WHAT IS REAL

XXIV

"Anakin .... Anakin , where are you!"

She looked up into the face of a baby. It's a boy. Pain suddenly seized her body again. "Anakin! Help me!" she cried as the pain wracked her body two more times. Then she was looking into the face of another baby. This time it was a girl."Luke and Leia." was said a bare whisper. She asked to hold her babies but suddenly they were gone.

She was walking through a forest searching , calling the names, "Luke ..... Leia..." No response. She became frantic, calling louder. She started running searching holes, caves, and behind trees. All to no avail. Suddenly a loud sinister laughed caused her to jerk around. A man in a black robe that covered his whole body stood right behind her. "What's the matter, my friend, can't you find your children?" the voice was the voice of Emperor Palpatine, and she was very afraid.

Yet she could not keep herself from asking, "Do you know where there they are?"

He said nothing ; only threw off his black robe to reveal, not Palpatine as she had expected, but ObiWan. His face was aglow with a eerie yellow light. His eyes were glowing red. His hands suddenly became skeletal bones and his voice became a snarl as he said, "Here they are!" and in his hands appeared two tiny skeleton remains.

"Nnnooo!"

Padme sat straight up in bed screaming. Sweat dripped from every part of her body making the sheets cling to her. Vader sat up next to her and pulled her into an embrace. She wailed into his shoulder for so long he feared he would have to call for a doctor. She finally seemed to settle down though it was a while before she could speak. Vader hit his com and ordered Jennifer to bring Padme some water. She gladly took the glass from Jennifer when it was brought and Vader waved her out of the room.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked gently.

"Not right now please just hold me until I go back to sleep."

He did as she asked. Neither of them went to sleep for quite a while. Vader lay beside her his jaw working as anger built up inside him. He was so angry that Padme had been though such horrible tortures. She should never have to relive those things even in dreams. She would not have to relive such things if had never crossed the line. The Little voice of Anakin seemed to pipe up. No sooner had he reared his head than The strong voice of Vader walked over and squashed him flat. Regrets were for cowards and Vader was no coward.