The Father

Chapter One: Deep

One Day Later…

When she came to, she was in a room she didn't recognize. There was a constant beeping sound that alerted her first and she glanced in the sound's direction to find a heart monitor counting out the slow beats of her heart. She cocked her head to the side, wondering silently how exactly she'd ended up in this place. Everything was blurred in her memory, but she could recall ash and fire and the overwhelming boom of eruptions.

Mustafar.

Anakin…she gasped aloud at the sudden horror that overcame her; Anakin had been decimated and replaced with someone else, specifically a man that was capable of destroying her and her child…her hands shot to her belly. She felt nothing, no kick or heartbeat, only deafening quiet. She lifted her hospital gown to reveal a surgical scar that traveled through her navel to just above her pelvis. Her baby had been delivered, but where had the droids taken it?

She sat up quickly only to wince at the pain that shot through her. A cry left her mouth at the suddenness of it; the noise drew the attention of droid that'd been floating past the open door.

"Are you okay, Senator?" it asked in a slightly feminine tone.

Padme grimaced. "Where is my baby?"

"Your children are upstairs in the nursery. I will have another droid bring them down to you if you wish to see them."

"Thank you…" Padme paused for a moment in contemplation. "Is there a Jedi Master on the premises?"

"No, Senator. Lord Vader is the only other life form on the premises."

Lord Vader? Is it talking about Anakin?

Padme cleared her throat uncomfortably. "Could you…could you send in Lord Vader?"

"Of course." The droid floated back out of the room. After a few moments, there was the sound of muffled voices and heavy footsteps. There wasn't even time to gather herself before his large frame was filling in the doorframe.

"Hi." He said happily. There was a joy in his voice that reminded her of the Jedi Padawan she'd initially fallen in love with.

She couldn't return the elated sentiment, because just looking at him brought back images of their confrontation on Mustafar, and all the pain he was capable of causing.

Instead, she was going to treat him like the villain he was. "Lord Vader."

He was taken aback by the amount of indifference that was present in her voice. "Padme." He said as he strode to her bedside and kneeled before her.

"Padme, it's still me." He pointed to himself viciously. "I'm still me. Look at me, damn it." She turned her deep eyes back to his reluctantly; as she expected, his gaze was filled to the brim with the devotion of an endlessly faithful husband. It was that look that was always her undoing, but it certainly wouldn't be this time.

"This is what we've always wanted." He continued. "We're free, our children are free. The Jedi don't control us anymore."

"The Jedi are dead, Anakin! You killed them! You killed Obi-Wan!"

The shrill sound of synchronized crying cut short his reply as two droids entered, each carrying a baby.

Padme gasped at the sight of her newborns and eagerly reached out toward the bundle wrapped in a blue blanket. The tears fell of their own accord as she stared down into the overly aware sky blue eyes of her son. There was a light within him that she could feel vibrating through his skin; he was innocent, but he had an ability that was apparent and overpowering. He would be unbelievably Force sensitive, just as she'd assumed.

She wished in that moment that he would remain eternally good and full of light, despite the world he would grow up in, and there was name from Naboo that represented that all too well.

"Luke." She murmured to him slowly, so that it would resonate that this name was his new destiny, his calling, and his identity. He was light, and she would make sure he stayed that way.

Meanwhile, Anakin held their little girl and silently watched Padme's interaction with Luke.

"What about her?" he inquired quietly. "What are you going to call her?"

His wife rose her loving gaze in the direction of their baby girl. For her, there would be the name on Naboo that meant justice, something that Padme would always believe strongly in, something she hoped her daughter would emulate.

"Leia." She replied in a voice filled to the brim with emotion.