A/N: I should be studying but, here I am with one new chapter finished and two more almost done. At first, I intended the wedding to be next chapter… However, there are way too many things that must happen before that. So, I believe the wedding will be Chapter 29? Have fun reading this one in the meantime!

Chapter 26: Waning of Two Suns

With every fiber of her being, Padmé attempted to open her eyes – tossing and turning until she struck the ground. The impact jostling her awake. Panting, her head hit the nightstand, the nightmare still fresh in her mind as she itched her arms, massaging her wrists realizing the shackles had disappeared. Tossing her head back against the hard wood, she tried to slow her breathing – reassuring herself that the nightmare was just a fragment of her subconscious. Her jaw was throbbing from the grinding of teeth, the sleepless nights since Vader had left catching up with her body.

Eyes lingering on the ceiling with condemnation, she cursed knowing that a good night's rest hadn't come to her in days. She felt exhausted, her mind unwelcoming the return to sleep or even move. Silent tears rolled, splashing on the back of her hand. Her mind was being torn apart, her heart no better. She couldn't stand the dreams as they were only accompanied by pain, agony, and fear. Lethargically she reached to the commlink atop the nightstand, a frown tugging at her lips realizing Vader wouldn't return for another week. Her mind was turbulent, not once had she ever felt so lost in her entire life. Never once feeling the ultimate fear that rattled her bones and mental state. There was always something about nightmares that buried themselves during consciousness – the constant trepidation not knowing if they'd become real, no matter the situation.

She'd never had such vivid dreams. The demonic, motionless, and terrifying illustrations were tormenting. Every time they reoccurred, she was in a cold, dark, and damp place that even thinking about it during consciousness made the hairs on her arms stand. Padmé had tried to hide her distress from Dormé and 3PO but that morning she couldn't even find the strength to hoist herself from the floor. With the nightmares flooding her subconscious, she had hardly found enough energy to attend the Senate. The workload on her server no doubt piling up as she'd missed a few days. She felt sick, alone, forgotten – she knew the emotions weren't normal. All she wanted was Vader to return, sleeping alone was too painful.

After the first night of disturbing dreams, she tried to write it off as an anomaly. However, they kept returning night after night. Her hope that they would disappear vanished. She found herself hardly mobile in her dreams – running through quicksand or mud trying to escape the horrors that her mind had conjured. All she wanted was one night. One night of pleasant rest, dream, or no dream it didn't matter if whatever she witnessed was neutral. It took every ounce of self-determination not to call Vader, even though it would only be to hear his voice even if only for a moment. Desolation warped her thoughts. The unrelenting feeling shredding everything else in its wake. She felt hollow, depressed, forlorn making her believe that nothing, but his return could save her.

With the hiss of hydraulics, the landing gear fluxed as the lambda shuttle settled in sand. The cargo door lowering allowing the thick air and desolate heat to crush against Vader's heavy robes. "Secure a parameter," The Sith's deep voice ordered to the squadron of troopers. With an abrupt 'yes my Lord,' they raced down the ramp in front of him. Before he made his first step into the sand, Vader's eyes drew towards the two waning suns in the distance - the strenuous light reminding him of his home plant. Yet, Athiss and Tatooine differed in many ways, even if they were both outer rim planets. Tatooine was highly populated, while Athiss barely had a few thousand inhabitants left. The nearest settlement a few klicks away only housing a little over a one hundred. Not only were their populations vastly different but even if both were cloaked in sand – Athiss had the twisted luxury of thick desert foliage which captured humidity making the planet suffocatingly hot. The branches on every tree were thorny vines, twisting and turning tightly. The sharp spines reminding him of claws, ready to shred anything that dared to enter the forest. Vader eyes glanced to Eryx and Sobek, their helmets secured as they ventured down the ramp.

"There is a village north of here, when we arrive, I expect you to remain silent and do not engage any of the residents. My intention is not to cause a commotion."

Both nodded with a 'yes my Lord,' before trekking down the ramp as they made their way towards the nearby town. When they eventually made their way into the small village, every human had wide eyes. Each one was evenly tanned, cream robes soiled with sweat, dirt, and sand. Their eyes were wide, perhaps it was because they were foreigners or their attire. Whichever one, Vader didn't care as he scanned each one of their minds. It was all about finding which on found them familiar - which one knew about the history of the planet. Through the refuge of his cowl, Vader could feel the lure through the Force, guiding him towards one of the huts. When an older man emerged from the dwelling, the Sith's head notched to the side when the old man caught his gaze.

"It was for told that you would eventually come-"

"If it was for told, then you know why I am here," Vader cut him off stopping only a few yards away. Wrinkles shrouded the man's expression, his brown eyes calculating. The Sith didn't need to lower himself to speaking with him, however, something told him to restrain ripping the man's mind apart for what he sought.

"We are a peaceful village. Whatever you are here to find, no one here can help you," the man explained, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"Then who told you that I would be here," Vader questioned, his eyes glancing towards Eryx as he rested against one of the wooden posts nearby.

"The history of this world remains a mystery to many, but not to all specter," the old man spit, his defiance palatable in the air. His eyes flashed to Vader's hip – the gleam of his lightsaber reflecting from the suns disintegrating light.

"If you know what I am, then perhaps it is best to tell me what you know, and we will be on our way without issue." It was the noble action to take, he didn't need to kill these people. Perhaps before, he wouldn't have hesitated – the Sith's jaw clenched at that realization, the Senator was altering his habits more than he had noticed before. He sensed the minute tremor through the Force from his inquisitors, they were wondering just like himself what he was doing. Waiting for someone to speak was not a usual mannerism.

The old man was perplexed, "All I know is where the tomb is located."

"Tomb?" Vader wondered aloud.

"It was once said that the burial was the extinction of darkness," the old man explained. A disturbance through the Force sent Vader's senses on alert as he heard the memorable phase. 'The extinction of the darkness,' was familiar but, what he'd read never mentioned a tomb. "However, it was also rumored to have endured. That one day the darkness would return to this world." Vader shifted, his hand brushing down the hood of cloak. Wide eyed, the man backed away, "You're nothing more than a child," he gaped, his eyes immediately analyzing his face. Vader's eyes remained cold, his orbs no doubt the only part of them that truly defined the monster dwelling beneath his skin.

"Yet still a specter that you are so fearful of," Vader declared, "Now tell me where the tomb is located and we will be on our way," his deep voice promised. The Sith could hear the internal conflict in the man's mind, believing an ugly creature dwelled beneath the cowl. Jaw tightening, Vader knew that monsters came in all different forms – whether his face was what it was then or heinously deformed, he would always be such a creature. Nothing could save him from what he was always destined to be.

The old man glanced to the villagers surrounding the hut from a distance before his gaze returned to Vader, "It is located deep within the forest southeast of here. The sacred ones placed seals on the tomb preventing anyone from entering."

The Sith's lips parted to reply however a thought from one of the villagers captured his attention, his emotionless golden gaze following the sound. A small child no older than six remained frozen, lavender eyes wide-eyed and hands quivering before he bolted away. Tracing the child's thoughts, Vader's presence was shoved from the youngling's mind. Eyes narrowed, he hadn't even recognized that he'd completely turned, the old man quickly maneuvering in front of him.

"I told you what you wished, now please abide by your word and leave," he demanded.

Without hesitation, Vader stepped around him – following the child's signature. Only a sensitive child could have expelled his presence, even if he didn't realize it. He didn't even have to order Eryx or Sobek to restrain the man as the Sith strode deeper into the village. Lurching back, Vader froze seeing the child captured in his mother's arms sobbing. The woman's brown eyes were wide, a swallow pushed down his throat as they reminded him of another – her fearful eyes flashing before his own. His own mother.

A faint genuine smile tugged at Vader's lips, "I'm not here to hurt anyone," he assured, inching cautiously towards them.

The woman shoved her child behind her swiftly, "You already spoke with the elder, please there is nothing left for you here."

The Sith froze in his place, "I know he is special; can do things other children can't." The woman's eyes went wide. "I'm not here to hurt him. All I want is to know is… what do you know of the tomb?" His eyes fell upon the child who had peered out from behind his mother's legs. His eyes full of worry – not fear.

A frown pulling at his lips as he dried his tears, "All we did was play tag there-"

"You went out there! How many times have I told you Ian," she cried, turning towards him to shake him gently. "You know that place is forbidden!"

"I'm sorry mamma, we didn'-mean to go so far," he frowned tears welling back to his eyes. Vader stepped away, if the Sith didn't take him now – Sidious was sure to return and execute him within the following months. Both of his inquisitors had no doubt noticed the fluctuation in the Force.

Adam's apple bobbing, he almost pulled for his commlink to designate the troopers to collect him. However, he froze -unmoving. Vader hadn't even informed Sidious of his departure. The apprentice hoping that the old man wouldn't notice his movements for at least a couple more days. A gust of wind tossed and tumbled the sand at his feet, cloak billowing with the torrent of air. "You never entered the site?" He questioned. The child shook his head, his thoughts only relaying the truth behind the motion. Sensing his inquisitors approaching, the Sith nodded, knowing there was nothing further to investigate. The child had no doubt been unintentionally called to the place.

"Lord Vader?" Sobek wondered, eyebrows furrowed.

"We should be going-"

"The child-" the inquisitor began arguing.

"He is not why we are here," Vader snapped, "Speak a word of this and it will be the last time you draw breath."

Eryx backed away as Sobek remained locked in the sand. "It is against protocol."

Without even a second thought, Vader's hand coiled – locking the man's windpipe in his grasp with the Force. "Protocol?" Vader menacingly smiled, hand tightening, "since when did you begin following procedure?" Without even a second thought, the Sith's hand shot out grasping the man's throat in his metal hand slamming him back against one of the clay huts. "I can't trust you can I," there was no question in his voice.

"Y-you can- I just don't understand," Sobek struggled as his hands remained locked to his sides.

"Then shut the fuck up and do as told," Vader sneered, heaving him to the sand. Sensing eyes lingering on them, he knew it was time to leave.

"You don't make sense," Sobek spit, dragging himself out of the sand. "You would have never hesitated!" Without even a second thought, Vader ignited his saber spinning swiftly only to be met by another crimson spear of light.

The Sith's expression never shifted as they entered a deadlock, the sabers singing their sad song as they rang together – light colliding against the dwindling suns. Boots twisting to gain footing in the sand, Vader could feel the beast clawing at his ribcage to be let free. His eyes only closed for a moment until they reopened – irises sick and molted, bloody as the crystal itself. Sobek's expression shifted his eyes widening as Vader pressed down with an unfathomable amount of strength, the invisible energy compounding with his own. The light of Sobek's lightsaber fractured, the crystal crumbling under the pressure from the Force, within a fraction of a second Vader's fist collided with the man's face pummeling him back to the ground. The hilt of the inquisitor's saber burst apart, exploding in his hand. Roars of agony bellowed from the man squirming in the sand, his hand completely melted and scorched.

Without hesitation, Vader snagged the man's chestplate yet something prevented his saber from driving through the man's heart – Eryx yanking him back. Nostrils flaring, Vader's eyes remained locked on the man writhing in pain in the sand. Swiftly, his other inquisitor backed away when Vader twisted towards him.

"He is only confused," Eryx explained, hands ushering the Sith to calm down, "Please my Lord, understand-"

"If he is so keen on following the Emperor's word blindly then he shouldn't be here," Vader snarled, his saber an extension of his arm as it flashed to his side. Eryx's eyes flew to the inquisitor writhing on the ground before returning to the Sith.

"Perhaps not," Eryx nodded in agreement, "but that doesn't mean you can't make him try understand."

"The Emperor will be dead," Vader seethed, his eyes glancing towards Sobek, "There is nothing more to understand."

"I know," his inquisitor assured him, "Whether we live or die, you know I will always be there but, we need people like him my Lord. You know he is obedient to you."

A twisted chortle left Vader's lips, "Obedient? I have let all of you defy me for too long." The Sith's thoughts lingering on the Senator.

Eryx's eyes widened as his hand fell towards his own lightsaber, "You know my feelings towards the Senator are only projections of what you feel. I will always protect her, give anything to protect her-"

"She trusts you more!" Vader roared, even if the Sith couldn't tell – Eryx's heart had plummeted to the floor as his stomach launched to his throat. Perhaps that was the inquisitor's goal, he'd always found her captivating however, that didn't change who she belonged to – he knew she was destined to Vader's.

"Can you blame us for believing that she would be nothing more than another conquest?" Eryx argued, "Never once have you shown us differently."

Vader's thoughts came to a screeching halt at that moment. Had he not made it clear enough that she was different? The Sith thought about the Senator, his mind completely captivated by her very being. No other woman had ever been so important to him, not even a fraction of a percent. She was completely his- her very being to be under his control. Disengaging his lightsaber, Vader turned to the man squirming on the ground. Raking out his commlink, he sent for a medical capsule. Sobek would return to the Executor, by the time Vader and Eryx would return he would have a new hand.

Once a squad of troopers rushed to their location, the villagers raced to their homes – the area silent, not a sound rustling besides the wind. "Let's go," the Dark Lord announced to the man beside him.

"Yes, my Lord," Eryx nodded following him beyond the village limits.

Once darkness swept over the land, Vader felt more comfortable as he effortlessly made his way through the dense forest, his eyes adapted to such environments. He had ventured southeast of the town just as the old man described, yet as he found himself going in circles – he knew there was something missing. Jedi had hidden the place for a reason, no doubt they didn't want someone like him finding it so easily. Boots locking in place, his eyes scanned the area. He could only hear the slight ruffles of forest creatures, the Force not guiding him an inch. His jaw tightened; Vader knew the tomb was out there. Eyes wavering shut, he reached through the Force, feeling ever cell of every being that lived. He mapped the terrain, searching for any deviations.

An infinitesimal tremor fluctuated through the Force, his eyes pulling open in the direction of the source. Stalking through the ticket, his fingers brushed along the bark of each tree until his eyes fell upon a familiar species. Through the darkness, Vader knew the small tree before him was a Japor tree. The species so rare that even he had to scour the entire galaxy to find a specimen for his own collection. However, the one that stood before him now was much larger than his own, almost certainly thousands of years old. Kneeling before it, his clad fingers reached for its leafless branch – admiring it a moment until his eyes swept to the left, a stairway buried in sand. With one movement of his hand, the sand sailed from the opening.

"Keep watch," Vader ordered the inquisitor by his side.

"Understood, my Lord," Eryx nodded, his eyes already scanning.

Lighting his saber, Vader made his way into the depths of the cavern. The humming beam the only sound reaching his ears. The tunnel had not been entered in over a millennium, time seeming to remain frozen for that exact place. Inside the main cavity, his eyes fell upon two stone coffins. His eyes glided over both, his expression never changing as his attention fell upon that of a child. With one stroke of his hand, the dust which had accumulated flurried away. His boots scuffed as he read the child's name, Arylan Kressh. Vader's teeth slid together, he hadn't known Darth Kressh had a child nor when he gazed upon the larger sarcophagus, a wife. With one slight movement through the Force, the Sith unsealed the tomb – an ominous gust of wind soared before escaping to the surface. The Sith shoved the heavy stone, the Force deafening as he gazed into Kressh's final resting place.

They had been buried together; their bodies decayed to bone. Vader scanned inside, his eyes flashing to the wayfinder resting amongst them both. However, there was something else that caught his eye, a necklace, iridescent blue gems shined under the soot. Against his wishes, the Force printed an image of another necklace, one that was placed delicately around the Senator's pristine figure. Vader vehemently shook his head, his own power shoving away the vision. Expression straining, he reached for the wayfinder. When his hand touched the object, a disturbance raged through the Force. The warning more powerful that anything he'd felt before as another vision flashed before his eyes - the mask and a regal sarcophagus. Reeling away, Vader's back slammed against the wall, his heart thundering. What was that? He whispered to himself, his eyes flashing to the skulls.

The Force was trying to tell him something as he slipped the object into his robes and headed back to the surface. Vader knew of the mask, but what he found disturbing in the vision was the inscription on the white marble… It was Padmé's. Eeriness swept across his skin from that thought, his mind churning as he made his way up the steep staircase. Once he made it outside, his lungs welcomed the fresh air his head turning to Eryx. The inquisitor's eyes were wary, indicating that he must have felt the disturbance as well.

"We should return to Imperial Center," the Sith instructed, calling his shuttle to meet them a few clicks from their location. He had intended to leave directly from Athiss to Exegol, however something was guiding him away from that decision. He wanted to return to the Senator – if she wasn't with him, her protection was never certain. Vader's teeth ground together as they strode towards the LZ, the boy with the lavender eyes returning to his thoughts. Was it possible one of his heirs escaped capture? Surviving here for generations? The Sith wasn't sure, however there was something he did know. He knew that he never wanted to set foot on the planet again. It reminded him too much of his past… too much of his future.

Padmé snuggled into the blankets as she watched the holodrama unfold. Gobbling away at her ice cream, she finally understood why she'd become an emotional nightmare, her period had rattled her hormones. She should have known it would come eventually, it had been three months since her last cycle, her hormonal contraceptive sparing her the agony the months in between. She knew her dreams weren't only caused by her hormones. They had never occurred in the past but, it gave her some solace knowing why she was having mental breakdowns every other minute because of them. Stretching out on the plush leather couch in the main living area, she knew it was late. If she intended on returning to work, she would need to sleep eventually.

"Mistress do you require anything?" 3PO asked as he wondered to the coffee table, placing her nightly tea in front of her gently.

"I'm okay, thank you very much Threepio you're a lifesaver," she gushed hoisting herself up to set down her jar of ice cream. When she reached for the teacup, her ears twitched at the sound of a motor – sound echoing through the atrium. Her brows furrowed watching Lasky head towards the veranda. Head tilting, her eyes bolted open watching Vader enter speaking cordially with the Captain. Placing the cup down onto its saucer, she didn't hesitate to leap up to meet him. Racing towards him, Padmé threw herself around his neck burying her face into his chest. His arms immediately collapsed around her, his nose inhaling her scent. "You're back early," she beamed, not noticing as Lasky walked away to his office.

"Seems you missed me, I'm surprised," he mused, his lips pressing against her own. Quickly, things devolved, she could tell his desperateness when his hands scaled her body, gipping her waist tightly. On her tippy toes, she tugged down the hood of his cloak to rake her fingers though his tresses. He was right, she did miss him – finally she could sleep soundly. When his leather-clad hands began inching under her nightdress, she pulled away.

"I can't tonight," she whispered quietly.

"What?" He chuckled confused, "What do you mean?" His mouth collapsed back on her own for one kiss before he pulled away.

"My cycle-" Padmé began, he shook his head.

"I don't care," he all but moaned, lips on hers in a matter of seconds. When he lifted her off the floor, placing her toes on his boots – she giggled as he walked them back towards the elevator.

"Wait! My tea," Padmé remembered, 3PO went to all the trouble making it… She knew it wouldn't feel right if she just forgot.

"Threepio can make you another once we are finished," he argued, pressing her back against the elevator doors. Caged between his body and the cool metal, she didn't want to stop him as his lips moved to the nook of her jaw. "He'll be pleased to make it again. Don't ruin it for him," Vader whispered pressing the door controls.

Shifting back into the lift, Vader's hand slammed against the button to the top floor before he shoved her against the window. When she remembered her cycle, her eyes bolted open, "Wait!" She cried again, the Sith groaned like a displeased teenager.

"What is it now?" He sighed, his hands racing up her nightdress towards her panties.

"You need to at least let me make myself decent," she protested batting his hands away. His forehead fell with a thump against the glass beside ear, his hands gliding to the globes of her rear, squeezing them provocatively.

"Sith's hell," he cursed, when the lift halted, he dragged her off towards his chambers. "Please hurry Angel." Her heart stammered in her chest as he yearned.

Once she made herself presentable, Padmé returned to see Vader had removed his tunic, gloves, and trousers. When his dark eyes fell upon her, she squealed as he grabbed her fiercely, tossing her onto the bed without a moment to spare. Moans filled the quiet room for the next several hours until there was silence. Only the bristle of wind clamoring against the windows could be heard, a thunderstorm brewing around the city's center. Even when the gentle shower became a monsoon neither of them woke, too sated and comfortable in each other's embrace.