WHAT IS REAL

XIII

She woke in the med center and she groaned as she looked and saw him standing there. "Why can't you just let me die? Haven't you done enough to me?"

"Perhaps, but only I say when you die. You were a very naughty girl to try to take that from me."

"Take from you! What have you taken from me? EVERYTHING!" She shouted at him and then she whispered, "Most of all my Anakin."

"Still love him do you? Well you know I am not the one who took him from you. He did that of his own will. I am just the one who gets to reap the benefit of that."

She sighed at that because she knew he was right. Her love had not been enough for Anakin. He wanted more all the time.

"You gave him promises that you never kept." she spat out at Palpatine. "He will never be who he wanted to be because you will never allow him that power."

"Yes and yet he still faithfully follows me. How do you explain that?"She had no answer for that so she kept her mouth shut.

"You though I can turn into nothingness and you will never serve me, will you? I could change everything for you. All I need from you is a yes."

"I would do anything to get away from you," she replied.

"What if I could promise you the one thing you dearly want? Your husband."

Padme was silent. She really wanted Anakin back. So badly in fact that she could taste his kiss on her lips when she licked them.

"What would I have to do?"

"Pledge your loyalty to me."

She thought about it for a second and then she said she would do it. Palpatine untied her from the table and she kneeled in front of him, "I pledge to serve you Emperor Palpatine."

A sinister cackle was heard from him and suddenly a bolt of lightening shocked Padme. She screamed in agony as she was forced all the way to the floor. Before she passed out she heard him say, "I got everything I ever wanted from you Padme. Now you are useless to me."

Padme's world went black.