He followed Ahsoka through the halls, his eyes still half shut as she explained the situation. An occasional nod and mumble of agreement was enough to satisfy her that he was listening, so he remained firmly anchored in the blissful state of unconsciousness.

Why she had roused him from his comfortable bed just after lunch was beyond him. Something about some ship going down? Why couldn't the kriffing pilot find some other planet to blow up on?

He sensed her stop, and sighed in relief as he did as well. They must be at the lift, then, and he wouldn't have to move for another few seconds.

Then, she cleared her throat. "You're not listening to me, are you?"

Anakin gave an emphatic nod to show his agreement. "Mm-Hmm."

His dreams were filled with creamy skin and endless curls of chocolate. Seemingly endless softness drove him to madness, just out of his reach. And even worse than the distractingly unending temptation was her lips, curling just so to form his name.

Ani.

It was enough to make a man have to wash his sheets every night.

At least she had been content to keep those red rimmed lips far away from him. The thread of self control he had clung to, even in his subconscious, would have been useless. Hadn't experience taught him he was helpless to resist her devious charms?

But now she was moving in, her eyes seeming to hypnotize him until he couldn't move from his spot. Her lips were curled into a feral grin that held a promise of what was to come. Silken curls mixed with satin skin, and he watched in fascination as the small strips of black leather and pink gauze were stripped away. Then, like any experienced temptress, she knelt in front of him, and…

wA stinging pain in his cheek brought him back to reality like a bucketful of ice water.

Anger swelled in him, the most common emotion that followed the dreams. Anger at Padmé for continuing to torment him after all these years. Anger at himself for not being strong enough to turn her away. And most of all, anger at Ahsoka for interrupting the only pleasurable part of his existence.

"What the kriffing hell do you think you're doing?"

She glared up at him. "Save your erotic fantasies for later. There's a ship going down, not even ten kilometers away from here, and you're about ready to jump out of your pants."

Anakin felt his face grow red with embarrassment. He couldn't very well argue with her, as every word she had said was true. So, he just stalked off in the direction of the communications room, leaving her behind him.

Colier and Matri, two brothers he had rescued nearly two years before, were already in their seats, headsets on as their eyes focused on the screen in front of them.

"What's happening?"

Matri, the younger of the two and the most communicative, turned slightly. "We've managed to identify the ship as a royal Nubian cruiser."

His heart seemed to stop. "Are you sure?"

"Quite sure, Master. It seems that the ship has sustained some sort of external damage, disabling the engines and controls." He squinted at the holographic image displayed. "It looks like the Senate stamp is on it. Must be a Senator or some sort of official."

Force, no.

Colier pulled off his headset. "They're trying to make contact. Shall I let them through?"

His hands clenched the nearest table until they turned white. "Yes."

Almost immediately, the sound of static filled the room. Because of Ehren's atmosphere, any sort of transmissions were difficult to make, and only the main comm unit was strong enough to carry a direct signal.

Colier fiddled with some controls, and the static reduced.

"... Ami… shots… aband… cease fi… Jedi… women…" was the only thing that got through, but the voice was what nearly brought him to his knees. The cultured Coruscanti accent left no doubt.

Obi-Wan Kenobi was on that ship.

"Colier, Matri, I want every troop we have to do everything they can to save that ship," he barked out. "Soka, try to make contact with them. See if he can explain exactly what's wrong with the ship."

Like always, they obeyed immediately, the brothers leaving the room while Ahsoka took their place in front of one of the stations. When he went to the other, she gave him an odd look. "What are you doing?"

Didn't she see that this wasn't the time for asking questions? "I'm going to see if I can hack the ship. I might be able to override the manual crash cycle and use the tractor beam to slow it's course."

If she was impressed with his plan, she didn't show it, instead donning the headset and beginning to talk rapidly into the receiver.

After a few seconds of nothingness, she tore off her headset. "Master, he's opening the ramp. I heard him say something about jumping."

At least his Master still had his brains. "Do you have a lock on it's position?" She nodded. "Tell Colier and Matri to go there and wait for them."

She obliged, then listened for a few moments before turning to him again. "They've caught sight of the two, and will have them back here in a few minutes." When he hesitated, she nodded. "Go on, I'll take care of things here."

So he did.

He paced the platform of the great room, adjusting and readjusting his hood. It was futile, he knew. Obi-Wan would be able to sense him immediately, but he still didn't want her to see his face. How many times had she visited him in his dreams, only to express her disgust at the scars across his eye, his cheek?

She would be angry, undoubtedly. How could she not? In all legal and apparent senses of the word, he had been dead for three years. And no one took kindly to knowing that their prey had been killed off.

Absently, he moved a pillow out of his way, stacking it on the massive pile already formed in the center of the platform. Glancing at it, he was suddenly struck with how it resembled one of the castles he had made with some of his fellow padawans after filching over half of the temple cushions.

Perhaps…

In record time, he constructed a fortress, complete with turrets and battlements. A moat of blankets surrounded it, surely filled with some species of man eating predators. Inside of it, stolen treasure was likely guarded by a group of thugs, forcing the people of the land to starve.

A log shaped pillow made an effective missile to be launched, bringing the castle down in a cascade of bricks and killing the Sith Lord- for there always had to be a Sith Lord- in an instant.

But of course, one could never be certain in times like these.

Carefully, he circled the fortress, meticulously searching for any signs of life, before…

"VICTORY!" And since no story was complete without a narrator, he lowered his voice and said, "and he brings down the enemy fort. Everyone cheers as our Hero With No Fear once again saves the day."

Of course, no here could be a hero without some humility, so he bowed to villagers. "Thank you, thank you, everyone, it was nothing."

But now the battle was over, and the fortress shrank into a scattered pile of pillows while the sound of townspeoples cheers were reduced to the silence that cloaked the great room. And the pillows… "I probably should get someone to pick those up."

Then, all at once, he felt it. He was not alone.

Anakin whirled at the clearing of a throat, his heart hammering in his chest at the force signature he sensed. Padmé.

She was just as beautiful as he remembered. And with mussed hair and nightgown, she very closely resembled something of his dreams.

Determined to put that thought from his mind before it triggered something he would regret, he turned to Obi-Wan.

Or rather, the woman who was standing where Obi-Wan should have been. He frowned. "Where is the male?"

Colier blinked. "Master? You said to get the two prisoners, and we did…"

His patience was wearing thin. "There was supposed to be a man and a woman, not two women!"

"Master, I promise you, there were only these two. We saw them jump, there were no others."

He bit back a curse, sensing the truth in his words. But Obi-Wan had been on that ship. He turned to the woman. "Was there someone else with you?"

A flinty glare was his only response, and he felt her mental shields tighten as he brushed her mind. Interesting.

Padmé, on the other hand, was nearly gloating over the fact that her friend wasn't giving up any secrets. Pride ran high through her, and didn't abate until he turned to her.

As if anticipating his actions, a sense of doom fell over her. He held back a smirk as he approached her, an idea forming in his mind.

"Since it seems your friend refuses to give me any information," he said softly, carefully dampening her awareness so she wouldn't recognize his voice, "Maybe you will be more willing. Now tell me, was there a human male with you?"

She peeked at him from beneath her thick eyelashes. "No."

Lie. "Are you lying to me?" he asked, dosing the words with as much charm and seduction as they could carry.

She licked her lips, no doubt in an attempt to distract him. It nearly worked. "No."

So, she wanted to play with him. Perhaps she thought that she could still control him. Well, two could play that game.

Using every ounce of the seductive charm he had, and even some that he didn't, he murmured, "Oh, come now, my pet. There is no need to lie to me."

The words, coupled with a gentle force suggestion, did the trick, and she blinked up at him with wide eyes. "What did you call me?"

He was playing with fire, and he knew it. Carefully, he traced her jawline, wishing belatedly that he hadn't worn gloves. She shuddered softly, and the action lit his blood. "What is it my pet? Why do you tremble?" Unable to resist, he traced the curve of her lips.

She didn't speak, her eyes reflecting the same heat that he felt. Finally, finally, she would be able to feel the torture she had put him through for three years.

He stroked her cheek, reveling in the feel of vengeance. "You want to tell me, don't you, my pet?" With a flick of his fingers, the binders that held her fell to the floor and he pulled her to him. The gasp she released nearly undid him, and he knew he would have to end it soon before he became the victim of his own game. "Tell me."

She seemed to melt in his arms. "I… I can't."

"And why not, my pet?" He whispered, stroking her hair gently.

That was it. Her resolve wavered once, then crashed. "There was another. He… he didn't make it out in time." He stiffened. Impossible, Obi-Wan always survived. She shuddered. "He made sure the ship was far enough away from us so we wouldn't be hurt in the blast. He died to save us."

The blonde woman whimpered softly, and intense sorrow radiated from her. He pulled back slightly, glancing at her. Something about her seemed familiar, and the raw pain he felt from her was staggering as if…

He shook off the thought, turning to Colier and Matri. "Take the ladies to get cleaned up and rest. They are likely fatigued from their… experience." He turned to Padmé, touching her cheek one more time. "I will see you at dinner, my pet."

If he survived that long.

So, the Master speaks. Was it anything like you expected it?

Are there any other scenes that you would like to see? Please tell me, so I can write them next!

Just for clarification: I will be updating a new chapter for every fifty favorites, or hundred of either followers or reviews on Vanished. Let's see how many chapters we get, shall we?