&*– i will follow you into the dark.

growing up, being the youngest queen of naboo, becoming senator
soon after, came with challenges that were both thick and thin. at the
youngest of ages padmé was taught strength and courage. these two
traits playing a large role in the character she had grown up to be.  nothing,
however, prepared the lady of power for the scar that would come along
with heartbreak, with losing the love of her life. but worst of all, watching
the love of her life lose himself.

sweaty, nauseous, breathing heavy. it was 3 in the morning and padmé
had found herself waking the same way she remembered anakin waking
when they used to sleep together. the space next to her was empty,
scarring. her dreams became nightmares. reoccurring ones of the same
scenario, the same vision, the same person. seeing anakin, even in her
dreams, brought pain to her shattered heart and blurry eyes. the lack
of his presence was more comforting than the constant nightmares of
the person he had become, the person that she couldn’t recognize. in the
end, he wasn’t even that. he was barely human.

it was then, and just then, when padmé was interrupted from her teary
thoughts by the sounds of the cries of her babies. the ones that anakin
should’ve been here to raise.

              silence FELL upon him, a comforting and well accepted CHANGE
              from the never ending feeling of VEXATION caused by the raspy,
              wired BREATH of his machine. cybernetic fingers COIL at his side,
              flesh barred by TAR black gloves. stormy blue eyes CLOSE, the one
              remaining feature of anakin skywalker that remained untouched,
              UNSCARRED. the only part of the JEDI that remained within him, a
              MONSTER, more machine than man. the sith sat inside his meditation
              chamber, RELIEF washing over the STIFFNESS of his body, though
              his mind NEVER truly settled. it was here that a most PECULIAR
              feeling blossomed, bright, promising. he’d spent COUNTLESS hours
              questioning the location, the reasoning. it held NOSTALGIC memories,
              those of PLEASURE, security, COMFORT.. 

              vision brightens as he looks upwards, the WHITE of the room washing
              over the contrast of black from his SUIT. he KNEW that feeling. no amount
              of dark could swallow the LIGHT of his life, the pure sensation of hidden
              love, one never in the PUBLIC eye. 

                              “ padme. “

              his voice, without mask, was SHAKY ( though INDUBITABLE of his
              thoughts. ) but how could this be? he’d KILLED her. master had assured
              him. and YET… —  vader allows a SIGH, yearning evident. he had felt it,
              and knew very WELL he shouldn’t have. was it just another TRICK? one
              conjured by his own silence? surely it must. … however, the sith’s gut feelings
              always PROVED to hold some evident TRUTH, and how could he deny it ?
         ( especially when pertaining to the one he’d LONGED for so many years before. ) 

                                “ PADME ? ”