A/N: I'm so sorry for the long wait for this update! I've been crazy busy with college and working retail at Christmas. Safe to say, I'm EXHAUSTED. But it's here, the beginning of the Mustafar confrontation...

The chrome star skiff came to a slow descent on Mustafar at the hand of the gold-plated protocol droid. Beside him, Padme clutched at her stomach and cried out as the pain grew worse. Perspiration dampened her hair and skin that had nothing to do with the heat of the lava planet which awaited her outside the ship. The ship docked safely and after a few moments, the contraction eased away, leaving the Senator drained and boneless. She couldn't move. She didn't want to move. Tears welled in her eyes as they focused on a small building just across the landing deck. That was where it happened, she was sure. He'd murdered people inside that building.

A shuddering breath fell from the Senator's lips as her hand rubbed across her stomach. She didn't have much time. Sooner than later, Obi-wan would be here and he wanted to arrest Anakin. Or worse. She couldn't think about that right now. Her thoughts and energy had to focus on her husband. She had to bring him back, make him see what Palpatine was making him do. They would be safe when they were together, she knew it. Everything would be alright if she could just make Anakin see. And then… And then… She felt a small twinge in her back and shook her head.

"Mistress Padme, please let me take you to the nearest medcenter. Please." Threepio pleaded in the co-pilot's seat, his bright bulbed eyes somehow reflecting concern, but she didn't answer him. They'd go to a medcenter later when this was finished. She'd already looked into it. The nearest facility was on Polis Masa. It was the furthest thing imaginable from Naboo, but there was no other choice. In her final moments, Padme wanted to be home. She wanted to see the lake again, the mountains, the balcony where she and Anakin were married… Instead… Well, you couldn't always have what you wanted.

She took another breath and flicked her eyes upwards again toward the small building just in time to see a cloaked figure emerge from its doorway. It was him! It had to be him. The figure seemed to hesitate a moment before it moved, running toward the ship, toward Padme, and she leaned forward to unlock the landing ramp. This was it. She hadn't seen him since he'd left her and Luke in the Temple and there were more things she needed to say than stars in the sky. Where would she even begin? Her mind was filled suddenly by the screams of those who had died in the building just ahead, of the hiss of a lightsaber once used for good, and the thundering applause of the Senate and Padme's fists curled. She wasn't sad anymore. Far, far from it. She was angry. Furious. Anakin drew closer, crossing the bridge and she stood fists tight by either side of her body.

The Republic was dead and Anakin helped Palpatine kill it. He'd helped destroy everything she had ever worked for in all her lifetime. He'd taken everything from her. Peace was gone. Freedom was gone. Justice wouldn't be far behind them. Anakin had done that. He'd slain people without thought, without mercy! He'd become the monster in a child's nightmares. He'd killed on Palpatine's order. And in doing all this, he'd betrayed her. Padme didn't know how to stomach it.

She stepped down the landing ramp as quickly as she could without setting off another contraction and Anakin met her at the end, still cloaked despite the heat and smiling widely, easily, as if he hadn't taken a dozen lives just hours earlier. She couldn't take it. He shouldn't be acting like this! No one should ever act this way. Especially not him, not her Ani. As she approached, Anakin threw open his arms to greet her, and despite it all, fool that she was, part of her longed to go to him. She was desperate to feel his arms around her, to bury her head in his chest and feel his chin on her head. Everything would feel better then, like they'd never left the lake country so long ago.

But they had left.

Padme couldn't step into his arms and she didn't. When she drew close enough, without thinking, her arm rose and her palm smacked the Jedi's cheek. Hard. Anakin stumbled backwards a step or two, clasping his sore cheek with his ungloved hand, shocked. Padme stared at her trembling hand, gaping. She'd never lifted a hand to someone before – certainly not Anakin. Her eyes rose to meet his and suddenly her anger was washed away by an all-powerful, overwhelming despair. "What have you done?" She wailed, "What have you done?!"

Anakin blinked and lowered his palm from his cheek. "Done? What are you talking about?"

Padme shook her head. "I saw everything, Anakin! Everyone saw! You… You…" She felt her face scrunch up in equal disgust and horror as the memories of the Separatists' deaths roared to life in her mind once again. "You killed the Separatists! Your new Master broadcast everything to the Senate – everyone knows what you've done."

Though he was looking at her, Anakin wasn't with her. His mind was far off, working furiously. His face was pale, even in the darkness, a sure sign of his shock at her words. So he didn't know Palpatine's plans, did he? What sort of a partnership was this? Couldn't Anakin see this? He was being used. He was doing Palpatine's dirty work and becoming the scapegoat for it! Why wouldn't he open his eyes?

Anakin took a deep breath and shook his head. "The sooner the old man is gone the better!" He growled. His fingers twitched beside his lightsaber. "He's a fool. He thinks he can control me and let me take the blame…" A cold, shill laugh fell from his full lips, one Padme didn't recognise.

"Wait, what? What are you talking about? You want to kill Palpatine? I don't understand." This was supposed to be a partnership, master and apprentice, but Anakin was already plotting against him? Where was his loyalty? The man she loved was loyal to a fault; he stood up for his friends, not betray them at a flick of a wrist. She didn't understand. This made him turn against Palpatine, but not the fake holo of her and Obi-wan? What was he thinking?

"Once I know how to save you and the baby, I'm going overthrow Palpatine. Everything will be settled then. People will hate him and I'll be the hero who saved the Galaxy from his control. And then you and I can rule it together, we can make things the way we want them to be, Padme!"

She looked upwards at his face, wide-eyed and horrified at the words that'd just tumbled from his mouth. How could he say that to her? Was this something he thought she wanted? How? Didn't he know her at all? What he was planning was terrible – it was wrong! They had no right to that kind of power over the Galaxy, no single being did. That was the strength of the Republic, why it needed to survive. Padme looked into his eyes, she truly looked and what she found… It frightened her more than anything. A powerful fury that had become giddy with its newfound freedom took light in his features. His eyes blazed in the darkness of Mustafar's sunless sky and despite the oppressive heat, the Senator found herself shuddering with a chill. No… No. She knew him, to his soul, Padme knew Anakin Skywalker. Beyond the rage, the anger he'd surrounded himself with, she could see it, the horror in his eyes at what he'd done. The resignation to this fate. He needed her, now more than he ever had and Padme had to help him. She could bring him back… He was a good person – one of the very best in this Galaxy. He only had to be reminded of that.

"Anakin…" She began breathlessly, overwhelmed and deathly afraid. "Ani, please don't do this. You don't have to do this. This isn't what I want… All I want is your love and our family." That was all Padme had ever wanted from him. It was all she'd ever asked of him going into their marriage – his love. They had nothing else to give one another then. The Galaxy may have changed around them, but that simple request hadn't. Not for Padme. All she wanted was them and their family. Their shared love would get them through this, she knew it would.

But Anakin didn't agree. His head shook twice, amused at her expense, as if she was simple-minded and just didn't understand. "Love won't save you, Padme. Love didn't save my mother…" His throat bobbed as he swallowed down the bitter memories. "But I can. Palpatine's powers can. I only need to learn from him and then – "

"You can save me?" She asked, lip trembling. "But at what cost? You're a good person; don't let him make you do this!" Her hands reached for him then, despite the anger and the betrayal, Padme reached out for her husband, small fingers clenching his long Jedi robe tightly when they found him. "Please… Ani, let's leave. Bail offered us a safe place on Alderaan; you can take the children there and hide from Palpatine's influence. You can help stop this before it really begins!" Perhaps Bail hadn't extended his offer toward Anakin personally, but he wouldn't turn him away, she was sure of it. "They've been working on the creation of an organisation to fight him – they can stop him and this Empire with your help!" She was so caught up in her own words; in the idea she was suggesting that she missed the fire take light in his eyes. The fury.

"They're planning to rebel against the Empire?" He hissed lowly. "And you helped them?" Anakin's hands sought out and clamped down on Padme's arms, squeezing her flesh so that she was sure there'd be bruises later. Despite herself, she winced at the feeling, but he didn't seem to notice. Why was he being like this? Didn't he hear a word she said? He, Luke and the baby could go somewhere safe! They could be free of all this!

"Of course we did! Did you really think we would stand by and do nothing while he destroyed democracy before our very eyes?" She and the others would fight to their last breath to save the Republic. And once, not so long ago, Padme thought he would too. Furious, Anakin shoved himself away from her, making her stumble a step or two backward with a small cry. The sudden movement sent a ripple of agony searing through her abdomen and her teeth grit together to hold back a scream. He didn't notice, turning his back to her with a frustrated sigh.

"That's treason. Do you understand that? By working against him, you're working against me!" Slowly, his body twisted so his angry gaze could meet hers. For the first time, it was not love that shone in his eyes, but a rage so intense it made Padme take another step backwards because for once, his anger was directed at her. It had never been before, not like this. "And if you're not with me… You're my enemy."

His declaration made her face crumple; the hope that'd been so strong just minutes ago began to falter. Padme swallowed her grief and forced back the tears in her eyes. "Enemy?" She exhaled once, shakily. "Anakin, I'm your wife! But you… You aren't my husband." At that, he turned around fully, eyebrows raised curiously even as her heart broke before his very eyes… This man who stood before her was not her husband. He wasn't the sweet, nervous boy who had stolen her heart so long ago in the warmth of a Naboo summer. He wasn't the man that boy had grown into. It wasn't him. He wasn't her love, wasn't the father of her children, wasn't her husband. He wasn't her Ani. No… Who stood before her now was a monster that bore the same blue eyes and sandy curls as the man Padme loved. But it wasn't him. It wasn't him

"Don't you see?" The impersonator stepped toward her earnestly, unaffected by Padme's words. "This is who I was always meant to become! I'm fulfilling my destiny."

"No! You're destroying it! Look at what you've done, Anakin! What you plan to do…" She spat helplessly, forcing the words out of her mouth and cringing at the taste. "Your destiny is to bring balance, but this… What you're doing, it's chaos! It's the furthest thing from balance!" Another ripple of pain shot through the Senator's body and she winced, covering her stomach with her arm as her knees threatened to buckle. She was running out of time. Anakin's eyes followed the movement of her arm for a moment before returning to her eyes, painting a smile of condescension across his lips.

"I don't expect you to understand everything right now but soon you'll see that all this," he gestured wildly toward the little building across the bridge, "all the bloodshed and fighting have been for you. And the children." He nodded to himself slowly and tugged at the ends of his tabard to readjust the leather across his chest, full of self-assurance and worse, pride at his words. Suddenly, it didn't matter what happened to the Republic, to the Galaxy or even to Padme. Her ears rang and her head pounded at the mention of their children. Her own rage returned tenfold and exploded before she had a chance to consider her words.

"How dare you? How dare you bring our innocent children into this, Anakin!"

"How dare I?" He seethed. "You brought Luke to the Temple to use against me!" A single gloved finger pointed accusingly at her as his anger began to morph the expressions on his face into something she didn't recognise.

Tears sprang to Padme's eyes and fell before she could stop them. She hadn't wanted to use Luke against him – not once! She'd been desperate. She'd thought that… Believed that if he saw their son, their boy, maybe it could stop him, make him think about what he was doing. She'd never use their children as a weapon. Never. "That's not what I did! I only wanted…" Her head shook away her next words. They didn't matter. She wasn't here to argue about their disastrous trip to the Jedi Temple, she was here to make him see sense before it was too late. And she was failing. "Luke and the baby deserve better than this."

"Better?" Anakin hissed, outraged. "When Palpatine is gone, we'll rule the Galaxy! You'll be my Empress! And one day, as my heirs, they'll inherit the Galaxy. The Skywalker dynasty will last a millennia! What more could they possibly want?"

Mas Amedda entered soundlessly as the Emperor gazed out toward the vast skyline of the Capital planet, but he sensed the being's arrival just the same. His pathetically weak Force signature whispered to the dark lord even as he stood there, wordlessly, awaiting his leader's acknowledgement. But it did not come. Sidious' day had arrived… The Republic had fallen and the Jedi would meet their end soon enough. And yet… And yet his victory was soured by what he sensed in the Force. His new apprentice was a Sith indeed… Sidious was almost proud of how quickly the dark side had been allowed into his soul. Almost. Treachery was the way of the Sith. It had always been and would always be.

He'd expected Darth Vader's turn to take longer. Already he sought to betray Sidious as soon as he passed on the knowledge of Darth Plagueis, yes, he could sense it from across the Galaxy… His new apprentice was as power hungry as he was impulsive. It would not be long until he lifted his blade to strike down Sidious and take his place… Plagueis would be proud of his creation indeed. Ironic, wasn't it? The creation of the Master Sidious had killed now planned to kill him. The circle continued…

Lord Sidious laughed.

Darth Vader had made his first mistake. A lethal mistake. He had underestimated the power of Sidious and by doing so had left himself open for attack. His new apprentice still had much to learn in the way of the dark side. And, oh, Sidious would teach him… He was going to teach him the true meaning of treachery. Vader would be brought to his knees and learn who was the Master and who was the apprentice. There was only one option, one way to truly cut Lord Vader down to size…

"Contact Cad Bane." The Emperor demanded suddenly and felt the being behind him jolt to attention. "Tell him to commence with our agreement immediately." The Lord of the Sith's sickly yellow eyes flicked to the distant outline of the majestic outline of 500 Republica as the beginnings of a smile stretched across his thin, deformed lips beneath his black hood.

"Today?" Amedda gasped, "I – I had thought this would be done after the Jedi…" The man caught himself and fell to his knee upon the plush carpet in desperate apology, almost dropping his long cane in his haste. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have spoken out of turn… I only… Who is so important inside the building that the attack must happen today?" Feeling slightly generous, Sidious didn't immediately squeeze the air out of the man's lungs but instead continued to watch the tower with a victorious smirk. After a few moments of relishing it, the Emperor spoke.

"Only a boy."

A/N: Mustafar will continue in the next chapter... Please leave a review and let me know what you think! Reviews literally inspire me to write faster and more. They're what keep me writing despite how busy I am. Until next time!