Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars, I just like messing around.

A/N: Before someone lashes out, that Padme is too dark or manipulative, let me explain that she's Palpatine's adoptive daughter since 10. She believes his beliefs (at least, most of them), because she was taught so. Also, Ani is five years older than her for reasons.

If someone saw her watching holovid with her mouth slightly open and her brown eyes wide, she would say that she was horrified by the cruelness of the leader of rebellion. The Twi'lek woman gave her watchers an explicit description of how the savage Jedi conquered planet after planet, bringing desperation and misery to its population.

But her words would be lies. Padmé wasn't horrified. She was mesmerized, amazed by this mysterious man. As she watched how the arch enemy of the Empire, Anakin Skywalker lashed out at the Stormtroopers, she only saw how powerful, graceful he was, moving between his enemies more like a dancer than the brutal warrior, as the holovid portrayed him.

It was wrong, being obsessed with the enemy of the Empire, the enemy of her father. Ten years ago, as her father received the title of the Emperor of The Galaxy, the Jedi betrayed him and started a rebellion. After years, almost all Jedi were dead, except three of them: Grandmaster Yoda, who was living legend among the Jedi, Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, who raised the current leader of the rebellion and Anakin Skywalker, the mentioned leader of the rebellion, the poster child of the Jedi and currently, an object of Padme Palpatine's obsessions.

Padmé huffed in exasperation. Her father taught her, that if she wanted something, she needed to fight for it. She was the heiress of the Empire, she could achive everything she wanted. Well, except certain blue-eyed blond Jedi.

"Milady?" Dormé's voice rang in her room and Padmé quickly turned her holovid off. "Milady, are you decent?"

"Yes, yes." Padmé answered and instinctively combed her thick brown hair with her fingers. "You may come in."

The black door opened and her handmaiden's face appeared. She timidly smiled at her mistress and walked into the room.

"Milady, your father wishes to see you."

"In his cabinet?" Padmé asked warily.

"No, Milady, in the conference room."

Padmé grimaced. Meeting her father in the conference room meant meeting someone important (If her father really wanted to see her, he would come in her room or summon in his cabinet) and meeting someone important meant changing her clothes and redoing her hair and makeup.

"Did he mention why?" The heiress of the Empire asked as she gestured her handmaiden to help her in changing clothes.

"I'm afraid no, Milady." Dormé answered as she buckled the silver buckles of Padmé's blue dress.

"Did you see his expression?"

"Yes, Milady, I should mention, I never saw His Excellency that happy."

Padmé stopped searching the matching necklace for her dress and turned around, staring at her handmaiden curiously.

"Happy?"

"Yes, Your Highness, he even smiled."

Her father smiled? Huh, that was interesting. Padmé felt how her curiosity increased.

"Very well, let's see why the Emperor summoned me."

"But, Milady, we haven't done your hair." Dormé protested and Padmé impatiently waved.

"It's fine. I don't have a messy pile of hair on my head so I won't offend our guest."

Dormé opened her mouth to protest again, but quickly closed as she remembered who she was talking to. So she just nodded and opened the door for her mistress.

Thankfully, the conference room was close to Padmé's resting chambers. As she walked into the hall, she double checked her father's face. Dormé was right, Emperor Palpatine was indeed happy.

"Padmé, my dear," Her father greeted her." It's so nice to see you." He even opened his arms to embrace her.

"Father," Padmé smiled at him. "You wanted to see me?"

"Always blunt." Her father giggled and Padmé almost collapsed on the floor. Her father never laughed. Sometimes, when they received particularly pleasant news, he cackled, but She never heard him laughing, especially, giggling. "But, yes, my dear, I wanted to see you. We have a special guest."

"Oh, really?" Padmé managed to say. "So, who is our guest?"

"Oh, yes, how rude of me to keep you waiting. Guards." He called out. "Let our precious guest in."

Two Stormtroopers opened the double door and Padmé grasped Dormé's arm, because as her eyes met the stern face of Anakin Skywalker, she knew, that she was close to fall on the floor by the weakness she felt at her knees.

"Padmé, dear, let me introduce our precious guest to you, the great Anakin Skywalker."

"Pleased to meet you." Padmé mumbled and Skywalker's blue eyes quickly landed on her. She sucked a breath. Kriff, that man was gorgeous.

"What a shame that I can't say same." He spat and quickly glanced at her father. "Will you cut this farce, Palpatine? I don't have time to listen to your pretty words."

Her father arched an eyebrow.

"Oh, so you don't have time? Care to tell me where you plan to go with those cuffs?" At his words, Padmé finally managed to stop ogling the face of her father's prisoner and look at the other parts of his body. Her eyebrows furrowed as she discovered brown strains of dried blood on his tunic. His hands were bound together and there was a Force-cutting collar on his neck.

"To my people as soon as I'll be free from your clutches." The leader of the rebellion declared smugly.

"What a confidence you have, my boy." Skywalker flushed from the anger as her father said those words. "Why are you so sure that I'll leave you alive?"

"Oh, come on, Sheev." Now it was her father's turn to flush from the rage. "Don't you feel the temptation? To turn me to the Dark side?"

"No longer I wish that." Palpatine spat and raised his hand. Padmé paled. She knew that gesture. It meant Force Lightning and Force Lightning meant death. She wasn't ready to see Skywalker's death. What about achieving her dreams? This man was her dream. Well, along with ruling the whole galaxy.

"Father, wait." She spoke and surprised herself by the boldness and calmness of her voice as doubts and wants churned in her stomach.

Palpatine's yellow eyes dangerously flicked.

"Care to say something, Dear?" He asked in a low voice and Padmé read the threat in his words. Would she speak again and she'd end up on the cold stiff corpse of Skywalker. A smart person would shut its mouth, but not Padmé. She was the heiress of the throne of whole empire, for the Force's sake and she would take what she wanted, when she wanted and from whom she wanted. She just needed to choose her words carefully.

"Father, think." Padmé muttered, her eyes never leaving the expressionless face of Anakin Skywalker. "If you kill him now, he will be some kind of martyr for the rebels. More people will be blinded by it. More people become traitors."

Skywalker's expressionless face changed into a disgusted one.

"And?" Palpatine prompted. "What are you suggesting? Leave him alive and wait until his shameless friends come to save him?"

"Give him to me." Padmé answered and again, she was surprised by her boldness. Mentally she gave herself a thousandth slap in the face.

"And care to tell me, why I should do that?"

"Let me break him." Padmé practically begged. "He's the spirit of this Force- forsaken rebellion. By breaking him, we'll break the rebellion."

Palpatine lowered his hand as he considered her words. After two minutes of thinking he sighed.

"Very well," He decided. "But you remember how I abhor failure, my dear. Do not disappoint me." He stressed the last phrase and again, Padmé read the threat and danger in his words. If she failed, she would end up in the darkest dungeon of the palace or her father would personally electrocute her. So she just smiled and planted a feather-light kiss on his withered cheek.

"Don't you worry, Father," She assured him. "I won't."