The days were spent in despair and misery, and the nights were spent in utter loneliness. The girl never saw anyone except the man in black robes. The only way she saw anybody else was on the wall screen, when the man was in the room and had it on. He only came a couple times a day, if even that much, and the rest of the time she was completely alone with no one to talk to.
She had seen that boy, Luke, on the screen, with his parents. He looked so happy. His parents looked happy to have him. She couldn't understand why the man in black was so angry about the boy, but she knew better to ask. She had learned very quickly that she was not to ask questions, only to answer when she was spoken to.
When she was kept alone all night in the dark, she wasn't sure if she slept or not, but she was sure she must dream. She often found herself wishing that someone would come and take her away from this awful man, that someone would save her. That someone out there would somehow know of her existence and come to help her. At night when her eyes closed, she could see a different surrounding, a brightly lit home that was warm and inviting, with nice people in it who were happy to have her stay with them. There was no clear picture of the people, but she could feel their love, for one another and for her. It was so nice, she always dreaded waking up the next morning to the same dark room, with the occasional and questionable company of the same horrible man, if in fact that's what he was.
Anakin held his palms out in mild curiosity at the smashed pieces of metal the beeping droid had brought him, like a pet delivering a dead animal at its master's feet as a sign of affection.
"What've you got, Artoo?" Anakin inquired as he looked at the pieces and tried to make some sense of it.
"Artoo found a probe droid on the grounds, Master Anakin," Threepio explained.
Anakin did a double take. "He did?"
"More to the point, he rolled over it, putting it permanently out of commission."
Anakin looked to his wife and his best friend in silent contemplation.
"So that's how he did it," Padme said.
"Think that puts us at an advantage now?" Anakin asked his mentor.
"If it's the only one," Obi-Wan answered.
Artoo beeped and chirped eagerly.
"Artoo says he scoured the grounds and didn't find any others, but he believes a thorough search of the house would also be in order," Threepio translated.
"I agree," Padme said.
Anakin thought, and he thought.
"Start with Luke's room."
"Two spy droids in the house, one in the hangar," Anakin concluded by the end of the search.
"And you're sure that's all of them?" Padme asked.
"You want Threepio to give you the odds?"
"No," she responded without missing a beat. "And they're all deactivated?"
"They're destroyed. Palpatine can't possibly spy on us now."
There was a pause between them before Padme asked, "Then why don't I feel better about all this?"
Anakin shook his head. "I don't either."
"So what do we do now?"
The door to Luke's room slid open and Anakin stepped in. The green night light offered a dim view of things but he could see Luke sleeping peacefully in his bed. He didn't stir at the approaching footsteps, nor did he notice the figure looming over him.
Anakin worked softly and quietly, he wrapped Luke up in his pink blanket, then lifted the sleeping boy into his arms and carried him over to their bedroom. The door slid open and he could see Padme awake and sitting up on her side of the bed.
Without a word, Anakin walked over to their bed and slipped Luke in the middle beside his mother, then crawled back in himself and pulled the covers up all three of them.
Realistically, both parents knew that Palpatine would never be bold enough to actually come here and try anything in plain sight. They also knew that there were no longer any means for the chancellor to spy on them. But they also knew neither one of them would get a wink of sleep that night unless they could actually see Luke and know he was safe with them.
In the morning, Luke didn't question why he'd woken up in his parents' bed. Anakin and Padme had decided not to worry Luke with their findings, and since they were still in the dark, their suspicions more than anything. As far as the boy knew, whatever had happened that had caused so much trouble in their home, had simply ceased, and he was happy because his parents weren't fighting about it anymore. Until they had something more conclusive to go on, they decided to leave it at that and maintain Luke's innocence and his happiness as best they could.
Anakin awoke to a sudden vibration and felt like there was a seismic event going on, when he got his eyes open he realized it was Luke standing by the bed shaking him.
"Father, Mother, are you awake?"
"We are now," Anakin tiredly answered.
Padme moaned softly and turned on her side to see him, "Did you have a nightmare, Luke?"
"No," he made his father groan as he climbed up on the bed taking a shortcut across Anakin's lap, "the voice is calling me again."
Now both adults were more than wide awake.
"Who is it, Luke?" Padme asked.
The boy shook his head, "I don't know."
"Luke...you remember Chancellor Palpatine...is it his voice?" Anakin asked.
He shook his head. "No, it sounds like a girl."
Anakin and Padme exchanged another look.
"Palpatine kidnapped someone else's child?" Padme asked.
"I don't know," Anakin swung his legs over the side of the bed and opened the door leading out to the hall, "Obi-Wan!"
"I'm awake, Anakin," the other voice responded from a shorter distance than the guest room they'd put the Jedi in for the time being. He appeared in the doorway and inquired, "What is it?"
"Luke says it's a girl calling him," Padme said as she got up from the bed.
"Okay, Luke," Anakin put his hands on his son's shoulders, "go get dressed, we're taking the shuttle, you're going to show us where she is, alright?"
Luke nodded, "Okay, Father."
"Anakin, I don't like this," Padme said once the boy had darted back to his own room, "what if it is a trap?"
"We don't have any choice," Anakin answered. "We have to find out what's going on."
"Then I'm coming too," she announced.
Anakin's eyes doubled in size, "Oh no you're not. It's too dangerous."
"Luke is our child, Anakin," she reminded him, "I am going, and that's final."
Anakin turned to his mentor and implored, "Help me out here."
Obi-Wan shrugged dismissively, "Sorry, Anakin, not having any experience myself, I do know it's unwise to try arguing with your wife."
"Thank you," Padme responded.
"All right," Anakin conceded, and added, "but you stay on the shuttle, we have no idea what we're walking into."
Padme shot him a look and remarked, "Anakin, don't be ridiculous."
Fuming, Anakin turned to Obi-Wan and warned him, "Not one word."
The elder Jedi ignored his warning and commented with a small smirk, "You just had to marry a woman who was as stubborn as you."
"Are you getting anything, Luke?" Anakin asked as he flew the shuttle back towards the area where he'd found the boy and Artoo during the snowstorm.
"It still sounds so far away, Father," the boy answered.
Anakin flew a few miles past the point where Luke's journey had ended the last time, then landed the shuttle and he and Luke stepped out.
"Artoo said you guys had been going straight about the whole time," Anakin looked out into the vast darkness. There were some lights, the stars, some distant lights from houses, but he wasn't sure about Luke wandering around alone in the dark. "So I guess you'll go straight from here on out."
Luke looked up at him. "Are you worried, Father?"
"Yeah, kind of," the blonde man answered truthfully, "But I know I have to trust your instincts, so I'm going to let you lead us through. You show us where to go, alright?"
Luke nodded.
"Alright...now, Luke," Anakin held out a comm link, "I showed you how to use one of these, you take it, keep it with you at all times, and when you find something you comm us, you got it?"
Luke nodded as he put the comm link in his pocket.
"Now listen, Luke," Anakin crouched down to look him in the eyes, "there's a good chance we're going to find Palpatine out here...if you see him, you do whatever you have to to get away from him, don't let him catch you, do you understand?"
"Yes, Father."
Yes, Father. Anakin wanted to laugh, it was just that simple. Luke had no idea just how dire the consequences could be if this failed. Perhaps ignorance was bliss, not knowing what lay ahead made it easy for the boy to be brave and eager. He pulled Luke against him in a tight hug, one voice inside his head screaming at him never to let go, another reminded him he had to.
"Alright, Luke, go."
"Okay, Father," Luke turned and walked off, as easily as if he were staying at friend's house for the night, no regard for the possibility he might not return.
Anakin fought against the rock in his stomach. Luke would return, he was going to make sure of that. No one, not even Palpatine himself, was going to take his son away from him.