AN:We are so sorry that this has taken so long to get up! We've both been so busy lately but since KD is currently in the mist of a Star Wars marathon, she finished out what LVB had started. So here it is! Enjoy!
Ch 13
It wasn't long before Anakin, Luke and Obi-Wan had arrived on Tatooine. Owen was far from happy to see them both but he and Beru welcomed him into their home. It wasn't long before they left Luke in the Lars' care and went back to look for Leia.
Searching through every known database, they could not find any record of Leia's birth. She had simply been wiped from existence. By this time, Sidious had effectively established his Empire. There were few remaining Jedi left and most had left Courscant in favour of hiding.
The newly named Storm troopers were systematically reforming 'Imperial City'. Many opposing senators had already been taken care of. The shroud of darkness had fallen. For months, after keeping in contact with Yoda and Mace Windu who had both gone into hiding on the swamp planet Dagobah, Anakin and Obi-Wan searched.
It soon became obvious that they would not find Leia. One rainy day Anakin sat in the deserted Jedi temple. It was to be their last day on Courscant. Obi-Wan had warned him this would happen. Courscant was too dangerous for a baby to be kept alive; especially the daughter of Anakin Skywalker—of Darth Vader.
Anakin hadn't felt his daughter's signature in a long time, but he just couldn't accept that he had failed. He hadn't been able to save his wife and now his daughter was most likely dead.
He had come back to the place that had taken so much from him—and where he had destroyed so much. The Force acted in a mysterious way. He had taken the lives of all these younglings and now his daughter had been taken away. It was fitting he would say goodbye to her here.
He lit a lone candle and sat cross-legged in what would have been the Council Chambers. He connected with the Force one last time to find his daughter. He found nothing. "Goodbye, my daughter," he whispered, tears falling down his face. "I'm sorry I couldn't save you. I love you and I just wish I'd gotten to see you just one time. Goodbye Leia."
He blew out the candle.
Aboard a Star Destroyer, a small baby began to cry. The Emperor grimaced and ordered the droid to comfort her. It didn't take much energy for him to cloak her strong Force presence but it seemed to disturb her. Her constant crying disrupted his training of a new apprentice.
The Force was strong with the child; there was no doubt about that. He would have to begin her training as soon as possible to make sure she would always be surrounded by darkness. No matter how hard he tried though, he couldn't sense the boy. Padmé must have died, taking the child with her.
It didn't matter now anyway. He had everything he needed here. If he couldn't have the Skywalker he wanted, he would settle for the girl. Leia Skywalker would become the most powerful Sith. She would become Princess Vader.
It was only a matter of time…
"Ani…Anakin….ANAKIN!" Padmé cried out in pain. She lay against a cold hard floor, with her hands resting against her pregnant stomach.
He tired with all his might to get to Padmé but couldn't. Something was holding him back. Some invisible force. "PADMÉ!" he cried out.
That was when she began to become blurry and soon she faded away...
"PADMÉ!" he cried out once again, straining to reach for her blurred image.
Suddenly the blurred image of Padmé turned into his mother. She gently moved up to him and stroked his cheek. "Be brave, and don't look back. Don't look back," she said turning and walking into the darkness.
"Mom…" he quietly whispered.
Then out of nowhere, he was struck down. He quickly turned onto his back and looked up at his attacker.
Standing above him was a dark cloaked figure holding a Sith lightsaber to their side. Anakin quickly leapt to his feet and ignited his blade. "Who are you he demanded."
The figure just laughed. "I was always taught that my father was a strong Jedi who turned his back on the Dark side."
The figure pushed back their hood to reveal a lovely face. A face that reminded him of Padmé.
"Leia…" he breathed.
He just stood there and couldn't move. His daughter was a Sith! He knew that it was bound to happen, but he never wanted to accept it.
Without hesitation Leia struck him down.
Anakin set up, breathing hard. What was the Force trying to tell him?
He slowly got up out of bed, walked past Luke's cradle without looking at him and headed for the front door to the small dwelling that Owen and Beru had found for him, Luke and Obi-Wan to share while they were on Tatooine.
Anakin stepped outside into the cool night. It was in the early morning hours and he knew it. Soon the twin suns would be rising, bringing in a new day.
A new day without his daughter.
His dream did reinforce one thing: Leia was alive. And he had to find her. He couldn't loose hope. That was the last thing he needed to do. If he lost hope then he lost Leia for good.