Author's Notes : All credit pertaining to Vader/Dormé pairing goes to Cariel who suggested them in the first place and made me a ravenous addict ;) As well, a huge thanks goes to her for beta reading this for me!! =D
Ficlet takes place post ROTS and years before ANH.
Disclaimer: Of course I own none of this. Though I truly wished I did >;)
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They won't want you for who you are
So you should step outside your skin
Something tells me that we were meant to be
[…]
The promise and the threat
–Evans Blue.
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On Tatooine, rain was considered a deadly phenomenon. It very rarely, if ever, would rain and if it did, it was vicious and without mercy, much like everything else about the harsh Outer Rim planet. It was hard and pounding, not gentle or soothing at all. What it didn’t destroy in its wake, the diseases it carried would choke out after its passing. It was because of this that the sight of storm clouds always made Vader uneasy. Not because of the rain itself, rather the memories it encouraged. It always reminded him of his first and only experience of the harsh Tatooine rain. It wasn’t something he ever openly admitted to anyone, not to his former or current Masters, certainly not to Padmé. Heavy rainfalls and thunderstorms frightened him.
He couldn’t say why he still held onto this childish fear, but even after all these years, he couldn’t fully overcome it. Perhaps it was because he had no way of controlling such a powerful element or the fact there was really no way of being fully sheltered if there was a flood. Either way, Anakin could never shake the uneasy feeling of helplessness that always seemed to eat at his thoughts whenever he was caught in such weather. This particular occasion was no different and quietly the Sith Lord paced the opulent living rooms of the Delayan lake house. Outside, heavy rain continued to fall, pounding at the vast windows that surrounded the room relentlessly so that it was impossible to look outside at all.
Had it not been for his fear, he would have been far happier to enjoy the peaceful aura of this place or more specifically to enjoy the presence of his lady love. It was because of Dormé that he had this place built and it was because of her that the Sith Lord was even here now. While Dormé preferred the bustling life of the cities, there was a part of her that still enjoyed the peacefulness of such places as this from time to time. So with this in mind, he had two havens built specifically for them.
One was a rather large and elegant establishment on Coruscant’s upper levels. The other was this remote lake house on Delaya. However, as lovely as this place was, it was the last place he wanted to be at this moment. The sight of so much rain made the fallen Jedi edgy and though he tried to calm himself through meditation, it did little to help. Inwardly, he feared the worst, from flooding to losing Dormé to an illness that would follow such a monsoon. He knew, deep down, that it was foolish to think such things, but his past experiences on Tatooine left a greater imprint on his thoughts than he would have liked. For he had a history of losing everything that was dear to him and this too did little to give him strength to combat his fears. But despite this, he tried his best to hide what he knew to be foolish concerns as best he could.
Anakin was never very good at hiding his true emotions, especially from his beloved who he felt knew him almost better than he knew himself. It was for this reason that it was not long before the fallen Jedi felt the familiar and welcomed Force signature of his lady approaching. He soon felt her hands slipping under his black, loose-fitting shirt and around his waist. He paused in mid-step at her welcomed touch and closed his eyes, feeling her head resting against his back. As always she knew just what to do to calm his troubled thoughts.
“Something troubles you,” she murmured gently.
He couldn’t help but smile slightly. He had long since grown to love the sound of her accent. It was similar to Padmé’s but still carried the lingering hints of her Naboo dialect. It was subtle, much like everything about her persona. But in this moment, her words made him feel foolish for his fears. He knew in reality he had no reason to worry, yet he couldn’t help it all the same. He wanted to deny the question and would have easily dodged it if it were anyone else save for Dormé. But then she always had a way of getting him to open up like one else could. Yet even so, he tried, despite the fact he knew fully well that it was a lost cause. “It’s nothing,” he stated simply in reply as his eyes still stared ahead at the offensive pouring water outside for a moment longer.
Moving to face his wife, he slipped his arms around her small waist.
Vader’s lover raised a delicate brow at him as she too moved to draw him nearer. It was safe to say she certainly knew better and did little to hide this fact as she gave him a wry smile. “If that’s so, why are you pacing like a dragon in a cage?” she teased gently causing the scarred man to blush slightly.
“It’s too childish to even bother with,” he explained softly as Dormé gave him a quiet, understanding look.
“It’s the storm isn’t it?” she asked gently, causing his cheeks to burn making it impossible to deny.
While Dormé wasn’t Force sensitive, sometimes Anakin couldn’t help but wonder, for it was as though she could read his mind. “I guess I’m still not used to seeing so much rainfall,” he finally admitted sheepishly.
Dormé touched his cheek as she gave a kind smile. She always did understand what no one else could and he couldn’t help but love her all the more for it. “I can imagine it isn’t something you’ve ever had a chance to grow accustom to,” she said softly as he fell silent for a moment.
“It only rained on Tatooine once in all the years I lived there,” he confessed. “I was about five years old and it was nothing like I had ever seen before.” He said finally remembered the disastrous effects as though it were yesterday.
Dormé remained silent, listening intently as he quietly continued.
“It literally destroyed everything and what it didn’t destroy, it choked out with its plague afterwards.” He paused as his expression grew distant as though he were living the past in his mind once again. “I almost lost my mother because of it. Ever since then, rainstorms always make me a little uneasy,” he concluded, only then realizing that he had never admitted this to anyone before. Yet with Dormé, he felt no shame in admitting to such a fear.
Once more, the former handmaiden understood all he could not say and drew him closer to her as she rested her head against his chest. “You never have to fear losing me to the rain Anakin,” she murmured softly as once more she spoke what weighed heavy on his heart.
Instinctively the Sith Lord tightened his embrace as he gave a shaky sigh, grateful to know she once again understood. “I know it’s just–I always lose what I love,” he explained in soft concern.
Now the raw truth came out and Dormé gave him a squeeze as she gazed up at him. Her amber eyes shone with love and understanding, though still bearing a hint of amusement.
“We aren’t like the past Anakin. In fact, I believe it was the past that brought us together. We are here now because we are meant to be,” she said with such determination that Vader was unable to deny the truth of her words.
It helped him relax slightly, for despite his fears, he knew that she was right. Hearing her confirm it out loud helped ease his concerns in ways he couldn’t have hoped to explain. Everything they had been through, all the pain and suffering, had served to bring them together. Though he knew this deep down, it was only now that he could fully comprehend just truly absurd to believe that he would lose her in such a fashion after all that had passed between them.
“Besides, it would take more than just a bit of water to lose me. I am, after all, native to Naboo,” Dormé lightly teased, tossing him a wink before rising to the balls of her feet to kiss his lips.
While her words and very presence eased his troubled thoughts, it was her kiss that made the Sith Lord forget them entirely. This too did not go unnoticed by the young woman whose mischievous smile immediately caught Vader’s attentions.
“Rain isn’t something you need to be concerned about. Personally, I think it is the perfect excuse to partake of far more…pleasurable endeavors.”
Vader raised a brow in amusement that was soon followed by a lopsided grin as he felt her hand slipping into his.
With a coy smile and a knowing look, his beloved quietly led him to the inner rooms of the lake house leaving the Sith Lord with a feeling that he’d never dread rain storms again.