Her husband had not been home for nearly two months. Two months she had waited to tell him her news. In two months, so much had changed.
This was only to be expected, after all, her husband was Anakin Skywalker, most famed Jedi in the galaxy, next to only Master Yoda, and his skilled partner and master, Obi-Wan Kenobi. No one had known that they were married- they did that themselves on Naboo after Geonosis. Their only witnesses were droids, but that was for the best, for droids were one of the few beings that you could count on to keep confidential information, well, confidential. This was vitally important, for Jedi were not allowed to form any sort of attachments, and that category certainly included marriage. And with marriage came…other things. Like children.
It hadn't happened yet…but there had certainly been a few scares. One had been quite recently, but luckily, a quick trip to Coruscant's local infirmary had cleared that up. If it hadn't been resolved in the way that it had…the results would have been catastrophic. Hiding a marriage…that was one thing. Hiding a child with a probability of having a large force presence…that was another thing.
Padme put that thought over to the side for a short period of time- after all, her husband would be returning later in the evening. She lied out all of the silverware and plates, and then set up a few candles. Anakin had left her a holo-message earlier telling her that he would likely be home for dinner. She had planned to make him some kind of Tatooine-themed dish with a ruby bliel, but due to her limited knowledge of preparing food thanks to being served all her life, her dish did not have the…desired appearance. Oh well, she thought, Anakin will appreciate the fact that she had even made an attempt, for he knew what her cooking was like.
During the months in which Anakin went on long business trips across the galaxy, such as this one, Padme typically stayed at her Senatorial residence- the one provided by the Senate, of course. But during the evenings, she snuck back into her and Anakin's large apartment in the center of Coruscant- not far from the Jedi Council Chambers- to sleep with familiar surroundings. The apartment reminded her of Anakin, and when she missed him, she could simply pull on one of his old robes and fall asleep with his aroma surrounding her- the scent of sweat and hard work- but still the comforting scent of Anakin. She really did love him- truly, deeply, and with all her existence.
He felt the exact same. She was what kept him going. What fueled his will to keep fighting, to keep living, to keep surviving. His knowledge that she would be there for him when he returned home- that was all he needed. Anakin was constantly on long missions, on which he would be away for upwards of six months. It was difficult for him- which meant that it had to be even more difficult for Padme. She really didn't know if he was coming back- at all- after these trips, which made the small holo-messages that he sent her periodically even more important. He didn't doubt how strong she was- her strength rivaled his- but he knew that love was a strange thing. A weakness- and a strength at the same time.
This had been one of his shorter trips. Two months wasn't too terrible, but it was still a longer mission than he would have liked. After all, so much can happen in two months. For all he knew, Obi-Wan had found out about their relationship, and Yoda had been so done with Coruscant that he had blown it out of the sky! Not likely…Anakin thought.
Anakin was almost on Coruscant…just a few more lightyears to go. He had been trying to track General Grevious with Obi-Wan, but their efforts had been in vain. They were no closer now to his position then they were half a year ago. The whole time his mind really wasn't on the mission, it was on Padme. What she could be doing, where she was, how she was doing… he wasn't about to lose her like he lost his mother. He wouldn't let that happen. Not in a million years.
She knew it was him from the second he knocked on the door. And not just because of their knocking code that they had created (It was necessary when her husband practically attracted danger). She could almost sense him- not as strongly as he could, but she still could get some idea of who was behind the door.
Padme ran over to the door and slapped the button with her hand. The second the door flew open, she ran into Anakin's arms, surrounding herself in his embrace. She felt as his strong arms wrapped around her small frame and slowly drew her inside the apartment. They just stood in the hallway in the apartment wrapped around each other- never wanting to let go, and never wanting to be apart again, despite the inevitable. After a few minutes Anakin drew her face up to his and looked into her eyes. She raised her chin, and their lips connected for the first time in what had felt like two years. Once again, the galaxy was perfect. He memorized the shape of her lips- not that he could forget them, but he wanted to make sure he knew every detail of her. Every perfect crease and curve. She moved her mouth against his, wanting the kiss to last forever. They started the descent into passion, but did not get very far before both of them had to come out for a breath. She then rested her head on his chest, and he began to whisper to her. "Oh, thank the gods. I love you, so, so much. I'm home. I'm home now, and I won't be leaving for a while. I'm here."
It was these moments that they lived for. That brought him home. That gave him the will to keep on surviving. That made her so anxious for the times when he comes home.
"Oh, Annie," she started. "I was so worried. I had heard…rumors. Terrible rumors. People said that you wouldn't be coming home. That you were gone, and that I had lost you. I wouldn't have been able to go on."
"Shhhh," he began. "And yes, you would have. I would never leave you, and even if I did, you most certainly would go on without me. You are strong. Stronger than you know. Never listen to rumors, they only bring about pain and suffering. Listen to your heart instead. It will tell you exactly where I am and how I am doing. You would know if I had perished. I can sense you, or at least a small presence of the force within you, and I know that you can too. I'm here, and I will be for a long time."
"Thank you," she whispered. And with that, she withdrew her head from his chest and took his hand. They walked into the kitchen together, where dinner was in the process of being finished up.
"Oh! Master Annie! It is so good to see you! One does worry when old friends disappear!" That was C-3PO, always a chatter-box. He had been given to Padme as a matrimonial gift from Anakin- for he had nothing else to give her, because Jedi do not have possessions of any kind. Anakin had regained C-3PO after the sudden death of his mother; when Cleigg Lars had given him the droid who was seen but nothing but a simple annoyance to his family. He also had no use in the field with Anakin, and was better placed as a household droid, hence his being in the apartment.
"Hey 3PO! Good to see you too, Buddy! Thank you for your help, but I think I can take it from here. You are dismissed."
"But Master Ana-" C-3PO started to object.
"Really, take the night off! You've done well," Anakin rushed to say. He motioned to the droid charging chamber, telling C-3PO to go.
"Yes. As you wish, Master Anakin." C-3PO then backed into the corner and walked into his chambers, well, the room that he shared with all of the other household droids. It was necessary to have a full crew, for Anakin was only home every once in a while, and Padme was gone every day of the work week, and also absent on most Saturdays.
Anakin then picked up on the sweet aroma of a home-cooked meal; a luxury he hadn't had in a while.
"Is that-" He started.
"Yep!" She laughed. "I cooked. Now don't run away! I've gotten better at cooking since the last time I…attempted this! But I would keep Dex's on speed dial just in case…"
"Alright!" He laughed back. He then picked her up in his arms and swung her around in a circle, watching her laugh as he did so. Something felt different to him, though. Something was off. She felt a little different, and there was an odd frequency in the force. He wouldn't call it anything of the dark side, just…odd. Like something had changed, and his senses were all mixed up…he couldn't sort force signatures as easily as he had been able to the last time that he was in Coruscant. He pushed the thought off to the side- this was a happy time. Not one to dwell on Jedi problems.
"Careful Ani!" She squealed as he spun her. He put her down at her request and looked at her with inquisitive eyes. He tried to get an answer without voicing his concern, but when he didn't, he was even more confused.
"What?" Was all she said. He knew better than to argue with her. She always won.
He decided that it was time for a change of subject to diffuse the awkward tension. " So, what are we…eating? Inhaling? Trying to crush with our teeth, and then failing and having to leave to the disposal instead?" That got her attention.
"HEY!" She said as she playfully punched him. "You typically wouldn't put food down the disposal anyway, smart one."
Anakin then put his hands up in defeat, knowing that he really wasn't getting anywhere. At that moment, the timer went off for the main course. Padme started to walk over to get the oven mitts to open up the oven, but Anakin intervened. He opened the door with the force, and lifted the tray in the air, only to put it back down on top of the counter. He then smirked at her, and went to finish up setting the table, which was nearly done anyway. It was obvious that Padme had practically dropped everything and run to the door when she had heard Anakin. He sat the salt shaker down, and then sat himself down, waiting for Padme to finish up.
"Eager, are we?" She commented.
"Yes! And you are beginning to sound like Master Yoda…"
"Yikes!" She laughed. "Alright, I'm coming!"
With that, she walked over to the table with the tray and sat it down. Anakin actually thought it looked quite…normal for a dinner! It wasn't burnt, not underdone, and didn't give off an abnormal tint. It actually looked like something that his mother used to make for him!
"Wow, Padme! This actually looks…amazing! Great job! This is better than I could do!" He laughed.
"Thank you! Well, I hope it tastes as decent as it looks…" She answered.
"Wait…is this a ruby bliel? I haven't had one of these in forever!"
"Yep, I had the day off today, so I thought I'd take on a project!" She said. He laughed in response, and smiled at her. A pure smile. She had missed that expression on him lately. He wore it far too seldom. The war had been hard on him… but not as hard as it had been on some of his other partners.
They ate in silence, but it was a comfortable one. The meal was far better than expected, which left everyone happy. Every once in a while, they both would look up at the same time, stare at each other, and then laugh and look away. It was these moments that defined them. Not the large ones. Not to say that taking large steps weren't important, just that little ones…small stares, smiles, and smirks, were just as important, if not, more important. When Anakin comes home, it's just him and her. There's nothing in the galaxy that is more important to them, then the way that they feel about each other. Maybe Sola was right. It might be time to stop giving everything away, and start taking things for herself for a while.