Tantrum [COMPLETED]

Prologue

Padmé takes a deep breath, her hands shaking at her side. She has never been nervous when it comes to speaking. Being the center of attention has come naturally to her since she was a child. But right now she wants nothing more than to run and hide. She wishes that she could wake up from this freakish nightmare.

Unfortunately, this nightmare is now her life.

She feels tears welling in her eyes as she thinks of him. She longs to have him at her side. She wants him to pull her close and run his hands through her hair. She craves his gentle touch. She yearns to hear his voice telling everything will be okay. They've been apart before, but this is different. He isn't off fighting in a dragged-out war. He isn't at meetings that he's dreamed off since he joined the Order.

No.

This time, he's her enemy. He's the one who helped Palpatine overthrow the Republic. He's the one who went to the Temple and murdered the younglings without a second thought. He's the one who choked her on that platform until she passed out. She doesn't like to think about what might have happened if Obi-Wan hadn't stowed away on her ship.

Though all of that is horrible and stomach-churning, there's one thing that tops all of that to her.

He broke her heart on Mustafar and hasn't even attempted to put it back together.

She tips her head back, making sure to keep it high. It's muscle memory at this point, but this time it's different. She bites on the inside of her cheek, tasting blood. She can't let him see how he hurt her. She must look strong and unbreakable, especially to the people currently in the room with her.

The hologram buzzes as it comes alive, the blue light reaching to the farthest corner in the room. A man in a mask answers the call. His breathing sends goosebumps down her arms. The deep heaving almost makes her freeze. Is this what has become of him? Some being that can no longer show his face, no longer breathe normally? She searches for some part of the man she fell in love with, but all she sees is darkness.

"Padmé." He says, almost making her breakdown right there. That voice is not his. Her name sounds like venom falling from this beast's mouth. She grips the sides of her dress, trying to steady herself. 

"Anakin." She responds, her voice trembling. So much for looking strong. 

"Anakin is dead." He instantly spits. She flinches, almost as if she was slapped. Who is this? Maybe this isn't her Anakin. Maybe this is just one of Palpatine's minions that just happened to answer the call. But he knew her name without missing a beat.

"No." She whimpers, shaking her head. She pinches her eyes shut, trying to block out whoever is talking to her. She pictures his blue eyes, his gentle smile. Maybe if she thinks of her Anakin, he'll appear in front of her. "There's still good in you."

"You are wrong."

"Please, Anakin. Come back to me." She begs, forcing herself to look at him again. The air is sucked from her lungs as her eyes study him. Where has he gone? What is this monster standing in front of her?

"No, Padmé. You must join me." He says, his hand reaching out to hers. She sniffles, thinking of a time before this. She hadn't told him she was expecting yet but it was obvious. She had reached out, their fingers interlocking as Rex pounded on the door outside. 

But this isn't Ani. She would never take this cold-hearted killer's hand. "No. I won't."

He growls, making her take a step back. "I did all of this for you!" He shouts. "I did this for us. So you would survive. Why can't see that?"

She narrows her eyes, something bubbling inside of her. Anger? Betrayal? Grief? She doesn't think she can choose just one emotion to describe how she's feeling. It's a mixture of too many that she's never felt before, but it gives her a boost of energy. "For us?" She asks. She steps forward, pointing at her chest. "You turned the dark side, for us? You betrayed everyone who ever cared for you, for us?"