Author's Note: Hi, so glad you guys like this story so far :) Guess what time it is? Flashback time!
-0 Days after the birth of the new Galactic Empire-
It was hot.
Oh, it was so hot.
Padmé could feel her clothes sticking to her damp body, feel her lungs struggle to take in the heated air. Every now and then, she could feel little roasted flakes land on her, like she was built just for them to collect on.
Her throat was on fire. She could tell there was a bruise that wrapped around her neck.
But the pain in her heart was much worse.
Oh, Anakin. Her Anakin. When had things gone wrong? When had she lost him to abyss? Had she truly lost him? She couldn't stand the thought.
Everything she had fought for, everything she put her being into.. gone. Her love, gone, her people, manipulated and lost. Who knows who and what else was lost at the start of the new Empire? And now, she was going to lose her most trusted friend. A deep feeling down in her gut told her so. Told her since he told her what he must do to his best friend. It was one of the very reasons she wouldn't tell him where Anakin was at.
Everything hurt.
She couldn't stand it.
Not like this.
Oh, how she wanted to leave. But oh, how she wanted to stay. To stay and fight for her unborn child, to fight for the Galaxy.
But how could she stay? Everything she knew was gone. There was no foothold to help her.
So she let the darkness take her. Let the ache of her heart fill her body.
-2 Days after the birth of the New Galactic Empire-
It was bright. Why was it so bright? What happened to the darkness that caressed her so gently?
The room was warm. Padmé could hear the soft whirring of a nearby droid as it roamed about. Where was she? Somewhere in medical care? How did she get here? Who brought her here? Did somehow Obi-Wan win the duel?
She was tired. She didn't want to be awake. She didn't want to think.
"Padmé?" A raspy voice croaked beside her.
She couldn't stop her body from responding to that voice even if she tried. For her eyes flew open and her body jerked towards the direction of the sound. The sudden movement left her more sore than before, her head hammering.
It was not Obi-Wan.
Anakin- no- no longer. He was gone the moment he struck down the first innocent life of that fateful night. Vader sat in a chair, draped in a black cloak. The hood was down, but she could so his blue eyes glowing. Unnaturally bright, dark circles underneath.
He stood, walking towards her slowly. He reached his hands out for here before he stilled, snatching them back quickly and looked to the ground. She was glad. She knows before she would crave his touch, yearn for it. Now it just reminds her that every callous upon his hand cannot outnumber the lives he took. She was to weak to push him away, she wad glad he did not touch her.
Padmé closed her eyes, feeling heavy. She reached a shaky hand down to rub her swollen belly, wanting nothing more than to hold her child. She hung on to the thought of her baby, ignoring how her heart beat like a wild drum in her chest.
She opened her eyes again to see Vader watching her. They stared at one another, blue to brown. Not saying a word.
Till the medical droid came zipping between them.
"Status Report: Both-"
Vader quickly shoved the droid aside, ignoring it's curses. "I- I should," he faltered. "I will tell her. Leave us." He stared at the droid till it swiveled out the door. He took a deep breath before turning back to her where she lay on the medical bed. For a moment, Padmé thought he changed his mind and wasn't going to tell her.. till he lifted his hands to flip back his hood.
Padmé sat in stunned silence as she looked over the damage done to him. The right side of his face was burned. His skin looked waxy and wet, parts so red she could almost feel the fire. His eyebrow was singed, along with the patch of hair next to his eye. She could no longer see the scar that had struck down past his eye.
"What happened?" She whispered. Her breath was shaky. What happened to you?
His face grew dark. "Obi-Wan," he growled. "He did this."
"And.. where is he?"
"I killed him."
She closed her eyes once more. Feeling tears slip from underneath her pale eyelids. She was not surprised. Her Anakin was truly gone. Her Anakin would never harm Obi-Wan. They needed each other.. just like she needed him. And he is gone.
She choked on a sob, clutching at her throat as fire singed her throat. She felt the bruised skin, just another reminder of what was lost.
"I-" She could hear Vader's anger clear in his voice before he stopped short. He could feel his penetrating gaze.. she knew he was looking at her throat.
She turned away from him. Holding on to her belly and throat. She could feel her pulse in her finger tips, hammering away. Her heart hurt so much, she did not know why it banged in her rib cage like so. Nervous, scared? She couldn't tell anymore.
Padmé knew she was crying. The tears were cold. Just like the room had become.
"We're.." He broke the silence after a long silence. "We're having twins." He let out breathlessly. "Twins." A humorless laugh.
She was numb.
Twins? She was having twins?
She looked down at her belly, appalled. What a surprise. She rubbed the swollen skin. She was crying harder now.
"Are you.. are you not happy?" He asked hesitantly. Padmé refused to meet his gaze.
"No."
Silence.
It was cold, colder than before.
Yet she felt no regret when saying her answer, for she meant it.
Deep down, Padmé knew she would not make it through birth. She was so tired, emotionally drained. Her heart hurt. Leaving her child? Leaving her children? Now two souls must live without their mother, under the care of their father's killer? Oh, she cannot leave them. But she has to. It hurt. Everything hurt.
"I do not wish to leave my children." She admitted in a soft whisper. She knew she was going to die, just like she knew Obi-Wan was.
"You aren't. I will not let that happen." Such venom, such promise in his voice. She looked to him now. His eyes were murky, dark blue. The bruises underneath his eyes seemed so much darker.
"You can't control fate."
"I can. Underneath Palpatine's teachings, I-"
"No!" She yelled. She would not let him touch her children. She would rather her and her children be dead before Palpatine became involved with the children.
When she was gone, would Vader bring them to him? What plans did he have for them?
She began to panic.
Her world was spiraling once again, the events from recent finally crashing down on her. She shook. Her whole body was shaken in terror. Through blurred vision, she saw Vader reach a hand towards her, which she smacked away weakly.
"Don't touch me!" Her breathing was frantic. She felt lightheaded.
But, oh. The Galaxy? What will it turn into? Something darker than she could imagine? Will her children be tainted, become one among the rulers of darkness?
Padmé was shaking, curled into a ball. She could barley register being picked up until she looked up to see Vader was now cradling her, despite her earlier protests.
She couldn't bring herself to push him away.
So she clung on.
She grabbed the front of his robe, holding on to him for dear life. She buried her face within his chest, gasping for air. She could feel his hands stroke her hair and down her back.
"Oh, Ani. What has happened to you? Why have you left me?" She was scared of him- and for him. For herself, for the galaxy.
"I'm here. I've never left you."
It was not her Ani that spoke.
There was no safe place within the Galaxy anymore.
-5 Days after the birth of the New Galactic Empire-
Padmé sobbed. Her body heaved, attempting to push out the twins that had sat patiently in her womb for 9 months. She was in pain, the drugs did nothing to lessen it. She was being drained with every push.
Heavy breathing, shaking limbs. She was dizzy. The room that span made her feel sick to her stomach. If she had the energy to bend over and hurl, she would. Sweat dripped from her forehead and soaked her white dress. Her hair was pulled back from her face by the medical droid as it hummed sweet nothings to comfort her.
Another push. She waved one of her hands in the air, grasping at nothing. Her vision was darkening slowly. The world she knew was a blur.
She heard a deep voice through the veil of rushed colors. It was frantic, afraid. She cried harder as the pitch raised in the voice.
"She's in pain! I thought you gave her medicine to quell that!"
"My Lord, we have. The patient is running a fever of one-hundred-and-three point 4. Her body is burning off the antibiotics injected in her. At this rate the fever will raise higher in temperature and her body and will fail-"
A loud crash. The mechanical voice that was speaking was now silenced.
"No! No, no!"
"My Lord, the specialist the Emperor has sent has arrived." A new human voice.
"Send him in immediately! And send in more staff to slow down her fever. Set up a comm channel directly to the Emperor. NOW!"
She could feel cold towels being placed on her body, behind her neck, her lower back, and her forehead.
This was it. This was the end of her life.
How she would die wasn't something she ever really thought about, but she never imagined like this. With a scar for a husband and 2 kids in her womb. Dead friends and beliefs, a man who ruined it all coming to perform dark arts with a foolish attempt to save her life..
It's not how she wanted to go.
Her lungs hurt and her throat was scratchy, had she been screaming? She couldn't remember.
She looked to the white ceiling above her as her head started to swim. With a death grip, she held on to the sides of her medical bed as she gave another push.
A cold hand reached out and touched her own as her body heaved. Immediately releasing the rails of the medical bed, she swatted at the touch. It wasn't right. She knew who it was. Padmé didn't want him near her. The hand moved to her forehead, stroking her. She reached out to shoo him with the strength she had left but failed when the hand grabbed her own.
Vader pressed his lips to her hand, reaching out for the other one beside her. She looked above her to see him leaning over her, caging her in.
Padmé couldn't help but cry harder at the sight of his face.
"It's okay." His voice was shaky but determined. She could hear him clearly as he leaned in. "He'll save you. You're going to be fine. I promise."
The blue eyes she looked into were all too familiar. Not full of hate or anger, but love and fear. Pulling her right hand free of his grip, she reached out to touch the burn on his face.
He immediately shuddered at the contact, leaning into her hand.
Yes. This was her Anakin. She could just tell. He was here with her now. Vader wasn't the one crying over her now.
A sense of peace came over her.
Her body felt numb yet her heart felt whole for a second more, like it was before the war. When she was young and hopelessly in love for the first time. She was complete with him here.
"Please take care of our children. There is still good in you.." Her vision began to darken more. "I know.. there's.. still good.."
Darkness consumed her.
The last thing she heard was a scream of denial and grief as her hand fell from his face.
The last thing she felt was two cold hands slamming into her chest and temple.
And they said death was peaceful.
Author's Note: umm. I'm sorry it's been so long forgive me.