A/N: Thank you again for all of the wonderful reviews! With that being said, I truly hope you enjoy the next chapter. It'll be filled with some up and downs and some really good news.

It was the last night of their honeymoon, which was unfortunate. Soon, Padmé and Vader would have to go back to the real world with an entirely new set of issues to deal with, but for now, they would simply enjoy one another's company.

"Dinner's almost ready", Vader called out.

Padmé shifted from the window of their private villa and looked towards Vader. She had been admiring the sunset over the water and had been lost in thought. "Sounds good, Ani", she replied as she made her way over to the table to pour them both a glass of wine.

Vader came in with two plates of grilled fish and greens. One benefit of being on a beach resort island was the infinite number of fresh fish, it was nothing like a person could get on Coruscant.

Padmé leaned in for a quick kiss before she sat down, and the couple started eating. She paused a moment to admire the man in front of her. Vader's tan had deepened substantially and most importantly, he looked so damned relaxed. More relaxed than she ever seen him. He wasn't carrying the weight of the Empire on his shoulders, he was just with her, and while the sight warmed her heart, it made her feel for her husband who would have to once again shoulder the responsibility of the Empire's military, a task that seemed to be entirely more complex than she could ever realize.

"What's on your mind, Angel?", he asked without looking up. Damn his perceptiveness.

"You", she replied with a smile, swirling the wine in her glass before taking the daintiest of sips.

Vader looked up at her with a soft smile. "What about me?", he asked.

Padmé nearly got lost in his azure eyes for a moment before she could find her words. "I'm just thinking about how different you look without the stress of the Imperial might weighing you down. You look so damned at ease with everything, and I've just gotten used to seeing you that way over the last few days", she said with a grin. "I know we have to get back to reality, but I just want to take every bit of you in while I can, so I'll always remember these moments."

"Angel", Vader began with a smile, "We'll be certain to have moments like these in the future, now that we're married. I'm not going to be so perpetually obsessed with work like I was. It may be a while before we can get away again, but we will."

That made Padmé's grin turn into a full smile. "I would like that very much", she said. "What's next for us, Ani?" She knew her role as Lady Vader would be quite different than her previous life, but there were still many questions she had. Would she remain a senator, or work on projects at a higher level? There was the possibility that she would have to interact with Palpatine more often, that was an inevitability, but one that she knew she was getting herself into once Vader and she became seriously involved.

Vader took a swallow of his wine. "Well, I imagine we'll have to get your office set up. As my wife, you'll have certain privileges and accesses to information. We'll need to figure out what you'll do with that information of course, but it should be an experience that you might find enlightening", he said. "Don't worry about it too much, there will be a lot of deliberation about how we'll function as a married couple. But one thing is for certain, we're together now, and nothing will change that. No one will come between us ever again."

"Good answer", Padmé said as she took a bite of her meal. Damn, Vader could cook some fine fish.

"Will you want for Dormé to live with us permanently?", Vader asked.

"Of course", Padmé replied instantly. "She and I have been together for so long; I can't imagine us living apart. I'm sure she'll enjoy the challenge of assisting me in my new office, but I just couldn't bear to see her have to live by herself."

"Nor I", Vader agreed. "She's turned into a good friend, and I know that she's your best friend, so if that makes you happy, then I'm fine with it."

"What of the Rebellion?", Padmé asked.

"What of them?", Vader countered. "They're still our enemy. My preference would be for them to lay down their arms, but I don't see that happening anytime in the near future."

"I don't either", Padmé said. "It's a shame we can't all just pull together as a unified galaxy and cooperate."

Vader barked a laugh. "I remember I told you the exact same thing when we first started seeing each other regularly."

"You're an influence on me, in more ways than one", Padmé said as she ran her foot up and down Vader's leg.

A sly smirk spread across Vader's face. "I think we've both influenced each other in that regard. In fact, if I remember correctly, we both challenged each other the second time we made love, but I won", he said.

Padmé opened her mouth in shock. "You won because I let you, husband. But I guess that I'll just need to agree with you, but I protest under principle", she said in a mock insulted voice. Damn him, he knew what buttons to push with her.

"Anytime you're up for a rematch, I'm game", Vader replied as he took another sip of wine. "Just don't complain if you can't walk for a few days afterwards."

The bastard. "I most certainly won't complain, but you might need some ice afterwards, Milord", Padmé replied.

"Oh, if you're so sure of yourself, why don't we move this into the bedroom", Vader suggested.

Padmé smiled wickedly. She baited him perfectly and now it was time for the real meal to begin.

"As much as I would hate for this delicious meal to go to waste, I agree with you", she said sweetly.

Vader laughed and they both stood, with Vader taking Padmé's hand as he led her to the bedroom. This was going to be extra special; she just knew it.

They started kissing as soon as they made it to the bedroom, while stripping the clothes off one another. Once they were nude, Vader spun Padmé around and clutched her to his chest. His hands kneading her breasts. Padmé moaned at the touch. Then she felt his hand travel down to his core as he slipped a couple of fingers inside.

"You're always so damn ready for me", he murmured into her hair.

Padmé's eyes rolled back, and she gasped at the sensation and his teasing voice. She nearly lost herself in the pleasure. Nearly. She reached behind her and grasped his member roughly. "You're always so damn ready for me too", she cooed. The memory of the second time they made love flashed into her mind.

For a while they just stood there, pleasuring one another until it became too much. She heard Vader growl and suddenly she was pitched into the air and fell onto the bed, face first. As she tried to get up, Vader pounced on her pushing her back down as he entered her. She let loose a scream at the penetration, feeling amazing as he began to thrust himself into her roughly.

"Oh Ani", Padmé managed to say. "You always know what I need."

"That's because you're who I always need", he said gruffly as he delivered a sharp smack to her ass, causing her to yelp in surprise.

He continued his thrusts as quickly as he could, making certain that they were long and deep and Padmé withered in response. Damn he was so sexy, he was so good. She could never get enough of this no matter how many times they did it.

Vader reached around her neck with his right arm, pulling her back to his chest as he continued to roughly take her while his other arm fondled her breasts. She cried at the possessive touch, at the embrace. It felt marvelous. She felt herself become lost in the pleasure, especially when he began biting and sucking on her neck. There were so many pleasurable sensations running through her that she didn't know how to respond, other than cry out.

She felt his right arm constrict around her neck wonderfully as he amazingly increased is pace. His left arm moved from her breasts down to her most sensitive of areas and he began to furiously rub her off, damn him for knowing exactly what she needed. He was a master at making her finish.

He continued to rub and thrust, and she felt herself approach her orgasm. "Ani", she cried out. "I love you!"

"I love you too", he said roughly.

The rubbing didn't stop, the thrusting didn't stop. It was so damned pleasurable. Suddenly, she arched her back against him and screamed wildly as she hit her peak. Her entire body shook with pleasure as she continued to tighten around him.

She heard him let out an aggressive growl as he made his final pumps into her, finishing himself off.

They both fell to the bed and rolled over to look at one another. Padmé moaned as she lightly scratched his chest, completely enamored by what they just did.

"That was pretty good for our last night here", she whispered.

"It most certainly was", he agreed.

The kissed one another sweetly and just spent the next couple of hours in each other's arms.

…

Obi-Wan was devising a plan to get off this blasted ship and head to Coruscant. There was an unguarded freighter in the second docking bay that had been listed as a reserve. How did he know that? Well, he befriended a soldier that hated Vader as much as he did. Obi-Wan didn't go into the full details of what he was going to do, just the cliff notes. He just had to bide his time for the opportune moment to strike.

Qui-Gon was going to be a concern. Obi-Wan had to carefully shield his thoughts so he wouldn't inadvertently give away his plans. This was important, he couldn't let himself be topped by his arrogant master, he needed to exact his revenge, he needed to kill Vader and his new wife. That would be the only way he would get satisfaction. If the handmaiden was there, that would be an added bonus considering her help in rescuing Padmé. The damned bitch.

He continued practicing the vital skills he would need to eliminate the women, crushing equipment and unused droids with the Force. He was practicing more with his lightsaber and felt more confident in his abilities to deliver a killing blow to Vader while he would be driven to madness upon seeing his wife dead.

This would be tricky, but not impossible. Whispers from the Force told him that this was the right thing to do, the just thing to do, and he believed it. He was determined, and couldn't be stopped, not now.

There was darkness in him, he finally acknowledged it. But he would use the darkness for a virtuous purpose, one that would free the galaxy from a tyrant. A monster. Would that make him a monster? Maybe, but he would gladly be expelled if he could deliver Vader's head to the Jedi Council, he would gladly take the punishment if his revenge was enacted, even if that meant he would be alone for the rest of his life.

Perverse fantasies of the slaughter ran through his mind all the time. His mind craved the revenge more than anything. Qui-Gon was wrong, he wasn't acting irrationally, he was acting like a man that had a true purpose.

Now, he would have to carefully plan the attack once he reached Coruscant. He would have to ensure that Padmé was home alone for this to work. He would need to figure out how to stalk the residence and watch for only Vader to leave, which would be difficult. It was unknown what Padmé's duties would be once they returned from their honeymoon, wherever the hell that was. Obviously as Lady Vader, she would be given more responsibilities in the Empire, no doubt having to learn a great deal about the atrocities that they committed. Unless she already knew and fully accepted them, making her more of an evil bitch than he thought she was. Yes, there was no doubt in his mind that she was entirely complicit with the Empire, especially after she caused Mon's death.

All the hells in the galaxy would gladly accept the newlywed couple for their crimes, it was almost a certainty.

Deciding to practice more with his lightsaber, he went to the small sparring room on the massive ship and began swinging his lightsaber with his mechanical arm. Qui-Gon was right about one thing, practicing with his mechanical arm meant that he would gain more control of it, more finesse. That's what he would need in order to dual Vader if things went south. But he was certain that they wouldn't.

With every slash of his saber, he imagined cutting the Dark Lord down, killing him. The mere thought of it filled him with pleasure, with excitement, especially since the madman took his arm during the battle over Amari.

His careful planning would be enacted soon, he just had to wait for the opportune moment when he wasn't being carefully watched by the fools that Qui-Gon and Bail had assigned to him. They weren't always there to watch him, just some of the time, and that would mean Obi-Wan would be able to do what he needed to do

It was something he had to do.

…

Padmé and Vader finally arrived at his penthouse, both exhausted from the journey home, not that it wasn't a pleasurable experience, it was just that they didn't spend much time sleeping, which was fine. The opened the door and saw Threepio waiting for them.

"Master Vader", Mistress Vader, how good it is to see you both again!", the droid exclaimed.

"You can still call me Mistress Padmé, Threepio", Padmé groaned. "But it's good to see you as well. Is Dormé here yet?"

"Oh, yes, she is. She arrived just a few short hours ago from Naboo. She looked entirely rested from her week off. It was very generous for the two of you to allow her to remain on Naboo during your honeymoon", Threepio continued. "I must ask, was your vacation restful?"

"It was fine, Threepio", Vader said gruffly. "How about you tend to our luggage while we settle in?"

That was a good idea, Padmé thought. The last thing she wanted to think about was carrying her bags up the stairs to begin unpacking. She just wanted to sit down and rest a bit.

"Of course, Master Vader. I shall tend to them at once", Threepio said.

"Very good", Vader said flippantly.

The couple walked into the front living area and sat down next to one another, completely spent. Damn why was traveling in space so exhausting?

Dormé came into the room. "I thought I'd heard the two of you coming in!", she exclaimed. "Let me give you both a hug, I'm so happy for you two."

Padmé stood up and her friend gave her a crushing hug which made Padmé giggle. Then it was Vader's turn and he accepted the hug gracefully. The trio sat down and stretched. They all were tired from their journeys.

"So, how was the honeymoon?", Dormé asked.

"It was splendid, we couldn't have chosen a better place to go", Padmé said warmly. "We didn't get a whole lot of rest though." She winked and her friend giggled. It was so good to see her, she truly was able to talk to her about anything and everything.

"I suppose we didn't", Vader said with a rare yawn. Damn he really must be exhausted.

"Well, what's next for the two of you", Dormé asked.

"A lot of work", Vader grumbled.

It was true, there would have to be a tremendous number of tasks that would need to be completed and Padmé had mixed feelings about them. It would be dreadfully exhausting.

"Ani's, right", Padmé said. "Well, have to establish exactly what my role will be and if I'll be able to retain my title as Senator. You of course will still be my handmaiden; I need your help."

"I would love to help", Dormé said with a smile. "That's what I'm here for."

"Good", Padmé stretched as she put her feet up on the caff table, wanting to get a little rest. In fact, the entre group got quiet, each zoned out after their long trips home. This was their home, dammit. Nothing could change that now.

Padamé's thoughts wondered to the future and what it would bring. Her mind suddenly went to Obi-Wan Kenobi. He had been so aggressive with her on Dantooine that she thought he would completely break her mind, but thank the Force, he didn't. But Vader had that dream or vision that Kenobi was standing in the estate as he walked in. That was still disturbing. What if he came when she was alone? She wouldn't be ablet to defend herself against a Jedi knight, even if he was partially crippled.

"Ani", she began. "Are you going to request some Stormtroopers to stand guard outside for the time being? That dream of Obi-Wan still has me somewhat unnerved. Especially for times when you're off and I'm by myself."

Vader looked at her. "Of course, that was on my list of things to do when we came home. I'll put in the request today, so they can be here tomorrow. I'm still worried about the dream as well, it felt too damned real."

"Wait, what dream? What are we talking about?", Dormé asked with concern.

Vader sighed. "I had a dream or a vision that when I came home, I saw Obi-Wan standing in front of the door, waiting for me. It felt real, that's why I want some Stormtroopers posted here. There shouldn't be a chance in hell that we're going to be attacked by that fool", he replied.

"I would hope not", Dormé muttered.

Padamé had to diffuse the situation. "It'll be alright, Dormé", Padmé said. "We'll be safe, I promise you." At least she hoped that they would be safe. There was no telling what would happen if Kenobi did show up. Would he kill her? Certainly, he would use the Force against her, that was what he did on Dantooine. She shuddered at the memory again. He nearly took her memories of Vader from her and that had been so damned terrifying.

Could he actually pull it off? Padmé didn't know. All she knew was that something had to be done about security to keep them safe.

The group became somber with each person likely thinking about the same thing. Damn Kenobi, this should be a joyous occasion, not one filled with doom and gloom about what could happen.

Vader stood up. "If the two of you would please excuse me, there are likely a lot of messages that I'll need to sift through, and there's no time like the present", he said.

"Certainly, Ani", Padmé said as she rose to give him a peck on the lips.

Once he left, she sat down with Dormé and looked at her carefully, wondering if she should disclose something to her.

Dormé must've picked up on her stare and looked at her with her head cocked. "What's on your mind, Padmé?", she asked. There was a bit of nervousness in her voice, damn she must be picking up on her nerves as well.

"I have something to tell you, but you must keep it a secret, not even Ani can know just yet, but I have to tell someone", Padmé said in a hushed tone. It was now or never.

"What is it Padmé?", Dormé asked, suddenly very interested in what her best friend had to say.

Padmé visibly braced herself. There would only be one way to say this, and she was nervous about telling anyone at this point. "You can't tell anyone, but I'm late. Very late", she whispered.

It took a moment for Dormé to register what Padmé said, but when it hit her, a smile spread across her features. "Oh, Padmé, that's wonderful", she whispered as her eyes watered. "If it's true, I'm so excited for you. When are you going to go get tested?"

"This afternoon", Padmé said with a smile. "I want to be certain before I tell Ani, his heart was so broken after he lost his son, I don't want to get his hopes up if it turns out to be false, but the signs are there. I'm starting to feel ill throughout the day and I'm fatigued beyond all belief, and that's not just because of the excessive sex Ani and I have been having."

Damn this made her nervous, so damned nervous.

"I'm going to lose it if you are", Dormé whispered. "I'll have to go to a separate room and scream with joy!"

That caused Padmé to chuckle. "I'm sure I'll have to do the same, my friend. It will be so wonderful to start our marriage off like this. I can't wait."

"Well, you give me the news and I'll help you plan something special for when you tell Ani", Dormé said.

Padmé rose and hugged her friend. "Thank you, Dormé. You're the best friend that I could ever have been blessed with", she said.

…

Padmé nervously waited at the Senate's infirmary. She had told Vader that she needed to go to the office to check on something, which wasn't a lie, she needed to see if she was fucking pregnant. She had a doctor at the Senate infirmary that had treated her for several ailments, none of them were her mental ailments that Vader had cured, but minor things. She knew her file would be kept strictly confidential, so she was comfortable with this.

They had done a blood draw and were analyzing the results as she waited nervously. What if she wasn't pregnant? It would certainly be heartbreaking, but it would just mean that she would try again. They had a lot of time to get pregnant and it would be fine.

But if she was, oh how joyful that would be. She wanted nothing more than to bear Vader's children. He would be a good father, he might still be rough around the edges, but she knew that he had a soft heart, and if he loved her, he would certainly love his offspring. Of that she was certain. The Emperor was certainly a concern, but Vader had eluded several times that he was pondering on how to take care of that particular issue. She prayed that she would, her babies wouldn't grow up to be Sith. Maybe not Jedi either, but maybe Force users that didn't belong to either cult. She just didn't know.

After another hour of waiting, she was starting to lose her mind. Surely a simple blood test shouldn't take that long, maybe a few minutes, not two damned hours. Her nerves were beginning to become frazzled, and she didn't know how much more of the waiting she could take. It was starting to kill her.

Finally, Doctor Hoes came in, she was a friendly woman and Padmé sat up straight, completely on edge.

"Well?", she asked meekly.

Doctor Hoes looked at her with a grin. "Congratulations are in order, Lady Vader. You're definitely pregnant."

Padmé leapt up and hugged the doctor laughing. "I'm so excited!", she exclaimed. "How far along am I?"

"Well, from your symptoms and the amount of DNA in your blood, I would say about three weeks. You timed your wedding perfectly, it should be just right for people to think that you conceived on your honeymoon", the doctor said.

"Oh, I don't care about that very much, I'm just so excited", Padmé said as she wiped her eyes. This was truly wonderful; she could wait to tell Vader that he was to be a father. This was so exciting.

"We'll have to monitor you carefully over the next several months just to make sure things are progressing smoothly, but I don't see any issues. You're still young and healthy, so it should be a perfectly normal pregnancy. We'll do imaging in about a week just to check on how things are developing, so that should be exciting. I don't mean to pry Lady Vader, but will you tell Lord Vader immediately?", Doctor Hoes asked.

"Yes! I just need to find a way to make it special", Padmé said. "How do women usually tell their husbands?"

Doctor Hoes laughed. "Usually, they just come out and say it, or show a lab report and wait for the grand reaction."

Damn, that was a good idea. Vader was an astute reader, but even he would have to do a double take of the information before he realized what was going on.

"Well, I'll take a pad of the information if you don't mind. I thank you so much for this. But I'm wondering how confidential this will be?", she asked.

Doctor Hoes smiled. "As confidential as it can be. No information will be disclosed to anyone. In fact, the records are automatically sealed. That's why it took so long, I didn't give the blood test to a tech, I ran it myself between patients. Your secret is same with me."

That was good fucking news, Padmé thought. This needed to be handled delicately.

"Well, I thank you again, Doctor Hoes", Padmé said as she hugged the woman one more time.

Gods dammit, she was so excited!

…

When Padmé got home, she slipped the pad under several others in the living area. She wanted to tell Vader today that he was going to be a father, she couldn't wait for anything else. Then an idea popped into her head, what if she told him while they were watching the sunset? It was only a few hours away, and they did so many things under a sunset. They first met under one, consummated their relationship under one, he proposed under one, and they got married under one. That would be the perfect setting.

Dormé walked into the room with a nervous expression on her face. "Well?", she asked.

Padmé beamed a smile at her. "I'm pregnant", she whispered.

Dormé ran to her friend and embraced her tightly. "I'm so happy for you", she whispered. "How are you going to tell Ani?"

"Well, I figure we'll go to the rooftop at sunset, and I'll give him the pad to read. He's going to be so excited, I just know it", Padmé said. "It'll be a beautiful way to tell him."

"Well, I'm sure that he'll enjoy it very much", Dormé said. "When do you go for your first scan?"

"In about a week", Padmé said. "I'll want Ani there of course; he needs to be involved in every step of the way."

"Of course", Dormé said. "Well, I'll leave you to it, but congratulations again."

…

An hour later, everyone sat down for dinner. They were having shaak steaks, which were a favorite of Padmé's given that they were from Naboo. When Threepio went to pour her a glass of wine, she declined. "I'll just have water tonight, Threepio, but thank you", she said.

"You're not drinking wine? That's unusual", Vader commented in surprise.

Damn, he was too observant. She did enjoy wine and other spirits a lot, so the next nine months would be difficult. A glass of wine with dinner and a glass of bourbon to calm down in the evening was her favorite, so there wasn't much that she could do about that. It would be worth the sacrifice at the end of the day.

"I'm just not in the mood", she said casually, before she began carving into her steak. She had read that she needed to consume a lot of protein for it to be a healthy pregnancy and there wasn't anything better than a shaak steak.

Vader looked at her for a moment and then grunted before resuming his meal. Did he suspect something? What if he did? Damn, that would ruin the surprise. Maybe he didn't, just play it casually.

Dormé gave her a side glance while she sipped her own wine, obviously nervous as well. She probably thought that Vader suspected something as well.

Then Padmé swore mentally. Their bond, he must be sensing her nervousness and excitement through their bond. Gods dammit, it was a good thing to be bonded to him, but shit it prevented surprises every now and then. She focused her mind to be calm, so maybe he would be put at ease.

"So, did you clean up your messages, Ani?", she asked.

Vader swallowed a bit of his meal and washed it down with some wine. "Mostly. There are some matters that I'll need to see to personally tomorrow and the next day, so it'll be busy. No travel, thankfully, but if I do happen to travel, the two of you will come with me as usual. I dislike traveling by myself now, which is the complete opposite of what I normally thought. It's much better to have some company on that damned destroyer", he said. "What about you, Padmé? Did you take care of what you needed to do at the Senate?"

There was the damned question. Be as casual as possible, dammit.

"I did", she replied. "It wasn't much of a bother, but I'll be busy for a while catching up too. There're details of course that we need to iron out, like if I'll stay a senator or not. I haven't heard anything from the Queen on the matter, but we'll see." The Queen would have the final say, she appointed candidates to run or stay in the elected position. Padmé was obviously still tremendously popular with the people of Naboo, so it would be a shame if she had to leave the position, but she would always have them in her heart and visit the world as frequently as possible.

"I've been thinking about that as well", Vader said. "It might present a conflict if you did remain as a senator, but I have to speak to one of my advisors. The plan is for you to take a more diplomatic approach galaxy wide to spread the Empire's agenda. You'll be given a certain latitude, but everything must be approved by the Emperor of course." There was a sour note in his voice when he mentioned the Emperor, but that was to be expected. No one at the table had any love or reverence for the man, he was an evil man who tortured Anakin as a damned boy so he would be bent to his will. Thank gods he found his mother.

"I'm sure that'll be exciting", Dormé said. "You'll be Ani's political arm, so to speak. Not that Ani has ever been a politician himself. No offense, Ani."

Vader chuckled. "No offense taken. The both of you know how much I despise politics, so if I don't have to get involved, then that's perfectly fine with me. I'll run my military and Padmé can deliver the messages as needed."

It really was his damned military, Padmé thought. He was the revered commander, not Palpatine. Palpatine was just a damned fool who sat on the throne concocting evil ways to bend the people to his will. Of course, Ani had invaded many systems over the last few years, but the Empire had to expand. It was more efficient than the Republic, but Padmé just wished that he would be able to be a little lighter handed in his approach. Except for the damned Jedi, he could be as aggressive with them as he wanted.

"Well, after the wedding, I'm sure the military will be even more enamored with you", Padmé remarked. "The officers in attendance looked so damned proud to be there and I've never seen Stormtroopers standing so tall. It really was a good ceremony for them to attend. Not to mention that Admiral Piett was your best man. That really threw me for a loop."

Vader nodded. "He's a good man, and I trust him. I was glad to give him the honor", he replied simply. "I'm not really supposed to talk about this, but we've almost finished the construction of a super class dreadnaught. It'll have the same outline as a Star Destroyer, but it'll be fifteen times the length. He'll get the honor of commanding it and the fleet that will support it."

"That's surprising. How long has it been in production?", Padmé asked.

"For several years now. It's being built at Kuat, but they've constructed a massive hanger around it so no one can really tell what's inside of it, but I'm still surprised that it hasn't been leaked yet", Vader said. "It'll be a good ship. One that'll be able to bring some stability to the galaxy, but I'm not hellbent on making it into a death machine. It'll merely be just another part of the navy."

That was good to hear. The damned Empire had such a large fleet that she wondered why it would need such a battleship, but the military had been expanding for quite some time. She remembered Rush being on the funds appropriation committee. Oh, how she dodged a blaster bolt by not continuing a relationship with that man, may he burn in all the hells. No, she shouldn't think about him, this was going to be a joyful evening.

The trio continued their meal with light conversation, just enjoying being back at home.

…

Obi-Wan nervously approached the secondary hanger with his gear bag. He was clocking his presence as much as he could with the Force and his security detail hadn't been bothering him throughout the day. This would be difficult. Would they send fighters after him? If so, how would he evade them? Would they shoot to destroy or disable? He was going to make several jumps to different systems before he jumped to Coruscant so he could possibly lose them, but that would take time. He had to be patient.

He kept his head down as he quietly stalked through the corridors of the ship. There weren't too many crewmen in the area, given that the secondary hanger bay was sparsely used, but that didn't mean he wouldn't run into anyone. He had sliced the codes for the force field that protected the hanger, so he shouldn't have a problem in escaping the ship. He had a data disk with a hyperspace coordinates precalculated, so he would just need to quickly load it into the navicomputer to be able to jump quickly before the fleet had the chance to scramble the fighters.

The only obstacle was Qui-Gon. He didn't know if Qui-Gon had sensed his plans as he tried to carefully guard his thoughts as much as he could with the Force, but he knew that he was off lately in that regard. It was entirely possible that the Jedi Master was waiting for him in the docking bay, which would mean there would be a conflict. Obi-Wan didn't want to kill his master by any means, but he did want to escape this ship, so if he had to come to blows and injure his master temporarily, he would. It would just be difficult.

Rounding the final corridor, he keyed in the access code to the hatch to the hanger and it sprung open. Obi-Wan slipped inside and saw the freighter and carefully made his way to it, looking for threats.

"I told you what would happen if you carried out your plan, Obi-Wan", Qui-Gon said.

Obi-Wan tossed his gear back towards the freighter and turned to his left where his master was standing.

"You have no right to prevent me from doing this, master. This is justice, nothing more", Obi-Wan said. "The galaxy would be a far better place without Vader, and you can't convince me otherwise."

"And his wife?", Qui-Gon asked. "Would the galaxy be a better place without her as well?"

"Yes", Obi-Wan replied. "She has chosen to conspire with the Empire. She was the reason why Mon Mothma was killed. We needed her leadership, but Padmé stole that from us. She's a traitor and deserves the same fate as Vader."

Why couldn't the blasted man not see that? It was an evil thing that Padmé did. She was evil, just as dead on the inside as Vader. It wasn't like she was some saint on a crusade for justice like she had been for years. Vader had poisoned her mind and she had been unwilling to be freed from it, so she was a risk.

"That's not as black and white as it may seem. Mothma was an enemy to the Empire, so she acted the way she thought she should. We kill Imperials, does that mean we should be slaughtered in our homes like you're planning to do to her?"

"Yes", Obi-Wan said. "It certainly does. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a mission to complete."

Qui-Gon drew his lightsaber and ignited it, adopting a combat stance "I told you what would happen if you tried this Obi-Wan."

Damn. Obi-Wan drew his own lightsaber. It was time to see if his training had paid off.

The two began circling each other, waiting for the first one to strike. Obi-Wan held his lightsaber in his off hand, ready to swing to defend and then attack.

Qui-Gon broke the circle and lunged at Obi-Wan, delivering several slashes that the younger Jedi was barely able to block in time. Maybe this wouldn't go as expected. Obi-Wan delivered an upward slash, that caused Qui-Gon to jump back to avoid being cut in two. Good, he needed to understand the seriousness of the matter and the lengths that he was willing to go to be able to escape.

"You're making a mistake, my apprentice. A very large mistake", Qui-Gon warned.

"The only mistake is letting Vader live", Obi-Wan replied. He leapt forward and thrusted with his lightsaber, but instead of being tripped this time, he was quick enough that Qui-Gon had to jump away to avoid the thrust. "I don't want to hurt you, master. But I will if you don't let me go."

"This is a shame, Obi-Wan. I always expected better from you. You used to be a Jedi full of the light, full of peace and serenity. Your obsession with Vader has cost you your entire existence", Qui-Gon countered.

Obi-Wan made several upward slashes, holding the lightsaber with both hands. He was more used to his mechanical arm now and felt comfortable using it in combination with his left hand. Qui-Gon again had to go on the defensive, moving quickly to avoid getting slashed.

"This doesn't have to end poorly master, just let me go and I promise, the Empire will not track me back to the fleet. I won't even return to the fleet, I'll do what I need to do and then I'll move on", Obi-Wan said. "Please, for the sake of all we've been through, listen to reason."

"The only one that needs to listen to reason is you", Qui-Gon said. His voice wasn't heated, it was neutral. Calm even. He had always been able to maintain his cool under pressure, which irked Obi-Wan.

Qui-Gon went on the attack, twirling and slashing against Obi-Wan who had to male several steps back to perry the slashes and thrusts. This was going to be more difficult than he thought. Qui-Gon kept slashing and Obi-Wan realized he was being backed into a corner, which wouldn't do. Without warning, he reached out with the Force and shoved Qui-Gon back at least ten meters. He then picked up a large crate with the Force and hurled it at his master, who was barely able to block it in time.

"So, this is how you choose to fight now?", Qui-Gon asked. "This brings shame to you, Obi-Wan. Pure shame."

"The only shame is that the Rebellion won't let me do something that will help it, not hinder it", Obi-Wan countered. He saw scaffolding above them and tugged it down with the Force, causing Qui-Gon to role back out of the way before he was hit. This was getting out of hand very quickly.

Thinking on his feet, Obi-Wan used the Force to shove Qui-Gon back against the wall of the hanger and threw another crate at him. This time it struck the aging Jedi Master, and he fell. Obi-Wan wasted no time. He sprinted to the freighter and picked up his gear back. Once inside, he sealed the hatch, and made his way to the cockpit. Qui-Gon was on his feet and standing in front of the cockpit, obviously thinking of how to stop Obi-Wan. Quickly powering up the ship, Obi-Wan backed it away from the Jedi Master and entered in the codes to be able to exit the force field.

He was out of the ship. He had defeated his master, but just barely, using tactics with the Force that the Council wouldn't approve. It wouldn't matter if he killed Vader, he would certainly be expelled from the Order. No matter, he would find a way to live with it. He would find his peace after he killed Vader and his wife and live a new life of solitude. Let the galaxy figure out how to defeat the Empire without its greatest enforcer.

Obi-Wan slipped the disk into the navicomputer and it loaded slowly. Several fighters left the capital ship in pursuit of him making Obi-Wan swear. There would be no time to waste. Suddenly, the navicomputer began beeping and Obi-Wan shot the ship into hyperspace, fleeing the Rebellion for quite possibly the last time of his life.

Revenge was close, so close.

…

After dinner, Dormé had excused herself to her room, giving Padmé a chance to speak with Vader. She casually sat next to him and leaned her head on his shoulder.

"Do you know what a good idea would be?", she asked.

"What's that?", Vader asked.

"Since this is our first night home, why don't we go to the rooftop before we go to bed. I miss seeing the sunset on Coruscant. It's always so beautiful, and we've never watched it from your rooftop", she said.

Vader yawned. "I suppose that would be alright. It might be peaceful enough to get me ready for sleep. Before you say it woman, we're going to sleep tonight", he warned.

Padmé would've normally pouted, but she was too excited to reveal the big surprise to Vader. This was going to be so exciting; she had a hard time maintaining a passive aura so he wouldn't suspect anything.

"I suppose I can live with that", Padmé said with a smile. "Why don't you go up to the rooftop and pick us a good spot. I'll be up in just a few minutes."

"Alright", Vader said as he planted a kiss on her head before he rose. "I'll see you in a few minutes, Angel."

"Sounds good, Ani", Padmé replied in a soft tone. This was it, the moment she had been waiting for ever since she found out the results of the blood test. After she was certain that Vader was walking up the stairs, she quickly snatched the pad from underneath the stack that she placed it. Her hands were trembling, she was so nervous. Dammit, Vader was certain to pick up on it. She hoped it wouldn't place him on edge, she wanted him relaxed when she told him.

After taking a deep and calming breath, her hands stopped shaking and she was able to have a clear mind. She slowly started to ascend the stairs, ensuring that Vader would be up at the roof top before she made it up there. She couldn't help but smile. He had surprised her with an engagement ring during a sunset and now she had her own surprise for him. This would be a very special moment between he couple that they would never forget.

Once she reached the door to the rooftop, she gently pushed it open and saw Vader lounging on one of the chairs. Keeping the pad tucked behind her with her left hand, she walked towards him casually and sat down on a chair to his left.

"This was a good idea, the sunset is going to be beautiful tonight", Vader mumbled. She could pick up on his nervousness. Damn, he suspected something.

"It certainly will be", Padmé replied. She held his hand reassuringly and felt his nerves calm down a bit.

"Are you nervous about stepping into your new role?", Vader asked.

Padmé thought for a moment. Maybe she was a little nervous, but she would be with her man, so that would help a lot. "Maybe a little bit, but I have you, so it won't be that bad", she said.

"Well, I'll be there for you every step of the way", he said as he leaned over to kiss her cheek. He certainly was being sweet to her tonight.

"I think that there will be other challenges in our life at the same time", Padmé said. "Good challenges, but challenges nonetheless."

"What do you mean by that?", Vader asked as he shifted in his chair towards her.

"I just mean that we're a family now, and when it comes to being a family, there will always be things that we'll have to deal with. But good things", she said.

Vader chuckled. "You're telling me something without telling me something, Angel", he said.

Well, she couldn't help it. She had never done something like this before. Months ago, she never thought she would ever get to do something like this. She figured that she would always be alone. No husband, no children, just her. It was a sad existence that she had led, always depressed and forced to take pills just to function, until the man of her dreams saved her from that life of misery.

"Well, Ani", she began, "I was just thinking about children. We'd discussed it on our honeymoon and that's something that I would like very much to happen. Don't you agree?"

She noticed that Vader tensed up slightly. "Of course, you know my thoughts on the matter. It's something that would be a joy to share with you."

Padmé smiled. "Well, on that note, I have something for you to read", she said as she produced the pad.

Vader groaned. "Padmé, I've read enough reports for one day", he complained.

"Just read it, Ani", Padmé whispered.

He sighed as he keyed it on and began scanning through it. "This is a medical report, Padmé. Are you alright?", he asked with a panicked tone.

"Just read it", she repeated.

Vader looked at her for a moment with a worried expression on his face before he turned his attention back to the pad and kept scrolling. Once he reached the part that discussed the lab result tests, he froze. Padmé could feel his emotions. Wonder, excitement, nervousness, fear, delight, a complete turmoil of emotions that she rarely ever felt from him.

"Padmé", he whispered. "Does this mean…" He looked up at her, his face in complete shock.

Padmé felt tears rushing to her eyes. "Yes, Ani", she said. "It most certainly does."

They stared at one another for a moment and Vader let out a cry of joy and stood, pulling her up to him. He kissed her gently and then with his hand on the back of her head, pushed her face into his chest.

"I love you, Angel", he said, barely able to control the tone in his voice.

"I love you too, Ani. You're going to be such a great father", Padmé said with a sob. She couldn't control her emotions any longer. They began pouring out of her. Elation, fear, content, all at once. It was powerful and Vader must have sensed it as he pulled her closer.

"You're going to be a great mother, Padmé. I just know it", he whispered. "Aside from our marriage, this is the happiest day of my life. I've had so few happy days, but this one is extra special."

Padmé sobbed again into his chest. They were going to be parents. After so much work on their relationship, they were going to have a family, and it was wonderful. Nothing would be able to stop them from being a joyful family. Anyone who dared to stand in their way would be crushed, as they were strongest together.

They continued to stand, holding one another and whispering sweet nothings in each other's ears. This was a pure blessing that they would cherish for the rest of their lives.

They just didn't know what obstacles were to come.

A/N: I truly hope you enjoyed the chapter. Sometimes it's difficult for me to write emotional scenes like this. I have a family of my own, so I try and project some of the emotions I felt when I found out I was to be a father. Anyway, if you liked the chapter, please consider dropping a review and following!