"I'm a school nurse not a doctor!" Hearth shouted at the inquisitive Palpatines'. The dinner hall was in turmoil. Family members were shouting at each other and pointing at the body of Officer Girris. Lady Palpatine had dismissed everyone besides Hearth, Aronder, and Deivé. Palpatine stood listening by the door.
Palpatine's father snatched up a tablet. He struggled to type because of his sweaty fingers. Aronder managed to get out, "Let's just contact the police. Let's have them deal with this."
Palpatine's grandmother, Lady Evory Palpatine, motioned for silence and commanded Aronder to put down the tablet, "No. No one will be calling the police."
"Why on Naboo not, mother!" Deivé cried out, "There's a dead body in our house! We have to." She glanced at her brother. "Mother is mad. Dial the police. We are not going through this a second time."
"Aronder. Deivé," their mother hissed. "You will listen to your mother, and you will listen carefully. We are not calling the police." She paused and gave her children a scathing look. "Do you two understand?"
Aronder spat, "No, I quite frankly don't." he went on, "Why are we not calling the police? They helped us when father met his conveniently unfitting end, didn't they?" Aronder arched an eyebrow.
Conveniently unfitting end? Palpatine leaned a little into the doorframe. He could sense the anger roll out of the room and crash over him. It was delightful.
Palpatine's grandmother, Evory glanced at Hearth, and she turned back to her son, "Well, we don't want to attract attention. We've had the police come here enough times. It's embarrassing, Aronder."
"Oh, its embarrassing?" Deivé put a hand over her heart and scoffed, "It's embarrassing our father died? Is that what you're getting at, mother?"
"Stop twisting my words you, ungrateful brat," Evory spat at her daughter. Palpatine felt his own insides writhe. Palpatine never particularly favored his aunt, yet even he felt sympathy for his aunt, a bit.
The room felt like a cloudy sky preparing to unleash a vicious storm. Forked lightning sparking a deadly flame.
Hearth's mouth hung agape, his head swiveling from the mother to the daughter. Evory pivoted to Hearth and smiled sweetly.
She seemed very aware of her vicious behavior, and she ordered Hearth. "Predune and Mairda need help fixing the bay window, Hearth. Would you be a dear and help them?"
"Uh, of course…Lady Evory." Hearth made a little bow and then started for the door, the door Palpatine was hiding behind.
Fark. Palpatine's eyes darted around the hall but there were no hiding spots to be seen. Palpatine flattened himself against the wall hoping that Hearth wouldn't notice. Although he still devised a backup plan in case Hearth did.
"In-laws…" Hearth grumbled as he exited. His neck turned to the not very well hidden Palpatine. "Sheev? What are you doing?" He glanced from the elder Palpatines to his brother-in-law then he sighed as realization hit him. "Really, Sheev?"
"What?" Palpatine paused, "I was simply curious since I discovered the body as well."
Hearth shook his head. "Come on, Sheev." He took his brother-in-law by the arm and dragged him along.
"Hearth, I'm not harming anyone. You needn't drag me away." Palpatine protested.
"You're lucky I'm not turning you into your father." Hearth spat. He blinked a few times before he realized what he said. Hearth sighed letting go of Palpatine. "I'm sorry, Sheev, I shouldn't have said that. Its just—fark! Why is your grandmother preventing them from calling the police? It's unbelievable!"
Palpatine drew a deep breath. They climbed the stairs where he could hear his siblings arguing. "She's always been like that, Hearth. Do not take it personally." He paused and looked to his brother-in-law as they reached the landing. "If it means anything, I agree with you." He didn't. If anything, it was convenient this death had occurred, at least for Palpatine.
"What are you doing, Mairda! It's too off centered!" Predune's muffled voice cried out.
Palpatine rolled his eyes as he and Hearth entered a hall off the main corridor. He saw his two siblings and his sister's fiancée attempting to repair the bay window. Mairda was trying to hammer in the window with Predune behind her handing her tools. Jim was working on the other side of the window.
"SHUT THE FARK UP PREDUNE!" Mairda shouted at her brother. "Your irritating voice is making me lose focus!"
"My voice is irritating?!" Predune huffed, throwing the toolbox down. "You're irritating beyond measure, dear sister."
"Hah…I'm irritating? YOU ANNOUNCED YOU'RE ADOPTING TWO KIDS AT MY WEDDING DINNER!" she whipped around to her brother haphazardly wielding her hammer. Jim paused his work and stared.
Hearth laughed nervously, "Um…hello? Sheev and I are here to assist you." Predune and Mairda didn't even acknowledge them.
"YES, I DID! IS IT A CRIME TO BE HAPPY YOU ARE BECOMING A FATHER? NO! YOU ARE INSANE, MAIRDA!" Predune spat.
Hearth placed a hand on his husband's shoulder. "Hey, Predune? Predune? It's been a long day. You should head back to our room." He glanced at the others. "Sheev, Mairda, Jim and I can finish this."
Predune ignored his husband's offer, "Oh no, Hearth. Mairda and I have something to settle, don't we, Mairda? Such as how becoming a father is a crime."
"You don't get it, do you? Fark, you're that egotistical. You can't even see what you did wrong." Mairda sighed deeply.
Predune pulled out his HoloBand and flashed a picture in front of Mairda's face. "Are you going to say no to these precious little faces?"
Mairda looked at the HoloBand and scoffed. "I'm not saying 'no'. I'm just saying 'woah'. I object to your timing, not the twins. Predune, everything isn't always about you."
"Aw, they're so cute." Jim commented. Hearth and Predune beamed. Mairda elbowed her fiancée, and he shut his mouth.
Palpatine peered at the picture. It was of two smiling infants with large eyes and chubby cheeks. What's so appealing?
"Sidious." A gravelly voice from the shadows spoke. It was a voice he did not recognize.
Palpatine's head snapped to the corner of the room. The world spun around him, the shapes of his siblings and of furniture began to blur. Unseen frost nipped his skin and a cold feeling washed over him.
It was so unbelievably cold beyond what words could convey. And it was becoming darker and darker… the last flash of light, sharper than anything he'd ever seen was a pair of brilliant yellow eyes. Then everything went black.
Palpatine's eyes snapped open. He tried to sit up, but a hand pushed him down. "Shhhh. Rest, my grandson." He scrambled back in his bed away from the dark figure. Palpatine somewhat relaxed when he realized it was his grandmother sitting by his bedside.
"What happened?" he mumbled.
"Don't worry, my boy. I took care of it." His grandmother shined a toothy smile at him.
"Took care of what?" Palpatine asked, his voice less groggy and sharper. He started to wake up and realized he was in his bedroom.
His grandmother laughed as though it was obvious. "I know. I know, it must have been so stressful dealing with that pest. That must be why you blacked out. Thankfully, we needn't worry about that nasty Officer Girris any longer."
"What?" Palpatine froze. Does she know I'm a Sith Lord? That's impossible. What did she do? Kill Girris? "Uh…grandmother. That's…lovely. Why do you say Officer Girris is nasty?"
"Because of that parking ticket! That insulting little Mikkian thought she could arrest my precious little grandson! Not on my watch." She huffed then glanced at Palpatine quickly. "Why is everyone acting like I killed her! Of course, not…"
"Of course, grandmother. Why would anyone ever assume that?" Palpatine said in veiled sarcasm. I suppose her murdering Girris inadvertently solved that. No more poking around for Mrs. Girris.
"Oh, Sheevy. Take this. This should soothe your symptoms. It's a little something I brewed up." His grandmother handed him a warm cup of green liquid. "Go on, take a sip." Palpatine took a dubious glance at it.
Palpatine gave her a reassuring smile before lifting the cup to his lips. "Thank you, grandmother, it looks delicious." He lied.
His grandmother smiled before placing a kiss on the top of his head. "Goodnight, Sheev." She shut the door behind her. Palpatine made a disgusted face at the door before dumping the rest of the concoction into a vase on his nightstand.
Palpatine rolled on his side watching the door. A zephyr brushed back his balcony doors. He swore he could hear the Naboo night sigh, and he did too.
"Sidious." Palpatine heard it hiss again.
He instinctively reached for his sleeve yet as his gaze skimmed his room, nothing moved. The balcony remained empty, his bed was far too low to have anything underneath, and he had no closets, only drawers. Nothing could hide in his room. He'd made it purposely like that.
Palpatine knew it wasn't his imagination. He was not one to dismiss anything absent mindedly. But where was it hiding? He turned behind him but all that was there was his bed board.
"Sidious…" it said again confirming that it indeed was somewhere nearby. "Come to me, child."
I will not be doing that. "Who are you, you farker?" Despite his strong words, his heart felt like it was in his throat and his hands were pooling with sweat.
It didn't reply verbally. A long and deliberate sound grated on his ears. Nails…claws digging in repeatedly. Dragging across, readied claws…ready to tear through flesh.
Palpatine stood up, reaching for his sleeve, and withdrew his lightsaber. With one switch, brilliant crimson light lit up the dull room.
The sounds of nails only grew louder, more deliberate. Palpatine's breath was heavy as he pivoted to look in every corner of the room. "Come to me, you coward."
Then he felt it, hot breath on his ear. "Foolish, boy." It hissed. "You should have fled when you had the chance."
His gaze drifted to the ceiling.
It clung to the ceiling, yellow eyes peering at him and dead blue lips curling. "COME TO ME!" It screeched.