Saga Don't Worry (A/P, PT, challenge response) UPDATED 07/24

DISCLAIMER: All characters are property of Lucas Films, LTD. I am not profiting from this work in any way.

This vignette was written in response to the July Ani/Ami Index Challenge: ?Padmé finally realizes that Anakin truly has matured into a man.?

Era: PT (between AOTC and ROTS)
Characters: Anakin/Padmé
Rating: PG

Don?t Worry
by The Yellow Dart

Darkness fell on Coruscant, and she was alone. Again.

Her pain rose to the surface whenever she was away from the seemingly constant companionship of her fellow senators. Now that she was home, she finally allowed her emotions to surface from their well-hidden spot deep in her heart.

Uncertainty was, by far, the worst part of being a Jedi?s wife. From the day she had married him, Padmé had known she would rarely get to see her husband -- at least until the war was over.

He had a duty. And she had a duty, too.

?Where are you, Anakin?? She knew he couldn?t answer, but the vocalization almost helped.

She had to bear her pain in secret, unable to talk to anyone else. Her marriage had to be a secret, at least until the war ended. Sometimes she longed for some kind of support, but she was strong and never failed to put on a stoic front. No one could find out the truth.

Still, the dearth of communication left her nerves frazzled. She watched the holo-news every night, hoping to hear something about her husband, but dreading the worst.

Oh, she was nothing more than a masochist waiting for news of her husband?s death.

At times like this, she felt like she might break. She curled up on the couch and pulled her legs up to her chest. The holo-news flickered before her, but nothing kept her attention.

A series of tears fell down her cheeks and she didn?t bother wiping them away. Anakin could die out there, and she wouldn?t find out until she saw a news report or heard something in the Senate.

She hiccupped loudly. Life wasn?t fair. She deserved to fall asleep in her husband?s strong arms and wake up to his soft kisses.

Suddenly, she felt so small in her large apartment. Without Anakin, her home seemed like a barren wasteland.

Every bone in her body missed him terribly.

It had been months since she had seen him; maybe it had been a year. She had the occasional letter and the even rarer com, yet the small, shiny, orb-shaped locket in her hand contained her only image of him. Sure, she had countless memories, but she often needed something tangible to protect her own sanity.

She ran her fingers along the locket and softly touched the latch that released the encased holo. Suddenly, his tall, lanky body appeared before her. It was Anakin. Her love. Just how she remembered him.

His hair was short and curly and the long padawan braid brushed against his neck. His passionate blue eyes stared at her with intense love and eternal devotion. That beautiful impish grin was spread across his face, and she wanted nothing more than to kiss him until that annoying smile was erased.

?Anakin,? she breathed. If she concentrated hard enough, it was almost like she could reach out and touch him.

She sighed deeply. She hated this war that had drawn them apart so soon after they had found each other.

Why did he have to be a Jedi?

Why did she need him so badly?

Suddenly, she turned her attention back to the holo-news. She had missed the headline, but it seemed like two Jedi had been killed somewhere in the Outer Rim territories.

What if her worst nightmare had been realized?

Her mind jumped to the inevitable conclusion. Anakin. Anakin. Anakin was dead.

?No,? she breathed. ?It can?t be.? Her heart pounded wildly and her body trembled with fear. ?Not Ani.? Surely, she would know if he had been killed. There would be a profound emptiness deep in her heart that would cripple her.

The holo-news reporter?s mechanical voice read, ?The team of Kenobi and Skywalker . . .?

?No!? she screamed. She didn?t hear the rest of th

 

Wonderful! Welcome to the boards and I can't wait to read more of your work! You did a great job with this challenge!

 

Fantastic job! I really like your writing style; you're very talented. I'm looking forward to reading more from you!

Oh, and welcome to the boards. I'm pretty new too.

 

Fantastic. I don't usually get into the A/P fics, but this one was great, and I was extremely impressed!

 

Hello and welcome to the boards!

I really enjoyed this. It was sad that their meeting was cut short, but at least they did get to see each other. Very nice job.

 

Beautifully written!
Welcome to the boards and I hope I hear more of you.

 

It's a little warm in here!!!!

Lovely vignette! Nicely written and very enjoyable.

I also hope you write more.

btw, with a name like YellowDart, you wouldn't happen to be a Strongbad fan would you?

Welcome to the boards!!!

~Jedikma

 

That was absolutely beautiful! Their pain and longing for one another really came through in this piece. My heart ached for them, being separated and never knowing, despite Anakin's bravado, if they will ever see each other again.

Bravo!

 

Thank you all so much for your wonderful comments! I am so glad you enjoyed it. I tend to be very self-conscious about my writing, so hearing that people enjoy it makes me so happy.

VaderLVR64
Thank you so much for the welcome! And I am so glad you enjoyed the story. The challenge was sort of hard for me because I didn't really know how to use a few of the challenge words in a sentance (my vocabulary is horrible!). So after an IM conversation with a friend, I finally figured out how to use all the words within the story I was envisioning.

Aelan_Greenleaf
Thanks for the welcome, and I am absolutely blushing about your comments about my writing style.

Mr_Sith
Glad you enjoyed the story even though you don't usually read A/P stories!

Alethia
Thanks for the welcome! I felt so bad for them when I was writing! I was tempted to make their conversation longer, but I was getting pretty close to the word limit for the challenge.

Starshine
Thanks for the welcome, and I am very glad you enjoyed the story!

Jedikma
Thanks for the welcome, and I am so happy you liked the story!

LOL! Yes, I am a StrongBad fan. The Yellow Dart is a "cool nickname" . . . gotta be worth at least 5-10 extra credit points!

Gina
Thank you so much! You pointed out exactly what I was going for in this story -- their longing, and the fact that they may never see each other again.

Thanks again to everyone who read this story!

Would anyone be interested if I were to write a sequel? With a title "Don't Worry", my mind is racing saying I need to complete it with "Be Happy". Oh, gosh, I really am showing my age. I really am a child of the '80's.

Yellow Dart

 

I, for one, would like a sequel. And with a title like 'Be Happy'... *grins* Please do!

 

DISCLAIMER: All characters are property of Lucas Films, LTD. I am not profiting from this work in any way.

This vignette is a Sequel to my story Don?t Worry.

Era: PT ? Between Episodes II and III
Characters: Anakin/Padmé
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Romance, Angst

Be Happy
by The Yellow Dart

Darkness crept around her bed, only interrupted by soft flames of light through her large window. Padmé knew sleep would elude her again tonight, just like it had nearly every night since he?d been gone. The sun would rise in just a few hours; morning would signal the start another long day of sleepwalking through the senate.

?I can?t do this any more,? she moaned. She had taken up talking to herself in his absence. Since she couldn?t share her pain with anyone else, she needed some sort of outlet. Their marriage had to be a secret -- at least until after the war.

Night was the worst time for her; she felt so small in her large bed. She had never been scared of the dark as a child, but now it terrified her. If only Anakin could wrap his strong arms around her lithe frame and make her feel secure and loved. Then she would be able to sleep, nestled against his strong, warm body.

?Anakin, I need you.? She hated how selfish she had become.

Padmé yawned loudly and stretched across the bed. If she imagined hard enough, she could still sense his scent on the pillows; she could almost feel his soft breath against her cheek. But she couldn?t feel his arms around her.

?I used to have no trouble sleeping. Why did you do this to me?? It wasn?t really his fault. She worried about him. She missed him. She needed him. The thought was quite disconcerting.

Before she knew the power of true love, she had been unaware of how alone she really was. Now that she had experienced a world with him, she couldn?t bear to be without him.

A queen at the age of fourteen, she used to be strong. Solitude had been her sanctuary. Now she was sure she would crumble without his support.

Where was that powerful young queen she once was?

She heaved a woeful sigh. ?It?s crazy. And I?m talking to myself, so I have to be crazy.?

All common sense told her she couldn?t be so desperate. She lived in a real world, not in the midst some lovesick pity party.

Yes, Anakin was fighting a war and he was in constant danger, but she also had an important job in the senate -- a job for which she needed to be awake. And that meant she had to sleep. Now.

Still, she couldn?t close her eyes without seeing his handsome, smiling face. And then . . . Was it a doom-filled premonition or merely a haunting dream filled with the sights, sounds, and pain of war on a distant planet?

What if she was seeing the world as he experienced it, through the portal of her dreams? Sometimes, like tonight, she saw him writhing in pain. Suffering. Dying. Slowly. Painfully.

She shivered and pulled the blanket up to her chin. No warmth could sooth her ice cold fear. She turned onto her other side and pulled his pillow to her chest; it was a poor substitute for the man she loved. Her bed was still just as empty as it had always been.

Regardless, she had to sleep! She buried her head against the pillow and tried to close her eyes again. Her heart raced again when she focused on his handsome face.

Her heart raced with fear. She had no idea where he was or what horrors he would face even now as she slept in the safety of her warm bed.

He might never come home again.

No wonder she couldn?t sleep. ?Ani, I need you,? she breathed. She sighed deeply and again flipped onto her other side. Her eyes stayed propped open, unable to face her dreams. She stared out the window, studying the night sky, but not really seeing anything.

?I?m here,? his familiar soft, deep voice wafted through the cold dark air.

It couldn?t be. ?I?m crazy.? She buried her head in her pillow. ?I?m really crazy.?

?You?re not crazy, Padmé. I?m

 

That was so beautiful! I fully appreciate you taking the time to write it and if for some reason someone else doesn't appreciate it then they are a little crazy.

- Rachel

Keep on writing.

 

Oh, this is beautiful!! I love both viggies, but the dialogue in the second one just rang so true to me that I have to comment on it. The first viggie was also wonderful - I like the way you had her realize his new maturity through the holonet/com versus in person, I don't think I've seen that yet in this challenge.

If you do a PM version (bats eyelashes) please PM me .

Also - if you're still searching for a beta reader, let me know. I'm new to SW fanfic, sort of, but I've been writing fanfic in the HP universe for over two years and have been beta'ing there for almost as long. I do have a full-time job, but I try to get things back to people in a day or so if possible.

 

Very nicely done .

--MissPadme

 

Aww, Laura, I'd have betaread it for you! It's been crazy here the last few days with all the girls going home, but life should be simpler from here on out and I'd be happy to look at things for you And I need to print out a copy of your other story to take on the plane with me!

And I'm so proud of you for posting! Look at you, you've finished two stories already and I haven't finished any Some master I turned out to be! Awesome, awesome job

Kaylle

 

These are both very nice. I like in the second one how Anakin offers to leave the service and Padme refuses. It makes a sad echo of ROTS when she begs him to run away with her, but it is too late. Good stories.

 

Oohhhh...

I loved in the first vig how you had her question her dependence on Anakin - that irked a lot of people in ROTS. And in the second, the dialogue felt so real and natural between them. The honeymoon's over, but they still love each other like newlyweds.

 

I'd like to thank everyone who took the time to read my little story. Especially, thank you to everyone who posted comments. They really made my day.

rb657062, thank you so much! What a sweet thing to say.

Wendynat, I am so glad you liked both stories. As for the PM version . . . nothing is ever out of the question. I am thinking maybe Part 3, the morning after.

Miss Padme, thank you so much!

Kaylle, my wonderful Master, I know you're really busy, so I didn't want to bother you. Plus, you should be writing, not beta reading, but if you're offering . . . I am not going to refuse. And my other story might put you to sleep on the plane. LOL! As for my finishing two stories, well, you're working and I am sitting at home on my butt all summer until school starts in a few weeks .

Dally, I am so glad you caught the parallels between this story and ROTS. I am also very glad you enjoyed both stories.

Jade Solo, I'm really glad you liked that I had Padme question her dependence on Anakin in the first part. It kind of irked me a little in ROTS, too. I felt like we didn't have enough motivation for her behavior. And thank you for your compliment about the dialogue.

Again, thank you so much to everyone who read these vignettes.

- Yellow Dart

 

That was absolutely beautiful. The dialogue and emotions were so raw, so real.

Stellar job!

 

Sorry to be bumping this up to the top. I don't know if it is allowed after so much time has passed. I just wanted to thank Gina for her comments .

Also, I would like to try to submit this to the fanfic archive. Only, I don't have two beta readers. I have one person who proofread the first story, but she is not a star wars fan. Would anyone be willing to look these short stories over so I can submit them to the archive. Thanks!

- Yellow Dart