A/N: Yet another new story. This one wont be all that long. It came to me in a dream and will be my first pure romance fic...

Charlie.

Padmè had never been to Gallinore and she was quite surprised by it's lush beauty, a tropical rain forest covering the planet. Vader had landed the ship in a private landing platform surrounded by the thick rain forest. At one side of the platform was a narrow path. Padmè held the little girl as Dormè walked beside her while they followed Vader through the path, having instructed several guards to unload the ship and to bring everything to the house. To Padmè, who had yet to say a word, the path seemed to go on forever until a clearing appeared an a large Moroccan style villa came into view, the details ornate and colorful with a water fountain in the middle of of colorful tiled courtyard. Servants lined up to greet them. Padmè was taken aback by the sheer beauty of the place, quite shocked that Vader would own such a place.

"Outher has gone out for supplies, My Lord, we were quite surprised by your unexpected arrival," the housekeeper, a woman that reminded her of the housekeeper of her family's Lake retreat.

"Have bedrooms set up for Senator Amidala and her handmaiden and one small room for the child," Vader instructed.

"Of course, My Lord," the housekeeper replied and signaled to the servants.

"I've never seen anything like it, Milady," Dormé whispered.

"Neither have I," Padmè agreed as they entered the house which was even more beautiful and detailed than before. They walked into a large ding room with an ornate picture window that overlooked a beautifully tiled terrace and pool deck surrounded by the lush rain forest. She set the child down and walked over to Vader. "It certainly is remote," she commented.

"No one knows its here, you'll be safe," Vader assured her.

"I believe you, I don't know why, I just do," Padmè told him.

"I can only stay here for short periods at a time before people start to search for me," Vader told her.

That piece of information gave Padmè mixed feelings. She still feared him and her life was in his hands, but she had so many questions if this really was Anakin. "Thank you," she said.

Vader turned to where a bowl of tropical fruit had been placed in the middle of the table and took one before moving outside.

Dormè approached her mistress. "Can you really trust him, Milady?" she asked.

"I don't think that I have a choice right now," Padmè told her. "But do I believe him." she turned to examine the details of the room. "It is beautiful here and we could be in worst places," she said, her eyes going out to where Vader stood alone. Questions raging through her mind. She then felt her skirts being tugged and looked down to see the little girl, Aidia, looking up at her with wide blue eyes.

"I'm hungry," Aidia informed her.

Padmè knelt down in front of the child. "Would you like a piece of fruit?" she asked.

Aidia bobbed her head up and down silently, her blond curls bouncing around her head.

Padmè stood and helped the child to a seat at the table , picked up a knife and a plate, picking out one of the pieces of fruit and cut it up into bite size pieces, just as she had done for her nieces. As she set the plate in front of the child, she looked up, seeing that Vader was watching her. She walked out to the terrace to join him. "How long will I need remain here?" she asked.

"I'm not sure," Vader admitted. "The Emperor wants you dead and he can be very single minded. I don't think he would rest until you are dead," he told her.

"And what about you? What will he do when he finds out that you helped me?" Padmè asked.

Vader turned away. "He won't," he told her.

Padmè watched him silently. He didn't seem much like the man who has been terrorizing the galaxy for three years, nor did he seem like the villain that many believe him to be, that Obi-Wan believes him to be. He seemed like a different person, much like... "I would like to believe that," she told him. Vader didn't say anything to that. "How often will you be here?" she asked.

"Every two weeks," Vader answered.

Padmè nodded. She wanted to say something but anything that she could have said died in her throat.

"Aidia will need a few things but I'm not entirely certain what young girls need," he told her.

"I can take care of that," she told him.

Vader nodded. "I'll set up an account for you to use," he told her, going back into the house, leaving Padmè to watch him leave, perplexed by his behavior.

*~*~*

Dinner that evening was pleasant, considering the circumstances. Padmè kept glancing in Vader's direction as she conferred with Dormè while Aidia kept fidgeting and playing with her food.

"You should eat," Vader told the child.

Aidia looked at him. "How did you know my mommy?" she asked quietly.

Vader was quiet for a moment, not wanting to get into the particulars with a child, especially with Padmè present. "She was a friend," he said at last.

"But I never saw you before," Aidia pointed out.

To that Padmè glanced at him, waiting for an answer to that. Vader ignored her. "I've been busy," he told the child. "Now eat," he commanded.

Aidia frowned, not understanding, but began eating nonetheless.

"Will she remain here?" Dormè asked, looking at Vader.

"Yes," Vader answered. "It would be unwise for me to be seen with her," he said after a moments thought.

"Does she have any other family?" Padmè asked.

"No. She has no one," Vader answered.

Padmè looked at Aidia and she didn't have to be force sensitive to know that the comment had hurt her feelings. "Shouldn't you be more sensitive when speaking to and around her?" she pointed out.

Vader looked at her, but didn't say anything. It didn't take a genius to know that he knew nothing about children which made Padmè wonder why the child's mother asked him to take care of her child as she died. It was puzzling.

*~*~*

"This is all that I could find, Milady," Dormè said, holding an old blouse.

Padmè looked over to her. "That'll do, Dormè," she told her and turned back to where Aidia was finishing her bath. "If you stay in there any longer you'll get all wrinkly," she said.

Aidia shook her head disbelievingly. "Na ah," she said and splashed some more water.

"If you come out of there, we can go look for a snack," Padmè suggested. "Something sweet," she put in.

"Okay!" Aidia agreed excitedly getting out of the bath and letting Padmè dry her off and dress her in the blouse that was too large for her three year old frame. She picked the child up and carried her through the villa to where she figured the kitchen to be, startled to see Vader sitting at the middle counter, eating a piece of fluffy aircake.

"She looks ridiculous," Vader said, seeing the way the too big blouse dwarfed the child.

Padmè frowned his insensitive comment. She didn't say anything, making sure that Aidia was sitting on a stool before she found the rest of the aircake in a cake dish on one of the counters. She cut a slice and put it on a plate that she had to search for and searched for a fork, finding the utensils in the sixth drawer she opened. She opened the refrigeration unit finding several jugs, one filled with what she recognized as blue milk, and after finding the cups, poured some of the milk into one before placing both the cake and milk in front of Aidia.

"You're nice like my mommy," Aidia told her.

"I hope so," Padmè replied.

"And pretty too," Aidia told her.

"Thank you," Padmè told her.

"He thinks so too," Aidia added.

Padmè glanced at Vader to see him frowning. She turned back to Aidia. "What makes you think that?" she asked.

"He's thinking it," Aidia informed her.

It struck Padmè then that Aidia was force sensitive which put her in extreme danger. But if that was so, then why was Vader protecting her when his mandate was to eliminate every force sensitive he could find? "You shouldn't read the thoughts of others," she told the child.

"Why?" Aidia asked.

"Because it isn't nice, especially when you tell others about it," Padmè explained.

"Okay," Aidia said. "I wont do it again," she told her.

"What do you say?" Padmè prompted.

Aidia looked at her, her big blue eyes widening before she looked over at Vader. "I'm sorry," she said, hoping that he would forgive her.

Padmè looked at Vader expectantly, waiting for him to respond, nicely, but he didn't. Instead he picked up his now dirty dishes and put them in the sink before leaving the kitchen. Padmè frowned at his retreating back, hardly believing that this man was really the sweet little boy she had met thirteen years ago. She turned back to see Aidia trying not to cry.

"I didn't mean to..."

Padmè put her arms around the child. "It's alright, he knows that you didn't mean it, don't pay attention to when he doesn't act nice," she assured the child.

Aidia nodded. "Okay," she said.

Padmè pulled the cake closer to the child. "Here, this will make you feel all better," she said.

"Okay," Aidia said, not sounding too sure.

Padmè gave a little smile. "I wouldn't lie to you," she assured her.

Aidia believed her. "Okay," she said, starting to eat the cake.

*~*~*

After effectively putting Aidia to bed, Padmè sat with Dormè on the terrace, drinking tea and enjoying the smell, sights, and sounds of the surrounding rain forest, especially the fact that they could see the stars and the light from the moons. She had finished relaying the scene in the kitchen to Dormè who wasn't pleased either.

"That man is ruthless, callous, cold, dangerous, and completely unfit to be in charge of such a delicate child. The poor thing just lost her only family and he doesn't have the decency to be nice or comforting to her," Dormè ranted. "I just have to wonder what her mother was thinking when asking him to look after her child."

Padmè sipped from tea before making a reply. "There has to be a reason, I'm sure. A mother wouldn't ask just anyone to take care of her child," she said.

"The excuse that he and the mother were friends is a lousy excuse. I sincerely doubt that he has the proper social skills to even have friends," Dormè told her.

Padmè took another sip of tea to conceal her smile. "It is contradicting," she agreed.

"I'm surprised that you don't have something to say, Milady," Dormè told her, taking a sip of her tea.

"I'm just wondering why he is the way he is. Why he serves the Emperor and why he is protecting anyone," Padmè told her.

"I'm sure that he has ulterior motives, someone like him... doesn't help anyone without wanting something in return. For that reason alone, I truly worry about you, Milady," Dormè told her.

"For some odd reason, I don't think that he'll harm me, but a part of me is weary," Padmè told her.

"You should worry, Milady. I do," Dormè told her.

"And I think that you worry too much," Padmè told her. "I do know how to take care of myself, remember," she reminded her.

"But he has an advantage that I have no doubt he would use against you," Dormè told her. "I would trust Master Kenobi more than him, at least we would know that we could trust the Jedi," she pointed out.

"Dormè! Don't speak of such things, not here," Padmè chastised her.

"Forgive me, Milady," Dormè told her.

"You're forgiven, but you must be mindful of what you say and think now," Padmè told her.

"Of course, Milady," Dormè replied.

"I am tired, I think that I might retire," Padmè told her, draining her cup and uncoiling herself from the lounge chair before going back into the house. Dormè doing the same, not wishing to be alone.

Once they were gone, Vader emerged from the foliage after his walk. Having heard the entire conversation.