Chapter 23

"Vaapad is a difficult skill to master," Mace explained. "But you are already showing great potential to reach that point. For now I intend to focus these sessions on incorporating certain aspects into your existing style."

"You're going to teach me how to use Vaapad?" Anakin asked. "I thought you had decided to never teach that to anyone else."

"Like I said, Skywalker, you have potential and I want to know just how much potential you have. I have spent four days sparring with you and you are already showing vast improvements and now I believe it is time to push your skills farther."

"Yes Master."

"Your Djem So is most impressive and you already show a knack for finding a level of enjoyment from the fight, which is a key to mastering Vaapad," Mace said. "Incorporating the ferocity of Vaapad with your innate ability to predict your opponent's next attack and counter it quickly could prove to be too much for the Sith Lord. You are quite adept at finding openings to exploit and attack, but you show perhaps too much restraint."

"I thought restraint was an important part of being a Jedi."

"It is but in this situation I doubt that the Jedi would hold it against you if you loosened your grip on that restraint and drew upon your aggression in the attack," Mace said. "At the very least I would not. You are similar to me Skywalker, our biggest weakness is the darkness within us. I created Vaapad to channel it into a weapon of light. I use my aggression for good and that is something you will need to master."

"I understand," Anakin said.

"Good," Mace said. "Then let us begin."

Anakin grunted in pain and staggered backwards after a particularly powerful kick to his chest knocked the wind from him. His concentration slipped as he tried to catch his breath and a blow to the back of his head sent him sprawling out on the padded mat floor of the training room.

"Again," Mace said, towering above him. "On your feet Skywalker."

"Give me a minute to catch my breath," Anakin said as he sat up and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Palpatine will not grant you a chance to catch your breath when you face him."

"Well I doubt I'll be fighting him nonstop for nearly six hours," Anakin said. He swore he saw a grin on the Korun Jedi's face as he got to his feet but it was gone by the time they saluted each other.

Anakin allowed the Master to attack him first in this round, powering back every attack with an equally strong counter that soon found Mace on the defensive for the first time in the five days they had sparred together. Anakin knew instinctively that Mace was not using his full strength during their sessions together but it made the moment no less important to him. Anakin took advantage of his momentum, driving Mace backwards with a series of skillful and flashy attacks of his own.

"Better," Mace said after deflecting another attack from the younger man. "Use your natural abilities Skywalker, draw from the Force to strengthen you."

Anakin backed off enough to refocus his energy in the fight and let Mace attack him, parrying each strike as he let the Force guide his tired limbs. When he felt the cool wall of the training arena at his back he quickly called upon the Force to leap over the head of Mace and for the first time striking the winning blow.

"Much better," Mace said, deactivating his lightsaber and nodding his head to Anakin. "That's enough for today. Your progress is most impressive."

"Thank you Master Windu," Anakin said, following Mace's lead and bowing to the Jedi Master as he replaced his lightsaber on his belt. "I believe these lessons will come in handy for both of us in the future."

"Indeed," Mace agreed. "I suspect you will be quite able when we do face the Sith."

"I am grateful for you taking the time to train with me."

"We must all be ready," Mace said. "You will not face Palpatine alone, I can assure you that."

"I appreciate all the help I can get in this," Anakin said.

"Most impressive these changes are, young Skywalker," Yoda said, hobbling out to join them. "And rather unexpected your complete cooperation has been."

Anakin bowed his head in a show of respect. He had not mentioned the video footage to the Jedi Council when he returned to the Jedi Temple early. He had instead chosen to tell them that he had felt the Force guide him back to prepare for his inevitable confrontation with Palpatine. "As I told Master Windu, I am most grateful for the help you have offered me."

"Pleased we are with this newfound maturity," Yoda said.

"I am ready to face my destiny and if this is the path I must take then I am ready to follow it to its conclusion."

Mace and Yoda shared a significant glance and then the Grand Master gave a slight nod. "Rest for the evening young Skywalker, continue in the morning."

"Yes Master," Anakin said, bowing again to the two Jedi Masters before taking his leave.

"He is ready to learn Vaapad," Mace said. "It will be the only way he can successfully kill the Sith Lord. His style is already aggressive and a combination of his current form with Vaapad would be nearly impossible to counter against. He will not master it in such a short time but he will be able to successfully use it in a dual."

"Dangerous that could prove to be," Yoda said. "Easier it would make it for the boy to slip into darkness. Aggressive the boy is and much power he would wield should this training succeed, but fear failure I do."

"With all due respect Master, I have already begun training him in the form," Mace said. "The boy is a natural with a lightsaber and he was impossibly quick to pick up aspects of the form. Even I did not adapt to it so quickly."

"Much meditation it will take for him to be properly ready and centered if use this form you intend for him to do."

"Meditation has always been something you were better at guiding than I was Master."

"Offer to meditate with him I will. Trust your judgment I do."

"Thank you Master."

"Beginning to see him as the Chosen One you are, hm?"

"The potential is there," Mace said. "And I have never seen someone so young as truly gifted as he is. I do not believe Skywalker will fall. He is determined to see the Sith properly destroyed and I intend to be there when he succeeds."

"Ready do you believe he will be?"

"I do," Mace said. "I do, however, believe it is time to call Master Kenobi back to Coruscant so we can finalize our plans."

"Prepared we must be for the unexpected," Yoda said. "Continue training with young Skywalker, hone his skills we must as much as possible. Contact Master Kenobi I will."

Obi-Wan returned to the Jedi Temple three days later, arriving just as the sun was setting and casting a red glow through the Council chamber where Yoda had requested his immediate presence. Plans had been discussed and changed and finalized and were close to being ready to put into action. It was dark by the time he left the chamber in search of his former Padawan. Yoda had told him of Anakin's new found determination and that he spent every day sparring with Master Windu in his preparations for the next step. He figured if the young man was still in the Temple he would be in the training area.

He found Anakin alone in one of the training rooms, drenched in sweat and wearing only his leggings as he used five training remotes at their highest speed. His movements were a blur, impossibly fast and impossibly accurate, as he deflected every shot that came his way. But Obi-Wan could see by the riot of burns that covered his arms, back, and chest that this newfound speed was something he was still mastering.

"What does Padmé think of all the time you have been putting in at the Temple?" Obi-Wan asked emerging from the shadows and surprising Anakin enough that a training remote was able to shoot his shoulder.

A hiss of pain and a wave of his hand saw the remotes power down as he turned to greet his former Master. "Welcome home Master," Anakin said. "I trust your retreat was insightful."

"Indeed it was," Obi-Wan said. "You have been training hard I see, and not letting the medics treat your burns."

"Each one is a reminder to always keep my guard up around an enemy," Anakin explained. "At least that is what Master Windu is trying to instill within me."

"Does he find you as hardheaded and frustrating as I did?" Obi-Wan teased.

"I am doing my best to be a good student. I don't know how much time I have to prepare for everything that lies ahead."

"I see marriage has made you into a better student, I should have considered such drastic measures sooner."

"Not marriage, but the determination to protect what I love," Anakin corrected.

Obi-Wan looked utterly surprised by Anakin's words. The young man had certainly changed since his time as his Padawan and he was growing into the Jedi Obi-Wan had always known he could be. "You still have the ability to surprise me," he said good naturedly.

"Someone has to keep you on your toes," Anakin said, finally cracking a smile.

Obi-Wan returned the smile and clapped the younger man on the shoulder. "And what does your wife think of all this training you are so willingly enduring?"

"I wouldn't know," Anakin said all spark of amusement fading at the mention of Padmé. "I haven't seen her in eight days."

"Why is that?" Obi-Wan asked, not at all surprised that the younger man knew exactly how many days it had been since he'd seen his beloved but he was surprised that it had been so long.

"We had a fight and parted badly," Anakin admitted. "I suppose I have been working myself ragged in an attempt to keep my mind off of how I may have hurt her."

"What was this fight about?"

"I discovered that she had known Palpatine's true identity for months before I learned of it from Ventress."

"How is that possible?"

"Organa apparently came across a security feed from Dooku's cell that showed Palptine threatening him and calling him his apprentice. She said they took it right away to the Jedi Council but they made her promise not to tell me the truth until they felt I was ready," Anakin said. "There's a part of me that suspects I found out sooner than even the Council was hoping."

"So you argued with her over her knowledge in this matter?"

"And I turned away from her in anger."

"There's more," Obi-Wan prompted.

Anakin sighed and began to pace, something he only ever did when he was truly distressed. "I believe Padmé may be trying to plan a way to overthrow Palpatine with some likeminded Senators," he said. "She told me how displeased she was by the Council's lack of action against him and now I think she's going to try to take matters into her own hands."

"That could be very dangerous for all of them."

"It gets worse," Anakin said, stopping his pacing to look at Obi-Wan. "Palpatine knows of our marriage."

"How is that possible? You took every precaution to ensure that the records were kept away from the public."

"He recognized the meaning behind the marks on our fingers."

Obi-Wan stroked his beard as he considered the possible impact of having Palpatine know about Anakin's marriage. "And does Padmé know that he is aware of this?"

"I don't know. I accidentally bumped into him when I was leaving her office and he said he was on his way to congratulate her but now I don't know if he actually intended to do so or if it was an excuse he used to speak with me."

"Anakin, I think you need to go home to your wife," Obi-Wan said. "Tell her the truth and tell her how worried you are about whatever she may have planned."

"I can't just…"

"Go home," Obi-Wan repeated. "You draw your strength from her and you will need that strength more than ever in the days to come."

"Yes Master."

Padmé was seated at her vanity when she saw Anakin enter their bedroom from the veranda. She quickly got to her feet and crossed the room to meet him halfway. His arms folded around her and his lips found hers before either of them could speak a word. She felt as though she was floating when he scooped her into his arms and carried her to their bed. For now all the pain left from their argument could be forgotten in the wake of their desire for each other. He murmured his apology against her skin with every caress, and she in turn forgave him with every kiss she responded with.

Anakin hissed as she applied bacta gel to the burns on his back from his training sessions. She had wanted to tend to them sooner but he had hardly let her voice her opinion before she was breathless beneath him as the heat of passion stole rational thought from them.

"I'm sorry," she murmured, placing a tender kiss at the nape of his neck. "You really should have had a healer look at these."

"They're nothing," he said. "And I was preoccupied."

"Eight days of relentless training can't be healthy, especially not if you're getting injured in the process," she said, smoothing her hands down his arms to clasp his own as she rested her chin on his shoulder. "You know how much I hate seeing you in pain."

"But I'm not in pain," he said. Out of the corner of his eye he could make out her skeptical look. "All right, maybe a little pain. But Master Windu keeps telling me that each one is a reminder to always keep my guard up. Wouldn't you rather I have a few minor burns that will go away than for me to not be here at all?"

"Do you even have to ask me something like that?" she asked, her voice taking on an exasperated tone. "You know that I would rather have you here with me and it terrifies me to think of losing you."

"You won't lose me," he assured her. He shifted to gently pull her into his arms and smiled as she nuzzled her face into the crook of his neck as he held her. "I'm already better off than I was even a week ago. I have the skills to defeat Palpatine."

"But what if he's stronger than even you could prepare for?" she asked. "Oh Anakin, this entire situation is just so… I hate feeling like there is nothing I can do to help."

"But you are helping me," he said, a tender smile in place.

"How?" she asked skeptically.

His arms tightened around her and his expression grew serious, "I draw my strength from you, from our love. Every time Master Windu instructs me to center myself I focus on you."

"Even after everything?"

"Especially after everything," he said, kissing her briefly. "I hated myself after I walked away from you."

"I hated not being able to tell you the truth," she said, touching his cheek and smiling sadly. "Will you be ready to face him? To do what you have to?"

"I honestly don't know," Anakin said. "I want to say that I am but he made me think he was my friend for nearly eleven years but it was all just a lie."

"You wouldn't fall to the darkness again would you?" she asked, a small tremor of terror evident in her voice.

"Padmé, please."

"I'm serious Anakin. I need to know, to believe, that you won't fall to the dark side when you have to kill him."

"I don't know. I don't think I would," he said honestly. "I have you this time."

"You had me when you fell after your mother's death."

"I didn't know that at the time."

"Would it have made any difference?"

"Maybe."

"If I had been there with you that night do you still think you would have done what you did?"

"No. I wouldn't have wanted to disappoint you."

"Then remember that when you have to kill Palpatine," she murmured, gently framing his face between her hands.

Their eyes met again and he nodded his understanding. "I promise," he whispered. "I have too much to live for as it is now."

She kissed him then, a swift desperate pressure of her lips against his. "I love you."

"I'm sorry. For everything"

She gently pushed him onto his back. "All is forgiven my love," she assured him with another kiss. "Just promise you will never doubt my true intentions again."

"Never," he vowed and their lips met again to seal it. He gently rolled her beneath him, still kissing her as he settled over her. She felt so tiny in his arms, impossibly fragile, but he knew it was deceptive. Her inner strength matched his own and made up for any of her seeming fragility.

"You're growing up," she whispered.

"I have to," he said softly, his fingers playing with the curls that framed her face. "I am a married man now and I have to make sure I'm able to protect what I love."

She smiled and traced a single finger down the scar along his right eye, a reminder for both of them of the danger he faced. "Just don't grow up too much. I happen to be quite fond of that mischievous streak of yours," she teased.

His grin made her breath hitch in her throat and seconds later he stole it from her completely as his lips claimed hers. "I love you," he whispered.