Darth Vader strode down the ramp of his shuttle even his breathing resonated throughout the area in which he was.
'Kihhhhh, Ohhhhhhhh….' his breathing could be heard loudly as he walked down the path that led away from the hangar, flanked by stormtroopers and leading into the imperial palace on Coruscant, now known as Imperial Center.
The palace of capital of the Galactic Empire had once been the home of the Jedi, the Jedi Temple, where Vader had resided for eight years until the day he was thrown out over a lie.
The place brought much resentment as he walked through.
He knew for a fact that Sidious enjoyed his resentment. Sidious had many a time, brought out the resentment with any sort of comment related to how he had been cast out by the Jedi, and how they had supposedly 'killed' his mother.
Even as he pondered so, he walked through the hallways, towards the throne room, which itself was a large hallway, and had once been a huge assembly hall for the Jedi.
The carpet was blood red, and the walls were all dark.
The pillars which had once looked majestic, now looked foreboding.
And there, at the end of the hall, was a raised platform, with steps leading up to it, and on the platform, there stood the throne, an imposing black throne, behind which, there was a dark red curtain containing the symbol of the Sith Empire, the Galactic Empire.
And just above the curtain, was a window, its glass tinted so that even when light seeped through, the hall would still give off a sense of fear.
And there, on the throne, sat the Emperor Palpatine, Darth Sidious, Grandmaster of the Sith.
He sat there in his black robes, with a scarred, wrinkled face and evil smile, his teeth looking ugly and malicious.
And Darth Vader walked over to the Emperor and kneeled.
Palpatine spoke, "Rise Lord Vader, my old friend."
Vader rose.
And he noticed, on Palpatine's right side, a man with regal bearing, with a white beard and hair, and a curved lightsaber at the belt, none other than Count Dooku, a.k.a, Darth Tyrannus.
And then, he noticed something else.
On Sidious's left side, in front of the throne, there stood a young Togruta girl. She seemed to be fourteen or fifteen, and her hands were in handcuffs and there was a chain round her neck, and the other end of the chain was in the Emperor's hand, like the girl was some sort of animal that needed a leash.
Vader asked, "What is thy bidding Master?"
Sidious replied, "My old friend, I had promised you a gift, and I have the perfect one for you, right over here in my hand."
The girl suddenly cried out, "I will never be yours!"
Sidious turned to her and angrily shouted, "SILENCE GIRL!" even as Tyrannus walked over to her and slapped her hard.
Even as the girl reeled from the blow, Tyrannus snarled, "Foolish child, your master never wanted you, you were a waste of his time and energy."
The girl retorted, "Pong Krell yes, but…"
"SHUT UP", Tyrannus shouted as he slapped her again, "Do not speak of that vile hypocrite of a Jedi, your 'dear Koon', Ahsoka Tano."
Sidious said, "Enough of this Tyrannus. Stand on my right."
Tyrannus complied and went to stand by his master's right.
Sidious then turned to Vader and said, "I have sensed your strength in the dark side of the force growing day by day, month by month, and now you are a powerful Sith Lord, more powerful than you could have ever been as a Jedi. Therefore, I feel you are more than ready to train an apprentice of your own. A great gift to you, is it not?"
Vader asked, "My master, is this necessary?"
Sidious angrily asked, "Do you find my gift to be of no value at all?!"
Vader replied, "No, of course not."
Sidious said, "Good."
Suddenly, Tyrannus spoke up, "Master, I doubt Lord Vader is really ready. He is extremely young after all."
Sidious replied, "Oh don't worry about it my loyal apprentice, Lord Vader has developed very quickly as a Sith Lord. Surely, he can train one, just as I have trained him, just as you had trained Ventress."
He broke off, waited for a moment and then said, "It really is a pity, but Ventress would have grown to oppose me, unlike Lord Vader and yourself who have both been loyal to me."
Tyrannus said, "My loyalty is to you and you alone. Had you ordered me to, I would have killed her myself."
Sidious turned to Vader and said, "This girl was once a Jedi Padawan, and her name is Ahsoka Tano, but that shall soon change, under our guidance. Soon, she shall be a powerful Sith apprentice to you. Only, you must make her loyal to us, loyal to you, loyal to me. You must make her understand the power of the dark side."
Ahsoka cried out, "I WILL NEVER JOIN THE DARK SIDE YOU…"
"SILENCE", Sidious bellowed and he unleashed a stream of force lightning upon the girl, causing her to fall to the ground, screaming in pain.
And the sight that Darth Vader saw right in front of his own eyes reminded him of one thing.
"I WILL NEVER JOIN YOU SIDIOUS!" Anakin shouted, chained as he was, "OBI WAN WILL COME FOR ME!"
"SILENCE BOY", Sidious shouted as he struck him with force lightning, causing him to scream out in pain, "YOUR MASTER OBI WAN KENOBI HAS ABANDONED YOU, JUST AS THE OTHER JEDI HAVE! YOU HAVE NO ONE BUT ME! I ALONE AM ALL YOU HAVE LEFT!"
Sidious stopped his torture of Ahsoka and turning to Vader and smiling maliciously, he said, "Take her as your apprentice. Do what you must do. Break her, break her and make her your apprentice, a willing servant of the dark side, as I did what I had to do to make you understand the power of the dark side, Vader."
Vader said, "It was necessary. Anakin Skywalker was weak, and his death by your hand was necessary to make me strong."
Sidious smiled and said, "I am glad you agree. I may have been harsh on you, but it was all for your own benefit in the end, was it not?"
Vader replied, "Of course Master, you are the reason I exist."
Sidious stated, "A pity you realized it too late. You could have saved your mother after all. But perhaps even that was necessary. Even in death, your mother gave you a great gift, pain, the urge you needed to understand the need for what I was trying to give you for so long."
Sidious cackled at his victory of having turned Anakin into Vader and said, "Yes, and now you must do the same with Ahsoka. Show no leniency. Be harsh as I was with you, and she will soon rejoice as a Sith Lord, Lord Vader."
Vader said, "I shall not fail you, my Master."
Sidious said, "Good, good. Very well, you may go now. And take her with you."
With that, he held out the chain to Vader.
The way he held the chain stirred something inside Vader.
It looked like the way slaves were chained on Tatooine, especially Jabba's court slaves.
And for some reason, his insides twisted with rage.
Vader moved closer to the Emperor and said, "My Master, the chain shall not be necessary, I will escort her myself."
Sidious looked at Vader in a puzzled manner and said, "Are you sure? Do you not fear the possibility of her trying to escape unchained?"
Vader said, "She is no match for my skills. And she is an apprentice, not a slave. If I may request you, then let her merely be handcuffed."
Sidious replied, "Very well," and motioned to his red robed guards who were standing at the four corners of the dais.
One guard came forward and removed the chain, but not the handcuffs from Ahsoka.
Sidious said, "You may go now."
Vader knelt down and said, "I shall return to my ship with the girl, and soon, she shall be my willing apprentice."
Sidious said, "And so she shall be."
Vader stood up and said, "Come along child. Walk in front of me, out of the courtroom, and make no attempt to escape or you shall find yourself being shocked by my own hand, and you do not want that, do you, child? Move along before I make you do so."
Ahsoka glared at Vader, and realizing that there seemed to be no way out, obeyed Vader and walked along the carpet, towards the exit of the throne room, with Vader following her.
Even as Sidious watched them go, he couldn't help but frown.
Something was off about Vader.
He couldn't tell what it was, but he knew that whatever it was, it certainly was not good.
Vader had so far never questioned his motives, not even the enslavement of the wookies of Kashyyyk.
Why now, had he just refused to lead Ahsoka Tano by the chain that he had so graciously given to him?
Was someone influencing him?
Doubt and anger flared in him at that possibility.
Whatever it was, one thing was true for sure.
Something was off with Vader.
As Vader and Ahsoka stepped out of the room, the former motioned to a few stormtroopers standing at attention and said, "Escort this prisoner to my shuttle, and see to it that she does not escape. Walk behind her and follow me. Set your weapons to stun."
The stormtroopers obeyed and one prodded Ahsoka to move along as Vader began to walk towards his shuttle.
Soon, they reached the shuttle and boarded the ramp.
Vader turned to the stormtroopers and said, "Leave us."
The stormtroopers left the shuttle. The door closed and the clone pilot lifted the shuttle off the ground and asked, "Where to My Lord?"
Vader replied, "My flagship."
"Yes My Lord," replied the pilot even as he set the coordinates.
The shuttle soon exited the atmosphere and then jumped to lightspeed.
Meanwhile, inside, Ahsoka who had been sitting, stood up even as Vader stood up and the former glared at Vader and asked coldly, "What are you going to do to me now? Torture me with force lightning? Kill me if I refuse to join you?"
Somehow, the words triggered some things that he had heard.
Sidious: YOU HAVE NO ONE BUT ME!
Mace Windu: Don't push anyone away from you just as I pushed you away when you needed my help. Don't let this tyrant control your life. Remember, you have a choice.
Padmé: You have a choice Anakin, don't let this monster dominate you throughout your life. I'm begging you as a friend, don't let this tyrant who has done nothing but use you and play with your life. Once he gets what he wants, he'll crush you, just like he has tried to kill me, just like he killed the Jedi.
And then, he removed her handcuffs and declared, "I can assure you of one thing. I will never do to you what Palpatine did to me!"
His declaration stunned Ahsoka to the core.
—-
Later on, at Vader's headquarters…
Padmé was standing near the viewport when she suddenly heard the doors opening and turned to see Vader walk in, accompanied by a Togruta girl who was not handcuffed.
Padmé waited for the doors to close and then asked, "What is happening?"
Vader said, "Padmé, this is Ahsoka Tano. Sidious has given me an apprentice to train."
Padmé was about to say something but Vader continued, "But I've decided, I'm never going to do to Ahsoka what Sidious did to me. He used me all along. And it's too late for me, but it doesn't mean it has to be the same way for her."
Ahsoka looked at Padmé in wonder and said, "Padmé Amidala, is it you?!"
Padmé looked at Ahsoka and cried out, "Ahsoka, it's you!"
Ahsoka and Padmé flew into each other's arms, leaving Vader very surprised.
He asked, "You two know each other?"
Padmé replied, "During the Clone Wars, Ahsoka and I met. She was tasked with protecting me a couple of times, and she once saved my life from Aurra Sing."
Vader pulled off his helmet and said, "Sounds like she is quite skilled, for her age. Aurra Sing was a deadly, dangerous, cruel woman, and she was one of those that got me framed."
Ahsoka looked at Vader's face for a few moments and then said, "I never thought there could be a face that didn't look quite cruel under that mask."
Vader sighed and looking at Ahsoka, he sat down on a couch and said, "I just wear the mask to hide who I once was from the public."
Ahsoka sat on the opposite couch and asked, "Who were you?"
Vader looked at her, wondering if he should tell her.
And then, he heard a whisper in his head, none other than Qui-Gon's voice, "Tell her Anakin, you won't help yourself if you hide things from everyone."
Vader found himself surprised. He had not been expecting that.
He said, "I was once Anakin Skywalker."
Ahsoka gaped for a moment and then cried out, "You're Anakin Skywalker? Really?"
Vader replied, "Yes I was."
Ahsoka looked at Vader and said, "Master Koon always used to talk about you."
Vader suddenly looked up at her and asked, "Koon? Plo Koon?! Is he alive?!"
Ahsoka said with some bitterness, "Why should I tell you that? You'd just want to kill him!"
Padmé at this point said, "Ahsoka calm down. It's true that he turned to the dark side, but he's trying to change."
Vader looked at Padmé and couldn't help but wonder why she was defending him so.
Ahsoka asked, "Why did he join the Sith in the first place?"
Vader explained, "The Jedi cast me out over a lie and I was sentenced to death so Palpatine could get his hands on me. He brutally tortured me for a whole year and then lied to me using fake evidence that the Jedi, Mace Windu and Obi Wan had killed my mother. I was broken and I couldn't hold out anymore."
Ahsoka gasped at that and looked at Vader in shock.
Vader did not stop there. He went on to show her the recording that he had been forced to see the day he had fallen.
Ahsoka was mortified to see what had been shown to her.
All those months, she had believed that Vader was a cold blooded monster who had joined Sidious for power just like Count Dooku had. And now to hear all this, that he had once been Anakin Skywalker and had been framed, tortured, then lied to, told a horrible lie that would destroy him.
Sure, this may have been why attachments were forbidden, but she didn't completely agree with it. After all, she had been attached to Plo Koon, looking up to him like a father, just as he had looked upon her like a daughter, and she would be hypocritical to deny that it had always been helpful to her when it came to her path as a Jedi.
Vader continued, "For two whole years, I served Sidious believing my mother was dead at the hands of the Jedi. Only recently, I captured Padmé and she recognised me soon after I showed her my face in a fit of anger. She told me the truth, that Obi Wan had spent several months looking for me and that he had started to believe that I was dead and went to Tatooine to inform my mother. He found out that tusken raiders had kidnapped her and went and managed to save her on time. He nursed her back to health. Then an assassin sent by Sidious tried to kill her and Obi Wan saved her, then faked her death to throw the Emperor off her, then took her to Naboo where she and her family have been living in hiding ever since."
Ahsoka could not help feeling something for Vader. In fact, although she should not be, given that he was a Sith and the enemy of the Jedi, she couldn't help but start to feel like he was not an enemy.
Rather, she was starting to feel somewhat sorry for him.
She said, "Master Plo said you had been wronged by the council. He used to go on telling me that he should have tried harder to save you."
Vader's head shot up in surprise.
"What?!" Vader cried out, "He actually said that?!"
Ahsoka said, "He, Master Fisto, Master Secura and Master Ti always felt that expelling you was the worst decision that the council could have made. Personally, I felt the whole thing was unfair. Just because the evidence seemed to be against you didn't mean you should have been expelled right away, just like that. I always felt the council was wrong."
Vader asked, "What about Obi Wan?"
Ahsoka said, "He left the order shortly after you were framed."
Vader's eyes widened in disbelief as he heard that.
He exclaimed, "Why did he do that?! He was always the perfect Jedi!"
Ahsoka replied, "The council at that time was unwilling to let him go, and he was so upset with them, especially Master Windu that he decided to leave the order to find you."
Vader looked at Padmé and asked, "Did you know about this?"
Padmé replied, "Obi Wan told me he had left the order when he came to me to ask if you had come to Naboo to hide. He was so convinced that you could not be dead."
Vader hung his head in shame.
It was another reminder of what he had believed to be the truth, only to discover it to be a lie.
He said, "Ahsoka, let me tell you this. Palpatine wanted me on his side, and he tortured me and lied to me that Obi Wan and Mace Windu killed my mother. And that was the day I became Vader. I have no excuse for what I have done as a Sith. But after Padmé told me the truth, and thanks to her entirely, I started to question myself and everything that I have done, and I know one thing for sure. I may have been used, but I still chose the dark side for revenge, and it consumed me. It's too late for me to change. But it's not too late for you. When I saw you being manhandled by the Emperor, it reminded me of what I went through as a slave on Tatooine, and what I went through at his hands. And I can definitely promise you this, I will never ever do to you what he did to me."
Ahsoka was shocked to hear all that and said, "I'm sorry for what you've been through. I don't know what I should feel, but honestly, I think I'm starting to feel I can trust you won't do something to me. In fact, although I shouldn't, I'm starting to feel like you're not my enemy."
Vader said, "I will never shock you with force lightning or whip you like Sidious did to me. Seeing that vile murderer pull your chain and shock you made me remember the times I went through as a slave, and how he ruthlessly tortured me that same way. I've never been the same since Padmé told me the truth and started trying to get me to question everything about myself, which I have to admit, she succeeded in doing. And now, seeing you in front of me, I don't know how, but I cannot do what Palpatine wants me to do to you, and I won't, and I can promise you this, I will never, ever do to you what that man did to me! I will never use you like he used me! I will not cast you away like Mace Windu did or torture you and lie to you about Koon like Palpatine did to me and lied to me about Obi Wan! I won't let him harm you and use you as he used me."
Ahsoka couldn't believe her ears.
Never in all her life would she have expected the one who should have been trying to break her, to instead promise not to.
Vader knew he had done the right thing.
He could no longer call himself loyal to Palpatine, not after finding out how he had been merely used and deceived, and how the man had tried to murder his mother and use him and how Obi Wan had saved his mother.
And yes, he would spite Mace Windu, but not the way Palpatine wanted him to.
He would never ever do to Ahsoka what Mace Windu had done to him.
All of a sudden, Ahsoka burst from the couch and hugged Vader.
To say Vader was shocked was an understatement.
No one had ever hugged him like this before, not since he had been framed.
Ahsoka ended her hug and cried out, "Thank You, thank you. I never would have expected that you of all people would actually promise not to harm me and not abuse me like the Sith do to people. In fact, I think I feel some sort of connection with you. I shouldn't be, typically, but you seem to have one with me."
Vader examined himself, looked at Ahsoka and realized that she was right.
He could indeed sense a strong connection between himself and Ahsoka. He had somehow already felt it in the Emperor's throne room, and now, it seemed to be getting warmer.
And to his surprise, it was not like that of Palpatine's with him, but of that between Obi Wan and himself when he had been his Padawan.
He looked at Padmé, who was watching him.
If it had not been for her, he never would have tried to question himself as to why he was following a man who had used him and tortured him, something that the Jedi had never done. Yes, Mace Windu had expelled him, but he would never have killed his mother.
And he never would have questioned his own actions.
Yet, there was still conflict, guilt, and he could never feel satisfied.
The weight of his actions was hanging down on him.
But now, looking at Ahsoka, he knew that in deciding to protect her instead of trying to break her, he had managed to bring some warmth to himself, in his heart, and it seemed to relieve him somewhat.
Yet, he still felt he didn't have much of a choice overall. Yes, he could disobey Palpatine to an extent, but no one would accept him after what he had done.
Except Padmé, and maybe Ahsoka.
Speaking of Padmé, he couldn't help but suddenly start to feel a longing for her, like he had felt after leaving Mara with the Organas.
It was stronger, and it was threatening to drive him mad.
He had always felt Padmé was beautiful, an angel, and now, he couldn't help wondering what would have happened had things gone a different way.
If he had not been framed, he and Padmé would have had a better friendship at the very least.
But now, she was wary of him.
And it was all his fault for falling.
He may have had no one back then, but ultimately, it had been his choice to fall for revenge, and all for a lie.
He certainly didn't deserve her.
And as he hung his head, he couldn't help thinking, 'A creature like me deserves death! There is no place for me in this galaxy!'
Yet, he had not killed himself so far.
Something was holding him back.
He was shaken from his thoughts by Padmé saying, "Anakin, is something the matter?"
He looked up at her and said, "I'm just thinking about where Ahsoka should sleep."
Ahsoka said, "I wouldn't mind the couch."
Padmé immediately turned to her and said, "No Ahsoka, you can sleep on the bed. Anakin sleeps on the couch."
Ahsoka replied, "But Padmé…"
Padmé fixed a glare at her, an affectionate glare but a glare all the same.
And for some reason, Vader couldn't help liking it.
It was the most beautiful glare he had ever seen.
Of course, he had always been afraid when Obi Wan or Mace Windu had glared at him for pranks and disobedience, and terrified when Sidious had glared at him, but this felt different.
Ahsoka sighed and said, "Okay, I'm sleeping with you then."
Padmé smiled and said, "Settled then. Do you want something to eat?"
Ahsoka replied, "Yeah, I haven't eaten properly in days, ever since I got separated from Master Koon."
Vader said, "That can be arranged."
Some time later, Ahsoka, having bathed and eaten a good meal after many days, was sitting on the bed looking out of the viewport.
A lot had happened in her life.
Due to experiences in her life, she could understand what it was like to be rejected, unwanted, cast to the side, manipulated, and framed.
But all those times, someone had been there for her.
And now, it was rather ironic, but this time, it was Darth Vader that was there for her.
Or rather, Anakin Skywalker.
And Padmé too.
Her thoughts drifted to Plo Koon, who had known her since her infanthood.
Koon had always looked out for her from the time he had found her.
He had spent time with her and taught her many things.
He had always emphasized on the importance of compassion and love, and over time, Ahsoka had grown to love him like a father.
She knew very well that he loved her like his own daughter, and both had never hesitated to be affectionate with each other and express that father-daughter bond, despite the ban on attachments.
She wondered where he was now.
From the way Vader had asked about him, it seemed Vader had not found him yet.
She wasn't sure of what would happen if he did.
She could only hope that Koon was safe, wherever he was.
With these thoughts in mind, she lay down on the bed and soon, her tired eyes closed shut in deep sleep.
Meanwhile, Vader was standing near the viewport, lost in thought.
This time, his thoughts were all on Padmé.
Padmé, she was beautiful, she was an angel.
And he wasn't just thinking about her because of looks.
She was kind, compassionate, a representation of emotions a Sith should not encourage.
But did he really want to be a Sith anymore?
It had cost him so much.
Darkness had stolen his life.
And he had helped, by allowing himself to fall for a lie and seek revenge.
He knew very well that he could try and kill Sidious, but Sidious was more powerful in the dark side.
And even if he were to take the throne, the galaxy, and make things the way he wanted, would it give back everything he had lost?
No, Obi Wan would never forgive him, his mother would never forgive him, and Padmé would never ever want anything to do with him.
Sure, she had accepted him as a friend, but he could not get over what he had done to her.
He couldn't believe he had used an interrogation droid on her; tortured her for information.
And yet, she still wanted to help him.
He didn't deserve her.
He didn't even deserve to live.
And yet, his feelings for her would not dissipate.
It could only mean one thing.
He had fallen in love with her.
He was in love with her.
How could this be?
Padmé would surely hate him if she found out.
She had every right to hate him, didn't she?
Lost in his woeful dark thoughts, he was suddenly jolted by Padmé's soft voice calling out, "Ani, is something wrong?"
Startled, he turned around and saw her on his left side.
"Anakin," Padmé spoke again, "are you alright?"
Vader murmured, "It's nothing."
Padmé said, "Anakin, don't try and hide it. Something's wrong with you, I know it."
Vader replied a little coldly, "You don't need to know. It wouldn't help you, would it?"
Padmé cried out, "Anakin, you won't do yourself any good if you don't tell me what's wrong! Stop hiding it all and tell me what's wrong!"
She was surprised by what she saw next.
Vader actually flinched and turned to look out of the viewport.
He said, "I can't Padmé. I have no choice. After all I've done to you…"
He then cried out, "Right now, there's nothing in this galaxy that I hate more than myself! I joined the dark side so that I could have revenge, all for a lie! I murdered the Jedi, even the younglings, each and every last one of them. I've killed many people, senators, soldiers, women and children, and now I realize it and it's too late for me! No one will ever forgive me for what I have done. I deserve nothing but death! I wish I could just die!"
With that, he ended his tirade.
The silence was broken by Padmé saying, "Anakin, don't demean yourself like this. I may not be a Jedi, but I know you enough to say that there is good in you. You have a choice, and there is good in you. You wouldn't kill me, you heard me out, you didn't torture Mara or give her to Palpatine, and now you've promised Ahsoka that you will never do to her what Palpatine did to you. It means that you do care about her. Would an evil person do that? No. Anakin, I know there's more that's bothering you, and I want to help you."
Vader turned to Padmé and said with a mixture of bitterness and sadness evident in his voice, "You'd hate me for it. I can't damage you more than I already have."
Padmé replied, "I don't hate you, and whatever it is, you won't help anyone or yourself by hiding it deep within. I will not stop asking you until you tell me what is affecting you!"
Vader looked at her and taking a deep breath, he confessed, "I lived for two years in darkness, and then you came and turned my world upside down. You were the first person to ever speak sweet words to me when you told me the truth about my mother, and when you told me you would accept me. Ever since I gave Mara to Bail Organa…"
He trailed off, suddenly feeling afraid to go on.
But then he plucked up his courage and continued, "I see you for what you are, so beautiful, sweet, kind, compassionate; you're in my soul, and no matter how much I try to tell myself that it won't work out, it won't leave me. You torment my soul, yet you also try to save me. In the end, all I can say is that I'm in love with you, but I don't deserve you."
Padmé was surprised to say the least and she slowly said, "What did you just say?"
Vader, this time, said sadly, his eyes closed, "I'm in love with you, but I'm a monster. I don't deserve you Padmé. I understand if you hate me. If you want to leave…"
He wasn't expecting what followed next to happen.
Padmé suddenly reached out to him, pulled his face into her hands and kissed him.
The kiss lasted for moments before Padmé broke off slowly saying, "Ever since you came back into my life, I've been dying a little each day. Ever since you said you would not give Mara to Palpatine, it's only gotten stronger. No matter what he's told you, I know you're a good person, deep down within. I love you."
Vader was stunned and he slowly said, "You love me?"
Padmé replied, "I truly deeply love you. I love you for the good person you are, for whom you are, and I truly deeply love you."
And with that, she pulled him towards her and kissed him once again, eyes closed.
The kiss was longer this time, and Vader found himself wrapping his arms around her.
When it ended, Padmé slowly pulled away.
And then, she thought she heard him choke back a sob.
She looked at him.
Was… was Vader, no, was Anakin…, crying?
She took one look at him, and pulled him into her arms even as he cried into her shoulder.
She knew.
This was not Darth Vader.
This was Anakin Skywalker, a broken man, a good man who had been framed, used, rejected, pushed away, tortured, and lied to in a most horrible way, pushing him to do deeds of immense horror, leaving him in a state in which he felt there was no way out.
She was not going to leave him.
She now knew why she couldn't just leave.
Anakin needed her.
A few minutes later, the other one calmed down and let Padmé hold him, her head against his chest.
He said, "I love you, Padmé Amidala."
Padmé replied, with eyes closed, "I love you too, Anakin Skywalker."
And for the first time in a long time, Anakin Skywalker felt no resentment upon being called by his birth name.
