"I've alway liked to play with fire."
"I know why you're doing this to him of all people. I can see you are enjoying it," Aaliyah mumbled, and her eyes never left Anakin's face. The stone cold, yet beautiful face. He was sitting before her with his legs spread and elbows on knees just watching her without any emotion. They were on his ship, flying who knows where. "Are you just going to stare at me?" she snapped, when his gaze was just too much for her.
"I'm enjoying my view, so why not?" his answer was nonchalant and so irritating to Aaliyah.
"If you leave him alone, I will do anything," she said and mimicked his posture, leaning over and putting her elbows on knees to be a little closer to him.
He hummed and one corner of his mouth lifted in a smile. "Tempting, but I'm just too exciting for my new wall decoration. I think I'll pass."
"Please," Aaliyah whispered, but it only made his smile wider. He liked this control, this power he had over the situation and most of all over Aaliyah. He enjoyed her pleading eyes. However, his face was once again stone cold, when he watched her sunk to her knees, getting so close to him, he had to lean backwards. Her hands were on his tights and she was looking him straight in the eyes, when she reached with one hand to his face, pulling him closer. "Please, let him go. It's my fault, not his," Aaliyah caressed his face and her eyes never left his blue ones.
"Would you do anything?" he asked her and leaned over to grab her cheeks with both hands.
"Yes, just let him go."
"Why do you care so much about him?" he asked, and anger lit up quickly behind his eyes. But it was gone before she could even notice. "Why?"
"Not because I would love him. I just care about him because he helped me a lot, he is a good man," she explained enthusiastically because something told her, that she might persuade him to let Oisin go.
"But he does love you."
"I know, but I don't love him, and you know that," Aaliyah shook her head and caressed his cheek gently again, pulling him even closer.
Anakin didn't say anything to that, only slowly bent his head to rest it against Aaliyah's forehead. He sighed deeply and briefly closed his eyes, before he opened them again, making him look as if he was in some type of battle with himself. However, Aaliyah wasn't able to hold on to that thought for too long. Her mind was clouded by his presence, by his scent and close proximity. It was intoxicating, making Aaliyah believe as if everything was alright. As if they were just two lovers not meant to fall apart every time. She could stare into Anakin's eyes long enough to pretend that her dream life with him so real. But she couldn't be so foolish.
"You are playing with a fire," whispered Anakin under his breath, she wouldn't be able to hear him if she was further away.
"And I've been doing it for a quite some time," said Aaliyah in the same quiet voice. Being this close to him brought her back on Dagobah and the mysterious cave where she experienced her vision. Or the manifestation of her deepest, darkest desires. When she was his, and this memory overwhelmed so much she wanted the distance between their lips to disappear.
Anakin noticed the look in her eyes, the desire in them and slowly shook his head. "Don't star something you won't finish," Anakin said in a quiet and dark tone, but before Aaliyah could even fully comprehend his words she leaned over and pushed her lips against his, not caring about anything at all. Her mind was blank, senses overwhelmed and one feeling was resonating in her heart, feeling that took control over her actions, feeling that was way too confusing. She couldn't say whether it was raw desire or unconditional love. At this particular moment, Aaliyah wasn't able to find the will to care, because for the first time in a long time the hole in her chest was no more. She felt whole again!
Anakin didn't stay behind, immediately responding to her kiss, however only for a moment, before he tightly grabbed her jaw and pushed her slightly back. "You're going to get burn," he whispered darkly, yet with lust lacing his words, making the tingling feeling in Aaliyah's stomach come alive.
"Kiss me," was her only response, the heat of the moment too strong to make her think straight for even a second. "Kiss me," she repeated and didn't have to ask him again. The next kiss was hard, full of passion and repressed desire. Something wild, almost animalistic came over them, making them feel as if the kiss was the only thing keeping them alive. As if the kiss was giving them enough oxygen to keep them from dying.
Anakin quickly put both of his hands on her hips and pulled her up on his lap, both of her legs hugging his thighs. If it was up to him, he would just make all of their clothes disappear, but he knew better than that. There was still one small part of him, that was not completely controlled by Aaliyah and her sudden actions. But he was just a simple man, who had the woman of his life in his arms after such a long time. And most of all, she was with him, because she wanted to.
Their lips crushed together over and over again, so hard that their lips almost bruised. There was a light behind Aaliyah's closed eyelids, and she believed that something she hid deep down inside of her was exploding, coming to the surface. She should have stopped than and there, because when it's over, she will suffer. How could she, when he was so intoxicating, when it felt so right, like she was supposed to be in his arms. When she was meant to be here with him and finally the universe made sense to her. There was not a single thing she couldn't fight. There wasn't a thing she couldn't overcome. She was alive.
Who knows how long they would stay like this, just tasting each other's lips, running their hands whenever they could reach? But the moment was lost, when a loud beeping sound resonated through the ship. Anakin immediately ended the kiss, breathing heavily when he looked at Aaliyah, who wanted to lean over to him again, but he stopped her with a hand on her jawline. She wanted to continue, because of the fear of what is going to happen once it's over. Once the magic is broken.
"We are here," Anakin said under his breath, but didn't move. One hand on Aaliyah's hip and the other gently caressing her jaw and cheek. He slowly stood up with her still wrapped around him and slowly put her down on the ground, standing still very close to her, looking at her without saying anything. Meanwhile, Aaliyah was still trying to reach up to kiss him, standing on her toes. "Sit down, I'm going to land."
"Wait," she stood in front of him, when he wanted to move away from her. "Please, let Oisin go. He didn't do anything; don't let you anger consume you."
He looked at her as if he couldn't believe she even said such thing. "My love, do you think you can just seduce me, and I will do anything you want?"
"Can I," she asked.
He shrugged and lifted one eyebrow. "Maybe, but you would need to do better than that," he leaned down and pecked her lips quickly, then smiled. "That man will stay in carbonite as long as I say. As long as I see fit."
"And what am I supposed to do?"
"Forget him," snapped Anakin a little irritated that he still had to talk about that low life with Aaliyah.
"No, I mean, where are you taking me and are you going to keep me prisoner, locked inside a room to go absolutely insane? Is that my fate? Is that what you have prepared for me?"
"That depends on you, but no. It could all be different. You can have everything. You just need to make the right decision," he said nonchalantly and without another word he left her standing there. Aaliyah knew exactly what he was talking about, what kind of decision is she supposed to make. Something also told her that whether she joined him or not, Oisin's fate didn't look good. She needs to do something.
...
Obi-Wan stroked his beard as he thought about Aaliyah, when they made their quick getaway from the cloud city thanks to Lando. He was feeling guilty for leaving her behind, but the force told him, that this time there was no danger awaiting her. She will take care of herself and find a way back to them, to the rebellion, when the time is right.
He felt Ahsoka's resentment towards his decision to just leave without Aaliyah and Oisin, but was quiet, sitting next to him on co-pilot seat. Aaliyah will take care of her, he repeated to himself for the hundredth time, and will help Oisin in the process too. However, the skills and competence of his former padawan didn't stop him from being visibly uncomfortable when he thought about Aaliyah being with Darth Vader. She might know him as Anakin, he might be her ex-lover, but he doubted there was anything left from the boy she used to know, if there was any kind of capability to love in the first place.
He was in the man's company only for a short while, but there was nothing behind those eyes. He felt nothing from the man, no kind emotion, only hatred and so much anger. So much anger, it made Obi-Wan's skin crawl.
"The famous Obi-Wan Kenobi, I've heard a lot about you," said Vader, when both him and Ahsoka were escorted to the room he was waiting in, comfortably sitting behind a long table, he was waiting for the two Jedi to join him. With stormtroopers ready to shoot them in the head and their lightsabres gone, they had no choice but to sit down.
"I can't say the same," said Obi-Wan nonchalantly with his typically raised eyebrow.
That made Vader laugh cruelly. "I'm sure Aaliyah was not crazy about telling you."
This thought still stabbed him in the heart. Aaliyah was like a little sister to him, he knew her since she was a little child, thought he knew everything about her, that she told him everything. But he was wrong, and Vader enjoyed teasing him about it.
"Your good, little padawan had such a big secret. Not only lover, but a husband? Must have been hard to swallow," Vader continued and Ahsoka had just enough of this arrogant Sith but decided to not make matters worse and sit still.
"You're her husband, but how does it feel that she despises everything you do, everything you represent?" said Obi-Wan and that made Ahsoka smile, even more so, when an anger washed through the force. Anger coming from Vader.
"She will come to her senses eventually. And once she is here, because she wants to save her precious friends, she will be mine again," Vader said with so much confidence even Obi-Wan almost believed it.
And now, he has her, and Obi-Wan can't do anything about it.
At least not right now.
"I feel like there is no hope," mumbled Ahsoka a little ashamed that she felt like that. "Is there even a chance against the Empire?"
Obi-Wan sighed and watched the stars in the hyperspace. "There's always hope, as long as there are people fighting for the cause."
"What about Aaliyah?" Ahsoka asked.
"She will find her way back eventually," he looked at Ahsoka, who looked doubtful. "Trust the force, young one. It will always guid you."
...
They were on a space station of the Empire, and Aalyiah was escorted to Vader's quarters. However, they didn't treat her like a prisoner. She had no handcuffs, the stormtroopers weren't manhandling her like savages and she wasn't fighting them.
He was waiting for her, when they arrived, immediately leaving them alone. "Sit down and eat," Anakin said and nodded towards the table, that was full of all kinds of fruits and other foods. She obeyed, her stomach letting her know, that she hasn't had a proper meal in a while. He was quiet, somewhere behind her, doing force knows what, while she was slowly eating and drinking unknown sweet beverage.
"What is your plan now?" she asked after a while and looked to her right. From the corner of the eye, she saw him sitting in a chair behind another desk. She would say that this one was used for work. He was watching her, with his chin was resting on his hand. His robotic hand, she realized and remembered Obi-Wan slicing his limb of on Mustafar. Are they going to go back there? On that depressing and sad planet?
"You mean, what is my plan with you?"
"Yes," she mumbled and turned back to her food.
"We are going to go back to training, or have you forgotten?" she couldn't see that he quietly stood up and was slowly walking to her.
"I still don't want to learn the dark side of the force."
Anakin was quiet for a while, stopping in his tracks. "The Jedi order is still holding you back. It's long gone, Aaliyah, let go."
"I will be a Jedi until my last breath," she said through gritted teeth.
"They only taught you how to see the world in black and white. Do you really think that the Jedi are any different than the Sith?" he came close to her, standing behind her chair. He put fingers of one hand around her throat, but it was still gentle hold.
"The Jedi are good," Aaliyah said, and her breath was uneven. His closeness making her feel all types of way.
"Are they?" he questioned her teasingly and stroked her neck, going over to her collarbone. "Kidnapping children from their parents, teaching them how to supress emotions that are natural to people. t"
She had nothing to say to that, but her eyes fell on the back mask laying on the edge of the table. Aaliyah reached out to it and held it. It was heavier that it looked and so cold and smooth. She held it in front of her, looking at the mask that made so many people in the galaxy shiver with fear. "And you think the Sith are good? Do you think you are good?"
"No," he said, watching her analysing at his mask with interest. "I don't believe in good or evil. I believe in power," her hands started to visibly shake. Power? How much more power does he need? She doubted they even saw his full power. Anakin bent down to her, his lips brushing against her ear, leaving behind goosebumps over her whole body. "I will destroy him. I will destroy the Emperor. For all of us. For you. For me."
________
Heeeeey!!! Let me know what you think. :)