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Chapter 15 – Forced to See

High noon the following day wasn't as spectacular as Vader hoped. Overcast skies spanned the execution arena where a dozen stormtroopers waited listlessly. There were no sharp lines or dramatic shadows to underscore the event. Just hazy, muffled clouds that matched the pavilion on which the prisoners would be shot to death.

Such public executions were rare, reserved for the most notorious enemies of the Empire. What the young mother and her two small children did to earn this distinction, the troopers couldn't begin to guess. But it wasn't their place to question orders. If Lord Vader desired the family to meet a high-profile demise, then that's what would happen.

Even if it made a few of the snipers mildly uncomfortable. Five-year-old children? Vader's ruthlessness truly knew no bounds.

The Emperor's right hand soon appeared in their midst, surveying the platform. His silence implied it met his approval. Now all that remained was for the unfortunate trio to be escorted out and join the party.

How Vader would relish this. Or, how he wanted to relish this. His headache throbbed to new levels; a heavy dose of intravenous analgesics was helping somewhat, but the medicine mixed poorly with his indigestion. If he didn't know any better, he'd suspect he was under a strain of influenza. Yet his ventilator filter membranes blocked all viruses.

When this is finished, I'll look into seeing that doctor Palpatine's always raving about, Vader promised himself. I've had enough of these headaches to last three lifetimes.

He was determined to enjoy the proceedings despite this. It gave him immense pleasure to believe that somewhere, the miscreant behind this joke was watching. What a blow to the gut it would be when they saw the firing squad perform their duty.

As the three prisoners stepped into the courtyard, however, it was Vader who felt such a blow.

Seeing them in natural light, he was suddenly struck by how much the boy resembled him as a child. The planes of his cheekbones… the curve of his nose and chin… the eyes, haggard from sleepless crying all night, were clear blue within red eyelids.

Nice touch, Obi-Wan… if you're the one who did this. A lesser man might have fallen for the ruse. But you underestimate your former apprentice – I am above the influence of such superficial effects.

"This is what becomes of those who trifle with the Empire!" he strode before them. "Impostors will not be tolerated! Posing as a deceased citizen is punishable by death!"

Ironic, really. Return from the dead and they'd just send you right back.

Padmé tried to find the humor in it. She couldn't.

Nor could she raise her eyes to meet his petulant glare. He was daring her to plead innocence and make a pitiful spectacle of herself, sending her children into wailing despair. But she wouldn't give him the satisfaction. She wouldn't give him anything, least of all his children. In what a few short minutes, she and the twins would find peace, and he'd be left with exactly what he deserved.

Nothing.

Not even one final tear from her.

Force knew she and the twins had spilled enough to fill Varykino's lakes last night.

It would soon be over. Five years of paranoid hiding. Half a decade of living as half a family.

"Move the prisoners into position!"

This was her recompense for defying the Jedi code with him. Unethical choices begot unfortunate ends. If only she'd known just how unfortunate, then the two innocent lives beside her wouldn't be facing death now; she'd have prohibited the very relationship and circumstances that led to them being born.

They wouldn't exist – and they wouldn't be on the verge of doing what they were about to.

"Ready…" Vader raised one arm, "Aim…"

Armor clinked as a dozen blasters lifted into the air. Padmé closed her eyes.

Which meant she didn't see her children strip half of those rifles out of their wielders' hands.

All twelve troopers watched in utter confusion as the weapons clattered at Luke and Leia's feet. The children were equally stunned, staring wide-eyed at their tiny hands. Hands that had just disarmed half of Darth Vader's most lethal execution squadron. The other half didn't quite seem to know what to do. Looking to Vader, they awaited his order to fire... if that was, in fact, still his desired course of action.

It wasn't.

What he desired was someplace to sit down.

And for every living being on Imperial Center to vanish, leaving him alone on that pavilion with… with his…

He almost fell to his knees just trying to think the word.

Family.

How… why… where…

All his questions self-aborted after the first words.

Was this real? Or were his pain meds causing psychotropic effects?

No – he wasn't the only one to see blasters jump from the firing squad's grip. It had really happened. And that meant those two children were Force-sensitive. Extremely Force-sensitive. To unleash such power at their age… their midichlorian counts had to be almost as high as… his own.

Too many coincidences had accumulated for him to remain in denial any longer.

"EXECUTION CANCELLED!" his voice shook the earth. "Guards, leave us!"

Confounded beyond belief, the troops slowly began dispersing, bumping into each other as they vainly sought a graceful exit.

"Begone AT ONCE!" Vader Force-pushed the lot of them back, clearing a path to the dumbfounded prisoners. Their eyes were rounder than moons. They allowed themselves to be led from the platform in a trance.

"I am taking them to cell block 7-B. We are NOT to be disturbed," Vader declared, half-tripping in his haste to reach the building. "Anyone who disrupts us will die on the spot!"

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In the shadowy recesses of cell block 7-B, the staring contest between Vader and Padmé produced enough tension to heat the entire detention compound. It felt every bit as unnatural as they imagined it would – not that Vader had imagined it was possible in the first place. For what seemed like hours, the two former lovers held their ground, each waiting for the other to make a move, even if only the slightest twitch of a frown.

Yet both remained stubbornly impassive. Maybe that was what led to their downfall – two hard-headed personalities that were too similar to be compatible. Two identical magnetic polarities that repelled each other more than they ever bonded.

Only fate knew how those souls would combust now, with five years of toxic enmity between them.

Apparently, Luke and Leia lacked the patience to await fate's verdict.

"How come you and Daddy are so quiet, Mom?" Leia asked nervously.

"Yeah, say something," Luke encouraged. "We're all gonna be okay, right?"

The deadpan silence continued.

"…Aren't we?" Luke gulped.

Vader finally broke his gaze with Padmé to look at his son, then back at the boy's mother.

"So. You told them who I am."

"No," Padmé's voice sounded foreign in her ears. "They sensed it on their own last night. I merely confirmed it."

"How noble and honest of you," he raised his chin.

Padmé sensed it wasn't meant as a compliment.

"Where was that honesty when you faked your death five years ago?!" he demanded furiously.

"I chose safety over honesty."

"More likely Obi-Wan chose it for you."

"So what if he did? At least someone cared enough to preserve our lives rather than jeopardize them!"

"And thanks to his protection, you're standing here now."

"Yes, because Tatooine was the last place we ever expected you to visit again!" she cried. "What were you doing there? And who was that with you?"

"My affairs stopped being your business when your fake corpse was buried," Vader muttered under his breath. "What was that? A clone of some sort?"

Sighing, Padmé crossed her arms. "Yes, if you must know."

So, there was a decoy involved… just not where and when he expected.

"Which was why the funeral was delayed several days," Vader reasoned. "Commissioning an accelerated clone like that couldn't have been cheap. You must have had other investors besides Obi-Wan."

"If you expect me to betray those involved in the conspiracy, forget it."

"Your closest alliances betray themselves. The Organas were surely involved."

Padmé tried to keep her emotions from flickering in her eyes, but Vader still saw it.

"They will be dealt with in time," he vowed. "What an impressive network of traitors you aligned yourself with."

He still sees them as traitors… Padmé thought dejectedly. I wonder how he sees me – and the twins. Threats? Inconveniences?

Prizes to bring before the Emperor?

The Emperor, with whom she shared a home world and many years of political confidence. The thought of facing him as a Sith was almost as nauseating as facing her husband. Although, she had managed to avoid vomiting so far…

"What's to become of us?" she dared to ask.

Vader clasped his hands behind his back. "That is a good question."

Luke glanced at his sister, confirming that she was thinking the same thing he was.

"Can we stay with you?" he piped up.

Padmé nearly fainted. Vader could have been knocked over with a feather.

"You… you want to come live with me?"

"Yeah, why not?"

Why not… Vader wanted to laugh at the boy's naiveté. Just how Force-sensitive were Luke and his sister?

Luke…

…and his sister.

He and Padmé had argued constantly about which gender the baby would be, and it turned out they were both right. The irony actually made him smile.

"There are plenty of reasons why not... son," he said with difficulty. "You wouldn't like my house. It's cold and there are no toys."

To say nothing of Xizor's spies watching Vader's palace night and day. He knew they were out there, unseen but not unfelt. More pressing matters kept him from sniffing them out once and for all. They were an irritant he'd learned to live with, but he couldn't risk them spotting his family. The last thing Vader needed was to hand his nemesis more artillery.

So the question remained, what did he need?

Was there any point in keeping them close? In fooling himself into believing there was any hope of true reconciliation? And even if there was, what sort of dysfunctional marriage would resume? Even if they made amends – which would be no small feat – they'd only be frustrated that their emotional reunification couldn't be physically consummated.

"I think we know the real reason you don't want us to stay with you," Leia interrupted his thoughts, blinking self-consciously.

"It's 'cause you're hurt," theorized Luke.

Vader wasn't sure how to respond. "What do you mean, hurt?"

"Mommy said you were hurt really bad, and that's why you gotta wear that suit," replied Leia.

"And you might not want us to see."

"But we won't make fun of you, Daddy. We promise."

"Mom also said it makes you want to hurt other people."

"But we know you won't hurt us."

Neither Vader nor Padmé could believe these words, so boldly and candidly spoken by their children. At least the two adults were on level ground now – each was as speechless as the other.

"How do you know I won't?" Vader asked gently.

The twins exchanged patronizing looks, as if Vader had just posed the dumbest question in the universe.

"'Cause you're our dad!" they said in unison.

Yes, the dad who'd been seconds away from slaughtering you and your mother. What if my connection to you falters again? What am I capable of doing?

Despite their emphatic faith in him, lodging at his palace was out of the question. There were far too many liabilities at stake – for everyone involved.

"I'm sorry, but you'll need to stay elsewhere. It's safer."

"Funny you should be concerned about our safety now," Padmé sulked.

"Do you want the Emperor to discover you or not?" Vader shot back.

"I don't know. Would that be better or worse than being on your leash?"

"I could just as easily let you find out."

"Except you risk as much as I do by having him know I'm alive."

Her incisive appraisal of the matter was not appreciated. Balling his fists to keep from doing something he'd regret, Vader looked away from his wife.

"I'm right, aren't I?" she pressed. "He'd torment and belittle you to no end."

"For someone who's been dead five years, you presume far more knowledge than you have any right to!"

Padmé stared back defiantly. "Obi-Wan has kept me informed from day one. He explained everything – how you sold your soul for some crumbs Palpatine threw your way. A partnership like that can't be based on mutual respect."

Vader still couldn't look at her. "It was all done for you."

"Oh, I'm sorry! I must have forgotten. They say selective amnesia happens to those who've been choked until unconscious!"

Luke and Leia slowly stepped back from their parents, leaving them to wrestle with matters obviously over the twins' heads.

"If through some twisted logic you actually expect me to be grateful, you're absolutely out of your mind!" Padmé spat. "Or maybe you think my deceit somehow makes us even. I don't know. Whatever's going through your mind right now, it's got to be delusional."

Her words smacked him up one side of the head and down the other. How weary he grew of being upbraided by prisoners in these detention cells. When would the humiliation end?

"What do you want from me?" he exhaled at last.

Padmé pondered that for a long moment. "Honestly, I'm not sure. I doubt you're capable of apologizing, and even if you were, it wouldn't be enough."

"What if, hypothetically, it was?"

"It can't ever be. And you know it."

"That's how it is, then? Should I just set you free as if we never crossed paths?"

"Yes," Padmé said curtly. "Let us live our lives like we're tried to these past five years – in pseudo peace."

"I can't do that."

"Why not?"

"I would not survive such a separation. To have my children torn from me within hours of meeting them… what good would come of that?"

"More good than came from suffocating them while they were still in my womb!"

"ALL RIGHT!" Vader finally relented. "I'm sorry! You might spit on my apology, but I'll offer it anyway! I deeply regret harming you and… the children," his heart shattered as he looked at them, clinging to each other in the corner. They were anxious but not overly frightened.

Padmé had been bluffing. His apology was enough. Just hearing Darth Vader, one of the most heartless and calloused men alive, say those two words was more than she ever imagined possible. Even if her skepticism had served as reverse psychology and tricked him into saying it, it was still a miracle. And she'd take it.

The issue of Vader's selfishness, however, was still unresolved. Contrite or not, his motives for keeping them close were indeed selfish. Just as they'd always been. That was a character flaw not likely to change anytime soon.

"Thank you," she replied with quiet dignity. "That's more than I ever expected to hear."

Seating himself next to Luke and Leia on the bench, Vader let them entwine their slender arms in his bulky ones. Their touches were electrifying.

"It does not come easily to me," he stated, astounded by their uninhibited affection.

"I know."

Padmé monitored him with the twins closely. Protective instinct shrieked at her to pry them away, yet their faces made her pause. They were the portrait of contentment and relaxation. Despite the nightmarish appearance of their father, they nestled against him with utmost trust. If their Force connection didn't warn them to keep their distance, was there any danger? If they could see past his imperfections – both internal and external – could she? Should she?

In any case, she sensed no hostile intent on his part. He seemed a bit stiff next to the twins, but that was to be expected. At least he wasn't rushing to bring them before Palpatine as the newest Dark Side inductees. Nor was he hatching a ransom scheme to lure Obi-Wan to his doom. There were plenty of devious plans he was forfeiting to have this simple, quiet unity with his children.

Could this be the same man who'd done nothing but terrorize the galaxy since making his debut five years ago? How was such a thing possible?

Obi-Wan had been so certain, so absolutely convicted that Vader would either destroy or corrupt Luke and Leia without hesitation. Padmé had had no reason to think otherwise. Yet what she now saw before her abolished that theory.

Theories were, after all, only able to be disproven. That was the default rule.

Maybe not everything was as black and white as she'd grown to believe.

Maybe, in just the right light, parts of Vader's suit might actually appear gray.

The implications struck down everything she'd been indoctrinated to believe. Yet seeing was believing.

Padmé felt her wrath slowly ebb. She remained cautious, but markedly less paranoid than before.

"I'll ask again – what's to become of us?"

Vader's heart fell. "I truly don't know. As I said, you can't stay at my palace. Your presence would be detected within days."

"Then where can we go, if you won't let us return home?"

"Home is a subjective place," Vader philosophized. "For a time, you considered this planet home."

"Yes, but it's been a while. It's been a while since… a lot of things," Padmé blushed despite herself.

"Not all of which need remain buried in the past," he stood slowly, careful not to appear confrontational. "Some could return, if only given the chance."

She knew it would come to this – him extending an invitation for them to cohabit. The prospect still made her feel ill.

"I don't know what I'm prepared for beyond letting you touch Luke and Leia," she chose her words carefully. "Besides, if we can't stay at your palace, then where…"

Inspiration struck Vader just then. Of course… how could he have overlooked such an obvious solution?

"My estate on the Great Western Sea. It's much more secluded than the palace district."

"Oh," Padmé was. "I didn't know you owned that."

"I seldom use it, but it's much more hospitable than my palace."

"And you would stay with us there?"

"To some extent. My schedule varies from week to week, but I could rearrange priorities."

"It's on the water?" Leia's eyes sparkled dreamily.

"With a beach?" asked Luke.

"Yes, and it would be all yours," Vader enticed them. "You don't have to share it with anyone else."

The twins hopped excitedly, tugging at Padmé.

"Wow! Our very own beach! Please can we go, Mom?"

She didn't have much of a choice. If she said no, they'd resent her – until Vader sent them there anyway. Her permission was symbolic at best.

"If it would make you happy, then yes," she pressed her lips.

"Wahoo!"

"Thanks Mom!"

"I can't wait to go swimming!"

"Betcha I can build a sandcastle twice as high as yours!"

"No way, you stink at sandcastles!"

"Well, you still need floaties to swim good!"

"Nuh-uh, not anymore!"

"Oh yeah? Prove it!"

"I will!"

Their bickering made both parents feel somewhat awkward at first, but soon they were both smirking despite themselves. Padmé couldn't see Vader's mischievous smile, but he saw a pair of faint dimples appear on her cheeks.

"Stop it, you two," Padmé intervened. "Neither of you will get to swim if you keep this up."

Vader couldn't help but find the scene amusing. The light-hearted moment ended, however, when his comlink suddenly buzzed to life – revealing none other than Palpatine's scowling jowls.

Moving on swift instinct, Vader nearly dropped the transmitter. Hopefully he'd turned quickly enough to keep the Emperor from spotting the others. Padmé, Luke and Leia huddled out of sight behind Vader's cape.

"Vader! Slacking about again, I presume?" spat Palpatine.

"No, my master," Vader tried to sound convincing. "Not at all."

"Then what is so important that you missed yet another meeting with Xizor and myself?"

"I have been reviewing the 500 Republica surveillance footage," improvised Vader. "I lost track of time."

"You should have finished with that by now! Why has it taken so long?"

"The playback stalls quite often. The data discs are of inferior quality."

"Then you will not make the mistake of purchasing from that supplier again, will you?"

"No, my master."

Marginally satisfied, Palpatine wrinkled his nose. "Fortunately for you, Xizor had a cancellation this afternoon. Arrive at once and we will discuss matters."

Vader resisted the urge to glance over his shoulder. "Yes master. I will be there shortly."

"You had better be!" Palpatine severed the transmission.

Still a little shaken by the close call, Vader turned to his family.

"I must go. Wait here – I will return as soon as circumstances permit."

Padmé was no less shaken. "When will that be?"

"Two or three hours, perhaps longer."

"What about the guards?"

"They've been ordered to treat this cellblock as quarantine. No one will bother you."

Just as he stepped into the corridor, a ventilation fan started blasting arctic air onto their heads.

"We'll freeze to death!" Padmé's teeth chattered.

Vader eyed the troublesome vent and turned on his heel.

"I'll see to it you do not."

And he did. Opening the climate control breaker on his way out, he fixed in three minutes what a legion of Imperial engineers couldn't in months. He lingered just long enough to confirm the system was blowing temperate air. Then it was off to the Imperial Palace – one of his least favorite places on a good day, and absolutely the last place he wanted to be right now.

But he had no choice. His tardiness and missed obligations were damaging his good standing with the Emperor. Whether that was even something he still wanted to maintain, he'd have to decide later. For now, it was in his best interest to jump through the usual hoops, even if it meant leaving his family alone for an afternoon.

Part of him worried they might not be there when he returned. But that fear vanished as he felt his headache dissipate at last.

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Padmé's barbs were just what Vader had coming, IMO. Disregard her ROTS line of "There's still good in him" – I always thought that was a bit TOO forgiving. I'd be way pissed if my husband choked me, so I infused some of my tenacity into the script.

To those who feared I'd actually let something tragic happen in this story, you obviously don't know me very well yet. :)

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