All the Stars :: Anakin Skywalker

Rain

"Love, I'm okay," Anakin whispered to me as we lay in our bed in the room. It was clear that both of us just needed time to hold each other. To process the fact that he was okay and that he'd come back.

Obviously, he'd accepted it a lot faster than I did. Because I still have an insanely tight grip on him. His hand stroked through my hair gently as he pressed multiple small kisses to my head.

"I'm okay," He whispered again. "I promise. I'm okay. I'm right here."

I was silent still. I released most of my grip on him, but still didn't say anything. I buried my face into his shirt and breathed in his scent as deep as I could.

Almost as if he was my oxygen.

"I'm sorry," I finally whispered back. "I was a mess without you," I swallowed hard. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay. I'm okay," He scooted down on the pillow a little more so he could be face to face with me. He stroked my flushed cheek with the back of his hand and smiled while looking into my eyes. "We won, and I'm home, and it's just us for a while. For a long while. They decided to give me a small break from missions so you and I could get some more one on one time as well as training time in. They need another Jedi on the force."

"Good," I huffed a sigh of relief and inched closer to him so I could nuzzle into his neck. I kissed his soft skin there a few times and wrapped my arms around him. Just holding him again.

I suddenly felt self conscious about how needy I was being. And pushed away from him a little. But- Anakin sensed it before I got too far away. He grabbed my hips and pulled me back in, then hugged me close again like I was just hugging him before.

"Stay," He told me. "I need you just as much."

It was quiet between us for a minute. The lights turned off without either of us moving, which likely meant that he used the Force to do that. He then shut the curtains and let out a slow sigh of relief.

"You know," His soft, low voice spoke. "I tried to do this cool thing with the Force while I was gone. This way of communicating with someone's mind from across long distances. See, Obi-Wan and I can do it, but I think that's because we've both been trained in it and know what it feels like and sounds like."

"That's cool," I whispered tiredly, the adrenaline rush crash catching up to me. "It would have really helped."

"I know. I sensed the fear in you while I was gone. A constant unease in the Force within you. I wanted to help you so bad but I didn't know how."

"Doesn't matter," I softly mumbled. "You're here now and okay. We can get me trained on all of those mind tricks later."

"I think that's a good idea. It's us time now," He said, going peacefully silent once again.

I ended up falling asleep on him. Apparently, it was something he needed to. Just to be able to hold me and see that I was okay now and that I wasn't crippled with fear for his life anymore.

Well, that is, until I had a brutally vivid nightmare.

It was Obi-Wan, tears in his eyes, carrying a dead and bloody Anakin out of the medic ship.

The shock of pain it sent through my heart felt like a knife.

I woke up with a scream. And seeing an empty bed next to me only twisted the knife that the horrible dream had already plunged into my chest.

"Ellie?!" Anakin came running. "Hey, hey, I'm okay! I'm okay!"

He climbed onto the bed and immediately pulled me into his arms. I was sobbing, painfully, fear gripping me like the tightest glove.