Chapter 5: My Immortal

It's been a month since Vader took Mara Jade. Sabè and Obi-Wan were still suffering from the pain of losing a child. Padmè felt ever so guilty about it, even though it wasn't her fault. One night, Padmè was looking at her twins before standing outside the house looking at the stars. "Why, Ani, why did you do this to us?" She asked. Obi-Wan came out of the house to see Padmè talking to the stars again.

"Padmè, it's not your fault that Mara Jade is gone. Stop blaming yourself for it," he insisted.

"I can't help but feel that it is my fault. My husband just took my best friend's daughter away," she said sadly.

Before Obi-Wan could answer, she spun around to look at him. "I'm sick and tired of being hidden. I'm tired of being afraid for my children's lives. I just want everything to be back to the way it was," she confessed.

"Do you think Sabè and I enjoy being hidden too?" He asked.

Padmè fell to the ground in sadness. "If only I could turn back time to stop this from happening. He would have been able to see our children. They're hurting too," she whispered. Sabè decided to have a turn to talk to her while Obi-Wan went inside.

"Padmè, Mara Jade's capture wasn't your fault and yes your children might be suffering from the loss of a father, but they have their mother. A heartwarming, loving, and caring woman that would stop at nothing to keep her children safe," she explained.

She held onto Padm's hands with a small smile. "You've been like a sister to me through my whole time of knowing you. I have known you since we were children. You have done some good, you saved our people when you were queen, you saved many people from dying, and not only that, your brought your best friend happiness. You brought Obi-Wan and me together. Without you, I don't think I would know what to do," she explained. Padmè smiled at Sabè before watching her go inside. She couldn't help but feel sad, the thought of never seeing Anakin again bothered her heart terribly. She looked at the stars again before going inside.

(Lyrics to My Immortal)

When she entered her room, she saw that Luke had no blankets, Leia had taken them all...again. She walked over and put another blanket over her son. She kissed the top of his head with a smile. Then she pulled on her nightgown before going to sleep next to her children.

The next morning, Padmè woke up to find Luke and Leia out of their beds. She knew that they go to help Owen and Beru every morning and they let her sleep. She knew that the couple grew to love Luke and Leia so much, she knew that they had loved the twins as their own children. She got out of bed and pulled on the dress she wore when she and Anakin arrived on Tatooine. She put her hair up the way it was when they arrived on Tatooine and walked out of her room. She smiled at her children when she saw them playing with Beru. She decided to go into the shop where she and Anakin had their last conversation in this place.

She walked into the shop and touched the tools that his hands touched.

(Flash Back)

Padmè entered the room with a tray of food when she saw Anakin fixing something. "I brought you something. Are you hungry?" She asked.

"The shifter broke. Life seems so much seems so much simpler when you're fixing things. I'm good at fixing things always was, but I couldn't..." he trailed off.

She placed the food on a counter and looked at him as he spoke. "Why'd she have to die? Why couldn't I save her? I know I could have," he babbled. He turned to fix the shifter with something else.

"Sometimes there are things no one can fix. You're not all powerful, Ani," she assured.

"Well I should be. Someday I will be. I will be the most powerful Jedi ever. I promise you. I'll even learn to stop people from dying," he snapped.

"Anakin," Padmè started.

"It's all Obi-Wan's fault. He's jealous. HE'S HOLDING ME BACK!"

He threw a tool across the room and it hit the wall before landing on the floor. "What's wrong, Ani?" She asked.

"I---I killed them. I killed them all. They're dead. Every single one of them. And not just the men, but the women and the children too. They were like animals and I slaughtered them like animals. AND I HATE THEM!" He roared.

He then sat down with tears falling from his eyes. She sat next to him to try and comfort him. "To be angry is to be human," she assured.

"I'm a Jedi. I know I'm better than this," he murmured.

He then lowered his head and started crying. She stroked his hair to try to help him.

(End Flashback)

Padmè touched more of the tools that he held in his hands that day when she felt a tug on her dress. She looked down to see Leia standing there. "Mommy, are you okay?" She asked. Padmè didn't realize that she was crying until she felt the tears on her face.

"Mommy's going to be fine, sweet heart," she replied.

She picked her up and kissed her forehead. "I'll be okay," she assured.

(Lyrics)

Padmè smiled at Leia and then walked out of the shop with her daughter in her arms.

When the two girls came inside, she found Luke asleep with his doll in his arms. "Owen, what did you do to my son?" She teased.

"He was exhausted. He's been helping me with chores all morning," Owen replied.

"My poor child," she cooed.

She placed Leia on the floor and walked over to Luke. She stroked her son's hair and kissed the side of his head. "You look just like your father," she sighed.

"Padmè, Sabè is looking for you," Beru informed.

Padmè stood up and went to see what her friend needed.

She found Sabè in her room and saw her standing there with the picture of Anakin. "I saw Luke looking at this earlier," she stated. Padmè took the picture into her hands and sighed sadly. She sat down on the bed and looked at Sabè.

"Luke always wants to be like his father, to be as strong as him. That's why I'm letting Obi-Wan to train him," Padmè sighed.

She missed Anakin so much, she only told her children that their father was missing. She believed that there was a way to bring him back to the good side to defeat Darth Sidious. She missed the way Anakin used to be before he turned. She could feel his arms around her, his lips upon hers, and the warmth of his body behind her at the thought. The old Anakin was gone, the evil Anakin came out.

(Lyrics)

That night, Padmè was tossing and turning in her sleep. "Ani, Ani, come back. Please don't go. Come back," she murmured. She shot up from bed and felt sweat trickling down her face. She wiped the sweat away and got up from bed. She saw her children still asleep. "Dream sweet dreams, my children," she whispered. Padmè walked out of the room and walked outside yet again. She always went outside to clear her head from the dream. It was always the same dream. She would see Anakin standing before her, then he would be engulfed by darkness. She would reach out to him, but he was gone. The nightmare reoccurred every night during the past five years.

When she came outside, she saw Sabè and Obi-Wan standing next to each other, as if they were waiting for Mara Jade to come back home. She sighed as she sat down looking at the stars. She seemed to be waiting for Anakin to come back to her, but she could still hear his voice when he wasn't with her. "You love me?" His voice echoed on the day that she confessed her love. She was haunted by his face, his voice, and his touch. She wrapped her arms around herself when she suddenly felt so cold.

(Lyrics)

Later the next afternoon, Padmè watched as Obi-Wan trained Luke. "Concentrate, Luke. Don't let your mother's presence disturb you," Obi-Wan taught. Luke nodded before holding out his lightsaber. "Concentrate," he repeated.

"I am, concentrating," Luke groaned.

"You're letting other things around you get in the way," Obi-Wan insisted.

Luke sighed and continued on with his training. Padmè went inside to see what Leia was doing.

Leia was helping Beru in the kitchen when Padmè came in. She was wearing the dress she wore when Anakin told her that he killed every Tusken Raider. "What are you doing, Leia?" She asked.

"Mommy, Aunt Beru is showing me how to make lunch," Leia replied.

"Is she now? How is she doing, Beru?" Padmè asked.

"Leia's a fast learner, just like her mother," Beru replied.

Padmè smiled at Leia before Beru began to speak again. "How's Luke's training?" She asked.

"I had to leave, my presence was distracting his training. He's like his father, knowing how to get to Obi-Wan," Padmè laughed.

She then went into her room to look at her picture of Anakin again.

(Lyrics)

That evening, Luke came running in look absolutely filthy. "Look at you, Luke, you're dirty," Padmè laughed.

"He's been working hard. He deserves to be dirty," Obi-Wan assured.

"Well, go clean up. Dinner is almost ready," Beru insisted.

Luke kissed his mother's cheek before running off to clean. Obi-Wan pulled Sabè into his arms. Padmè went off to help Luke clean up and to put his things away before eating.

When she entered the room, she saw Luke was cleaned up, but he was practicing his lightsaber techniques. "Dinner's ready, Luke," she informed. Luke put his saber down and smiled at his mother.

"Mommy, can you tell me the story about my daddy again?" He asked.

"I'll tell you again tonight when you go to bed," she replied.

She kissed her son's forehead and smiled at him. "Come on, dinner's ready," she repeated. She took her son by the hand and led him out of the room.

That night, she sat down with her children and pulled the blankets around them and gave them each a kiss. "What about the story?" Luke asked. Padmè sighed and clasped her hands in her lap.

"Your father and I met on this very planet. He was a young slave and I was a young queen," she told them.

She told her children the story about how she met their father and when she married him. She always left out the part of him leaving and about her being hidden when she was pregnant. Her children fell asleep and she smiled at them. "I love you," Padmè whispered. She then looked out her window at the stars with a sad sigh. "I love you, Anakin," she whispered.

(Lyrics)

One night, she looked at the picture of Anakin that was taken before he left her. She felt tears pressing against her eyes and said the words she could never say to him in person. "I will always love you, Anakin Skywalker," she whispered. Then she fell asleep with the picture in hands and on her face was a tear.

(Ending Lyrics)

AN: enjoying this so far. I love writing it. Please review.