POV: Anakin Skywalker

I woke up to the sound of Ahsoka's painful screams. They didn't sound as bad as they had through the night, but they still hurt me. She would cry out for me and I would lurch forward, injuring my wrists in the process. I felt her pain by hurting myself.

The entire process of torture lasted for nearly an hour. I was surprised that Ahsoka's voice hadn't given out. She'd screamed in agony or called out for me the entire time. I wished that I'd been able to save her from this torment, but there was nothing I could do…

"Master…" she whispered, her voice pained as she gasped. I closed my eyes as she began to cry. I'd have so much to force her to forget. If she tasted my blood, her wounds would heal in no time at all. There was no way she'd forget this or recover from it if I didn't remove these memories.

"Help me," she begged.

Padme laughed. "He can't help you. No matter how much you beg, he'll never help you. Your blood is too sweet."

She was only half right. Ahsoka's blood was very sweet. Smelling the blood in the other room made my body go wild. It had only been a few… days since I'd sucked the life out of someone, but that had been a result of my over-protectiveness. It had always gotten the best of me.

I realized now that I was only protective of her because she was my prey. I wanted her all to myself…

Padme scratched at Ahsoka and I cringed. She laughed and said good-bye to the young, bleeding Togruta. "Leave her," I growled, fearing that 'good-bye' meant she was going to end her life.

"Are we getting a bit feisty?"

"Leave her," I begged angrily.

Ahsoka squeaked and cried out. Judging by the rattling of her chains, Padme had her squirming. "Leave her alone!" I screamed. I dug the piece within the chains into my wrist as I tried to shatter it once again. Ahsoka heard my scream and gasped.

She stopped, leaving Ahsoka panting on the floor in the room. The door opened and closed. I knew I was next, but that didn't scare me at all. I would rather feel pain than listen to Ahsoka's and be able to do nothing about it.

The door opened and she entered. Judging by her appearance, I knew today was going to be pretty bad. She was covered in Ahsoka's blood. I'd inhaled already and the scent was eating me alive. I gasped as the hunger took over.

She laughed. "Awe, what's the matter, my love?" I stared at her in cold silence and she rolled her eyes. She stepped closer and ran her fingers through my hair. She rubbed her thumb over my lips and I realized too late that she was marking me with Ahsoka's blood. I snapped at her hands as my fangs came in quickly.

"Will you tell me why you're being so aggressive, my dear?"

My fangs were bared as I glared at her. "I guess I'll have to get the answers out of you another way," she sighed.

She grabbed my hands and my powers began to drain all too quickly. I tried to stifle my own screams, but it was so painful. I kept trying to stop because I was emotionally injuring Ahsoka.

She was crying and pleading quietly in the other room. She wanted Padme to stop. I tried, very quickly, to form a mental bond with Ahsoka. I was surprised when she immediately allowed me access to her personal thoughts. "Ahsoka, please, for your sake, stay silent."

"Master, I can't let her –"

"You can and you will. My body can withstand more pain than yours can. I'm taking care of you."

"That's not fair!"

I growled through my screams. "Don't talk back to me."

"I love you!" she screamed into my already scrambled thoughts.

"That's why I'm doing this!" I shouted at her.

I heard new footsteps just before Padme released me. Vestara. After gasping for a few moments, I decided to get Padme going. She'd been lying to her 'daughter' for too long. I burst into uncontrollable laughter and she just stared at me in a very angry, confused manner. "What's so funny?"

"Oh, nothing," I chuckled, shaking my head. "I've just never realized how out of control you really are. I mean, seriously? Are you that desperate for love you cannot have?"

"What do you mean?"

"Your daughter. She's what? Fifteen? You went out of your way to slaughter a fifteen year olds' parents. If that's not crazy, I don't know what is. It's sick and pathetic," I sneered. "You know we can't repopulate." And I knew that she didn't span her hearing out most of the time, so she couldn't hear Vestara in the hall.

She slapped me across the face. "Of course I know we can't repopulate, you fool. I watched her for three years. I saw the potential in her power. Her Force abilities can almost match yours. Her parents neglected the potential she had because they were drunks. In a way, I did Vestara a favor. Her removing them, I was able to create a companion for myself. I removed all of her childhood memories and made her what she is today."

"Your mindless minion."

"My daughter. Your daughter."

I rolled my eyes. "I see us being unable to reproduce never stopped you from having fun and sleeping around with the men, did it?"

Once again, too late had I realized that the situation had taken the wrong turn. Her anger flared and she lashed out, hitting me. She quickly bit my neck, piercing the skin. I cursed at her in Huttese quickly, glaring daggers at her.

She blurred out of the room and came back with a savage look in her eyes. She pulled a cloth out of her robes and jammed it into my mouth, tying it behind my head. My senses ran wild as Ahsoka's blood dripped down onto my tongue.

I thrashed around in an attempt to remove it and she glared. "You just made your Padawan's life a lot harder."

I struggled as I tried to beg her for forgiveness. I had angered her. I deserved the punishment, not Ahsoka. My bond with Ahsoka had been severed and she went back into her cell.

As her screaming began, I heard light footsteps retreat. At least Vestara knew the truth now. I hadn't meant to hurt Ahsoka in the process though…

My heart tightened every time she cried out. She pleaded for her to stop, but Padme wasn't one to stop so easily after being severely angered.

The next few hours tortured me just as much as they tortured her…

POV: Vestara Amidala

My heart was racing as I slid down the door to my room. I felt like I'd been betrayed. My mother had killed my parents? Anakin wasn't my father? I couldn't believe that! This can't be happening…

I silently began to cry. The last year had all been a lie? I held my face in my hands and Anakin's words repeated themselves over and over. "We can't repopulate."

Padme told me that I could have all the children I wanted in my life. Perhaps that wasn't how she meant it… Perhaps she meant I could have children if I did what she did to me.

I lifted my head and wiped my tears away. A thought had just occurred to me. What if he was lying? What if this was just some twisted dream that I couldn't get out of?

I shook my head, clearing the thoughts away. Pain wouldn't be this intense in a dream.

That was it. This was reality and I would have to discover myself again.

The screams of the Togruta began to sicken me. My mother was a monster. She was tormenting the child because she wanted to get back at Anakin.

She had lied to me and told me that he was my father almost three months ago. Now to hear that I hadn't even been related to Padme… I sighed and pulled my knees up to my chest.

I listened to his ragged breathing as he began to tear up in his cell. Apparently the Togruta meant a lot to him. I knew about the kiss they'd shared in the cell earlier, but I hadn't thought too much about it.

A few hours had past and Padme had finally given up on the whole torturing thing. She came to say good night to me and went to bed.

Once I was sure she was asleep, I crept out of my bedroom and walked towards the holding cells. I quickly and quietly opened Anakin's door to see him passed out against the wall.

I blurred over to him and touched his cheek. His eyes slowly began to open and, once they did, he began to growl through the gag. "Shh, if you don't want me to get caught," I whispered, trying to keep the noise down.

He stopped and gave me a curious look. I pulled the gag out of his mouth momentarily and he gasped. I didn't understand why at first, but then I smelled the blood on it. It was the same blood from the other cell.

"What do you want?"

I sat cross legged in front of him and stared at him intently, watching his reactions as I began to speak. "Is Padme my real mother?"

"No." His voice and face were both calm.

"Are you my real father?"

"No." The same results as the first question.

"Am I capable of having children?"

"Vestara, the only way you can have children is if you turn them like Padme turned you. I'm much older than you. I've done my research and I know my facts."

I felt myself tearing up as I circled my arms over my stomach. I'd never have little babies looking up at me after I'd given birth to them. I'd lost that privilege a year ago when I'd woken up to Padme's smiling face…

"Just cry already."

I stared at his wrists and felt the tears slipping from my eyes. I wanted to get him out of here, but how would I do that without Padme hearing? I leapt at him, circling my arms around his waist.

He felt tense and unsure of the situation, but I just needed someone right now and he seemed to be the closest one to me. "I can't believe she lied to me," I whispered.

"Hey," he whispered, trying to put a soothing edge into his voice. "If it makes you feel any better, she's just used to lying to people. It's not just you, child."

"Did she lie to you?"

He was silent for a few moments. I glanced up at his face to see a pained look. His eyes were closed and his lips parted slightly. "What's wrong?"

"She… she doesn't know how to not lie to someone. That's all she's capable of."

I rested my head on his chest and listened to his heart beating very slowly. "How did she lie to you?"

"She told me she loved me almost three hundred years ago. I'd been stupid and naïve to actually fall for that. She led me into her apartment and we spent a few nights together before she finally told me what she was and changed me in the same night. I hadn't thought this was something permanent. The pain of the transformation was… excruciating, to say the least."

"I wasn't able to feel the pain of mine," I whispered, staring up at his face.

He smiled weakly at me. "You're one of the lucky ones then."

"Do you love Padme?"

He sighed and slammed his head into the wall behind him. "Yes and no."

"Why?"

"I'm growing impatient with you, little one."

"What if I told you that I could get you and your companion out of here?"

He lifted his head and stared at me incredulously. "Would you?"

"I know you're suffering because of the torture she's going through. I don't like smelling it either. I drink human blood, but… she smells too potent."

He smiled. "Well, at least you won't be attempting anything with her for that reason. It's all a matter of age, Vestara."

"So what do you say?"

"If you get us out of here and allow me to get her to a safe place, I will make it up to you in any way possible."

I rolled my eyes. "Just be prepared tomorrow night."