This is who I am now.

I, Darth Vader, am a shattered, broken man, a slave to the dark side, to the power I now posses.

But perhaps, I am not a slave.

Perhaps, with this kind of power, I'll be able to better control my passion, my hatred, my pain, and make use of it. I can only become stronger with this new power I posses. I will be strong.

I am strong.

I am a Sith Lord, Darth Vader, I AM STRONG.

I will not let my past define me. I will not let Anakin Skywalker destroy who I am now.

But

Padme.

Perhaps she will shatter me.

"Ani," Padme said, brushing her hair and looking out over the balcony, the view was beautiful. Speeders and vehicles of all kinds were racing past our vision.

Padme looked back at me. Her eyes were gleaming with excitement as she gazed at me lovingly. Her curly hair fell so easily around her shoulders, she looked so beautiful.

She continued to brush her hair, her gaze shifting from me to the view of Coruscant every once in a while. Her voice was so soft, so heavenly when she spoke, "I want to have our baby back home on Naboo," she said, "We could go to the lake country where no one would know . . . where we would be safe. I could go early-and fix up the baby's room. I know the perfect spot, right by the gardens."

I couldn't help but gaze at her, at her beauty. I had tried to look away, but I wanted to drink in every single inch of her being while I could, who knows, someone could have found us out and we'd be torn apart.

"You are so beautiful.'

I said the phrase meaning every single word of it. She was. And like I said as a small child, when I first met her, she was an angel. Anyone would mistake her for one.

"It's only because I'm so in love . . ." She replies, her smile lighting up the dim balcony.

"No," I replied, "it's because I'm so in love with you."

"So love has blinded you?"

"Well, that's not exactly what I meant . . ."

"But it's probably true."

We laughed.

We hadn't laughed in a long, long time.