Chapter 2

Music for Dance: The Vampire Masquerade by Peter Gundry

Or Piano version of Once Upon a December

Or Chopin - Nocturne op.9 No.2 (Anything by Chopin really)

You stare dumbfoundedly at the outstretched hand of Ambassador Palpatine. It takes you a moment to realize he is inviting you to dance with him. The thought sends a pleasurable chill down your spine. This surprises you. You were never one to dance. The few times you did dance was as a teenager, attending cotillions at your mother's request, forcing you to find an acceptable suitor. You felt like retching every time a young man wrapped his arm around your waist. Ever since then, the thought of dancing with a man fills you with dread.

However, the thought of dancing with the young ambassador suddenly turns you into a bashful and self-conscious little girl. He is an intriguing man who's cast a spell on you, breaking through your hardened exterior.

Palpatine notes your hesitancy and smiles, "I promise I don't bite."

Cautiously, you place your purse on the floor and take a gentle hold of Palpatine's hand. He smiles as he tenderly leads you to the dance floor. When he reaches the center, he lifts up your arm and softly twirls you, making the hem of your gown flow in a graceful circle. You smile, giggling silently. You can't remember the last time you truly smiled.

Palpatine seems to gain more confidence at the sight of your smile. He pulls you closer to him, slowly placing a hand on the small of your back. The warmth of his hand makes you gasp slightly. You can't stop yourself from blushing. Suddenly, all the technique you learned about ballroom dancing flies from your head. You begin to worry that you might step on his toes.

Just follow his lead! You tell yourself, not wanting to make a fool of yourself in front of this man.

The music pauses while the quartet prepares to transition into another song. While you both wait for the music to start again, you shift your glance towards your friends. Their eyes are fixed on you. Their jaws have dropped. They never expected you to be social, much less dance with the most sought-after bachelor on Coruscant. A group of men (who you suspect a Palpatine's friends) send him a questioning look, wondering why he would dance with the most awkward woman at the ball.

Palpatine ignores them. All his attention is on you. His icy stare is captivating.

The music begins again. The strings now play a slower, more intimate song. It is a song meant for lovers, making you keenly aware of Palpatine's touch. You feel yourself go rigid with an uncharacteristic sense of fear.

Palpatine brushes a loose strand of hair of away from your face. His fingers linger on your cheek, making you melt on the inside. He leans towards your ear, his lips so close to touching you.

"Relax," he purrs deeply.

He takes the lead, waltzing with you slowly. You see that he is a skilled dancer. He moves with self-assurance and grace. You don't heed your own dancing. You could be fumbling each step, but your attention is magnetized to Palpatine's face. He is mysterious yet friendly, making you feel happier than you have been in years. The warmth of his hands subdues you. You are surprised that his hand does not wander. It stays at the small of your back, never inching lower. You never thought there was such a thing as a true gentleman, but could Palpatine be one in a galaxy full of cads?

Don't be a fool! You chastise yourself. I vowed never to fall for the charms of a man.

Oh, but you could feel that vow breaking with each second ticking by. Dancing with him moves you into a different state of mind. You are in a trance as you step and spin across the floor. Maybe it was his eyes. Maybe it was his smile. Or maybe it was the fact that he smells so intoxicating, like a masculine spice. Either way, he is taking an emotional hold on you.

You don't remember it happening. You have lost track of time, but when your mind finally comes back to the present, you find yourself cheek-to-cheek with the handsome ambassador as you dance slower and closer together.

You are stunned, but not for the reason you should be. You are not stunned by the fact that you are dancing so intimately with a man. You are stunned that you are enjoying yourself. You are stunned that, for the first time in your life, the blood in your veins actually feels warm. Palpatine hums along with the romantic song playing. You find his voice to be smooth and soothing, lulling you back into a trance. His hand on your back pulls you closer to him, which you do without question.

Weak fool! Your mind calls out to you. Weak fool!

You ignore your own warnings. This moment felt too good to stop. He felt too good. You don't know how long you'd been dancing, but you heard the music wane. However, Palpatine kept dancing with you, reluctant to remove his cheek from yours.

He ceased dancing after a few more moments. You looked at each other, smiling happily. Your body felt like it was floating. Palpatine took one of your hands and kissed it gently.

"Thank you, my lady," he says, still holding on to your hand. You curtsy to him, feeling like a goofy schoolgirl in front of the attractive professor.

He still does not release your hand. Nor do you want him to. A mischievous smile crosses his face.

"Will you permit me to escort you through the roof's garden? It is quite lovely this time of year."

Is he ill? You wonder. Why is he so keen to spend time with you? The smart part of your brain is trying to shake you out of his spell, telling you that he is manipulating you. Unfortunately, the dumb part of your brain has taken over and you nod to Palpatine, eager to blindly follow his lead.

Palpatine beams and offers you his arm, "Wonderful."

You take his arm and begin walking out of the ballroom. You are so caught up in the moment that you don't notice Leeli and Jinn making their way towards you. All of a sudden, they just appear in front of you and Palpatine, lustful smiles on their faces. They don't look at you but instead leer at Palpatine. A wave of shame and jealousy hits you. They are so pretty and charming, you didn't stand a chance against them. Palpatine would surely forget about you within moments of meeting happy Leeli or saucy Jinn.

That's how it always went. Before you didn't care, but now you care more than you can bear.

"Well," Jinn purrs as she addresses you but her eyes are still on the ambassador. "Who has our little friend caught in her net?"

Palpatine smiles a half smile. Enough to be polite, but not enough to show genuine interest, "Hello ladies. I'm Ambassador Palpatine. If you would excuse us, we were just heading out."

Palpatine began to gently pull you along, but Jinn blocks his path, twirling her wavy hair and batting her eyelashes. With your arm wrapped around Palpatine's arm, you can feel his muscles stiffen. You glance at his expression. His lips are thin with disapproval, his eyes are narrowed, and his jaw is clenched as if trying to stop himself from saying something rude. His energy seems to change as well. His charming façade is slowly morphing into something more beastly.

"Why the rush?" Jinn inquires, tracing her index finger along the lapel of his dress robe. "Perhaps Leeli and I can join you. It would give us a chance to become better acquainted."

Palpatine touches her hand that is fondling his clothes. At first, you think it's a romantic gesture, but then he removes her hand from his body and lets it drop to her side. His eyes narrow even more.

"I think not." He says, his voice deep, sending a warning.

Leeli's eyes widen in alarm. Her eyes dance between a flabbergasted Jinn and an icy Palpatine. Then, without even trying to make an excuse, she awkwardly walks away and heads towards the bar. You look back at Jinn, whose face is like a fish caught by a cat. She recovers quickly and smiles at Palpatine once more.

"You must be quite the man if you find my friend's…uniqueness…appealing," Jinn says, letting all her subtlety drop. "But I promise I am worth your while."

Palpatine looks her up and down, then runs his hand through his hair.

"You are nothing," he says.

"I am nothing," Jinn repeats in a voice full of sincerity.

You gulp in surprise, looking at Palpatine, who is grinning wickedly. He winks at you, then speaks to Jinn again

"You apologize for being so insolent."

Jinn stares blankly, "I apologize for being so insolent."

"You're going to go home and cry yourself to sleep."

You can already see tears building up in Jinn's eyes, "I'm going to go home and cry myself to sleep."

As Jinn scurries away, wiping tears from her eyes, you can't stop yourself from laughing. Luckily, you're mute and no one can hear you, but if you had a voice, you would sound like a wild animal. After you finish laughing, you take in a deep breath and look at Palpatine, realizations began sinking into your brain. He just manipulated Jinn's mind! With Force-like power, he made her say what he wanted her to say. Did he have the Force? If so, why was he a politician and not a Jedi? Is he subtly controlling you too? Making you feel things you wouldn't feel otherwise.

On cue, you feel Palpatine take your had into his. You look into his eyes, seeing his facial expression is happy but serious.

"I apologize for my behavior," Palpatine confesses. "I'm sure you have many questions. I am Force-sensitive, but I never had any desire to become a Jedi. However, my…abilities do prove to be useful when dealing with the dregs of the galaxy." He finishes, glancing at a crying Jinn getting into taxi-speeder.

Palpatine then looks back at you, cupping your chin with his strong hand, "I assure you, I will never use my power against you."

You don't know if you believe him. Maybe all those happy feelings you felt while dancing with him were fake, just planted by him to manipulate you. Then again, he could be telling the truth and he is simply seeking a confidant. Do you dare risk giving him your trust? Dare risk putting your heart on the line?

Palpatine's face ashen, as if he can sense your doubt. He cups your cheek with his hand.

"Please don't fear me. There is a reason I have chosen a life of politics instead of the Force. Please…trust in me."

Palpatine offers you his arm again, his coy smile returning to his face. You look at his arm then up to his face. Accepting this small gesture could have major implications. You could be associated with this mysteriously powerful man forever. Under his sway for the rest of his life. He could either raise you up or bring you to your knees…

You take his arm and smile cautiously at him. He grins happily and leads you to the roof.

"You won't regret your decision," he says cheerfully.

You shrug. Even if you do one-day regret meeting this man, you have nothing to lose.