Chapter Text
"Skywalker! Skywalker!"
Someone shook him, hands tight on his shoulders. Anakin couldn't breathe, all he could see was the shriveled husk of the Chancellor- no, Darth Sidious, falling from the window. His corpse had disappeared into the abyss below, lost from view, but he could still see his face, still see the look in his eyes- he had looked nothing like the man that he had called a friend all these years.
Nothing.
Anakin had felt the darkness, he had almost given into it too. It had been so potent, so strong, so tempting, there had been so much power. He could see it, what it could give him, how much easier it would be. He had thought about doing whatever he had too to stop Master Windu from ending the Chanellor's life. But even if it could give him power over death, give him everything he craved, he knew none of it would be real. He would be hated, despised, feared by everyone he had ever cared about. It wasn't what they would want- it wasn't what he wanted. His head hurt, there were people dying, across the galaxy- his people, Jedi. He was a Jedi, it was what Obi Wan had taught him to be-
Obi Wan.
Obi Wan was out there, he was leading a mission against Grievous. Anakin tried to focus, tried to feel him, but there was just so much death, it was everywhere, across the Galaxy. He couldn't feel Obi Wan, he couldn't feel him at all- his breaths were growing sharp, his chest tight. What if something had happened? What if Obi Wan was among the fallen? He would know, he would have to know, he would feel it-
"Anakin!"
Anakin looked up, faced Master Windu's worried eyes. He had never seen him look at him like that before. There should have been fear, mistrust- the Jedi Master would have felt him waiver, felt how close Anakin had been to betraying them all. But there was only worry (and a bone weary exhaustion). "Master, I-"
Windu shook his head, "Not now, it's not the time. Palpatine got an order away before we killed him-"
"There are Jedi dying, Master," Anakin whispered. He could feel it, hear the screams.
"And if we don't want to join them we need to move." Windu hauled him to his feet, dragged him to the doors. He didn't look at the other bodies on the floor as they passed them, but Anakin did. He saw the bodies of Masters that he had fought with, learned from, laughed alongside. Dead, gone, all three of them. Anakin felt lifeless, lost. He didn't know what to do, he needed to stop, he needed to think, but there was no time.
"Master-"
Windu turned on him suddenly, dark eyes blazing. He grabbed a hold of his arms, his grip just painful enough to focus Anakin. "Listen to me Skywalker, and listen well," he growled. "I know this is a lot, I know what almost happened in there. But I don't care, you resisted, you helped defeat a Sith Lord that has been playing as all for years, decades. I know you have questions, we do too. All that matters right now, is that you are one of us, you are a Jedi, and a damn good one. We should have seen what Palpatine was, we never trusted his intentions with you to begin with but we never thought-" Windu shook his head, Anakin could hear shots in the distance. "We pushed you into a mould you weren't ready to fit into too and that was our mistake, I'm sorry." Anakin blinked, his head swirling. He opened his mouth, but found he had no words. "I know you are worried about Senator Amidala, and Kenobi, and your own choices, the pull the dark side has on you but we just don't have the time right now. I'm sorry, I wish we did, but we don't."
Anakin's breath caught, "Padme, she's pregnant, the child-"
"She'll be fine, this attack, whatever is happening, it is on the Jedi, not the civilian population. She is safer without you there, it may be that way for a while."
It didn't ease the worry in his heart, what if he was wrong? What if this was an attack on everyone.
Master Windu wasn't wrong.
That didn't make things any better.
There were Jedi dying on the street, Clones standing over them. They were everywhere, their eyes dull and distant. Anakin wanted to scream, they wouldn't do this, they would never- except, they were. There was no recognition, only orders, a command, a single awful command. Kill the Jedi, kill them all.
Anakin felt it when they went after the younglings, felt their youthful lights turn to fear and then- nothing. They were gone. He couldn't breathe, his knees hit the ground. Windu forced him back up, forced him to keep moving.
"I don't understand, I don't understand," Anakin whispered, over and over. The Clones, their men, they would never do this. They had fought together for years, fought and died together.
"Palpatine-"
"Sidious," corrected Anakin, his voice flat.
"Sidious must have been planning this from the beginning, planted something in the behavioral chips, an order." Windu closed his eyes, Anakin could see the pain flicker across his face before he smothered it back down.
"Can we help them?" asked Anakin, his voice small. "The Clones, our men, they wouldn't want to do this, I know they wouldn't."
Windu's face hardened, "We can't help anyone if we're dead."
"Master-"
"We need to keep moving."
If it weren't for Master Windu, he would be dead by now.
Anakin was certain of it.
He was too lost in his own head, too scared and confused to pay attention. The Force was screaming and Anakin felt like screaming along with it. There was so much pain, so much fear, it saturated everything. He still couldn't feel Obi Wan though he called for him desperately in his head. There was nothing but death, so much death.
He was shoved along, keeping to the shadows and emergency exits, avoiding every sign of life (even if it was one of their own). Anakin knew where they were heading, that they were moving towards the hangar. It would be highly guarded, no doubt. But so would every other exit in the building.
Anakin had to have been a liability, he could barely even hold his lightsaber. Master Windu should have left him behind, saved himself but he didn't. He kept a tight hold on his arm, kept Anakin on his feet.
They slipped into the hangar, crouched down behind crates and anything that might give them cover. R2-D2 was waiting for them. Even Windu looked at him with fondness as the droid rolled towards them, quietly. He knew something was wrong, could feel the tension. He didn't make a sound, didn't dare.
Anakin's ship was close, but not close enough.
There were clones at the exit, at the main entry. Not many, but enough to be a problem. The shields were up too, even if they wanted to leave, they wouldn't be able too, not unless they turned them off. Anakin sighed, his gaze drifting to a Jedi slumped against the opposite wall, a streak of blood left behind him.
"Get to your ship, get it ready, I'll take care of the shields," whispered Windu, Anakin was already shaking his head. He was outnumbered, he would be vulnerable the moment he tried to turn off the shields. They would fire at him, and he wouldn't be able to stop them all. "Yes, Skywalker, that's an order-"
"You know I'm not good at following orders, Master," Anakin said, hoarsely.
"There's a first time for everything." Master Windu squeezed his arms, his eyes fierce and determined. "You need to live, Skywalker. Qui Gon was right, I can feel it, you're the Chosen One-"
"I almost betrayed you," hissed Anakin. He could still feel the cold, the darkness swirling within him. "The Dark Side is still there, it's so close-"
"We failed you, we pushed you into the arms of Palpatine, too stubborn and set in our ways. We let a Sith Lord start a war, fight for him in it and we didn't even know!" Windu shook his head. "What you could have done, what you have done, doesn't matter. It is what you will do, that matters. Our Order has been decimated, there will be so few of us left and it's better it is you, then me, that survives. You will bring about change, you will bring about balance."
"There might be time, you might make it-"
"I might, but I might not," said Windu. "Just get to your ship, get it ready and if I fall when those shields do, you leave. Change ships as soon as you can and get off this planet. Don't go to the Senator, it'd be more of a danger to her if you do. She has her supporters, she will be safe but not if you go to her. If Palpatine has any other followers, it may not be safe for you to return for a long time. Just- survive, Anakin."
"Master-"
"Now go."
Windu was already on his feet, Anakin couldn't breathe again. He reached out but Master Windu was already moving. R2-D2 made a noise, urged him to go to the ship and- and Anakin did. It was what Master Windu wanted, the least he could do was obey. Anakin scrambled to his ship, started up the engines. He saw the blaster fire, the shining purple light of Master Windu's lightsaber. The shields dropped, Anakin waited, his heart pounding. The Clones were moving towards the ship, reinforcements arriving-
And then Windu fell.
Anakin could feel it, could feel the blaster go through his heart. Anakin sobbed, his throat tight, he couldn't breathe. He hit the thrusters and tore out of the hangar. He had taken fire, but he had to change ships as it was. He changed once, and then twice. Anakin moved blindly, unable to think of anything more then getting off the planet, then not letting Mace Windu's final sacrifice be in vain. It was for him, he had died for him of all people. The man that had spent years resenting him, criticising him, hating him even. The man that had almost turned on him, that might have killed him. He had died for that man.
It was on the third change, that Anakin stopped. R2-D2 made an inquiring noise, Anakin's heart hurt.
"I need you to do me a favour, Buddy," said Anakin, pained. He crouched down in front of the droid, "I need you to take a message to Padme, I need you to stay with her for as long as you can, okay?"
R2 made a mournful beep and Anakin cringed.
"I know, I want you to come too but this is more important. I need you to tell Padme not to look for me, to forget about me. I don't know if the remaining Jedi will be safe after this, if we'll be able to come back or if- if we'll just have to keep running and Palpatine had a back up plan. If he did, she needs to keep our child safe. I think-" Anakin clenched his eyes closed, his jaw going tight. "I think she needs to move on from me. That child cannot be mine, if it is it will be in danger. Padme-"
He addressed her directly now, knowing R2-D2 would do as he asked, would give her the message. "I love you, but I won't risk you or our child's life. And, I can't- I can't fail the Order any more then I have. I broke all the rules to be with you and I don't regret that but things have changed, and I won't have you wait for me. I won't put you in danger just to be with you. Find someone good, find someone that will love you, and take the child as their own. Live a good life, a better life then if you had stayed with me. We would have argued so much if we spent more time together, I think we both know it. I love you and I will never stop loving you but- but I've spent so much time away, I wonder if we might have annoyed each other in the end. I'm not the same person I was before the Clone Wars, I've changed, we both have. Just- just be safe my love, and if we see each other again, know that if you're happy, I'll be happy. I hope we do, I hope I'll get to see the child we created even if they call someone else their father. I love you, be safe, don't do anything stupid." Anakin managed a small grin, "I know I'm not one to talk. Goodbye, Padme."
Anakin swallowed, thickly. He looked pointedly at R2, "You know what you have to do, buddy. I'll miss you." He wrapped his arms around the droid, gave him a tight hug (not that it would have made a difference). R2 sounded sad as he responded, and Anakin turned away. He couldn't look at him for long, it hurt too much. Everything hurt, Anakin could barely get on the next ship, the last ship he would need to steal (he hoped). He had gone out of his way to shake whatever trail he had left behind, but he knew he still had to get off the planet.
It was touch and go, but the Clones hadn't shut down airspace yet.
They probably didn't need too.
Their orders had been (were still) to kill the Jedi, that was all.
So many were dead, had anyone escaped? Had anyone managed to slip through the cracks?
Or was it just him?