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Author	Topic: Cage of Lies - A/P, 5 years post RotS, major AU - Padme is presumed dead - UPDATED 10/08!!!
Kitten Registered: Jun '05	Date Posted: 6/14/07 9:50am Subject: RE: Cage of Lies - A/P, 5 years post RotS, major AU - Padme is presumed dead - finally updated!14.06 - Date Edited: 6/14/07 9:52am (1 edits total) Edited By: Kitten
	Wow!!! What a sweet chapter. I love how Anakin tries to ease Padme through her insecurities. Plus, the interaction between Kaya and Anakin was quite entertaining as well.
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AnakinsFavorite Registered: Apr '06	Date Posted: 6/14/07 9:54am Subject: RE: Cage of Lies - A/P, 5 years post RotS, major AU - Padme is presumed dead - finally updated!14.06
	I know I'm usually like "Too much angst!" but it somehow worked in this post Poor Padme... having to leave behind what has been her life for the past several years! What's ahead of her is so unsure... will her marriage with Anakin work out? Will she be able to love the twins/them be able to accept her as their true mother? Well, I know the answers, but this post does leave us hanging Excellent post- the readers are in for a suprise in the next one! AnakinsFavorite -----signature----- "Ev'rybody's talkin' 'bout Bagism, Shagism, Dragism, Madism, Ragism, Tagism This-ism, that-ism, ism ism ism All we are saying is give peace a chance All we are saying is give peace a chance"
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Anakins-girl Registered: May '05	Date Posted: 6/14/07 11:38am Subject: RE: Cage of Lies - A/P, 5 years post RotS, major AU - Padme is presumed dead - finally updated!14.06
	Great updated!!!! -----signature----- I'm a sucker for a good A/P love story & I don't mind alittle Vader love too! I talked to Hayden Christensen on 7/22/06
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michaellover Registered: May '05	Date Posted: 6/14/07 12:39pm Subject: RE: Cage of Lies - A/P, 5 years post RotS, major AU - Padme is presumed dead - finally updated!14.06
	Padme is scared, is understandable being she has been away from everything that is her "old" life for 5 years now, odds are her own children wont remember her! -----signature----- Vicki: I'm busting your chops for talking about demons and I was out hunting a vampire Henry: I'm gonna let you in on a little secret. Okay? Vicki: You believe in vampires Henry: I am a vampire.
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VaderLVR64 Title: Fan Fic Manager in Combat Boots Registered: Feb '04	Date Posted: 6/14/07 6:28pm Subject: RE: Cage of Lies - A/P, 5 years post RotS, major AU - Padme is presumed dead - finally updated!14.06
	So glad to see this one updated! Hey, real life interferes with what's really important - FAN FICTION! “I love you too, Ani,” I whisper back. “I’m just afraid.” His eyes are very tender as he caresses my cheek. “Don’t be afraid. We’re together, which is all that matters.” I look into his eyes which are scorching with sincerity, and I believe him. I believe that we can manage everything. The knot in my stomach lessens, the cold retreats. “Yes, that’s all that matters.” He leans down to kiss me, and I forget about my fears. Deep down, I know that they will return… but I don’t want to think about anything except that Anakin is kissing me, that we are truly reunited. The moment our lips part, he whispers my name. Lost in each other’s arms, we race towards our future through the black space, savouring the last moment of our private little world before the reality catches up with us. Well worth the wait. -----signature----- If you have to choose between tears and laughter, remember that laughter burns more calories. Army Mom! HOOAH! Adopt a soldier: http://soldiersangels.org/
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HandmaidenVeme Registered: Jun '04	Date Posted: 6/14/07 9:03pm Subject: RE: Cage of Lies - A/P, 5 years post RotS, major AU - Padme is presumed dead - finally updated!14.06
	I loved the update and it was well worth the wait!!!!! -----signature----- Angel #1 the "Mischievous" one "Anakin Skywalker's Towel Girl" Team Edward!
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jedilegolas Registered: Oct '06	Date Posted: 6/14/07 10:52pm Subject: RE: Cage of Lies - A/P, 5 years post RotS, major AU - Padme is presumed dead - finally updated!14.06
	First of all, I am so happy to see this story updated! does happy dance I really enjoyed this update (as usual). I loved the description of Padme waking up. Especially the part about the dream, with your subconcious somehow wanting to savor the good dream. I love it when that happens! I am happy to see that Anakin and Padme are going to try to make it work but I am also slightly sad that Padme had to leave her little shop and friends behind. But then again, she's off to see her family so it's for the better I think. Hopefully you'll find some time during exams to update (hint hint) Thanks for the pm and I loved the update!
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KELIA Title: Fan Fiction Moderator Registered: Jul '05	Date Posted: 6/15/07 3:53am Subject: RE: Cage of Lies - A/P, 5 years post RotS, major AU - Padme is presumed dead - finally updated!14.06
	I love how tender and reassuring Anakin is with Padme The bantering between Anakin and Kaya was great. I can just picture him enjoying teasing her. I hope Padme will be able to relax when she is reunited with Luke and Leia. Great update -----signature----- "Do or do not, there is no try." Master Yoda A Light In The Darkness: http://boards.theforce.net/the_saga/b10476/28150602/p1/?8 Undue Circumstances: http://boards.theforce.net/the_saga/b10476/28530583/p1/?10
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WANNA-BE-JEDI-KNIGHT Title: Activities Coordinator, Maryland FanForce Registered: Feb '06	Date Posted: 6/16/07 8:54am Subject: RE: Cage of Lies - A/P, 5 years post RotS, major AU - Padme is presumed dead - finally updated!14.06
	I like the nice long post. So good to seem them together. I am really curious what the kids will do when they see her. -----signature----- "As you enter this life, I pray you depart with a wrinkled face and a brand new heart." -- U2 "You are in my very soul, tormenting me." -- Anakin
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Star_Angel Registered: Jan '06	Date Posted: 6/28/07 3:15pm Subject: RE: Cage of Lies - A/P, 5 years post RotS, major AU - Padme is presumed dead - finally updated!14.06
	I have to say that I’m also happy that it wasn’t a dream. “Because only a woman would describe the only human who’d ever won a race as ‘a tiny blue-eyed wonder with cute rosy cheeks, which you want to cuddle, hug and kiss but never let do something that dangerous again’,” Anakin quotes with a scornful edge to his voice, rolling his eyes. LMAO Oh, I loved that. Kaya and Anakin made me laugh. Although, when Kaya said: “But I don’t know who in their right mind would be insane enough to hug and kiss you.” And Anakin replied: “Believe me, there are a few.” I wonder what he meant. “He loves you so much,” Kaya continues, her eyes wistful and… old, all traces of the mischief that usually surrounds her gone. “Whatever lies ahead of you, the two of you will manage it.” I have my hopes on that as well. I loved this update, the A/P parts espacially, but the sad good-bye and Padmé’s fears as well. Amazing -----signature----- “It’s not our abilities that shows us what we truly are, it is our choices” – Albus Dumbledor (CoS) <- fanfics/fanart + a funny video in bio SWEDEN HOCKEY forever
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CrazyAni Registered: Feb '06	Date Posted: 7/9/07 2:36am Subject: RE: Cage of Lies - A/P, 5 years post RotS, major AU - Padme is presumed dead - finally updated!14.06
	Jazz_Skywalker: Oh yes, Padmé is very nervous… and she has every reason to be. Thank you so much for reading! JediMasterJessica: Thank you! Jedi_Master_Cazz: So do I. Thank you for reading! leia_naberrie: Yes, that’s true—Anakin and Padmé love each other above everything, and despite all the hurt and differences from the past, they’ll be able to work it out… somehow. Thank you so much for reading! randomangel22: Hahah—I enjoy writing some humour even if I barely have opportunity to do so. You’ll see soon whether Padmé’s insecurities are justified… Thank you so much for reading! Kitten: Thanks! AnakinsFavorite: You don’t know all the answers… yet. There’re still plenty of surprises to come to come in the next few chapters. Thank you so much for reading! Anakins-girl: Thanks! michaellover: Oh yes, that’s so very true… Besides, her children don’t know her at all. Thank you for reading! VaderLVR64: Hahah—oh yes, DRL is evil. Fanfic is what truly matters! Thank you so much for reading! HandmaidenVeme: Thank you! jedilegolas: Oh, I know only too well when your subconscious decides to prolong a good dream… and so does Padmé. I’ll try to write during the exams, but I can’t guarantee that. sniff Thank you so much for reading! KELIA: Well… everything depends on the reunion between Padmé, Luke and Leia and on how the twins will react to her return. Thank you so much for reading! WANNA-BE-JEDI-KNIGHT: You’ll get your answers in the next post. Thanks for reading! Star_Angel: You’ll see in the next few posts what Anakin meant by his comment—it have been long five years. Yes, Anakin and Padmé love each other above all… and we all hope that their love will be enough to get them through all the pain of the past. Thank you so much for reading, my friend! -----signature----- Currently chased away from the boards by the Writers' Block Cage of Lies - post RotS A/P - Padme is presumed to be dead http://boards.theforce.net/the_saga/b10476/25632570/p1/ HELP!!!Where is my muse?
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CrazyAni Registered: Feb '06	Date Posted: 7/9/07 2:44am Subject: RE: Cage of Lies - A/P, 5 years post RotS, major AU - Padme is presumed dead - finally updated!14.06 - Date Edited: 7/9/07 5:29am (1 edits total) Edited By: CrazyAni
	Hello, everyone! I’m so sorry for the long wait—RL has been crazy, as always. I hope you don’t mind the long update… and this chapter is very, very important for the course of the rest of the story. It has answers to many questions all of you have been asking since the beginning. Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoy! Chapter Eight The Rebel base is safely hidden underground on the jungle planet of Vuzhon in the Outer Rim. After confirming multiple password checks, Anakin lands our ship carefully into the securely hidden mouth of cave by the brownish rocks. When the engine dies off and my eyes have adjusted to the darkness, I see dozens of ships that look like white phantoms in the shadows of the huge cave. Most of them are small starfighters, but there are also a few heavy transporters towering above the X-wings. Through the window of the cockpit I see a small group of people waiting to greet us—Obi-Wan, Bail and Mon Mothma. I can’t tear my eyes away from them as cold waves of icy reality start crashing down at me. Here are people that I loved so much in my past life, people that I’d let down, betrayed by my lies… How can one face them, how can I apologise for some things that cannot be forgiven? As able to hear my heart hammering savagely within my ribcage, Anakin pulls me into the protective enclosure of his arm, holding me in one piece. I nestle into him and take a deep breath. The moist air of the cave hits my face as the hatch slides open, and we descend to the others. They smile warmly at me, and I think I smiled back, but I’m not sure—my head feels detached from the rest of my body, and the pulse of blood behind my ears makes a deafening pounding sound that makes me feel dizzy. Bail is the first one to embrace me. “Welcome back, Padmé,” he whispers into my hair, his strong hands rubbing small circles on my back. “We missed you very much.” “I missed you, too,” I whisper back, my voice reeling with gratitude. “Oh, Padmé,” Mon gasps as soon as Bail releases me. Her usually guarded mask breaks as she rushes to embrace me, loose strands of hair flying chaotically around her face. “It’s so good to have you back.” “Thank you,” I choke out. A warm feeling rises up my chest as Mon and I break apart. I’m grateful and overwhelmed that they accepted me back with open arms, and I am determined to help them as much as I can. “Padmé,” Obi-Wan smiles at me. “It’s good to see you here.” I smile back but say nothing. Somehow, I have the feeling that the price I have to pay for my seclusion and my supposed death still looms ahead of me in the dark corridors of the underground base. * There are people everywhere tracking the Empire’s every move and expecting an attack at every moment. The base is situated in a maze of vast caves underneath the jungle, and nature’s miracles have been left untouched. I have seen the crystal clear surface of the underground lake just by the communication chamber and blue moss which grows in ridiculous patterns before the door to the medical chamber—Anakin and I’s next destination. “Ani, I haven’t walked in years,” I tell him for the tenth time as we come to a halt before a grey door not much unlike the hundreds of others I have already seen. Anakin purses his mouth in a stubborn gesture, his hair an even wilder mane from the moist air. “Still, I’d love Maiia to take a look at you. You told me that you haven’t been examined, and she’s a good medic.” “What good will that examination do to me?” His eyes softening, Anakin moves closer to me and strokes my cheek with his gloved thumb. “And what do you have to lose?” I pout. “It’s pointless.” But I have to admit that he won this debate. He senses that. His boyish grin unmarred by my glare, Anakin pushes the entrance button and the door slides aside. The stark, sweet smell of bacta immediately hits my nose as we enter the chamber which is bathed in soft, artificial light. The woman sitting at the desk raises her head at the sound of our entrance and approaches us. A certain glint flares in her dark eyes when she sees me in the hoverchair—a glint of pity that I can’t stand to see any longer. “Hi, Maiia,” Anakin smiles at her. “This is Padmé, my wife,” he gestures at me. “Would you mind… taking a look at her?” Something flickers on Maiia’s face at the sound of my name, but the expression is gone before I can decipher it. She smiles at me. “Sure, come on in.” Anakin lifts me off the chair and lays me gently on the couch, ignoring my glare. Maiia leans over me with a crackling device in her hand and moves it back and forth along my back. “How were you injured?” she asks in a detached tone of a professional medic. “Sith lightning.” I cringe inwardly at the memories of Palpatine’s ghastly face… the despair… sizzling air smashing my chest. Out of the corner of my eyes I notice the agony which steals over Anakin’s face. He is blaming himself that he didn’t come to rescue me soon enough, that he lost the battle with Palpatine, that he didn’t look for me during all those years both of us were dead… I want to comfort him, to erase that anguished, haunted look from his face, but I can’t. “Did you… did you undergo any treatment?” Maiia asks, putting the device aside and examining my back with her hands. “No.” The agony on Anakin’s face intensifies; his eyes darken. I think that only now does he begin to realise how broken I was, how broken I still am… “Why not?” Puzzlement colours Maiia’s voice, and her hands pull from my back. “During the early stage there wouldn’t have been much that bacta couldn’t have healed. I’m sure you would be walking now if you’d undergone the treatment.” “I thought that paralysis couldn’t be healed,” I lie. “Hmm.” Maiia pulls her black hair behind her ears and scrutinises the monitor of the device she examined me with, pursing her lips. “What is it, Maiia?” Anakin bursts, frowning. “As far as I can tell, the damage to her spinal nerve isn’t irreversible,” Maiia says slowly, her eyes still on the monitor. “Her soft tissues are also injured to some degree, but it’s treatable. Bones are intact. I think”—she looks up Anakin—“she can regain her ability to walk.” It takes several seconds for Maiia’s words to sink in for a bright, genuine smile to blossom on Anakin’s face, and my heart is racing too. But can’t believe what I hear—the words are too good to be true, and I’m afraid. Forgiveness is never, ever without a price. Where is my punishment, my penitence for my betrayal, my cowardice? “That’s wonderful!” Anakin breathes. If we weren’t in the med chamber, I’m sure he would have picked me up and spun me around, infecting me with his unconditional joy. Maiia smiles as well, but there is an edge to her smile, a certain hesitance. I turn around on the cot and sit up before either Anakin or Maiia can help me. “Thank you,” I tell Maiia, my voice surging with gratitude. She laughs quietly. “I didn’t do anything, but you’re very welcome.” Anakin grins. “I’m sure that the children will be thrilled about the news.” My stomach jolts. “By the way, where are they?” Maiia smirks. “Oh, they’re with Master Yoda and other children, learning the way of the Force.” She and Anakin exchange a glance, the two of them suddenly in the world I can’t enter yet—the world full of my children, of the Rebellion activity, of their mutual memories. That past nearly crackles in the room under the depth of their gaze, and I’m a foreigner, an intruder. Oblivious to my scrutiny, Anakin tries to stifle a grin. “Could you please bring them to my place when they’re finished?” he asks casually. “Of course.” Anakin smiles and nods, then puts me back in my hoverchair. “I won’t have to do this much longer,” he says lightly, his hands unnecessarily lingering on my shoulder, on my neck. I sigh. “Pity. I already got used to your carrying me around.” He laughs and presses his lips to my hair. “If you wish to, I’ll never get tired of carrying you,” he whispers, his hot breath tickling my ear. Maiia coughs behind us and immediately, Anakin lets go of me, keeping only my hand. “Sorry,” he grins, repentant. I, too, feel the warmth creep around my cheeks and ears. Maiia rolls her eyes. “Go to your room, but keep in mind that I’ll come soon with Luke and Leia,” she chuckles, but I believe to hear a warning behind it. We thank her again and move to the exit. Yet I believe to feel her eyes on my back and already by the door, I turn around. What I read in her face makes my breath turn into a cold and hard substance in my chest, blood pounding behind my ears. Her face, alive and friendly only seconds ago, is a stone mask. Her eyes are haunted by bitterness—pure and unadulterated, the kind that doesn’t heal as time passes. The force of it nearly knocks me out of my chair. Even as the door slides shut between us, I can still feel her stare burn my back, and my shivers have nothing to do with the natural coolness of a cave. * “So, who is Maiia?” I ask as lightly as I can manage as the door to Anakin’s chambers hisses shut behind us. The light atmosphere that enveloped us upon hearing the news about my condition in the med chamber has evaporated as soon as the words escape from my lips. Cold and foreign in the dim artificial light, Anakin tenses slightly—a ghost of frown on his smooth forehead, a breath of shadow passing over his clear iris—but it speaks volumes to me, and I can feel the hole in my chest screech in anticipation, ready to rip me apart. “She is a friend.” I raise one eyebrow, urging him to go on. His shoulders heaving slightly, Anakin strips off his robe and throws it onto the bed, where it lands in a crumpled heap of black. “She… she took care of me during my catatonic phase,” he clarifies quietly, carefully avoiding my eyes. I frown. “Oh.” Anakin casts a quick look at me. “I don’t remember it well,” he mutters, shrugging slightly. He walks to the bed and slumps onto it, wearily rubbing his forehead with his mechanical hand. “My memories are blurry, indistinct. I remember only cold… numbness… emptiness. Everything else disappeared.” I don’t know what to say. The edges of the hole in my heart start burning. Anakin stares at the streams of dampness on the opposite wall as he speaks again, his voice guarded. “I think I’ll be forever grateful to her and to everyone else for the support they’ve given to me.” The corners of his mouth lift in a weak smile that makes his eyes even sadder. “The children like her, and she likes them.” “That’s good,” I say softly, inspecting my creased hands folded in my lap. Something flickers on Anakin’s face. “I haven’t been a good father, Padmé,” he nearly whispers, his blue eyes seeming to darken as they stare through the grey wall into the past that has been so painful for both of us. “I’m away far too much, and when I’m here, I’m never really there for them. Luke and Leia deserve a better father, not a half-empty shell. Of course, Obi-Wan spends much time with them, and the twins adore him, but”—Anakin chuckles softly—“he’s anxious not be alone with them for too long.” I hang my head. The pounding of my heart echoes loudly in the cool air, the thin skin on my chest wailing with each heartbeat as the hole threatens to ripple open. Anakin’s mind is in the past, in his own pain as he carries on with his tale, and his every word continues my search for blame. “Luke and Leia are wise for their ages, they know that a father isn’t supposed to be like this. I try to block them, but they’re strong, and I think they occasionally steal glimpses of what I am—was—inside. I can tell that they worry about me.” He looks at me, and the depth of anguish in his eyes takes my breath away. “It’s not normal, Padmé. Not normal at all—children aren’t supposed to be worried about their parents.” “I’m sorry,” I whisper barely audible. Anakin shakes his head. “No. Don’t be sorry, Padmé,” he says softly, his voice scorching with sincerity so much I can feel it flowing through my veins, warming me. “It’s not your fault. It’s no one’s fault. Everything is different now that you’re here.” “And Maiia-“ I begin, then break off, unsure what I want to say. His face a mask of pain, Anakin avoids my eyes, a sigh heaving through his chest. His fist clenches and, after a momentary hesitation, falls powerlessly into his lap. A heavy silence falls between us. My mind strangely blank, I watch his golden hair shine dimly in the cold, bleak artificial light. I can sense that I’m about to hear something I don’t want to know, something that should better sink into the sands of past behind us to never be spoken of again. But people are strange creatures—they look for pain in their already hard lives, desperate to know things that should better stay hidden. I am no different. Anakin’s eyes are intense pools of blue when he looks at me again. “Padmé, what if I died and someone else came into your life? Someone you loved. Not even close to what you were capable of, that love only a weak echo of what you felt once, but enough to make you want to live on? Enough to make your children happy?” Once again, I’m at loss at what to say. My mouth slightly open, I stare back at him, my skin burning from the apology emanating in waves from Anakin’s eyes. Awareness begins to seep through me like acid. A bleak, listless smile twists Anakin’s face. “I’d have wanted you to be happy, Padmé, if I were gone. I’d have wanted you to find someone who you could grow older with. Yet, I wasn’t sure if you’d wanted me to move on… I wasn’t ready to move on.” “I’d have wanted you to move on.” My voice is strained even to my ears, but the words sound sincere. They are sincere. Anakin sighs, rubbing the bridge of his nose with his thumb. “Maiia is my friend, but there is more than friendship between us. In many ways, she’s like a child—light, innocent, untouched by Darkness. I’m very comfortable around her, and the pain is less when she’s around.” His haunted blue eyes peek at me from between his calloused fingers. “But I don’t know what happens now that everything has changed.” I don’t know what to make out of his words. There is jealousy and bitterness surging within me, ready to splash out with a roar like water off the rocks. I can feel my jaw clenching, and I try to soften my expression because I suspect his honesty must have cost him greatly. Very gently, I take his hand in mine, ignoring the agony rippling through me as the hole screeches menacingly. “Everything will work out for the best, Ani. We’ll just have to wait and see.” Anakin casts a long look at our hand entwined together, at my thumb brushing circles on his palm. “Yes. Somehow, everything will be fine,” he says quietly, a ghost of the crooked smile I love so much spreading slowly across his face… but I see a flicker of doubt at the bottom of his azure eyes. The hiss of an opening door makes me wince involuntarily. Maiia enters the room with a small dark-haired girl in her one arm, and a little blue-eyed boy holding her other hand. Her dark eyes flash to our entwined hands, but this once, I don’t pay attention to her, for my eyes are glued to the children. Anakin’s children. My children. Luke and Leia. My heart does a mad jolt in my chest, and excitement floods over me. “Someone wanted to see their parents,” Maiia smiles, putting Leia on the floor. The girl eyes me warily, and I can feel my smile vanish slowly as other emotions rise in my chest. Anxiety. Fear. Uncertainty. “Thanks, Maiia,” Anakin smiles back, jumping up from the bed and squatting beside Luke. The boy’s smile as he looks at his father is dazzling. He has the same blue eyes like Anakin, the same tousled blonde hair, the same tenacity hiding in the yet fine lines of his jaw… Maiia casts an indecipherable glance at me—yet her eyes are void of coldness and animosity—and walks out, the door sliding shut behind her. “Luke, Leia, I want you to meet someone,” Anakin says lightly, taking my hand. “This is your mother.” A heavy ‘thump’ of my heart seems to fill the room, bouncing off the damp grey walls. A thick silence falls over the four of us. Luke and Leia stare at me, their childish faces cool and irresponsive. Beads of perspiration trickle slowly down my spine as I stare back at them, searching for a shadow of affection in their eyes… but there is none. “Hello,” I begin unsurely. My voice cracks mid-word. “I’m so… so happy to finally see you. I-I missed you very much.” Anakin’s eyes dart to me and back to the children. He’s smiling—a gesture that is required by the situation—but this smile doesn’t light his face. Leia is the first to break the silence. “Missed us?” she asks. In any other situation her sweet voice would have been music to my ears, but now it cuts through me. I try to keep my expression calm, but my voice is hoarse. “Yes. I missed you very much.” Leia grins. This smile is not kind, making Anakin frown and the hole in my chest burn anew. “How could you have missed us when you never saw us?” “I-“ “Leia,” Anakin scolds gently, but there is a warning in his voice. The girl’s large brown eyes narrow, her lips purse into a thin line. “You know that too, Daddy! She left us, she’s not our Mummy.” She turns to her brother who is now staring at me with the most peculiar expression. “Right, Luke?” Luke looks at the floor. “Yes,” he says barely audibly. Anakin gets up. Tall and dark, he towers over the children. “Luke, Leia,” he begins sternly, but our daughter interrupts him. “Don’t, Daddy!” she nearly screeches, stumping with her little foot. “She’s no one to us. If she loved us, she would have come to us sooner!” I clamp my hand to my mouth, feeling the raw edges of the hole tear through my chest. Anakin’s eyes widen. “Leia,” he says quietly, his voice shaking with disbelief. Leia stares back at him defiantly, trace of an all too familiar stubbornness sparkling in her eyes. “No, Daddy,” she nearly wails. “I can’t. Come on, Luke,” she calls to her brother. “Let’s go find Maiia.” Without another glance at me, she turns away and almost runs out of the door. But Luke lingers on and looks at me, his gaze nearly apologetic. Sending a very slight smile at me, he slowly turns around and trudges after his sister. I sit in the chair, frozen. The hole tears my body apart, the jagged edges burning. The pain should have made me double back and scream, but it doesn’t. I feel numb, staring at the closed door but still seeing only my daughter’s cold face. Somehow, I can’t believe that this is real. A part of me hopes that it isn’t. “Padmé?” Anakin’s quiet voice rustles by my ear. His hand grips my shoulder. “Are you all right?” Without thinking about it, I turn around and nestle into his chest. All my life, I hated showing signs of weakness and, even with Anakin, I have always been in control, been strong—for both of us. Yet now, I can’t put that mask. There is nothing worse for a mother than be rejected by her child, by her own flesh and blood. Wild and uncontrollable, the sobs burst from my chest, and I don’t hold them. Anakin holds me, gently stroking my back and my hair. “Don’t worry, Padmé,” he says quietly. “They will come around. It will take some time, but they will be there.” I have no answer. I let my tears fall on his tunic, which is already wet, crying out the misery I’d held for five agonisingly long and hard years. There is a tiny part of me that wishes that I had never met Anakin, never left Deralia, never tasted the bitter taste of rejection. Maybe, oblivion was better than harsh truth. Maybe, sometimes hiding from the problems can be better than facing them, especially if it’s too late. Yet these questions are tiring and pointless. Vaguely, I feel Anakin lift me up in his arms and gently lay me on bed. He lies beside me, wrapping his arms around me. Eventually, my eyes run dry from tears and exhaustion overtakes me. Through the haze of sleep I vaguely register Anakin getting up, and leaving, kissing my cheek before he does. My body wants to protest against his leaving, but I’m too sleepy to drag my lids open or to stretch out my arm to him. Exhausted though I may be, one part of my body still roars in protest at the prospect of being left alone. It is my toe—it stirs. -----signature----- Currently chased away from the boards by the Writers' Block Cage of Lies - post RotS A/P - Padme is presumed to be dead http://boards.theforce.net/the_saga/b10476/25632570/p1/ HELP!!!Where is my muse?
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Jazz_Skywalker Registered: Aug '02	Date Posted: 7/9/07 8:57am Subject: RE: Cage of Lies - A/P, 5 years post RotS, major AU - Padme is presumed dead - finally updated! 9.07
	Oh, poor Padme... to come back and find that Anakin had (has?) a relationship with another woman and that the twins look upon her as more of a mother figure. Hopefully it will work out for the best, though. But at least her toe moved - that's a positive sign. -----signature----- currently working on NaNo 2007 (won) 11/24: 50,000+!
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WANNA-BE-JEDI-KNIGHT Title: Activities Coordinator, Maryland FanForce Registered: Feb '06	Date Posted: 7/9/07 2:26pm Subject: RE: Cage of Lies - A/P, 5 years post RotS, major AU - Padme is presumed dead - finally updated! 9.07
	That is good news that she has the ability to walk again. I hadn't thought of that being a possibility. Oh the kids will come around. I guess there is lots of tension and anger to get through. I still want to know what exactly kind of relationship that Anakin had with Maiia. How close were they? -----signature----- "As you enter this life, I pray you depart with a wrinkled face and a brand new heart." -- U2 "You are in my very soul, tormenting me." -- Anakin
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michaellover Registered: May '05	Date Posted: 7/9/07 7:05pm Subject: RE: Cage of Lies - A/P, 5 years post RotS, major AU - Padme is presumed dead - finally updated! 9.07
	mmmm.... bwsides the fact she is in Padme's place, this Maiia lady doesnt seems like a very nice person ( is Anakin going to stay wih her just because Leia likes her??) awhy do I suspect she is been bad mouthing Padme in front of the kids?? unless Leia really knows how to hold a grudge, those are no ideas for such a little child or else she has her father temper! (close the curtains 'cause we are doomed then!) -----signature----- Vicki: I'm busting your chops for talking about demons and I was out hunting a vampire Henry: I'm gonna let you in on a little secret. Okay? Vicki: You believe in vampires Henry: I am a vampire.
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