Dreams

"Anakin, you're breaking my heart."

Padmé looked at him…in his swirling clouds of darkness and raining lava. But he gazed past her, seeing something behind her. Something that was making things in his mind click into place. She could see it reflecting in his eyes. And without thinking, without breathing, without waiting for his complete and total rage to set in, she ran up and kissed him.

She kissed his anger away from her…and towards Obi-Wan. Anakin pulled away to look at his wife. She was choosing a life that she could not ever be content with. His love was choosing to look away from her ideas and beliefs for the sake of their love. He could feel her despair. Either choice would leave her with an emptiness. Even still, she was choosing him over happiness. She silently pleaded with him, her eyes telling him to stop. "Stop, stop now. I love you." Her eyes told him again and again. He looked back towards Obi-Wan.

His former master was drawing closer now. He was nearly behind Padmé, about to pull her away from Anakin. His hand was nearly on her shoulder…was reaching up to touch her…Anakin wouldn't take it any more. Darth Vader wouldn't take it any more.

"Padmé, move aside. I need to speak to Obi-Wan." Padmé understood the signal and stepped aside with a bit of hesitation. When she turned, Obi-Wan could see the tears running down her cheeks. She knew this would be the end of one of either her friend or her husband.

Anakin and Obi-Wan both went for their lightsabers and twin lights of blue lighted up the landing platform. The Master and former Padawan went after each other. Slash, parry. Slash, slash, parry. Slash. They put their all into the fight, but their all was barely enough to stay alive…They had known each other too long. Knew all too well what to expect.

They knew that there was a fine line between risking their lives and losing them. Both also knew to stay far enough away from the Senator. Neither man was willing to put her in harms way. It lit Anakin's heart afire to know that Obi-Wan was being so careful and conscious of his wife. Then he turned to see that she had fallen to the ground. He ran to her. Obi-Wan could wait. Padmé couldn't.

She woke up to see Anakin (or was it Darth Vader?) standing over her in an unfamiliar room. "Padmé?" Her name seemed to get stuck in his mouth. "Padmé?"

Anakin woke up and turned to see his sleeping wife. He turned to the door of their bedroom to see little Luke standing in the doorway. Luke was about four now. Leia came up behind him. "Daddy?" She looked frightened.

What if Padmé had not come with me that night? The words bounced around in Anakin's mind. What if she had not agreed to come to the Dark Side with him? What then?

"Daddy?" Leia was trembling in her pajamas. "Can we come and sleep with you tonight? We both had bad dreams." It still amazed Anakin at how connected with the Force his family was. They all seemed to be so in tune with one another. Even Padmé looked troubled in her sleep.

"Sure." His two children ran to jump under the covers. They immediately snuggled next to their mother. Was it instinct to be closer to their mother? Or did they sense what he had done? How he had seemingly destroyed the galaxy. How he had killed children not much older than his own.

Anakin tried to put his arm around Luke to comfort his son, but it was his cold and mechanical right one. Luke immediately shrank away from the touch. The boy wasn't trying to hurt him, Anakin knew. Still, it hurt to know that he was somewhat of a monster in his children's eyes – someone to be feared and respected, not loved.

Leia and Luke went to sleep right away. They were as calmed by Padmé's presence as their father always was. Anakin turned onto his back to think about his dream. About how Obi-Wan and he had nearly fought to the death on that platform. Then he had turned to see his pregnant wife lying on the ground.

Obi-Wan had turned to stop his former Padawan, only to be knocked back with the Force. Anakin had no time to deal with him. He instead had taken Padmé to safety. Later that night, she had given birth to little Luke and Leia.

If only he would have turned back then. He had thought he was too far gone, but he could have escaped the Dark Side even still. His two children could have changed his heart. They could have changed the future of the galaxy. If only he would have turned back. In her sleep, Padmé was thinking exactly the same….If only he would have turned back…We could have been happy…