"Stars, hide your fires; Let not light see my black and deep desires."
― William Shakespeare, Macbeth

They landed at Padmé's apartment in Coruscant, but he didn't go in. They simply shared a brief kiss on the landing strip and Padmé went inside to get comfortable. The stress and the pregnancy were starting to get to her; she could feel the tension collecting in her back and shoulders.

The wind whipped at Vader's dark cloak and hood as he climbed into a speeder. R2 began to roll himself into place behind him, but Vader held out a hand to stop the droid.

"Wait, R2, I need you to stay here and take care of Padmé. I want you to get a midwife droid and two medi-droids to watch her, just in case. If anything happens, contact me immediately! And get two troopers stationed at the residence until I return. By the express order of Darth Vader. Got it?"

The droid leaned forward in a reasonable facsimile of a nod and chirped his assent before rolling away - looking, Vader thought, a bit forlorn to be left behind.

The speeder took off toward the senate building as the orange Coruscant sun began to sink below the city skyline. Vader's stomach churned with anxiety, and he leaned harder on the accelerator, itching to reach Palpatine and discover the secrets that would save her.

"R2, this really isn't necessary," Padmé tried, once again, to call off the inordinate number of medical personnel R2 had brought to her residence.

Following a series of obstinate whistles and chirps from R2, Padmé sighed, annoyed.

"If Anakin told you to jump off a bridge, would you drag me with you?"

More dissenting beeps.

"Well, I know you can't really jump, but that's not the point here."

They stared at each other for a few silent moments. Until Padmé rolled her eyes in resignation and said, "Fine, they can stay in the sitting room for now, but I don't want anyone in my private quarters. Actually, the droid I am looking for is Threepio. Will you go find out where he is for me, R2?"

With another brief nod, R2 turned and rolled out through the automatic doors that lead to the outer halls. But just as Padmé watched R2 retreat, two clone troopers ran up the hallway and saluted her.

"And what's this, then?" She demanded. "I am in no mood to receive war intelligence at the moment."

"Ah, no, We've been instructed to stand guard, ma'am." One of them replied.

"Instructed by whom, soldier?"

"Well...by Lord Vader, of course."

The name sent chills down her spine. Clearly, her husband had already begun changing his image in the city.

"Ah...I see. Very well then, you may patrol the hall, but I don't want anyone in my quarters until...Lord Vader returns."

With that, she turned to walk back into her apartment, but at the last minute, she remembered to add, "Oh, I am expecting a couple of droids later. Please do let them through. Goodnight."

Once finally in the silence of her familiar apartment, Padmé could finally sort through the events of the last day. The name, his new name, had stuck in her throat like sandpaper. And yet. There was something incredibly tempting...almost alluring...about the thought that her husband now sat at the right hand of the most powerful man in the galaxy. She had always striven to keep her own self-interest and ambition out of the choices she'd made in her career, to protect liberty rather than seek power. And yet...It does take a certain degree of ambition for a girl of 14 to be elected Queen...of course, his sudden ascent to power intrigued her.

She sighed, massaging her temples and trying to shake off the thought. She felt dizzy from exhaustion and just wanted to close her eyes and pretend none of this had happened. Unfortunately, she had other priorities.

Still Frustrated by her husband's overreach, Padmé made her way out of the droids' earshot and into her private room. The fading sunlight streaming through her heavy drapes lit the room just enough for her to make out the shapes of the furniture, but that suited her purposes just fine.

Walking to her work desk, she flipped on her holoprojector.

"Obi-Wan, please contact me when you receive this message. Anakin needs our help desperately. I know what he has done seems dire, but there is good in him. I can feel it. Please tell me you haven't given up on him. I'll await your response. Let me know before you come so I can be sure he's gone. This will require some discretion. Please answer soon."

She pressed send.

Once the light from the recorder shut off, the room seemed even darker than before, so she never realized anyone was there until they were nearly face-to-face with each other.

"Is this soon enough for you, Senator?"

Vader knelt in what used to be the chancellor's office. Palpatine had wasted no time in converting the bureaucratic space into a temporary throne room. His sprawling desk had been switched out for a single, luxurious black chair and the windows had been tinted so dark it looked like midnight rather than dusk. A single circular light floated above the chair and another in the center of the room where Vader awaited his master's next word.

"Rise, Lord Vader."

He stood and lowered his black hood, looking The Emperor in the eye for the first time since the incident in the Jedi temple. His injuries hadn't significantly improved, but he certainly looked less gaunt and translucent than he had before. His scars had settled into a pale collection of lumps stretched unevenly across his features, making him look skeletal and fearsome.

Vader felt a pang of sympathy for his friend and confidant.

"You pity me, Vader?"

"Ah...not at all, master. You seem much improved."

"Do not lie to me, my young apprentice."

Vader suppressed a scowl. Was he to be brought down again to that humiliating stage? All his years of training under Obi-Wan, being belittled and put-in-his-place, then being overlooked by the Jedi Council and not made a master, he had thought Palpatine would put an end to all of that!

"I sense much pride in you, Vader!" The Emperor continued. "Pride can be a great asset in your study of the Dark Side of the Force. But your master demands pure and unyielding loyalty. This is the line you must walk."

"Yes, master." He replied through clenched teeth.

"Your mission on Mustafar was completed successfully, I trust?"

"Yes, master."

"Well done, young Vader. Your training can now recommence."

She had to throw a hand over her mouth to suppress her shock. She didn't want the medical droids to come barging in. The fewer mouths holding this secret, the better.

"Obi-Wan!" She whispered, urgently. "What are you doing here?"

"Let's say for the sake of argument that I'm answering your hologram."

"Before I sent it?"

"A happy accident."

Padmé narrowed her eyes suspiciously but still, she asked him to sit down.

"What exactly do you propose I could do to help his Lordship, Vader?" He spat the name and she cringed.

"I don't believe he's truly gone."

"You didn't see the footage I saw, Padmé. He and the so-called Emperor have conspired to destroy the Jedi...his only family for all intents and purposes."

"Well, not quite."

"Ah, yes. Of course, there's your relationship. The reason he first began to willfully reject the tenants of our order. You can't possibly be trying to convince me that that redeems him."

"He loves us."

"He loves you."

"And the baby."

"Your unborn child?"

"Absolutely."

"You don't know that."

"You didn't see his face when he felt it kick. He loves the baby, and that brought light back into his eyes. We can save him."

"Only if he wants to be saved, Padmé."

A/N: Just a reminder that if you're enjoying the story, and care to leave a quick review, that's much appreciated! I really appreciate those who have followed/favorited/reviewed thus far. It seriously makes my day that y'all seem to appreciate my fun little escapism project.