Saga You'll Like Me When I'm Dead - Post RoTS AU - V/P Dark Drama - Updated - March 15

Responses to come later - and PMs will go out tomorrow... running off to work

Thanks for reading everyone!

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[b][u]Chapter 20[/u][/b]

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[b]Vader's Flag Ship [i]Exactor[/i] - Month Twenty Three, Day Thirty One PEF [/b]

Vader's time with the rogues took far less than even he'd suspected. Asajj was dispatched to deal with them [i]personally[/i], a task she was more than relishing as part of the intelligence they had on the rogues they sought implicated Jedi assistance. Leaving Asajj to her new toy, Vader returned to his quarters, stopping only to speak briefly with the guards posted outside the doors before ducking inside.

Padmé was nowhere to be found - once again - and the door to the 'fresher was still closed. The sound of the shower could no longer be heard, but whatever she was doing, Vader knew without a doubt part of this ruse was another way of her showing her displeasure. A way of her taking back some form of control in a situation where she had none.

Little did Vader know that behind the 'fresher door, Padmé stood with her back braced against it, staring at her reflection. The wan, drawn and pale creature looking back at her was a stranger, only the fire in her own brown orbs even remotely familiar. Vader had caught her off guard the night before with his high handed tactics. To be fair, she'd caught him off guard too - with her knee. A smug smile lit her features, but even as it crossed her lips, the twinge of guilt that had been nagging her all morning about that particular act reared its ugly head.

Deserving or not, crippling Vader wasn't on her agenda; she simply wanted him dead. A quick, painless execution for his crimes. She knew far too many people who would have preferred to see him maimed and suffering, but the previous night had unwittingly reminded her that Vader had already been maimed - many times - and she had no wish to cause another. His death, however... she had to kill him, if she didn't, she'd be his prisoner forever.

Of course, that round about logic reminded her once more of just how she'd become his prisoner and the sick feeling of betrayal had returned. Asajj had been working for Vader; for a man they both claimed to despise - only Asajj apparently didn't as much as she'd claimed. They'd been working together for a year... a whole blasted year; didn't Asajj have any kind of loyalty? They'd been through so much, risked their very lives for one another and this... this captivity by the very man Asajj had vowed to help Padmé kill was so ludicrous it was almost laughable.

Or would have been if Padmé hadn't been so very aware of her circumstances. Vader was Asajj's Master; she'd made that clear upon their arrival - but had Asajj been his apprentice all along or was it a recent development? If so, how recent - or had Asajj been playing her for a fool from the start? The idea that she could have been so blind to Asajj's duplicity from the beginning drove her from the 'fresher with a need to know the answers.

Asajj wouldn't be available for her to speak with - and the Force Adept wouldn't likely [i]want[/i] to speak with her since she was now Vader's prisoner - but her captor had the answers she needed. Unlocking the door, she palmed it open and searched the suite, confident Vader would be nearby. He seemed disinclined to leave her a moment to herself and the reprieve she'd obtained by commandeering his 'fresher wouldn't last.

Despite the fact he had the answers she needed, the idea was distasteful. She wanted nothing to do with him and only necessity drove her to seek him out. As it was, she was in a foul mood from lack of sleep - she hadn't been able to sleep well for long - and Vader's little performance before she'd retired to the 'fresher had only made her more irritable.

Locating his broad shoulders - now cloaked in black from neck to toe - were more in line with her thoughts of Vader. Vader did [i]not[/i] walk around in nothing but a pair of sleep shorts! The thought only blackened her mood further as she strode across the room towards the kitchenet

 

"You're my wife." His mild reprimand held an undercurrent she didn't understand. "Whom you spend your time with reflects on me."

Yah... right.

*also wishes Vader dead now at this point*

 

Wow! What a great chapter!

Asajj's betrayal had been inevitable from the moment she'd discovered Padmé was the Jedi Hunter.

Sitting there, knowing Vader stood nearby and watched her struggle, gave her no room to think. It was like being under a microscope - like the room was pressing down on her, threatening to suffocate her with its oppressive nature. Despite that, she stared ahead without really seeing the floor under her feet and instead seeing and hearing everything Asajj had said or done since JZ7 - with the knowledge she had now, it made a terrifying kind of sense.

 

I see Vader is starting to lose patience with Padme's tactics...I just hope she figures out a way to keep him from loosing congrol.

Not surprised Vader would tell her Asajj was working for him and I hope Padme and Asajj meet again at some point. I'd love to see that little interaction.

Great update

 

But she couldn't and wouldn't give up. Not yet. While Vader's prisoner she was unable to search for her children and that was all the reason she needed.

That's the spirit Padmè!

Great update Jade!

Thanks for the PM!

 

Great updates!

Padme knows she can't win (yet) but she still picks away at Vader. And Vader's got that boy Anakin flitting around the edges again.

A mother will do anything for her children... Padme just has to hold on and find a way out.

Fantastic.

CJM

 

UP!
hope we get an update today!
I so hope Padme can win this next round with Vader!

 

PMs and replies to come later Thanks for reading guys!


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Chapter 21

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Vader's Flag Ship Exactor - Month Twenty Three, Day Thirty One PEF

Vader left shortly after breakfast to check in on Asajj and the operation they'd implemented, leaving Padmé once again to her own devices - and with the knowledge he'd imparted before breakfast.

Asajj had betrayed her, sold her out, all because Padmé had been enabling Jedi to escape Vader's 'justice'.

Leaving the dishes where they'd been dropped, Padmé left the kitchenette and walked straight to the door. The lock was in place, the red lights glowing on the display panel to show that the lock had been engaged from the opposite side, leaving her few options unless she wanted to try a few of Max's tricks.

Vader hadn't said how long he'd be gone and Padmé silently hoped he would be gone for most of the day. His presence was unsettling and made her nervous, reminding her of everything that had been, everything that currently was - and everything she'd lost because of it. Fortunately, or not so fortunately, the reality of Asajj's betrayal was the foremost thing on her mind.

Asajj.

Padmé well remembered when she'd first heard of the Force Adept. She remembered when Anakin had come back to her sporting that scar over his eye and just how distraught she'd been at how close he'd come to losing his life. Squashing that memory ruthlessly, she turned her thoughts to more recent developments.

How she'd met Asajj - the unlikely team they'd made, how they'd slowly come to trust one another over the months that had followed, united by their hatred for Vader and the goal of his demise. The disappointment and anger Asajj had displayed when she'd first failed to kill Vader, followed by the resigned, haughty scorn each successive time. Asajj had known after she'd failed to take that first shot Padmé had been incapable of killing Vader. They'd quarreled, Padmé blaming her blaster, and Asajj blaming Padmé's inability to separate who Vader had been with what he'd become.

She'd never believed Asajj to be right.

Not once.

Not even when she'd continuously failed to pull the trigger.

Settling onto the sofa that had temporarily become her bed, Padmé assumed the pose she'd unconsciously taken earlier when speaking with Vader. Bracing her elbows on her knees, she cupped her head in her hands, using the posture to block out her surroundings as she considered Asajj's betrayal and tried to do so from the Force Adept's point of view.

Asajj had been right to doubt Padmé's inability to kill Vader, she acknowledged silently. Until she'd arrived on the Exactor, she'd never come close to being able to pull the trigger. Only here, in his clutches as she'd felt the adrenaline surging through her system with the knowledge that once he had her there would be no escape, had she found the strength to pull the trigger - and a lightsaber on him.

It had been foolish to attack him with Asajj's blade, but she hadn't been thinking clearly when the betrayal had been revealed. Vader had dared to call her the one thing she swore she never could be to him - wife - and in that instant every grievance she'd had against him had blossomed into blinding fury. Fury that had driven her to not attack him once, but twice.

Twice.

Lifting her head, she stared at the viewport in silent disbelief, horror and pride warring within her at the knowledge. She could have killed him, had tried to kill him.

She'd pulled the trigger.

After ten times of successive failures, she'd finally pulled the trigger and proved she was capable of doing so - and not just on the firing range. Bile rose in her throat as the vivid image of a blaster bolt slamming into the handsome features she knew so intimately blossomed in her mind. Swallowing, she banished the image, struggling to do the same with the conflicting emotions it had unleashed. She was proud have having finally been able to pull the trigger, but appalled too. The very thought that she would be the one to k

 

I?m done with school for the year so I?m back to do replies and PMs. And thanks to everyone who?s sticking with us here. There?s still plenty more to come.

AzureAngel2: There have been a few times when Jade and I were working on this that we wished the same thing. Vader?s being a pompous, cocky, arrogant- I could go on. He sees nothing wrong with ?scolding? Padmé for the company she used to keep. Yeah, the man is a hypocrite.

VaderLVR64: Thank you, Kim. We?re glad you?re enjoying it.

KELIA: Vader really expected too much when he thought Padmé would be like how he remembered. But then he never really fathomed she?d be any other way so what you?re seeing is frustration because this is not what he bargained for. I don?t think Padmé is too concerned about Vader losing control. She?s going to have him busy trying to figure out what?s going on with her. And besides, he?s spent so much time trying to find her; he?s not going to do anything to hurt her. She?ll test his control ? and to the limits, we can tell you. She?s very angry and bitter and now she has the target of all that anger right in front of her. Padmé won?t care how it affects Vader.

Vader remembers quite well how good and resourceful Asajj is. Why not put it to good use for him. And we have plans for Padmé and Asajj. They?re not done with each other yet.

Lady_Skywalker87: Padmé?s got her spunk and despite her current situation she?s not giving up.

canadianjedimama: Padmé has to get her anger out and when you think about it Vader has set himself up to be her target. He?s getting more than he bargained for and Padmé is making sure he understands that.

As a mother myself I can say you?re so right, a mother will do anything for her children. Padmé?s in a bad spot right now but she?s not giving up. She has children out there she needs to find.

searth_99: Believe me, we have plenty of rounds coming up between these two with each taking their fair share of hits.

 

it was the pain, the raw anguish of her emotions that compelled him to move.

It'll be interesting to see how Vader tapping into Padme's emotions will effect him...if at all.

I'm glad to see her determination not to give into her despair - that's the Padme missing from ROTS.

Great update

 

Well, in the end love is more patient than the dark. And love will effect our Chosen One sooner or later. The ways of the Light can be subtle, too.



Great up-date, once more! The two of you are a good team.

 

Hmm... I like this story a lot. This has been the first Saga fic in months that I've honestly been interested in. I am really curious as to what happened to Luke and Leia. Since this is AU, I'm going to assume things aren't as they were in the movies. I wonder if Vader will ask Padme about it... I imagine if he did he would get more than swift kick to the groin if he did, but I still wonder... Anyway, I can't wait for more!

If there is a PM list, I'd like to be added to it.

 

Fantastic.

Now I'm waiting for Padme to realize that she's got the upper hand but doesn't realize it yet. Vader wants to please her... she could use that against him and still acheive her goals.

Padme twisted and dark would be far more scary than Vader any day.



CJM

 

*laughs*

so it hasn't passed my notice that not everyone is reading the tags at the beginning of the story/sections which state what day it is.

Please keep in mind as you read, that a post doesn't equal one day... one post, is - usually - a part of a day, the day being broken down into two or three posts...

Padmé at this point is only in her second day with Vader, so there's plenty of time for the Children to pop up in the conversations. It'll happen, Padmé's just rather focused on escape right now

Thanks for reading guys - it's update day!

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[b][u]Chapter 22 [/u][/b]

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[b]Vader's Flag Ship [i]Exactor[/i] - Month Twenty Three, Day Thirty One PEF [/b]

[i] Late evening[/i]

Padmé wasn't ready to face Vader when he returned - she didn't think she ever [i]would[/i] be ready to face him - but neither was she ready for his bold, arrogant question. Despite that, she should have expected it.

"Are you ready for bed, wife?"

"I am not sleeping with you," the words were without inflection, completely void of emotion, but somehow managed to sound defiant.

"Come now Padmé, I know the sofa is comfortable but you can't really expect me to leave you shivering and alone, curled in the corner."

"I don't care what you expect."

The sound of his tread on the floor was quieter, muffled by the carpet and warned Padmé he likely no longer wore his boots. A bare forearm came into view, followed by the golden glitter of his mechanical one as they bracketed hers where they rested on the sill, his hands resting bare millimeters away from her own. The heat of his body was scalding as Vader stepped into her back, his lips at her ear.

"I think you care... very much."

The familiar touch, the warmth of his skin and the scent that permeated her dreams and left her wanting - all of it contrived to entice her, to wear her down. All of it a ploy to win his way back into her bed. Stiffening fractionally, Padmé made to respond - except Vader's tone dropped intimately, weaving its way through her system with its dark, alluring pull and rendering her momentarily immobile.

"Do you remember, my love? Do you remember how it was between us - the passion and urgency? How you would beg me to complete you, how you would ambush me on the very streets of Coruscant simply to steal a kiss?" His thumb whispered over the sensitive flesh at her wrist, dragging back and upwards in a ghostly remembrance of similar caresses. "Do you recall our lack of decorum, the unseemly haste and urgency of our first couplings after a long absence? Wild." Lips feathered across the nape of her neck, making her shiver. "Passionate. [i]Glorious[/i]. Do you remember how it was?"

Images assaulted her for a brief moment - sensations she'd buried in all but her dreams and the shiver that wracked her frame was one of longing. The urge to feel the complete and total abandon that his embrace had once offered; to lose herself in the oblivion of his touch was tempting, so tempting it made her physically ache.

But it was Vader's unfortunate choice of words that brought her back to the reality of the present - and the knowledge of what he was trying to do made her furious. Turning, she struck him in the gut with her elbow to drive him away. He took a step back, watching her with faint amusement and seeming totally aware of just how [i]close[/i] she'd come to giving in simply because he'd thought to use seduction

Until her captivity, Padmé hadn't believed Vader could hold any kind of appeal for her, but the man before her with his sleep shorts riding low on his hips, was too much like the husband she remembered. He looked too similar, smiled and regarded her in the same way a good deal of the time - he even spoke to her like Anakin sometimes... and it made her yearn for what had been.

And the monster seemed set on using that against her.

His state of dishabille unnerved her as much tonight as it had the previous one - and blast him, he knew it! The knowledge was there in his gaze as he watched her struggle with her temper and with control.

"I told

 

Replies will be posted here soon. I apologize for not getting them up. I'm in the process of helping my son get through a med change. PMs, however, will be sent out shortly.

And I want to confirm the list.

AzureAngel2
canadianjedimama
Force_Chick
KELIA
Lady_Skywalker87
LittleMissNightsaber
Miss_Anakin
VaderLVR64

If anyone would like to be added or removed please let us know.

 

Bravo Padme! For all that she's spoken her mind on what he's done and become, I highly doubt her words are going to sink into his thick skull.

Thanks for the PM.

 

Settling herself in the corner of the sofa she'd claimed as her own, Padmé pulled her knees up to her chest and stared out the viewport, an aching, empty feeling somewhere in the vicinity of her heart. Vader had become Vader in his twisted quest to save her life when it hadn't needed saving. It was her fault and there was nothing, nothing she could do to change it.

The light is very patient. Even more than the dark. It is possible for a small plant to break through a cemented road.

 

"Are you so enamored with one metallic hand, you would like another?"

Nice one, Padme. Its just too bad you don't have the heart to deliver.

How typical of Vader to try and justify what he's done...

I was a bit surprised with Asajj's gift, though. I never would have expected Vader to acknowledge anything she did right.

Great update

 

Jade_Max, this is quite a story of yours I've come across! It's an interesting change from the usual Vader redemption story, to see him unsuited and 'unconstrained' in his behaviour. And as for Padme, it's interesting to see her so cynical, and determined to start a one woman rebellion, without anyone else's involvement.

I particularly liked this bit in Chapter 22:

Anakin had become Vader because of her and she had no one to blame but herself. If she hadn't loved him so recklessly, if she'd stuck to her determination to resist him, none of this would have happened. The loveable little boy she'd known on Tatooine wouldn't have turned into the creature who sought now to possess her, to own her because he believed it his right. Anakin would have grown into a formidable man, one that would have tempted her, but only after he'd obtained the control and discipline needed to withstand the trials to come.

Instead he'd succumbed to the pressures, to his fears, and turned his back on everything he proclaimed to believe in - including her. He'd thrown away their dreams and sought instead to extinguish his own nightmares only to become what the Jedi feared most.

What she feared most.

Settling herself in the corner of the sofa she'd claimed as her own, Padmé pulled her knees up to her chest and stared out the viewport, an aching, empty feeling somewhere in the vicinity of her heart. Vader had become Vader in his twisted quest to save her life when it hadn't needed saving. It was her fault and there was nothing, nothing she could do to change it.

While she and Anakin are both at fault, by not facing up to the implications of their marriage, I agree that she has more of the responsibility. First, she is five years older than him, and was twenty-four years of age when they married, he then being nineteen. Second, she was two years a senator, and before that had been elected queen for two four-year terms. With such an amount of experience, I would have expected her to properly discuss the implications of their actions with Anakin. This did not appear to happen, which was certainly a major political failure by Padme. I think that her present strategy, of trying to start a rebellion on her own, is a second major political failure.

Could you please put me on the PM list?

 

Anakin had become Vader because of her and she had no one to blame but herself. If she hadn't loved him so recklessly, if she'd stuck to her determination to resist him, none of this would have happened. The loveable little boy she'd known on Tatooine wouldn't have turned into the creature who sought now to possess her, to own her because he believed it his right. Anakin would have grown into a formidable man, one that would have tempted her, but only after he'd obtained the control and discipline needed to withstand the trials to come.

Instead he'd succumbed to the pressures, to his fears, and turned his back on everything he proclaimed to believe in - including her. He'd thrown away their dreams and sought instead to extinguish his own nightmares only to become what the Jedi feared most.

What she feared most.

Superb!!

 

Anakin had become Vader because of her and she had no one to blame but herself. If she hadn't loved him so recklessly, if she'd stuck to her determination to resist him, none of this would have happened. The loveable little boy she'd known on Tatooine wouldn't have turned into the creature who sought now to possess her, to own her because he believed it his right. Anakin would have grown into a formidable man, one that would have tempted her, but only after he'd obtained the control and discipline needed to withstand the trials to come.

Instead he'd succumbed to the pressures, to his fears, and turned his back on everything he proclaimed to believe in - including her. He'd thrown away their dreams and sought instead to extinguish his own nightmares only to become what the Jedi feared most.

What she feared most.

Absolutly exquisite! I've always thought this train of thought is what pushed cannon Padmè to go to Mustafar in the first place. Aside of her political mishaps, Padmè's own demonds are what unable her help Ani with his own and alone to do so, leading to disaster... leaving her ccompelled to go because in her mind she owes him & their chld(dren) that much. As Luke says to Leia years later: "I have to try."

 

Padme finally gets Anakin's damage!

Very well done.

Please keep me on the list.

CJM

 

A little announcement before I post:

The next chapter after this one won't be posted on the 15th - I'll be on Vacation for part of August, so once I'm back, I'll see about putting it up, though it may not be up before the beginning of September. Seeing as how the chapter after this one addresses the topic everyone's been curious about (the twins) I don't feel particularly guilty about making you guys wait - it should be interesting.

Thanks for reading, guys!

-Jade


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Chapter 23

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Vader's Flag Ship Exactor - Month Twenty Four, Day One PEF

Padmé was in the kitchenette the following morning when she saw Vader next, washing a piece of shuura fruit the droid from the night before had brought into the suite. The basket in the center of the island was artfully arranged and contained several delicacies from her home planet that made her nostalgic - but also brought painful memories.

Anakin sitting across from her while guarding her at the Lake Retreat and using the Force so casually to lift her fruit from her plate. Anakin lifting the pieces of said now cut fruit back to her and allowing her to pluck it from the air with her fork - and his adorably delighted smile when she had. Anakin that night and his confession before the fire.

It was no surprise to her then, when Vader stopped inside the kitchenette doorway and leaned against the doorframe, waiting for her to turn. She ignored him, unable to deal with both the memories and the painful revelations of the night before at the same time. Instead, she continued with her task.

Rubbing the tough skin of the fruit under the trickle of water from the tap, she turned it slowly, ever aware of Vader's gaze on her and just as determined to remain unaffected. Once the fruit was clean, she lifted a cloth from where it hung on the door below the dispenser and rubbed it dry.

Only then did she turn, unable to ignore his presence any longer. Their eyes met before Padmé looked away, sliding into the chair she'd pulled out as she placed the fruit on a plate and took up her utensils. Before she could cut it, it lifted from her plate and drifted across to Vader, who caught it in his outstretched hand.

Examining the fruit, Vader cocked an eyebrow at her and the weight of the meal they'd once shared lay between them, Padmé crossing her arms over her chest as she watched him. Vader didn't leave her in suspense for long as he stepped forward and reached for the table with his opposite hand, his expression inscrutable.

The clatter of something hard hitting the island's surface drew her gaze downwards. Automatically her hand went to the place on her belt, under her shirt, searching for the velveteen pouch normally kept there. Her fingers turned almost frantic as she continued to stare at the evidence before her eyes, unwilling to believe it as they skimmed across her waist band.

It was missing.

Taking a deep breath, she carefully kept her expression neutral as she lifted her gaze back to his. ?How did you get that??

?I found it in a pouch on the floor in the most inconspicuous of places.? His grin was smug as he braced his hands on the island top, watching her, the piece of shuura fruit sitting once more on her plate.

Padmé dropped her gaze back to the two piece of japor that had once been the pendant Anakin had made for her. Reaching for it, the need to keep it hidden from his gaze - to keep it from being sullied by his touch - filled her. But Vader was faster, his hand snaking out with lightning speed to whisk them back into his grasp.

?Give those back!?

?After you answer some questions.? He instructed her amicably, tossing them a little in his hand so they clinked together, yet giving her no time to agree. ?Why do you have it? Especially after you claim to hate me so much.?

?I do hate you." Her snide retort was succinct so he wouldn't miss the hatred in her tone. "I have the snippet because my husband made it for me. It?s the only thing I have left to remind me of him.?

He chuckled, shaking his head. ?Your husband.?

 

Padme misses her kids a lot. I feel bad that she has to live with Vader, and is not allowed to see her children.

You said this isn't Vader redemption fic. YES! I've seen so many fics where Padme redeems Vader, which bores me a bit. I wonder though is Anakin ever ask Padme about Luke and Leia?

 

nope, not a redemption fic; Daenarrah and I agreed from the get go that we've seen a lot of redemption fics and this wasn't going to be one of them. Vader's attitude towards Padmé, however, is different than his attitude towards the rest of the galaxy and while he's not a hard with her, it doesn't mean he's softening Just keep that in mind.

As for the twins - Vader and Padmé have only been together a couple of days; next chapter will have their initial discussion about the twins.

Thanks for reading