A/N: Thank you for the wonderful reviews and follows. I reach each review and they motivate me to write more. With that being said, please enjoy the next chaper.
Padmé found herself in a dark corridor and cringed. Was this another memory of Vader? If so, it didn't appear to be a pleasant one. She looked around and there were red lights lining the corridor, leading to somewhere, but probably somewhere unpleasant. She put her hand on the wall and felt the cold steel, almost ice cold, which was odd as the air temperature was so warm, almost suffocatingly warm.
Quietly, she crept down the corridor, looking for, well whatever was here. Whoever was here. Obviously, it would be Vader, but she didn't know what form he would be in. Would he be an abused boy, a disciplined but unloved teenager, or a cold hearted Sith? As she continued further down, she noticed a door, which gave her two options. Continue down the corridor or open the door, both of which made her nervous. Was she scared? Yes, but this was a dream, she was beginning to learn how to control her emotions when she had them, becoming bolder, more able to handle whatever was in them.
Deciding to explore what was in the room, she keyed open the door and discovered a chamber that was illuminated by more red lights. Inside of it was an altar of sorts, which made her cringe. Sith Lords and alters only meant one thing and that was death. She quickly scanned around the room, looking for anything of note, any sign of Vader but she couldn't find anything. Aside from the alter, the room was empty.
Having seen enough, she pressed her ear to the door to see if anyone was coming but couldn't hear any voices or footprints. Mustering up her courage, she keyed open the door and slowly looked into the hallway, but no one was there. She exited the room, letting the door silently shut behind her. She proceeded down the corridor, looking for any other sign of Vader, listening for anything and that could point herself to him. Obviously, she was meant to find him, that's what these visions were about, they were meant to help her learn more about the man that she was to marry, the man that she loved. The imperfect human that had been led down a dark path ever since he was stolen from his mother's arms.
As she walked softly, she heard a noise, it was like a loud crash and it jolted her. It was coming further down the corridor which meant that she was on the right track, she just needed to keep walking, keep putting one foot in front of the other. What was the worst that could happen? She would get killed, then wake up breathless. Not exactly a pleasant experience, but one that she could live with.
Padmé heard more noises, noises that she was certainly uncomfortable with. They were muffled screams, but whose? Certainly, they could be Vader, or they could be some unfortunate soul that was being tortured to death by him. Biting her lip, she continued on down the long corridor and the muffled screams grew louder and louder with every step that she took. Then, they stopped. Could whoever it was be dead? If so, what sort of mayhem was inflicted upon them?
There was only one way to find out and it was to keep going. Keep pressing on until she discovered whatever she was meant to see. After another hundred feet, the corridor turned right. She carefully peered around the corner and saw an open chamber. At the center of it was a man suspended by chains, his knees barely grazing the floor, facing away from her. She winced as she could see cut marks all over his body, even his feet were bloodied. He only wore a pair of form fitting shorts, and nothing else.
Before she entered the chamber, she carefully scanned it, taking in every detail, looking for any sign of movement. It was lit well enough that she could see the corners and was confident that no one was hiding in the shadows. Opposite from the man was a closed door. Whoever tormented this man had to have exited through it, there was no other way out. Stepping into the room, she froze once she got closer to the man. He had long dark blonde hair. Oh gods, no. It was Vader.
Quietly but quickly, she hurried to him and when she made it around him, she pressed her hands to her mouth in horror. He had been brutally cut and beaten, with burn marks across his chest. This was the pain and suffering that he had referred to, it had to have been. His head hung low; he was probably unconscious. She gently lifted his head up, uncaring that her hands were now drenched in his blood.
"Oh, Ani", she whispered at the sight of him. Both his eyes were swollen shot and he had what appeared to be a broken nose. Whoever had done this to him had been strong and wicked. Palpatine couldn't have done this to him, could he? Or was there someone else, someone that she didn't know about.
Looking up at the chains that he was suspended from, she saw pins inserted into the metal cuffs, binding them around his wrists. She stood on her toes and yanked on out, dropping his arm free, causing him to swing to his left slightly. Determined to set him free, she again stood on her toes and yanked the other pin out. He dropped to the floor hard, like a sack of rocks and moaned in pain.
What now? She couldn't drag him out, she wasn't strong enough to lift his muscle mass. She bent down to his ear. "Ani, it's me. It's Padmé. You need to wake up", she whispered. He moaned again, but this time it was more coherent, like he understood what she was saying. "That's it, come on. I need you to wake up, please. There's so much strength in you, you can do it."
Vader groaned as he flopped on his back, his right arm falling out to his side. "That's it, Ani, but I need you to try and sit up. I can't lift you, you're too heavy", she said. He started trying to sit up and Padmé nearly gagged when blood came spilling out of his mouth. He had internal organ damage. Shit, who could be so sick and twisted to do this to him? Hadn't he suffered enough as a child? Wasn't there nothing more that could be done to him after the literal abuse that he survived as a mere boy? No wonder why he changed after Kashyyyk, he had himself tortured to the point of death and she had no clue how many times this occurred.
He tried to sit up again, but this time she grabbed his left hand and pulled as hard as she could. Slowly, he rose up into a sitting position, his head hung down as if he didn't have the strength to lift it. "Ani, I need you to try and stand. I know it must hurt you so much, but I need you to stand. Can you do that for me?", she pleaded.
"Padmé", he mumbled. "I'm not worth saving."
Padmé gasped. "Don't you dare say that don't you ever say that", she said as she gently caressed his forehead. "Come on, you have to stand up. Please, I'll help you but I can only do so much."
With great effort, he cocked his right leg behind him and slowly rose to one knee. Padmé tucked herself under his left arm as she squatted down and pushed up as hard as she could. Her knees buckled under his weight, but he began pushing himself off the floor and gradually stood. "Come on, this way", she whispered as she took him back where she came from. His feet moved slow, and he groaned with each step. Padmé looked down and realized why. Both of his feet appeared deformed. They were broken. Each step was causing him massive amounts of pain, hurting him in ways that she didn't know how to comprehend.
"I know it hurts, but come on, we have to keep going", she said, struggling under his massive bodyweight. "Let's go, keep moving." He shakily kept putting one foot in front of the other and slowly they made it outside of the chamber. Where the hell was she taking him? She didn't know the way out and the corridor was long and dark, but she couldn't have just left him there. She knew he wouldn't die, that she would see him as soon as she woke up, but she couldn't, no she wouldn't just leave him.
They kept going down the long corridor, each step causing him to groan in pain, but they were making progress. Soon, they passed the door which led to the alter. There was no way in all the hells that she would take him into that room. As they kept walking along, she felt him able to take steps just a hair faster, signaling to her that he was slowly coming out of the shock that he was in. "That's good, Ani, just keep going", she said. "I've got to get you somewhere safe."
Vader faintly chuckled. "There is nowhere safe here, Padmé", he croaked.
"I don't care, I'm going to try", Padmé said defiantly. She felt tears streaming down her face at how defeated he sounded. Only when he was a little boy in that other dream had she heard him sound so defeated before and now it was breaking her heart again to hear him be so defeated again.
They kept walking down the corridor and she was starting to feel exhausted from supporting his frame, but she kept walking, kept guiding him to wherever the hell they were going. The corridor was so warm it was causing her to be drenched in sweat and his blood soaked arm was now drizzling onto her back, making it hot and sticky.
Finally, they made it to the end of the corridor and there was a door with a keypad, but she couldn't key it open, not while she was holding him up. "I'm going to lean you against the wall while I get this open, just down let yourself fall to the ground", she said. She backed him up to the wall and when she felt all of his weight off of her, she went to the door and keyed it open. Knowing that she didn't have much time before it would close, she went back to him and put herself under his left arm again, helping to pull him off the wall.
They went through the door and it was immediately cooler and brighter, which made her squint. They were in some form of hanger, but blast it, there weren't any ships. This was the end of the line, there was nowhere else they could go. She failed to rescue him. Helping him over to one of the corners, she leaned him against the wall and let him slide down.
She knelt beside him and tore off a piece of her sleeve and began wiping as much blood from his face as possible, trying to get a good look at him. It took a few minutes, but after that, she had scrubbed off much of the blood, giving her the first clear look at him since this nightmare began. "Ani, what are they doing to you here?", she asked. She had to know, she had to understand.
He managed to open his swollen eyes even further as he looked at her. "I'm sorry, Angel, but I have to become something that you'll hate", he rasped. "The next time you see me, I'll be something that you'll fear, something that you'll never forgive me for becoming." He laid his head back against the wall and closed his eyes.
"I know, Ani. You're going to become Darth Vader", she said as she placed the palm of her hand on his cheek. He opened his eyes in disbelief, as if he was stunned that she could possibly know that. "I am going to love you", she said. "I'm going to love all of you, but it will take me time." His mouth dropped open and a look of shock and wonder spread across his face. "But please, tell me. Why are they doing this to you?"
"Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, and hate leads to suffering. I'm being made to suffer", he explained slowly, swallowing every few words. "I can't explain it entirely, but that's the way of the Sith. That's what I'm being transformed into."
No wonder why he could inflict so much pain and misery on other beings in the galaxy. That was what was done to him. Vader was literally tormented into becoming a tormentor, the very thing that had hurt him. How miserable that must be to bear that type of burden, that type of suffering. She sat down next to him and pulled his head down onto her lap. She kept stroking his cheek, offering whatever comfort amongst his suffering that she could, but it wouldn't be enough. Not to have him be completely comforted.
Padmé nervously waited for Palpatine or whoever did this to Vader to open the door and kill her, but no one ever came. She closed her eyes as she felt more tears stream down her face. What the hell would she do when she woke up? This was obviously an immensely painful memory, just as the one she saw when he was a boy, but what else could she do? She couldn't not say anything about it, this memory was so horrific, so tormenting. If she kept quiet, he would notice that there was something off, but if she told him would it bring up old wounds? Old Pain?
When she opened her eyes, she saw Palpatine glaring at her. So, this would end in her death. So be it. "Go on", she said. "Do your worst, you bastard. I still love him."
Palpatine snarled and she felt her throat constrict, but she didn't claw at hit. She just kept her hand on Vader's cheek. Kept trying to comfort him even during her death throes. It didn't take long, she felt the capillaries in her eye burst and could feel the beating of her heart in her ears. Her vision began to tunnel, and everything went black.
…
Padmé opened her eyes, and her hand went to her throat. No pain, it was just a memory that she lived temporarily. There was no danger, everything was fine. After she breathed in deeply a few times, she turned her head and saw Vader on his side, turned towards her. She reached out and tenderly stroked his cheek, the same one she had been stroking until her death. His boyish looks while he slept made her cry and tear up at the same time. No wonder he became Darth Vader, no wonder he became the monster that everyone feared. He had been made into a broken man, one that had to be rebuilt into something eviler than she could imagine.
"I love you, Ani", she whispered as tears silently ran down her face. "I think I understand why there's only room in your heart for me. I'm the only one that can fit in it."
Vader stirred slightly but didn't way up.
"I'll always be there for you, no matter what", she promised. "Even if that means I have to suffer, as you've suffered enough in your life."
He stirred again and moaned.
Padmé withdrew her hand and leaned her face in closely, gently brushing her lips against his forehead. Then she bent her head down and gently kissed his lips.
She leaned back and placed her head on the pillow, silently crying as she stared at her lover, her world. She meant every word that she whispered to him, meant every damned word.
"What's wrong?", Vader mumbled with his eyes still closed.
Dammit, their bond. He must have been able to sense her sadness through their bond.
"Nothing, Ani", she replied. "It's alright, darling. Go back to sleep." She couldn't keep her voice from cracking, which caused him to open his eyes.
He rose onto his elbow and looked at her through sleepy eyes. "If nothing's wrong, why're you crying, Angel?", he asked.
She reached out and placed a hand on his brawny chest, rubbing him gently. "I just had a bad dream is all", she replied. "Nothing to worry about, just a little bad dream."
Vader frowned. "A bad dream about what? I'm not going back to sleep until you tell me, so you might as well tell me", he inquired.
Padmé felt more tears roll out of her eyes. "I'm… I just… I had a dream about one of your memories again, and it just made me sad is all", she said. "It wasn't anything you did, so don't worry about that."
He shifted closer to her. "Then what was it about? Was it something you saw?", he asked. "Tell me, Angel, I can handle it." He reached out to her face and brushed tears off her cheek with a thumb.
"It was a dream where I found you chained up. You had been tortured. There was blood everywhere, so much that I couldn't recognize you at first", she said with a sob. "I got you to stand up, but even your feet were broken, there was just so much wrong with you."
"Oh, Angel", Vader whispered as he drew her close to his chest. "Angel, I know what you're talking about, and I'm so sorry you had to see that."
Padmé wrapped an arm around his waist, pulling herself even closer as she choked out another sob. "I tried to help you, tried to help you escape, but there wasn't a way out. We were trapped, you were trapped. I'm so sorry you had to go through that", she cried. "I'm truly sorry that happened to you. I understand now, I understand the suffering that you had to go through after we met. How it changed you into something else."
She felt him kiss the top of her head. "There, there, Angel. It's alright", he said. "You were still in my heart even during that time of hell." How amazing was it that he was able to keep her with him even during that misery? That pure hellish existence. It wasn't something that she could fathom, it was inexplicable.
Daring to push a little deeper, she looked up at him. "Can you ever be healed from that? Will that be suffering stay with you forever?", she whispered.
"I don't think I'll ever heal from it, Angel. The pain from it still remains with me to this day. Like a cold wet blanket that's wrapped around me, that I can't get off of me", he admitted. "But that's just on the outside. On the inside, I have you, and you fill me with warmth. That itself helps me in ways that I don't think you'll ever realize."
Padmé didn't know how to respond to such words. All she did was crane her neck up and kiss him before nuzzling his chest again.
"Try and get some sleep, Angel. I'll be right here with you, like I always am", he whispered as he cinched his arms around her tighter. "I love you."
"I love you too", she murmured, feeling her eyes grow heavy again.
…
Vader woke to find himself on an open Veranda. He looked down and saw that he was dressed simply, a cream colored tunic and dark slacks. Odd, he hadn't dressed like this in public in some time, years even. He looked around and saw the rolling buildings of Theed, spread across for miles. Why was he in Theed, or Naboo even? It had been a while since he had been here, a very long while.
He leaned against the railing of the Veranda and breathed in the clean air, it smelled wonderful. It was peaceful here. If he had the ability to choose where to build another estate, he certainly would pick Theed, or somewhere else on Naboo given its serenity. He looked around the Veranda, it was long, very long, and dark. Probably to allow for those who chose to be out here at night to be able to really take in the stars in the sky along with the three moons. What a beautiful picture.
Was this a vision from Padmé's memories? Maybe it was, but what a coincidence that they would both have a vision from each other's memories in the same night. That was something surprising, impressing even. But where was she? Certainly, she would be close by. Close enough for him to find her and complete whatever interaction that they needed to have, that he craved to have. The last vision he had of her memories didn't turn out so well, so he truly hoped this one would. That it would be uplifting instead of violent and making him enraged.
Turning to his right, he began walking down the Veranda slowly, looking for a sign of her, but so far, he found nothing. Not even the flowery smell of her perfume. Maybe she wasn't out here, maybe he would have to venture into the building to find her, but he didn't know what timeline this was from, if it was before or after they had met on Kashyyyk. If before, he may very well terrify her, which was something that he wouldn't want to do. He terrified her enough as Darth Vader, there was no sense in terrorizing her in a memory he saw from her.
Slowly he walked down the Veranda, and the further he walked, he began to hear the sound of a woman gently crying. He knew that voice, it was Padmé. Something or someone that made him wonder who had made her cry. He had to calm his rage for a moment to prevent himself form flying into frenzy, looking to kill whoever had hurt her enough to break her heart. Maybe this would be a test that he could perform that would allow him to be able center himself even when dealing with her in such a fragile state.
After a few moments, he spotted her sitting on a stone bench, her head in her hands. How would he approach her in such a delicate state? Something told him that they didn't have an established relationship, that this was well before Kashyyyk. Maybe even years before.
"Are you alright?", he asked gently.
Suddenly, her head shot up in surprise and a look of fear washed over her face. He didn't want her to bolt, so he opened his palms to her as a sign that he was being friendly, genuine, and approachable. The darkness hadn't driven those abilities from him entirely, especially where she was concerned.
"Who are you, how did you get inside of the palace?", she demanded.
Ah, so this was when she was a queen, or just before she left her office as queen.
"My name is Anakin", he said. "I'm from Coruscant, part of an advisory program with the palace security", Vader said. It was the best explanation that he could come up with on the fly, and it seemed to work as her shoulder's dropped and she seemed a little more relaxed.
"Then I suppose you should learn a little bit of decorum when speaking to a future senator of the Republic", she said with conviction. "I'm not someone that can be approached by anyone."
That made Vader chuckle. "I don't think so, future Senator. I think that makes you even more approachable", he said. "I think you know that too."
Her jaw dropped a little at the conviction in his voice. Her cheeks still glistened from the tears that she had been shedding and her eyes appeared watery.
"Well, maybe you're right", she muttered. "But that still doesn't give you the right to approach me so suddenly like that."
"I merely heard you crying and wanted to see if you were alright", he explained. "Obviously you weren't as you were crying. Would it be alright if I sat down next to you? I could keep you company and maybe provide a listening ear to whatever it is you're feeling."
Padmé folded her arms and set her jaw as she looked out at the cityscape momentarily. "I guess it wouldn't hurt", she said.
"Alright, I promise I don't bite very much", he said in a deadpanned tone.
Her mouth again dropped as she was trying to figure out what he meant by that. But she then smiled and chuckled to herself. "Men who say that never mean what they say", she said. "Come on, you might as well sit next to me."
"Alright", he replied as he sat next to her. A gentle breeze flowed through the air, making her long locks wave in the wind like waves in the ocean. They were silent for a moment, just looking at the sky and the buildings and the stars.
"So, what bothering you tonight?', Vader a polite tone. "You can tell me; I won't tell another soul."
"I don't typically talk about such things with friends, so why should I tell a complete stranger?", Padmé said as she wiped her eyes.
"Maybe because a complete stranger would just listen", Vader countered.
That took her aback again as she considered what he said. While Vader would have listened to her regardless of being in love with her or not, it was a sound argument. A stranger would have prejudgments, only the willingness to listen.
"I suppose you're right", Padmé said softly.
The moons angled just right, providing even more illumination to the beautiful young senator. She looked her age, looked like a younger woman than she had when he first met her. Gods, she was still gorgeous in an angelic way. Her supple skin, her beautiful eyes, everything about her was desirable But that wasn't what this vision was about, it was about learning from her memories.
"Well, I'm listening", Vader said patiently.
"Alright", Padmé said. "I had just been through a bad breakup with my first real relationship and am taking it kind of hard. I say my first real relationship as when I was Queen, I was forbidden from relationships, I was just dedicated to my job. The man that I had fallen for had promised me the world and delivered nothing even after I gave him everything." Her voice cracked a little at the end and Vader could see new tears forming at her eyes.
Vader was at a loss for words at the moment. This had been the first man that she had ever been with, the first everything for her, and just as Clovis, she had been cast aside as if she was nothing after that first romantic encounter. What a load of ship, why would those men do something to such a beautiful woman? He supposed that he should be grateful in a sense that if they didn't, she would never have fallen for him, he would never know her on the inside and out.
"Men can do things that are cold and harsh", he replied. "But that doesn't mean that there's something wrong with you."
"Oh, what do you know?", Padmé asked.
"Because I'm a man. A man that can be cold and harsh", Vader whispered. "But I'm also a man that has learned to give his heart to someone when they give it to me."
She looked up at him with doe eyes, and he could tell she was appraising him. His words, his looks, everything.
"You certainly don't seem like a cold and harsh man", she said. "You seem warm and inviting, like the moons of Naboo."
What a fucking comparison, one that Vader took as a great compliment from the younger version of his lover. "And you're as gorgeous as them", he replied.
Padmé froze and he momentarily regretted his words as if she would bolt away. "No one had ever called me that before", she whispered. "Never has anyone been so kind."
Vader leaned towards her a little, not wanting to get too close. "I just tell the truth like I see it", he replied. "Any man that should be with you should be lucky enough to have your heart, along with everything else that comes with it. If they don't feel lucky, then you know that they're not the ones you should give your heart to."
"You speak of this like you know what you're precisely talking about", she said dismayed. "Let me guess, you have someone that you've given your heart to already."
"Not yet, but I will eventually", Vader replied. "That person just doesn't realize it yet as we haven't met, but we will. She'll go on to do wonderous things, and we'll meet while she does them." He wanted to shout that it was her, scream that it was her, but she wouldn't understand.
"That girl sounds like she'll be very luck to have you", Padmé said as she wiped her eyes. "You are so kriffing good looking, even though you appear to have been thrashed about by a rancor of all things."
Vader chuckled. "Thanks, I just lead an adventurous life", he said. He held her gaze and could tell that she didn't want to look away. "You're going to do wonderous things in the Senate. Adventurous things. Perhaps you'll encounter me again on a moonlit night."
Padmé chuckled. "You make it sound like I'm the woman you'll meet", she said. Damn, she was intuitive, even at a younger age.
"Maybe I will", he replied simply. He gently placed his hand on her thigh and felt that usual spark he felt when he always touched her. She breathed in a little sharply at the simple touch but didn't move his hand away or act offended. "Maybe you're the one that I'm talking about."
"Maybe", she whispered. "Tell me, are you a Jedi or something? You sound like you're able to tell the future."
"Not a Jedi, but something", he replied. "I do get to see visions of the future."
"Then you do believe that it's me that you'll meet", she said.
Vader was silent, but slowly nodded his head.
Padmé scooted herself closer to him, and he instinctively wrapped an arm around her shoulder.
"Tell, me, Anakin. If you can read the future, if we are to meet again, how will we meet?", she asked.
"On a backwater planet you may have never heard of, called Kashyyyk. It'll be a moonlit night, just as this one, and I'll meet you again. I might be a little brash, a little cocky, but I'll do anything for you, even if it means risking my life for you."
That caused her to look up at him. "I sound like an adventurous woman in your vision", she said. "Maybe a little too adventurous."
"No", Vader said with a chuckle. "You might not understand it now, but you'll have the right amount of adventurous spirit."
She smiled at that. "So, tell me, Anakin. What else do you see in store for the future with us, if what you're saying is true of course", she said.
"Many things", Vader replied. Some good, some not so good, but there will be times where we won't be inseparable."
"I think I would like that", Padmé said with a smile. "I think I would like that a lot. But why would we have to wait to see one another again?"
"You may not understand it right now, but that's just the way things will work out", he said. "Don't fret about it either. It'll be something nice, something that'll make the wait worth it." He didn't want to say that after Kashyyyk it would take another three long years before they would meet again, even if this was just a vision. He couldn't break her heart, he had caused enough heart break to her.
Padmé's lips parted. "I know I'm inexperienced at things like this, but I was wondering if you wanted to –"
Vader didn't wait for her to finish. He bent down and gave her a searing kiss. She moaned into his mouth, startled at his bold action, but clearly appreciating that she didn't have to finish the sentence. Her lips tasted just as good as they always did. Supple and sweet.
After they broke the kiss, they merely stared at one another before Vader wrapped his arms around her in a crushing hug. Touching the light as he sent her soothing emotions, wanting her to be freed of any sadness from her breakup with whatever coward of a man that had broken her heart. She melted her body to him, not wanting to let him go.
They stayed like that for a time, just cherishing the feeling of closeness. Cherishing one another.
…
Vader opened his eyes; the vision was over. The spell broken. He then looked down and saw her face buried in her chest. Her arm still wrapped around his waist tightly, and his arms wrapped around her supple body. What he had said in his vision had been the truth, and he was never happier to have been right about it, even though he had fallen back to sleep with her in his arms. What a damned good dream. He silently hoped that the Force would grant her more good dreams of him, instead of harsh memories where she would have to see the torturous things that had been inflicted upon him, the monstrous things that he had done.
She truly was the love of his life, the one that he was meant to be with. There was nothing or no one that could stop him from being with her. Not even Sidious. Especially not Sidious.
He pulled her even closer, she moaned, but stayed asleep. He bent down and gently kissed the top of her head, merely happy to have her in his arms.
Whatever was in their future, he would always love her. She was his Angel, his life.
A/N: Sorry for the short chapter. I really wanted to give more background to their lives, letting you all understand some of the backstories to the characters. The next chapters will be more plot driven.