WHAT IS REAL

XXVI

Padme watched the clock change from 3:30 to 4:00. Then minute by minute she watched it change to 4:30. Around that time she made out the sound of Vader's deep breathing. She careful extracted herself from his arms and went out on the veranda. She needed some cool air on her skin and she hoped it would serve to clear her head. She sat on the reclining chair and closed her eyes to try and forget the dream. She quickly opened her eyes again becauseinstead of forgettingthe dream came flooding back to her. She wondered what had prompted such an awful dream about her children. She had no idea where they were, or even if they were alive.

Then a thought hit her that she had not thought about. What if she told Vader about them and he turned them into a Sith. Could she deal with that? She thought about on that and she pictured a tiny little hand fixed in the shape of a C while his nursemaid lay on the floor gagging for her life. The thought sent shudders through her.

Yet the thought of never knowing where her children were or if they were dead, sent a chill through her body that did not seem to stop. She pulled her robe closer to her body to help ward off the chill, but since it came from within it did nothing to stop the trembling. She knew also, that she could and would never be able to keep the information about the children to herself forever. She determined that she would tell him when he woke up.

Before she knew it she realized the night was passing and the morning was coming. Because the Balcony faced East she was rewarded with full view of the sun making it's entrance for the day. The purples were slowly turning brighter blue when Vader stepped out on the veranda. He took the seat next to her and quietly took her hand. They sat in companionable silence for sometime until Padme broke the silence.

"I am sorry about waking you last night."

"No need to apologize. I have had dreams like that before...." His words just seemed to fade into nothingness. Yet she knew that he meant before he had found her.

"I dreamed about the children."

He was silent for a moment; then he realized what she had said. "Children! You said children not child. Why!"

"Because Ana...Vader I had twins three years ago." She said starting to cry.