Children. They had never spoken of children. Padme stood at the window, rubbing her belly in slow circles. She watched the battle rage above, knowing her husband was up there, fighting. She had already gotten dressed in preparation for meeting him. All that was left was her cloak, thrown over a nearby couch. The cloak that was needed to hide her pregnancy. Her pregnancy. Their child. She and Anakin had never talked of having children. It had always seemed like mute point. A marriage was a dangerous enough thing to hide, but children? You couldn't expect an infant to understand why his parents wanted him hidden. You couldn't hope a baby would comprehend why she was a secret. And considering Anakin's position, not to mention her own, neither of them could be seen as a parent. And yet… That seemed to be their anthem. They couldn't be attached, and yet they were married. They couldn't be in love, and yet they were devoted to each other. They couldn't have children, and yet they were parents-to-be. She knew that they both wanted children. She had dreamed of her own little ones growing up and she had seen the way "Uncle Ani" had been delighted to spend time with his nieces. But what they wanted was all to often forced take back seat to the realities of the universe. Suddenly she was kicked. She murmured softly to their child, promising Daddy would be home soon.

Home. She remembered her mother saying, "home is where the heart is" – Jobal did love to quote. Padme had lived in many places. The royal palace, Varykino, her parent's home, 500 Republica, etc. But home to her was Ani's arms. When she had told him this one night, he had smiled in her hair and swore that she was his only home, his sanctuary. Now she supposed home would be where her family was, her husband and child both. Her infant kicked again, this time on the other side. Her baby seemed to be always moving. She wondered if the babe would have to be taken to the Temple. If the life growing inside of her would call the Temple on Coruscant home instead of the Lake House on Naboo. If he or she was strong enough in the Force it might be a good idea, but… but she really shouldn't entertain any other ideas. Their child was likely to be strong enough. Not only the child of a Jedi but of the Chosen One himself.

One. The One who would bring balance to the Force. The Chosen One. It was a title given to Anakin when he was nine years old, just freed from slavery. And he had immediately tried to prove himself worthy of it. She wondered how fair it was to tell a child that he had a destiny to hold up. She was beginning to seriously resent all of the titles thrust upon her husband. Each and every one he tried to live up to. "The Hero with No Fear" threw himself into one situation after another. "The Chosen One" expected more of himself that any other person alive. "The Son of Suns" believed he had no right to be weak, to cry. Anakin seemed to want particularly to prove himself to those important to him. To his master, who was hesitant to train him at first, that he was a good apprentice. To his mother, who was long dead but had let him go so he could be trained, that he was the best Jedi ever. To his wife, who had turned him away at first, that he was a superior husband than any other suitors she had. To his wife, who had seen his "failure" on Tatooine, that he was powerful enough to protect his family. To his wife, who met him when he was still a slave, that he was worthy of being wed to a wealthy woman from such a high position. To his wife… Padme felt like screaming at times. How could she get it through his head? All she desired from him was his love. Why couldn't he see that? She knew he wasn't perfect, but he was perfect for her. Love wasn't conditional. It wasn't "I'll love you if" or "I'll love you as long as" or any other variation. It was just "I love you". She admired all of his achievements, but she still loved him after seeing the man hidden behind the masks he wore. Why couldn't he understand that she loved Anakin Skywalker, not his titles and masks – Hero with no Fear, Chosen One, Son of Suns. Was it because so few people tried to look beyond the mask to see the man?

See. Anakin used the title Son of Suns the least, but Padme thought it was just because he wasn't sure how to use it to hide as well as he did the others. And he did hide. He laughed, his smile lighting up his whole face. He faced down opponents with steel-eyed determination, never wavering. He swept in from nowhere, saving the day. People believed that all they saw was what he was, not all he had chosen to show them. So very few people knew him. And she knew this made him feel alone. He was so sure he had to live up to who he thought others wanted him to be, it was nearly impossible to convince him otherwise. Part of it was left over from being a slave she knew. If he didn't pretend that he was exactly what his masters wanted, the repercussions, such as they were, could be severe depending on the mood of his master. Officially free from slavery, some lessons never left him. After one rejection, he would withdraw, study the person whose approval he desired, then create a mask to be worn and presented, modifying as needed. Padme knew he felt alone, hiding something from almost everyone.

Everyone. He hid something from everyone except Palpatine. From his wife, Anakin hid the horrors of war and what affected him so badly. From his master, Anakin hid his dabbles in the Dark Side and his marriage. And he was more open with the two of them then everyone else, except Palpatine. She knew why he hid things from his wife. He wanted to protect her from what he never wanted her near. But Padme hated knowing she was missing out on an essential side of her husband, ignorant of important parts of his life. Palpatine had a much clearer view on who Anakin truly was. She knew why he hid things from his master. He wanted to make the man proud of him, so covered up everything else. Padme was sure Obi-Wan would mourn if he knew the reason behind their divide. Palpatine knew so much more about Anakin's feelings and state of mind. Everyone else… for all he appeared to be opened not one of them knew a thing. He built a strong enough wall to keep everyone out, away from his too-fragile heart. Padme knew he used to have friends in the Temple, but over the course of the war every one of them had died in front of him. If was almost as if the Sith knew exactly who Anakin's friends were and was gunning for them specifically to get to Anakin. Padme shook her head. Great, now she was getting into conspiracy theories. Everyone knew that… but then everyone thought they knew her husband didn't they. Sometimes everyone was wrong. "A person is smart, people are stupid," as the old political saying went. Everyone could be fooled. Taking her husband as an example again, with all the news coverage he got everyone thought they knew everything, instead of nothing.

News. The news did adore her husband, and for this she was unsure if she loved them or hated them. On the plus side she got almost constant reports of him without looking suspicious. On the minus side they reported his death whenever things got too boring. She glared at the holonet, pretty sure at the moment she hated it. Then, the report came. Her husband had saved the day again. He was coming home to her. She flung the cloak on, ready to go tell her husband her own news. She stopped in front of the mirror, checking her appearance, calming herself. She glanced at her hairstyle. It wasn't the worst she had worn, but she still prayed it didn't come back around in time to force her child, if a girl, to wear it. She heard the news still on in the background. They were going on about the Chosen One… Her husband was chosen, though sometimes she wondered. He was chosen to bring balance, taught to fight and kill, never taught to love or create. And so she wondered sometimes.

Chosen to live or chosen to die?