Now I know Polis Massa was a safe haven for the Jedi but I changed things up, and instead the surviving Jedi are hiding on Dantooine :)
Also remember, English is not my first language.
- Sunny
TRIGGER WARNINGS: childbirth, mentions of death and Vader's twisted mind.
CHAPTER TWO
Posession
Senator Amidala, 0 AE, Polis Massa
It was all a passing blur, one moment she was on Mustafar contemplating whether her husband had betrayed the Jedi and turned to dark side. And in the blink of an eye she found herself in the medical facility on the asteroid field of Polis Massa, giving birth as the medical droid tended to her.
"Anakin... I need Anakin. " She gasped out loud as the medical droid warned the petite woman of the upcoming contraction. Padmé only ignoreed the droid, just as she ignored the earlier events on Mustafar, just as she ignored the ongoing battle in her head. She even ignored the fact that she had been informed that she was about to give birth to twins instead of a single child as she had always thought, for she knew she couldn't get through childbirth without him by her side.
All Padmé wanted was Anakin, she needed him by her side more than ever. "Anakin - I mean, the emperor, I need him, please." But the medical droid ignored her request, as she had been programmed to solely tend to her patient and to make sure the babies were delivered safely.
Padmé gasped out loud from the dull ache growing in her back and lower abdomen, and heavy pressure on her pelvis. The medical droid did her best to soothe the senator whose eyes are now filled with tears as she wept and continuously called for her husband. He had told he would be back soon, that he wouldn't leave her side. It had only been a few minutes since he left the birthing centre to speak to another medical droid, but every second felt like hours to Padmé.
Oh Ani, where are you? I need you.
Emperor Vader, 0 AE, Polis Massa
Vader hadn't planned on straying from his wife's side until his child - no, until his children were delivered safely and until he was certain that she would survive childbirth. But Vader needed to know if she would make it, for as much as it pained the young emperor to stay away from her as she was in labour, he had to know if there was a single chance that she couldn't make it.
However, once Vader started questioning one of the medical droids at the facility about his wife's health and about any potential risks of her dying the questions wouldn't cease. His voice went from stern and cold to shaky and almost scared.
The medical droid had reassured him that there was no reason to why Padmé wouldn't survive. Still, he worried anyways. After all, his nightmares had a way of haunting him whenever he was awake.
I won't lose her like I lost you, Mother, please don't make me lose her - I need her. The voice in his head was that of the foolish boy again, the cowardly little slave; Anakin. He felt his anger rise and suddenly there was an ongoing battle in his head. Hadn't he killed Anakin when he had killed the chancellor? Hadn't he gotten rid of him like he got rid of the Jedi? How was it that such a cowardly insignificant excuse of a being could remain within his mind?
Vader snapped out of his thoughts, suddenly distracted from the sensation of a strange disturbance in the force, knowing immediately that he had to see Padmé. He rushed back to her in such a hurried pace, that one might have almost thought that she wouldn't survive without his presence.
"Angel..." He murmurs, the cold tone he had adopted softening ever so slightly at he sight of her. His stomach dropped, though the droid had assured Vader that she would be fine he couldn't help but to think that his little wife looked more terrible than ever.
She was shivering and sweating, her warm brown eyes red and puffy with tears and her beautiful olive skin had now turned several shades lighter than normal. If Vader were honest with himself, he had to admit that she looked much younger than her twenty-seven years, even younger than his twenty-two years.
"I'm here, Padmé." He hands her soft hand into her own, feeling her squeeze his larger calloused hand tightly as she gasped in pain.
As much as Vader condemn Anakin for his supposed cowardice, the truth of the matter was that the young emperor hadn't ever been so afraid in his entire life.
Senator Amidala, 0 AE, Polis Massa
"Don't leave me like that again, please." She begged, meeting the cold hue of her husband's yellow eyes as she squeezed his hand. She was still in pain, of course, but the medical droid kept on reassuring her that everything was fine, and that both mother and twins were doing well.
Now that she had her husband by her side, Padmé finally believed the droid's reassurance. With Ani by her side Padmé could finally focus on delivering her little ones.
Luke was born first - a son, she had always wanted her firstborn to be a little boy. Padmé had even insisted to Ani that they were having a boy, while Anakin who had high hopes of having a daughter constantly insisted that their firstborn would be a girl.
If only he was in the right state of mind, so she could would tease him about being right.
Luke, their little boy, was the most beautiful thing Padmé had ever laid her eyes one, even with the pain of having to deliver the second baby, she reached out to Anakin's arm which now held their boy and gently stroked the infant.
"Hi Luke..."
Emperor Vader, 0 AE, Polis Massa
Their daughter was born soon after their son, little Leia, the apple of her father's eyes already, just as her elder brother now was. Both babies were healthy and alive, nestled in their father's protective arms - and though they were but newborn he felt a connection with the two, not only out of paternal love and through the force (which the twins had both inherited from their father) but also out of Vader's need to protect them just as he felt the constant need to protect Padmé.
They were his now, both of them; Luke and Leia, just as their beautiful mother was. He would wipe out every star system to keep them safe from those who might snatch the twins and Padmé from him. He would destroy every single planet in the galaxy from the Core Worlds to deepest depths of the Outer Rim until nothing remained but ashes to keep them away from anyone who wished harm on them.
They were his, only his, and no one would take them away from him. The increase of his possessive behaviour wasn't one that stemmed from affection and love alone, but mainly out of greed and an unhealthy attachment to Padmé and the twins. Part of him didn't see them as his family at, instead they were his belongings. His perfect beautiful belongings.
Of course, in the deepest depths of Vader's twisted mind where that foolish little slave boy, Anakin, still remained, he knew that this was all a reaction to how afraid her was of losing everything he had finally gained. Vader had sacrificed everything for them, and there was nothing he feared nothing more than to lose any of them.
"Padmé." He sighs, staring down at the petite woman who now held Luke against her chest, while Vader had Leia in his arms. Her eyes were droopy and she looked as if she would pass out any moment. Yet, she was alive and recovering, through the force Vader could detect that Padmé was merely exhausted.
Yet she was still sad. He detected that as well.
It didn't matter though, soon she would be happy. She would realise that Vader had the power to give her anything she desired, that they were both free to be a family as she had wanted. Obi Wan had meddled with his wife's head, and Vader would make her find happiness in her new life if it were the last thing he'd do.
"I love you, Padmé." He murmured, smirking rather than smiling at the memory of how she had begged him to stay by her side. Padmé needed him just as he needed her, and Vader couldn't deny just how thrilling it felt knowing that his decency anything but one-sided. Still it didn't erase the constant nagging thought that she might leave him in the end, and take their children from him as well.
The more possessive Vader became, the more he feared being abandoned.
His empire was nothing without them.
Though could she really leave him? Even if she longed to? No. He was the most powerful being in the galaxy and he wouldn't allow her to leave, even if it meant holding her against her will. He had defeated the Jedi by going through Order 66, he had defeated the Sith and brought balance to the entire galaxy - he had even proved himself that he could defeat death, proof being the mere fact of Padmé surviving childbirth.
She gave him a smile of her own, yet her eyes were filled with sorrow and concern. Though what he couldn't detect was that his wife was concerned for his well-being not her own. "I love you too, and our little ones more than anything... thank you for staying by my side." She whispers before her eyes shut and she gives into her drowsiness.
He wants to wake her up, Vader doesn't know why but he doesn't want her to sleep just yet, but cannot find the strength to disturb her slumber, because his little wife looks peaceful, for the first time since she told him of the pregnancy.
Ben Kenobi, 0 AE, Dantooine
"I have news. both good and bad." Ben looks up from his datapad, disrupted by his reading by the voice of Mon Mothma. Ben frowns slightly, at this point he doubted he'd ever hear good news again. "Just tell me what you know, whether good or bad, any news is better than knowing nothing and being kept in the dark."
"Well, I have been informed by a source that Senator Amidala is indeed alive and has given birth to twins and-" But before she could continue Ben's eyes widened and he broke her off by saying. "Twins?"
"Yes twins, now, according to my source, she's given birth to a boy and a girl, and is recovering, likely in the Outer Rim. You see she hasn't been spotted on Coruscant nor on her homeplanet Naboo, and our source was unable to give us her exact location, though she is alive, that much is certain and the holonet will report all of this soon enough."
The former Jedi master gives the senator a forced smile of false reassurance, of course he is relieved to know that Padmé's disappearance didn't result in her death. Still, the fact of the matter was that alive or not, Padmé was still missing. And Mon still had bad news to give him.
Almost as if reading Ben's mind Mothma continues. "The bad news however, is that she has sworn allegiance the new Emperor and once she well enough, she plans to head back to Coruscant with him to be crowned as his Empress... she is to be Vader's consort."
The news didn't shock Ben as much one might expect, not as he recalled Padmé's disbelief when she was told the truth about her husband. And as much as he should hate her, he couldn't, there were days where he too was tempted to forgo his loyalty to the Jedi as well as the Republic, to join his friend. But he didn't, unlike her he didn't... but unlike her he wasn't married to him, nor did he share any children with him.
The truth of the matter was that Ben didn't feel resentment towards Padmé, nor did he feel disappointment or as if she had betrayed him... he only feared for her well-being as well as the twins'.
"She must be up to something, or threatened because the Padmé I know is cunning and ambitious, yes," Mon continued, not waiting for Ben to react verbally, "but she has never hungered for power and has always put others before herself - there is a chance that Vader has threatened her or maybe she thinks she might use her new position as Empress to hinder him from causing too much destruction."
Ben nodded in agreement, running a hand through his greying auburn hair and broke his silence. "I do not disagree, Senator, I do not think this was a decision she made out of greed nor one she took lightly - it's likely that she didn't think there was any other way to go than to pledge loyalty to her father of her children." He frowned, placing his datapad on the table before him and leaned back against his seat. "Still many in The Alliance will think of her as a traitor, you are aware of that I hope?"
"I know, I suppose we must remind the others that Padmé was one of the loyalists who helped build the Rebel Alliance, and her loyalty has always been for democracy." Mon replied, a saddened expression appearing on her face. She sat next to Ben and let out a sigh. "Still... when it comes to war, every side has a faction of extremists some larger than others. It won't take long until there are those who wish to see her dead and will make several attempts on her life, and others who wants to use her as a hostage against the Emperor."
"Then they are fools." Ben retorts, his tone has a slight harsh edge to it.
Ben knows Mon is speaking the truth however, many will think of her as a traitor who turned against the Republic for power and wealth, and no doubt will they target her as they will target Vader - if not more so, seeing as she would be far easy to capture, and in their minds a tool to use against Vader. Or they will want her dead for marrying him.
"Vader may be a monster, but I pity the man who is foolish enough to stand before the Emperor and his wife - he is far too strong and killing her instead of Vader will only result in more chaos and more destruction among us."
"I know," Mon sighs, "but if we don't take her from him, then how will she ever be free of him? And the children, they may be safe but Vader is sure to corrupt them."
"Easy." He replies curtly. "We free her and her children by getting rid of Vader."
I am always open to comments, constructive criticism and any beta writers :)
- Sunny
