A/N:
Hello! I am so happy you are here! 8D
I would absolutely love reviews from you! Really!
And, I would like to thank my first three reviewers! :D
(I am saying this in a kind, cheerful voice, even though the computer won't let me upload it…) ;D
Angie: Thank you Angie for your review, it was honest and helped me improve my first chapter! And when you said I had Anakin's character described well, I almost started crying! Thank you, thank you, thank you! And when you pointed out Obi-Wan's too old, I face palmed myself and laughed realizing how I made him seem ancient. I bet when I was writing it I saw Old Obi-Wan instead of New Obi-Wan. Ah, me and my silly brain… 8D And yes, it was at the apartment, hopefully this chapter will help with understanding what happened. Thank you again, so much!
Kiradora: Thank you! And I am glad you found it enjoyable. Right now, my stories are kind of like experiments, and I don't know whether it will explode or turn cool colors (sorry, I am a science nerd), so seeing it hasn't exploded yet is reassuring! Hope you like this chapter! (little nervous… :D)
xpig-in-the-skyx: Thank you so much for your review! Oh my goodness! I just about fainted when I read it, thought I was dreaming! I am glad you liked the story so much! *tears of joy* So happy! I thought it was important to show that Ani did care, I am glad I did! ;D Thank you so much again!
I would also like to thank my readers from around the world! I am so ecstatic realizing that this story is global; it didn't hit me until I checked my stats. Thank You So Much!
And to the people who favorited and are following the story, makes me so happy as well! (Wow, I am really using words of joy a lot!)
And, if you are reading this now, Thank You! I really appreciate this; I wish I could articulate how much!
(Since I forgot it…) Disclaimer: I do not have a beard *PHEW!*, and have never met Hayden Christensen *le sigh*. Thus, I am not George Lucas, and furthermore, do not own Star Wars. However! I do own every word here; I have the faded letters on my keyboard to prove it! Mahahaha! ;D
Now that I am done ranting! ;D Here is Chapter 2: Falling. I hope you like this chapter as well, and that I haven't messed this up… *hides behind random couch* ;D
Chapter 2: Falling
Anakin ignored his master's calls and questions even though he could hear him. He was too scared and too focused to care. He felt a force wave of pain crash into his mind. The sense fogged his sight. This one wasn't like his other visions- he was seeing through her eyes, hearing through her ears, and feeling with her sensors. This pain must be hers and that made his speed even faster. This was all so fast and so wrong.
Beep Beep
His communicator sounded. He turned it on by instinct regretting it as soon as he did. "Skywalker here," he said breathlessly; not listening to whoever was on the other line. Finally he could see the hanger bay; not just running in place.
A crying and panicked voice came on the line, "Anakin," she cried. He froze in his tracks.
"Padme?" he replied. His sudden stop let Obi-Wan catch up to his side.
"I'm so- sorry Ani-" she talked between quiet sobs, "the baby- I fell down the stairs-" now she was hyperventilating, "…he's coming!" she grunted hunching over with pain.
His brain searched all of its files to find and process this, "I know, it will be alright. Just hang on Padme- I'm on my way." He raced to the Azur Angel and lifted off.
"I'm so sorry!-" she cried again, she wasn't shouting, in fact, she was talking in sorrowful whispers; "I lost our baby…" she mourned.
He couldn't breathe, "Hey, don't think like that, everything is-" he stops as his mind is consumed by a sharp pain.
"Ah!" she suddenly screamed, her desperate hand clutched her belly.
His heart wouldn't pump; he sped faster through the streets of Corasaunt. He didn't even notice the vehicle following him.
Panting- he heard panting and his brain turned back on.
"Ani," she called but it sounded more like pleading for forgiveness.
"I'm here Angel, almost there." He just heard faint sobs.
"So sorry…" he barely made out. This was the event that made him shatter; it was the beginning of the end. He seized the wheel as his tears burned down his cheek relentlessly.
Seeing her landing dock a few hundred feet away, he wiped the involuntary tears off.
"I'm here Padme," he said, desperately unbuckling. He heard her moan, a moan that sounded like trying to move someone in pain. Anakin shut the communicator off and ran through the apartment to the stairwell. He saw her- the world stopped in a terrible way. She was on the ground, supporting herself with a hand and her knees. The communicator was on the ground beneath her head, and her other hand was trembling while clutching her almost fully swollen stomach. Diving to his knees by her side, he nervously put his hand on her back.
"I should have held onto the railing better…" she mumbled partly to herself.
"No, you did everything you could," he said numbly. His gaze looked at the stairs; one of her shoes was on a stair about halfway up. He looked back at her and barely heard the pounds of Obi-Wan's footsteps.
"Senator," he said crouching down besides the unknown-couple.
She panted, "My baby…" she clutched her belly harder as scorching tears sprinted out of her eyes. Her husband couldn't reply with words- he was half there and half in shock.
"Do you think you can stand?" Kenobi asked.
She nodded back and forth, "No, my ankle," she tried moving it and let out a yelp. Anakin caught a glimpse of her shoeless foot; it was swelling up fast.
"Padme, can you get onto one of your sides so I can carry you?" Skywalker asked as calmly as he could.
Her gaze hit his eyes with petrified daggers she didn't mean to throw. She barely nodded and tenderly leaned her searing body to the right, biting her bottom lip to keep herself from screaming. Anakin guardedly helps her down; once on her side she breathes again in quickened blows. He gracefully lifts her up as carefully as you would a soap-bubble. Her hands death-gripped his shirt.
"Just hang in there, my love," he begs walking her to the private speeder; Obi-Wan in lost-tow. Anakin didn't care if he knew everything; right now that all felt so unbelievably small.
They walked up to the speeder, the Jedi Knight called upon the reliant force to open the back door. Carefully, he lowered the most treasured things he had in the galaxy into the back of the speeder on the bench, his face wincing the whole time. "Obi-Wan, you drive," he said in a begging tone jogging around to the other back door.
Relieved to finally be useful, he quickly replied, "Absolutely."
The trembling husband got into the back seat, delicately placing her face on his lap. He did everything he could to make her as comfortable as possible.
Her shaky hand reached up to one of his arms for comfort, he took her clammy hand in his and kissed it over and over fretting, flexing his hand in a massaging fashion.
"I am so sorry, Ani," she repeated.
He lowered his hands and took one to stroke her face and hair. "No, no," he said nodding, "there is nothing to be sorry for, alright? Just keep breathing," he started a steady pattern of breathes for her to follow; she did blindly trying not to focus on the excruciating pain. "You're doing great," he encouraged planting kind-gentle kisses all over her hand again.
Padme's hand clutches her belly again trying to grasp her buried pain, "It hurts… so much," she quietly murmurs as her breathing increased with an assumed contraction. Anakin felt her intensify on with the force and grimaced while she screamed a groan. His nervous hair stroking increased slightly seeing it was comforting her. Her contraction continued on and she bore down her teeth as it climaxed. Anakin's thumb stroked her white knuckles with sympathy; he would do anything in the universe to stop her pain. She suddenly arched her back and squirmed up. "Oh no…" she groaned as liquid seeped down her inner thighs.
Anakin didn't understand, he just tried to sooth her body back down from its contorting position. He kept giving her hushing: strokes, kisses and words that Obi-Wan couldn't quite make out. When that pain ended, he spoke, "Padme?"
"My water… broke…" she huffed, "It is too early, Ani." Her head turned away with shame.
"Don't worry; everything is going to be just fine." He looked at the driver, "You do know where the nearest MedCenter is Master," he barked more than asked, feeling like this was taking too long.
"Yes, we're almost there, Anakin."
Blue eyes met the woman on his lap, "Almost there, keep breathing," she followed his pattern again. He used the force to search her body, her chemicals were kicking in, which means her pain is retreating. He sighed with relief seeing she was relaxing.
'Almost there,' he thought, 'almost there…'
To be continued…
A/N:
*Pokes head up from behind couch and gulps* Well, *voice shakes* I hope you liked it… ;)
Please review! I would love it!
The next chapter, New, should be up around Friday, hopefully.