A/N: After searching endlessly for some Padmé and Maul fanfics I've only stumbled upon a few.. The ones that I've read are very good and I suggest you all go read them too! I can't really decide on the rating for this story yet so hang in there. It's going to start out with T but may go up if requested. Also I will be putting the characters name right above their section of the story that is in their view of things. And to make some people feel better I made Padmé a little older. She is 17 and Maul is around 26 or 27.

Darth Maul

Maul froze in bewilderment, caught off guard when his Dathomirian instincts suddenly kicked in after years of being subdued. It was confusing as much alarming how easily his races instincts had slammed through the inner barrier he put up just to keep them submerged. His natural instincts were keen and refined like all others of his race from his home planet, but they got in the way of the force.

And if they got in the way of him getting stronger then they weren't worth keeping. Years of daily meditation helped push them down, locking them away from surfacing and making themselves known. Now out of seemly nowhere they've awoken and were attacking his senses and mind like a growing plague, putting those years of determined meditation to shame.

His heart pounded rapidly against his ribs, causing his fingers to twitch and want to grab at organ to hold it steady. The noises of the busy street market were muffled and replaced with his thundering heart.

Maul clenched his fist and closed his eyes, taking slow and deep breaths to get his mind and body back under his control. He focused on his blood-pumping organ and waited until it slowed down enough to a rhythm that he was content with. The ruckus of the busy street around him returned to the pestering volume it was before and Maul quickly removed himself from the crown and took cover in an empty alleyway.

The force within him and his nature's instincts were pushing and shoving at each other, one trying to become more dominant over the other. Maul hadn't felt this inner war since the days he first began training with the dark side of the force. His master though had quickly beaten him physically and mentally to shove those inner instincts away. The only way to become strong was to submit fully to the dark side of the force and let it take its course.

Years had passed without him thinking twice of his home worlds nature and habits because they were nothing but chains, so why now was his body reminding him?

Why were these two parts of him battling for one over the other?

He growled in frustration to himself and continued to stand alone in the alleyway, his dark robes blending him in to his surroundings. The sun was on the verge of setting and he knew he would have to depart soon to return to his ship. His master was still awaiting his report on his mission.

Maul waited patiently for the silent battle within him to calm itself, but after nearly half an hour of waiting he grew restless. Continuing his mission in such a state would be foolish. He didn't feel as connected with force as he should be and he wasn't about to let some Jedi get the upper hand if he were to come across one. The best and most logical option would be to return to his ship and immediately start on his meditation where he wouldn't be disturbed.

With his plan set in his mind, maul pulled his dark hood lower and removed himself from the alleyway to make for the location where his ship was secretly docked. The streets weren't nearly as crowded as before because of the hour as the daytime shops started to close and the nightly ones take their place. Bright signs flared their advertisements and the daring inhabitants of the night slowly began to trickle onto the scene.

The ones that strolled the streets at dusk weren't nearly as friendly as those during the sun hours, but Maul cared little for the change or even took notice much. The threatening aura that constantly radiated off of him was enough to turn the planets worst criminals away. Because of this intimidating air, Maul always seemed to have a gap of four feet or more around him.

Maul was just a few blocks from his ship when something in the air stopped him in his tracks. His tilted his head up just slightly as he sniffed the air around him. It only took a few seconds when the smell settled in that his heart started to beat rapidly again. His nostrils flared in response to the mysterious scent and his head snapped in the direction that it was coming from.

A few of the inhabitants that walked along the street gave him curious stares to his actions but made sure to not get too close and made their way around him. Maul didn't notice any of this though because his concentration was solely focused on where that intoxicating scent was coming from. His mouth started to water with want and his jaw clenched with an unbeaten determination to go and scout for the source.

Without completely recognizing what he was doing, Maul's legs started to move as his instincts lead him on the chase to discover where that glorious and mind-boggling smell was coming from.

Returning to his ship and mediation were just going to have to wait.

Padmé

It was late in the afternoon when Padmé left the town's small orphanage with her royal personal guards trailing behind her. To say she was tired was a complete understatement because she felt utterly exhausted. As much as she adored children and playing with the young ones, she often forgot just how much more energetic they could be. They put her endurance and energy levels to shame.

The caretaker had thanked her greatly for surprising them with a visit and Padmé found herself agreeing to visit again in the future, except this time with a specific date agreed upon. Seeing the innocent and carefree children helped relieve some of the stress of palace life. The little ones treated her like any other new companion because of their innocent morals or understanding of social statuses.

"Shall I call for proper transportation for your return back to the palace, your majesty?" A polite toned voice asked and Padmé drew from her thoughts of her visit to the orphanage.

"That won't be necessary," she turned to face one of her guards who was awaiting her reply. "I'd prefer to walk back and see the city at a more leisurely pace."

Her guard smiled knowingly to his queen. "Be it glad that the weather permits us then."

The man in formal but not eye-catching attire turned to the rest of his men and gave out a command. The rest of the royal guard moved out the make an oval shape of a barrier around their queen with distance in between that wouldn't smother her. They knew of her distaste to be surrounded and shielded like a possession on display. The only guard that stood close to the queen was the head guard who walked at her side and kept with her pace.

The clothing that Padmé wore was elegant yet not too fancy so she wouldn't draw too much attention to herself. Once she left the doors of the orphanage she placed a lavender colored cloak around her shoulder and drew her hood up. She doubted any of her people would cause her harm, but she did it for the sake of calming her guards and making their jobs a little bit easier.

Her walk through the lower district was pleasant and calming just like she had wished it to be. Seeing her planets countrymen and women hard at work and going about their daily lives peacefully made her proud. Whenever a pair would laugh from some unheard joke, she would find herself smiling along as though she heard it too. Kids would chase each other and run right past her without a single care in the world. She chuckled again at the thought of how enteric children were, despite their homing predicaments.

As she continued to walk into the street vender district, the young queen couldn't help but to feel a tad light headed all of a sudden. She slowed her pace and reached up to touch at the skin on her forehead.

Did she perhaps not intake enough liquids to keep her hydrated? Or did the little ones at the orphanage really wear her down more than she was aware? Whichever one it was it didn't go unnoticed by her trust worthy guard who stepped in front of her.

Padmé looked up to see his concerned eyes on her, studying her face for the sign of her distress.

"Is everything all right, your majesty?" He questioned softly.

The young queen swallowed any response that would worry the man and smiled encouragingly. "Yes, everything is fine. I've just forgotten how rambunctious little ones are and how easily they can wear you out."

Her guard relaxed his shoulders some and returned her smile. "I have two of my own, so I cannot disagree. Would you like if I'd call for that transport now?"

She shook her head in denial to his question. She wanted to enjoy her time away from the palace and see her gleaming city for just a little bit longer. The sun was soon to set but she doubted it would take them long to safely return. She would just have to pick up her pace is all.

"I can make it back just fine, thank you."

He nodded his head and stepped away to allow her to continue walking while he positioned himself securely at her side again. He kept quiet but made sure to keep an extra close eye on his queen just in case.

Padmé could feel her guard's eyes on her when they started to walk again. She wanted to pick up her pace so they'd make it back to the palace in time before nightfall but her legs betrayed her. If anything she began to walk slower and she could tell her guard seemed concerned by the obvious stares he kept throwing down at her.

The further they walked down the busy road, the more Padmé felt the urge to just lie down and rest. Some of the public benches that they passed looked rather tempting. Was she really that tired just from playing with younglings all day? Surely not because she had dealt with politicians who were more tiresome despite their age.

Before she knew it the sun was beginning to set and the charming crowd of lively shoppers were moving indoors. The roads were becoming barer and the stalls were packing up.

The scene wasn't that interesting yet Padmé watched her surroundings with a certain type of need, as though she were looking for something. There wasn't anything in particular that she had in mind but something inside her was urging her to explore. It was odd considering how tired her body felt but her mind assured her she would be taken care of by what she found.

Out of the corner of Padmé's eye she caught a figure cloaked in blackness frozen in the middle of the road. She continued to watch with curiosity as they suddenly moved away from the people and into an alleyway.

Despite how sketchy it all looked, the little voice in her head was edging her to follow this cloaked stranger. The reason being was beyond her but she couldn't deny the slight temptation to do so.

When they were out of her sight Padmé turned her attention ahead again and focused on getting back to her palace. The sun was setting and soon enough more night crawlers would fill the streets and Padmé worried for her guards' safety.

It was a little while later when they were within sights of the gates to her palace when Padmé felt full force how drained of energy her body really was. Her knees began to wobble and she stumbled once but quickly balanced herself. It was when she stumbled for the second time that she knew she didn't have the strength to catch herself.

With a silent gasp she began to fall forward before gaining the attention of her personal guard who quickly reached out to catch her in time.

"Your majesty?!" He fretted and securely hoisted her up in his arms.

Padmé wanted to assure him that she was fine and to just take her inside to rest but her mouth wouldn't move. Even her vision was slowly fading and being eaten by darkness. The worrisome pleas of her guard became muffled and she hummed as some type of response she was still with him for the time being.

She felt him lift her into his arms with her small head resting atop his armored shoulder. It was uncomfortable but complaining about it was the least of her worries.

With her vision almost completely engulfed by blackness, she gazed past her guards shoulder and found her eyes gazing to a gap in between two buildings. She couldn't see anything and didn't know why her eyes were so focused on that particular spot, but she clung to it until sleep finally crept over her.

A/N: Thanks for reading and leaving a review would be awesome too! If you know anymore stories with this pairing then PLEASE send me a PM.