Chapter 12

Padme walked into her office and Jeanie looked up from her monitor, as she was typing the notes and schedules for Padme.

“ Good morning. I hope that you had a wonderful weekend” Padme came up to the desk and took the messages that were in the message box.

“ Good morning, Padme. My weekend was great, thank you. My parents are here, visiting me and it is so great to see them. Oh, there is a gentleman in your office.” Jeanie smiled, when up at Padme, when she told her about hee parents being here on Coruscant.

“ That is so great. I would really like to meet them., so I would like for you and your parents to join me for dinner tonight. Um . . . really did he give you his name?” Padme asked her office aide.

“ No, he did not give me a name, but he did tell me that you will know him. Oh, also, you have a meeting with the Emperor tomorrow morning, before the Senate Session.” Jeanie looked at the closed office door.

“ Ok, thank you. After you finish with your typing here, you can have the rest of the day off, so that way, you can spend time with your parents.” Padme smiled at Jeanie, before going to the door and opened it up.

“ Thank you, Padme. Oh, I was wondering, if they could sit in on one of the Sessions with us?” Jeanie asked.

“ Sure. If they like, they can sit in tomorrow’s Session, if they want to.” Padme nodded to office Aide.

“ Thank you. I know they would really like that very much.” Jeanie smiled and nodded, before going back to her work.

Padme walked into the room, only to stop in her tracks, when she saw the cloaked figure standing next to the window that looked out towards the crumbling Jedi Temple.

“ Um . . . can I help you?” Padme came closer to the cloaked figure.

“ Hello, Padme . . . Glad to see that you are very much alive.” the cloaked figure turned away from the window and faced her, as he lowered his hood off his head.

“ Oh . . . my . . . gods . . . Anakin.” Padme looked at the person standing in front of her in total shock.

“ You look as beautiful as ever and I know what you are thinking.” Anakin gave Padme his famous smile.

“ Thank you. I thought you were dead. The last thing I heard, was that you had fallen to the Dark side of the Force, and you now have a new name . . . Darth Vader.” Padme looked at her husband.

“ Yes, I am very much alive, just like you too. Yes, you are right about everything that you have heard about me.” Anakin looked at his wife and took a step towards her.

“ Oh, Anakin, I'm so very glad to see that you have survived, but what happen to you? Obi-Wan told me that you were dead, because you burned to death?” Padme felt tears come to her eyes and then, felt the warmth of his fingers on her cheek.

“ Do not call me that name any more. My name is Darth Vader, and you are right about one thing, Anakin is dead . . . Just like you Senator Amidala. Did he tell you that I was begging him to help me, but he just turned and walked away from me and let me burn to death? If it was not for the Emperor, I really would be dead.” Anakin reached out and gently wiped away a tear that rolled down Padme’s face.

“ Ok, fine. Um . . . I thought you lived in that black armor suit?” Padme took a hold of Anakin’s hand that was laying against her cheek.

“ I did suffer a really bad injury from the fire that had burned most of my body, which also has damaged my lungs. I have a medical center that works with cloning cells, and well, they have helped me with my scars, by cloning my cells and healing my scars. I still need the suit for the respirator. I can only be without it for a couple of hours.” Anakin turned away from Padme and went back to the window.

“ I see. Well, I am glad that you are alive. Does the Emperor know what you are doing?” Padme came up to Anakin.

“ No, he doesn’t know and I do not want him to know either.” Anakin turned around and looked down at the beautiful woman, he had once called his wife.

“ I understand, and I promise not to say a word. I was wondering if you would like to have dinner with me tomorrow night, just the two of us?” Padme looked up and for the first, she noticed that his eyes were his original blue color.

“ I would love to have dinner with you, Milady. Well, I better get going before the Senate goes into Session today.” Anakin smiled down at Padme, before grabbing his hood and lifting it up and pulling it over his head.

“ Ok. I will see you then.” Padme smiled back at him, as the com-link on Padme’s desk began to buzz.

“ Oh, and I want you to know that I still love you” Anakin said, before he opened the door and stepped out of the office.

“ Yes, Jeanie?” Padme looked at Anakin in total shock, before answering the com-link.

“ Oh . . . um . . . there is a Senator Clovis here to see you.” Jeanie told Padme.

“ Um . . . thank you. I will see him.” Padme looked through the door and saw Anakin and Rush look at each other. She watched Anakin’s right hand ball into a fist. Anakin left the office and headed down to the turbo-lift, to where the landing platforms are located and got into his air shuttle that took him to his Palace.

“ Good morning, Padme. It is a pleasure to see you, looking so very beautiful this morning.” Rush came into the office and closing the door behind him.

“ Morning, Rush. What are you doing here?” Padme went behind her desk and sat down in her chair.

“ Well, I was hoping that you would join me for dinner tonight?” Rush came over to the desk.

“ Well, I have to turn your offer down, because I already have dinner plans for this evening.” Padme turned on her monitor.

“ I see. Then, how about tomorrow night?” Rush leaned over the desk, so that way he could be very close to her.

“ Sorry, but I also have dinner plans for tomorrow night too. Now, if you will excuse me, I do have some work to do, before the Session starts in about an hour.” Padme moved slightly away from him.

“ I see. Well, then, lunch Wednesday?” Rush moved to sitting down on the edge of Padme’s desk.

“ Sorry, I am in a meetings all day, and that also includes lunch too. I really must ask you to leave now, so I can get back to work.” Padme looked at Rush and gave him a look that he is over staying his welcome.

“ Ok, fine. I well leave, if you tell me one thing. Who was that guy that was here, when I got here?” Rush got off the edge of the desk and headed for the door.

“ Just an old friend of mine. That is all you need to know. Now, good day Senator.” Padme let her voice raise with the anger, that she was beginning to feel for this ass hole.

“ As you wish, Milady. Good day.” Rush turned, opened the door and walked out of the room, before walking out of the office and headed all the way to his office.

“ What is that guy’s problem and what did he want?” Jeanie came into the office with a cup of tea.

“ Thank you. He wanted me to have dinner with him tonight, but I already have plans for tonight and tomorrow night. Then, he wanted to have lunch, but I told him that I was busy.” Padme took a sip of her tea.

“ I will be here until you go into Session and I will leave.” Jeanie turned and headed back to her desk.

Padme got back to work and she just finished up her notes, before turning things off and heading out of her office. She locked the door behind her and told Jeanie bye and also told her what time dinner will be ready for her and her parents, and she would see them later.

After a short Session. Padme left the Senate building and headed home. She got ready for the small dinner get together, with her office aide and the girls' parents. It was around ten, when Padme headed for her bedroom and got ready for bed. Once she was dressed in her night gown, she climbed into bed and fell sound asleep.