Chapter 35

Eventually Padmé drifted off to sleep again, safe in the comforting embrace of her husband. Anakin gently laid her down, trapping his arm under her in the process. He tried to free it without waking her up; but as soon as he did so, she began to stir again, as though in protest. Anakin finally gave in, and simply lay down beside her. Padmé turned to him and snuggled against him. Anakin felt himself grow tense as she did so, for this was not at all what he expected. He was intoxicated by the closeness of her body, the scent of her, the feeling of her soft face against his bare chest. This is torture, he thought as he closed his eyes. He needed every ounce of strength he possessed to remain unaffected by the proximity of her body. Summoning the Force, he calmed himself and, within a short time, he was asleep, his chin resting on top of his wife's head.

When Padmé awoke the next morning, she was quite surprised to find herself in the embrace of her husband. And then she remembered the nightmare. It had returned, just as Anakin had predicted it would. But this time he had been there to comfort her, to chase away the terrifying images and assure her that they were not real.

Padmé turned and looked at Anakin as he slept, his strong, handsome features relaxed and peaceful. She reached out and gently stroked his face. What is the significance of this dream? She wondered as she examined his face. Why have I dreamed the same thing so many times? Is there some truth to it? Is this a memory that is too terrible for me to remember consciously?

Extricating herself from Anakin's embrace, Padmé got out of the bed. She looked back to ensure that her husband was still asleep, and then went to the fresher to have a shower.

Anakin woke up alone, and was rather discombobulated for a moment in the unfamiliar room. He sat up when he remembered the nightmare that Padmé had experienced. She was not in the room, however, and he listened to determine if she was in the fresher. It was quiet, and so he reasoned that she was already up and had left the room. What time is it? he wondered as he got out of bed. He stretched his arms above his head, smiling as he remembered how wonderful it was to have his wife in his arms the previous night. Granted, the circumstances weren't exactly typical, but it had been a taste of heaven sleeping with her nestled up to him just as she had for so many nights before the Darkness had claimed him.

Just then the door opened, and Anakin looked over to see Padmé entering the room.

"You're up," she said with a smile. "I was just coming to wake you."

"What time is it?" he asked.

"It's past ten," she said. "You said you wanted to get an early start, remember?"

Anakin nodded. "Yes, so much for that," he said. "I'll just get dressed and we can be on our way."

"Not without breakfast," she reminded him. "We're not in that much of a hurry."

"Yes, milady," he replied with a smile, her protective attitude reminiscent of earlier days.

Padmé shook her head with a smile. "Were you always this cheeky?" she asked.

"Absolutely," he replied. "I'm not sure how you put up with me sometimes."

Padmé laughed. "Go on and get dressed," she said. "Mom has made a lovely breakfast, so you won't have to worry about my cooking."

Anakin was about to reply, but thought better of it, and simply went across the hall to get dressed.

Alderaan – Royal Palace

Bail Organa stood at the window of his office, staring out at the darkening sky. He had duties to attend to, appointments to keep; but he was finding it difficult to get motivated to do anything these days. I miss my daughter; he thought despondently. I miss my little girl.

The fact that Leia had discovered her true paternity was still shocking to Bail; in fact, he was not even entirely certain how it had happened. He had made sure that Leia was raised to mistrust and even revile Darth Vader and all that he stood for; how was it that now she accepted the Dark Lord as her father? And rejects me?? It did not make any sense to him, and Leia was seemingly not about to explain her rationale. Indeed, it seemed as though she was never planning on speaking to Organa again. His numerous attempts to contact her had been ignored. Damn you Vader, he thought angrily, what sort of a sorcerer's spell have you cast on my daughter? But Leia was his daughter, Vader's daughter. Vader and Padmé Amidala's daughter.

"Excuse me, Viceroy."

Organa turned away from the window to look at his assistant. "Yes?"

"I'm sorry to bother you, sir," she apologized. "But there's a communication that I think you…"

"I don't want to talk to anyone right now, Hanna," he said tiredly. "Tell them to…"

"Sir, it's your daughter," she interjected. "It's the princess."

Bail was too shocked for a moment to react, and then he did so, by rushing over to his comm. screen. He sat down in front of it and nearly wept with joy to see the face of his daughter on the screen.

"Leia!" he exclaimed, an enormous smile on his face. "I'm so happy to see you! I've missed you so much."

Leia smiled, realizing just how much she had missed him as well. "I've missed you too," she replied. "I…I want to apologize for the way I've been acting lately. I've been very confused lately, and I've taken my frustrations out on you, and I'm sorry."

"I understand Leia," he replied. "You've had a lot to deal with, and it's understandable that you'd be confused. May I ask how you found out about him? About Vader?"

"He told me," Leia replied. "When I was being held prisoner on the Death Star, we met for the first time. He knew somehow that I was his child…he sensed it. And once he suspected that, he did everything that he could to protect me."

Organa listened, knowing it was important for Leia to voice her feelings about her real father. "I am grateful to him for that. It seems that perhaps he has changed somewhat."

Leia nodded. "Finding me and Luke has changed him," she averred. "He is no longer Darth Vader; he is not even using that name any more. In fact he is no longer even wearing the mask and breath suit anymore."

Organa frowned. "How is that possible after what happened to him?"

So you knew about Mustafar too, did you? She thought bitterly. "He had massive surgery to repair his injuries," Leia explained. "He is Anakin Skywalker again, in name and in spirit."

"I'm quite shocked to learn all this," Organa replied. "So where is he then? Has he rejoined the Empire?"

Leia frowned. "Of course not!" she replied. "Haven't you heard a word I've said? He has renounced the Dark Side, he is no longer a Sith. He is on Naboo right now. He found my mother."

"Your mother?" Organa asked. "She's alive?"

Leia nodded. "Yes, she's alive," she replied. "You didn't know that?"

"I wasn't sure what had become of her, to tell you the truth," he replied.

Leia was silent for a moment, the offhanded nature of his reply bothering her. "Did you ever try to find out?" she asked.

"How could I have done that without revealing your true identity, Leia?" he asked. "I swore to protect you from Vader, from Palpatine; if they knew that I was snooping around trying to find Padmé they would have realized who you were."

"Perhaps if my father had learned of my existence sooner he would not have lived in darkness for so long," Leia replied. "It has certainly made all the difference in his life now. Not only that, it may have spared my mother a lifetime spent in a mental institution, alone and isolated from her family."

"Padmé has been in a mental institution?" Organa asked in shock.

"Little more than one," Leia replied. "She lost her memory after Luke and I were born, and was found on the streets of Theed alone and lost. My father, who believed her dead all these years, found her and took her out of there. He is hoping that she will regain her memory."

Organa nodded his understanding. He may regret activating her memory once she recalls what he did to her on Mustafar, he reflected.

"I wish her well," he said at last. "Have you met her?"

Leia shook her head. "Not in person, no," she said. "But Luke and I are very anxious to. We both feel so cheated that we were deprived of her presence in our lives, that we were deprived of one another in our lives. I'm not sure we will ever get over feeling that way."

Organa sighed. "I know you must resent me for keeping the truth from you, Leia; but you must understand the circumstances in which your late mother and I adopted you. Padmé was dying; Vader had just about killed her, after annihilating the Jedi..."

"I know what happened," Leia cut in. "He has told me everything; you don't need to throw it all in my face."

"That was not my intention," he replied in self defense. "I'm merely trying to explain why things were done the way they were. Everything that was done, every decision that was made was to protect you and Luke. You must understand that, Leia."

Leia sighed, feeling badly for her outburst. "I understand," she replied quietly. "I'm sorry…I don't mean to blame you, or make you feel badly; I suppose I'm just hurting, and sometimes lashing out at someone is the only way to ease that hurt."

Organa nodded. "I know," he replied softy. "I hope you know how much I love you, Leia," he said. "I could not love you any more if you were my own flesh and blood. And I know that Anakin …that your father, means a lot to you; I only hope you can find room in your heart for two fathers."

Leia smiled, remembering Obi-Wan's words. "I think I can do that," she said. "I'm glad we had this chance to talk."

"Me too," Organa replied. "Please come home soon, Leia."

Leia nodded. "I will," she replied.

"Please take good care."

"You too."

Organa switched off the screen and sat for a moment, reflecting on the conversation he'd just had with his daughter. While he was relieved the she had made peace with him, there was one thing that stuck out in his mind; during the entire conversation, she had not called him Dad, nor Father, nor Daddy, not once. He tried to put it out of his mind, and not attribute any significance to it; but he knew Leia well and knew that she did nothing without a reason. And he knew for a fact that her reason was a certain not quite Sith not quite Jedi by the name of Anakin Skywalker.