Chapter Eight
Vader started to come towards them, but Obi-Wan stepped in front of Padmé, his lightsaber drawn. With a low growl, Vader charged him and their fight began anew. Padmé struggled to get a clear shot of Vader, but he managed to get Obi-Wan positioned so that he was always in the way of her sights. She could see that Obi-Wan was weakening under Vader's attacks.
"Was he as good a lover as I was, my loving wife," Vader spat venomously. "Did you scream out his name like you did mine?"
Obi-Wan almost tripped as Vader's words threw him, and the color left Padmé's face.
"Do you love him as much as you loved me?" Vader went on, almost conversationally. "I suppose I should have expected the two of you to betray me. First, Master Kenobi betrays us by telling the council of our marriage, then my own wife, the woman I broke Jedi code for, betrays me by letting him cut me down. I can answer my own question then." His voice broke, but he made up for it by attacking Obi-Wan with renewed energy. "You do love him more than you ever loved me!"
Obi-Wan narrowly missed losing a leg and he gasped for air as he struggled to block Vader's blows. He could not pick up the offensive for Vader's anger was only making him stronger.
"What happened to 'A Jedi knows no love,' Master? She was too much of a temptation for you, wasn't she? With her big brown eyes and beautiful smile. All she had to do was look at me and I was hers. Now you understand how easily I could turn my back on my vows to be with her."
Despite himself, Obi-Wan found himself agreeing. However, Padmé was silently seething, angry with the way Vader was deconstructing her relationships with both of them. She was not a seductress, and it angered her that Vader made it sound like she was.
"Anakin, stop this! STOP THIS!" Padmé screamed, throwing her blaster down. "Please let him go. I will go with you."
Vader pushed at Obi-Wan, forcing the older man to fall back almost to the line of trees behind him. He then turned to Padmé and turned his lightsaber off.
"Will you?" he said. "You would give yourself in exchange for his life? You care for him that much?"
Alarms went off in Padmé's head. Vader's tone was noncommital, but she knew better.
"I care for you that much," she said smoothly, trying to control her rampant emotions. "I can't let you kill him, Anakin. You'll only dig yourself in deeper. I can't let you."
"I can sense your lies, Padmé," Vader replied calmly, ignoring the nervous flutter in his stomach. This was his chance. He could have her now and kill Kenobi with one blow. "But I will take you up on your offer."
"You can't," Obi-Wan protested, coming towards her.
Vader raised a hand and with the Force, pushed Obi-Wan back as Padmé went to his side. He circled her waist with one arm, keeping her in place. Cautiously, she raised a hand and put it on his chest, searching for his heart. Instead, she felt the small vibrations of the motors keeping him alive. He put a gloved hand over hers and tilted her face up so he could look into her eyes. She stared at his helmet, the corners of her mouth turning down. Unconsciously, her eyes slid to Obi-Wan. He looked back at her, his expression tight with pain.
"Don't look at him," Vader growled, his arm tightening on her. "Leave now, Obi-Wan, if you want to live."
"Padmé..."
"Go," she said forcefully, sending him a brief mental picture of Luke and Leia. "Go!"
She heard his voice in her head one last time.
I love you, Padmé. Thank you.
He turned his back and started for his speeder bike. Then, to Padmé's horror, Vader drew his lightsaber, and with unnatural speed, went for Obi- Wan. But Padmé was just as fast. Desperation rather than strategy made her draw her blaster and fire at Vader. He whirled around and blocked it with his lightsaber, but the angle with which he held it made the blasterbolt rebound back to Padmé.
It hit her in the center of her chest and she felt a pain like she had never known spread through her body. She fell to her knees, her eyes unfocused.
"NO!" he and Obi-Wan screamed in unison.
"GO!" she screamed at Obi-Wan though it caused her intense pain.
Vader almost seemed to forget about him and he rushed to Padmé's side, catching her in his arms. With one hand, he unlatched his helmet and took it off. She stared up at his face, lips quivering. This was the young man she had married, this humbled, broken man. Not the monstrosity encased in black. This was Anakin.
"Anakin?" she whispered.
"It's me, Padmé," he said, his voice like she remembered, but raspy. His blue eyes were filled with tears that were also flowing down his cheeks. "It's me. I'm sorry, my Angel. I'm so sorry."
"I wish it didn't have to end this way. I wish all our dreams had come true."
Footsteps nearing them drew their attention back to Obi-Wan, who stood a few feet away. Wariness of Anakin kept him away, but his horror at Padmé's injury kept him from running away like she told him to. Anakin glared at him and he glared back.
"How dare you stay," Anakin snarled.
"Obi-Wan," Padmé said. "Please go. Please."
"I love you," Obi-Wan said, not caring about Anakin presence. "I love you, Padmé."
Anakin started to reach for his lightsaber again, but Padmé stopped his hand with her own. She nodded at Obi-Wan, her eyes telling him all he needed to know. With one last look, he whirled on his heel and ran away as fast as he could. They heard his speeder bike a moment later and he was gone.
"So, this is the end," she said calmly, her breath rattling in her chest as blood began to fill her lungs. "I never would have imagined it to be like this."
"None of this was what I imagined," Anakin said, sitting down and cradling her in his arms. "I never would have thought that you and Master Obi- Wan...was it because we were separated or..."
"It's not your business, Anakin," she interrupted weakly. "What is between Obi-Wan and me is between Obi-Wan and me."
Anakin sighed and she could see him laying his anger at Obi-Wan aside. His sky-blue eyes looked into hers and he pressed his lips to her forehead.
"I love you still, Padmé. All this, although you don't understand it, was for you."
She put her hand on his cheek, her eyes beginning to flutter shut. "Then....then, I-I wish that you had never met me."
They exchanged one last, lingering look, and Anakin felt her spirit leave. Her body felt too light in his arms and he took a deep shuddering breath before exploding into harsh, racking sobs. He buried his face in her neck and his tears moistened her skin.
"No...no...no," he murmured. "Not yet, Padmé, not yet."
My pupil...you dally.
Anakin swallowed his tears. Shaking, he stood with Padmé supported in one arm and replaced his helmet with his free hand.
Yes, my master.
Padmé Amidala is dead.
Yes, she is.
Bring her back.
I want to bury her in Naboo, Master.
Do as you must, but leave there as soon as possible. We have a possible lead on a rebel cell and I want you there. I don't suppose you have Obi- Wan Kenobi in your possession or dare I say that he is dead.
Neither, Master.
You seem to have failed in your mission, my pupil. No matter. Return quickly.
Yes, Master.
Vader picked Padmé up and walked back to his shuttle. His tears had dried underneath his helmet, but his heart remained broken. Every step he took seemed to cause him pain. He looked down at her peaceful face, and held her even closer.
"We'll be together again, one day, my Angel," he promised. "One day."
Hidden in the trees, Obi-Wan straightened. He waited until Vader took off before he mounted his speeder bike. He wiped at his own tears, but his lips were set in a straight, determined line.
Vader started to come towards them, but Obi-Wan stepped in front of Padmé, his lightsaber drawn. With a low growl, Vader charged him and their fight began anew. Padmé struggled to get a clear shot of Vader, but he managed to get Obi-Wan positioned so that he was always in the way of her sights. She could see that Obi-Wan was weakening under Vader's attacks.
"Was he as good a lover as I was, my loving wife," Vader spat venomously. "Did you scream out his name like you did mine?"
Obi-Wan almost tripped as Vader's words threw him, and the color left Padmé's face.
"Do you love him as much as you loved me?" Vader went on, almost conversationally. "I suppose I should have expected the two of you to betray me. First, Master Kenobi betrays us by telling the council of our marriage, then my own wife, the woman I broke Jedi code for, betrays me by letting him cut me down. I can answer my own question then." His voice broke, but he made up for it by attacking Obi-Wan with renewed energy. "You do love him more than you ever loved me!"
Obi-Wan narrowly missed losing a leg and he gasped for air as he struggled to block Vader's blows. He could not pick up the offensive for Vader's anger was only making him stronger.
"What happened to 'A Jedi knows no love,' Master? She was too much of a temptation for you, wasn't she? With her big brown eyes and beautiful smile. All she had to do was look at me and I was hers. Now you understand how easily I could turn my back on my vows to be with her."
Despite himself, Obi-Wan found himself agreeing. However, Padmé was silently seething, angry with the way Vader was deconstructing her relationships with both of them. She was not a seductress, and it angered her that Vader made it sound like she was.
"Anakin, stop this! STOP THIS!" Padmé screamed, throwing her blaster down. "Please let him go. I will go with you."
Vader pushed at Obi-Wan, forcing the older man to fall back almost to the line of trees behind him. He then turned to Padmé and turned his lightsaber off.
"Will you?" he said. "You would give yourself in exchange for his life? You care for him that much?"
Alarms went off in Padmé's head. Vader's tone was noncommital, but she knew better.
"I care for you that much," she said smoothly, trying to control her rampant emotions. "I can't let you kill him, Anakin. You'll only dig yourself in deeper. I can't let you."
"I can sense your lies, Padmé," Vader replied calmly, ignoring the nervous flutter in his stomach. This was his chance. He could have her now and kill Kenobi with one blow. "But I will take you up on your offer."
"You can't," Obi-Wan protested, coming towards her.
Vader raised a hand and with the Force, pushed Obi-Wan back as Padmé went to his side. He circled her waist with one arm, keeping her in place. Cautiously, she raised a hand and put it on his chest, searching for his heart. Instead, she felt the small vibrations of the motors keeping him alive. He put a gloved hand over hers and tilted her face up so he could look into her eyes. She stared at his helmet, the corners of her mouth turning down. Unconsciously, her eyes slid to Obi-Wan. He looked back at her, his expression tight with pain.
"Don't look at him," Vader growled, his arm tightening on her. "Leave now, Obi-Wan, if you want to live."
"Padmé..."
"Go," she said forcefully, sending him a brief mental picture of Luke and Leia. "Go!"
She heard his voice in her head one last time.
I love you, Padmé. Thank you.
He turned his back and started for his speeder bike. Then, to Padmé's horror, Vader drew his lightsaber, and with unnatural speed, went for Obi- Wan. But Padmé was just as fast. Desperation rather than strategy made her draw her blaster and fire at Vader. He whirled around and blocked it with his lightsaber, but the angle with which he held it made the blasterbolt rebound back to Padmé.
It hit her in the center of her chest and she felt a pain like she had never known spread through her body. She fell to her knees, her eyes unfocused.
"NO!" he and Obi-Wan screamed in unison.
"GO!" she screamed at Obi-Wan though it caused her intense pain.
Vader almost seemed to forget about him and he rushed to Padmé's side, catching her in his arms. With one hand, he unlatched his helmet and took it off. She stared up at his face, lips quivering. This was the young man she had married, this humbled, broken man. Not the monstrosity encased in black. This was Anakin.
"Anakin?" she whispered.
"It's me, Padmé," he said, his voice like she remembered, but raspy. His blue eyes were filled with tears that were also flowing down his cheeks. "It's me. I'm sorry, my Angel. I'm so sorry."
"I wish it didn't have to end this way. I wish all our dreams had come true."
Footsteps nearing them drew their attention back to Obi-Wan, who stood a few feet away. Wariness of Anakin kept him away, but his horror at Padmé's injury kept him from running away like she told him to. Anakin glared at him and he glared back.
"How dare you stay," Anakin snarled.
"Obi-Wan," Padmé said. "Please go. Please."
"I love you," Obi-Wan said, not caring about Anakin presence. "I love you, Padmé."
Anakin started to reach for his lightsaber again, but Padmé stopped his hand with her own. She nodded at Obi-Wan, her eyes telling him all he needed to know. With one last look, he whirled on his heel and ran away as fast as he could. They heard his speeder bike a moment later and he was gone.
"So, this is the end," she said calmly, her breath rattling in her chest as blood began to fill her lungs. "I never would have imagined it to be like this."
"None of this was what I imagined," Anakin said, sitting down and cradling her in his arms. "I never would have thought that you and Master Obi- Wan...was it because we were separated or..."
"It's not your business, Anakin," she interrupted weakly. "What is between Obi-Wan and me is between Obi-Wan and me."
Anakin sighed and she could see him laying his anger at Obi-Wan aside. His sky-blue eyes looked into hers and he pressed his lips to her forehead.
"I love you still, Padmé. All this, although you don't understand it, was for you."
She put her hand on his cheek, her eyes beginning to flutter shut. "Then....then, I-I wish that you had never met me."
They exchanged one last, lingering look, and Anakin felt her spirit leave. Her body felt too light in his arms and he took a deep shuddering breath before exploding into harsh, racking sobs. He buried his face in her neck and his tears moistened her skin.
"No...no...no," he murmured. "Not yet, Padmé, not yet."
My pupil...you dally.
Anakin swallowed his tears. Shaking, he stood with Padmé supported in one arm and replaced his helmet with his free hand.
Yes, my master.
Padmé Amidala is dead.
Yes, she is.
Bring her back.
I want to bury her in Naboo, Master.
Do as you must, but leave there as soon as possible. We have a possible lead on a rebel cell and I want you there. I don't suppose you have Obi- Wan Kenobi in your possession or dare I say that he is dead.
Neither, Master.
You seem to have failed in your mission, my pupil. No matter. Return quickly.
Yes, Master.
Vader picked Padmé up and walked back to his shuttle. His tears had dried underneath his helmet, but his heart remained broken. Every step he took seemed to cause him pain. He looked down at her peaceful face, and held her even closer.
"We'll be together again, one day, my Angel," he promised. "One day."
Hidden in the trees, Obi-Wan straightened. He waited until Vader took off before he mounted his speeder bike. He wiped at his own tears, but his lips were set in a straight, determined line.
