When Angels Weep

Chapter: 15

~~~~~~~~~~

Dormé had never been to Tatooine before and was planning to never come back again. It was hot and dry and before she'd even been there five minutes, she had sand in the most uncomfortable places. This, she'd been told, was nice cool weather. A mild season. She hated to think what a bad season would be like. Sweat dripped down her brow and she wished she could take off her cloak. However, as it was only she and Luke, she'd have to suffer. No extra hands available to help her.

Were the Lars expecting her? She wasn't certain. Padmé had made arrangements, so she hoped this wasn't going to be a surprise for the couple. She could imagine how well that would go.

Padmé's directions to the Lars moisture farm were clear and concise, giving Dormé no trouble at all. She was greeted by a young man and woman who introduced themselves as Owen and Beru. Just who she was there to see. They invited her inside, Beru serving refreshments. Dormé was glad for the liquid and the bit of cake. Both settled her stomach a bit. She'd been mildly queasy since leaving Coruscant. Terror had a way of doing that.

It was Owen who began the conversation, coming straight to the point, his tone gruff. "The transmission was a bit garbled, so correct me if any of this is wrong. Anakin married a woman, they had a baby and the child needs care?"

"That's the gist of it, yes." An accurate, if greatly abbreviated accounting. In her arms, Luke twisted, turning his head toward Owen.

Beru nudged the cake plate closer to Dormé, inviting her to have another piece. When it had been taken and a few more bites eaten, Beru leaned forward a little. "Why us? Why here? Isn't he, Anakin, still alive? Isn't he well?"

Dormé wasn't sure what to say. Padmé had told her to trust these two but how far was that trust meant to extend? She gave them a shortened version of the story, from what Padmé had told her and her own experiences, seeing shock on Beru's face. Curiously, Owen did not seem surprised. Accepting and not surprised at all. She rocked Luke, wondering on that. What had he seen in Anakin that kept him from being surprised? What had he witnessed? What did Owen know?

A burst of pessimism hit her. He was going to refuse. They were going to refuse to take Luke. Dormé had the sudden fear of that. They would refuse and she didn't think she could protect Luke by herself for much longer. She hurried to speak. "The Anakin you met no longer exists. He changed. He's cruel and so angry...."

Beru stretched her hand out, taking one of Luke's hands. He wrapped his fingers around her forefinger and cooed. Beru smiled. "We'll take him."

Quickly Dormé shifted her gaze to Owen. He was watching Beru and Luke with an odd flicker of yearning in his eyes. After a moment, he met her gaze and the flicker was gone. "Shmi would want us to care for her grandson, no matter what the circumstances."

Giving Luke a last hug, Dormé handed him to Beru, whose smile went serene with the boy in her arms. "My lady sent documentation should you wish to call him yours or if anyone comes asking."

"What's his name," Beru asked.

"Luke Skywalker."

Owen snorted. "Nothing like hiding him in plain sight with an obvious name is there?"

"The name is common--"

"I know," he replied. "Will the papers hold up to scrutiny if we choose to use them?"

"My lady paid well to make certain of it." She watched Owen get up from his chair and round the table to look over his wife's shoulder at the boy. "You can't tell Luke the truth, not until he's adult and can understand. Tell him he was the son of a Jedi whose father died in the slaughter. It's partial truth. Or tell him his father was a pilot. Truth again somewhat."

"Or tell him nothing. We'll start there, see where it takes us." Owen leaned down, tucking the blanket more firmly about Luke.

Dormé opened the bag she'd brought and pulled out the package Padmé had sent. Not for the first time she wondered what it was. Padmé had not told her. "My lady sent this as well, to be given to him when he is grown."

Owen took it, hefted it and nodded. "Very well. When he is grown."

She was invited to stay for the night and longer, but Dormé wanted to be off this planet. She was anxious to take the snippet and return it to her lady. "I can't stay. My presence is a danger and if Anakin does come here I'd put you all in danger. No, but thank you. I have one more task to complete before I go into hiding myself."

~~~~~~~~~~

Padmé stepped onto the ramp and immediately her heart jumped into her throat. Row upon row of guards waited. Vertigo threatened to overtake her.

No, she thought. Oh no, he's found me already.

She squeezed her daughter, causing the baby to wail. Terror took strength from her body and Padmé could almost see Anakin striding down the path, demanding she hand Leia -- Shmi -- over to him and come back to Coruscant. No, she decided, he wouldn't demand. He'd simply grab them both. Maybe he'd wait until they were alone before dealing with her. What would he do then? Her mind brought forth several horrible options.

Would he hit her this time? He'd been fast approaching crossing over that line as his shove the previous week had indicated. Or would he choke her like he'd done once before?

Padmé gasped for breath. At least little Annie was safe. Luke, she corrected herself.

Too bad Breha had not been able to warn her in time to turn back. Had Anakin found Bail out and come in here with lightsaber blazing and troops shooting? Alderaan was peaceful. They'd give little resistance. She could imagine the sort of slaughter that would occur. Broken bodies lying terribly still and cold.

Alderaan was peaceful and Anakin didn't appear. The only man to approach her was an elderly white haired gentleman who gave her a courtly bow and a friendly smile.

"Welcome to Alderaan, my lady. My queen awaits you in her private chamber. May I say, this is a wonderful day for Alderaan."

On closer inspection, Padmé felt extremely foolish to realize the men weren't guards at all. Silly of her, but then who could blame her for her imagination working overtime so feverishly? These rows of men were a welcome delegation. Giving nod to her former political status? She'd have to talk to Breha about that. Perhaps, she decided, I should have been clearer to Breha about the importance of anonymity for this visit.

As she was led through the palace carrying Leia, people stepped to the sides of the hallways and bowed. Whispers carried along behind her, an edge of excitement in them.

She needn't have worried, Padmé discovered when she finally reached Breha. The delegation had not been a nod to her political career, but rather to the arrival of the child to be adopted. Breha met her with a gentle touch of fingers on her cheek and a hug that managed to convey such kindness and sincerity that Padmé nearly wept.

"My thoughts have been with you on your journey here," Breha said, guiding her to a comfortable chair and ordering refreshments to be brought. "I have been so worried for you."

"I've been worried for me too," she replied candidly. They spoke on general topics until refreshments had been brought and they were alone. "Would you like to hold her?"

Breha nodded, holding out her arms. "More than anything. This sacrifice you make...." She trailed off.

"It's necessary, Breha. Unfortunately. Her name is Leia." She handed Shmi, now Leia, into the arms of Bail Organa's wife. Here, in plain sight, her daughter would be safe. Bail wouldn't even know that Leia was Shmi. She'd worked this all out with Breha. Her friend. Her accomplice in this deception.

The door opened, a young woman crossing towards them.

"Leia Organa. I like the sound of that." Breha touched Leia's cheek. Leia reached up a hand, grasping Breha's hair and tugging, causing a grin to light Breha's face. "Oh, so precious."

"All I ask is that I be allowed to see her a couple times a year. I'll only come when the Senate is in session and I'll never stay long. I just...." She swallowed hard. "I can't lose them both."

Breha held up a hand. "Please, Nura." She stressed the new name Padmé had taken. For the benefit of the woman approaching she assumed. "Your little one will be safe with us. Take time to mourn the loss of your older child, but rest assured we will care well for this one. She will be treasured. We'll love her."

"I know." She knew without one doubt that Leia would have a good life here. Breha and Bail would take care of her and she would want for nothing.

"You're welcome to visit. Just send notice to my handmaidens and they'll see I'm made aware of your arrival."

"There's a Protocol droid in my ship that I'd like to remain with Leia. He's been powered down for awhile." Arrangements were made to retrieve Threepio and by dawn, Padmé was gone from Alderaan, on her way to one more location she was being guided to. Her present journey was coming to an end.

Soon, a new one would begin.

~~~~~~~~~~

She shouldn't be here. Padmé had wanted her out of danger, tucked away from the chaos once she'd taken Luke to the Lars. But Dormé couldn't let that snippet remain on Coruscant. It was a little thing, yes, but her lady needed it. As she made her way carefully to the apartment, she recalled where it would be. In Padmé's box of memories. A small box filled with mementos of times Padmé wished to recall.

A charm without a chain, a small comb for her hair.... A japor snippet carved with meticulous care. Padmé had cried so much over leaving it behind.

Dormé had been on Coruscant for several days, long enough to make discreet inquiries on Anakin's whereabouts. He was off-planet again she'd discovered, and would be for a few days. Still, she planned to get in and get right back out as quickly as possible. No lingering.

As she'd predicted to herself, Anakin had greatly relaxed security. She saw no one. The building was silent. Tamping down a sliver of unease, Dormé stepped into the lift. It slid fluidly up to the apartment. A wave of nostalgia swept over her as she walked inside. Padmé had been happy here for awhile and Dormé had been happy for her.

A quick search of the rooms showed no one present and a curious absence of glass. What, she wondered, had happened to it all? She strode to the bedroom, keeping an ear open for sounds, seeing the long low table no longer had glass in it either. It was a bare framework. Strange. Dormé paused, listening. Was that a footfall? The sound of a door opening? There was nothing out of the ordinary save her own panicked breaths. She found the box at the foot of the bed on the bench. Dormé smiled in relief as she lifted it and opened the lid.

Necklace, comb, charm.... No japor snippet.

Dormé felt chilled all of a sudden. It should be there. Don't panic, she thought. Perhaps it fell out of the box. She closed the lid and set the box back down. Sure it fell. Out of a closed box with a tightly fitting lid. With a glance left and right, Dormé knelt, carefully scanning the carpet in hopes of seeing it there on the floor though she knew it was not there. She knew at a glance it was not there.

Her search took her around the side of the bed. Nothing. The snippet was not here. She muttered a soft curse and sat back on her heels. Where could it be? Padmé had kept it in that box. She wouldn't have moved it. She wouldn't have--

"You're looking for this, aren't you?" Anakin's voice came from behind her, deceivingly gentle, bored even.

Fear skittered over her skin. It crawled up her back and sank it's fangs into her neck. Dormé turned, rising slowly to her feet. She'd not heard him come in, but there he was. How had he come in on such silent feet? She blinked. Or had she really heard a door a moment ago, that sound she'd attributed to imagination? How long had he been here and why wasn't he gone like he was supposed to be?

Anakin sat in a chair by the hall door, foot propped up on a second chair. The japor snippet, on its simple chain, dangled from his raised hand. He was contemplating it in a detached manner. "I was a child when I gave her this. She liked it. A decade later she wore it for me when we were alone and finally all the time. I can remember it nestled between her perfect breasts."

She said nothing, for what could she say? There was nowhere to go, to run from him. She was not going to leave this apartment again, was she? It was inevitable. She was going to die here. Dormé embraced the inevitability. She had done her job well and now to finish it. She was a handmaiden and her job was not done until she was gone.

Stand firm, she told herself. A calm settled over her, the eye of the storm, and she waited for his temper. It would be coming anytime. He would try to make her tell him where Padmé was and when she refused he would hurt her. When that failed, he would kill her. She knew it. Saw it all in his eyes before another word had been spoken.

"I thought you were her when you first walked in. She chose her handmaidens well. Height, hair. From behind, you were her." He jostled the chain, made the snippet twirl. That twirling was hypnotic and she wrenched her eyes from it. "Did you think I didn't know you returned to Coruscant, Dormé? From the moment you landed I've known you were here. I gave you that false information, hoping you'd come back here." His glance was sly. "And if you hadn't, I'd have had you picked up before you could leave again. You've grown careless, handmaiden. You know, I thought maybe she'd slipped by me. After all, you came back. Why not her as well? When I saw you walk in...."

He never said Padmé's name. Always 'she' and 'her'. Why?

His other hand raised, two fingers drawing up. The shade over the window raised, bathing her in bright sunlight. Dormé blinked and tilted her head, everything in the room beyond her plunged into shadow. Dust motes danced in the light beams.

"Where is she, Dormé? Where's my wife?"

Her mind focused on her fear of him, of what she knew him capable of, keeping images of the last time she'd angered him in the forefront. Don't let him trick you, she thought. Stay strong. He will trick you if you let him.

Anakin came to her, bending slightly to set the snippet on the bench beside the box. "You're worried about her, about the babies. You can't hide that. It's understandable, that worry. You've been a good friend to her. To us both. You are one of the few people she trusts." He gave her one of those calculating, engaging grin he was so good at. The warmth of it didn't reach his eyes. "And that is why you're going to tell me where she is."

Tears made tracks down her face, she could feel them falling and didn't dare wipe them away. I'm sorry my lady, she thought. I was foolish in coming here. Forgive me.

"Out there I can't protect her. She's not safe. The only place she and the twins are safe is with me." He sounded so reasonable. Once, she'd believed him. Not anymore. She'd seen his true face, the monster he'd become. He'd pulled away his own mask and revealed himself to her.

He was a monster wasn't he, every bit as frightening as those creatures in children's stories. Only he was more frightening in her mind because he wore the face of a friend. She bit her tongue to keep from speaking.

Anakin's smile faded, anger sparking in his eyes, quickly burning hotter into flame. "Taught you that silent tactic has she? She was always good at those cool, flat stares. Surely you see how reckless and irresponsible she's being running off like that the second my back is turned? Running off to...where? Is she meeting someone? Tell me. Tell me now, Dormé. You will tell me!"

She shook her head.

"Tell me," he gritted out through clenched teeth.

Dormé again shook her head. He tried again and the urge to spill everything she knew rose up inside her, her mouth opening, the words nearly leaving her. She staggered back against the same wall he'd once thrown her against, raising a fist and biting into a finger to muzzle herself.

He came to her, looming over her, face flushing. "Did my wife leave me for another man then?"

Her lower lip trembled and she stopped biting her finger to answer him. "It was you left her." The words were stronger than she'd thought they'd be and Dormé pressed her palms to the wall behind her, taking strength from the solid feel of the wall. Firm, unyielding. As she should be. "You who deserted her for power when all she wanted was your love."

His eyes narrowed. "She brought a man to kill me. I'd say her intentions were clear right then."

Dormé could hardly see for the tears in her eyes. "My lady loved you."

"She walked away and took our children with her. She put me through hell for a week until I saw what she'd done. That's not love." His voice grew louder and louder with each word. "I've done more for her and our love than she ever conceived of and I will search the galaxy until she is back with me!" He took several steps back, raising his hand, fingers curved as though about her throat.

And then she felt it, that tight Force grasp of his hand and Dormé had no more words, nor breath to say them. Life was choked from her and the last thing she saw was Anakin's cold hard stare. There were no loving arms to hold her or voice to soothe her as Death reached for her and Dorme died, taking Padmé's final secrets with her into the grave.

She'd protected her lady, a loyal handmaiden to the end.