Can You Love Me Again?

Chapter 33- Saving Her Through Him

Worried she'd never open her eyes again, telling him he failed to save his lover once more. Or open her precious mocha orbs and scowl. Rejecting his love and refusing to be his for ever like he so desperately wanted every since he laid eyes on her, years ago on Tatooine. He wanted nothing more than to hold her again, but he let her rest peacefully on the bed. A deep, conflicted sigh escaped his nose as he ran his thumb soothingly over her hand, which she could not feel. "Stay with me my love." Anakin whispered softly, though, Leia heard him this time.

Unable to watch Anakin torture himself any longer, Leia decided she wanted fresh air. Perhaps Luke had a good idea. Unlatching herself from Han's comforting warm hold, she cleared her throat before speaking. "I'm going to get some air." She stated, before beginning her walk away, only to be grabbed by a gentle grip.

"Do you want me to come with you?" He asked tenderly.

Touched by his concern for her wellbeing, but knowing she needed answers on her stroll, she shook her head with an unconvincing smile. "No. This is a matter between sister and brother." She stood on her tiptoes for a second to kiss him softly. "Thank you though." She said, before leaving the room.

"Father, i'm going to talk to Luke. Please tell me if... a miracle happens." She requested, nearly out the door. Her response, was a numb nod from the the hopeless blonde. With his eyes never moving from Padmé, she felt his sanity further slipping. Biting her lip, Leia exited, looking for her theatrical older brother.

A low humm from the green alien gathered everyone's attention, except for the Skywalker parents. Yoda strolled closer to Anakin, who took a few minutes to realize the old master was even there.

"An experience like this, you have already had. Young Skywalker." Yoda stated.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, Anakin moved his focus to something other than the floor, or Padmé. Genuinely confused, and slightly thrown off by being called 'young Skywalker', Anakin cocked a brow ever so slightly. "What do you mean master?" His voice was raspy from the lack of use, as it had been two days since the crew returned victorious. Though Anakin still refused to call it a victory.

Stunned by his first response, and grateful he finally said something, Ahsoka and Obi-Wan smiled, if ever so slightly. Ahsoka wished Luke and Leia were here. Leia had been very worried about Anakin, and Luke... well she supposed he was concerned as well, though the stoic glare said otherwise.

The green grandmaster smiled a little, looking up at Anakin with bright green eyes, before turning to Ahsoka, who had remained silent for the longest time just like all the grieving, sorrows in the room.

"Brought your apprentice back from a dark trance before you have." Yoda said, finally shedding some light on what he meant.

With his mind racing and head pounding against his head, searching for her in the darkness like he'd been doing for hours now, Anakin began to realize what the little dwarf master was getting at.

"Do it again, can you?" The older Jedi asked, more of a suggestion that he could than a real yes or no question.

For the first time in two, long days, full of devastation, guilt, remorse and sorrow, a tiny small pulled Anakin's lips. A hope, gleaming in his blue eyes again as his answer was finally bestowed upon him. He wasn't sure if he could do it again. When he saved Ahsoka on Mortis, he'd been twenty two. A young, powerful man. Now he was older, not ancient, but older and mostly, less powerful. Though, he would try with his life to bring her back again. And now, the question wasn't would he do it. It was could he do it.

The daughter and father had assisted him, in bringing Ahsoka back. This time, he would be all alone. And still haunted by the darkness of his past, failing Luke and Padmé, and countless others for his evils, Anakin wasn't certain he had the pure light he needed to bring her back...