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Chapter Eight

Padmé screamed again. Palpatine had struck her with Force-lightning with such power that it had caused her to go into labour prematurely. Moments after he had left, her water had broken, leaving her in a state of shock. This wasn't the way it was supposed to happen! She was amazed at how her body was handling the pain.

Hours before, she had been Force-choked by her husband…no, by Darth Vader. And now, she had been struck by Force-lightning. This, paired with the contractions had made her body fairly weak- but certainly not her mind. When Palpatine's personal medical team had come to retrieve her, she had put up a fight.

They had pumped some drugs into her system and it had mildly sedated her, but did nothing to dull the pain. A nurse droid approached her with a wet towel and began to dampen her forehead.

Palpatine's team were busily trying to prepare for the final stages of the birth. They had assured both Padmé herself and the newly appointed Emperor that it would be a matter of hours until both twins were delivered. There were complications and it seemed only one of the twins was in a position ready for birthing.

Padmé gripped the side of the sterile, white bed as she tried to stifle another scream. The contractions had been getting closer and closer and she was convinced the babies would come soon. All she could do was hope that someone would come for her- she was in no position to help herself.

If Obi-Wan had indeed killed Anakin, he would surely come after her. If Vader had won however...she had no idea what he would do. Yes, he would have come, if not to rescue her, to watch as she gave birth to his…no, to Anakin's children. He would have come to collect the prized Skywalker twins and deliver them straight to Palpatine's arms.

The tears she had held for so long now spilled down her cheeks. She was alone. More than anything right now, she wanted Anakin to be beside her. She wanted to hear him whisper in her ear, to hold her hands as her body convulsed with contractions, to feed her ice. She wanted him to be here so she could scream at him for getting her into this position; to tell him she would never make love to him again.

But he wasn't. She was surrounded by strangers; by her enemies. And now, he was the enemy too. "Anakin!" she screamed to nobody in particular, as her contraction peaked again. For a moment, she swore she heard his voice echoing in her head.

"It's time," the medical droid said to the figure standing by the door. It didn't surprise her that Palpatine wanted to be present at the birth. The Sith wanted to take her children directly from her.

"You are a bastard," Padmé shouted out at the man who had destroyed everything she believed in. He cackled and removed the hood from his face, revealing his deformed profile.

"I just commed your husband moments ago, Senator. He was delighted to hear that you had been rendered useless after the birth. He was most looking forward to hearing you scream as you died giving birth to his children," he viciously shouted at her. Padmé shook her head in denial as the droid propped her legs up in the birthing stirrups.

Palpatine moved to be next to the droid. By now, Padmé was too tired and angry to be embarrassed. It was too late for her and the babies now. She was trying not to push but her body was betraying her. "I'm sorry, Anakin" she whispered and then her body finally surrendered.

The wail of the tiny infant filled the air as Padmé fell back onto the bed, exhausted.

"It's a girl," the droid confirmed.

"There is still another child!" screamed Palpatine at the droid.

"Yes, My Lord. But the child is not in birthing position yet. The premature labour was too much for it to handle. We will have to wait and if it does not come naturally, we will operate,"

Satisfied, Palpatine took hold of the screaming, red baby. "You are a feisty one, daughter of my apprentice. The Force is strong with you…though not as strong as your unborn brother. You will make a powerful Sith,"

He handed the baby back to the droid. "Inform me when it is time for the next one to be born- he is the one I want,"

"Yes, My Lord."

Padmé closed her eyes. Brother… she was going to have a boy. The droid placed the screaming child next to Padmé. The tears freely rolled down her face.

"Hello, little Leia," she whispered.

Suddenly, she felt herself tremble. It was nothing like she had ever felt before. She could hear a voice in her head- Anakin!

But was he coming to save her…or to watch her die?

She didn't have enough time to ponder because another contraction hit her, this time with more ferocity than the first lot.

Once again, she fell into the darkness, trying to stop herself from giving birth. Maybe if she held on, he would save her…