Redemption

Three - The Life We Wanted

Padme Skywalker paced her prison cell aboard the Death Star that evening, pondering about Anakin. She wondered where he was, what he was doing, and if he was okay. She sure hoped so, because this was the start of a new beginning for the whole family.

Padme glanced at her twins, who were curled up sleeping on the cot that was in the cell. They were so young and innocent. As Padme thought to herself, she regretted faking her death and leaving her children, and even though she and Anakin's relationship was restored, she was still angry with him for his past turn to the dark side. It wasn't fair to the twins. Anything that their parents did in the past.

She wished to, somehow, apologize to them for she and her husband's faults, but she was afraid they would not understand fully. Would they want an apology? Would they even care? They didn't even know their true identity yet.

Just as she was about to rest from her steady pacing, someone knocked on the wall outside of the cell.

Padme turned on her heel to see who it was, and her face lit up when she found out. It was Anakin.

A smile crossed his face, and he waved his hand over the key card slot, unlocking the cell. The couple ran to meet each other, Anakin lifting Padme in his arms and spinning her around. When he set her down, he set her down gently, as careful as he would be not to hurt her.

"I can't stay in here long, Padme," Anakin mumbled, setting his forehead against hers. "Sidious will be looking for me soon." His breath hitched, as if he was trying to say something but couldn't.

"What is it, Anakin?" Padme asked, running her hands through his curls.

"I - well... I need you to come with me. You and the twins."

Padme looked down, swallowing hard. Anakin waited a moment for her to answer. But she wouldn't. She couldn't.

"Anakin... Ani, I can't do that. I can't put the twins in that kind of danger."

Anakin lifted Padme's face so that she looked directly into his azure eyes. He tucked one of her long, loose curls behind her ear and took her delicate face in his rough hands. "I'll help you through. As my 'prisoners.' We'll escape, Padme, we'll be free! We could raise the twins in Naboo, just like you wanted. Just like we were planning all along."

Padme hesitated slightly, but was distracted by stirring in the background.

"Daddy?"

Anakin and Padme looked over to their daughter, who was rubbing her eyes absentmindedly, sitting up on her cot.

"Leia, I -" Anakin started.

"We're leaving?"

Anakin and Padme exchanged looks nervously, contemplating their thoughts.

"Yes."

Anakin met eyes with his wife, hers confident. He was surprised by her reply.

"I changed my mind. We can leave. The sooner we can get out of this place and defeat the Sith lord, the sooner we can live the life we've always wanted." Padme's face hardened, her face plastered with a serious expression. "Leia, wake up your brother."

Leia nodded and took Luke by the foot, dragging him off the cot. His head slammed down on the hard floor and he groaned, standing quickly. He was about to take a swing at Leia, but quickly brought his fist down in regret and began to repeat, "I am so sorry, Leia. I apologize, my condolences. Sorry, Leia, I didn't mean -- "

After about ten seconds, Anakin took Luke by the shoulder and turned his son to face him. "Luke. We get it. You're sorry, now let's get a move on."

"Where?"

"Just come on," Anakin grumbled, pulling Luke along with them. The family started down the corridor, but before they could get to far, Anakin stopped them.

"Wait," he said. Everyone turned around to look at him, and he pulled out several dark cloaks from a supply room nearby and handed one to each of his family members. "You'll need these. And... wait. You're still technically my prisoners. Here," Anakin explained, taking his wife's wrists gently and clasping them together with cuffs, his son and daughter following.

Not far behind him, Anakin heard several footsteps, a whole group. He assumed it was a legion of Stormtroopers. His heart started pumping rapidly, and he rested his hand against Padme's back and guided her down the hallway, along with the twins. "Let's go!" Anakin said as they ran down the corridor together. Anakin pushed his family into an elevator as gently as he could without doing it too slowly, and as the doors slid shut, the Stormtroopers passed by, not even noticing the Skywalker family watching them.

Padme breathed out in relief as the elevator started to rise to the main floor of the space station. She was so afraid those Stormtroopers would've seen she and her family.

She almost had a heart attack when the elevator came to an abrupt halt and she met eyes with a legion of Stormtroopers, who were waiting their turn. Anakin gave her back a nudge, and she made it appear as if she were being pushed out forcefully. "They're prisoners," Anakin assured the Stormtroopers from under the hood of his cloak. "I'm taking them to the emperor. Move along."

"Yes, Lord Vader." The troopers all echoed each other in reply to Anakin's order. They filed into the elevator one by one until they were all packed in, and the doors slid shut.

"Dad?" Leia asked timidly.

"Not now, Princess, remember, you're my 'prisoner.'"

The Skywalkers ran down every clear corridor they could find, dodging troopers by hiding behind walls if they needed to. Once they reached their destination, one of the side, less obvious hangars, the family all had high build-ups of anticipation.

"I haven't left this place in forever," Anakin sighed, pulling off his hood. There was an old, dilapidated Corellian light interceptor that looked like it could fall apart any second sitting in front of them, as if it were waiting for them.

"Uh, Dad..." Luke raised his eyebrows in doubt.

"Kids," Anakin announced proudly," this is the Twilight."

Silence.

Anakin cleared his throat. "Well... want to come check it out?"

"Anakin, we don't have time to check it out - "

"Yes we do. While we're flying."

"Dad..." Luke said, tapping his chin. "Does this thing even move?"

"Yes, of course it works! Come on, before we get caught." Anakin helped his family into the Twilight before him, just as some Stormtroopers came up behind them.