(1/7/17) Hello, I am back! I truly am sorry for the long, long wait. I had lost my motivation to continue with this story, unhappy with the way it was written and just lost with what to do. After some recent changes in my life I'm extremely motivated to get this story off the ground again. I rewrote the first 4 chapters, some details were added, others removed and saved for later. If you are new to this story, here are something you will need to know: 1) This will be an Anakin/OC story, but will not occur immediately; 2) Anakin and Padme were never married in this story; 3) This will not be a bash Padme fan fiction. She will actually play an important role in the story and Penelope and Anakin's relationship; 4) This story will follow loosely what happened in the movies.

FYI the cover image is how I envisioned Penelope to look. Yes, I visualized her looking like the actress Alexandra Daddario.

I apologize in advance for grammar and spelling errors! I am trying my best to spot and fix them. If you have any feedback positive or negative, please let me know so I can improve the story. As always, enjoy and thank you!

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

'Don't look back... don't look back!'

Those were the only thoughts going through Penelope's mind as she ran through the frigid warehouse filled with barrels of various unknown substances. Not far behind her, Penelope could hear the group of thugs following her enter the building.

"Kid! Get your ass back here!"

Quickly she ducked behind several empty stacked barrels as she listened to the groups' footsteps. With a shaky hand over her mouth, Penelope tried to silent her gasps for air, wincing as the raw gashes on her back burned.

"Come on kid! We don't got all day!" The leader of the group spoke again. Penelope could hear the other men whispering to one another – they were to all split up. "Mr. S is already pretty pissed at ya. Don't make it worse by being a brat!"

"More than pissed…" Mumbled a smelly thug nearby Penelope. "Boss wants to gut the little bitch!"

"We should just leave and lock her inside." Another thug spoke up to the group. "We have twenty minutes before the night freeze begins. She won't survive more than a couple hours out here before freezing to death."

"Hey I like that idea!" More than half of the group agreed in unison.

"Will all of you shut up!" The leader shouted over them all. "The Boss gave specific directions! He wants the girl alive! Got it?"

The men muttered their understanding and continued their search for Penelope.

'I need to get out of here. I can't go back...' Penelope thought as she peeked around one of the barrels to spot an exit nearby. 'The last starship leaves in ten minutes. I have to be on that or-'

"I found her!"

Penelope looked up to see a middle age man with a mouth full of rotting teeth grin down at her between the barrels. She screamed as his hand came forward and wrapped around her long dark brown hair, yanking her through several barrels and into his tattooed covered arms.

The man tried to wrestle her into submission, but Penelope flung her arms and legs in every direction.

"Hey! Stop it kid!" The man slapped her across the face. Through her tear stained eyes, Penelope barred her teeth at the man and brutally bit his arm. The thug screamed and pushed Penelope away and into a high stack of barrels—creating a domino effect throughout the building as more and more barrels collide together, spilling an almost black substance everywhere.

Penelope heard the other thugs yell profanities as they were hit by the tumbling barrels and covered by the leaking substance. Quickly gathering herself, Penelope dash towards one of the exits.

"Stop! I'll shot!"

Penelope flung her small body towards the exit, grasping the handle. she pushed the door open with a hard shove, the bitter cold breeze of her home planet biting every piece of exposed skin. She pushed her body to run as fast as it could across the open ice field. Penelope tried her best to ignore the heat of the blast shots from the group of thugs following her. Each shot barely missing her or just grazing her skin slightly to leave a burn, until suddenly Penelope felt a razor-sharp stab in her hip.

With a scream, Penelope tumbled towards the snow-covered ground. She withered in pain as the left side of her body felt like it was on fire. The sound of her heart pounded heavily in her head, her surrounding spinning in multiple directions. With each moment, Penelope's vision slowly dimmed away until all she saw and heard was nothing.

"Jedi Hollow?" Penelope slowly opened her hazel eyes and gazed at the young padawan, who stood in front of her table. He seemed concerned. "Are you alright? You appeared to had been in pain."

"Yes, I'm fine." Penelope sat up in her seat and stretched her body slowly. With a glance around the room she remembered coming to the Jedi Temple's Archives. " It was just a slight headache. Thank you, Jon for waking me. You can go on with your previous duties."

The young padawan nodded in understand with a smile before running off to join a group of other padawan learners his age.

"Sleeping on the job now, Hollow?" Penelope heard a familiar voice let out a deep chuckle. A voice that she had not heard in at least several months. "What would Master Windu say about this discretion?"

Spinning around in her seat, Penelope eyed Anakin Skywalker who was casually leaning against a table behind her.

"Skywalker, when did you get back?" Penelope stood up, acting as if Anakin's presence did not have an influence on the young Jedi's mood. She gathered together the holograms and graphs that were scattered across her table, placing each back in order. "Did they get sick of you in the outer rims?"

"I missed you too, Penny." Anakin smiled and stepped towards Penelope, who gathered the materials she was studying in her arms. Penelope looked at Skywalker with a small scowl, before she let out a tiny chuckle.

"It's good to see you, Anakin." Penelope smiled back at her friend before motioning for him to follow her out of the Archives. "You've gotten taller."

Penelope commented as she took in Anakin's changed appearance. His dark blond hair had grown a fair bit in the several months he was away fighting the Clone Wars with Master Kenobi. But that wasn't the only thing she noted to be different. Anakin seemed more muscular and filled out than before, no longer the tall lanky boy from a couple years ago. The right eye scar Anakin obtain from one of the many battles, gave him a more mature and dark look than he had before.

'Oh, the thoughts that scar causes . . .' Penelope thought silently before she averted her eyes from Anakin. Her thoughts were chasing down a dangerous path that could not happen.

"And you seem to have gotten shorter." Anakin commented with a smirk.

"Not my fault!" She argued with a pout. Penelope knew for a fact she was not shorter; Anakin had grown in height as well during his time away from the Temple. Last, she saw him, her head reached Anakin's chin, now she barely reached his shoulder. Penelope shoved a shoulder into Anakin's side playfully. "When did you get back?"

"Late last night." Anakin walked with Penelope around the Jedi Temple. They both paused for a moment to greet several Jedi Masters passing by. "Obi-Wan wanted to meditate this morning before we head back to the outer rims."

"Back to the outer rims already? You just go back!" Penelope looked at her friend with concern. "Why the urgency?"

"New mission. The council feels that Obi-Wan and I are still need there." Anakin shrugged his shoulders noncoherently. He placed a hand on Penelope's shoulder, making them pause in their walk for a moment. He looked down at her with sympathy. "I'm sorry to hear about your Master."

"It's alright." She smiled sadly and began to walk again. "It was his choice to leave."

"But to give everything up like th-"

"Anakin, stop." Penelope cut him off from speaking further about subject. "I don't want to talk it, please."

"Of course," Anakin nod in understanding, eyeing the graphs in Penelope's hands. "What are those for?"

"Oh… just some things Master Yoda asked me to look over. I'm helping him teach a class to the new group of padawan learners. They're learning astronomy."

Anakin chuckled at Penelope explanation.

"What? What's so funny, Skywalker?"

"Nothing. It's just … isn't it strange to see how far we've come," Anakin chuckled as he reminiscence about the past. "Especially you and I."

"Not this conversation again, Anakin." Penelope groaned. She watched a dozen fellow Jedi Knights passed by them. Each pretending not to see Penelope or Anakin, all looking straight ahead even though Penelope nodded in respect to several of them.

"Come on, Penny." Anakin argued. He too saw the behavior of the other Jedi Knights, most of whom were fellow classmates during their early training days. "Don't pretend you've never noticed the doubt the Council held against us both throughout our training. Almost none of them, except for Master Yoda and a few others gave us some possibility of hope. Our chances were slim to none of succeeding, but now look at us! We're both highly respected Jedi Knights, both well on their way to becoming a Jedi Master. Who knows, maybe even a seat on the Council someday."

"I'm fine having the title of Jedi Knight," She commented, trying to ignore the grin hanging on Anakin's face. She never liked it when he brought up the odds that were placed against either of them succeeding. "Anyways, I don't know if I would want to be on the Jedi Council. I don't like the time I have to spend with Master Windu as it is."

"I believe the feeling is mutual." Anakin chuckled lightly. "I'm fairly sure he does not care for me very much either."

"At least he never threw the word "unstable" around when discussing if you should be trained to be a Jedi." Penelope replied with a frown. "Also, don't praise too much about how great you are, Anakin. I was there when the Clone Wars began. I heard the rumors of you almost throwing everything away for a certain senator."

"Shh!" Anakin hushed Penelope. He grabbed her by the elbow and pulled them both into a dark corner away from prying eyes and ears. "Don't talk about that here."

"Sorry . . ."

"Padme provided a comfort to me during a very dark time in my life." Anakin whispered, an expression of despair seen in his eyes for a moment and gone the next. Penelope was unsure what that was about.

"Does she still provide that 'comfort' for you?" Penelope whispered back, not sure if she wanted an answer. "Anakin, remember attachment is against the Jedi Code. You cou-"

"I know." Anakin answered. "Anyways, we stopped before everything went too far… I may have broken the code, but I don't regret what I had with her."

"Anakin-"

"Please don't tell anyone, Penelope." Anakin begged with urgency as he felt the presence of his Master approaching. "Please…"

"Anakin!" Obi-Wan called out as he approached the two Jedi Knights, who were standing too close for his comfort. "The council still must discuss the details of our new mission. We are needed immediately before our ship leaves."

"Of course, Master." Anakin replied. He took a step back from Penelope, and tried his best to ignore the look of disapproval from Obi-Wan. "Penelope and I were just catching up before we had to leave again."

"Ah of course. "Obi-Wan nodded, not entirely believing his former Padawan Learner. "Good to see you, Penelope. I am sorry to hear about Master Ekko. His absence will be a great loss to the Jedi Order."

"Thank you, Master Kenobi." She tried her best to hold her composure at the mention of her former Master. "I should be letting you two be on your way. It was nice to see you again, Anakin."

"Of course," Anakin nodded in agreement with a frown. He wanted to talk more, but the look from Obi-Wan told him that would not be happening. "It was good to see you too, Penelope. May the force be with you."

Penelope nodded in agreement and watched Anakin and Obi-Wan turn and walk away together towards the chamber of the Jedi Council. She held in the heavy sigh she wanted to let out, instead Penelope pouted for several moments in the Jedi Temple corridor before making her way towards her small bedroom within the Temple.

Mentally, Penelope felt exhausted by the time she reached her 5x5 quarters, which consisted of: A twin size bed, a concealed compartment for her clothes and traveling necessities, several dozens of books stacked neatly against a wall that held a small mirror. None of these items matter to Penelope as she plopped onto the hard bed mattress. She reached under her pillow case for the items that matter the most: a worn-torn drawling and a Kyber Crystal.

Penelope held the items in her hands, staring at them for several minutes in silence. Her nightly ritual before going to bed. She brought them with her no matter where she was, but never letting another soul seeing them –especially another Jedi. Attachment was forbidden, and Penelope had a strong attachment to these items from her childhood, both holding many memories – each a reminder of what she had gone through and still needed to do.

Penelope stood up and placed the items back on the bed, walked over towards the only mirror in her room and began to undress for bed. Her Jedi robes and black clothes underneath piling on the floor around her, until all that stood in her reflect was her slim and shapely figure. Her body displaying various shades of scars obtained from her time as a Jedi, but it was when she turns around that the scars from her time before becoming a Jedi were found.

Penelope tried her best to hold back the tears of anger as she took in the site of the 3 long faded slashes trailing down the center of her back. Even though the sight of the scars was a ugly reminder of her past, it was the faded "S" brand mark on her right shoulder blade that brought hated to her eyes.

Master Yoda's voice echoed in Penelope minds as her thoughts turned down a dark path.

'Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering'

And suffering was exactly what she would bestow on the person who gifted her with all these scars as reminder that she would never be free.

To be continued…

Thank you for reading, please review!