"What are you thinking about?"
Padme jerked out of her reverie and turned to face her husband. Anakin sat opposite her in an equally uncomfortable durasteel seat on a dingy ICST (Intergalactic Corellian Space Transportation) transport. Anakin studied her face, looking for any hint as to what was bothering her. Padme smiled meekly back him.
"It's nothing, Ani."
Padme looked back out of the view port. In their almost three years of marriage, if there was one thing Anakin knew for sure it was that "nothing" never really was just nothing. Things must be more serious than he thought. Anakin tried again in an attempt to break the silent tension that had settled between them since their last stop.
"Three years of marriage and still haven't you learned? Lying to a Jedi Knight is very ill advised", said Anakin giving Padme what he thought was one of his most winning smiles.
"It's nothing, really, Ani. I'm just worried about where this war with the Separatists has swept our precious Republic," replied Padme, returning her gaze to the view port.
"We're supposed to be on vacation", chided Anakin.
"I know", sighed Padme. "But I feel guilty leaving Coruscant when it so obviously needs us". Anakin leaned back in his chair, exasperated. He also knew that he couldn't push Padme. She would be open with him when she was ready. He continued to watch her, his gaze drifting over her radiant brown eyes, to her soft pink lips and finally to the determined expression she wore on her face.
Anakin opened himself to the force and Padme's worry hit him like a durasteel wall. Anakin suppressed a cringe. Padme was definitely worried about more than just the Republic. Could it be the security? Anakin glanced around the cabin. It was nearly empty. There were four Rodians grouped tightly together at a table in the corner with their backs to the rest of the room, playing what seemed to be an extremely shady game of sabaac. Anakin's gaze then fell on a sleeping Ramoan in the center of the room, whom, due to his large size was sitting on at least two seats. His lips fluttered around his tusks as he snored heavily into his chest. The painful creaking of the seat was audible with his every breath. The rest of the passengers were seemingly insignificant. A human woman with her back to the wall clung to her small son while eyeing the room warily. Two small Chadra-Fan eyes kept shifting abruptly to their luggage, around the room, and back to their luggage, which couldn't have been more than a meter from their feet.
Clearly, thought Anakin, this transport company did not have a good reputation. But then again, wasn't it why they chose this route? The tickets were cheap enough for even the poorest Coruscanti to be able to afford. For 125 galactic credits, two people could make a one way trip from Coruscant to Naboo. Granted there were 52 stops between here and there. But no one would expect a powerful Nubian senator and well known Jedi Knight to travel in such humble stylings. The numerous stops and a constant flow of on and off again foot traffic made it difficult for potential pursuers to keep tabs on their targets even with foreknowledge of their final destination. It would be all too easy for them to get off on one of the stops and take a later transport and shake their pursuers all together. Luckily, Anakin didn't think there would be any need for that today.
Satisfied with the way their plan was going along, Anakin stretched and leaned back in an attempted to relax as much as he could in the uncomfortable chairs of the transport. He smirked. This plan couldn't go any better if he had thought of it himself. Anakin made a mental note to thank the chancellor the next time he saw him. During one of their occasional lunches, Anakin happened to mention to Chancellor Palpatine how he wished he could just disappear for awhile and calm his mind. He felt restless in the Force as of late and he thought some rest would do him some good. The chancellor of course had agreed. He told Anakin about how he used to get away in his early days as a senator using cheap, lower level transport which was not as closely monitored and had fewer passengers due to its seedy reputation.
Anakin was given his chance one evening when the Council agreed to rotate he and Obi-wan along with other exhausted Jedi forces from active duty leading clone divisions against the Separatists. They were to return to the Jedi Temple for a 4 month hiatus. Anakin could barely conceal his pleasure at the news. He knew it was unprofessional to appear so happy about it, but Master Obi-wan and Master Windu would have seen through him anyway.
As the transport docked on an insignificant space station above Kalarba, Anakin couldn't suppress a grin as he reminisced about excitement he felt that day. He raced to the upscale apartment he shared with his wife in a wealthy area of Coruscant, which had come to be known as the Senatorial district, due to the high number of elected officials who resided there. Careful to make sure he was not being followed, he finally made it to the apartment to give her the news. Padme was ecstatic! After being away for a year and a half, sustaining themselves on short 2-3 day visits Anakin made every 6 months or so to report to the Council, 4 months was a lifetime. It was during one of these visits that Anakin made Padme a promise. It happened right before one of their heart wrenching goodbyes.
Standing at the door, Anakin turned around one last time to kiss his wife goodbye. He grabbed her around the waist and tilted her face up to his. He placed his lips against hers in a soft, gentle kiss. When he opened his eyes, he saw her large, brown eyes with long wet lashes staring back at him. Anakin felt her soft fingertips tracing their way up and down the back of his neck. He placed his forehead against hers and kissed the tip of her wet nose. Padme giggled softly and he couldn't help but smile at the sound of her mirth. For who knows when and if he would hear it again?
"I promise you, my love, when this is over, we will run away together. Even if only for a little while."
"Ani, don't make promises you can't keep," whispered Padme. "You don't know what this war has in store for us."
"Love, not even the Separatists could stop me from keeping my promise," Anakin whispered back, hugging Padme one last time.
The sound of a woman with a thick Corellian accent over the loudspeaker jerked Anakin out of his reverie. At least… he thought it was a woman. The "woman" over the loudspeaker announced that the stop would last for 2:45 while the transport refueled and refreshed the cabins and all passengers were required to get off. Mandatory stops was another reason why keeping tabs on a target was difficult. Yet another "perk" of low level transport.
Anakin stood up and stretched. He was glad to be out of that hard chair. Padme stood up to join her husband.
"Are you hungry? This stop features a restaurant that Master Obi-wan recommended to me. I told him I'd try it if I was ever in the area."
"Yes, that sounds fine," responded Padme. Yes, thought Anakin, whatever was bothering her, it was serious.
They grabbed their things. Anakin carried a light bag as he we used to traveling with next to nothing; Padme's bag was also very light due to the numerous closets of clothes she owned in her Nubian lake house. Anakin reached down, grabbed her bag from her hand, and led the way to the exit.
After 20 minutes of pushing and shoving, Anakin and Padme finally exited the transport. The station was buzzing with a vibrant night life. Neon signs pointed the way to restaurants, gambling dens, and general stores, where passengers can restock on dentigel, refresher paper, and other toiletries. The largest portion of those exiting the ship, however, headed for the gambling dens, where there was sure to be plenty of drink and other forms of adult entertainment.
They walked briskly to the restaurant district and walked into the restaurant that was apparently recommended by Master Obi-wan. However, why he would recommend this restaurant to anyone would be a complete mystery. Upon walking into the dim interior, one's nose was hit with a scent so offensive, even a Hutt would have been nauseated. They walked across the room, picking their way through the dense crowd to a table and peeling the bottom of their shoes off of the sticky floor with every step. As they sat down, a service droid appeared out of seemingly nowhere.
"Refreshments?" the metallic voice asked.
"Just water for me," said Padme absently. She was still wrapped in her thoughts.
"Two waters," said Anakin. The droid quickly hummed away to retrieve their drinks.
Anakin settled into his seat and began to take in his surroundings. The place was just as packed with people as the rest of the station. Races of every kind could be found here. From the attractive Twi'lek bartender to the Bith playing with the band. To say that this was one of the galaxy's seedier places of business would be an understatement. It was all too evident in the way the patrons were huddled closely together eyeing the rest of the room with open disgust. Anakin felt a myriad of emotions, fear, anger, nervousness, all rolled into a huge ball of turmoil. Suddenly, he made eye contact with an attractive human woman. She was beautiful, but in a rather rigid way. Her dark hair was pulled back into a tight bun although a couple helpless strands fell into her large blue eyes. He felt a sudden pang of fear in the Force and she quickly looked away and struck up and hurried conversation with the man at her table. The man seemed of average build and had short blonde hair but with his back to the crowd, it was impossible to tell anymore.
Huh. Well that was strange, thought Anakin. He turned back around in his seat and allowed his gaze to fall back on his wife. He thought of the young boy he once was who had fallen in love with a Nubian senator. He chuckled to himself. He was a different man then and those were different times. In a second, Anakin felt the cool chill of danger sense move down his spine. In the next, he was Force leaping across the table and pulling Padme down with him. He saw intense surprise on her face. Blaster fire erupted in the space both Anakin and Padme had occupied moments earlier. Before Anakin even hit the floor, his hand was on his lightsaber. And then it ignited, gracefully deflecting blaster bolts as its handler hurried to his feet. By this time, patrons had noticed what was going on. They began to collectively run for the exits, pushing, shoving, and in some cases trampling any who stood in their way. Anakin batted the bolts into the ceiling; he could not risk hitting a bystander by attempting to bat them back at the shooters. He allowed himself a sideways glance to reassure himself that Padme was indeed out of harm's way. She had ducked down underneath the bar behind him. Okay, now he could focus all of his attention on his attackers.
"What are you thinking about?"
Padme jerked out of her reverie and turned to face her husband. His soft, blue eyes seemed filled with concern. He had recently taken to growing his hair out, and it was currently shaggy and just below his ears. During their trip, he had also accrued a reasonable amount of stubble about his chin, a testament to their many hours spent traveling. In other words, he looked as handsome as ever. She had known him even as a little boy and it never ceased to amaze her how well manhood suit him.
"It's nothing, Ani" Padme looked back out of the view port.
"Three years of marriage and still haven't you learned? Lying to a Jedi Knight is very ill advised", said Anakin jokingly. She managed a weak smile.
"It's nothing, really, Ani. I'm just worried about where this war with the Separatists has swept our precious Republic," replied Padme.
"We're supposed to be on vacation", chided Anakin.
"I know", sighed Padme. "But I feel guilty leaving Coruscant when it so obviously needs us". Anakin leaned back in his chair, seemingly leaving her to her thoughts. That was one of the things that she loved about him. He could push her so hard and be so persuasive, but he also knew when to let her come to him. Now that she thought about it, he was kind of the same way and maybe that's why he understood. Sometimes she could feel that there were things he was holding back from her; she could almost feel the heat of the turmoil radiating from beneath his skin. She accepted the irony that something she detested about him could be something that she valued that he understood about her. She needed that time to collect her thoughts. Thinking objectively was something that came with being a young former queen of Naboo, but also a skill that she used daily as a high profile Senator. But when Anakin held things back, it made her feel as if he didn't trust her. She could always come to him, he was her own personal Jedi bodyguard, but it bothered her that he couldn't come to her. She could often feel, even without the Force, when something was upsetting her husband. Anakin would often brood on things, letting his emotions fester before locking them away somewhere deep within himself. Somewhere, she admonished, that she couldn't touch. And that hurt her.
So how could she tell Anakin that she was pregnant? She had found out not more than a week ago and she had been thinking about it ever since. She was afraid, nervous, excited, happy, and resolved all at once. But she also knew she had to think carefully. Bearing this child would have serious consequences for both her and Anakin. She needed to talk to her husband. Speak her mind and him speak his. She valued his input. But she also knew that with a subject so closely intertwined with their emotions, she could not count on Anakin to be 100% open with her. So she held her tongue, unsure of what exactly to do.
Padme vaguely registered the man over the loud speaker announcing their successful dock. Anakin stood up and stretched.
"Are you hungry? This stop features a restaurant that Master Obi-wan recommended to me. I told him I'd try it if I was ever in the area."
"Yes, that sounds fine," responded Padme.
She felt Anakin reach down and remove the strap of her bag from her hand. She allowed him to do so and instead reached out to grab his arm. She allowed Anakin to guide her through the spaceport and before she knew it she was standing in front of what had to be one of the most unwelcoming restaurants in the galaxy. Anakin steered her inside and they sat down in a booth near the bar.
"Refreshments?" a metallic voice asked.
"Just water for me," said Padme absently. She did not even bother to look in the droids direction.
"Two waters," said Anakin. Padme heard the droid hum away to retrieve their drinks.
When is the right time to tell him? Will he want to risk everything to have this baby? She sighed. She would just have to gather her courage and tell him. However he may feel, whatever he may think.
And suddenly, Anakin was bounding across the table at her. She felt her eyes widen in surprise as he pulled her to the floor. Blaster bolts screamed above her head. In the next second she saw Anakin rising to his feet, already deflecting the blaster bolts coming their way.