Disclaimers: I own nothing. I ain't lying here. The song belongs to Fool's Garden, and is called oddly enough "Save Me." Lucas owns all the boys and girls in here, and I'm not even claiming the idea. This is all the fault of a psychotic fire starting muse that's not even mine!!

Author's Note: I'm sure you're all smart enough to figure it out, but just in case, * * means thoughts.

The devil was my savior
The only one to blame
It's me though I've forsaken you
The fire's still the same

Queen Amidala gasped as the door to her chambers was thrown open. There stood her husband, Anakin, looking like the devil himself was chasing him. Which, from what Knight Kenobi had reported to her, wasn't all that unlikely. "Anakin?"

Anakin stepped closer to the bed. He needed her; god he had no idea how much he needed her. Why did he ever think he didn't? "Padme, you have to listen to me. Please, don't be afraid. I-I just need to tell you something. Please, don't call the guards, just listen to me."

Padme slowly nodded. *Anakin's not dangerous. He's your husband. He has never raised a hand to you. Remember that.* "What's wrong, Ani?"

Anakin smiled at that small gesture. No one called him Ani anymore. Only her, only his Padme. He dropped to his knees by the side of her bed. He knew that Obi-Wan was looking for him. He knew he should be with his master, with the Order during this period. He couldn't face them, not yet. He could barely face his Padme. She would understand. She would have to. "I-I've made mistakes. I know that. I should have been here, with you. I shouldn't have left. I-I'm sorry. I-I can't explain why I left. I know I said things that I shouldn't have. I-I didn't mean them. Not really."

Anakin raised up, pacing as he jerkily ran his hand through his short blond hair. "I..this isn't coming out right. I shouldn't be here. I'm sorry. I'll go."

Padme grabbed his wrist, stopping him. "Don't go." She said quietly. "Stay here, please, try to tell me. I'll listen." She could see it. She could see how desperately he needed to tell someone what was going on. Maybe, just maybe she could convince him to go back to the Order, back to Kenobi and let them help her tormented husband.

All the lies have driven you
Away and now I am the one
To be forsaken too
Afraid that I can't stand

It was over. There was no going back. Padme would never speak to him again. He had no one to blame except himself, and maybe the Dark Side. He was on the run. The Order had found out, had expelled him. He'd gone to the Dark Side and now he had to face the consequences. They would be looking for him; Sidious had explained this to him.

The Order would stop at nothing until he was dead. That's what they did to all that left the Order, or were at least expelled. It was too dangerous to let a trained Jedi run loose. Especially one that had fallen. He had to get them first. Take them out, one at a time.

That meant never seeing Padme again. How could he face her? He was everything she despised now. He was greed, hate, fear, anger. Everything that she worked so hard to get rid of on her planet and in the Senate. So why was he here?

He stared at the castle from his place in the city. It looked like such an impregnable place. Something he would never breach. But he had, how many times in the past had he breached those walls? Gone in through a window, just walked right through the front doors? Not now, he couldn't. His blue eyes narrowed as he saw the guards. There had never been guards before.

Kenobi, Kenobi did this. He was always interfering. He always kept the ex-slave from what he wanted. Kenobi had turned his beloved Padme against him. He would pay Kenobi back for this. This was his wife, his soul mate, and Kenobi had stolen her, just like he'd stolen everything else that belonged to Anakin. Yep, Kenobi would suffer and suffer good for this.

Why don't you save me?
There's no limit on my way
That takes me down, I beg
You ... call! ... call my name again!

"Anakin, please! Listen to me. Come back to the Temple."

Anakin sneered. Did Kenobi really want him to believe that? That the Order would take him back flawed as he was. "You'd like that. You'd love for them to execute me. To squash me like they would a bug!"

He saw Kenobi, Obi-Wan, flinch. This was what he wanted, to make Obi-Wan suffer for what he'd done to Anakin. What was it that he'd done again?

"Anakin, Ani, that's not true. The Council wants to help you. I want to help you. Come back to us." Obi-Wan's voice was quiet, but it didn't matter. Anakin heard it clear as day.

He shook his head. He had to do this. Obi-Wan must be punished. His master said so. "I can't. It's too late for me. You shouldn't have come here! Why?"

Anakin ignited his saber. It was the color of blood, the blood that he'd already taken. How many had he killed now? Ten? Twenty? A hundred? How could Obi-Wan ever think he could go back. Didn't he understand how badly he wanted to? He never wanted to be this, this killer, this murderer. He didn't want to be evil.

*Focus. You must focus. Do what you have to do!* The young man found himself face to face with his teacher. Obi-Wan had crossed blades with him. His own teacher had betrayed him, abandoned him.

"Come back to the Light, Anakin."

"NO!" Anakin screamed, and shoved his teacher back. "Never! I can never go back! Don't you understand? There is nothing left for me. You stole her; you poisoned her against me. She'll never take me back! And neither will the Council." The young man swiped his blade in time with his rants. His teacher had to scurry to avoid the blows.

"Who? Who did I poison against you, Anakin?"

"You know who! You had her post guards to keep me out. So that I couldn't see her! She would have seen me if it weren't for you! I loved her, and you destroyed that. You took everything away from me!" He screamed, his blows echoing the rage that tormented his soul.

Obi-Wan continued to retreat. "Padme? Anakin she's scared of you, for you. She doesn't want to lose you to the Dark Side anymore than I do."

Anakin shook his head. "You lie. Padme would never be afraid of me. She loves me, I know she does. Why are you lying to me, to her?"

The two warriors locked blades again and this time it was Obi-Wan that pushed his aggressor away.

"I wouldn't lie to you, Anakin. Not about Padme. You know that, look deep within. The Dark Side is calling to you, resist it, not me. You're stronger than this, Anakin. Fight it!" And with that plea, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Jedi Knight and his teacher extinguished his blade.

Anakin stared at his teacher. What the hell was Obi-Wan doing? "Light your blade!" He growled. Either Obi-Wan was going deaf in his old age, or simply decided to ignore his former student.

"Then I'll strike you down where you stand."

Anakin raced toward the older man determined to fell him once and for all. At the last possible second Obi-Wan ignited his blade and sidestepped the rush. Neither of them realized what was behind the Jedi Knight. With a strangled scream, Anakin plunged into the molten lava.

Deliver me from evil
Save me from the past

Anakin watched as his master electrocuted his son. His son, Padme's son. How could he let this...thing do that? Why was he condoning it?

"Father! Please!" The boy wheezed, reaching out for him.

*Father...*

That voice, those words. Why was he letting this happen? Why was he just standing here and letting Sidious kill his son? The boy had his blond hair, and his blue eyes. Luke, Luke Skywalker. Padme had given Luke his name.

Padme...what would she think of this? She would never forgive him for this. For killing her son, their son. He couldn't stand there; he had to do something.

Anakin felt the blue lightning arc through him. He didn't care, it was meaningless compared to the pain in his soul. He was turning his back on his teachings...again. Now, there was truly no place for him to go.

I'll never lose my faith in you
My love will ever last

She was here. He could see her. He reached out to her wanting, no needing, to touch her again. His beautiful, fierce Padme. "Padme." He whispered.

She came to him, and suddenly he felt nine years old again. Confronted with this beautiful angel. What was he supposed to say? How could he make up every horrible thing he'd done?

"I've always loved you, Ani."

A prison made of failure
Your forgiveness is the key
I never meant to break you
You're my savior set me free

He gaped at her. How could she love him? After all the horrible things he'd done. He almost let Sidious kill their only son. How could she ever forgive him? What had he done to ever deserve this angel in queenly garments?

Only she was Padme, not Amidala. Maybe that was how. She always was more approachable as the lowly handmaiden. "Y-you forgive me?" He choked out.

Padme smiled, and it was as if the heavens themselves opened up and rained down their grace upon him. How he'd longed for that smile. The one she had always reserved for him.

"There's nothing more to forgive, Ani. You did what you had to, what you were born to do. You brought balance. You are balance."

He couldn't believe it. She had forgiven him, of all the people he had expected to hate him throughout eternity she was at the top of the list. He had forced her to give up her children, her life, so that she could be protected from him. He had hunted her down, hunted their children down. How could she forgive him?

"I've never lost my faith in you, Ani. I love you, always have."

He smiled at her and took her face in his hands. "And I you." He whispered as he kissed her.

Never go and
Save me! In a minute
It's too late.

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