Replies:

shieldmaidenofeorlingas: I'm not a murderer... That part about the hugging was meant to be Vader's yearning for a father figure, okay?

Legolas0: No, that was the "touching" part of the story. She will be annoying, worry not!

Cowgirl4Christ: Yes, I know it was rather short.

Fili: I'm not sure what's going to happen with Obi-Wan...

Rabid Rabbit's Rampage: Well, I still haven't decided if I want to do a sequel with Gollum, though it would be really fun...

Chapter 8

The next day I was completely recovered from my strange little crying session. Luckily, I was also back to feeling evil. I was excessively ashamed of myself. I am evil. Evil does not cry. When I had the bad fortune to see Allie, she was absolutely beside herself, rejoicing over what she assumed to be her conquest.

"What a transformation! You look wonderful today, Anakin!" She cried when she saw me. "Feeling better? Feeling good today? The evil all washed out of your system?"

That got me angry. Even if I hadn't been feeling myself yesterday, that was no reason for her to suppose I was no longer evil! I was evil! Of course I was! Being evil and wicked was my life! I had spent half of my life being evil; why quit now? The reasoning crept into my brain, and I welcomed the familiar feeling of darkness.

Naturally, I shouted. A lot. I shouted for a full five minutes. I reprimanded her for assuming she could change me; adamantly insisted that I would always be evil, and things related to that. All the while I was shouting, she was standing there, smiling. And who can actually keep a real smile on their face for five minutes? Nobody I had seen, until Allie.

After a while my shouting became sputtering and my voice lowered quite a bit. Then I was just standing there, staring at her. What on earth was this girl doing to me? I didn't have a clue!

She was still smiling. And just then I had a little twitch start in my eye. Then I had a sudden desire to destroy this person. But then I felt a little something, telling me that wanting to do that was wrong. What in the world was happening to me? Just that morning I had been feeling really really evil! For about twenty years, I had never felt anything but evil and wicked, and I had gotten used to feeling that way. After a year or so, it had started to feel right. And now, where was I? Being broken by a teenage girl. Crying. I had been crying, for heaven's sake!

I was angry. But, moreover, I was frustrated. I didn't know what was happening and I couldn't seem to do anything to stop it. I couldn't rid myself of this menace. And she kept insisting she would convert me someday! That she had already made a dent in it!

I stared at her a bit longer. Allie was flipping through a magazine that had magically appeared in her hands. She read an article, giggled, flipped the page. She stared at pictures of what I guessed to be these people she called celebrities.

Then, suddenly, the magazine was shoved in my face. "Look at her! Look at that dress! Oh, yuck! How can she wear that? It is so not her color."

You would think by now that I would be used to her strange Earth-talk, but I wasn't. I lifted my eyebrow-even though there wasn't any hair there, but the eyebrow area- way up in question, then nodded mutely.

"Oh! I forgot! I still have to tell you what llamas are, don't I?" Boy, was she grinning.

"Llamas are related to camels, actually. At least, I think they are. See, I really don't know all that much about llamas, beyond that I like them. Well, I do know how to take care of them. I'm getting another llama once I get back home. Then I'll have two. See, I'm going to name it Han, because I want a boy so that I can breed llamas, and then I can keep some of them and sell the others..."

On she went, rambling about llamas while I allowed myself to 'zone' as she called it. I don't really know what I was thinking, but I sure wasn't thinking about llamas. I think I was simply remembering things.

"Anakin? Anakin! Are you listening to me?" Her shrill voice brought me back to the present.

I looked at her, annoyed. I wanted to strangle her, but I remembered what had happened the last time I tried to kill her.

"WHERE IS MY HELMET?" I shouted suddenly. I hadn't even thought of asking her that; it had just come out. Shouting had never felt so good.

She didn't even look scared or the least bit intimidated, though I was trying my best to glare at her. After years and years of having people cower in your presence, it's hard to accept a kid not being the least bit afraid of you.

"It's somewhere safe." She said with perfect nonchalance.

I was angry. And I tried my best to kill her, I really did, but she became transparent as soon as I tried to jump on her. I tried strangling her with the Force, but it seemed to have no effect.

Just as I was about to start shouting again, I heard someone say my name.

"Ahem... Lord Vader?"

I swiveled violently, but then turned around again. An officer... and me without my helmet!

"Lord Vader?"

"What do you want?" I barked, ducking my head and trying to keep him from seeing me.

"Well, the Emperor would like a word with you."

"Fine." Great! My Master had to bug me now, at this moment! While I was being tormented by a psychotic teenage girl! Wait... maybe he would have a solution! He might be a bit more powerful than me, and she wasn't trying to convert him...

I grinned to myself. Yes... of course! Why hadn't I thought of it before? Allie had disappeared from even my view when the officer appeared, luckily. I didn't see her for the rest of the day. I locked myself away in my quarters and thought in silence.

A/N: I kind of don't like this chapter at all. I've tinkered with it, but this seems to be the best I can make it. I dunno... I feel like it's completely random and doesn't tie in well with the others, but maybe you'll see it differently. Of course, as an author, I don't think I'll ever be completely satisfied with anything I put it... I'll never consider it perfect, I know.