Snippets of Ahch-To (AU) (discontinued)

#3: Comfort

The old man winced in agony at the sight of her night terrors. He tried as best as he could to quicken his pace, and soon unsteadily began to lower himself to the edge of the bed. He shifted his weight from his cane to his legs, then to his behind, his eyelids shut tight as he refrained from groaning in pain. When he finally sat onto the bed, he was positively incapacitated. He rested his stiff, aching muscles and burning lungs for a while before attempting any more movement, afraid that he would wake his darling Rey.

With time, the sickly man regained some strength. He lowered the cane to his side, then gently took the fidgeting Rey into his arms while his chest heaved, desperately forcing air down his lungs. Her head lolled into the old man's feeble chest; Anakin reached out and held it closer, muffling it to a degree.

Her suffering made his lungs constrict. It was such a contrast to his former identity of Darth Vader, but perhaps in time, even the coldest hearts eroded and succumbed to the emotions and well-being of others. Well, of course there were a few exceptions, but Anakin knew he fit under the general category.

"It's... okay... sweetie... I am... here..."

With immense discomfort, the old man leaned down and kissed her tears away, one by one. In Anakin's cradle of warmth and love, Rey seemed to relax a bit and her rapid breathing calmed. A shaking metal hand dotingly brushed away a strand of hair on her sweaty forehead.

A smile erupted on Rey's unconscious face. A hand unconsciously clasping her grandfather's metal appendages, she drifted into a peaceful sleep.

Anakin set her back onto the bed and pulled the blanket onto her sleeping form. Smiling, he unsteadily lowered himself onto the floor and leaned against the stone bunk, refusing to leave until tomorrow morning, when Rey had woken up without any more night terrors. He did not withdraw his left hand, which was still firmly held by his granddaughter, but his right hand clumsily moved up to pat her stomach, hoping to soothe her like how it did when she was still an angelic, vulnerable little infant.

Soon, his own fatigue pulled him under thick water. With bald head pressed against the cold stone and left hand slipping from Rey's grasp, he fell asleep.

***

Grandpa Anakin had been sitting in his hoverchair, Rey snug in his lap. She remembered the endless skyscrapers, the myriad of species that wandered on the streets, Anakin's silver-plated servant droid tottering close behind the grandfather and granddaughter, the friendly merchant greeting them with a dashing smile, the countless shops that lined one of the higher levels of the planet that Grandpa called "Cor-u-scant". Always the intelligent one, Rey knew the second cresh in the word blended with the senth before it, and the two aurebesh characters created only one sound.

Nonetheless, most importantly she had noticed there was no sadness in Grandpa's dull eyes, which made her glad. Rey did not like seeing Grandpa when he was sad- it was as if he was falling into a dark, lonely pit that was very hard to get out. She would try to make him laugh, for if she succeeded, Grandpa's eyes would once more be alight with joy, and the drooping lips and sagging shoulders would jerk up with affection. She would then press her palms to his dimples, making his smile stretch until it exposed his loosening front teeth.

It had been a bright, sunny afternoon, where Grandpa had enough energy to drive her from school and take her to a marketplace. They had chosen to take a leisurely stroll through one of the calmer areas. Rey's kindergarten classes had ended; she was enjoying a wonderful day. However, despite her love for attending school, the young child couldn't wait for the day where his father would take him in as an apprentice to the Temple.

"Sugar, you should attend regular school for a few years though, until you are ready for the classes offered at the Temple. I don't want you to miss out on a good foundation for your education," Papa had said. Quite disappointed but understanding her father's decision, Rey had nodded.