Ghost - A Star Wars Fanfic

Prologue

     Padmé Naberrie Amidala-Skywalker had seen the Force used in many ways in her lifetime. As a Galactic Republic Senator, she had the honor of working closely with many of the Jedi Order's finest Padawans, Knights, and Masters. However, she had never once expected that oh-so mysterious and mystical force to be used on her.

      And by the man she loved, nonetheless.

     Now, she was staring blankly at the blindingly bright lights of the Polis Massa medcenter room, screaming as pain attacked her lower abdomen, two new lives taking their first breaths as their mother worked hard to allow them to live.

     A familiar face was by her side, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Jedi Master, reassuring her with words of encouragement. Padmé knew they were false though. The stress and weariness was more obvious in Obi-Wan's eyes than they had ever been, and his Jedi robes were completely in tatters. He looked more rugged than usual, but still managed to keep Padmé going despite his own troubles.

     Padmé wished she could thank him for that, but the pain was too much, overcoming her vision like a blanket of darkness and tinted red.

      "Just a few more Padmé, the first one's almost out." Obi-Wan whispered, practically begging her to remain conscious. Padmé tried not to scream at the pain. She had to push through for her children, twins as the medical droid had stated. They wouldn't die because of her weakness.

      Finally, the first scream of a newborn echoed throughout the room and Padmé released a temporary breath of relief. Obi-Wan was quick to grab the baby from the med-droid, wrapping it in a warm blanket and cradling it carefully.

     "It's a boy." The droid stated, looking towards the Senator for the child's name.

     Slowly, Padmé's brown eyes skirted to the side to take in the infant in Obi-Wan's arms. The child cried a bit, but cooed once his large blue eyes fell on his mother. A weak smile brewed on Padmé's lips.

     "Luke...oh Luke..." Padmé whispered, reaching up lightly to stroke the faint blonde fuzz on her son's head. That was the name she had always wanted for a son, and now she had one, her little Luke.

      Then, another contraction hit her in a burst of pain and she screamed, causing Luke to wail again, sensing his mother's distress. Padmé felt her other child pushing to quickly follow its brother, not wanting to be forgotten.

     'So you're a stubborn one?' Padmé thought with brief amusement.

      She pushed through the threatening darkness again, remembering her husband's nightmare about this very moment.

     Her husband...

    Anakin.

     Tears brimmed her eyelids and she screamed through the birth of her second child, denying everything that had been happening in the last few hours.

     Anakin wasn't here.

    He would never see the birth of his children.

    He was gone.

    A second newborn cry echoed in unison with its mother's as it was born, and the droid looked back at Padmé. "It's a girl."

     A girl? Anakin and her hadn't discussed names for very long, but he had really admired one for a girl since he had been so sure that their child, now children, was going to be a female.

      "Leia..." Padmé cried out again, a sudden light-headed feeling overcoming her. The droid held her daughter and Obi-Wan still held her son, both of them so close yet so far away.