Vader could feel his stomach churning as they nervously approached an estate as large as Varykino, but further inland. He took hold of Padmé's soft flesh hand with his metal one and noted that she, too, was shaking. He squeezed her hand just hard enough that she would feel it, but not so hard that the metal would crush her fingers.
"Are you sure you're ready for this?" Vader asked, secretly hoping that she would suggest that they should turn back and run away into the sunset together.
"Yes," Padmé responded to his dismay. "It's now or never."
They climbed a set of stone steps together and knocked on the door. Every ounce of Vader's body trembled as he heard someone unlocking it from the other side. He grimaced at the thought that he could stare people in their eyes as they met their deaths at his hand, but could not meet his fiancée's parents.
Squeals of joy soon erupted as a number of people, all significantly smaller than Vader, filtered outside to hug and kiss Padmé. The first one to acknowledge his presence was the only man in the group. Vader assessed his stare and tapped into the man's emotions. He sensed a bit of fear, likely from his looming stance and scarred face. Or perhaps it was the metal arm and leg, or that his hair only covered half his head. The last time his appearance had bothered him this much was the first time he had been unmasked by Padmé on Hoth.
"Hi, I'm John," said Vader, extending his flesh hand to the small older man. He had agreed not to wear gloves at the wishes of Padmé.
"Ruwee Naberrie," the man responded, shaking Vader's hand with a surprising amount of force. "And this is my wife, Jobal, and my other daughter, Sola."
Ruwee gestured to the women, who nodded their heads to Vader, clearly not sure what to say or do in this situation.
"Well, shall we go inside then?" Jobal suggested, breaking the awkward silence, and the party agreed.
Ruwee and Padmé gave Vader a brief courtesy tour of the mansion before circling back to the kitchen area, where Sola, Jobal, and…two children…were finishing preparations on a meal.
Vader hated children. He hated them because they reminded him of his initiation, one of the first tasks he had to complete as the dark lord…Order 66. He had killed so many children, some younger than these girls. Of the many wrongdoings he wished he could reverse in his past, this would be at the top of the list.
The younger girl hid behind Sola's leg at the sight of him, but the older one approached him.
"Excuse me sir," she said, "but what happened to your face?"
"Ryoo!" Sola exclaimed, whacking the child on her back with a dish towel. "That is not an appropriate question. I am so sorry!"
"No, it's fine," Vader replied. "I would rather address it than have you all continue to stare."
Padmé's family squirmed uncomfortably and Padmé bit her lip. Vader would try to stick to the story they had devised, if only for her sake.
"I used to serve in the Imperial Army," Vader stated. "I was on the front lines of a particularly gruesome battle several years ago and this was the result. I am thankful for the Empire and their medical care for saving my life, but I felt that I could no longer risk my life for them after the pain it caused me. I knew that I could be branded as a traitor for running away, so I haven't stayed in one place for too long since. I understand that you may think this puts your daughter in danger, but I promise you that she is safe with me everywhere we go."
"That's quite the background you've got there, John," Ruwee responded. "I'm sure you are aware of Padmé's strong political views?"
"Oh, yes," Vader replied. "Though we may disagree on some aspects, I have nothing but the highest respect for her opinions and I am glad that she accepts me despite my past."
He caught Padmé glance at him with a confused expression. He concluded that it was the part about respecting her opinion that prompted the look and he immediately regretted the statement. It was a lie, of course. He did not respect any opinions of the Republic or the Rebellion and never would, but if this is what it would take to show Ruwee that he was not a threat to Padmé, he would go through the motions.
"Well," Jobal began, "John seems like a decent man and he is always welcome in our home, Padmé. Shall we eat?"
After an hour or so of mandatory dinner discussions and continuous expressions of how much Padmé's family missed her, Padmé was beginning to grow anxious. Vader had continued to tell lies about his life throughout the meal, and she was worried that she would forget one of them and blow his cover story. She calmed herself with the thought that perhaps he truly did respect her political beliefs, and was therefore capable of change.
Sola interrupted her thoughts.
"So, Padmé, you must tell us where you've been for all this time," her sister demanded. "We've all been extremely worried."
"Oh, you know, here and there," Padmé answered. "Like John said, he isn't exactly the most loved by the Empire and neither am I, so it's not safe for us to stay in one place for too long. We won't be staying here for more than a day or two, as it is putting you all in great danger."
"I truly wish you would give up this lifestyle, dear," her mother interjected. "We heard from some friends of yours that you spent some…uh…time with the Empire against your will."
Padmé noticed her glance briefly at Vader.
"You could have been killed," Jobal continued. "There are so many people in this galaxy
that care about you. I know that this must have been traumatic for you and we don't expect you to discuss your time with them. Just know that we are all very glad that you are home and we just don't want to see something like this happen again."
"And John is one of those people that cares about me," Padmé responded using her Senator voice. "He's right – I am completely safe with him. I am wanted by the Empire either way, so it's better to be on the run together than alone. And we actually have something else to tell you."
Padmé grasped Vader's hand beneath the table, took a deep breath, and calmed her tone.
"John and I are engaged," she said.
Her family's expressions alternated between shock, uncertainty, and excitement.
"Well, congratulations then!" Ruwee exclaimed. "If this is truly what the two of you want, then of course we will support it in any way we can."
"I wish Darred could have been here to witness this moment!" said Sola. "I'm sure the kids will tell him all about it when he gets home from work."
Ryoo and Pooja giggled, and Padmé couldn't help but smile at her nieces. She doubted that Vader would ever want children, but she was alright with that. She was always more devoted to her politics, and this was no climate to raise kids in. As she tried to picture Vader with a child and laughed, she suddenly felt queasy with a sense of impending dread.
"What day is it?" she asked aloud.
"What's that dear?" Jobal asked.
"What is the date?" Padmé inquired again.
"Why, it's the 22nd, of course," her mother answered.
The queasiness turned into nausea, which progressed to a need to excuse herself from the table. This was not good. Really, really not good.
Vader sensed Padmé's uneasiness and awkwardly excused himself to follow her outside. But as he pushed the door open and stepped into the sunlight, he sensed another uneasy presence close by. A very strong, very familiar presence that he did not particularly like. The rage boiled to his head as if automatic and he placed his hand near his lightsaber.
"Wait here," he instructed Padmé as he took off down the steps, leaving her no time for questions.
Vader brushed through sets of trees and stepped over rocks until he was a safe distance from the house and waited. The old friend would come to him soon enough.
"You're not a hard man to find," Obi-Wan said, emerging through the brush.
"I've asked you twice before to leave me alone," Vader seethed. "I don't know why we have to make it three."
"My intentions are not hostile," Obi-Wan responded, maintaining his distance. "I am here to warn you. The Emperor has dispatched every man and creature under his command across the galaxies to find you. Everyone knows you're alive. You're not safe here, and neither is Padmé. You need to get off the grid now before troops land on Naboo and start asking questions. I can stay here and protect Padmé…"
Vader pulled out his saber, barely resisting the urge to ignite it and slice down his former mentor.
"Padmé stays with me," Vader stated. "I am her protector now."
"What do you expect?" Obi-Wan shouted. "You can't keep running forever! Look how easy it was for me to track you down. This will happen everywhere you go, and from someone that you want to see even less than you want to see me. He will find you and when he does, he will kill her and you know that."
Vader ignited his saber and slashed a tree branch in his anger. He did not want to admit that the man was right.
"Then it's time," Vader declared.
"In that case, let me accompany you," said Obi-Wan. "I will summon Master Yoda. You'll need backup and we're the only ones with a fighting chance against the Emperor. I can radio Mon Mothma and have her remaining forces surround the Imperial Palace as a distraction. Padmé will never have to know."
"Never have to know what?" an angry woman's voice chimed in as Padmé herself stepped forward.
Vader cursed himself for not paying more attention and taking note of her presence.
"I'm facing Sidious," Vader replied honestly. "I don't have a choice."
"Fine," Padmé responded, crossing her arms. "But I only approve of this if you take Masters Obi-Wan and Yoda."
"There's a strong chance your friends could die, Padmé," Vader explained, attempting to soothe his tone.
"And there's a chance that you could die too," said Padmé. "But having allies lessens that chance for all of you."
Vader stared at her, wondering how he could ever deny the request of something so beautiful. He could use this to his advantage…
"We have a deal," he responded, "on one condition."
"And what is that?" his angel asked.
Vader took a deep breath, desperately hoping that his eyes weren't glowing.
"Marry me…right now."
Hello everyone! I'm so sorry if you forgot what happened in the 7 months that I've neglected to post. So much has happened in my life and it doesn't feel like it's been that long. I'm back and will be uploading the final chapters soon. If you need to re-read, please take this time to go back and skim and enjoy this new chapter. Thank you to my fans for sticking around for this long! 3 years – so crazy! I love you all dearly. Xoxo Lyanna
