Inheritence

Chapter 5 - Shattered

Author's Note: And ROTS beings! For those of you who are unhappy by what happens in this chapter, this is a dark fic remember? And it's not a fix-it. :)

To hiep16: I hope you enjoy! :D

~ Amina Gila

There's nothing quite as calming as the quiet sound of running water. It's something he learned years ago. Maybe because he grew up on Tatooine, a place with none, he doesn't know. Anakin seats himself on the end of a couch in the veranda, struggling to regain some semblance of calm.

He can't find it.

Even as he tries, all he feels in the Force is the steadily rising darkness, the lingering depression and death that he's felt so much since the start of the Clone Wars.

His mind replays the nightmare, the vision, over and over. Padme could die. She's – Force, he hasn't had a dream this vivid since his mother died. It was the same.

She could die. No matter how hard he tries to focus on something else, it's all his mind seems willing to circle back to. Force, he can't sit here and do nothing. He did that with his mother, and... Padme can't die. She can't. The crushing sense of heaviness settles over him, smothering him.

Anakin senses her quiet approach – she must have woken up when he got out of bed – but he doesn't look at her. She's here, she's alright, but for how long? How long will it be this way, and how long before she's gone, too?

"What's bothering you?" Padme asks softly.

"Nothing," he replies immediately, instinctively pulling up his calm façade. Logically, he knows it's alright and that he ought to talk to her, that he can talk to her, but after years and years of being forced to constantly bury his feelings and being told it doesn't really matter, it's hard. He doesn't want to talk about it, about himself because it doesn't matter, and it will make the situation more real. He turns to her, finally, searching for something to distract himself with. His eyes immediately land on the japor snippet she's wearing. "I remember when I gave this to you."

"Anakin, how long is it going to take for us to be honest with each other?" She's not going to stand for him dodging topics. Not today, anyway.

Anakin looks away again, unable to meet her gaze. "It was a dream."

"Bad?"

"Like the ones I used to have about my mother just before she died." He doesn't want to talk about this.

"And?" Padme prompts.

Anakin looks at her again, finally, forcing himself to meet her gaze for a moment before looking away. "It was about you."

"Tell me," she requests.

"It was only a dream." Anakin tries to brush it off again and stands, pacing a few steps away. He can feel Padme's unwavering gaze on him; she won't let this go. Anakin takes a moment as he struggles to gather himself. It's... hard to tell her this. It was only a dream, he tries to convince himself, desperately, because he can't face the possibility of Padme dying. "You die in childbirth," Anakin continues, turning around. He's proud at how steady he manages to keep his voice, even despite his raging emotions.

He senses a flair of concern in her through the Force, but it remains mostly hidden on her face. "And the baby?"

He doesn't want to think about it. He hasn't even let his mind wonder that far, because the knowledge that Padme is in danger is already too much for him to handle, but their child... "I don't know."