When Padmé arrived back at her office, she was surprised to see there was no trooper stood outside her door. She hesitantly walked up to her door and pushed it open slowly. She jumped a little, startled by the appearance and then mechanical breathing of Vader.
"Forgive me, you startled me", Padmé said, placing a hand on her chest, calming herself down.
"I apologise Senator. Are you ready to leave?", he asked moving towards the door, as Padmé walked towards her desk.
"Yes, thank you", she replied. She quickly packed her bag and put on her thick coat over her dress, before walking towards Anakin. As usual, the pair remained in silence as they walked towards the hangar bay. Padmé did not know whether he would be coming with her or staying but was unsure how to ask in case someone overheard. When they arrived at her speeder, he stated, "I will see you as agreed". It was vague and brief, but Padmé knew what he meant and replied, "Thank you, Lord Vader". She then got into the speeder, which departed the hangar, leaving Vader behind.
Anakin wasted no time in walking to his private hangar and getting in his speeder to take him home. It was not too far to his establishments and he knew with his flying skills and awareness of Coruscanti traffic that he could likely make it back before Padmé. He stepped into his speeder and swiftly departed the hangar bay.
When Padmé was dropped back home, she thanked her driver, being sure to inform him that she would not require a ride tomorrow due to the fact she was travelling off-world. He was smart enough to not ask any questions and instead nodded and bid Padmé good evening. Padmé walked out of the hangar bay to get the lift up to the main part of the estate, and suddenly heard a noise behind her. She turned quickly but did not see anything behind her. She continued to walk to the end of the hangar bay to turn down the corridor towards the lift.
"You took your time", a voice said around the corner.
Padmé screamed in shock, completely taken about by her husband's voice, who had been stood in anticipation waiting for her to arrive. "Anakin, you could have given me a heart attack", she said trying to sound stern. Her attempt to be serious was quickly sabotaged by the smile that radiated across Anakin's face at his successful scare of his wife.
"I am sorry my love, I didn't mean to scare you. Well, I did a little. I took a gamble because I wasn't sure if I would beat you here. I mean you did have a head start", he commented jokingly, as they entered the lift toward the main part of the house.
"Yes, only because you fly far too fast and are a mad man", Padmé replied.
"Secretly you know its because of my incredible talent as a pilot and unmatched forced ability", Anakin said jokingly.
Padmé turned to him and raised an eyebrow and simply responded, "Is that so".
"I mean, I am the chosen one", he stated, adding on to the continuing joke of arrogance.
"You think you are funny Mr Skywalker?", Padmé said as they exited the lift and walked towards their chambers.
"I do Mrs Skywalker. Now if you will excuse me, I am due a session in the gymnasium, because this body does not maintain itself", he replied wittily.
Padmé couldn't help but laugh at his response and replied, "I shall call Obi-Wan and inform him of our arrangements". Her and Anakin parted ways near the kitchen, as she left for his office to contact Obi-Wan. She was so excited that Anakin was going to meet the twins, and she knew how delighted they would be to meet him. As time had passed she had been able to talk about him more and tell the twins stories about the great Jedi Anakin Skywalker and how he and a young Senator had fallen in love, despite all the forces in the galaxy trying to stop them, they truly were lovers across the stars.
She sat down at Anakin's desk and set the comm frequency to Obi-Wan's comm. She hoped he would answer, because if not all their plans would be in vain, and right now seeing the twins were exactly what Anakin needed. Her brief thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Obi-Wan's voice.
"Padmé, it is so good to hear your voice. Please tell me you are coming home; I know how desperate the twins are to see you. They are becoming a little restless", Obi-Wan admitted.
"It is good to hear your voice too Obi-Wan. I call with good news. Anakin and I want to come and see the twins. He has been very stressed lately and I know this is exactly what he needs, and it has been far too long since I saw my babies", Padmé added.
"What is your plan Padmé?", Obi-Wan asked intently.
"Anakin has an estate in the countryside of Alderaan. It is secluded and even he has only ever visited it once. We want to meet somewhere off both our worlds, as to not compromise the twin's current safe location. Anakin has contacted the establishment ahead of time and has made unlisted transport arrangements for us to leave early in the morning. If I send you the coordinates, can the three of you meet us there?", Padmé asked, trying to ensure she remembered to say everything.
"Of course, Padmé, I will leave in the morning with the twins. Are you certain it is safe?", Obi-Wan asked ambiguously. Padmé was not sure whether he was referring to it being safe for Padmé and Anakin to leave Coruscant and risk being detected, or whether he was referring to Anakin coming and meeting the twins.
"I can assure you Obi-Wan that everything has been planned for. Anakin says all his establishments are well guarded, and we will only be gone for two days, our disappearance will easily go unnoticed. And you do not need to worry about Anakin coming. I can see in his eyes how much the twins mean to him, and I know he wants to do anything he can to protect us.", Padmé replied, pausing for a second before adding, "I know there is a lot of pain between you two after what happened on Mustafar. But I know that it is essential for Anakin's redemption that he makes peace with you. You were like brother's before, and I hope one day you can be like that again Obi-Wan".
"I have always believed that after what happened on Mustafar, that Anakin was beyond redemption as Darth Vader. But from what you have told me, and when I spoke to him briefly on the comm, I can feel the changing balance of the force. I hope too that one day Anakin and I can be brothers in arms again", Obi-Wan replied.
Padmé smiled at his response before saying, "I need to pack for tomorrow as we are leaving early. I have transmitted the co-ordinates to your comm unit. Please tell the twins how much I love them and how excited me and Anakin are to see them. May the force be with you Obi-Wan", she added.
"May the force be with both of you as well Padmé", Obi-Wan responded proudly.
When the communication ended, Padmé stood from the desk and exited Anakin's office. She wanted to pack some supplies now before it got too late, and she knew there would not be time to pack in the morning. Anakin had told her she did not need to pack much, as anything they needed would be available at his estate, and they were only going for a couple of days. But Padmé had always been the type to come prepared, so she packed a small case with all the essentials she could need.
Having packed for the trip tomorrow, Padmé wanted to free herself of her disguise. She walked over to her vanity table and took out her green contacts carefully. She then tied her hair up on top of her head and started to take off her makeup. Padmé had never been once for heavy makeup, and she hated having to do it as Queen. She would relish in the next couple of days not having to adopt her intense disguise. Once she had removed her makeup, she put on some more comfortable clothes and decided to go and see Anakin in the gymnasium.
When she arrived at the gymnasium Padmé stood and watched her husband from afar so as to not distract him. He was wearing all of his armour except his helmet and was fighting blaster shots from half a dozen battle droids at once, striking them down and deflecting shots from all angles. During the clone wars Padmé had seen Anakin fight a handful of times, and she knew how committed he was to train to be the best Jedi the order had ever seen. Padmé marvelled at her husband's efforts as he continued to deflect the blaster shots as the intensity appeared to intensify further. Several moments past before the droids ceased their firing and Padmé assumed his session must be over.
Anakin had pushed himself too far. He felt his chest tighten as the round of blaster fire ended. He began to sway from side to side as he struggled to catch his breath. Padmé saw him noticeably struggle and ran towards him shouting, "Anakin, Anakin, are you alright", concern emanating from her voice.
Anakin crashed onto the gym mat below him clutching at his chest as breathing became harder and harder. When Padmé got to his side he said to her faintly, "Padmé, my mask". He gestured over to the end of the room where his mask rested on a table. Padmé got up quickly and retrieved his mask and returned to him on the mat. She helped him put on the large mask and seal it. Immediately once the mask was on, Anakin felt the tightness in his chest ease, as the mask started to work to enhance oxygen flow to his lungs.
"Anakin, what happened to you. Are you okay", Padmé asked concerned as she took Anakin's hand as they remained sitting on the gymnasium floor.
The menacing sound of Anakin's mechanical voice through the mask shocked Padmé a little as Anakin replied, "I just pushed myself a little too hard. I have suffered from some minor respiratory complications since Mustafar, but I have managed to regain almost all normal functions. But when I overexert, I need my mask or access to my hyperbaric chamber to repair any damage caused".
"Anakin you must be careful. You could have been seriously hurt or worse had I not been there to get your mask to you. Please, I cannot stand to see you like this. If something was to happen to you I …", Padmé said frantically.
Anakin interjected her and said, "I am alright Angel". The statement sounded odd coming from the voice of Vader, but Anakin meant it in the sincerest way to calm his wife. "The recovery does not take long with the mask", he added. Wanting to speak to Padmé in his own voice, Anakin removed the black mask. Padmé protested by raising her hand to keep the mask on, but Anakin insisted he was feeling better and now he had stopped exercising he would be able to recover properly.
"See I am much better already", Anakin said trying to reassure Padmé.
"Anakin, you scared me. You fell to your knees; you couldn't breathe properly. You must stop pushing yourself like that, your body cannot take it", she said, tears glistening in her doe brown eyes.
Anakin cupped Padmé's face with his hand as they remained kneeling on the floor next to one another, before saying, "Padmé, all this training I do is absolutely necessary. I have to be at my absolute strongest if I am to defeat the Emperor".
"But Anakin. If you were to challenge the Emperor or he was to discover you were changing, I cannot bear to think what he would do to you, how he would make you suffer", Padmé said terrified thinking about the torture Anakin would endure if the Emperor was to discover his intentions.
"Padmé, you do not need to worry about me. I will bide my time and wait until the time is right. and when the time is right, I will fight the Emperor and I will win and kill him and end his tyrannous reign", Anakin stated, trying his best to comfort Padmé.
"But Anakin, if you were to be hurt, or anything worse. I have just got you back, I cannot lose you", she said a tear rolling down her soft cheek.
Anakin wiped away the tear gently with his gloved hand and replied, "Padmé, the only thing that could hurt me is if something happened to your or the twins. You are my reason for living and the reason I do all this training. I have to do all I can to be strong enough to protect you. It is my reason for existence", he added passionately.
Following the tender moment, the pair shared a brief kiss. When the kiss broke, Anakin and Padmé both rose from their positions on the floor. As Anakin stood tall in front of his wife, she smiled up at him and remarked, "You need a shower Anakin".
Anakin returned the smile and shook his hair in front of her, dripping several beads of sweat down onto her. She gasped in shock at his action as he said, "Looks like you also need a shower, My Lady".
Padmé raised an eyebrow at him and turned to walk out the gymnasium not replying to his comment. She waited for him outside as he picked up his mask and sabre from training and shut down the lights. The pair walked to Anakin's chambers, and Padmé followed him into his room. She had not yet seen inside his chambers and had assumed they looked a lot like hers. It was grand, but minimal in decoration and colour. Anakin had always been simple like that, a combination of his life as a young slave and Jedi, and he had always worn brown or black as a padawan and Jedi Knight.
Anakin took off his armour slowly, and then his wet training shirt and then turned to walk towards Padmé. She knew he was teasing her by walking up to her half-naked, dripping with sweat. She smirked at his subtle attempts to woo her. Anakin had always been a romantic and passionate man and their chemistry was undeniable. As Anakin walked into the fresher adjacent to his room, Padmé followed close behind, untying her hair from its bun and undoing the ties on her dress.
A while later, Anakin exited the fresher first and walked over to his bed with his sleep pants on. After several moments Padme emerged from the fresher, drying her damp hair off with a towel. As Anakin laid in bed, he smirked at Padme who was stood with her body wrapped in one of his large towels. This was the first time Padme had ever stayed in his room, so had not come prepared with anything to wear.
"Might I borrow a nightshirt please", Padme asked as Anakin continued to admire his wife.
"Ahh you always have to spoil the fun Padme", he remarked seductively.
"Anakin", Padme said her eyebrow raised at his comment
"Fine Senator, if you so wish", he added, getting up from his large bed and walking towards one of his draws. He pulled out a large black shirt and handed it to his wife. As he stood tall in front of her, he whispered, "Here I was thinking you were bold and daring".
Padme smirked at him and took the shirt off him. He returned to the bed as Padme continued to dry her hair. She had always been bold and confident as a Senator, but also conservative and proper. But with Anakin, she had always been able to be herself and be more fun and carefree. It has been a long time since she had felt this way, and she refused to be a spoilsport. She could see Anakin out of the corner of her eye as she finished drying her hair, leaving her curls to fall just below her shoulders. She then allowed her towel to drop from her body, revealing her soft skin. Anakin could not hide his reaction to his wife's unexpected action. She then effortlessly pulled the large shirt over her body and walked over to the bed to join her husband.
"You are always full of surprises my love", Anakin commented, pulling her into his large warm body.
"Well, I did not want to be further accused of spoiling the fun", Padme retorted.
"Oh, never", Anakin replied, embracing her small body gently in his.
"We should get some sleep Anakin, we have to be up early tomorrow", Padme stated.
"Yes, indeed", Anakin said. He suddenly remembered something and tried to subtly reach out his arm to call his lightsabre to his side. Padme noticed his action and asked, "What are you doing?".
He placed his weapon on the side table and replied, "I always have it next to me in the event of an intrusion. It has become a habit, and I must ensure I always have a way to protect you, even if I am slightly distracted", he added softly kissing her neck.
"If you insist Anakin. But I always feel safe around you. I have nothing to fear when I am around you", she said softly as she closed her eyes and started to fall asleep.
"Good night Angel", Anakin whispered, as he too closed his eyes and fell asleep.
