I would be remiss if I did not thank my dear friend and beta-reader who has helped me tremenously with these chapters. Her medical knowledge and expertise have been truly invaluable, and I thank her.

CHAPTER 25

Obi-Wan Kenobi was discovering just how important money was in the world of smugglers. Not daring to take registered transport, he was crawling across the quadrant via smugglers' vessels which he either snuck onto or coerced his way into. He had already been discovered stowing away once by a Toydarian whose mind was immune to the manipulations that Jedi were so adept at. The creature had booted Kenobi out unceremoniously. Yet, Kenobi was determined to get to Delaya, no matter how long it took. Padmé needs me…her children need me…I won't let them down.

Polis Massa

"Eat, Ani," she tells me, handing me a piece of fruit. "You need to replenish your strength."

"Does that mean you are planning on seducing me again, Senator?" I tease her.

She laughs. "You never know," she replies with a smile.

I take the fruit from her and take a bite, realizing as I do so just how truly hungry I am.

"One week," she says thoughtfully. "Do you think that is enough time?"

I shake my head. "I'm afraid not," I reply with a serious expression. "I'm sure it will take at least a lifetime to fully explore all the sensual delights of my new wife."

Padmé giggles as she bites a piece of fruit, and the juice dribbles down her chin.

"See what you made me do?" she says in mock irritation

"How thoughtless of me," I say, setting down the pear I am eating and moving over to her. "Here, let me help you clean that up."

"I'm only kidding, Ani," she says, "it's okay…" she stops as I lick the juice off of her chin.

"Oh, you got some on your neck too," I say, and proceed to slowly run my tongue over her graceful neck. "You really should be more careful."

"Yes, I really should," she replies. I look up at her with a smile, loving the dreamy expression in her eyes.

"I don't think I will ever get enough of you," I tell her softly. "Not in a hundred life times."

"No?" she asks.

I shake my head, my eyes looking at her mouth. "No," I reply as I lean toward her and kiss her mouth.

She pulls back and looks at me. "Does this mean you've built your strength back?" she teases.

I grin at her. "You could say so," I tell her, kissing her again.

Vader woke up from his dream, the memory of his all too brief honeymoon with Padmé still fresh in his mind. How could I have allowed our love to be destroyed by that demon, Sidious? How could I have been so blind??

Vader had lost track of time, and had no idea how long he had been in this state of semi-consciousness as he awaited the surgery that would change his life. Was it hours? Days? Weeks? The doctors had kept him heavily sedated, allowing him to rest and build up his strength in preparation for the big event. He was grateful that they had spared him the horror of wearing the suit and the mask again, for he felt certain that he could not have faced another hour in them.

Padmé had been at his side almost constantly, and although he was initially uneasy with her seeing him in his current state, he was now happy to have her by his side. She knew that he was not able to carry on a conversation, and so she spoke to him at length about their children, telling them about their infancy, their birthdays, the first time they had taken a step on their own. Hearing her speak of the first five years of the twins' lives was difficult for him, for it made him realize all that he had lost, all that he had missed because of his misguided loyalty to fiend that he had once called master. But they are in your life now, they love you, they accept you…you will never lose them again.

Padmé had found the waiting excruciating. She knew the need for it, knew that each hour that passed made Anakin's chances of surviving greater, but it was tremendously difficult nonetheless. She had checked on the progress of the cellular coding daily, several times a day in fact, and was amazed at the speed with which things were developing. The technicians were astounded as well; neither of them had ever known cells to respond so quickly. He's the Chosen One, Padmé reflected. That is why…that is why he was able to survive the hell he went through…that is why he will pull through this.

"Things are going very well," Doctor Rool told Padmé as they shared a meal together late one evening. "Even better than I had anticipated. At this rate, we should be ready within the next 24 hours."

"Twenty four hours?" Padmé asked in amazement. "But we've only been here two days! How is that possible?"

"Well the DNA coding process was started forty-eight hours ago, right after your husband gave us the word to go ahead. Now that the codes have been activated, the cells can be implanted in the areas of his body in need of repair," Rool explained. "First off we need to remove all the prosthetic devices from his body, both external and internal," she explains. "And then we implant the activated cells in their appropriate areas of his body and the regeneration process begins. The new cells repair the damaged ones by regenerating new tissue."

"That is incredible," Padmé said, shaking her head in wonder. "And how long will this operation take? It sounds very involved."

"We have a team of surgical droids who will implant the cells, under our supervision of course," Rool explained. "With several of them working at once, the procedure should take anywhere from eight to twelve hours."

"I see," Padmé said. The longest eight to twelve hours of my life I'm sure. "And how long will these…coded cells take to regenerate his damaged organs?"

"After the surgery, we will place him into a medically induced coma for 48 hours so that his body can adjust to the major changes without the stress of him using his systems," Rool explained. "And during those 48 hours, he will be weaned off life support, and, hopefully, his new organs will function independently. Theoretically they will."

"Theoretically," Padmé repeated, alarmed. "You are hopefully more confident than you sound, Doctor. "

Rool smiled. "Relax, Padmé," she said. "Your husband is a remarkable man, you said so yourself. He will get through this, don't worry."

Padmé nodded. "Yes, easy for you to say," she muttered.

Rool stood up and picked up her dinner tray. "You should try to get some rest," she said. "You haven't left his side for more than an hour since you arrived. We have a long way to go yet, and he will need you right there with him to get through it."

"Yes, I know," Padmé replied, standing up as well. "I will try to rest, it's just not easy knowing that Anakin's life is hanging in the balance."

"Not hanging in the balance, Padmé," Rool said, putting a hand on Padmé's shoulder. "He's getting ready to be remade. Think of it that way; he is going to be reborn."

Padmé smiled. "Thank you, Doctor," she said. "That does make it easier."