Oh look I'm updating again! this fic is genuinely so funny for me to write bc I dont work on it for a week and then I write a whole chapter in two days, like damn thats certainly one way to do it. I love doing this instead of hw its so fun to procrastinate ldjsflaksdjh

Warning: This chapter gets very slightly nsfw, so like dont read if u cant handle it. Not explicitly nsfw, but bordering on it. Just warning yall

Enjoy!

Chapter Seven: Marriage

Anakin felt hope rush through him at the sight of so many lightsabers flaring up in the stadium. The droidekas were quickly occupied as chaos began to reign, Jedi rushing into the arena as battle droids began to march onto the sands, blasters in hand and formation neat. A Jedi who the padawan had no time to identify tossed him a lightsaber and he ignited it, cutting off his chains and leaping from the panicking reek. He took a position in front of Grace and began deflecting the blaster bolts headed their way as she took measured shots at the opponents with a blaster she'd taken from the ground.

Anakin felt such gratitude for the Jedi, coming to save him and, more importantly, Grace. He would have let himself dream of their life together were it not for the utmost concentration required to defend her in the present. He whirled his lightsaber around expertly, creating an impenetrable green shield between danger and himself and the Senator. Speaking of her, she had noticed an unattended cart with a still-living beast attached, and with a shout to Anakin she ran towards it, the boy covering her as she ran for the cover.

The boy cut the beast free, using the Force to overturn the cart. Grace climbed inside, appreciating the cover, and continued to rain blaster bolts upon the plastoid army marching steadily towards them. They worked perfectly in tandem as if the universe had meant to put them together since birth, their strikes in harmony. The Jedi around them sliced droids and Geonosians alike into pieces, but they were getting slowly overwhelmed by the mechanical army. The Jedi were failing, more of them falling each minute as they were herded into a group in the center of the arena. They instinctively huddled around the cart, providing the Senator even more cover as she fired on the droids with deadly aim. Unfortunately they were vastly outnumbered, and the fighting ceased as Dooku addressed the Jedi.

"You have fought well, but our army well outnumbers you. Surrender, or die."

Mace Windu, sweaty and tired from fighting, answered him. "We will never join you!"

The droids cocked their firearms again as the Count opened his mouth, but were interrupted by the sound of ships zooming down from the atmosphere.

"Look!" cried Grace, pointing towards the gunships screaming down upon the arena. Inside were hundreds of white-armored humanoids, and the trained eye could also view one tiny green Jedi.

The army deployed quickly, the ships forming a perimeter around the survivors as the armored men took out blasters and began to fire at the droids. The Jedi and Grace were rushed to gunships, Anakin, Obi-Wan and the Senator ending up in the same one. They took off from the ground one by one, zooming into the sky. The arena portion of the battle had felt like seconds and hours at the same time, in reality lasting minutes. It felt as though they had no time to catch their breath as the battle began again, enemy ships rising up to meet theirs.

They weaved through the maelstrom of cannonfire until they saw a familiar figure on a speeder. Obi-Wan called, "It's Dooku! Follow him!"

The gunship, driven by a clone, swerved out of the way of fire from the heavy ground cannons as it pursued the Sith Lord, the passengers holding on tight so as to stay in the ship with all the turbulence. Grace, being a Senator and not being built for this, had the most trouble of all. She barely heard Anakin command the gunman blow up the fuel cells and the congratulations he got in the aftermath of a wise decision, the effort of staying on her feet too consuming. She could only stare out the open ship doors as battle raged around her, saddened that it had come to this. All that work against the military creation act, only to be thwarted in hours. Luckily, adrenaline allowed her to avoid thinking about her problems for a while.

The gunship zoomed over heavy artillery and a ground battle before it began to glide over smooth sands. Blood still dripped from the Senator's wounds, staining the floor of the ship. She assumed that she would get medical treatment upon arrival at a secure location, there was no way she could access it right now. So she had to endure mercifully dulled pain, adrenaline working to keep her strong enough to stay in the ship.

That quickly became untrue as a long-distance cannon aimed at the ship, the pilot's sharp swerve sending her and a soldier stumbling out into empty air. She landed hard on the sand, her stomach scratched by the rough grains as the breath was knocked out of her. She was able to roll, but that sent excruciating pain through her back. She flipped onto her stomach and passed out cold.

Anakin watched as Grace, who he had thought was finally safe, was thrown out of the ship at high speeds and landed hard on the sand where she rolled and then went still. Blood trailed her path through the sand, staining it red. He stared at the love of his life as she laid prone, and then turned to pilot with fire in his eyes.

"Put the ship down!"

"Don't put it down. Keep trailing Dooku."

"I said to put the ship down!"

Obi-Wan stared at his apprentice. "Anakin, you will be expelled from the Jedi order!"

"I don't care, Grace needs us! Put the ship down!"

The older Jedi turned to the pilot. "Don't put the ship down." He turned back to his apprentice. "Come to your senses, Anakin, I can't take Dooku alone! What would Grace do?"

He sighed. "She would do her duty."

Anakin hated the idea of leaving her behind, but they had flown too far away from her to be of any help anyways. The mission was more important than her, and he could feel she was still alive in the Force. He focused all of his energy on preparing for the fight ahead, knowing he would need to be on top of his game to face Dooku. He wanted revenge for the Separatist's actions against Grace, and he would get it at any cost. He would give an arm and a leg for her.

The gunship tailed Dooku's lone speeder, finally arriving at a hidden hangar. Not even waiting for the gunship to touch down the Jedi leapt from it and landed in a roll on a small landing pad that led to the inside. They took out their lightsabers but left them unsheathed, cautiously entering a cavernous hangar containing one luxury ship. Dooku stood in the middle of the hangar, clearly prepared to do battle with the two men before him. His lightsaber's blade was already out, and the two Jedi finally let their own blades wash the surrounding area in blue and green light. There was a bit of a staredown as nobody said anything, but Anakin broke the silence.

"I'm taking him now!"

Obi-Wan tried to reach out to stop him, but the boy was too fast. "Anakin, no!"

Dooku smirked and raised his hand at the young Jedi, sending a blast of Force-lightning at him that sent him off his feet and A Force-push into the far wall, where he laid still. Obi-Wan approached with far more caution, circling the far older man. His lightsaber was held in front of him in a defensive position that protected his body, prepared for his enemy to strike.

Dooku attacked first, His lightsaber striking out to meet the Jedi's. It was deflected, and they continued to circle. The battle started to pick up from there, blue blade meeting red in a series of loud strikes that washed the hangar in varying colors of light. The two danced across the room, trading blows in a harmony that many would find beautiful. It was a sight to behold as two masters of their respective styles battled it out, but eventually makashi proved more effective for single combat as he gained the upper hand.

Obi-Wan yelled out in pain and the red lightsaber struck his shoulder and thigh, falling to the ground in agony at the burning of the blade, his hands pressing down on the wounds in a futile attempt to diminish their sting. Anakin started to rouse then, pulling himself up with a grim determination as he saw his Master lay prone on the floor, the Count standing over him like the grim reaper. As the old man raised his blade the padawan sprung into motion, grabbing his lightsaber and sprinting to meet Dooku's blade in a burst of speed he had no means of telling how he achieved. He glared into the Count's eyes, holding strong against the lightsaber intended to strike Obi-Wan down.

Humor sparkled in the Separatist's eyes. "You need to be taught this lesson again, don't you."

"I am a slow learner." Anakin knew that that was not the flex he thought it was, but he was too busy parrying Dooku's attacks to care. He had to work hard to keep pace with the master duelist, lightsaber moving through the air in an impressive flurry of blocks and attacks while the makashi master barely moved his arm. He was starting to lose ground, but Obi-Wan was able to help.

"Anakin!" With a yell to capture attention the man threw his own lightsaber to his student, the young man catching it and seamlessly utilizing jar'kai. The padawan moved fluently with two blades, spinning and slashing to make his movements fluid. He was truly a sight to behold, a master duelist in his own right. The Jedi observing thought he may even turn the tide and win. Until Dooku fought back.

The Separatist leader swiftly disarmed the boy's left hand, bringing his red blade to Anakin's right arm to slice it off at the elbow. The padawan screamed, dropping to the floor in agony as he held his burning stump of an arm. Dooku stood over him, triumphant, and was about to finish him off as footsteps could be heard. The old man looked over to the hangar entrance to see the worst person to have possibly found him: Master Yoda.

The tiny green man hobbled into the room, his cane clanking against the floor. Anakin used his remaining arm to drag himself away from the Sith Lord, crawling along the floor to rest beside his Master. He couldn't find the strength to watch as Yoda threw down his cane, him and the fallen Jedi trading banter. He did not see the same Force-lightning that had incapacitated him be blasted at Yoda, did not see the green man catch it and throw it away like so much trash. He did not see their lightsabers meet in a blinding clash, the duo trading strikes in a frenzy. He was barely able to see when a pillar was thrown at him. Too weak to react in time, both defeated men just watched as it fell on its course to crush them.

They may have been too slow, but Yoda was not. The centuries-old Jedi Grandmaster reached with three-fingered hands to stop the pillar in the air, using immense effort to move the gargantuan thing away from the Jedi beneath it. As he saved them, Dooku jumped in his Solar Sailor and escaped, his ship leaving the hangar moments before a Republic gunship touched down. Out of it came several soldiers-clones, Obi-Wan knew-and Senator McNally. Her wound was still untreated, as she had insisted there was no time. She had rallied a small band of forces to help take on Dooku, but she was clearly too late. She watched his ship break the atmosphere, furious she had missed him. That fury disappeared, however, as she saw Anakin lying on the floor, his right forearm missing.

She immediately ran to his side, not caring if anyone saw as she struggled to lift his upper half into her arms. He was heavier than he looked and completely dead weight, still a little out of it as she stared into his eyes. Her right hand went to cup his face, and that seemed to rouse him a bit. He groaned in pain, but his eyes sharpened when he saw who was holding him.

"Grace?"

She smiled a bit, hugging him closer. "I'm here, Ani. What happened? Did Dooku do this to you?"

The young man would normally have made himself sit up by now, but he really liked being held by his badass space girlfriend. He was grateful for her concern, glancing at his now-missing arm as he told her what had happened. The Senator felt her face darken in anger at Dooku for hurting him, but she was distracted from that by the boy in her arms making himself sit up to wrap her in a one-armed hug. She was a little surprised at first but accepted immediately, reveling in his warmth. She was so caught up in it that she didn't even notice a now-conscious Obi-Wan give them an odd look.

Grace stood behind a curtain, the soft fabric swaying in the wind as it covered the doorway. She knew that Anakin was waiting for her, knew that C3PO and R2-D2 were in the audience, knew that a man was here to officiate. She held two flowers in her hands, a Naboo marriage symbol. Her dress had been made on fairly short notice, but her seamstress was one of the best. Naboo was known for its intricate embroidery, and that was showcased beautifully in her dress. It was of white carlini silk, light grey thread expertly sewn into the skirt to create a masterpiece of a dress. Her veil was sheer and she could easily see through it, and her makeup was a little bolder than usual.

Grace was not a Senator here, she was merely a citizen preparing to marry the love of her life. Many would tremble and be nervous, but she was not. She was sure in her decision to be wed to Anakin, more sure than she had ever been of anything in her life. When she heard Artoo play the traditional song of marriage on Naboo she pushed aside the curtain and stepped out onto the terrace.

Anakin's breath caught in his throat as Grace began to walk down the aisle. She was as beautiful as ever, radiant in her bridal dress. His ungloved metal hand slackened as he was taken aback by the moment, stunned by the reality that Grace was here and she was to be his wife. He loved her more than his teachings and the Jedi code, more than the Order he served. He was meant to be 'escorting her back to Naboo', but instead he was using this time to break more rules than he had ever broken in his life. He didn't care; she made him happy.

On steady feet Grace reached the altar, taking her place facing Anakin. She handed him one of the flowers, as was customary of Naboo tradition. The officiator said some ceremonial words and then she spoke her vows, pledging loyalty and love. It then came turn for him to say his.

"I know that I do not have much to give you, for I have no possessions. But I will give you my whole heart, it is yours even after the day I die. I will love you forever, our marriage proof of our shared bond. When we die, the Force will take us and join us once more, for we are meant to be together. I love you, and nothing will keep us apart. Not the Jedi Order, not the Republic, nothing. I will stay with you through light and dark, wellness and sickness, night and day. My hands are yours, Grace."

She felt tears well in her eyes at the honest way he bared her heart to her, the way he gave her everything and expected nothing back.

The officiator turned to Anakin. "Do you, Anakin Skywalker, take Grace McNally as your lawfully wedded wife?"

He smiled. "I do."

"And do you, Grace McNally, take Anakin Skywalker as your lawfully wedded Husband?"

"I do"

He turned back to Anakin. "You may now kiss the bride."

She felt her face split into a radiant smile as he swept her off her feet, dipping her to kiss her sweetly on the lips. She deepened the kiss, holding him tightly as he supported all of her weight with his broad shoulders and muscular build. They breathed each other in, eyes closed as their kiss said all their vows couldn't. The officiator watched awkwardly as the kiss lingered, but eventually they broke apart to embrace. Artoo tootled in joy.

Grace giggled as she and Anakin ran through the catacombs, a wedding fantasy she had had since she was a child. She had lifted the skirts of her dress scandalously high as she ran, doing it both for mobility reasons and to tease Anakin. She had discovered a catacomb-like cave system near their wedding venue and had arranged immediately for them to be set, blindfolded, in a random corridor to make their way out. They had, of course, removed the blindfolds, and they were now having a great time pretending they were trying to find the exit.

The Senator's giggle turned to a squeal as her new husband, who had been pretending to be a minotaur chasing her, caught up and lifted her by the waist, pinning her against the stone wall. The catacombs were dimly lit, so they needn't worry about carrying a lamp, and that made it all too easy to see the mischievous joy on her face as she looked down at the "minotaur".

She smirked. "Oh no, you've caught me! What are you going to do to me now?"

He grinned at her, the same devilish spark in his eyes. Moving closer to pin her with his body, he answered, "This."

He covered her lips with his, holding her against the wall as they kissed. Her hands went to the back of his neck and across the back of his broad shoulders, one leg hooking around him in an attempt to bring him closer as if they weren't already pressed together. He trailed a path of kisses down her neck and she moved to twist her fingers in his short hair, savoring it when his hands slid down her hips to rest under her legs, holding her even more against the wall as her legs wrapped around him fully.

They continued to kiss until they finally broke apart, gasping for breath and very pleased. Grace got back onto the ground on her own two feet, and the duo continued down the catacombs as if nothing had happened. They worked well together, navigating the caves, and after a few minutes Grace took it upon herself to surprise Anakin. Before he could react she grabbed him by the collar of his Jedi robes and pressed him against the wall, kissing him as he had her. He smiled against her mouth and held her waist as she pinned him against the cave, knowing that this would be a lot more fun if the ground were soft enough to comfortably lie on. They were in sync, mouths moving together in this cave, protected from the judgemental eyes of the world.

They were happy here. Grace and Anakin belonged together.

End of chapter!

Notes:

-Wow i saw this getting nsfw and i was like "nopenope gotta tone it down"

-Is it easy to tell ive never been kissed? Probably lmao

-I made up the naboo flower thing, i thought it would be a cute idea

-Yes i may or may not have stolen the catacombs thing from your video abt ur childhood fantasies, sue me

-It always makes me cringe when padme just rolls on the sand over her open wound, but I couldn't find a way to take it out without removing the fall altogether

-Next chapter will take place during tcw, so dont be confused when the timeskip happens loll

-Anakin: pure of heart, dumb of ass (no thats not an original quote)

Tune in next time for chapter Eight!