Took a break from Reylo to drabble about my favorite ship, Anidala. These two are the biggest cheeseballs in the galaxy and I am here for it. you'll get a cavity from reading this.
Also: in the Revenge of the Sith novelization Anakin believes the baby is a girl (idk why he didn't sense twins). Rough, not beta'd.
I truly, deeply, love you.
There are few things in the galaxy that he finds more beautiful than his wife. None, in fact.
And I love you is simply not enough to convey how deeply he cherishes her; it is not enough to capture everything he finds so profoundly precious about the woman standing before him on the balcony.
Especially when she talks about the baby.
Their baby.
A smile spreads across her face when she turns to meet his gaze. And that smile - that sweet, affectionate smile - has the power to heal even the most wounded soul. He knows.
The battle hardened stare he dons so often melts away. A grin tugs at the corners of his mouth, and his expression turns to a mixture of full-blown desire and something soft, something undeniably tender and gentle.
Anakin knows this kind of unyielding love is special, it is rare. It is something sacred and intimate, crafted by the galaxy just for them. It is a love that has manifested into the most beautiful blessing: new life. A miracle that he will protect at any cost.
Padme stands on the balcony and her expression brightens, eyes shining with excitement and joy. Her hands smooth around her swollen abdomen as she paints a picture of them raising their child on Naboo, together, as a family.
Family. It's all he's ever really wanted.
A brief ache hits him, and he desperately wishes his mother could be here to witness this. To see the dedicated husband he has become, to watch him embrace fatherhood. He is nearly certain the baby is a girl - he senses her - and he knows she will be like Shmi. Like Padme. Strong, a force of nature to be reckoned with. And he can't wait to tell his daughter about her grandmother.
Anakin blinks back tears. No more death, no more pain.
"Ani, what is it?" Concern flickers across Padme's features, and she closes the distance between them. She stretches upwards onto her toes to wrap her arms around his neck and he feels the fullness of her belly press against his chest. He closes his eyes, swallows, and opens them to find her searching his face.
"Something is bothering you. Do you fear for our future?" She asks.
Anakin strokes the curve of her cheekbone with his thumb. She shouldn't worry - he doesn't want her to worry. He dips his head down, planting kisses along the nape of her neck.
"It's nothing," he says, his breath hot against her cheek.
"Ani," she giggles in response to the delicious tickling sensation, and he thinks her laughter is the best sound in the universe. When he draws back, the mischief in his eyes softens from a spark to a warm, deep glow. With some of the tension lifted, he answers her.
"No. Never. We're too strong to fall. I won't let anything happen to us, to you or the baby. I love you, Padme. Whatever the future holds we will face it together."
"Together," she repeats, relishing the word, "I love you too, Ani. So very much."
They kiss for a long moment, the space around them vanishing. In this magical moment, only they exist. When they part, Anakin bends down to gather her in his arms. He scoops her up easily and carries her into the bedroom.
Long ago he failed to convince himself that she should be forbidden to him. And in the sanctuary of the bedroom, any and all reservations fall away. They always do.
Slow sensual movements cast shadows on the wall as clothing hits the floor, the bed creaking under the weight of the secret lovers. Kisses land on the exposed skin of her back as his hands cling to her hips, guiding her towards him. Two bodies move as one and a melody of mixed moans fills the room.
Afterwards they collapse in a messy, satisfied heap, and Anakin curls her close against his chest. With Padme he finds peace, he finds balance. He lets it flow through and all around him, and hopes that tonight will be different.
That tonight, there will be no nightmares.
Anakin tightens his hold on his wife, and she cocoons herself deeper into his embrace.
"It's alright Ani," she whispers, "I'm not going anywhere."
Her ability to read him disquiets him, and he nods into her hair.
"I know," he says, trying to reassure himself most of all, "I know."
For that one blessed night, he dreams only of his family.