Beyond - Legends Fragile: An Anakin and Tahiri Story A previously unposted outtake up 5/20/11

woah that was cool and sad at the same time great post

~brook

 

Hello,

Another stellar update!

Whoa!

Anakin went postal there didn't he?



Whew!!

It's like a bomb went off!



Hopefully, things will get more tanquil now LOL

& MUSHY?!

 

Oh no.... poor Anakin and Tahiri....not too mention poor Han.

My first thought was why doesn't Tahiri use the Force to stop Anakin, and then I realized....she can't. She is to shocked in the moment, loves him too much and in general just has been traumatized too much. Her response was completely appropriate.



Great writing!

 

Dear Lord woman!

It's easy to blame the person standing closest to you when the bomb goes off but... *smacks Anakin*

Smarten up son! Don't make me reach through this screen and throttle you!

Poor Tahiri... Anakin you're breaking her (and MY!) heart!


CJM

 

oh wow! What a great post, and a great look at Anakin's reaction to how his folks treated Tahiri. Great, great job!

 

To be fair to Anakin he's probably suffering from several, as-yet untreated, mental disorders including, but not limited to, PTSD. He's also feeling rather jealous. Not excuses for his actions really, but as explanations they go a long way.

Still, I look forward to seeing how this all works out.

 

HOLY SITH!

Anakin's furious! And poor Tahiri's in the kriffin' corner sobbing! This is crazy and I love it.

Great job with this!

 

some one had to fall but poor tahiri

great update as always

 

Check me out? Replies! It?s all part of my pledge to start this new year of my life (see last week?s Happy Birthday to myself messages for frame of reference) off by being organized and responsible.

I give myself two weeks.

And before I start with the replies, let me say this: you were all pretty surprised by Anakin?s little melt down last week. Understandable. I have also gotten a lot of feedback on the Solowalker?s behavior in general. I did not start out to write a story about Anakin?s family behaving badly, however, as the story progressed, as the chapters sort of started writing themselves, the progression of the emotions seemed to make sense to me. It didn?t feel right to have Anakin come back and have everything be magically okay.

So, for what it?s worth, that is how we ended up here.

But don?t worry? I?m not totally evil. Things will work themselves out to some peoples satisfaction.

Now: Concise replies to replies:


Star_Writer: Glad to know the story isn?t predictable! And not all the truth is out; Anakin still doesn?t know all that happened, only that Tahiri wasn?t treated well by Leia. Anakin, in canon anyway, has a tendency to turn things in on himself and take all the blame, I wanted to explore that here. He didn?t need anymore than Leia blaming Tahiri for his ?death?, coupled with being overwhelmed by his debriefing, and then Tahiri shoving just how well she did exactly what he told her to do while he was gone down his throat for him to blow up.

Imagine being on a deserted planet for 14 months, and waking up to this crowd? and then having your wife dump what Tahiri is dumping on him? like he gives a damn about checking accounts right now.

But yes, things will eventually improve, and not too long from now.


PrincessBrookSolo Thank you for continuing to read. It was sad, wasn?t it? I sort of hated to do it, but I just couldn?t imagine Anakin not being a little overwhelmed and losing his cool after waking up to this bunch.


Jade_eyesThank you, I?m glad you liked it, and yes? Anakin did go postal, so to speak. Things will eventually be tranquil and mushy? but I?m not going to tell you when. You?ll just have to keep reading.

But there will be ?mush?? I swear!

Characters will even ?get it on?.

It will even be our hero and heroine!

Shhh?. Don?t tell anyone I told you!

I?m convinced I could tell you the secrets of the whole story here and it wouldn?t matter because no one actually reads these responses.


TahiriSoloFan You bring up a very interesting point! Yes, the shock and the emotions are running so high, it?s hard to think clearly or react appropriately. I?d also think that at some point Anakin would have just hit critical mass, overload; he?s gone from absolute aloneness to being hovered over by his wife and family, and the tension that is probably palpable around him.

At least, that is what I was going for.


canadianjedimama Anakin isn?t through yet? you may want to throttle him even more after this week. But I promise, he?ll figure his miserable self out soon? just remember, he?s been through a lot.


Kidan Thank you for still reading. Yeah, Anakin has some poodoo to sort through. He?s a good guy though, he?ll get there.


CanisBlack Astute observation! Exactly the sort of stuff I was implying! The poor man has spent a year without another person to talk to, thinking he could die at any moment, and look what he comes home to. Of course he was going to blow his top. The question, in my mind wasn?t ?was he?? it was ?when was he??. And again, you?re right, not an excuse for his behavior, and even he knows that, but, I think, in line with his personality.

He?s got a little more to work through, but hey, he?s Anakin; work through it he will.


Darthrevan4ever Thank you for reading.


lost_lauries_grapes Holy Sith was exactly was I was going for! I?m so glad you responded that way! I?m so excited that you?re enjoying the ride. Hang on tight? we?re not done yet!


frankieskywalker Our girl is

 

Yah-huh.

 

Check you out, smarty pants!

But... more importantly.... check out what's below \/

 

So? Some people really need to see the bottom of the pool, the real bottom of the pool, where the filth and the scunge dwell, before they can turn around and begin to swim for the surface?



Fragile

Chapter 11

Breaking The Girl



Anakin lay flat on his back, panting, lightsaber pommel resting on his right palm. The seared and ravaged remains of several round, fist-sized remotes surrounded his prone body, their fried circuits and melted casings scattered over a wide area.

When he had yet again failed to catch even a third of the lasers being shot at him with the blade of his saber, he?d given in to his frustration, opened his eyes, and begun to hack at the devices in rage.

Not very Jedi-like, but what did he care? He wasn?t a Jedi anymore.

He took in a deep breath, tried to let the motion soothe him, then gave up in disgust. He rolled over onto his stomach, and pounded the floor with his fists, angry again.

Those were seven of the last fifteen remotes he had. He?d already hacked up the other twenty-five Tahiri had gotten for him and it was going to take weeks to track down more, though any new ones would likely meet the same fate. He probably could have fixed some of the broken ones, some of the ones that weren?t too badly melted, but he didn?t have the patience. Of course, waiting for Tahiri to get around to ordering him more could take forever and he may not have a choice.

He was alone in the workout room that Tycho had assigned to Tahiri and her commandos. Tahiri was up in her office working, as usual, and the commandos were standing watch over Will and his new nanny, Paloma - at least Anakin thought that was the little Togruta?s name.

Rumors had come in that another kidnapping attempt might be in the offing, so the commandos were standing over Will and the nanny whenever Tahiri was in her office. Actually, they were now standing over Will wherever he was if Tahiri wasn?t with him. They only seemed to grace Tahiri with their presence when she felt the need to kick great big giant butt.

She hadn?t asked Anakin to work out with her since they?d returned to the Lusankya. Clearly, sweeping the mats with her husband wouldn?t provide enough of a challenge; Will would probably give her a better run for her creds. Or, maybe she feared that Anakin would get angry again and use the Force to strangle her.

They?d barely spoken in the month since they been here?at least not about anything more significant than Tahiri telling him where the clean towels were kept, or what blanket Will liked to sleep with at nap time, or her informing him that he had yet another appointment in the med center.

They?d avoided the awkward issue of them sleeping in the same bed by Anakin foregoing sleep altogether, opting instead to spend his nights in meditation, or yet more healing and rejuvenation trances.

Eating together didn?t present a problem; Tahiri ate in her office or on the go and Anakin didn?t eat; he sipped, or, if he was lucky, the nutrition droid didn?t puree his food long enough and chunks that roughly resembled food found their way into his cups and he almost got to chew.

Anakin looked at his wrist chrono, debated going home, then decided against it; what was the point? Even if there was someone there, what would they need him for?

His wife had proven handily that she could survive on her own. She?d done precisely what he?d asked her to do the night before he?d left Eclipse; she?d kept herself and their son safe while he was gone. She?d not only done that, but when turned out by his family, she?d built a good life for herself. She hadn?t needed his family after all, and she didn?t need him.

His son was thriving; happy and healthy. Will was surrounded by caring people who had spent every day of his life showering him with love and affection. Will didn?t squeal with unrestrained delight when Anakin walked into the room the way he did when the nanny, Wedge, Iella, Tycho, Winter, or even kriffing Bram and the other commandos came in; he just looked at An

 

LOL! We do too!

 

are you guys sitting on the thread????

 

Great Update.
How heartbreaking! These to need to talk...seriously!
And then there needs to be some serious make-up ahem...
But first they both need to get a clue...I wonder who will step in and make them both wake up and smell the caf about what's really going on here!

 

J/K I just had really really good timing today when I checked to see if you had posted yet.

 

Well, hell.

But I guess when you hit rock bottom there's no where to go but up or out. I'm guessing that Anakin will choose up but I know you're gonna make him sweat blood to get ther.

I look forward to the journey.

Good stuff.

CJM

 

Hmm...Given Anakin's reactions at the end of this I'm beginning to wonder if he may have just gotten the kick in the pants to actually start looking at his actions and realize that he needs help. I'm also honestly wondering who he's going to turn towards when he does. I seriously don't see him turning to Tahiri - not yet at least. I'm thinking Han would probably be the best one, but given how screwed up in the head he's feeling right now I'm thinking an outsider or, perhaps a semi-outsider, would work best.

Personally I'm placing my money on either Wedge or Tycho - mainly because both were mentioned in this chapter and he's apparently got an appointment with Wedge later.

 

Gah! *throws Anakin into a wall for being stupid* Tell her you need help, damnit!

As usual, t'is very good. Looking forward to your next.

 

*noooooooooo!!!!!!!!!! Kriff you anakin solo you march after her and tell her how much you need her before I knock sense into your skull* great sad post Preggers

 

*delurks* I should probably post something in here before the end of the fic, given I've been reading since chapter 5.

*reads latest chapter* Oh, boy. Anakin has seriously lost the plot. Not that I can blame him; I would probably feel somewhat unnecessary in his situation, as well. Then Tahiri mistakes that for him not wanting to be part of their family, and then you get the mess they're currently in.

Looking forward to the next post!

 

Hello Intrepid Readers!

Check me out with being all organized.

Actually, Darth Little Boy and Big Sithter started school yesterday and I hardly know what to do with myself. Force forbid I should like... go to the gym or do laundry, or... do some work! Perish the thought. Or, work on chapter 23 of this, which is really proving troublesome. Or, that original fic I owe someone...

But that is another issue all together.

In the meantime:

Poor Anakin! I strand him on a deserted planet and strip him of the Force, and food, and water for over a year, and all you guys care about is Tahiri.

I bombard him with an overwhelming family, and Tahiri shoving bank accounts and her schedule down his throat, and have him suffereing from PTSD and all you guys care about is Tahiri.

THEN: I have her dump him... and all you guys care about is Tahiri!

I get it, since she is sort of the main character here. I'm trying not to make her a Mary Sue. She does have faults. What happened on Hapes was as much her fault as Leia and Jacen's. But we'll get to that later.

Anyway, on to replies.

Oh, wait: PM's: IS that still neccessary? Are you guys even looking at them? Do I really need to send them? Is my Friday posting schedule regular enough that you all know to look for the new posts and I don't need to do that anymore (please?!) because it's sort of a pain in the rump... Let me know if you actually need them because I will do it. But I see that some of you don't even open them.



CanisBlack and star_writer24 - Okay... you proved me wrong. At least some of you are reding these replies, so I'll be more diligent about actually making them from now on. And perhaps not so glib about what I put into them?


star_writer24 - You are right, A&T do need to talk, though, as history has shown us, that is hard for Anakin. He's a doer, Tahiri is the talker, so he's going to have to learn, and quick, if he wants to salvage this. All of your questions... well, the ones you asked after reading the last update, will be answered in the next update.

Oh, wait, no they won't. Oh wait... maybe they will. But they'll certainly be answered soon!

Edit: I'm going to reserve comment on the make-up "PG-13 KISSING" for later...


canadianjedimama - LOL... Anakin is in hell alright. And yes... I do plan to make him sweat a little. Thank you for still reading, I'm glad you're enjoying the journey.


CanisBlack - Why... yes, he did get a little kick, and after what he's been through, wouldn't anyone need a little help? Sort of what I wanted to explore here - and one of the things that infuriated me about the NJO, and TDN, was that there was no attention paid to the torture that was inflicted on Tahiri or Jacen. Tahiri didn't need to be sent to Dagobah to meditate, she needed therapy. Jacen didn't need to be left to wander the galaxy for five years... he needed THERAPY!!!!

Nice guesses about who he'll turn to... but better guess that he'll turn to someone at all... you'll see soon enough. Thank you for reading, and for your fab replies, it really makes me feel good that you're thinking about it that closely!


lost_lauries_grapes - Again... poor Anakin! Everyone is so hard on the boy! After everything he's been through, you don't think Tahiri should have just come out and told him that she needed him to step up and straighten up?

My personal feeling is that they are both acting out of fear here. And I think Tahiri is terrified of what is going to hit the fan when Anakin finds out somoe of the things she said to Leia and Jacen during those terrible days on Hapes...


PrincessBrookSolo - You won't need to kknock him around just yet. He'll figure it out soon enough. And I'm glad you liked the post.


TahiriSoloFan - I know, huh! But never fear... I wouldn't torture them for long. Well, not that long.

Draconarius - HEY! Thank you so much for delurking! How exciting to have a new (sort of) reader! And No worries about

 

Hello kids!

A little explanation before you confront the wall o' text below.

Chapters 12 and 13 were originally one chapter that kept growing and turned into a monster. I split it into one chapter with two parts, then, the break seemed so natural, and the song titles were so good, that I just made it two separate chapters, but then, I felt guilty for making you wait a whole week in between. It felt like I was milking the angst, and I didn't want to do that. So I begged the Beta to do these two edits in one week and posted them on the same day as a treat for those of you who hung in there through all the trauma that I've inflicted on our hero and heroine.

Thank you to those of you who haven't sent me hate mail and who have kept reading. I'm glad that a few of you have given my little tale the benefit of the doubt and have enjoyed the ride.

I hope you enjoy these two (massive) posts and that this isn't too much information to properly enjoy all of it.

Thanks again! Preggers




Fragile

Chapter 12


(You Know What The Sun?s All About) When The Lights Go Out



Anakin took a deep breath, dropped into a crouch, and gave Bram the most menacing glare he could muster? driven by the pain that still rocketed through his ribs.

Bram smiled back, motioned his fingers in a ?bring it on? taunt, but the smile disappeared when Anakin launched himself into the larger man?s gut, sending him sprawling.

?Nicely done, Colonel,? he gasped when he could get words out. ?I?m going to assume you didn?t use the Force to do that.?

Anakin wheezed out a laugh, stood up panting, then reached down to give Bram a hand.

?Never. Knocking you on your ass wouldn?t be anywhere near as satisfying if I had to resort to parlor tricks to do it.?

?Funny, your wife never seems to feel bad about it.?

Anakin swallowed the hurt that any mention of Tahiri inevitably brought, and shook his head. ?She shouldn?t. She?s half your size, and I?d prefer she not hesitate to use any weapons at her disposal if she?s in a real fight; practicing on you thugs keeps her sharp.?

?Oh, she?s sharp; knocked Stoker out cold the other day. Felt bad about it for a whole ten seconds too,? he laughed.

Bram must have noticed the look on Anakin?s face, knew him well enough now to recognize the change in his demeanor, because he placed a hand on the younger man?s arm, and gave it a gentle squeeze, ?Hey,? he said ?it?s going to work. And if it doesn?t work tonight, it?ll work tomorrow, or the next day. It?s all going to be okay.?

Anakin smiled and nodded at his friend, wishing he felt half as confident as Bram, then decided - made a specific choice - to think positively. He and Tahiri had been through a lot, both together and apart; he was not going to allow himself to believe that it was really over between them, was not going to allow himself to believe that they didn?t have a future together. Despite all evidence to the contrary.

?Yeah,? Anakin finally breathed out, ?we?ll see.? Striding over to his bag, he picked it up and, trying to brighten, said; ?I?d love to stay and throw you around some more, but I?ve gotta get to Dr. Abay?s office.?

?Right, where?d you leave off last time?? Bram asked, as he grabbed his own duffel and followed Anakin toward the door.

?With my feelings toward my good-for-nothing siblings for ditching me on the worldship, and how that ties into my feelings toward Han and Leia for ditching me with Winter as an infant, and how that all exacerbated my feelings about how they treated?? Anakin shook his head slowly and let out a long breath before he continued. ?He was practically convulsing with disappointment when the session was up and I had to leave. I swear the man is a trauma junkie.?

Bram laughed again. ?Of course he?s a trauma junkie; he?s a shrink.?

The last three months had held some of the most painful moments Anakin had ever known - worse, in many ways, than his time on Myrkr. There, at least he had believed that if he could manage to get himself home, Tahiri would be waiting for him. That comfort