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Chapter 3

Padme' said nothing as Vader greeted her, only stared him down. His blue eyes that she use to get lost in were no longer warm and inviting as they were all those years ago. They were now cold, cruel, having turned to darkness for so many years.

"Leave us", Vader commanded to the room, and every servant quickly exited. However, Padme's lifelong friend remained, refusing to leave her mistress's side.

Vader turned his gaze to Sabe'.

"Lady Sabe'", Vader said warningly," I would like to speak to my wife. Alone."

After a moment, Padme' turned to her friend.

"It's alright Sabe'", she said quietly, and Sabe' gave her one questionable look as Padme' nodded her head.

Sabe' took another short glare at Vader, then did a slight curtsy to Padme' and left through main door, closing it behind her.

Leaving the Emperor and his Empress, alone.

Vader then started to slowly walk, and circled Padme' as he eyed her.

"Naboo has certainly treated you well. You're just as beautiful as I remember…." he remarked as he came to face her again.

"…grown more beautiful, I mean. For-for a senator, I mean."

Padme shook her head slightly at the memory, trying to push it away.

"Tell me, my love, does absence make the heart grow fonder?"

"Hard to say", she finally found her voice. "Your definition of love is a bit different than mine."

He chuckled at her response, and came around to face her.

"Oh Padme', feistiness does not deteriorate with time I see."

"Why did you bring me here?" she asked abruptly. "There's plenty of worlds where I could've been kept safe, out of the public's eye."

"You're wrong", he told her. "There's no safer place for you then here, with me. Where I can personally take charge of your security."

"I would think you would have more important matters to attend to then my security team", she commented. "I hear there is unrest in the Galaxy. People are not happy with your Empire."

"Only the meek and small minded", he said, smirking a bit. He turned away from her and walked over to the large window. As he took a breath, he looked down upon the city, the core of his Empire, with content. "Any uprising against my rule will be dealt with accordingly. Can't have anyone disturbing the peace that the Empire has brought about."

"Peace?" she questioned, appalled. Her eyes widening a bit. "I think you are confusing peace with terror and fear, Anakin."

He sharply turned from the view to glare at his wife.

"I do not go by that name anymore", he snapped.

"That is your name", she snapped back at him. "What else would I call you? You are not my lord and I will not greet you as such. And I certainly won't call you Vader."

"You will speak to me with respect, Wife", he growled, stepping closer to her." I am your lord and leisure. Your Emperor. It would do you good to remember it."

He started towards the door and opened it, but stopped in the doorway to turn and look at her.

"You will join me and our children for dinner tonight. Leia is most…anxious to see you", he said smirking again, and left the room.

Padme' let out a breath and fell on to the couch behind her as Sabe' rushed in.

"Milady, are you alright?" she asked as he hurried over to Padme' and knelt down in front of her.

Padme' closed her eyes and shook her head as she let it fall into her hands, resting her elbows on her knees.

"His very presence makes me want to crawl out of my skin", the former Senator confessed. "I just want to run. As far and as fast as I can."

"I know", Sabe' sighed. "But maybe there's a reason you're here. Maybe you can do something to help bring some light back into your family."

"There's no changing him Sabe'", Padme said. "Anakin is gone."

"That may be", Sabe' responded. "But maybe you can help someone else."

At that Padme' looked up.

"Who?"

"There are rumors, which say the Imperial Princess is quite like her father. Quick-witted and very skilled with a lightsaber. But also dark, and angry. The servants talk of her mistreatment of them."

"Leia?" Padme' questioned. A little brown haired girl with braids popped into Padme's mind. She knew Leia took after her father in personality, but never thought he could make her out as cold as he was.

Though she supposed that was partially her fault. She hadn't been there for her daughter. In her desperation to escape from her husband, she had abandoned her children. Something Padme' would never forgive herself for.

"She was quite close to you when she was a child", Sabe' pointed out. "Maybe she just needs her mother."

As Luke stood in an intelligence briefing, he couldn't pull his mind away from his mother.

As a child he remembered fondly the way her perfume smelled and the way she would hold him at night to rid away all of the horrible things he use to see in his dreams. But the woman he just saw looked tired. Tired from years of separation from her family. Tired from years of being helpless to the galaxy.

That's her own fault though, he reminded himself. And he was right.

While he understood his mother's desire to keep away from her husband, he didn't understand how she could stand to be away from him and Leia.

How she could stand to let him take me away from her.

"You're Highness?"

He was pulled out of his thoughts by Governor Tarkin, as the old man looked at him curiously.

"Yes, Governor?" Luke responded.

"I was just wondering of your opinion on the terrorist attacks on Jedha?"

"Yes, of course", Luke cleared his throat. He looked around of the room of officers and asked, "Have the suspects been found?"

"Not yet sir", Cody answered him. "But we believe we've identified the leader as Saw Gerrera, a known extremist who has lead attacks on other systems as well throughout the years."

Luke nodded. "Gerrera has been known to attack our troopers with little care of what happens to civilians either. Send a squadron out, I want him found and brought in immediately."

Luke dismissed the meeting shortly thereafter, and headed out to the hallway only to be greeted by a friend.

"Humans sure do take a while to have discussions", R2-D2 beeped at Luke as he rolled down the hallway next to his master.

"Men who like to hear themselves speak do", Luke answered, specifically thinking of Director Krennic, who liked to always bring up and brag upon some mysterious "super-weapon" him and his scientists were creating.

"I was thinking of going out flying", Luke told the little droid.

"Won't you be occupied?" R2 questioned him. "3PO says there is a formal dinner tonight, he wouldn't shut up about it."

Luke chuckled at that. 3PO was rather excited about the dinner, but Luke thought that the protocol droid might have been more thrilled at his old mistress returning.

"Right, well after then. Have the ship ready to go by the time I'm out", Luke told R2 and then turned to head to the main hall after the droid beeped his response.

When he entered the hall, he found it be bustling with servants, all trying to get ready for the royal dinner. He turned back to the main door as it opened, and saw his sister walking up to him.

"How was your meeting?" she asked him taking a look around.

"That's what you want to ask me about?" he questioned her, knowingly.

She looked slightly up at him with a small glare.

"Yes, brother, it is. Because nothing else you did today, matters in the least to me", she stated, and then walked over to her chair.

Luke sighed and followed her lead, walking over to the chair across from hers. This was going to be interesting.

Vader then entered the hall next, flocked by two guards. At their father's entrance, the twins sat down in their seats across from one another, while Vader sat at one of the heads of the table. His imperial guards remained close but far enough away to give the family some sort of privacy, as always.

As Padme entered the hall, she saw her daughter so the first time in two years.

"Leia", she smiled, walking towards the table.

Leia looked up with an emotionless face, and Padme halted.

"You're Majesty", the princess greeted her mother politely, and looked back across the table, trying not to make eye contact with Luke.

Padme, trying to hide the hurt she felt, straightened herself and went to sit down at the end of the large table across from Vader.

"What were the reports today?" Vader asked Luke as Padme' sat own across from him.

"More trouble from Saw Gerrera, this time on Jedha", Luke told him.

"Gurrera and his terrorists will continue to cause trouble until we finally silence him", Vader said cooly. "Are you sending a squadron out?"

"Yes, Father. They leave the day after tomorrow."

"Good", Vader nodded, and then looked over to his daughter. "You'll lead this mission Leia."

"With all due respect Father, I was hoping I could take the squadron out", Luke protested as a look of pride on his sister's face turned into annoyance at his words.

"But Luke, don't you have more important things to do here?" Leia asked with a sickly sweet tone.

"No", Luke almost growled at her.

"Yes", Vader said, ending the almost argument. "I need you hear, that's final. Leia is more than qualified to go."

"Why should either of them have to go?" Padme' piped up." Jedha seems like an awfully odd planet to risk losing Luke or Leia over."

Vader, surprised at her questioning, looked at her curiously before answering.

"Every system is important Padme', surely as Empress and a former senator you realize that."

"Oh I do", she responded, with a sly smile. "I just found your concern with Jedha to be… odd, that's all."

Vader took a deep breath, obviously detecting his wife's challenge.

"Jedha is very valuable to the Empire, we'll just leave it at that", he said firmly. "And I can assure you that both of our children have dealt with more intense missions before. But then again, how could I expect you to know that?"

Padme' went quiet then, having no defense of herself in front of her children, while offering a hard glare at Vader after Leia's not so subtle scoff at his remark.

As a silence went over the strained family, a serving droid went around the table and placed a plate in front of each of them. When Padme's plate was put in front of her, she froze.

"Mother?"

Luke's voice pulled her out of her trance and she looked up.

"Yes, dear? "

"I asked if your trip here was alright?" Luke asked, clearly trying to make the dinner less awkward.

"Yes it was fine, thank you", Padme' said, looking uncomfortable.

"Something wrong?" Vader's voice cut like ice across the room.

Padme looked right at him and, refusing to let him win, said, "No."

As he smirked and went back to eating his starter, Padme' picked up her silverware and cut into the Nubian pear on her plate.

As the droids picked up the last of the desert dishes off the table, Leia excused herself as quickly as possible and left without even another glance at Padme'.

Luke, seeing his mother's hurt expression, spoke up.

"Tomorrow I am free during the afternoon. Maybe we could go for a walk and I can show you around the old Gardens?" he offered and felt relief as Padme' rewarded him with a smile.

"Yes, I'd like that very much", she told him.

"Well then I'll see you then. Goodnight Father", he nodded to Vader and then followed his sister out the door.

"You can't push her", Vader's voice came from across the table as he got up and made his way over to where Padme' was still sitting. "She's just like you, stubborn to the core."

"From what I hear, she is much like you as well", she said as she stood up.

"Leia is strong", he told her.

"She is cruel", Padme responded sharply. "I hear how the servants speak about her, Anakin. What did you do to her?"

At that, anger appeared in Vader's eyes as he spoke to her.

"What did I do to her? I raised her. I trained her. I loved her. You abandoned her, Padme'. Maybe you should be more concerned about the damage you caused!"

"I am more than aware of my mistakes, Anakin!" Padme' snapped back at him. "And I will deal with the consequences within mine and Leia's relationship, whatever that may be. But you, sending her on all of these missions where she hunts down and kills. It will turn her heart completely dark, and then there will be nothing left of my daughter!"

"Leia is fine", he growled at her. "If you have finally decided to be a mother then so be it. But do not insult the job that I have done. I will go to end of time to protect my children, which is more than I can say for you."

"I know how far you will go, Darth Vader", she sneered. "I haven't forgotten your ridiculous claim to blame every horrible thing you do on."

"Ridiculous?" Vader questioned, finally losing his patience. He paced a few steps before turning back to her and exclaiming, "It's not ridiculous. My reasoning for everything is you!"

"I never wanted it!" she yelled back, breathing heavy.

They looked at each other for a moment, before Padme' shook her head, and walked out of the door.

As Vader stormed down the hallway, he pulled out his comlink.

"Meet me in the training facility in 10 minutes."

"Yes, Master."

15 minutes later, Vader was already dripping sweat, as he took out training droids with his lightsaber.

He let his emotions take over, pulling in all sides of the Force, taking out as many droids as he could in the short amount of time. As he finished up, he heard the door slide open and then close as light footsteps stepped into the room.

As he took out the last droid, he stood straight up and turned off his lightsaber, breathing heavy.

"I said 10 minutes", he said, not turning around.

"It's a big place, I got lost.'

"You never get lost", he scoffed. "You just didn't want to come."

"Can you blame me?" the voice questioned. "I heard you've had quite a day. With her being back and all, your wife."

As she pat the word wife, Vader turned quickly to face her.

"And you're Empress, best you don't forget it", he commanded.

"And where does that leave me then?" she snapped back at him.

Vader smirked and started walking closer to the small girl by the door.

"You are my apprentice. My best student. My most loyal servant."

As he finally reached her, he grabbed her waist with one hand, pulling her against him, and with one quick motion he crushed his lips to hers. Harshly. Possessively. As he broke the kiss he kept her there, against him, their lips just barely apart as he growled, "And you are mine, Mara Jade."