Padmé held her clipboard to her chest as she took in the gleeful chaos around her. Her face fell as she watched Palpatine ascend the stairs towards the podium to deliver his acceptance speech. She slipped into her practice politician's guise, a careful smile on her face that didn't quite meet her eyes.

"Isn't this just wonderful!" one of her coworkers exclaimed.

"Of course," she replied, "Although, I never doubted that he'd win for a second."

She could feel her mood begin to sour with every step that the newly-elected Governor Palpatine took towards the microphone. A pit settled into her stomach and her body ached, knowing what had happened to her on his road to power.

"My fellow citizens," Palpatine started. "It is a great day for you all. I am pleasantly surprised that you have deemed me worthy enough to represent you in a grander office than what I have previously held. I will work hard to ensure the safety of our people. I know that these are trying times and you may feel unsafe in our communities due to the rise in crime. I assure you that I have my best people working on mitigating the problem. Your streets will be safe once again. This, you have my word on."

Padmé swallowed a bitter bile as she thought about how they would never be safe until he was behind bars. Now that he was governor, would they be able to do anything? Had they lost in more ways than one?

"Today marks a new day for us all. I will usher us into a time of peace and justice unlike any we have known since the height of our civilization. We may have fallen, but I will help us rise once again," Palpatine grinned, his knuckles gripping the edges of the podium slightly.

She wanted to be sick as she heard him go on.

"You need not fear, because as long as I am in charge, we will once again have order. Those who do not want to conform to these new forms of peacekeeping will have to deal with the law. We can no longer allow such insolence. I will keep you safe, and I will prevail against those that would wish our justice system destroyed," Palpatine said, scanning the crowd for challenge.

Out of the corner of her eye, Padmé saw movement. A familiar flash of a blue uniform pushed through the crowds. Her eyes widened as she realized who it was: Rex.

Rex locked eyes with her and gave her the barest hint of a nod.

It took everything to keep her knees from giving out. The boys hadn't failed. She turned back to the man opining about his vision for the future, one that included very little room for compromise, she realized. She couldn't keep the smirk off her face as she watched Captain Rex make his way up to the podium to whisper into Palpatine's ear.

"You can't be serious," Palpatine said, flabbergasted as he turned to Rex.

Rex held up the paper in his hand, a pair of handcuffs in his other hand. "Governor, you are under arrest. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law-"

Padmé strained to listen to the charges above the Governor's protests and the murmuring of the press around her. Cameras were flashing left and right, almost blinding her as she pushed to get out of the room. She felt hot and couldn't breathe. It was suddenly too crowded for her liking.

Pushing through the crowds, she broke out into the cool night. She gasped for air as her hands tightened around the railing. Palpatine was arrested. The boys had succeeded. Justice had prevailed. She couldn't help the fit of relieved laughter that burst forth from within her. Turning her attention towards the sky, she felt the barest hint of a raindrop on her cheek. That was all the warning she had before the sky opened up and started to pour. Although she didn't have anything to shield her from the rain, she didn't care. She bent down to take her heels off, and then she ran.

Padmé ran until her legs burned, pushing through the residual pain from the accident. All she knew was that she had to get home.

Home to Obi-Wan, she told herself as she pushed harder and harder. Her feet slapped against the pavement as she rounded the corner of their street and caught sight of her apartment building. She took the stairs two at a time until she was in front of his door and knocking frantically.

"Just a minute!" Obi-Wan called from the other side of the door.

She bounced on her heels as she waited for him.

When he finally opened the door, his eyes widened as he took her in, "Darling, you're soak-"

Padmé cut him off by flinging herself into his arms and kissing him fiercely. She felt his shock abate and he quickly wrapped his arms around her, pulling her off the ground a bit as he kissed her back. His hands sunk into her wet, curly hair, tightening slightly as she nipped his bottom lip. He growled in response, causing her to pull back with a slight chuckle.

Obi-Wan cast a look back at his apartment before pulling her in towards his room.

Padmé looked towards Anakin's closed bedroom door with concern, but Obi-Wan just shook his head as he closed the door to his bedroom behind them and proceeded to push her up against it.

His kisses were searing as they roamed to whatever inch of skin he revealed as he peeled off her wet clothes. Padmé looked towards the ceiling as her breath caught in her throat. Then, she pulled him back towards her lips, her own hands frantically working to remove his clothes. Together, they walked back towards the bed before landing in a tangle of limbs.

They clung together in relief that they were free. Their bodies met over and over again, celebrating the fact that they were able to be in each other's arms despite all that had happened. It was fast and desperate as they experienced so many emotions at once. When they were done, they were laying on their backs, hands interlaced as they looked up at the ceiling.

"You did it," Padmé murmured, turning her head to look at him.

He took her hand and kissed it, "No, we all did it. But, I have to remind you that this isn't over." He groaned slightly as he turned onto his side. "We still have a trial to get through."

"Trials can take months," Padmé sighed, swinging her legs over the side of his bed. "And they might not even find him guilty."

"We just have to trust the process and the people's judgment," Obi-Wan replied as he propped himself on his elbow to watch her get dressed in borrowed clothes from his wardrobe.

"You have hope in the system?" she asked with a skeptical eyebrow.

"I have hope in people doing the right thing," he replied, pulling her into his lap to hug her tight.

"You're braver than I am," she chuckled.

"Or more stupid," he chuckled back.

"Hope isn't a bad thing," she murmured, kissing the top of his head.

"I suppose it isn't," he replied hollowly.

She tipped his chin up to her and planted a soft kiss on his lips. "I love you."

"I love you, too, darling," he smiled as she stroked her thumb against his cheek.

Reluctantly, Padmé got up and grabbed her wet clothes that were strewn across the room. "I should head back. I told Maul to wait up."

"Mmmm," Obi-Wan stretched as he leaned back in bed. "I would walk you out..."

"But you're quite naked. Don't scar Anakin like that," she teased. "I can see myself out."

"Good night, love."

"Good night, Obi-Wan," Padmé said, blowing him a kiss before seeing herself out.

When she got back to her apartment across the hall, Maul gave her a once over. Then, he poured her a giant glass of wine.

"You look like you've had quite the night," he commented.

"And we'll leave it at that," she winked, taking the glass from him and settling onto the couch with a sigh.

"So, I caught the news," he said, sipping his wine. "Does this mean I can go home soon?"

"If you want," Padmé replied.

"Your place is nicer than mine," he said absentmindedly.

"Well, you could always stay," she replied.

His eyes widened in shock. "Is that a serious offer?"

A thoughtful look settled onto her face before she turned to him, "We'd have to discuss it more, but, yes. I think it is."

She yawned, placing her empty glass on the coffee table. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need sleep."

"Good night, Miss Amidala."

"Good night, Maul."