Padmé rubs her temples, her eyes pinched shut. She is starting to get a headache from all of this talking. It's not like it isn't important, but they've gone over it almost a hundred times. She has other things to worry about besides the rebellion at the moment.

But instead of throwing them out, she stays quiet. The other rebel leaders are allowed a say, especially in a time like this. Bail Organa is one of the few who are still attending Imperial meetings without any suspicion. He is their eyes and ears about what they plan to do and when. Of course, there's only so much he's told considering he isn't very close with anyone high in command. But they will take what they get.

"Padmé, did we ever find Vega Hinchcliff?" Mon Mothma asks, her voice somehow piercing through Padmé's thoughts.

She lets out a sigh, resting her hands in her lap. "Unfortunately, she was killed by stormtroopers before my men could reach her."

Mon Mothma nods then turns her attention over to Bail, who has taken over this meeting. Padmé has made it evident that she's no longer interested or isn't feeling well. Either way, Mon Mothma agrees with her. It's time for them to take a break. They've been at this for hours with little to no progress.

Bail clears his throat and looks around the room. "I think we should be done for the day." He says. Smiles begin to appear in the room. Everyone is tired from the long hours they've been putting in recently. "I would like to end our meeting on one good note. Leia was able to drop off the supplies in Lothal without any trouble."

"So it worked?" Someone asks. "Our plan of having them 'steal' the supplies is a success?"

"So far." Bail nods. "But we shouldn't perform this too often. I'm afraid that it will become very obvious to the Empire if it starts to happen frequently. We will keep this idea in the works though." He adds a few more things, but everyone has stopped listening. Their thoughts have drifted to food, sleep, and anything not involving the rebellion.

He lets them leave, knowing their attention has long been gone. Gradually, they file out one after the other. Mon Mothma speaks a few words to Padmé then follows the others out the door, leaving Bail and her alone. He sits down beside her, his body gently twisted toward her.

Padmé lets out a long sigh, pulling back her hair with a tired smile. "Something you need to say to me?" She asks.

"Leia isn't quite herself. On our last trip, she was much quieter than usual. She looked ill as well." He begins, trying to find the right words. Though the mission was a success, Leia's mood didn't show it. He is worried that something has happened to make her upset. "I guess I'm wondering if she has brought this up to you. I just want to make sure that she's safe and well." 

"She has not told me this, but I'm sure she's going through a lot of things," Padmé replies. She knows that Leia is doing this because she wants to put the rebellion before herself. She's proud that her daughter understands what's at stake, but she should take some time for herself. The news of her father is not something to be taken lightly or brushed aside.

"I'm worried that it involves her latest mission. I don't want to push her into doing things she's not comfortable with if that's what's bothering her." Bail adds. He feels guilty for making her feel this way. She shouldn't feel like she has to do anything. She is allowed to voice her concerns to him, especially involving diplomatic missions. After the last one involving a shoot out, he wants her to feel safe by choosing the situations she gets into. She doesn't have to risk her life if she doesn't want to. 

Padmé shakes her head and gives a sad smile. "It's not the mission." She softly says, making Bail arch his eyebrow. She reaches out and holds his hand. "I think it's best that you go and talk to her. I'm sure you're one of the few people she will actually be honest with about her feelings."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. I think it'll make her feel much better." She nods. Padmé knows how important Bail is in Leia's life. She understands how close they are and why Leia would talk about her feelings with him over her. Though Bail isn't her biological father, he's taken that position in Leia's life and Padmé is grateful for that. If he goes and talks with her, Padmé knows that Leia will speak honestly with him and hopefully resolve whatever inner conflicts she might be having right now involving herself, her future, and her family.

A shadow of a figure stands in the doorway, interrupting their conversation. Padmé turns and gives a smile when she sees who it is. "Ben. Thank you for coming on such short notice."

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything important." He says as he enters. He tucks his arms into his robe sleeves and comes into the light. He gives a nod of greeting to Bail and stands beside Padmé.

"No, no. We were just finishing up." Bail says as he rises to his feet and gestures for Obi-Wan to take his seat. Bail and Obi-Wan have always gotten along and are good friends, but they don't usually have time to socialize with each other. One of them is always off with one or both of the twins or doing something involving the rebellion. "I must be heading out. I would like to talk with Leia before I head back to Alderaan."

"We'll hear from you soon. Take care, Bail." Padmé says.

"May the Force be with you." Obi-Wan nods. Bail gives them a smile and leaves, making sure to close the door behind him.

Once he's gone, Padmé begins to turn off the communication devices in the meeting room. "I'm glad you're here. There are lots of things I need to discuss with you." She says, her hands flying over the screens faster than an X-Wing taking off into hyperspace.

"I think I know what it involves." Obi-Wan slowly says. He is hoping that they are talking about the same thing. Nothing with the rebellion. Nothing with rations on other planets. Nothing about him.

This conversation should be about the twins, Anakin, and Padmé. Nothing else. It should be all about how the twins are taking it, how Padmé is taking it, and what they are going to do to move forward. This treading in unknown waters is not making it easy for anyone. If they start a plan now, they can have a chance of keeping things moving in the right direction.

Padmé doesn't respond to Obi-Wan right away, only biting on her lower lip. She doesn't want to have this conversation. All of it just seems so soon. The twins weren't supposed to know until after the rebellion to keep them safe and protect their feelings about their father. Unfortunately, their innocence was crumbled before her eyes and she couldn't do anything to stop it.

She feels ripped from the chance of telling them the truth. Guilt washes over her constantly for the way that they found out. She should have been the one to tell them and now she's afraid that she's caused a rift between her and her children. She's afraid that they've lost their trust in her now that they know she's been hiding this secret from them their entire lives.

But rather than say any of this, she nods her head. "Yes." She finally replies. She stops what she's doing and looks at Obi-Wan with a defeated sigh. "I just don't know what to say about it."

"Well, how do you think the twins are? Have you talked to them recently?" He asks. He's spent the past few days with Luke, so he does have a general idea of how he's taking things. He's spent some time with both of them training but hasn't talked to Leia since his and Luke's return. He doesn't really know how she's doing, considering she's always had an amazing poker face when it comes to her emotions.

Padmé takes a deep breath, folding her hands in her lap. She's glad that he's here to steer the conversation. She has a few topics that she wants to talk with him about but isn't quite sure how or when to bring them up. After he's voiced all of his concerns, she can bring up hers at the end.

She thinks back on the past two weeks. "I saw Leia when she returned from Lothal and Luke when you landed. I've had a few conversations with them about the subject, but I didn't want to push anything. They've mostly seemed like they've wanted to be alone. We are planning to have a family break tomorrow and talk about everything on our minds."

"That will be nice for the three of you. Even if nothing gets resolved, it's nice to have a break as a family from all of this rebellion work." Obi-Wan softly smiles, gesturing to all of the stuff in the room. "You've been quite busy lately."

Padmé lightly chuckles. "Yes. Things have been pretty hectic the last few weeks. I haven't been able to be with them as much I would like. I'm sure they don't mind too much though. Teenagers always act like they're too cool to be seen with their mom in public."

"Trust me, it's not just their mother they don't want to be seen with. It's any authority figure. For some reason, they become embarrassed by us at that age." Obi-Wan laughs, nodding his head. The twins are the same way Anakin was at one time. When they get to a certain age range, for some reason they hate going out in public with whoever their guardians are. He's learned not to take it personally. Anakin grew out of it and the twins are starting too as well. It's just a part of life.

Wanting to bring it back to their main concern, he leans in closer to her. "How do you feel, Padmé? Are you alright?" He softly asks.

Padmé takes a shaky breath, taking her time to find the right words. "I didn't want them to know," She quietly confesses. Her bottom lip trembles as her emotions get the better of her. "I wanted them to think of their father as this kind, loving man. I wanted them to be proud that their father was Anakin Skywalker. He was a funny, determined, and brave man."

She swallows hard and bows her head to hide her face. She can feel the pressure building behind her eyes and she knows that if she makes eye contact with Obi-Wan she will burst. "But now they will only think of him as someone filled with unimaginable hate and anger. They are going to be ashamed to say that he is their father. How can they ever recover from this?"

Obi-Wan frowns, slightly tipping his head down. "I know that this isn't exactly what we had in mind, but they were going to find out one day. Doesn't it make you feel a tad bit better that they finally know? That we no longer have to keep this secret from them?"

Padmé stutters, working it out in her head. "I know that I should say yes, but I don't honestly know if I do feel better. I'm sure you think I'm stupid for trying to hide this from them, but I'm not sure I even wanted them to know. They admired him so much and now they clearly feel revolted with themselves."

"I understand what you mean." He says, thinking about Luke and Leia the day they uncovered the truth. The pain and utter dread on their faces will forever haunt him. They were disgusted in him for hiding this from them. They were appalled to know who their father had become. He swallows back his pain and goes back to comforting Padmé. "But we couldn't keep this hidden from them forever. One way or another, they were going to find out who their father is."

"I know." She sighs, her shoulders sagging. She shakes her head and pinches the bridge of her nose. He's right, of course, but she wishes he wasn't. If only they could understand that Anakin wasn't like he is now. Then they wouldn't hate themselves so much. "I know."

"I know it's not what we planned, but we have to move forward from this," Obi-Wan says, placing his hand on her back.

She lifts her head, her brown eyes meeting his blue ones. In the darkened room, he looks like the Jedi she knew from the Republic. His aged features have seemed to disappear and she feels like the young girl traveling with him and Qui-Gon to save her people. "I'm not quite sure how to move forward." She says. "I have ideas, yes, but I don't want to hurt my children like that again."

"There's no path that can guarantee that, Padmé." He says with a gentle shake of his head. "I don't want to see them hurt again either, but it's a risk we have to face."

She nods her head and begins to sit upright more. Just like back on Naboo, she had to risk the safety of her people in order to save them. Everything had turned out alright back then, so why couldn't that happen now? In order to receive positive results, she must maintain a positive attitude. "Okay. Because they know about their father, I think we should train them more in case they get into Imperial hands. Their innocence about him is no longer enough to save them. They need to know how to protect themselves and how to escape quickly."

"I agree. I have already started to change up their lessons. There's only so much I can teach Leia, unfortunately, considering she can't carry her lightsaber with her. I advise getting her more lessons personally with Bail and his crew. They can teach her about cruisers she might be on and how to hack into them."

"Yes, I like that." She says. She takes out her datapad and begins to write some notes. She wants to be able to remember everything they've discussed today. Later tonight, when she's in a different frame of mind, she will go back and read over everything and see if she can make improvements. New ideas tend to hit her just before she falls asleep at night.

"I also think that we should include them in more rebellion work," Obi-Wan cautiously adds.

Padmé furrows her eyebrows, glancing up from her datapad. She finishes typing as she wonders if she heard him correctly. "You want the twins in more missions?"

He nods his head. "They've improved greatly just over the last few years. Leia had great success on Lothal, handling the threat of death well. And Luke surprised me on Tatooine. His skills have come a long way and he's a very quick thinker. I think it's time to put them to good use."

"I thought we didn't want them on any missions without you or Bail nearby until the time is right." She says, a flash of anger crossing her normally gentle face. "But now because they know about their father you want to send them off on dangerous missions?"

"That's not what I meant, Padmé." He says, his voice softening. He can sense anger and betrayal growing inside of her. "Bail and I will be nearby, of course, but we need to give them a chance to practice what they've learned with real people. I am no longer enough for their training."

"I don't want them putting their lives at risk, Obi-Wan." She scoffs. "I know the Jedi had no problem taking fifteen-year-olds and sending off to fight in wars, but I'm not doing that to my children."

"I know you have the final say over them, but please hear me out." He says. Upon hearing that he would accept whatever she wanted, her posture loosens. It couldn't hurt to hear his idea. "You've seen the extreme lengths they'll go to now to get information. They broke into your room just to hear about rebellion matters."

"That's exactly why I should take away their mission privileges." She light-heartedly mumbles.

"By setting them up with more missions and giving them more information with the rebellion, you can be in charge of where they go and who they go with. We won't run the risk of them sneaking off to go help their friends or listening in on important meetings." He says, hoping to show her his point. "Plus, they'll probably take this change as a sign that you trust them."

She pauses, taking it in. "As much as I don't want to admit it, you're right." She says, rubbing her temples. "I'll send them on more missions, but I want to guarantee that you or Bail are with them. I don't want something to happen to them."

"Nor do I." He quickly says. "If I didn't believe in their skills, I wouldn't have even asked."

She looks down at her hands. The idea of sending them somewhere she can't protect them scares her. He is out there, looming in the shadows, waiting to pounce. If they were to be captured, she doesn't know what she would do. There's hardly anything she can do if it happens but hope that there is some light still locked inside his once loving heart. She pushes these concerns down, not wanting to bring them to light quite yet. Instead, she gives a soft chuckle. "It's crazy how old they are now, huh?"

"Feels like just the other day they were learning how to walk." He agrees, tugging on his beard in thought.

"Every time I see Luke I'm sure he's grown another inch. And Leia has so much spunk now that's it's hard to imagine her as a shy toddler." Padmé grins. Obi-Wan reaches out, holding her hand and she thinks of the first time they meet and how they've been involved in each other's lives since. Though they're nothing more than friends, and never will be more than that, it's crazy how much they've each affected each other. He's saved her life multiple times and she's done the same for him. They never verbally agreed to it, but it's clear that they consider themselves indefinitely equal.

Suddenly, she feels like she needs to express her gratitude. She is afraid that he doesn't know how much she relies on him for moments like this. He's given her words of wisdom in times when she's felt lost. He's cared for the twins like they're his own when he could have walked away without a second thought. He's stayed to make sure she and her family are safe and happy. She pulls him in for a tight hug. "Thank you, Obi-Wan. For this talk. For being here for me and the kids. For everything."

"I haven't done anything." He replies, gently patting her back. Then he whispers so quietly that Padmé almost misses it. "If we're being honest, I owe you so much more after everything I've done." She knows that he's referring to Anakin and the outcome of his downfall, but she chooses to ignore it. After years of trying to convince him it wasn't his fault, his mind still hasn't been changed.

xxx

Darth Vader stares out into the void of space. After living with it for the past fifteen years, his heavy, mechanical breathing isn't even noticeable to him. It blends into the background noise from the ship and its crew.

One of the officers marches to his side, his head held high. Underneath his mask, Vader smirks. He can feel the fear bleeding out of the man. Though he looks confident, his heart is pounding erratically in his chest. Sparking terror into all who meet him is one of the few perks of being this painful machine.

"Lord Vader, we've just received news about Lothal." The officer says. He stares at the wall just past the dark being. He's afraid that if he looks into the deep red glass over his eyes that he'll lose his confidence and stumble over his words. He can not mess up in front of Lord Vader. He could lose a lot more than his job for such mistakes.

"What happened on Lothal?" Darth Vader asks, his deep voice almost shaking the room.

The officer gulps, keeping his eyes just beyond Vader. "Senator Organa was supposed to drop off supplies to our troops located there. Unfortunately, the supplies were stolen by a rebel group, sir."

Rebel group. Of course, their troops were outsmarted by some rebel group. It's almost comical at this point how often it occurs. "How did this happen?" He asks as he tilts his head down to look at the officer.

He wants him to look him in the eyes. He wants to see the pure terror on the replaceable man's face.

Feeling Vader studying his face, the man moves his head to look into the soulless eyes. All he sees is himself trembling in the reflection of the red glass. He looks so cowardly compared to the beast standing in front of him. "I don't know, sir." He answers, his voice beginning to shake. "All we know is that Bail Organa's daughter was the one dropping off the supplies, sir. She was shot at in the process, sir. She was thankfully not injured. "

Bail Organa has a daughter? Vader knows Bail from another life in another galaxy. Though his path has changed since then, he still has great respect for the man. He hears about Bail often but has never taken the time to follow up on his life after the transfer from the Republic to the Empire. "He entrusted his daughter to carry out this mission?"

"Yes, sir."

"Who is she?" Vader demands. They placed their trust in a young girl? She can't be very old. Back when he was still close to the Senator, Bail never had any children.

"Leia Organa, sir." He replies, tightening his muscles to keep his arms from shaking.

Something jabs at him. A jolt from his past life flashes before him. "I want to know about this Leia Organa and what happened on Lothal. I need to know everything." He shouts, pointing at the officer.

"Yes, sir. Right away, sir." The officer quickly says. He salutes Darth Vader then bolts out of the room, leaving him alone.

Vader looks back into the void of space.

Leia.

It echoes in head over and over. He thinks of another time, back on a different Coruasuant. He didn't need this suit to breathe and he still had all of his limbs. Well, besides his right hand. Though the Clone Wars were raging on, he was at peace with his love. He pressed his hand against her stomach, feeling the baby moving inside.

He was so certain it was a girl. A little girl with her mother's brown eyes and a button nose. A little girl whose footsteps were supposed to echo in their small house tucked away in the countryside of Naboo. She would take after her mother and he would encourage her every step of the way.

He can remember that day so clearly, the feel of her against his hand, but it doesn't seem real. It's hazy in his mind, like a dream he wishes he could repeat.

Could that really have been the last time he held Padmé in his arms? Was that only a few days before their baby was killed from his anger?

He tightens his fists and clenches his jaw, fighting off the emotions growing in his chest, the pain pounding in his cold heart. No. He can not think of that day. He can no longer dwell on the life he had before he sold his soul to save Padmé.

~~~~~~~~~