I parked the speeder next to one that looked extremely similar to my own. I sat atop of a cliff and down at the bottom looked to be a small village of Tusken Raiders. He was down there, I could feel him. What worried me is how weak he felt, but at least he was still alive.

I made my way down there and moved around quietly so I didn't alert the attention of the people or their ugly looking pets that were fighting for meat. I reached the small hut where I felt him and luckily for me, there was already a hole cut into it, probably from him.

I stepped inside and my heart dropped at the sight. There were both inside, tied to separate posts.

The only one slightly conscious was Shmi and so I went to her first, "It's me, let me get you off of this." I whispered, but she shook her head weakly and side-eyed Anakin, she was telling me to help him first. I was hesitant for a moment, but I did as she requested. I stepped over to my fiancé and gently pulled the ties off of him, "How do you always manage to get caught?" I sighed sadly, seeing him like this hurt me more than anyone could understand. But I was glad that he was alive, he was slightly beaten up, but he would be okay.

I finally got him down and I laid him gently on the floor, "Mom." He groaned and shifted his head to the side, but he never opened his eyes.

Song on top starts here

"I'm getting her right now Ani." I assured him even though I wasn't sure if he could actually hear me right now or not. I gently caressed his face before standing up to help Shmi down. Her condition was a lot worse than his, I could feel her life force slipping away. I sat on the floor and pulled her head onto my lap as I lightly tapped on her cheek, "Come on Shmi, open your eyes for me." I begged as I started to feel tears form in my eyes.

Her eyes slightly opened, she looked up at me and gave me a weak smile, "Tell my baby that I love him." Her tone was low and broken.

Oh god please no, "No don't go, you can tell him yourself," I sniffled as I held onto her tightly, "You have future grandchildren to meet and our wedding to go to. You have to live," I moved the hair from her face that was stuck to her forehead due to the blood, "Please, I'm not enough for him. He needs you, he needs his mom." My heart was breaking, not just for her, but for him. I don't know if this is something he can survive.

She gave off a weak laugh, "No (y/n), you are everything that he needs. Take care of him for me." She lifted her hand up and wiped a tear from my cheek, "You've given my baby happiness and for that I will love you always." She dropped her hand down and her eyes started to close again.

"No," I growled in anger and pain as I felt her life leaving her completely, "Please," I begged as the feeling in my chest tightened and I felt my heart completely shatter, "Don't leave Shmi." But it was too late, she was gone. Her body slumped down into my arms as her head fell to the side. I sobbed and the tears fell, landing onto her cheeks. They streamed down her face as they mixed with her blood, creating a long red string that fell to the floor, "I love you too and I promise I'll take care of him." I whispered as I set her body on the ground. I hope she heard me, I hope she knows I'll do everything to keep her son happy.

I sat there for a moment as I tried to compose myself. She just got married, she was finally finding her own happiness and her life was ripped from her, for nothing. She was a good woman, she didn't deserve any of this. And neither did Anakin, he didn't deserve to have his mother taken from him. This is going to completely devastate him, he's going to be broken and I have no idea how I'll put him back together.

Song ends here

I was in pain and angry, so angry that I was shaking, I've never felt this strong of an emotion before. There was no reason for this to happen. The sand people had no reason to do this, other than to just be cruel.

Song: Sweet Dreams by Marilyn Manson

Well I can be cruel too.

Then I heard them, they came into the hut that I was in. I looked up to see two Tusken Raiders staring down at me with weapons in their hands. They were speaking to me in a language that I didn't understand. I grabbed my lightsaber and stood up slowly. Their eyes followed my every movement, I glared at them with hate filled eyes, "You took away an innocent life, a life that is important to someone I love," I growled as I ignited my blade, the image of Shmi taking her last breath; and the image of how broken Anakin will be, was enough to get my blood boiling, "And now I'm going to take yours."

I stepped forward and before they could even attempt to attack me. I struck them down. They screamed for only a moment before they fell lifelessly to the floor in more than one piece. I stepped out of the hut and was met by more.. many more.

It went further than I expected it to. I only meant to kill those two. Not the whole village.. but I did. I killed them all. Not just the men, but the women, and the children too. It was like I didn't have control over what I was doing, I knew it was wrong. I knew I should have stopped, but I couldn't. I was consumed by a burning desire for revenge.

So here I am now, standing in the middle of a massacre that I created. Breathing heavily, I gazed around the village, there wasn't a single survivor, not even the animals survived. I dropped my lightsaber to the floor and brought my hands to my mouth in shock, "What have I done?" I cried, not wanting to believe that it was me who did this. My emotions took over and now I've done something that I can never take back.

I could still hear their screams in my head, almost like they were still here screaming in front of me. I dropped to my knees and squeezed my hands into the sand as I sobbed.

Song ends

"(y/n)?" I stopped, I was frozen when I heard his voice, "Did you do this?" Anakin asked in a broken tone, but I never looked up to him, I was ashamed.

"I was so angry and I just- I lost control, I swear I-I didn't mean to." My voice cracked. He was going to hate me now, hate me for doing something so monstrous.

I felt him come up next to me and he bent down infront of me. I slowly glanced up to him. His eyes were red and puffy, he looked just as broken as I expected him too, but he never said a word.

"Im so sorry please don't hate me," I cried, I was sorry that I didn't get here in time to save his mom and I was sorry that I allowed my emotions to take control over me.

He shook his head as tears were falling down his cheeks, "This isn't your fault, it's mine and I could never hate you." He grabbed onto me and pulled me into a tight hug, "I promise I won't tell anyone." He whispered into my ear.

Both of us sat there for what felt like hours as we cried into each other's arms over the events that just transpired.

~*~•~*~

"I'm sorry I failed you mom." Anakin knelt down in front of the grave that now belonged to his mother. He gently rubbed his fingers along the sand, "I love you and I'm going to miss you so much." He broke down for what seemed like the hundredth time since her passing.

I knelt down next to him and placed my hand on his shoulder, just so he would feel my comfort, even if it wasn't enough. He instantly grabbed me and cried into my shoulder. I wrapped my arms around him and rubbed his back to soothe him.

Cliegg was crying as well, so was Beru, and Owen. Max and Jimmy were kneeling down with their hands on their chest. Something they always did, when a brother had fallen. But now it's Anakin's mother and they knew she deserved the same amount of respect.

This was going to be a rough few weeks. He truly blamed himself for this. He told me that when he showed up and found her, he wasn't paying attention as he tried untying her. They came up from behind him and knocked him out before he had a chance to save her. He said after that, everything moved by in a blue and the next thing he knew, he woke up on the floor and she was already dead.

"Are you ready?" I asked him as he pulled away and wiped his tears away.

He nodded and I stood up; pulling him up with me.

"I'm really sorry son." Cliegg addressed him as we began to leave, "She was a perfect woman, please come and visit us anytime. I know she would have loved that."

Anakin nodded with a sad smile, "Of course I will."

Max and Jimmy boarded the ship that I originally came in, while Anakin and I boarded the one that he came in. He sat down in the pilot seat without saying much as he pressed a few buttons.

"Let me fly," I told him as I placed my hand on his shoulder.

He looked up to me and gave me a weak smile, "So we can crash into a meteor? No thanks."

I know he was trying hard to joke to hide his pain, but I enjoyed hearing him be himself. He pulled the ship up and we flew into space, he set the coordinates for Coruscant and the ship went into hyperspace.

He sighed as he stood up and pulled me into another hug, "Promise me that you'll never leave me. I wouldn't be able to survive without you." His voice cracked as his hug tightened. The reality of losing someone you love is hitting him hard and I felt the same way. I wouldn't be able to survive without him either.

I hugged him back as I rested my head on his chest, "You don't have to worry about that, I'm not going anywhere Ani. You're stuck with me forever."

He removed his arms from around me and brought them to my hips. He looked down at me and his cheeks were red from him crying again, "I love you Princess." He brought one hand up to my cheek, "And I know you're worried about what I saw, but I promise you, I don't see you any differently. I feel like if you didn't do it, I might have." He dropped his head down like he was ashamed of his words, "I know how it feels to have your emotions become all-consuming, just promise me that you'll be more careful and that it won't happen again."

I nodded, "It won't and I love you too." I smiled even though deep down I wanted to break down. It's going to take time for me to forgive myself; if I'm even capable of forgiving myself.

(a/n uyy don't be mad at me. That hurt to write just as much as I'm sure it hurt to read. 🥺)