"Guards," the Emperor called, and once again the red-cloaked figures walked out from the shadows, ready to obey whatever order was given to them.

"Put her back on the railing," he said darkly, barely able to control his rage.

Luke stood up and turned his head over his shoulder, watching as the red figures approached him. All he wanted to do in that moment was protect her, but he stayed completely still, as if her was frozen to the spot in shock. He saw her eyes crack open just a touch, but he could feel her burning gaze on him. He lowered his head, knowing that it was delusional to believe that she would forgive him so easily for pushing her over the edge.
Two of the royal guards lifted her up, and she wasn't even able to stand. Slowly, consciousness was returning, but she had to fight to keep the oncoming thoughts of sleep away. She needed to stay awake and make sure nothing happened to them that she could prevent. However, her senses were all weakened from the fight, and she barely felt the binders click around her wrists once more, attaching her to the railing where she had been not long ago. She slumped against the rail, gazing into the bottomless abyss.

Even in her groggy state, she could still make out Luke's form standing defiantly, directly facing the Emperor. Even though she wanted to hate him for pushing her so far, there was a part of her that knew that he had not been right. Channeling the Dark side had changed him. She would always remember the bloodlust in his eyes as he slashed mercilessly at her, the power in each swing and the trembling her muscles as she tried desperately to fight back. Now, he looked just like the man she had fallen in love with, strong, Light, yet still incredibly powerful.

"If you will not be turned, you will be destroyed," the Emperor said, and raised his hands. Luke scrambled for his lightsaber, but the power of the Force Lightning hit him full-on, and he was knocked away from his weapon, his fingertips just barely brushing the hilt. He came to rest not far from Anna, who had also felt the pain, and had drawn her knees up to her chest in a vain attempt to soothe it. However, the pain was purely psychological, and any movement she made would not do anything to lessen it.

"Young fool, only now, at the end, do you understand," the Emperor said, surprisingly calm.

Anna forced herself to straighten up off of the floor, but it was all for nothing as the bolts hit Luke once again. She doubled over in pain, biting her lip in order to not let any sound come out. Even if she wanted to, she had no idea if she could. Her throat was raspy and dry, as if she had wandered through the deserts of Tatooine for days on end. She could barely hear the words of the Emperor through the relentless pounding in her head. Near her, Luke was just barely holding onto consciousness,

"Your feeble skills are no match for the power of the Dark side," he said, his voice getting angrier. "You have paid the price for your lack of vision."

The bolts ripped through Luke once again, and he couldn't hold back his screams of pain anymore. Anna was trying to shut herself off from him, but it was all in vain. She didn't feel the pain nearly as intense as he did, but it was still enough to get a glimpse of what he was experiencing. It kept her slumped awkwardly against the railing, her muscles too tired and sore from the assaults on her body to hold herself up anymore. She was able to stifle her own screams of pain by clamping down on her lip with her teeth,as well as digging her fingernails into her palms, trying anything to take her mind away from Luke. She was completely helpless, even though she lay only several feet from him.

"Father, please!" Luke called own, his voice weak. "Help me…"

Anna lifted her head slightly to get a look at the Sith Lord, who only stood, watching. She felt a stab in her heart as the emptiness of his obsidian mask stared down at his son writhing in pain on the floor. If you truly had any good left within you, you'd help him, she hissed in her mind.
The pain ceased, and she blinked a few times, seeing Luke panting and groaning from the merciless attack. For a moment, Anna wondered if it was over, but it was far from. In fact, it was only the beginning of it all.

"Now, young Skywalker…" he began, a hint of pleasure in his eyes as he watched Luke struggle to regain his breath. "You will die."

Anna looked over at Luke, and for a brief moment, her dark eyes met his own icy blue ones, and she knew in that moment what his message was. Something that he had kept to himself for a long time, just as she had. They had both only admitted it in this very room, spoken out loud, but never when the other was listening.

I love you.

The Emperor's intensity increased, and Luke's body jolted around, tearing him away from her. His screams filled the room, and she felt the blinding pain sear through her body. Her muscles could take no more, and she collapsed against the railing, fighting to keep her eyes open. The Emperor intended to deliver on his statement, and she could feel the bolts getting progressively stronger, as hard as it was to comprehend. The pain was fading as she felt her grip on reality slipping.

Was this what she was meant for? To die next to Luke at the hands of the man who had brought her so much pain in her life, leaving her with so many unanswered questions? With an undeniable attraction to the man that had saved her from death once before? Helpless, as she had been most of her life? She felt her eyes close, her consciousness ready to dissolve.

Everything stopped then. The bolts. The screams. The pain.

She still had her mind.

She flexed her fingers. They still worked.

Slowly, she opened her eyes, fighting to keep herself awake just a little bit longer.

She saw Luke's form lying motionless several feet away from her.

This is the part in the story where it's like the point of no return, but it was so heartbreaking to write. Luke is by far my favourite character in the Star Wars universe (although some from TFA are getting up there too), and whenever I watch this scene in the movie it always breaks my heart, so it took me a little bit longer than usual to update. When I planned this out I really had to think about how to go about doing something like this since it twists the plot so much.

Also, thank you, reviewers, your comments mean a lot to me 3