PART 57

She signed the papers legally handing over her rights to Mon Mothma, Obi-Wan signed as well. Just as with Luke, she had done it without showing her tears. She reached down and gave her girls a big hug and kiss before she walked out of the room. Later on that evening Mon Mothma brought the girls over to their small apartment outside of the Palace walls.

"Have a good day at school tomorrow, be good, study hard" Padme said as she walked Sola and Mara to the door.

"I'll miss you mommy" Mara said as wrapped her small arms around Padme.

"You guys better go, don't want to be tired on your first day of school" Obi-Wan said taking Mara by the hand.

"We are coming back tomorrow right?" asked Sola.

"Yes, whenever you want to come, all you have to do is ask Mon Mothma" Padme said stroking her face.

"We'll see you two tomorrow, you can tell us about your first day" Obi-Wan said as he opened the door.

Both girls gave Padme one more hug, she hugged them back tightly forcing herself to be strong for their sake. Obi-Wan came over and hugged them as well, all four of them in a tight embrace.

"May the force be with you."

"You too Dad" Sola said as she turned and left, Mara following behind.

Padme watched as both girls got into the small speeder escorted by Mon Mothma's security guards. When she saw them safely out of sight she turned around and shut the door.

For the rest of the night she stayed in their bedroom, not coming out. Obi-Wan began to worry and decided to go into the room and found Padme looking through old holographic images of the girls.

"What are you thinking about?"

"How Anakin and I could have had a photo album like this for Luke and Leia."

He sat down beside her on the bed and laid his hand gently on her knee. Even though he didn't like to hear about Anakin he knew she needed his support.

"What we had is dead and it is dead because he let it happen."

"I don't think it was entirely Anakin's fault."

"No, I was to blame as well…"

"I meant the Emperor….and me."

"No, it wasn't you Obi-Wan, sure Anakin blamed a lot of it on you, but the fault lies mostly with me and him."

"You need to stop blaming yourself."

"I've been thinking about him a lot ever since I saw Luke; he's so much like his father."

"He is, the force is strong with him, but he's not Anakin, remember that."

"He will bring Anakin back to the good side."

He smiled at her; he didn't want to tell her he felt the good that was once in his former apprentice was gone forever. He wanted her to still have that hope in him, hope that he himself did not have.

"What happened back on Tatooine, the night I thought I lost you?" he decided to take a chance and bring up the subject with her.

"I was wondering when you were going to bring that up."

"Something happened, I can sense it."

"Something did happen, now that the girls are gone; it is safe to finally tell you, and to show you."

"Show me?"

"Yes, that day at the Tusken Raider camp, when Anakin came into the room, I had lost all hope, I was afraid."

"Afraid?"

"Yes, afraid that he would try to kill you, or others, at that moment, I really did not want to live anymore, I was reminded of everything I lost, what I could lose, I was about to give up."

"But?"

"I saw a vision, through the force, I saw Qui-Gon."

"Qui-Gon!"

"Yes, he's found the pathway to immortality; he showed me how to be more aware of the force, and how to make my force presence unknown."

"That's why you I couldn't feel you, that's why I thought you were dead."

"Yes, Anakin and Palpatine cannot sense my presence either, the only way they could is if they were physically near me."

"It all makes sense now, how when I touched you, I could feel your presence, but barely."

"Yes, but that is not all."

"There's more?"

"I'm going to teach you how to communicate with Qui-Gon, and how to make your force presence unknown to Anakin and the Emperor as well, we finally can stop running and hiding."

He grabbed her and held her tightly; he couldn't believe he was going to talk to his former master again, and that even in death he was still watching out for him. "Thank you" he whispered.

"You can thank Qui-Gon yourself when you talk to him, I'm sorry I couldn't tell you sooner."

"No it's alright, I'm just so glad I'll get to talk to him again, I've missed him."

She smiled and pulled him close for another hug, savoring the fact that they can finally raise their daughter's in peace.