I DO NOT OWN STARWARS IT IS PROPERTY OF LUCAS FILM AND DISNEY
A/N Thank You: Charlie-Rose94, Camidala, Lyrasha, Starseeker1990, eve995, Redder45, colbyshere2008, summer490, JediGaladriel, Trickymander, Zireael07 for Fav/Following
AN: Special thanks to riml for reviewing again
One year later 18 BBY
Padmé looked up at her daughter. She has grown so much. Along with her sensitivity to the force as well.
This was concerning to the young mother for many reasons. She was getting reports from Bail and seeing the Empire propaganda. Darth Vader was a public enemy to all the Jedi, force sensitive beings including children and every other type of creature that opposes the Empire.
Darth Vader, the second in command of the Empire was already gaining a reputation for his ruthlessness.
Padmé saw his figure on the HoloNet a couple of times. His black suit, black boots, and that horrible mask. The creature had a walk about him that was eerily similar to the way Anakin had walked. Almost as if he were mocking Anakin and the rest of the galaxy.
The problem now is how to take care of Leia. The Nubian senator could have Leia's signature masked by Obi-Wan or Yoda. But they were nowhere to be found at this moment. The force sensitives who had that ability too were in hiding or already hunted down. Padmé has faith that Obi-Wan could locate Ahsoka, Anakin's former Padawan. But now she needed protection for Leia.
It was a constant fear she must live with.
"Mistress Padmé, Mistress Padmé..." C-3PO chirped Padmé was drawn out he thoughts and looked up at the golden droid. "Yes, Threepio" Padmé turned from the crib to the droid.
"I have pack all of Princess Leia's essentials in this bag and all is ready for transport to Naboo."
"Thank you, Threepio." The young mother responded. She finally gathered the courage to go back home and visit he parents. Bail has a privet transport that will not face scrutiny from Imperial troops.
Leia was going to meet her grandparents, aunt, uncle, and cosines for the first time. But she also had to face questions about Luke. She did not tell them of his fate.
Taking herself out of her melancholy thoughts Padmé took her daughter out of her crib and put her in her carrier. R2 whistled a brief goodbye. Then she took her and made her way to the transport. Soon they will be both back to the paradise known as Naboo.
o-o-o
Mother and daughter arrived Varykino in the dead of night. She made her way to her room that her parents kept stacked with the essentials. She had Pooja's old crib and changing table set up in her room. There was a dresser in there filled with baby necessities for a little girl…and boy.
Padmé knows she should have told them but it just hurt so much. She closed her eyes to stop the tears. She shut the dresser a little loudly and it roused the sleeping princess. Leia started to give a soft cry of distress. The Nubian woman walked to her grumbling daughter and gently rocked her back to sleep.
The morning brought more promise to the former senator as she rose with that blissful sun started to light the room.
Feeling better then she had gotten up and dressed in one of her village outfits (which still fit her well) picked up her sleeping daughter and put her in a stroller. She moved her stroller through the house to the balcony.
She paused at the spot, lowered her body to be at Leia's height and started to whisper. "Leia this where your daddy and I married. He would have loved you so much…." Padmé kept the sadness out of her voice "...he was right we did have a little girl…but I suppose I was right too." Padmé said as a tear streaked down her face.
Padmé stood up to her normal height to stare out into the vast ocean that surrounded the estate. She started to smile at the familiar buzzing sound of a water speeder.
o-o-o
The Naberrie's made the journey to Varykino. The older parents and their oldest daughter with her family in tow.
The entire family (minus Ryoo, and Pooja) were ecstatic to see Padmé and meet her children for the first time.
As soon as the boat docked the two youngest Naberrie's made a beeline to their rooms. While on the way Ryoo noticed, a figure standing on the balcony. The figure had a baby stroller and she was facing the ocean. This figure was familiar but that was impossible, was it.
Talking a chance, the young Nubian girl found her voice "Excuse me..." the figure turned around and Ryoo could not believe her eyes. It was her aunt! By the looks of it, her baby cousin was there too!
Padmé was lost in thought when she heard steps in the room and heard them go past her. Then she heard a voice. It was one of her treasured nieces Ryoo and turned around almost immediately with her stroller.
"Aunt Padmé…" Ryoo started. Padmé gave a smile with a nod and carefully made it over to her niece with her stroller. She tried to control her tears.
"…I thought. We just…you were gone...I saw-" Ryoo was cut off by a big hug by Padmé.
Ryoo and Padmé started to sob hysterically about this emotional reunion.
Hearing these sobs Sola's youngest daughter walked in the direction of the sound. She shocked to see what was taking place. "Auntie Padmé..." Pooja said almost too soft.
It seems to break the moment for Padmé. She looked up and saw Pooja. She freed one of her hands and motioned for her youngest niece to join the embrace. Pooja with tears in her face ran and joined the group.
The trio stood like that for what felt like an eternity.
Padmé finally pulled apart, she then kneeled to be at the same height as her nieces and spoke. "I am so sorry." Padmé took a breath. "I never wanted to put any of you or our family through this..." Padmé steadily was calming down "I had to pretend to die to protect you all….. I love you all so much." Padmé gave them a smile.
After everyone started to wipe their tears and give each other more hugs Ryoo draw their attention to the sleeping child stroller next to her.
"Who is this," Ryoo asked with wonder. She and her sister remembered all too well the funeral, that their cousin had passed on along with her. But they both see that she was alive and had a stroller with her meant that they had both lived.
Maybe the galaxy was not so cruel after all.
Padmé gave another big smile "This is your cousin, Leia."
"She is so cute." squeaked Pooja trying to be mindful of the sleeping baby.
"She looks just like your aunt Padmé." Said Ryoo
"I promise you both can hold her when she wakes up." The former senator gave a smile. This is what she wanted for herself and Leia, her family. It had a been a dream of hers when she first had gotten pregnant. Even going back to when she got married.
"Well, I see we are all getting well acquainted here." Said Sola as she entered the room with her husband Jobal, and Ruwee.
Padmé rose up, ran to the Naberrie's' and gave them each a big hug. When she reached her last family member she pulled them in the direction of the stroller and motion for everyone to follow.
"This is Leia." Everyone stared at the little girl in wonder.
Leia being a tuned to her surrounding with her connection to the force as she was choosing that moment to rise from her slumber to meet her family.
Ryoo and Pooja were the first to hold Leia. The fourteen and ten-year-old held her with gentle care. Leia was giggling and smiling at her new-found cousins.
It was a beautiful sight.
Sola was watching her children along with her sister too. She saw how happy Padmé was.
But she also detected a hint of sadness in her younger sister eyes. It was also strange to Sola that Padmé has not mentioned or showed her other baby, her son Luke.
The older woman didn't have to be force sensitive to feel that there is an explanation. So, she took her sister out of earshot, away from the happy reunion, to see what was going on.
Padmé looked up at her to see her sister. "Sola, what is going on?"
"Where is Luke? I know you would have included him in that reunion over there." Sola asked instantly hating herself for being so blunt. As soon she said those words Padmé started to fall apart.
"Sola...I can't…not in front of Ryoo and Pooja…. Leia can't know." Padmé said between sobs.
Sola held her sister as she cried into her shoulder.
"It's ok Padmé. We can talk about later. I promise." The words seemed to calm her down. But there was still tears leaking out of her eyes.
"It just…. hurts... so…much…it's...so...unfair." Padmé said softly into Sola's shoulder.
"It's ok. We all can talk about this later. I know you want to see your nieces again." The Nubian woman said as she rubbed her sister's head.
The two sisters stayed like this for a couple of minutes till Padmé could consul herself.
o-o-o
The rest of the day was perfect for any family coming together again. They spent it by the lake. Leia especially loved splashing in the water and curling her toes in the sand. The light in her eyes is something her mother will remember forever.
Padmé also saw the looks her parents were sending her. She knew Sola had told them about Luke's noticeable absence.
Padmé pushed those thoughts away, she just wanted to enjoy this time with her family.
Jobal along with Sola made an early exit to the home to get a start on dinner for the family. It left her alone with her father, brother-in-law, and two nieces.
While Darred was chasing his girls around the lake, Padmé was sitting with her father who was holding his youngest grandchild. Ruwee turned to his youngest daughter and began to speak. "She looks just like you…" Padmé looked over to her father. Her father rocked Leia and he started to talk to the little child.
"…I know you are going to be beautiful and strong just like your mother…maybe even be a politician just like her…"
Padmé gave a small smile.
"I don't think that is going to happen. She is going to be a Jedi like her father." Her father is giving her a look.
"She is a Naberrie and I saw her little steps. Those are steps of a little politician in the making." He said as she took one of his fingers to play with. Leia started laughing and wrapping one of her tiny hands around it
"I think we should head back; I think dinner is almost ready," Padmé suggested.
o-o-o
Dinner was noisy and family affair in Varykino. The Naberrie's enjoyed a fest a celebration of sorts for Padmé and Leia. They had good dinner conversation about her nieces, their lives on Naboo, pleasant conversation.
No one talked about the Empire or anything negative in that aspect.
The mood was almost derailed by a question that Pooja asked.
"Auntie Padmé…"
"Yes." Padmé turned up to face her niece from the long dining room table.
"Who is Leia's daddy?" Pooja asked in an innocent voice.
Everyone at the table seemed to still at this, and all the conversation went of the room as it happened.
Padmé felt a slight ache in her heart, she knew she had to talk about this. Leia will want to know the truth about he father one day.
She took a breath and started.
"Well, do you remember the dashing Jedi knight they sent to protect me all of those years ago…." Both girls had stars in their eyes remembering the kind young man who had spent time in this very house. They all knew he had eyes for Padmé.
They also knew their aunt had eyes for him.
"When he was protecting me, we fell in love. We had known each from before then. I tried to fight it.…we both tried..., But when we went out in the battlefield before the first Battle of Geonosis, we professed our feelings for each other…" she paused to look at the table to gauge everyone's reaction. She then continued "…After the battle, Anakin had to get a new arm because it was slashed during the battle..."
"Oh, it is so romantic..."
"...I totally agree..."
"Ryoo, Pooja..." Sola chastised her two girls "…Let your aunt finish the story." She turned to Padmé to continue.
"…Jedi are forbidden to have attachments that are of a romantic nature, the most they could have, is a friendship. So, when the masters found out about our feelings they told me to end it with him." She took a breath "I couldn't…he loved me in a way that I am sure no one in this galaxy could." She looked at everyone and took another breath to prepare for the biggest shock of all. "So when Anakin escorted me back to Naboo…we decided to get married here...on the balcony overlooking the lake as the sunset."
A gasp of shock could be from the two girls.
"You married him in secret!"
"We have an uncle!"
"Where is he!"
"Uncle Anakin!"
The two girls went on for a good five minutes. When they finally stopped, they looked up at Padmé so she could finish her story.
"We pretend we were just friends to the outside world, and he would be gone for months at a time. But still, for three years, it was beautiful when we were together..." Padmé smiled remembering the time together. Then her mood became somber needing to tell the last part of the story.
"When Anakin was in Outer Rim territories, I discovered I was pregnant. He was overjoyed when he finally found out the news…... But that is when everything started to fall apart."
She took a paused for the next part. She couldn't tell them about his fall.
"Darth Vader the Emperors' personal monster, had been plotting to destroy the Jedi for a long time…Anakin was brave had fought him until his last breath to try to save the republic and the Order…He died a hero…but never got to see Leia…." A tear fell.
"I know his memory will live on in her." Padmé finally finished everyone at the table looked over at the young mother and conveyed their looks of sorrow and loss.
o-o-o
After all the tears, the girls went to bed exhausted from the day's emotional events.
The adults, however, have been looking all day for answers to why Luke was not there. So they all gathered in Ruwee's study, then sat down on the different accent chairs and the small sofa.
Padmé gathering her strength looked upon her family. All of them started to feel the mood darken when they all looked at Padmé.
"I know you are all wondering where Luke is..." she took a breath and a tear streaked down her face. "…When I recovered from giving birth…master Yoda told me they had separated them because of their force sensitivity…" she paused again, it was taking so much of her to relive this pain. "…so they sent Leia to Alderaan to live with the Organa's, and baby Luke to live with Anakin's stepfamily…on Tatooine …I don't know how long how I was asleep…but after I watch my funeral…and said goodbye to you…" her family looking at Padmé, remembering the reunion they had.
"…I arrived on Alderaan early that morning…and Bail told me Obi-Wan went to retrieve Luke from Tatooine."
Padmé closed her eyes and braced herself for the pain. "…When he got to the Lars' home…Obi-Wan…he…he…found all…of their…bodies…" she continued with tears flow in full force. "…Owen...Beru…and Luke…. were...all…murdered…by Darth Vader."
Sola jumped up to hold her younger sister who was starting to sob uncontrollably. All her family got up too and embraced Padmé.
"...sh.. sshh..shhh..it is okay…Padmé…your family…is here…you…not alone." her older sister reassured.
Padmé and her family stayed like this until they calmed her down. They guided her to a chair to sit down.
Jobal to her youngest daughter's hand and wiped her tear streaked face and spoke. "I am so sorry you have to go through this. I know that this pain will never go away for you. But your family is always here for you. No matter what we will help you through this…you do not need to be strong around us..." Jobal said in a calming voice and Padmé embraced her mother again.
Padmé's resolve is strong.
She is a warrior will continue to fight. For her galaxy, her children, for everything.
But now she can lean on her family.
o-o-o
Hours had passed since she broke the news to her family about Luke. The pain was still as fresh as the day she found out. She looked down at her sleeping daughter and smiled.
The Rebellion was starting to form and Bail is starting to encourage her participation.
The former senator cannot deny that she is itching to get back into the fight again. She was pondering this decision for a while.
Padmé thinks she is ready now.
She believes now that she will find answers to help hide Leia from the Empire.
This pain and weakness in her soul will be channeled into destroying this Empire and that monster Darth Vader.
AN: I do not have a Bata reader but I am always trying to fix my story so as I updated the earlier chapter might change
AN: Review, Review, Review!