Yeah! Finally another chapter! I've included two quotes from an Indian film called Fanaa which I loved and inspired me to finally put yet another chapter to my poor abandoned story. I know, I should be shot (er…) you know what I mean! Anyway, I feel like I've gone over the hump and may finally get to the showdown between the Emperor and his ex apprentice. Yeah! I hope you guys enjoy, thanks for sticking with this story and as always, I don't own the characters nor Fanaa…
Bail Organa faced the momentous task of telling his wife that they had to return the twins back to their mother. Padme Amidala had survived and now demanded her children back. Organa had sensed deep inside that the perfect moments he had shared with his new family might be brief and fleeting. What tortured him was the thought of his wife's reaction at loosing the children. She had spend every waking moment with them, taking care of their smallest need, refusing to let them out of her sight. She would sing to them and tell them stories before putting them to bed. Bail's favorite moments were the ones he shared with her as they fed the twins together late at night, commenting on which twin would finish their bottle the fastest. Now even those moments were fast becoming memories as the Jedi Master Yoda sent were already there, ready to take the twins back to their mother.
"Please wait here," he asked the Jedi. "Let me speak with my wife."
The two Jedi nodded as Bail went into the nursery to give his wife the sad news.
"I saw two Jedi land in the cargo bay," Bail's wife said before he could utter a word. Her back was to him as she contemplated the two sleeping children in their crib. "Tell me that they're only here to see how the children fare," she said with restraint emotion in her voice.
"My love, their mother is alive…"
"Then she shouldn't have let them out of her sight!" the Queen exclaimed, turning to face her husband. "How is this fair?" she exclaimed. "They are ours now! You promised that we would be together! They are our children!"
Bail couldn't bear the pain shining in his wife's eyes. He held her tight as she began sobbing and with much pain in his heart he managed to say, "It's time to let them go."
Padme paced her room, a knot of fear growing in her heart. She heard from the Jedi how attached the Queen and Bail Organa were to her children. She felt bad for them, but she couldn't let her children go that easily. She berated herself for being so weak, for not holding on to them when she had the chance. She wished she were stronger, that she hadn't suffered such moments of weakness.
"You shouldn't blame yourself so much," she heard Anakin's voice say behind her, guessing her thoughts. "They will be back with you, I promise you."
"In the meanwhile more people get hurt," Padme said facing him. "Other people who were taking care of them, who loved them all this time and I…"
"You will also be a good mother, Padme," Anakin reassured her.
"How…?" Padme stammered, tears streaming down her face. "I couldn't even keep them with me…"
"You were ill," Anakin reminded her. "The Jedi had no right to give them away.."
"They did what was best to keep them safe," Padme reminded him.
"They are safer with you," Anakin persisted.
Padme looked at him, doubt very much showing in her face. Anakin wanted very much to hold her and reassure her, but instead walked away and for the first time felt very much like a coward because he couldn't bear to see her suffer and he had no words to comfort her.
Luminara Unduli and her apprentice, Bariss Offee thought the Organa's were taking too long. "I will go in and see what has happened," said Offee to her Master.
"We must be careful and not charge into the room," cautioned Unduli. "This is a very delicate situation, charged to us by none other than Yoda himself. I fear that we have acted to rashly where these children are concerned, for safer they might have been if we would have kept them with us."
"Even so, Master," her pupil interjected. "They cannot be very safe in their own mother's arms. Remember who the father is…"
"It's not up to us to decide what is best for these children, no matter who their parents may be!" Unduli reminded her a bit harshly. "We have no say in this and it would do you good to bite your tongue young one in this matter."
Her pupil lowered her head, feeling that the chastisement was not necessary but was wise enough not to say another word on the subject. The situation was already too perilous and tense as it was and this, she reasoned, wasn't the moment to add fuel to the fire.
Bail Organa was forced to rush his wife out of the room quickly, her sobbs cutting straight into his heart. He knew that his wife may not recover so soon from such a harsh blow. His wife raced down the corridor, her loud sobs echoing down the hallway.
"Take them!" Bail ordered the Jedi harshly. "Take them now for I am inclined to fight for them if you don't leave here quickly!"
With that he raced down the hall in pursuit of his wife, feeling very much his own heart shattering inside.
The moment Padme spotted the Jedi ship landing, her heart gave a leap inside. Anakin was working on making some adjustments to his ship when he also heard the sound of an another air craft. He saw the look of apprehension and worry in Padme's face and felt very much the same emotions she was emanating in her face. He went to stand beside her and was disappointed to see her flinch at his proximity.
Luminara Unduli, joined by her apprentice and Master Kenobi, walked off the ship and made their way towards Padme and Anakin. Unduli and her apprentice held each twin in their arms. As soon as Padme spotted the small bundles she started racintg towards them, her heart pounding within her chest.
Anakin tried to reign in his own emotions, trying to keep at bay the feelings that threatened to overwealmed him. It was easier than he thought, having had years of suppressing his emotions. He was presently aware that he needed that control now more than ever since he had to begin to fully prepare himself mentality for the innevitable confrontation between himself and the Emperor. Kenobi had reminded him that as soon as the twins were delivered safely to Padme, they were to return to the Jedi's temporary sanctuary in order to receive further orders from Yoda in preparation for their confrontation of the Emperor.
Padme couldn't hold back her tears of joy as she held on tight to the first bundle.
"That is your daughter," Unduli told her.
"Leia," Padme quickly said, remembering the name she had given her. "My beautiful little girl," she sighed, looking at her daughter for the first time since giving birth to her. "I've waited so long just to hold you!"
"This is your son, Luke," Unduli continued as her apprentice held the boy close to Padme for her inspection.
"Oh, he's just as beautiful as his sister!" she cried out, leaning over to kiss Luke's small sleeping frame.
Anakin looked over Padme's shoulder daring to look at both his children.
"May I?" he asked as he leaned over to take his son from Offee's arms.
Bariss looked at Padme for approval, still unsure of how much trust she should place on someone with such a dark past as Anakin.
Padme nodded reluctantly, cradling Leia close to her breast. As soon as Bariss put Luke in his arms, Kenobi motioned the other Jedi to give the couple a bit of privacy. Anakin followed Padme silently into the room she had rushed to prepare for the twins. Anakin still couldn't believe that of everything he had done in his life, these two little life forms were the most precious things in his life. He glanced over at Padme who now sat on the edge of her bed cradling Leia in her arms. In that moment he swore that he would give his very life in order to allow Padme and his children to continue in the blissful moment that he shared with them presently. A fierce desire to protect them all suddenly spread inside him, feeding him with an intense feeling of power and purpose. 'Was this what people felt when they were willing to die at the hands of the Emperor, even when all their hope was gone?' Anakin wondered. 'Could this be what gave those people strength to continue fighting, knowing full well they might not survive?' He was willing to do the same, he realized, even if fighting meant that he might never see Padme nor the twins again. At least, he reasoned, they would all finally be safe.
LATER...
It had been a while since Anakin left Padme alone with the twins. He watched as Padme cradled the twins close to her through the windows of the veranda. Tears continued to stream down her face as she held onto them, a deep pure love reflected in her face as she softly whispered to them. Behind him Anakin could feel the older Jedi approach him.
"It's time," Obi Wan reminded him.
"Just one moment," Anakin said, not turning around to face him, but continue to observe the tender scene unfold before him. In his heart he swore he would carry that picture of Padme and his children in his heart forever, even if he would never see them again, it was that very picture of Padme and the twins that he would fight to keep safe from the Emperor.
Before he could tear himself away Anakin held up his hand in silent farewell and whispered, "May my life's breath find refuge in your heart, destroyed in your love may my love depart." It was a prayer Anakin had heard in a distant planet where it was believed that love worth living, even if it was a love that caused pain and destruction, led in the end to a path of enlightenment for that was when life granted the heart its greatest test of faith. Anakin never cared for such beliefs, however now that he was about to leave what he most desired, he realized that it was his own choices that was causing his already fragile relationship with Padme to continue onto a path of self -destruction.
Not really prepared to say goodbye to Padme, Anakin pulled out a crumpled piece of paper he had scribbled while thinking of her. He didn't know why he just didn't throw away the old parchment because it was so unlike him to write down anything remotely inspiring. However, the few written lines he had written were a constant reminder to him as to why he had sought Padme, why he was never able to forget her.
Silently the crumpled paper floated from Anakin's hand onto the glass table in Padme's room as Anakin walked away to join Obi Wan Kenobi.
Padme was exhausted, but happy. She had managed to settle the twins down and tried to gather the courage to face her children's father. She still didn't know what she wanted to tell him nor what she herself expected out of him. As Padme tried to think how best to approach Anakin, she heard loud sounds of ships taking off. Bariss Offee entered, having been left in charge of Padme and the twins as protection, she informed Padme that Anakin and Obi Wan had left. Padme's heart had stopped for a second, a feeling of fear and sadness growing within her heart as she realized that she might never see Anakin again. The enormity of what he was about to do for all of them suddenly hit her as she realized that it was too late to tell him what her heart stubbornly concealed. Hot tears rolled down her face after Bariss left her, almost blurring her vision as she clutched to the edge of the glass desk, her fingers brushing the old wrinkled parchment upon the table. Padme saw her name scribbled on a corner and opened it up, never having seen it before. It was curious to find such a thing since parchments were rare items, especially now in times of war.
Padme read silently as she realized that Anakin had left the note behind for her.
"My breath was incomplete," she read, "heartbeat incomplete, incomplete was I. But now the moon is full, complete in the sky, and now with you complete am I."
There wasn't anything else he had added nor bothered to say, but she knew full well the meaning behind every word and line for despite her personal fears and doubt, she felt the same as soon as Anakin came back into her life. She ran outside, her eyes scanning the sky. "Anakin!" she cried out, her hand clutching at her heart, hoping that he could feel at that moment what her heart clamored to say.