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❝ its all a matter of time. ❞

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CARINA TOYED WITH HER hands that rested on her lap, her eyes seeming vacant as she drowned herself in her suffocating thoughts. Since it was all she truly had to keep her company.

The mother licked her dried lips, the unbearable silence beginning to make her believe she'd lose her sanity due to it. Staying still, locked away with her wreck of a mind in the place she most despised. The toll grew on her the more as days passed.

Carina raked her hands through her recently washed hair, her head leaning upon the wall her bed was pushed up against.

She'd eaten that morning and skipped lunch, feeling her appetite slipping away from her more and more.

A startling wave of exhaustion crashed into her senses, her eyes growing heavy despite her efforts to maintain them open.

Until she gave into her tiredness.

Carina winced slightly at the movement she'd made to straighten herself on the chair. A noise that did not escape Anakin's hearing, his fists going white from his hard he was clenching them.

Algora glanced up at her husband, "Your quietness has me uneasy, talk to me."

Anakin struggled to contain his anger, seconds away from leaving the ship to hunt down the one who'd injured his wife.

A frown pulled at Carina's lips, the bandage at the side of her waist visible to the eye. "Anakin, I can sense your anger. Please calm down. This isn't good for you."

The blonde Skywalker finally turned to meet his wife's worried eyes, his hard gaze softening the slightest under it, "Those bastards hurt you."

Carina sighed softly, "It's nothing I can't handle, now please, if someone sees you this angry it'll cause suspicion."

Anakin pulled his brows together, "Why should I let them walk free?" Carina gave the blonde a look, "They split us up for a reason in there, my love. They wanted to pull a reaction out of one of us and if you go back in their, you'll be giving the separatists what they want."

Anakin huffed in annoyance, but fell silent knowing his love was right, as usual.

"I'm right here, still here. Okay?"

The Jedi Knight's eyes fell upon her covered wound, his jaw clenching slightly as he imagined the blood that had been seeping rapidly from it just hours prior.

A look of terror adorned his features the second he laid his eyes on his wife's limp figure, only being held up by his padawan, Ahsoka, who'd found her in the mine system.

"If it'd been your heart, I—" but Anakin couldn't finish his sentence, his voice raw with emotion and Carina's expression crumbled upon it.

Anakin swallowed thickly, shaking away the thought that haunted him. The Jedi didn't know what would become of him without her. The only weakness the male bared was his wife.

Carina slowly went to stand, hissing through her teeth from the ache that shot through her lower body. Anakin was quick to snap out of his thoughts, rushing to aid the woman who happily gripped his arms for stability.

"You need to rest, my love." Anakin spoke in a gentle tone, wanting to set her on the chair again. Carina glanced up at his, her gaze tracing the scar on his eye as she leaned into his warmth, "And you need to be with Obi-Wan reporting back to the council."

Anakin purses his lips, "I'm not leaving your side." Carina sighed heavily, "You have responsibilities and I will still be here when you return."

Skywalker had opened his mouth to retort with his wife, when the doors to the infirmary had burst open— making the couple distance themselves slightly but Anakin still held his wife's arms since she needed help to stand.

Ahsoka stepped into the room, biting her tongue to keep from making a snide remark at the two before looking at Anakin, "Master Kenobi is calling for you."

Anakin rolled his eyes as Carina gave him a look which he knew all too well.

"Alright, Snips. Could you help Carina? She's being stubborn as usual and decided to stand on her own."

Ahsoka chuckled lowly, approaching the brunette as she swapped places with her Master who was reluctant to leave Algora's side.

Anakin inches closer towards the door before looking back at the two, "Make sure she stays resting and takes her pain killers."

Carina scrunched up her nose in distaste, pain killers only served to weaken her connection with the force.

Ahsoka gave the male a salute, "Will do, skyguy."

The memory faded to black and Carina jolted up from her spot, glancing at her surroundings to realize she'd fallen asleep.

"It feels too long ago."

Carina turned to see Vader standing by the door, leaned back with his arms crossed over his chest. It was the most casual she'd seen him yet.

The mother grit her teeth, now realizing it was a memory shared between them. It explained why she heard Anakin's thoughts during that moment, because Vader was showing them to her.

"I did not invade your mind, Carina. You actually shared that memory with me, all I did was give you my point of view of it."

The brunette only grew more frustrated with how well he could read her expressions, deeming it unfair since he hid behind a mask. A thought lingered in her mind though, why had she unknowingly opened up her memories to him?

"I recall many moments I cherish between us." Vader watched his wife's eyes harden, "That is all they are now thanks to you."

The Sith Lord blinked at her, "It doesn't have to be." Carina scoffed out softly, shaking her head, "Nothing between us is the same, and it never will be."

"Carina—"

"I don't want to hear anymore of your bullshit, if you don't mind." Carina snapped at him, ripping her eyes away from him. She was unable to look at the mask for too long.

"That night on Mustafar, I never meant to hurt you." Vader hoarsely spoke, his mind flooding with the memory of when he'd force choked her. The regret crashing through him as the image of her pained expression hit him like a bucket of cold water to the face.

Carina instinctively reached for her throat, her fingertips gliding across her skin as she recalled the moment. She straightened up, putting up her guard in a quick second, "Yet you did. So what good is an apology now?"

Darth lowered his gaze to the ground slightly, "I let my anger control me and for that I am sorry, Carina."

Algora shook her head, "I don't care anymore. All you've done since is hurt me. You act as if that was the only moment you did but no, that wasn't what cut me deep." Carina stood from her spot, her eyes still having to look up due to his tall height, "It was when I was in front of the temple that night order 66 took place."

Darth pushed himself off the door, his heavy breathes engulfing the two.

Carina grit her teeth slightly, "How you managed to come in, act as if you'd had no clue what was happening and hold me? Uttering sweet lies after I was almost killed under your order while carrying our child."

Vader chest heaved, his mechanical breaths only getting louder, "You weren't supposed to be targeted."

"That doesn't matter, Vader. You sent an order that killed my friends." Carina shoved down the old emotions threatening to creep up again, "You forced me to kill clone troopers with my own hands. People who fought alongside us for years."

Darth took a step forward and Carina immediately inched backwards, "You killed Jedi, padawans, even your own padawan."

Algora felt herself choke up at the mention of Ahsoka, having always done her best to keep her mind off the girl she'd grown incredibly close with. Carina had always protected the Tano girl as her own.

At that, Vader's movements seized. His mind going to his old apprentice, Carina didn't know she was alive. Ahsoka had managed to slip his grasp many years ago after their re-encounter, memories of their fight plaguing his thoughts.

"She managed to pick up your saber style better than mine."

Carina blinked, lifting her gaze slightly as the male continued, "Because of it, she lasted longer than I thought against me."

Algora looked up, her gaze weary with what Vader was insinuating. "Ahsoka did not die in the order, Carina."

Carina's chest heaved, her mind spinning with the possibilities that the girl was still out there, somewhere hidden just as she once was.

"How do you know?" Her voice came out weaker than she'd intended it to. Darth straightened up, his mind spinning back to the time. Anakin, she'd called him when she saw his face from the slash she'd created. The Sith turned away from Carina abruptly, closing the door shut behind him, leaving Algora to herself once more.

Carina didn't understand what type of reaction that was, unaware of what happened between the two old friends.

A part of her was weary, unable to decide if she could trust her words but she knew. She could feel the truth that had radiated— but that was not the only thing she'd noticed.

Carina had also felt another rush of emotions upon the mention of Ahsoka. Anger, resentment— and sadness.

The revelation leaving her confused.

It wouldn't be long before Algora could pick apart the man entirely.

—

AUTHORS NOTE,
i love writing how differently carina and vader see each other, i reallyyyy want to get to writing a specific scene but i have to build up to that quite a bit so bare with me on these slightly filler and boring chapters