The Mos Eisley Cantina was buzzing with chatter, music, clincking drinks, threats and agreements as the cloaked middle aged man walked in.  He shuffled his way through the crowd, many eyeing him suspiciously.  Anywhere a cloaked person went was suspected of something.  He finally sat down right on one of the rusted bar stools beside a glaring, bulky zabrak.  He called over the bartender and as she was cleaning a glass asked “What can I get you, sir?”

“Just the regular drink, please.” His voice clearly cut through the air with a melodic accent.  The bartender fluttered her eyes in confusion on hearing that accent but shook her head and smiled brightly.

“Of course.” She chirped and went into the back part of the bar island to fix his drink. The man did a polite cough and turned his attention to the fuzzed net screen that hung on the back wall of the bar island.  The channel was on some holonet news channel, and the man inwardly sighed.  All they ever did was complained about the Empire, and they were then always coming back on the screen apologizing for what they said and that they were wrong.  Even though he hated to watch the complaining, the word Coruscant stood out to him, sending his clipped hair standing on its end.  The man listened even closer to the news report and saw two familiar faces on the report, but the faces of the two were blurred, making it impossible to see who they were.  The bartender came back with the man’s drink and set it in front of him.

“Will that be all for you?” She asked him, eyes wide, hoping to convince him to spend more money buying things.  Only half-paying attention, he slapped some money on the table and muttered  “Yes, that will be all.”  The bartender scooped up the money and began to walk away, just when the man recognized that the reporter was standing in front of the ruins of the old Jedi Temple. The man almost did a spit take and yelled “Wait!” to the bartender, she turned around smiling, waiting for another order.

“Do you mind turning up that report please?” He requested, still staring intently at the screen while taking a swig of his drink.  She scowled but grabbed the remote and turned up the volume anyway.  He now was able to hear the report with full clarity.

“I AM HERE IN FRONT OF THE RUINS OF THE ONCE FAMED JEDI TEMPLE WHERE HERE THE DOWNFALL OF THE REPUBLIC CAME TO A CLOSE AND THE EMPIRE HAD NO ONE TO CHALLENGE THEIR HORRID, TYRANNICAL REGIME.  BUT TODAY WILL GO DOWN THE HOLONET HISTORY BECAUSE THE VERY ONE WHO DESTROYED THIS TEMPLE, SAVED US FROM THE EMPIRE AND THE EMPEROR.  EARLY THIS MORNING, FORMER EMPEROR PALPATINE WAS ARRESTED AND CHARGED WITH HIGH AMOUNTS OF MANSLAUGHTER, TREASON, SLANDER AND MANY OTHER CRIMES THAT WILL BE MENTIONED LATER.  ANAKIN SKYWALKER, THE FORMER DARTH VADER, RENOUNCED AS HE SAID “Disgusting Title.”  AND CHANGED BACK TO SKYWALKER.  HE BATTLED THE EMPEROR AND WON BACK OUR FREEDOM AND WON BACK A NEW REPUBLIC.”

The man did a spit take and unfortunately, spit his drink all over the zabrak next to him. For only one second, the zabrak look astonished and in the next, his eyes were on fire.  

“So, you think you will make a fool out of me, I don’t think so.” He told the man and grabbed him by the collar, raising his bulging fist full of muscle back.  As the zabrak lunged his fist forward to strike but his fist was suddenly stopped in mid air.  The zabrak grunted in frustration as he tried to move his fist forward but it was lodged in place.  He turned wide eyed to see that the man he was grasping was responsible for this insolence.  And in one, swift motion, the zabrak was slammed against the wall while knocking over a table.  The man dropped him to the ground and quietly exited the cantina.  

“Anakin is back.  I must see Anakin!”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Padmé gazed silently at the city of Coruscant with the light, see through curtains whipping behind the opening to the balcony.  She took a deep breath of the fresh air and replayed through her mind what happened in just the past 24 hours.  Her Ani was back, he turned from his old ways to the person he was when Padmé married him.  Now, she was even more in love with him.  But fear tingled up her spine and constantly tried to claw its way to all parts of her brain, haunting her every thought.  She pushed that emotion back and focused on the peaceful drive bys of hoverships.  The hypnotic whooshing sound of each hovercar was soothing, almost like a transfixed lullaby, and soon Padmé was almost drifting into a doze.  Just as soon as sleep was about to catch up with her, she heard the apartment door slam open.  She quickly turned her head to see Sidious, lightsaber blazing red and a menacing smile, and right behind him, her own husband.  His face was just as it was on Mustafar, relentless and deadly.  They both charged towards her and she screamed as she clung to the last bits of her life-

Padmé screamed and woke up, sitting straight.  Breathing heavily, her eyes darted around the room, for a moment panic surged through her even more since she could not recognize where she was.  Sweat clung to her neck as she realized she was shaking. Then, everything hit her, and she let out a sigh of relief and plopped back down on the pillows.  She was not on Coruscant, she was in the swamps of Naboo, in a ship, still filled with storm troopers thinking they are in mid-flight,  waiting for her newly redempted husband.  Everything was just… it was only a dream.  

“It was only a dream.”

A whole new dread came over her.  Padmé  slowly sat up once again.  It was a dream that started… everything, the evil, the horror, the fear… the truth.  Padmé slowly turned her hands over and over in her lap.  She shook her head and dismissed the intruding thought.  Anakin was force sensitive, she was not.  The force was something that could not be passed on through relationships, it wasn’t contagious.  She still bit her lip at the thought,

“What if, even if I am not force sensitive, the force came upon me?”

A chill crawled up Padmé’s spine, she felt suddenly nauseous, scared to face the possible reality of her true death.  She tore off the covers on her bunk, and ran out of the room.  She had to get out of this place, now.  Padmé sped over to the control panel in the cockpit and repeatedly banged on the button that opened the ramp.  She spun around once she heard the ramp unlock and dashed to the back of the bunk room and ran down the ramp.  The humid Nabooian air slammed into her all at once but she kept running to an unknown destination.  The plush moss pressed into her bare feet as she fled from the ship, small flying creatures began obnoxiously swarming around her head, which made it difficult to avoid stepping on sharp twigs. Padmé  bit her lip as she felt a thick liquid running down the soles of her feet, she knew what it was but could not bare to stop, not now, maybe not ever.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Anakin sighed as his ship eased into a land in the middle of the Naboo swamps.  Here, he was finally here, he could see his star again, his only source of light.  He landed about a couple of kilometers away so not to draw attention to his ship to those storm troopers.  Anakin pressed the cockpit hatch open and he jumped down onto the squishy ground.  He scrunched his face at the sinking feeling was getting just standing on this ground, but he shrugged and began to walk back to the ship… to his wife.  He pushed back some bushes as he tiredly trudged along when a the force pricked his senses.  Something was coming, no… someone? Anakin pried open his eyes right when a figure barged through the bushes, she screamed and ran right into him.  

“What in the blazes…” He thought as he gently pushed the figure on top of him to the side so he could stand up.  He squinted in the dark to see the figure had deep brown curls, a light blue nightgown, bleeding feet…

“Padmé?” Anakin asked as the figure turned her head to reveal she was Padmé.  She narrowed her eyes to see her husband’s features in the dark.  

“Anakin? You are… back?” She questioned.

“Yes-” He began, holding out his hand for Padmé to take but she jerked her hand away from him.  The action made him jump and already knots started to form in his stomach.

“Padmé, what’s wrong?” She looked away, clutching her abdomen. “Padmé?”

“Is he here?” She said with an unsteady voice.

“Wha-?”

“Are you evil, Anakin?”

Anakin crouched down beside her and gently grabbed her hand.

“No, Padmé.  Where in the galaxy would you get that idea, after all I did?” He asked her with a soothing voice.

“I-I had a dream.  I was on Coruscant, waiting for you, and then Sidious came to kill me, and you were right behind him, eyes blood red, helping-” Her voice cut off as her watery eyes looked into his.  “I am sorry, I shouldn’t have even thought that you would-”

“No,” Anakin brushed his thumb over Padmé’s cheek.  “It is okay Padmé, I don’t blame you.  After all I did, it was only normal to fear that I could snap again.  I am sorry for all those horrid things I did, I really am.  But I want you to know Padmé, I will never, ever hurt you again.  I promise.  I will never go back to that disgusting course of life I have been living for the past two years, I am now different.  And I want you to know that you never have to worry about me, I will always be yours, forever by your side in the light.”

“I know Ani, the dream was just a dream, and I know, with all my heart, that would never happen.  I am so sorry I had it, I didn’t mean too. I know it seemed like I doubted you just a couple of seconds ago, but I promise you, I truly didn’t.  I love you Anakin, I know you will never turn away again.”  Padmé told him, clutching his hand tightly.

“I love you too, Padmé, I always have.  And I always will.” Anakin embraced her, the two hugging in the middle of the Naboo swamps.  She kissed him lightly on his lips and laid her head on his shoulder.  

“I am glad you are back.” She murmured.

“Me too, Padmé, and I am glad the republic- well, a new version, is back.”  Anakin said. Padmé jerked her head off of him and stared into his eyes, hers wide.

“The-the republic?” She whispered, her shock clear in her voice.  Anakin smirked.

“Yeah, it is back now, the kinks are getting worked out but the Empire is gone, for good.” He remarked and Padmé’s eyes sparkled with joy.

“Wait, what about Sidious?” She questioned incredulously.

“We won’t have to worry about him anymore, he is in custody with so many charges, I don’t even think I can count them all.” He joked with a smile playing on his lips. He kissed Padmé’s cheek with softness. “I think we need to go to Coruscant, I am curious at how they are going to build the new republic.”

“I agree, I would love to see Coruscant, but what about all the Imperial Storm Troopers in the back on the ship?” Padmé pointed out.

“Well, their allegiance is with me since I command them and to the Empire.  Since the Empire is now dead, their allegiance is only with me and I am alleged with new Republic.  So, it looks like the Republic has clone troopers again.” He explained.

“I love your logic, Ani, but can you convince them of that?” She seriously asked but with a tease laced in there.

“I really think I can, Padmé, I think that they will realize that everyone in the Empire was stupid.  They are good at following orders, that is what they do, they will return to their former ways, I know it.” Anakin told her and stood up, he extended his hand and she took it, standing up with him.  

“Come on, let’s go back to the ship and get to Coruscant.” Anakin said with a yawn, but Padmé suddenly smirked.

“No, you go ahead, I’ll meet you on Coruscant.”

“What? Why?” Anakin asked, rubbing his eyes.

“Oh, I just have some… unfinished things I need to take care of- but I’ll meet you on Coruscant once I am done, it won’t take me long, I promise.  I’ll comm you when I am there.” She stated.

“Uh, okay but what are you-”

“Can I just take your fighter ship here?” Padmé asked, looking it over.

“But that’s my fighter ship! And I-” Anakin protested.

“I promise I won’t scratch it.” She mentioned.  Anakin lifted his finger and Padmé stopped him short before he could say anything.

“Or bump it, or get it dirty, or crash it, or ding it, or blow it up.” She added with a sly smile.  

“Oh, alright.  I am trusting you, Padmé, to take care of her.” Anakin chided with a grin.

“Don’t worry, she’ll be fine.  And so will I.  But I want you to stay safe, okay?” Padmé gazed up into his icy eyes and kissed him one last time.  

“I will, meet me soon okay?”

“This will be the last time we will be apart, for good. I… promise.”

“I believe you, I always have.”

Padme really never did doubt Anakin, the dream she had… had an effect on her to the point she had to prove to outer self that he was truly Anakin like her inner self was telling her.   

Anyway… the next chapter/part thing is the last part/epilogue so get ready!!!!!!!! :)

VCF and I am out! :)

PS this is dedicated to thedjgirl for the awesome cover! :D