Chapter Two: Shadow of the Future

"Ani, I want to have our baby back home on Naboo."

The voice startled Anakin out of his reverie and he quickly raised his head. Padmé sat down beside him on the couch, her hair falling down in cascades about her shoulders. She had traded her public attire for a comfortable gown and robe, as the nights on Coruscant were getting colder with the onset of winter as it slowly began to envelope the capitol city-planet. Or, at least, what might be considered winter. It only reached freezing temperatures occasionally, if you happened to be on top of one of the taller buildings. Still, it was cold, and after spending the entire day running from one place to another in frantic haste, the sudden drop in physical activity had left Padmé with a slight chill. She pulled her robe tighter, even as Anakin's eyes traveled from her bulging belly to her face, soft and pale in the moonlight, and her bright brown eyes staring at him. He'd never been as lost as he was now, gazing into those depths and slowly losing his grip with the mortal world.

"Anakin?" asked Padmé before he slipped too far. "Did you hear me?"

"What?" he asked, shaking himself and pulling away, suddenly aware that he'd been leaning toward Padmé all that while. He rubbed his eyes and looked back at her, shocked to find her eyes laughing at him, though her mouth remained firm.

"Where have you been, my dear man?" inquired Padmé in a soft, gentle voice, looping her arm around Anakin's and resting her head on his shoulder. "You seem more distant than usual. Did something happen during your mission?"

"Nothing more than usual," answered Anakin, carefully dislodging himself and pulling away from her in an attempt to avoid the question. He blinked, and Dooku's eyes, wide and frightened, a look he had never before seen on the Sith Lord's face, flashed in his mind. His own eyes snapped open and he gritted his teeth before turning back to Padmé, masking his emotions in an instant.

"So, what is it my beautiful wife needs this time?" he asked, smiling past the lump in his throat. "You are right. I wasn't listening."

"I knew you weren't," laughed Padmé, standing up and walking into his open arms. She wrapped her own around his waist and breathed deeply, allowing his mere presence to wrap her in a blanket of comfort and safety, the likes of which she'd not felt in a long time. She relaxed for the first time since he'd left five months earlier and buried her cheek further into his bare chest. Anakin stroked his fingers through her long hair and didn't try to speak any more, content to merely stand there with her in his arms. At last, Padmé pulled away.

"Ani, are you listening now?" she asked, her eyes suddenly serious. He nodded, not trusting himself to speak past the lump that stubbornly remained lodged in his throat.

"Good," she said, taking his hand and leading him out on the balcony. The fresh air cleared Anakin's mind and allowed him to think clearly for once.

"What's on your mind, Padmé?" he asked, leaning back against the railing and folding his arms across his chest. Padmé stood beside him, looking out at the city, one hand resting lazily across her expanding belly. She didn't answer for a moment, then sighed, turning to meet Anakin's gaze.

"This baby is a rather complicated matter, isn't it?" she asked, then tried to laugh good-naturally, failing remarkably. Anakin mouth twitched upward slightly, but he said nothing, just stood there, offering her that one steadfast ear to speak to. She sighed again, throwing away her composure and letting the hidden fatigue that had taken over her life, in turn take over her small body.

"I don't know what we're going to do, Ani," she said softly. "It was hard enough hiding our marriage, and worse trying to hide our feelings for each other. A great many people can guess, and then there are people like Obi-Wan, who aren't as easily fooled as they appear to be. And what about Ahsoka? She knew you better than anyone, and she saw everything you managed to hide from everyone else. She threw away her entire career in the Jedi Order just to save your image."

Padmé paused as that memory threatened to flood her already unstable emotions, and still Anakin said nothing. He had to force himself not to brood on that matter, as it was clear Padmé was not done speaking, and he had to listen. When she had composed herself, she met his eyes again.

"This baby will only confirm what many of them already guess," she said in a gentle but firm voice. "And if the Council knows for certain, every sacrifice Ahsoka and Rex, and everyone else…" She faltered, but caught herself in an instant. "…has taken. It will all be for nothing. You'll be expelled from the Order." Her voice fell to a whisper. "Shamed. Disgraced." She paused. "I know you, Anakin, and you wouldn't handle that, any more than losing your place as a Jedi." She took a deep breath. "You told me once that being a Jedi meant everything to you. Knowing that you had something that most people don't, and using that power to help those who would be helpless without it. You said it made you happy."

"It does," he said calmly.

"I know, Ani," said Padmé, smiling softly at him. "But you can't have both. Not if this gets out. You can either deny me and break my heart, or you can admit to everything and bring disgrace to your name. Would you give up everything just for me and our baby?"

"Yes," was his singular reply, before Padmé was even done speaking, and so unexpected was his film tone of voice that Padmé could say nothing. Anakin unfolded his arms and wrapped them around her in an attempt to convey all his love and passion through that one touch.

"Everything," he whispered into her hair. "I feel content as a Jedi. And I'm happy to have known people like Obi-Wan and Ahsoka. But I'm not as happy as I am with you. And someday, soon, I'll be a father, and I don't know if I could ever not be content with that." He pulled her away enough so that he could look her straight in the eyes. "You are my everything, Padmé. I don't need to be a Jedi when I have you."

"You're just saying that," she said, a smile beginning to stretch the corners of her mouth. Anakin burst out in hearty laughter, his eyes glowing as he stared at her.

"You have so little faith in me," he chuckled, staring fondly down at her.

"Never," she whispered back.

Anakin gave her a squeeze then let go and returned to his place along the railing, folding his arms across his chest as he gazed at her.

"And what about you, my love?" he inquired. "With all this worrying you've done for me, I'm surprised you haven't thought about yourself. You forget your place in the Senate. If they find out you're married, and to a Jedi, no less, the Queen will ask you to step down. Would you?"

"Of course I would, Ani!" gasped Padmé, as if mortified by the thought that she would… could place her job above her family.

"Just thought I'd ask," he grinned, and she realized he'd been teasing her the entire time. Anakin laughed again and Padme made sure to slap him on the arm. But her actions were not convincing, and Anakin was not fooled by them. He grabbed her arm and pulled her to him, leaning down to kiss her long and deep, and stretching out his senses to engulf her, even as she wrapped her arms around his neck to draw his mouth harder onto hers.

Suddenly, Padmé shivered and pulled away, drawing her robe tight about her. The night was getting colder and the wind on the balcony was edging on brutal. She sighed and rubbed her eyes, exhaustion threatening to take over, and without hesitation, Anakin reached down and lifted her into his arms. She shrieked at the unexpected lack of solid ground, then burst into laughter as he carried her indoors, using the Force to close the glass curtain to the balcony. Anakin smiled, knowing that no matter how much she fought, Padmé always loved his personalized attention to her. Padmé didn't fight tonight, for she was tired, and content in the arms of her husband. She leaned her head wearily on Anakin's shoulder as he walked slowly toward their bedroom, turning off the lights and locking the doors with the Force. When they had reached their destination, he gently set Padmé down on her feet, then took her hand and led her to the closet.

"What will it be tonight, my lady?" he inquired, sifting through the nightgowns which hung at one end of the closet.

"The thick one," answered Padmé, resting a hand on her belly as she shivered again. Anakin pulled the designated gown off the rack and helped Padmé out of her current attire, carefully slipping the nightgown over her head before she had a chance to be cold. He missed helping her get dressed. Perhaps because they rarely had the chance. Whenever they were alone together, the clothes were always coming off, and by the time they needed to go on again, Anakin was usually late for something and never had the chance to help Padmé with hers. He knew how ridiculous he would seem, to start rhapsodizing about how wonderful it was, putting clothes on his wife. But for some odd reason, it made him feel at peace.

When the nightgown had fallen into place, Padmé leaned up and kissed Anakin's cheek, almost seductively. With a backwards glance, she walked (Or was that a flounce, thought Anakin) to the fresher, closing the door behind her. Anakin shook his head, not caring in the least what his wife did to him, because he was to sure to love every moment of it. He turned back to the racks of clothes and located the one drawer designated for himself. There was his sleep attire, and one set of casual clothes worn when casual was necessary. Quickly, he slipped out of the clothes he wore now, remembering that they were not the same he had worn during the battle. After his brief stint at the Senate building, where he had learned of Padmé's pregnancy, he'd returned to the Temple to shower and get some new clothes. With a grim smile, Anakin remembered how, while away from Coruscant for extended periods of time, he often forgot to shower until Obi-Wan reminded him.

Strange, he thought to himself. I never forget when I'm with Padmé. He paused what he was doing for a moment to contemplate this. Probably because she never lets me. He smiled again, then left the closet and walked to their bed. Padmé was still in the fresher. He glanced at the closed door and couldn't resist stretching out with the Force to see what she was up to. What he saw was quite convincing, and he felt a tingle of anticipation course through his body.

Then Anakin turned back to the bed. He saw the pillows and the soft blankets, and through the curtained window that ran the length of the far wall, he could see the lights from the speeders as they passed by. He could almost feel the bitter wind outside, and shivered at the thought. Without thinking, he slipped between the sheets and pulled the blankets up to his chin, forgetting to discard his clothes like he normally did when he slept. And then his eyes closed, and he heard the door to the fresher open, and knew that Padmé was expecting him to make love to her, but the pillow was so soft, and the blankets were so warm, that he couldn't stop himself. This feels so good, he thought, then he drifted off to sleep.

Padmé quietly closed the fresher door and walked softly into the bedroom. She was expecting one of two things. Either a very alert Jedi, ready for whatever she had to give him, or a very asleep Jedi, ready to not be awaken. She was greeted by the latter, and in all honestly, she couldn't say she was surprised, or disturbed. She had waited patiently for this night, in hopes of the romance her young husband yearned to bestow upon her, but now that this night was finally here, she couldn't blame him for not doing it. They were both tired, he more so than her, or perhaps equally, just in different ways, and though she missed their nightlong love-making, she was strangely content to simply lay down beside him and have his mere presence lull her to sleep.

And so Padme did just that, carefully climbing into bed so as not to disturb him, and pulling the blankets up around her as she draped her arm over his chest. Anakin smiled in his sleep and turned on his side, pulling her to him. And the last thing she remembered before falling asleep was a soft voice in her ear saying the three words she cherished more than any.

I love you.