Anidala: Across the Stars

Chapter 5: The nightmares

"Padmé!" Anakin woke up and shouted at the top of his lungs.
"Anakin? What's wrong? I'm right here." She stroked his hair back. He pulled her into his arms and rocked her back and forth.
"I had a dream. A terrible dream. Like the ones I had if my mother just before she died."
"Was it of me, Ani?"
"Yes. You were in pain. You were crying and calling out for me."
"Anakin, I won't die in childbirth."
"But how can you be sure, Padmé? I won't lose you like I lost my mother."
"I know Ani. This child is the best thing that's ever happened to us."
"She is a blessing. My Leia. It means Fierce, you know. You're right, I shouldn't worry. Go back to sleep Padmé. I will too." He kissed the top of her head and he fell back into the fitful sleep.

"senator Amidala, General?" They we're having a droid do a check up on Padmé
"Yes?"
"Your baby is healthy as can be, but it seems there is a problem."
"Spit it out." Anakin was getting anxious.
"You're having twins sir. A girl and a boy."
"Really? You're sure?" The droid nodded.
"Oh Ani this is wonderful!"
"It is, Padmé." Anakin smiled at his wife and pulled her into a hug.

"Nightmares you say? What about, Anakin?"
"Pain, suffering, death." Anakin couldn't shake the image of Padmé from his head. She was now about 8 months pregnant, and those who didn't know it were blind and deaf. Everybody was talking about the Naboo senator and her very pregnant belly.
"It's padmé, Obi wan. I'm worried about her. My visions, they're of her."
"Well Anakin, those things are for the Father of her child to worry about." Anakin stared directly into his masters face.
"Oh my Anakin, you are the father aren't you. The council will not take kindly to this."
"The council doesn't need to know. I married Padmé, Obi Wan. After the very start of the clone wars, on Naboo. I married her, and now we need your help, master. I beg you, don't tell the council."
"I won't, Anakin. I had my suspicions, I just didn't want to assume... anything."
"Thank you, Obi Wan. I don't know what we would've done had you gone to the council." Obi Wan put a hand on his friends shoulder.
"The council has an assignment for you, Anakin. One they do not want to be on record. We need you to spy on chancellor palpatine. Report his every move back to Yoda and Master Windu. Do you accept?"
"Of course, master." Anakin said.
"Will you go to Naboo with Ashoka, Rex, Tup, and Padmé to ensure her safety before I arrive?"
"Of course. It would be my honor to protect the child of my padawan."
"Thank you, Master."
"Thank you, Anakin."

Anakin woke up to shouting in the Jedi temple.
"There's been an Attack on the senate building!"
He heard someone yell just outside his door.
"All Jedi are to report over there now." Anakin grabbed his lightsaber, jumped out of bed, and ran out the door straight into Ashoka.
"Ashoka what's going on? Is Padmé ok?"
"There's been an attack on the senate building. You can see the fire and smoke from here. The coms are jammed and nobody's been able to reach them."
"We need to go, now!" Anakin ran down the hall toward the hangar.
"Already with you skyguy. I've got a speeder waiting to take us over there now."
"Thank you snips."

"Where's Padmé?" Anakin yelled to his old master the second he left the speeder.
"Nobody's heard from her Anakin! Communications are Jammed. Anakin took one look at the burning building and ran inside, followed closely by Ashoka.
"Anakin wait!" Obi-Wan called, but it was too late. They were already inside.
"Padmés room is on the second floor down from the meeting room." Anakin told her.
"I'll go look there. See if you can locate any other survivors and get them out safely." Ashoka nodded as she lifted her comlink to her mouth and her master ran off.
"This is Ashoka Tano. If anybody can hear this message, meet me on the bottom floor of the building. I will get you to safety." She jumped out of the way of a falling beam, then ran up the hallway to find any survivors.

"Padmé!" Anakin yelled as he ran through the halls.
"Padmé it's Anakin!" He heard shots ring out through the hallway. It sounded like battle droid blasters.
"Anakin, over here!" He ran toward them, his lightsaber ready to chop down anything in his path.
He rounded the corner to see 10 battle droids, and in front of them was a very deformed Clovis holding Padmé in front of him.
"Clovis." Anakin growled.
"Back from the dead I'm afraid. Turns out nasty falls off cliffs aren't strong enough to kill me."
"Let her go Clovis." Anakins blood was boiling.
"And lose my hostage and future wife, I don't think so. You see, after I fell to my supposed death, the separatists saved me. They told me that I could have anything I wanted, money, Padmé, a place in the senate, as long as I took out our sweet little Padmé here and a few other senators. You see, master skywalker, I'm tired of being a pawn in everyone's manipulations. I decided to pick a side and stay there. And now, Padmé is staying there with me."
"I said, let her go." Padmés eyes were glistening with tears and anger as she fought to free herself from Clovis' grasp. She had a large bruise on her head where she must have fallen or been hit. Anakin finally broke at the thought of someone hurting her.
"Fire!" Clovis yelled as he made his way through the droids and away from Anakin, but he was already in the air. He cut through the battle droids like they were nothing and ran after Clovis. He leapt into the air, grabbed onto a pipe and swung around to kick Clovis squarely in the face. He fell to the ground, Padmé landing on top of him and smacking her head into his chin. She cried out and rolled off of him. Falling to the ground, unconscious. Anakin wasted no time bending a broken pipe into a pair of wrist cuffs, and attaching Clovis's unconscious body to another pipe. He knocked him in the back of the head with his lightsaber just to insure that he wouldn't wake up anytime soon. Anakin then rushed to Padmés side, pulling her into his arms, rocking her back and forth, and whispering her name until he felt a soft palm against his cheek.
"I'm ok, Ani. I'm..", she was cut off by Anakin pressing his lips to hers.
"The babies? Are they ok?"
"They're fine Anakin. I just hit my head, that's all."
"You're 8 months pregnant, why is it that you keep getting shot at?" He laughed.
"I guess that's just the life of a senator." She smiled at him. She tried to sit up but winced in pain as her head pounded with the sudden movement.
"Sit still. I'll carry you down to the lower floor." Anakin lifted Padmé into his arms and started his way back down the long hallways.
"I will never let anything hurt you Padmé. I promise."

"Help! Someone help us!" Anakin called as he finished the last flight of stairs into the bottom of the senate building.
"I need a medic!" He yelled. Padmé had gone limp in his arms. His senses told him she was just asleep, but he needed to make sure she was ok.
"Anakin what happened?" Obi Wan emerged from the smoke of the lobby.
"It was Clovis. He was responsible for the attack. The separatists payed him to kill some of the senators. He tried.." Anakin choked on his words, "He tried to kidnap Padmé to take as his wife." Anakin wished he had killed Clovis the first time the man had tried to take his wife from him.
"She hit her head. I need a full medical scan done on her." Anakin told the medic who came with a gurney. He laid Padmé down and folded her hands over her stomach. He lightly kissed her forehead while the Medic's back was turned, then went to find Ashoka.
"Snips!" He called.
"Over here master!" She was sitting on the steps of the senate building getting her arm bandaged by a medic.
"What happened?" Anakin walked over and sat down by his padawan.
"I got all the senators out safely. There were 3 assassin droids. I managed to take them all out before they got to any of the senators, but I caught a few shots on my arm. How's Padmé?"
"She hit her head, but she should be ok. The medic is taking her to the treatment center now."
"We saved the day once again skyguy. Do we ever get a break?"
"Ha. You should know by now snips, Jedi never get breaks."
"Of course. Another valuable lesson I'm sure, master."
"Go get some rest, my young padawan."
"Good night, master." She jumped in a speeder and headed off toward the Jedi temple. Every time she was hit during a mission, he was reminded of when she was in the run. He had told her he would never let anyone hurt her, but he failed that promise almost every day. He knew he could never keep a promise not to let anyone hurt the ones he loved, but he wished every day that he could. He only hoped he could protect his son and daughter.