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River gave a nod, the idea of it clear to her. Teach me? she asked.

What do you want to share? he asked. Thoughts? Memories? Emotions?

All of it. Just the ability to select. Sometimes my mind does that all by itself; single out important thoughts. But I want the silence and still to be able to hear what's important. She looked up at Anakin.

Anakin nodded, then slowly lowered his barriers. Look around, he said. Anything I don't want you to see or feel, I put behind a wall like the one I told you about before. This just takes more concentration--it's a lot of little walls, rather than one big one.

She sensed the difference clearly. Chosing a memory - one of her and Simon as children, she stealing his medical course books - she tried the same. As the small walls appeared, she found it har to maintain both them and the memory, the latter fading somewhat in favour of the former.

Anakin got a glimpse of the memory as she practiced. "Concentrate," he said softly. "You've almost got it."

She moved her focus to the memory again, and the walls faded a little, but not completely. She put her hands over her templed, frowning.

"Don't push too hard," Anakin said, "it's instinctive. Think about how you protect yourself from memories that hurt, then apply the same procedure."

He dropped his barriers again, letting her see how everything except for events in the last six months, were locked tightly behind his barricade.

"Not good at protecting myself from memories that hurt," River admitted. "Always there. My brother said it was due to experimental surgery." She looked downcast.

With the barriers down, River would be able to feel the waves of shock, horror, and deep, terrifying anger for those who would hurt her that Anakin was feeling.

He mastered his emotions quickly. "We'll work on that first," he said softly. "There's no need to be like a turtle without a shell. Do you think you could maintain walls someone else put up? It'd be a bit like a psychic graft..."

"Try?" River asked eagerly, having sensed his reaction clearly. His concern for her made her feel strangely safe.

Anakin nodded, closing his eyes. Show me what you want blocked he whispered as he carefully maneuvered his way through her mind.

River closed her eyes too, trying to focus. There were all the memories from the Academy, a dreamlike, painful mess constantly present. There was the last goodbye to her parents, before going there. There were random memories that weren't hers, things that she had picked up from others. All this was jumbled together.

Anakin smiled as he found the memory he'd shared with her and cautiously began erecting partitions, beginning to separate memories that were hers from those that weren't. They really did a job on you, he murmured softly.

River said nothing, just felt a silence in parts of her mind as the walls appeared. The constant murmuring of images and words diminished. It didn't strike her in any way that letting Anakin into her mind like this would be frightening.

Too quiet? Anakin asked as he continued sorting. River's brain reminded him of the ball of yarn Rory'd had after Vladdie had played with it.

No. Just unfamiliar. Things neatly in their place was a new experience.

They're not impossible to take down, Anakin assured her, taking one away with a thought. I'm not trying to make it hard for you.

River gave a nod, cautiously pushing against one of them. But some things are gone. Still can't remember exactly when this happened.

Part of the experimentation, or more recent? Anakin asked.

There was a long silence. Academy. Details disappeared or hidden.

Anakin reached his hand out towards hers. I'm sorry. Do you really want to know?

No. Not now. There was no hesitation in that reply.

Anakin leaned his head in so they were almost touching at the forehead. I wouldn't do that to you, young one, even if I could figure out how. You've seen more than enough already.

Slowly she reached out and squeezed his hand for a second, meaning it as a 'thank you'. Enough of that. she agreed. Never enough of things that cause happiness.

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