Celestial Death: Yeah! Thank you everyone for your lovely reviews! They put me in such a good mood, when I was having such a crappy day. Ah the awesome power of reviews! Good mood good mood…la la laa! Though, fair warning, school starts again September 6th. I'm taking a creative writing class so wish me luck! This is a shorter chapter, so you are warned, but I'll try to make the next one longer. Righty…I'll get on with the kudos

Soneka the hedgehog: Heh…thanks. Though…perverted freak? Eh? O.o That's not my intention. Heh Thanks for reviewing!

BGTom: Oh…all right. I was unaware of that. I um…still don't really know how I would fit him in. He isn't really part of the plan I have formed in my head. Thanks though!

Countess Jackman: Thank you! I'm glad you liked the chapter. I feel it's important for them to get all of their resentment out before their relationship can grow and heal. Thanks again!

Snow Lepord: Ahh, truly. Padme really does have a difficult decision to make. Who knows? Perhaps Vader will be more understanding to her plight than one thinks. Thanks!

MissNaye: Y'know I think she should give it a chance too. They belong together. Thanks for the review.

RavenSparrow: Awww…thanks! That means a lot to me. You can see everything that's going on in my story? Really? Hmmm…what do you think is going to happen?

Joker: Hee hee. Thank you and I'll try to update and keep up the good work.

VadersGurl: Hey you're right! I did update! Wow…it's been a while. Heh. Thank you, and I'll try to watch out for spelling errors.

Sweet Yuna, Lady of Dreams: stares at the screen in disbelief HEY! All my nagging finally paid off! Well, that is certainly my longest review to date. Heh heh…I'm glad I managed to show you how addicting a good story can be! Awww…and with the dialogue…I just right the crazy conversations that play out in my head. I am so glad you love my Vader! Since it's Vader, I would be heartbroken if he didn't have the right balance. I'm so glad you think he came out very well. And eyes are definitely a portal to the soul. You really like my romance scenes? I just right the stuff that I would love to have. Ohhh…you don't lack the ability for good dialogue, you just need to find a way to tap into it! Thank you so very much Moonie! Much the huggles for you!But I think you broke my umbrella. ;

0AnakinSolo0: Thanks very much! I really like your suggestion and I'll try to use it.

Mutinous Phantom: Hey Thanks! I like your new screen name. I'm glad you like the banter between them, and I was hoping for a more married feel to it. Heh…it was a long time huh? ;

Rchan2: Aww, Thank you!

Thefragile7393: Thanks!

jpink: Heh…thanks. I'm sorry if you've aged…I'll try to be more constant with the updating. Hopefully my life will slow down. Anywho, glad you like it.

Disclaimer: I own nothing. I am just temporarily pulling the strings of this puppet show.

Chapter Six: Torn Between Past and Present

Padme returns to her room, and after checking on the twins, collapses on her bed. Her mind is a flurry of activity, sifting through all that has been said and done. She feels everything and nothing, torn between her love and her beliefs. Taking deep breaths, Padme forces the frenzy in her mind to still, so she can carefully sort out the facts.

'I still love Anakin. That has never changed. I will always love him.' This is the voice of Padme Naberrie-Skywalker. The part of her that always loved Anakin, the part of her that loves Vader.

'But Anakin is no longer here. He is dead. What's left behind is a cold man that does horrible things.' responds the voice of Queen and Senator Amidala, the calm and collected woman that ruled Naboo and served in the Senate. This was the person that put duty before love.

'He is not always a cold man that does horrible things. Anakin is gone, but a part of him still lives on in Vader. It is a light deep within him that still fights to glow, even when surrounded by swallowing darkness. Vader needs us. We are his family, and his happiness. We are the keepers of his sanity, and the reason he is not completely engulfed in the darkside.'

'Do not be so naive. He does not care for us. Vader will use us to gain the people's trust and support, and we will suffer and die from him. He will hold us prisoner and destroy everything we believe in. He wants power and will destroy anything that gets in his way. Even us. It would not be the first time he's tried to kill us. He doesn't even take responsibility for his deeds, he blames us.'

'No! He wasn't blaming it all on us! Besides, we are partially to blame for what happened. If we had only noticed the signs sooner…well…it's to late for that. We are going to put the pains of the past behind us. It is time for those wounds to heal. Everyone believes us dead. We will not be able to give Vader leverage. He wouldn't be so hurt over the past, if he only wanted to use us. He wants us to rule together. He loves us.'

'Yes, he wants us to compromise our beliefs and join the dictatorship that is the Empire! He wants us to rule! We will be enslaving people and further desecrating the memory of the democracy we fought so hard for! Vader wishes to destroy us, and make us bend to his will! How is that love? You are letting your emotions for Anakin cloud our judgment! This is a love never meant to be! We made that mistake with Anakin; let us not repeat it with Vader!'

'No matter what happens, we will be by his side. We do not have a choice in the matter. If we join him, we will have a say in how the Empire is ruled. We will be able to help people. By joining Vader we will be able to work on making the Empire better, more democratic, and we will be with Vader. Our family will be complete, and we will have a definite say in what happens.'

'By compromising our beliefs! He is forcing us to be with him! If he truly cared wouldn't he leave the decision of staying by his side or leaving him up to us? How can we honestly be with someone that would do something so despicable? He will control the Empire with an iron fist and use us to trick the people into thinking it's for the best. Vader will turn the twins into Sith and they will be lost, just like Anakin. He will turn them into cold, hateful beings, bent on destruction and power.'

'He does care. If he didn't he wouldn't even let us have a say in the government. Vader is forcing us to be with him, because he will die without us. He wants us to sit down and make decisions that are in the best interest of everyone, and then carry them out.'

'Yes, and then he will enforce them. Making sure that the people have to obey or else. Sounds like a dictatorship to me.'

'We can speak to the people and help them understand. If Vader rules alone, it will be a dictatorship, but if we rule with him, we can balance it out. We can convince Vader to do things in a peaceful manner, not always having aggressive negotiations.'

'Say we do join him. Then what? We help to make the Empire better, but what about our family? Joining him will only cause us to die slowly and painfully. He will still keep us trapped like a bird in a gilded cage, and he will turn the twins into Sith. I don't know about you, but I don't fancy the idea of my children becoming heartless murderers.'

'The only way we will die is if we do not join him. If we are kept by his side, without a say in the government, just being spiteful and cold, we will condemn ourselves to a slow and painful death. We will speak to him about the children becoming Sith. We will express our concern, and he will listen. Vader does love us, and I doubt he wishes to corrupt the innocence of his children.'

The voice of Amidala was being over powered by the voice of Padme. The only other times she chose for her heart and not for duty, was when she chose to be with Anakin, and when she chose to keep the twins. She has spent two years without her husband, and she doesn't want to leave his side again. While she will never agree with him fully on politics, they will be able to reach a compromise. A memory from long ago fills her mind. She is sitting in a field on Naboo with Anakin, when he was assigned to protect her.

"We need a system where the politicians sit down, discuss the best way to handle the issue, and then do it."

"That's exactly what we do! The problem is the people don't always agree."

"Well then they should be made to."

"Who's going to make them? You?"

"Of course not me! But someone."

"Someone."

"Someone wise."

"Sounds an awful lot like a dictatorship to me."

"Well, if it works."

At the time they had brushed it off as a joke, but now Padme wasn't sure. Here he was saying the same thing to her, except he would be the one to enforce it, how funny irony is, how funny and cruel. She had been aghast to hear it before, and while the idea still didn't sit right with her, it was better than the suppressive dictatorship of the Empire.

'So we are going to give in to him then? We will join him in an attempt to make things better. When we lose Luke and Leia to the darkside, and Vader keeps us like a bird in a gilded cage, and uses us, remember this. We acted with our hearts with Anakin, and now he's Vader. We didn't separate the twins, and now he has them. We hid in the most obvious place, and he found us, and he will never let go. You see what happens when you act with your heart instead of your head?'

'Maybe we wanted to be found. We will not let the Galaxy fall into chaos because we are too stubborn to use the opportunity we are given. We will not allow Vader to sink completely into the darkness; we will make sure the light of Anakin glows steady and strong, however small it may be. Vader will not hurt us, and we will not regret the decision we have made. It is time to let go of the pain we have been holding onto, and let the wounds heal. While this is not what we envisioned for our future, it will all turn out for the best. At times things will seem bleak, but we will persevere. We will not let our family go, or our beliefs. We are simply fighting for them in a different way.'

With that, the voice of Amidala fades away into submission until the next time it is called upon. Padme feels relief at knowing she will be able to bring back some of the democracy she loves and be able to have her family. She knows that her decision to work with Vader and keep the little bit of Anakin alive is wise, and she lacks a feeling of regret towards her choice. Padme believes this to be the best option. Letting out a sigh of relief, Padme smiles and decides to make Vader sweat it out until the third day. This way she will have time to observe him and the twins and get used to her decision. Though, she would ask him tonight about his want to train the twins. She will not let him force the twins into becoming Sith. That is simply not an option, even if he stoops to aggressive negotiations. Letting out a small laugh, Padme buries her face in her pillow and falls asleep, feeling happier than she has in a long time.

While Padme was having her inner debate, the twins woke up. Though young they are strong in the force, and could easily sense their mother's inner turbulence. Unsure of weather or not they should go to her, the twins wait in silence, feeling the churning of Padme's thoughts. Leia lets out a small whimper of worry and Luke climbs out of bed. Crossing the room he climbs into Leia's bed and holds her hand tightly, yet reassuring.

"It's okie Leia. Mama will be okie." He says soothingly.

Leia nods her head trusting her brother. They do not go to Padme, sensing that this is something she needs to work through alone. Thanks to the force, they are more advanced than most children their age. But that does not stop them from fretting over their mother's inner conflict. After what seems like an eternity, they feel Padme's mood lighten and both sigh in relief when they hear her laugh. The twins then drift back to sleep, Luke still holding Leia's hand lest she need him. Already he has taken to protecting his sister.

Celestial Death: So it's short I warned you. This is the transitional point where Padme has made her decision, but she's still gonna make Vader wait for the answer, to have time to become fully satisfied with it. Padme Naberrie-Skywalker represents the part of Padme that loves Vader/Anakin and wants nothing more than to be with him and their children. Queen and Senator Amidala represent the part of Padme that fights against things like the Empire and puts duty above all else. This part is aghast at the thought of joining Vader. Just to make things more clear about Padme's conflict, and don't worry, she doesn't have split personalities. One review short of 100! Who will be the lucky reviewer?