CHAPTER VI: A BRUSH WITH ANOTHER FATE

"Fear is the path of the dark side." - Jedi Grandmaster Yoda. The Phantom Menace.

Sometimes Anakin forgot - or rather decided not to acknowledge - the fact that the people he loved did not always need his protection. May they be Jedi or soldiers, he felt the compulsive need to make sure that the enemy was aiming at him, and not them. He couldn't help it, despite, the Council's insistent efforts.

So was there any surprise that he experienced that compulsion ten-fold when it came to his wife who did not frequent the battlefield? Times like these reminded him that perhaps he did go a little overboard when it came to Padmé's well-being. She had spent the last few moments trying to blow his brains out, although she had not known that he was the one to launch himself into her living room, amidst the gunfire and explosions.

Presently, the beautiful Naboo Senator was peering over her wrecked sofa, her eyes widening at the sight before her. Anakin felt something ease within as their eyes met. She appeared unharmed, dressed in what he knew to be her handmaidens' disguise. That explained the second presence in the room, Sabé, he discerned from the Force signature. He slowly rose from his position on the floor as he dropped the blasters in his hands, a smile working its way on to his face.

Behind him, Sabé gasped. He watched as a look of relief flooded Padmé's face as she took in his uninjured state. She came out from her spot behind her sofa, Threepio in tow.

"Master Ani." Threepio exclaimed, "You're alive."

Anakin smiled fondly at the protocol droid he had built all those years ago. He reached out for Padmé, draping an arm around her. He pressed a kiss to her forehead, "Are you and the baby alright?"

His wife peeked up at him and nodded. "And are you?" Anakin tucked a stray strand of hair behind Padmé's ear as he nodded, smiling softly. For a moment, all was right in the world. He heard a cough from behind him, and he turned to find Sabé regarding the two of them incredulously.

"Reinforcements will be here any moment now, milady."

She was right, of course. Anakin could sense troopers making their way to the 500 Republica. He let go of his wife, and took out his comlink, clicking it twice.

"I'm touched that you are glad that I am alive, Sabé." He rushed towards Padmé's weapon stash and started rummaging it for explosives, but not before catching his wife's handmaiden roll her eyes. He suppressed a snicker, he enjoyed getting on her nerves. After finding what he needed, he turned back to the women.

"We don't have much time." He felt something twist inside of him as he watched Padmé wince in pain as she picked up her blaster, "Padmé, you and Threepio wait at the landing platform." She bit her lip, obviously displeased at having to leave the work to Sabé and Anakin, but she knew when not to argue. He tossed an explosive at Sabé, "Help me set these up at the entrance."

They didn't wait to get to work, Anakin could sense the troopers climbing the stairs as he had the foresight to disable and destroy the elevator. Threepio and Padmé were waiting for them by the time they joined them. He gave his comlink another click.

"Captain Typho reported that he had sighted snipers on neighbouring buildings. Guns trained on the platform." Padmé informed him, pointing to the roof of a couple of skyscrapers. Anakin could sense beings on them - alert and lethal. He felt his comlink click in his pocket, and he unclipped his lightsaber from his belt.

"Here's the plan." He said, a tad louder than necessary. His stomach was twisting with something that, if he was honest with himself, was fear. Their lives depended on them getting out of this alive - Padmé's life depended on it. It was not often he doubted his own plans, but he couldn't help but.

We need not be adversaries.

Anakin let out a shaky breath. He wondered if Coruscant had always reeked of the dark side. He wasn't sure if the voices in his head were even Palpatine's or if a sinister part of him was simply gaining a voice of its own. He tightened his grip on his lightsaber, cursing his sweaty palms. He desperately dispelled all dark thoughts as he could distantly hear the footsteps of the approaching clone troopers.

"We walk in single file." He continued, hoping that his voice wasn't shaking, "We're keeping up pretenses." He felt a trooper step into the living room, and the ground shook as the explosives that he and Sabé set up blew up. He could sense and hear cries of pain and surprise.

"Sabé behind me. Padmé follows and then Threepio." He lit his blade, and stepped out into the open. He was bombarded with sniper fire instantly. He immersed himself in the Force, letting its fluidity guide him into deflecting the fire. Padmé and Sabé were busy taking care of the clones that made their way past the explosives inside. By the time, they were at the edge of the platform, Anakin was wondering, what in Sith hells was taking Obi-Wan so long.

You need not make it this difficult, my boy. Save her.

He took out another sniper by pulling him off the ledge using the Force and began to hear sirens from afar, he knew that the Coruscanti Security Force would be soon joining them. Luckily, Obi-Wan decided to do so too. His former master, in his stolen purple speeder, stopped before the platform, igniting his own lightsaber.

"Get in." He shouted as he deflected the blaster-fire that was being aimed at him. Anakin stepped aside, and letting Padmé, Sabé and Threepio go in first. He covered their rear, while Obi-Wan covered the front. Once Padmé and Sabé were safely inside, Anakin Force pushed Threepio to join them and leaped into it himself.

"GO!" He shouted, continuing to keep the blaster-fire from hitting them. He felt the speeder start with a jolt. He could hear Padmé and Sabé greeting Obi-Wan rather cheerfully for the situation they were in. It wasn't like Anakin was seconds away from having a heart attack as he realized three speeders came up behind them. The speeders started firing at them insistently, to rate at which Anakin was finding it difficult to keep up with.

Much to his chagrin, Padmé and Sabé decided to aid him. "Now would be a good time to start spinning, Obi-Wan!"

"Spinning is not a good trick," Obi-Wan shouted over the noise, but he did make a sharp turn onto the upper traffic lane. Not that it stopped the enemy from following them up. Anakin felt the speeder shake as a blaster-bolt hit the rear of the speeder. He heard Obi-Wan curse in what Anakin believed to Mandolorian, and he followed his lead in Huttese once he caught sight of the smoke that was coming out from the back of the speeder.

"We're not going down!" Obi-Wan tried to reassure them. Anakin knew better, they would eventually, though, by his calculations they weren't far from his wife's ship. Aware of their advantage, their followers began shooting at them with a renewed vigour. He was caught between deflecting the incoming fire and keeping one eye on Padmé, who was aiming for the engines of one of the speeders.

Unsurprisingly, she didn't miss it. One of them went crashing down as its engine took a hit. Though, the split second of which Padmé was left exposed was enough for a blaster-bolt to hit her shoulder. He heard her shriek in pain, and Anakin pulled his eyes away from the enemy to find a hole burned into her dress, he could smell the burnt flesh. Padmé was trying not to writhe in pain, while Sabé was trying to get a look.

"I'm fine," the pained and heavy breathing that accompanied the statement, contradicted it, "I'm fine."

"It's not too deep." He heard Sabé's panicked reassurances, "Though, she needs medical attention as soon as possible." The handmaiden's platitudes did not ease the feeling of dread that started to coil within him. He could feel a dragon, one that he had always forced to stay in the deepest recesses of his mind, slowly awake from its slumber. He hadn't realized he was staring at Padmé's wound until he found Obi-Wan joining them in the back, one hand somehow on the steering.

"You're driving," Obi-Wan informed him. Anakin stood there, he couldn't. He had to take down those speeders that dared harm his love. He had to heal and protect his wife.

"Anakin!"Obi-Wan was now shouting, "GO!" He felt anger well up in him as Obi-Wan tried to order him around. He obeyed for the sole reason that the speeder was starting to go down. He hopped into the pilot's seat and began desperately steering them towards the platform. Obi-Wan took his place in defending them as Sabé tried to do something about Padmé's injury. He heard her moan in pain amidst Threepio's panicking, and he found himself inside the nightmare that he had been seeing for weeks now.

You need me, Anakin.

What if the injury caused more complications to her conditions than there already were? What if Yoda wasn't enough? What if Yoda didn't even survive his encounter with Palpatine? Anakin could feel the dark side offering its answer. It was the only answer. He caught sight of the Padmé's sleek silver Nubian ship, and he readied themselves for descent when they were hit once more.

"We're going down!" He got up from his seat, and quickly scooped Padmé into his arms. Obi-Wan grabbed hold of Threepio in one hand, and Sabé, in the other. Captain Typho, who they had coordinated with, along with his men moved out of the way. As the speeder hit the platform and erupted into a ball of fire, Anakin and the rest leapt out.

"We'll hold them off." Captain Typho said as the enemy began to land on the platform. Padmé wriggled out of his grasp and shook her head in disagreement, wincing from the pain in the process, "You must come with us, Captain."

"I'm afraid I can not, Senator." Typho took out his blaster and joined his men in firing at the clone troopers that had arrived. Anakin stared at him for a moment, and then at his wife. She was breathing heavily, and clearly finding it hard to keep herself standing.

Only through me can you save her, my boy.

The dragon hummed in agreement, begging to be let out and protect and preserve his love. He stared at the burn as Artoo lowered the ramp to the ship. Anakin forgot to breathe as watched Padmé limp onto it with Sabé's help. He didn't have a choice, did he? What if the Jedi couldn't save her? What if he failed her like he did, his mother? Just because he refused to widen his horizons? In most folktales, the dragon was the most powerful of creatures, and Anakin needed power. He could feel the dragon inside of him slowly unfurl its wings, readying itself for flight - freedom.

"Anakin." Obi-Wan's voice seemed uncertain. He looked up to meet his master's gaze and whatever the latter saw made him take a step back. "Anakin, we have to leave."

The words were cautious, Obi-Wan was rarely so when it came to him. Anakin could feel the wisps of darkness calling him home - and it had been so so long since he had truly been home. He shook his head in disagreement, "We can't leave." He felt the numbers of the Naboo forces wane, but he didn't care. He basked in the pain that they felt as the life in them diminished.

"Anakin-"

"We're not leaving." He did not look away from Obi-Wan's horrified expression. He ignited his blade with a snap-hiss and stood before the ramp, blocking the Jedi Master's path.

Good. Good.

Anakin wondered why he had denied the whispers for so long, for they felt so good. The dragon within, purred with satisfaction.

"Don't do this."Obi-Wan was brushing his thumb over the ignition button on his own blade, ready to fight his way onboard and take them off-world. Away from Palpatine.

I need him.

"You don't understand, Obi-Wan," His words were a void of emotion or feeling, only truth. "There is no other way."

To his disappointment and sick sort of glee, Obi-Wan did not want to understand. Instead, he finally ignited his lightsaber. The Jedi was running out of time as the troopers were closing in. His face was contorted in pain and grief as he brought his lightsaber up, ready to strike. Anakin followed his move, ready to block and aim for the heart of his old friend.

Obi-Wan froze in mid-movement, his eyes straying to a point over his shoulder. He felt his stomach twist in anticipation. Before Anakin could take a look himself, he felt something hit in the back. Twice. He swayed where he stood, his vision blurring. He staggered backwards and whipped his eyes towards the top of the ramp.

Padmé stood there, blaster in hand. Her chest was heaving as she leaned on the entrance to her ship, her face contorted in pain from the exertion. Her blaster was still pointed at him.

That was when Anakin realized that she had been the one to shoot him. His wife shot him when he was so close to attaining the power to save her. His legs crumpled underneath him, and he dropped his blade as he lost the feeling in his limbs. He felt someone gather him in their arms, and haul him onto their shoulder. He stared at the darkening sky as he was carried up the ramp. He tried to resist, to stop them from making this mistake. The dragon was roaring with fury within, trying to break out of its shackles - to no avail.

I've failed.