Chapter Four- Lost

"Mommy, mommy, look how high I'm going!" said Leia with happiness.

Padme Skywalker looked up from her spot on the bench.  She smiled and waved.  She saw her husband laughing heartily and trying his best to push two swings at a time.  The twins, Luke and Leia, were laughing to their hearts content while urging their father to push them faster.

This is what I've always wanted, thought Padme.  A life without any worries about anything other then me and my family.  Nothing about the Jedi or senatorial duties.  The Republic or the Empire doesn't exist in my backyard.

"Hey, you two!  Give your poor father a rest!" said Padme, with a grin.  She walked up to Anakin and gave him a peck on the cheek. 

"Hey, honey.  It's alright, I will always have time for you and the twins," said Anakin.

"Anakin, I swear, you are as stubborn as the day I first met you," said Padme, her eyes shining with pride.  Anakin Skywalker was different from any other person she had met.  He was caring, gentle, and always there for her and the kids.  She smiled to herself and thought, I made the right choice.

"Now, now you two.  Come on in so you guys can take your naps!" said Padme, and with that, she took each of their hands in each of hands and they walked off into the house.

Anakin stared after his family with what looked like love...but underneath those shining blue eyes seemed to be something else.  Something that was just on the surface that implied only one thing.  Evil.

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A fit of giggles erupted from the small closet and Padme opened the door to reveal two twins trying desperately to camouflage themselves within all the coats and jackets. 

"Aha! Found you little monsters!" And she pulled the twins into a bear hug and carried them to their beds.

"Sleep tight, my little ones. Mommy loves you," and with that, she quietly closed the door for the children had already started to dream of candy for dinner and ice cream for breakfast.

As Padme descended the stairs one at a time, she felt a prickle of invisible fear at the nape of her neck.  Odd, she thought, what could be wrong?  With quick steps, for she had a petite form, she went outside in search of her husband.  She found him sitting on the patio chair with a cup of fresh lemonade.  With a breath of relief, she plopped down next to her husband.  She could sense that he was different...in a way.  It was like he seemed colder and not that warm and gentle man she fell in love with.  I must be hallucinating again, and she shook the thought away.

She saw Ani sitting in solitude in front of the crackling fire. "Ah, finally, peace and quiet!" said Padme.

"Hey, honey, are the twins in bed?  They've been such a bundle of giggles and laughter the whole day.  Kinda takes it out of you," Anakin said with laugh. 

"Well, not after a long game of hide and seek! Those two are starting to act like you more and more each day, Ani!"

"Yes, aren't they?" Anakin went rigid for a moment and became normal again.  But this movement did not go unnoticed to Padme. 

"Are you okay, Anakin?  I hope you're not coming down with something!  I told you that even if you're on a mission, you must always get as much sleep as possible."

"Listen, Padme, I've been meaning to tell you something. The reason I've been acting sort of strangely these past few days are because of ..." Ani drifted off and seemed to have some sort of internal struggle. 

"You know what?  Never mind what I said, I'm fine," And with that, he suddenly got up and left without a single goodbye.

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Padme twisted and turned all night long.  She knew, by some sort of instinct in her, that something was terribly wrong, but she could not put her finger on it.  She knew that it was something that she was about to uncover. And that secret would be something that would change her life in drastic ways.

"No...Ani...Leia...Luke!!!!" Padme screamed as she bolted up awake.  Her sheets were soaked from her sweat and her bed spreads were in a state of disarray.

Still panting, she looked around and Ani wasn't there. She started to become alarmed. Anakin would never leave without telling her first. More importantly, he would never leave in the dark of the night. Something's wrong, she thought. Really wrong.

She padded down the hall in her slippers.  Her motherly instinct told her that she wasn't in for something good.  So much for instinct that doesn't tell you much, eh?

She tiptoed up to her children's door and slowly opened. It creaked quietly on its hinges and swung open.  What she saw made her almost faint.

Luke and Leia were gone.

At first, she thought it was all a dream.  They couldn't be gone, this wasn't real. Everything was just an illusion...a trick on her mind.  Nothing was true.

Yet she still felt that nagging feeling in the back of her mind. Reminding her of how something was terribly wrong. Everything in this situation felt out of place. That still did not stop her from feeling the loss of her family.

With a strangled cry, she yelled, "Why me? What have I done to deserve this?!"

Padme slowly sank to the floor, the wooden boards slowly coming up to greet her.  She drew up her legs and quietly sobbed. She cried for her husband.  She cried for her children.  She cried for this nightmare that was coming true. What is this? What has happened?

Suddenly, she was enveloped within a tall shadow. 

"You don't deserve anything, my sweet. What happened here is entirely your fault. You brought this mishap upon yourself," said a voice filled with menace. She recognized it, but only hints of it.  She hoped that it wasn't who she thought it was.  She slowly raised her head to acknowledge the person standing before her.  She let out a slight gasp.

"Anakin?" said Padme.

"Surprise, honey. How does it feel, dearest? To lose your children...and your husband?"

"W...w...what are you talking about?"

"He's gone, Padme. Ani's dead."

"You're lying. You're not real!" Padme shook her head as if to erase Anakin's image from her mind.

"Face it, Amidala, you've lost everything. Wake up and face the music."

"NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Padme woke up screaming. She felt a sharp jab on her side.

"Quiet!" hissed the nearby guard.

It was gone.  It was all a dream.

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Disclaimer: Look at the first chapter!

Well, it's been at least a month and this is the first update. Me so evil. HAHA! Hope this chapter wasn't too confusing! And I know that I rushed through parts, but writer's block came. So evil! LOL =) REVIEW!!!!

*poke poke* I need a beta reader! PWEEZE? Hehe!