FROM THE ASHES

Chapter 11

Padme tuned in her holocam to speak with her mother. She knew her family had been asking about when they could visit with the twins again, so she didn't feel as if she was imposing by asking them to take the babies for a week until she could get some things settled. "What's wrong, love?" Her mother asked. "Is Anakin all right?"

"Anakin is just fine, mother."

"What about his eyes?"

"Anakin's eyesight has completely returned to normal."

"I'm glad to hear that. Is there some other problem?"

"I'll tell you all about it later. Will you be coming here or shall I bring them to you?"

"We'll be there sometime tommorrow." Her father promised. "Thank you both, I love you."

"It's more than our pleasure, dear, we're looking forward to it. See you soon . Love you."

"Love you too." The hologram blinked out. Padme went to gather all the things the twins would need and start packing them up. Looking down at her snippet necklace Anakin had given her, she took it off and started to cry. She really didn't know what she should do.

Out in the city, Anakin wandered lonely, having no idea what to do, either. He really had nowhere to go, no family or friends besides Padme and the babies and Obiwan, no currency, no transportation. He realized he had been wrong, but couldn't believe Padme's cruel reaction to him. He knew it was wrong, was it that one wrong that had brought out all the others to her? Was she really thinking them all the time? If she was, that was a deeper hurt than the one he already had. He had told her and Obiwan over and over how sick and upset he was at everything that had happened. While he was a pitiful injured blind boy they were kind and understanding, but now that he was physically whole again, how could their forgiveness make a difference? If he had not been hurt, but had repented and turned back the same as he did, what would they have done? He also realized he was wrong to put on the charade, but his fear had gotten the best of him. It always did. It was fear that led him to Palpatine's trap in the first place. That was what led to Mustafar, and his injuries. The injuries had led to his new fear of everything, and that had led him here. And he was still afraid.

Inside the temple, Yoda felt Anakin's pain through the force. Obiwan had returned, and he went to speak with Yoda. "Confused, young Skywalker is. In pain, he is. Know you where is he?"

"No, Master Yoda. What is it you sense?"

"Sadness and pain, I see."

"What kind of pain, is he hurt?"

"Know I do not. But two kinds of pain there are, Obiwan. Remember this most people do not. Crippling is fear and inner distress. Clouded and burdened by this young Skywalker is.Bring him to me you must."

"He will not go back here, he has made that very clear."

"Then make him you must."

"I will have to fight him first, I don't want to have to fight him if he's blind. Yoda, is he blind? Padme and I have suspected he may be healed and continuing to feign blindness to his own advantage."

"Darkness I do not sense in his physcial being, only his inner being shrouded in darkness remains."

"Then Anakin can see?"

"See the light he must, not only with his eyes. Go to him you must. Very important it is. Remember, two kinds of darkness, two kinds of pain there are." Obiwan felt this was very profound. He nodded in respect and awe of Yoda, and left the temple to find Anakin. His brother needed help, and he was coming.

Obiwan tried to reach Padme, but couldn't. He took a borrowed speeder by the apartment but no one answered the door. This was strange, he thought, Anakin was always there, he wouldn't leave the place. He didn't pry around but flew on, headed back to the temple. On his way, in midair, a drunken creature ina speeder came too close to Obiwan's vehicle and hit it hard! Obiwan withstood the crash well, but the speeder was so badly crunched it could no longer stay in the air. It started to spin downward, from the heights of the tallest buildings. "I've got a bad feeling about this." He said to himself as he held tight, having only seconds to consider his next move. The drunk had already spun away and crashed into the side of a building. Obiwan could control his speeder, but not keep it up. He tried to use the force to levitate it, but the downward speed was too strong. Desperate, he scanned the area below for something he might be able to grab onto before he hit the ground.

From where Anakin sat in his misery, leaning against a wall, he noticed the commotion of beings gathering to stare and point at the crash and fall. His curiosity was raised, and he stood up and ran to look for himself. When he saw the man falling out of the speeder, desperately hanging on by one arm as it tilted and went down, he both saw and sensed it was Obiwan, and nothing else was on his mind but saving him. He tossed aside hs bundle of goods and ran through the crowd, pushing others out of the way, to position himself in the best spot to help. Obiwan lost his grip on the speeder and it spun into a pole and burst into flames. Obiwan was so hyperventilated during his life and death struggle he became faint as he was falling, costing him the ability to even attempt to control his landing with Jedi moves. He dropped out of the sky, backside down. Anakin ran beneath him. Because of the wind speed shifting his position, Anakin had to move a few times to stay under him. He realized if Obiwan wasn't able to right himself before he hit the ground, he was going to hit head first, and die. He also knew that if Obiwan landed on top of him, the momentum of the speed of his fall would drive them both to the ground and hurt them badly. He had to do something to partially break the fall. With split second timing, and incredible accuracy, Anakin leapt into the air at least 5 feet, wrapping his arms around Obiwan's torso. He tried to get his legs under him, but they came down too fast and hard. His right leg buckled under him, and he heard something snap. He was in horrific pain, lying on his back, groaning over his leg. But his immediate concern was that he was alive, and he checked to make sure Obiwan was, too.

During the emergency, Anakin had almost forgotten he had not wanted to see Obiwan and face him about his deception. If he could have walked away, he would have just left rathr than explain. But his injured leg left him unable, so he sat there, biting hard on his own metal hand to bear the pain. He couldn't run or hide. Obiwan was most shocked to see Anakin's face above him, and for a moment wondered if he were dreaming. Once his mind completely cleared, he realized it was Anakin, and spoke to him. "Nice catch, Anakin." He said in a tone of voice that let Anakin know his secret was out.

"Are you all right, Master?" Anakin asked.

"Yes, thanks for saving my life, again." He said. Anakin smiled. Perhaps he wouldn't be so angry with him. "Did this cure your psychological blindness?"

Anakin turned away from Obiwan's gaze. "Yes, master.." Anakin began, thinking this was a good situation to use to get out of it. He didn't want Obiwan to hate him the way Padme seemed to.

Obiwan sensed this and gave him a glaring look. "Anakin? Be honest with me" He demanded in a scolding voice.

"No, master, it didn't, because I never had any psychological blindness."

"Well, considering how you saved me, I must presume you are obviously not blind anymore."

"No, master." He glanced over at Obiwan as he confessed in a low, shy voice, blinking his eyes: he had a hard time meeting Obiwan's directly.. " I haven't been blind since the day you took me to the med center a few days after the twins came. I have been pretending, out of fear of what might be thought of me or expected of me."

Obiwan closed his eyes. Now Yoda's visions were making sense. Anakin could see with his eyes, the darkness and fear were blinding and crippling his mind and inner soul. This is what he needed to help him with. He opened his eyes and gave Anakin a penetrating look of disapproval. "Anakin, how could you lie to Padme?"

This time, Anakin did look him straight in the eye. "I never lied to her in so many words. When she finally confronted me, I admitted it."

"But you lied to her by putting on the act, by letting her think you were still blind. You hurt her, Anakin."

"Well, she certainly got her revenge. She as much as threw me out, Obiwan. She said terrible things to me."

"She did? Like what?"

Anakin hung his head. "Nothing that wasn't true. Though everything I already knew and suffer for all the time, everything that tortures me and drives me insane, it hurts so deeply, and no one cares! They only want to condemn me. I know I was wrong, but I am sorry." Anakin started to sob, more from this pain than the pain in his leg.

Obiwan turned to him seriously. "Anakin, you have to let me help you."

Anakin tried to get up, but fell flat on his back, grasping his leg in agony. "Help me? I know what you mean by that, but I'm not going back to that temple! You can help by getting me to the med center. I think my leg is about to come off."

"Come on, Anakin, stop exaggerating to get yourself out of trouble!"

"I knew you were going to think that. If you don't believe me, look for yourself." He showed Obiwan how the lower leg hung loose at the knee, seeming only to be still connected by skin and clothing. Obiwan winced just to look at it. Anakin was overcome with pain. Someone in the crowd had called for an ambulance speeder, and both Obiwan and Anakin were rushed to the same med center where Anakin's eyes had been healed and the babies had been born.

Obiwan was treated for minor injuries, but was not admitted. Another close call, more good luck. Anakin was not so fortunate. He required immediate surgery to repair his damaged leg, and Obiwan came to him just before he was to be wheeled down to the operating room. Anakin looked up at him with an obviously faked smile. "Crippled again, how about that?"

"Where is Padme? Have you contacted her yet?"

Anakin's face bent with negative emotions. "No, Obiwan, don't tell her. She'll just think I did this on purpose to get sympathy."

"No she won't"

"You did. For a minute, you know you did. Don't tell her. I don't want her to know" Anakin's voice trailed off and he turned his face to the wall.

"She loves you, she.."

Anakin turned back around and stared at Obiwan. "She doesn't love me, she threw me out!"

"Padme? Did she tell you to leave?"

"She didn't actually order me out into the streets, I did leave on my own, but it was because of all the things she said. She didn't want me around anymore. She brought up all my mistakes and threw them in my face. She told me I wanted to live off her and be treated like a baby."

"Padme said that?"

"Yes, she did."

"Was this after she found out.." Obiwan remembered how upset she was when he had told her of his suspicions and how she had left work early to go confront Anakin. He didn't know it would lead to such a painful exchange of words. Anakin told him the entire story and once again reduced himself to tears.

"It's my business, Obiwan. She's my wife. Don't tell her."

"Anakin, I don't like being in the middle of this. I will not tell her unless she specifically asks me where you are."

"I understand if she did you would be bound by your honor to tell her, but please do not tell her now, I can't deal with it right now. Let me at least have this operation first."

Obiwan agreed as not to upset Anakin as he was about to be put under for his surgery. He also didn't want to upset Anakin's blood pressure by telling him he had been by the apartment and it appeared no one was there. Obiwan didn't even know where Padme was, so he wasn't going to contact her. Obiwan stared deeply into Anakin's eyes, noticing how much they were exactly the same as before they had ever been damaged. "I'm glad you're not blind anymore, Anakin. Let me congratulate you late on your recovery. I wish we could have shared the good news when you first found out."

"It's my own fault. Had I been honest, we could have gone out to celebrate. I'm sorry for all I've done, Obiwan. I promise to do all I can to make it up to you and Padme. Tell Yoda I'm sorry too." His eyes were very sincere. Obiwan put his hand on his brother's forehead and they exchanged a look of honesty and concern. The droids entered the room and moved Anakin to a gurney for transportation to the operating room.

"May the force be with you, Anakin." Obiwan waved as Anakin disappeared down the hall.