From The Ashes//anidala

14

FROM THE ASHES

Chapter 14

Anakin rode in silence sitting next to Obiwan. He stared out at the city but tried to avoid looking in the direction of the temple. He knew with his knee surgery he would be unable to escape, and the feelings of dread compounded in his mind until they were overwhelming. He started to shake. "I can't do it, Obiwan. You don't understand, I can't..

"Yoda would say there is no can't."

"Yoda doesn't understand. No one does. This is something inside me, I can't stop it." The vehcile landed, and Obiwan climbed out. He walked over to Anakin's side to help him out, but he was frozen by fear. Touching his arm, Obiwan could feel him trembling As he looked at the temple, Anakin's face distorted and he started to make a strange sound. "Come on, Anakin, the worst part will be the first time. It will get better, I promise."

"No!" Anakin screamed as he slapped Obiwan's hands away, flailing his arms wildly. Terror and panic had taken Anakin over, and he was paralyzed by it, mentally and physically. Obiwan sensed this, and came to realize it was going to be harder than he thought.He was ashamed of himself for thinking it, but he was glad Anakin was unable to run away, because he certainly would have.

"Anakin, if it bothers you so much to enter the temple the way you did that night, I can take you through another entrance. Let me get you into your old quarters and into your bed, can you at least allow me that? You must have place to stay during your convelescence. You can't hide forever." He didn't even know if Anakin heard or comprehended a word he said. Anakin was in some sort of trance like state his own mind had created to avoid the situation. Obiwan let the spell play out, and it led to Anakin fainting over in his seat. Obiwan felt for his pulse and breathing, and finding him alive and stable, picked him up, bent him over his shoulder and carried him into the temple by way of a side entrance, straight to his old quarters and into his old bed. Anakin Skywalker, Chosen One, fulfiller of the ancient prophecy, had finally returned to the Jedi temple, though not exactly of his own free will.

Padme had made her way to Naboo, and was sitting back home in her parents' house. When her mother asked her what was wrong, she broke down and cried, telling her everything. Her sister was there, too, and the three of them had a good cry. To Padme's surprise, they both thought her feelings toward him were a bit unfair, even considering everything, yet they supported her in whatever she would decide to do. Through tear stained eyes, they all looked over at the babies, cooeing softly and kicking, shaking their fists. These were Anakin's babies too, this all involved him. "Padme, darling, you are going to have to go back and face him, tell him everything you feel, talk it out."

"I know, mother, but I don't feel there is anything left to say.Anakin committed terrible crimes. He should actually face charges for them."

"You'd send your own husband to jail?"

"Anyone else should go, why not him? Since it was all a part of the war, it might not be considered murder. Then he and Obiwan killed Palpatine and those two clones..."

Her mother was shocked. "Padme, don't you see they had to? Anakin turned around and did the right thing, he deserves that much consideration."

"Yes, they'd probably just let him off on temporary insanity anyway. He deserves to be punished. As long as he was hurt or at least blind that was punishment enough. Now, I don't think he deserves to go on living a normal life after..."

"I don't think you really mean that. Anakin is such a sweet boy, and he loves you so. Please, give him a chance to tell you how he's feeling. Don't shut him out. Look at those babies, he is their father. It's the right thing to do." Padme looked at the babies, and images of beautiful, loving, happy Anakin came to mind, and all of their lives and love together. She tried not to let her emotions rule her, though in a way that is what she was doing by turning against him. Her mother was right, she needed to work it out.