I'm baaaaack! I hope you enjoy the chapter after such a long (and highly uncharacteristic) hiatus. :)

Chapter 58

Emperor Palpatine sat in his throne as the courtiers made their way through the room, paying their usual obsequious compliments to him. Palpatine only half listened, however, for his mind was elsewhere.

It seems that my greatest apprentice is not quite as certain of himself as he would like me to believe, he reflected smugly. He was pleased that his effort to communicate with Vader the earlier had been successful. Obviously the psychic link between master and apprentice still existed, despite Vader's claims that he had deserted the Dark Side. I know you very well, my friend, he thought smugly. I know that power is what you truly love, and that you will not be able to resist it for long. The fact that Amidala was still alive had troubled Palpatine at first, but now he realized that she could actually help him. Vader had always had a weakness where she was concerned, his physical need of her too great for him to ignore. If she were with him to see to his carnal needs, then Vader would be free to focus his energies on more important things. It's perfect, he thought with a smile. Once again, Amidala, you will prove useful in my plans. And once I have your children in my grasp, the Rebel Alliance will be crushed once and for all.

Cloud City

"So have you formulated a plan of action, sir?" Admiral Piett asked as he joined Anakin and his family at breakfast.

"I believe so," Anakin replied. "Although it is rather radical," he added.

Padmé looked at him at once. "What do you mean by radical?" she asked.

Anakin looked at her and took her hand. "Don't worry, Padmé," he assured her. "It will be okay." He looked at his son and then at Obi-Wan. "The emperor contacted me last night," he said.

His words sent a ripple of shock around the table.

"What do you mean, he contacted you?" Padmé asked her alarm evident in her face. "How? When?"

Anakin turned to her. "Through the Force, Padmé," he explained. "There has always been a psychic link between he and I, and I suppose it still exists."

"I don't like the sound of this," Luke said with a frown. "Why did he contact you? What does he want? Why are you still connected to him if you have renounced him and the Dark Side?"

"After twenty years, the connection is bound to be a very strong one," Obi-Wan observed. "And the emperor is very strong, Luke. That he is able to connect with your father is not so surprising." He looked at Anakin. "The really issue is why, although I have a feeling I know why. He is trying to lure you back, isn't he?"

Anakin nodded. "Yes, he is," he said. "Obviously he has sensed the death of his apprentice, and is desperate to acquire a new one. Judging by the caliber of that Sith creature I destroyed, it is not easy to find a good apprentice."

Piett smiled. "Lord Ferreus was not what you would call an effective leader," he told Anakin. "Arrogant, ignorant, mad even; but not effective. The fact that the emperor is making the effort to draw you in again makes me think that he is quite desperate."

"Yes, my thinking exactly," Anakin replied. "And that will work to our advantage."

"How?" Luke asked, not liking the direction his father's thinking was taking.

"If Palpatine thinks that I am on the fence, so to speak," Anakin explained. "If he believes that I am still Darth Vader, and not Anakin Skywalker, then it will enable me to get close to him, to regain his trust."

"To what end?" Padmé asked. "I have to tell you that the thought of you having anything to do with that monster again makes me very uneasy, Anakin. He manipulated you in the past, for twenty years you have been his right hand. How can you be so sure that you will not be tempted to resume that position?"

"I have renounced the Dark Side, Padmé," Anakin assured her. "Surely you see that it has no sway over me now. If I can get close to the emperor again, it will put me in the perfect position to destroy him. That is the entire purpose of this ruse, to destroy the Sith once and for all."

"There is something you must consider, Anakin," Obi-Wan spoke up. "Perhaps he is setting you up, just as you plan to do to him. Perhaps he is planning to use you to get to Luke and Leia."

"I intend on bringing Luke and Leia to him," Anakin replied. "As well as you."

"You can't be serious!" Padmé cried. "All these years Luke and Leia were apart in order to keep them from the emperor, and now you are going to hand them over to him? Why would you even consider such a thing?"

"Because we will help him destroy Palpatine," Leia said, starting to see her father's plan. "It's an ambush, a trap. It's brilliant," she concluded, looking at her father with pride.

"If it works," Han grumbled. "If he knows you're setting him up, he will have a whole squadron of storm troopers standing by ready to wipe out the lot of you."

Anakin had to force himself to refrain from answering Han's comment in the manner which he wished. You did promise to try to accept him, he reminded himself, glancing at Leia. Judging by the look on her face she was hoping that he would remember his promise as well.

"That is true," Anakin conceded at last. "But I know him well, Captain Solo. He may think that he can read my mind, but what he doesn't know is that I have been effectively shielding my mind from him for years. I can read him better than he can read me. I will know if he is planning something. So you see, the advantage is mine."

"I don't like this," Padmé said, still not convinced that Anakin could resist the temptation such a situation would create for him.

"There is no other way," Anakin said at last. "I wish I could count on the support of my family, but it is beginning to look doubtful. If I have to do this on my own, then so be it. I will destroy Palpatine; it is my destiny to do so. I suppose it is up to all of you to decide whether or not you will support me in this." He looked up at Piett. "I need you to brief me on the Executor," he said. "If I am to assume command, even in appearance, I have to know my crew and my ship."

Piett nodded. "Of course, sir. We can take a tour right now if you wish."

Anakin stood up. "I do wish it," he said. "Let's get to it."

Padmé knew that Anakin was upset, that he was disappointed. But she could not pretend to be happy about a situation that frightened her to death. She watched him leave with Piett and then turned to Luke and Leia.

"I hope he knows what he's doing," Luke said quietly.

Leia nodded. "He does," she said. "But he needs our support to make this work. I for one am going to give him mine," she averred. "I have every confidence in him."

"So do I," Padmé, agreed, standing up. "I think he needs to know it, though." With that she left the room and entered the corridor.

"Anakin! Wait!" she called as she ran down the hallway after Anakin and Piett.

Anakin heard his wife calling him, and turned around to see her running towards him.

"I'll catch up to you," he told Piett.

"Very good sir," Piett replied. "I'll wait for you on docking bay three two four."

Anakin nodded his understanding as he watched Padmé approach him. Piett continued on his way, leaving the two of them alone.

"Anakin, don't walk away angry," she said when she reached him. "We need to talk about this."

"I'm not angry," he replied, folding his arms over his chest.

Padmé met his eyes, not convinced for a moment that he was being honest with her.

"Yes you are," she challenged him. "I can see it in your eyes, in the set of your jaw, the way you are..."

"Alright, alright," he conceded. "So I'm angry. Can you blame me? I thought you trusted me, Padmé. Apparently I was wrong."

"What makes you think I don't trust you?" she demanded, hands on her hips.

"It's obvious that you don't," Anakin retorted. "Why else would you have such doubts about this plan? You think I'm going back to the Dark Side, don't you?"

"Anakin!" she cried. "I think no such thing! I can't believe you'd even think that for a moment! I have total faith in you!"

Anakin looked at her for a moment, his anger giving way to confusion.

"Then why won't you support me in this?" he asked her.

Padmé could see the change in his demeanor and stepped closer to him. "I'm afraid, Ani," she told him, taking his face in her hands. "I despise Palpatine for what he did to you, to us. The thought of you getting involved with him again terrifies me. I couldn't bear to have something happen to you, Ani. I couldn't stand to lose you again."

Anakin drew her close to him, wrapping his arms around her waist. "Nothing is going to happen, Padmé. The darkness is gone, I know it. Palpatine will have no power over me, I swear to you. I know him well, better than he realizes. I've been watching him for twenty years, and I know exactly what to do in order to regain his trust. Once I've done that, I will destroy him. The Empire won't stand a chance against the Alliance, especially with the flagship of the Imperial fleet on its side." He stopped for a moment and took her face in his hands. "You won't lose me, Padmé," he told her softly. "Never again. I promise you."

Padmé smiled, his words reassuring her. "I believe you, Anakin," she told him, stroking his face gently. "I believe in you."

"That's all I ask," he replied. "Because without you, my existence is an empty one, Padmé."

Padmé was moved by his words, and brought his face down to hers to kiss him. Anakin wrapped his arms around her and held her close, returning her kiss, not caring who saw them.

"Don't you two ever stop?"

Anakin and Padmé broke their kiss and looked up to see their children standing in the corridor. That couldn't help but laugh at their son's comment.

"Well if we did, you two certainly wouldn't be around," Anakin replied with a grin.

"Dad!" Leia cried. "Way too much information!"

"Such impudent children," Padmé said with a smile and a shake of her head.

"Indeed," Anakin agreed, folding his arms over his chest. "Pity they're too old for a good old-fashioned spanking."

Luke and Leia looked at one another in shock as their parents laughed again.

"Come on," Anakin said at last. "Piett is waiting for us."

"For us?" Luke asked. "You mean all four of us?"

Anakin nodded. "Of course," he replied. "This family has spent far too long apart. It's time we stuck together, don't you think?"

Leia smiled. "I couldn't agree more," she said. "Lead the way, Dad."