A.N.- Just thought I'd post two chapters today just because! Enjoy!
Chapter 3
Flashback, 0 BBY
Niobi
All right Ni you're either the bravest or the dumbest bitch in this galaxy I thought as I watched the med droids swaddle my newborn clean and hand her to me. Being home on Bordal really made this whole birthing a child conceived via the Force or what have you a bantha-shit ton easier for me.
"What will you name her, Miss?' a droid asked me in Basic.
I thought: I knew the Emperor was from Naboo and they had interesting names on Naboo. "Émilie Rose," I gave my answer as the most stunning tiny creature was handed over to me. Despite the fact drugs ran rampant in my lower body even still I could feel this child in my arms and it felt oddly amazing.
"Who is the father, Miss? It's strictly for the birth certificate, you see."
"Is that information confidential?" I asked. Heaven knew what would happen if this news leaked.
"It's our programming to keep patient information that way."
"The father is the Emperor," I stated.
Palpatine/Sidious
I brought Em inside and she still slept. The main room of the house was comfortable with couches and chairs and tables for reading. Niobi came in with a cup of tea in her hands. "She is absolutely stunning. What are we going to do in ten years? Jedi and smugglers alike will be chasing her."
"She is," I agreed.
"So those shots we're giving her, how long do we do that for?" my companion asked sat beside me on the big couch, "Surely not indefinitely."
"Until the time is right and then I can deal with the issue surgically."
"The surgical droids can you mean? The ones on your personal med staff? They are quite skilled."
"No. I can and will take care of Émilie's situation with Plagueis' assistance when the time presents itself. Droids don't feel the Force and Em's Force potential is unlike anyone's I have ever seen, even Anakin Skywalker," I felt like I was talking to an apprentice of mine. She nodded. "But that time is perhaps four to five years ahead of us, I predict." As I spoke Em stirred.
"Dada, what am I going to a surgical center for?" Em asked me. The child certainly had my intuition, she did.
"Nothing Bijou. Mama and I were just talking about the future. Do you think I would hand you over to med droids?"
Dooku
I was sitting in the archives looking up my Padawan class' records from nearly a century ago when Yoda walked in, his cane tapping on the floor like light raindrops on a window. "A question for you I have, my old Padawan."
"Go ahead."
"An empty seat that needs to be filled on the Council we have. Interested?" Back long ago I had been the Mace Windu of the modern Council and I had loved that position.
"Of course, Master. But is that spot not Anakin Skywalker's?'
"Honestly Dooku think," I knew things got serious when Yoda's normal syntax cut out, "Imagine Anakin Skywalker on the Council. Go ahead."
"I see your point."
"Glad you accepted my offer, I am. Like old times it will be. Later I will see you," he smiled and his syntax resumed as he waved a finger and left me to my research.
Em
Dada sat me up in his lap and massaged my shoulders, "Don't worry Bijou," he said softly, "What Mama and I were talking about is years away from us, and even then it will be fine."
"What can Plagueis do to help?" I asked having heard mention of the Muun who lived with us and was here now. I liked Plagueis and he apparently was very wise in the ways of the Force like Dada was and he could do things others couldn't.
"He would help you stay calm. You see we'd have you take a special nap and Plagueis would help you with that and keep you warm with blankets."
"Sounds nice," I had an affinity for blankets and had tons at home. I don't know why, I just liked being warm and I had some nice patterns on my blankets.
"How many years?" I wondered.
"At least four, so we're a long time away from it. You never need to worry about anything, Bijou."
Padmé
Ferus Olin walked into the Kenobi residence just a few minutes after Luke and I got there for dinner. "Padmé I need your advice," the Jedi Knight looked at me. I looked surprised but allowed him to continue. "You've had a baby right?"
The question seemed almost idiotic but I guess Ferus wasn't past the shock stage yet if my assumptions were right so I just motioned to Luke to confirm I had indeed had a baby emerge from my own body.
"How did you tell Anakin you were pregnant all those years ago?" my mind already did the mental math as Siri stared at her apprentice.
"You and Darra are… oh shit wow. Congratulations. How long have you known? Why didn't you tell me?"
"I just found out," Ferus said, "she just kind of told me."
"How long has she known?" I asked thinking of how when I had told Ani I was already seven months along, but then again Ferus wasn't stranded in the Outer Rim fighting a war.
"Well let's at least have a bottle of wine before you completely have a mental breakdown," Siri said and got Ferus a glass, "and invite Darra for the love of the Force. We don't want to be celebrating a baby without her." Siri pulled her hair out of her face and went to get the wine.
Niobi
I pulled my orange lightsaber back as Plagueis just stared at me with his red one in his hand after I had challenged him to a bet that I could beat him so here we were outside the lake retreat in the field. "How is it that you've never been trained in the Force and yet somehow your lightsaber style is exactly like Sidious' but at the same time so much more aggressive? But you're certainly talented; passion motivates you."
"More like ambition," I corrected as I deactivated my blade and put it on the belt of my simple, "I've always had plans for my life," I straightened the deep red cape I wore over my simple white dress robes. I had pulled my hair back for the duel so it wouldn't bother me.
"You know, your daughter dresses more extravagantly than you do," he said as we headed back inside.
"I know, Sidious dresses her like the Padmé Amidala fashion icon of eight-year-old human girls and I love seeing her outfits." For instance today she matched my white with a dress that had lace on the sleeves and flowed behind her when she stood and her hair was braided to resemble the crown she was entitled to via her bloodline.
"Who won?" my daughter asked excitedly. She and Palpatine still sat in front of the fire. Em was seated in his lap and she was eating some traditional Naboo dish and he was just admiring her like she was some goddess of legend, which maybe she was, as he worked at her tiny shoulders.
"Me," I replied coming to sit with my little family by the fire after helping myself to some food. I was so used to serving myself that when I was on Coruscant in the palace I was so off guard by being waited on. Plagueis came and knelt before Em.
"One day you will be good with a lightsaber too," he told her. Plagueis was almost just as taken with Em as Sidious was. "Move to her scapula Sidious; there's some tension there."
"What is it Bijou?" Palpatine asked softly but didn't need a verbal answer, as he must have found it in her mind. "Here," he put one of his hands on her forehead like he was healing her with the dark side. "Now it won't frighten you anymore."
Leia
Why was there dancing like the dances at court at a baby shower for Force's sake? "As the guest of honor you get first dance Lelila and then we'll all join in." I took Anakin's hand.
"Your lungs good enough to dance with me?" I asked and he nodded. As the orchestra started to play and I danced with Anakin for the first time I heard his labored breathing and his soft crackling lungs as I danced against him. Everybody watched us intently and I was wondering what he or she saw. "Anakin?"
"Hmm?"
"Does it hurt for you to breathe without your oxygen machine?" I asked him as I continued to listen to the crackle of his lungs.
"A little," he said truthfully and for the first time since I had really knew him I wrapped my arms around him in a hug expressing my sorrow at that situation.
Palpatine/Sidious
"Good job, Conchita," My former Master said softly to my daughter, calling her a term of endearment in his native Muun language as he swept his fingers over her head after my own had wiped her knowledge of our last conversation. I could sense the calmness in her mind brought about by my influence. "There are some things you are too young to know Émilie Rose, my Bijou," I told her, "but you'll know one day." Her smile unlocked me.
"Okay," she said as I handed her the cup of blue milk she was drinking from and one of our few household staff members here took her plate, "I love all you guys," Em said. I kissed her forehead.
"We love you too," Niobi told our daughter.
"Was your food good Crown Princess Émilie?" the kitchen-hand Tift asked her. Em grinned at him.
"Yes, thanks Tift."
"Would you like more blue milk?"
"Sure," she handed him the cup and he disappeared into the kitchen. As we waited I turned back to working at her scapula. I could feel in the Force the tension was relaxing and she let me help. Tift set her blue milk glass on the table and smiled at my little jewel before he left. "Hey Dada?"
"Yes Bijou?"
"Are we going to Theed to go get my Voorpak?" she asked.
"Is the zoo closed?" Niobi asked.
"Does not matter, I will call the zookeepers," I said lifting Em into my arms after Niobi got Em's shoes on. "Ready the air speeder."
Em
I was put into the speeder for the short ride to Theed. I was used to Dada driving me places, something you might not expect from a child of my status who had guards and other nice people who worked at the Palace for my family. As we took off night settled in the sky and my curls were whipped behind me.
"The Zoo might be closed," I told Dada as we sped away from my favorite house, "My Force senses tell me so," I giggled at the joke since I didn't quite know the Force yet. I only knew I had it.
"When the zookeeper sees you he won't resist you," Dada said.
"I bet you say that to all your Sith people too," I laughed again. I loved spending time with my father because Force or no Force I sensed he could really understand me better than I could.
About an hour later we arrived in the capital that was lit up ready for nighttime. We parked the speeder and Dada held my hand as we got to the zoo that was closing for the night. The zookeeper saw me and she smiled, "Chancellor we have the Voorpak that is a perfect fit for Princess Émilie," she said to Dada and she handed me the brown furred tiny creature and he jumped onto my shoulder and gave me what I thought was like a kiss.
"He is perfect," I said, "We must have a photo!"
The zookeeper smiled as I handed her my phone to get a picture. I brought Misha into the palm of my hand and held him like Dada was holding me. Everything in my world was right.
Darth Plagueis
After Em and Sidious set off I was left with Niobi in the house and the cooks were making dinner. She was sipping a wine and sitting in a chair opposite me. "So what's your relationship with my former apprentice like anyway?" I asked out of curiosity. "Have you and Sidious ever known each other?"
"In a biological sense? No. Em was conceived with his genetic material being implanted by some scientists," she said, "that might be why she's a stunning replica of him but with a little interference from my genes."
"But do you feel for him?"
"He's very intriguing and powerful and he loves our daughter like no other parent I have ever seen so I suppose I do have feelings for him in a sense. We're both very similar in a lot of ways and it's easy when someone knows you better than you do yourself. But Sidious, like I, has a very prominent dark side, and I mean that without a pun."
"Yes, I can see he chose wiser than he knows."
Palpatine/Sidious
We made the drive back easily and Em fell asleep with her new Misha in a small travel cage on her lap. I parked the speeder and got Em to bed after showering and getting her into night clothes by singing a bit to her and placing sweet dreams of our family life here at the lake in her head. When I returned downstairs Niobi was in a dressing gown that was black and had long sleeves that had lace on the end. Her hair was on top of her head in a waterfall style as she talked with my former Master.
"How'd getting the pet go?" she sipped her wine. I gently reached out and sensed her conversation with Plagueis concerning me and strangely I wondered how this Bordali woman who was the mother of my reason to attempt existing in some sort of redeemed spirit felt about me.
"Yes, probe my Force fucking thoughts Sidious come on," she said as if mocking me (which she truthfully probably was) with the fire I liked in her. I also was intrigued that she had used my Sith name. I spent a second analyzing where this could end up and the possibility of me kissing this younger feminine version of myself was most likely.
And that was exactly the way this turned out despite the fact I was nearly three decades older than her. She had a youthful quality that drew me in. When she finally stepped away from me her eyes burned into Plagueis'. "You need to learn I hate to be wrong."
"Force damn it you'd be a good Sith," he told her.
Niobi
Force damn it.
As I remembered the events of last night that thought swept my head. One thing I knew for certain: I was not losing to Plagueis, I was too Force damn proud. Another thing that was still uncertain was maybe I did have feelings for Sidious or I was starting to. "Niobi?"
"Yes?" I had no idea that Palpatine's had was on my back, tracing little circles through the fabric of my dressing gown. "Good morning."
"Good morning ma joie," this was another sweet Naboo phrase but I wasn't sure about a translation to Basic for it.
"I had a thought," I said testing my theory, "I know you have a love-hate relationship with your old Master and so do I. So you want to help me spite him?"
"What did you have in mind?"
As I showed him he obviously understood and we fought gently for mental dominance of the other despite his Force powers that somehow I had when I was with him like this. I was surprised that I could feel the mental Force link between us at all but the answer came when he explained that I was connected to his own life force that seemed to be crimson if life forces had color to them.
After what could have either been seconds or an eternity I was back in my own mind like normal. I threw my dressing gown back on me and got up, "Rules of the game," I said, "not a word. Let him figure it out since he can't touch minds like you can," I went to the mirror to make sure everything looked in order and no hint of what just happened could be sensed. I applied a little lipstick.
"Why did we never consider conceiving Em in that way?" He asked as he used his own Force speed to get up and ready for the day.
"Because you were otherwise occupied," I said with a little sass.
