This is based on the idea that the transition between Republic and Empire happened under slightly different circumstances, and Anakin fell to the dark side and then (mostly) turned back early on, and now he and Padme operate against the empire in a sort of speciallized rebel cell, in and out of league with the organised rebellion. I may expand this eventually, but it's a oneshot for now. Feedback is always appreciated :)
His fingertips danced over the table again, settling near her hand. Not touching it, but close enough that if it would've been flesh instead of durasteel, she could've felt the warmth.
"Just give the word, love, and I'll make them pay."
Her head snapped back up so she could look into his eyes. Thankfully, they were still blue, but the sheer, unadulterated rage there would have been overwhelming had it been anyone else but her. If she looked hard enough, the yellow was still there, creeping up around the edges of his irises, lying in wait for the moment of weakness that it would reclaim its control.
Part of her believed that it would never go away. That monster had corrupted him so deeply that the darkness would always be waiting to take him from her again. Sure, they could bury it deep, pretend it wasn't there, but it was just as much a part of him now as the light was.
He could mostly control it now, for Padme's sake. It was an improvement.
But sometimes, though she never admitted it, she envied him for it. He had told her how the rage could drown out the despair.
It was the despair that threatened to overcome her now. When she closed her eyes, all she could see was fire. Fire and the empty spaces in the galaxy that had once been occupied by Illum, Tatooine, Yavin, and Corellia.
And now Naboo.
She felt a tear slip down her cheek; the first to come since his latest attack. She had seen it coming for months, but the shock hadn't faded until now.
Now Anakin's hand found hers and squeezed it. "Just give the word, my love."
His voice was gentler now. The more years that passed, the more control he had over his emotions. And he controlled them for her. Without her, he would've given into them; he would've destroyed the emperor as soon as he had killed Ahsoka, along with every other sentient being on the planet.
Maybe she should have let him.
Now he asked her permission for everything, only unleashing his rage when she sanctioned it. He hadn't considered himself a Jedi for many years; now he was simply her enforcer. His usual methods were very different than that of a Jedi.
She stood up suddenly. "No. We have to plan our attacks carefully if they are going to count for something. Intelligence has reported that Alderaan will be his next target. We have to stop him before then." Alderaan was Bail's home. He would not lose it as she had hers. His wife and adopted daughter were still on planet, she wouldn't let him lose them either.
The empire had taken everything from her. It took her husband from her, but she had taken him back. It had taken things that she could never get back as well. Her home, her democracy, her innocence, her children.
It would take nothing else. She looked back into her husband's eyes, and saw the fire there that she knew was reflected in her own.
"The first step is to save Alderaan. Then, that tyrant will watch as we tear down his empire brick by brick. Then, and only then, we will make him burn."