Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars.
AN: Here's chapter 36! Thanks for all the great reviews! Also, three months have passed since the last chapter.
Burning Vendetta
Chapter 36: Clashing Emotions
Padme cuddled against her husband, hoping to avoid waking up for just a few more minutes. It had been three months already since their arrival on Endor. They'd been training everyday and progressing very impressively, or so Leiana said. Padme opened her eyes and peered at the chrono, which read seven a.m.. She groaned and buried her face in her pillow. Seeing as it was no use trying to back to sleep, she kissed Anakin's cheek and threw her robe on and padded quietly to the fresher.
Some time later, as she let the water rinse the soap from her long hair, she heard Anakin come in. She giggled, as she felt him step in behind her and wrap his arms around her waist, before kissing her neck.
"Good morning handsome," she purred. She smiled, as he turned her around and claimed her lips. She sighed, as he kissed her deeply and his hands roamed intimate places
"It is now," he replied.
"Did I wake you?" she asked.
"Not really. Though I noticed you were gone immediately," he said.
"You're just like me. I cant sleep unless you're by my side," she said softly, as their lips met in another tender, passionate kiss. She pressed her wet body against his and he moaned.
"You're driving me wild," he rasped in a husky tone, as his lips sucked at her pulse point.
"I know...so why don't you do something about it?" she replied sultrily. Anakin smirked and pressed her against the wall.
"Maybe I will," he replied, as their lips crashed together again...
Zeph woke up, finding herself spooned against Marcus. They were both still fully clothed, but she found herself blushing anyhow. They hadn't slept together yet, because Marcus said he wanted her to be sure she was completely ready. She smiled at that, as she studied him for a moment. He really was very sweet and handsome. He had a muscular build, but slightly lanky. His dark brown hair had grown out a little and didn't spike anymore. He hadn't cut it, because she had said she liked it when she had more to run her fingers through. She smiled. Had he really not cut it, because she liked it the way it was? Sometimes, she didn't know why he even put up with her. She was moody, paranoid, selfish, and insecure. She was bent on keeping what they had a secret, at least until she figured out exactly what it was. This made Marcus impatient, as he was tired of sneaking around. He didn't give a damn what people thought, but she did, as much as she hated it. She sighed and went to the fresher to clean up.
When she returned, Marcus was still sleeping. He was going to be late if he didn't get up soon.
"Marcus...wake up," she nudged him. He didn't stir. She thought about tipping the mattress onto the floor to wake him up. That's what most would expect her to do, but when she alone with Marcus, she didn't have to wear her facade that she wore for everyone else.
"Marcus...wake up," she said, as she sat down beside him and shook his shoulders.
"What?" he asked groggily.
"It's almost eight. Isn't your shift at nine?" she asked.
"Oh...yeah," he said, as he got up, realizing they'd fallen asleep in their clothes while watching a holo movie on the bed. He pulled off his tunic and padded around to her side. Zeph's cheeks reddened, as she stared at his bare, lean torso. He turned to her and she averted her eyes quickly. He smirked.
"See something you like?" he asked.
"I've seen better," she retorted, though it was a lie
"Oooh...you wound me," he said sarcastically, as he leaned down and kissed her.
"Well...you're so full of yourself that someone has to knock you down a peg," she replied, as he captured her lips again. She shuddered, as she felt his hands grasp her hips in a possessive manner. She'd never been with a man, let alone let one other than Marcus touch or kiss her. This made everything he did very new to her. She almost hated the way he made her tremble with his touch. He wasn't a virgin and knew what he was doing. That put him in control and she hated not being in control. But part of her was ready to willingly surrender to him and let him claim her. Zephany Darkthunder had never surrendered to anyone though. Zephany was always in control. But Zephany had never felt the way she did about Marcus before either. Was it love? She didn't know, since she'd never been in love before. The thing she'd had for Anakin had been fascination and infatuation. After several months, she had come to terms with that. It was funny how she and Marcus had kind of just stumbled together. They were the most unlikely pair and she could hear people laughing at the idea of the two of them together. But she didn't care right now. She never cared about anything else when he was kissing her.. She loved the way he kissed her, the way his tongue danced with her own. She loved how he left her breathless and her lips swollen. She loved...him. He heart skipped a beat at that thought.
"Did she love him?" she wondered silently to herself. She felt so confused now. How was she supposed to know? And even if she was in love with him, did he feel the same way? She felt Marcus pull away and she wondered why.
"Don't stop," she said. He smiled at her.
"Baby, if I don't stop, I won't be able to. I'm already going to have to take a cold shower," he said. She wanted to tell him she loved him. She wanted to say she was ready, but the words would not leave her lips. Suddenly, there was a knock at her door.
"Zeph...can I come in?" Zac called.
"Sith..." Zeph swore, as she shot off the bed and started straightening her clothes.
"Hide," she said, pushing him toward the closet.
"Damn it, Zeph. I'm sick of hiding!" he whispered.
"Please..." she pleaded. Marcus looked angry, but reluctantly went into the closet.
"Come in," Zeph called.
"Morning sis," Zac said.
"Good morning," she replied.
"Leiana wants to see you. I think she's really pleased with you. You've been acting so...well not like you," Zac said. Zeph rolled her eyes.
"Stuff it, laser brain," she retorted.
"Oh there she is," Zac replied.
"If that's all you want, you can leave. I'm sure Kendra misses you already," Zeph said. Zac smiled.
"Be nice. I really like her," he replied.
"Evidently. But her lipstick is really not your color, brother," Zeph quipped. Zac reddened and covered his mouth, not realizing that his lips were stained with the evidence.
"Go on, I like her too. She keeps you out of my hair anyway," Zeph replied.
"Whatever. Leiana is waiting for you, so don't be long," Zac said, as he left. Once he did, Marcus stormed out.
"If you stuff me in the closet again..." she silenced him with a kiss.
"I'm serious Zeph. I'm sick of hiding. It's stupid. I care about you. Why don't you want people know?" he asked.
"We can tell them soon. I'm still figuring a lot of things out. Please understand," she pleaded.
"Damn it Zeph, you know I do. But I feel like you don't want people to know, because you're ashamed of me or something," he said.
"No...never...it's not that at all. I'm sorry you have to deal with all my baggage. I promise I'll be ready soon," she said. He kissed her forehead.
"Your baggage is my baggage and I'm here for you. I just can't hide forever. I want to be able to hold your hand in public and even kiss you," he said.
"You will be able to, I promise," she replied. He nodded.
"I've got to clean up for my shift. You better go meet with Leiana," he said, as he kissed her forehead. She nodded.
"Marcus?" she asked. He turned back.
"Yes?" he asked. Her heart thudded in her chest. There was so much she needed to say.
"Will you come here tonight?" she asked. He smiled and she felt like melting.
"You know I will, baby," he replied, as the fresher door slid closed behind him.
"Come," Leiana called, as she heard a knock at her door.
"You wanted to see me, My Queen?" Zeph asked. Leiana smiled and motioned Zeph to a meditation pad. The young woman sat down and crossed her legs.
"I've been very pleased with you in recent weeks, Zeph. Your anger has dissipated and you are much calmer than you once were," Leiana said. She nodded.
"Thank you milady, I am trying," she replied.
"Care to divulge the reason for these changes?" she asked, with a kind smile. Zeph blinked. It was almost impossible to hide anything from Leiana; she was just too good at reading people with the Force, even when they didn't want to be read.
"I...nothing particularly. I have just been trying to do as you have asked," Zeph replied.
"Zephany...I love you like a daughter, I hope you know that. I want you to feel like you can talk to me, child. Nothing you say will leave this room," Leiana said. Tears pricked Zeph's eyes at the mention of the word daughter.
"I think of all of you as my children. You, Zac, Kendra, Nic, and Erika became my children after all your parents died. You must know that I love each of you as much as I love Anakin, Padme and my grandchildren. Your tough girl act never fooled me, Zephany. I heard you cry in your bed at night. I know you cover your emotions with a mask of sarcasm and anger. But that mask is cracking...and only something wonderful could be doing that. You don't have to hide your true self anymore," Leiana said.
"I...I've been seeing someone. We've been keeping it a secret. I...I really like him," she said.
"And may I ask who this young man is?" Leiana asked. She sighed.
"Marcus Janren," Zeph confessed, a light blush showing on her features.
"Well, I'm not surprised too often, but that one, I did not see coming," she said, with a smile.
"I know...we are very different, but he was there for me...and..." she stopped, sighing in frustration, before putting her face in her hands.
"Zephany...do you love him?" Leiana asked bluntly.
"That's just it...I don't know! How do you know when it's real?" Zeph asked.
"Well, I must admit that I'm not an expert on love, sweetheart, but I know enough. What do you feel when you are with him?" Leiana asked. Zeph blushed heavily.
"I feel...whole. I can be myself with him. I feel...so many different things. Why am I so confused about this?" Zeph asked.
"Because you do not always trust your heart," Leiana answered right away.
"I'm not willing to let it be broken," Zeph replied stubbornly.
"So...you'd rather push away all the people that want to love you and live a life of loneliness? Because if you do that, my little Thunderspike, you will only succeed in breaking your own heart by depriving it of love," Leiana said, calling her by her by the guardian name in which she drew her elemental powers from. It was a feline creature, black as night in color, with a ferocious nature when it came to protecting its clan. But the feline also had a gentle, loving side rarely seen and only by those it loved.
"Love does not come without risks, young one. But nothing worth fighting for does," Leiana said, as she hugged the raven haired girl.
"Levius Severus," Leiana chanted, before smiling at Zeph.
"I have lifted the block on your powers. You've earned them back," Leiana said. Zeph smiled brightly.
"Thank you milady," she said, hugging her tightly.
"You are very welcome. Now, go eat something and join us in training when you're finished," Leiana said. Zeph nodded and left Leiana's room.
Padme blocked Zac's golden topaz blade with her own sapphire one. She spun her blade and blocked Kendra's jade saber, while her husband fought by her side, fighting Erika and Nic. Erika's garnet blade clashed against Anakin's silvery-black blade and Nic met his as well with his own jade one. Anakin parried them both, as they unleashed strikes, jabs, and thrusts with their blades. But while they were still more skilled in magic than he was, he was far superior when it came to hand to hand combat. Anakin crouched down and used a sweep kick on Nic, causing the other man to land flat on his back. Anakin took on Erika one on one. His saber style was far more aggressive and she was struggling to keep up.
Padme fought furiously against Zac's and Kendra's onslaught. Kendra was as graceful as Padme and Zac as aggressive as she was, matching her well.
"Ferio Levitatum!" Padme cried, as she soared into the air. Kendra and Zac followed her, but now Padme had placed herself in her element. She was faster than they were in the air with the wind as her aide. Padme whipped around and delivered a kick to Kendra's abdomen. Being that Kendra's element was ground, she was not able to recover and hold the Ferio charm, which was not easy for her in the first place. She landed on the floor, accepting defeat. Never had any of them believed that Anakin and Padme stood a chance against Lucia, for they had believed that no one could defeat her. But watching and training with them the last few months had instilled a great amount of hope in all of them. Anakin was the Chosen One...and Padme was chosen to fight by his side. Zac continued to fight her, while Anakin had now defeated both Nic and Erika. Leiana raised her hand and the three of them descended to the ground.
"You are both doing very well. I'm very impressed," Leiana said. At that moment, Zeph entered the training room and all eyes were on her.
"Zephany will be rejoining us now. Her powers are no longer blocked and I truly believe she has learned from her mistakes," Leiana said. Zeph was very surprised when Padme was the first to approach her.
"Welcome back, Zeph," she said sincerely. She allowed the others to see a small smile.
"Thank you Padme," she replied.
"Zeph, why don't you spar Zac and Kendra to get back into the swing of things," Leiana suggested. Zeph nodded and drew her blade, beginning her spar.
"Anakin, you and Padme have been working hard all morning. Why don't the two of you go spend some time with the twins," Leiana said. Anakin smiled and wrapped his arm around his wife's waist.
"Thanks mom," Anakin said, as the two of them started toward the entrance. As the door slid open, Luke and Leia ran in followed by their Uncle Marcus.
"Mommy! Daddy!" the twins called, as their parents scooped them up.
"Hi munchkins," Padme greeted them both with a kiss on the cheek.
"Does you and mommy have to train all day?" Leia asked her father.
"Actually, grandma is giving us the afternoon off just so we can spend time with the two of you. What do you say the four of us go pack a picnic and we can go outside. It's a nice day and we'll find a nice little clearing where you two can play," Anakin said. Padme smiled at him, as they watched the twins' eyes light up with excitement. Anakin and Padme left, carrying the twins back to their residence to pack a picnic. Marcus stood quietly against the wall, observing the spar, though his eyes were truly locked on Zeph.
"I can't believe Leiana gave her powers back after the way she messed up," Erika mentioned. Nic smirked.
"Don't worry, it won't be long before she screws up again, I'm sure," Nic replied. Marcus felt his blood boil at Nic's words and his reaction surprised him. He didn't like the way they were talking about her...even if she hadn't always been nice to them. They didn't know her! They'd never given the real Zeph a chance!
"Maybe she'll surprise us, Niccy. Maybe she really learned her lesson," Erika mentioned. Nic scoffed, as Zeph exited the spar and sat down near them.
"Zeph will never learn her lesson. She'll always delight in bullying the rest of us. Stang Eri, she's insane. She's just a screw up that can't control her temper and loves to torment the rest of us. Hell...Zac is the only one that even tolerates her and that's because he has to," Nic said. Zeph heard his words, even though he probably hadn't intended for her to. She wanted to jump up and defend herself...but what was the point? Everything he said was true...and she knew it.
"You don't know what the hell you're talking about," she heard Marcus say and her eyes widened.
"What?" Nic asked, turning to him.
"Don't you think it's time to forgive her for what she did. She's really sorry and Padme certainly doesn't hold it against her anymore. Why should you?" Marcus asked. Nic scoffed.
"Maybe because I know she's not really sorry. She mean and vindictive. She always gets her revenge," Nic said.
"You're wrong!" Marcus said, as he got in Nic's face.
"I don't ever want to hear you say those things about her again!" Marcus yelled.
"Why do you care?" Nic asked. Marcus glanced up and looked at Zeph, who wore a look of shock and confusion.
"I just do. Mess with her brainy...and you mess with me too," Marcus said, as he shoved Nic and stormed out.
"What the hell was that all about?" Zac asked Zeph.
"I...I don't know," she replied, as she slipped out and went searching for him.
Lucia stood on the bridge of her Super Star Destroyer. She'd been searching for months...and nothing. She's sent probes out scouring the galaxy, but they returned a mangled mess and with no computable data.
"My Lady, the Emperor has asked to speak with you," Motti informed her. She clenched her teeth and the glass of wine in her hand shattered into pieces.
"Very well Admiral. Put the call through to my private chamber," Lucia growled, as she stepped onto the lift. Once she reached her chambers, the visage of Emperor Malice appeared before her. She knelt and bowed to him.
"I am very disappointed in your progress, my apprentice," Malice said in a carefully measured tone.
"The search is taking longer than expected, My Lord. My daughter's protection charms are making it nearly impossible to find my grandson. But I assure you, I will find him very soon," Lucia said.
"You incompetent fool! I don't care about what useless magic is supposedly stopping you from finding him! While you continue to fail, he continues to grow stronger!" Malice yelled.
"I will find him!" Lucia hissed.
"You had better...or the consequences to you shall be severe. If you think for a minute your magic intimidates me, you are gravely mistaken. I am far more powerful than you believe, my apprentice and I will unleash my wrath upon you if you continue to fail! If you cannot find him...then draw him out!" Malice ordered.
"Yes My Master," Lucia seethed, as the transmission blinked out.
"It is you that are the fool, My Master. The Chosen One, my grandson, will destroy you for me. Then I will rule...after I destroy him myself," she hissed, as she returned to the bridge.
"Have any of the new probes turned up anything?" she barked to her commander at the helm.
"No My Lady," he answered nervously.
"So in other word, you are useless," she hissed, her coils slithered around the man. He screamed in terror, as he stared at her ugly, snake-like visage.
"Did you know, Commander, that the venom of the Villitox is so deadly that it only take a mere drop to kill someone?" she asked. The frightened man screamed in terror, as she barred her fangs. An agonizing scream escaped his lips, as she sunk them into his neck. Horror marred his features and they became frozen that way, as the venom invaded his blood stream. His skin turned sickly yellow and his body stopped functioning. She tossed the corpse away with disgust and smirked, as the rest of her men trembled before her in fear.
"Admiral..." she snapped.
"Y...yes My Lady," he replied in fear.
"Call in the rest of the fleet and set our course for Kashyyyk. If we cannot find Skywalker and his little clan...then we will draw him out by slaughtering the rest of his people's existence. That should draw the little prince out of hiding..." Lucia smirked evilly.
"At once, My Lady," he scurried off to make the calls and have their course changed. Her features twisted into that of the Villitox again, as she cackled evilly.
"The hunt has begun, you blasted whelp. You will serve your purpose for me...and then you will die. You will all die!" she screamed.
Anakin and Padme smiled, as they watched the twins play in the small clearing they'd found in the woods. They had enjoyed a wonderful lunch together and now it was time for the twins to settle down for an afternoon nap.
"Come on, you two. It's time to rest," Padme called.
"Ah...but mommy," Luke whined.
"No buts little prince. Come here and mommy will read one of the stories from the book grandma gave you both," Padme said, as she held the book of Dathomirian fairytales in her lap. The twins settled down in their parent's lap and Padme opened the book.
"Oooh...mommy, that's a pretty bird. Read that one," Leia pointed to the white bird.
"Yes...it is. This story is about the Phoenix...and the Seraph," Padme said, as she looked at Anakin. He smiled.
"Sounds interesting," he replied. Padme turned back and began to read. Little did they know...they would find out exactly why their guardians were extinct...
Zeph wandered aimlessly through the corridors of the base, thinking about how Marcus had so willingly jumped to her defense. No one had ever stood up for her like that. She had never really deserved for them to. She finally reached his room and took a deep breath, before knocking on his door. It slid open and she looked up at him, as he stood in the door.
"Suppose you're mad at me," he said. She was surprised by that statement.
"What?" she questioned.
"I probably blew it. It's not going to take them long to figure out there's something between us," he replied. He was right and...and she didn't care. She didn't give a damn about anything but him! This revelation made her heart swell with something she supposed was love.
"Look Zeph...I know I shouldn't have blown up like that. But when he started saying that stuff...it made my blood boil. Gods...I mean that little twerp doesn't even know you. So be mad all you want, but I'm not going to just let people trash you," he said. She cut him off when she slid her arms around his neck and pressed her lips to his. Marcus responded immediately and tangled his fingers in her long raven hair.
"Can I come in? I think we have a lot to talk about?" she asked breathlessly. He stared at her in shock.
"Sure..." he replied. She smiled for him and pressed her lips to his again, as his door slid closed behind him...