(Star Wars) ~ Finally Home

Part One

Two Years after Mustafar...

Darth Vader chuckled to himself, finally zeroing in on his prey.

Since his marriage had halted two years prior, he'd been trying to track down his wife. Padme Amidala-Skywalker had been 'buried' on Naboo shortly after the events on Mustafar. Thinking back on her funeral, it made Vader want to chuckle even more. He knew a decoy when he saw one. He also knew his wife's body like the back of his hand.

After two years, she had finally resurfaced in the records. Apparently, Padme had billed by the Coruscanti Medical House for Children. No doubt his child had been admitted there; was he okay? Or what his child a girl? Soon, his questions would be answered.

The only name given on the bill other than hers was their last name, 'Skywalker' being so very helpful. Vader knew his wife had done it in hopes of protecting their child but she wasn't as careful as she had been the past two years. The only thing that confused him was the fact that the patient summary was printed twice on the bill.

Must be some system error...

Scanning the top of the record, his cold blue eyes spotted an address he would've never expected her to inhabit. It was their old apartment; how could he have overlooked it? She was brilliant, hiding in plain sight was always her best strategy.

With that, Vader pulled up his hood and exited his chambers. He was going to bring back his family even if it meant by force. She was foolish, hiding his children from him and expecting to get away with it. Sometimes, he hated that he loved her so much. It was the one thing preventing him from seeking revenge for her betrayal on Mustafar.

Outside waiting for the Sith Lord was his old Jedi star fighter which was nearly unrecognizable. The old mustard stripes had been painted black while the rest of the body was covered in gunmetal grey steel plating. Lucky for Vader, R2 had remained loyal; the trusty astromech was waiting for him in the droid slot.

"Hey Buddy." He cracked a small smile at the droid, his lips barely curling up at all. "You're finally going to see 3PO again and I'm going to finally meet my child. I found them, R2." Hoping up into the pilot's chair, Vader was already revving the engines.

The astromech beeped back a response, the string of beeps sounding somewhat happy. The pilot inside was strapping himself in, taking his time with the restraints.

"Oh, there's no doubt she'll freak out. I just hope that our baby isn't around when she does."

The engines were primed and ready, the ship itself loud in anticipation of its impeding flight. Soon, Vader brought the ship into the skies heading eastwards.

To his knowledge, their appointment had been uninhabited for a year and a half, much like the rest of the building. When the Senate dispersed, the apartments were abandoned to collect dust. The only reason the city hadn't demolished the building was because of how much potential damage it could cause surrounding complexes in its destruction.

After ten minutes of speeding through the skyway traffic, Vader could see his old home. He kept his pace fast, trying to get there as quick as possible. He wanted to be reunited with his wife and he wanted more than anything to meet their child. R2 chirped excitedly as the landing platform came into view. Soon the ship touched down and the waiting was over.

Hopping out of the ship, Vader couldn't help but feel the tension in his shoulders lessen. Just standing there brought him a ghostly sense of peace; he was home.

Walking in from the veranda, Vader was met with a silent apartment. He reached out to the force, trying to get a sense of his surroundings. She was here, upstairs in their closet. Feeling the force flow through his senses, two small beings were in the sitting room outside their bedroom. Two?

Vader's stride quickened as he climbed the staircase, his boots silent against the carpet. Once he reached the top, he saw the two small beings he had sensed only moments earlier.

The first one that caught his eye was a little girl. She had a head full of curly hair and olive skin, no doubt taking after her mother. The little girl was tiny, no taller then from the ground to his knee from what Vader could guess. She had a stuffed animal in her hands, the plush Nexu squished against her cheek.

The other child was a boy, light blonde curls semi-sticking to his head. Vader could see more of his face; they shared the same blue eyes. This boy was his son, there was not denying it. He looked to be the same size as the girl, both of them very small. The little boy had two small ships in his hands, 'flying' them around as he made whooshing noises.

These were his children. His children...

Being related to him, the twins were both very gifted in the force. For a brief moment, they weren't distracted by their toys; they could feel his presence. The little girl was up on her feet first, a little wobbly at first before turning around. Vader was right; she looked very much like Padme, her eyes carbon-copies of her mother's. Her brown eyes landed on him, widening as a smile spread across her face.

"Dada!" She took off running towards him as fast as her little legs would carry her. As she neared him, her little arms raised and her hands grabbed at the air. "Up! Up!"

Slowly, Vader reached down and picked the child up by her underarms. She was definitely force senstive; how else would she have been able to recognize him as her father without ever meeting him?

She wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her cheek against his. He carried her back over to the scarlet sofa, sitting down in front of her brother. Speaking of which, the boy dropped his toy ships and walked over them. He placed his tiny hands on Vader's knee, grabbing onto the fabric there as he tried to pull himself up.

"Let me help you, little one..." Vader reached down and scooped his son up, pulling him into his other side. Both of the twins snuggled into him, causing a rush of warmth to flow through the Sith Lord. His children knew who he was, they wanted him...

"Okay, Mommy's all better now. How about w-" Padme walked back into the living room to see the twins in the lap of someone she wasn't expecting to see. "Anakin?!"