Part V: Goodbye (Approximately 14 years after The Phantom Menace; Almost 1 year after Part IV of this story.)
She felt him before she saw him. He was there, watching over her as she slept, just as he had always done.
"Ani, is that you?" she called into the dark.
"I'm here," came the response.
Amidala's face lit up with a wide smile. She reached her arms out to him, and was immediately folded in the warmth of his embrace. "Ani, I knew you would come back," she breathed into his chest. She could feel his heart beat against her cheek – steady, peaceful, comforting.
"I can't stay long, Padme." His voice was calm, just as was befitting a Jedi.
Amidala pulled away slightly so that she could look into his face. What little light there was in the room softly illuminated the features that she knew so well. "Why are you here, then? Why did you come?"
He took her hands in his own, glancing down at the rings she still wore – the rings he had placed on her finger nearly two years ago, as he pledged the rest of his life to her. Anakin sat down beside her, and she watched him expectantly.
"I came to say I'm sorry," he replied.
Amidala looked puzzled. "You're sorry?" she repeated. "But how…"
Anakin silenced her by placing a finger on her lips. "No questions, my love. Just understand…Just know that what I'm telling you is the truth."
Her face fell as understanding slowly flooded in. "You're not real, are you?" she whispered in a barely audible tone. "You're part of my dreams."
"I'm a part of who you are. I've always been a part of who you are. Don't you understand that?"
Amidala nodded slowly. "But when I wake up…"
"I will be gone," he finished for her. "But the truth of my words will remain. As long as you listen, and keep them in your heart."
He paused, looking down at his wife with such deep tenderness. "Oh, my Padme. How could I have ever left you?" He pulled her to him and rested his chin on the top of her head. She willing gave in to his embrace, allowing the strength of his love to wash over her. "I love you, Padme. More than you could ever know."
"I know, Ani." Amidala closed her eyes. "I've always known."
"Yes, of course," he agreed. "You never gave up, did you? You've always known."
"I love you too, Ani." The words hung in the air, and Amidala held onto them for as long as she could. When she opened her eyes, he was gone.
* * *
"I love you too, Ani."
Obi-Wan glanced up from the edge of Amidala's bed. Her lips moved slowly with the words. Her eyes were shut tight, closed to the world around her.
Obi-Wan sighed and shook his head. The hallucinations were getting stronger and more frequent. Every day was worse than the one before. Gradually, like sand passing through an hourglass, he could feel her life-force draining away. She was getting weaker with each passing breath. It wouldn't be long now.
He clenched his fist in anger and frustration. What good was the Force if he couldn't use it to save her from this terrible illness? What good were his powers if he was reduced to watching her slowly ebb away like this? She was a great leader, a loving person, a kind and gentle friend, and now her life had been reduced to nothing more than a series of haunted dreams and hallucinations.
But, what good would it do to have her live? He had failed her in so many ways. Her husband was gone. Obi-Wan had thought that he could bring him back, but he now realized that those were the thoughts of a naïve, misguidedly hopeful fool. Her children were gone, smuggled away from her in the dead of night. As long as Vader and the Emperor lived, they would never be safe with their mother. Her people were gone, viciously slain in a battle that they never had a prayer of winning. And her Republic, the political entity that she had worked so hard to keep alive, was gone. The entire galaxy now cowered, trembling in fear at the feet of a vicious dictator.
Obi-Wan stood to his feet, pacing the floor beside her bed. Before he realized what was happening, anger and hate rapidly coursed through his body. They would pay for this…they would pay!
He stopped himself short. If he gave in to the hate now, he would be no better than the Emperor and his dark apprentice. Taking a trembling breath and running his hand though his hair, Obi-Wan mentally noted how easy it would have been to cross over to the other side…
A ragged gasp from the bed brought him back to reality. He rushed over to Amidala's side, and took her hand in his own. For the first time in days, she opened her eyes and looked at him.
"He loves me, Obi-Wan," she managed to say. Her voice was so soft and labored that he had to lean in close to hear. "He's sorry for what he's done."
"I know, Padme," Obi-Wan replied. "I know."
She closed her eyes again, but only for a moment. When she opened them again, there were tears shining from their dark brown depths. "Take care of my babies, Obi-Wan. Watch out for them. They are so young… They need so much care…"
"I promise," he choked, tears welling up in his own eyes.
She was silent for several minutes. "It's not your fault," she said finally. "You did all that you could."
Obi-Wan broke down, sobs wracking his body. She took no notice, and went on. "You saved me, and my children. Thank you, Obi-Wan." She paused one last time. "A better friend, I could…not…have asked for…"
With those words, Obi-Wan could feel her spirit leave her body. He buried his face in her arms, and wept. He could not help but feel that, in that fateful moment, the galaxy had lost a precious treasure that it could never hope to replace.