Chapter 22

Anakin headed to the medical wing as soon as he reached the ship. He was tired, for he'd slept very little over the past 24 hours, but was far too excited to sleep.

"Hello, Anakin," a nurse asked as Anakin walked into the room.

"Hi," Anakin said. "I need DNA proof that I am, or was, Darth Vader," he said.

"Oh, well that shouldn't be too hard," the nurse said. She walked over to a computer terminal and brought up the medical files of Darth Vader. After finding a readout of his DNA, she turned to him. "Here it is," she said. "Now I'll need to get a sample of your DNA now, so we can put them side by side."

Anakin rolled up his sleeve and allowed the nurse to take a sample of blood from his arm.
"Now just give me a moment," the nurse said as she put in sample into the computer terminal. She performed a few operations and within a moment the two DNA strands appeared side by side on the screen. "There's no doubt that you and Darth Vader are the same person, and this proves it," she said.

She sent the readout to a data disc and, after it had downloaded, handed it to Anakin.

"Thanks," Anakin said.

The nurse smiled. "Not at all," she said. "Is there anything else I can do for you?"

Anakin smiled. "Not a thing," he said. "Appreciate it."

Anakin left, not seeing the admiring look that the nurse gave him. He headed to the quarters where his family lived, bracing himself for another confrontation with his wife.

"Anakin, I was hoping you'd stop by," Padmé said as he entered the room.

Luke and Leia ran over to their father, who picked them up in his arms and kissed them.

"Oh? Why is that?" Anakin asked, looking over at his wife.

"I wanted to ask you about your meeting with the chancellor," she said.

"It was good," he said, setting the children down. "Organa charged Krennic with treason, he was taken away, everything is under control."

Padmé nodded. "Good," she said. "There's something else I wanted to talk to you about," she said. "Can we go and sit down?"

"Sure," Anakin said. He grew anxious as he wondered what she wanted to talk about. Is this it? he wondered. Is she going to tell me our marriage is over?

Padmé sat down on the sofa and looked up at Anakin waiting for him to join her.

"What's on your mind?" Anakin asked he sat across from her.

"You," Padmé said.

"Me? What about me?" Anakin asked.

Padmé sighed, and clasped her hands together. "I feel terrible about what happened this morning," she said. "I've been very unfair, and I wanted to say that I'm sorry."

Anakin was surprised by her apology and smiled. "You haven't been unfair," he said. "You've been more fair than I deserve. I don't deserve forgiveness for what I did, not from you, not from the galaxy. "

Padmé shook her head. "Don't talk that way," she said.

"It's true, Padmé," he said, standing up. "When I think about that night, that ...horrific night in the temple...I killed younglings, Padmé, younglings! How can I expect to be forgiven for that? I will never forgive myself. I can't expect any better from you, or from anyone."

Padmé stood up and walked over to him. "Anakin, what you did was monstrous," she said. "There's no doubt of that. And it's something that you will probably be tormented by for the rest of your life. I know that I will be too, but I have to learn to live with it, and so do you."

Anakin frowned. "I'm trying," he said. "In fact, there's something I want to do, something I need to do, that will, hopefully, try to make up for the crimes I've committed in the past."

"What is it?" Padmé asked.

"I want to go to Tatooine," he said. "I want to put an end to slavery there."

Padmé was surprised. "Anakin that's wonderful," she said with a smile. "But how? How can you do that? The Hutts are in control of the slave trade. How can you possibly do it?"

"Lots and lots of money," Anakin said.

"You have that much money?" she asked.

"I will soon," he said. "I happen to be the sole beneficiary of the late emperor," he said, "who was filthy rich. I plan to use my inheritance to better the lives of the people of Tatooine."

Padmé smiled. "I think that's wonderful," she said.

Anakin nodded. "I told my mother I'd come back and free her one day," he said, a look of sadness in his eyes. "I didn't get to do that, but maybe she'll rest easier if I can free other slaves and spare them the life she had."

"I'm so impressed," she said. "Your mother would be proud of you, Anakin," she said.

Anakin didn't think so. In fact, there had been many nights when he'd been tormented with the thoughts of how broken hearted she'd have been had she lived to see the atrocities he'd committed.

"I need to get back to Coruscant," Anakin said. "The lawyer is waiting for me. I need to prove that I'm Darth Vader."

"I see," Padmé said. "Come back for dinner," she said.

Anakin smiled. "Thank you, I will," he said. He gave her a tentative kiss on the cheek, and then left her again, feeling more optimistic about his marriage than he had in a long time.

Padmé busied herself between playing with the twins and making supper. Tired of giving her children replicated food, she'd arranged for a real stove and refrigerator to be installed in her quarters so she could cook real food. Anakin will be so surprised when he finds out that I can cook now, she thought with a smile. Her bad cooking had been a source of amusement between the two of them. I miss those days, she thought wistfully. Could it be like that again? Anakin was not the same man he had been all those years ago, so how could it be like that again? But it can be better now, she reflected; we don't have to hide anymore, we can have a real marriage, we can raise our family together without the fear of being discovered and punished...

"Is there something I might do to help, Miss Padmé?" Threepio asked, interrupting Padmé's ruminations.

"Yes," Padmé said, handing him a head of lettuce. "Wash this."

Coruscant

"Well everything seems to be in order," the legal clerk said. "I will have the funds transferred right away, sir."

"Thanks," Anakin said. "I'll give you the information."

After Anakin left he headed to a dealership that sold ships, for he would need a long distance vessel to take him to Tatooine. After selecting and model that he'd admired for a long time, he arranged to pick it up in two days' time. The next item on his list was to find a place to live on Tatooine. He'd considered contacting his step brother Owen to see if he could live with them, but decided against the idea. There was no doubt that Owen knew all about Anakin's atrocities, and would be highly unlikely to welcome him into his home. I guess I'll just sleep on the ship until I can find a place to live, he decided.

Padmé had just set the table for dinner when Anakin returned.

"Something smells fantastic," Anakin said as he came into the dining area. "Wait a minute, did you cook?" he asked when he saw the kitchen appliances.

Padmé smiled. "Don't sound so shocked," she said.

"Where did you get these?" he asked.

Padmé shrugged. "I have connections," she told him. "Everything is ready," she said. "Can you get the kids to wash their hands please?"

"Sure thing," Anakin said, and rounded up the twins to get them to the fresher to wash up. He did the same and then the family sat down to eat the meal that Padmé had prepared.

"Did you get everything settled with the lawyer?" Padmé asked as she cut up Luke's chicken.

"Yes," Anakin said as he did the same for Leia. "It's obscene how much money that old bast...I mean that old fart had."

Luke giggled. "Daddy said fart," he said.

Anakin gave him a wink.

"Well I'm happy that all that money will be put to a good use," Padmé said. "Do you have a plan for how you're going to do this?"

Anakin shrugged. "I was thinking I'd figure it out when I get there," he said.

Padmé nodded, hating the thought of him going to Tatooine, but not wanting to spoil his excitement. "Where will you stay?" she asked.

"On the ship until I find a place," he said.

"This ship?" she asked. "You're asking Obi-Wan to go to Tatooine?"

"No, he's too involved in the Senate to be out there," he said. " I bought a cruiser," he said.

"So you're going to Tatooine alone?" Padmé asked.

"That's the plan," he said.

Padmé frowned. "Ani, you'll be gone a long time," she said. "We're just getting to know each other again," she said.

"I'm sorry, Padmé," he said. "But this is really important."
"And our marriage isn't?" she said.

Anakin sighed. "You know that isn't what I mean," he said. "Why do you do that? Why do you twist what I say to make me feel like an asshole?"

Padmé's eyes widened. "Anakin, the children!"

Anakin felt badly for having used in an in appropriate word in front of his children, but he was frustrated.

"Daddy is sorry," Anakin said to Luke and Leia, who were too engrossed in their meal to have noticed. He looked at Padmé. "I'm sorry," he said. "I didn't express myself very well, I often don't. But what I said is true. You have a way of twisting things to make me look like I'm in the wrong every time."

Padmé sighed. "That isn't my intention," she said. "I don't mean to make you feel that way, really I don't. We just don't seem to be able to communicate without disagreeing. It's very frustrating! I don't want to argue, Anakin. I want to rebuild our relationship. But if you're in the Outer Rim, how can that happen? Do you see my concerns?"

Anakin nodded. "I do," he said. "And I want to rebuild our relationship too. But I'm also trying to rebuild myself," he said. "Doing this is a vital part of that process."

"I understand," Padmé said. "Why don't we and the children come with you to Tatooine?"

Anakin was surprised. "Really? You want to come to Tatooine? You've been there, Padmé. Do you really want to live there for God knows how long?"

"If it means we're going to be together, then yes," she said.

Anakin smiled. "Very well," he said. "We'll go together."

After helping Padmé clean up the dishes, bathe the children and get them to bed, Anakin and Padmé sat together in the living room making plans.

"Well it's late," Padmé said after a few hours. "Luke and Leia are up early, so maybe we should call it a night."

"Good idea," Anakin said. "I'm going to take a shower first if that's okay."

"Of course," Padmé said, standing up. "This is your home too, Anakin," she told him with a smile. "I hope you realize that."

Anakin smiled. "Thank you," he said. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," she said. Padmé headed to the bedroom alone, remembering the argument she'd had with Anakin that morning. He had told her that he wouldn't make love to her again. But he was angry because I'd regretted what happened...but did I really? If Padmé was completely honest with herself, she would have to admit that she only felt complete when she was with Anakin, that making love with him made her feel more alive than anything. Can I blame him if he doesn't want me now? After the way I've been acting? After all the mixed signals I've been giving him? Padmé got undressed and opened the drawer to her dresser. She pulled out a nightie, but then, after a moment's hesitation, put it back in the drawer. She got onto the bed nude. As she lay there, she could hear the sound of the shower in the adjoining rom. Her heart pounded within her in anticipation, hoping that Anakin would react to her overture in the way she'd hoped.

Anakin turned off the water and stepped out of the shower. He picked up the a towel and dried himself off, stopping to look in the mirror and the new hair that was growing on top of his head. He smiled as he rubbed it, pleased that his ability to grow hair had not been lost. He wrapped the towel around his waist and headed into the bedroom. He glanced over at the bed and did a double take when he saw Padmé lying on the bed watching him wearing nothing but a smile.

"Hi," she said.

"Hi," he said, feeling himself getting excited by the sight of her naked body. He smiled. "Something on your mind?"

Padmé nodded. "You," she said. "Make love to me, Anakin," she said.

"Are you sure?" he said, hoping desperately that she was. "I don't want you to have regrets after."

Padmé shook her head. "I won't have regrets," she said. "I need you, Ani. I want you."

Anakin dropped the towel, and joined her on the bed, only too happy to give her what she needed.