It was the day they would all be leaving for Coruscant. While Luke went off to check on something with Leia, Anakin decided he couldn't just sit in his room and wait anymore. He kept replaying the kiss over and over again in his head. It reminded him of when he was nineteen again, being sent to Naboo to protect Padme. He remembered trying so hard to not kiss her and not think about her in that way, but he couldn't. He remembered her wearing that colorful flowy dress with her back exposed. At that moment, he hated her for wearing that. How was he supposed to put away his feelings, when she looked like that. He couldn't stop himself from saying some cheesy line and leaning in just hoping she would kiss him back. He was so surprised when she actually kissed him back. He never wanted the kiss to end, but she pulled away saying she shouldn't have done that. Very much like she did last night and yet again that kiss is still lingering on his lips, waiting for more.
He walked down to the landing platform and saw the Millennium Falcon in all it's glory he joked. He walked inside wondering if they ever fixed that hyper drive. He looked around seeing no one else was there. He saw the access to the engine was open. He looked around once more before jumping down. He looked at all the cords and wires feeling exicted. He noticed one of the spark plugs seemed to be loose and knew that was going to be an issue. He grabbed a tool on the ground and start to tinker with it feeling like a little boy on Tatooine again.
He started to loose himself in the simpleness of fixing things. He didn't even hear anyone walk in, until he heard the yelling of some kind of animal. He jumped back and looked up to see the Wookie was yelling at him.
"Woah. Woah. Calm down. I was just fixing a few things." Anakin said trying to reason with him not even sure if he could understand him.
"Chewie, what's the issue? Why are you screaming up a storm?" Han said working over being looking down. "What are you doing down there?" He asked sternly.
"Just fixing up a couple things before he took off." Anakin trying not to start an issue with the guy who was with his daughter.
"Get out of there." Han said as Anakin jumped out and Han jumped down.
He watched as Han looked over everything trying to find something wrong, but Anakin knew he did everything right. He smirked as Han looked and quickly jumped out before walking past him.
Anakin noticed he stopped before saying, "I supposed I should say thank you, but don't let it get to your head. I would have figured it out sooner or later."
Anakin chuckled happily to himself. He looked around having only ever seen it from the outside. It wasn't a bad ship per say. It definitely needed some attention, but he saw the way it flew and understood why Han cherished it so much.
"Father, I have something for you." Luke greeted him as he walked on board. "I'm not supposed to give you this until we get to Coruscant, so don't tell Leia."
Anakin looked at his son confused wondering what in the galaxy he could have for him. He watched as Luke removed a slender silver item from his belt and he didn't have to question him on what it was.
"I managed to switch out the crystal, from your lightsaber. I hope it isn't an issue." Luke said as Anakin grabbed the lightsaber igniting it. He expected to see the red glow he has become so used to seeing and was surprised to see a blue glow. "I'm sorry it's not your original, but well" Luke said not having to finish, for they both knew what happened to his old lightsaber.
"This is perfect. Thank you." He said shutting off the lightsaber and attaching it to his belt. "You would be surprised how many of these I used to go through. Obi-wan used to always get on my case about it. He would, " Anakin coughed and tried using his best Obi-Wan voice. "Anakin, this weapon is your life."
Luke laughed. "I can imagine him saying that, but what I can't imagine is you being so reckless."
Now it was Anakin's turn to laugh, but before he could answer someone else did.
"Anakin not reckless? I don't think anyone has ever said those words together." Padme said walking up the ramp with Leia following.
He looked at her wearing a white outfit and her hair in a bun with a few stands coming loose. She looked so much like she did on Geonosis and he had to stop himself from grabbing her face and kissing her.
"I suppose I've matured since then." Anakin smirked.
"Took you over forty years, but I guess it was bound to happen." Padme said walking to the cockpit with Leia following.
"She is definitely warming up to you. It's been a while since I've actually seen her this happy." Luke said.
Anakin hoped he was right, but all he could do was replay the moment they had last night. He still felt her lips on his lips and wanted more. As much as it killed him though, he was going to wait until she was ready.
Padme couldn't stop thinking about going back to Coruscant. It has been so long, since she has been there. She wondered how much everything has changed. How much the Senate building changed? She knew Palpatine slowly got rid of the Senate and was interested to see how that was playing out. She also was interested to see what happened of her old apartment. She hasn't been back there, since right before she left for Mustafar, right after Obi-wan told her about Anakin. She figured someone would have bought it, or Naboo would use it for their new Senator.
"You seem sad?" Leia said sitting next to her.
"Not sad. Just thinking. I haven't been back to Coruscant in so long. I never actually thought I would go back. It just seems weird."
"It's basically the same, besides the Senate." Leia glared. "I'm sure that was a whole lot better when you were there."
"Probably, but it was pointless. You can't win a war, when the man in charge is in charge of both sides." Padme though back to her days in the Senate. She thought she was doing so much good and wanted to change so much only to a pawn in Palpatine's game.
"I still can't believe I didn't recognize you. You are still spoken about so highly even today. My dad would tell me how brave and strong you. That when you spoke everyone listened. He said you were one of the best Senators." Leia said growing sad thinking about her dad.
"Bail was charming I wasn't all that." Padme said shaking her head.
"I don't you were the only Politian I could deal with." Anakin come around the corner saying.
"I'm sure that had to do with things I could do to you that other politicians couldn't" Padme not even thinking that Leia was right next to them.
Anakin laughed as Padme's eyes grew large. "I'm sure that had to something to do with it."
"I suppose I should go see how much longer we have till we arrive." Leia said standing up walking to the cockpit.
Padme put her face in her hands. "I can't believe what I just implied in front of our daughter."
"Well she had to figure out how she was born eventually." Anakin joked causing her to laugh. "Speaking of that there was something I wanted to ask you."
She lifted her head up and looked at him as he leaned against the wall. "Sure. What is it?"
"Seeing as thought you didn't actually die in childbirth. Where their any complications? Anything?" Anakin asked and she knew he was thinking about the dream he had. The dream that started everything.
"I mean there were slight complication, a lot of it was my own doing. Being overly stressed, not eating or drinking enough, and a slight concussion. Those were just the main things, so nothing major." She answered seeing the sadness run across his face.
"So if I would have just listened to you. None of this would have happened." Anakin softly said.
"Ani," she said walking over to him and running her hand across his cheek. "You need to stop hating yourself. You were tricked and lied too. Luke forgives and I forgive you. I'm sure Leia will forgive you in time." Padme said and see could see how shocked he was when she said that.
"You forgive me?" He asked barely able to believe the words.
"I do. So many people let you down and I was one of them. You needed me and I should have tried harder. It was just hard. I mean everything was hard at that time. The war, the marriage, everything." Padme said.
"So you regret getting married?" He asked.
"No." She answered quickly surprising herself. "No, I would never regret it. We both knew the consequences. We knew it would be hard and probably destroy us in the end. I told you once, other married couples had everything we would never have. I knew that going into it and for once, I listened to my heart instead of my head."
"Do you understand that we can have what other couples have? We no longer have to hide. "Anakin said hopefully grabbing her hands. "We can finally have the life we always wanted."
She looked up at him not sure what to say. She wanted what he said so badly, but knew it wouldn't work. This time instead of listening to her heart, she was going to listen to her head. She slowly removed her hands from his. "Anakin, we can't."
She turned around leaving him there needing a moment to herself, which was hard to find in a crowded ship. She sat there for quite sometime before someone walked over to her.
"There you are. We are about to arrive on Coruscant." Luke said.
"Good. I'm growing tired of all this traveling." She said smiling at him. "Did we figure out a place to camp out at until we attack?"
"Father actually come up with the place. He said it should be low key and large enough for all of us." Luke said.
Anakin picked the place? She figured it was probably a place he owned while he was Vader, but yet that didn't sound too low key to her.
She walked up to the cockpit and was greeted to the many lights and traffic that Coruscant had to offer. It was nothing like Naboo, but she did miss this place.