"Wait, Senator Amidala!" Padme heard a voice call as she was about to climb into her speeder. She glanced up to see Chancellor Palpatine's secretary striding toward her.
"The Chancellor always gives me an extra-long lunch break. He values his privacy." Marjim smiled at Padme hopefully. "Would you like to grab a quick bite at Dexter's with me and find someplace quiet outdoors to eat it? I've been wanting a better opportunity to speak with you for a long time."
Padme smiled back. "I would be glad to come with you. I could use a break and some fresh air."
The two women drove their speeders to the fast food restaurant and offered two takeout meals before proceeding to the only nature preserve on Coruscant. They settled down on a bench to eat their lunch.
"Mmm," Marjim said, breathing a sigh of contentment as she swallowed her last bite. "That was delicious. Probably was half grease, but delicious nonetheless."
Padme nodded, crumpling up the wrappers from her meal and tossing them into a nearby trashcan. "I think I'll try to walk some of it off."
The two women strolled along the path. The shadows of the leaves on the trees overhead speckled the sidewalk, the dark shapes flickering as a gentle breeze stirred their live counterparts. Padme breathed in deeply; The bustle of Coruscant and the beauty of the skyline energized her, but sometimes she still missed the waterfalls, lush green, and open spaces of Naboo countryside where there had been no war, no arguments, no visions, just herself and Anakin. When she had been so sure of his love...
"Padme?" Marjim asked suddenly, sounding ill at ease. "Are you…expecting?"
Padme's gaze immediately jerked to her friend, her thoughts spinning. So much for peace… "Is it obvious?"
"No, you do a good job of hiding it with loose clothing. I just noticed your dress was stretched tightly against your stomach when you were sitting a certain way on the bench." Marjim paused, the silence filled only by the rhythm of their footsteps. "Anakin Skywalker is the father, isn't he?"
"You are entirely too perceptive for your own good, Marjim," Padme said with a sigh. "How did you know?"
"It certainly required a lot of perception," Marjim said wryly, "When you ran into his arms and he kissed you at the Jedi Temple."
Padme felt her cheeks grow warm and pretended to study a tree they were passing. "Do you go to the Temple frequently?" she asked.
"Every week," Marjim said with a quiet laugh. "Oh, I know I'm not supposed to be there, but wild rancors couldn't keep me away. You see, my husband fought for the Republic in the war. He frequently went undercover on Separatist worlds to gather intel when the Jedi couldn't be spared, or when it was too high a risk for the Jedi to take in proportion to the information that was being offered."
"I understand," Padme said softly. "Average people complete the dirty work, while the Jedi get the applause from the public. I'm sorry."
Marjim shrugged, smiling sadly. "The Jedi are generals and leaders of hundreds of clone troops: They are more important to the war effort than average people like my husband." She sucked in a deep breath, her gaze falling to her feet and watching them as they thumped along the path. "A group of Separatist extremists, partnered with a Dark Jedi, killed my husband," she continued. "I had a daughter shortly after his death, and she tested positive for Force sensitivity at her birth. I was eighteen years old, and with my lone salary, I couldn't afford proper food, clothing, and schooling for a child. I knew they would be able to provide her with those things at the Temple, along with the proper training. I still like to go and quietly watch at the Temple sometimes, hoping I might catch a glimpse of my Celesta."
The loneliness Padme saw in Marjim's eyes prompted her to stop walking and wrap her arms around the other woman. "Oh, Marjim, I'm sorry. They don't let you visit her?"
"No. Attachments are forbidden," Marjim whispered. She returned the hug, wiped her eyes, and stepped back with a smile. "But it's all right, Padme. Celesta will have a chance to make a difference that I never had. Dark Jedi like the one who killed my husband need to be stopped, and, since I lacked other options, dedicating my daughter to the cause was all I could do."
"Don't underestimate your own ability to make a difference," Padme said gently as they started walking again. "You work in the office of the Supreme Chancellor himself!"
Marjim waved her hand dismissively. "All I do is make him caf and schedule his appointments."
"I personally know that no politician can function well if his secretary doesn't. The Chancellor has a workload the size of a sarlacc, so you must have a large one, too."
Marjim grinned. "I've probably got a Sarlacc sized stack of work on my desk right now." She flicked back her sleeve, eyes widening as she glanced at her watch. "And stars above, I'm going to be late."
She smiled warmly at Padme, reaching out to gently touch her arm. "Don't worry, Senator. I know attachments aren't something you can simply turn off and on; I won't tell anyone about Master Skywalker. How many people know?"
"Just a few close friends: Anakin's former master Obi-Wan and Senator Organa, although Bail doesn't know who the father is. Anakin insisted that someone I trusted in the Senate must be informed of my condition, so someone will know and be able to help if something goes wrong."
"Smart man," Marjim said with an approving nod. "Now, I had really better start moving. The Chancellor's going to adopt the temperament of a Hutt if I don't get him his afternoon cup of caf." She turned and sprinted down the path, surprisingly quickly in spite of her formal clothing. "Goodbye, Padme! It was nice talking to you."
"Goodbye, Marjim!" Padme called back. She started to trudge back to her speeder, reluctant to return to the worries she had left.
o0o
Padme was listening to the Supreme Chancellor address the Senate a few days later when she began to feel the contractions. She ignored the first few, trying to focus as the Chancellor droned on about trade routes blocked by the war and the raised taxes that were resulting. The contractions, like the rise in taxes, had been coming for several weeks now, but one of the med droids had given her an exam and diagnosed it as false labor every time.
She winced as her muscles tightened, her hand instinctively moving to her belly. When another contraction came less than five minutes after, her sharp intake of breath drew Bail's attention.
"Senator?" Bail whispered, leaning over. "Are you all right?"
"I'm fine," she gritted out, forcing her hand away from her stomach and hoping he wouldn't notice how deeply her fingernails pressed into the leather seat. "It's just…I think maybe…it's time. Right now."
The other senator's face went white. Padme's lips quirked up: Bail, whose impassive façade lasted through session after session of Senate intrigue and bickering, couldn't hide his panic at the idea of a woman going into labor beside him at the Senate building. It would make quite a scene, considering that very few of the Senators even knew Padme was pregnant. Quite educational, too, for all the species who had never seen a human give birth…
But Bail didn't seem to think it was a good time for such a lesson.
"All right," he said, taking a deep breath as he steered their repulsor pod closer to the entrance and helped her to her feet. "I'll drive you to the med center, Senator."
Once he had helped her into his speeder and they were weaving around traffic on their way to the closest med center, Bail glanced at her. "Senator Amidala?"
"Yes, Senator Organa?"
"Is there someone we need to call and inform?"
Padme shook her head.
"Are you certain? Not even— "he hesitated. "Not even the father?"
Padme paused to consider what she could say without giving away Anakin's identity; The contractions, coming increasingly harder and closer together, weren't improving her clarity of thought. "No," she finally gasped. "No, he is too far away."
"It doesn't feel right that you should be alone, Padme. If it were Breha in labor…" he allowed his voice to trail off. "I would want her to have some friend or family with her."
She knew what he meant, but decided to be stubborn. "You are my friend."
He knew she knew, but decided to be patient. "I meant a woman."
Padme relented. "There is someone you can call. Marjim, the Supreme Chancellor's secretary," she said. "Marjim Farrhyl."
O0o
Marjim arrived only minutes after they did, rushing to Padme's bedside. Immediately she sat down and patiently held Padme's hand while they waited for the twins to make their appearance.
"Thank you for coming," Padme whispered. Her elaborate hairstyle and pins that held it in place kept her head from lying flat on the table, and they prickled at her neck.
As if she had read her mind, Marjim reached up and began to gently undo the complicated twists in Padme's hair. Once the locks had been released and fallen around Padme's face and shoulders, the other woman brushed strands of sweaty hair off Padme's forehead. It was a shame, Padme though, that the droids alone were currently used on Coruscant; She had always thought that some planets used human personnel simply because they were poor to afford med droids, but now she wondered if it was because they had realized how soothing a skilled human touch could be.
"You're welcome," Marjim said as she helped Padme move into a more comfortable position. "I know how hard it can be to give birth without someone by your side."
Padme was going to apologize if the situation was bringing back bad memories, but the pain of another intense contraction took her breath away.
Suddenly, the world around her became a haze. She was only vaguely aware of Marjim and the droids coaxing her through the process of labor, her teeth grinding together as she tried to keep back her shrieks. Eventually, she just gave in to them and yelled, not having the strength to resist.
Then, everything went dark. It was warm all around, and wet. It was being pushed, bright lights flooding its eyes, cold piercing into its muscles, and noise- There was noise everywhere, noises for which it didn't know the names- Beeps, voices, and the hum of the birthing machines. There were things, cold, metal things, touching its skin and prodding it. The poking didn't hurt, but it felt- strange. The baby cried. It wanted to go back to the dark. It wanted to go back to the other one, feel its heartbeat, and know it was there with him.
Padme's sense of vision and hearing subsided back to normal. She blinked. Had she been inside her baby's senses? Inside his mind? The medical droid finished checking the baby's vitals and inspecting him for abnormalities, then shuffled over to Padme's side. "Exam complete, no existing medical conditions," the droid said, then recited the baby's height and weight. Padme turned her head to look at the baby, which the droid had transferred into Marjim's arms, and reached up to gently touch the tiny hands.
"Look at your beautiful little boy, Padme!" Marjim said. "Have you chosen a name?"
"Luke," she said, unable to hold back a cry as her muscles contracted. "His name is Luke."
Once again, she found herself immersed in the darkness. Through her pain, she felt an alarm that wasn't her own as the baby inside of her was apart from her brother for the first time in her life.
She felt Luke's infantile mind—Oh, so full of feeling, but with no names or words to describe anything he felt- stretching tiny fingers toward herself and the other small light that glowed in the Force. Was her born child reaching out to her unborn with the Force? Was that possible?
Again, her senses were almost overwhelmed as Leia felt the shock of the sights, sounds, and cold of a new world, cries bursting from her tiny lungs. The droid whisked her away to do a quick exam.
Padme reached out to the Force, finding the two lost, tiny lights and caressing them. It's all right, little ones. I'm here. Sending little waves of love and comfort to wash over the twins in the Force came to her easily, naturally. She smiled as they both calmed.
The droid placed the babies in a warmer, checked Padme's vitals, and asked her some questions. When he had decided everything was proceeding normally, he prepared a sleeping aid and moved to Padme's side to administer it.
"Wait! Wait," Padme whispered. "Please, let me…call…the father first."
"Why don't you give her some privacy?" Marjim suggested to the droid as she handed her comlink to Padme.
"It is not in my programming to leave the room so soon after birth. It is standard procedure that the patient must be monitored until-"
"To Hoth with standard procedure!" Marjim interrupted. "I will stay here with her and come for you if something is wrong. You will only be on the other side of the glass, and you will be able to see her the whole time."
"I am afraid I cannot do that."
Marjim straightened her shoulders, turning to the droid with an impassive stare. "May I remind you that she is a Galactic Senator, and as such, has many connections and much information that should not be revealed. The Supreme Chancellor most certainly has the authority to remove a single droid from a medical facility and sell it to a distance planet to be reprogrammed to program binary load lifters, should any confidential information be leaked." She paused to allow the words to soak in, then added sternly, "And the Chancellor is a personal friend of hers and most certainly would desire to uphold Lady Padme's privacy."
The droid rotated its head and shot Marjim what definitely would have been a dirty look on a human face, but it left the room. Padme raised an eyebrow at Marjim, who smiled.
"When you have politicians demanding to see the Chancellor during his lunch break, you learn how to make your point. I'm sorry that I can't leave too, but that droid would pitch a fit. I'll stand in the corner, though, so you can have some privacy."
Padme offered her a grateful smile. She sucked in deep breaths and released them, still breathing heavily from the effort expended during the labor. When she could speak without panting, she clicked the comlink on.
"Padme?" Anakin's voice crackled.
Padme felt sapped of all energy, but somehow enough still flowed through her to fuel a thrill of excitement. She felt her lips tug upwards in a beaming smile. "Anakin, it's over. Luke and Leia have arrived!"
"Angel, that's amaz—Wait, Luke and Leia?!"
"Yes! They're twins!"
"Twins? I'm a father! Yes, Force, yes!" From his tone, Padme suspected Anakin was punching the air with his fist. She understood him well enough to know there was no way he could be standing still if his voice was vibrating with that much excitement.
"Anakin, please be sensible," she could hear Obi Wan's voice say faintly. "Make sure she's alone, for goodness sakes. Here, hand me that comlink."
There was a shuffle, then she heard Obi Wan's voice, loud and clear. "Congratulations, my lady Padme. Are you alone?"
"It's safe to speak."
A ripple of static, followed by a loud grunt, came through the comlink. "Oomph. I know you are excited, Anakin, but there is no need to assault me."
"It's called a hug!" Padme heard Anakin bellow. "And you're going to be getting a lot of them now, Uncle Obi! There are twins. Wait, are they okay? Is Padme okay?"
"Ask her yourself," Obi-Wan said, his voice fading as he handed over the comlink.
"Padme, angel, are you and the babies all right?" asked Anakin.
"Yes, I'm fine, and the medical droids said Luke and Leia are strong and healthy."
"When were they born?"
It felt like it had been five hours, or else five minutes, but the clock told a different story when she glanced up at it. "A half hour ago," Padme said.
"A half hour ago?" she heard Obi-Wan exclaim. "Anakin, say goodbye to your wife so she can rest!"
"I'm sorry," Anakin said guiltily. "You sleep now, okay? I love you, angel."
Padme clicked off the comlink and closed her eyes, the hint of the smile that lingered on her lips fading. How could she enjoy this moment when she knew what was to come when Anakin's true desires for her and the twins would be revealed? Stop it! she scolded herself. You heard how excited he was! That was the Anakin I know, and he would never harm Luke or Leia. Or me.
A voice, a voice that was almost outside of her, whispered: Yes, but the Anakin of your visions was not himself. The Dark Side changed him. By the time it happens, you won't even know him.
The memory of orange eyes rimmed with hate and greed for control hovered on the edges of her vision until, mercifully, the droid's sleeping potion sent her into a deep slumber.
o0o
A/N. So, I gave Padme a break in this chapter- If you can call giving birth to twins a break! Her discovery of her power is really just beginning in the next chapter or two, and I'm planning on getting out some longer chapters from now on. Also, if you don't recognize Marjim, there's a good reason for that: She and her daughter are my inventions. Marjim works for Palpatine, but she is a junior administrative secretary and isn't in his confidence. Palpatine still relies on Sly Moore and Mas Amedda for that, hence the reason why he can do away with Marjim if need be. To him, she's just another underling, but I have a plan for her. :) Nobody else belongs to me, and all the recognizable characters belong to Lucasfilm and Disney. As always, thanks for reading!
