Anakin and His Angel: What Should Have Been

Chapter 2 (19 BBY)

Padmé's eyes fluttered open, and she looked around frantically, trying to figure out where she was. Vague nuances in the room hinted at a memory caked in dust at the back of her consciousness, such as the patterns on the furniture, the bright lighting, and the tools strewn around the room. Specifically the wrench sitting on the table against the wall. She sat up to reach it. Suddenly she felt an overwhelming and acute pain, and her memory came flashing back. Padmé fell back, groaning, a hand on her throbbing abdomen. She squeezed her eyes shut and curled in on herself, holding back tears. She remembered where she was now, and what had happened here.

It was around three and a half years ago.

Anakin had stood in a far corner, leaning over something he was working on. Padmé walked into the room, and set a tray of food on the ledge near the wall. "Anakin," she walked up behind him and placed a hand gingerly on his back.

He had an anguished expression on his face, his eyebrows converged, his lips taut. Spontaneously, he burst out in frustration, "usually I'm good at fixing things!" his hand clenched the tool, knuckles turning white, "but I couldn't do it this time, I couldn't save her Padmé!" Anakin fought to keep his voice steady, holding back stinging tears.

Padmé rubbed his back gently, "You're not all powerful Ani," she looked him in the eyes tenderly.

Anakin turned away, refusing logic, "well I should be," came his bitter reply. He was facing away from Padmé, but she could tell he was about to blow by the tension in his muscles, "I... I killed them. I killed them all," he started to pace, "And not just the men. But the women... and the children, too. They're like animals! And I slaughtered them like animals!" he stopped in his tracks and threw the wrench across the room, then whirled around to face Padmé, "I hate them!" he yelled in rage. Then he slumped against the wall in utter defeat, covering his face with his hands. Padmé crouched down next to him and pulled her arms around him, resting his head against her collarbone.

Tears sprung in her eyes, as she realized this was the beginning of his journey to the dark side, turning away from her. This was what had started it all, and that wrench was the very same wrench he had used all those three and a half years ago. The rest her memory slowly returned, and she cried out in anguish and vexation, "Anakin!... Anakin! Where are you? Come back to me, my love!"

A young woman with golden blonde hair pulled back into a bun, with a flower braided on the side of her head stepped in, along with Obi Wan. She put a small tray with a cup on it on the nightstand. He walked up to her bedside, and put a hand on her shoulder reassuringly, "Padmé," he paused for a moment, bracing himself to say the heart wrenching phrase, which even he had yet to fully believe and embrace, "Anakin isn't coming back. No sith has ever returned from the dark side, not one," he looked her in the eyes, trying to convey his frankness and sincerity.

Padmé sat up and pulled herself away from him, her face twisted in a grimace of both physical and emotional pain, "no! No! That's not true he will come back-I'll help him come back!"

"Padmé," Obi Wan placed his hands firmly on her shoulders, forcing her back into sitting position, Padmé's face distorted in a paroxysm of agony, "he doesn't know you anymore, he'll try to kill you."

Padmé looked him in the eyes, as if to say please trust me, I know there's still good in him. Obi Wan hesitated, but he knew he couldn't let her be hurt even more by letting her see what Anakin truly was, and what he would do to her, so he changed the subject. Obi Wan grabbed the cup from off the tray, "here, at least take this sedative, so that you don't have to be in so much pain," he handed Padmé the cup, and she drank all of it, and then handed it back to Obi Wan.

"Where are Luke and Leia?" Padmé asked, trying to steady her voice to hide her pain.

"They're inside, taking a nap," Obi Wan replied.

Padmé immediately stood up, braving the oncoming pain, "I'm going to find Anakin, and if I can't bring him back, maybe our children can," Padmé's limping gait determined, she walked past him, disregarding his wave of protests. She walked into the room where her, their, children were sleeping. Padmé gently aroused them, then picked them up, balancing one on each hip.

"Padmé," Obi Wan called after her as she walked towards her clinquant ship, which reflected Tatooine's sunlight beatifically, mirroring Padmé's hope for success, "please, don't go!" Padmé gave his entreaties no attention, she refused to accept her love was gone for good, well actually for evil. She walked up the ramp and into the ship.

Padmé had given him no choice. Obi Wan would have to sneak onto her ship, again. For the second time in the past 24 hours.