Chapter 20.
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'Family: A Place Where Love Never Ends'
Padme and Luke where brought before the emperor, she really didn't have a clue what was going to happen, but she knew she had to trust that what was meant to be would be and she had a strong feeling that she was just that one step closer to bringing Anakin back. "Senator Amidala...glad to see your return, and with a guest...young Skywalker." Palpatine said with the same evil grin on his face, Padme would do anything for Luke and she was not about to let the emperor take her son away from her. "Foolish child, you think you can beat me...I am more powerful than ever, I cannot be defeated!" He hissed to Luke as he sensed his feelings, Luke was brave though, strong, he was not afraid to die if it meant saving the galaxy, saving his father. "You think you have my father in your grasp but you're wrong, I feel the good in him...his pull to the light is stronger each day." Luke said which clearly aggravated Palpatine, Padme heard Vader's breathing and steps coming up behind them, turning her head to look at him, he looked back to her, and they shared a moment but she was still so conflicted as to what side he was actually on. Padme had quickly spotted the back up cannon elbowing to Luke to signal where it was, Luke took notice before turning back to Palpatine, "Your naivety humors me young Skywalker, you do not know the power of the dark side, the power of your destiny...join us and take your place next to your father and together we will rule the galaxy..." The emperor said with a grin, Luke paused and shook his head, "No...I will never join you...I will die before." Luke spat to him, "Very well!" Palpatine said unpleased before releasing the handcuffs through the force that were around Luke's wrists, "If that is your destiny...let us see your true Jedi skills at the hands of your father." He said as he forced Padme to the side not allowing her to move as she had to watched her son fight against her husband, pitting Anakin and Luke against each other quenched his thirst for power, but it sickened Padme. She wanted to intervene but she couldn't she couldn't move. "I will not fight you father!" Luke said standing in defense as Vader withdrew his lightsaber, "Join me Luke..." Vader continued to push, before seeing Luke withdraw his old lightsaber, it brought back memories. "A Jedi's weapon is our life." Anakin said handing the lightsaber to Padme, "It is my life...you are my life...its yours." He said to his wife with a smile. The memory flashed in Vader's mind at the blue beam of his own weapon being used against him. "I've got to save you father, I will not join you." Luke said once more, "Then you are truly beaten." Vader said before striking, surprisingly Luke had handled it pretty well as they fought, Padme crying out for them to stop.
Han and Leia fought against the imperial troopers before seeing the AT-ST walkers approaching, "Oh I have a bad feeling about this." Leia said seeing the huge imperial machinery walking towards them, "Get down!" Han yelled as the AT-ST fired at them causing a huge explosion, Han landing on top of her protectively he looked down to her, "Are you alright?" He asked her softly, Leia nodded, "Once you remove yourself from me..." She said sarcastically, "I thought we were past this?" Han asked confused getting off her, "Habit." She teased before standing up and taking his hand, "Come on!" she yelled as she blast some of the storm troopers running for more protection, spotting a bunker in the distance, "Chewie you think you can blow up that bunker?" Leia asked simply, to which Chewie responded quite enthusiastically. Smiling to him Leia called through her transmission, "R2 lead those AT-ST's straight to the bunker, we're gonna blow these suckers back into the sky." She said before running ahead to the bunker, "She's incredible." Han said in awe to Chewie before following behind. Getting to the bunker, Leia saw that the it was tightly secure and there was no way of getting in there, "I can get us in there...cover me." Han said as he fiddled with some wires whilst Leia and Chewie and a few others of the rebel alliance fought against the imperial army. Seeing R2 in the distance coming close with the walkers, "Han...I suggest you get a move on!" Leia called to him in concern seeing they were getting closer, "I'm working on it" He said in a frustrated way as if to say not to rush him. As they approached closer and closer, R2 making all kinds of sounds as he was getting shot at. "Han!" Leia yelled once more as Han finally got the door open, "Got it!" he said with a proud smug look on his face before turning around to see 4 of the walkers directly above them, "Oh no." he swallowed hard, "Chewie now!" Leia yelled as Chewbacca threw the belt of hand grenades into the inside of the bunker that was full of ammunition and explosives, as the walkers began to shoot at them, they all ran out the way and dived for safety, Han and Leia hiding on the ground, her hands over her ears to protect them from the sound as Han hovered over her protectively. One wrong bullet from the walker and the whole bunker went up into flames, destroying all 4 of the walkers, causing more explosions throughout the wooded area wiping out any imperial fleet in that area, Leia looked up seeing if it was successful and smiled big, "We did it!" She yelled with excitement as her and Han hugged tightly, before pulling back and smiling at each other, that was their first hug...they were rather annoying to one another but they felt so passionate and protective of the other. Once more they had become distracted from the calls of the Ewoks as more troopers stormed through the woods, "Fun isn't over yet lady." He said with a smirk before they both stood up running over to help.
Padme watched as the two loves of her lives fought, it was evident that neither of them were wanting to kill each other, Luke fighting through defense and Vader fighting because it was an order. It was so clear he was trapped. Padme watched still unable to move from Palpatine's force grip. "So you have a twin sister..." Vader taunted him with a scary tone, yet a calm tone, as they paused their fighting, "If you will not join the dark side, perhaps she will." Vader tormented him more, if Luke would not succumb to it like he did perhaps his daughter would and then he would be complete, "NOOOOO!" Luke yelled in anger at the thought of Leia as he attacked his father through his anger, Palpatine smirked, "I feel the anger flowing through you Luke...use it and join me!" Vader pushed once more as he fought against his sons harsh attacks, "Anakin stop!" Padme yelled, Vader heard but ignored, before Palpatine had shocked her with his force lightening, he had never liked her and now she was intervening. Falling from her grip she fell to the floor screaming in pain, before he had stopped the lightening on her, She lay on the floor regaining her breath as her body still trembled from the shocks. This was Vader's weakness as he became distracted by her screams which allowed Luke the upper hand, knocking him to the floor, Luke was about to end it all before he heard the voice of Obi Wan. "You fight with such anger Luke...don't let the darkness within you over power you. You're better than them! Use the force, let it guide you!" Ben's voice ran through his mind as Luke paused looking down at his father laying on the ground helplessly, withdrawing his lightsaber, Padme watched weak on the floor as both her and Anakin lay on the floor from defeat. Palpatine stood from his throne and smirked, "Yesss...finish him off and become more powerful than your father could ever become." Palpatine encouraged, Vader heard and looked to his master feeling betrayed by his words, Luke looked to Vader, Palpatine, his mother "Luke..." She whispered weakly, there was nothing she could do right now so she just prayed and prayed. Luke looked back to his father before dropped his lightsaber, "No...I will not kill him." He said before turning to Palpatine, "I will not become your slave...I will not turn to the darkside and I will not join you." Luke said standing up to the emperor, Vader had managed to pull himself up and stood tall looking to Padme who too had managed to pull herself up, but holding her arm around her waist as she still trembled from the shock, "Then you will die!" Palpatine hissed before shocking Luke with his lightening force at a much more intense level than he had to Padme, dropping to the floor yelling out in pain, this killed Padme, "Stop!" she yelled but it was pointless, "Stop!" Once more, Vader looked between her and Luke, "Father...please!" Luke held his hand out to his father, begging for his help. "Help me!" he managed to call out once more before yelling in pain, Palpatine had stopped his force lightening before taking a step forward, Padme's breathing became heavy, she could not lose Luke and if Anakin was not going to do anything Padme sure was, "Now young Skywalker...you will face your destiny." Palpatine said once more before shocking him again, seeing Luke in so much pain killed Padme, as he cried out from the pain she saw Anakin looking to his master and Luke, she didn't know what he was thinking but she couldn't risk it anymore. "Luke!" she yelled out before running and standing in front of Luke taking the lightening to herself, screaming out in pain but taking it because it was far better than her son dying.
"I truly deeply love you, and before we die I want you to know." "Something Wonderful has happened, Ani..I'm pregnant." "Our baby is a blessing." "This baby will change our lives." "Ani I want to raise our baby back home on Naboo." "Anakin all I want is your love." "Stop, stop now..come back...I love you!"
The words of his former self and Padme came to him, as he watched his son tremble in pain, as he watched his wife sacrifice herself for their son, taking the pain for him, as he watched his master hurt the people he loved most, a master who had taken everything from him, "YOU WERE THE CHOSEN ONE! IT WAS SAID THAT YOU WOULD DESTORY THE SITH NOT JOIN THEM!" The cries of his old master after his defeat on Mustafar, Anakin knew his destiny, if it killed him and he for the first time in 18 years no longer felt a slave to the dark side. "No!" Vader said simply, "Nooooooo!" He yelled before picking up the emperor from behind, the shock of the lightening going through his mechanical circuits of his suit, before throwing him over the balcony before collapsing to the floor as his breathing became weak and broken, "Anakin..." a weak Padme called out to him finding the strength to get up and walk to him weakly. "Padme..." He said softly weakly moving his hand to her cheek, "I'm so sorry..." He spoke weakly, "Its okay Ani..It's okay." Padme said through tears and softly seeing that he was incredibly weak, she had a feeling he wasn't going to make it, he didn't have energy to respond. "Luke the back up cannon." Padme called to Luke as she rest on Vader slightly, Luke nodded before getting up and recovering a lot quicker than his parents, before destroying the cannon. "We have to get out of here before this whole thing blows!" Luke said to them before helping his mother up, "Can you walk?" he asked her, Padme nodded knowing it was Anakin that needed assistance. They both dragged heavy suited body to a spare ship, Padme falling In the process because she was so weak, but she fought with every bit of energy she could.
The battle on Endor was won by the rebel alliance and the Ewoks, Han and Leia smiled as they sat next to a log to take a rest after their heavy work..seeing the death star exploding in the sky Leia looked up and had an expression on her face that Han couldn't quite read, "I'm sure Luke wasn't on that thing when it blew." He said trying to reassure her, Leia looked forward slightly before smiling, "He wasn't..." She said with a smile, they had done it, they had actually won. "You two have a strange connection..I've never seen anything like it." Han said not really sure how to comprehend it, "Well of course...he's my brother." She said with a smile before leaning over and kissing him deeply, Han pulled back with a smile before kissing her again, their first kiss and it felt like fireworks.
Luke had landed back on Endor at the rebel base, supporting a weak but still alive Vader to the middle of the base, before they had both fell to the floor since Vader could no longer hold on and Luke wasn't strong enough to hold him up much longer, Laying Vader on his back Luke stay beside him. Padme slowly stumbled out the ship as what was left of the rebel army gathered around in a circle like shape, Leia and Han had come back seeing, it was so surreal actually seeing her father in person for the first time, Luke was with him, Vader was weak, it was sad...she felt sad. Seeing her mother struggle to join them in the middle, "Mother!" Leia yelled running over to her, "Hi my sweet girl." Padme said weakly, "We did it..." She said with a smile as Leia held her up, before Padme too collapsed to the floor unable to stay standing, Leia laid her next to Vader on her back, before Luke and Leia looked to each other.
This was it.
The first time they had been together as a true family, yet it was such a bittersweet moment, as the entire fleet on Endor gathered round to watch this heartbreaking family reunion.
Han looked as Leia a person he loved so much hold onto her mothers weak hand, watched Luke who had become a brother to him, support his dying father, he knew the story, they had fought so long to be happy, to be a family, for their freedom, for Anakin's redemption, it wasn't supposed to be over just yet.