Modern AU. Padmé and Anakin, both 20 years old They are on their senior year at Columbia University. She is studying at law school and wants to do Doctor Juris at Harvard, plays tennis for the Lions team. Anakin is mechanical engineering student and quarterback with University Team Lions. He's a good student but hopes for a career in the NFL.
Author's Note: I do not own Star Wars, Anakin Skywalker, Padmé Naberrie or any other characters. It's all Lucasfilm property: I write stories for fun, for free.
Why so much sex... well, because we couldn't get enough of George Lucas ;-)
IN THE EYE OF THE STORM
I was going to post also this chapter as a New Year present, but it's a very sad and tragic chapter, so I decided to wait.
Padmé had prepared for the party at home. She chose her gold sequined dress that had a plunging neckline reached down to her lower back and hoped to feel Anakin's hands on her bare skin all night. The dress was knee length and matched her black Loubotins perfectly. It was the end of May but it wasn't warm, just 50°F, so she had on a cropped black velvet jacket and her black Gucci bag. She was perfect, quite elaborately made up, but the occasion allowed it.
Anakin picked her up at 8:00pm. He was also stylish in a charcoal suit and black Hobbs oxfords.
Her parents looked at the new millionaire and were glad to see them so happy together. They said good evening and Padme and Anakin left. They took a taxi, after all they wanted to be able to have some drinks that night.
They got out in front of the club and entered hand in hand. Dormé and Sabé were already there, Satine and Ben not yet, they will come later, together. That night they wanted to announce to their friends that they were dating.
The music was pretty loud, at least for starters, they weren't drunk yet. Some were on the dance floor, some were sitting at the bar, some on the leather chairs along the wall and some were smoking outside.
Then finally Satine and Ben came too, his arm around her waist and she with a bright smile on her face.
"Our Satine is also taken. Only the two of us are left, Sabé." Dormé said.
"Yes, it's official now, we're together." Ben finally admitted.
"We've known that for a long time." Padmé said, Anakin nodded.
"It was an open secret. I think I need some comfort, hey Cody, one dance with me?" Dormé offered.
"Oh, with you Dormé, I like to dance especially." and grinned and looked at Padmé.
The evening was getting to midnight and the mood was getting more and more exuberant.
"How about us, Padmé?" Bradley asked.
"I don't know..." Padmé was unsure, looking at Anakin.
"May I, Skywalker?"
"OK. , but don't hold her too tight and keep your cock limp."
"Oh man, you don't begrudge her anything."
"If you come to me like that, I won't dance with you." Padmé countered.
"I was just kidding, Padmé, take it easy."
"I'm easygoing, I must have had three or four Cosmopolitans already." and laughed.
After that dance, Bradley brought her back to Anakin who immediately hugged and kissed her.
"I must for the ladies."
"Shall I accompany you?"
"No, not necessary, I'll be fine."
She picked up her bag from the small table where they were sitting and left.
Anakin was watched by Pat all evening and was just about to take advantage of an opportunity when he was alone to ambush him. She walked towards him, wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her hips against his.
"How about a dance, Skywalker, you are standing here so deserted."
He smiled at her wryly.
"I'm not alone here and if I were, there would be nothing with us and now please go and leave me alone."
He grabbed her by both forearms and pushed her away from him rather roughly.
Just a few seconds earlier, Padmé walked into the room and saw Anakin standing leaning against the wall with Pat, who had both of her arms around his neck, and he even smiled at her. Padmé saw only black. It felt like someone was stabbing her in the stomach with a knife, over and over again. Unable to breathe because of pain, she turned and walked out of the room. She stopped for a moment, one hand on the wall for support. It hurt so much...she couldn't hold back the tears. Outside the club she stopped to get some fresh air. What happened, why does he do that? Doesn't he love her anymore, is he already tired of their relationship? Is it over now? Her Anakin and that…Pat, that Pat again, but how naive of her, she should have seen that coming.
And then she run. Where to?...just away, further and further. Was it left or right or straight ahead? She didn't know, she just kept running. She didn't feel the cold of the night, it didn't matter. As the wind blew in her face, she walked faster, she had to hurry. Where to? ...into her misfortune? Was she going there? No, but the misfortune was already there, no, she had just left it behind and it still wouldn't let her go. That was her misfortune.
There were moments when she couldn't think, it had hurt so much. She ran to quell the pain, but soon she had to stop and lean against a wall again, she was in pain all over.
Why, Anakin, why? Driven by the question, she kept running and the further she run, the answer seemed to become even more remote. No, there was no doubt, she saw them both. The pain in her chest was starting to choke her... and then she saw it: the George Washington Bridge. It was like a vision, a solution, release from the torment, but...unthinkable...forbidden...reprehensible and...final. She made her way towards the bridge. After a while she got there. There was one blue plaque fixed to the railing with headline:
+Do you feel hopeless? Help is just a phone call away, call 201-262-4357.+
She read the text. Other people feeling hopeless...or so many people wanting to throw themselves from the bridge, so many that this sign was put up here as an offer to help?
Should I call, she thought? For what? The decision was already made: final end. There's nothing left to fix, nothing to bring back, everything was lost and she didn't want the little that remained.
She walked resolutely towards the middle of the bridge and when she reached the right spot for her, she kicked off her shoes, dropped the bag on the ground and climbed over the barricade-high railing. Below her, Hudson River… black, deep, fast, and full of currents. Just a few more deep breaths and then...let go...
More than most bridges in the New York area, the George Washington Bridge draws people who have decided that death is the only option. No wonder considering Hudson River has strong currents at the site and is over 200 feet deep. Also, if you calculate the height you jump from, the water on impact is as hard as concrete. Chance of survival is zero. Almost every five days a suicide attempt is made at the bridge. Some succeed, some are thwarted. Every day, the bridge is patrolled by officers of The Port Authority Police Department, who are trained to spot people who are at risk.
On their late shift, officer Williams and Johnes patrolled the upper level of the bridge.
"Jessie, take a look, someone is climbing over the railing."
Jessie stoped the police car close to the lane demarcation and they both got out.
"Don't call, it's loud here, she can't hear us. We grab her from behind and hold her tight."
They approached her as quiet as possible, but Padmé turned around and saw the officers. She was about to jump, when one of the officers grabbed her arm. She hung in his hand, her body dangling over the abyss.
"Jessie quick, I can't hold her much longer!"
Officer Johnes came quickly to help and together they pulled her over the railing and onto the sidewalk.
"Miss, are you OK. ?
Padmé didn't answer, she was practically beside herself, trying to understand why she wasn't in the water.
Officer Johnes picked up the bag that was lying on the sidewalk and opened it. Driver's license was there too.
"Ms. Padmé Naberrie...are you?"
Padme nodded. He didn't ask any more, it was pointless. He called headquarter.
"Here is officer 33054, 1020 George Washington Bridge, C39, 1052."
After about four minutes the ambulance came and Padmé was brought in with the help of ambulance men. She was placed on a portable cot. While the ambulance men made the first moves, the ambulance, lights flashing and sirens, headed for NY Presbyterian Weill Cornell University Hospital of Columbia and Cornell.
An hour before that, Anakin was still leaning against the wall, waiting for Padmé. She had been gone for more than half an hour and he was getting restless.
"Dormé, Padmé has been on the toilet for a little while, can you please check if everything is alright, I don't know how much drinks she had...I don't think much, but maybe she's not feeling good...please check."
Dormé left and was back quickly.
"She's not in the toilet and she's not in front of the club either."
"Will you help me look for her, Dormé?"
"Of course. Sabé, Satine, Ben, where are Rex, Cody and Bradley, come on, we have to look for Padmé, she's gone somehow..."
"Did you have a fight, Anakin?" came the logical question from Ben.
"Uh...no."
"OK. Let's go."
All rooms were checked as first and then the area around the club, but Padmé remained missing. She didn't answer either, the voice mailbox went on right away. They were starting to worry. The search widened, they did the loop up Broadway to Sugar Hill, the others down Broadway to Columbia University. All of it without result.
New York is a very noisy city, always and everywhere you hear horns honking, sirens see lights flashing from police cars and ambulances, but neither Anakin nor her friends could have guessed or imagined that Padmé was just being taken away in one of those ambulances car.
..
Best regards from Germany
Thank you for reading and stay true to me.
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