- - - Chapter Eleven: The Traveler - - -

Tatooine. It hadn't changed since Vader had grown up here. Still nothing but sun-bleached sand and rocks. Still the same place he hated. He had last been here seven years ago after he had received a letter from the Lars family, whom his mother had married into after she had gained her freedom from the vampire blood farm. She wasn't able to escape that fate as vampires had taken her again, and the Lars were just simple farmers. But they knew Shmi Skywalker's son had become a holy knight, a vampire hunter. Perhaps if they requested his aid, he would come.

By the time the letter reached him, he made it to Tatooine and found his mother, it was too late. He held her in his arms as she took her last breaths. She spent them on saying how proud she was of him and how much she loved him. His grief turned into instant rage as he slaughtered the entire vampire coven, their human servants, and the rest of the human cattle. He killed them all. He brought his mother's thin body back to the farm and buried her. Then he swore to never return to this blasted place ever again.

Hiding Padmé here was a good move if one was trying to avoid Darth Vader; however, one had to know Vader's personal history about this place. Currently only four people alive knew of it: Padmé, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Master Yoda, and Darth Sidious.

The night Piett showed up, Vader put Luke to bed then grilled the man on everything he knew about Ozzel, Sidious, and Padmé. He then tried to confirm as much of Piett's tale as he could with his own resources and being discreet about it, so as not to alert Sidious. If Piett was wrong . . . and Sidious learned of Vader's meddling . . . It would not go over well. He could not completely prove Piett's claim, but he couldn't disprove it either. The only thing left was for Vader to investigate Ozell's estate in Tatooine.

Vader was moving against the clock. The trip to America was fast approaching. He had left England without telling Sidious, who was most likely very angry at Vader's sudden and unannounced disappearance. But Vader had to make sure before going to America.

He had to make sure she wasn't here.

He was dressed as a local in light beige colored clothing. He wrapped his head up in a white cloth then stuck a large hat on top. He wove a brown scarf around his chin and mouth. He wore his sword on his back, but he had padded and wrapped it. It looked like a rolled-up sleeping bag. He looked like a ragged traveler that wouldn't even warrant a second glance.

Ozell owned a town near the foothills of some canyons. The canyons beyond the hills were rich in minerals, and so several mines had been constructed. Travelers came and went from the town as they sought to trade with the miners or perhaps even seek employment. It wasn't odd when Vader came walking out of the desert into town. He received nothing more than a brief look before glances rolled off of him.

There wasn't much to the town, and the only part that interested him was the large fort-like estate in the back. Vader had gotten a sample of blood from a guard walking around town. He had let Vader in through a service entrance on the side and through the estate. In the back, there was a small separate building that looked like a thin tower. It perhaps was originally a lookout, but the guard said it was now a prison.

And that interested Vader very much.

Two guards stood at the door of the tower. They eyed Vader as he approached with the mind-controlled guard. Vader had tucked his thin needle into his curled up gloved fist. Just as he was within arm's reach, he stumbled forward, muttered an apology, but stabbed his needle into the first guard who cursed. Vader backed up apologizing profusely but did so in the direction of the second guard. Once he was close enough, he whipped the needle around and into the second guard's arm. By now the first guard was already raising his rifle.

"- Stop -," Vader ordered as he pulled the needle out of his mouth. Both guards' blood still fresh in his mouth. "- Lower your weapons. -" The guards did as ordered. Their eyes distant and hazed over. "- You will open this door and close it behind me. You will speak of me to no one. As far as anyone else is concerned, I am not here. -"

The guards nodded in an absentminded manner as one of them fished out his key and unlocked the door. Vader cautiously walked into the tower and the door was shut and locked behind him. He slowly looked around. If there had been multiple floors, they were now gone, though there were still beams crossing every ten feet where floorboards could have once been placed on top of. There was no glass or shutters on the windows. Sunlight came in unobstructed. Luckily, the only windows were about twenty feet off the ground, which gave a good amount of shade on the ground floor.

The floor was soft sand. There was a rack with clothes hanging on it and a large metal washtub with dirty water sitting in it. The thing that took up the most room was a large wooden table pushed against a wall. Blankets had been thrown over it as if to create some kind of makeshift tent. It was the only thing in there that would have provided shelter from the sunlight.

Was Padmé under there? Is this how she lived? Hiding under a table during the day? Only coming out at night to walk around this small room? Wash in filthy water?

He slowly approached the table and peeled back the layers of blankets. His heart was pounding in his chest. Under the table, there was a person, a woman, curled up on a sandy blanket. She had curly messy brown hair that was crusted with sand.

"Padmé?" he asked.

All of his breath escaped him as he watched the figure stir. Slowly she lifted her head and large brown eyes stared up at him. Large brown eyes he was so familiar with. Eyes he hadn't seen in four years.

He fell to his knees.

"Pad- Padmé." His voice wavered as sobs threatened to bubble out of him.

Her eyes weren't warm or soft as they usually were when she would look at him. She was on edge and cautious. Her eyes were like a knife, ready to cut at a moment's notice. But slowly they grew larger as she took in the details of his face.

"Anakin?"

It was only a whisper. It felt like it was coming from a dream. A memory of years long past.

"Anakin?" she said again.

A sob broke free as he nodded. She crawled over to him and paused. They were right next to each other. Both examining the other. Tears were falling down his face, and soon her eyes started to water. It was her who finally made the first move. She lunged forward and wrapped her arms around him. Her face buried into his neck.

"Anakin," she muttered. "It's you. It's really you."

"It's me," he said as he buried his own face into her hair. "I told you, didn't I? I'll always come back. I promised."

"And you— you always keep—eep your promises," she said between sobs.

Her body heaved with each sob. They stayed like that for a long time just holding each other and shedding their tears. They said nothing. Didn't even move from the floor. They merely held each other tightly. The feel of her was a long-needed balm to his grieving soul. It had been four long years without her. Never knowing if he'd ever see her again. It had been exhausting to keep his soul and mind together as he fought back what her absence did to him.

He wasn't sure who moved first. Who finally pulled away ever so slightly. Who's arms finally let go of the other so their hands could cup the other's face. Her hands were on his face. She touched his cheeks then his lips and nose as if she was rediscovering every inch of him. He was doing the same. He gently traced, with one flesh hand and one cold black one, each curve and blemish.

Oh, how he had yearned to touch her and the feel of her. How he had dreamed of it over the past four years. He would wake up in a cold sweat in the middle of the night and look to the empty side of his bed. He would hug himself in hopes of soothing himself. In hopes of remembering her better, as slowly the memories faded over time.

He had forgotten her curves and the feel of her skin, the exact temperature of her breath and how well her body fit around his. How had he gone this long without her? How had he survived four years? He knew the answer was Luke, whose soft kisses and tight hugs had continued to breathe life into Vader. He also knew it was the burning cold fire of determination in him that he knew she wasn't gone and he would find her.

At some point, they had loosened their hold on each other. Her hands slid down to his chest. He leaned into her touch. Her eyes still traveled all over him, while he did the same. He marveled at her nose and the small marks on her cheeks. He noticed the heavy bags under her eyes and how thin she had become. There were new creases, new wrinkles. But then he came to her eyes, and again his breath was stolen from him. She was looking into his eyes.

And he saw her. Truly saw her. Saw into her. Into her soul. And like warm summer waves, memories rolled over him one by one. He recalled seeing her for the first time as a nine-year-old boy and she was fourteen. Even then she was breathtaking as he thought she was an angel. He remembered being given the assignment to be her bodyguard. How they went to her family's countryside estate. Their first kiss.

Hot tears rolled down his cheeks. His heart was swelling in his chest.

"Padmé," he murmured. "I . . . I . . ."

"Shhh," she said. "I know."

He smiled and shook his head. "I love you," he said. His own hands cupped her face. "I love you. From the moment I saw you, I loved you. You were an angel, and you continue to be the only angel in my heart. The love you have given me is so special. My whole day is filled with thoughts of you, which at times have been so unbearable without you by my side. Falling in love with you was the best thing that ever happened to me. I couldn't bear the thought of losing you. Of having a single tomorrow without you."

Her face crumpled as she started to cry harder. Her body trembled and she sobbed. "Oh, Anakin," she muttered. He wrapped her up in his arms and pulled her tight. He kissed her hair and rubbed her back. His own tears still gently trickled down his face.

"I meant it," he whispered. "I meant every word."

They stayed like that for a long time. The sun had set and the sand was cooling. Finally, it seemed all the tears had been shed. Padmé lifted her head. Her face was red and stained with tears, an he was sure he looked the same.

"I missed you," she whispered. "I have thought of you every minute since I've been here. I have so much to tell you. How sorry I am for . . . For deceiving you. I want to tell you everything."

"There's no need," he said. "I know. Sidious told me."

She shook her head. "No. You can't hear this from him. Anakin, I love you. I wasn't supposed to, but I do. And the more I fell in love with you, the more I dreaded when you found out the truth. I feared you would leave me. Hate me. And if that was the case, I knew it would be rightfully so."

"No," he said. "No. I could never hate you."

"I lied. I deceived you. I used you."

"Because of Sidious. All because of Sidious. You don't need to say anymore . . . I've also been working with him. I know . . . What he is like. What he does. And I am so amazed at how strong you continued to be. How you are still this amazing woman that never let him taint you. You are stronger than I am. Far stronger."

While they talked, their heads moved closer together. He gently leaned his forehead against hers. The time for words had ended. At least for now. The moment would come again, but for now, they just need each other. Slowly, they leaned in. It was almost as if it was the first time. Scared and inexperienced. But then their lips met and the sensation and feelings all came rushing back to them.

Padmé wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him tightly to her. He wrapped his arms around her back and held her head. He couldn't get enough of her. He was losing himself to the touch of her lips and tongue and to the heat building inside of him. She must have been feeling the same way as her hands started tugging at his clothes. Getting undressed was a blur. He barely paid attention. Because the moment he left her lips, he was trying to recapture them. She was the one to pull him down to the sandy blanket.

In the moonlight of the desert, they made love. Their love for each other was renewed across the stars.

The clicking of the lock awoke them both. They were curled up together under the table. Padmé shot right up. She grabbed her dress and slipped it on. Then she slipped out from under the table and threw the blankets down to hide Vader. He heard the door open.

"Your food," a gruff voice said.

Vader heard something hit the sand then the door shut and the lock clicked. He pushed the blankets apart and peered out. Padmé was leaning over to pick up a large water skin. She sank back down to the sand next to the table as she undid the lid. She tipped the skin back and drank heavily. Vader could smell the tangy sweetness of blood. He said nothing as he collected his own clothes and started to redress.

"Here," she said.

He paused as he was buttoning up his shirt. She was holding the skin out to him.

"You knew?" he asked as he took the skin.

She raised an eyebrow. "You were never good at keeping secrets from me, but the fact you mentioned Sidious by that name tells me enough."

"Heh," he said as he took a big gulp of the warm and stale blood.

She slowly rose to her feet. "So he finally got what he wanted," she said softly. "You became a vampire."

"Yes," he said. "But I am so much more than that." She tilted her head. "I am a Sith."

"That's just . . . a fairy tale," she said. "An old legend. Something Sidious pretends to be by calling himself Darth."

"It's true," he said. "I've become more powerful than any vampire has ever dreamed of. I am more powerful than Sidious. I can overthrow him. I . . . I did this all for you. To protect you. You and I can make things how we want them to be."

"Anakin . . . what . . . What are you talking about?"

"We don't have to hide anymore. Not from Sidious. Not from the Jedi. We can be together. You, me, and Luke."

"Luke?"

He smiled. "Yes, Luke. Our little Luke. I can't wait for you to see him. He's gotten so big and he's so amazing."

"Luke . . ." Her eyes had gone distant. "Luke."

"Yes, Luke. Our son. Our baby. You remember?"

"Of course, I do," she whispered softly. "I thought . . ." She looked up at him. "I feared the worse. The Jedi, they took him. And I-"

"And I found him," Vader said. He let the water skin drop to the sand. He placed both his hands on her shoulders. "I went to the Temple to find you, but I only found Luke. You were gone. I thought that the Jedi had taken you. All these years, I searched and searched. I tracked down every Jedi I could find in hopes that one of them would know where you were."

"It wasn't the Jedi." She took a step closer to him and placed her hand on his chest. "The Jedi captured me at Sidious' mansion. I was pregnant . . . And they . . ."

"Would keep any pregnant vampire alive," he said bitterly. "I saw it. The other cells. The other women. I had them freed. I tore that Temple apart looking for you, and when I couldn't find you I dug into the archives. I looked for any place they might have taken you. I read all about their breeding program." He growled the last words.

"I . . . gave birth to a little boy," she whispered. "I wanted to hold him, but they took him away. They said they had to evacuate the Temple. It was under attack. They were . . ." She looked up at him. Her eyes were large and watery. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tight. "They were going to kill me," she whispered. "But then the healers realized I was still in labor."

Vader stilled completely. "What?" he asked. His voice came out as a breathless hiss.

"Twins," she said. "There were twins."

"Were?" He somehow managed to squeeze the word out though his throat was tight. His head was spinning as a cold weight gripped at his heart and pulled it down.

"The Jedi, they grabbed me and started to drag me out of the Temple, but they had to stop in an alleyway . . . I gave birth . . . to a little girl. Leia. Just like you wanted to name her. But . . . But hey took her away from me. I never got to hold her. And . . . I screamed. I screamed at them to give her back. They readied their swords and I thought I was going to die. But that was when the vampires showed up. They saved me. They killed the knights, but the ones who had my daughter were gone. They had escaped. The vampires helped to Sidious' house, but I was drugged and brought here . . ."

He tightened his arms around her. She rested her head on his shoulder. Small tremors shook her body. His mind whirled as he thought over what she had just said. What she had revealed.

Twins. They had a daughter. A little girl.

Leia.

He couldn't help but think of Luke. His sweet little Luke and how much he loved his son. What was his daughter like? Did she like flowers and animals like her brother? Did she sit quietly and listen to stories? Or . . . Did she even know love and kindness? Where was she? Who had her?

He didn't know for sure, but he would find her. Just as he had found his wife, he would find his daughter. He would reunite his family.

His anger was swelling. His fangs were growing long and sharp. All this time Sidious had known about Padmé. He had put on that fake smile and acted concerned. He had known. He had taken Padmé. Had her hidden in the desert. And now he had learned the Jedi had taken his daughter. Had she been made into a knight?

This world would burn to the ground if it had to. Darth Vader was tired of loss and separation. It was time for reuniting.