Rise from the Dark

~8~

So I'm gonna try the same thing on this story as I did on 'A love in the stars', instead of writing Anakin or Padmé I'm going to write in 3rd person. Enjoy xx

The four skywalkers sat around the dinner in an awkward silence. Luke and Leia couldn't take their eyes off their father and Anakin couldn't take his eyes off of his wife. Padmé however kept her head down, avoiding eye contact with him.

"So you're a Jedi?" Luke asks, in awe of his dad.

"Used to be, I've kept using the force and Jedi powers, just not part of the order any more." No. Instead I destroyed it. He thought, guilt raining down on him like a storm.

"I wan't to be a Jedi when I grow up--"

"Me too! Can you train us?" Leia shouts, interupting her brother.

"Well that's up to your mother, but I'd be happy to." He glances across to Padmé, a slight smirk on his face.

"Well..I..I mean, we'd have to wait until the end of the holiday when we're back in Coruscant but maybe that's a possibility. I guess they are the children of the chosen one. It's their destiny isn't it?" she responds with a juttery and hesitant voice.

"Cooooool you're the chosen one?" Luke says. His dad just keeps getting cooler and cooler.

"No...well the order thought I was but I think they were wrong." Anakin breaks his eye contact wit Luke and stares at his food instead. "This food is great," he sas, changing subject.

"Thank you Ani," Anakin's head shoots up when she calls him this. "What?" She asks.

"Nothing."

"No what is it?"

"You...you called me Ani." Padmé just smiles, causing Anakin to smile too.

They spend the rest of the evening with Luke and Leia asking Anakin a lot of questions and the two past lovers occasionally sharing a memory or even slightly flirting. When all the food is gone Luke and Leia want a bedtime story from Anakim. The four of the, sit in the twin's bedroom and Anakin starts to tell the story.

"Once there was a boy who worked as a slave." Padmé took a deep breath as she already knew where this was going. "one day he met a beautiful angel who needed help repairing her ship. However the boy couldn't provide the money needed for the part. They come up with a plan. The boy was an awesome pilot and so entered a pod race, hoping to win so he could raise enough oney to help the angel. Of course he wanted to help the angel with all his heart and so tried his best to win, and he won. He fell in love with the angel but sadly didn't see her again for a very long time. The boy was trained to be a Jedi knight, and one day when the angel was in danger was assigned to protect her. They fell in love all over again and go married. The boy loved the angel so much he would do anything to make her happy and keep her safe. The end." It was definitly not the end to that story but it was all Anakin cold bare to tell.

"I like that story," Leia yawned.

"Someone needs to go to sleep," Padmé  says, tucking Leia into bed and doing the same for Luke.

"Night daddy," The twins say in unison, "Night mummy,"

Anakin and Padmé sit in the living room together in sience.

"I think I'm going to go to sleep now, you can sleep on the couch, I'll get you a pillow and blankets."

"Thank you Padmé." She returns with a pale grey blanket and white pillow.

"Sleep well," She says to him and then dissapears into her own room.

Anakin was stood on the balcony with his arms beind his back. She went to see what he was doing, he turns to her places a kiss on her cheeks.

"Sorry, I had to do that." He apologises.

"It's fine."

"Padmé I love you,"

"I'm sorry but I can't say it back."

"WHAT?" He starts to force choke her like he did all those years ago and his flesh starts to fade into balck suit and helmet. Darth Vader.

Padmé wakes up with a start, breaking hard and fast. It was just a dream. But how likely is that to become reality? The whole thing scared her and she still didn't know if she could trust him.