HellishRedDevil – It is so good to see you again, my friend! I have missed you since the Reality Trilogy wrapped up – and I'm so excited that you're signed up for my latest adventure. Unfortunately, this won't be as upbeat as the others, but it's something I've wanted to write for awhile. Thanks for your support and enthusiasm!
Seldom Darlin – Hee! Sorry for the cliffie, but I wanted to grab your attention. I guess it worked, huh? It's great to hear from you – hope all is going well on your end.
Meandmysharpie – Aw, it is so wonderful to hear from you as well! It has been so strange not touching base with you guys. I'm so excited that you'll be sticking around for this story. I hope you enjoy my take on RoTS!
Jedi Master Arie Skywalker – Wow, what a nice compliment – thank you so much! Your reviews are always so sweet and heartfelt!
Haydenfan89 – Your wish is my command! Ta-da! An update! Hope you enjoy!
ALL – See you back here in about another week with more! Thanks for reading! It really means a lot to me.
JEDI TEMPLE - SAME TIME
Anakin blinked the sweat out of his eyes, unwilling to allow the stinging pain to take any of his focus from the training droid. Over his shoulder, a crowd of younglings murmured excitedly as they backed away to give him more room to maneuver.
Steady now... Easy...
Though it had been months since he had an official sparring session with Obi-wan, his former Master's reminders still flowed through his mind as they had when he was a young Padawan.
Patience is always rewarded...
His hand shifted on the hilt of his saber as he prepared to defend the imminent attack. The motion's intricacy confirmed what he had already suspected: the upgrades he had made to his artificial limb were functioning beautifully, thereby fulfilling the entire purpose for the duel.
And yet, there was a part of him that couldn't bear to stop. It was the same part that kept him moving through the horror of battle... that kept his world narrowed to a specific moment.
And now it was the only part keeping him sane.
The source of his unrest could not be pinpointed, not even after hours of deep meditation within the hallowed Temple walls. The mystery was tormenting him with its vagueness and fluidity. He couldn't even say when the eerie whispers had started! By all accounts, the day had certainly started out better than any in recent memory...
...he had actually awakened with Padmé by his side.
Wrapped in each other's arms, they had talked until the sun spilled across the threshold of the luxurious suite. They had set aside the more serious topics, choosing to indulge their most outrageous daydreams.
By the time he departed for the Temple, they had decided to dwell in a castle amongst the clouds, a dozen children to accompany the one they now awaited with such excitement. Oh, and he couldn't forget the five or six shaaks they would keep as pets.
Of course, he had argued that such massive 'pets' would eat them out of hearth and home. Padmé had rolled her eyes at that, firmly reminding him that financial concerns had no place in a fantasy world. She had then eradicated the remainder of his protests with a deeply loving kiss.
The smile that would normally break across his face at such a memory never materialized. It was as if the hollow feeling swallowed it whole, threatening to take the rest of him in its wake. He fought the sensation, narrowing his concentration until it blocked out everything but the hovering droid before him.
Steady now... Patience...
His fortitude was finally rewarded as the droid suddenly shot to the left. His saber followed automatically, easily slicing in a downward arc to block the round of electrical charges... but it never completed the maneuver.
Instead, the weapon clattered harmlessly to the floor and a split second later, he followed - the screams of terrified younglings falling on ears that were no longer listening.
CORUSCANT MARKET
The impact of his body meeting the side of a wooden stall stole the breath from Obi-wan's lungs. He hit the ground and rolled, already blinking his eyes to clear them of dust and grit. He staggered to his feet and swayed unsteadily as he breathed in the pungent scent of blood and smoke. It was an aroma he associated with a battlefield, with death.
And now he was afraid he would associate it with the death of a very good friend.
He lurched into the street, picking his way through the numerous bodies that now littered the rocky surface. Nausea began to make its traitorous presence known but he pressed forward, pushing through it. He was just about to clamber over a snarled mess of duracrete and wood when the Force whispered a warning: The one you seek is here... Falling to his knees, he dug through the rubble until his fingers brushed the tip of a single brown curl.
"Senator Amidala!" he cried. "Are you hurt?"
When there was no answer, he peeled away the hood of her singed cloak, grinning in relief when he discovered a pair of brown eyes peering up at him. She looked startled, as if she hadn't expected to see him - a sure sign that her hearing had been temporarily damaged by her proximity to the explosion.
"Padmé, can you hear me?"
"Obi-wan?" she mumbled dazedly. "My ears... ringing."
"It will stop soon enough," he promised sympathetically. He started to dab at the blood on her cheek, trying to speak slowly so she could read his lips. "Rescue personnel will be here within moments, but we cannot afford to wait. You are still in danger and the longer we stay in one place, the more we risk. I must get you to the Jedi Temple. The med center will soon be too crowded and I fear we cannot monitor it as well."
At her nod, he eased his arms under her limp form, gingerly settling her into his hold. He started to take a step forward but came up short, as if he were rooted into place.
"Stuck," she gasped, gesturing to the ground. He followed the direction of her trembling finger and identified the problem immediately.
The edges of her voluminous cloak had become trapped beneath the duracrete mere inches from where she had landed. A chill snaked its way down his spine as he realized how close she had come to getting crushed. Pushing the thought aside, he gently unclasped the chain at her neck, allowing the ruined material to pool on the ground.
He opened his mouth to make a light-hearted comment about laundry credits - but the joke never passed his lips...
...for he had just noticed the bulging roundness of her midsection.