"You have a fever, Senator." Vader interrupted, his voice filled with an unreadable emotion, "You are confused."
Padme groaned as she fell back into her pillow. She felt sick and weak, mentally and physically. And from Vader's tone, there was no proving that her words, the words she had just spoken, held any truth, but Padme doubted he would listen to her even of she wasn't sick. He didn't want to hear what she had to say.
"Just thank you…." Padme said quietly, deciding to change the subject, "And I'm sorry."
"You have nothing to apologize for, Senator." Vader replied honestly, "I find you irritating regardless of your mental state."
Padme let out a small laugh, "You're such a gentleman."
"I could say nice things to you," Vader replied arrogantly from the darkness, "but I rather say the truth."
Again, at his statement, the tears began. He had told the truth, and she had done anything but listen. He had told her that he was a monster, but she continued to look for a man. He told her that he would be her murderer, but yet she tried to get closer to him. He told her that she meant nothing to him, but yet she still hoped. Why? What was wrong with her? After everything he had done… Why couldn't she stop?
She knew the answer, even if she wouldn't admit it to herself. Her dream, had even explained the answer. The man that was in the room with her now, although Vader, was not Darth Vader. She could feel it, and before she could stop herself, she acted upon it.
"Vader?" She asked quietly, as she gazed at the darkness of ceiling through her tears.
"Senator." He responded, his voice void of all emotion.
"Do you still trust me?" She asked sheepishly.
Vader was silent for a moment, before he spoke, "I believe that time has come and passed."
Padme closed her eyes tightly, "Can you trust me again?"
Vader was silent again for a long moment, before she heard him take a step closer to the bed. "I believe the correct question, Senator," He corrected, "Is do you trust me?
Every alarm inside Padme's body went off, telling her to stop before she started. Vader was warning her, making her aware of a small threat, but still she felt herself being pulled. Something wouldn't let her stop. Something was encouraging her on.
"It– It's different…" Padme said, stumbling over her words, hoping that Vader felt the same, "At night… It's different at night. Isn't it?" "Indeed." Vader agreed softly, and Padme couldn't believe her ears.
"So, trust?" She asked quietly, hoping that was his answer.
"What do you want, Senator?" He asked, his tone obviously warning her, telling her he was looking for a motive. "For you to stay." She answered quickly, knowing he probably already knew her request, "Please, stay."
Vader didn't reply, but she soon knew his answer. A small smile formed itself on Padme's face as she heard him walk around the bed. As the mattress dropped, signaling that Vader was now on his side, she turned to her side. Padme didn't put on the blindfold, but remained facing away from him with closed eyes as the tears continued to pour.
She tried for sometime to fall asleep, but sleep seemed like the farthest thing from her mind. She felt sick, cold, and clueless. The tears refused to stop running down her face, and her mind was too active to allow her to rest.
"Why did you save me?" Padme asked, breaking the silence, trying to find at least one answer to the millions of questions that her brain was forming, "It was only a dream." "It wasn't a dream to me." Vader said simply, and the response instantly caused a thousand more questions to form within Padme's head.
"But–"
"Senator." Vader snapped, voicing his annoyance, "Shut up."
"Please." She breathed, tasting her own salty tears on her lips as the sickness overcame her again, "If I do have a fever, I won't remember by tomorrow anyways."
Vader sighed, a long annoyed sigh as he turned onto his side, "You're the most stubborn, annoying, and infuriating woman I have ever had the displeasure of meeting."
Padme paused at his words, hearing not just the words, but how he said them. She felt her something telling her to look deeper into the words… feel deeper into the words. It wasn't Darth Vader. It wasn't mean or harsh in anyway, but the words were still supposed to be unkind. What did that mean?
She didn't know, but she felt the pull again, and couldn't help but listen.
Acting quickly before her courage evaporated, Padme did the unthinkable. Keeping her eyes shut, she flipped over and snatched onto Vader. Somehow finding him in the darkness. . Closing the gap further, she pressed her face against his chest, squeezing her eyes completely shut. She weaved her hands under his cloak and around his waist. It was a bit awkward due to them both laying on the mattress, but Padme made it work. She grasped her hands onto the back of his tunic beneath the cloak, afraid that he would push her away.
But to Padme's amazement, he didn't. At first, he flinched at her touch, but then said nothing; he just let her hold him and cry. When she was exhausted, chocking on sobs, and running out of tears, Padme felt his hands begin working behind her back. For a second, she wondered what he was doing, but before she could ask, she felt his flesh hand move around his own waist and up her arm. There, his hand paused on top of her skin, in the place that he had harmed her earlier; in the place the Captain had wrapped. Just like before, after a few seconds, Padme felt no pain. He had healed her again. He had tried to fix something that he had done wrong. He had regretted harming her.
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