"Let's go back to bed," Anakin said softly, his head resting against hers as they stood in each other's arms near the window

"Let's go back to bed," Anakin said softly, his head resting against hers as they stood in each other's arms near the window. "I'm tired."

"You've had a big day," Padmé said as she brushed her lips against his chest. "Have you slept at all in the last few days?"

Anakin sighed, and Padmé was sure he was trying to hide a yawn. With a weary voice, he admitted, "I can't remember the last time I slept."

When she looked at his face she saw the faint dark circles under his eyes. "You're exhausted. I'm sorry to keep you up."

"Don't be. You know I don't need much sleep." As if to prove his point, Anakin swept Padmé in his arms.

"Anakin!" she squealed, throwing her arms around his shoulders for balance. "What are you doing?"

Without answering, he marched back to bed with her in his arms. Without letting go, he sprawled out on his side of the bed and let her snuggle against him. When she was comfortable, he slipped a strong arm around her and pulled her to him. "Good night, my love."

She gave him a chaste kiss on the lips before she turned away from him. "Good night, my handsome Jedi Knight." Using his bare chest as a pillow and snuggling under the blankets, she closed her eyes and tried to sleep.

Within moments, Anakin was asleep. This was quite the rare occurrence because Anakin rarely fell asleep so easily. Usually, she would wake up to find him awake, watching her as she slept. "I knew you were lying," she breathed. "You need to sleep." Even though he still had the strength to lift her, she knew he was mentally exhausted.

She felt his chest rise and fall against her in a slow, even pattern. Normally, this would lull Padmé right to sleep. But not tonight. As Padmé tossed and turned, trapped by Anakin's muscular arm, she tried to understand why she was so worried about his leaving.

She opened her eyes and pondered the shape of his hand as she traced her finger around its contours. This hand had battled assassins, insurgents, terrorists and even worse. While she had always been a little scared for his safety, she had never felt like this.

Padmé took a deep breath and closed her eyes, too exhausted to conquer the many dendrites of thought racing mind had developed. Eventually, the gentle rise and fall of Anakin's chest, and the sound of his soft breaths in her ear, lulled her into a fitful sleep.

Less than two hours later, she was jarred awake when she no longer felt Anakin's arms around her body. It took her a moment to realize that Anakin had gotten out of bed. She rolled onto her stomach, free of Anakin's strong hold, and opened her eyes. Her heart raced; she wondered if he had left already, but found it improbable. He wouldn't leave without saying goodbye. "Anakin?" she asked in a raspy, sleep-clouded voice.

No response. So that meant he wasn't perched on the window sill watching her sleep, as he so often did.

Sitting up in bed, she twisted and dangled her legs off the side. Eyes still adjusting to the darkness, she peered around the room, but didn't see him. As her eyes regained focus, she realized how dark it still was outside. That meant it wasn't morning yet, so Anakin was still with her. At least for a little while. He wouldn't lie about that.

In one fluid motion, she got out of bed and padded toward the balcony where she saw his dark form standing near the fountain, cloaked in the shadows. "Anakin," she breathed in relief.

Even though she was sure he must have heard her, he didn't make any move in acknowledgment. However, she could tell that the corners of his lips might have turned up into the faintest smile.

She leaned against the door frame and was content to watch him. He was standing still -- back straight, eyes closed, hands clasped behind his back, chest rising and falling in a practiced rhythm as he took deep breaths.

The calm aura surrounding him was almost palpable. Padmé felt a smile slide across her face. Watching him like this made her forget her deep seeded fears, if only for a moment.

Padmé rarely had a chance to watch him while he was so controlled, so at peace. Although he often used her apartment to meditate, because he found her presence soothing, she never had time to pull herself away from her work to watch him. So this was a special treat, indeed.

She breathed an appreciative sigh. Anakin stood, probably unintentionally, so a few lights highlighted his tall, lean silhouette. Her eyes traced his masculine form from his head, around his well-sculpted chest and down to his bare feet.

All of a sudden, that peaceful aura surrounding him seemed to shatter. His shoulders shook and his breathing turned labored. His serene expression disappeared. In its place was a look of pure pain.

She pushed away from the door and rushed onto the balcony. "Anakin, what's wrong?" Wrapping her arms around his shaking shoulders, she tried to soothe whatever demons he saw. When he didn't respond, her voice grew louder and slightly frantic. "Anakin? Are you all right?"

Anakin took a shuddering deep breath. After a moment, he turned in her embrace to face her. Running the back of his hand down her cheek, he looked into her eyes and struggled a slight smile. "I'm fine."

Unconvinced, she raised her eyebrows. "Are you sure?" Running her hands up and down his upper arms, she added, "You're trembling. Was it the Sith again?"

Anakin grimaced in response. "No, not the Sith." He grabbed her arms and clutched them to his chest. "It's nothing. It's just . . ." He heaved a sigh.

"Tell me." She rested her hands against his chest and leaned up to plant a soft kiss on his unwavering lips. "I can help you."

After a short pause, Anakin sighed again. Their faces were so close that his breath warmed her cheek and made her shiver. In a voice not much louder than a whisper, Anakin admitted, "I'm worried about you."

Padmé scrunched her face in disbelief. "About me? I thought I was worried about you." She grabbed his hands and squeezed, trying to lighten the mood.

He cracked a small smile, but his voice was completely serious when he said, "I felt your fear, Padmé. So I couldn't sleep."

"I'm sorry." She dropped his hands and took a step away.

He followed her and pulled her back to him. "Don't be." After allowing his lips to run against her forehead, he said, "I think you . . . might be right. Something feels out of place."

She laid her head against his chest. "What did you see?"

"I didn't see anything," he struggled to explain. "It's a . . . feeling."

She leaned back to scrutinize his face, as if hoping to see answers etched there. "What kind of feeling?"

His voice was laced with frustration. "I'm not sure I can explain it. But it's like something is . . . different. I feel like the Force is trying to warn me. And I guess the vision of me as a Sith Lord was just sort of reinforcing that warning."

Padmé opened her mouth to speak, but Anakin put his finger against her lips, cutting her off.

In a voice full of determination, Anakin said, "I need to protect you."

"You're worried about leaving," she said softly, relaxing a fraction. "You don't want to leave me, just like I don't want you do go."

"I never want to leave you," he admitted. One hand came under her chin and tilted her face up so she was looking into his eyes. "But it's stronger than that. I think the Force is telling me something."

"What? What is the Force telling you?"

The corners of his lips turned up into a smile. "That I need to marry you. Before I leave."

She took a step back in sock. That might have been the last thing she ever expecte to hear from him at that moment. She could only sputter, "Before you leave?"

His voice was strong, unwavering. "Yes."

She gazed out into the night sky. "But that's --"

"-- In a few hours, I know. But please, Padmé." His voice grew desperate, pleading. "Will you marry me? Tonight?"

Her breach caught in her chest. "You're serious?"

He nodded. "I've never been more serious."

"But . . . tonight?"

"Yes, tonight. I don't know why, but I know this is something we have to do. Something is going to happen, and it will be better for both of us if we are already married when it happens."

That certainly didn't sound good. Heart racing, she clutched at his arms. "What's going to happen?"

"I'm not sure," he admitted. "I'm not even sure if it's good or bad. But I know we have to get married before I leave." He stared into her eyes as he pleaded, "Marry me, Padmé. Marry me tonight."

She trembled in his arms. The idea was appealing, but terrifying. "How can we get married tonight? We don't have --"

Anakin chewed his lower lip for a moment and then exclaimed, "-- Gas'veg."

"Gas'veg?" was Padmé's incredulous response. Although she had never been there, she had heard of Gas'veg, a seedy entertainment district between the government sector and the Works. Gas'veg was infamous throughout the Galaxy for its casinos, nightclubs and quick marriages. She had seen the holo-commercials, but she had never considered visiting the district, let alone getting married there. "You want to get married in Gas'veg? Tonight?" She looked at him like he was crazy.

Anakin's eyes lit up. "It's not very far. We could go immediately and be married within the hour. From what I understand, they have 24-hour wedding temples."

"You've researched this?" She tapped his chest accusingly.

He shrugged. "I haven't exactly researched it. But I have seen their holo-net commercials."

Padmé struggled out of his arms and paced across the balcony. "How will we keep it a secret?"

"Gas'veg has a reputation for being very discreet." He shrugged and said, with a sly grin, "And if not, there's always Jedi mind tricks."

As she paced past him again, she whirled to face him. "You want to get married tonight . . . now?" The words sounded foreign to her ears.

"Yes," was his simple reply.

"I want to marry you," she admitted. "I want to marry you as soon as possible." She whirled around to face him. "But, Anakin, I'm not sure tonight is possible."

"But it is," he insisted. "If we leave now, we will return by daybreak. Depending on which wedding temple we choose, we might even be back in an hour or so."

Padmé chewed the inside of her lower lip, knowing she was losing the argument. What made it worse was that she wasn't sure if she really wanted to say no. She tried a different tactic. "Do you know what we would be giving up? I won't be wearing my mom's dress. Our families won't be there. We won't have a wedding night."

"Do you know what we'll gain?" He reached out to grab Padmé and pull her to him.

Padmé flashed a tentative smile. "We'd be married."

"And the Force is telling me that we need to get married before I go. Padmé, I need to do this." As if as an afterthought, he added, "We could have a second wedding when I get back. A proper wedding."

"With our families there?"

Anakin trailed one finger across her jawline. "Yes, of course. It will be the wedding you always dreamed of. A ceremony with our families . . . on Naboo. You will wear your mom's wedding dress and be the most beautiful bride I have ever seen. And then we will have an incredible wedding night, one that you couldn't even imagine."

Padmé let him pull her into his strong embrace without protest. Although she protested, her resolve was weakening. "That sounds lovely, but --"

He stared at her with pleading eyes. "-- But, nothing. Please, Padmé, marry me tonight. Before I leave. I need you to be my wife." Anakin closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Please."

Padmé's voice was soft, almost a whisper, when she said, "All right, Anakin. Let's get married. Tonight."

He gathered her into a hug and smothered wild kisses across her face. Without giving her a chance to change her mind, he said, "Let's go." He took a few steps toward her private landing platform with her in his arms. "We can be there in a few minutes."

"Anakin, stop! I will not get married in my nightgown. What if someone sees us?" She ran a finger down his his bare chest. "You need to put a shirt on. And some shoes."

He took a quick glance down at his bare feet and gave a slight chuckle. "Maybe you're right." Changing course back into the apartment, he strode through the door with Padmé clinging to his arm. While still walking, he leaned down to give her a kiss. "But hurry. We don't have a lot of time, but if we get married quickly, we might still have time for a wedding night before I leave."

(--)

Anakin and Padmé both dressed within a few minutes. Anakin threw his tunic on over his sleep pants and stepped into the boots that were strewn on two different sides of the bedroom. Padmé grabbed a simple yellow dress and white shoes with small heels. She didn't take any time to do her hair, merely tying it back.

"I'm ready," Padmé declared when she came out into the living room where Anakin was waiting.

When he saw her, his breath caught in his chest. "You look beautiful." He stood and met her as she walked toward him.

Glancing down at her hastily thrown together outfit, she laughed. "You'd say I looked beautiful if I wore an old sack."

He shrugged. "You probably would look beautiful in an old sack." Wrapping his arm around her shoulders, he guided her toward the landing platform. "Are you are ready to go?" He didn't wait for her answer. Instead, he helped her into the passenger side of her speeder.

Anakin hopped into the driver's side and took a deep breath as the engine warmed. They were really going to get married tonight. Padmé reached across the power column that separated them and grabbed his hand. He clutched her hand as he guided the speeder into the closest traffic lane and sped toward the Gas'veg district.

"Are you sure we'll be safe?" Padmé said as she chewed her lower lip.

Anakin shrugged. "You know their expression." He let his lips turn up into a grin. "What happens in Gas'veg stays in Gas'veg."

Padmé muttered, "When do you get the time to watch so much holo-net?"

His tone became defensive. "Sometimes it's on in the training rooms." He let his right hand run around her face and down her arm. His voice softened when he said, "Don't worry, Padmé; no one will find out."

She leaned against his hand and let a yawn escape. "I trust you."

The traffic lanes were quite empty at this time of night. Anakin flew the speeder quickly through the Coruscanti sky. About fifteen minutes later, the Gas'veg lights in the distance came into view,

Anakin's heart beat a bit faster. He guided the ship into the district and stopped at a traffic signal in the middle of town. Gas'veg was like nothing else he had ever seen. The district was filled with so many lights that the sky seemed almost bright. Anakin almost couldn't tell it was the middle of the night. Beings of all species rushed across the sidewalk decks into the bars, hotels, casinos and wedding temples; they seemed to have no concept of night and day. And the Gas'veg businesses never closed.

"I've seen pictures of Gas'veg, but I never expected it to look like this," Padmé said. "Have you ever been here?"

He shook his head. "I've only seen pictures. I didn't expect it to be so . . . bright."

"It almost gives me a headache. Do you know which temple we should choose?" She pointed to a sign they were about to pass. "Weddings, Weddings, Divorces, in milliseconds?" She scrunched her face. "Let's not go there."

"What about that one?" He pointed at a sign with yellow and red flashing lights.

"Sith's Tempest Weddings?" Padmé looked at a couple who was walking out of the chapel arm-in-arm. A red alien man with tattoos marring his arms and horns growing from his face and his new wife, who was wearing nothing but a bikini, her red skin almost glowing. "I . . . don't know." She pointed to a small building on her right with a barely visible sign. "What about that one?"

"Fly-through Express Wedding Chapel?" He turned the speeder so it was angled in that direction. "What do you think?" Anakin took his eyes off the skylane for a moment to lean across the column and give her a kiss.

She ran a hand across Anakin's forearm. "It sounds perfect. Let's get married."

Anakin guided the speeder into the empty fly-through lane and pulled up to the window.

When the speeder stopped at the window, a green-skinned Twi'lek peered out at them. "Welcome to the Express Wedding Chapel," he said quickly. "Legal, discreet, weddings in less than five minutes."

"Perfect," Padmé said. "Do we have to fill out any paperwork?

The Twi-lek handed Anakin a flimsi through the window and said, "Just fill your names in on this certificate. It's your legally enforceable record of the marriage."

"You're not even taking our names?" Padmé asked excitedly.

"No, don't need 'em. Our service is quite discreet."

"And it's completely legal?" Anakin asked, with a hint of suspicion in his voice.

"Perfectly. In every system in the Galaxy." The Twi-lek added, "For 100 credits, the certificate is yours."

Padmé reached into a pocket in her dress and pulled out a card that represented 100 credits exactly. She handed it to Anakin, who, in turn, handed it to the Twi'lek.

The Twi'lek's large mouth spread into a smile, revealing his yellowish teeth. "Perfect. One wedding, coming up." He focused his large, green eyes on Anakin and began, "We are gathered here to witness the union between this man and this woman in legally binding matrimony."

Anakin reached across and grabbed Padmé's hand. He turned to look at her and saw that her smile matched is own.

The Twi'lek continued, "Do you, --"

"-- Anakin," he supplied the floundering Twi'lek.

"Do you, Anakin, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

Anakin squeezed Padmé's trembling hand and said, "Yes, I do."

The Twi'lek gave a slight nod, and continued, "Do you, --"

"Padmé," she supplied.

"Do you, Padmé, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

Immediately she answered, "Yes, I do."

"Then by the powers vested in me by the Gas'veg wedding counsel, I decree that Anakin and Padmé are now married. This marriage is hereby binding throughout the Galaxy. You may now enter your names on your wedding certificate." As if as an afterthought, the Twi'lek added, "And you may kiss your bride."

Anakin grinned and said, "We did it. We really did it." Without giving Padmé a chance to answer, he leaned down and brushed his lips against hers.

She wrapped her arms around is neck and returned his kiss with equal vigor. When their lips broke apart, she whispered, "I love you, my husband."

When the kiss broke, Anakin let his right hand linger on her shoulder as he turned the speeder back into the traffic lanes and sped toward Padmé's apartment. Anakin sped away from the temple without even saying goodbye or thank you.

When they left the Gas'veg district, a wicked smile spread across Padmé's lips. "You know, my husband, it's still dark outside. Do you think we can make it back home with enough time --"

"-- for a wedding night celebration?" he finished her question eagerly. His grin grew even wider. "I think we have just enough time."

Padmé entered their names into onto the certificate that legalized their marriage. "I love you, my husband," she said, holding up the certificate so he could see it.

He brought her hand up to his lips for a quick kiss. "I love you, too, my wife." He took a deep breath. "You have made me feel . . . complete." After a moment, he added, "The Force is finally calm in my head. I think we did what it wanted."

"I know we did what we wanted," Padmé said with a smile.

"You have made me so happy," Anakin declared. "I thought yesterday, when I became a Jedi Knight, was the best day of my life. I thought that was what I always wanted. But, today . . . this is so much better than I could have imagined."

Padmé reached across the seat and stroked his cheek. "I'm so glad."

"I wish I didn't have to leave." He took a deep breath. "But now I feel better about going."

Padmé closed her eyes for a moment. "I'm glad," was all she said.

The speeder pulled up to the docking bay, and Anakin hopped out almost before it had completely stopped. He opened Padmé's door and lifted her out of her seat. Carrying her into the apartment, he declared, "Now, let's have that wedding night."