A/N: WARNING: This chapter contains sexual assault. Please (again) take a look at the warnings I placed at the beginning of this story. Please do not read the chapter if this type of material will act as a trigger. There is a summary of what happens at the end for those who are uncomfortable with reading the full text.

On a less serious note: This chapter has not been edited, so try to excuse any grammatical mistakes.

Chapter 6: The Truth

Face-to-face with pure darkness, Padmé found herself frozen- petrified under the scrutinizing and fiery gaze of the Sith Lord. Struggling to push down a swallow, her knees became weak in terror as his fury carved voice etched though her ears.

"I will not ask you again, Senator," Vader assured her, his voice was the most emotionless she'd ever heard it. Jagged spears of true unadulterated fear raged violently under her skin while her frazzled mind tried to blurt out a reply. Her thoughts scattered, abandoning her the moment she needed them most. Whatever words that were bound to come out would be unintelligible. Padmé could feel his body- it was serrated ice, whatever modicum warmth left was gone. What she'd felt on the balcony, completely consumed by the shivering immense darkness in his soul. Every time a phase -a word -a sound tried to escape her vocal cords they seemed trapped at the juncture of her mouth and throat. If she didn't say something- the situation she'd fallen into would only get worse.

Finally some tangible vocal reply fled her lips, "t-the fresher, I-th-that's wh-where I was," she managed to feebly muster out, completely avoiding the void of his hood. Her eyes remained locked on the pin resting below his collarbone, the insignia burning into her memory like a scorching brand- a mental scar imprinted. Even though her thoughts had abandoned her own wellbeing, they had not deserted the ambition to protect something much greater than herself. The Rebellion. That's when she felt a presence; pressure against her skull as if something was prying her brain open- rummaging for information. Sharp pain shattered though her skull compelling her to squirm, muted whimpers and cries escaped her lips as she writhed in agony- her instincts attempting a futile escape once again.

"You're lying." He seethed as the pressure against her mind became unbearable. "Show me the truth." A strangled screech belted from her lips as something in her mind ripped from its place. She could barely notice Vader's hand clamping down over her mouth to mute the sound; there was too much pain- it was so crippling she was sure to pass out from the unparalleled pressure.

"Is everything okay here?" A man's voice barely registered in her ears. Conscious relief swarmed her, thankful for that voice as the pressure against her skull eased. Panting against leather, her eyes managed to pull away from the pin encased by darkness to flicker towards a familiar face- Bail. Fear once again tore through her chest as her eyes widened in warning to him, a warning to keep walking and not try anything foolhardy. It wasn't worth it- he should just keep walking.

"This is none of your concern," Vader monotonously warned with terrifying indifference as his hood never left its place to scrutinize her face. Padmé swallowed around the hold that had yet to alleviate from her neck as her head shook slightly in her friends direction, her eyes displaying the soul message of 'leave'. When she saw the pain and remorse across Bail's face as he continued to move past the altercation, she frowned against the glove covering her lips. When he was gone, her attention returned to the pin on the Sith's chest- her eyes void of any response. "You were with him," the voice from above her ear stated through teeth as his hand went from covering her mouth to grab her chin- snapping her head up to face the abyss.

"I-I spoke with him," she whispered, realizing there was no sense in lying about that fact. Once again she felt him rummaging around in her brain, searching for the conversation but he wouldn't find it- she knew this. The information was buried too deep, unless he planned on killing her, what he was looking for could never be found.

Without a word, he tore her off the wall, grabbing her upper arm roughly, practically dragging her down the hallway deeper into the palace. She was stumbling over her heels with his pace. She almost cried at the pressure of his hand completely wrapping around her limb like a binder. "W-Where are y-you taking me?" the woman pathetically whimpered.

He didn't respond as he broke open a door of to a room, tossing her inside. Padmé hit the carpeting hard, she was about to rub her rear from the fall however his body was already on top of her. "Stop! Please!" She cried batting her hands at him while his own shoved up the fabric of her dress. Ghostly hands slammed her to the ground, no doubt he was using the Force to pin her squirms. She was screaming, crying, trying to fight against him and the Force. Tears gushed down her face as she felt him rip the fabric of her panties

Paralyzing fear struck Padmé in that instant as a dawn of his true intentions blared into her mind.

"I will ask you one final time, where were you?" He demanded sharply crimping up her dress above her hipbones, forcing her legs open. Finally she saw him. She could plainly see his crimson outlined sulfur iris' boring down on her within in the darkness.

"I-I was only talking to Bail and Mon, they were concerned!" She cried speaking the truth, the partial truth. She whimpered hearing the shuffling his clothing pulling her closer to him. "Please! I swear!" She screeched, slamming her eyes closed. She tried to breathe, her eyes fluttering open to lock on the ceiling- realizing any type of fighting or construction of words was futile.

Numb.

Tracing the patterns on the ceiling, the woman detached her mind from her body.

Lifeless.

Her body catatonically splayed across the floor.

Broken.

Whoever she was before, stripped away.

Heartbeat. Her heart pounding in her ears- urging her mind to return. Somehow she managed to tear her gaze from the ceiling only to see a silhouette pressed deep into the corner. After what seemed like hours, her neurons began firing as she began crawling helplessly away until her back hit the farthest wall from him. Reflexively, she pushed the dress back down over her body, wrapping her arms around her knees pressing herself into the corner. She soon realized he hadn't raped her, but he might as well have with how her mind felt.

"I- I shouldn't have done that," a sorrow-sweltered voice whispered, an epiphany entering the man's mind.

Padmé's eyes were hollow staring blankly at the broken door, not truly digesting his words. They were only sounds, his voice nothing more than a collection of muted echoes. Her hands were quivering, her heartrate a thousand parsecs a minute. She tried to control her scrabbling thoughts as her senses slowly came crawling back. Her eyes finally found the courage to flicker towards Vader who was himself pressed against his own corner across the small room. Her traumatized mind and body were still trying to patch back together but when Vader spoke- whatever form of rebuilding her self-resilience had made, shattered.

"Padmé?" He spoke softly, kneeling to the floor. Her head darted towards him, her glassy eyes wide in paralyzing fear.

"Get out," she stammered, hardly believing the words had managed to leave her mouth.

"I'm-" he began to speak, slowly inching towards her.

"Don't come near me!" She ordered, pushing herself from the floor as her eyes flickered towards the door- contemplating an escape if he didn't leave himself. Her senses picked up on the proximity dwindling between them slowly, her hands were shaking but finally, somehow, someway- her voice was working once again.

"Please just wait-" he pleaded.

"No. You need to leave. Now." Her voice was the most vicious she'd ever heard it. Padmé wasn't sure what she could do to reinforce them but that didn't matter at that moment. The adamant nature of her voice seemed to have penetrated through his skull as he inched away. With eyes baring daggers in his direction, she watched him drift towards the door- giving her one last glance, before leaving.

The moment she could no longer hear his footsteps, the back of her head hit the wall. Tears flooding her eyes in an instant as she slumped to the floor. In a blur, she found herself curled into a ball, tasting makeup on her lips as rivers of tears stained her cheeks. She sobbed for some time- trying to keep her breaths from drifting into a hysterical hyperventilation. "I can't do this," she whispered curling tighter her arms hugging her knees frantic. "I can't do this," she repeated shaking her head in denial. Attempting to muffle her sobs, her hand found her mouth, pressing harshly against the sounds. She couldn't marry someone like him, how was that even possible? Was this all a nightmare? Was this all a sick joke of her mind where one day she'd wake up from this hell?

She collapsed to the ground knowing her wishes would never come true, this was real- there was seemingly no way out. Perhaps it's time Padmé, Bail's words resonated in between her ears sending a glimmer of hope into her soul. She had a way out, but could she do that? Uproot her parents from their lives on Naboo to go into hiding? "I would never be able to return there," she whimpered burying her head into her arms, Naboo. She'd never longed to go back to a place as much as that world. Everything was alive, there was life- no skyscrapers that towered across the entirety of the planet's surface. The seasons would change, the air pure, the night scattered with twinkling stars. She wanted nothing more in that moment to go home. There was nothing for her here. Only darkness, hate, destruction resided.

My thoughts aren't safe, she thought to herself finally finding enough energy to muster herself into a sitting position. Her eyes lingered down over her dress, the fabric had fallen off her thigh leaving her leg bare. Padmé's face scrunched, lips pursed, as more tears streamed down her face gazing at the stunning fabric, realizing how much of a lie it was. What was she thinking? -Actually believing that he was something different even in the slightest. He was a Sith Lord for a reason, he attacked her… for nothing more than wondering away and not staying put as he hoped she would? The back of her head hit the wall as she desolately stared at her palms. What would her life be not aiding the Rebellion if Vader revoked her communication privileges?

Her hand shot to her brassiere searching for the commlink Bail had given her and thankfully it was still there. A deep sigh of relief flowed followed the realization. This device was the last hope for her… she needed to keep it safe. She needed to keep the people she loved safe. Her only option, for now, was making it through the next few months. Then perhaps if she truly was able to find anything of substance for the Rebellion- the nightmare of her life could end. Padmé began to wonder what her life would be like if she went into hiding. Could she see Obi-Wan again? Did he even still care for her the way she still cared for him?

Not caring if Vader was listening to her thoughts or seeing the images racing through her mind. Just for a moment, she allowed herself to think of Obi-Wan. To think of the years before the Empire where the galaxy wasn't left in such agonizing darkness. A forlorn smile broke across her lips as she thought about those years, how happy she was- the sweet fragrance of flowers, the nestled nights on Naboo with a man she loved. Never had she ever been truly happy after the Jedi Temple was set ablaze. After Democracy died. After Obi-Wan was forced to flee Coruscant. Thinking of blissful times made her have hope that one day, things would get better. That perhaps, one day, she would smile again. Padmé needed to hold onto that hope and never let it go.

Gradually, she finally found enough strength to move her weakened body. Pushing herself from the floor, she brushed her cheeks with the palms of her hands as she searched for the stray heel that that fallen from her foot. With her mind still in a fragile state, she slid on the uncomfortable shoe before taking a deep breath. Trying to assert control over her own behavior, she forced herself to move towards the broken door where Vader had left some unknown amount of time ago. Without a second thought, she left that room- never wanting to see it again. Her heels clicking down the hall was her only indication that she was moving at all as she neared the fresher. There was no doubt she needed to clean herself up before even contemplating returning to the ballroom. But with every step she took, she felt even more dirty feeling with the lack of underwear that beast had torn from her body.

Finally reaching the familiar fresher, she checked the room making sure she was alone before locking the door behind her. She sighed placing her palms flat on the counter, before glancing at her reflection. Tears welled in her eyes as she looked over herself, a bruise was forming on her left arm, her makeup smeared across her face, and her hair that had been so perfectly pinned was destroyed. Attaining a towel from the holder, she wet the cloth before attempting to remove all of her make up. There was no sense leaving any of it on. When some of her mascara wouldn't leave her cheeks, a muffled sob left her lips- her knees becoming weak. Padmé wanted every part of this night off of her. She needed a shower, she needed to leave.

Once every bit of makeup was scrubbed vehemently away, she pulled the rest of the pins from her hair knowing that she could never recreate what Dormé had done before she'd left. The mane of her chocolate curls flowed down her back as she released the last restraint. Then she gazed back up into the mirror assessing how she looked. Her eyes were puffy, bloodshot, her cheeks reddened by the harshness of trying to scrape off the makeup - she still looked awful. Involuntarily, her lip trembled as she ducked her head away from the sight of herself. She couldn't stand how utterly pitiful she allowed herself to become. With a shaky breath, Padmé wiped the rest of the tears from the sides of her cheeks before gathering the energy to leave the fresher.

She paused before unlocking the door, mentally preparing herself for what was bound to come next. Going back to Vader's establishments speared into her mind as the churning in her stomach followed. Finding herself almost panicked, she couldn't go back there. The thought of even sitting so close to him in the speeder made shivers of fear crawl up and down her skin. True goosebumps forming from the possible inescapable situation.

A thought dawned on her then. Could Captain Lasky escort her back? Did she even truly want to return to Vader's establishments? Finding that thought frightening, she wanted to return to her own apartment. She knew it was still vacant and technically it was still hers- for now anyway. Vader had seemed to listen to her when she'd insisted for him to leave so perhaps demanding to return to her own apartment would work. But she couldn't ask Lasky or anyone else- she needed to ask him. Painting a hardened, determined façade across her features- she unlocked the door with a strategy.

Rounding the final corner towards the ballroom, her eyes landed on the shadowed creature standing rigid by the wall. Padmé knew he'd be waiting. Burying feelings that began to stir from the sight of him, she detached herself from any emotions as she neared. Before he had the opportunity to say a word- her own left her lips adamantly.

"I want to leave," Padmé demanded, not afraid to meet the abyss of his hood with her unemotional gaze. Vader didn't say a word, he just nodded and turned towards the exit. "I want to go back to my own apartment," she continued- not moving from her own spot before Vader got too far. He froze, turning around.

"That's not possible," he said quietly, his voice rough.

"Make it possible because I'm not going back. I also need Captain Lasky to take me," she commanded sharply. He inched towards her for a moment before stopping at a respectable distance.

"He has already left," Vader admitted, "I will take you."

Her head shook almost automatically, "Then get someone else to take me, I physically cannot be near you," she struggled to say without shivering, the weak façade that she'd built- ever so slightly crumbling.

"Senator," he whispered repentantly taking a hastened step towards her.

The woman's façade shattered, her eyes widening at his sudden closeness as she took rushed steps away from him. Her heart began hammering in the confines of her ribcage staring at his hand reaching out for her. "Please, don't come any closer," she implored him in a whisper, trying to contain the trembling in her hands. The man froze in his step, pulling himself away. An audible sigh of relief left her lips as he did.

"I will take you wherever you wish to go."

Padmé noticed the compromise he was attempting to make and her mind actually gave it a once over before considering declining. She'd only have to sit with him for a few minutes but then he'd let her go. How can I trust him? "How can I trust you'll actually take me where I want to go?" She argued, struggling to recollect her resilient composure.

"I give you my word-"

"Your word doesn't mean a damn thing to me," She sniped back, cutting him off.

"That's the best I can give you at this very moment," he said softly.

Padmé swallowed hard, turning her head away from him. "Let's just go," she muttered knowing there was no point in arguing with him further.

The trip to her apartment was a silent, tedious endeavor. Vader, for once, followed all traffic regulations and Padmé found herself relieved but also slightly on edge. She wanted to get the hell out of his speeder but she also didn't want to deal with his high-stress flying. The woman found herself sitting on the edge of her seat as far away from him as physically possible while her eyes remained locked on nothing. Even her thoughts, she forced them to remain silent. She'd done that in defense of her mind but also in defense of her composure. There was an uncertainty that if her thoughts were to wonder, they'd spike panic in her fragile state.

The only emotion that she allowed herself to feel was relief when she saw her veranda in the distance. She was so close to being rid of him. So close to being away from him. Twisting her thumb against her index finger, a sense of burning desire to get away from him became overbearing – her heartrate spiking as she prepared to bolt. Before the speeder even properly landed, she jettisoned herself from the seat jumping over the door to get out – not caring about her dress or heels. Padmé had never sprinted so fast in heels before, she was through the veranda and up the stairs in a blur. When she finally reached her unvarnished bedroom, she was panting – borderline hyperventilating as she all but tore off her dress the moment entering the fresher. The only thoughts racing through her mind was that she needed to cleanse herself – she didn't even hear the clatter of the commlink Bail had given her as it became buried underneath the pile of fabric. Before the hot water even had the chance to reach the pipes, Padmé was standing under frigid water, grabbing any type of soap mindlessly. When the water became scalding hot, she never turned down the temperature as she scrubbed the skin of her hipbones raw trying desperately to remove any remanence of that man.

The woman was in such a frantic state, she never locked her bedroom door nor shut the fresher door behind her. Her ears were too focused on the water gushing down over her body that she never heard the bedroom door slide open nor did she notice a true specter standing in the doorway. Unaware, darkness became a heavy curtain.

Before the woman could collapse to the ground, Vader caught her with the Force, gently pulling her small frame into his arms. His eyes looked anywhere but her body as he struggled to remain objective. What had come over him that night was unacceptable, the ramifications of his actions too monumental. She hated him. Feared him. Never wanted to be near him again. No matter how much he wanted to fix whatever he'd done through some other method – he'd seen and understood the irreparable damaged he'd caused. The woman he had waited so long to have would never be his… if she remembered. The mania racing through her thoughts as she sprinted away from his speeder left him unsettled. He'd committed such a horrible act towards her, one that he promised himself -and in so many words to her- that he'd never do. The scarring in her mind regarding him was too great to overcome – she'd never allow him to even attempt to touch her again.

Turning from the steam fogged fresher, he maneuvered towards her bed – gently splaying her down onto the mattress to get a full assessment of what he'd actually done. Dragging the cloak from his shoulders, he draped her body in the fabric before hastily removing the glove from his left hand. With his barehand gently cupped against her forehead, he reached into her mind. She needs to forget… Forget that ever happened.

For the next several hours he began to rebuild her mental barriers from the traumatizing experience. The once small nicks his presence had made were now heinous gashes, fear spewing out of them more than anything. He knew the lesions could never be rebuilt if he didn't confine the experience that was at the root of them. Seeing no other way, he sealed her memories of her time after they had left the balcony. After a carpet was thrown over the cage in her memory, he moved onto heeling the resulting consequences of his actions. He had the structure of her previous mental barriers completely memorized as he worked to fix the wounds before they dug any deeper into her subconscious. If the fear was able to radiate that deep – there was a possibility not even Vader could fix the hesitation that would come from it. He checked his work dozens of times to ensure everything was built back to what it once was, the only modification being a newly built metal barrier of his own around the singular memory.

After being certain his job was complete, his hand pulled away from her forehead and already he could tell her face was less strained. Her face was soft now, signifying that what he'd done had indeed worked. Moving his attention away from her mind, he slowly eased the fabric of his cloak from her left arm. A disappointed frown crossed his features as he stared. A deep bruise was beginning to form where he'd seized her arm. The distinct imprint that could only be caused by the rigidity of a metal hold. Without a second thought, he healed the bruise before following the same method for every single one that had tarnished her immaculate skin. As the deep bruises faded on the insides of her thighs a deep sweltering feeling drowned his chest. Deciding it was vital for him to brush the feeling aside for now, he forced himself to only focus on making her the way she was before his reprehensible mistake.

The last bruise he healed was the deep imprint of a hand mark across her neck – one that he hadn't realized he'd done. Once the final bruise dissipated, he stumbled backwards and hit the wall behind him. He had never attempted to try to heal a body and mind in one sitting. Come to think of it, he had never done anything like it before. He wasn't certain how she could possibly react when she woke up, that thought drained him.

Taking a few minutes to collect himself, he turned towards the fresher – the shower that was still rushing was now ice cold and had been running for hours. With one movement of his hand, the water ceased as he moved to gather her clothes, knowing that their couldn't be any evidence they'd been there. A distinct clink hit his ears as something fell from between the fabrics. With scrutiny, Vader stared at the commlink before swiveling his head towards the unconscious woman on the bed. The device was not hers, he'd never seen it with her anyway. When he analyzed it further, his eyes widened just a fraction – it was encrypted. He wasn't surprised she'd have an encrypted commlink but she'd left hers back at his establishments – he knew this for a fact. Slipping the commlink in his robes, he decided to forget about his discovery until he had time to go back to his office and decipher the origin of the encryption code. Collecting the rest of her garments, he made down to the speeder, gently stashing them away for the time being. He'd give them to 3PO to have cleaned later.

By the time he made his way back upstairs, the Senator's expression was one of peaceful slumber. With a harsh rub across his forehead and eyes, he was glad to see that what he'd done worked. An extra sense of haste hit him when he realized the night would soon be over and they'd need to be back at his establishments. With hurried movements, he tucked the cloak over her body and he gently collected her into his arms.

It only took him a fraction of a minute to get her into the speeder and buckle her in, once she was finally secured - he pinched the bridge of his nose. Vader couldn't lie to her if she'd ask what happened, then again if she did - telling her the entire truth was not an option. Knowing his exhausted mind would contemplate his strategy at a later time, after he'd had at least an hour of sleep, he sped off from her apartment towards his own. "Fuck, Threeipo," Vader cursed under his breath knowing the droid would be waiting for them to return.

When they arrived back to his establishments, 3PO was doing just that, waiting for them on the veranda. The speeder lowered and the golden droid waddled towards him immediately. "Master! I was-" 3PO began to fret, his arms flailing as he did.

"I need your help 3PO," Vader cut him off jumping out of the speeder before wrapping around to gather the Senator in his arms.

"W-What has happened?" He exclaimed, his voice flustered as he eyed the Senator.

"I need you to get the clothes out from under the seat and send them to be washed, then go park the speeder," Vader demanded, not even giving 3PO question a second of contemplation.

"Yes but should I call for a medical dr-"

"She'd only sleeping, Threepio. Please, just don't argue with me tonight. Where is her handmaiden?" The man asked almost hesitantly, seriously hoping that woman would not see her friend in such a state. That would certainly cause many more issues that Vader did not want to deal with.

"Dormé is in Mistress Padmé's room," he said slowly, his eyes darting to the Senator in speculation. "I do not believe it would be wise for her to see Mistress Padmé in such a state, Master…"

"I'm aware of that complication, Threepio," Vader snapped in a whisper. "I'll bring her to my chambers for now."

"Is that… wise?" The golden droid asked quietly.

"Do you have a better suggestion?" His master sniped back, making sure to keep his tone just below a whisper.

Vader could have sworn he'd seen 3PO's gears turning in contemplation, "No," he stated.

Deciding their conversation was finished, Vader did not hesitate heading into the dimly lit atrium. He all but panicked as the Senator shifted in his arms, then a wave of relief followed as she only stirred enough to nestle in her face into his chest. He let out the breath he was holding and just stared at her for a moment. She was truly an angel, her plump lips, nice cheekbones, her curly hair draping down against his arm. The last thing he wanted was her to hate him so furiously. What he'd done had been truly unforgivable, he would never have been able to actually be with her if she'd remembered. But whether he wanted to admit it or not, it took every ounce of restraint he had to not take her earlier that night. In that moment, it almost didn't matter to him that she was screaming with fear. The smell and sight of her was intoxicating, it was too overwhelming. Something deep down stopped him, rendering his movements frozen before he yanked himself off of her.

Stepping into the lift, he didn't hesitate leaning back against the wall and shutting his eyes. He was utterly exhausted, sure to collapse the moment after he tucked the Senator into his bed. Never had he done such a thing for anyone, better yet, he relished when people feared him. But the fear he created in her mind was nothing to be proud of… even if Sidious would be more than pleased. When the doors pulled open, he slowly pushed himself off the wall, yet his vision blurred as he all but staggered out of the lift trying to use the Force to keep the Senator from feeling his stumble. Entering his chambers, he beckoned back the covers draping the woman onto the bed before motioning for the comforter to shield her frame. Lastly he slipped away his cloak, before turning back to one of the leather couches. Just as he suspected, the moment he was close enough to the cold leather he collapsed, feeling content with the fact he'd actually made it that far. Even though he would have thought more about what he was going to do in the morning, he couldn't – he'd already passed out.

A/N: Summary: Vader was in a blind rage and attempted to assault Padmé. Realizing what he'd done and how irreparable his actions were to the hope of Padmé freely 'being with him', he did the only thing that came to his mind and sealed her memories. You'll find out later in this story of why he'd do such a thing but for now it's supposed to be obvious that he has serious metal instabilities.