Burned Bridges
–
This is how the story went
I met someone by accident
Who blew me away, blew me away
And It was in the darkest of my days
When you took my sorrow and you took my pain
And buried them away, buried them away
–
Padme lied awake in bed in the middle of the night. She couldn't get the sight of Taul's lifeless body out of her head.
She hated the bed she lied on, she just wanted to be back home in her own. She hated everything about this place. The walls made her feel so confined. The room was stuffy. Most of all, she hated seeing the soulless man Anakin had become – if she could even call him Anakin anymore. He was all Vader. She didn't think there was any of Anakin in there.
Some would say she loved him too much without rhyme or reason so she wondered if this pain was her punishment. But a woman in love with a man sees all his greatness – sometimes, only his greatness. And she wouldn't apologize for that – for if she didn't allow herself to fall madly in love, she would have gone mad in the absence of it. She'd rather be lost in something than lost without it. And one look at Luke and Leia proved that even in the worst of times, you can find the most precious gifts.
But Anakin, or Vader she should say, seems to have lost his mind. And she's lost hers too. But it was so much better when they lost them together.
Padme ran up to Anakin after his typical reckless behaviour got him his arm cut off by Count Dooku. Her heart almost stopped when she saw the state of him. She didn't care that Obi-Wan and Yoda were in their field of vision. All she could think about was that she almost lost him today.
"Why did you do that?! Why didn't you listen to Obi-Wan?" She whined anxiously. Her pleading eyes now staring into his after inspecting his arm.
Anakin rested his forehead on hers once he felt her arms wrap around his neck, her soothing fingers stroking his hair behind his ears. It felt safe and comfortable to be able to lean on her, she numbed the pain. Trying to distract himself from the pain, the touch of her hand and the scent of her perfume helped him breathe steadily.
"Does it hurt?" She finally asked
"Not at all." He replied with a sarcastic smile.
She shook her head hopelessly, full of worry, wishing he wouldn't put himself in risky situations but knowing that he'd do it anyway.
She shrugged. "I don't know what to tell you."
After a deliberate pause, he smirked teasingly. "You could. . .try telling me you love me again."
And just as he expected, it riled her up. She pulled away, her instinct was to hide her vulnerability. "I thought we were about to die!" She said with exaggerated insistence. "And with the way you're going, you won't be around for much longer."
"Padme." He called, soothingly. The sound of her name leaving his lips made her heart flutter. His left hand reached out to rest on the small of her back, pulling her back in... One touch, and she came back.
"What?" She muttered, almost in a sulk – refusing to look him in the eye.
"Padme." He drawled once more, and this time his eyes held hers. She couldn't look away with how fervidly he gazed at her.
Drowning in her beauty. Knowing that one look into those big brown enchanting eyes would have him do anything for her – driving him mad for her, he felt like he had dreamed her up. She had everything he wanted and everything he lost. There was a purity to her made obvious by the way she saw the world. She focused on what she wanted the world to be, regardless of what it was, and those ideals carried through her work. She was the quintessential nurturer, like a mother – you felt her warmth the minute you were in her presence.
