I was Once

Darth Vader got on the comm with General Rex, "General Rex, I want you to order the 501st to board the Executor. We are going to Naboo to recruit for the Emperor's Navy."

"Of course, Lord Vader."

"And make sure the Jedi is on board. I'm not done with him yet."

"Yes, Lord Vader. I am sorry to inform you that the Princess has escaped."

"We will soon have the location for the Rebel Base. Report to my quarters at once."

"Yes, Lord Vader."

"Darth Vader?" he heard from behind him. Anakin Skywalker had snuck up behind him and had been watching the comm.

"Yes, what is it?" he snapped back at the young child.

"I was wondering, when we go to Naboo, are we going to see Padme?"

"Yes, youngling. Something real bad happened to her a long time ago, we are going to save her."

"How are we going to do that?"

"By influencing the midclorians within her, by using the Force to heal her. She's hurt, pretty bad."

"Why would you want to help her?"

"She was my wife," Darth Vader answered softly.

"Oh," Anakin stated softly. "I always thought I would marry her. But what chance do I have, she's a queen and I'm just a Jedi Padawan, I was born a slave, you know Darth Vader."

"Yes, I know," Darth Vader stated softly, the ice around his heart cracking slightly. With Anakin Skywalker and his midiclorians, midiclorians that he had lost after his fight with Obi-Wan he knew he would be able to bring back his wife from the dead. He had discovered the secret long ago, but he had lacked the ability to control the midiclorians, but now that Anakin was here, he would have her back, back by his side, as his wife, as his partner, as his lover. She would deny him nothing. With her by his side, he would once and for all destroy the Emperor and regain his body. He would rule the Galaxy. It was the only way to crush the Rebellion and destroy the Jedi once and for all. If he had to lie to Anakin then so be it. Anakin would never help him if he knew that it was he who had killed Padme in a fit of rage, the deception was regrettable but necessary. He would just have to keep Anakin away from Obi-Wan until she was back by his side. Perhaps, even Obi-Wan would come in handy. Perhaps, he could help Padme decide what was best for her, to remain loyal and faithful to her husband. He worried about her reaction to him and his suit. Darth Vader was interrupted from his musings by the presence of General Rex.

"Lord Vader."

"General Rex, please come in. This is..."

"Anakin Skywalker. I never forget a face," he stated his gaze returning to Lord Vader and then the child.

"Hello General," Anakin saluted.

"Actually, Anakin you outrank me."

"Oh."

"The beacon, Lord Vader?"

"Yes, Anakin, reach into the third drawer and hand that to the General." Anakin did as he was told, but frowned as he picked up a familiar object. His japor snippet. He handed the beacon to the General as he studied the japor snippet intently.

"This is the beacon to the Princess's ship. Alert me when it lands. It should transmit the location with no problem. Besides, her assassination was never my intention."

"Understood, Lord Vader. Will that be all?"

"Yes, you may go Rex." General Rex nodded, and did an about-face leaving Anakin alone with Darth Vader.

"Where did you get this?" Anakin asked him, his eyes shining with unshed tears and curiosity. He ran his fingers over the snippet and fingered his initials. 'A.S.'

Darth Vader looked at Anakin and knew he couldn't lie to him, he wouldn't. "I made it."

"That's impossible. I made this when I was seven, although I wasn't quite sure why. Then, when I was nine a Jedi walked in while I was working on some droids. He barely noticed me. He was with a gungan that was fighting one of the projects I had fixed earlier in the day. Then I saw her. She was wearing blue, my favorite color, the color of the sky and of water. She had brown hair and eyes the color of chocolate. I had seen her before, in a dream I had once. I thought she was an angel. And I told her I was going to marry her one day. She said I was a funny little boy and I told her I wouldn't always be a little boy. She told me her name was..."

"Padme," Darth Vader finished for him. He had been silent as Anakin had told him about his first meeting with Padme. And he had remembered. It had been like yesterday. Padme.

'Are you a slave?'

'I'm a person, and my name is Anakin.'

'I'm sorry, this is a strange place for me. I didn't know that slavery still existed.'

'I won't always be a slave. Someday, I'm going to free us, me and my mother. We live in Mos Espa.

'Come along, Padme.'

'Of course. It was nice to have met you, Ani.'

'It was nice to have met you.' he called after her. Darth Vader was shaken from a memory of a different man, of a different time.

"How did you know?"

"Because I made it."

"You couldn't have. It has my initials on it."

"I was once the man known as Anakin Skywalker." Anakin looked at him with horror in his eyes.

"You destroyed the Jedi."

"They betrayed me."

"Why? What did they do?"

"It doesn't matter, it's not important, not anymore."

"It's important to me."

"You'll find out, Ani," he stated in a voice much kinder than the one he had previously been using.

"What do you look like?"

"I beg your pardon."

"Under the suit. I want to see."

"Very well." Darth Vader led him to his chamber and sat down as the mechanisms came up to take off the dreadful mask. Anakin stared at him intently.

"Your face is so white."

"Get used to it." Anakin jabbed a finger into Vader's cheek.

"It's so soft. Does it hurt?"

"Every day," but the pain Vader spoke of was not the physical kind, it was the pain of living, of living without her, with living with the monster he had become. Anakin touched Vader's face, smoothing it around, finally he stopped and smiled.

"Why, there I am." he stated and flashed a impish smile. He traced his nose with one hand and Vader's with the other. Vader wondered what Anakin saw that put a smile on his face. Anakin then traced the scar over his right eye.

"Lightsaber duel," Vader replied aimlessly. Anakin then moved his hand to the scar on the back of his head, caused by lava on Mustafar. "Horrible duel. A different one," he answered before Anakin could ask. Anakin nodded and closed his eyes, sensing what he was about to do he put his force shields up and repelled him instantaneously from his mind. Anakin hit the wall and rubbed his head. "No. There are some things you are to young to handle." Brushing himself off, Anakin glared at him.

"Sometimes, you sound just like Obi-Wan. All the Jedi keep going on and on about how I'm the Chosen One, how I'm supposed to destroy the Sith but no one will tell me nothing."

"Anything," Vader correcting the boy.

"What?"

"No one will tell you anything. If you want to be taken seriously, you must speak properly." Anakin glared at him and stalked out of the room. Now, that the Princess was gone he let Anakin walk around the ship. He would be watched and he wouldn't be harmed. The boy would be safe, safe until they reached Naboo, then the boy would help him bring back the reason he had begun on this path to begin with. He would help bring his wife back. His Angel. Padme Amidala Skywalker. He shook hie head, that was a name from another time. His Lady Vader. Padme Vader. She would have to accept it, regardless she had sworn to love him in life and in death, and he was going to hold her to it.