Author's Notes: Welcome back everyone, at least I hope everyone's back. It's Monday, and thus starts a new round of updates. Thank you everyone for the feedback, I enjoy them whether it's good or constructive. When there's a story I like, as is evident by my profile, I tend to finish faster. I don't know how long this story will be, but it's not going to be drawn out needlessly, I assure you of that. This chapter may or may not come as a surprise, but uh... I'll let you be the judge of that. From this point on, I'll be replying to the feedback directly instead of here.

Chapter 7: Deliverance

Anakin woke up in a dark room surrounded by four walls with no windows, and a ceiling that held nothing but lights blinking red. Pain shot at him to every part of his body. He almost felt he couldn't breathe from his claustrophobic surroundings. Squinting his eyes every so often, he called out to someone.

"Mom," he said softly,a nervous knot tightening in his belly.

Then louder. "Mom!" he sat up and glanced at the machines around his bed,he didn't know what it was or what they were for.

When he had no reply, he tried again. "MOM!" he yelled in a panic-stricken voice.

His sounds reverbeted around the room, leaving him scared. He didn't know where he was, or what happened to his mother. All he could think about was calling out to her.

"MOM!"

Again, there was nothing.

He quickly removed the needles in his skin so he could step aside and stand on both feet. To his surprise, he could barely feel them.

"AH!" he fell knee first to the ground with a loud thud. Tears began falling from his eyes. He just wanted to find his mom.

"Please, mom! Where are you?" He called out to nothing. With all his might, he searched his way to the corner of the bright room, lifting his knees to his chest and closing his eyes, he wept uncontrallably..

Vader's dream drew him out of his unconscious state, his dark reddish eye could be seen through half of his broken mask before he started coughing. He lifted it off, the crash had disrupted the oxygen tank that was built within his armor. From the lack of air, he had no choice but to remove it. He continued to cough out heavily, blinking the sand away from his eyes as smoke and electrical sparks surrounded him.Thenhe remembered. Turning his headsideways, he automatically looked for her.

"Padme," he called out, saying her by name for the first time.When there was no answer, he concentrated into the force to sense her life signature.

The weight of his armor suddenly felt like it weighed more than it should.

With his back still on the ground, Vader lifted his head forward and saw a hand buried underneath a pile of rubble. Forgetting about his own injuries, he picked himself up and made it to her as quickly as possible, forcing all the debris off her carefully with his mind. He wanted to ensure that no other injuries would befall her.

The twin suns above him flared brightly agaomst the bare flesh of his face, blinding him nearly but he remained steadfast and continued to move everything off her as fast as he could, and as safely as he could when he did it. The planet was hot, and the armor he wore did nothing to keep the heat at bay, and as the hot sun penetrated the dark blackness of his clothing, it felt like he was burning from the inside.

Ignoring it all, he focused to remove the remaining debris off her. As soon as he did, he quickly surveyed her body and noted in relief that there was no intenal injuries. Vader knew he had to get them out of there before savages decide to check out the wreck. He's been around enough places to know that scavengers hid well even in the most dangerous of conditions.

He carried her in his arms, and the comfortable feeling left him confused yet at ease. He hurriedly took her a good distance away from the wreckage and took one more look at her before removing the heavy materials that created his black suit, and soon after that, he went to search for a medical kit and supplies back in and around the damaged craft.

Several Hours Later

Padme was greeted with a painful headache the moment her eyes and mind reached consciousness. She felt a slight chill run down her skin until she felt a warm blanket drape over her. Her eyes quickly snapped open.

"What happened?" she uttered weakly, barely seeing what's in front of her except the reddish flame of fire in the hearth.

"We crashed," he answered blankly.

Padme sighed despite of the pain she felt. It was obvious she was bruised up, but that didn't mean she was in the mood to have conversation that was limited to a couple of words with Vader. She slowly sat up and she saw they were safely inside some empty cave that overlooked the sandscape. She turned back to Vader when her vision finally cleared and saw the flames of the fire cast him in warm light. If anything, he was truly unlike any man she has ever met.

"Where are we?"

"On Tatooine, I believe."

Her brows creased. "How do you know that?"

Vader paused for a moment and looked out onto the settings sun before answering. He didn't know how he knew, he just did when a sudden memory passed him by before he could fully understand the meaning of it.

"I'm not... I think I've been here before," he answered hesitantly.

Padme turned confused.

"What do you mean, you think?"

"It... was a long time ago," he answered as truthfully as he could, unsure of the emotions he himself was experiencing. Too many things were happening that he found himself losing control.

As a Sith Lord, he didn't like it.

Vader shifted from his spot and Padme finally noticed that he was no longer in his suit. When he noticed her curiosity, he indulged in answering her before she got the opportunity to ask.

"I removed it all before I brought you here. There was a lot of damange that it couldn't support me in this planet's hot climate," he explained. "As for the cape, it was the only thing that we had that will keep you warm once the sun has competely disappeared."

Padme nodded in understanding, uneasiness sat in the pit of her stomach as she was a lost for words for his... attentiveness in her safety. To maneuver her thoughts elsewhere, she looked around and saw many mechanical parts laid out across the floor that were no doubt from their broken ship.

"What do you plan to do with all these?" she asked, just realizing that she had suddenly become one of the most curious people in the world. She has never asked so much questions towards him since this whole nightmare began.

"To re-establish communication with the Empire."

Padme frowned. She will never get used to the galaxy being called that no matter how long she lives.

"I'd rather die here than return to that prison."

"May I remind you that it was you who also agreed to marry me."

"By lack of choice."

"There are always other choices, Senator."

"And what choice were you given?" she shot back angrily. Injured or not, she wasn't going to back down, especially from him. "Did you wake up one morning and just decide to murder people."

He shook his head. "No. I wasn't given a choice to have otherwise."

She froze against his intense glare.

"What happened to you?" she asked, her voice a lot less harsher than before.

Vader looked back out to see the sun completely gone, and the only light they had left was from the fire he built. He ignored her for the rest of the night, trying to force out the memories he had believed were long gone.

City of Alderaan

"What do you mean gone?" Senator Bail was grief-stricken at the possibility that the rebels who'd tried to aid in Senator Amidala's escape had inadvertantly caused her death. "There has to be some sign of her."

"If she's alive, Senator. We will find her," Obi-Wan assured with a grace and calmness that slightly alleviated the worry inside Bail.

"We should've planned better," Bail exclaimed.

"Vader's leave on Coruscant was unexpected. We didn't have the time to do so. Relax, my friend. If she's alive, which I believe she is, we still have a chance to find her."

"I hope you're right, Master Jedi." A beat. "I truly hope you're right."

Emperor's Throne Room

"FIND THEM!" he gnarled at Dooku, slamming his fist on his arm chair as several pieces of furniture crashed against the floor.

"If I may ask, Master. Why is Senator Amidala so important?"

Emperor Palpatine rested against his seat and thought about whether to punish his servant for daring to ask the question or to share with him the details of his plans for the future. He also knew that to do so would ensure a power struggle beneath his ranks. Dooku craves for Vader's place by his side. And he could feel his jealousy over him boil.

He cannot have that kind of insubordination.

So he keeps it to himself.

"All will reveal itself in due time, Dooku. Now leave me," he commands.

Dooku bows his head and leaves, disappointment clearly shone in his eyes.

The Dark Sith stood and watched Coruscant go about their pathetic lives. With his powers from the dark side growing, he had the ability to see fragments of the future. Of various futures. But one that was most important was the legacies Vader leaves behind. That is what he wants.

He wants the offspring of Darth Vader and Padme Amidala, and he will do whatever means necessary to have it.

Back on Tatooine, Vader sat by himself in a small area overlooking the unseeing desert. The only thing he could see was the moon that shone bright against the darkness. He thought back totheSenator'searlier inquiry. How did you know? He didn't, at least not no consciously aware of it. He just knew. He knew this planet, but from where?

The mere thought of it troubled him.

As morning came, Padme was in a lot less pain than she was hours ago. Vader took his hand out for her to take, a gesture that made her raise her eyebrows in consternation.

"Is there a problem, m'lady?"

"M'lady?" she repeated. "First Senator, and now m'lady. Are you sure you're the same Vader that kills millions of people without remorse?"

Vader didn't react to her taunts, but he continued to keep his hand out for her to take. Rolling her eyes, an action she rarely did in her old life but have often made use of it now, took his hand grudgingly as he helped her up without question.

"I sensed there's a town not too far from here. We'll make our way there and find transport off this planet."

Padme sighed in disappointment. She may not be free, but at least in the moment, she was free of Palpatine. That was enough to make her feel secure in this strange land.

"We must go before it gets too hot," he added.

When they reached town, they learned that the place was called Mos Eisley. Things became more complicated when they discovered that the planet was run by slavedrivers and Jabba the Hutt, so Padme remained cloaked under a blue robe, her face hidden away while Vader showed his face to the public for the first time in his life.

Padme could tell that it made him uneasy, and it looked to her that he may never shown himself like a regular human being before today.

"What's wrong?" she asked, acknowledging his fidgety and almost nervous nature.

"Nothing," he answered back.

"Are you afraid that someone would recognize you?"

"No."

She relaxed as he unknowingly confirmed her throughts.

"Then why do you look nervous."

"I'm not."

His simple answers aggravated her.

"If I can scream for help, what would you do?" she challenged.

Vader gave her a dangerous look.

"I'll kill whoever tries to help you," he answered emotionlessly.

Perhaps it had been a bad question, thought Padme.

After a couple of hours of endless walking, Padme nearly collapsed from heat exhaustion if it had not been for Vader holding her up. He took out his canteen and handed it to her.

"Drink this," he said.

She looked at him oddly. His kindness felt like a sting to her already jagged mind and perception of him. There was just too much genuine concern in his expression for her to ignore, and so just as she was about to question him about his ever increasing changes, his attention suddenly drifted elsewhere.

"Come on, Mom. We've got to go," yelled a young man.

"I'll be right there, Owen," a much older woman answered.

Awareness engulfed Vader like nothing else has ever before. That voice, there was something heavily familiar about it. It was like a voice he heard from a memory in a dream. He didn't understand the pull, but he turned to face the direction from which it came butall he saw was the woman's back as her figure began to disappear the farther she walked away.

Vader stood unmoving, unable to form the words to describe what was real, and what wasn't.

It was Padme's turn to speak up.

"Are you all right?"

After a moment of silence, he finally answered.

"No. I don't think I am."

To be Continued…