Redemption

Two - We Meet Again

"Unhand me!" Padmé cried as the head Stormtrooper once again seized her. He threw her against the unmasked Darth Vader, who looked completely as he did before, 14 years ago.

"It's all in the act," Vader whispered in her ear from behind her. He was standing so close he was breathing down her neck.

"What?" Padmé spat, disgusted. She couldn't believe Vader was trying to win her over after leaving her and their children for all those years.

She looked up at him, and he shook his head. "Later," he said. Later.

* * * *

Padme made sure to stamp on Vader's foot before he shoved her into her cell, along with the two teenagers that were part of the group before.

Vader endured the pain in his foot as he put a shield on the door of the cell. She had stamped on his foot hard, despite the fact that he had thick leather boots on. She was still the Padmé he remembered. Sweet, but feisty and defensive when she had to be.

"Anakin, let me - "

"Anakin is dead!" Vader hissed, pacing back and forth before the group. "You will never say that name again. Never!"

There was silence, as if everyone was drinking in reality. Then, being the woman she was, Padmé dared to speak.

"You know, I'm not afraid of you, Vader. You're my husband."

"Yes, I know that," Vader smirked.

"You don't have to be smart about it."

Padmé and Vader met eyes, but quickly averted them from each other. Padmé was further disgusted by everything Vader was, including his Sith yellow eyes. She missed those pure, bright blue eyes of his. She missed him. She missed Anakin. Terribly.

After another long silence, one of the teenagers spoke up. The girl.

"I'm so confused here. So, you guys are married, but you hate each other?"

"I - "

"We didn't have time to file for divorce," Padmé quickly interjected, but she immediately wished she could take back what she said. She didn't mean to say something so harsh. She knew she was acting out of her fury.

"Oh, okay." The girl nodded and stared at Padmé intently, her eyes filled with wonder. "You remind me of someone."

Padmé turned around quickly and placed her hand on her chest in surprise. "Me?"

"Yes, you. You look like my mother." The girl shifted positions in her seat and stared at the floor. "I never really knew her. She died after I was born. But, somehow, even though I was just a baby, I faintly remember what she looked like. She was beautiful, I can tell you that."

Padmé and Vader exchanged glances, as if they were getting along fine again. They looked back at the girl, who stared back at them with her big brown eyes. The boy sat beside her, playing with a piece of scrap.

"Tell me... what's your name?" Padmé asked.

"Leia. I guess I don't really have a last name anymore now that my foster parents died..."

Padmé glanced back at Vader, who she swore for a quick moment smiled. "Leia. Well, Leia, I do have some news for you."

"Really? What?"

"This might be a little... complicated. Do you know how I was saying earlier that Vader is my husband?"

"Yes."

"And how you said I look like your mother?"

"Uh - huh."

"Well... your mother didn't die. She discovered she could no longer age before you were born, and after you were born, she went into hiding."