Chapter III: War is over
Padmé looked over and over again through her balcony, but no matter how much she stretched her eyes, there was no sight of Obi-Wan.
Afraid for her old friend at first, she hoped with all the strength she had in her, for his life, wishing the clones wouldn't find him. But as her eyes moved towards the Jedi temple, she remembered where her loyalty was supposed to be.
She shuddered. With the Empire? No, never! She could never accept a form of ruling so tyrannical. So where must she put her trust?
Her hands traveled from the veranda of the balcony towards her huge belly, she rubbed it, and said to herself and to her child, "with our family. My loyalty is to no one but our family. The republic is dead, my career as good as over; and I will never be able to support the empire, nor trust the Jedi—the remaining Jedi—my husband. Oh Anakin, I wish you will come home soon!"
What if Obi-Wan manages to find him?
As small as the possibility of learning of his trip to Mustafar is, it's not impossible.
And they have the Force. Sometimes they communicate through it. And Anakin was always so close to Obi-Wan—oh, how it hurts to think of their broken friendship!
Could Anakin be capable of the things Obi-Wan said?
As small as the possibility is, it's not impossible—
Her mind takes her back to her second visit to Tatooine, and it was not very pleasant… I slaughtered them like animals! He had roared. But then she thinks of their laughter, that joyous laughter they had had together, alone, through the fields of Naboo; their first kiss on Geonosis, after she confessed her love; their wedding, and wedding night… all the countless times he told her he loved her…; and all the times he risked his own life to save, not just her life but that of many friends during the Clone Wars, and his boyish, lovely smile, those dreamy blue eyes—oh it is impossible!
A sharp pain now runs through her, starting from her throat to her stomach, it is a pain that perhaps she had experienced before, that pain that comes when one worries too much, and before, she had been able to take it like a champ, but now… she had to be strong not just for herself but for the life she was carrying.
In vain she tried to cry for help, her voice was nowhere to be found. "Threepio!" she would've screamed if her strength hadn't left her and if every ability wasn't cloaked by that harsh pain.
Oh, oh, ow! She moaned, silently, and again tears streamed down her gorgeous face.
Slowly, very slowly she tried to walk inside, but any small movement destroyed her, making her feel like a thousand knives going into her, at the same time.
Her hands couldn't leave her belly, where all the pain was now accumulating. She closed her eyes, she shut them really hard as if with that action she could diminish the pain.
Had it been another woman, and not Padmé Amidala, she would've fallen to the floor already.
But she couldn't give up, not before learning of what had happened to Anakin.
Oh, I wish he would come, already!
When she managed to open her eyes, she saw him like a vision, coming home to her, with a smile on his lips, ready to kiss her, like every time… but the vision didn't have that bright smile anymore, not this time. It had a harsh grin like that of a wild animal—some dangerous predator, and his eyes—where were the dreamy, blue eyes? She saw there, like in the eyes of a poisonous snake, a strong yellow shade…
Suddenly she felt herself being carried, and a strange voice asking her questions, nothing was tangible. Everything was a blur. And unable of holding on any longer, she shut her eyes again, this time to unconsciousness.
When Padmé opened her eyes again there was no pain in her anymore.
She just felt strange, so very strange, as if she couldn't remember anything that had happened. She looked to her right and saw her medical droid. Next to it was C-3PO, and next to it was—R2D2. That could only mean one thing. But it scared her to see the Sith lord. Sidious' apprentice…
She made a slight noise… mmh …mmh… C-3PO reacted immediately, crying all kinds of things, indescribably happy, while R2D2 released a bunch of joyous bips.
"Oh, quickly Artoo, call master Anakin!" 3PO said. "Do hurry, he left us specific orders…"
"Wait, Threepio," Padmé stopped him. "Anakin is here?"
"Yes, madam. He was the one who found you while you had your panic attack in the balcony."
"I had a panic attack?"
"Well, something of that kind. The emdee couldn't give us a proper explanation, and that was one of his many diagnostics."
He went on saying how incompetent everyone seemed, unlike him, who always gave a clear answer when questioned. Padmé allowed herself to smile and even laugh a little. "Oh, Threepio, how much I love you," she suddenly said. The droid thought the comment a little out of place, though certainly true and obvious. At the word "love" Padmé put her hands on her belly, and felt how it was still so big, she gave a deep sigh of relief, learning that her little painful scene hadn't affected her son at all.
As the medical droid shut C-3PO, to explain the condition of the senator, the bedroom door was opened, and Anakin Skywalker walked into the room.
"Threepio, didn't I tell you to let me know immediately when she wake up?" he said, though there was hardly anything of harshness in his voice. It was extreme preoccupation and tiredness. As he ran towards her, Padmé couldn't help but to shrink in fear, fear for the Sith lord that was coming her way. But, was that even a Sith lord?
She now could remember her strange vision of him, with that strange darkness… those daring yellow eyes. And they were not here, not in this room, not in Anakin.
He was still her loving husband. He sat himself next to her in the bed, and he put his strong, long arm around her, and she by instinct, laid her head on his shoulder while waiting to be covered in kisses.
"Leave us," Anakin said, and she thought of how crazy she would have to be to stay alone with a dark Force user. Luckily for her, that was not the case with Anakin.
Obi-Wan had lied! She thought, not even bothered, too relief to even feel anger.
As they kissed she shed tears of joy, and she grabbed him tightly, afraid that if she let go of him, he would leave; but that could never happen now. They were together, and they were in love. He was a good man and no matter what could happen next, they would be all right.
"What's the matter, darling?" he asked, his voice trembling. "Are you in pain again? Hang on, let me get the medical droid—"
"No, Ani. Don't. I am fine, my love."
"Then, what's wrong? Why are you crying?"
She took a deep breath, and after steadying her voice, said, "Oh, Ani, I am just so happy to see you! To be in your arms again, I've missed you so much!"
He now seemed to breathe easier.
"Oh, Padmé! I've missed you like you can't even imagine. I've thought about you all the time, I—didn't sleep for fear of seeing you in my nightmares."
She vaguely recalled he had been having some bad dreams about her, dreams like the ones he had before his mother died.
"And when I got here—I knew you'd be out in the balcony, enjoying the sunset that we've watched together so many times. And when I saw you, oh Padmé, I almost jumped to my death! I would've preferred to die, before watching you—"he stopped, choking in his own words. Then, he fixed his gaze on her, unable of doing anything else. When he could recover from the memory, he continued. "I stayed up all night watching you, and it was the most torturous moment of my life, right there. I would take a century of the Clone Wars before having another night like that. It was almost exactly like in my nightmares, but it was so different, having to stand next to you, watching you scream in pain—while I was incapable of stopping it. I swear I never felt more useless in all my life."
"Oh, Ani!" she cried, extremely moved. She didn't remember screaming in pain at all, and she wished he hadn't been there with her, after all. Those memories would probably hunt him for the rest of his life.
"You look so tired, Padmé. And I can't stand it. You must rest. You must get well, soon. If I have to tie you to the bed I will do it."
"Tie me to the bed? Be quiet Anakin or someone might hear you."
"Padmé!" they both laughed. "Anyway, you're not going to work at all, you hear me? I need you, love, I need you too much. I've done so much to keep you safe, and I will continue until the day I die."
He suddenly turned grim. The light seemed to fly away from his face, and Padmé, a little worried, asked him what was wrong.
"Ah, it's probably nothing."
"Tell me."
"Well, when I arrived last night. You—you didn't seem too happy to see me. It's probably just my nerves, but I can't lie Padmé. It hurt me like a lightsaber to the chest. It might be my selfish attitude, and it was just the fact that you were in so much pain, but—I don't know."
She coughed, awkwardly.
"Let's not talk of unpleasant things anymore. You're finally home and we should celebrate. I can take a break from my 'rest' to have dinner with my husband. Come on, what do you say?"
"I say I might actually have to tie you to the bed. Padmé, you shouldn't go out. But if you want, we can have dinner here."
"Sounds wonderful, my love."
"All right, then. I'll go order our dinner. And while I'm gone, don't you dare worry about anything, my love."
"No problem. I've worried enough this last few days…"
"What?" he stopped. "What have you been worrying about?"
"Um," she mumbled. "Nothing. Forget it."
"If I only could! Tell me Padmé. Don't hide things from me."
She started to shake. "I've been worrying about you."
"Why?"
"Because…" she simply couldn't mention the things Obi-Wan had told her, not yet, anyway. "Because I didn't know how your trip to Mustafar with the Separatists went."
It technically wasn't a lie, though she hid most of the truth… but well, from a certain point of view…
"Oh, I forgot to tell you! It was actually the main reason that brought me here with so much haste. I just needed to let you know, Padmé, I wanted for you to hear it first from me, and you probably already know, but you don't know that it was me. I did it. I finished the war!" he talked with mighty pride.
"Ani?"
"The Separatists lost. We have peace again!" he said, ecstatic.
"And the Republic is dead," she said with profound pain.
He stared at her.
"It had to die."
"Why, Anakin? Oh why did it have to end this way?"
"It hasn't ended. It's barely just getting started. Many changes will come, and they will only benefit you."
She shuddered at the sudden change in his voice.
"Ani..." she wanted to scream all the things Obi-Wan told her. But actual fear prevented her. Not fear at Anakin, but at losing him and the man she knew and loved. "If I look tired it's not from pain, but for the hours I've stayed up worrying about you."
"You think you're the one who's been worry…" he said harshly and a bit bitterly. "You have no idea what it's like to see the future through the Force, especially when that future is so horrifying. You would actually prefer to make the present a nightmare, just to secure your future…"
"Anakin, what are you talking about?"
"Forget it."
She ran her soft fingers through his hair, and she kissed him repeatedly.
"Seems like we've both been missing too much sleep thinking about the other. Let's make a promise right now, and never break it. We shall never spend another night apart. So we can always be there for each other, whether it is to comfort the other or to fight like savages, I don't care. Just promise that we'll always be together, please Ani."
"Yes," he said, half smiling. "Soon we will never have to be apart. But all in time, my love. The war might be over, but I have a lot of responsibilities now. There is one thing I have to do… after that, I can promise you, we'll never spend another night apart."
"Why can't you promise me now?"
"Just wait Padmé, please. Wait for me."
"Always."
"Soon, all will be like you want it, my queen."
"Queen?" she laughed. "I don't think you've ever used that term of endearment before. I don't even think anyone's referred to me that way, in a really long time. Since I was queen of Naboo."
Now he laughed. "Get used to it, my love. You will be call queen every day. Get used to it."
She smiled, he could still be so romantic with her!
Padmé made a move to get out of bed, and she walked towards her gigantic closet, looking for something to wear that would ensure her husband's jaw to drop.
Anakin chased after her.
"What are you changing for?" he asked, still like floating in the clouds, in love. "Weren't we going to have our dinner here?"
"Yes, but that doesn't mean I can't look nice for my husband."
"You are always perfect to me." He said, throwing his arms around her.
"Ani, stop! I have to get dress!"
He was still laughing when he left the room.
It was a wonderful evening.
It was the last time they would experience such full bliss.
The next night they both thought the occasion could be repeated, but there were a lot of responsibilities calling Anakin.
He was not a Jedi anymore and they still stole him from her arms? How exactly was that better? Well, she wouldn't have it!
Padmé chased him throughout their home, yelling there was no way she would let him go that night; and as he had turned all the lights out, she could only follow his joyous laugh, covering the halls.
Padmé heard his steps and laughter even more prominent now, so she knew he had no way of escaping. She reached him from behind and grabbed him tightly. He walked onwards, trying to find the bedroom, and as he walked, he almost dragged her through the floors; suddenly Anakin stopped, confusing her, since they were still a few steps too far from their destination… and she felt his body grow tense, all his muscles tighten, and his skin turn hot. She tried to call his name, but it was useless. He broke away from her and continued to walk through the hall. Padmé tried to follow him, but she had to be very careful, or else, the darkness could have made her trip, fall nastily to the floor. Suddenly the darkness of the place wasn't their biggest problem. The room was illuminated, by the strong shine of a blue lightsaber. And behind it, the face of Obi-Wan was revealed. Seconds later, another blue blade was ignited, hanging from Anakin's hand.