The sunlight that peeked through the window gently woke Megara from her slumber. She kept her eyes closed and relaxed for a few peaceful moments... Until something next to her shifted and stretched.
'Good morning my love.'
Megara's eyes snapped opened in irritation, but she still didn't turn to face him. 'Don't call me that.'
'And why not?'
'Because you don't love me. This... This is an obsession, it is not love.'
She felt him shake his head. 'Oh but love is an obsession. It's cruel, it's painful, and it's addictive. One can long for it to stop, and yet they can't live without it. Love is a chain around your entire soul. You are in my very soul, tormenting me.'
Megara felt herself blush - but whether it was in fear or something else, she could or would not say - because of the passion and insanity that burned in his voice.
Shaking her head, she pushed the blankets off her body before standing up and turning to face him. The moment she looked at his face, she knew something happened. And based on the way he was looking at her, she assumed it had something to do with her memories.
'You assume correctly Angel.'
Megara rolled her eyes. 'Enough with the pet names. Now what exactly did you see?'
'Well, Angel,'
She gritted her teeth, to which Vader merely chuckled at as he stood up. 'I didn't see anything War related if that's what you fear. Last night I was far more interested in learning who you are. So I looked at your childhood on Themyscira. I saw your twin brother... What was his name?'
Time stopped for Megara. It felt as if all breath had left her body.
The Sith Apprentice smirked at her terror. 'Mathyus? I must say he is quite the lucky man. Married and serves as one of the head Generals to the King and Queen of Themyscira-'
Red hot anger burst from within Megara. 'If you even think about touching him-'
She was cut off by the expression of pure - or not pure seeing who it was coming from - ecstasy on the Sith Apprentice's face.
'Oh my love... the anger you feel... You will make a formidable warrior for the Dark Side.'
Megara blushed before forcing the little food she had eaten last night back down to her stomach and glared at the man in front of her. 'You had no right to go through my memories.'
Vader's smirk returned. 'I beg to differ. You are mine; everything of your past, present, and future is of my concern.'
Her hands clenched into fists. 'You're a sick man Vader.'
His face softened in such a way Megara didn't think possible for a Sith. 'Some people will do the most insane and even inhumane things when it comes to love.'
Her anger faded and was replaced little by little with exasperation. 'This is not love. What this is... It's not a healthy thing.'
'This is love! This Bond means that the Force meant for us to meet one day and be together! Why can't you accept that?!'
What his Angel said next sent white hot pain through Vader's already ruined heart.
'Because you serve the Dark and I serve the Light. I saw what you did on Takodona, I can not and will not love a monster that slaughters without a thought.'
Vader clutched at his heart and fell to his knees in pain as rejection ripped at him. Why? Why must she say such things? Why must she reject the one who was made for her, just as much as she was made for him?
No.
He won't allow it.
As a child born from the Force, it was his duty to see that the It's Will was carried through. And if he and Megara are to become one, then so be it.
He will have his Grey Jedi, and he doesn't care who he'll have kill in order for that to happen.
Megara was alarmed at how calm Vader's voice and face was. And what he said next absolutely terrified her.
'You know that now I have found you, I am not going to let you go. You and I will be together, even if that means I have to hunt you down and drag you back to Mustafar. Kicking and screaming... This I promise.'
The Grey Jedi of Themyscira used the Force to summon her lightsaber from it's place on the table next to her bed into her palm before igniting it. Gazing at the pearly glow her saber produced, Megara reminded herself what it meant.
'And you know that should we ever meet in a battlefield of this wretched war, I will do what I must to ensure that the Force remains in balance.'
The Sith Apprentice laughed. 'You won't kill me.'
Megara's hand tightened around her lightsaber. 'I am not bound by the same laws of the Jedi. I follow the Grey Code. And if I have to kill you in order for the balance of the Force to remain intact, then so be it.'
Vader chuckled. 'Don't lie to yourself Angel. Deep down, you know that this Bond is true. Deep down, you know that we are meant to be one. You said that this war is wretched. With our power over the Force combined, you and I can end this war and bring peace.'
Megara raised an eyebrow. 'But for who's peace will we be fighting for? The Sith? I only fight for balance. You on the other hand fight to tip the scales and leave the Force in Darkness. I can't let that happen.'
There was a knock on her door, causing Megara to jump while Vader snarled at the interruption.
"Meg?"
The Grey Jedi's eyes shot to Vader, who continued to watch her quietly.
'Will she see you?'
The Sith Apprentice shrugged. Pursing her lips, she extinguished her lightsaber, but kept it in hand. "Come in."
The door slid open to reveal the young Togruta. When she saw Megara with her lightsaber in her hand, she raised an eyebrow marking. "I'm sorry for whatever I did?"
The older woman looked to where Vader was. From the corner he was standing in, Ahsoka should have a full view of him. "Am I the only person in the room?"
The padwan confusedly looked around the room. "Yeah, why?"
Megara sighed in relief as she clipped her lightsaber back to her belt. "No reason, just a bad dream."
Ahsoka stared at her friend before relenting. "Your starfighter's fueled up to take you back to Senator Amidala's, but Master Yoda wanted a word with you first."
Megara's eyebrows furrowed, but she nodded. "Of course.
Ahsoka frowned as she looked at her friend's face. "Are you sure you're okay? You look like you just fought a war worse than the one we're fighting right now."
Oh Ahsoka you have no idea. "I'm fine. I think that the lack of sleep is finally catching up with me."
The Togruta padwan still didn't look convinced as she gave Megara a smile. "Take care of yourself Meg."
Megara returned Ahsoka's smile with one of her own before giving said girl a hug. "I will, I promise."
The padwan returned the hug before pulling back with a serious look on her face. "I'm serious. Bathing regularly, eating regularly, and following a normal sleeping pattern."
Megara smiled to mask her sadness before pulling Ahsoka back into her arms. It was probably best if she kept her Force Bond with Vader a secret. At least until she learned how to control it.
Vader, who had moved so he was still in her line of sight, smirked. 'By all means Angel, keep this a secret. Keep our bond hidden away from others, because that is exactly what will be your downfall.'
She closed her eyes, silently accepting the challenge to wage a mental war against the Sith Apprentice. 'We shall see.'
Megara and Ahsoka pulled away from each other before sharing another smile. "Walk me to Master Yoda?"
The Togruta padwan smirked. "I would love to, but Obi-Wan and I are leaving for the Ryloth system and I don't think my master will be able to survive without me."
The Grey Jedi chuckled at her young companion's antics before pulling her into another hug. "May the Force be with you, and give your master my regards."
If she noticed the way Megara avoided saying Obi-Wan's name, Ahsoka didn't say anything aboit it as she wrapped her arms around the latter and hugged her back. "May the Force be with you Meg. And I was serious about taking care of yourself."
The Grey Jedi smiled - sadly - before releasing the Togruta girl. "I'll try."
After Ahsoka turned and left, Megara grabbed her cloak and japoor snippet from the desk and made her way to the meditation room Yoda often occupied when he wasn't sitting with the Jedi Council, training younglings, or off planet. Vader was apparently feeling quite chatty, because his voice echoed in her mind as he walked besides her.
'You know, whoever you were talking to was right. You really must start taking better care of yourself.'
Megara scoffed. 'You do realize we're at war, right? I haven't had the chance to sleep properly in a while.'
'You slept all of last night didn't you?'
The Grey Jedi's footsteps slowed and looked at Vader, sarcasm dripping from her words. 'Oh yes. I couldn't even tell someone was poking around my memories.'
He grinned. 'Well there you go.'
Megara furrowed her eyebrows. 'May I ask how you looking into my memories is fair but I can't look into yours?'
'All in good time Darling.'
This made the Grey Jedi stop, anger fusing itself to her being. 'ENOUGH OF THE PET NAMES!'
Vader cackled as Megara arrived at Yoda's private meditation chamber. She took a deep breath before pressing the button on the wall.
"Enter, you may."
The Themyscira born woman smiled at the voice that guided her through her training. But before she could open the door, she remembered the shadow following her.
'Please stay quiet.'
'I make no promi-'
She turned and looked at Vader... Only to see him disappear so quickly, she almost missed the confused/angry expression on his face. The Grey Jedi looked around cautiously, and seeing nothing, reached out with the Force...
Nothing.
She was completely alone.
Taking one last look around, she took another deep breath before using the Force to open the door. Her former master was sitting and brewing tea, something he had always done after lightsaber practice when Megara was still under his tutelage.
"Is something wrong Master?"
The age wizened Jedi looked up from his task before smiling. "Wrong, something needs to be, to talk with my former student?"
He indicated to the seat across from him. The Grey Jedi smiled back before sitting down with her legs crossed. She accepted the cup of tea offered to her with a smile, but what her former master said next shocked her.
"On Mustafar, something happened, hm?"
Megara froze briefly before calming herself and taking a sip of her tea as she contemplated her answer. While she hated to lie to Yoda... if she chose to lie to Ahsoka, she was going to have to do the same with her master.
The less people who knew about the Force Bond, the better.
"Master-"
"Fear, I feel from you, terrible fear. Hide this, you cannot."
The Themyscirian woman took another sip of her tea and she contemplated on what to say. Maybe... Maybe I don't have to lie to him. Not entirely at least.
"The Sith Assassin was on Mustafar. I was as close to him as I am to you now."
Yoda froze before his eyes darted to his former apprentice. "Fight him, you did."
It wasn't a question.
"Yes... Master I could feel the darkness within him, I could almost see it. The anger, the pain..."
"Tools of the dark side, all are. Win, how did you?"
She pursed her lips and looked away. "I... I had to cut his arm off to get away."
Yoda's expression was grim as he set his cup down. "His attention, you know have. Be careful, you must."
Oh I have a lot more than his attention. "I'll try Master."
The two fell into silence as they continued to drink their tea. Which was broken after some time by the age wizened master. "Tired, you look."
Megara smiled grimly. "Padwan Tano said the same thing."
Her smile drooped as she sighed. "Sleep has been elusive lately... last night was no different."
Yoda closed his eyes. "Draining, this war is. Exhausted, the galaxy is even."
The Grey Jedi fell silent as she thought about the war being fought all across the star systems, and the losses and victories on both sides. "Master? What happens... if we lose this war?"
Her former master didn't open his eyes. "Darkness. Tipped, the scales of the Force will be. Kept, balance must be. This better than most, you know."
She remembered when she told Vader that she would do what she had to in order for the Force to remain in balance. And at the words of her master, she felt her resolve to carry out what she said strengthen.
Even if that means I die trying
-Time Skip-
When she got back to her cousin's apartment, Threepio was there to greet her and Artoo. "Welcome back Miss Megara! Mistress Padmé is looking for you."
The Grey Jedi smiled in thanks at the droid. "Thank you Threepio, I can take it from here."
She left Artoo with the protocol droid as she went inside towards her cousin's room, where she could here her shuffling around. "Padmé?"
Her cousin poked her head out of her room, smiling when she saw her. "There you are! How did the mission go?"
The Themyscirian stopped in her tracks as she thought of Darth Vader, who had vowed to plague her until he brought her back to Mustafar. His exact words being kicking and screaming if he had to.
"Meg?"
She looked up just in time to see Padmé walk out of her room and take her cousin's hands in hers. "What happened?"
Megara took a deep breath. "The Sith Assassin... He was on Mustafar."
The senator's eyes widened as she led the Grey Jedi to the couch before the two sat down. "And you fought him?"
She nodded. Oh how she wished she could tell Padmé, her beloved cousin and confidant, exactly what was going on. But as she said earlier, the less people who knew, the better. "I did. And I think that it won't be the last time I see him either."
Padmé frowned. "Why? What happened?"
The Themyscirian pursed her lips and looked down at the ground. "Because after I fought him, I left him alive with an arm severed from his body."
The senator's hand flew to her mouth. "You cut his arm off?!"
"I didn't have a choice! It was either that or get captured."
Once again, not entirely a lie. But not entirely the truth either.
Padmé swallowed. "So he'll be looking to even the score."
Megara nodded. "Followers of the Sith do tend to have a tendency to hold revenge at a very high level."
Her cousin took the Grey Jedi's hand in her own. "So what's your plan?"
She sighed. "Avoid the assassin for as long as I can. And if I do, fight."
Padmé smiled sadly before pulling Megara into her arms. "You Themyscirians, always thinking of fighting first."
The Grey Jedi clung to her cousin, but said nothing. There's no negotiating with a creature like that, trust me.
Even though she was no Jedi, Padmé could sense that Megara didn't want to talk about the Sith Assassin anymore. So, she decided to change the subject.
Even though it was one she herself really didn't want to talk about.
"I figured out how to get back in touch with Clovis."
Megara pulled back from her cousin's embrace and raised an eyebrow when she detected a change in Padmé's tone the moment she mentioned her old... acquaintance. Not that she blamed her, after she was reunited with her beloved cousin after she finished her days as an apprentice, the senator told her the entire story between her and Clovis. So needless to say, she didn't have any desire to see Padmé go through all of that all over again.
"How? Is he on Coruscant?"
The senator stood up from the couch and walked back into her room. The Grey Jedi followed and saw her disappear into her closet, only to reappear with a very elegant dress in her hands and depositing it on her bed with a sigh. "Yes. There's a gala being held in the senate hall a couple of days from now. Clovis will be attending."
Megara tried to stop her lips as they twitched in amusement. "Meaning you'll be attending?"
Just as Padmé moved to go back in her closet, she stopped before turning to face her cousin with a coy smile. "I was hoping that we would be attending."
The Themyscirian raised an eyebrow. "We? As in you and I?"
Her cousin's soy smile widened. "Well, you are my main bodyguard."
When Megara's expression didn't change, Padmé sighed before walking towards her and taking her hands in her own. "Please Meg? You're my inspiration for confidence, I need you there."
Brown eyes stared into brown eyes, both trying to break the other. Finally, the Grey Jedi sighed.
I've faced Sith Assassins, bounty hunters, droid armies, a kriffing cyborg, and now an obsessed Sith Apprentice! And yet...
"You know I can't say no to you."
Padmé grinned impishly before dancing away. "I know, that's why I asked."
Megara scowled at her cousin's back. "Wench!"
The senator laughed. "You love me!"
A fond smile graced the Themyscirian's lips as she shook her head. "That I do."
She sighed to herself before pushing herself off the wall and towards the bed, brown eyes dancing over the dresses on her cousin's bed, all of which were extremely elegant. This reminded her of times before when she helped her cousin choose what to wear for benefits being held by different senators... Before she had a Sith's presence in her psyche.
The mental war between them hasn't even truly began yet... and she was already wishing for times before her mission on Mustafar.
Megara closed her eyes with a sigh. You made a promise to me, so I'll make a promise to you. Should we meet face-to-face again, I will do what I must to ensure the balance of the Force.
This I promise to you.