Eyes wide, they lay quietly in the semi-darkened room, watching her closely, listening intently.
It was always like this. Every night. And, it both amused and exasperated her to no end.
"...and they lived happily ever after." Padme finished the book Leia had picked out (a fairytale, to Luke's great annoyance) and closed it, setting it down on the nightstand before smiling at her children. They stared back at her from their beds, Leia smiling dreamily, while Luke's face was still pinched into a disappointed scowl. "Alright. Time to close your eyes and go to sleep, my darlings." She knew even as she said it that it wouldn't be as easy as that.
It never was with her twins.
Sure enough, Luke sat right back up, instantly reaching to his own nightstand for the book he'd voted for earlier. A book about a daring smuggler getting into all sorts of wild amazing adventures. "My tuwn!" He insisted, picking it up and holding it out to her.
Padme sighed, already shaking her head. "No, Luke. You promised, remember?"
Luke made a show of thinking back, and shook his blonde head. "No wembew." He held out the book again.
"I don' like that book." Leia whined, her face scrunching up in a scowl, and suddenly, she too was sitting up, reaching for another one of her own books. "Read, Mama!"
Padme sighed and opened her mouth to respond, but a shadow suddenly fell across the semi-darkened room, blocking out part of the light filtering in from the lit hallway. Padme turned to find Obi-Wan leaning against the doorway, arms crossed, watching the twins with an amused smile. Padme frowned, concern evident in her eyes, and seeing that, Obi-Wan shook his head slightly, indicating that he wasn't there due to any emergency. Padme relaxed a little-Obi-Wan rarely interrupted their nighttime routines. He only did so if the twins were using their Force abilities as an excuse to stay awake, like levitating (more like throwing) toys around the room. Padme didn't need for the twins to have any other distractions to use as an excuse not to go to sleep, and sure enough, the moment the twins noticed him, they both squealed with delight "Uncle Ben!" they cried, climbing out from beneath the covers, faces alight with excitement.
Padme's brow lowered and she shot Obi-Wan a glare, but he was already moving into the room, hands out in a calming gesture, pausing the twins before they could jump out of bed completely. "Yes, hello, Luke, Leia." Obi-Wan smiled warmly, stopping next to Padme's plush chair situated between the two beds. "It's time to go to sleep, young ones." This was clearly not what they wanted to hear. They both began to complain, but Obi-Wan again held up a hand, hushing them. It was obvious he was sending soothing, calming waves through the Force toward the twins. Padme tried not to bristle with jealousy. She was, of course, close to her children-she was their mother, and their only parent, after all. That kind of bond was special, and hard earned.
But, she was not Force sensitive like they were. Like their father was. There was something in them, something they instinctually craved and needed, that she could never provide for them. Something Anakin should have provided, had he been there, and now only Obi-Wan and Yoda could do. Not as father figures,no, but as people like them. She was certain her children didn't fully understand why it was that they instinctively listened to their Uncle Ben and Master Yoda in ways they didn't to her, or their grandmother. Not yet. But, if she was truly honest with herself, she was...jealous of that connection. And, sad that they wouldn't be able to develop that bond deeper with either Obi-Wan or Yoda. Not like they would have if Anakin were still there.
She shook herself from that thought, only to find both of them reluctantly climbing back under the covers. She took that as good a time as any to get up and leave. She was sure that the moment they left, the twins would play and giggle until they tired themselves out. Frankly, as long as they stayed in their room, she would accept that tonight. "Good night, my darlings." She said, standing and moving to each bed to give them a gentle kiss on their foreheads. "Sweet dreams, my little padawans." She called them that name sometimes, not because she wanted them to be taken from her to train as Jedi, but because she knew that one day, fate would call upon them to take their place in rebuilding the Jedi Order….hopefully with her still nearby, watching proudly.
They were Skywalkers after all. It was undoubtedly their destiny.
But, for now, the twins just thought it was a silly name she made up for them, and they smiled. "Night night, Mama," Leia yawned.
"Nigh nigh." Luke agreed, and slowly, Padme and Obi-Wan tiptoed out of the room, closing the door softly behind them.
Padme breathed a sigh of relief before turning to her friend. "Is there anything wrong?" She asked, getting straight to the point. She herself was exhausted-being home all day with the twins, even with her mother's and the Jedi's help, was more than a handful. And, I'm not getting any younger, she thought ruefully.
But, Obi-Wan didn't look concerned at all. "No, nothing is wrong." He assured her, smiling softly. She noticed the dark circles under his eyes, tell-tale signs of exhaustion on his part as well. "I just came by to let you know that Master Yoda wishes to train with me alone for a few days."
"Oh." Padme frowned. "Well, I'll be sure to keep the twins out of your way."
Obi-Wan shook his head. "Thanks for the sentiment, but it's not needed. Yoda insists that we need to go to the other side of the planet for this."
Padme arched her eyebrows and blinked in surprise. "Did he say why?" She asked.
"No. Just that it was necessary." He placed his hand on her shoulder, giving it a comforting squeeze. "We should be back in two days' time. We aren't going far enough away that Yoda can't protect the twin's presence, so you should be safe. Needless to say, we won't be far if there's a problem."
She shuddered at the possibility. The likelihood of there being an issue was slim, true. They'd been so careful to hide their tracks, and she was sure that Vader hadn't picked up enough of her trail to lead him back here. Yet. She still had a week and a half to decide if she would 100% keep it that way by staying out of the Rebellion. "Alright." She yawned. "I guess I'll see you then. Have fun."
"Fun is not the word for it." Obi-Wan smiled wryly, but Padme had a feeling that he was going to enjoy spending time doing Jedi-things with Master Yoda. He so rarely got to do that anymore as it was. "Get some rest, Padme. I'll see you and the twins in a few days."
"Sure, Obi-Wan. May the Force be with you."
He paced the width of the bridge, hands clasped behind his back.
The moment was now upon him, and yet, he couldn't believe what he felt rising in his gut.
But, he couldn't deny it either.
Darth Vader was fearless. He had faced legions of enemies and had single-handedly cut them all down with very little effort on his part. He had destroyed the Jedi Order. He had flown with precision and confidence through even the most impossible of parts of uncharted space. He was a Sith Lord, and Sith did not feel fear. But, as his super Star Destroyer jumped out of hyperspace in the late hours of the night cycle, the planet of Gandle Ott filling the view port of the bridge, he very distinctly felt it.
Fear.
Fear that he'd discover that they'd found his droid and had fled before he could land. Fear that they were still there and had somehow died in the last five minutes since he'd last checked on the droid's cameras. Those were irrational fears. He knew they were there, and he knew they hadn't randomly died. But, it was disconcerting to be standing above their planet, to be reaching through the Force, and not being able to sense anyone he knew down there. He knew it was likely a trick on either Yoda's or Obi-Wan's part, but it was concerning all the same.
But, there were more rational fears he needed to consider. What if they managed to escape again? What if he captured them, and they got hurt in the process? He'd explicitly ordered his personal troops of the 501st legion not to harm them, but he doubted Padme would let them be captured without one hell of a fight. He grimaced under his mask. There was too many variables, too many ways that either she or their children could be hurt. And, even when they were captured, he knew it would take everything he had (and then some) to convince Padme to see his side of things, to bring her round to his point of view. Her reaction to him in their previous two encounters had made that abundantly clear.
And his children...Force, he didn't know anything about children. He didn't know how to talk to them, let alone convince them to love him as their father. Behind his mask, he frowned, took a deep breath, and turned, heading for the blast doors to the bridge. "Piett." His voice boomed through the mask, and he winced. Children would probably be terrified of a voice like that...but he couldn't take off the mask in front of his troops. And, unfortunately, he couldn't not bring his troops either. Padme had proved too elusive - and too lethal - to risk it.
His most trusted commander fell into step beside him. "Yes, Lord Vader."
"Have you prepared living quarters as I asked?" He realized that Piett was practically running to keep up with his long strides, but he didn't slow down. He couldn't slow down.
"Yes, My Lord…" Piett hesitated.
"And, you child-proofed it?" He demanded, knowing that this particular order was the source of Piett's hesitation. He had not yet told Piett why he'd asked such a strange demand of him and his crew. He had no need to explain himself to anyone except the Emperor, and even with the Emperor, he had no intention of telling him anything about his family. No. The Emperor must never know Padme survived Mustafar...or had given birth to their twins. Entering the turbolift, the two men quickly rode down to the hangar bay level.
"To the best of our ability, milord." Piett said slowly, obviously fearing his reaction to that. "As long as they stay in that room, there shouldn't be an issue." Vader didn't have to ask to know what he was talking about. A Star Destroyer was meant to destroy-a super Star Destroyer even more so. It was not designed to have toddlers running around on it. And yet…
"Start making sure that entire deck is child proofed." Vader ordered as they entered the hangar, where his chosen troopers were waiting with rigid attention at the foot of the ramp to his personal shuttle. "I don't expect them to leave those quarters at this time, but eventually, they will need to have more room. Make the necessary renovations on that entire deck level, Piett. Make it as...comfortable and child friendly and inviting as possible. Spare no expense."
Piett was silent for a long moment, and Vader didn't need the Force to know that the other man was trying to fathom how to even begin following through on his new orders. Other officers might have questioned him, or insisted that it couldn't be done. But, Piett was a smart man, and he merely replied, if a little sheepishly, "It will be done, My Lord."
"Good." Vader stopped, turning to him. "I expect a receiving party ready to transport them to their quarters when I return."
Piett gave a curt nod. "Of course, Sir." He hesitated for a moment, his eyes wary. "Good luck, Lord Vader," he said quietly, slowly, as if worried they were the wrong words. Vader might have scoffed at him before but….with what he was about to do, he would need all the luck he could get. But, he didn't say that, of course. He simply turned on his heel, and stormed up the ramp into his ship, his troopers following on his heels.
It took an hour for him to fly the shuttle to a clearing about two kilometers away from the signal the droid was giving off. He didn't want to risk landing too closely and have the noise from the ship cause his wife to flee with the children before he could have his men surround the house. He didn't want to risk giving Obi-Wan and Yoda a chance to get into a defensive position before he'd even lowered the shuttle ramp. He'd gone through this with his men, and as he lowered the shuttle ramp, they moved as silently as their armor would allow them to into the dark forest beyond. He glanced at the chrono on the ship's board, pleased to see that it was now two in the morning.
Hopefully, the house and its guardians would be asleep.
He followed his men, his armor quieter, save for the breathing unit that echoed his breaths. He wished to turn it off, but that would also turn off the central air temperature system. The planet wasn't a desert planet like Tatooine, but it was warm enough to make the suit unbearably hot. Oh, how he wished he hadn't had to wear it. He shook the thought from his mind as they neared the clearing that he knew held the small house with his family inside of it. His stormtroopers were already fanning out, moving to surround the house, their weapons drawn, set to stun.
As he entered the clearing, he made sure to cloak his presence within the Force, trying to keep the two Jedi masters from sensing him. It turned out to be unnecessary-the moment he stepped into the clearing and saw the main house and the smaller house behind it that he knew the Jedi were living in, the Force whispered that they weren't there, or anywhere nearby, for that matter. He frowned, troubled by that. Surely, even Yoda would have sensed his presence. He may have been able to hide himself from the likes of Obi-Wan, at least temporarily, but Yoda...Yoda was the only other Force sensitive, other than the Emperor, who rivaled his own ability in the Force. Yoda would not be fooled.
And yet...he wasn't there.
No matter. He'd come back and deal with them both later. His first priority was taking his family back aboard the Executor. If the Jedi weren't there, it would only make his job easier. Well. Marginally. He was sure that given the chance, Padme would fight tooth and nail to keep from being captured. And, he didn't want to have to have his children see their parents fighting. They probably wouldn't understand...and if he lost his temper…
No. He wouldn't lose his temper. He'd done that once on Mustafar...and he'd almost lost them. Forever. He refused to do that again. Never again, he vowed silently, as he silently stalked around the side of the house, the Force thrumming with anticipation around him as he reached the door where four of his best stormtroopers waited for his command. Normally, he'd order them to break the door down. To hell with pleasantries. But again, he didn't want to alert his wife-turned-assassin if she was still unaware of their presence, and breaking the door down would be one sure-fired guaranteed way to alert her.
So instead, he reached out with the Force, feeling for the lock, praying that it would be a relatively simple one...and it was. Smirking, he used the Force to slide the lock out of alignment, and quietly turn the knob. The door clicked open almost silently, and his troopers jolted a bit in surprise, but they were too well trained to let it throw them off completely. They switched on the night vision lights attached to their blasters and pushed the door all the way open into the darkened, quiet house.
Vader itched to lead, to be the one to tear the house apart looking for its occupants. But, he also had no desire to be caught in any traps Padme might have left for unsuspecting intruders, for he assumed she would have them. It would have been the smart thing to do, after all...but as his troopers entered the home and he followed suit, his black cape swishing behind him across the tiled floor, he found to his surprise (and dismay) that there weren't any. How foolish could she be?!, he thought furiously. What if he had come to legitimately hurt her and their children?! There would be no warning to stop him.
Then again, a reasonable voice said in his head, with two Jedi Masters living right behind their house - and as deadly and formidable assassin as his wife was - who needed an alarm system? But, the Jedi weren't there, and here he was, the second in command to the Empire, the Sith Lord who was supposed to kill the assassin known as Night Blade, his wife, standing in her own living room. A living room that, seen clearly through his mask despite the fact that there were no lights on, seemed...too small for his presence. He frowned. He'd seen holofootage of the place before he'd arrived above planet.
It was quaint, certainly nothing like the grandeur of their apartment at 500 Republica back on Coruscant, but yet, clearly much safer for children than that apartment was (seriously, he remembered well the landing for his ship jutting out without any walls or rails about it hundreds of floors above the city...a toddler wouldn't have lasted long in that apartment). Still, it hadn't seemed like...Padme. And, it was certainly not what he wanted for his children, for his family. His wife and children deserved the best. His family deserved to be raised on an estate large enough for them to roam carefree. And yet, his wife had done what she could with the place-even if the ceiling was so close to the top of his head he could have easily reached up and touched it with his hand. If his children had inherited his height, they would soon outgrow this house.
All the more reason to get them quickly and bring them back aboard the Executor.
His stormtroopers began to move silently towards the hallway past the living room, again ahead of him as per protocol. But, he stopped them before they could. "After me." He ordered, just barely managing to speak quietly through the mask. They paused obediently until he'd passed them, before following after him. There were four doors in the hallway, three closed, and one open to reveal a fresher. He assumed, then, that the closed doors were bedrooms. Silently, he approached the first one, carefully reaching out with the Force to open the door, creaking it open just enough to peer inside.
His breath caught in his chest, and his throat closed. There, two twin toddler beds, with matching nightstands and a plush armchair in between. Toys and tiny shoes scattered the floor, books were piled on one nightstand, and in each bed were the sleeping figures of his children.
Luke. Leia.
Leia was all snuggled up under the covers, hugging her pillow, her dark curls so like her mother's. Beautiful. Luke had kicked the covers off and was sprawled out, the loth cat sleeping soundly up against his little body, purring contentedly in its sleep. Vader almost rushed in to touch them, to pick them up and hold them in his arms...but now wasn't the time for that. He needed to apprehend their mother first...but more importantly, he didn't want to wake them up yet. No. Not yet.
But, before moving on, he reached out in the Force, grasping hold of the edge of Luke's covers, and gently pulled them up and back over his son, making sure he was fully tucked in before releasing it. Luke stirred a little and sighed, but he didn't wake up. Behind his helmet, Vader cracked a smile, and closed the door quietly behind him, turning to the nearest Stormtrooper. "Wait outside the door." He ordered, "Do not wake the children."
"Yes, Sir." The stormtrooper moved into position, and reluctantly, Vader moved forward.
The next bedroom held an occupant he hadn't quite expected: Jobal, his mother-in-law. Not that she'd known that fact two years ago….though, now he supposed she probably did. She likely knew what he'd become, too…He frowned at the thought. For some reason, that thought disturbed him. Jobal had always been a pleasant and friendly woman toward him. Would her reaction to him be anything like his wife's was now?
Shaking that thought off, he watched his mother-in-law for a moment.
The woman was asleep, snoring softly, unaware of his presence, her lightly gray-streaked hair in a braid down her back. He hadn't seen her on the holofootage before….but then again, the droid had only stayed largely outside of the house, not risking sneaking into the building except for brief glances in the front door when the twins had come in and out of the house. Jobal had always been a proper woman, and he doubted she'd have much desire to spend much time outdoors, especially when they were so remote. Even less than Padme, he couldn't imagine why she'd want to live out here. To be close to her grandchildren? He frowned again. But, what about Ruwee, his father-in-law? He wasn't in the room. Where was he at? And, what about Sola and her family? He didn't know. He'd avoided any mention of Padme and her family after….after everything. He hadn't looked up to see what had befallen them. Not knowing their fate brought a sudden sense of unease in his gut, and he quietly closed that bedroom door, too. "Wait until I apprehend the assassin." He ordered the last of his troopers, "Then capture the older woman as well."
He didn't bother to wait for their acknowledgement. He'd already turned his full attention on the last door. Padme's door. Even this close to her, to any of the house's occupants, he could barely feel their presences. Yoda's protection was obviously powerful, even without him nearby. It would not; however, be protection enough to keep him from taking back his family tonight, regardless of whether the Jedi had been there or not. It certainly saved him some trouble, though. And, he would be grateful for that.
He paused outside the door, staring at it, painfully aware of the loud breathing of the suit. He was also painfully reminded of the last time he'd truly faced his estranged wife. She'd tried to kill him. And, she likely would again. Force, he hoped that he could subdue her before the fight got out of hand. Even better, he hoped that Padme would remember who else was in her little home and just come quietly. Not because he would hurt her, the children, or even his mother-in-law, (he wouldn't) but because their fight could be disastrous. Taking a deep breath, he silently pushed the door open with the Force, entered the room, and softly closed the door behind him, immediately reaching up to take off the helmet, cutting off the sound of his amplified breathing, leaving him in sudden silence in the darkness.
Without the use of the helmet, the room was almost too dark to see anything. Almost. It was clearly the master suite. It was not elegant, like their bedroom on Coruscant, but more homely, much like Padme's room in her childhood home on Naboo had been. Moonlight streamed through the single window onto the spacious bed at the far end of the room, and in the center of that bed…
Padme.
He approached, his boots almost totally silent on the carpet, his eyes transfixed on the sleeping form of his beloved Angel. When he was close, he noticed the lightsaber-his lightsaber-on the nightstand, within easy reach should she be rudely awakened by an intruder…like me, he thought dryly. He reached out, calling the weapon silently to his hand, savoring the remembered familiarity of it...and tucked it securely onto his belt, before turning his attention back to his wife. Good. Now, at least, she couldn't kill him with his own weapon when he woke her up.
But, he just….stared, not moving to wake her yet. Now that the time had come, he felt….fear. Right now, she looked like she always did when he'd watched her sleep. Peaceful, with her mahogany curls fanned out across the pillow above her head, wearing a lacy light blue nightgown that he knew, underneath the covers, would hug her luscious curves perfectly. His breath suddenly caught in his throat, and he felt tears well up in his eyes.
She still had it.
There, at her throat, where it had always been since the day he'd given it to her, was the japor snippet he'd carved for her as a child, resting against the upper swell of her bosom. His throat tightened, and the tears stung his eyes. Real. She was real. And alive. It still blew his mind. He'd been at her funeral, seen her dead, seen her holding that snippet in her clasped hands in that open casket...and yet, here she was. Softly breathing, looking as angelic and beautiful as she had the day he'd first met her, all those years ago.
He reached out, slowly, to wake her...and paused. The moment was now. He'd taken her weapon. He'd found her, surrounded her home, and prepared his shuttle and his ship to receive her and their children. Not his mother-in-law, true, but it was an enormous ship. There was plenty of extra room in the apartment suite he'd had prepared for his family. It wouldn't be an issue. Jobal would simply live with them. He had no objections to that. And yet...he couldn't move. He couldn't waken her. The moment he did, he'd be fighting her again, if not physically, then verbally and emotionally. In that moment, he wanted the peace to last forever.
He sighed, dropping his hand, leaning down to brush a feather-soft kiss across her forehead, savoring the warmth and scent of her skin against his own. Oh, how he longed to climb into bed with her and actually make love to her, kissing her deeply, passionately like he used to…A soft groan escaped her lips, and he pulled away, fear tightening in his gut, his hand going to his lightsaber, but… "Anakin…" She mumbled, freezing him in place. Anakin. His name. His true name. The name of the man she'd married. The name of the man she'd fallen in love with. Anakin. Not Vader. But, he was Vader now. She'd have to come to terms with that. Someday. Soon. He needed to wake her up. He needed…But, Padme wasn't done. She rolled in her sleep, turning toward the nightstand, and he felt a jolt in his gut when he heard her whisper, "Ani…"
Ani. His old nickname. Her pet name for him.
Before he could do, say, or think anything else, a woman's scream shattered the silence of the night, coming from the other room. Dammit! Jobal. He didn't need the Force to know that she'd woken up...or had been awoken by his Stormtroopers. And, with that scream, Padme's eyes snapped open, and she was bolting upright, her hand going automatically to the nightstand where the lightsaber had been….and froze when her hand hit an empty table top. Slowly, her eyes trailed up, until they were staring at one another, both of them unmoving.
Padme was the first to move. Screaming in fury, she launched herself at him, going for his throat, his eyes, anything that could immobilize him. But, with Force-induced speed, he was faster. He ducked out of the way, calling his lightsaber to his hand and igniting it...Blue. Not the red one. He didn't know why he chose it-perhaps to remind her that he was still her husband? No matter. When she saw it, realizing that he'd taken the lightsaber from her, she froze, knowing tactically she was not going to win against him this time. Vader gulped hard, looking at her. She might have recognized her vulnerability in this moment, but the look in those beautiful brown eyes….hatred. Pure, unadulterated hatred. Had she been Force Sensitive, the brown might have given way to Sith Gold...he suppressed a shudder at the thought.
"GET. OUT." She snarled, her melodic voice almost unrecognizable.
It was a struggle not to shudder again. It was a struggle to stay composed. The way she looked at him, the way she'd said that…He tried to think of any time she had spoken to anyone that way. Even Nute Gunray...but no. She'd always been cold and composed towards her enemies, moving forward with single-minded purpose. But now...He swallowed thickly, the grip on his lightsaber tightening. If she was this angry, this hateful towards him when she'd never been such towards any of her worst enemies…He suddenly didn't see any way he could convince her to see things his way. Still, he tried. "Padme," He croaked, and he did not sound like Vader at all. "Angel. Please…."
That only seemed to infuriate her more.
"Don't call me that! You have NO RIGHT to call me that or to even be here! You forfeited your rights when you turned on me and tried to kill me! GET THE HELL OUT! NOW!" More cries of alarm immediately rang out from outside the door, this time the sound of terrified children's voices. Both Padme and Vader tensed at that, and though Vader did not take his eyes off of his very belligerent and very angry wife, Padme whirled towards the door, her skin going pale. "What the KRIFF have you DONE?!" She snapped, realizing that he wasn't alone in the house.
"I'm…" He faltered. This was not going at all how he'd planned. He needed to gain control back. He needed to be Darth Vader...not sniveling Anakin Skywalker. "Padme, I'm taking you and the children you neglected to tell me about back home to…"
Nope. That was the wrong thing to say.
The moment he mentioned his knowledge of the children, her expression hardened, her eyes turning almost black with venomous malevolence, her face reddening until he was honestly worried she would explode. But, if he thought she would mention why she hadn't told him of their existence, and why she'd hidden them from him (and would have continued to do so), he was sorely wrong. "Where, Vader?!" She spat the name at him like an epithet, and he visibly flinched. "Your precious ship?! That's not a home, and you damn well know it!"
Vader's eyes narrowed, anger rising now….though not as fast as it usually did, and that was a good sign. He couldn't lose it. Not again. Never again. He swept his free hand in an arc around the room. "And, this place is?! They deserve better than this, Padme! They deserve everything the galaxy can offer them, not some hovel on a backwater planet out on the edge of the Outer Rim! They deserve…"
"You misunderstand. I'm not disagreeing with you." Padme said mockingly, narrowing her gaze at him, crossing her arms over her chest."They deserved to be raised safely on their home on Naboo! They deserved to live in a galaxy of peace. They deserved their father. But, you made a deliberate choice to destroy all of that, and now, I'm left holding the shredded pieces of what once was and doing the best I can to make sure they can, somehow, someday, have at least a peaceful galaxy to finish out their own lives in!" They heard the children wailing and crying now, and Padme snarled, baring gritted teeth at him. "They certainly didn't deserve to be traumatized by YOU and your stupid ass Stormtroopers!" Before he could stop her, she'd turned her back on him and was striding determinedly for the door.
"Padme! Come back here! Don't you dare step outside this bedroom in just that nightgown!" Vader boomed, jealousy starting to flare in his gut. He had no wish for his troopers to see his wife in just her nightgown. Only he had that right.
"Shut the hell up, Vader! YOU don't tell me what to do," she flung her gauntlet down over her shoulder, as she stormed for the door, grabbing the handle, and flinging it open and exiting her bedroom.
Cursing in Huttese at his wife's stubbornness, he quickly snapped the helmet back on before following her out into the hall. His troopers had Jobal apprehended between them, holding onto each of her arms in a vice grip. Though she was shaking, her eyes narrowed on him and she grimaced when he appeared. Yeah, she knew who he was alright. At the moment, he didn't care. He was focused on following his wife as she approached their children, huddling together in their bedroom doorway, crying and wailing for their mom as his troopers stood awkwardly nearby, unsure what to do with them.
"What do you think I'm doing?!" His voice now boomed through the mask, sounding totally wrong and entirely too loud. Luke and Leia jolted at the sound, their wide eyes settling on him and filling with more tears, and they began to cry all the harder. He stopped cold in his tracks at that, realizing exactly how he must look to them, how he must sound-like a monster. He gulped. He longed to take the mask off again...but he was too aware of the Stormtroopers in the hallway. Already, with his blue lightsaber still ignited, and with the conversation happening now, the troopers would have way too many questions. "I'm bringing peace to the galaxy! Or, at least trying to. Your Rebel friends have slowed that process down…"
Padme knelt down, scooping up Luke in one arm, and Leia in the other, cradling them to her chest, their little arms worming around her neck, holding her tight, before whirling on him again, giving him an incredulous look. "What you're doing," she hissed with nothing but pure venom in her voice, "is enslaving the galaxy under a cruel, self-serving, power hungry dictatorship! You're nothing more than a slave to the Emperor himself…"
Vader bristled at the words, unpleasant memories surfacing in his mind of his childhood. But, if he was honest with himself, he'd begun viewing himself as Sidious' slave already. He would never admit it out loud, of course. So instead, he pointed to the children in her arms. "I had a right to know about my children." His voice was low and much more menacing than he meant it to be with the mask on. "I have a right to know them now. You and Luke and Leia, and Jobal, are coming with me!"
Padme flinched, and he saw horror reflected in her eyes at the realization that he didn't just know they existed, but he knew their names. Drawing herself up to her full height, she challenged him, completely undaunted. "YOU have no right to know them!. You aren't even worthy to be in their presence!" Luke was visibly shaking in her hold and had buried his face against her, while Leia had stopped crying and was now watching the situation unfold with interest, though he doubted she really understood any of it. "How the hell did you even find us?!"
"That is none of your concern. The important thing is, if I can find you, Sidious can, too. I must take you back to my ship, for all of your safety!"
"Safety?!" Padme scoffed disdainfully. "Do you even realize what you've done to this family?!"
The image of him choking her flashed through his mind again, and he winced. "I'm...I'm sorry, Padme. I didn't….I shouldn't….Mustafar should not have happened…"
"Oh, I'm not even talking about Mustafar; although, that's certainly at the top of the long list of horrible things you've done!" Padme interrupted, seething. "YOU betrayed me, betrayed our marriage, betrayed our children! You betrayed our friends and your colleagues. You endangered mine and the twins' lives! And, you did it deliberately! So, yes, that was the initial reason behind the decision to hide from you!" He longed to ask how she'd done it, how she'd faked their deaths when he'd so clearly sensed her death, but she was ranting on now. "I had hoped that there would be enough of the man I loved still left in you to at least spare my family. But, you didn't. Not even family is sacred to you anymore!"
Vader blinked in surprise. What?! What was she talking about? He glanced over to Jobal, who was no longer glaring at him, and was instead staring at the floor, tears welling up in her eyes. "I don't know wha-…" he began, but Padme interrupted again
.
"It doesn't matter if it was your orders or your master's orders! The fact remains that less than a week after Mustafar happened, my family's homes on Naboo were raided by Stormtroopers." Vader felt his stomach drop, his limbs turning icy. Suddenly, he had a sick feeling...He wanted her to stop, to keep from saying the truth...Force, he should have checked on them, he should have… "They raided my parent's' home first. My father…" Her voice caught, and he thought he saw tears in her eyes again, but they were gone a moment later, replaced by steely determination. "My father bought my mother time enough to get away, and he was killed. Murdered in cold blood by Stormtroopers in the very home I grew up in, in full view of my mother, who had no idea why any of it was happening."
Breathing hard, she advanced on him a step, the children clutched tightly to her chest. Vader was frozen to the spot, unable to move as the horrifying image of what must have happened to his father-in-law flooded his conscious.
"My sister and her family were attacked mere hours later. Thank the Force my mother was able to send them warning by comm unit first, and they barely managed to get out alive. My nieces were probably traumatized...Obi-Wan was able to pick my mother up and rescue her, but when he went to try to pick up my sister and her family, they were nowhere to be found. Their hiding place had been found and trashed...and we haven't heard from them since."
Silence filled the hallway, yawning between them. "I don't know if they're alive or dead. My father for sure is dead. And you...As far as I am concerned, I don't give a damn if you gave the order or not. But, you and your actions made it possible. YOUR actions destroyed our family. Don't even get me started on all of the other millions - if not billions - of innocent people across this galaxy that have been killed either directly by you or because of your actions." She shook her head, and this time, angry tears sprung to her eyes and spilled over onto her flushed cheeks. "So, from my viewpoint, my husband is dead! And, you, therefore, have no right to even be here. I would rather die than allow you to take us anywhere near your cursed ship. And, hear me now, Vader...I swear, on my father's death, one way or another, this will end in one of us dying, because I have no intention of being subject to you, your master, or your twisted evil."
Staring into her eyes, he knew instantly that she meant every word.
And, it broke - no shattered - his heart to think that his beloved Angel's once so deep love for him would vanish to be replaced by a hatred so deep he almost couldn't fathom it.
But, she wasn't done. She fired one more parting shot that pierced him to his very core, causing pain to rip through him in a surge so powerful, so unexpected it was a wonder it didn't drop him to his knees.
"The only thing I'm thankful for, at this point, Vader, is that dear, sweet Shmi isn't alive to see what you've become. Because, it would've killed her to see you now, like this."
A wave of immediate shame swept through him at the thought of his precious mother, and he swallowed-hard, the pounding his conscience was taking in this encounter more gut wrenching than anything he could've imagined in that moment.
He was still frozen to the spot. He didn't care about the troopers watching...for the first time in two years, he felt…dirty. Wrong. Evil. He had no idea….no idea he'd hurt this family so badly…the family he had married into and sworn to protect...and now realized just how fully he'd failed in that endeavor. And, the hatred in Padme's eyes...there was no convincing her. Not by forcing her back to the Executor with the children, at least. He wasn't sure if there would ever be any convincing her now….but…
He shut down his lightsaber. "Let them go." He ordered his troopers, and his gut twisted painfully as he saw his children quiver and flinch at his voice. Force, they were terrified of him. He could feel their terror surrounding him, choking him with its intensity….
"Sir…?" one of the troopers began, hesitatingly letting Jobal go, who looked to Padme in surprise.
"Get back to the shuttle." His voice left no room for argument. He continued to stare at his family, as the troopers saluted and silently did as he bid, filing out of the hallway and back through the house, shutting the door behind them. The sound of the door clicking shut resounded in the quiet stillness of the house like a blaster shot.
Long moments passed. Neither Jobal or Padme moved, while the children continued to cry into their mother's neck. Vader replaced his old Jedi saber back on his belt (no way was he leaving it with his wife), then silently reached up to grasp his helmet and pull it off again. He wanted to look on his children with his own eyes.
Levitating the helmet with the Force, he cautiously stepped closer to Padme and the twins. She flinched but didn't back away. Hesitantly, he reached out with gloved fingers and brushed them through first Luke's golden locks so like his own, then Leia's downy soft riot of curls so like her mother's. He sent soothing vibes through the Force, hoping to calm the children. They cautiously - and curiously, he noted - eased back from their mother just a little and turned to stare at him, seeing his real face for the first time. But, the look of fear still registered in their eyes, and that realization tore into Vader like a Tusken gaffi staff.
Irrefutable truths assaulted him on all sides.
His wife hated him. His mother-in-law hated him. And, his children were terrified of him.
How had it all gone so wrong? How had circumstances conspired to bring them to this impasse?
And, it was an impasse. No question about it. He now realized with absolute finality that taking his family back this way was never going to work. No. He needed to return to his ship and completely regroup, rethink things through. But, first, he owed his family something...
Staring into his wife's eyes, Vader swallowed, and then reached out to gently brush his fingers down her cheek. He was gratified when she didn't jerk away from his touch. When he spoke, his voice was husky and held a note of pleading that was unmistakeable. "Padme, I'm so sorry. I - I had no idea Sidious had ordered such an attack on your family. I'm sorry for Mustafar. I'm sorry for hurting you, our children, and our whole family. I know you probably won't believe me when I say this, but...I do still love you, so very much. And, I always will."
She said nothing, simply watched him, clutching their kids closer to her still.
Dropping his hand, he grabbed his helmet, reaching up to place it once more on his head, then he turned and brushed past his wife and strode back through the house, his footsteps heavy. He reached out with the Force and opened the back door - but not before surreptitiously releasing three more of his microdroids inside the house from his tool belt. He might be leaving his family behind tonight, but no way were they not going to be watched and monitored under constant surveillance from here on out, all holofootage being transmitted directly to his personal encrypted channel.
Exiting the house, he closed the door behind him, heading for his ship out in the clearing, his head spinning from what he'd seen, heard, and learned. As he strode up the landing ramp and then turned, heading for the cockpit, he came to one firm decision right then and there. Grabbing his comm, he flicked it to the encrypted channel, waited for it to connect, then spoke when he heard the other end pick up…
"Fett, I have a mission of the utmost urgency...and secrecy...for you. I need you to leave immediately for Naboo…"
Whew! That took a while to write. I had Obi-Wan and Yoda leave because with them there, it 100% would have been a fight, and with the twins there in that small house, there wouldn't have been an outcome of them not getting hurt in the very least. I couldn't have that...but have no fear, there will be a confrontation soon. Padme wouldn't fight physically in this situation either, because even with the lightsaber not getting taken back by Vader, meeting Vader on his terms is bad even if you're a force sensitive (Bespin, anyone?). I think she verbally battled it out well though...psh. Senators. ;)
On a side note, I've begun streaming on Twitch. I thought I'd mention it, because while all the games I play aren't Star Wars themed (though I will be streaming Battlefront when it comes out), I do give away Star Wars-related stuff periodically, and I frequently have the chance to talk Star Wars with friends I play with, or with my viewers. So, if you wanna hang out, I usually stream in the evenings. If you're interested, I'll post the info in my profile (I don't want to put too much emphasis on it within my stories other than to mention it). I'd love to chill out with you guys more! :)
The song for this chapter is A Drop in the Ocean by Ron Pope (his voice is a bit shaky for my taste, but the song itself fits).
Review!
Love,
Sarah
