Part 4 of Phantasm
Title: Phantasm
Author: Lady Vaderkin,
Rating: R
Summary: One event changes everything
Disclaimer: I don’t own any of the characters in the story nor do I own Star Wars.
Warning: Adult situations, the best kind
Author's Note: Thanks for reading my story. And thanks to my wonderful friends that without their help I would have never been able to finish this story. The fact that I am able to write is proof that encouragement is a good thing.
Part 4
After Anakin left to meet with Obi-wan, Padmé started on some of the work she had left over from the day before. She scrolled through her appointments and saw that she had received an emergency correspondence from the Chancellor's Office. She opened the message and saw that the Chancellor had requested her presence at 1400 hours. She tried to think of someway to avoid the meeting but she couldn't think of any good excuse.
She finished getting ready and left word with Dormé that she was meeting the Chancellor and left with a strong sense of foreboding. She idly wished she could get a hold of Anakin somehow but she didn't dare it. She straightened her shoulders and left with the hopes that there wasn't a thing to worry about. Honestly, the Chancellor was a good man, what was there to worry about?
She arrived at the Chancellor's office a few minutes early and waited nervously for his private secretary to announce her. She looked at the room and noticed for the first time that the Chancellor like the color red too much for her comfort. She would have thought that he would have used more calming colors but maybe he really knew what he was doing. He was the Chancellor after all. The next thought that followed was that she helped get him into office which left her wondering if any decisions she had made as Queen was ever correct.
Palpatine's private secretary led her into his office and left before she could say a word. Padmé calmed herself and sat down in the chair that had been offered to her. Her thoughts were disrupted when a serving droid offered her some tea. She accepted and the droid poured at the same time the Chancellor arrived in his office.
"Senator Amidala, thank you for coming so quickly. There is a pressing need of the utmost concern that I needed to inform you of and the matter is for your ears only."
Padmé sipped her tea trying to calm her racing heart. Something, she couldn't place her finger on exactly was warning her but she couldn't think what she was being warned against. She almost jumped out of her seat when the Chancellor sat down beside her. She couldn't understand why he was sitting so close to her.
"Chancellor, thank you for the tea, it is very lovely." Concern and fear fluttered in her heart and she felt the strong urge to flee. But only her desire to not be rude forced her feet to stay where they were.
She almost dropped her cup when cold fingers grabbed her wrist and she gasped from the unexpected touch.
"Milady, if you will give me a moment to compose myself I will be glad to discuss this information that I have received. Forgive me, I just found the news so troubling and am very concerned for you."
Padmé looked into the Chancellor's eyes and for a moment could have sworn that she saw something evil lurking under the surface. She blinked and all she saw was concern. The Chancellor pulled his hand away and Padmé took another sip of the tea.
As she waited for him to speak, the Chancellor stood up and went to the window overlooking Coruscant.
Padmé noticed that after she had finished her tea and placed the cup down on the table that was in front of her that she was no longer worried, almost giddy. Then her head began to pound and she began to wonder if she had been drugged.
The Chancellor walked over to where Padmé was sitting and watched dainty fingers rub her neck. His eyes went from her neck to her breasts that appeared to be barely contained inside of the dress. He licked his lips. She would no longer ignore him.
Padmé looked up and caught the feral look in the Chancellor's eyes. It was the same look that Anakin gave her sometime before they made love. When Anakin looked at her like that, she liked it but coming from the Chancellor, all it did was repulse her.
She tried to stand up but the Chancellor placed both of his hands on each side of the seat and pinned her in.
"Milady," his tone had become cruel as he spit out the title, "it appears that you are not what you want the galaxy to believe. It appears that you have been lying for some time now and if the news were to get out, it would be devastating."
Padmé returned the Chancellor's glare with one of her own and secretly began to search for her knife that she had hidden in waist of the gown. Seeing her hand go behind her back, he grabbed her and pulled her to her feet.
"What is the meaning of this?" Padmé spat.
"Milady, I know."
"What are you talking about Chancellor? What do you know?"
The pressure from his grip began to hurt and she struggled against him.
"I know about your marriage to Anakin Skywalker."
"What?" her breathless reply came. "I am not married to him, he can't be married, he's a Jedi."
"But it appears that you have."
"What proof do you have?"
Reluctantly, the Chancellor released his grip and with the Force made sure that the doors were locked. He strolled over to his desk and brought a holo out from a drawer and brought it over to her.
"This and a few other things I have are my proof."
He handed her the holo and tears began to fall from her eyes as Padmé saw that it was a holo from the wedding. Her knees buckled under her and she sat back down in the seat.
"And here are some more recent holos of you and Skywalker."
It was a holo that had been taken of her and Anakin in their bedroom. There was no doubt about what they were doing. They were in the middle of making love.
"What are you going to do?" she barely could force the words out of her mouth.
"Nothing if you cooperate."