Anakin Reveals All........By Padme

[padme]

Chapter 8

After some time Anakin looked around at everyone sitting there. He couldn’t believe what he just heard. ‘Wow’, he thought, I didn’t expect that. ‘Ok, let’s get on with it’ he told himself.

Luke was the first one to say something, “So what happened after all that, Father?” Anakin looked at him, “Well, after I came out of my daze, I looked around and a part of me couldn’t almost believe what happened. But that didn’t matter. What mattered at that point was that I get my mother back to the farm and to get back to Padme. I went into the tent and found some material to wrap her in. I put her on the back of my speeder and headed back to the farm. By the time I got there it was early in the morning. I could see 3PO outside doing his normal duties and that he had spotted me. Then I saw everyone come outside. There was almost an excitement on their faces until I got closer and they saw what was behind me on the speeder.

I pulled up and your mother was the first one to start to run to me. I could tell that she wanted to run up to me but she stopped short when she saw my mother on the back. I glanced at her and picked up my mother and went to walk into the shelter. Owen and Larrs came out – I just glared at them. They stood there with their mouths hanging open like they couldn’t believe that I found her and defiantly that she was gone for sure.

After I laid her down in the back room I right out to the garage. I just needed to be alone and get my thoughts together and try to sort out what I had done. Besides the shifter broke on the speeder and I said that I needed to fix it. That was just an excuse. They all knew it. Although I wanted to be alone I didn’t want Padme to leave me alone. I really needed her then. But then we had just made this agreement not to get involved with each other. I still just tore me apart! Now my mother was gone and I can never see her again and the woman I love with all my being I couldn’t get close to! Talk about torture and agony. If I thought I was in agony before over her – now it was 10 times worse!

I just stood at the bench fiddling with the shifter. Not really doing anything but it kept me busy – kinda. Some time later your mother walked in with a tray of food. She knew that I hadn’t eaten since early the day before so she brought me something to eat. I wasn’t hungry. I mumbled something about fixing the shifter and that life seemed so much simpler when I was fixing things and that I was good at it. She then put the tray down and moved behind me and put her arms around my waist and held me. It surprised me considering what was said before but then I was too distraught and upset to realize what she had did. I asked myself mostly about why couldn’t I save her. I knew I could have. She said something about me not being all powerful and there are things that no one can fix. I got angry and pulled away from her and told her I that I should be all powerful and that someday I would be and that I would be the most powerful Jedi ever and that I will even be able to stop people from dying. She was surprised and somewhat fearful to say the least. I stormed across the room and threw a wrench at the other wall. Good thing she was not in the way. But looking back – well she was too close for comfort. I wasn’t throwing it at her – I was just mad. I started yelling about that it was all Obi-Wan’s fault. “Anakin looked over at Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan was somewhat surprised to hear what was being said – but then not really. He knew the anger was there hiding deep down inside Anakin – he just proved that by what he did to the Tusken Raiders. Anakin said to Obi-Wan, “Like I said before – I did blame you for my mothers death for awhile. I felt you were jealous of me and were holding me back. Like I said before. I know different now – It was a mistake made by both of us.” Obi-Wan nodded his head, sadly “Yes, your right my young friend. I was a mistake we both made. I know you resented me and blamed me. But like was said before were both past that now.”

cont'd

[padme]

Anakin looked at Obi-Wan and gave a small smile. He continued, “Anyways, I was going on about Obi-Wan holding me back and all that. She just stood there quiet, listening. Then she asked me what was wrong. I looked at her, remembering that she was there, and I yelled at her that I just told her. She yelled back at me, ‘No, what’s really wrong?’ I just stared at her, she knew that she was onto something. I was quiet and she asked me again what was wrong. Then I admitted to her that I had killed them. She ran over and held me – which was a good thing ‘cause I was about to fall over on my face. I told her that every single one of them was dead. I looked at her and she tried to reason that I did battle and I told her no, I killed them all. The men, women, and children. I’m not really sure how she reacted to that because I was too distraught at the time. I just started sobbing uncontrollably sitting there on the floor with her holding me.

“Later that day we had a small funeral service for my mother. Cleigg said goodbye – something about her being the best wife a man could have. I went over and fell to my knees. I apologized for not being able to save her and said that I will never fail again.” Anakin stopped and looked around at every one. “Scary, uh? Didn’t know it then – obviously, but looking back now…..” Anakin shivered and cringed, “Wow”. Was all he could say.

After a few moments, Anakin continued, “So as we were all saying goodbye, Artoo was rolling up and beeping and whirling about something. We all looked at him, surprised. You know – ‘what’s he doing here?’ And ‘It can’t be good’. Threepo translated that Artoo had a urgent message from Obi-Wan. Of course Threepo was confused at this because he never had a chance to meet Obi-Wan 10 years before because Obi-Wan never left the ship and came into town. He of course remembered Artoo because he did come into town with Qui-Gon and Padme. So we said our goodbyes and started for the ship. As much as I was concerned my business was done there and there was no need to stick around or for long goodbye’s. As we were leaving Owen told me to go ahead and take Threepo with us. ‘He really belongs to you since you created him for your mother. And since she is gone…….Well, I know she would want you to have him’ Owen told me. I told him thank you and we all headed for the ship.

When we got to the ship Artoo played the message back for us from Obi-Wan and we transmitted it to the Jedi High Council. The message said that he had followed a Bounty Hunter named Jango Fett to Geonosis to the Droid Foundries there. He also said that he listened in on a meeting with a number of Separatists leader – or would be separatists – and Count Dooku. It seemed that Dooku was the leader in all this and he confirmed that it was Jango who we saw blasting away the night the attempt was made on Padme’s life in her apartment. But he also found out that it was Nute Gunray, the head of the Trade Federation, who had put the hit out on her life. Not surprising considering the ‘beating’ she gave in back on Naboo 10 years earlier.” Anakin stopped for a moment and looked at Luke and Leia, “Remember back at the beginning I told you that he was the one who attacked Naboo when I was 10 and your mother was Queen then.” They both nodded, “yes, we remember. That must have been something to see. See our mother in action like that.” Leia said.

“Well” Anakin replied, “You’re really not much different than her, you know? You two are so much alike. Your personalities, strong willed…….and stubborn.” He said smiling with tears welling up in his eyes again. Here came that pain again. It was becoming so strong that Anakin had to stop for a moment and regain his composure again. His thoughts were starting to drift to what happened to her – what HE did to her. He had to stop. He shook his head to clear his thoughts but continued to look down at the ground. He was so ashamed of all that he had done – he just couldn’t look at anyone right now.

Leia felt such compassion for him. It hurt to see him like this. She knew that he was also Darth Vader (was the operative word here) – but now that just seemed like a lifetime ago. To see him like this – such a broken man. ‘What could have happened to break him so? To hear the stories of ‘Anakin Skywalker – the Hero with no Fear’ and to see him like this. Wow, what he must have been going through and how he had to work at keeping it buried deep inside.’ She got up and walked over to him. She knew she couldn’t touch him physically but she could at least get close to him. She knelt in front of him and tried to look in his eyes but he kept his face down far enough that she couldn’t see the tears falling down his face. But she could see them because she could see them falling to the ground.
She knelt there for a moment and when he wouldn’t look at her she said, “Dad” with her voice so full of love and compassion, he startled and look up at her “what is it? What’s wrong?” Leia asked. Anakin just sat there stunned – she sounded just like Padme when she would ask him the same thing! He had to blink his eyes to make sure it wasn’t Padme kneeling before him right now. “What?” he said stunned, “You sound just like your Mother when you asked that. She used to ask me the same thing all the time.” “Well,” said Leia, “Like mother like daughter. You just said yourself that we were not that much different.” Leia said with a smile that was exactly like Padme’s.

Chp 8 cont'd below...................

[padme]

‘Oh, man this is getting harder and harder to do’ Anakin said to himself. Leia was still knelt before him, she asked “Dad, what’s wrong. What has got you so tore up everytime you talk about Mom?” Anakin looked at her, “You called me Dad. And you called her Mom. Not Father or mother.” “Well, you are my Dad. And she is my Mom. You guys are just two people who just gave birth to us. I’m feeling a connection to you now.” Leia said. Under his breath Anakin said, “Ya but how you going to feel when I tell the rest of the story?” Leia couldn’t understand what he said , “What?” she said. “Nothing, nothing.” Anakin replied, “There’s so much more to tell, that I hope you still feel the same way after you hear it.” Luke was intrigued and curious by now, “What do you mean, Dad?” “Wow, you too. I’m overwhelmed, really. No, let’s just take it one step at a time. There’s still a lot more to go like I just said.”

“Well, Leia, you asked me what was wrong. Well, I just miss your Mom so much! She was the world to me. To have lived without her all these years has just been torture. I pushed it aside as much as I could but in the still quiet of the night she was still there. And the more we talk, Leia, the more you remind me of her. You are just like her. I thought when I died that this pain would stop. But it hasn’t, which has got me puzzled by the way. Looking back to the past few years, I remember our confrontation. Our 1st confrontation, do you remember that. When we captured your ship and boarded it for the 1st time?” Leia got quiet real fast, “yes” she said in a whisper. “Coming face to face with Darth Vader has a way of not leaving your memory.” “I know” said Anakin. “I can’t in no way express how sorry I am and how bad I feel about everything that I did.” Leia nodded her head. It was still hard to believe that this was the same man sitting in front of her as the one who did all those atrocities. Anakin looked at her, gave a small smile, “I remember thinking after that encounter how familiar you were to me. As if I’ve known you all my life. It didn’t even cross my mind of how you were exactly like Padme. And yes, she would have reacted the same way always had. I didn’t realize that I had a daughter until recently when I read it in Luke’s thoughts just before I died. Then as I was dying, it hit me that it was you. I put it all together right then and thought …….’So much like her mother’……” Anakin’s voice trailed off again and tears started to well up in his eyes again. He looked at Leia and now she too had tears streaming down her cheeks.


End of Chapter 8

[padme]

Chapter 9

After what seemed like an eternity, Anakin stood up and wiped the tears from his face. He looked at Leia, ‘How beautiful she is’. Leia wipe the tears from her face also, then said, ‘Dad, that wasn’t you back then. I know that now. Your not even the man that I had imagined you to be these past few months. To me honest, as I tried to separate you from Vader, I had an image of a………., well, I’m not sure what I thought – but love and compassion wasn’t at the top of the list.”

Anakin, chuckled at that. Anakin said, “I can’t even imagine what you and Luke have been going through lately trying to separate me from…….well, Vader. It was me but not really. I look back now and see that I was just a shell of a so called man if you can even venture to call me a man. Cyborg….ok – now that better describes it. As grotesque as that is.” They all nodded their heads as to the agreement to the description. “I know you are anxiously waiting to hear how I got to that point. Well, it’s coming. Looking back I can see how I was going down the path to the dark side more and more – but I didn’t realize it. I could’ve stopped it if………” Anakin paused. The pain building again. ‘No, not yet. I’m getting to that’ He told himself.

Everyone noticed this abrupt stop but kept quiet.

Anakin walked around in the area for a few minutes to gather himself back together. He thought to himself ‘Force if I could only see Padme again. Tell her how sorry I am for what I did. If I could do that maybe this pain would end. No, I don’t want it to end – it’s the only thing I have left of her (besides the kids) that I can feel, that is. Oh Force, how am I going to go through eternity like this. I thought being one with the Force would end my pain.’ Anakin felt a gentle nudge to go on and continue. He look up and around but didn’t see anyone. The others noticed him looking around and they did too. But they didn’t see anything either. Obi-Wan and Yoda looked at each other, smiled, they had a feeling what it was. Qui-Gon. But why he hasn’t shown himself yet they didn’t know.

Anakin turned around and came back to the group. He started back into the story, “Ok, where was I?” Luke and Leia were a little startled at this but they both said “Artoo had a message from Ben”. “Right,” said Anakin, “Obi-Wan was on Geonosis and as he was talking he was attacked by droids and captured. At the end of the transmission, Master Windu told me to stay where I was and protect the ‘Senator’ at all costs and that they would handle things on Geonosis. When the holo-image ended Padme pointed out that we were closer to Geonosis than they were. By the time they got there it would be too late. I told I know – but I was given strict orders to stay where I was. She asked me if I even cared about what happened to Obi-Wan. I got upset and defensive and said of course he’s like my father. And again – but you heard what the council said.” With a smile on his face, “but your mother……she said ‘they told you to protect me. If your going to do that then your going to have to come along, because I’m going to help Obi-Wan.’ I told ok – hey again sounded like a great idea – Again I’m still protecting her and doing what I want to do right? Splitting hairs I know.” Obi-Wan just stoked his beard and smiled and shook his head. “Yes, that was you Anakin, always finding that thin fine line. And it usually got you into trouble didn’t it?” Anakin looked at him and chuckled, “yes, it did and this time was no different was it?” Obi-wan shook his head with a chuckle, ‘No it wasn’t’.

Luke couldn’t take it anymore “ok, so is anyone going to let us in on this little secret of yours?” Anakin smiled, ‘Ok, Luke, I’m sorry. Well, we took off for Geonosis. We landed in some type of cooling towers or something. As we were walking out of the ship you mom said to leave the talking to her because would like to try and find a diplomatic solution to this. I told her ‘don’t worry, I tired of trying to argue with you.’ Politics remember. And they called Obi-Wan “The Negotiator”.” Anakin looked at Obi-Wan, “I think Padme would’ve given you a run for your money, Obi-Wan.” Obi-Wan laughed, “I’m sure she would’ve, Anakin, I’m sure she would’ve.” Anakin’s mind started to drift off again. He stopped himself before it got to far.

Anakin continued, “So as we are walking down this dark hallway, not knowing where we are going by the way, we start getting attacked by these flying creature things. I told Padme to run as I fought them off. Then we can to a huge room which turned out to be a droid factory. Freaky, let me tell you. Anyways, the door closed behind us and the ramp we were on started to retract. Padme fell and I couldn’t grab her in time, like I had anything to hold on too. So since I didn’t have a choice I jumped down after her. We land on an assembly line. Your mom was too far ahead of me to catch up with her. Try as I may. But from what I could tell she was doing good. You should have seen her bobbing and weaving in between the machines. If it wasn’t for the situation it would have been funny to watch. I was doing ok. I was fight the machines and bugs and droids if I remember right. I remember I feel just as the machines slaped down a piece of metal. Right on my arm. I didn’t hurt because I was in one of the bended parts but it was bolted down and I couldn’t get it out, and keep my lightsaber that is.” Anakin said with a smile looking at Obi-Wan. “But the next step was these big knives chopping this in parts. So as I’m weaving my body in between these so I don’t get chopped into pieces, It cut part of the sheet that I was stuck in. Not realizing that it chopped my lightsaber in two, I thought ‘alright I can get up’, I stand up ‘try’ to ignite my lightsaber and it just sparks, I look at it and see it’s just the bottom half in my hand. My first thought,” He looks at Obi-Wan, “Obi-Wans going to kill me!” Obi-Wan laughed, and said “He was always losing his Lightsaber.” Everyone laughed at that.

Chapter 9 - To be continued......................

[Annie knight]

Ok this story is getting so good i love it :-*, the part when anakin started to cry cause leia sounded like padme was heart breaking and when anakin was walking around the area asking the force to bring padme back made me cry even more :( this is extremly good, i can't wait until u finished!!!!!!!!!!!! :D :)