A/N: Be warned, there will be some angst and tragedy in this chapter. I hope you'll enjoy it, but it may be a difficult read.

Time is a luxury until it isn't. Unfortunately, another two weeks had passed placing Padmé into her fourth month of pregnancy. By carrying twins, she was starting to show, not just a small bump, but actually show. Both husband and wife were sitting on their bed, shocked that they hadn't at least heard from Qui-Gon yet about a potential visit with the Council. There was no way they could get around this now, Vader had to tell Sidious that Padmé was pregnant, and he had to do it soon. There would most likely be a punishment for waiting so long to disclose the pregnancy, especially since at one point Vader blatantly lied that Padmé wasn't pregnant. Nothing good would come from this, nothing at all.

"Are you scared?", Padmé asked her husband.

"I'm terrified", Vader said. "This is going to be one of the most difficult things that I've had to do. I won't mind the punishment, I've taken some horrible ones before, but I'm more fearful for what he'll do after I tell him."

"Me too", Padmé said quietly.

Vader looked at her sternly. "I won't let anything happen to you or the twins. Of that I give you my word, Padmé", he said with a level of conviction that she rarely heard from him. Damn, he was serious, which only made her more nervous. If he was too serious, then he could escalate things before everything was in place.

She grabbed his arm tightly and stared into his eyes. "Don't place yourself in an unnecessary risk. We will figure it out, but I can't lose you. Do you understand me?", she asked.

"I understand, but at the same time, I can't place you and the twins in an unnecessary risk", Vader replied. "I will be careful, but I will also defend my family. That's nonnegotiable."

Padmé bit her lip and felt tears coming to her eyes. There wasn't a way that she could convince her husband to not do something utterly foolish if he was pushed the wrong way by Sidious, no matter how much she pleaded. She could feel his determination through their bond, his thoughts of how he would try and kill Sidious should something go awry. None of it was pleasant.

"Just remember, I can't raise these babies by myself", she said. "I need my husband, my soulmate with me. That's nonnegotiable. Do you understand me, Anakin Skywalker?"

Vader sighed and looked away from her for a moment. When he looked back, she could see tears in his own eyes. "I understand, Padmé. I will do my best", he said.

Padmé leaned in and kissed him deeply. Whishing that they had more time, cursing the Jedi for not making their decision yet. It was all fucked up, fucked up beyond anything she could have ever imagined. The so called defenders of righteousness were again hiding like rats. Afraid to even have a discussion with the infamous Lord Vader, even though he knew where they were located. If he was that against them, he could park a fleet over Yavin Four and send down an entire regiment of Stormtroopers to aid him in slaughtering them all, but he hadn't. He had shaken Qui-Gon's hand and placed his trust in him. Some trust. Pathetic.

When they broke the kiss, Vader got up and grabbed his utility belt, securing it and both of his lightsabers to his waist. Next came his robe, which he threw on like it was something despicable. Like he was tired of hiding under the gods damned thing, tired of hiding everything. She knew that he merely wanted to be free, but as long as that gods damned lunatic was on the throne, he would never be free. He would always be a slave, a powerful slave, but still a fucking slave.

Once he was dressed, he looked at Padmé and she could tell that his breath was shallow, that he was terrified beyond anything that he had ever felt in the world, and he was Darth fucking Vader. Everyone should be terrified of him, not the other way around.

"I love you", he croaked. "I love you and our children."

"I love you too, Ani", Padmé said wiping tears from her eyes.

He nodded to her and walked out of their bedchambers, not looking back as if he did, he wouldn't be able to leave at all.

Once Padmé felt his presence fading, she knew he was gone. She buried her face in her hands and started sobbing, praying to whatever god and the Force that would listen that the love of her life would be okay, that Sidious wouldn't torture him mercilessly or try and take drastic action against them. She was beyond afraid, she was petrified. A feeling that she hadn't felt since Obi-Wan tried to murder her and her babies.

Oh, Force, this can't be happening. This was just a nightmare that she would wake up from, not a reality of doom. But alas, it was a reality. A cold and harsh reality that she couldn't wake up from. The only thing she could do was wait for her husband to come home, or for Stormtroopers to pound on the front door demanding that she go with them to a cell where Sidious would keep her until her babies were born. If that were the case, her husband would be dead. Finished. Their bond broken forever. If that happened, she would crave death over having to see her babies twisted into monsters like Sidious wanted. Gods damn him and his wickedness. His cruelty. His life.

…

Vader felt cold as soon as he felt his wife's presence evade him. Remaining as stoic as possible, he flew his speeder to the Senate where he would have to face the most horrifying being in the galaxy and admit that his wife was pregnant with twins. He couldn't lie about the conception, that it happened slightly before they were married. That would only result in more torture given how far along she was. No, he would have to tell the fucking truth. A truth that would place his family, his everything in jeopardy.

Landing the speeder on the pad, he braced himself. Calling on all of the energy that he could through the Force to help him see it through and make the right call if the unthinkable were to happen. His wife wouldn't be incarcerated until she gave birth. He knew that she wanted him around for the twins to be a father and a husband, fuck he wanted the same thing, but he wouldn't allow for her to be accosted and forced to give birth just to have her babies stolen. Fuck that. Fuck it to hell.

Climbing out of the speeder, he placed his hood over his head. Vader could feel his heart thudding in his chest. Everything seemed to be moving slower, his senses were heightened due to his fight or flight response. Even his sensitivity to the Force seemed to amplify everything, from senators carrying on with conversations to the congested speeder traffic that littered the sky. Everything was so vivid, so potent.

His fists remained by his sides, inches from his lightsabers, ready to spring in action at a moments notice. A thousand scenarios ran through his head at once. He could see himself rushing the bastard to deliver the killing blow while being riddled with blistering hot lightning. Then having to contend with Sidious' royal guardsmen. They were Force sensitive and would be deadly opponents, especially if Vader was already partially crippled from having to absorb punishment from Sidious before his death.

Survival was a tossup, a luxury. Something that was a best case scenario, but not a likely scenario. Who the fuck was he kidding? He should have done this as soon as he found out Padmé was pregnant. Them waiting so long had done nothing but hinder his ability to protect his wife and unborn children. He could have hidden them in some unknown system temporarily, maybe had Piett come up with a contingency plan. But no, his fucking trust in the Jedi had caused apathy. What fucking good was it to trust Qui-Gon when the man didn't even have approval from the fucking Jedi Council? Those arcane assholes were nothing but lambs to the slaughter, waiting for their eventual doom by meditating on everything without taking any fucking action.

Regardless of that, here he was. Completely fucked. Finished.

Vader slowly ascended the steps to the senate, taking his time to go to his eventual slaughter. Like a fucking livestock animal, waiting to die a miserable death for the satisfaction of another. The satisfaction of a madman. Gods dammit.

After he entered the senate, he stalked down the corridors to begin his descension into the bowels of the building, the literal hell where his master contemplated his twisted plans. Thinking of ways to destroy the galaxy and all of those in it for his complete lust for control, for power. Vader once had such desires as a teenager, but upon finding his mother, a part of him, the scared boy awoke. The boy that saw righteousness. Even though it took him many more years to develop a firm connection with the light, it was still the catalyst that drove him away from his master's ambitions.

His wife completed the metamorphosis, the permanent change where he would constantly straddle both the light and the dark. She was his Angel, the angelic creature that he had desired to protect for years, ever since he saw her in the Senate building. He would protect her now, that was for gods damned sure.

Once he reached the bottom level where Sidious' layer was, he steeled his resolve and prepared himself for whatever the fuck was to come. Torture and possibly death. Why the fuck had he even considered that there would be a happy ending to this tale? There wasn't a gods damned thing that should have let him believe that and he felt like an utter fool. For over half a year, close to eight gods damned months, he was living in a fairy tale. A lie. This moment would always be inevitable.

Walking up to the double doors that would lead to his doom, he used both hands to thrust them open. Ready to meet his fate with bravery, like any fucking warrior should. Except this time, this warrior probably wouldn't win. It would likely be a loss anyway he looked at it.

Seeing Sidious in front of him, he marched with precision to the customary ten paces before the throne and kneeled like the slave he was.

"Rise Lord Vader", Sidious commanded. Vader could hear the contempt in his master's voice, like his presence was affronting everything that the madman stood for. Sidious wouldn't have been able to build his fucking Empire without him, yet the man still believed he was omnipotent.

Vader slowly rose, his hands near his weapons. His mind was razor sharp, ready to act the moment the words of his wife's pregnancy escaped his lips. As of this moment, he was the defender in his paintings, holding back hell from his wife, ready to let himself be burned horribly to protect her from damnation.

"I have news to report master", Vader said slowly. "My wife is pregnant with twins and is four months along at this point."

Silence. Utter fucking silence.

Vader could see Sidious' face turn from shock to wicked delight, then to rage.

"And why am I just now hearing about it you fucking waste of an apprentice?", Sidious hissed as he rose.

It was time to let go of everything. The word was out, and he couldn't take it back no matter how much he wanted to.

"We were keeping it a secret as we felt that she needed to be far along before we reported it to you, master", he lied. Spinning whatever bullshit that came to his mind, not giving a fuck if Sidious could tell that he was being dishonest.

"You should have told me the instant you found out!", Sidious roared. His hands were flexing, and Vader knew he was preparing to launch a blistering attack of lightning against him. He bit the inside of his mouth, readying himself for pain, to kill, and to die.

"I cannot undo what has already been done, master. She is pregnant as you commanded", Vader all but spat. "She will give birth in under five months but will require plenty of care due to her carrying twins."

Sidious looked at him with utter contempt. "And I suppose you're the one that should care for her? Is that what you're saying, Lord Vader?"

"She is my wife", Vader said in a chilling voice. No fucks were left in his heart towards showing reverence to this creature. This tormenter.

"She is your wife because I allowed it!", Sidious screamed. "You pathetic servant, you must have forgotten all of the lessons that I have taught you in the past. Now you will pay a price for your dishonesty to the very being that allows you to breathe."

In a flash, bolts of lightning were hurled towards Vader, throwing him back thirty feet. His muscles were paralyzed, he couldn't even scream. This blast of energy was so powerful Vader could already feel his skin blistering from the heat.

"I should have known better than to trust a fool like you to fuck a woman into pregnancy", Sidious yelled as he sent another attack towards Vader.

Vader bit down on the inside of his mouth so hard he tasted blood. This was nearly too much to bear, but no, he wouldn't die on lying on the floor. If he was to die, he would do so standing. With great strength, he lifted himself to his knees as Sidious continued to send pulse after pulse of dark energy into him.

Once he was on his knees, he felt a surge of strength build up within him and he stood to his feet. All while taking his punishment.

Sidious' eyes grew a bright shade of red, signaling his utter rage at Vader. Without pause, Vader strode up to his master, feeling his burned skin crack and split. Blood already seeping from his wounds. He continued to walk until he was a mere ten feet from Sidious.

"I am my wife's protector!", he yelled. "I may be your servant, but she is mine!"

Gods damn Sidious. The darkness was surging in Vader's veins, ready to leap into action. He felt powerful, more powerful than he had ever felt before. This was a long time coming. His hands flexed and as he was about to snatch his lightsabers from his belt, the attack from Sidious stopped.

The two most powerful beings in the galaxy stared at one another for what seemed like an eternity. Vader could sense for the first time that Sidious felt fear, fear of being ousted from his throne by a man that he had trained and abused.

"If she is yours, then she belongs to me because you are mine!", Sidious snarled.

Vader shook his head. "She is mine to claim, not yours, master. I have been your faithful servant since I was a boy, but this is not your concern. She will give birth to the children, and I will train them in the ways of the Force. I will still be your apprentice, but they will be my apprentices. They are my blood!", Vader screamed at the last.

Sidious scowled and turned to sit on his throne. They continued to stare at one another for several minutes, both waiting for the other to make the next move. Both realizing that they could be dead within a wink of an eye. Vader knew that he could kill him now, but he would die. He needed to see where Sidious' hesitation was coming from, where it was going.

"So, you will train them to be your apprentices?", Sidious asked.

"Yes, master", Vader spat. "Mine. All mine."

Sidious cocked his head to the side slowly. "What are your intentions in training them? Will you be weak while you do it? Or strong as I have taught you?"

"I will be strong, like I have always been", Vader said. Of course, he would teach them the good, not the evil. To draw strength from what was right and only that. That's where his strength would come, not from the place of darkness where his own soul had been tortured for many years.

"Such arrogance from a man who has failed me on more occasions than one", Sidious replied. "I wonder, has your wife spurred you into taking this action, or is it of your own doing?"

Vader felt like spitting on his master. He felt like killing him in the most barbaric way possible, but he felt his strength fading. The dark energy that he had been attacked with had hurt him deeply, and he could only maintain this ruse for a little while longer before he began to crack.

"It is my doing, master. Everything has always been my doing", Vader replied slowly as if he were speaking to a child. "To be honest, I would have thought that you would've figured out where my raw strength in the Force has come from. It's come from me, not you. I may serve you, but my powers are my own."

The despot's eyes widened slightly, and his scowl deepened. "I should kill you for saying that", Sidious warned.

"If you kill me, you won't have two twins that are perfectly trained in the Force, master. Who was it that stomped out the Jedi and the Rebellion years ago? Who has killed Jedi and Rebels recently? I delivered Obi-Wan Kenobi's head to you, demonstrating my powers. That is the type of mentor that my children, my own children deserve", Vader said. He needed to finish this up one way or the other, he was beginning to feel lightheaded. His robes were soaked in blood and he could feel his heartrate dropping. Could he heal himself? Yes, he could, but Sidious would feel the light within him and destroy him.

Sidious tapped an armrest on his throne. "I suppose what you say is correct, Lord Vader. Perhaps I have been hasty in my judgments. But I warn you, and this is your only warning. If I sense that you do not have the intentions to turn your children into powerful Sith Lords, then I will end your life and imprison the whore that you wed."

A flash of anger surged through Vader's veins. "My wife is not a whore! She is Lady Vader, and is under my protection!", Vader screamed. "That is what you taught me, you taught me to protect what is mine!"

He was pressing his luck, but he couldn't help his angry outburst. He wouldn't stand there and listen to this thing disparage his wife in such a way. His Angel was no whore, she was a gift from the Force. Something pure that he could hold onto, something pure that he needed.

"So be it, Lord Vader", Sidious said. "Get out of my sight before I change my mind."

"Yes, master", Vader said with a curt bow. Using all of the energy that remained in his body, he turned and marched with precision out of Sidious' chambers. His anger was still fueling him, even though he was horribly injured.

Once he was halfway to the speeder pad, he felt himself become dizzy. No, he couldn't show weakness or Sidious would find out and kill him. He had to remain strong for just a little while longer.

With every step, he allowed the darkness to envelop him like a shield as he limped his way out of the Senate building. The reporters looked at him and could obviously see blood dripping from his robes, but they were wise enough not to approach him. With a flick of his mind, Vader reached out and destroyed the holocameras that were undoubtedly being used to document the images of him in such a state. The galaxy would not see him injured and neither would Sidious. Strength in the face of his adversary was the crucial component.

Once he reached his speeder, he let himself collapse in the seat. He grabbed his comms and entered a secured frequency.

"General Veers"

"Veers, this is Vader. I need a company of loyal Stormtroopers at my residence immediately. Have air support ready. I'm injured and will be unconscious for at least a day, but my wife must be protected", he said.

"Yes, Milord", Veers replied. "Do you require assistance yourself?"

"No, just protect my wife from that fucking madman and any Stormtroopers he may send to abduct my wife while I am healing!"

"Understood, Milord. They will be there within the hour."

Vader disconnected the transmission and engaged his speeder, forcing himself to concentrate so he could fly himself back to his penthouse. A full company of Stormtroopers should do it, especially if they were zealots towards him.

Engaging his speeder, he piloted his way back to his domicile. Each minute that ticked by was another minute that his life was in severe jeopardy. He could feel the blood draining from him, more blood than most humans could stand to lose. It was the Force that was sustaining him at this point, nothing else.

He haphazardly landed his speeder and stumbled out. Bracing himself, he pushed up to his feet and used every bit of energy to walk to the door.

Padmé must have been waiting as she threw open the double doors and ran to him, embracing him even though she knew she would be bloodied.

"Ani, it's going to be alright", she said with tears in her eyes.

"I just need to get to the medical bay", Vader said weakly.

"I know, I know. I'm going to help you, don't worry", Padmé said as she placed herself underneath his left arm to support him.

It took great strength for him to climb the steps to the second floor. Each step seaming to be as tall as a mountain.

For her credit, Padmé was doing a hell of a job being pregnant and helping him up the stairs, but he kept as much weight off of her as he could, not wanting her to strain herself. They reached the second floor and walked down the hallway to the medical bay. Padmé kicked the door open, and Vader sat down on the table.

Vader wasted no time in beginning to strip out of his clothing as carefully as possible, not wanting to damage the skin underneath anymore than he needed to. Gods dammit this was a terrible one, he would need to focus all of his energy to repair what Sidious had done.

Padmé activated the medical droid.

"Milord, I will prepare the anesthesia", it said.

"No anesthesia, I'll place myself in a trance", Vader said once he was nude.

"Ani, you'll be in pain the entire time", Padmé said, shocked at her husband's decision.

"I need to be able to wake up quickly in case that madman changes his mind", Vader said. "There's a full fucking company of loyal Stormtroopers headed this way, but I need to be awake in case you need me."

Each word was drawing more strength from his body, even the slightest inflection causing more pain.

Padmé choked out a sob and wiped her eyes with her sleeve since Vader's blood was all over her hands. "Gods dammit, Ani. I love you, but gods dammit", she swore.

"At least I'm still alive, Angel", Vader said weakly. "Go rest, I'll be alright."

Padmé ignored him and began slathering bacta cream on his wounds, ensuring that there was a thick layer to protect the damaged skin and to help the regeneration along with Vader's ability to heal himself. Vader himself was unsure how well of a job he could do, this was more painful than any other time he had been punished.

"I love you", he whispered.

"I love you too", Padmé cried. She bent down and gave him a gentle kiss on his lips before he faded into his trance.

…

Padmé sat in a chair for hours, watching Vader heal himself. She was tired, her body hurt, and she knew she needed to eat and rest, but she had to make sure the love of her life would be alright. She couldn't look away for one second in case he took a turn for the worst. She had to be there, she needed to be there.

None of this was fair, gods dammit. How cruel of a master would torture his apprentice for merely speaking the truth? An evil man that deserved to die is who.

But none of that mattered at this point, only getting her husband back on his feet. Healed to where he could be able to stand up to his master again, but hopefully with help. Hopefully.

Padmé's mind was whirling as she thought of ideas on how to rectify their predicament. There had to be a way to Force the Jedi Council to make a decision and they couldn't wait for Qui-Gon to message them.

No, once her husband was awake, she would tell him that they were going to Yavin Four to plead their case. No exceptions. They could balk all they wanted about them not inviting Vader or viewing him as a threat. These were desperate times and they demanded desperate actions.

"Mistress Padmé?"

"What is it Threepio?", Padmé asked, her eyes still locked on her husband's body.

"Mistress Padmé, you've missed lunch and it's nearly diner time. I understand that this is a difficult time, but you need to eat to keep your strength up", Threepio said.

"I'll eat when he's awake", Padmé said as tears flowed down from her face.

"But Mistress Padmé, your babies need nourishment. I can prepare a quick meal for you to eat, but Master Vader has instructed me to care for you in his absence. Since he's currently unconscious, he is absent. Please, you must listen to me", Threepio implored.

Padmé turned her head and glared at the droid, ready to tell him to fuck off, but then a voice of common sense entered her mind. Of course, she needed to eat. Her babies did need nourishment and she couldn't neglect them because her heart was breaking at the sight of her protector healing from such grievous wounds.

"Fine", she said quietly. "But once I'm finished, I'm coming right back in here. I will not leave his side."

"I understand, Mistress Padmé. I can prepare a cot for you to lay on while you wait for him to wake up. That way you can rest. Would that be acceptable?", Threepio asked.

Damn this fucking droid and his good intentions. He wasn't making any of her emotional decisions any easier.

"Fine", she said. "That'll be fine."

"Very good, Mistress. I'll let you know when your dinner is ready", Threepio said.

Padmé nodded and then turned her attention back to her husband, praying to the Force that he would be able to heal himself and wake up. That he would be by her side within a day, ready to continue their scheme to kill the madman that tormented him so.

…

Qui-Gon felt a sharp pain in his chest, forcing him to sit down. This wasn't physical pain; it was pain through the Force. Vader had been tortured; he simply knew it. He was failing Vader after the Sith Lord put his trust in him. This wouldn't do anymore, he couldn't stand by and let this man, this man that he abandoned when he was a child, suffer anymore. There had to be action and it had to be soon.

After he regained his strength, he strode to the Council chambers and entered uninvited. The Masters were all in a deep discussion and no one noticed him until Master Yoda looked up.

"Master Jinn, summoned you, we have not", he said.

"I know I haven't been summoned. But I have just felt a disturbance through the Force. Darth Vader's life is in jeopardy, meaning that Sidious must have discovered the truth of the pregnancy. There is no other explanation", Qui-Gon said.

"And you know this, how?", Windu asked doubtfully.

"Because, as I've said, I've touched his mind. I am sensitive to what is happening to him and he is in grave danger, or at least he was. He isn't dead, not yet at least. There has to be a way that we can make a decision on whether or not he can come and plead his case. Not later after further deliberations. The decision has to be made now", Qui-Gon commanded. He knew he was out of order speaking to the members of the Council in such a way, but he was tired. He had lost his own apprentice to the darkness and he wouldn't lose Vader, Anakin. He wouldn't lose Anakin. Not again.

"We still have much to discuss about the matter, Master Jinn", Windu said.

"I don't care", Qui-Gon replied. "I don't care what has to be discussed. I gave the man my word that he could trust me, and I am breaking that trust as we all sit here and debate whether or not he should be allowed to plead his case for assistance."

"Like this, you are not, Master Jinn", Yoda said. "More patient, you usually are."

"I'm impatient because it has been over a month now, the decision to allow him to come here should not have been a difficult one. He will not come here to slaughter us, if that was his purpose, we would all be dead by now. Dead or on the run, but that isn't the case", Qui-Gon said. "We must put aside our fears and move this matter to a resolution and the only resolution is to have him come. If the Council does not wish to allow that, then I will be forced to do something drastic."

"And what drastic measure are you implying, Master Jinn?", Windu asked.

Qui-Gon took a deep breath, knowing that the next words out of his mouth would potentially cause him to be banished from the Order. "I will recruit Jedi to come to Vader's aid without the Council's approval. There are plenty of strong and young Jedi who would agree with me, and I will take advantage of that. Mark my words, I will. Do not test me with this issue", he said vehemently.

The masters looked shocked.

"What you're proposing is essentially a mutiny, Master Jinn", Windu said.

"No", Qui-Gon said as he shook his head. "What I'm proposing is righteousness. Righteousness that the Jedi used to stand for, but now have neglected out of fear. Cowardice. Denial. Debate all you wish, but if I do not receive an answer within the next day, I will proceed with my plan without your support."

With that, he turned and left the Council's chambers, fully determined to do as he stated.

A/N: I apologize for this one being so short, but there will be plenty of other chapters that will be longer than this. If you liked what you've read, please consider dropping a review and following for more.