- - - Chapter Fifteen: The Emperor - - -

"Papa!"

Vader turned to see Luke running into the sitting room. A gold kitten dangling from his arms. Luke jumped on to the sofa and scooted so he sat right next to his father. The kitten wiggled in the child's grasp, clearly wanting to be free.

"Don't hold him too tightly," Vader chided.

Luke looked down at his new pet. "But he'll run away if I don't!" He looked up at his father with big large blue eyes.

Vader sighed. "But it's uncomfortable for Threepio to be held like that," he said softly.

Luke frowned as he looked down at the kitten. The cat had been all Padme's idea and doing. She had come home one day with a white lidded basket with a blue ribbon tied to it. Of course, Luke was ecstatic to finally have a pet, and Vader wasn't going to be the one to take that away.

The cat jumped from Luke's lap the moment the hold loosened. "Aw!" Luke said as he watched the cat run from the room.

"Luke, he'll come to you if you're nice and gentle with him," Vader said, placing a hand on Luke's head.

Luke was quiet for a moment while he stared at the door. Vader wondered if Luke was waiting to see if the kitten would return. Luke sighed, but then crawled on to his father's lap. He snuggled against his father and rested his head on his shoulder. Vader wrapped his arms around his little son.

"I love you, Papa," Luke said as he looked up at Vader.

A frown threatened to pull at Vader's lips. He didn't like the searching look on Luke's face.

"I love you too," Vader said. He bent over and kissed Luke's forehead. There was instant relief on Luke's face.

This was a very common occurrence since Sidious had taken Luke. Vader wondered if Sidious had said something to Luke, but Luke never admitted to having been told anything. And yet, Luke was constantly seeking assurances that his parents loved him. No matter what lies Sidious had said, Vader always replied to Luke's questions. He had no problems telling his son how much he loved him. He squeezed Luke tighter.

Vader heard small feet running down the hall. A little girl burst into the room. Her carefully plaited braid was coming loose. Clumps of brown hair hung loose down her neck and in her face.

"Luke!" she shouted. "Come see my castle!"

Without a look back at his father, Luke jumped off his father's lap and ran to the door. Before he got there, the little girl was running back down the hall with Luke right on her heels. Vader smiled and shook his head. How nice it must be to be young and have your worries easily pushed aside by the promises of castles.

Vader stood and stretched. It had been two months since Sidious had died. Piece by piece, he was taking control of his life. A life he had always wanted. A happy life with his wife and children. Yes, children. Padme had easily located their daughter.

"How do you know?" Vader had asked.

"Because Beru Organa was not pregnant when I was," Padme snapped. "And really, Anakin, you don't think it's odd their daughter is named Leia? That she has the same birthday as Luke? That she looks just like me? You never noticed it?"

While he had seen the Organa girl, usually from afar, he had not noticed such obvious signs. Truthfully, he hadn't even been looking. He hadn't even known he had a daughter. He was surprised Padme was able to figure it out so quickly. It hadn't been easy bringing Leia into their lives. Like her twin brother, Vader was not able to command Leia.

"She's still young," Padme had said. "Just give it time. She'll eventually see us as her parents."

Vader had wanted to kill the Organas, but Padme had talked him out of it.

"If they do have connections to the Jedi, it would be best to simply use them," she said. "We'll give them a new girl that looks like Leia and you'll command them into believing this girl was their daughter all along." He still wasn't convinced. "What's the bigger prize, my love? The Organas or Kenobi?"

It was Kenobi. Kenobi who had tried to take Luke. Who had faked Padme's death. Who had taken Leia from Padme and given the baby to the Organas. Clearly Kenobi had some connection with the Organas, and eventually, Vader would find him. Not right now, though. He had other things to worry about like his family. Padme agreed. They needed time to heal and to come together.

Plus with Sidious' death, Vader had inherited his estate and title. There was a lot to work out between the business of Duke Palpatine and hundreds-of-years-old vampire Darth Sidious. Padme and Vader were handling it together. Vader was handling the human side of things, while Padme worked on the vampire side of things.

Vader left the sitting room. He paused at the parlor to see both of his children creating a castle out of some chairs, pillows, and table cloths. He smiled as he moved on. He found his wife in her office. She sat at her desk, which was cluttered with piles of paper. In front of her was a large journal she was using to take notes. She paused in her writing as he walked in. A large smile grew on her face.

She stood and quickly met him in the middle of the room. They wrapped their arms around each other and kissed.

"Are the children behaving?" she asked.

"Are they getting along? Yes. Are they possibly going to drive your handmaids crazy by tearing up the front parlor and turning it into a castle with a moat? Possibly."

She smiled, gave him a quick kiss, before she slipped out of his arms and headed back to her desk.

"There's still so much work left to do," she said as she sat down. "Decades, no centuries, of webs to untangle."

"Mmmhmmm."

She looked up at him. "Is there something wrong?"

He walked over to her desk. "I wanted to talk to you about something."

Her brows furrowed in concern. "What is it?"

"It's just . . . " He looked at her. Her large brown eyes were looking at him. Her pink lips were pulled into a small pout. He took a deep breath. "I want to know what you did with Sidious."

For a fraction of a second, her eyes widened. If he had blinked, he would have missed it. Her face smoothed out, but her lips were still in a frown.

"What are you talking about?" she asked. Her voice was tight.

"Padme," Vader said as he placed both his hands on her desk. "You gave me his blood. I know he isn't dead. I've given you two months. You once asked me not to take away your revenge, and now I'm asking you don't take away mine. If he isn't dead yet," Long claws grew on his fingers and dug into the wood of her desk, "then I will kill him."

She crossed her arms across her chest and let out a small huff.

"Very well," she said.

His claws retracted and he leaned back and nodded.

The door to the secret section of the basement closed silently. Padme walked calmly down the hallway and paused at a door at the very end. The door was made out of thick metal. There were several locks in place all in silver. She grabbed a set of thick gloves from a hook nearby as she undid the locks. She placed the gloves back on the hook as she entered the room. She made sure the door was securely closed behind her as she turned around to look at her prisoner.

The room was small, no bigger than a large closet. The floor was stone tiled with a drain in the center. On the far wall was a thin wooden bench and on it sat Sheev Palpatine, Darth Sidious, the former lord of the vampires. Or at least what was left of him. Padme couldn't help but smile seeing the ruined husk. Sidious had already been deformed due to the Jedi attack on his castle four years ago. But now he was far more disgusting.

Padme's attack on him had not been kind. She had to slice off enough of him to give the appearance she had killed him. His legs were nothing more than small stumps below his waist. Enough so he could sit properly, but that was it. One arm was also gone, but the other was still there. One arm for Anakin to rip off for when she finally handed the old man to him.

His skin drooped in some places while it was pulled tight across his bones and thin muscles in other places. It was all white with sick grey spots. His teeth were yellowed and some had fallen out. His hair was all gone except for a few white wispy strands on his bald head. His muscles had withered away. His bones could be clearly seen.

It was clear he was starving, which he was because Padme made sure he had just enough blood to live but nothing more. Not enough to heal. Not enough for any real strength. Even if she didn't have this room locked up, she doubted he would be able to even crawl out of here by himself.

And the thought of seeing him so frail and weak and pathetic, made her smile each time.

His breathing was a constant wheeze and as his bloodshot dull gold eyes zeroed in on her, he sucked in a sharp breath with a hiss.

"Padme," he said. His voice was a dry croak.

"Sidious," she said with a warm smile. "I suppose you won't reveal any more of your secrets to me?" There was only the hissing sound of his breathing. "Shame," she said, "but I think Anakin and I will manage your estate just fine." She noticed his eyes narrowed. "I will say I am very impressed with how well thought out and executed you were managing your secret little dark empire. Everything was just going so smoothly until I came back into the picture. Just imagine what would have happened if Anakin had gone to America."

The room fell into a thick silence that Sidious was stewing in and she was soaking it all up.

She started to walk slowly across the room. Her hips swayed from side to side as a smile grew on her lips. She placed her hand against his cheeks in a loving manner. He didn't jerk back, but he did glare up at her.

"You went about controlling him all wrong," she said. "You used fear and respect, but that was no match for me, now was it? No match for love. No matter how far you think you had your fangs into him, it was only skin deep. And that's why you lost. I have his heart. Which I'll keep and cherish. He has my heart too you know. It's a price I gladly pay, but something you never would."

He said nothing. He only continued to glare.

She leaned over so her lips were right next to his saggy ear, "I must thank you for starting this empire for me."

She slowly leaned back as she watched rage twist his features.

"You bitch," he cursed.

Padme laughed. "Let me guess, you think if only you had gotten rid of me for good your plan would have worked out perfectly?" He said nothing. "You think you're infallible. That your plan was perfect. That you had outsmarted everyone. I'm here to tell you, you haven't. You never have. Let me tell you a story about my mother. No, not that mother. My birth mother."

The slight flinch in his eyes was the only sign of confusion he showed.

"Have you ever read fairy tales, Sidious? Especially the tales where the fae will sneak into a house and steal a baby and replace it with one of their own? This child will then change their features to match the human child. A changeling."

"The fae are all dead," Sidious spat.

"True," she said softly. "They've been dead long before you. However, witches are another story."

His face darkened. He was quickly connecting the dots, but she continued anyway.

"Yes, my mother was a nightsister. Their leader, Mother Talzin, had foreseen their coming end by the hand of Grievous and Dooku on your orders. They were a threat to your future empire. But the witches took steps to secure they wouldn't be lost forever, and I was one of them. I wonder perhaps how much Mother Talzin saw. How much had she planned this counter attack against you? Those handmaidens you handpicked for me? All changeling witches too. A coven of nightsisters right in your midst. Did she see me and Anakin falling in love? That eventually this would cause your downfall? I like to think she did. And finally, the deadnight sisters can have their revenge. I will take your empire and make it mine with Anakin at my side."

She watched as his face twisted this way and that as he tried to control his rage. She backstepped to the door. She never turned her back to Sidious as she grabbed the handle and opened the door. She stepped forward as the door opened and Anakin stepped in. She held out her hand, which he grabbed with such a gentle touch. He brought it up to his lips and gave it a kiss, but his burning gold eyes were on Sidious.

She slid up alongside him and wrapped her arms around him. He was taught with tension, with rage, with anticipation. She kissed his cheek. Back in her office she had told him everything. There were no longer any secrets between them. She had feared his reaction. He had not taken the truth of her being a vampire well, and she thought this might create a rift in their healing relationship. But he wasn't angry.

"You don't need to hide who you are from me," he had said. "Please. Is this all? Tell me there are no more secrets."

"None. This is all. This is all I am."

He had wrapped her up in his arms and passionately kissed you. "I fell in love with you," he said. "Whether that you is a witch or a vampire or whatever else, it is still you."

She smiled as her heart grew warm and large. "And I love you, too," she said as they leaned in for a kiss. "For all and everything you are. I love you."

They stood there side by side in the dark cell looking at the man who had brought them together, but also the man who had ripped their lives apart. He was both a curse and a blessing, but one that no longer had any other purpose. Padme had had her revenge, and now it was time that she let Anakin have his.

A dark twisted smile grew across her lips as Anakin slipped from her arms as he stalked towards Sidious.

Padme giggled as Anakin left a trail of kisses down her stomach lower and lower.

"Stop teasing me," she said as she arched her back off the bed.

He looked up and gave her that devilish smile that caused heat to flare up deep and low inside of her.

"Does my empress have a request for me?" he purred.

"Yes," she said. "I want you to make love to me."

"As you command, your majesty," he said as he parted her legs so he could position himself.

His hands grabbed her hips, and she wiggled impatiently in his hold. Neither of their smiles left their faces. He paused for a minute. She watched his eyes flash as he looked over her bare form. Then finally after taking his moment to marvel at her, he pushed forward and entered her. Her hands grabbed the sheets and she gasped as he started a steady rhythm.

"Anakin!" she called out.

"Vader," he grunted. "Call me Vader."

She wanted to argue but then she realized that he was taking a claim to that name. A name Sidious had given him. He was making it his own. Just as she had made Amidala a name to be feared. She pushed herself up and wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck. Their lips crashed together.

"Vader," she purred between their kisses.

"Ohh," he moaned. He started to go faster.

"Vader," she said louder.

"Yes, just like that," he gasped as his hands tightened on her hips.

"Vader!" she cried out.

"Padme!" he shouted.

Then his lips were against hers. Their bodies were moving together hard and fast. The names Vader and Padme were murmured and moaned out between heated gasps. Until finally the names were shouted out loud at the same time as the two climaxed together.

"So this is America?" Vader asked as he wrapped his arm around his wife's waist.

They both stood on the deck of the ship looking out at the foggy water. The Statue of Liberty could be seen and the dark shadows of land and a city behind her.

"You sound unimpressed," Padme said softly.

"I was expecting . . . more . . ." he said.

"We haven't even set foot on land yet."

"I doubt it will get better," he grumbled.

"Mother!"

The two turned to see a teenage girl hurrying towards them holding another little girl on her hip. The teenager had brown hair that was curled up into a bun. The little girl had golden girls that bounced with each step of her big sister.

"Mama," the little girl said as she reached out for Padme.

"Come here, Ayamé," Padmé said as she took her youngest child into her arms. She kissed her little daughter on the forehead.

"Where is Luke?" Vader asked as he glanced behind Leia.

"He's talking with that red-headed American girl again," Leia said, rolling her eyes.

Padme smiled knowingly, but Vader frowned. He did not like his son's sudden infatuation with this girl during their voyage.

"And Jonin?" Padme asked of their second son.

"On the other side of the ship looking at all the other boats," Leia said.

"Please go collect them both," Padme said.

Leia huffed but marched off to find her brothers.

"Papa look!"

Vader followed the small finger of his baby girl to see the city finally coming into view out of the fog. It had been twelve years since he was originally supposed to come to America. He and Padme stayed mainly in Europe and mostly in England. They had to establish themselves as the new rulers of the vampires. There were those who did accept them, and they were dealt with.

But also the two had wanted to focus on each other and their family, which had grown over the years. Vader leaned over and kissed his daughter's head and then kissed his wife's cheek. Both he and Padme had felt it was finally time to expand their empire across the Atlantic.

"Papa!" a young voice called behind them. A ten-year-old boy ran up to his parents. His hair was brown like his mother's and his eyes were blue like his father's. "Did you see all the boats! Do you think there is more than there were in England?"

Vader smiled as he put a hand on Jonin's head and ruffled his hair. "I bet there will be more boats as we come into port."

He looked down the deck to see the twins approaching. Vader could tell Luke's cheeks were bright red as Leia pointed a finger at him clearly chastising him over his interactions with that young lady. Vader took a moment to appreciate his life. Never had he imagined it would turn out like this. He had a wonderful wife and four amazing children. That was his favorite part. He loved them all so dearly and deeply.

He finally felt content with his life. As a human slave to vampires, he had always lived in fear. As a holy knight of the Jedi Order, he always felt like he was missing something. During the first four years as Darth Vader under Sidious, he always felt like he wasn't good enough. But now with Sidious long gone and Padme and his children at his side, he, as Duke Skywalker and Emperor Darth Vader, was content. Truly happy and content.

The End

AN: Thank you to all the readers and commenters. Sorry about the delay of this last chapter. Life man, life. And so we come to the conclusion of this story. It was a lot of fun writing this and I hope you enjoyed it.