Author Note: Ok guys, thanks for all your reviews, they are great to read. Istill don't have much time but basically let me point out the two paths the story could have taken...for no reason other than the fact that I feel like it!
Path 1 (the Dark Side, if you like): Padme leaves Vader and runs back to Naboo where she is hidden by her family, but thanks to the manacles Vader finds her again...
or
Path 2 (the Light side): Padme takes pity on Vader and takes him back to his appartment to care for him.
So which path did Padme choose? We know that in the movies Anakin chose the Dark Side - though obviously not for those reasons - but will Padme choose the same?
Why not find out now! And Enjoy!
oOo
C-3PO and R2-D2 stood at the doorway that seperated the living room from the balcony in Vader's appartment. They glanced out at the Coruscant skyline with its endless lines of traffic and constant noise. There was never a peacefull day on this planet.
Vader was out on the balcony, sulking and feeling sorry for himself as he nursed his wounds. Behind him, Padme rushed about the appartment, gathering bits and pieces together, and from her sharp movements, both droids knew that they would do well to keep a fair distance from the upset and angry young woman. She may have taken pity on Vader and brought him back to his appartment, but that didn't mean that she was happy about being enslaved again - especially as Vader was very reluctant to show any gratitude for her help.
As she passed Threepio, she dropped a cloth, which he picked up for her. She smiled at him to show that it was not him who had upset her, and he felt slightly relieved. Vader was already angry at him for letting her escape in the first place. He didn't need anyone else to be angry with him too.
But then the sense of calm that he had felt from that last exchange was washed away a moment later when Padme went out onto the balcony and crouched beside the wounded Vader, addressing him in a tone that reminded him that she was not in the best of moods.
"Now hold still. This might sting."
She dipped a cloth into the bowl of bacta, rung it out a little and then pressed it to the gash on Vader's arm. He yelled in pain and jerked his arm away, sending Padme backwards so that she ended up sitting on the floor a little way away.
"OW! THAT HURT!" he bellowed at her.
"WELL IF YOU'DE HOLD STILL, MAYBE IT WOULDN'T HURT AS MUCH!" She retaliated. Somehow she didn't feel frightened anymore, and the sooner she let Vader know it, the sooner he'd stop shouting at her and trying to intimidate her. Vader paused a moment then fought back with his own response.
"WELL MAYBE IF YOU HADN'T RUN AWAY, I WOULDN'T HAVE GOT HURT!"
"MAYBE IF YOU HADN'T FRIGHTENED ME, I WOULDN'T HAVE RUN AWAY!" She shot back defiantly and sat there glaring at him as he opened his mouth to say something, realised he couldn't say anything and closed his mouth again, choosing instead to give her the most evil glare that he could manage. But this didn't phase Padme either as she took a deep breath and her voice softened again.
"Now hold still," she said, gently taking his arm in her hand and pressing the cloth to it again. Vader gritted his teeth against the pain and tried to pull away, but she held his wrist tight, forcing him to accept the pain, and once the stinging had died down, he realised that it was actually quite soothing.
Feeling him relax, Padme let go of his wrist and continued to gently dab and clean the cut as he sulked in his chair.
There was silence for a long while as Padme cleaned the wound and then dressed it, wrapping a bandage tightly round his arm. As she was doing this, she glanced back up at Vader who was trying hard to look anywhere but at her. Deciding that it would be best if she made the first move, she cleared her throat a little and said "I...erm...I want to thank you...for saving my life."
Vader did look at her now, but his expression showed surprise, not rage. "Thats...thats alright," he replied at last, and his tone had softened considerably too.
And then he realised that he should really thank her too, so swallowing his pride, he then added "I'm glad you came back...and I'm grateful that you helped me..."
There, he'd said it. Now perhaps he could go back to sulking in peace. But Padme clearly wasn't going to let it drop.
"You saved my life...again. What was I supposed to do. I couldn't leave you out there."
"But you could have. You had the perfect opportunity to escape and I wouldn't have been able to stop you. Why did you come back?"
"I don't know. Although now I think about it, maybe it wasn't such a bad idea."
She smiled at him then, and it was a genuine smile, which he soon found was working its way onto his lips too. He did his best to fight it, but in the end gave up and sighed, as he made a decision that would prove just how much Padme wanted to stay.
"If I didn't make you wear the collar anymore, would you promise me that you'de not run away?" He tried to sound casual, but inside he was hoping so badly that she would agree.
She pondered it for a while and then replied "Yes," and he could tell that she meant it. She wasn't just trying to please him, so he nodded happily.
"From now on, you don't have to wear the collar...and you are free to go wherever you like in the building, as long as you do not go outside at all. Is that fair?"
"Yes," she replied as she cleared away the bowl of bacta and other items that she'd gathered earlier. And then, as an after thought, she added "Thank you."
"Don't mention it," he replied with a smile as he watched her go back into the kitchen.