Chapter 61:
I walk into the smoky ground of the true forest. I find an opening between the trees, allowing me to look to one of the moons. I can't see the Death Star.
"I'm here. Take me away. I'm ready," I whisper. "I said I'm ready Annie. Come and take me. Leave our children alone. Just take me," I whisper to the stars in the sky. "Please," I say a bit louder in a begging tone. "You're good. I know you are. Don't hurt Luke. Annie, we can still run away from this. You say we don't have to," I start to feel my lip quiver and my tears form. I try to breathe so I can calm myself. "Must I make myself visible to you?" I ask a tiny bit louder.
"Mara?!" Luke calls. No. Go away. "Mara! You don't have to! Where are you?" I don't answer. I feel my heart clench a bit. I think I hear Luke come after me. I start to walk deeper into the mist. I feel Anakin get stronger in one direction, so I follow it. "Mara!" Luke's voice gets fainter. I keep trudging my way through the brush. I feel Anakin get even stronger as I keep going. I look over my shoulder, hoping Luke stopped.
Half of my wants him to keep searching, as the other half wants him to go. I look up and see a base. There you are. I stand still and pull out my lightsaber. This will get his attention. I turn it on and I hear troops come out to me. I don't even fight. I turn off my saber and I let them take me in.
"No!" I hear from behind me. I look over my shoulder and I see Luke.
"Take him!" a clone tells another. They start to get him and continue with taking me in. I am brought in a building. My heart gets that feeling of being squished between two fingers. I get to a floor and I am brought down a hall. I feel the tingling on my lips when I first kissed Anakin, it gets even more real as we keep going. They pull Luke in front of me, and I am stuck in a room.
After a while, I am brought out again and I hear the breathing. "Anakin..." I mouth to myself. I keep getting closer to the dark figure and the clones by me leave.
"Mara," Vader says.
"Miss me?" I tease a bit.
"Hardly."
"Liar."
"You don't seem like yourself, Mara."
"I can say the same about you."
"What happened to you? Who changed you?'
"Who do you think?" I shoot back.
"Obi-Wan?" he asks.
"No. You did. You left me," I growl.
"You hid from me," Vader says.
"Because you tried to kill me. Not to mention you tried to kill my son," I snap.
"Our son," he says back.
"No. He's Anakin's and my son. I'm the only one in there that is still who I was back then."
"You dare use that tone with me?" Vader steps closer to me.
"I can use whatever tone I want with you. After all, you won't kill me," I hiss. "Do you even care about me anymore?"
"Of course I do. That's why I've sent bounty hunter after bounty hunter to find you," he says. "Mara, join me. We can rule the galaxy, make things how we want them to be."
"The last time you tried getting me to join you with that line, I had to fake my death to save my life," I sneer.
"You can be my queen," he persists.
"I don't want to be a queen. I just want my Anakin back," I weaken my tone. He grabs my chin to look at him.
"Listen to me. Mara, we can still be together," he tries to side me. As charming as his words seem, I don't want to be under Sideous's rule. I want him dead, and I want Anakin at my side, good and innocent and happy.
"What happened to those blue eyes of yours?" I ask.
"I was left there to burn," he growls.
"And I felt it. You and I are connected by more than just our past," I shoot back. His grip on my chin loosens a bit. "Don't you remember? Naboo? Tatooine? Corascaunt? Or has Sideous wiped your memory of them?"
"He doesn't have the power to do that," Vader says.
"Then remember. Please. The nervousness when Anakin first kissed me? The sacrificing of our titles we did to just be together? Remember."
I hear troops start to come out. I look to them and I look back up to Vader. "Take her to my ship," he orders.
They start to take me into an elevator and I let them. I get in the elevator and I look to Anakin. "Remember. Remember Vader, remember!" The doors shut.
