Accismus⋆౨ৎ˚⟡.• Anakin Skywalker⋆౨ৎ˚⟡.•

106.

'Feel me, Solaris,' Vader hummed as his lips brushed against hers. 'Give in to me.'

Sol grabbed one of the lightsabers hanging from Darth Vader's belt. The hiss of its ignition came with the opening of Sol's purple eyes, and the cyan blade appeared in between its wielder and its challenger. Sol's mind cleared and the feigned softness on Vader's face twisted into surprise. The Sith jumped backwards, the Force powering his leap, and the woman, who he thought he was deceiving, was stood in the hue of her lightsaber.

'I remember it, Vader,' Sol said with no sign of enchantment in her voice. 'I remember all of it. It's you that seems to have forgotten some things.'

Sol did her best to resist the face that stared back at her. She wanted to keep to her promise of staying true to what is good, and Vader was not good. If Anakin was still in there, he wouldn't reveal himself while Vader was in control. Sol had to remember Satele's words, despite their irritating repetition, and keep herself in the hold of the light side of the Force.  

With her lightsaber in both hands, Sol held it at the ready. Her fingers tightened around its silver handle when Vader's features darkened. His raised brow fell over his eyes and his jawline sharpened at the clenching of his teeth. The terrifying aura of Darth Vader returned, and Sol sensed his Force signature redden with anger.

'Solaris, I'm trying to help you,' Vader said as he grabbed his remaining lightsaber from his belt. 'It's useless to fight me. Your power is nothing compared to-'

'What happened to getting married, Anakin?' Sol interrupted and Vader froze with his sheathed lightsaber in hand. She adjusted her grip on her weapon as the nerves built in her fingers. Her new approach would take courage, and Sol wasn't sure if she had enough. But at the stilling of Vader's movements, Sol continued to speak with an unwavering tone.

'You remember, right? We said we would leave the Order,' Sol said, desperate for Vader's anger to diminish from his face. 'You said we would leave together. Y-You said we would be happy-'

'That was not possible. Not when he was weak-'

'You weren't weak. You were perfect, Ani.'

Sol was wavering in strength. Her own words were getting to her. Like the false vision that Palpatine showed her, Sol saw the evening that Anakin unofficially proposed. She saw herself in her yellow speeder on the Coruscant building rooftop. She saw Anakin in the driver's seat, his eyes beaming into hers with the plea to marry him. His words of sincerity graced her ears, and Sol heard them as if Vader was saying them in the training room.

'Just a little more to go, then. It's coming to an end. I can feel it.'

Sol almost crumbled. They had been so hopeful for the end of the clone wars, that they had planned to leave the Order and marry on some far away planet. They thought they could be happy. Anakin deserved to be happy, and Sol was willing to give it to him by sacrificing her oath to the Jedi faith. Anakin could have seen Sol's growing stomach and been there for the birth of Luke and Leia. They could have had their family together.

'We could have done it, Ani...' Sol whispered, tears pooling in her eyes with a sob brewing in her throat. 'We could have... had a family.'

She knew she was diving too close to her well-kept secret. Vader could not know about his children. He was too dangerous and too conniving in his ways of the Sith. But Sol couldn't help it. The vision that Palpatine had placed in her mind was tormenting her, and to see Anakin's face staring back at her made her believe that it was still possible.

Vader remained still. He didn't interupt as he too pictured the day he proposed. He saw the sunset over the concrete city and the beautiful young woman who sat in the passenger seat of the speeder. He had wanted it then. Anakin had wanted a life away from war and violence, but couldn't shake the fear of losing what he still had left. He was desperate then, but to hear Sol's plea now, Vader was remembering why he had wanted to escape the war in the first place.