Author's Note: For disclaimers, see the first chapter.
Thanks to all my reviewers! It's nice to know someone's reading this.
Enjoy! – Kaitie
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She blinked furiously yet subconsciously, her nails digging relentlessly into her palms, her teeth clenched painfully tight. Her stomach rose in revolt, and her head swam.
Yet despite her bodily weakness, Padme's mind was clear. Thoughts, memories raced through, fractured, piercing, nearly overwhelming.
Ani, running after a bird that had stolen one of her hair ribbons…
Ani, smiling a roguish smile at her behind Obi-Wan's back, raising an eyebrow…
Ani, braiding her hair…
Ani, tiptoeing into their bedroom on Naboo, on a surreptitious detour from a mission…smiling fondly, using his favorite Force trick to wake her up – drip, drop, drip, drop – one by one the drops of water sprinkled her eyes, her cheeks, her lips…and she opened her eyes to Ani's laughing … "So, did you miss me?"
Ani, saying "I love you, Angel"…
"Mommy?"
She looked down, and Luke was there, tugging on her shirt hem. "Mommy?"
He looked so much like his father, standing there. In her mind's eye…
Ani laughed, standing in the hallway behind Luke, evidently having just come from the cockpit. "Don't bother your Mommy, Luke, can't you tell she's in one of those politician brown studies?"
Luke laughed and ran back to Ani, who swooped him up over his head, around and around…
"Mommy?"
"Yes, Luke?" Her voice trembled, but only slightly.
His blue eyes were afraid. He was looking to her for strength. Her. "Obi-Wan says to go now, Mommy."
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Leia sat pouting on the pilot's seat. She could not see out the stupid window, and she'd scraped her elbow and broken a nail trying. All that trouble she'd went to, getting into Mommy's nail polish, and now it was wasted. This was starting to get scary and lonely. Where was Mommy? Where was Ben?
Suddenly she could hear Luke-in-her-head again. Her heart raced, and she frantically checked to see if her gremmel was still sleeping.
He wasn't. He wasn't talking, but he was definitely awake. Something was strange about this whole day. Something was very strange about the hangar. Something was going on.
Luke-in-her-head was worried, sad, upset…which was not like him. She shook her head and pursed her lips. Luke?
His response was immediate, scared. Leia?
What's going on? Where's Ben? Where's Mommy?
He sniffled. At least, Luke-in-her-head sniffled. Ben's fighting the bad man, but he's going to lose, and he told us to leave! But when I told Mommy…Mommy won't talk, she just stands here and looks funny!
You're leaving me here!
We have to.
Leia hit the control panel hard, then watched disinterestedly as blood trickled down her cut hand. She would just have to take matters into her own hands…and fast.
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Padme stood frozen. Part of her had heard Luke's words, part of her refused to understand them, but all of her remained motionless.
The images changed. Now they were imaginary, but just as horrible.
Mace Windu – dead.
Ki-Adi-Mundi – dead.
Yoda – dead.
The children at the Jedi Temple – dead.
Sabe, dead.
Over their dead bodies stood the dread Darth Vader. He laughed.
Her husband.
She turned and dashed past Luke, towards the cockpit.