Awoken

Mustafar

Disclaimer: I don't have the privilege of owning Star Wars

The wind blew ash, hot and fast into his face. Anakin couldn't see anything but red, the red of the planet, the red of the lava, and the red of his fury.

Anakin was brimming with anger, the anger that for so long he had tried to suppress, along with his ever growing discontent and resentment, but now, he embraced it, savoured it even. The dark side of the force was strong, stronger than he had imagined it being, and with it came a sweet sense of satisfaction, the freeing feeling of finally letting his emotions fuel him.

His whole body was alive with energy, humming with the power of the dark side, and the seemingly unending strength that came with it. He had been so fearful for Padmé before, afraid of the fate that awaited her, and him. Now it was different, never again would he be reduced to the scared little boy clutching his dying mother. The dark side of the Force was all powerful, and it would give him the ability to save his wife. She would not leave him as so many others had. He would not allow her to die on him.

The choice to join Palpatine, to destroy the Jedi Order, had been an almost impossible one. Anakin had stood under no illusions; it was a decision that would change everything, the fate of trillions of beings around the galaxy would be affected. It was hard to bear the weight of such a decision, but Anakin was confident that he had made the right choice.

He allowed his anger to wash over him, freeing himself of lingering doubts as to the whether he had done the right thing to kill the Jedi. The Jedi were traitors. They were the ones that had failed democracy, not the other way around. Anakin only hoped Padmé could see that, would see that. He had saved them, doing what was necessary to protect her and their unborn child. He would not be the apprentice forever, his position as a slave to Darth Sidious would only be temporary, just until he found a way to save Padmé. Then he would overthrow the Emperor, Anakin would make his wife a Queen once again, and they would give their child the Galaxy. He would not spend the rest of his life enslaved and taking orders, for yet another 'Master'.

Anakin could sense the Nubian ship approaching, the one carrying his beloved Padmé. Her force presence impossibly bright these past few months, reaching out to him unknowingly, a beacon of love and familiarity, heightened by the ever growing force signature of their child, in addition to her own.

He wanted so badly to reach out to Padmé and let her know he was there, to comfort her and ease her obvious anguish and distress. Rumours and whispers of his actions must have reached her before he had a chance to ease her concerns. He should have brought her here with him, if only to stay on the ship, it was not safe to leave her alone at the moment. His Angel could not abandon him the way the Jedi had.

Breaking into a sprint, Anakin raced towards the landing platform, eager to greet Padmé and dispel her worries. He arrived at the dock just as the ramp descended, his anger turned to fear and concern. The anguish he had felt from a distance was deep emotional turmoil; Padmé was stressed and afraid, there was nothing he wanted more than to sweep her into his arms and protect her from harm.

Padmé ran down the ramp of the elegant ship looking as beautiful as the ever, gone were her Senate dresses and instead she wore a simple outfit, her pregnancy on full display. He embraced her upon greeting, letting out a breath he didn't know he was holding.

"I saw your ship..." He murmured his words softly into her ear.

She melted into his arms, "Oh, Anakin."

"It's all right, you're safe now. What are you doing out here?"

A slight frown lingered on her face, her red ringed brown eyes were wide with concern, in a way that he suspected mimicked his own. "I was so worried about you. Obi-Wan told me terrible things."