I am alone in the bed when I wake up the next morning. Rolling onto my back, I look around the room for Padmé. She is sitting at a computer console, studying the data on the screen intently. I get out of bed quietly and steal up behind her.

"Good morning, Ani," she says without turning around.

I stop, surprised that she was able to detect my presence. "Impressive," I say, kissing her neck. "Most people wouldn't be able to hear me."

She turns in her chair and looks up at me. "Well I'm not most people, am I?" she replies with a smile.

I shake my head. "Oh no, you most certainly are not," I concur with a grin. "What are you looking at there?"

"The Imperial data net," she replies, turning back to the screen. "Just trying to familiarize myself with things. It's been a while since I knew what was going on in the galaxy."

I nod. "It's changed so much in the past 25 years," I comment. "And even in the past few months. I'm still getting caught up."

"I'm sure," she says. She stops as something catches her eye, and she brings up a page. "Would you look at this," she mutters with a shake of her head.

I turn my attention back to the screen and see an image of our daughter, under the headline: WANTED FOR HIGH TREASON.

"High treason?" Padmé says indignantly. "Is that what they are calling patriotism these days?" She frowns as she reads the particulars of the crimes Leia is wanted for by the Empire.

"You have to remember that in the eyes of the Empire, she is a traitor, Padmé," I tell her. "So is Luke."

"I know, I know," she sighs. "I guess it's just a little hard to swallow." She scrolls down the page and stops when she sees Luke's image. "There he is," she says. "Our son the traitor."

"Our children are dangerous enemies of the Empire," I tell her. "Between the two of them they have caused a lot of trouble for the Empire."

Padmé smiles. "Just when I thought I couldn't love them any more," she says.

I laugh. "They are quite the pair," I tell her.

She nods. "They are," she replies. "I miss them already."

"Yeah, so do I," I tell her.

She turns to me. "Is there some way we can send them a message?" she asks. "Or would that be too risky?"

I sit down beside her and think for a moment. "I don't see why not," I reply. "If you send it from my quarters if won't be intercepted," I tell her. "I have made sure of that."

"Let's go," she says, standing up.

She follows me into the adjoining room, stopping in her tracks when she sees the hyperbaric chamber.

I turn to her. "Welcome to the lair of the beast," I tell her.

She looks at me briefly, and then turns her eyes back to the chamber.

"What is that?" she asks.

"That, my love, is a hyperbaric chamber," I inform her. "I slept in one of those, Padmé. That was the only place I could breathe without the mask."

"Oh, Anakin," she says, her voice hushed. "How awful…I can't imagine how terrible it must have been to be him."

I nod. "It was terrible, Padmé," I reply. "But do you know what the worst part of being Darth Vader was?"

"What, Ani?"

"Living with the belief that I had killed my beloved," I tell her. "Living with the guilt and the agony of losing you was far more painful than any injury I suffered on Mustafar."

Padmé makes no reply, but merely wraps her arms around my waist and presses her face against my bare chest. I hold her close, kissing the top of her head.

"Come," I tell her, leading her to the comm. "You can send your message from here. I need to get suited up."

"Alright," she says, sitting down. "But leave that awful mask off until I give you a proper kiss goodbye."

I grin. "Yes, Milady," I reply. "Send my love to Luke and Leia."

"I will."

I leave her and head for the closet where the dreaded black suit waits for me. I hate the very sight of it, for although I only wear it now as part of a scheme, it represents such a huge and utterly dark part of my life.

I sit on the chair beside Padmé and pull on the high black boots.

"Did you send it off?" I ask as I strap on the shin guards next.

She nods as she watches me. "Yes," she tells me. "I did." She sighs. "Should I come with you to the bridge?"

"No," I tell her as I stand up. "Stay here for now and learn all you can from the Imperial network. You might want to have a look at this, too," I add, taking a disc from a small box. "Palpatine's will."

She takes it from me. "What am I looking for?" she asks.

I shrug as I start fitting the neck guard on. "Anything that you think might help us," I tell her. "Palpatine kept many secrets, even from me. Perhaps he revealed some of them in there."

"We can only hope so," she replies, looking down at the disc.

"Well, time to get this farce underway," I say, taking up the mask.

"Not so fast," Padmé says, standing up. She runs her hands up over my leather clad chest, carefully avoiding the superfluous chest panel positioned there.

"When will I see you?" she asks as I wrap my arms around her.

"Soon," I tell her. "I doubt I'll be able to stay away from you for more than an hour or two," I add with a smile.

She laughs. "Good to know that I can still hold your interest," she says.

I lift an eyebrow. "My interest? My love, you can hold whatever part of me you wish," I tell her with a grin.

The look of shock on her face is priceless, and it causes me to burst out laughing. This earns me a smack on the arm.

"Ouch!" I protest half-heartedly. I take her wrists in my hands to prevent any further attack. "I'd almost forgotten what a firecracker you can be," I tease.

She cannot keep the pretense up any longer and laughs. I pull her hands up and around my neck, pulling her face close to mine in the process.

"You not only hold my interest, but my heart, my very soul," I tell her softly. "I am utterly lost without you, Padmé."

She smiles at me, and just as I bend to kiss her, the comm. sounds.

"Ignore it," I tell her, brushing my lips against her cheek.

But when it sounds again, I realize that I have no choice but to respond. My purpose here is, after all, to play the part of the Dark Lord; my desire for my wife must not interfere with that mission.

"Damn it," I mutter, releasing my wife. I walk over to the comm. and activate it.

"What?" I ask.

There is a pause, and I sense hesitation and confusion in the person who is attempting to contact me. "Lord Vader?" he asks. "Is that you?"

"Yes, what is it?" I ask. And then it hits me. The mask...

"Uh…this is the bridge sir," the voice reports. "We have a message from Captain Newmann, my lord."

"I'll be right there," I tell him, then click off the comm. I turn to Padmé. "I can't believe I forgot about the damn mask," I mutter.

"Oh no," she says her eyes wide. "Do you think he noticed?"

"More than likely," I reply. "I guess I'll have to use the old Jedi mind trick on him," I tell her with a smile.

"Ah yes," she says with a nod. "Handy thing that. Too bad it never worked on me," she adds with a grin.

I laugh as I pick up the mask again. "I told you, my love that it only works on the weak minded. And you are far far from that."

She smiles. "Here, let me help you with that," she says. I sit down and let her help me into the mask, the entire episode rather surreal. Before long I am locked within my black metal cage once again, as the sound of the breathing machine fills the room.

"I will see you later," I tell her, hugging her awkwardly.

"Okay," she replies. "Be careful."

"Always," I reply. I walk to the door and, after one last look at her, I leave.