Chancellor Palpatine looked out of the window of his chambers for a long moment, his hands folded thoughtfully in front of him, as he watched the bustling city far below him.
"Anakin," he said, as he turned around and looked at the young Jedi who stood, respectfully, beside him, "are you sure that you've both made the right decision?"
"Yes, your Excellency," Anakin said, nodding his head, as Palpatine regarded him, a deeply concerned expression on his face.
The Chancellor nodded his head, slowly, and then, lowering his eyes toward the floor and taking a long, pensive breath, he walked slowly from the window, back toward the center of his chambers. "This is indeed a serious loss," he said, somewhat sadly. "To lose Senator Amidala's presence in the senate is devastating indeed, but to suffer your loss to the Jedi as well..."
He paused for a moment, and looked up at Anakin as he came and stood beside him. "I'm sorry, Anakin," he said, offering a weak smile to the young Jedi who stood beside him. "This news just comes as something of a shock."
"I know, and I'm sorry, your Excellency," Anakin said. "That's why I came to give you the news personally." Anakin paused, and then nodded to Palpatine once again. "I felt I owed you that," he said, quietly.
Palpatine smiled at him, and then reached up and patted the young Jedi firmly on the shoulder. "Thank you, Anakin," he said. "And please," he continued, "Forgive me. I was being selfish."
"This is a joyous occasion for the both of you," Palpatine said, his demeanor brightening, as they walked slowly toward the entrance to the Chancellor's ornate chambers. "Will you be staying here, on Coruscant?"
Anakin's instincts to protect Padmé were still in full swing. He had never had any reason not to trust Chancellor Palpatine; indeed, he was one of the few people that he had trusted in the past. Palpatine had always been a good friend to him, almost a second mentor, offering words of encouragement when he had needed them most. Yet, Anakin now trusted his own instincts and judgment much more than he had in the past, and he felt it best to continue to keep certain things to himself.
"For a time," Anakin said, nodding at the Chancellor once again. "We haven't really made plans beyond that at the moment."
Chancellor Palpatine looked at him for a long moment, and then patted his shoulder again. "You will both be sorely missed, Anakin," he said, finally. "I hope that you will give your new bride my warmest regards," he said with a smile, "and my sincerest thanks for her years of tireless service."
'I will, your Excellency," Anakin said with a smile, "and thank you. I'm sure that she'll appreciate it."
"Are you certain I can't convince you both to reconsider?" Palpatine asked, lifting his eyebrow with a sly, thoughtful expression.
"Absolutely, your Excellency," Anakin smiled back at him in reply.
"Well," Palpatine said, "I'm sure you're anxious to be on your way, Anakin," he said, as he escorted his young friend to the door of his chambers. "I wish you both a long and happy future together."
"Thank you, your Excellency," Anakin said, as he watched the Chancellor open the door for him. Anakin took a step back and, turning to face Palpatine, he bowed politely toward him. "Goodbye, your Excellency," he said. "And thank you for everything."
"Goodbye, Anakin," Palpatine smiled in reply, and he watched as his young friend turned and walked slowly out of his chambers, and then closed the door behind him.
Anakin took a few steps away from the door to the Chancellor's chambers and then stopped, suddenly.
He wasn't sure exactly what it was that he sensed; he was still becoming accustomed to his newfound oneness with the Force. Yet there was no denying what he felt; something dark and elusive, deceptive and distant, yet vaguely familiar. Whatever it was, however, it caused the hair to stand up on the back of his neck.
He turned and looked back toward the Chancellor's closed doors thoughtfully for a long moment, and then, very slowly, he turned and walked down the long hallway toward the exit of the Republic Senate building.
Padmé sat quietly on the couch in the main living area, her book in her lap, as she waited for Anakin to return from his visit to the Republic Senate building.
He had asked her if she wanted to go with him; but her relationship with the Chancellor had always been more of a professional one. She knew what a close friend Palpatine had been to him, and she felt that this was something he needed to do on his own, so she had kissed him warmly and sent him on his way. He had assured her that he wouldn't be long, and she expected him back at any moment.
"Mistress Padmé," Threepio called, as he walked from the bedroom, their travel cases securely in his hands, "would you like me to go ahead and take these up to the ship?"
Padmé looked up from her book with a smile, and, just as she started to respond, she heard the door open. She turned around quickly and watched as Anakin walked in the door, and closed it behind him.
"Welcome back," she grinned, as she placed her book on the table and walked to meet him at the door.
Anakin turned around, just in time to catch her in his arms as she flung hers around his neck and kissed him warmly.
After a long moment, their lips parted and Anakin opened his eyes slowly and gazed fondly at her radiant face. "Well, hello," he said with a bright smile. "I missed you, too."
Padmé laughed at him as she hugged him again, tightly. "How'd it go?" she said, as she leaned back so that she could see his face again.
"Good," Anakin replied with a nod. "He sends his regards and his thanks."
Padmé smiled at him, and he looked at her for a long moment. "So," he said finally, "are you ready to go home, Mrs. Skywalker?"
"Yes," she said happily, gazing deeply into his eyes with a warm smile. 'I sure am."
"Threepio?" Anakin said, quickly turning his attention to their mechanical friend as he stood quietly near the bedroom, their travel cases still in his hand.
"Yes, Master Ani?" Theepio replied, a tone of electronic excitement in his mechanical voice.
Anakin turned his eyes back to Padmé, and smiled brightly at her. "Tell Artoo to get the ship ready,' he said. "We're going home."
The evening sky was just starting to turn a dark, topaz blue, and the brightest of the evening stars were just beginning to make their presence known, twinkling faintly as the afternoon's light began to wane. The evening breeze was still warm, and Padmé took a deep, contented breath as she snuggled close to Anakin, as they sat on the wooden garden bench, his arm securely around her shoulders.
Padmé looked up and watched as her sister Sola pushed the door to the garden patio open with her hip, gingerly holding the tray with the four wine glasses on it in her hands. She let the door close, slowly, and then turned and walked toward the two benches in the garden where Anakin, Padmé, and her husband Darred sat, enjoying the warm, evening breeze.
Their arrival at home had been a joyous occasion, indeed; they had arrived early in the afternoon, and, as Artoo and Threepio had secured their ship, they had settled back into their new home, and spent the better half of the afternoon celebrating over a tremendous dinner with Padmé's family.
Padmé looked at Sola with a smile as she walked slowly toward the benches where they all sat together. "Here you go, you two," Sola said with a smile, as she lowered the tray in front of Padmé.
"Thank you, Sola," Padmé said, as she leaned forward and took two of the long-stemmed glasses from the tray and leaned back against Anakin's shoulder, handing one of them to him with a smile.
Anakin smiled contentedly as he took the glass from Padmé as she offered it to him. "Thank you," he said, and he kissed her gently on the forehead as she snuggled close to him again.
Sola turned and sat the tray down on the small table between the benches and, taking the other two in her hands, she handed one to Darred, and took a seat beside him.
"Not yet," Sola frowned, elbowing Darred playfully as he took a sip from his glass.
Padmé and Anakin both laughed as Darred stopped in mid sip, and, wiping his mouth with a laugh, he turned and looked at his wife with a smile. "What?" he said, an obviously confused expression on his face.
"We need a toast," Sola grinned back at him, and then she turned and looked at her younger sister.
"What'll we drink to?" Padmé asked, looking at her sister with a broad smile.
Sola looked at Anakin, as he sat quietly beside her younger sister, gazing fondly at her. She smiled, and then looked back at Padmé. "How about love?" she said.
Padmé turned and looked at Anakin, as he smiled happily at her. "To love," she nodded, as she raised her glass and touched it gently to his.
"Love it is, then," Sola said, as she and Darred touched their glasses, and then they all took a long, quiet sip together.
Sola lowered her glass and sighed deeply as Padmé reached up and, pulling Anakin gently to her, kissed his long and gently.
Their lips parted slowly, and Padmé looked at Anakin for a long moment. "I'll be right back," she said softly, and Anakin watched her as she stood up and, placing her glass on the table in front them, turned and walked quickly back into the house.
"So, Anakin," Darred said, "Are you excited about the workshop?"
"I am," Anakin nodded, as he took another sip from his glass. "That was a huge surprise."
"Dad's excited about it, too," Sola grinned. "Padmé's told him how good you are at fixing things. I'm really excited for the both of you. I know you're going to be tremendously successful."
"I hope so," Anakin smiled back at her. "I'm really looking forward to it."
Anakin took another long sip of wine from his glass, and they sat quietly for a moment, enjoying the warm evening breeze as it blew gently through the garden, filling the air with the fragrant scent of the many flowers that bloomed there.
They heard the patio door open, and they all turned and watched as Padmé stepped out into the garden and closed the door behind her.
Anakin smiled at her as he watched her toss the thick blanket that she had retrieved from their bedroom onto her shoulder, and then walk across the garden and stand next to him. She looked down at him warmly and extended her hand to him. "If I'm not mistaken," Padmé said playfully, "I believe that you and I have a date at our spot in the meadow."
Sola laughed out loud as, tossing a wink to her older sister, Padmé took Anakin's hand and tugged him up and off the bench.
"If you'll excuse us for a while, Sola," Padmé said, as she retrieved her glass from the table, "my husband and I are going to go and spend some quiet time together."
"You go right ahead, baby sister," Sola laughed, as she watched Padmé take Anakin's hand playfully and tug him toward the gate at the rear of the garden, "but I'm not so sure how quiet it's going to be."
"Good luck, Anakin," Darred called with a laugh, raising his glass in salute as he watched Anakin look back over his shoulder at them with a grin, as Padmé lead him toward the garden gate.
"That's the last of them we'll see tonight," Darred laughed under his breath, as he took a long sip from his glass. Still laughing, Sola leaned back against her husband's shoulder, and they watched with a smile as Anakin and Padmé disappeared through the gate and down the long, winding path to the meadow.
The brilliant, twinkling stars in the dark, topaz sky were just beginning to emerge, and, on the soft, evening breeze, the sound of the river could be heard, interlaced with the soft chirps of the field crickets as they began to emerge from their burrows in the deep, green grass of the meadow.
Anakin held her tightly in his arms, as he lay on his back on their thick, soft blanket, his lips moving slowly over hers in a long, passionate kiss.
After a long moment, she reached up and ran her fingers gently through his hair, and, as their lips parted, she looked at him lovingly for a long time. "Welcome home, Anakin Skywalker," she finally said, softly, as her eyes searched his. "I love you."
"Welcome home, Padmé Skywalker," Anakin said softly, as he gently caressed her cheek and smiled brightly at her. "I love you, too."
They held each other quietly, their lips locked in a passionate kiss, as the growing song of the crickets began to fill the evening air.
The bright moonlight outside filtered softly through the sheer curtains on the windows of their room, bathing the room in a romantic, twilight glow. The room was silent, except for the soft sounds of their own labored breathing, as they lay together in each other's arms under the soft, satin bedclothes.
Padmé held Anakin tightly in her arms as she lay beside him, her body pressed closely to his as he kissed her gently, over and over again. The intoxicating feeling that they had shared on their ship the day before was overwhelming now, and her breath came in short, ragged gasps as she lost herself in the magical feeling of the pure, simple, passionate love that flowed so effortlessly between them.
She could feel his body trembling in concert with her own, feel his impassioned breath on her shoulder, as he held her tightly, slowly moving his soft, gentle kisses to the nape of her neck.
As their ragged, passionate breathing began to subside, slowly, Anakin laid his head on the pillow beside her, gazing deeply into her eyes as he held her close to him. He slipped his arm under hers and pulled her as closely to him as he could, and, as he did, she wrapped her arm tightly around his neck, and they lay there quietly, lost in each other's eyes.
"I didn't think it was possible," he finally whispered, softly, between breaths.
"What, Ani?" Padmé said, softly, as she gently brushed her fingers along his cheek.
"I didn't think it was possible," he whispered again, "to love you more than I did on the day we were married."
Padmé smiled softly at him for a long moment, and Anakin could feel her trembling breath on his lips as she kissed him, gently, and then gazed into his eyes again.
"I love you so much, Ani," Padmé whispered softly, as she gently brushed her fingertips against his cheek. They lay there quietly for a long moment, lost in each other's eyes.
"Tomorrow is the first day of the rest of our lives together," Padmé said softly. "Do you think it'll be as exciting as the last few?"
"I hope not," Anakin laughed, sticking his tongue out playfully.
"Why?" Padmé laughed softly, her eyes twinkling in the soft light. "You're a Jedi Knight now, Ani," she said, her face beaming brightly. "There's no limit to the trouble we can get into now."
"You're funny," Anakin laughed, and, taking advantage of a small bit of intimate information he had learned since their marriage, he reached down quickly with his hand and squeezed the back of her leg playfully.
"Oh, stop," she laughed happily, as she squirmed in his arms, hugging him tightly. "You know that's my ticklish spot."
"That one and two others," Anakin laughed, playfully, his eyes twinkling, "that I know of so far."
"That's not fair," Padmé laughed, as she held him close. "You already know where three of mine are and I don't know where any of yours are yet."
"I'm not even sure you have any," she laughed, as she looked back at his smiling face.
"Oh, I do," Anakin laughed, and then he looked deeply into her eyes for a long moment. "Don't' worry," he said, gently brushing her hair with his hand as he held her close to him. "We've got a whole lifetime for you to look for them."
"A whole lifetime," Padmé said softly, smiling. "What do you think we'll do with all of that time?"
"Whatever we want to," Anakin said, softly. "What do you think?"
"Well," she said, thoughtfully, snuggling her body closer to his, "You'll keep up with your exercises." She paused, and looked at him proudly. "You're a Jedi Knight, now," she said. "That's important, and I want you to keep up with your training."
"Okay, I promise," Anakin nodded. "What else?"
"We're going to build a thriving business, and we're going to be very successful," Padmé sighed. "I think we're going to do great with the new workshop." She placed her hand on his cheek, as she looked at his handsome face in the soft moonlight. "You can fix and build anything."
Anakin looked at her lovingly for a long moment, and he pulled her as closely to him as he could. "There's something very special that I want to build, someday," he said, softly, as he brushed his hand against her soft, brown hair, "and I'm going to need your help."
"What could you possibly need my help building?" Padmé said, softly, as she returned his passionate gaze.
"A nursery," Anakin whispered softly, his eyes never leaving hers.
Padmé smiled brightly, and she gazed at him lovingly for a long time, as she ran her fingers gently through his sandy blonde hair. "Okay," she whispered, and she closed her eyes and kissed him for a long moment, pressing her lips gently to his.
After a long, quiet moment, their lips parted, and they looked at each other quietly in the soft light. "I can't remember what life was like without you," Padmé said quietly, gazing deeply into his eyes, "and I don't want to."
Anakin ran his fingers through her long, brown hair as he returned her gaze for a long, quiet moment. "You'll never have too," he whispered, passionately. "I promise."
Anakin took her into his arms, and, as their lips met again in a deep, passionate kiss, that warm, magical feeling swept over them again as they held tightly to each other in the darkness.
Their new life together had begun.
The End...? I Think Not!
Anakin and Padmé's story continues in
Star Wars Altered Universe
Episode III: Revenge of the Sith