Love never dies

Chapter 5

In hyperspace, we're all surrounded by an awkward silence. I stare out of the window at the millions of stars whizzing past at, well, light speed. Suddenly I remember a little boy on Tatooine, staring at the stars, wanting to see every one of them. I sigh at the memory and stand up. Turning around, I see Yoda, Obi Wan and Bail muttering to each other softly. Knowing that I am not needed-or wanted here for that matter, I sneak out of the cockpit. I walk along the corridors of the ship, until I reach the room where me, Luke and Leia are residing. I see my children fast asleep in their cribs. They're so peaceful lying there, its almost cruel, to think that their lives will never be that way, peaceful. For as long as long as the monstrosity that is the Empire exists, they will be in mortal danger. Anakin and me vowed to protect or child, or now, children in the peaceful Republic, yet ironically, we were the ones who destroyed that peace. With additional help from the Chancellor, of course. Or should I say-Emperor.

I suddenly violently swear a curse that I picked up from Anakin. Force, if Ani was Palpatine's apprentice, could he have told him of our marriage, my pregnancy? Or was that the reason he turned in the first place? He was so paranoid about his nightmares becoming a reality, and would have probably done anything to prevent them from doing so. And those new powers he told me about...could they have come from him turning to the dark side? I need answers, and the only person who can give them to me is, in my opinion, the second most despicable person in the galaxy. Obi Wan Kenobi.

Try as I might to forgive him, I just can't. He is the one who killed Anakin. If he hadn't snuck onboard my ship, I may have been able to somehow bring Anakin back to the light. Although, I hate him, I cannot deny that Obi Wan is the only person I can talk to about this. Ironic. I sigh and walk out of the room, beginning to search for him. After several minutes of searching, I locate him in the dining room. He's twirling a fork around with the force absent mindedly, just like Anakin used to. Great. He kills Ani and now he's beginning to act like him. Perfect. I walk in and plonk down in a seat staring at him. "You know Padme, you can be quite intimidating when you stare. Is it really necessary right now?" He sighs, slowly setting the fork down. I roll my eyes "Well, it seems appropriate for this moment and our relationship."

Obi Wan puts his head in his hands. "Padme, do you honestly think that I wanted to...kill Anakin." "Why else would you have snuck into my ship?" I retort. "Look, Yoda wanted me to kill Anakin, but I never had any intention to. All I wanted to do was...negotiate peacefully with him to give you two a chance of a better future together, but I only ended up making things worse. Once I saw how far he'd gone, that there was no going back...I had no choice, I had to fight him. It was either kill or be killed." He says. I sigh, and then remember what I came here for in the first place "Obi wan, why do you think Ani turned in the first place?"

Obi Wan shrugs "Power? I can't think of any other reason why Anakin would have turned. After all, his ambitions always were greater than that of a normal Jedi." I stand up "Power?" I yell, my emotions spinning more wildly out of control by the second "Ambition? How could you even think that? Did you ever meet Anakin? He was a GOOD PERSON!" I can't talk about this any more. I was wrong thinking that talking with Obi Wan would make things better. It only made matters worse. I run out of the room. As I leave, I hear Obi Wan call out from behind me.

"Don't act like you're the only person who misses Anakin, Padme. I miss him too."

I race back to my room, to see Luke and Leia bawling. Great. Could they somehow sense how I was feeling. I reach down to comfort them, but I hear a cold, harsh voice in my head.

"Find them Vader. Hunt down the children of Anakin Skywalker. Their combined force presences will make them...easy to find."

I gasp and take several steps back. That voice was real, I can tell, and has just confirmed what I must do. The children must be separated from each other and, though it breaks my heart to think this, me. I quickly grab a pen and paper and furiously begin to write.

Dear Master Yoda, Bail and Obi Wan,

By the time you read this I will be long gone, so DON'T try and follow me. Please do what I ask of you next as a final request. Luke and Leia's Force presences, from what I can tell, are too powerful combined to avoid the attention of Palpatine and whoever this Vader person is. Please, for they're sakes as well as my own, hide them in safe, separate places, far away from the clutches of the Empire. I regret that I cannot tell you this personally, but I fear that the Emperor knows where I am, and will use me to find my children, so I am leaving. I am doing this for the sake of my children, not my own.

Please, look after them, look after yourselves and may the force be with you all.

Padme Amidala

I sigh, and leave the note in an obvious spot on my bed, before picking Luke and Leia up and kissing them both on the forehead. "I love you both so much. Remember that, always." I then set them back down, shedding a tear. I change into more practical attire, grab a few essentials and race out, as the tears begin to flow freely. Checking that no one is there, I head into the landing bay, where I jump into a green starfighter that reminds me so much of Anakin's. I consider the places I could go. Coruscaunt? Nope. Naboo? Nope. Alderaan? Nope. Tatooine? Nope. I sigh in defeat, but then a planet comes to mind. I pull down the glass visor and turn to the ship's R4 unit.

"Set course for Corellia."

Author's Note: 1000+ words? On holiday? Wow-I must love you guys! Hope you likey!!!