Author's Note: Hello! I thought I would answer a few questions from the reviews.
No, this story is not complete. Not sure how far I'm going to take it.. but definitely a few chapters more. But this is definitely focusing on Padmé and what she ultimately decides to do. I know some of you have spot on hit where I'm starting to waver with this, which path I'm going to go with Padmé. Alas, I am going to keep it a secret till the bang happens. ;) And ah, I guess I wasn't to clear on what happened.. yes, the twins and Obi-Wan are dead. It was so hard having to put that in. I love them so dearly, my sympathies for Padmé. I will explain what went wrong with the twins and Obi-Wan's final fall eventually! And with Padmé and the Force, I promise I will explain. :)
Thank you all for the reviews and actually reading the story! I am so happy you guys like it!
It had been one year. One Coruscant year.
A year since the Galaxy was warped into darkness.
One year since Palpatine declared himself ruler of all.
One year since she lost her friends, her family, her love.
One year since she lost herself.
And it did not phase her.
Padmé had begun to feel joyful outside of her dreams, she brought it out to caress with her heart in plain view. She was just so relieved to be able to escape the white at times. She had not thought of the consequences, for she assumed there was none.
Vader had only visited her once since he came pleading to her, since he came begging for her to speak to him.
If she could, she would have flinched. He was so cold. She wanted to shiver when he stood above her. It felt icky, wrong. Everything about him was so inhuman.
Everything.
She wanted to curl up and hide. Padmé knew, that if she would have never began to feel in the outside world, his behavior would not have affected her. But since she did, she felt like a small rodent being crushed by a farmer's boot.
She remembered that she had loved him so much. Now she feared him.
Now his sickly, yellow eyes haunted her.
So naturally, she quickly edged her way back into the ever so standing white space.
Her body was weak.
Her hair was limp.
She was pale.
Her eyes were dull.
Padmé did not mind. She was never in the fragile body anyways. She was always away, always sleeping.
Like now.
Padmé laid a gentle hand on Luke's shoulder as he sat on the grass with his sister. She had just arrived, and was unaware of what the twins were speaking of.
"What are you two up to?"
Luke and Leia both smiled at their mother before exchanging a quick glance between themselves. Padmé stood in front of them, patiently waiting.
"We wanted to know something." Luke replied.
Padmé turned to Obi-Wan as he walked to stand beside her. Ah, so he had decided to stay this time. "And what might that be, I wonder?"
"Is it possible, for us," Leia gestured to herself and Luke. "To return to the real world?"
Obi-Wan frowned as Padmé's eyebrows squeezed together.
"To our corporeal bodies?" Obi-Wan stroked his beard. "No, we cannot."
"You mean," Qui-Gon phased beside him. "It is unheard of."
"Always here to defy the impossible I see."
"Master Jinn, pleasure to see you again. Are you staying with us this time?" Padmé was glad the man was here, this conversation was sure going to take an interesting turn.
"And a pleasure to see you, my lady. And yes." He turned to lift a brow at Obi-Wan. "The impossible? Through the Force, nothing is. It was once, branded impossible that one could return from the Force at all after death. And here we are."
"But our mother isn't dead, and she's here." Leia said. Padmé's heart was touched by Leia calling her mother, a gentle smile graced her face as Leia stared at Qui-Gon, waiting for an answer.
Qui-Gon crossed his arms. "You both had carried a significantly high rate of Midichlorians when being carried by your mother. Since your birth, and death, some Midichlorians were able to bond with Padmé. She has always been sensitive to the Force, as we all are, but she does not possess enough to become a Jedi. Yet, she had enough already, and the ones you passed on helped us to give her and us the strength to bring her here. When she dies, she will be able to join us here. Though she will not be able to travel to the outside world. She is not incomplete touch with her body, so it is with ease that we bring her here."
"And if she becomes one with her body again? What happens?" Leia too, crossed her arms.
"It might not be possible for us to bring her back as frequently if that were to happen. She could still visit, but it would be easier for us to go to her."
"Ah!" Luke blurted. "So we can leave!"
"Wait," Padmé shook her head. "Who said I wanted to stay with my body?"
They all turned to look at her.
"Why.. why wouldn't you want to stay?" Luke asked innocently.
Padmé took a deep inhale before she looked at the ground and wrapped her arms around herself. "Things.. things are not.. they.." She sighed. She looked to Obi-Wan, barley able to offer him a glare. "Have you not told them?"
"We know." Leia intervened, annoyance obvious in her tone. "We know of the betrayal, the murders, we know of it all. We know what he has done." Leia spat.
Luke gave a disapproving look to his sister. "He is our father, Leia."
Leia turned on her brother so fast, a hot spark in her eye. "He, is not my father. He has done nothing but brought horror into this world. Now there are those who are suffering and the Force is off balance. Don't tell me that he-"
"There's still good in him!" Luke argued with an angry frown.
There's still good in him.
Padmé felt as though she was spinning. In another world, in another time, she knew she would have said the same thing. so before she could even think about what she was going to say, the words slipped out. "He has not brought complete horror to the Galaxy. You are what he had help made. You are a blessing."
Leia stood, grinding her teeth. "And where are we? We aren't even alive! He killed us! Why are you even defending him? You won't even speak his name!"
Padmé sunk back, turning her head as though she had been slapped. Qui-Gon watched the quietly and Obi-Wan placed a hand on Padmé's shoulder. Padmé reached and gave his hand a squeeze, knowing this was just as hard on him as it was her.
"Yes, look at us Leia!" Luke stood too. "We are not dead, we are alive in the Force. We can still make a difference. All is not lost!" He grabbed his sister's hand, ignoring the hatred that swam in her eyes. "Don't let your hate consume you, please. You're better than that."
Leia ripped her hand away from him. "Unbelievable." Before more could be said, she phased away.
Luke sighed. "She's only angry. Let her cool off, she didn't mean what she said." He turned to them all. He reached to touch his mother's hand. "Are you alright?" The concern in his familiar blue eyes stung Padmé.
"Yes, Luke," She gave a watery smile. She remembered that on another man, those blue eyes were now only yellow. "I'm fine."
Luke turned to Obi-Wan. "Ben?"
"I'm alright." Obi-Wan bowed his head to him.
Still wary, Luke took a step back and placed his hands behind his back. "Qui-Gon, so it is possible to return?"
Qui-Gon wasn't thrown off by the sudden change of topics so he easily responded. "Yes, but with our bodies, no. Obi-Wan is just learning how to return. You and your sister will both learn in time as well. But.." He stroked his beard, a habit that was much like Obi-Wan's, Padmé wondered if it was a pass of habit, or one that all men with beards did?
"I will have to meditate more into this. It is a possibility I have thought of before, but never looked that far into it."
Obi-Wan cleared his throat. "Perhaps, a visit to Yoda is in order? And perhaps, the Emperor himself?"
Padmé's neck snapped trying to look directly at Obi-Wan. Was he mad?
He raised his hands before anyone could speak. "The information he carries, if there is any way we could obtain it.."
"A bold plan. One unlike you, my apprentice." Qui-Gon gave a sly smile. "But one definitely worth trying."
"Well once you've been around Anakin enough-" Obi-Wan faltered before he really could even begin. The humor that began to take his voice evaporated. Padmé this time reached out to Obi-Wan to squeeze his arm. She held back the tears that threatened to escape.. just his name affected them so greatly..
"A plan you're going to do yourselves, or can we assist?" Luke quickly dove in to change the topic, saving Padmé and Obi-Wan from the sorrow that began to over take them.
"We'll see."
It had been an hour. Leia still had not returned. Qui-Gon had left with Obi-Wan to begin forming the basics their plan. He promised to be back soon to return Padmé back to her body.
They sat in the grass, Luke and Padmé. Leaning on one another.
Padmé spoke quietly, with great effort as she said these words. "You know.. your.. father.. he didn't kill you.." Or didn't mean to.
Luke smiled sadly, closing his eyes as he nuzzled his head in her hair. "I know mother, I know. There's still good in him. I know it."
Padmé swallowed down vomit, feeling sick from sadness. "It was an accident.. he didn't mean to.." He didn't mean to hurt her.
She could feel hot tears run down her face.
"He.. he thought that he needed to save me... he didn't mean to hurt me.. he didn't mean to hurt you. He loved us so much." She began to hyperventilate, clinging on to Luke as she did so.
"He didn't know the dark side would harm you, he didn't know it would kill you! But he did, oh he did." She began to sob onto Luke's shoulder. Finally letting herself cry after a year. Luke held on to her, gently stroking her hair.
He kissed the top of her head as she cried. "I know." He whispered. "And we still love him."
Author's Note: Also, if you find some flaws with my character detail, please, please, tell me! I am trying my best to portray the characters as themselves, and not having my point of view getting in the way. It can be difficult to get the exact personality of a character, so if you have any advice, I am willing to take it!
(I'm going to do some flashbacks to I can really clear up what happened, soon)