Chapter 6

Star Wars and all its characters are not mine. They belong to George Lucas. His, not mine. Don't sue me.

Anakin turned his head towards the beam of light that streamed into the room, and into his tired eyes. He groaned, already frustrated. The brightness made his eyes hurt.

He was on his back, staring at a very white ceiling. In fact, the whole room was white. Too white, he noted, to be normal. Even though the shaped of things within the room were still quite smeared in his line of vision, he immediately guessed where he was: a hospital.

As his vision came into focus he noticed what he presumed was a nurse walking around the room, straightening things up, looking at him…

As soon as the nurse saw he was awake, her eyes widened, and she walked as fast as she could from the room. A moment later came the yell of, "who's in charge of the anesthetics around here?"

The next moment, a man came shuffling into the room. He looked rather tired. Had Anakin been in his right mind, he would have wondered why. But he wasn't, and so he didn't care a bit.

"Hello, Anakin," the man said to him with a weary smile. A weary smile, not an uneasy smile. Anakin pondered that. This man was not afraid of him. Well he should be, Anakin thought angrily. But he listened. He didn't want to, but he was tired himself.

"I am happy to say there is not much to tell you. You are doing very well for your injuries, your prosthetic legs are in place and movable, and the minor burns on your legs are healing nicely. You should be up and outa here in about ten days." The doctor smiled at Anakin, expecting him to say something along the lines of "thank you doctor!" or perhaps "I am glad to hear that." But all he got was a cold stare. "If you are waiting for me to give you bad news, you can put your worries to rest. There is none," he added.

Anakin's thoughts jumped immediately to his wife. Where was she? They would probably never let him see her, unless…

Unless he pretended to be a good little, not-a-Sith-apprentice, young man.

Anakin smiled. "Thank you, doctor," he said to the man. The man smiled back at him.

"You're very welcome, Anakin." Anakin's face darkened. "What's the matter?" the doctor asked, clearly concerned.

Anakin was in fact concerned for his wife. He wasn't faking that at all. But he had to put on a good attitude for the doctors around here to get them to let him out of his room. Perhaps then, he could make his escape. "It's Padmé Amidala sir…is she…is she all right?"

The doctor looked almost skeptical. "Of what concern is she to you, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Our friendship goes back a long ways," Anakin told him, as if recalling some long and distant memory. "I heard she was hurt during the rebellion…"

"Not hurt really," the doctor explained. "She has given birth to twins. Though we are left to wonder who the father was…no one seems to know. No one even noticed that she was with child."

"I would not know, sir," Anakin said with believable puzzlement. "But…may I see her? I need to know if she is all right…"

"I'm sorry sir," the doctor said gently. "But we cannot permit you to see her. She is…still recovering from child birth. But I can assure you, she and her children are quite all right."

Anakin's face fell. He let tears spill down his cheeks, but he nodded. "I understand. Well…tell her then…that I wish her well."

The doctor nodded. "I will do that for you." He paused. Anakin didn't even have to look at him to see the struggle on the doctor's face. He finally sighed. "Oh…very well. Only for a short time. I'm sure that since you are good friends that she will not mind a visitor."

As the doctor led him down the hall, Anakin was taking note of everything around him. He hardly paid any attention to his new legs, which were functioning well anyway. He noticed the security systems, along with different exits and where they led to. He even was looking into the minds of the security sitting behind the desk; who was weak and who was strong. All things he would need to know for later.

And later wasn't that far away.

The doctor opened the door to the room to his right, and they walked in. Myra smiled at the doctor, but when she glanced at Anakin, she scowled. She walked over to the doctor, whispering something to him that would be out of range for a normal person, but for Anakin…

"Are you sure that you should be letting him in here with her still…?"

"It's all right. He's just worrying about her…I'm sure she wouldn't mind having a good friend visit her."

"You don't understand, he's-" The doctor put up a hand.

"We'll leave you now," the doctor told Anakin. "Just don't be too long."

"I won't," Anakin reassured the doctor with a smile. The doctor nodded and closed the door behind him and Myra, who was looking positively furious that the doctor would not believe or listen to her. Anakin chuckled. He really should, Anakin thought. But he is blind.

Anakin's heart melted as he looked at his wife's face. The Sith had touched and twisted every part of his heart and mind except for this…

His love.

The love of his life. The one he would die for, the one he would kill for, had killed for…

She looked so peaceful, sleeping upon her bed, dressed in a simple white gown. Beside her, two babies slept soundly as well. Anakin walked over to them, smiling softly in spite of himself as he gazed down at their innocent faces. His children, his own.

"Anakin!" Padmé whispered. Anakin spun around and looked down at her. He was both horrified and drawn in by what he saw. Her eyes were big and round with fear, and it scared him. How could she be afraid of him? He had saved her life with his new power! How could it have been anybody else? No one had the power that he did…

But he could sense something within her. It was love. Her love still burned for him and him alone within her heart, and that was all that mattered to him. As long as she still loved him.

"My love," he whispered back. He leaned down and softly kissed her lips. Her hand found its way to the back of his neck, and elevated itself up and ran her fingers through his hair. "I missed you," he whispered. "I was afraid for you and the…babies."

She gazed at them. "Aren't they beautiful…?"

"They are. I didn't know we were having…"

"Neither did I." She sighed, then looked up at him. "Anakin, you must promise me something…"

"Anything for you."

"Anakin, please…please stop this."

Anakin's face darkened. He refused to accept it. "Stop what? I am not doing anything wrong. I am simply loving you and our children. Is there anything wrong in that?" he asked strongly.

Padmé looked a little taken back but not swayed. "If you love me, give up this dark power." She looked him in the eyes, searching his soul. "You can only love one. Not both. You must choose one." Her eyes filled with tears. "I do hope it is me."

Anakin straightened, and stared down at her in disbelief, and in anger. His lips trembled, his fists clenched, but he could not move. He could not hurt her. He wouldn't let the things they said about him come true. Surely an all-powerful being like him could possess power and love and sustain both.

The doctor peeked into the room. "Anakin?" he said gently. "I'm sorry but…we must allow Senator Amidala to rest."

Anakin nodded quickly and left the room without a goodbye, nor a smile.