Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars. I just created my own little AU sandbox to play in.
AN: Here's part 12! Thanks for all the amazing reviews, as usual. Enjoy this next installment and let me know what you think!
Wicked Planet: A Forever Destined Vignette
Part 12/?
Once they arrived at Varykino, it was unfortunately almost dusk and the sun dipped low in the sky. It was clear that they would have to wait to do any digging in the meadow until tomorrow, but that did not dampen their moods at all. In fact, they would use the opportunity to enjoy a romantic respite together in a place they both loved, a place where their love had for each other had flourished and where their souls had become entwined in the bonds of eternal love. They knew now it was because they were destined to be together and the fact that more answers possibly were lying in the very place where their hearts had become one was all the more appropriate.
As the ferry docked, he helped her off and onto the steps that led them up to balcony of the castle like house that belonged to them. Padme was forever grateful that her Grandfather Winama had taken the necessary precautions to make sure Varykino could never be taken from her. Ruwee and Governor Danae had in fact tried to claim the property so they could sell it, but her grandparents had made sure Jobal's name was no where on the deed, so Ruwee would never have a claim to it and with the security team that had been hired by Governor Bibble during her term as Princess of Theed, it foiled any of their plans to loot the house, like they had with her Grandmother's mansion. Varykino was a place that she had always been safe and knew that they always would be. They stopped at the railing of the balcony and gazed out at the sunset over the water, which was always a breathtaking sight to behold. Pinks, purples, and orange hues cast a reflection on the water and was a vision of the purest beauty of nature.
"Come on, let's go in and make something to eat and then we can cuddle by the fire," she suggested, with a soft smile, as she gazed up at him.
"Sounds like the perfect evening," he replied, as they joined hands and journeyed inside. Their kids and family members would be sleeping in Theed tonight and they would see them tomorrow when they rejoined them. But for now, it was just the two of them and they would enjoy a much needed evening of being together and alone.
Kimberly finished bandaging Sav's leg and smiled warmly at him.
"It has healed very nicely. You shouldn't even need the bandage in a day or two," Kimberly told him. He smiled at her.
"Well, it's all thanks to you then. Anyone who is lucky enough to have their injuries treated by you will be very grateful. You are an amazing healer…and an amazing woman," Sav said passionately, as he gazed at her with a gleam in his eyes that made Kimberly uncomfortable. She turned away.
"That's very kind of you to say, but it's nothing really. I'm the one that is honored to be able to help people," Kimberly replied. He smiled.
"You are far too humble, Kimberly, but I suppose that's what makes you so amazing," he replied, as he stood up.
"I'd like you to let me thank you for everything by joining me for dinner tonight," Sav invited. Kimberly's heart clenched. She was afraid of this and it hurt her that she was going to have gently let him down.
"That's very sweet of you Sav, but I am afraid I must decline," Kimberly replied. Sav looked hurt, but not surprised.
"Is this because of Organa?" he asked, a little too gruffly.
"Yes, Shane is my boyfriend," Kimberly replied honestly.
"I guess I didn't realize you two were so exclusive. Surely a small dinner date with someone else wouldn't do any harm," Sav suggested.
"I'm sorry, but I have very deep feelings for Shane and I could never betray him like that. I hope you understand," Kimberly replied.
"What I understand is that I really like you and I would really like to get the chance to know each other. Won't you reconsider?" he pressured. Kimberly was starting to get very uncomfortable and she nervously stumbled, knocking a few patient datapads onto the floor. She sighed and bent down to pick them up, while Sav helped her. While they were knelt down, his hand purposely brushed hers.
"Surely you feel the connection between us, Kimberly. I'm only asking for one simple date," Sav said, an edge in his voice that frightened her.
"I'm sorry Sav, but I don't have the same feelings for you that you seem to have for me and I am truly sorry. But I'm with Shane and I love him," Kimberly replied. That was not what Sav wanted to hear.
"If you gave me a chance, I think you would feel differently. Join me tonight, please," he pleaded, a new darkness in his voice that she had not heard before.
"She said no, for the umpteenth time," a deep male voice snapped. Sav suppressed a growl, as he stood up and came face to face with Shane Organa.
"This isn't any of your concern, Lord Organa," Sav spat sarcastically about the title that was officially Shane's as part of the Organa Royal Family.
"Actually, I prefer General Organa, if your going to toss fancy titles around," Shane spat back, referring to his position as commander of the Royal Alderaanian Navy, just under Bail, of course.
"And she is the woman I love, so this is most certainly my concern when someone is scaring her," Shane spat with a sharp edge in his tone. Sav looked at Kimberly and noticed the fear in her eyes. And what he felt honestly surprised him. He liked it! He was a Dathomirian male and no woman had ever feared him, but she was frightened by him and it made him feel powerful like he never felt before. And just a tiny taste of that power had already intoxicated him. He wanted to feel that all the time. But he was not a complete fool and knew that Organa, even though he wasn't a Jedi, was a formidable opponent. He would have to play this carefully.
"She told you no and instead of pressuring her further, you should have been a gentlemen and politely accepted her answer. How dare you frighten her like this!" Shane yelled.
"Shane…it's okay. I'm okay," Kimberly assured him, as she touched his arm. He calmed slightly.
"If you're a smart man, then you'll leave her alone and consider yourself extremely lucky that you're dealing with me right now, for if it had been Master Skywalker that had walked in to see you frightening his daughter the way you were, then you would probably be in the palace dungeon right about now," Shane spat. Sav sobered. He was right. He had foolishly forgotten about the Chosen One. He would have to play this more carefully than he originally thought.
"You're right…I am deeply sorry Milady, please forgive me," Sav said, faking his regret. Kimberly nodded.
"It's all right, no harm done," Kimberly replied, as Sav left quietly. Kimberly sighed deeply, as Shane put a hand on her shoulder.
"Are you all right?" he asked. She nodded.
"I'm fine, thanks to you," she replied, as she kissed his cheek. She continued picking up the datapads and noticed that one of them was on. And even though she knew she shouldn't read the confidential information, she already was, because of the patient name.
"What is it?" he asked.
"It's Callista's exam results. I didn't know she saw a healer. I shouldn't be reading this," Kimberly said, as her eyes widened.
"What?" Shane asked, perplexed.
"Callista is pregnant," Kimberly stated in shock, as she quickly turned the datapad off.
"I shouldn't have done that," Kimberly chided herself.
"Kim, what else did you see? There's something else, I can tell," Shane said, seeing the horror on her face.
"It says that she's planning to have an abortion at her next appointment in two days," Kimberly whispered to him. Shane sighed.
"And I suppose she doesn't plan to tell Luke or your parents," Shane concluded.
"Of course not, she only cares about herself," Kimberly spat bitterly.
"What are you going to do?" he asked. She shrugged.
"What can I do? I wasn't even supposed to see that. If I tell anyone, I could get into a lot of trouble for violating a patient's confidence. But if I don't…" she trailed off.
"Luke deserves to know," Shane said.
"What should I do?" she asked. He sighed.
"Tell your Mom. She'll know what to do," Shane told her. Kimberly nodded uncertainly. He was right. If she told her Mother, somehow, she knew things could be set right. Her parents had a way about them like that.
"Come on, let's get out of here for a while. There's a quiet little café in Theed where we can get something to eat. You up for that?" he asked. She smiled and nodded.
"Of course, especially if it's with you," she replied, as they left together.
She was dreaming again. It seemed the more she learned about the past, the more memories of her life as Padmia surfaced in her dreams. It was a surreal experience, but what she didn't know, was that this dream would confuse her and shock her to the core at the same time…
Padmia's flowing gown and soft chestnut curls billowed in the breeze, as she watched with happy tears welling her eyes. Her beloved was home once again and his laugh made her heart swell with love and happiness. He was embracing their toddlers with hugs and a huge grin on his face. And her children were ecstatic that their Daddy was home at last and so was she. Her heart ached for him and she once again cursed this horrible war that kept them unwillingly apart. She could wait no longer and ran to him, practically leaping into his arms. He caught her and their lips met passionately.
"My love…I've missed you…" she whispered, as he tears fell down her cheeks.
"I know, I have missed you more than I can describe, my angel. This war tears at my soul, but your love mends it. I fear I would lose my mind without you," he told her, as they gazed deeply into each other's eyes.
"Well, we're together again, and nothing is going to come between us," she assured him, as she hugged him. But as she opened her eyes, looking behind him, she suddenly noticed a dark shadowed figure.
"Anakyn…" she whispered. Her husband's body had gone rigidly still, as he turned to the figure he had sensed, holding her tightly in his arms. She pulled their little ones back, as he stood in front of them. The shadow came into the light and Padmia did a double take. The other man looked almost exactly like her husband, yet very different in many ways. His facial features were very similar, yet with a sharp, dark edge to them. His hair was black as night and his eyes glowed yellow. He grinned and it was horrifyingly evil.
"Hello cousin," he sneered.
"You are no cousin of mine, dark one," Anakyn spat.
"Our Mother's…our creators are sisters, after all, one dark and one light. We are their offspring, one dark and one light. And I've come to make sure the dark wins out this time," he hissed.
"I will never let you succeed now that you've finally shown yourself. I see you've finally found some courage, for you were perfectly content before to stalk my beloved from the shadows!" Anakyn roared.
"She will be mine and then I will gain ultimate power!" the dark one roared in response.
"I will never let you succeed, evil one. You will never touch her!" Anakyn roared. Padmia screamed and shielded their little ones, as battle erupted between them. And that's when she heard the eerily familiar, unwelcome voice of the man that stalked her, even in his disembodied form.
"You will belong to me this time, Padme. Of that, I am certain," Sifo-Dyas hissed. Padme gasped at the realization, putting the pieces together…
Padme jolted awake and sat up in bed, a cold sweat covering her skin. She heaved air into her lungs and clutched the sheet around her unclothed body. She looked down at her sleeping husband, surprised that she had not disturbed his sleep. But she was grateful for that, knowing he worried so deeply about her when she had these dreams. He was so attentive and tuned to her, so she guessed it wouldn't be long before he awoke. She searched the floor for something to wear and smiled dreamily, as she saw the scattered clothes. Their need and passion had taken hold of them, as it often did, and they had made love for hours. She picked up her husband's brown tunic and inhaled his masculine musky scent that she knew and loved. She put his tunic on, which was far too big and came almost to her knees. He was always marveling at how tiny and petite she was, yet how perfect they fit together. Her thoughts drifted back to her dream, as she stared out the window in their bedroom.
"It makes sense," Padme whispered, as she looked back at her husband.
"Two sons, one light and one dark. Sifo-Dyas is the dark son…or he is possessed by the dark son," Padme whispered to herself.
"Angel…" Anakin called sleepily, as she turned her head toward him. She returned to bed and sat down beside him, caressing his cheek softly.
"Sorry to wake you, my love," Padme apologized, as she leaned down and pressed her lips to his.
"You had another nightmare. You should have woke me," he replied, as he sat up and took her in his arms.
"I hate that I keep waking you in the dead of night, because my psyche seems to be the past's chosen venue to impart so called secrets," Padme spat, rather bitterly.
"I hate that you're tormented by these dreams, more than you know. But I would absolutely never forgive myself if I could not be there to comfort you afterward, especially just for a few more hours of sleep," he replied. She smiled at him.
"They're not always bad, at least they don't always start that way. And they usually reveal some very startling information. This one was definitely no different," she said, as she drew a shaky breath.
"What did you see?" he asked, as he tightened his protective hold around her.
"I…I think it's better if you see it for yourself," she replied. He nodded and pressed a kissed to her forehead, before taking her hands in his own and pressing his forehead to hers. Through their bond, he saw the dream replaying in her mind as clearly as she had experienced it. Padme heard her husband gasp, as he learned what she had and his eyes flew open. They looked at each other for several moments, before he finally spoke.
"A dark son…" he uttered, trying to let the implications sink in.
"I think for some reason, at the end of the legend that I read, the one contained the Jedi Archives, that something concerning the birth of the dark son was omitted," Padme suggested.
"But Anakyn killed his Aunt, the embodiment of the dark side," he replied.
"But the light side had a son…you. There is a very strong possibility that the dark side had a son as well. It's probably another thing that's hidden in the diary," Padme concluded. He nodded.
"You're probably right, which means, since Sifo-Dyas has only read the part of the legend that you've read, he might not have always been aware that he was this dark son. I'm sure he is now, given his obsession with you," Anakin replied.
"That's what I thought too. Maybe he wasn't born the dark son, but somewhere along the line, the dark son chose him as a vessel," Padme reasoned.
"The part I don't get, first of all, is why? He wasn't evil, for one thing. Grandfather first suggested that he was manipulated by the Sith when we first found out that he ordered the creation of the Clone army, but why has the dark son stuck with him all this time?" Anakin wondered. Padme had no answer, as she was wondering the same thing.
"For all intents and purposes, Maul killed him and he fell into the Nabooan ocean where he was later fished out. To me, it would have seemed easier for the dark presence to simply find a new host. Then the same thing happened again after Falleen. He clung to that mangled corpse for revival, rather than just finding a new host. It doesn't make much sense," Anakin concluded. She nodded.
"You're right and if my dream is any indication, I have a feeling that we're going to find out why soon. I…I just don't know what my Grandmother has to do with all this. She didn't know Sifo-Dyas," Padme said.
"No, but she knew something and I think it's in her diary. We'll know more tomorrow," he replied, as he kissed her cheek. She sighed.
"Too bad it's still too dark to go digging. I'm pretty restless now. I'm not sure I can go back to sleep," Padme said. He smiled and caressed her thigh.
"Who says we should go back to sleep?" he asked, giving her a roguish smirk. She smiled mischievously.
"I do love the way you think, my handsome Knight," she replied. He kissed her passionately.
"No matter what we learn, good or bad, our love will prevail over anything, even the darkest of evils," he promised, as he caressed her cheek softly, quietly admiring her alluring, incredible beauty. She gazed into his sapphire eyes, as she too admired his handsome, chiseled features.
"I know…our love is destiny and it will save the galaxy," Padme said.
"You're right…but for tonight, it's just us. The galaxy can wait," Anakin replied, as he drew her lips into another kiss and the passion erupted between them again, completely and effortlessly. Tomorrow, they would find new answers and possibly solve mysteries. But for tonight, they would revel and surrender to their love for each other.
Elana stepped off the ship onto the landing pad. The palace staff was waiting somberly to greet the Countess and her family. It was a sad day for Serenno when they had lost their beloved Count, but they were reassured by the fact that one of his grandchildren would be falling into his footsteps and would be groomed for the position by their current Countess. The news that Ryoo Kenobi would one day become Countess had broken less than twenty-four hours ago. Now, the Countess, her son Qui-Gon, his wife, and the Kenobi family, with the exception of Ryoo's sister, who was also the Queen of Naboo, had arrived home on Serenno. In the days to come, it was reported that the Skywalker family would join them for the funeral ceremony and wake for Dooku and then the gala that would be held the next day for Serenno's elite to come and meet the future Countess.
"Are you okay, sweetheart?" Sola asked her oldest daughter, as they trekked into the palace.
"Yeah, I'm just not sure Grandpa picked the right person for all this," Ryoo replied with uncertainty lacing her voice.
"Well, then you're the only one," Sola told her.
"She's right, young one," Obi-Wan added. Ryoo looked to her parents.
"But I have no idea what I'm supposed to do," Ryoo said. Elana put her hands on Ryoo's shoulders.
"That's why I'm here, sweetheart. And your Grandfather and I absolutely have chosen the right person to carry on for us. And I'm still here to teach you all you'll need to know," Elana told her. She smiled.
"Thanks Grandma," Ryoo replied, as she sniffed.
"I miss him," she whispered.
"Oh me too, my sweet girl," Elana replied.
"He'll always be with us," Qui-Gon reminded them, as they journeyed toward the residence wing to settle in.