"Are you ready?" Anakin grinned widely, his eyes sparkling with excitement, his hands curled in the sheet that hid his completed project from view. The lab was brimming with activity, each work station home to a student's completed invention, each one ready for inspection for grading by Rex and the panel of judges brought in for this final exam. The room was filled with an excited buzz from all those gathered to watch the presentations, including students, family members, and faculty alike. And, to her mind, Anakin seemed to be the most excited of them all. He was practically giddy with it.
"You bet," she replied. She couldn't help but smile, finding his enthusiasm charming as always.
It had been just over a week since Padme had been released from the hospital and Anakin had brought her home in their new SUV, which they both decided was perfect for them (though Mindy continued to grumble that it was just another "Mom Mobile," much to their amusement). Already her left leg was fully healed; however, her rib fractures were still mending. But, thankfully, Vokara had said only one more treatment with the Force and she no longer would feel any sharp pains in her chest every time she took a deep breath or accidentally rolled over in her sleep. Her arm, still in the blue cast that ended just below her elbow, itched constantly, and especially at night her arm would ache. Vokara had given her some pain medicine to take at night, which helped her sleep, but still, she'd already woken up numerous times in the middle of the night the last week, groaning "ow" in pain.
Anakin had moved all of his stuff home from Obi-Wan's apartment and back into her…now their...bedroom permanently before her release from the hospital, and being a light sleeper, he had woken up every single time she'd cried out and had used the little healing knowledge of the Force he had to help lessen her pain, for which Padme was grateful.
You wouldn't know that looking at him now though. He looked well rested, a veritable ball of energy, with a smile stretching from ear to ear. While all of the other students were a little more dressed up to make their presentations (Padme herself wore a royal blue, capped sleeve, sheath dress that hugged her curves perfectly along with her favorite black pumps), Anakin still wore his oil-stained jeans and white t-shirt that he'd been wearing almost every single day for the past week while he made the last intensive push to finish his project. Padme had his dress clothes ready in a bag for him to change into, but he had been too excited to go ahead and show her his project, so she hadn't bothered to bug him about it just yet.
Padme smiled again at her husband. "I should be asking you that question, though. It's your final exam, after all."
Anakin rolled his eyes and scoffed. "Technology might be a little different here, but at the end of the day, it's not any harder to figure out than modifying a TIE fighter." Padme didn't really know what a TIE fighter was, but she assumed it was the type of ship Anakin had flown as Darth Vader.
She glanced around the workshop at the other students who were busy making last minute adjustments to their various inventions. They all looked pretty cool (although, she couldn't figure out what half of them were), but she had a gut feeling that Anakin's presentation would blow the competition away. "Go for it, Ani," she said with a smile, motioning with her hand that he should remove the drape.
With a flick of his wrist, Anakin whisked the sheet off of his project. "Here he is!" He announced proudly.
Padme's jaw dropped in shock. Before her stood a very familiar droid, a much beloved and greatly missed droid that had saved both their lives multiple times in their old galaxy. Anakin, grinning again at her stunned expression, reached down and turned the droid on, and the lights on the blue and silver domed head blinked on. Padme couldn't help but grin herself as Artoo twittered at them in his droid language.
"Why, hello again, Artoo!," She said with great pleasure, and Artoo's lens focused on her. He issued what sounded suspiciously like a droid version of a wolf whistle, which made her laugh (and Anakin grin) as memories of the years he spent by her side resurfaced in her head. "Ani, he's perfect! Just perfect! Really, I can't even tell the difference!" She looked up in amazement to meet her husband's sparkling eyes. "But, I assume there are differences, right?"
"Naturally." Anakin responded with a nod and another grin, and he had that look in his eyes that told her he was about to launch into a very nerdy, long-winded, technical spiel, which she would never understand and would only leave her with a headache.
"Honey, please remember, I don't know most of the technical stuff you do." She reminded him gently with lift of her eyebrows and a tilt of her head before he could start speaking.
His smile turned sheepish, and he cleared his throat. "Right. Sorry." He squatted down so that he was level with Artoo. "Obviously, the plugins in this world are different, so I modified those so that when he plugs into a computer, he'll actually be able to access data and other things. He also has some tools that would come in handy fixing different machines in this world. I kind of had a difficult time figuring out how to bridge the gap between our galaxy's and this world's available materials, so his wiring is very different than before." He patted Artoo's domed head, grinning proudly. "Still, I think I managed to not only give Artoo all his old functions back, but I also managed to give him the ability to have a personality. Isn't that right, Artoo?"
Artoo beeped and whistled in a way that sounded like an agreement to Padme. "Can you still understand him?" she asked.
"Oh, yeah," Anakin replied, and he reached up to his work desk and grabbed a bound packet of paper. "I've actually made a manual for anyone who wants to learn, too. If not, though, I also managed to create an app that will translate on your phone, tablet, or other PC. Plus, he has a display screen here on his side that his responses can be read on." He handed her his phone with a screen already pulled up. "Here." He then turned to the droid and said, "Go ahead and say hello to Padme, Artoo."
Artoo whistled and chittered, bouncing excitedly from leg to leg like he used to whenever he was happy about something. Sure enough, words appeared on both the phone and the display screen on Artoo's side. "Hello, it's nice to meet you, Padme," she read aloud, and she couldn't help but smile. "Well. He's much more polite in this world, isn't he?"
Anakin shrugged. "Give him time. Once he starts acquiring more data, he'll start developing more personality quirks."
Artoo made another series of beeps, bings, and whistles, and more words showed up on the two screens. "Oh my...Well, it appears I spoke too soon!" Padme said with a smirk, raising an eyebrow while Anakin laughed, shook his head, and then patted Artoo's dome.
"One other thing," Anakin said, "Artoo can also access radio, and if for some reason you need to make a distress call, he can…well, not broadcast a message per se, but he can get in contact with rescue centers and use morse code to get help. And, he can also access some basic television channels and display those video feeds, sort of like a projector."
"No way," she said, not because she didn't believe him, but because she couldn't believe how much work Anakin had put into Artoo with so little time and with not as many resources available as their old galaxy had. It just proved that when her husband put his mind to something, he really could accomplish anything.
"Yes way," Anakin said with a smirk, "Go ahead. Show her, Artoo."
Artoo beeped, and he immediately projected a relatively solid screen. It was sort of like the stuff he'd projected back in their old galaxy, except this was in color and it didn't flicker. She could hardly see Artoo behind the projection. This is amazingly cool, she thought, intrigued by Artoo's new abilities.
"…manhunt for ex-Senator Palpatine of California continues today," Padme immediately tensed up as she realized that Artoo had projected a news broadcast. The blonde anchorwoman began detailing the steps being taken by the US government to find Palpatine, and a picture of the former senator flashed in the upper righthand corner of the screen, now listing him as being at the top of the FBI's Most Wanted list.
Anakin noticed her tension immediately, for he cleared his throat and rubbed a hand over Artoo's dome. "That's enough, Artoo," He said softly, and the transmission cut off instantly. "Sorry, Sweetheart. I left it on that channel when I was testing it out last night…"Anakin said quietly, aware of how upsetting the news feeds were to her right now.
"No, Ani, It's fine. I'm alright, really," She said, but her voice sounded hollow even to her own ears, and she let out a small sigh, her shoulders slumping ever so slightly.
It had started after Anakin had come back from buying their new SUV with her dad. He had left the dealership alone in their new vehicle and stopped by Obi-Wan's apartment first for a shower (and a shave, much to her amused approval), grabbing his laptop before heading back to the hospital, and while she slept after their shared dinner (he had stopped and picked them up a pizza and some Cokes on the way back to the hospital), he kicked back in the recliner chair the hospital provided him to sleep on at night and worked quietly at the emails Ruwee had forwarded him. It hadn't taken Anakin long to decrypt the files (considering how well he knew and understood Palpatine's thought processes), and soon the full extent of the emails was revealed. Anakin wasn't surprised by what he found, not in the least.
Disgusted, yes…Surprised, no.
And, as Padme had suspected, all the files were orders for various assassinations or other terrorist activities. Even the bombing at the Ice Rink was included in there. And, even more damning, some of the emails (though, not all) had Palpatine's name specifically on them, as well as other information that linked directly to him. Perhaps the man had thought he was invincible and no one would find this information in this world— after all, it wasn't as if there were tons of Jedi actively hunting Sith Lords here on Earth. It still astounded her, however, that Palpatine had slipped up that badly.
It wasn't like him.
Her father, infuriated at what was found in the files, had immediately turned the information over to the FBI and CIA. By the end of the next day, Padme had had federal agents in her hospital room questioning her extensively until her head hurt about what she knew in regard to any of these events, and Anakin had gotten upset and finally demanded that they let her rest and for them to just work with the information they had. They didn't listen to him, of course, but instead had turned their questioning onto him since he had decrypted the files, and her headache had gotten worse with their seemingly unending questions and Anakin's resulting sour mood.
But, the evidence was strong enough that the FBI and CIA both agreed to at least look into the senator's dealings. It was when they raided his home, under federally issued search warrants, that they found the place in a complete shambles with a destroyed desktop left behind, and a missing senator. At the federal crime lab, technicians managed to pull some information from the damaged hard drive, and that was when it was discovered that Senator Palpatine was, in fact, a mole, a double agent with strong connections to the North Korean government.
That was when the international manhunt had begun (including the help of Interpol), and news outlets around the globe had not stopped talking about the updates the FBI and CIA kept releasing—if one could have called them updates. They all boiled down to the fact that no one could get a trace on him, and Palpatine had more than likely fled the country already.
As it was, if Padme wasn't careful, she knew she would get too wrapped up in the meaningless chase. Palpatine may have been found out by the government, but she and Anakin knew all too well that he had a backup plan, not to mention backup plans for his backup plans. He wouldn't be caught by some government entity or international police force. No, Palpatine could only be taken down by a Jedi.
And, since she was married to one of the few trained Jedi with full access to the Force (and the only one who was also a former Sith Lord) in this world, she had a sneaking suspicion her husband would end up being heavily involved in that hunt. It was not a pleasant idea for her to contemplate.
So, she avoided the news broadcasts as much as possible.
Now, however, was not the time to think about all of that. Now was the time to celebrate her husband and his marvelous achievement. Looking around the packed room, she could see the envious glances other students were throwing their way, and she couldn't help but feel proud to stand by Anakin's side as his wife and support him as he showed off his hard work.
Anakin stood up again, closing the distance between them, gently putting his grease-covered hand on her elbow. "Angel, are you sure you don't want to talk about it?" He asked her in a low tone, his voice husky with concern. Out of the blue, at the touch of his hand on her skin, a sudden shiver (which had nothing to do with her fear of Palpatine and everything to do with wanting to show her husband how much she loved him) raced down her spine, and it took all of her self-control not to drag him out of the student lab and back to their car so they could go home and celebrate together...privately...before Mindy got back to the house from her final exams.
"I'm sure," She said breathlessly, making Anakin frown in confusion. The confusion didn't last though, as understanding dawned in his eyes with a devilish glint, followed by a mischievous smirk across his handsome face.
He suddenly leaned in closer so that his lips brushed her right ear, his hand trailing teasingly down the skin of her right arm to her hand, their fingers intertwining. "Later, my Angel. I promise."
Looking up into his twinkling eyes, she cocked an eyebrow and gave him her most haughty and regal look, which only made him grin wider. "Why, Master Jedi, I haven't the faintest idea what you're talking about," She half-heartedly teased, and he laughed softly, his breath tickling her ear.
"Don't play coy with me, Senator. You know exactly what I'm talking about, my love. Just you wait until we get home." She could hear the anticipation and hunger in his voice, and she shivered again, as he made her go slightly weak at the knees.
Thankfully (or unfortunately, depending on how she looked at it), a familiar voice came on over the loudspeakers, making Anakin pull away slightly and turn to the front of the room where Rex stood with a group of very professional, official-looking people who were already looking at the myriad of student projects with varying degrees of interest. "Crap, Ani, you're not even dressed to present…" she began, but Anakin cut her off with a shake of his head.
"I don't build things and work in my dress clothes. This," with a sweep of his hand, he indicated his jeans and t-shirt, "is the real me. If they don't like it, then that's their problem," he shrugged. When she didn't appear to be reassured, he threw her one of the cocky smiles she both loved and, occasionally, loathed. "Don't worry about it, Angel. I'll make it work." He pulled her hand up to his mouth, kissed her palm, and winked at her. It was then she noted absently that she now had a streak of black grease trailing down her arm from her elbow.
Shaking her head, she didn't bother mentioning that she was always at least a little worried about him, so instead she leaned up and softly kissed his lips as Rex finished his opening remarks and the officials began walking around the room to examine the various inventions and interview the students. "For luck," She said.
"Angel," Anakin said with a sly grin, "You're all the luck I need."
"Congratulations again, Ani," Padme said after he had filled both of their champagne glasses.
Just as he had predicted, the 'exam' was a complete success—actually, more so than he thought it would be. If he was honest with himself, the major reason why he had decided to create Artoo in the first place and bring him to this world was so that he could have his little friend with him again. The exemplary grade he'd received was just an added bonus...icing on the proverbial cake.
In fact, he hadn't just gotten the full points on his exam. Rex had also submitted the plans he had drafted for his design to be reviewed by the school to earn him yet another full scholarship that would essentially last him the rest of his time at Stanford, and it was nice to not have to pay for school, especially since he was planning on some other major life events that would cost quite a bit of money.
But, that wasn't all. The officials who had been there with Rex were not just judges. They were also scouts, potential investors from various high tech companies. By the end of the showcase, Anakin had received multiple bids and offers to buy his plans and a few job offers to boot, any of which would easily allow him to provide for his wife and, should they be fortunate to have them, any future children.
He hadn't immediately accepted any of these offers. He took business cards from each of the investors, promising to contact them when he had reached a decision. Anakin wanted time to mull over each offer presented, as well as to confer with Rex, Obi-Wan, and Ruwee (all of whom he admired and respected very highly) to get their opinions and advice on what he'd been offered, before finally discussing it with Padme to get her input, and only then would he come to a final decision.
But, tonight was not the time to consider all of that. No, tonight was the time for an intimate celebration with his wife. Just the two of them... Alone at last. To say that the day's events had him in a fantastic mood was a major understatement. In Anakin's mind, there was no better way to celebrate than to spend one on one time with his Angel at home.
They sat on the couch, lights turned off, a few scented candles flickering on the mantle, and a fire crackling in the fireplace. Padme had turned on some soft jazz music on the CD player (which Anakin decided was both enjoyable and very soothing). The room smelled faintly of apples and cinnamon, and all of this added to the romantic ambiance as they kissed and cuddled together on the couch.
Anakin had showered and changed into clean clothes, a nice pair of khakis and a light blue polo shirt (Padme would kill him if he got grease on the furniture), while Padme still wore the blue dress she had worn to his presentation. Jedi was curled up in his new doggy bed by the fireplace, and Anakin could feel through the Force that the dog was already asleep. Anakin grinned as he looked at Jedi, remembering that when he'd moved back into their bedroom, he'd surprised Padme and bought a new plump pet bed for the dog to go in the living room (informing his wife with a wink, "I'm the only Jedi sleeping in this bed with you from now on, Angel.") He had also brought Artoo home with them from the presentation, and somewhere in the house, he could hear the droid moving around, likely scanning and mapping it out into his system.
Padme leaned her right side against him in contentment, and he immediately put his arm around her, gently bringing her closer. He kissed the top of her head, closing his eyes, nuzzling her mahogany curls as he breathed in her familiar scent. She was still too injured to do everything he desired to do, but being together, alone, on a quiet evening like this…Well, it was simply the perfect way to celebrate. He pretended that the house was just theirs, and that Mindy wouldn't be coming home later. Better enjoy the moment while we can, he thought, knowing Mindy would blow in the door and immediately demand to know how his presentation went.
"To second chances," Padme said, raising her glass toward him, a gentle smile on her tempting lips.
Anakin began to raise his glass to meet her toast, but he paused. "Second chances?" He asked, looking down at her curiously, quirking one eyebrow at her questioningly.
"Well, sure," Padme said, motioning around them slightly. "Who knew we would both be reborn here into a totally different galaxy? Who knew we would meet again? I certainly didn't know. I'm just so thankful that I remember everything now about us, and we're able to truly move forward in our relationship together with no more secrets between us."
Oh how he had thought about this very thing multiple times in the past few months—even more so over the last two weeks. At times, he still half expected to wake up back on board his Imperial Cruiser the Executor in that awful suit, and this would all be some cruel dream meant to torment him further. But, each morning that he woke, he found himself in their bed, covered in Padme's white sheets, one arm slung around Padme's waist, her hair a cloud of dark curls in his face. And, each morning, when he realized that it wasn't a dream, that he really did have his beloved Padme back, he smiled and carefully (so as not to bother her ribs) pulled her back against his chest, softly nuzzling the nape of her neck. Every morning as she yawned and woke, making cute little grunts as she stretched, he kissed her, softly at first, then deeper with increasing passion until neither of them wanted to get out of bed and face the day.
"You've got a point, my love" He admitted with a smile, "Cheers."
"Cheers," she replied, and he clinked his glass against hers before he drank the fizzy beverage down alongside Padme. It's good...very good, he decided, as he'd never had champagne before.
For a while, neither spoke, but instead they enjoyed one another's company as they listened to the soft music fill the house, feeling the warmth from the fire even on the other end of the room where they sat. It was all so cozy and content.
"Mindy is talking about moving out," Padme suddenly said.
It took all of his willpower not to shout in excitement. "Oh?" He asked casually, fighting to keep his emotions under control, though his eyes immediately lit up with a wicked gleam at the thought.
Padme wasn't fooled in the least. She playfully nudged him. "Oh, please, that thought makes you so happy you can't stand it, and you and I both know it. Thank you for trying to hide it, though." Anakin grinned sheepishly and shrugged, causing Padme to laugh again. "No, in all seriousness, she's decided that she doesn't want to feel like a third wheel, and she wants to give us our privacy. Although, she did say that she still fully intends to come bug us during the day, so don't get too excited."
"Drat," Anakin teased, earning him another nudge, and he laughed, pulling her closer and kissing her temple. "I guess I can't expect much else, can I?"
"So, what's the deal between you two anyway? Are you friends or what? I've always wondered," Padme asked, looking up at him, genuine curiosity showing on her face.
He shrugged and then sighed. "Well, I guess you could say it's kind of a love-hate relationship. In some ways, her boldness really impresses me, you know, but in most cases, it just drives me up a wall. Still, she did give me some good information on possible Jedi documented throughout world history on this planet. It was quite fascinating actually. She really knows her stuff. I may call on her knowledge again in the future."
Padme smiled wide. "She is full of surprises." She sighed and rested her head on his chest, and he kissed the top of her head again, enjoying the moment.
But, as they sat there in contentment, Anakin felt as if something was…missing. Not necessarily with him and Padme, but with…something, or perhaps someone, else. But, what was it?
"So, I have the memories from both my old life and this life, right?" Padme suddenly asked.
"Yeah," Anakin slowly replied, not sure where this was going.
"And, you only remember your old life?"
"Yes. What are you getting at, Angel?"
"Well," Padme said, and when he glanced down he could see that she was deep in thought. Force, she was beautiful. "I wonder what happened to the memories of this world's Anakin. Did he just completely disappear? Just vanish without a trace? Or, did your awakening in this world cause those memories to be suppressed? And, would it be possible to regain those other memories, too?" She shivered. "I don't know why I just thought about it. Maybe it's still just so strange that all of this has happened not once, but twice, and to both of us. I don't think I want to know how many times it's happened before with other people."
There. That was it. He realized with sudden clarity what was missing, and it caused him to sit up straighter, a jolt of anxiety rushing through his body. "What is it?" Padme asked, sensing his sudden alarm, and she pulled away to look at him in concern. "Was it something I said?"
"No," Anakin shook his head, frowning, his eyebrows creased in thought. "And, yes." He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, staring at it for a moment.
"Ani?" Padme asked worriedly, "Are you alright?"
"Yes, yes," He assured her, but then paused. If he did what he suddenly realized he needed to do, he doubted he would be fine for much longer. "And no."
"Well," Padme noted, "That's a comforting response."
"I'm sorry, it's not you, it's me…" He began, and that caused panic to flicker across her face.
"Are you seriously using that line with me?" she asked, her voice cracking, shock evident in every line of her face. This caused him to refocus on her, and he frowned in confusion, seeing fear in her eyes and detecting in the Force waves of distress suddenly rolling off her. Apparently, this was yet another phrase that had a totally different context in this world.
"I'm sorry, Angel, I'm not familiar with what you're referring to," He said patiently, and she breathed a sigh of relief and seemed to calm down, remembering that he was still learning this world's culture. It had to be hard, too, he realized, living with two sets of memories. It was probably confusing for her, just as being in this world was confusing at times for him. It made him realize just how much they still had to work through as a couple.
"Ani, I'm sorry. That's….that's a line people often use here for breaking off a relationship with someone." She softly replied, looking down at the glass in her hand, a blush rising in her cheeks. "Sorry. For a second I forgot…" she trailed off.
"I know." He leaned over and kissed her forehead tenderly and cupped her cheek, lifting her face to meet his gaze. "But I promise you, I'm not trying to do anything remotely like that, Angel. Believe me." He sighed and looked back down at his phone again. "No. It's just...Lately, I've been feeling like there's still one more thing that I have to do. Until right now, I didn't know what it was." He met her eyes, willing for her to understand all of the implications involved with what he was about to say. "I have to tell my mother the truth, Padme," he said softly.
Padme knew that next to her, Anakin's mother, Schmi, was the most important woman in the world to him. Padme had helped him through losing her back in their galaxy, and she had been there when he had reunited with her in this world. By the serious look on her face, Anakin knew that Padme understood just what he was risking. "Why, Ani?" she asked, "Are you sure you want to do this? What if she doesn't react well…"
"I know, I know," Anakin replied, running a hand through his hair in frustration, "But, my second chance at life doesn't just include fixing our relationship, Padme. I've had to work at fixing a lot of other relationships in my life as well, and I can't feel good or right about my relationship with my mom if I'm always lying to her whenever she asks if I've gotten my memories back. If Obi-Wan has never gotten his past memories from this planet's Obi-Wan from before he woke up here, then it's highly unlikely that I will either, and Mom just sounds so sad every time I tell her I haven't remembered anything." He took a deep breath to try to calm himself. "Like you, I never let my mother go either, and I have to let her go. I have to tell her the truth, and then let her decide what to do with the information. She deserves to know the truth about me, and about the fate of the son she raised in this world."
Padme searched his face for a moment, and he could see her mentally examining his argument carefully before she responded. "Okay." She finally said, "I'll support whatever decision you make, Ani. I'm here for you, and we're in this together." She reached over and grasped his hand, giving it a comforting squeeze.
He relaxed a little, smiling gratefully as he opened up the phone contact list and scrolled to his mother's name. Right before he clicked on it, however, he paused, glancing at Padme. "Stay with me?"
She gave his hand another squeeze. "Always."
Reassured, Anakin took a deep breath and hit the number and called, leaning back against the couch as it rang.
He almost hoped she wouldn't answer, but like always, she did. "Ani?" his mother's voice asked sleepily on the other end, "What's wrong?" She paused. "Did your showcase not go well?"
He let out a nervous breath. "No, Mom, the showcase went very well, actually, but that's not why I'm calling. I'm sorry if I woke you up."
"Oh, I was only almost asleep. It can wait." He heard rustling as she must have been sitting up. "Is this about your trip home for Christmas? You're still bringing Padme, right?"
"No, Mom, it's not that either." He paused, trying to think of a way to start. How did one tell their mother that the son they raised was replaced by an alternate galaxy son? Just go for it, he thought. "Mom, I'm calling because I have to tell you something."
"Okay," He could hear the concern in her voice.
"I wasn't honest with you when I said I lost my memories….I mean, I guess technically it's true, but it's also not the full truth."
There was a pregnant pause on the line. "What are you saying, Ani?" From the quiver in her voice, he could tell that he was on dangerous ground.
"Mom, what I'm about to say...well, it's going to sound...crazy to you, I know. You might not even believe me, but please let me tell you everything before you send me to a mental hospital." He almost wished she would refuse or hang up, but she didn't.
"Go ahead, Anakin." He couldn't read anything into her voice anymore. She was always good at that—whenever he got into trouble as a child, she had always used a calm, unemotional voice until she'd gotten all of the facts, and then she revealed what she thought about the situation. It was both admirable and frightening at the same time.
So, he told her.
He didn't just tell her about their lives and being separated. He told her about how he became a Jedi, how she had died in his arms, and how he had killed the Tusken Raiders who had tortured her to death. He told her about marrying Padme in secret. He told her about falling to the Dark Side and becoming Darth Vader. He told her about Luke and Leia. He told her about his own death and the Force giving him a second chance and about waking up in the alley here in this world, not knowing where he was anymore. He talked for a long, long time. He told her everything, and when he was done, there was yet again silence on the line. "Mom, are you still there?" He asked, half hoping that they had lost the connection.
"Yes, I'm here." Her voice hadn't changed.
Another pause, and she didn't say anything more, and his anxiety got worse. "You don't believe me, do you?" He said. Part of him actually hoped she didn't.
"Oh no. I believe you. That's too wild of a detailed story to be made up." He tried to read her emotions and again, there was nothing. His mother would have also been a good Jedi had she had the ability to use the Force. Perhaps that was why she had been chosen to be his mother by the Force.
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you before. It was wrong of me," He said, "I just didn't want to lose you after getting you back and…" He sighed, knowing that words weren't enough. He had just lost a child. He knew what it felt like. He still lived with the pain of it every day, and he suspected he would feel it at least somewhat for the rest of his life. He didn't think any words could soften the blow of finding out that her beloved son that she had raised was gone and would likely never return to her the same way ever again. "I'm so sorry, Mom."
There was another silence. Finally, she sighed. "I need to think about all of this, Anakin."
He couldn't tell if that was a good or a bad sign, but he nodded before he remembered that she couldn't see him. "I understand."
"Don't contact me until I contact you." Now this time, he did sense a bit of resentment in her voice, and he flinched as if she'd struck him.
"I understand." He paused, his heart heavy. "I do love you, Mom. I always have, and I always will." He couldn't help it. He had to let her know that. He had been selfish in lying to her since coming to this planet, sure, but the truth didn't change his love for her.
"I understand," She said. "Goodbye, Anakin."
"Goodbye, Mom." He said, tears brimming in his eyes as he listened to the line disconnect.
He let out a shaky breath and dropped the phone into his lap, staring at it, as if she would call back and reassure him that she was okay, that they were okay. Finally, he quietly said, "I don't think we're going to Idaho for Christmas."
"Oh, Ani," Padme leaned against him, giving him the tightest hug she could give with just one good arm. "I'm so sorry, Honey."
"Me, too." Anakin said hollowly, as he hugged his wife close and buried his face in her neck, letting his tears fall in her hair. Padme held her beloved close with all her might, absorbing his grief, sharing her strength with him , comforting him as only a wife can.
They stayed like that for a long while, neither saying anything, late into the night. They would get through this...together.
Whew! What a weird week. You ever have those weeks that are just weird, and a lot of it is for no real reason? That's my week this week. But, alas, a new chapter is here! It's a filler chapter, but an important one. I realized a long time ago that it was important for Anakin to come clean to his mother too. He can't go through life lying to his mother in that major of a way and be totally good with it if he's really changed. So...this was the result.
Honestly, the next few chapters will focus on how Padme and Anakin deal with their new relationship. They've changed and matured, so now it's like they're in new territory and they need to establish themselves in this new world of their relationship. But I've got fun things planned, so stay tuned!
Review! I love hearing from all of my readers, new and old ones alike! You all are just amazing. Stay awesome!
Love,
Sarah
P.S. To the reviewer who recommended the song "Hurts like Hell" thank you so much. I am in love with that song now and it is on my playlist!
