Disclaimers: Star Wars belongs to George Lucas, I am not making any money off them so please don't sue me because I have no money…
Author's Note: In this story, Anakin never fell in the lava pit so he's not wearing the life support suit and the mask that he did in the classic trilogy. The story takes place about a year after his twins were born. The setting of this story is the same place Luke fought Vader in Return of the Jedi (the Emperor's throne room?) and it was that which inspired me to write this story. This is my first ever fan-fic so I'd really appreciate reviews. Well, with no further adieu…
His Greatest Weakness
Anakin Skywalker, now known as Darth Vader stood beside the emperor in his dimly lit throne room. Anakin wore all black beneath the dark robe he wore. It has been well over a year since Anakin converted to the dark side. As each day passed by, more and more of Anakin died, and more of his Darth Vader identity became prevalent. In no way did Anakin enjoy his new lifestyle, yet the feeling of power he experienced only from the dark side was addicting. There were two guards in their red uniform guarding the entrance. They were the only ones occupying the throne room until…
The door to the entrance opened and two imperial troopers entered holding Padmé captive between them. Anakin had spent months looking for Padmé but to no avail… until now. When the troopers were about 15 feet from the emperor and Anakin, they threw Padmé down at the emperor's feet. At the sight of this, the part of Anakin that was still Anakin was enraged. He saw his wife, his beloved angel thrown to the ground and not even given a second thought. Though, the part of him that was Vader loved the look of fear in her eyes, the knowledge that his own wife feared him. It served his twisted desire for power.
"My lord Vader, we captured her when we raided the jedi temple. She was hiding there with her children and Jedi Kenobi," the trooper calmly reported to them. Anakin cringed when he heard his former master's name, but quickly regained his passive composure. The trooper continued, "Jedi Kenobi escaped with her two children, but he wasn't able to rescue her." The thought of his children still lost to him made Anakin mad, but before he could say anything, the emperor interrupted his thoughts.
"Very well, continue searching for the Skywalker twins. If you are to come across Obi Wan Kenobi, use all means necessary to kill him, but I want the twins alive," the emperor said, not taking his gaze off Padmé.
"You stay away from my children you monster!" Padmé spat at the grinning emperor. Pure hatred in her eyes as she looked at the emperor. Hatred for the man… no, the monster who took her husband from her, who's keeping her there against her will, and who was now searching for her children for the sole purpose of turning them evil like he did to her Anakin. Padmé was wearing an old handmaiden outfit without all the make-up she was accustomed to wearing as the queen of Naboo. It was the orange one, the same one she wore when Anakin gave her the japor snippet she still had on around her neck. She clutched her japor snippet and looked up at her husband pleadingly, "Ani! Can't you see that you serve a monster?!" Padmé said as she pointed to the sitting emperor.
"The emperor has given me power. Power and control I will never find as a Jedi, only as a Sith." Anakin answered coldly. Despite his emotionless façade, both he and Padmé knew that he was battling an inner conflict. He liked what the dark side had to offer, but he did not like their methods. He did not like the relationship he now had with his wife, and he wanted to be a father to his children. As a matter of fact, that was why he wanted his children found, not so much to raise them in the dark side, but to be with them. Although, he knew, in order for him to be with them, they must be raised as Siths.
"Is power the only thing that has any meaning to you anymore?" Padmé asked.
"You are nothing without power. Then again, I don't expect you to understand that… Your Highness" Anakin sneered.
"I do understand! I understand the satisfaction it gives you to finally be in command, especially after many years of being a slave, but don't you understand Ani, you're still a slave, you're a slave to the dark side!" Padmé said, and that struck a chord with Anakin. He winced at the remark, then tried to hide it, but Padmé saw it, which gave her hope. The emperor saw it too, and was threatened.
"Your Highness, you will tell us where it is that your son and daughter are hidden" the emperor demanded.
But Padmé ignored the emperor and kept herself focused on Anakin.
"Ani, I don't believe for a second that this is the life you want. If there is some part of the man I married still alive there somewhere, then I know you'd want to be with me and our children," Padmé said with tearful eyes. "You never stopped loving me and you know it!" and with this, Anakin became confused. He didn't know what to think or do anymore. He kept a steady blank gaze on his wife, but his mind was in turmoil. He imagined his twin children, barely a year old taking their first steps. He remembered times he had with Padmé, good times. God, how he missed her smile.
"You are never again to ignore me, do you understand?!" the emperor yelled out to Padmé, interrupting Anakin's thoughts. The emperor's voice was laced with so much anger that Padmé wasn't able to ignore it. "Now. You will tell me, where are your son and daughter, Padmé?" the emperor asked just above a whisper.
"I don't know. And even if I did, I would never tell you" she answered, her voice equally low.
Anakin, hoping maybe he could get through to her spoke up, "Padmé, you can't hide them forever. Join me, and we can be together again, we can be a family again. We can start by having our twins with us here." Anakin waited for a response, and when he didn't receive one, "God damnit Padmé, they're MY children too!"
"No! The father of my children is Anakin Skywalker. You're not their father, you gave up that right when you gave up that name." With that, Padmé slowly, but steadily walked up to Anakin. She took his hand in hers and said, "It's not too late Anakin, you can still turn back. Oh Ani, I miss you so much. I need you, our children need you. Please… come back to me," and Anakin wanted to, with every fiber of his being that was still Ani. All he wanted was to take his wife in his arms and tell her how much he loved her and how much he wanted to be with her, to be a family again. His pride wouldn't let him though.
Just then, the emperor stood up and with a wave of his hand used the force to throw Padmé away from Anakin. He was well aware that she had an influence over Anakin and he had to put a stop to it. "Padmé, if you don't tell us where it is your children are, then I'm afraid we have no use for you and I'll be forced to kill you. Where are they?"
"I don't know" Padmé answered with a slight smile.
"Then you will die." With that, purple and blue lightning bolts came out of the emperor's hands and struck Padmé. She was screaming in agony.
"Ani, help me please!" she managed to sound out as she writhed in pain on the floor before him. Padmé was right, he never stopped loving her and he realized it then. He couldn't stand seeing her like that anymore. He realized his mistake, that it was he who was the ultimate cause of all this pain. Her pain. The old Anakin, all of him, soon returned and it became evident right away.
"Stop it! You're hurting her!" Anakin screamed, almost begging to the emperor. But the he ignored Anakin and continued to throw the lightning bolts at Padmé. Anakin couldn't take it anymore, so he drew his lightsaber, a red glow emanating from it and thrust it right into the emperor's back. The emperor dropped to the ground and looked up at Anakin.
The emperor's last words were as he looked into Anakin's sea blue eyes were, "She was always your greatest weakness."
Anakin took his eyes off the emperor's lifeless body, not giving it a second thought and rushed to his wife's side. "Oh Padmé, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." Anakin managed to say in between his sobs. "I've hurt you so much. I let others hurt you…"
"Shhh… Ani. Look, you've redeemed yourself. You've conquered your dark side, you're my Anakin again" Padmé whispered to him as they embraced. She knew it was her husband that was in her arms and not some Sith lord. It was in his eyes. His eyes said everything about him. His eyes were once again tender, reflecting nothing but love and regret. Most of all they had tears in them, something you would never find in the eyes of a Sith. "C'mon Ani, let's go home."
"I can't. I don't deserve it, I don't deserve you. Not after what I put you through. It's not right, I mean to commit the crimes I have then to be rewarded by coming home with you." Anakin answered.
"You made the wrong decisions Ani, no sense in beating around the bush over that, but you have to understand, that you can make amends for the wrongs you have done by doing good" she whispered to him as she brushed a tear from his cheek. "Let's go… Luke and Leia have been waiting to meet you."
"Who?"
Padmé laughed, "I've missed you Ani." Anakin and Padmé walked away together, going to rebuild a life that was shattered.
"I love you Padmé." Anakin said.
"I know" Padmé answered as Anakin took off his dark robe and threw away his red lightsaber.
2 years later
As Anakin landed his ship in the hangar bay at Theed Palace he could see through the window his wife and children waiting for him. He just came back from his latest mission. Padmé carried Leia in one arm and held Luke's hand in the other. Right when his ship hit the ground, Anakin ran out and Luke ran right to him and Leia literally jumped out of Padmé's arm to go to her daddy. Anakin scooped them both up and held them in a long embrace. Then, not caring that her guards and handmaidens were present, Anakin gave his wife a gravity-defying kiss.
"I missed you angel." Anakin said to Padmé.
"That goes both ways, Jedi." Padmé said sweetly. "How was your mission?"
"Terrible!"
"Why?"
"Because I missed you and the kids every minute." Anakin answered with a smile.
Luke and Leia ran ahead of their parents as Anakin shouted his "don't go too far" speech. He then turned to Padmé and said to her what he's been saying to her for the past 2 years now, "You know what hon, nothing even comes close to filling the space in my heart that you and the twins do. No amount of power."
And Padmé responded with the same answer she's given him for the past 2 years, "Isn't it a good thing you realized it before it was too late?"