Chapter 2
Organa found his wife in Leia's room, watching the young child as she slept.
"I'm so afraid, Bail," Breha confided in him. "Afraid that he will come back and take her away with him."
Organa frowned, for he too had considered that. "He knows she's safer here," he told his wife. "He needs us to keep her hidden."
"Hidden? She's hardly hidden now, is she?" Breha asked.
"She's hidden from the emperor," Bail explained. "And that is what Vader is counting on," he went on.
"But Vader answers to the emperor, doesn't he?" Breha asked.
"He did," Bail replied. "But now that he's found Leia, I think he's starting to seriously revaluate things," he told her. "At least, that's what I'm taking from what he said."
"What did he say?" Breha asked.
Bail related the conversation he'd had with Vader on their way to the shuttle. Breha was as surprised as he had been to hear that Vader would consider the emperor as an enemy.
"I don't know how we're going to tell her about all this," Bail told his wife as they adjourned to their own bedroom. "She is going to be distraught."
Breha scowled. "I know," she said. "But there's no way we can keep it from her, is there? Leia will be old enough to talk about him soon, and then what?" A sudden fear gripped her. "You don't… you don't think that she'd leave with Leia, do you?" she asked. "That she'd be too afraid to stay?"
Bail shook his head. "She needs us too much," he said. "She'll simply have to accept it."
Breha realized he was right, but had serious doubts nonetheless.
It was very late that night when Padmé Amidala returned to Alderaan. It was always difficult for her to leave Tatooine, to say goodbye to her son, but knowing that her daughter was waiting for her made it bearable.
Tiptoeing into Leia's nursery, Padmé stood beside the baby's crib, looking down at her child as she slept. She smiled, and kissed her hand then placed it on Leia's cheek. "Goodnight sweetheart," she said softly, and then left Leia's room for her own. She headed down the corridor, but was startled by Bail Organa standing by her door.
"Bail," she said. "You startled me!"
Bail smiled, but it was a tense smile, and Padmé grew alarmed. "Come into my office," Bail said. "Tell me about Luke."
Padmé followed Bail into his office, her fears growing.
"How's Luke?" Bail asked as they sat down.
"He's wonderful," Padmé said. "Growing so fast."
"A month makes a big change in a child at this age," Bail commented.
"Leia's grown too," she said. "I can see it."
Bail nodded. "Padmé, there's something you need to know," he said. "Something happened today, something you need to know about."
Padmé felt her blood turning to ice. "What? What has happened?" she asked, almost afraid to know.
"Vader was here," he said. "He saw Leia."
Padmé felt as though she'd had the very air withdrawn from her lungs, and for a moment she couldn't speak. Vader! Her mind screamed. It was the name of the thing that had once been her husband; the name of the monster who had killed her beloved Anakin.
"How?" she cried. "How did he see her? What was he doing here?"
"He came unexpectedly," Bail said. "We had no warning. We were just putting Leia to bed when she started crying, Vader heard her." He stopped, as though gathering courage to tell her the worst bit. "He knows Leia is his, Padmé," he said.
Padmé said nothing, her fear too great to formulate rational thought. But then an idea came to her. "Why didn't he take her if he knows?" she said. "Surely he would have."
Bail shook his head. "That's the damnest thing, Padmé," he said. "He wants her to stay here, with us," he said. "He wants her to stay hidden for now."
Padmé frowned. "For now?" she asked. "What does that mean? Does he mean to take her?" she asked, her voice rising in panic.
"It means that so long as the emperor lives, Vader wants Leia to be hidden," Bail said.
Bail's words could not have been more surprising. "I don't understand," she said, certain that she hadn't heard him correctly.
"Padmé, he as much as said that he plans to kill the emperor," Bail said.
Padmé shook her head. "You must have misunderstood," she said. "Vader is utterly devoted to his master," she said bitterly. "He would never do such a thing."
"I never would have believed it myself," Bail said. "But it's true. Why else did he leave Leia here?"
Padmé had no answer, for Vader's actions confused her. "Does he know I'm alive?" she asked. "Does he know about Luke?"
Bail shook his head. "No," he said. "He asked about you, I told him you were dead, that you'd died of a broken heart."
"Good," she said. "But how did he know about Leia?" she asked. "She's so young."
"Leia reached out to him," Bail told her. "It was as if she knew him, Padmé. It was unbelievable."
Padmé was shocked to hear it. "We have to keep her away from him," she said. "I don't know how, but..."
"Padmé, he wants to see her," Bail interjected. "He wants to come once a month. He wants her to know him, who he is. I had no choice but to agree to his terms, given the fact that he let her stay with us."
"I can't believe this has happened," Padmé said, standing up and walking about the office. "How can I remain hidden if he knows who Leia is?"
"You'll just have to time your visits carefully," Bail said. "He said he'd let me know when he's coming," he said. "We'll just make sure that you're on Tatooine with Luke when he's coming."
Padmé frowned, and ran her hair through her now short curly hair. "I can't believe this," she muttered. "I just can't."
"It is what it is," Bail said. "Consider this though, Padmé," he said. "It could have been worse, Padmé, much much worse."
Padmé couldn't refute his statement. "I'm going to bed," she said. "I'm exhausted."
"Goodnight then, Padmé," Bail said. "Please try not to worry."
But Padmé wasn't sure how that was possible.
Mustafar – several weeks later
Darth Vader stood in the hall of his Mustafar castle, his hands clasped behind his back, staring out at the rivers of lava. It was here that he had been transformed, that his life had been changed forever. It was here that you attacked your angel, you betrayed the person who loved you more than anything. Vader's fists clenched as he thought of that moment. You told me that I killed her there, he reflected darkly. But I didn't not, she lived to give birth to my daughter…our daughter. Vader reflected back to the days when he could feel the baby within his wife's womb moving and kicking about. I knew she was a girl, he mused. Remember Padmé? He thought. I knew we'd have a daughter.
It had been three months since he had discovered Leia, and had been to see her twice since then. It brought him immense joy to see her each time, and he marvelled at how quickly she was growing. Each time he saw her she was bigger, she was saying more words and developing. She was Force sensitive as well, that was something he'd discovered very quickly. How long will it be before Sideous discovers her? He reflected anxiously. How long can I keep you safe, my precious one?
"Lord Vader, your shuttle has arrived."
Vader turned around and acknowledged the acolyte's message with a brief nod of his head, and then walked past him without saying a word.
Alderaan
Padmé and Leia had gone on a picnic on the vast estate of the royal family. Padmé had always been very careful about where she took Leia, but felt safe within the confines of the royal property. Until I cross paths with Darth Vader here, she reflected with a frown.
"When Daddy coming?" Leia asked, looking up from the book she and Padmé had been reading.
Padmé was dismayed each time her daughter asked about Vader. It still astonished her that Leia seemed to love her father, despite his terrifying appearance. Why is that? She thought. How could she see her father in that evil creature?
"I don't know, Leia," Padmé said.
Leia examined her mother's face closely, sensing her mother's conflicted feelings. She was too young to put into words her questions. "Daddy come soon?" she asked.
Padmé put a false smile on her face and put her arm around her daughter. "Yes, soon," she said, knowing that her month with Leia was nearly up. He'll come soon, she reflected. And when he does I'll be far from here. And he will never find me, he will never find Luke.
"Let's finish our story," Padmé suggested, pulling Leia closer.
At dinner that night, Bail informed Padmé that Vader would be arriving in two days' time.
"Isn't that earlier than usual?" Breha asked. "He usually comes once a month. It's only been three weeks."
"I don't question him," Bail said. He looked at Padmé. "I'll have a ship ready first thing in the morning."
Padmé nodded. She hated having to leave early, but the risks were simply too great. There was nothing she could do. "I'll get packing, then," she said, standing up from the table. She looked at Leia, who sat in her highchair eating her supper. "Mommy will be right back," she said, giving Leia a kiss.
Leia simply smiled up at her, and continued eating her meal.
