A/N- I'm back! Enjoy this chapter, and much thanks to all who reviewed.

Chapter Five

Padmé felt her arms being lifted and being bound once again to the table. A sense of sickening dread washed over her, and she fought down the bile that came to her throat. She closed her eyes, strengthening the weak barriers that enclosed her subconscious memory. She drove all thoughts of Anakin from her mind, knowing they could only destroy her.

She felt the shadow come over her, its black presence invade her mind, sweeping easily into all but the most protected region. Her body convulsed once again, her mind screaming at the new pain that seemed to be greater then ever before.

The shadow felt her despair and moved ever closer like a leech to a wound. Padmé strengthened the foundations of the shields, remembering everything that her husband had stood for, and how she had stood with him in the golden light of love.

You will not take me, she said to the shadow. She felt it hiss at her and move closer, a constant barrage of images permeating her mind. She tried not to be hurt by them, tried not to see them, but there was nothing she could do about it. Slowly, she felt her shields being stripped by the pain the images wrought.

She felt panic start to close in around her, seizing her heart in its cruel grip. Never, she shouted to the shadow in desperate denial. I will never give in. You will never have my child!

The shadow hissed at her, breaking down the foundations that kept her mind intact. She fought against it, railing curses at it and pounding it with every memory of goodness she knew. None of it availed in the blackness of the shadow's seemingly limitless strength, and it only cackled at her as it moved further into her mind until it was at her last defense, the strongest place in her heart.

There she had placed all her most intimate memories of Anakin, of the way he moved, the way he smiled, her love for him that encompassed her heart. She clung to the memories, holding them like a shield against the shadow. She poured the memory of her children into the shield and the brief seconds she had with them, the way she was their mother and determined to sacrifice her life, if necessary, to protect them. She felt the shadow retreat slightly, and she held the small victory with a renewed feeling of hope.

But she was wrong; the shadow had not retreated. She was suddenly torn away from her mind by a pain that encompassed everything she had experienced before, her body erupting in agony. In that sudden weakness, the shadow attacked, and she realized that there was no hope, that she had been foolish to think that she could stand against the might of the shadow, for it was more powerful then she ever dreamed.

It hurtled visions at her of her son as a Sith, destroying everything he crossed. Her barriers broke down as she screamed in denial that it would never happen, that it could not, that it would not be her that betrayed her offspring by the weakness of her mind. She saw her daughter kill, and there was nothing left... except one memory of hope, moments before, that he would rescue her, save her from this monster.

The shadow sneered at her and destroyed her world with four words; I have foreseen it.

She screamed in denial and agony as it swept into her mind, taking everything that was there easily. Even as the shadow saw all of her thoughts, she could not witness what her mind had hidden from her, so she did not even know what was hidden in her subconscious.

She felt from the shadow supreme triumph that destroyed her utterly, knowing that she had failed. But then, she felt a hint, just a small glimmering of something like... disappointment coming from the shadow. She tried to probe deeper into the murky depths of the shadow, but it sent her reeling back into her own mind.

Padmé came back to consciousness, her body no longer writhing in agony, her mind no longer invaded. She felt the shadow withdraw, and heard it utter an order to its underlings.

"Kill her."

-------

Vader landed his ship on the platform of the building, not caring about having a clean landing. It screeched as it landed, scraping the underbelly of the vessel, digging into the duracrete. His thoughts were racing in desperation, screaming to get to her before it was too late. He had felt the power of her despair and her final resignation and submission, and knew that she would die if he did not come soon.

A locked door stood in his way, and he snarled with fury and desperation, using the Force to open it. He charged down metal corridors, feeling her presence fading.

He recognized the Emperor's elite guards, and struck them down with his red lightsaber flashing, giving no thought to their deaths. Blood pounded in his ears as he ran, not stopping for anything. His pitch-black cloak whirled around him as he ran, and the mere sight of him was enough to terrify anything that crossed his path into submission.

He did not know how long he ran, feeling her presence in the labyrinth of twisting hallways, a constant guide and beckon to him. He opened countless doors and slashed countless security devices, feeling only her fading presence. He yelled in fury that it was taking so long to get to her, the harsh sound echoing for a long time.

At last, after what seemed like hours, he came to the door in which she was. He frowned against the lock, having to concentrate fully on opening it. The door had sealed Force locks, requiring all his power to open it.

He came in the door to see two red-suited Imperial guards raising their weapons at a curled figure on the floor he took to be his wife. With a yell of fury, he killed them with his lightsaber, slashing their throats easily. When he was done, he turned to the prone bundle on the floor he knew to be the woman he loved. She looked up, and though he wore the mask, he could feel her brown eyes piercing his. He whispered to himself, not daring to utter her name aloud.

Padmé, he thought tremulously. Padmé.