And here we are. I can't tell you guys what a relief it is to finally be able to write another chapter down. I've been so busy with work and this has to be the hardest semester I've been through. My English class is such a pain. Thank you all so much for patiently waiting. I hope with this new update none of you are disappointed. Also, bonus points to those who find Easter eggs throughout the chapters.

Chapter 6

Coruscant; 19 bby

It was cold and damp but it would do.

Anakin, Master Shaak Ti, and the younglings that had survived quickly hid inside the abandoned warehouse after Anakin made sure it was safe enough. They had all just escaped from the Jedi Temple, or as Anakin called their ordeal: Hell. He didn't know why the clones, his own men turned on and slaughtered them like animals. He and Master Shaak Ti had barely been able to escape with a group of twenty younglings and not without cost.

Anakin closed his eyes as he remembered the sacrifice Madame Jocasta Nu, Masters Vokara Che and Cin Drallig, and his apprentice Serra Keto made to ensure their escape.

He shook his head and immediately regretted it as a wave of dizziness hit him. After that charge thrown at him and hitting his head real hard from the impact, Anakin was certain he had a concussion, and the cut near his left temple that had been dripping with blood hardly helped. Other than that along with a few broken ribs Anakin knew he had, an injured Master, and twenty shaken and exhausted younglings, oh, and let's not forget that as of now Anakin and any Jedi who was still alive was now a wanted fugitive to the Republic, Anakin was just peachy.

He focused his attention on the younglings as Shaak Ti cleared room for the all to sit down for the night until they could find safe passage off planet. The oldest among the group of younglings had to be a fourteen-year-old padawan while the rest ranged down to a one-year-old toddler. Every single one of them was covered in dust and blood that was either theirs or someone else's. What made it more tragic was the terrified and haunted look in each of the younglings' eyes that made it seem like they were old people in the bodies of children not even old enough to read. Anakin felt helpless even with Shaak Ti here to help him.

First things first, they had to check everyone's injuries. Most of the blood covering the younger ones wasn't theirs. An eight-year-old human girl with shrapnel in her arm, an eleven-year-old Rodian male with a broken leg, and a thirteen-year-old Twi'lek girl with a blaster wound to her hip were among the worst injuries. Younglings had grabbed friends, classmates, and whatever crechlings they could carry when Anakin and the Jedi Masters rescued them and barricaded themselves in the archives. Anakin had to admire their loyalty to one another in refusing to abandon each other. If it had been Padme, Obi-wan, or Ahsoka he would have rather died than leave them behind.

The crechlings were a little dirty from the rubble and from crawling throughout the muck of the lower levels, but other than that they were fine. There was junk throughout the warehouse, among them piles of rags that didn't seem infested. They would do for the younglings to lay on for tonight.

After setting them down, Anakin grabbed several empty cans and went to the warehouse entrance where it had started to rain. The rain felt refreshing on Anakin's filthy face, washing the dirt, blood, and the smell of death off him. Once the cans were filled with water, Anakin returned to the group and helped Shaak Ti wash and treat everybody's wounds.

Later on, Anakin was leaning against the entrance, keeping guard for anymore Clones. He had given the younglings his cloak to lay with and keep warm, and Shaak Ti nestled with them like a mamma bear while she went into a healer's trance. Anakin, despite his injuries and how tired he was couldn't sleep. When they came out of the secret passageways he immediately sought out a holocomm to warn Padme. He barely managed to tell her everything before he had to end it and help Shaak Ti hide the younglings from a squad of Clone troopers. He hoped and prayed to the Force that she managed to get away. Palpatine knew about her and the baby and wouldn't hesitate to use them against Anakin. Anakin felt rage and hatred at the man whom he trusted and called friend. The man he looked up to had toyed with him for all these years, and had lead all this destruction.

He felt a tug on his pant leg, causing him to tense for a moment before reminding himself that it wasn't his enemy. He looked down into the blue eyes of a dark haired human boy holding a human toddler.

"Master Skywalker? My sister won't sleep. I don't know what to do," the boy said.

Anakin felt a tinge of annoyance before immediately squashing it down with guilt. The boy had to be six or seven and the toddler two or three. Too young to be in a situation like this. He kneeled down carefully to not further disturb his ribs. "What's your name?"

"Lagan, Sir. Lagan Ismaren," the boy answered timidly. "My sister's name is Roganda."Like her brother, Roganda had dark hair, blue eyes, and was beautiful even for one so young. It did surprise Anakin that the Jedi took in siblings, the chances if forming attachments so great, but not impossible to take them in.

Anakin sensed the little one's feelings to know that she was scared. He didn't feel like singing and he couldn't think of any stories that would comfort the children. Instead he opted to take them back to their "beds".

"Master Skywalker?" Lagan asked as he laid down with his sister.

"Yes?"

"Where do you think we go? When we become one with the Force?" the boy asked.

Anakin was taken aback for a moment. He never really thought about over the years, not since he was a slave with his mother. He never really focused on what the next life offered, just trying to focus on keeping the people he loved from dying and leaving him. His master and many Jedi always told him that when they died they became one with the Force, luminous beings not part of the living but not away from them either. At least from what Anakin could understand. Looking into the blue pairs of eyes staring up at him, he decided to tell them what his mother told him and what he believed as a little boy.

"I believe… that when we enter the next life… we find peace…and joy… and happiness. There's no fear. We're all safe in a beautiful field with blue skies, surrounded by nature, and everyone we ever loved is waiting there for us. It's paradise," Anakin whispered.

Roganda seemed to have been lulled to sleep by the beautiful dream he told while Lagan looked at him, less frightened than he was before.

"You think everyone from the Temple is there safe?" he asked.

Anakin nodded, feeling a lump in his throat as the images of his dead Jedi brethren floated to his mind. "I do."

Lagan nodded back, a little reassured. He was about to fall asleep when he whispered one last question, "What's going to happen to us, Master Skywalker?"

Anakin felt a weight on his shoulders, not wanting to give the child false hope, nor destroy what little he still had left. "I don't know, but what I do know is that I won't let the monster hurt anymore of you. I promise," he told Lagan. Lagan fell asleep, safe with the knowledge that he was protected by Anakin Skywalker.

Anakin, instead of returning to his post at the doorway, remained sitting next to Lagan, Roganda, and the rest of the younglings. He couldn't help staring at the innocent faces sleeping around him, making him think of what his own child would be like and then the other younglings back at the Temple who didn't manage to escape. How could his own men slaughter children like they were nothing but flies?

Only one answer: Palpatine.

Their blood was on his hands. As long as he lived, Anakin's child and all the force sensitive children in the galaxy were in danger. Anakin Skywalker wouldn't let Palpatine-Darth Sidious harm another being again.

His head jerked up as he sensed someone near the entrance. Quietly getting up and taking his lightsaber out, he crept towards the entrance. He didn't ignite his lightsaber yet, not wanting the noise to alert someone. The person's presence was familiar and Anakin couldn't believe it even when he saw it with his own eyes.

"Rex?"

000{{*}}000

Naboo; 18 bby

Anakin and Padme quickly headed up the steps towards the room where Sabe had called out.

Padme felt her heart stop as she recognized the room.

It was painted a soft green color with a perfect view of the gardens. Even with the furniture upturned it was easy to recognize the down crib and antique rocking chair along with the scattered baby toys and clothing. This was the nursery room she wanted to raise her and Anakin's children in. just when she thought the Sith couldn't be more cruel.

Anakin felt his heart weigh down with sadness and regret as he too recognized the room. This was the room Padme had told him about all those months on Coruscant, the day he found out he was going to a father. This was where his children should have been sleeping in, where he told them all the bedtime stories his mother told him, where he played battleships with his son Luke, where his little princess Leia roped him into tea parties, and where he and Padme watched as their children grew into amazing people. Now seeing this wrecked room, it was like looking at a destroyed picture. A broken dream.

He looked up to see Ferus looking at him with an expression he couldn't describe. That's when he noticed the window overlooking the gardens was opened.

"This where he came in?" he asked, going over to it. The lock was undamaged. Malorum could have used the Force to open it.

"Most likely," Ferus said, coming to him."He could have climbed up, opened it, and started searching the room…"

Anakin finished the train of thought. "Ryoo heard the noise and went to investigate it, but before she could find him, he found her." He looked at his wife who was deep in thought.

"As Grandmamma got older, her hearing started to go bad. We could yell at her several times before she finally responded. Mom tried to talk her into getting hearing aids, but she refused to get any. If a robber came into the house, she wouldn't hear him, at least not for a while," Padme said.

Anakin frowned as he realized what she was saying. "Meaning he could have gone anywhere else after realizing that he couldn't find anything in here?" he asked.

"Where's Gregor?" Sabe asked, and everyone then noticed that the captain wasn't in there with them.

They headed out of the room to look for him. They found him in a bedroom down the hall that Padme recognized as her grandmother's. the room was just as she remembered it with blue colorings, antiquities her grandmother had collected over the years, holos of her family throughout the room, and her old perfume in the air. It nearly brought tears to Padme's eyes, but her gazed focused on her former bodyguard as he hunched over a box next to the bed.

Realizing he wasn't alone anymore, Typho immediately turned around, drawing his blaster before recognizing them. "Sorry," he said, putting his blaster away.

"Why didn't you hear me?" Sabe asked.

Typho motioned to the box on the floor. "This was pulled out from under the bed and opened. I don't believe Malorum was looking for just you two," he pointed at Padme and Anakin.

Padme knelt down beside him and realized what had been holding his attention. It was full of old holos of her family that her grandmamma had kept. Instead of the organized mess her grandmother had arranged, everything was mixed up. No doubt Malorum was looking for something in it. But why and for what? He had to know looking in it that there could be nothing indicating where she and Anakin were hiding.

"What's all in it?" Anakin asked, leaning in over her shoulder.

"Family holos from when my grandmother was a little girl. Nothing that Malorum could possibly want," Padme said as she rummaged through the old holos. Her hands found the holo of her Great-Aunt Padme Lydonia with her boyfriend. It was taken the year she died in front of the palace steps in Theed. Padme could remember every time she saw her grandmamma look at it, tears would build up in her eyes as she remembered the little sister she lost at such a young age. It had been her favorite holo of Padme Lydonia because it was the last time she saw her sister so happy. Padme put the holo in her pocket for safekeeping and continued to go through the box when she suddenly realized what was missing.

"What is it?" Anakin asked concerned.

"It's not here," Padme said, looking through the box more urgently.

"What isn't?" Sabe asked, confused.

"My Aunt Padme's pixie comb," Padme explained. "It's gold but beat up. It use to have a pixie on it, very detailed until it was caught in a fire and melted a bit, but you can still see the wings on it. My grandmamma rarely took it out of this box but it's not here."

"Do you think Malorum could have taken it?" Anakin asked.

"What would a Sith want with a melted old comb?" Typho asked.

"Force knows," Ferus mumbled.

He suddenly tensed as did Anakin when he sensed the same thing as Ferus.

"Time to go," Anakin announced in a calm but urgent voice.

Padme, Sabe, and Typho looked at them in confusion, but that quickly went away with what happened next.

"We have this place surrounded! Come on out Skywalker! Olin! Or I'll be forced to use extreme measures to flush you out!" the voice of Inspector Divo boomed from outside.

Anakin and Ferus quickly went over to one of the windows and peaked through the curtains.

"He's not kidding," Anakin said at what he saw. "There must be a whole battalion of Stormtroopers and that must be Divo on that Walker."

"Walker?!" the three others shouted.

Ferus nodded. "Get the evidence and run. Anakin and I will distract them since they only called for us. We'll find another way back to the house." He looked at Anakin, and Anakin nodded. This was not the time to argue.

"Be careful," Padme told Anakin, her eyes filled with worry.

Anakin grinned at her. "Don't worry about me. Just get back home safely." Not just to Eirtae's house, but home on Tatooine where Luke and Leia were waiting for them. He looked at Sabe and Typho and they both nodded a silent promise to keep her safe.

"As soon as their eyes are on us, run," Ferus told them. He pushed the curtain open, making sure nobody outside could see Padme, Sabe, and Typho, and held his hands out. Anakin moved to the balcony doors and copied Ferus' as he opened them, making sure the inspector and the Stormtroopers could see his hands. He felt Ferus move behind him as he stepped onto the balconey keeping his hands out.

Now he had a better view on what he was facing. There was a walker on the beach, along with foot soldiers and there were water speeders as well.

And every blaster was trained on him and Ferus.

Just like that, it was as if those six months in exile were only six seconds. He was a soldier again about to go into the heat of battle.

"I'll take out the walker. You get us a way out of here," he whispered to Ferus.

"Anakin Skywalker! Ferus Olin! I am arresting you for the murder of-"Inspector Divo didn't finish because Anakin and Ferus leapt off the balcony, igniting their lightsabers, and mayhem happened.

Anakin landed on the ground with his feet and deflected the blaster shots with his lightsaber, hurrying towards the walker. If he didn't take it out, they wouldn't get very far. The Stormtroopers weren't droids but living beings. However, just like he did during the purge six months ago, Anakin pushed those thoughts and feelings away and focused on surviving this.

He charged towards the walker, making sure their attention was focused on him so they wouldn't fire on the estate incase Padme, Sabe, and Typho were still in there. The inspector on the tank was surprised, not sure whether to blow Anakin to smitherings or not. Anakin didn't give him the chance to make up his mind. He jumped onto the walker and sliced the main cannon before doing away with the side cannons. Smoke erupted from them, and Anakin jumped off, the inspector following him. Anakin ran as fast as he could before it exploded and threw him several feet into the water.

He quickly got up, gasping as water dripped down his face. He saw that the explosion had thrown many of the troopers as well, but two of them had recovered from the shock and were pointing their blasters at him from the shore. Anakin reached for his lightsaber before realizing that it was gone and he must have dropped it during the explosion.

The Stormtroopers were suddenly shot and they fell down.

Anakin turned his head to see that his savor was Ferus, holding a blaster and in a water speeder he must have taken.

"Anakin! Come on!" he shouted. Anakin turned his head and finally saw his lightsaber on the sand next to one of the dead Stormtroopers. Using the Force, he quickly got his lightsaber to him and swam to the speeder. It felt alien swimming again, but at least he was able to make it to the speeder. He struggled to climb in until Ferus offered his hand and Anakin took it.

After Anakin got in, they took off in the opposite direction they came. Anakin noticed four other speeders chasing after them. He quickly told Ferus to switch him spots, given how competent he was with the blaster and that Anakin was the better pilot.

The direction they were going in was one Padme had taken him through once before, so hopefully Anakin would be able to lose them. He took a left down the river path and Ferus blasted at the water speeders. The speeders fired back and Anakin was forced to swerve to avoid them.

Suddenly, he saw one of the speeders come out from a side path in front of him. One of them must have taken a shortcut to cut them off. Thinking quickly, Anakin used the Force to create a wave in front of them while he turned right as the water distracted the incoming speeder. Anakin looked back to see it crashed into two of the chasing speeders, but one was still behind them and it was gaining on them. As it got closer to them, the troopers prepared to fire on them before Ferus ignited his lightsaber and struck their rear engine, allowing Anakin to get ahead of them before it exploded.

After making sure there was nobody else following them, Ferus sat down in the seat next to Anakin. Anakin had to admit it to himself, he was impressed. It seemed Ferus didn't let retirement hinder him, making Anakin wonder a bit what exactly he'd been through these last six months, but he wouldn't ponder on that for now. After all, Ferus did save his life. Twice he grudgingly realized. Something else was also bothering him.

"We're going to have to ditch incase they're tracking us," Anakin said. He saw Ferus nod from them corner of his eye.

Ferus obviously sensed what Anakin was feeling as they headed back to Theed in the stolen water speeder. "What is it?" he asked.

Whatever mistrust Anakin had for him, it was not there as he explained it to him. "When we cleared the lake house, we made sure none of the Stormtroopers, or even the droid could contact anyone. Yet, we weren't there for an hour before an army surrounded us and Inspector Divo automatically knows you and I are there? Something's not right."

Ferus was quiet. Most likely thinking over Anakin's words. "You think they were tipped off by someone?" he asked.

"That's the only explanation as to how so many of them got there so quickly," Anakin answered, his hands gripping the steering.

Ferus looked at him, realizing what Anakin was saying. "You mean someone who already knew where we were going informed Divo in advanced?"

Anakin nodded. The only ones who knew they were going to Varykino were the handmaidens and Captain Typho. After leaving Theed, any one of the handmaidens could have commed the Inspector, or Typho could have while he had been alone in the lake house. Anakin didn't like the thought of it. Padme had left with Sabe and Typho. She could be in danger. And if the traitor wasn't Typho or Sabe that still left one of the other handmaidens. Anakin knew Padme would be heartbroken if she knew his suspicions. She had been friends with these people for years, had trusted them with her life and secrets, and she knew their secrets as well.

"Don't tell anyone," he told Ferus.

Ferus raised an eyebrow. "You're not going to tell your wife?"

Anakin tried to ignore the guilt twisting in his stomach. "Not yet, until I know for sure. If she thinks one of her friends is betraying her secrets and putting her family in harm's way, it will hurt her. I want to know for sure if someone is betraying us before I tell her."

Ferus didn't say anything. He just nodded in understanding. "I'm surprise you're trusting me with this," he said.

"Oh, I still don't trust you," Anakin corrected him. "You're still hiding something, but if you wanted me dead, you could have let those Stormtroopers finish me off. Besides, my family's lives might depend on you."

With that the rest of the trip was spent in silence. Both men contemplating their next move and this other problem they now had.

000{{*}}000

Naboo; 66 bby

Things had become calmer compared to Padme's first day at the palace.

She had started to get into a rhythm. After her morning class, she would stop at the café on her way to work for Lady Veruna then go through her paperwork unless Lady Veruna had a couple of errands for her to run. Then she followed behind Lady Veruna to the throne room for her early afternoon meeting with the Queen and the Royal Council where she waited outside for almost two hours before Lady Veruna came out and went back to her office where Padme prepared for the next day before heading back to the Program for her late afternoon class.

Today was the one weekday when she didn't have to worry about classes however. Padme was grateful because that meant she would be able to attend Jobal and Ruwee's presentation that evening. Jobal had been practicing her speech for two weeks now, memorizing it, and presenting it to Padme every night before she went to bed. She had chosen Queen Polana's victory speech after the rebels overthrew the dictator, King Aprana. It was a favorite of Jobal's. Padme's too. It had been one of the reasons why she wanted to go into politics. She helped Jobal memorize the speech, taught her not to mumble, how to speak, and to always look at the audience. The little was nervous. Padme understood that, but she hoped that that wouldn't cause too much problems for Jobal that night.

As of now, Padme was hoping to have her errands and paperwork done in time for her to get ready and head to the presentation at 1700 that day. She was trying to arrange Lady Veruna's meeting with Tie Bibble tomorrow when she overheard a couple of other interns gossiping.

"I'm telling you Senator Maddox is kriffing around with the Queen's secretary Bowen!"

"How could you possibly know that?"

"My friend is one of the Queen's handmaidens. She saw the Senator walk out of one of the closets in the hallway by the ballroom, fixing her hair. Then she saw Bowen come out with a hickey on his neck."

"Now why would the Senator risk her career for a fling with the Queen's secretary?"

"To get dirt on her of course. Everyone knows of the dislike between the Queen and Senator. Only reason the Queen hasn't removed Maddox from her position is because of her father."

Padme cringed as she listened to the gossip. Winama hadn't been kidding when she said that the women in court were even more slippery than the men. Some conversations here made Padme blush and feel like the country girl she was.

Once she finished scheduling Lady Veruna's meeting, she headed towards the Royal laundry room where a few of Lady Veruna's gowns were being washed and pressed. On her way down, she ran into Pooja.

"Hey, I haven't seen you in a while," the older woman said as they walked down the stairway to the bottom floor.

"Lady Veruna keeps everyone on their toes. She sent me down to pick up her daily dry-cleaning. You?" Padme asked.

"Drew the short straw in picking up the Queen's laundry for the wardrobe manager today," Pooja answered as they entered the laundry room.

Because of the expensive fabric in their clothing was made out of, the nobles preferred to have their clothing done by human hand than by droids. In Padme's mind it was a waste of credits. Lady Veruna's clothing was almost as elaborate and heavy as the Queen's. It seemed she was trying to retain the beautiful image she had in her youth with failure.

Padme and Pooja took the servants' lift up.

"You've been hearing the latest gossip?" Pooja asked.

"The one with Senator Maddox supposedly having an affair with Secretary Bowen? Yes. I have to admit it's an interesting change to Cosinga Palpatine and Regina Costil's affair," Padme said as the lift stopped and they exited into the Queen's hallway.

"Patte was the one who found them last week after the banquet with the Trade Federation delegates. It's had Celestine in a foul temper with Bowen since then. Can only imagine what that will do to her father," Pooja mumbled as she disappeared into the Queen's rooms for a minute.

Padme knew Nadie Cesare Celestine's father Tolemi Cesare, president of the Refugee Relief Movement was in a relationship with Senator Jeze Maddox, a woman around the same age as his daughter. She also knew that Secretary Bowen had been married to the Queen's sister before she died in childbirth shortly before Celestine's first election. She could understand why Celestine would be so upset with Bowen and Maddox.

Pooja came back out and they headed toward Lady Veruna's chambers.

"And it's not just the Senator and Secretary who have been doing it around here. I hear even the Lady Veruna has been getting it on with Tapalo. That's bound to make things awkward between him and Ars Veruna," Pooja said as Padme handed her the clothing to dig in her pockets for the keycard.

"I can believe that," Padme said, getting the keycard out and inserting it into the security pad. "Lady Veruna's clothing have had some peculiar stains on them and are rumpled a bit. Even torn provocatively."

The door opened and they went in.

"Look at that, you're losing some of that farm girl innocence," Pooja teased.

Padme opened the wardrobe and began to arrange the newly pressed gowns. "Seriously though, does everyone in the palace focus more on who they're sleeping with than their work? If that's the case it's no wonder Luke, Tie Bibble, and the Queen are the only ones getting any work done," Padme said.

"They're nobles. They think they can do whatever they want while us "commoners" do their dirty work," Pooja said, looking through Lady Veruna's clothing. She dug deeper in the walk-in closet and pulled out a beautiful white long sleeve gown.

"What are you doing?" Padme asked, finished with her job.

"This looks awfully young for the likes of Lady Dragon," Pooja commented, ignoring Padme's question.

"Lady Veruna's having that returned to Winama's because the size was too small for her," Padme explained getting frustrated. "Now put it back before we get in trouble."

But Pooja wasn't done with it yet. She laid it out on the bed to inspect it more. "Winama made this? The detail is incredible and the fabric underneath feels amazing." It was. From the smooth texture, Padme knew it was made from silk all the way from the mountain villages. While it was smooth and comfortable underneath, the outside was beautiful and elegant with crystal stitching on the overhanging sleeves, around the bosom down to the waist where a gold belt was wrapped around.

The tag was still on it, and Padme thought her eyes were going to fall out when she saw it. "This is worth ten thousand credits!" she said incredulously. Pooja's eyes widened as well. That was worth more than her rent and grocery bill put together. "For one white dress? You must have to steam brush it."

She looked at the size. Six. "You're a six," she said.

Padme realized what she was doing. "Oh no! You're the older one. You should be the mature one," she protested.

"Padme Mammelia Lydonia when is one of us going to be wearing a ten thousand credit anything? It's going to be returned to Winama's anyway. You're sixteen. For five minutes live a little and see what it's like," Pooja told her. She had a point. The only time Padme ever wore anything this beautiful was when she was modeling one of Winama or Ryoo's outfits. Who knew when she would be able to actually own and wear something like this?

She sighed. "I'll wear it for just one minute," she said and Pooja grinned happily. Inwardly, Padme believed that this was Pooja's excuse to dress and pamper her in a way she couldn't with her own daughter.

Padme took off her lavender-black gown in the wardrobe, and with the help of Pooja, slipped in and zipped up the white gown. She didn't know how Winama or Ryoo messed up the size considering that Lady Veruna was several sizes larger than her, but it fit Padme perfectly. These last few weeks Padme had finally been able to regain some of the weight she had lost in her illness so she no longer looked fragile like one of Nare Thule's glass figurines. She heard Pooja gasp and when she looked at herself in the wardrobe mirror she saw why. The gown made her look like an angelic being or one of those mythical creatures Mammy told her about as a child. The gown looked beautiful on her, making her dark hair appear darker, her brown eyes soft, and rosy cheeks charming.

"You look amazing," Pooja said, bringing Padme out of her thoughts. Padme had to agree, turning back to smile at her. She felt like a princess in this gown.

Suddenly, they heard a knocking on the bedchamber door, breaking them out of their fantasy world and into the real one. There was no time for Padme to change, and if Lady Veruna saw her in one of her dresses, Padme would have a lot of explaining to do.

Pooja quickly pushed Padme into the wardrobe. "I'll handle this," she said before closing the door and leaving Padme in the wardrobe with the light still on.

Padme took the chance to change before realizing that she needed Pooja's help to unzip her. Just when she was starting to panic, she heard Pooja answer the door and learn that it was not Lady Veruna.

"Lord Palpatine! Lord Costil! And young Palpatine! What a surprise!"

Padme felt her stomach lurch and feared she was going to throw up in Lady Veruna's wardrobe. This was even better.

"Yes," Lord Palpatine's voice sounded. "I've been trying to get in touch with Lady Veruna, but she seems…detained today."

Something in his voice made Padme fearful that she didn't know why she suddenly stepped out of the wardrobe, still in the white gown, startling the chamber's occupants. Maybe it was loyalty to her mistress, or maybe it was this new sense of boldness she suddenly had, but she stood in front of Lord Cosinga Palpatine with a confidence she hadn't felt in a while.

"I am Lady Veruna's intern. I know what her schedule is, so if you desire to arrange a meeting with her I can discuss it with her," she told him.

Lord Palpatine's eyes widened a bit at her boldness, and at the corner of her eye she recognized Sheev Palpatine from class with an amused smirk on his face. Then Lord Palpatine narrowed his eyes on her, and Padme tried to ignore the feeling of being smaller than him. He was gray-haired and balding even in his mid to late fifties that Padme wondered how he could have a mistress half his age.

It was Reggie Costil who saved everyone from the awkwardness. "Thank you, Miss…"

"Lydonia. Padme Lydonis," Padme supplied.

"Miss Lydonia," Costil continued. "Enquire to your mistress the perfect time for our meeting and comm us."

"Of course," Padme said.

Costil started heading out when he realized that neither father nor son had moved to follow him.

"You go ahead, Reggie. We'll catch up," Palpatine told him, his eyes never leaving Padme. Costil left, leaving Padme and Pooja with both Palpatine men.

Lord Palpatine glanced at the white gown Padme wore, and Padme tried not to shift uncomfortably. He was probably wondering why an intern was wearing an expensive looking gown or why she was an intern in the first place if her family could afford to place her in a higher position than a lady's intern.

"You are staying at Luke Naberrie's?" he asked, nearly startling Padme with his cold voice.

"Y-Yes," she mentally kicked herself for stuttering. "He's a mentor of mine and a friend of my family's."

Lord Palpatine narrowed his eyes at her again. "I see. Well, I believe I will be seeing more of you then."

Padme already felt sick at that even when he finally left the room. She then noticed that Sheev Palpatine had made no move to follow his father and was smirking at her.

"What?" she asked, frowning.

"I'm almost impressed. It's not every day I see someone stand face to face with my father with such…vigor," Sheev said, still grinning at her. "I've also seen that you've taken my advice on your composure."

Padme glared at him, wanting him to leave so she could change before Lady Veruna came in and caught her wearing this dress. His grin grew wider as if reading her thoughts.

Pooja broke the silence by going back into the wardrobe and retrieving Padme's dress. "I'll just…take this downstairs for you Padme. Remember you still have Jobal's presentation to go to," Pooja reminded her before leaving the room with Padme's dress.

Padme hated her for a moment for leaving her alone with this arrogant…boy. Well, at least she'll be able to change downstairs somewhere private. "'Almost impressed?'" Padme repeated before pushing past him to get out of the room and away from him. To her disappointment, he followed.

"There's still some flaws in your composure, like the way you bite your lip when you're nervous," he commented as they walked down the hallway.

"I do not!" Padme exclaimed, turning around to face him.

They suddenly heard voices coming around the turn in the hallway, and to Padme's horror, one of them belonged to Lady Veruna. If she saw Padme wearing one of her gowns, Padme could kiss her political career goodbye before it even started.

Sheev suddenly pulled her behind one of the pillars and Padme was suddenly aware of how close they were. Sheev was pressed against her, his arm around her, and his face was so close to hers, Padme could feel the blush rising to her cheeks. She heard footsteps coming closer, passing them, and she looked over her shoulder. Lady Veruna was walking with a satisfied smile, arm in the crook of Bon Tapolo's, and flirting like a teenager. Padme felt a little sick to her stomach and was happy when they passed and entered Lady Veruna's bedchamber. Even more glad she left when she did, otherwise she never would have been able to change and leave before Lady Veruna caught her.

She looked up to see Sheev grinning at her. "It's not funny!" she hissed at him. If anything his grin grew even more.

"Oh it is. This isn't really your dress is it?"

"Is everything I do an amusement to you?" she said, snapping out of whatever spell he had her on and pushing him away, continuing down the hallway towards the lift.

"So far," Sheev said, following her. "You do one bad thing and you think you're facing execution."

"With Lady Veruna it might as well be," Padme mumbled as they entered the lift.

They were quiet for a while. Padme dwindling with her hands until Sheev spoke again. "I noticed the pixie comb in your hair. Like the Pixie Padme?" he asked.

Padme looked at him, a little surprised that he knew about that. She didn't peg him as someone interested in Naboo folklore. "It was a gift from Winama, Luke's wife. So you know you're childhood tales?" It may have come off ruder than Padme wished.

Sheev, however, just smirked. "Every child on Naboo knows it."

There was another awkward silence. Padme looked at Sheev as he stared at the door. He was a very handsome boy on his way to manhood. He had a strong chin, blue eyes that a person could drown in, and red hair that Padme wanted to run her fingers through. Wait. What? Padme turned her head, her cheeks turning crimson again. He was a spoiled and arrogant…boy that took delight in making her feel like a fool.

"Your friend mentioned about someone's presentation?" Sheev asked, breaking the silence again.

Padme felt herself soften a bit. "My niece Jobal has a presentation in school today. They're presenting famous speeches from Naboo's history, and Jobal chose her's on Queen Polana's victory speech," she explained with a proud grin.

Sheev nodded, but some of the amusement had left his eyes, replaced by…loneliness. Padme remembered that Sheev had four younger siblings and from what she gathered, his relationship with his father was cold. She suddenly felt guilty for her own coldness to him earlier.

The lift dinged to a stop. "This is my stop," Sheev said, stepping out. Before the lift doors closed again, he turned around to face her. "Good luck to your niece," he said.

"Thank you," Padme replied.

That grin of his suddenly returned. "And by the way, you look absolutely fetching in that dress compared to your lavender black."

The lift doors closed, leaving Padme alone in the lift with her mouth gaping wide.

What the kriffing hells was that?!

000{{*}}000

And there's the chapter. I hope you all enjoyed it and I hope the action scene was alright. Writing action scenes isn't much of a forte of mine, and I hope I grabbed everyone's attention bringing in a younger version of Sheev. If you think he's different from his version in Darth Plaguies there's a reason for that but I won't spoil it.

I was brought back to writing by the new Star Wars trailer. Only one month left and it's here!

Please keep reviewing and please favor. I'm working on the next chapter, but with studies, papers, and tests I won't have it published till around Christmas. Thank you.