A Boy Like That

Ch. 5: Just Me An' Ani Talking

May/June 2006

A/N: Wah! This is the last chapter! I'M GONNA MISS YOU GUYS! AND THIS STORY! But I hope you enjoyed it a lot, and thanks so MUCH for the reviews. I hope you come back and drop me an email sometime, or maybe a review for another story. Or not. Which ever. D But please, don't forget to review for this, the last chapter!

At first this was going to be "Everytime" to that good old song we all know Thanks a lot, Britney Spears (I DON'T OWN IT!) but then I decided that too many people had already used it and I wanted to use something different so here we go.

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars (George Lucas) or "Just Me An' Charlie Talkin'" (Miranda Lambert.)

Now I'm pretty sure we've passed the spoilers, and if we haven't then you should know by now. It doesn't matter anyway; it's not in theaters anymore, is it? Darn...

XXX

Funny how time and distance change you:

The road you take don't always lead you home.

You can start a love with good intentions,

Then you look up and it's gone.

So you treat your love like a firefly,

Like it only gets to shine for a little while.

Catch it in a mason jar with holes in the top,

And run like hell to show it off.

Oh, promises we made when we'd go walkin':

An' that's just me and Charlie,

Me an' Charlie talkin.'

Now and then I sometimes think of Charlie,

How we thought we knew it all back then.

Now I'd give anything to feel love,

From a child's heart again.

- "Just Me An' Charlie Talkin' " by Miranda Lambert

XXX

Darth Sidius - the Emperor, former Naboo Senator, Supreme Chancellor Palpatine - sat glaring at the HoloNet device. Normally he did not look at the news, mostly it was foolish wonderings by reporters who really knew nothing, but this morning he had felt guided to do so, to watch the woman deliver news she must have thought important. And once her face disappeared and another image shimmered onto the data pad, he knew how important that image really was, although for different reasons than the announcer.

Padmè Amidala, former Queen and former Senator of Naboo, was out on the steps of her new home on Valderaan, with Senator Bail Organa and his wife. A little girl, no more than three or four years old, stood next to her, grinning shyly. The caption underneath the picture stated Amidala's name and that the little girl was Senator Organa's daughter and ex-Senator Amidala's goddaughter.

This was a problem. If Anakin discovered she was still alive, he would leave in a heartbeat, back to her. While Sidius had expected she was still living, her silence and lack of being seen in public had caused him to think maybe she had died. This was a problem, yes; but his ever sharp mind, constantly thinking up new strategies and ways to ensure and increase his power, had already come up with a solution.

XXX

A dark, curly haired young man - even though he looked much more like an older teenager - casually walked down the street. Unusual as it was, no one paid him much mind; he had been frequently visiting here lately, and they had gotten used to him.

Casual posture still in tact, he cast a look around. After making sure no one was watching him, he nonchalantly sauntered down the alley way.

The note - or as it said, 'summons' - required him to frequent the area weeks before, constantly, so that he wouldn't be considered suspicous. Even with that said, precautions were in order.

By now, of course, the young man was tired and slightly wary of what he was dealing with. Or, rather, who he was dealing with. Why, honestly, did he need so much secrecy?

But the note had said that, this particular night, he would find out.

He walked down to the end of the alleyway and waited; he was early, that much he knew.

Soon (but not after his mind had wandered plenty of times) he heard a rustling behind him. His blaster was out in the blink of an eye, finger on the trigger. His lips went dry and his heart started hammering loudly in his chest when the bright, lethal, glow of a red lightsaber lit up the alleyway, revealing his companion to be a short man in a dark, heavy cloak, hood pulled up so that his face was covered, with the exception of a pair of sneering, cracked lips.

"Put that away, boy, before you die." The menacing voice, male, rough and cracking, filled the alleyway even more than the light from the lightsaber. He hadn't seen a lightsaber in...so long...

"Boba Fett," the voice said, the sneer growing. "You have agreed to fulfill my request, once you hear it?"

"Yes, sir," the young man, Boba, said, his forehead slowly breaking out in sweat.

"No matter what?"

"Yes, sir," he repeated.

"My job for you is to assassinate someone," the cloaked man said. "Still on my side?"

"Of course," Boba said immediatly.

"Good." This time, he was smiling, and Boba wished he wouldn't; it was even more menacing, threatening, than the sneer was. Yellow, crooked teeth loomed at him. "Senator Amidala."

Boba was temporarily shocked and forgot who he was speaking to. "What?" He clamped his mouth shut when he heard what sounded almost like a growl issue from the other man.

"Do you have a problem with the request?"

"N...no, sir, no, of course not," Boba stuttered.

The sneer was back. "Good. For your sake I hope you are as good as your father."

Boba felt a little prickle of annoyance; the man continued. "If you are caught, and rest assured it will not be good if you are caught, you will not mention this meeting."

"Yes, sir," he said quickly.

"And this must be done as soon as possible," he said. "You understand?"

"Yes, sir," he repeated.

"Good. The payment will be put into your account after I am sure the job is done." And, suddenly, a rush of wind seemed to take away any presence other than his own out of the alleyway. Boba let out a huge rush of breath that he only just then realized he had been holding in; he walked back out of the alleyway, slightly shaken, thinking.

He, personally, hated the Senator; she had been one of the reasons his father had died. But it wasn't a strong enough hate to murder her, and she'd had a hand in his only relation's murder! So who would want the Senator dead, and for what reason could possibly be better than his?

He shook his head. He would brood after he had completed the mission. His hate, although not enough reason to kill of his own will, was perfect for this; if he was supposed to, why not...have fun with it?

He smirked. Now was the time to think, and plan. Senator Amidala of Naboo was a very well liked - and very famous - figure of power. Surely she would have some sort of body guards; she was also a skilled fighter herself, in the times of Naboo's fight against the Trade Federation's hold, when she needed to defend herself properly. So there was that to think about.

Plus, he felt that it needed to be a sign, almost. Show the other Senators that no matter how hard they tried, they weren't safe.

He let out a short chuckle. This would be fun...

XXX

Breathing heavily, Darth Vader stumbled awake. Lately, even through the 'sleep' he got (more like artificial rest) memories haunted him. His last image of Padmè, her beautiful face falling, the angel that she was, moving on to where she belonged. The selfish side of him contorted in envy and anger at this. She belongs with me! Painfully he also dreamed about his son, his awe and wonderment at holding his son - Luke - in his arms. The rest of that day was a blur, the fight with Obi-Wan and his reawakening in the Emperor's ship. He didn't really remember anything after showing Luke to Padmè, although something in his heart told him he should remember it...he needed to remember it...

XXX

Amidala Naberrie was happy, despite all that had happened, though a certain air of sadness was always hovering over her. Though you can't blame her, Bail thought on more than one occasion.

Leia noticed her mother's sadness but never asked, perhaps understanding it was something unspeakable and that she caused her mother to be happy, so she didn't need to concern herself with knowing exactly what had happened.

He was puzzled, proud, a little worried, and slightly hurt that Leia didn't ask. Puzzled, because children were curious, and Leia was no exception. Proud, because she didn't ask her mother about it, so the wound that still remained so fresh wasn't opened more than it needed. A little worried, because maybe Leia thought it was her, and was suffering from that? And slightly hurt because...what if she didn't care?

No...she was a caring child. He remembered with a smile the time when it had all been to much for Padmè, and one small, crystalline tear had fallen down her cheek as she stared out the window. Leia noticed it from far across the room and silently tottered over to her, climbing into her lap and wrapping her tiny arms around her mother. Padmè's eyebrows raised but she gave a watery chuckle before wrapping her own arms around her daughter, laughing and crying, neither saying a word.

Padmè was such an incredibly strong person. He realized this was not the life she had longed for, though it couldn't be that bad of a life.

She had probably envisioned a long life in politics. Perhaps even Chancellor; he wasn't sure how far her goals and dreams went. She had probably envisioned an early retirement, herself, Anakin, and their child(ren), tucked away on Naboo.

Sadly, he realized she probably would never go back to her home, haunted by the memories of her marriage and their innocence, when love was all they needed to survive and be happy, before Anakin was officially a Jedi and...

He was getting carried away. Someone around that house needed to be caught up in the times, with Padmè so caught up in the past.

XXX

Padmè Naberrie (ex-Senator Amidala; former Queen Amidala of Naboo; and now, she found she was referring to herself as Lady Skywalker) sighed and glanced away from the window to look at Leia's sleeping face, peaceful and angelic.

That heavy weight of guilt and emptiness always hung over her head - the place in her heart, the very LARGE place in her heart, that Anakin had been in was now empty, so empty it almost seemed suffocating at times.

Small raindrops started pelting the window as she put her warm hand against the cool, smooth glass. She kept her hand against it, feeling it cool her hand. What Anakin had become now...did she want that? She loved Anakin. Not this 'Darth Vader' person he had become. She wasn't even sure if he was a person anymore. She missed the Anakin Skywalker on Tatooine, the little boy who had confused her with an angel. The love that had radiated from him was so pure and so full, she wanted to surround herself with it, use it like a blanket to the cold horrors of the galaxy. She wanted that love back. Before the war.

She wanted the child's innocence that he had emitted from him so easily. That same innocence shone from Leia, and it was both refreshing and painfu, reminding her of both good times and bad. She fought with herself everyday over a question that didn't even really matter. Would she rather live without Anakin, or have this new, cold, evil Anakin? Did she want him so much she wanted him - could she ignore his new personality? His power hungry, ruthless, cruel new demeanor?

It was a question that always weighed heavily on her mind as she watched the HoloNet, watched the Senate slowly give all of their power to the Chancellor, watch their beloved Republic become an Empire, the very thing they had sought so hard to keep from happening. And no matter how hard it was for her, how much it tore her up inside, she was at peace with it.

XXX

The halls that entwined and looped through the large Organa household were intricately designed, solid white with little patterns on them. They swirled like flower petals but held no true form, resembling something of solidified air.

There were many bedrooms in the Organa household. Two large ones. One of them, however, was different in the fact that part of it was set up with a baby's crib and everything a young girl of about one year would enjoy.

The room was inhabited by former Queen and Senator Amidala, also known as Padmè Naberrie. For once, politics and the corrupt dealings of the Senate did not control most of her life. The minute she had offically moved onto Alderaan, she'd resigned from the Senate. No one else seemed to notice the adopted daughter of Bail Organa and his wife appeared about the same time the Senator did, but he wrote it down as weird coincidence.

It had taken Boba an extremely long time to figure out which room was hers. Much bluffing and bribing went into figuring out her daily schedule. But once that was all figured out, the rest was simple.

He waited in hiding until nightfall. When he was bathed in moonlight, he rushed forward, quickly and quietly, and scaled the wall into her room. He spotted her small form on her bed and had taken a step forward when he heard the soft gurgle of a baby.

Momentarily, he was puzzled. He knew Senator Bail and his wife had recently adopted a little girl, but why would she be in the ex-Senator's room?

No matter. He padded softly over to the baby and rose his blaster, aiming it right between the baby's eyes, his finger on the trigger - but stopped. The little girl was staring right back at him, her wide brown eyes innocently gazing up at him. Curly brown hair fanned around her head on the small, baby-sized pillow. She gurgled again, and his finger loosened on the trigger. Something about the baby's naivety stopped him in place. Could he really murder a baby?

He turned his back on the little girl, decided that he only needed to kill the one he'd come to kill. It's not like the baby could identify him, and even if she could, what good would that do? He'll be on the other side of the Outer Rim by dawn the next day. They'd never be able to find him.

He walked away from the crib and over to Senator Amidala's bed and raised his blaster, checking to make sure it was silenced and wouldn't make a sound. He smirked. This is what he'd come for.

XXX

The Emperor had come to the habit of checking on the HoloNet for news, to see if his solution had followed through. He was beginning to get impatient. At the moment a talk show - on which one of those famous, pointless, entertainers was on - was airing, and he was beginning to get angry.

But then, suddenly, a large beep issued from the small device. A grave woman appeared, instead of the talk show. His interest sparked as she began to speak. "It was just discovered that ex-Senator Amidala was found dead in her room in Senator Organa's home on Alderaan. It seems to be a blaster wound. No evidence was found, and there are no suspects. Oddly enough, Leia Organa, the adopted daughter of Senator Organa and his wife and who was sleeping in the very same room, was unharmed and unfazed..."

Everything else drowned out. He smirked, and surprised everyone around him - even himself - with a short bark of laughter. Anything that might cause Vader to leave were gone. He couldn't believe it. And he had to hand it to that Fett kid; he had style. Sidius knew that now every Senator would be hiring new protection to watch them as they sleep. He had proved that no one was safe. Brilliant. A frown crossed his features. Why didn't he kill the baby? Ah, well, that could be handled later. It's not like she posed a real threat to him anyway! (wink) The Dark Lord of the Sith, mastermind behind everything going on in the galaxy, could almost swear that he was happy.

XXX

"Luke, why did you bring me out here?" Leia stood on the bridge, staring at Luke's profile. He was leaning on the railings, staring up at the moon, which was casting a soft glow on their faces.

He took a moment before answering, suddenly thoughtful and quiet. A puzzled look fell over his face.

"Leia-" he said, and stopped. He wasn't sure why exactly he brought her out here. To break the news? That their father was an intergalactic murderer? Did she really need to know that? But...there was something he wanted to know... "Do you remember your real mother? At all?"

Her eyebrows shot up and she turned to lean on the hand railing also, mimicking his thoughtful gaze. "Yes...a little."

"What do you remember?" he said, his voice barely a whisper. Finally, would he find out about his mother?

"She was beautiful," Leia said softly, her eyes still focused on the moon. "And kind. She always smiled whenever she looked at me. But..." her eyebrows twitch a little as she frowned. "She was kind, but always sad...always."

Luke gazed at Leia. His mother was beautiful. Kind, but sad. He gave a small, sad smile, that only lasted about a second. He understood why their mother was sad; his father had turned in to Darth Vader.

"Leia..." she at least deserved to know... "I never knew my mother...but Leia..."

"She was your mother too?" Her head slowly turned to him as she looked him in the eye. "I kind of figured so. All along."

His eyebrows raised a little, even though - honestly - he wasn't that surprised. "Really? How?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. You seem very familiar to me, although we've never met. I feel comfortable to you, and I feel a certain connection with you. At first I thought it was romantic. But that just didn't feel right."

He flinched a little. "Tell me about it."

She laughed, but very soon her face grew serious. "Luke..."

He waited for her to continue, but she didn't say anything. "Yeah, Leia?"

"Who was our father?"

He flinched. He hadn't thought that she might ask. "Leia...what I'm about to tell you will be very hard for you to hear. Sometimes I wish...I wish I hadn't heard it myself. But..."

"Luke." He looked up to meet her gaze; her calm, smooth gaze. "Tell me."

He sighed. "Darth Vader." Her face contorted with horror and he rushed on. "Which is why I have to fight him. I can sense him, Leia, and he's near. On the moon. And he can sense me too; he knows I'm here."

"Luke, you've always been smart when it comes to rash decisions. Well...wise. You had good reasons." She paused and frowned. "What good reason could you possibly have this time?"

"Leia, I know there's good in him. I can find it. He won't take me to the Emperor, I know he won't. I can bring out the good in him. I know I can."

XXX

Deep in the forest, the shimmering image of an elder stood, his back turned to the young adults as they spoke, taking in every word. This shimmering image was Obi-Wan Kenobi.

So, Luke had found out, had he? And he was telling Leia. Obi-Wan wasn't sure how smart that was. Luke was powerful, very powerful - a wry smile found its way onto Obi-Wan's face. With a father like Anakin, a mother like Padmè, and a trainer like himself and Yoda - the boy would have to be just plain stupid not to have any power. And then there was who he was himself, a wise young man faced with more than any elder could say that had confronted, just beginning the prime of his life.

'I know there's good in him...'

How many times had he heard that? How many times had he told himself that? During all those years of seclusion, watching Luke grow up?

He turned to find that Luke had left already, leaving Leia alone and torn inside. Torn between what? For what must have been the five hundredth time, he cursed Anakin. Why had he caused so many people so much pain? He left a wife alone without her husband. He left two children, one of which who would have to grow up without him and the other who would never know either of his parents. Not to mention Obi-Wan himself... and the Empire... he bit down those feelings that, surprisingly, had not passed through his merging with the Force, when Darth Vader sliced him down.

"Just hold me." He looked up to see Leia lean forward, looking to Han Solo for the comfort she needed, the kind of comfort where words would only make it worse.

Obi-Wan felt like he was intruding on the lovers' moment, but couldn't pull his eyes away. She looked so remarkably like Padmè. And for some reason...this reminded him of Padmè and Luke.

But he had to have faith. Perhaps the prophecy referred to Luke instead? He had to believe... just like he didn't think it possible Anakin could become Darth Vader, he didn't think it possible Darth Vader could become Anakin once again. But... maybe he shouldn't think. Maybe he should just believe...

And so, from that moment, he believed in Luke with all his heart, all his soul, like he had never fully believed in Anakin.

XXX

A/N: Well...I hope you guys liked it. sniff. I have some weird feelings about the ending, but what do you think? Please review!

I'd like to thank my dear reviewers once again, this time personally!

Signed:

Kaiba-Kun, HarryEstel, Bookwrm17, darthgriz98, doreenthatshot, Eriks leadinglady, Anakin-Padme, Kal's Gal, Jackfan7, Beginning-end-314, sonnysbabythug12, Forever Harry, free2bfroody, Paula Anka, The Spooker Mulder

Anonymous:

Doreen, Brittany Horvath, Serabiwarrior 88

THANKS AGAIN!