A/N: I've given up apologising for cliff-hangers... I'm sadistic. Shoot me :)
The reaction to the previous chapter was so... well... honest. And I LOVED it! That's exactly the reactions I wanted. Yes, Anakin was in the wrong. I intended it to be that way. For anyone who thinks what he did was out of character, I'm sorry to inform you, but it's not. Anakin is unstable and has serious anger and jealousy issues: in ANY universe. He hardly received any consequences in Star Wars because he's a Jedi and killing people is, I don't know, somehow permitted? But, he's in our universe now. There's consequences. It's wrong.
I've mentioned to a few people that the previous chapter was basically based off an episode in Season 6 of The Clone Wars where Anakin does exactly this to Clovis (but uses Force choke and other such things as well) and it was bloody awful to watch. Cringe-worthy even. So, to those who picked up on it, nice :)
Don't get me wrong. I love Anakin. He's my favourite character because he's so flawed and has so many layers and is full of good intentions, but goes about everything the wrong way. It makes him such an intriguing character to write.
Please don't judge Padme too harshly, either. She's not known for making good decisions where Anakin's involved. He's her kryptonite, I guess you could say, just like she's Anakin's. Their R&J tendencies make my heart ache! *sobs*
Anyway, enough of my ranting. Enjoy! xx
By the time she got back to her apartment, Padme felt sick to her stomach. Every bone in her body felt heavy and lethargic. She was disgusted and horrified and humiliated and so, so conflicted, and it was eating away at her conscience. Padme had always tried to make the best of bad situations all her life; she always strived to see the best in people, as her mother had taught her, but it was straining her energy to find some sort of silver lining about her current predicament.
For the first time since they'd been together, or even for as long as she had known him really, Padme couldn't recall a moment where she was truly frightened of Anakin. She'd been angry at him, and concerned for him, but she'd never been afraid. That was, until now. Now that she had seen what harm his anger and jealousy could really do, it terrified her. Images of Clovis' broken and bloody face swam before her eyes as she trudged through the snow, and she had to hold back the wave of nausea that was creeping up her throat.
She'd never seen Anakin like that. It was like he'd turned into a completely different person – a person Padme wasn't sure she could trust. How could she trust that he wouldn't do something like that again? What if he did it to her? As soon as the idea came to mind, she shook her head immediately, ashamed. No. Anakin would never do that to her! He loved her. He'd never hurt her. But, she couldn't help the feeling of trepidation that swirled in her mind. The truth was, she didn't know. And that uncertainty scared her more than she could admit.
Her thoughts suddenly shifted to Anakin's confession, about eight months ago, of how he'd lashed out in anger and been charged for it. About how he'd attacked a young man with a baseball bat out of revenge. It was the same thing now. Anakin had attacked Clovis out of vengeance for what he had done to her.
Padme had forgiven him when he'd told her that. He'd been sixteen, and impressionable, and she'd forgiven him because it was in the past. Because he'd promised her that he'd left that part of his life behind, that he'd moved on and grown up.
Obviously, he hadn't.
With a heavy heart, she opened her door and stepped inside, wanting nothing more than to curl up in her bed for the next two hours and weep until all of her sorrow had disappeared. As she deposited her keys on the kitchen bench and made her way into the room, her plans were put on hold. Anakin was sitting on the edge of the sofa, head in his hands. Padme froze where she was. She didn't want to see him; didn't even want to speak to him. All she wanted was to be alone.
He had other intentions, it seemed, for he looked up and met her gaze. "Hey." The sorrow, the agony, the regret that trembled in his voice, that swam in his blue eyes completely disarmed her. The rims of his eyes were red – had he been crying? – and his bottom lip quivered as he looked at her. All Padme could do was stare at him; her throat had gone dry and any energy she had left was drained from her.
When she didn't respond, he rose and made to approach her. "Padme… I'm – "
She flinched away from him, stepping backwards, and a flash of pain crossed his face at her reaction. His hand was outstretched, hanging awkwardly in the air as though he wanted to reach out to her, but thought better of it. Swallowing, he sighed deeply and closed his eyes, raking his hands through his hair in defeat.
Padme eventually found her voice and muttered quietly, "You could have killed him, Anakin." The words rolled off her tongue reluctantly, as though she wanted to deny the truth, even though it was right there in front of her. If she hadn't stopped him… A shudder wracked her body at the idea. She didn't want to think about that.
Hanging his head, Anakin dropped his shoulders. "I know," he admitted sadly. He looked so small and vulnerable at that moment, much like the little boy she had known growing up and less like the man she loved. It was unlike anything she'd ever seen before.
"What were you thinking?" She asked him, voice barely rising above a whisper, for she physically didn't have the energy to speak. She was too upset.
At her question, Anakin slumped back onto the sofa, clasping his hands over his spread knees. He didn't look at her, and Padme was glad for it. She didn't want to see how much she was hurting him because she knew she would fall apart. Her resolve would shatter, and she couldn't afford to fall prey to his beautiful eyes right now. Not when there was so much she needed to know, to work out. She had to remain firm.
"I – I wasn't," Anakin responded thickly. Padme noticed that his entire body was trembling, and a part of her yearned to run to him and wrap him up in her arms, but she remained rooted to the spot, unable to move, for another, bigger part of her was afraid to even touch him. "It just…happened. I was suddenly so angry and…I lost – I mean...something just snapped inside me, and I just – I don't…" He exhaled deeply and then lifted his head up, once again meeting her eyes. "Padme, I'm…I'm sorry."
She only shook her head as tears spilled silently down her cheeks. "You frightened me today, Anakin," she confessed weakly through her sobs. "It was like you were a different person altogether."
His entire expression dropped, and his eyes widened in horror, once again standing up and stepping closer to her. "Angel, please," he pleaded at her softly. "Don't cry… I – I would never hurt you."
"How can I trust you?" She whimpered, slightly hysterical. Her chest constricted tightly as she said the words. Was this what heartbreak felt like? Because she felt like she was falling to pieces, her soul slowly crumpling as she became a blubbering mess in front of him. She couldn't handle the way he was looking at her, as though he was watching his entire world slip away from him, and she vaguely wondered if that was indeed the case. Was she leaving him? Was she breaking up with him? Was this the end?
She didn't know.
"How do I know that, Anakin? How do I know that you won't do this again? To someone else? To – to me?"
It was then she noticed that he was crying, too, as he stepped closer and gripped her arms, not tightly, but desperately. "Padme, I would never," he insisted, bending to press his forehead against hers. She felt his tears drip off the end of his nose and land on her lips. "I love you. I love you more than anything. You're my whole world, Angel."
His admission of love was her undoing, and she shuddered as a pained sob burst out of her. She knew that he loved her. And, she knew that she loved him. That was why this hurt so much. Because she loved him, and he'd broken his promise. He'd betrayed her and frightened her, and she didn't know what she was going to do. All she knew was that she was hurt, more hurt than she'd ever been in her life.
She exhaled shakily, pulling back so that she could look him right in the eye. "That's not enough, Ani," she told him in a small voice. "Loving me doesn't change what you did."
He sucked his lip in between his teeth, nodding his head slowly. "I – I know."
With a shaky breath, Padme bravely continued. "I've told you this before, Anakin. Relationships are based on trust. How can we last if – if I can't…" She broke off as she was wracked by another sob, before she swallowed her tears. "If I can't trust you?"
"Padme…" he muttered desperately as he ducked his head, lips seeking out hers but she pulled away, stepping out of his arms. "It won't happen again," he vowed, more sincere than she'd ever seen him. "I promise you, Angel."
Biting her lip, she shook her head miserably. "You promised me you'd left this part of your life behind you, Anakin. But, then you do this?" She put her head in her hands, feeling more tired than ever.
"Padme, I… I made a mistake but…it won't happen again. I swear it."
"You attacked Clovis, Anakin!" Her voice rose up, and it was only then that she realised how angry she was. "You promised me you wouldn't get jealous about him anymore. But, you just broke your promise. You humiliated me in front of the entire campus! I'm surprised Clovis didn't want to press charges against you, Anakin. He very well could have. You assaulted him! And, he's an attorney! " Her arms were flailing about wildly as she spoke, but she couldn't stop the wave of rage that burst out of her.
"So, you're defending him?" He snarled, crossing his arms.
Padme groaned in frustration. "This isn't about Clovis, Anakin! This is about you!" She sighed and played with the end of her braid, staring down at the ground. "Are you going to do this to every man I talk to? Are you going to lock me away so that I can only see you? Will that make you happy?"
"What are you talking about?" He demanded, frustrated and bewildered by her comments.
"Well, what else am I supposed to do to make you believe that I love you, Anakin?" She cried. "That I want to be with you and only you? Please, tell me. Because, it seems to me that you're determined to think I'm going to leave you."
"He's your ex-boyfriend, Padme. And, he wants to get back together with you. I think I'm within my rights as your boyfriend to not want you to associate with him."
Padme groaned in exasperation. "Clovis is engaged, Anakin!" she told him angrily. "That's why he wanted to speak to me. He wanted to apologize for how he treated me...and to tell me he was engaged! If you had just let me explain that before rushing in and attacking him, we wouldn't be in this mess!"
Anakin gaped at her, a little dumbstruck. "Wait…he's engaged?"
"Yes, Anakin," Padme sighed, exhaling sharply through her nose. "And, now he's going home to his fiancé, looking like that! If you'd come home to me after your ex-girlfriend's boyfriend had assaulted you, looking like that…?" She broke off, shuddering at the horrid images that flashed through her mind.
"Padme, I regret what I did," he insisted. "I really do. I didn't mean for it to get so out of hand. I just…It just happened. But, it won't happen again. You have to believe me."
It was then she met his gaze, her teeth sinking into her bottom lip. "I don't know if I can."
"Padme…"
"I can't… I just can't do this anymore, Anakin," she said miserably. It physically ached to say those words, but she couldn't deny the truth of them. The stress of their relationship, of his actions was too much for her, especially this close to graduation. She didn't know if she could keep it up. As much as it pained her to admit it.
He blinked at her, tipping his head to the side as he processed her words. "What – what are you saying?" he asked slowly.
"M-maybe we should have some… some time apart…" her voice broke off into a sob.
The look of horror on Anakin's face was simply heartbreaking. "N-no… Angel, don't – don't say that," he begged her, stepping forward to place a hand on her shoulder. "We spend so much time apart already… I can't bear to not see you."
His hand trailed up her neck to cup her cheek, and she closed her eyes at his gentle touch. It was awful that it had come to this between them, but Padme knew that she needed time to process what had happened. To make an informed decision. And, the only way she could do that was by not being around Anakin.
"I love you," she wept quietly, taking his hand in hers and pulling it away from her face. "But, I just can't do this, Ani. I can't keep wondering if you're going to lash out in jealousy any time I talk to another man. I – I can't keep defending you…"
"Padme… please…" The tortured expression on his face was horrible to witness, and so she hung her head, staring at the floor, so she wouldn't have to see it.
She swallowed. "I think it would be best if we didn't see each other for a while."
Anakin was silent for a long time, and still, Padme didn't look up at him. It would only be her undoing if she did. Eventually, she heard him sniffle as he muttered, "If… if that's what you want."
Nodding silently, she let her tears fall, spilling down her cheeks and pattering softly against the floor. "I'm sorry, Anakin," she whispered into the silence.
"Yeah," he responded thickly. "I'm sorry, too."
Padme heard him move away, pick up his duffle bag off the floor, and it was only then that she looked up, to see his retreating figure leaving her apartment. He glanced back at her over his shoulder as he stood in the doorway, and Padme whimpered tearfully as he met her gaze, holding her captive for just a moment, before sighing and shutting the door behind him.
Once alone, Padme sank to her knees on the floor and wailed, feeling wretched and heartbroken and more miserable than she'd ever felt in her entire life.
It took all of her fragile strength to remove herself from the floor and drag herself into her bedroom, where she flung herself onto her mattress and pulled the thick, heavy duvet up over her head. The tears continued to fall in a steady stream – she didn't think she'd ever cried this much in her life – as she curled into herself and shut her eyes. The pain in her chest was so agonizing, it was as though someone had sliced her open, broken her ribs and pulled out her heart, before stabbing it over and over again with a blunt knife.
She wanted Anakin. She wanted him to pull her into his arms and mumble soothing words to her, to feel his body pressed against her own, his lips against her skin, his strong, protective presence wrapped around her like a warm blanket. Yet, at the same time, she wanted to be completely and utterly alone. She wanted to stay in her bed for the rest of the day, hidden away from the rest of the world, from Dorme, from Anakin…
When it was time for her to return to her classes, Padme washed her face to rid the evidence of her sorrow, and trudged off through the snow, posture slouched and miserable. She was barely conscious of her feet taking each step, her body going into autopilot as she relived her fight with Anakin over and over in her head. It was a miracle she even made it to class on time.
Her focus was elsewhere. She stared blanking at her laptop screen, a blank page before her. All she could think about was Anakin. Had she broken up with him? Was that what had happened? Was that what she wanted? She'd said she thought they needed time apart, she needed space to think about what she was going to do. But, the way she'd said the words, and the way he'd looked at her...it felt like the end.
If anything, that knowledge hurt her the most. The fact that she'd basically ended her relationship with Anakin, and it had been all her fault. If she had simply not spoken to Clovis, or even acknowledged him, then Anakin wouldn't have reacted the way he did. But, Padme had given Clovis the benefit of the doubt, had wanted to hear his apology even though she'd told Anakin that it didn't matter. If only she'd dragged them both away before Clovis could introduce himself, they could have avoided this mess. If… if… if…
The guilt continued to eat her up for the entirety of the afternoon, and when she finally arrived back at her apartment after her final class, she was so drained of energy, so weighed down by her emotions that she contemplated skipping her important dinner all together. How could she possibly enjoy herself and make herself acquainted with experts in the field, when she was this upset, in this much turmoil?
Dorme had returned from her shopping trip and beamed up at her enthusiastically as soon as she entered their apartment. An assortment of bags were piled haphazardly across the kitchen bench where Dorme was sitting, evidence of what looked like a successful shopping trip, judging by the large grin on her best friend's face.
"Padme! You won't believe the bargains I scored today!" she announced proudly, but her excitement suddenly dissipated when she saw the state Padme was in. Immediately, her face fell, and she rose out of her seat, taking two tentative steps toward her. "Padme…Honey, what's wrong?"
Unable to speak, Padme just hung her head and sucked her bottom lip in between her teeth. Her satchel fell off her shoulder unceremoniously to the ground, but she neither noticed nor cared.
"Where's lover boy?" Dorme asked warily, scanning the room for a sign of Anakin.
At the mention of his name, Padme lost the last scrap of control she had been desperately clinging to all afternoon and completely broke down. She hugged herself tightly as her entire body shook with the force of her sobs. It surprised her that there were still tears left to be shed, after all the crying she had done before her classes that afternoon, and yet still they fell.
Dorme came and pulled her into a tight hug, rubbing her back gently as Padme sobbed into her friend's shoulder. "Hey, it's okay, it's okay," she soothed her gently, before pulling back, running her hands up and down her shoulders. "What's the matter? Did the two of you have a fight or something?" Her brown eyes scanned Padme's face worriedly, brows furrowed.
Swallowing her tears, Padme let out a shaky breath and nodded her head. She could barely lift her head to meet her friend's worried gaze, but summoned her strength and did so. Lip firmly clasped between her teeth, she nodded her head slowly, blinking back the tears that were determined to continue falling. It almost embarrassing how emotional she was, but she couldn't help it. She felt…lifeless.
"Padme, talk to me," Dorme insisted as she lead Padme over to the couch and encouraged her to sit down. She sank onto the sofa, eyes partially glazed over as she stared off into space, barely aware of Dorme's hand atop her own, rubbing her thumb over her knuckles. "Please. What's going on? You can tell me."
With a slow nod, Padme swallowed her tears and explained everything; what had happened between Anakin and Clovis, their argument, how Anakin had done something similar to this before as a teenager out of vengeance. At times, she had to pause to control her emotions, before recontinuing. It was only when she was finished that she realized, once again, she was crying.
It grew silent.
Dorme was looking at her in complete shock, eyes wide, mouth parted. Her hand stilled against Padme's.
"Oh, Honey…" Dorme sighed sadly. "That's… That's horrible."
Padme picked at her nails as she clasped her hands in her lap, a nervous habit of hers that she hadn't resorted to in years. It was telling of how much this ordeal was straining her, how much stress she was under. "It was awful," she confessed thickly, barely able to get the words out. "I've never seen anything like it, Dorme. It was like he – like he'd completely changed.
Dorme put her hand back over Padme's in a reassuring gesture, and the action stilled her hands. "So, what happens now?" She asked kindly, quietly.
Sniffling, Padme wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and trained her teary gaze on her best friend. She felt utterly helpless. What was going to happen? It was the most difficult situation she'd ever been in, and she had absolutely no idea how to proceed next. "I don't know," she muttered, meekly, licking her dry lips.
"Well, have you broken up?" Dorme probed her gently, giving her hand a quick squeeze of encouragement.
The thought made Padme whimper, and she hung her head. Her hands were shaking as they lay clenched in her lap, and no matter how hard Dorme squeezed them, she couldn't stop. She was a mess – a complete and utter mess. "I – I don't know!" She cried out, suddenly overwhelmed, and Dorme quickly pulled her into her arms as Padme once again broke down in hysterical sobs.
"Shhhhh," Dorme hushed her and ran her hands soothingly along her arms. "It's alright. It's okay."
"Is it?" She asked, her voice muffled by Dorme's shoulder. When she pulled back, Dorme wiped her tears away with her thumb, giving her a sad smile that she couldn't return. "I…I love him, Dorme."
"I know you do."
"I love him so, so much. But, I can't – " she exhaled in an attempt to control her erratic sobs. "I can't be with someone who… Someone like that! I don't know how I can – how can I forgive him for something like that?" She blinked at Dorme helplessly, as though searching for the answer to her questions in those kind brown eyes. "You didn't see him, Dorme. He was…brutal. It was terrifying. I can't be with someone who I'm frightened of!"
Dorme only nodded her head, a sign that she wanted to speak up but didn't know how to say anything without hurting Padme's feelings. Which meant she agreed with her. She agreed with breaking up with Anakin.
Of course, she did.
Padme knew that was what any sane person would do. Violence was never the answer, and a trait that doesn't go away easily. Padme wasn't stupid; she knew that Anakin's anger and violent behaviour stemmed from his youth, yet it worried her that he seemed unable to let go of it. There was no guarantee that it wouldn't happen again, and it wasn't a risk she was sure she could take – regardless of how much she loved him. She loved Anakin Skywalker…Not the man she had seen before her today, pummelling Clovis to a pulp. That man…That wasn't her Ani. That wasn't the man she'd fallen in love with.
"It's all my fault," Padme sobbed helplessly.
Dorme's hand shot out, covering her own. "No! Don't say that Padme. It's not your fault!" she growled firmly. "This is all on Anakin. Don't even think about blaming yourself!"
She nodded, feeling small and insecure. Of course, it wasn't her fault. None of it was her fault. But why then, did she feel so much guilt? Perhaps it was because she should have seen this coming; not to the extent of what happened, but something bad was definitely going to come of Anakin meeting Clovis. She should have foreseen it.
"Maybe he should get some sort of help?" Padme suggested after a while, still desperately looking for a silver lining of some sort, a hope to cling to that her and Anakin would be alright. "It might help him get better… With his anger…"
Dorme frowned at her. "You can't fix everyone, Padme," she grumbled, her voice short and sharp. "There are some people who can't be fixed."
Padme crossed her arms and pouted fiercely at her friend. "Everyone deserves a chance to change, Dorme. What kind of person would that make me if I didn't give Anakin that chance?"
"A smart one," was her friend's snarky reply. "Look, I've always liked Anakin, alright. But, he's… dangerous, Padme. What if he snaps at you one day – "
" – He wouldn't," Padme interrupted firmly.
"You don't know that," Dorme growled. "What if he does? Then what?"
Padme remained firm. "I know Anakin. I know him better than anyone. He's had a hard life… And he's a little… unstable at times. But, I also know he's a good person. He's good and kind and sweet and has a big heart, and I know he regrets what he did. I know that he can change. He has to..." Her voice trailed off desperately, like a last resort.
Dorme only shook her head in defeat. "Padme, I love you. But, you can be a complete idiot sometimes. Are you going to spend the rest of your life defending Anakin's actions?"
"No," she retorted stubbornly. "I'm going to spend the rest of my life helping him. I love him, and that's what you do when you love someone. You forgive and forget."
"Will he even agree to therapy?" Dorme asked weakly, a sour frown on her face.
"He'll have to, if he wants our relationship to work."
"So, that's it? You're just going to take him back and forgive him? Just like that?" Padme could hear the incredulity in her voice and shook her head.
"No. I told him we needed space. That's what I'm giving him. And…I need it, too," she admitted softly. "All this drama…It's giving me a headache. I can't think about these sorts of things this close to graduation!" With a heavy sigh, she massaged her temples. "We need to figure things out. I need to talk to him… properly, without our emotions getting in the way."
Dorme nodded her head, but her lips were pursed.
"You don't agree? You think I should leave him?"
"I just want you to be happy, Padme," Dorme admitted, giving her friend a weak smile. "If this… If you think this will make you happy, then I support you…"
Padme beamed at her friend and squeezed her hand in gratitude. "Thank you, Dorme. That means a lot to me." Suddenly, she felt a lot better, lighter, even. Talking to Dorme had lifted a huge weight from her chest, and she felt optimistic that things between her and Anakin would work out. They had to. Padme had sworn that she'd never give up on him, and she wasn't one to break her word. Anakin needed help, but she was determined to help him get through his demons, and she just knew it would help them both grow in the long run.
All they needed to do was talk. Some serious, heavy talking.
"So, do you know where he is? Is he coming back here?" Dorme asked, raising her eyebrows.
Padme shook her head. "No…" she muttered. "He just…left. I told him we shouldn't see each other anymore… But, he'll have to come back here. I mean, where else is he going to go?"
"Hmmm," Dorme mused. "I suppose so. Have you tried calling him?"
"Not yet," Padme explained. "I wanted to give him some space, and I'm not ready to talk to him just yet. I still need…time. I mean, what he did was wrong. He needs to know that. He needs to understand that I won't tolerate that sort of behaviour."
"Well, at least you're teaching him a lesson, I suppose," Dorme conceded, though Padme knew she was uncomfortable with the situation. Rightly so. Padme would have reacted the exact same if the situation had been reversed. And, perhaps Dorme was right, to an extent. Padme should leave Anakin – a part of her knew that she should. And yet, she couldn't bring herself to do it. She loved him, and she owed it to herself to try and fix it, to make things right.
Feeling brighter, Padme went off to change for her function, quickly hopping into the shower and washing her hair. She hardly ever straightened her hair, for it normally took too long as her hair was so long and curly, but she decided she wanted to look nice. So, she quickly blow-dried it and styled it into luscious waves, pulling her hair over to one side and pinning it, so that it cascaded over her right shoulder. With her hair and makeup out of the way, she dressed in her favourite little black dress; it had a high, rounded neck and little capped sleeves that hugged her torso, and then flared out form her hips to her mid-thigh. The entire garment was covered in a thin layer of black lace. To complete the outfit, she pulled on her black, pointy-toed stilleto pumps and chose her silver clutch, with a pair of long, dangly, silver earrings and a sheer, black shawl to drape over her shoulders.
As she was closing her jewellery box, she saw her Tiffany bracelet, the one Anakin had given her for Christmas. The sight of the turquoise pouch made her sigh sadly, and she took it out, fingering the shiny, silver beads delicately, and traced the infinity symbol over and over. Forever. That's what he'd meant when he'd given her that bracelet. It made Padme sad to think about how complicated forever with Anakin would be… Was she doing the right thing? Was it worth it?
Tears pricked her eyes as she thought about it, and she blinked them away, before clasping the bracelet around her wrist. She didn't want to think about the what ifs anymore. It would only make her second guess herself, and now that she had made her decision, she was determined to stick to it.
She looked herself over in the mirror for a moment, pleased with her attire, and quickly dabbed her wrist and neck with her favourite perfume; Daisy by Marc Jacobs, the one she'd received from her mother for Christmas, and she headed out to the kitchen. Dorme was dressed, ready to go on her date, and beamed at her nervously.
"You look gorgeous," she said kindly, nodding her head in approval.
"So do you," Padme commented. "Trey's gonna have a hard time keeping his hands off you, looking like that."
Dorme's cheeks flushed and she rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. I'm only in jeans."
Padme grinned. "Yes, and your legs look a mile long. It's not fair. You make me feel like a dwarf."
Laughing, Dorme shook her head. "Being tall isn't all it's cracked up to be, you know. Sometimes I'd love to be small and petite like you. Do you know how frustrating it is to tower over both girls and guys when I'm in a pair of heels?"
"No," Padme grumbled with a huff. "I only know how frustrating it is to be shorter than almost everyone I know."
"Oh, stop it," Dorme teased. "You're cute and adorable, and you know it. Now, go and have a good time tonight. Make the most of the bar tab, for me, will you?"
Padme giggled and winked at her friend. "You know I will. You have a good time tonight, too, alright? Don't overthink things. Just have fun!"
With another reassuring smile, Padme placed her house keys in her clutch and took her black coat off the hanger by the door, before heading out into the cold, February night. It was lucky that she didn't have to walk too far, and would be in a heated room all night, for it was so cold, she immediately broke out into goose-pimples as soon as she was out in the open. The short walk through the campus was enough to make her toes numb in her shoes, and she stuffed her hands in her pockets of her coat, in an attempt to warm them up.
There were more women than Padme had originally anticipated when she arrived at the function room. But, she barely had a second to look around before Teckla was right in her face, beaming at her madly.
"Thank god, you're here!" Teckla exclaimed exuberantly, flicking her long, strawberry blonde hair over her shoulder. She was dressed in a figure hugging red dress that reached her knees with thin straps and a low front, a pair of nude, strappy heels and glittery, gold clutch in one hand, a glass of rose-coloured wine in the other. Her red lips were parted revealing her pretty white teeth as she grinned at Padme. "I looked like such a loner! People must think I'm an alcoholic! This is my third glass of Moscato, and I've only been here for half an hour!" Her green eyes widened in horror, and Padme laughed at her friend. She was even more excitable than normal when she'd been drinking.
"Well, I'm here now, so we can be alcoholics together," she said, winking, and Teckla took her by the arm, leading her over to the bar.
The rest of the evening passed fairly smoothly – Padme forgot how much wine she'd had, or how much cheese she'd indulged in. She engaged in many deep conversations with her professors and a few of the special guests, and when she wasn't talking, she was hanging with Teckla, listening to her complain about all of her assessment pieces in mild amusement.
"Ah, Padme." She turned at the voice, seeing Professor Jamillia approaching her. She was a tiny woman of Eastern European descent and one of Padme's favourite teachers. "Good to see you 'ave made it."
Padme smiled at her professor. "Of course. I wouldn't miss it."
"'ow are your classes going so far? Are you enjoying zem?" Jamillia asked in her heavy accent.
Just as she was about to reply, her phone began ringing. Puzzled, she pulled it out, expecting it to be either Anakin or Dorme. It was neither – an unknown number. Excusing herself from the conversation, she hurried outside and answered the call.
"Is this Miss Padme Naberrie?" The unknown male voice asked through the speaker.
"Yes?" She responded, frowning in confusion. "Who's calling please?"
"You are the In-Case of-Emergency number for Mr Anakin Skywalker. I am ringing to inform you that Mr Skywalker has been admitted to Boston City Hospital after being the victim of a car accident. We request that you come here at your earliest convenience to record Mr Skywalker's medical details."
Padme froze, a gasp slipping from her lips. Anakin. Hospital. Car accident. It was like she'd been hit with a brick wall. Her brain went fuzzy. She couldn't breathe. Her chest grew painfully tight, and she clutched it, stumbling backwards until she hit the wall.
"Miss Naberrie? Are you there?"
The voice shocked her, and she slowly nodded her head. "Y-yes. I'm here. I'll b-be there as soon as I c-can," she stammered into the phone, before hanging up and staring into space. Images of Anakin's body lying broken and mangled and bloody on a hospital bed immediately came before her eyes, and she was suddenly overcome by a wave of nausea. She clasped her hand over her mouth and raced to the garden, where she proceeded to barf, from the shock.
"Padme!"
She was vaguely aware of Teckla's voice, and suddenly she was being pulled away, a napkin dabbing around her mouth. Padme wasn't even conscious of what was happening.
The world spun before her eyes and then, everything went black.
