Brown Eyes (Wishes of Fire)

By Serena

A/N: Man, you guys are just THE best. Seriously. :)

OK, I'm going by Padme's attire in the movies and cartoons. Last time, Padme's dress was her packing dress in AOTC. Today, her dress (when she's going out) will be her Tatooine attire in AOTC. If you want to see a picture, Google "Padme Amidala outfits." And click on the wookiepeedia link. There will be photos of all her dresses and labels underneath each picture. So look for "Tatooine attire."

Background: The Empire has recently been put into place. Anakin/Vader and Padme have never met before. Vader is several years older than she is.

Disclaimer: Don't own, never will.

Chapter Four: Star Killer

Padme didn't know what to make of Darth Vader. One minute he was civil, amiable and even a bit funny, and the next, he was the cold, intimidating monster she'd seen on the newsreels. It was almost as if he were two completely different people. Puzzling, but also intriguing.

She sighed, staring at herself in her mirror, and turned when she heard the doorbell ring. "Tee-cee, could you grab that for me?" she called out to her protocol droid. It would be Bail's senate group… including, unfortunately, Bana Breemu. Oh lovely.

"The door or the person at the door?" the snarky female-programmed silver droid answered.

"Ha ha," Padme said dryly. "Someday I'm going to have to program that fresh tongue out of you, Tee-cee."

"If I had a tongue, that would work." Tee-Cee went to the door and answered it. "Senators, please come in."

"Thank you," Bail said with a nod, entering the room. "Padme, my dear? Are you there?"

Padme exited her bedroom and came into the sitting room, forcing a smile onto her face. Their last visit hadn't exactly been a nice one. And she was just so tired and spent.

Darth Vader, you are driving me insane, she thought with a sigh. "Bail, Mon, Senators," she greeted with a kind smile. "Thank you for coming. Tee-cee, could you get us some tea, please?"

"No, I'm due for my exercise class in five minutes," said the droid.

Padme shot the droid a dirty look, and the droid sighed and said in a falsely respectful tone: "Yes, Mistress Padme." And Tee-Cee rolled out of the room.

Bail shook his head. "I don't know how you've put up with that droid for all these years. Isn't it due for a reprogramming?"

Padme stiffened. "Tee-Cee's been with me ever since I got interested in government. She's been my best friend throughout everything."

"Friend! A droid! Padme," Bail chuckled. "You never cease to amuse me."

Padme glared at him but smiled thinly. "I'm glad I can be of assistance," she said acidly.

Bail just patted her hand and started talking about the Rebel Alliance with the other senators. Padme tuned out after Bana started hogging all of the attention and turned to gaze out at the window, her thoughts drawing away elsewhere. Drawing away to one particular man... if he could be called a man. She honestly didn't even know if he were human or not. Not that it mattered. Still... her curiosity would not disappear.

Things hadn't ended well between them, not when he'd started defending the Emperor. As intriguing as he was, she wouldn't back down from what was right. No matter what anyone said, the Emperor was a cruel taskmaster dedicated to enslaving the alien species of the galaxy and terrorizing everyone else as well. There was not one decent bone in his creepy, shriveled body. Padme shivered, remembering her first meeting with him as a government official in training. He'd been Chancellor Palpatine then. He'd eyed her with a cold, calculating gaze, and held something else in his eyes that made the hair on the back of her head stand up on end.

But Vader...

She'd felt him staring at her. She almost felt like she could sense his eyes and how they were looking at her. But she hadn't felt uncomfortable or afraid or disturbed by his gaze. She almost felt as if he were looking at a breath of fresh air when he gazed at her. Like a man parched of thirst, seeking water and finally drowning in it.

"Padme?"

Padme blinked and looked at Mon Mothma, who was watching her in concern. "Oh, I'm sorry, Mon," she apologized. "What were you saying?"

"We were just thinking of going on a walk down to the marketplace nearby," Mon said. "It's such a lovely day out."

"Oh, that sounds wonderful," Padme said with a faint smile.

"Padme, dear, are you all right?" Bail asked her suddenly. "Your face is quite red."

Padme put her hands up to her burning cheeks. "Oh, is it?"

Oh, Force.

"Perhaps Senator Amidala should stay home and rest," Bana said self-righteously. "She doesn't look well."

Padme's eyes narrowed. "I'm fine. Never felt better." She rose to her feet. "It's warm out today. Let me put on something a little lighter. Excuse me." She turned and strode off into her bedroom. Yanking a top and skirt out of her closet, she pulled them on and made sure her hair looked all right. The top and skirt matched, a pale, aqua blue, and showed a bit of stomach skin. The long sleeves and skirt were flowing and airy, perfect for a warm day like this. It was only noon, so the sun was bright. She pulled out a light white cloak and pinned it on, returning to the main sitting room. Bana, of course, was flirting with a young male senator, and Mon and Bail and Fang Zar were talking in lower tones. When Padme came out, they stopped talking and turned to her.

Padme smiled. "Let's go."

The group traveled leisurely down the city street sidewalk. Somehow, Padme ended up trailing at the end, but she didn't mind. Bana was talking enough for all of them. She took in the sights and sounds of the city, studying the people that passed glared at a passing legion of stormtroopers and smiled at a young family out on a walk together. However, she didn't notice a shadowed figure following her, staring at her intently.

When they reached the marketplace, she separated from the group to look at the fruit.

She picked up a shurra fruit and inhaled. "Mmmm..." she hummed, smiling. It reminded her of a summer day in the lake country.

"Looks good," remarked a deep, vibrating baritone voice behind her.

Padme glanced over her shoulder. Standing only a few feet away was a tall man. He looked to be in his early to mid thirties, and he wore all black except for a maroon undershirt. His tousled hair was fairly long, just short of his shoulders, light brown, but shined deep golden when the sun hit it right. His handsome face was well-structured, rugged. But his eyes reminded Padme of a stormy summer night on Naboo. They were the most intense blue eyes she'd ever seen, and they stared intently right at her.

Immediately, she felt uncomfortable.

"The fruit," he said after she remained speechless. He nodded to the fruit in her hand. "What does it taste like?"

Padme glanced down at the fruit in her hand, feeling rather embarrassed. "Oh! Well, it's... hard to describe."

"Try me," he said, folding his hands behind his back and walking up closer to her until he was only a little more than a foot away. Force, his voice was so deep. She felt an urge to draw back, but she was already right up against the fruit baskets.

Padme sucked in a breath at his sudden closeness. His gaze burned into her eyes. She could barely think, much less speak. "Well..." she said, trying to calm her racing heart, "It's... well, here, see for yourself." Determined not to be taken aback by this tall, dark stranger, she held out the fruit to him.

His eyes never leaving hers, he reached out and took the fruit from her. His warm, roughened hand brushed against hers, sending electrical sparks up and down her spine.

Bad idea, she realized immediately.

The stranger bit into the fruit and chewed on its juicy insides. He nodded and swallowed, licking his lips afterward. Padme couldn't help but let her gaze fall to his mouth, but she quickly averted her eyes from him when his eyes grew suddenly darker.

Time to leave, Padme. You don't even know who this guy is.

"Well, I should probably be going," she said with a small smile.

He frowned. "Is there a problem, Senator?"

Senator? Her eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "Do I know you?"

The stranger's lips pressed together in a tight line. "No. Let me remedy that." He held out a hand. "I'm Anakin Starkiller."

Starkiller? Not exactly a nice name, Padme thought. Before she could stop herself, she said: "That's such a violent name."

His eyebrows rose; and she blinked, realizing what she'd just said. Quickly she added: "Oh, I didn't mean... that is to say..." Oh, Force. Her tongue would get the better of her someday.

"No, it's all right," he assured her, now looking interested. "What do you mean, violent?"

"Well..." He did want to know what she meant. Might as well tell him. "It's 'Starkiller.' Killing the stars. Blotting out their shining light in the blackness of space, never to appear there in the same exact place again. If you kill a star," she said, falling back into her unafraid, faraway self, "it's more than putting out a light. A star is a symbol of hope and dreams and wishes. If you kill that star, you're killing hope. Someone's dreams... and someone's wishes."

His gaze was more intense than she'd ever seen so far, but she found her eyes locked with his. "Wishes of fire," he said suddenly.

Padme stared at him in disbelief and bewilderment. How did he... "Have we met?" she asked.

He didn't smile - he hadn't yet - his face was so stern and severe. But his eyes glittered in amusement. "Now we have," he said. "At least partially. I still don't know your name."

"I'm Padme," she said, holding out a hand out of habit politeness. She realized her mistake almost instantly, but when he grasped her hand, she couldn't pull away. He bent down and touched his hot lips to her skin, causing her to inhale sharply.

"Pleasure," he said, his gaze flickering up to her face again. When he straightened, she moved as if to pull her hand away, but he kept it grasped in his own.

"I... I'm sorry, but I have to go," Padme said, looking away. "My friends are waiting for me."

Starkiller glanced over to where Padme's group was talking. His eyes narrowed dangerously. "Ah, yes. Friends." He said the word distastefully, as if it were the most disgusting word in the galaxy.

Padme frowned and tried to pull away again. "Yes. Please, I have to go."

He looked back at her. "Is something wrong?"

"Yes," she said.

He raised an eyebrow in question.

"Please don't look at me like that," she said bravely.

"Why not?"

Now she was getting mad. "It's making me uncomfortable." She tried to pull away again, but to her surprise and relief, he released her.

"Apologies, milady," he said with an inscrutable gaze. Bowing shortly, he said: "I hope we'll meet again." And he strode off through the crowds and disappeared.

Padme stared after him with a mix of confusion, anger, and relief. And for the first time in her life, she almost wished that Darth Vader had been around.

"Padme! There you are!" Bail exclaimed, sweeping up to her with a broad smile. "Who was that man you were talking to?"

Padme shook her head. "No one," she said distantly.

TBC.

So... yeah. :D Things are about to get more complicated. A lot more complicated, actually, in the next few chapters. But as you go along, you're going to see Vader and Anakin portrayed very differently from their normal counterparts. Anakin's scary, intense. Frightening. Yes, he's supposed to be that way. I always wondered how it would work if he were the older one, more mature, and Padme the younger, naive one. Very interesting switch.

Let me know if I should continue! :)

- Serena