Chapter 3
It was with great reluctance that Anakin agreed to bring Padme back home to Coruscant; he was sure that his child was alive and that he just needed to keep looking. After an hour of frantic searching, however, Anakin determined that there was nothing to find in the medical facility. If Yoda had stolen his child, he must have gotten him or her out of Polis Massa.
Padme didn't want to hear about Anakin's conspiracy theories, however. "Stop it! Stop it, please!" she had finally pleaded when Anakin began to verbalize his suspicions once again. "He's dead. Luke is gone. Stop pretending like he isn't"
Anakin refused to listen to her, however. And while he kept his thoughts to himself now, he resolved that he would never rest until he found his child. This singular determination was perhaps the sole thing which kept him sane during this terrible time. Padme hadn't forgotten what he had become, and she no doubt still hated him for it. Their entire journey back to Courscant was made in deafening silence.
Staring out into hyperspace, Anakin contemplated how things had gone so terribly wrong in the past few days. Padme was alive, and this should have made him happy beyond measure. But he knew that she was alive only in the physical sense. The Padme he knew and loved was gone. This version of his wife hated him. While she hadn't told him such, he also knew that the loss of the child had devastated her beyond measure.
This fact motivated Anakin even further to find their child. Only then could he revive Padme and restore things to how they ought to be. Perhaps his Master would help him…
Or would he? He was a Sith, after all. Wouldn't Darth Sidious resent Anakin's child who certainly would be powerful in the Force like their father? Anakin didn't know much about the Sith, but he did know about the Rule of Two. Would his Master actually be pleased that Anakin's offspring had not come to be?
Of course he wouldn't! His Master was a compassionate and understanding man, far more so than the Jedi had ever been. Palpatine was his friend, a father-figure almost. Surely he would help his apprentice….
Landing back down on the landing pad outside of their apartment at the Senate Apartment Complex, Anakin took a deep breath and stood up from the pilot's seat. Padme had secluded herself in her bedroom on the ship and had refused to come out for the duration of the flight back to Coruscant. Anakin had decided not to force the door open, but now he had little choice.
Knocking on the door, he strained to hear if there was any movement in the room. "Padme," he said in a soft voice. "We're back. You have to come out." Anakin waited for a solid minute before the door opened, revealing the frail form of his wife. Her eyes had heavy bags underneath implying that she hadn't slept at all during the voyage. Her hair, normally done in a variety of extraordinary fashions, was tangled and messy. She walked past Anakin without acknowledging his presence and made her way off the ship.
Concerned, Anakin followed her, careful to maintain a degree of separation. When it became clear that Padme was intending to walk straight into her bedroom in the apartment, Anakin reached out and grabbed her wrist.
"Padme, please," he said. "You can't hide from this forever."
She looked around at him with a fiery expression in her tired eyes. "Let go of me," she said authoritatively. Acquiescing instantly, Anakin released her and watched morosely as she retreated to her room, slamming the door behind her.
With a heavy sigh, Anakin turned away and made his way towards the kitchen to get something to eat. Just as he reached the kitchen, however, his holocom vibrated in his pocket.
"You cannot be serious," Anakin said, rolling his eyes. "Yes?" he said, flipping the device on. He was greeted by the Vice Chair of the Senate, Mas Amedda.
"Lord Vader, the Emperor demands your audience. He is waiting for you in his apartment at 500 Republica," he said.
"I will go there at once," Anakin replied obediently.
With a nod, Amedda's figure flickered away. Deciding that he would eat later, Anakin strode to leave with a renewed sense of purpose. Reaching the door, he hesitated, looking back in the direction of the bedroom. He ought to tell her he was going, shouldn't he? They were married, after all.
It was if he had been severed from Padme. Even during the long ten years between when they had met for the first and second times, Anakin had felt closer to Padme than he did at this very instant. Had he made a mistake in pledging himself to the Dark Side? Had he saved Padme's life but not her soul?
No. This was the Jedi's fault, not his. Anakin shook himself from his doubts and flung the front door open, leaving in a huff. Padme would come to appreciate who he had become. He would find their child and she would love him once again. There was no room for doubt anymore. The old Anakin Skywalker was always doubting himself, questioning whether he was following the right path. Not anymore. Darth Vader was a new man.
"You did WHAT!?"
Anakin writhed in pain at his Master's feet as the residual jolts of Sith Lightning continued to course through his body. "Forgive me, my Master," he said pathetically.
Darth Sidious began to pace in front of his apprentice who was still twitching slightly from the brutal punishment. "Perhaps you have forgotten," Sidious said with with sickly bitterness. "When you pledged yourself to me, you pledged yourself to the Sith."
"Of course, Master," Anakin groveled.
"Are you a Sith, Darth Vader?"
"Yes, my Master."
"Then prove it!" Sidious shrieked, releasing another wave of lightening at Anakin. Jolting backwards, Anakin landed flat on his back, the air forced violently from his lungs when he landed. The pain was indescribable; his agony was ubiquitous, tendrils of electricity wrapped their way around his limbs and squeezed every inch of his flesh. Finally, the onslaught ended. Struggling to his knees, Anakin bowed in front of his Master.
"I was desperate, Master," he said in a futile attempt to justify himself. "I had to save her. I didn't want Yoda's help but there was no other way."
"Save the theatrics," Sidious spat, turning his back on his apprentice. "Perhaps I was wrong about you, Lord Vader," he mused.
Anakin looked up sharply and stood up. "You were not, Master!" he insisted. "I didn't fail you! I killed him!"
"You what?" Sidious exclaimed, spinning around quickly.
"Yoda is dead."
Sidious looked back at Anakin with his mouth slightly agape. "I see," he said eventually. "Perhaps I was wrong to doubt you, Lord Vader."
"He stole my child, Master. He told me that they had died but we never saw a body."
Sidious's mutilated brow furrowed as he continued to stare back at Anakin intently. He said nothing, so Anakin decided to continue.
"I think he somehow got them away without me realizing it. I couldn't find them anywhere in the facility."
"Them? Do you not know the child's sex?" Sidious asked inquisitively.
"No, my Master. Yoda did not reveal such and Padme was unconscious at the time."
"I see…" Sidious said pensively as he retreated to sit back down on an exquisite purple armchair. "Very interesting."
Anakin remained silent, hoping that his Master would provide the answer he was seeking even if he didn't know what his question was. After a long while, Sidious looked up.
"I am afraid you are mistaken, Lord Vader. Your child is indeed dead."
"What!?" Anakin cried, utterly aghast. "How can you know?"
"All living things carry a Force Signature, my apprentice," Sidious lectured.
"I know that, but –"
"The presence that existed in your wife's womb is no more. I cannot sense it."
Anakin scoffed. "You couldn't possibly know that for sure, they could be anywhere in the galaxy!"
"Do you doubt me, Lord Vader?" Sidious asked in an ominously low tone.
"Of course not, Master, but –"
"Silence!" Sidious demanded, sitting upright from his seat with a speed no man of his age should ever possess. "You are powerful, Lord Vader, but I am older. With time, you will realize the true might of the Dark Side. In the meantime, you will neither doubt nor question me. You will respect me! Do I make myself clear?"
"Of course, my Master," Anakin said hurriedly, bowing his head before Sidious. "I am sorry."
Sidious continued to stare back at Anakin with his eyes narrowed. Squirming under the intense scrutiny, Anakin decided it was safest to continue staring at his feet.
Was his Master telling the truth? Was his child truly gone? Was it possible for Sidious to have that sort of power or was he simply trying to reign in his apprentice and get him to focus on other things? Yes, that seems like the sort of thing he would do. He couldn't possibly know for sure!
"And your wife? How is she?" Sidious asked in a tone reminiscent of Palpatine in its compassion.
Anakin swallowed hard before answering. "Not well, Master. She was devastated by the… by the ordeal."
"Yes, I would imagine so –" Sidious began to say, but was cut off as Anakin began unleashing his internal fears which he had kept bottled up until this point.
"She won't talk to me anymore. I think she blames me for what happened. She doesn't understand! I did this for her! I saved her life, but now it feels like the woman I knew is gone forever. She won't eat or sleep. She's like a shell of a person. I don't know what to do!"
Sidious's pale-yellow eyes flashed for the briefest of moments, so fast that Anakin nearly didn't detect it. What did that expression mean? Was he pleased? Triumphant? The compassionate countenance of Palpatine returned as quickly as it had disappeared, however.
"She will appreciate you in time, my young apprentice," Sidious said confidently. "You will see. For now, you should take her home to Naboo to recover. I am sure you could use the time off as well."
Anakin's heart swelled at the thought of returning to Naboo and he all but forgot the disconcerting look in his Master's eye a moment ago. "Yes, my Master. Thank you, I will take her at once."
"Good," Sidious said, looking down at the holopad on his desk which was alight with information. "I will contact you if I require your services, Lord Vader. You are dismissed."
As Anakin spun around gleefully to depart, he missed the sickly smile emerge across Sidious' marred face.
Obi Wan was waiting for the Viceroy in a secluded area by some jagged rocks about a kilometer outside of Mos Eisley. He had his cowl up so as to cover his face, both to hide his identity in case anyone happened upon this spot and to protect himself from the incessant suns. Scratching his chin, he noticed with dismay that his beard was dry and tangled.
The sound of an approaching speeder roused Obi Wan from his thoughts. Sneaking out from his carefully selected location, Obi Wan looked around the corner to see who was approaching. It was indeed Organa, driving a beaten down silver speeder which must have cost him a fortune. The merchants of Mos Eisley knew how to wrangle credits out of foreigners; Obi Wan had experienced that first hand when he had first come to this decrepit rock nearly fifteen years ago.
Organa slowed his speeder to a stop and after parking it in the shadows, he emerged carrying a small bundle in his arms. "General Kenobi," he said as he approached Obi Wan's hooded figure.
Obi Wan nodded to the Viceroy. "Senator Organa," he replied. "What news? Your message was very vague."
Organa sighed and looked down at the bundle in his arms. "These are dark times, Master Jedi," he said somberly. Obi Wan said nothing, waiting for Organa to explain himself. The Viceroy looked up to meet Obi Wan's eyes. "Padme is dead."
Obi Wan gaped back at Organa for a long while before speaking again. "How?" he asked finally.
Organa shook his head. "I don't know, Yoda didn't tell me."
Obi Wan looked away, suddenly feeling very tired. Had Anakin been responsible? She had lied to protect him, he knew that now. Did she go to see him afterwards? Did Anakin kill her then?
"Master Yoda asked me to give him to you," Organa said, handing Obi Wan the bundle in his arms. Looking down, Obi Wan noticed that it was a baby. The child was remarkably calm given the circumstances. Obi Wan stared at the child in bewilderment.
"I-I couldn't," he stammered. "I wouldn't know how to… a child? Is this Padme's?"
Organa nodded solemnly. "She was carrying twins. This is Luke."
"Luke," Obi Wan echoed, taking the bundle into his own arms.
"She had a daughter as well. Breha and I are going to raise her. Yoda insisted that they be separated so that their father cannot find them."
Obi Wan was continuing to stare transfixed at the baby boy he was carrying. "Does he know?" he asked softly.
"No," Organa said. "He didn't know it was twins. He thinks the child died with Padme."
Obi Wan closed his eyes tight as his eyes began to sting with unwanted tears. A loose droplet managed to escape and slide down his cheek where it fell and collided with Luke's tiny fist. Surprised, the boy began to cry.
"Take him," Obi Wan said suddenly, thrusting the crying child back towards Organa. "I can't raise this boy. It's too painful…"
"I cannot take him," Organa said. "They must be separated."
Obi Wan began to tremble visibly now, the weight of the world crashing down on his shoulders. He felt like a colossal failure. Anakin was gone forever, Padme was dead, and here he was holding their son. He was unworthy. He hadn't deserved to survive. He deserved to be with the rest of the Jedi.
"I must be going," Organa said, startling Obi Wan.
"No! You don't understand, I can't raise this child!"
"I'm sorry," Organa said simply. "I wish you didn't have to, either. We have no other choice, though. Do it for Padme." With that, he stepped back into the rusted speeder and drove away, leaving Obi Wan alone with the wailing child.
Padme's mood had brightened up ever so slightly when Anakin told her that he was taking her to Naboo. While she still refused to talk to him beyond a few syllables, she had at least resumed eating and the sickly pallor of her skin began to fade. The trip to Naboo was much like their last voyage: silent and uncomfortable. Anakin busied himself with speculating about where Yoda could have sent his child.
Had Yoda even died at all? He had simply disappeared when Anakin's lightsaber made contact with him. Perhaps he had transported elsewhere? Perhaps he hadn't even been there at all? Maybe he was still out there, training his newborn child as a Jedi!
The thought made Anakin sick to his stomach. Could it be that Yoda was corrupting his child, training him or her into a machine to kill their father? He wouldn't put it past the Grandmaster, that's for sure.
But Sidious insisted that his child was dead. He wouldn't be able to search for Yoda if his Master didn't give him permission to do so. Maybe he could hire a bounty hunter…
No brilliant solutions came to Anakin, however. He dared not bring up his thoughts to Padme, either, for he knew she would shoot him down if he so much as speculated that their child was still alive. No, he had to be very careful around her if he wanted to regain her trust. Bringing her back to Naboo had been a wonderful idea, and he was grateful to his Master for suggesting it. It was here that they had fallen in love. To Anakin, anything seemed possible when he was on Naboo. He would regain Padme's love and he would find his stolen child!
Having landed in Theed, Anakin managed to wrangle a rental speeder from a Toydarian who was equally avaricious as Watto had been. Anakin and Padme made the drive up to the Naberrie's estate in complete silence once again. Every now and then, Anakin glanced over at Padme to see if being back on Naboo was doing anything to soothe her spirit. On the contrary, she seemed to be even more aloof than usual – staring blankly out the window with a melancholy expression, her left hand rested above her deflating midsection.
Frustrated by Padme's state of being, Anakin resolved to keep his eyes on the road for the rest of the journey. When they finally reached the Naberrie's estate, Padme drifted out of the speeder like a ghost, gliding away towards the front steps, leaving Anakin behind to deal with the luggage. Exasperated, Anakin lifted both of their suitcases, noting that Padme's was much heavier than his own, and followed his wife.
"Padme!" Anakin heard a female voice call out as he was still climbing up the front steps. Halting at the open front door, Anakin watched as Padme's mother Jobal flew towards her daughter and gave her a crushing hug. "Oh, we were so worried," she said in a muffled voice.
Behind her, Anakin noticed the still form of Ruwee, Padme's protective father. Ruwee was looking back at Anakin with a skeptical look on his face.
"Padme, you didn't tell us you still had a bodyguard," Ruwee said, still looking at Anakin. Separating herself from her mother, Padme looked over at her father with a confused look on her face.
"Bodyguard? What are you… oh." Turning around, she saw Anakin standing in the doorway with the two suitcases. "Anakin isn't my bodyguard, anymore. Mom, Dad, Anakin and I are married." Ignoring Padme's slight grimace when she said that, Anakin gave his father-in-law a smile.
"Married?" Jobal said in shock. "But why didn't you tell us? What about the child?"
Padme flinched and looked to Anakin, perhaps hoping that he would explain. Anakin was silent however, having no idea what to do with himself. Sensing the palpable tension, Jobal changed tracks. "Anakin, please come in. We'll discuss everything over dinner, shall we?"
Padme nodded silently and pursed her lips. Relieved, Anakin stepped forward into the house. Avoiding Ruwee's vulture-like gaze, Anakin followed Padme down a hallway to her bedroom, his shoulders beginning to ache from holding the bags for so long.
"You can put the bags over there," Padme said in a strained voice, pointing over to an empty corner in the bedroom. Complying, Anakin noted with a start that these were the first words Padme had spoken to him in a long while.
Dropping the bags down a little bit harder than he should have, Anakin turned around to see Padme standing in the middle of the room, looking lost in her own bedroom. Unsure of what to do, Anakin stood awkwardly in the corner looking at her. Anakin hadn't felt this uncomfortable in his entire life. Should he say something? What was he supposed to be doing with his hands?
The last time he had been in this room, he had been similarly petrified, albeit for different reasons. He had changed so much since then, yet here he was in the same position. Nineteen-year-old Anakin Skywalker had been tongue-tied and utterly out of his element. He had been invited to accompany Padme, the woman whom he had crushed on for a decade, into her bedroom.
Of course, nothing had happened then. He was ostensibly fulfilling the role of bodyguard and friend, and Padme was merely being courteous. Nothing was going to happen this time either, Anakin thought with a perverse internal chuckle. He really hated this room.
Noticing that Anakin was staring at her, Padme looked away quickly and gave a little cough. "Well… I'm going to see if I can help in the kitchen," she said lamely, turning to leave the room.
"Padme, wait," Anakin said quickly. Padme stopped and turned to look at Anakin, a questioning look on her face. Anakin hesitated. He didn't know what he wanted to say but he knew this was his only chance to say it.
"I…" Anakin's voice caught in his throat. "Never mind," he said finally. Padme didn't go, however, and continued to look back at her husband with a sad expression. She too opened her mouth but then closed it again, evidently experiencing the same internal anguish as Anakin was.
After about thirty seconds, Padme turned away to leave, leaving Anakin alone in the oppressive bedroom. Shutting his eyes tight, Anakin raked his hands through his messy hair in frustration. How was he going to fix this?
