Broken Heart
It
had been three years since Anakin and Padme's marriage. The Clone
War was finally over. Many Jedi had died, and the Temple was no
longer in good condition. Tahira had noticed when Jordana returned
from Naboo three years ago that she seemed different, distant, sad.
The war only made her seem even more so. She had seen the deaths of
many people she once knew, and she rarely smiled anymore.
One
morning, hours before the sun was due, Jordana was sitting on the
roof, again. She would pick at peeling roofing, occasionally tossing
pieces over the side. She looked down at the clothes she was wearing.
Like every other piece of clothing she owned, it had its share of
rips and tears, exposing her many battle scars. She felt so hollow
and empty inside that she barely felt her injuries. She cracked the
knuckles on each one of her fingers.
"You know you shouldn't
do that, Jordie." Came a familiar voice behind her. She turned
around to see Anakin standing behind her. He had been gone, visiting
with Padme again. She smiled for the first time in months. In fact,
it was around Anakin that she even smiled anymore, or sometimes
around Tahira.
"Hey Anakin." She whispered, rising from her
seated position. He looked like he hadn't slept in days. His
clothes were torn, and his eyes were bloodshot.
"You look like
shit." She said.
"You don't look so good yourself." He
replied. He examined her closely. "Jesus Jordie, did you throw
yourself in front of a droid army?"
"Maybe I did." She
whispered. The two friends then held each other in a soothing
embrace, both physically and mentally drained from three years of
fighting. After a while, they broke away. Anakin fiddled with his
wedding band.
"So how is she doing?" she asked.
Anakin's
response was throwing the ring off down into the streets
below.
"Anakin, what are you doing?" she asked, shocked.
He
didn't respond, and Jordana grew concerned.
"Anakin!", she
grabbed his shoulder and turned her towards him, "Don't ignore
me! Tell me what happened!"
"She left me." He cried.
Jordana's heart stopped.
"What?" she managed to get
out.
"Padme left me…" he repeated, walking away from her.
"Why?"
"She said that I wasn't the same man she
married. Because I trust Palpatine's decisions regarding the war,
she says I've changed!"
"But the war's over Anakin."
He
gave her an accusing glare, "Don't tell me you believe her
too!"
"No! What I was saying is that now that the war is over,
why would your opinions of Palpatine and his actions during the war
matter now?"
Jordana felt like she was going to cry. In their
thirteen years together, Anakin had never once spoken, or even looked
at her, like just did. She lowered her head and gritted her teeth,
fighting the tears that were threatening to come. Anakin must have
sensed this because he walked over to her and put his hands on her
shoulders.
"I'm sorry," he whispered, burying his face in
the crook of her neck, "Jordie I'm so very sorry."
She held
him in her arms as they dropped to their knees. He soaked her
shoulder with torrent of heavy sobs and she searched for something,
anything, to ease his pain.
"Would it make you feel any better
if I told you that I thought you were a great husband, despite what
you two had to go through?"
"A little."
"How about if I
called her a stupid slut?"
She heard him laugh shortly, and she
knew he would be alright. She helped him to his feet.
"Thanks."
he said as he gently rubbed her arm.
"No sweat. Now, let's get
you back to your room. You need sleep most of all right now." She
placed a hand on his back as she lead him back to his room.
"Where
would I be without you Jordie?" he whispered.
She gave him a
quick hug and told him she'd see him in the morning. Once he was
safe inside his room, she took off running to where the speeders were
stored. It was still early morning, and the streets of Coruscant were
not illuminated yet. Logic and rationality escaped her completely.
Her mind couldn't focus long enough to devise a strategy, she was
just going to have to make it up as she went along. Emotions running
high, they were driving her to her destination: Padme's apartment.
