Blinded By Love

A/N: Okay, I had time to update this because I remembered that I'd already written this chapter. I'm sorry - I can't remember what I've written and what I haven't, I have so many stories. Oh, well. Hope you enjoy! Thanks for everything!

- Serena


Only a few short hours later, we entered the Corellian system and docked in the shipyard. Raler, Dash, and Moin left the ship to meet the people with whom they were supposed to trade, leaving Ty and me to ourselves on the ship.

"You ready to go, handmaiden?"

I nodded, feeling somewhat tense. "Yes." I think.

A protective, warm hand placed itself on my arm. "Hey, Padme. Don't worry, I won't let anything happen to you," Ty said. "I give you my word."

I smiled gratefully; glad he had picked up on my feelings. "Thanks, I appreciate it."

"You wanna go, then?"

I nodded, and his hand took mine and placed it in the crook of his arm. We left the ship and rented a speeder, and Ty helped me in before hopping in himself. "Where to first?" I asked him curiously.

"Well, I would take you to a really good bar, but I'm afraid it's not a good place for a lady such as yourself," Ty said, his voice sounding half disappointed, half amused.

I frowned, turning my head towards him. "Is there anywhere else that has maybe a restaurant and a bar together that you like?"

Ty made a noise. "Smart girl," he commented. "Good idea. I'll take you to the Coronet. It's a restaurant in Coronet City, which is where we are right now."

"Great." We rode for a while in silence, and then I said hesitantly, not sure when I would have the chance to talk with him alone again, "Ty, I'm not a young woman."

I could tell Ty was puzzled. "What d'ya mean? You don't look older than thirty."

I said, "I'm actually forty-eight."

Ty laughed. "Sure you are." After I stayed silent, my mouth pressed into a line, he said slowly, "You're not joking, are you?"

I shook my head.

He sucked in some air. "Whoa… I just… whoa. But how do you look so young? I'd like to learn your secret." He half-laughed.

"Trust me, it's not a process I'd like to relive." Deciding to tell the full truth, I continued, "I was put into carbonite twenty-one years ago."

"Carbonite? Why?"

"I'm not sure. I don't have any answers. One minute I was lying on a medical bed, and the next thing I knew I was being awoken from carbonite. But because I was in it for so long, the effects of the freezing made me permanently blind." I rubbed my temples.

After a second, he said, "Why are you telling me this now? You don't seem to trust anybody – which is a good thing in this galaxy, especially for someone in your position – but why tell me this now?"

"Ty, I trust you. You're actually the only one I can trust right now."

"I'm flattered," he said sincerely. "Padmé, I just want to reassure you that you can trust me. And the others, too. I'm not sure if you're a friend of the Empire or not, though-"

"Believe me, no one hates the Empire and the Emperor more than I do," I quickly interrupted. "I used to know the Emperor before he became the Emperor."

"You… know the Emperor? How?"

I licked my lips. "I used to be a Senator, and he used to be one of my advisers. We went a long way back."

"That's… wait, you're a Senator?" He sounded amazed. "You are an intriguing person, Padmé. A doctor, handmaiden, and now senator? You do get around. Anything else I should know?"

"Yes. My husband was a Jedi Knight. You might have heard of him – Anakin Skywalker."

"Skywalker? I knew that name sounded familiar. But wait, I thought Jedi weren't allowed to marry."

"We broke the rules," I explained. "But he was killed by Darth Vader." My fists clenched.

Tyros said, "I'm sorry, Padmé."

"Thank you. All that I have left of him are my two children."

"Children? Where are they?"

I sighed. "I don't know. They were taken from me before I was put into carbonite. Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa – Skywalker."

"Wait, those two? They're famous! Luke Skywalker – he's a hero of the Rebellion! They both are!"

I smiled. "I know. I'm so proud of them."

"You, Padmé Skywalker, are one amazing woman."

I blushed. "Thank you, Tyros. I appreciate that. But I would ask you to keep this entire conversation a secret for now. I don't want word getting out that I'm the mother of the Rebel leaders."

"Of course not. Don't worry, my lips are sealed."

"Thank you."

We stopped at the restaurant and entered. After we had sat down and ordered, Tyros let out a large breath of air.

"What?" I asked.

"The man up there has a blaster."

"So?" I didn't see the relevance of it. "You're carrying one, too."

"No. This guy's ready to shoot. I can tell."

I heard a thump of footsteps, and then Ty said, "Uh-oh. Stormies."

"Stormies?" I wasn't familiar with the word.

"Oh, right. Stormtroopers. The white armored guys with helmets working for the Empire."

Suddenly I heard a sound of someone punching, and then a volley of blaster shots. People began screaming, and in the confusion, Ty grabbed me and roughly pulled me up and started to run – presumably for the exit. People kept banging into me trying to get out first, pushing and shoving, and because of one particularly hard shove, Ty and I were separated.

"TYROS!" I screamed, and felt myself being shoved. I stumbled and fell to the ground, my hands scraping the hard floor. I winced but stayed down in case the shooter decided to go after more civilians. After a few minutes, the screaming and footsteps passing subsided, and all was silent. I raised my head, but of course I couldn't see.

Damn! I didn't usually curse, but now would be a better time than any. "Damn it!" I said aloud.

"You can get up now," a deep voice said from above me. "All the stormtroopers are dead."

As he was behind me, I slowly stood up and turned around. I heard him – whoever he was – suck in his breath a little. "Are you the shooter?" I asked boldly.

"Yeah. You're blind."

"Thanks, I already knew that," I snapped. "Why were you shooting?"

"I don't like stormtroopers. What's your name?"

"Neither do I. Doesn't mean I go around shooting them. Name's Padmé Skywalker."

I heard a hoarse, deep laugh. "You're a little spitfire."

"I doubt the Empire would like you killing its soldiers."

"Frankly, lady, I don't care what the Empire thinks."

"Neither do I. It's your funeral, not mine." Having enough of this irritating man, I turned to go.

"How will you find your way out if you can't see?" He asked.

"I'll figure a way," I retorted.

A gloved hand grabbed my arm, and before I knew what was happening, I was being led somewhere. "Let go of me!" I hissed.

"Relax, I'm showing you the way out."

"Right, like I should trust you."

"Right now, lady, I'm the only person you can trust."

"Padmé!" Tyros's welcoming voice came towards us, and another hand grabbed my free shoulder. "Are you all right? I couldn't get to you sooner – people were blocking the exit."

"I'm fine." I ripped my arm out of the other man's grasp. "No thanks to him," I nodded my head in his direction.

Tyros said, "You're the shooter."

"That's right. This your wife?"

"Hah! She's a member of our crew. What were you thinking, shooting in a public place?" Tyros sounded extremely ticked off. I mirrored his thoughts.

"I guess I wasn't thinking. Have a nice life." The man walked away, his footsteps sounding very loud in the silent restaurant.

"Who was that guy?" I asked as Ty led me outside.

"I don't know. But he was a trained shooter – I'd say some kind of hired assassin. Come on, let's join the others. They're probably finished by now."

But we didn't realize that someone was watching us until we had made our way to the speeder a block away, and Ty tensed, speeding up his walk. I stumbled, and his hand moved to my back. "What is it?" I asked, my hands still bleeding.

"Someone's following us." I felt him turn, and he swore under his breath. "Sorry," he apologized. "It's a group of stormies."

I frowned. "But why are they following us?"

"I don't know."

"Hey, you! Stop!" I heard a loud voice from behind.

"Run!" Tyros shouted, and we broke into a run. And then came the shooting.

What is with me and shooting? I thought dryly, and then another rough hand grabbed me and yanked me to the side. I cried out, and to my surprise, the rough voice that was the voice of the shooter in the bar growled low and warm in my ear: "Did you say your name was Skywalker?"

I paled and shouted, "TYROS!"

"Padmé!" The voice seemed far off, and the assailant's hand covered my mouth. I tried to free myself, but the man was practically twice my size.

"No, shh! Would you just listen to me?"

I halted.

"Are you any relation to the Rebel Skywalker?"

I didn't know what to say. I ripped my hand off and said, "Whom are you working for?"

"I ain't workin' for no one. Should I take that as a yes?"

With all the strength left in me, I elbowed him in the gut and ducked under his other arm, running to Force knew where. "TYROS!" I screamed. "Where are you?"

"Padme!" Tyros grabbed my arm, and he practically dragged me alongside him. "C'mon, we have to get out of here!"

"Ya think?"

We made it back to the ship relatively unscathed, but my heart and mind was troubled about the conversation I had had with the shooter. Something told me he had not revealed everything he had known. Something was wrong. Maybe I had been too free with my name. Suddenly, a dreaded thought hit me. What if he had been working for Vader? Had I just endangered the crew?


Okay, I know you're wondering: who the heck was that shooter? And why is he important to the story? I'll give you a hint - he's my favorite Star Wars hunk. ;D

And if you still don't know who I'm talking about, you'll have to wait and see. Thanks for reading!

- Serena