, Obi-Wan realized. Marriage was forbidden for Jedi, but then again, Anakin had never really cared much for following every aspect of the Jedi Code…

Obi-Wan was pulled from his thoughts as a healer finally approached. The healer bowed respectfully.

"Master Kenobi, Senator Amidala," the healer greeted as Padmé rushed to Obi-Wan's side. "We have done everything we can. But…"

"What is wrong with him?" Padmé interrupted.

"We are not sure, M'Lady. His body is under extreme stress, but we have been unable to pinpoint a physical cause."

At the healers words, Obi-Wan felt a knot tighten in his stomach. He feared the answer to the question he knew he had to ask, but pushing that emotion aside, Obi-Wan spoke again. "Is there any way to help him?"

"We believe that he may be caught in a vision of some kind," the healer explained. "It is possible that when the vision ends, he will regain consciousness. But, a vision like this…a vision powerful enough to cause a catatonic state…it's unprecedented, and we simply don't know what to expect. I promise we will continue to do all that we can, and we will monitor him closely, but I am afraid it is up to the Force now."

Obi-Wan felt a wave of fear come from Padmé. Through the Force, he tried to send her strength, despite the worry that he himself felt. She must have sensed his effort, for she offered him a small smile.

"Can we stay with him?" Padmé asked the healer.

"Yes, of course."

When the healer led them back to the room, it was clear that Anakin's condition was unchanged. He still lay motionless, staring into a void. At some point, the healers had dressed Anakin in his Jedi robes. Padmé walked to his side and grasped his hand. Obi-Wan moved to the other side of the bed.

"I will return to check on him in a few minutes. If you need anything, please let me know." Bowing once more, the healer left.

Obi-Wan had lost track of time. He was vaguely aware that the sun would soon be setting, but he paid little attention. Over the course of the day, the healer had returned to check on Anakin, and various people had come to give their best. Representative Binks had sent assurances that he would take care of all official business in Padmé's place, and said that he hoped "Ani get better muy quick." News had also arrived that Chancellor Palpatine would be there to visit Anakin as soon as his duties allowed. The Chancellor had always cared for Anakin, and though Obi-Wan didn't entirely trust the politician, he knew that Anakin would have wanted Palpatine by his side.

Mace Windu had stopped by as well to keep Obi-Wan apprised of Council business, reporting that Yoda had journeyed to Kashyyyk in an attempt to end the fighting there.

Throughout all of this, Padmé had never moved. She sat staring into Anakin's eyes, almost as if she were trying to communicate with him by sheer will.

Finally, as the colors of a Coruscant sunset began to paint the sky, Obi-Wan knew he must say something. Padmé needed rest, and at the very least, something to eat.

"Padmé," he started, "It is late. Perhaps you should-"

"I'm staying," she answered immediately, already guessing what he had intended to say. She raised an eyebrow pointedly. "Besides, it does not seem as though you are planning to leave, Obi-Wan."

Inwardly, Obi-Wan allowed himself a small smile. It was never a good idea to argue with a politician, especially one as skilled as Padmé. However, Obi-Wan had not earned his nickname as "The Negotiator" for lack of diplomatic skills.

"True. But, as a Jedi, I can reduce my need for sleep with meditation. You, on the other hand, do not have that advantage. And remember," he added quietly, "it is no longer simply your own life that you must think of now."

Padmé looked up at him, startled. He could see the many unspoken questions she wished to voice, but now was not the time.

"Please, Padmé," he said again, "Anakin would not want you to make yourself ill."

She could not deny the truth of that, Obi-Wan knew. Reluctantly, Padmé released Anakin's hand, but just as she began to turn away, she froze, startled by something.

"Obi-Wan, look!" Padmé said, her voice quavering. "He… he's crying…"

Obi-Wan followed Padmé's gaze. Tears were falling down Anakin's cheeks and he had begun to tremble. Through the Force, Obi-Wan felt an intense surge of despair, stronger than anything he had ever felt before.

"Anakin?" Padmé asked desperately.

"No…no…" Anakin cried suddenly. At once, Obi-Wan felt a tidal wave of power through the Force. Anakin bolted upright in bed and screamed, his cry filled with indescribable pain, sorrow, and regret.

"Noooooooooo!"

Around them, glass shattered and instruments crumpled. It seemed as though the very foundations of the Temple shook. Obi-Wan stumbled back, astounded by the power he felt from his former apprentice.

When the tremors stopped at last, Anakin was breathing hard, blinking dazedly.

"Anakin!" Padmé cried.

Tears tumbled down her cheeks as she rushed to embrace him. But rather than return the embrace, Anakin flinched away as if he had been struck.

"P-Padmé? But…but how? You were… I ki…"

Seeing Anakin's obvious anguish, Obi-Wan reached out to him as well. But Obi-Wan's touch seemed nearly as painful to him as Padmé's.

"Master!" he gasped, "I…I'm so sorry…"

Not wanting to upset him more, Obi-Wan moved back.

"Anakin," Padmé said, still clinging to him, "I'm so glad you're awake. What happened?"

For a long time Anakin remained silent. Finally, he spoke.

"I…I saw the future," he said simply. "My future."

Anakin's mind raced. Even after declaring that what he had seen was the future, he still found it hard to believe that it had not already taken place. What he had seen had been so real. He had experienced all of it. He had felt the weight of the saber in his hand as he led the clones to the Temple. He had felt the thrill of the Dark Side as he struck down his fellow Jedi. He had felt the pain of the fire crawling up his back…

Anakin shuddered involuntarily.

He looked around the room desperately trying to make sense of what he saw. Padmé and Obi-Wan stood beside him, and he could feel their concern through the Force. But…how was that possible? He had lost them, both of them, and yet, here they were.

As his gaze traveled to the floor, he saw the shards of broken glass and the destroyed medical equipment. I did that, Anakin realized, when I woke up. Taking a deep breath he tried to calm his pounding heart. It had been a vision of the future. What he had seen had not yet taken place. But that thought was of little comfort to Anakin. The vision had been real to him.

"Master Skywalker?"

Startled from his thoughts, Anakin looked up. A group of healers stood in the doorway.

"We are relieved to find you conscious," the first healer was saying, but Anakin barely heard him.

I killed you, Anakin thought, staring at the healer. I led a squad of clones through that door. You died asking that I spare the lives of the patients…

"Anakin?" Obi-Wan asked.

Forcing himself to meet his Master's gaze, Anakin saw only the echoes of his vision.

"You were the Chosen One! It was said you would destroy the Sith, not join them!"

Anakin turned away, trying to block out the memory, only to find himself looking into his wife's eyes.

Again, the vision haunted him. "Anakin you're breaking my heart!"

Abruptly, Anakin stood up.

"I need to leave," he said. "I…I have to…"

Anakin paid no attention to the healers insisting that he stay, or Padmé's pleas to tell her what was wrong. He simply fled from the room. But he knew that no matter how far he ran, he could never run far enough. He had seen the darkness in himself, had seen it destroy all those he cared for.

But still he ran.

Anakin fled through countless hallways, down passageways, and through the main corridor.

Finally, exhaustion forced him to stop running. He stood, trying to catch his breath and block out the voices of the dead. He drew on the Force, asking it to give him strength, and for a moment it seemed to help.

Then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a ball roll into the open. Reflexively, he went to pick it up, but he stopped short as a youngling came into the hall to retrieve the toy he had lost just moments before.

Anakin felt his heart tighten in pain. It was the boy from the Council chamber. "Master Skywalker, there are too many of them. What should we do?"

In his mind, Anakin could hear the hum of his lightsaber as he activated it, and he saw the look of shock on the young child's face.

"Master Skywalker?" Anakin blinked. The child stood there, holding the runaway toy. "Master, are you alright?"

Anakin stumbled back, and ignoring his fatigue, he sprinted back down the hall. By now, any thought of peace was hopeless. Everywhere he looked he saw only the massacre.

There, he had killed a Padawan… And there, in the Room of A Thousand Fountains, he had slain the lightsaber instructor, Cin Drallig… In the next corridor, a female Master had died trying to save a youngling… The cries of those he had killed followed him, haunting his every step.

Somehow, Anakin found his way back to his quarters. He had no idea how long he had run through the Temple. For him, time had no meaning. There was only regret, pain, and the cries of those he had killed. The door to his quarters opened and Anakin stumbled inside, falling to his knees.

Questions raced through his mind, and the answers to those questions frightened him more than anything else ever had. Was that still the future? Would he still become the monster he had seen? Could he still destroy everything and everyone he loved? If so, then the weight of knowing the future was too much. How could he go on knowing the depths of evil he was capable of? How could he ever look at Padmé knowing that he was going to be the one to kill her? How could he look at Obi-Wan knowing that he would betray everything his Master had ever taught him?

Anakin cried until he felt there no more tears left to shed, and when the tears were gone he screamed.

Was this what it meant to be the Chosen One? Was this the balance he was supposed to bring?

As those bitter thoughts overwhelmed his mind, physical and mental exhaustion pulled him into the depths of a dreamless sleep.

TBC

A/N: As I said before, "Slipping" is complete, so I will be posting often. The next post should be up on Monday.

Thank you everyone who has reviewed, your feedback has been incredibly kind, and greatly appreciated.

For anyone who hasn't reviewed yet…

*waves hand* You will review! *waves hand again* The submit review button is the option you are looking for. Once you have reviewed, you can go about your business. Move along. ;)

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