Chapter 6

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'Love And Hope Are Twins.'

Luke sat up first, yet Leia rolled over and laughed first, but, never without each other. It was strange for Padme to watch, each twin would be one step ahead of the other, yet never moving onto the next milestone until the other was ready. Padme often observed the twins, only half a year old and still so aware, almost like they knew who they were, knew of their mothers pain, she just felt an overwhelming calm when she was with them. Padme had no doubt in the large possibility that her children were just as strong in the force as Anakin was, when she became pregnant with the twins, she too felt so much more connected, intuitive, everything Anakin felt she felt too, not so intense, but she felt it. She felt like she could communicate to him through just a feeling, from across the city, her ruminations prior to Anakin's fall proved that, as the pair stood in the building of their home and Jedi Temple, staring at each other from either one, with no knowledge of it, but she felt so connected to him, like she was looking at him right in front of her, like she had been in her trance, those ten feet apart felt so real, so true.

She had always been so clear of her future, knew exactly where she would be, or at least where she wanted to be. She would continue serving in the senate a little while longer before returning to her life on Naboo. She would serve the queen, move into a place of her own, by the lake retreat for its beauty and tranquillity, far enough to have her life private but not far enough to be away from her family, so she could see her parents, her nieces, her sister and friends. Then, when she was finally ready, she would meet a man, a handsome one, kind, intelligent, loving, passionate, driven...much like herself, and when the time was right they would marry, in the mountains of Naboo by the waterfall, under the stars and its moon, it would be a small ceremony but a passionate one, a beautiful one. After a year of marriage she would have her first child, raise them similar to her own upbringing, free and peaceful, happy. She would take them to lake daily to swim, picnic in the fields of Naboo with the water fall in the background and the herd peacefully grazing around them. Then the chance to offer her first born a sibling and another. She would watch them grow, turn into incredible people, teach them everything she knew, and when her time was up she would lay peacefully with her husband knowing her life was full of such joy, that her legacy lived within her children, her grandchildren, knowing that she made a difference.

She thought that was what she would have, with Anakin, they would continue serving the republic for a couple years more, then they would both respectively end their duties, once the war had ended. Move to Naboo, live like a married couple should, in peace and happiness, have children of their own. But now, now her future was so clouded. She longed for
Anakin to be by her side, she didn't care where they lived, here in the desert of Tattooine or in the fields of Naboo, she didn't care, she would give anything to have him with her, safe, raising their two perfect children together. She looked to her twins as they sat on the floor with her, playing with the few baby toys they had, playing with her japor snippet, she watched as Leia's brown curl fell over her forehead and how Luke's big blue eyes resembled Anakin's so much. She watched how they interacted with each other, they were so connected and she knew that they would never be without the other, they would guide each other, protect each other, love each other even long after her time. Even now, she could never get them settled unless they were sleeping in the same crib together, separately would cause such sleepless nights. She feared a lot, she never used to but now she did, but her biggest fear was their separation, she could not bare the thought of the pain her babies would go through if they were to become separated, they were apart of each other now, they would be all they had.

"Lord Vader.." The emperor seemed most displeased with his apprentice, he watched as Vader walked through the to his chamber doors and kneeled before him. "I am most displeased...once more you allow yourself to be haunted by a woman no longer breathing. Once more you allow yourself to ally with the pull to the light..." He said in anger as she sat back in his throne. Vader bowed his head, his eyes closing under his mask at the guilt of his feelings, of his visions, of the lack of control he had of his own mind, he had disappointed his master. "A moment of weakness my master...I can assure you, it will not happen again." He promised him. Anakin was truly on the dark side of the force, yet he still struggled, and he was alone. It wasn't long before he felt a pressure around his throat, his own master force choking him, as if he didn't struggle to breathe already. Clenching his fists as he tried to power through his masters threat. "Goood...you fail me again I will show you the true meaning of the dark side. A replacement will not be hard to find Lord Vader and everything you have lost...would be for nothing." He hissed, his words and voice so harsh. Finally, Vader was let go from this choke hold and his hands fell to the floor as he regained his breath, his fists clenching before he straightened his back to kneel for his master once more, his hatred for this man flowing through him. "I will not fail you again...master." He promised before standing up and leaving.

"Ang gugma ug paglaom duha ra." She heard the words of Mali come from behind her, Padme was fluent in a few languages of the galaxy, but this one seemed unfamiliar. She watched as Mali walked to sit with her and the children in the centre of the lounge, "It means Love and Hope are Twins." Mali added at Padme's confusion, before she looked down to the twins. "They are our hope, hope of the galaxy..love guides them, it's so strong within them, their love for you, their love for each other...their love for Anakin...they balance it, and no matter how cruel or how dark our worlds become, no matter what the darkness takes from us, it cannot take our love...our hope." Mali said softly as she watched the twins with a smile, she saw such great things from the pair of them, she felt redemption, saviour...through their love became hope. Padme's heart felt so full, her eyes never left Mali's, she looked down at her twins, they looked back to her, their tiny faces beamed into smiles, Padme looked at them and for the first time in a long time, she truly felt like she knew her path once more. When she looked into the eyes of her children and they looked into hers, she knew they were each other's saviours, Anakin's saviours, together they would save so much more. They had already saved her in so many ways.

Her sweet Luke and her precious Leia.