Anakin felt a pull on the sleeve of his cloak. He looked up hesitantly, his clear cerulean eyes anguished. Padme's heart dropped in her chest at what she saw. Her Anakin was afraid. Afraid of her. Afraid of what she would say to him and what she would do. Afraid that she would hurt him. Never in her life had she seen Anakin afraid- and it broke her heart.

"Ani, Ani," she cried, tugging him up and wrapping her arms around him. She felt him tense, shocked- then wrap his arms tentatively around her. She hugged him fiercely, savoring the feeling of him in her arms once more. "Anakin . . . " She released him, only to seize his face in her hands and bring his eyes to hers. "I love you. A-And I . . . " Her voice grew heavy as a tear escaped, rolling down her cheek. Suddenly, his fingers were on her skin, brushing away the tear ever so softly, his touch blazing a trail of fire across her skin. Her brown eyes grew wide at the intimate gesture, so sweet and so Anakin- something she had never thought she would feel again. She grabbed his hands in hers, pulling at them tightly. "And that is never going to change, Anakin." She gave a choked laugh. "Do you understand me?"

He chuckled deeply, his eyes so blue and his voice so rich it melted her down to her very core. "I understand, Angel." He brought his hand to her cheek, slowly stroking it as if he was memorizing the texture and curves of her skin. "What did I ever do to deserve someone like you?" he whispered.

The familiar touch sent shivers down her spine, and then she was lunging at him, all care forgotten as she pulled his lips to hers. The kiss was wild and uncontrolled, their desperation for each other after twenty years of separation showing in every gesture, every move. Her hands clawed his chest, his gripping her curly brown locks so tightly it was as if he believed releasing his hold even the slightest would cause her to disappear. Their mouths seemed to bruise each other with the ferocity of their emotions, kissing the other as if their touch was their very oxygen. Padme didn't even realize she had started crying until she could taste the saltiness of her tears on their lips. Suddenly Anakin pulled back, holding her and wiping them away with a gentleness she had only recalled in her dreams. "Shh, Angel, don't cry," he soothed. "I love you, you know that? More than anything else in the galaxy."

She looked up at him, the tears clinging to her lashes like raindrops. "I know, Ani. I know."

And then she was back in his arms, holding him to her tightly like she would never let go.

"I could stay here forever," Anakin murmured, his face in her hair.

She giggled, the happiness encompassing her like a warm cloud. "We should probably go eat lunch. We can sit by the lake, like we did every day on our thirty hour honeymoon." He chuckled, running his fingers through her hair, making it hard for her to think. "A-Anakin, it's almost noon, and you must be hungry," she teased, poking him in the stomach.

"You're right, you're right, as always," Anakin agreed, reluctantly pulling away with a slight pout on his full lips. His face suddenly clouded in confusion. "Where are we going to get the food?"

Padme laughed. "You just have to contact your personal servant!" she said, running down to the lakeshore. "Watch and learn, Jedi Skywalker!" They burst into laughter, Anakin running down to stand beside Padme.

She reached into the folds of her dress and withdrew a small silver walkie. "You will get your own when you go to headquarters," she explained. Pressing a button, she said clearly, "Please deliver a full picnic lunch for two, complete with silverware and a blanket." She grinned at Anakin. "The service is actually pretty fast! It will be here in a few minutes. The robots know where we are because the walkie talkie has a tracker." She plopped down the sand, just a foot or two away from the waves. Anakin settled beside her, putting his arm about Padme as she lay her head on his shoulder. They sat like that for a while, him combing through her hair and she holding his hands tightly, both relishing in the presence of the other.

Suddenly, their reverie was broken, a small seaplane swooping towards them. It landed smoothly on the surface of the lake and glided towards them. When it had reached solid ground, the door opened and a robot that looked a lot like R2 came out, carrying a huge wicker basket. Another robot that looked very similar came out behind the former, holding a warm red blanket and two green cushions for the couple to sit on. Anakin stared at it in amazement as Padme greeted the robots thankfully.

"No problem," the robots said in unison. "It is always a pleasure to serve Miss Padme." They bowed and retreated back into the aircraft. As the seaplane took off, Padme knelt down and opened up the wicker basket. The wonderful smell of hot soup filled the air. Leaning forward, Anakin could see that two bowls of chicken noodle soup were placed neatly inside, on top of a stack of napkins. Two forks, two spoon, and two knives were placed neatly inside, and a place of delicious looking roast beef sandwiches was packed inside too. Water bottles and glasses of apple, orange, mango, and guava juice in a corner of the basket. Bowls of fruit, salad, and every kind of cookie were inside as well, making Anakin's mouth water. He probably hadn't had real food since his time as a Jedi, always having to eat the tasteless Imperial crackers that were fed to the Clone troopers.

"Wow!" Anakin nodded his approval. "Quite some service!" Padme laughed as they got all the food out and began to eat.

Anakin sighed in contentment, and she giggled, thinking it was the food- but it was so much more. He relished the fact that he could be with his Padme forever; no worrying about her dying, about the Sith taking over, about evil assassins, about anything. For the rest of eternity, he could relax and enjoy every minute with his angel.

Leaning forward, he kissed Padme. The water lapped gently at their bare feet. Everything was perfect.

Suddenly, he drew back, his emotions drawing back just enough for him to regain some clarity. "Padme," he said slowly, the agitation growing. "Our children!"

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