Anakin walked through mustafar alone. Thinking about home. Thinking about the time he had been away from Padme and their child. Seven weeks old now. A child he had never seen. He counted bodies in the various control rooms. The Viceroy was dead. Anakin gave a silent thanks to the fallen Jedi Master lying dead at the bank of the Mustafar river. He thanked Mace from saving him the trouble of doing it himself.
With all threat against his Empire out of the way, Anakin decided to head home. To meet his child. To make love to his wife. More than enough time had passed, he thought with a smile.
Anakin turned, sensing a presence there on the Lava planet. A ship landed near his own. He knew that ship. His heart flipped. Home had come to him. Anakin attached his blue lightsaber to the utility belt wore. He had used it to stab holes in any bodies that appeared to be breathing, still.
He hurried out of the control room, not wanting to frighten Padme with so many dead bodies. He ran toward the ship as the landing platform descended - heart caught in his throat. Then pushed it down with his mechanical hand, too anxious to let it fall on his own.
Anakin ran up the stairs. And Padme greeted him, meeting him halfway down. He wrapped his arms around her. He hugged her tightly.
"What are you doing here?" he asked. "Where's the baby?"
Padme looked as though her world had come to an end. And suddenly, his heart clenched with worry. He shook her. "The baby!?"
"Inside," she said, lip trembling.
Anakin ran aboard, racing to deck. Padme followed. He approached, finding a crib with two babies inside. Two identical babies. A girl and a boy. He turned and looked at Padme, his eyes swelling with love.
"Twins?" he asked.
Padme nodded. He had never bothered to come see them. So consumed with the Republic and taking over. So consumed with power and greed. Her heart thundered in her chest, pounding with fear.
Anakin walked slowly to where the babies lay sleeping. Splattered blood soaked his cloak. He could not hold them. Not until he had taken a shower. He didn't want separatist infected blood to touch his babies. They were like angels. Their faces were of peace. It was the second happiest moment of his life.
"What are their names?"
Padme looked down, unable to meet his eyes. "Luke and Leia."
She fought the sorrow that oppressed her aching heart. Anakin walked toward her, cupping her chin. "What's wrong?" he said. "You're not happy?"
He gave her a questioning look then pulled her close. Padme shirked from his grasp then turned and walked from the deck, leaving the ship with hope of not waking the babies. Threepio was with them. Threepio was her friend, her everything. Everything that Anakin should have been. He would look after the babies while they talked.
Anakin followed her out, face contorted with sudden anger.
He grabbed her arm, twirling her about to face him. "What's wrong? Tell me what's wrong!"
"I-- we've hardly seen you. You haven't come home, you haven't comlinked. I was so worried, Anakin..." she cried... "Master Windu told me horrible things."
"You've seen Master Windu?"
Anakin remembered what the fallen master had told him about Padme.
She looked down, eyes weepy with tears. "He told me, you and the clone troops stormed the Jedi Temple. That you killed your masters, your friends, even the younglings."
Anakin clenched his teeth. He held her by the arms, head bent toward her. "Master Windu is trying to turn you against me."
"So... what he told me about the children was a lie?"
Anakin caressed her cheek. "The Senate have named me Emperor."
Padme looked down, shrinking out of his grasp. "So I've heard."
Anakin sighed. "From Master Windu right?" Apparently, the master had visited Mygeeto. Had even been in his house with his wife and children.
"Master Windu said-"
"Don't you dare speak his name to me, as though he means something. He means nothing to us. I don't want to hear ANYTHING else about Master Windu."
Padme backed away, seeing the anger in his eyes.
"Anakin... I'm leaving. I can't be with you anymore."
"So what Master Windu told me is true? That you'll seek a place in the senate to challenge me? Don't ever challenge me, Padme. Don't ever think about leaving, either."
Padme gazed at him, eyes worried. "I'm sorry, but I have to go... And I've found a new place to live. For me and the babies," she answered, voice resolute. "Please... just-stay away from us. I don't know you anymore." She backed away from him.
"You'll keep me from my children?
"You kept yourself away!" she yelled.
Anakin shook his head and stalked toward her. "You'll keep me from my children?" You'll keep me away from you?
You murder children! she wanted to scream, but was not brave enough to say.
"You stand there and look at me like that? When everything I've done, I've done for you? Don't you see Padme. I don't care about the Order. Only you and the babies. I'm the emperor now. The children will be future emperor and you will rule by my side."
Padme shook her head, a stream of tears falling from her eyes. Anakin pulled her into an embrace and held her by force. She tried to shake him, but to no avail. He searched her eyes.
"Anakin... you're breaking my heart," she cried, gasping. "You've taken a path that I can't follow, please... come back to me," she pleaded. Padme pleaded to the man she fell in love with. The man who sired her children. The man who loved her more than anything in the world. More than greed or power.
"You talk like I'm gone. Like you want me dead."
Padme resigned, her hands sliding away from his face. Anakin was, truly, indeed, gone. Anakin would never say such horrible things. Anakin would never do such horrible things.
"I'm sorry. But I don't know you anymore," she said in a deadened voice. "I don't love you-"
Anakin's face burned, turning a deep red color. His eyes flared and he clenched his teeth together. "You-" he growled. "Don't love me?"
Padme struggled against him, wanting to break free. But he held tight. Anakin burned like a torch. And indeed, the blaze had him blinded with rage. He thought about the innocent blood shed. FOR HER. He thought about winning his freedom from Watto only to promise his body and soul, the very freedom he had won, TO HER. He thought about losing his place in the Order. FOR HER. He thought about all he had fought and conquered, FOR HER.
...and here she was, telling him she didn't love him anymore.
"I told you..." Anakin growled. "You'll never leave me."
He bent his head and kissed her, prying her lips apart with his own. Remember me? Remember our love?
Padme dug her nails into his flesh.
Anakin grabbed her arms, forcing himself onto her, gathering her to him as he had always done when she was willing. But Padme struck out, breaking free. She slapped his face. As hard as she had slapped Dorme. Anakin exhaled then stumbled back, stunned.
Padme shook her head again, tears flowing. "I DON'T LOVE YOU ANYMORE! I don't want you!"
She turned and tried to run aboard ship, but Anakin lunged toward her in anger, his mechanical hand seizing her neck. Padme gasped and tried to pry his fingers apart. But they squeezed tighter, drawing her to the ground in a backward free fall. He leaned over her, bending her to the ground like a snapped twig.
Padme finally collapsed. Anakin hovered above her, gently touching her neck. "I told you-" he started. Then suddenly, he saw Schmii in her face. And cringed. Anakin collapsed. Falling to the ground beside her. He pulled Padme into his arms and hugged her close. Though, her head merely dropped back, her body wilting like a flower.
"Don't leave me, Padme..."
He stood with the fallen senator in his arms and carried her aboard the waiting ship. Where Leia hollared and screamed. Where Luke played peacefully with his overhead mobile. He caressed strands of their mother's hair from her face, whispering a silent prayer... again and again... "Don't leave me, Padme..."
Somewhere on Kashykk, a Jedi Master prepared for a new beginning. And somewhere else, perhaps nearby, a stolen starship landed, near a lava bank to resuscitate a fallen Jedi Master. Who breathed, if only to live for revenge.
The End.