The Dark Side

New Life

In the medical bay of the Alderaanian ship, my heart broke for Anakin as I watched him grip an unconscious Araila's limp hand in his own.

We had brought her to Bale Organa's last ship, a safe haven for the last four Jedi in existence, but our numbers would soon only be three... I could sense her light fading.

"Make it much longer she cannot..." Yoda offered from beside me. "Killing her, the babies are."

"Babies?" I questioned with a shocked tone. I had only recently found out there was a child, and now there were two... how might this change our actions even more so than the first one already had?

I watched on again as a medical droid placed electrodes along the large bump that now was Araila's abdomen. I looked away as she leaped awake, the pain causing her to scream.

Her remaining limbs shook as Anakin tried to calm her, but to no avail. She only wailed in agony, her screams rocking the ship as her power radiated through it. She cried out until the droid injected her with pain medication.

It was gruesome watching the two people I cherished most in the galaxy cry together, feeling both of their hatred for me in that moment glow red hot in the force.

"Rai, please you have to be strong..." I whispered to myself. "Come back to the light..."

^*^
(Anakin's POV)

I had found her half dead on the black rock of Mustafar, missing half a leg and most of her left arm. Her eyes were still bloodshot and red, her screams of torment bringing me to my knees as I tried to cradle her in my arms, her body only shaking wildly as I did.

"The Baby..."  She croaked out before drifting away into the darkness of sleep.

I had rushed back to the landing platform of the Separatist base, my heart beating unbearably quick, I placed her in the medical bay with C-3PO, the droid rambling on in panic before I shut him down.

"R2, take us to the ship Bale spoke of... Send a distress signal, let them know we have an injured Jedi." I demanded as I plugged the astromech droid into the computer.

Now, as I held her hand, our children being born from a mother who was broken and dying, I cried.

My tears slipped onto my black robes, leaving trails down my rosy cheeks and jaw. I could feel here slipping with every breath she took as she wailed through the final contractions of labour.

"Rai, please, breathe, my love, breathe!" I tried, placing a hand on her cheek as she gripped my hand with her own. "Please..."

She simply nodded as she tried to calm herself, pushing once more. With a final cry from Rai, the medical droid removed our first child from my wife.

I was breathless as I was given a bundled, wailing child, a little boy.

"What will you name him?" Obi-Wan asked as he cautiously walked into the room.

I dared not look up to him, holding only our newest soul in my arms. "Araila... what will we name him?" I asked her, ignoring our master.

She shakily let out a breath as she pushed one final time, another child being brought into the world. "L-Luke..." She offered shakily, her voice weak and soft, outstretching her arm to hold him.

I complied and carefully placed our son in her arms. She let out a soft sob, as she looked down at our wonderful son, my own arms now filled with a daughter.

"Leia..."
Dreams Come True

It was a narrow escape. I had only just made it out of the nursery with the twin babies in my arms when the base was attacked.