(Star Wars) To Love A Slave

Chapter Forty-Four - Innocent Memories

"Have you heard anything?"

Tarkin looked up to see Rex and Cody approaching, their armor dirty from training troops. The old man just shook his head. "Prett said he destroyed the conference room and after about ten minutes, he just got up and walked out. Prett followed Vader but he lost him... We don't know where he is."

"The slaves are busy working on the Angel project. The architects said that it'd be done in another day or two but-" Rex stopped short, noticing two more people coming to join them. "Look alive, we've got little ones coming in hot..."

Luke and Leia ran up to the trio, causing all three men to feign pleasant expressions. "Uncle Tarkin, have you seen Daddy?" Leia wrapped herself in his arms, making herself comfortable on his lap. Luke went over to Cody and lifted his arm, prompting the soldier to pick him up.

"I'm afraid not, Princess. Your father needed to take a walk but we don't know where he went. I'm sure he'll be back soon though."

"That's it!" Luke scrambled out of Cody's arms, grabbing Leia's hand and dragging her along. "I know where Daddy went!"

"Where Lukey?"

"He went to see Momma."

*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Sure enough, Anakin sat under the large oak next to the creek. He leaned back against the trunk, his hand resting on the top of Padme's tombstone. After his meltdown, he just needed to go somewhere that he knew would calm him down. Even though she was six feet under, Anakin still felt this serenity fill him as he visited her grave.

"I found out who did this to us, Angel." He talked to her as if she was sitting next to him, not caring if he looked crazy. "It was that Charlotte woman, the one you got into it with. She admitted that she hired a bounty hunter to shoot you because she wanted to be in your shoes." A soft chuckle stuck in his throat as he shook his head. "I wouldn't touch her with a ten foot pole... I may have kinda went crazy and dismembered her though... Sorry?"

Anakin glanced out at the horizon, seeing forests in the distance scrape at the cerulean sky. "...You always wanted to take a trip to those woods. I was thinking about having you buried there but then I remembered why I wanted you here so bad. I can come see you whenever I want to and you're not far away. I can just tell that those trees are a little too far for my liking."

"Daddy!"

Anakin jumped a little bit, getting up to his feet. "I'll be right back, Angel..." He peeked around the tree to see the twins running towards him. "Luke? Leia?" Before he could realize what he was doing, his feet began to pound against the ground beneath him. The twins kept barreling towards their father who was running toward them.

Anakin knelt down and caught the twins, crushing them to his chest. "What are you two doing out here?" Luke peeked up and gave his father a soft smile.

"We wanted to see Momma too."

Luke and Leia were lifted and settled on both of Anakin's hips. He then carried them over to the tree and sat down next to Padme's tombstone. Leia leaned over and hugged the cold stone as best as she could.

"Hi Momma. Luke brought you a present."

Anakin smiled softly, pulling his little girl back and pressing his lips against her temple. "And just what did Luke bring for Mommy?" The boy stood up from his father's lap and pulled out a packet of seeds from his pocket.

"I brought some seeds that will turn into pink roses, Mommy's favorite. They are her favorite, right Daddy?" Upon Anakin nodding, Luke sprinkled the small seeds all over the dirt mound. Leia helped him cover them up with soil before both of them curled back up with their father.

"I think I still have a picture from this one time Mommy and I had to take some photos. She took one with some roses; would you like to see?" The twins answered with a smile as Anakin pulled out his holoviewer.

He scrolled through several folders, one of them 'IMPERIAL BALL PHOTOS' and another labelled 'THE TWINS' before coming across the one he was looking for. As he swiped it open, several photos of his angel appeared before their eyes.

(A/N: There's a small collage on the side of the pictures below.)

The first one was of Padme the morning after their wedding day at breakfast. Next to it, the picture he was trying to find was right there. With a soft rose over her shoulder and a sensual expression on her face, she looked as ravishing as ever. The last one on that row was a picture of her in the parlor on the night of the Imperial ball. The next row had strictly Naboo pictures from their honeymoon and vacation. A picture of her laying in a field, drinking wine on their wedding night and looking up at something brought a smile to his face.

"Daddy?" Luke raised an eyebrow.

"What's she looking at in that picture?" Leia finished his question, her expression plastered with innocent curiousity.

"She's looking up at the heavens, just like she's looking down at us from them right now. She looks beautiful, doesn't she?"