Mini Nano Day 17

First Part | Previous Part | Next Part

Star Wars: Ashes and Hope

"Did you know?"

Anakin opens his eyes, settling back into the waking world from his meditation when he hears Padmé speak, looking up to meet her gaze. He can feel her fear and worry in the Force, tinged with anger, though he isn't certain of the source.

"Did you know what Obi-Wan came to tell me earlier? That Anakin - my Anakin - had murdered younglings in the Temple? That he'd turned to the Dark Side?"

"That he'd knelt to Sidious, to the Sith, yes. It was hard to miss." Anakin grimaces at that first memory of this twisted universe. "I didn't know he had led the assault on the Temple, though I'm not surprised. Some of the bodies - the dead Jedi - had lightsaber wounds on them, not blaster marks."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Padmé reaches out for the pilot's seat, dropping heavily into it. "Why?"

Anakin looks down, studying the boots on Padmé's feet for a long moment. "I told you he would kill Master Windu, and Zett, if he found us. I didn't think I needed to say more, not then." He looks up again, a self-depricating smile on his face. "What good would it have done, anyway? You have a baby to look out for, and I don't know what your Anakin might do if you confront him about what he's done."

"But you're Anakin, too."

"I'm not him. I have Maul, as well as Obi-Wan to teach me. Qui-Gon is still alive. And I have Commander Amidala as a dear friend, but never..." He shakes his head, gesturing at her helplessly. "She has Sabé. They don't need a third, and they've never expressed a desire for one.

"I don't know what he'll do. I don't know who he has to rely on, but I doubt he trusts very many people, not if Sidious could get in his head and sway him."

Padmé bites her lip, shaking her head. "He can trust me, and he should be able to trust Obi-Wan."

"But would he?" Anakin runs a hand through his hair. "Why are you here, anyway? I thought you were going to stay on Coruscant until your Anakin returned."

"I can't." Padmé shakes her head again. "I can't just wait for him to come back. I have to make sure he's safe."

"Safe from who?" Anakin pushes to his feet as Padmé turns to the controls, moving to take the co-pilot's seat. "Why do you need to go to him, my lady?"

"Obi-Wan is hunting him."

Padmé starts the ship easily, and Anakin looks over his shoulder as he hears the lift again, C-3PO giving every impression of surprise when he sees Anakin in the seat next to Padmé.

"Here, I can let Threepio take the co-pilot's seat. I should make sure Zett and Master Windu know we're not going directly to Naboo. Or at least, I assume not, unless your Anakin intended to go there?"

"No. He's not there." Padmé looks up at him a moment, giving him a small smile that doesn't reach her eyes. "Please, just stay inside when we land. All of you. Stay here, where he can't see you."

"There are ways of hiding in plain sight. He wouldn't see me at all. And if there's any worry for your safety, I'd rather be close enough to do something."

"He wouldn't hurt me." Padmé shakes her head. "I know he wouldn't."

Mini Nano Extra Snippet

Because today needed fluff and I wanted fluff and Thorin named the warg puppy Athrabmim, usually called Rab because it's a lot quicker to shout that and get the little butt to pull herself up short instead of continuing to be an over-exuberant puppy who thinks everyone is awesome and should love her, please give her scritches.

And it's very tempting to name this AU King and Thief.

Anyway.

Fluff! Fluffy warg puppy cuteness! (And a little bit of momentary angst creeping in at the end, but I'm determined that this will be more fluff than angst, damnit.)

Hobbit: AU NOS

"Have you named her yet?" Frerin tosses a towel to Thorin as they wash up at the barrel in the back of the forge, grinning when Thorin scowls at him.

"You found her, you name her." Thorin cups water in his hands to wash his face, wiping away the soot and sweat.

"Oh, no." Frerin shakes his head, holding his hands up, though he's grinning fit to break his face. "She's not my hound, Thorin. She's yours, and it's yours to name her."

Thorin snorts, shaking his head. "She's a little thief, is what she is."

"I haven't noticed anything missing." Frerin shrugs, taking the towel back when Thorin is done, and draping it over the bar above the barrel. "Maybe it's just your things she tries to steal."

"Blankets. Pillows. Dis's favorite ax. The walking stick you don't have to use right now." Thorin follows Frerin out the door, locking the forge behind them before they started back home. "You never notice because I always put everything back."

"Huh." Frerin looks thoughtful for a moment. "I wondered why it looked chewed on."

"Because it was chewed on." Thorin shakes his head, a rare smile crossing his face a moment. "You were the one who insisted on bringing her home, you have only yourself to blame."

"I'll have to get her something to chew on that isn't something we need intact, then!" Frerin grins, bumping Thorin's shoulder with his own. "It was a good idea to bring her home, though, just to see you smile again."

"You always knew how to make me smile." Thorin shakes his head. "I have smiled before."

"Not since I woke up bandaged from neck to knee, you haven't." Frerin shakes his head, his smile a little sad, though it never quite goes away. "Too busy doing everything for everyone else and falling over asleep when we could finally make you stop for a moment. You needed something to get you out of your head, and I wasn't it."