Vader watched quietly as Padmé brushed Leia's hair. "She looks just like you.", he said when she was done. Leia resembled Padmé in every way. Both had the same chestnut brown hair and the big, beautiful eyes. She smiled.
"Luke looks like you.", she replied. Vader knew she was right. Luke looked like his father, like Leia looked like her mother. "I wish I could have seen them grow up.", Vader murmured. Padmé chuckled.
"You will see them grow up. They're only toddlers. Anakin, you missed only two years, there is still time. And anyway, all you missed was the diaper changing, trust me you should be glad." Vader frowned.
"Their first words. Their first steps. Their whole life, up to this point. Where were you? How were you? I wish I could have helped you." Padmé smiled gently and took Vader's hand into her's.
"It would have bored you. We were sitting on Thyferra, doing nothing. The stormtroopers were the first exciting thing that happened there." Vader raised his brow. "That seems like a small price to pay to be with the people I love."
Padmé grinned and enclosed Vader's shoulders in her arms. "You're with them now, Anakin. And we will never leave you again." Vader was taken by his sorrow once more. "But it was me who left you, Padmé. Not the other way around."
Padmé shook her head. "I blame Palpatine, and so should you. He kept up his foul play since you were nine, it wasn't your fault. He knew exactly what would happen. Actually, it was him who assigned you and Obi Wan to my protection."
Anakin's eyes widened. "You think he knew that we would..." Padmé touched the snippet around her neck. "You gave me this when you were only a little boy. It was always meant to be, and I think it was apparent to him."
Vader couldn't help but smirk a little. "Do you really think it was that obvious? We were children, it could have been meaningless." Padmé pulled him closer down.
"But it wasn't. Not at all. You were a fascinating little boy, and when I saw you again, you were... you. Palpatine didn't need his abilities to know of my feelings." Vader stayed quiet for a while, remembering their first meeting after ten years.
Now that he thought about it, he remembered that Palpatine was the one to suggest Obi Wan as well. "That snake!", he grumbled. "He has been planning this ever since we first met, and I just let him get through with it."
Padmé shook her head. "Don't feel guilty because he fooled you. He fooled the whole republic, he is the master of manipulation. No one knew what was coming over us with him, you weren't any different in that."
Vader closed his eyes, as he remembered the last days he called himself Anakin Skywalker. "But I should have been.", he whispered. "I caused so much destruction, so much pain. I did, Padmé, not the Emperor."
"You were a marionette!", Padmé intercepted. Vader gulped slightly, knowing she was right about that. "He controlled your every move, it was him who did those things. But the coward hid behind you and stayed in his palace."
"Well, I didn't make it very hard for him. Manipulating me into becoming what I became wasn't even a challenge. What does that make me?" Padmé shook her head enthusiastically.
"Don't think like that, Anakin. You were unfortunate to be chosen by him, I don't think others would have done any better. He picked you because you had memories before the order. Most don't, it made you special to him."
Vader nodded slowly. "And he was right about that. What happened to my mother made it easy for him." "Exactly.", Padmé said. "Maybe it was him who let you see the visions about me in the first place. After all, I didn't die."
Vader sighed dramatically, digesting the possibility. "You might be right.", he finally said, not willing to think about it further. It aggravated him, that who had done that to him and Padmé, had been the one Vader had served for two years.
"Do Ruwee and Jobal know were you've been? Or Sola?" The question hit Padmé unexpectedly. She knew that Anakin wanted to change the topic, but she agreed. She didn't want to continue discussing Anakin's fault in what happened either.
"No... they don't. When I left Polis Massa with the twins, Obi Wan told me a single thing. He said that the Emperor would be after them, so that they would replace you after your death. He said that he would be looking for us. So we hid."
"Did you tell anyone? Anyone at all?", Anakin asked, with an unreadable emotion. Padmé nodded. "Organa. I thought he could hide me on Alderaan. But apart from him, only Obi Wan knew. I suppose he told Yoda but I don't know."
Anakin's eyes narrowed. "So it was Organa who betrayed you.", he stated, his voice cold and slightly angry now. Padmé shook her head. "No. He couldn't have. Why would he have done so, so suddenly? The Emperor learned of us differently."
"You don't know, Padmé. What if he did tell the Emperor? I know you like him..." Padmé intercepted. "He is a trusted friend, Anakin. He would not be involved in any treachery of the kind." "You can ask him yourself.", Anakin said coldly.
"If he sold you to the Emperor, he will regret it." Padmé raised her brow skeptically. "Anakin... don't talk that way. I'm sure there is an explanation. Maybe the Emperor felt the twins. Obi Wan said their signatures were extraordinary."
Anakin nodded. "They are. They're the strongest I have ever felt." Padmé's eyes widened. "Really? Stronger than Yoda or the Emperor." Anakin nodded. "They are only trained, Padmé. Signatures like the twin's... and they were born with them."
Padmé frowned. "I'm sure yours is just as intense. Wasn't that what Qui Gon felt on Tatooine?" Anakin shrugged. "I don't know. I can only feel the twin's, I have no idea about my own." Padmé nodded.
Surely, Anakin's traces in the force were even stronger than the twin's. After all, they inherited their abilities from their father. "Do you want to contact them now? The Emperor doesn't look for the twins anymore, he thinks he has them."
A shiver went down Padmé's spine as she imagined the cackle of satisfaction of Sidious. The twins are safer than ever before, Padmé told herself. She considered Anakin's question.
"Yes I do. I miss them a great deal. You know, we've never told them about my pregnancy.", Padmé smirked, remembering the talks Anakin and she had had years ago. Anakin looked at the twins that had begun waddling around.
"It's about time for that.", he chuckled. "Agreed.", Padmé said. "When could we go to Naboo? It's safe to simply fly there, right? The Emperor wouldn't check." Anakin pulled a grimace.
"We would need a ship that isn't imperial. He would probably suspect something if he saw my ship departing to naboo." Padmé frowned. "He can track you?" Anakin nodded and sighed.
"There's little I can hide from him. It took me months before I could stop him from reading my mind like a book. The dark side had destroyed all my barriers, and I had to find another way to build them up."
Padmé shivered as she imagined how Sidious' cold spirit invaded Anakin's mind. "Now, I let him feel what he wants to feel. He thinks he can still read my mind, that's why I don't cut myself off him." Padmé nodded, looking down for a moment.
Anakin's life must have been a horrible one. Constantly watched by the Emperor and under every kind of pain possible. "We'll get you to Naboo, I promise. The further you are from the Emperor the better." Padmé nodded.
"I must admit, I don't like the idea of being apart from you all over again. And the twins would have to stay with you, in case the Emperor checks. I want to be with my family." Anakin grinned slightly.
"I know. But I would rather know that you were safe on Naboo with your parents, than being here, in grasp of the Emperor. I'll find a way to get away from him in due time." Padmé smiled a little. "I'd like that. But how?" Anakin shrugged.
"I don't know yet. I could fake my and the twin's deaths, like Obi Wan and Ahsoka's." Padmé pulled a grimace. "If you do that, please tell me before. You promised not to die on me again, remember?" Anakin chuckled a little.
"I promise." Again, an alert beeped on the screen on the wall. Although it was a different one then before. Anakin lifted his hand and summoned the mask that landed in his grip. "It shouldn't take long.", he said and left the room.
Obi Wan was sitting in front of the holo terminal, like ever so often. It had become his usual position. Maybe he hoped to find proof of Vader's deception buried in the archives. Maybe a written order from Sidious, commanding him to gain the trust of his old friends.
He had never found anything. He didn't know whether he should be mad that Vader was so good at hiding his true intensions, or glad the tiny part of him, desperate to believe Anakin could return, hadn't been snuffed out yet.
Like he had done so often, Obi Wan went through most of the files, looking for a suspicious one. He spotted an inconspicuous one, labeled medical records. He had never looked into it, not expecting it to contain anything valuable.
This time he opened it. There were only a few files left he hadn't searched. Although he believed Ahsoka's story of how Anakin first turned, he had doubts about Vader's redemption. If there was something for him to find, he would.
Obi Wan studied the files he had found. Most were texts, graphs, some were plans of Vader's armor. Three of his four prosthetic limbs were build inside of it, only his right arm was a separate piece of machinery.
With horror, Obi Wan realised what all the other things he was looking at were. There were countless little spikes on the inside of the armor, and his left arm and legs were torture devices in themselves. He also found some video footage.
Obi Wan watched how Anakin was screaming, strapped onto an operation table. How he was wrenching himself, in desperation to break free of his restraints while several medical droids were exchanging one of his legs.
Anakin wasn't given any sort of tranquilliser as the metal joints were chiseled into his bones without mercy. Obi Wan only stared at the distorted face of his old friend, his skin looking like it had been peeled off his flesh, and his eyes burning in a bright yellow.
Obi Wan didn't even notice the tear that rolled down his face, as he grew conscious of what he had done to Anakin on Mustafar. It had been him who had offered Sidious the possibility of torturing Anakin like this.
Obi Wan sat down quickly, while his knees denied to support him any longer. He wondered if anyone would have had the strength to resist Sidious after this. And how Anakin had managed to break free anyway.
"Yes?", Vader asked impatiently. "We have hints on a rebel leader, Lord Vader." Vader stayed quiet for a moment hoping that it wasn't Ackbar. If word of this came out, Ackbar would surely assume Vader wasn't very trustworthy.
"Who?", Vader finally asked, exceptionally interested in the answer. "Bail Organa, Lord Vader. He is the king of Alderaan." Vader sighed silently. "I know who he is. Prepare the flagship for travelling to the core, I will be there soon."
The captain saluted stiffly and Vader cut the connection. What was he supposed to do now? The Emperor would expect him to be ruthless and he would surely follow Vader's actions with interest.
But there was no way Vader would kill someone, Padmé had just called a friend. Not before Vader knew that he was the one that had betrayed her. If he was, Vader would enjoy doing what the Emperor expected.
Vader pulled his head off his head and headed back to Padmé. "Who was it?", she asked. "One of my captains from the executor. Bad news." Padmé frowned. "Oh no. What happened?" "They found out that Organa is a rebel."
Padmé gasped in shock. "What?! How?" "I don't know.", Vader replied. "The captain said there were hints. I have to go, Padmé." She pulled a grimace. "Well... he is lucky that it is you to investigate. You'll somehow find a way to save him."
Vader looked at her crookedly as an idea struck his mind. "I want you to come with me." Padmé's eyes widened. "What?" "The twins were brought here by Obi Wan, disguised as a stormtrooper, no one would question one coming back with me."
"But why risk someone seeing me?" Vader frowned for a moment, considering the danger Padmé would be in. "I would like to know if Organa really did betray you. And if he didn't, he could get you to Naboo in a non imperial ship."
Padmé nodded. "And he wouldn't trust you if you came without me." "Exactly. If he is as trustworthy as you say, I would be disappointed if he opened up to me out of all people.", he replied. Padmé sighed.
"You're right. When are we leaving?" "Right now, I'm afraid. The Executor is already preparing for hyper speed." Padmé looked at the twins painfully. "I hoped I would have a little more time with them." Vader frowned.
"I'm sorry. You'll see them as soon as possible. I'll find a way, Padmé, I swear to you." She gave him a weak smile. "I know, Anakin. I know." She turned to her children. "Luke, Leia, I am leaving again." The twin's eyes rounded.
"No!", Leia cried and waddled towards her mother. Padmé crouched down with a smile and stroked through her daughter's hair. "I'll see you again soon, Leia. Just wait a little while. You two will just stay with your daddy for now, okay?"
Both of them nodded, though Vader could see their eyes brilliant from tears. "I am really sorry, Padmé." She took both her children in a last tight embrace. "So where is the clone armor Obi Wan used?", she asked as she got up.