A/N: Hi people, sorry about the shortness of this chapter compared to the usual, but I've been up to my eyes in revision recently and I thought it would be better to post this than nothing at all. Hopefully next chapter will be longer. I have exams at theend of the month, so I probably won't be posting anything then. I'll see how it goes. But never fear, I haven't given up on this story : )

Chapter Fifty-Three – Kind But Sad

Time steadily passed on Alderaan. For Sabé it seemed to pass twice as slowly. She continued her aide duties to Bail, spending much of her spare time with Saché and Padmé. Since practically losing both her children and seeing what her husband had become, the former senator had develop into a shadow of her past self. She was an incredibly strong woman, but she had been through so much at once it had damaged her somewhat. Leia was brought to visit her every day, but nothing really stirred her. Saché and Sabé had had a whispered conversation about her whilst making herb tea.

"I think the med droids on Polis Massa were right," Sabé said with tears in her eyes. "She has lost the will to live."

"All we can do is take care of her," Saché agreed.

Sabé hugged her friend. "How are you bearing up?"

"Me? I'm fine. Always been good at adapting." She smiled half-heartedly. "I do miss him though."

"I know," Sabé said truthfully.

Almost a year after the events of Mustafar, not much had changed. They had continued sheltering on Alderaan safely. Whenever an Imperial dignitary came to visit, Padmé and Saché retreated to the secret rooms. If it was someone Sabé was acquainted with, she too would disappear.

They had, of course, seen R2 and 3P0 around the palace, and they were amused to find that Bail had had the protocol droid's memory wiped. It was a safe precaution, as there was no danger of his giving Sabé's true identity away. Padmé was known as Winama, and Saché as Sara. 3P0 had actually provided them with a sound alibi if the Empire should question them, as he had been programmed to believe that he had worked at the palace for several years. When they had first seen him with his memory wipe he had greeted them with their new names as if he'd known them for years.

Life continued in the definition of normal it had created until one day something irregular happened. Although Emperor Palpatine had retained the Senate, he rarely called it into session. As such, Bail spent more time on Alderaan than he previously had. Breha often remarked that it was the only positive thing Palpatine had brought about. One such normal day, Sabé and Bail were busy with red tape when the security captain entered the room and announced that they had picked up an escape pod on their sensors that was shortly due to land on the nearest landing platform. Bail exchanged a glance with Sabé and they all hurried out to see what it was about.

The pod landed violently, badly denting its hull, and the watching group winced. The security captain approached it first, with caution. Sabé followed next, anxious to see who or what it was. The captain looked back at her. "Careful, Ms. Retrac."

Sabé raised an eyebrow. She was aware that by now every palace worker knew she wasn't Sheltay. Nobody ever said anything to contradict the assumption though, and it remained an unspoken arrangement that for some reason this unknown woman had replaced Sheltay Retrac with Senator Organa's approval.

The captain reached the pod and warily lifted the hatch. Two figures lay inside it, a wounded woman and a baby. Sabé gasped and rushed forward to lift the child out. Bail and the captain helped the woman sit up. Her matted hair fell back from her face and they instantly recognised her.

"Liana," Bail remembered to say.

She opened her weary eyes and acknowledged him. "Senator."

"We must get help," Sabé said.

The real Sheltay recognised her replacement and smiled weakly. "Too late for that," she told them in a whisper. "My baby." Sabé held the child near to her so she could place a feeble kiss on its forehead. "Her name…is…Winter. Please…take care of her."

"What happened to you?" Bail asked urgently. "Where's your husband?"

"Dead," she murmured. "Resistance movement. Too…late."

"What happened?"

But Sheltay's limp form was lifeless. Sabé and Bail looked at each other in dismay. "What next?" Sabé sighed.

Bail's expression was tight. "I don't know."

Sabé looked down at the crying Winter. "It looks like Leia has a companion."

"Would you like to take her?" Bail asked seriously.

Sabé shook her head a once. "No. I couldn't. Not without Obi-Wan here."

He nodded. "I understand." He gave a sign to the guards to sort out the debris of the escape pod and take Sheltay's body to be prepared for a funeral. Then he and Sabé turned back to the palace. "She'll be raised exactly as what you said. As Leia's companion."

"I'm sure Leia would like that."

Of course, Leia did. She and Winter turned two within five months of each other, and the palace corridors echoed with the loud exclamations of two toddlers. Sabé and Saché were almost rushed off their feet trying to keep up with them. Obi-Wan was extremely amused by the situation when he paid a routine visit.

While Saché put the girls to bed, Obi-Wan, Sabé, Bail and Breha held a meeting. After general greetings and pleasantries, Obi-Wan asked what the news was from Coruscant.

"Palpatine's hunt for Force sensitives is still going on," Bail reported. "Vader's completely in charge of it. They've executed so many. Some of them were children. Killed just for being Force sensitive."

"It's gone crazy," Breha added.

Obi-Wan nodded sternly. "How is the Senate?"

"Mainly there to keep up appearances," Bail said. "He still asks us to vote on matters but he'll make his own decision anyway. Everybody knows how false it is but of course they don't say anything."

"Of course."

A brief silence hung over the room before Sabé broke it. "How is Luke?"

"Doing well from what I can see. Owen doesn't let me go anywhere near him. He's terrified that any contact with the Force will end up in another Vader." As one, the four of them sighed. "Leia is well, I see," Obi-Wan said with a smile.

Breha and Bail exchanged a contented look. "Yes, she's very well," her adopted mother said.

"Saché has turned into a brilliant nurse," Sabé told him. "As well as taking care of Padmé."

"How is Padmé?"

"She keeps to her rooms." The subject of her best friend's steady deterioration was not one that Sabé often liked to bring up. Later that night, alone with Obi-Wan in her quarters, she mentioned how afraid she was for the former senator's life. "I honestly don't think she can have much time left," she said, tears gathering in the corners of her eyes. "She's basically gone already. You wouldn't recognise her if you saw her."

Obi-Wan kissed her forehead and methodically stroked her hair. "There's nothing we can do about it, my love. She's been through so much."

"I know. The only things I can't protect her from."

"Don't blame yourself."

Sabé sighed into his shoulder. "I don't, not really. I'm just…regretful."

He tilted her face up to look at him. "Regrets are burdens we all have to carry."

"I know." She suddenly smiled and said, "I won't let wasting the time you're here be one of them."

He smiled back and kissed her.

Obi-Wan returned to Tatooine several days later and life returned to normal. Several weeks passed and repetitive nausea caused Sabé to fear that she was unwell. It took Saché's insistence and a med droid to confirm that this was utterly not the case. She did not tell Padmé until her condition was obvious.

Cautiously she entered the quiet rooms and approached the pale figure seated beside the window. She sat down in the chair opposite and looked at her friend. "Padmé."

Padmé turned her curly head. "Hello, Sabé."

"How are you?"

"Fine. I'm always fine."

"Good." There was a momentary pause, broken only by the sounds of Leia and Winter playing with dolls on the carpet. "I have something to tell you," Sabé began, her courage rapidly deserting her.

"You're with child," Padmé said nonchalantly. "I know."

Sabé tried to hide her surprise. "Oh."

"I'm glad you came to tell me though."

Leia chose this moment to scamper over, clinging onto Padmé's leg with one hand. "Look!" she said. "My doll."

She had dressed the doll in bright red and twisted its hair into a messy bun. It eerily reminded Sabé of Padmé's Throne Room gown, back from her time as Queen.

"That's lovely," Padmé said, her eyes full of tears.

Leia stared at her a moment then looked at Sabé. Sabé stood up. "Come on, Leia. Lets see if we can find Saché."

Leia hurried to tell Winter. Sabé took Padmé's hand. "You look awfully pale. I think you should get some rest."

Padmé did not respond.

Sabé sighed and offered a hand each to Leia and Winter. Slowly, they walked out of Padmé's rooms and down the corridor.

"Why is mamma so sad?" Leia asked.

"Because…your daddy's gone away."

Leia furrowed her brow, making Sabé smile. "Why has he gone?"

"He had work to do." That finished the conversation and Leia, for all her youth, was wise enough not to mention it again.

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A/N: I think we can safely say that Padmé's days are numbered.