With You

Chapter 15

The mission to bring down the slavery trade ring was tricky, but successful. While there were other slavers out there and there was no way to rid the galaxy of all of them—they'd done a small part in bringing down the Separatists attempts at taking freedom and power away from the people.

They had returned to the temple and were congratulated by the Council for a job well done. Cecilia was instructed that she could stay as long as she wished—but she knew, it would be better for everyone if she didn't reside in the Temple too much longer. Even if she stayed on Coruscant—it might be better to find other accommodations away from her former life.

Obi-Wan was in Council meetings all morning, and so she relaxed and read over some texts she was borrowing from the Archives while she could. The door chime led her to reach out and sense another familiar Force signature.

"Come in!" she called out as she waved the door open.

"Hi Ceci, got a few?" Anakin asked as he stepped in.

"Always, for you, Anakin. Come on in." Anakin stepped a bit further in but seemed to have stalled out like an overwhelmed engine and Cecilia could sense his worry. "Can I get you some tea?" Tea had always been her Master's answer to every worry and concern she had, and she'd continued the habit on her own.

"Um, yes, please. That would be great."

She nodded and moved to the small kettle that Obi-Wan had procured for her before they'd ever left for their mission. "So, what's on your mind?"

"I—I have something I need to talk about and—and I can't think of anyone else to tell—anyone who will understand."

Cecilia frowned a little at that, glancing over her shoulder as she prepared the tea. "Not even Obi-Wan?"

Anakin frowned. "Especially not Obi-Wan. He may have found some new found...flexibility... thanks to you, Ceci—but he'd still freak out."

She brought over a tray with two cups of steaming water, a small box with a variety of tea bags, and various items Anakin might need to prepare his own tea. She preferred hers without anything added. "Well, what in stars could it be that would have Obi-Wan 'freaking out' as you say, but not me?"

Anakin settled into the chair across from hers, still frowning. "You'll probably freak out too. Inside, I'm freaking out. But I'm supposed to have my act together so I'm trying really hard to fake it."

Cecilia softened and placed a hand over Anakins where it clenched at his knee. "Anakin," she said gently. "Tell me."

He gulped. "I think... I think that Chancellor Palpatine is trying to get me to go to the Dark side."

Cecilia's eyes went wide but she took a deep breath to calm herself... to not freak out. "Why don't you start at the beginning, Anakin?"

Over the course of the next half hour Anakin told her story after story about his meetings with Chancellor Palpatine. About the little ways the older man was nudging him towards independence and rebellion. They spilled out one after another from him, taking place over the past several years.

Finally, he seemed to rest for a moment—then he looked at her with an even more pitiful look. "Can I be honest with you, Ceci?"

"I thought you already were?"

He nodded, but then looked down at his robotic hand. "I was tempted. So many times I was tempted. I've been teetering on the edge for some time now." He then looked back up into her eyes. "But—since you came back. Since Obi-Wan opened up to me. Since—since I started thinking about the path you followed, I..." His voice faded out, unsure how to finish his own sentence.

"You... maybe took a step back from the edge?" She asked, hoping to help him put his thoughts into words.

He nodded. "It's no secret that I struggle to keep my emotions in check. I did some... terrible things... in the moments after finding my mother dead. The Jedi way of supressing and pushing away emotions is difficult for me. I—I need another solution. I don't want to fall to the Dark side, Ceci—but I feel it drawing me in."

Cecilia squeezed his still flesh hand. "I am so glad you have come to me, Anakin. It was very brave of you."

Anakin rubbed at the back of his neck bashfully and Cecilia swore she saw the young boy in him again. "I don't know about brave. More like scared."

"Oh, but Anakin—remember— bravery just means taking action even when you're scared. That is sometimes what we must do with those emotions that overwhelm us. Push through them, use them as fuel for good instead of evil. Take action that leads to change, to good, instead of to death and destruction."

"So—what do we do? About Palpatine? This is big, Ceci."

She nodded, eyebrows raising drastically. "That's an understatement." She stood, collecting her thoughts and sipping on her tea as she looked out over Coruscant. "I have an idea, Anakin. It will require you to see the Chancellor at least once more. I think it's about time the rebel Jedi meets the Chancellor of the Galactic Senate, don't you?"