A/N: You would think I'd be able to update this story faster considering it's already written but alas, no :(

CHAPTER THREE: THE FUTURE

Anakin rose with the sun after a sleepless night and dressed in silence, the weight of events laying before him a heavy yoke across his shoulders.

He looked over at his sleeping wife. Her loose curls splayed across the pillow and her naked body tangled in sheets. What choice was there to make? He had already made it. He had made it on a golden afternoon on Naboo, he had made it every time his heart ached to see her smile, he had made it every time he felt her body on his.

Oh, he loved her. He loved her so much. How could he do anything else but turn away from everything else?

Even though it made up so much of the fabric of his identity.

Even though it was his destiny.

Those thoughts were pushed to the back of his mind and Anakin focused on getting dressed. The future was not set in stone. He was the Chosen One, or so they said, though those words hung heavier on him with each passing year. Surely that had to count for something. Surely.

Despite trying to be as quiet as he could, Padmé had always been a light sleeper. As Anakin sat on the side of the bed pulling on his boots he felt her arms wrap around his waist from behind and her slight body press close to his back.

'Why didn't you wake me, Ani?' Padmé's voice was soft with sleep, her breath against his ear.

'You looked so peaceful.' Anakin turned so that he could kiss her. 'Besides, you needed your rest after what happened on Naboo.'

Padmé frowned, either remembering or disagreeing, Anakin was not sure which. She looked into his tired blue eyes. There was a pause before she said, 'You didn't sleep well last night.'

'I'm alright,' Anakin responded briefly, tersely, despite himself.

He moved away from her embrace and stood up to put on his robe. Why are you always doing this?

'You're lying.'

Anakin sighed, turning to face her.

Why does she always know?

Her heart ached. How vulnerable he looked now, so much like the boy on the Nabooian cruiser. ten years old and leaving his mother behind on Tatooine.

She moved off the bed and into his arms, and he held her tightly, seeking her comfort now just as he had back then.

OOOOO

Standing in front of the Council that morning Anakin felt as if he was back in the arena on Geonosis. Ten pairs of eyes stared intently at him as he stood in the middle of the Council chamber with Padmé. He had stood there in that exact spot many times before, and many times before had felt that he was burdening the Council with his presence. He'd been a troubled boy – that was putting it lightly – with a long period of adjustment to life lived in the Jedi Way. This time, however, he felt more than that. Felt worse than that. This time, it felt like he should never have come to the Temple at all.

Maybe this is what they've been waiting for. The moment I go too far.

It seemed even Obi-Wan was tired of him being here. He'd been avoiding Anakin's eye since the moment he and Padmé had entered the chamber.

Anakin glanced quickly at Padmé. She flashed him a minute, but reassuring, smile. They stood a little ways apart from each other, hoping that their neutral body language would work in their favour. However, Anakin wanted desperately to reach out and take Padmé in his arms and bury his face in her soft curls so that he would not have to feel anything else ever again except for her love. Her love was all that he needed, he fought to remind himself. Padmé was what was important. Padmé. Padmé. Padmé. He chanted her name over and over in his mind as if she were a deity and calling upon her with a prayer would save him from his doubts.

Doubts that I shouldn't have.

There was complete silence as every member of the Council looked the illicit couple up and down several times. It was Yoda's gruff voice that eventually disturbed the uncomfortable tension in the room.

'Knight Skywalker, Senator Amidala, know why you are here, you must,' he began, his austere tone commanding the complete attention of the room despite his small stature. 'Informed us of your relationship, Master Kenobi has. The Jedi Code, broken, you have. Take this lightly, the Council does not.'

Anakin bowed his head. 'Yes, Master. I understand.'

'Skywalker, you knew explicitly that attachments were forbidden in the Jedi Order, and yet you took a lover anyway,' Mace was sitting with arms folded and lips pursed, and Anakin swore that he had never appeared more displeased. It was almost enough to make Anakin bow his head; that instinctual need to please.

However, Anakin rankled against the insinuation that his relationship with Padmé was casual, easily thrown off. 'Senator Amidala is my wife, not my 'lover'.'

Mace waved away the statement. 'Regardless, your relationship with her is completely forbidden.'

The Nautolan Master Kit Fisto regarded Padmé from his position in the circle. 'Senator Amidala, were you informed that attachments, especially romantic ones, were forbidden for Jedi?'

'Yes, Anakin informed me about the Jedi Code before we were married. I was always fully aware of the consequences of our decision,' Padmé replied coolly.

'Yet you decided to pursue a relationship with Skywalker regardless?' Mace questioned.

'Yes.'

'Were you pressured into it?'

'Of course not!' Padmé's calm façade was broken. 'Our relationship was a completely mutual decision and I am offended that you would imply otherwise. Anakin may have broken the rule regarding attachments but his intentions were completely sincere.'

Mace seemed slightly taken aback by Padmé's rebuttal. 'I apologize if I offended you in any way Senator Amidala. I simply mean for the Council to gain a complete insight into the situation here.'

Padmé said nothing in response; she would remain resolute.

'Skywalker, you were aware that your relationship with Senator Amidala would jeopardize your position as a Jedi, and yet you took a Padawan despite this?' Master Shaak Ti inquired. She did not address him with an accusatory tone; instead, she seemed genuinely curious.

'With all due respect, Master, I do not believe my relationship with Senator Amidala compromises my abilities as a Jedi, and so I felt capable taking on Padawan Tano,' Anakin replied, knowing it sounded arrogant, saying it anyways.

The Council was quiet momentarily as they mulled over Anakin's words.

Eventually Master Plo Koon addressed Anakin. 'Whilst your abilities as a Jedi are undisputed, you show little adherence to the Code. You set a bad example about obedience to your Padawan and to the other learners. This is certainly not your first instance of rule-breaking.'

Anakin looked away. He would not let Plo Koon's words affect him outwardly. He'd been channelling the Force to conceal his emotions for the duration of the session, yet that cut to the quick. Anakin had tried to be a figure that Ahsoka could build herself upon – perhaps not a role-model of obedience, but at least somebody who followed their heart when making decisions and thought outside the square.

'I only want what is best for Padawan Tano,' Anakin explained. 'I would never encourage her to break any rules set forth by the Jedi Code. I only aim to teach her the ways of the Force and how to channel her abilities to be the best Jedi she can be. She was not aware of my marriage to Senator Amidala, thus it did not affect her training.'

The Council was silent again as they digested this information.

Anakin looked over at Obi-Wan, who was yet to say anything. He did not look up, and Anakin was stung by his best friend's apparent indifference, as they had parted on relatively good terms after their altercation on Naboo.

'The fact of the matter is that you cannot remain in the Order if you do not relinquish your attachments,' Mace said, breaking the silence. 'It is against the Code. There is no room for dispute.'

Anakin looked at the senior Jedi with a spark of anger in his eyes. 'That is something I cannot do, Master Windu.'

Mace sighed and looked away, his countenance unreadable.

'Then, no choice, there is,' Yoda said gravely. 'Relinquish your position in the Order, you must. Sorry to say this, I am.'

In this moment, there was a small, rational part of Anakin's brain that knew, logically, that this was the only conclusion that the Council would have come to. He knew, logically, that he had been expecting them to be lenient with him because of his status, as they had been in the past.

He knew these things, or at least, a small part of him did.

The much larger part of Anakin wanted to rage, to howl, to shatter all the windows in this room with the sound of his fury. How could this be? This was unfair, insane! To throw out the Chosen One? How could they, especially in this time of war. Did they forget how much he did for the Republic? Did they forget how much he did for them?

And then the dragon's voice in his ear: they're wrong. And you know it.

It was a few seconds before he was able to find the words he needed, but it felt like he was standing there mute in front of them for a lifetime trying to relearn the language. When he spoke, it was slow and moderated, for fear of his voice cracking with emotion.

'Please do not think that I don't take my position as a Jedi Knight seriously. I ask you all to understand that my marriage to Senator Amidala was not an act of defiance against the Jedi Order, but an act of love.'

'It is too severe a violation to allow, 'Chosen One' or not,' Plo Koon responded, his voice tense. 'It is a stone that creates waves far beyond what you can see, young Skywalker.'

'Yes,' Shaak Ti nodded. 'There are dangers to attachments that go beyond simply a broken heart.'

Anakin could barely hear what they were saying. 'But … surely there is another way…' he looked at them beseechingly.

'I repeat my earlier statement,' Mace began diplomatically. 'If you would consider ending your relationship with Senator Amidala, we may be able to… reconsider your position.'

And Anakin looked at his wife with desperate eyes. Mace's words rang in his ears and for a split-second he considered them and he knew then that he would never forgive himself for it. Padmé's face was an unreadable political mask to the Council but as he looked at her, he saw just a glimmer of distress in her eyes.

She's wondering if I'll choose her. And, his heart broken: she's worried that I won't.

'I will not leave my wife.' The words spilled forth from Anakin's lips. In just a moment he sealed his destiny. And, in just a moment, he changed his fate completely.

There was a ripple of surprise through the members of the Council. And then there was silence.

That was it. The choice had been made. The Chosen One was turning his back on the Order.

What would happen to the Prophecy now?

'So, made your choice, you have. Leave the Order, you must, and Jedi Knight, you are no longer. Reassigned, Padawan Tano will be,' Yoda said, a tinge of sadness in his gruff tone. 'A loss to the Order, this will certainly be.'

Anakin said nothing; he could not have spoken if he'd tried. They had made their decision. After relinquishing his lightsaber to Yoda he felt hollow, as if a piece of his insides had been taken out and thrown away. His stomach hurt.

Anakin bowed respectfully one last time, noting the curious silences of both Mace Windu and Obi-Wan Kenobi. Then he turned on his heel and swiftly left the Council chambers with Padmé, clenching his fists and hearing the knuckles of his flesh hand crack.

As they walked quickly and silently down the echoing hallway away from the Council chamber, Anakin heard a familiar voice call his name as it had done a thousand times before. Turning back, he saw Obi-Wan running to catch up with him.

Anakin looked at him with an anger that Obi-Wan had never seen before. 'You didn't say a word in there. I thought that we understood each other.'

'Anakin, please understand that there was nothing I could have said. They had made that decision before you came in. I could not have changed their minds at all. I thought it best not to interfere, lest it make things worse for you.'

'You just … sat there. As they expelled me …' Anakin turned away from his former Master harshly, his eyes stinging.

Padmé stood away in the shadows, watching the confrontation between the two best friends with an aching heart.

'Anakin, don't leave like this. This isn't what I wanted, believe me,' Obi-Wan tried to explain, running a hand through his hair.

Anakin said nothing. He simply turned and continued to walk away down the hallway. Padmé followed hesitantly, glancing at Obi-Wan's stricken face as she took her husband's arm in an attempt to soothe him.

Obi-Wan watched the two of them as they left without a backwards glance, his heart in his throat and noise racing in his ears.

OOOOO

Padmé gave a low moan as her husband pushed deeper inside of her. Anakin was taking her with a furious longing that she had never experienced before, and when she looked up into his blue eyes she saw that they were misty with emotion. He was barely registering his surroundings, consumed entirely with an insatiable need to lose himself inside her and block out what had happened at the Temple.

'Ani,' she whispered, reaching to touch his face gently.

He met her gaze properly this time, but remained silent except for periodic grunts of exertion. He had barely spoken to her since the incident at the Temple.

As soon as they had arrived back at the apartment, he had been upon her, kissing her with such a desperate longing that she threw away all notions of talking to him rationally about what had happened and simply let him take his comfort. They'd been barely through the apartment door when he'd removed her top, and a trail of discarded clothes then followed them to the bedroom.

Anakin groaned now as he pushed back Padmé's slender legs, allowing himself to plunge deeper into her. The sound of her sweet little gasps was the only noise his mind registered, and the feel of her wrapped so tightly around him was the only physical sensation he experienced. Nothing existed anymore except for her. No Jedi, no war, nothing. Only Padmé, only this moment. If he could just take her hard enough, just lose himself in her, he would be okay. She made everything alright. Everything would be okay because he had her. He just had to keep telling himself that, just keep reminding himself of her love.

'Angel.' He pressed his lips to the hollow of her ear.

'Yes, always,' Padmé replied, her voice shaking as she saw the ferocity behind his eyes.

He would be alright, she told herself. He had every right to be angry and hurt, but he would be okay eventually. This would not last forever. It couldn't.

Anakin's lust burned hard and fast, and he came inside her quickly, feeling drained like never before. He collapsed upon her gently, closing his eyes, the dragon inside him sated for the time being.

'I love you,' he whispered, his warm breath tickling her throat.

'I love you too,' Padmé's head was turned to the side, her breath catching in her throat. She pressed a fierce kiss to the top of Anakin's head, and let him fall asleep on top of her. She then lay awake for a long time afterwards, listening to his soft breathing, wondering what would happen to them now.

OOOOO

Master Yoda sat quietly meditating on the small round bench in his quarters, the shuttered blinds of the window casting soft beams of orange light on his small frame. Trying to focus his thoughts on the Force, Yoda could not help his mind returning time and time again to the Council's meeting with Anakin Skywalker earlier that morning.

Sighing wearily, he wondered what would happen to the Prophecy now. The Chosen One was lost - did they now also forgo any hope of balancing the Force?

And what of the Clone Wars? There would be countless more battles to fight, countless more lives lost, all things that Anakin could have helped them avoid. Despite his constant rule-breaking, he was one of the best shots they had at making any real progress.

Privately, Yoda wondered if the Council had made the right choice. Was making sure that the Jedi Code remained upstanding more important than winning the most devastating war in the last five hundred years? Did the title 'Chosen One' mean nothing?

But what of that anger he'd felt in Anakin, standing before them in the Council chambers that morning. What of the anger he'd felt in him before, like a coiled spring. One day it would all come bursting out of him. Their teachings had not seemed to cool it like Yoda had hoped.

And so Yoda's mind drifted absently through the waves of thoughts like these, and he could not come to any conclusions. His old bones felt weary and his spirit flagged. It was clear that the peace he needed was out of his reach today.

He was about to give up on his meditations when he was suddenly struck with the most overwhelming feeling of the Dark Side that he'd ever experienced. A blurred image of a hooded figure seemed to appear as if standing before his eyes. He heard the distant cry of an unknown woman, and saw a bright flash of purple.

Yoda cried out as the pain of the Dark Side coursed through his veins, and then as quickly as the visions had appeared, they were gone. Yoda was alone again in his small, dimly-lit room, panting as he picked himself up from the floor where the shock of the vision had landed him. He had barely enough time to register what had happened before he felt a familiar presence outside of his chambers, and a loud, desperate knock on the door. Using the Force to unlock the entrance, Yoda was taken aback as Obi-Wan Kenobi practically tumbled through onto the floor before him. He had never seen Obi-Wan appear this distressed before.

'Master Yoda,' Obi-Wan began breathlessly, picking himself up and straightening his robes. 'I just saw …'

'Know what you saw, I do, Master Kenobi,' Yoda interrupted gruffly, his tone stressed. 'Saw it myself, I did.'

'What does it mean?' Obi-Wan asked, running a stressed hand through his hair.

'A series of events, set in motion, we have,' Yoda said solemnly, leaning on his knotted cane. 'In darkness, the future lies.'