Office hours [all day]

[sith_happened]

Anakin was sitting crosslegged on the small carpet in his office, breathing in and out.

He'd say he was meditating.

He was actually checking to see if he could see how Jaina was doing back home.

Sneaky Anakin.

The door was cracked open.

The Moth - Aimee Mann

Comments

[sith_happened]

Anakin smiled. "Give yourself time," he said. "You'll have perspective that many people don't, and it will take them time to readjust, too. I went away for years and came back to discover only a few days had passed on the island. People will think that because you look almost the same, you're still who they remember." He looked into her eyes. "And you're not. Don't be afraid to ask for clarification when you can't remember someone or something."

[lovelylana.livejournal.com]

"Thank you," she said quietly, feeling a little emotional at his kindness. "I've already run into people whose faces I remembered, but that I just couldn't place. And you're right. I'm not the same person who left. Or at least not quite the same."

She hesitated, then looked up into his eyes again. "Was it hard for you to come back? I'm finding it very hard to readjust."

[sith_happened]

It had been excruciating.

"It was," he said. "In some ways, I'm still adjusting. People who knew me as a guy who lived in the dorms have problems accepting that I'm an adult now. I have a family. I'd been married and widowed in the time I was gone."

His eyes flicked back up to Lana's. "It's not something I talk about."

[lovelylana.livejournal.com]

"I'm so sorry," Lana said quietly. "I didn't mean to bring up bad memories."

Her mouth twisted in a rueful smile. "But it helps knowing it wasn't easy. It was hard to make the decision to come back. And I'll probably be wondering for a while if I made the right one."

She remembered what he'd said about controlling emotions and worked very hard to try and keep hers as quiet as possible. "But I made it and now I go from there."

[sith_happened]

"She's been gone a long time," Anakin said with a small smile. "It doesn't hurt any more."

That wasn't entirely true.

"You can only go forward," he continued, nodding. "Look back to learn, but don't let it drag you down."

[lovelylana.livejournal.com]

She nodded. "That's what I'm trying to do. Right now it's just still so fresh, thoug."

[sith_happened]

"That will take time," he said softly. "And if people push too hard, tell them so."

[lovelylana.livejournal.com]

"Thanks," she said, taking in a deep breath and letting it out slowly. "I will. I think maybe I just need to take time to... look at it all, try and remember who I was and figure out who I am now."

[sith_happened]

"My door's always open," Anakin replied. "And I've had a little bit of experience with feeling like you don't quite fit."

He looked down at his hands. "And last week's lesson was about wrath."

[lovelylana.livejournal.com]

"I may take you up on that," Lana said quietly.

"Wrath... I don't think I have much experience with that," Lana said. "Well, not in feeling it myself. I've had it directed at me a few times." She shivered a little, remembering some of those times.

[sith_happened]

Anakin nodded. "I'm sorry to hear that."

[lovelylana.livejournal.com]

"They aren't some of my better memories," she admitted with a small smile.

[sith_happened]

"I can't imagine they would be," Anakin replied. "Are there a lot of them?"

[lovelylana.livejournal.com]

"A fair amount," Lana admitted. "Meteor mutants tend to get rather wrathful in their insanity."

[sith_happened]

Anakin hissed in a breath. "I can see that," he said. "People tend to lash out when they don't feel that they control what's happening to them."

[lovelylana.livejournal.com]

Lana nodded. "Something about the change always seemed to turn them to the bad. It was as if suddenly having superpowers made them feel as if they were entitled to all the things they'd never had no matter who they had to hurt to get them."

[sith_happened]

Anakin rolled his eyes. "Oh. Those. Lots of big speeches about showing everyone?"

[lovelylana.livejournal.com]

She nodded. "That and kidnapping people and killing anyone who got in their way."

[sith_happened]

"Bah," Anakin said. "It's like they read the big book of villain clichés."

[lovelylana.livejournal.com]

She grinned. "It is, isn't it."

"Though I must admit, it's a lot more amusing from a distance."

[sith_happened]

"Definitely. Just because they're kind of pathetic with a few years' perspective doesn't make the experience less scary at the time."

[lovelylana.livejournal.com]

"Yes," Lana said with a smile. "Much more fun when you're not in the hospital every other week."

[sith_happened]

"Sounds like my son. I think he's been almost eaten on every planet he's ever visited."

[lovelylana.livejournal.com]

She smiled. "Well, I've been in worse company."

[sith_happened]

He grinned back, pride in his son completely obvious. "He's a good kid."