Chapter 13

Padme was sitting on the couch with her cup of hot tea, watching the sun rise over the buildings. She was thinking about how nice it was that she did not have to be at the Senate building for two weeks.She also thought it would be a good idea to go back home, to the peace and quiet and away from a certain Senator, who will not leave her alone. She was raising her cup to her mouth and almost spilled the hot drink on herself, when the buzzing sound of her com-link went off.

“ Senator Padme of Delaya, here. How can I help you?” Padme turned on the holo-view screen and the Emperor’s Aide came into view.

“ Senator Padme, the Emperor has requested your presence in his office in an hour.” the Aide told Padme.

“ Yes, sir. I will be there. Um . . . is there some kind of problem or did I do something?” Padme looked at the guy, with a surprised look on her face.

“ Am not sure what is going on.” the Aide said.

“ Ok, I will be there.” Padme disconnected the communication at the blank screen in front of her.

Padme just sat there for a few minutes, trying to figure out why would the Emperor needed to see her in his office at the Senate building. She got up and made her way to her room and got ready to head over to the Senate building.

Thirty minutes later, the shuttle landed on the platform, and waiting for her, was two red guards and the office Aide.

“ Good morning, Senator. Please follow me. Emperor and Lord Vader are waiting for you in the office.” the Aide came up to Padme and bowed to her.

“ Good morning. Please lead the way Grand Vizier, Sly Moore.” Padme slightly bowed her head to the man in front of her.

“ Ah . . . Senator Padme, thank you for coming on your day off. Please have a seat.” the Emperor motioned for Padme to have a seat in front of his desk.

“ It was not a problem. I was getting ready to head home.” Padme sat down in the chair.

“ Your home on Naboo?” Rush said as he came into the room.

“ What are you talking about? What is going on here.” Padme stood up and turned to the man who came into the room.

“ Oh, come on, Senator. I know who you truly are.” Rush came up next to her and gave her a devilish smile.

“ And who do you think the young Senator is, Senator Clovis?” Darth Vader turned his attention to the one person, he wished would just disappear somewhere and to never be seen again.

“ The Senator is not who she says she is. She tells everyone that she is Senator Padme of Delaya, but in reality, she really is Senator of Amidala of Naboo.” Rush pointed his finger to Padme, telling the other two men, who he believed she was.

“ I really hate to tell you this, but you are so very wrong. We all know that Senator Amidala is dead and is buried on her home planet.” Padme looked at Rush, before turning to the Emperor.

“ Really? Then, tell me, why do you look so much like her?” the other Senator folded his arms across his chest and glared at her.

“ Ok, I will tell you the truth. Yes, I used to live on Naboo, but am not who you think I am. Yes, I do know that I look like her, because she was my cousin. When she had to go somewhere, she would call me and I would act as her decoy. After her death, I moved to Delaya, where I had lived a quiet life, as a widow, until I was elected as a Senator.” Padme felt tears come to her eyes.

“ Really? So what happen to your husband?” Rush asked in somewhat surprise.

“ He was killed, during the end of the war, just like the rest of the Jedi. Yes, my husband was a Jedi Knight.” Padme turned to the Emperor, as she could tell that he was reading her mind through the Force.

“ I heard that they did not have those kinds of feelings.” Rush looked at her.

“ They are not supposed to have those feelings, but there have been a few Jedi that have gone against the Order. They have done a few things that they are not allowed to do, and they were known to the Order, as Grey Jedi.” Padme turned her attention back to Rush.

“ Well, as you can see, Senator Clovis, the Senator here, is who she claims to be. Now, please tell us the real reason, why you called us here?” Palpatine smiled at Padme. He could tell that she was telling some truth of who she is, but he was not going to tell the other man her whole secret.

“ Um. . . I see. Well in that case, in a way, it is personal. I thought maybe you could convince the Senator here, to go out with me to Senator Montanaough’s dinner party that is coming up in a couple of days.” Rush looked at the Emperor.

“ Well for starters, I do not do personal matters like this . . . .” Palpatine started to say.

“ It will be a cold day in hell, before I would be seen anywhere with you. If you touch me, so help me, I will cut off her hand.” Padme turned to Rush and glared at him.

“ Like I was about to say, Senator, I do not do personal matters like what you are asking me to do. I will have to agree with Senator Padme, that if you do touch her, I will give her permission to do whatever she deems right to do to you. So, I will not tell or even order her to go anywhere with you. If we are done here, I have a things to do, as am sure the Senator here, would like to get ready for her flight home. Oh and Senator Clovis, you keep bothering the Senator here, then I will have you removed from the Senate. Do I make myself clear?” Palpatine leaned slightly over her desk and moved closer to the annoying man.

“ I see. Yes, Your Highness.” Rush bowed his head, before turning on his heels and stormed out of the office.

“ Um . . . thank you, sir. I really must get going and finish packing for my trip, but I get this feeling that he will not stop, no matter what you told him. The only way he will stop, is if he is dead.” Padme gave both Palpatine and Darth Vader a very wicked smile.

“ Not a problem, young one. We wish you a very safe journey home, and you are right, he will not stop. Soon very soon, you will get your wish, Milady. Lord Vader, would you please take the young Senator to her apartment, so she can finish packing and escort your wife to Naboo, so she can stay with her family.” Palpatine smiled at Padme, and bowed his head, as he dismissed both the Sith Lord and the young Senator.

“ As you wish, my Master.” Darth Vader bowed his head and came up to the woman, who was still standing in front of them.

“ Thank you, Palpatine, Lord Vader.” Padme turned and began walking to the receiving area of the office and to Vader’s personal air shuttle.

Once on board the shuttle, the pilot took them straight to Padme’s apartment. They landed on her private landing platform and walked into the living room of the apartment.

“ So, you did not die after all?” Darth Vader asked Padme, as they came into the living room and he followed her to her bedroom.

“ Yes and no. Yes, my spirit and heart died that day, you turned from me and to the Dark side, but body wise, no, I'm not dead.” Padme turned to face the person, who used to be her husband.

“ I see and what about our child?” Vader asked and then, could sense sadness come from Padme.

“ The baby died. I was in a coma for over a month and when I came to, they told me that I lost our son, because he did not get the stuff he needed, while he was still inside of me. He was a still born.” Padme felt tears come to her eyes again.

“ Oh Padme, am so sorry. I never meant to hurt you or our child. Please forgive me.” Vader got down his knees and took Padme’s hands in his and begged her to forgive him.

“ I have spent almost two years in limbo, and thinking about everything that had happen that day. You are not totally to blame for what happened. I too, am to blame for what happened between us. You are right, I should have believed in you more, so Anakin, please forgive me.” Padme looked down at the mask person.

Vader raised his hands up, unlatched his helmet and took off his head piece. He put it down on the floor, and then, looked up at Padme, before wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her close to him and laying his head against her stomach.

“ I forgive you. Padme. I really do not blame you. for not fully believing in me, because in a way, I too had stopped believing in myself . . . I love you, Padme and I have never stopped.” Anakin looked up at his wife’s face.

Padme reached down and helped Anakin to stand back up, before wrapping her arms around him. As he pulled her close to him again, he leaned his head down and began kissing her. Padme pulled away from Anakin, when there was a buzzing sound coming from her com-link.

“ Padme, here.” Padme answered her com-link, as Anakin put the helmet back on.

“ Hey. I'm here to help you to get ready to leave.” Maria said, as the air shuttle’s hatch opened up and the driver helped her out of the shuttle.

“ Ok, just come inside. Is Jeanie with you?” Padme headed into her room.

“ Yes, she is here with me.” Maria looked over to Jeanie.

“ Ok, see you soon then.” Padme went into her closet and grabbed a couple of dresses that she had hanging there.

“ I take it that they are going with you.” Vader said, standing in the door way.

“ Yes, they are. Now, if you will excuse me, I do need to finish here and try not to scare them too much.” Padme said, as the door buzzed before opening up.

Darth Vader went into the living room and stood by the couch, as the two young ladies came into the room. After the look of shock left the two girls’ faces, they went into Padme’s bedroom. It was here that she told them that Vader will be escorting them to Naboo, because she got this feeling that Rush Clovis would try something to hurt her.

Ten minutes later, everyone boarded a personal transport that will take them to Naboo.

It was three days later, Padme and the other two women entered the mountain villa that Padme’s family had owned, before they moved to Theed.