AN: Alright. This one is going to be a favorite chapter. A quick shout out to Black Rose who didn't know the story was posted. I was wondering where she had been. Anywho, she brought out some good points in her review, all that are address by the end of this story. As for the narrow-mindedness… I say that if someone is stuck in their way the only way to combat them is to be stuck in your own even if you're willing to hear them out and that a 'Lady Dae' philosophy. Lol. Anyway. You brought up good points that I eventually address. Ooo. So much fun. This chapter is long. It wasn't supposed to be, but I had to add something to it and it became a 5k chapter.

Read, enjoy, and review!

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Chapter Eleven

Ahsoka was beginning to regret confiding her feelings to Vader as the tension levels went through the roof. Of course, it had only been a matter of time before this situation came up again. Their last proper reunion hadn't left room for many conversations and even though they both knew that (and in Ahsoka's case admitted) that they cared about each other more than they tried to show, they had never sat down to properly talk about it. They never had the chance. After a few days though, Ahsoka had the feeling that as usual Vader wasn't going to talk and therefore it was up to her to bring it up.

The opportunity for it didn't arise for a while though. All their time was taken up with finishing up her training and when he wasn't doing that, Vader was doing something for the empire. He really was a busy and tired man. No wonder he never wanted to do anything but relax and fix speeders with Leia when he would come home on Rumiyya, always got angry with her when she made a snide comment at him. And to think he had been doing this for the last five years. Finally though, she caught him one day sitting on the couch appearing to have dosed off a little. His suit was thrown haphazardly across a chair along with the mask and he hadn't bothered to put on a shirt.

She sighed, not having the heart to wake him and so sat down to observe him instead. He hadn't changed much in the last five years. Still the same old Vader for the most part, nothing like the drastic change she had seen when Leia was born. He looked worn out more than anything. Getting as close as she dared without disturbing him or sitting in his lap, she observed his facial features… Yeah, definitely worn. He had probably seen and done more in his forty-three years than most people did and saw in two or three lifetimes.

Twenty-three years, Ahsoka mused. It didn't seem like it had been that long since she met him. She idly traced her fingers on his chest careful not to disturb him or so she thought.

"What are you doing?" he asked suddenly with his eyes still closed. Ahsoka fell back onto the other end of the couch in surprise a blush coloring her cheeks.

"How long have you been awake?" she asked timidly.

"I was never asleep," he admitted.

Ahsoka put her hands on her cheeks to quell the heat that had risen to them feeling like a fourteen year old again, caught staring at her attractive Jedi Master.

"Did you want something?" he asked ignoring her embarrassment.

At this point, Ahsoka forgot everything she planned to say now a little bemused and amused by Vader's coldness and distance. She tilted her head in confusion.

"You know… I really don't get you," Ahsoka said dryly.

Vader looked at her and then to Ahsoka's surprise laughed. "What makes you say that?"

Ahsoka sighed. "Is it so hard for you to believe that someone loves you? You've barely spoken a word to me since I told you. What's your problem?"

Vader's amusement left and he said, "I learned a long time ago that loving someone doesn't stop them from betraying you. Trust me. It's not you."

Well at least he admitted he had issues with that.

"That's ridiculous. Haven't I proven anything in the last two decades!" Ahsoka snapped. "I turned on the Jedi twice for you. I gave you the location to the rebel base. I have nowhere else to turn to. Who am I going to betray you for?"

Vader stood up and started to walk away from her. "You'd be surprised."

Ahsoka followed and in effort to keep from slapping him, she laughed.

"I don't believe this… What are you so afraid of?"

"I'm waiting on it Ahsoka," Vader said to her. "Everyone has betrayed me at some point. Hell, Palpatine has betrayed me many times."

"Leia wouldn't."

"She's my daughter."

"Padmé didn't."

"Yes she did."

Ahsoka groaned. "I told you. We didn't know Obi-wan was on the ship…"

"That's not what I'm talking about. I did everything for her and she didn't want it," Vader said to her. "It was betrayal enough. Face it Ahsoka. Everyone who has claimed to love me has turned their back on me at some point for one reason or another and it was always because there was something else they loved more. The Jedi loved their code. Padmé loved the republic and democracy. Palpatine loves his power…"

"And what about me. Tell me what I have or had that I haven't already let go of for you," Ahsoka challenged.

Vader started to say something but didn't. More than that even, he couldn't say. Ahsoka had let everything she had go. She wasn't even really a Jedi anymore even though she'd never admit it. She was right… She had nowhere else to turn.

"Still…"

Normally it was Vader's suspicious and distrustful nature that saved them. Ahsoka could name multiple occasion where that had been the case, particularly when Leia got herself kidnapped on Naboo. But today it was in the way. That was fine for strangers but her? Really?

"Then what do you want me to do to convince you. What else can I do?"

They hadn't noticed that she had literally backed him into a wall.

Vader sighed and did what he always did when he was forced to face her. He began to trace her face markings. He never knew why he did it. He just couldn't resist.

"You can't do anything. No matter what you do there's always going to be the inkling that at some point you're going to do it. Everyone else has. I'm always going to expect it…"

Ahsoka sighed and tried to muster up her frustration into her voice but found herself unable to as she said softly, "You are the most infuriating man I've ever met. You know that?"

He laughed again continuing to trace her markings. "I know. But how do you know that, unless you've had more male acquaintances that you've told me about?"

Ahsoka gave him a pointed look and said a dry tone rising up to him, "There is no man in the galaxy like you Anakin Skywalker."

And that's when their lips met. If Vader caught her slip when she called him by his previous name, he didn't mention it as he slipped his arms around her, too preoccupied to worry about it even if he had noticed it. Ahsoka briefly felt Vader's shock at her aggression and boldness. Last time they had a private moment like this it was he who had initiated the passion with more than a little seduction on his part, not that Ahsoka had been putting up much of a fight anyway. It was just in her nature to be difficult with him. She couldn't help it.

She ground her hips into his impatiently and that caught in attention in a way that Ahsoka hadn't expect… He stopped and pushed her away.

Ahsoka didn't know whether to be frustrated or confused. She guessed she was a little of both. He crossed his arms over his chest and averted his gaze from her conflicted.

"No," he said shaking his head.

Ahsoka could hardly believe it… He actually said no.

"What? Why? You certainly never had a problem with it before," Ahsoka said noting their role reversal again.

"There were different dynamics then."

"What dynamics?"

"Well Leia's purposeful meddling for one," Vader said with a smirk before becoming serious and saying, "I sense your conflict about something and I don't know what it is, but I can't help but think…"

Ahsoka looked at him concerned now.

"That really scares you. Doesn't it?" she asked not expecting an answer. "Even more than someone dying."

Vader sighed. "I'm going to rest. Mind if I take the bed tonight."

If that wasn't a blatant reject of her company then Ahsoka didn't know what was. He had practically told her to stay out and sleep on the couch. Oddly enough though, Ahsoka wasn't very offended by it. In fact, she was strangely… turned on by it.

"Alright," she said, almost singing, going over to the couch without argument. "But I'm going to need my own room if this is how it's going to be."

She could feel Vader's eyes on her as she went there as he must have expected her to argue with him. He stood there watching her for a moment, and Ahsoka pointedly ignored him. Then she heard him turn, go into his room, and close the door.

Only when she was sure he wasn't waiting for her to come argue did Ahsoka turn around to look at the door, a smirk gracing her features.

"Fine," she said out loud to herself and she lay on the couch. "Be that way. But you're not the only one who likes a challenge Darth Vader. Let's see how long he'll resist."

Ahsoka grinned to herself. This was going to be fun. Operation: Seduce Darth Vader had begun.

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Vader found himself again tempted to run and hide from his student. There was no way she could not be aware of what she was doing to him. She knew exactly what she was doing, and it was driving him insane. The thing that shocked him though was not that she was doing it, but that she had it in her to begin with to try it at all. Then again her naturally playful and teasing nature could easily become coy and flirting so maybe she really wasn't aware of it… No, Vader thought as he resisted the urge to choke someone. Ahsoka knew kriffing well what she was doing.

He should have known she wasn't going to just let him walk away from her. Ahsoka was too much like him to let that happen. He was beginning to regret that he hadn't just outright told her he hated her or she disgusted him or something. Maybe she would have been too hurt to do any of this. No… She would have known he had been lying. She knew him too well. That's why she had known exactly what to do to agitate him.

Her attempts weren't at all obvious. Vader had the feeling she knew that being obvious would essentially turn him off, but it was because she was being so subtle that it all caught his attention. All her accidental touches and looks could be explained as innocent enough to anyone else. But because he knew her so well, he knew what it meant and the fact that no one else knew drove him nuts. Then she started asking him innocent enough favors, zipping and unzipping her dress, passing her a towel. She had even been bold enough to ask him to look in her drawer and pass her a lacy bra and underwear set.

The fact that she wasn't at all alluding to what she was obviously but so subtly trying to do made it even more frustrating. If he got angry, she would only explain it off or throw it back on him saying that he was looking too much into it because he wanted something. He had taken to being silent and sending her glares. But that didn't faze her at all. In fact, it made her more determined because the fact that it was all he could do let her know that he knew what she was doing and that it was working.

Vader felt his fist tighten again as Ahsoka talked to the techs and officers. They had essentially started to treat and respect her like a second in command but that wasn't what bothered him. As they went about their daily duties, Vader inclined his head sideways toward her. It was nothing out of the ordinary. To anyone else it would look like he was telling her something technical about how the officers should work or what she was supposed to do when supervising them.

"This is low," he whispered to her trying not to growl.

Ahsoka crossed her arms under breast and Vader made a deliberated effort to look at one of the ships.

"What are you talking about?" she asked laughing.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about," Vader said through gritted teeth.

"Is it the dress?" Ahsoka asked him pushing her breast up a little more. "You think it's too much?"

"Not at all," Vader hissed.

"I could take it off," Ahsoka said to him calmly.

Vader started to tell her that's exactly what she needed to do until he caught the innuendo.

"Very funny…" he said to her as he resisted the urge to choke the officer that was openly leering at Ahsoka while on his post.

"Why does it bother you so much? I mean it's not like-."

"That's it," Vader said growing tired of people leering at her. He made to go choke someone until Ahsoka grabbed him by the arm to stop him.

She rolled her eyes. "Really Vader. It's not their fault. Don't take out your… frustrations out on them."

Ahsoka started to head back to their quarters at that point, practically relishing in the attention she was getting from everyone, an extra, but slight and hardly noticeable, swing in her hips. Vader clenched his fist again. This went beyond seduction. This was cruel and unusual punishment. He thought she could go no further without outright throwing herself at him until she came in for their training session. He let out a long string of the vilest curses in multiple languages that he knew as she came in wearing a pair of those shorts that Leia used to wear to her gym class. He remembered he had a distinct problem with them being too short. But now he had a problem with them for entirely different reasons. The tube top didn't help either. It left very little to the imagination. All it would take was…

Vader shook his head and let out a long breath… He needed to focus.

It was a moot point trying though. If distracting him was what Ahsoka was trying to accomplish, she was succeeding and at this point, all reservations and fear of her betraying him were gone. But Vader would not give her the satisfaction of thinking she had won… Never.

In a moment of distraction during their sparing though, she managed to overcome him and he fell humiliatingly on his back with Ahsoka standing over him, a coy smirk on her lips as she kept her lightsaber to the side of his neck, her foot on his chest. She turned off the weapon and removed her foot trying not to laugh.

"You seem a little distracted there, master," she said slowly.

"You think?" he muttered.

Ahsoka reached out her hand to help him up, but Vader wasn't thinking about getting up to spar again. Fine. She won. He grabbed her hand, but instead of letting her help him, he pulled her down with him and pulled her on top of him immediately pulling her into a kiss.

"Fine…" he muttered into her lips. "You win."

He could feel her smugness, but he was beyond caring right about then.

"But, what about-?"

"Kriff it," he muttered. "Kriff it all to hell."

Ahsoka smirked against his lips. If she had known the right sparing outfit was all it took she would have tried it days ago. Then again, it was probably the combination of all the things she had done. The little things always added up. Vader was running his hands up and down her thighs at that point and then flipped them around so he was on top of her and began to kiss her neck. She arched her back as she pressed her hips against his.

He chuckled.

"You know," Vader muttered. "You've gotten good at this. I didn't think you had it in you. Any secret lovers I should be jealous of?"

She laughed a little as she pulled his shirt off and ran her hands over his chest and then wrapped her arms around him so she could press herself against him.

"If I did, I doubt you'd have any need to be jealous," she whispered.

"Would that mean I'm a really good lover or they were really bad ones?" he asked as his hands played with the waist of her shorts.

"I-." she hissed and then sighed at Vader's touch. Whatever her response was going to be, she forgot and Vader honestly hadn't cared to know what it would have been. He wanted her and he wasn't waiting.

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Victory was sweet, Ahsoka mused later lying next to Vader in their room later. Very sweet. She hadn't felt this good in a while. After their escapade in the sparring room, they had eventually made their way back to his quarters and his room and were now lying in his bed. She couldn't help but still feel a little smug about the whole thing.

"Proud of yourself now?" he asked tugging her closer to him.

"You think?" she asked.

"I think… you're a lot proud."

"Took you long enough though," Ahsoka said closing her eyes.

"It was only a week," Vader pointed out and then muttered to himself as he began to play with a lek, "One, long torturous week…"

Ahsoka laughed. She might have been a little harsh… She began to admit that much until a beeping sound was heard, Vader's personal com.

Vader didn't answer it, but he was frowning about something.

"What?" Ahsoka asked.

"Just wait a minute," he said silencing her.

Ahsoka paused and stretched out with her senses. She then retreated at the cold dark presence she felt, a different cold and darkness from Vader's. Vader's darkness was brought on by pain and suffering, hurt and guilt that he wouldn't let go. This presence was pure evil.

"The emperor," Vader elaborated starting to get up.

"What about me?" Ahsoka asked.

"Chances are he already knows you're here," Vader said.

"What are you going to do?"

"We're going to greet the emperor and you're going to come with me. If I try to hide you I only risk sparking the emperor's rage. Hurry up."

Ahsoka hurried behind Vader a few minutes later trying to keep up with his long purposeful strides. As they got closer, she caught pieces of the conversation Palpatine was having with Admiral Piett.

"He wasn't picking up sir," Piett was saying.

"Try again," Palpatine said obviously displeased at being kept waiting.

"There is no need," Vader said approaching him. He knelt down in a bow before the emperor snatching Ahsoka down with him as she had no intention of bowing to the man she had been hiding from for the last twenty years.

"Rise my friend," Palpatine said to Vader.

Ahsoka started to do the same but Vader stopped her with a mental command.

Stay down.

Ahsoka tilted her head to glance up at him slightly but stayed down nonetheless. This was really difficult and not because she felt at all humiliated. Quite the opposite affect actually…

Palpatine then looked at her, a scowl playing on his face.

"Well well well… I must say, you surprise me Vader," he said. "Rise Jedi."

"I have a name," Ahsoka snapped at him remaining in her place.

"Ahsoka," Vader whispered.

"And apparently you haven't tamed her much in the last twenty years," Palpatine said. "What have you taught her?"

Vader decided it was better to stay silent than to say something that might get them both in trouble. He didn't mind taking a punishment, but he wouldn't put it on Ahsoka.

"Rise Ahsoka Tano," Palpatine said and Ahsoka slowly rose to her feet refusing to look up at Palpatine. She hated this man…

Palpatine obviously wasn't pleased at her blatant defiance of him and scoffed.

"Will she behave long enough so that we can talk privately?" he asked Vader.

Ahsoka hissed a little at being referred to like she was an animal.

"I assure you. She will," Vader said glaring silently at Ahsoka.

Ahsoka rolled her eyes and crossed her arms watching the two walk away. Their relationship had freaked her out as a teenager and it still did. She made her way to the bridge to wait on him with the officers that had come to enjoy her presence on the Star Destroyer. Vader was much less hostile when she was around as usually he was too preoccupied with their banter to notice every small meticulous detail to punish someone for overlooking.

"Lady Tano," Captain Piett said in recognition of her.

"Hello Admiral Piett."

"Where is Lord Vader? I think there is something he might want to look at," he said to her.

"He's speaking with the emperor," she said in disdain. "I'll look at it. What's going on?"

Piett visibly hesitated but led Ahsoka over to the monitors anyway.

"We've gotten reports from one of the core worlds that there have been rebel recruiters disrupting the peace on their planet. The youth have begun to rise in rebellion and they've given an alliance leader sanctuary amongst them."

"That's a delicate situation," Ahsoka muttered. "A dumb but smart move on that leader's part. If it is an alliance leader to hiding in a core world amongst the youth, the parents and family are no doubt keeping local Imperial authority from handling the situation."

The officers looked at her seemingly shocked and she shrugged. "I was a commander in the Clone Wars. It's not too different from a lot of the things I saw then. But this is cowardly even for an alliance leader. It would have to be someone young that the youth would respect… What?"

"You fought in the Clone Wars?" the captain asked in disbelief.

"Yes," Ahsoka said looking at the holos and reports. She paused and raised her eyes to glace at them feeling the surprise amongst them all. Of course they were shocked. The empire was mostly a matriarchal and sexist government. Not many woman held high offices or positions. So of course they were shocked that she had so much military know how. It abruptly crushed the rumor that she was just Vader's mistress or something.

"We'll have to send a scouting team to investigate the matter first," Ahsoka said.

"But Lord Vader-."

"Lord Vader would make his way to the planet right now to find out the truth of this matter himself and in the process cause more rebellion. Just because the senate's been disbanded doesn't mean there won't be a backlash. But he's preoccupied right now," Ahsoka said and then sighed. "And I'm bored. Besides, this is all about subtlety. Think about it. You send a scouting team to investigate the matter not just spies but a few bold journalists who will do anything to get a good story, and we'll quickly sort the truth of this matter. Then no one can say it wasn't properly investigated if we find it to be true."

"And if we don't?"

"It's still a rebellion amongst the youth. The empire could use it to their advantage to preach against the Alliance," Ahsoka said to him.

The officers looked at each other.

"If it comes down to it, I'll take the blame," Ahsoka said to them.

That seemed to convince them to get a move on and it also gave her something to do as they prepared the scouting team. She soon forgot that Vader was no doubt speaking on her behalf to Palpatine who was no doubt outraged that she was still alive. She was so into what she was doing that she was startled when she got back to the bridge to find Palpatine and an obviously perturbed Vader.

"What have you done?" he asked her pointing a finger at her.

"Well your men acted like they can't think without you to help them so I gave them a helping hand. They think they might have found a rebel leader in the core and whoever it is was helping at fuel to the fire already going on. The youth have risen in opposition to what they call oppression," Ahsoka said simply. "I just told them to send a scouting party."

Vader looked at Ahsoka and then turned to Admiral Piett.

"And you all listened to her?"

"Well, after she explained her reason it seemed like a pretty reasonable thing to do sir," he said nervously.

Vader looked at the admiral saying, "I'll get back to you."

He turned to Ahsoka. "As for you-."

"Very good Ahsoka. Good," Palpatine said to her. "Perhaps Lord Vader could stand to learn something from you in the area of being subtle in an obviously delicate situation. We can avoid more uprisings and conflict if we make the people think we're doing what they want."

"People don't know what they want and even so, it's never what they need. I say let them rebel and we'll crush them," Vader responded dryly.

"Perhaps you were right," Palpatine said to Vader. "She may prove to be a valuable asset to the empire if she can prove her loyalty of course…"

"I led him to Hoth, didn't I?" Ahsoka asked him darkly.

"Yes, yes. But under what circumstances?" Palpatine asked. "Since you've already decided to take charge of this mission, why don't you lead it when the time comes?"

"What?" both Vader and Ahsoka said in shock.

"Think of it as a trial run Vader. Prove that she's as valuable as you say she is," Palpatine said simply and then made his way off the bridge and back to the hanger.

Ahsoka looked at Vader as they too made their way off the bridge and into the lift. "I have a feeling I'm not going to like what he said to you."

"He knows about Shmi," he said simply and then added. "He knows about everything except Leia…"

"What? How?"

"A spy, I suppose," Vader replied.

"But why would he accept me so easily?" Ahsoka wondered aloud.

Vader scoffed. "Accept? Hardly. He's trying to lure you into a false sense of security and trust by making you think he sees some use in you. Personally, I don't recall him ever caring what people thought he was doing," Vader pointed out. "But it gives us time to plan and find Shmi."

"But we have to do it before he does," Ahsoka said. "You may be second in command, but you don't have all his resources."

"It's a big galaxy Ahsoka. She could be anywhere. He's not going to find her first. Besides, we actually have a leg up on him if you think about it," Vader said deciding to neglect mentioning that Palpatine could see the future as clearly as he was looking at Ahsoka right them. She didn't need to know that.

Ahsoka looked at him and started to ask what it was until she saw a burn in the leather of his suit. She put her hand on it in confusion.

"What's that?" she asked him.

Vader shifted his shoulder to move her hand away and shrugged it off.

"Nothing…"

"Liar," Ahsoka said as she took in his presence and felt a lingering pain and tiredness on him. "What did the emperor do to you?"

"It's nothing," Vader said but then noticed that Ahsoka wasn't going to let it go and then added. "Let's just say he wasn't happy when he found out all the secrets I had been hiding from him. He wanted to remind me that whole or half machine, he's still the one in charge. As if I had forgotten…"

"Why do you take this abuse from that old corpse? You're stronger than him! Why wait?" Ahsoka demanded angrily. This was getting ridiculous.

Vader paused in his step trying to determine whether he should answer her question or not. Finally he said, "Because I have something to lose and he knows it."

He kept walking at that point. Ahsoka didn't say anything else knowing she wasn't going to get a response out of him. So she followed him silently instead.

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AN: This was a fun chapter. Fun and necessary. I know you'll all have your opinions about it. But be patient. I've come up with a psychology for this character named Vader which is slowly revealed later. More to come. And time to start the countdown to get out of school for the summer. Got to go do some reading and studying for the end of the year.

Hope you enjoyed. Review Please!