Anakin tried to breath, but somehow the air managed to avoid his lungs. Padmé placed her hand against his chest and waited until he could form some words.

"You are...", he managed to say.

"I'm pregnant", Padmé answered, a smile playing on her lips. "Ani?", she asked as she got no answer from him. "Ani!", Padmé called once again, this time a little louder than before. Anakin finally took a deep breath and raised a brow.

"I'm going to be a father?", he asked in disbelief. Padmé nodded while she tried to hold back a smile. If only Anakin could see how he looked in that very moment...

"Yes, we'll be parents", Padmé confirmed, this time smiling widely. Anakin smiled back after processing Padmé's words and picked her up. They laughed as they held each other.

"That's wonderful, Padmé! I can't believe it!", Anakin said excited. Padmé rolled her eyes also disbelieving the situation and smiled.

"Me neither...". Anakin closed his eyes and smiled.

"I'm so happy. How far along are you?", he asked looking at her.

"A couple of weeks", she answered. They stayed quiet until Anakin noticed how Padmé looked down.

"What's the matter?", he asked raising her chin with his finger. Padmé sighed and released form Anakin's embrace, walking to the bed and sitting there.

"Things will be so hard. I can't be a Jedi if I'm pregnant, and you'll be living here while I'm in Courasant. What am I gonna do?", she asked as she covered her face with her hands, trying to think. Anakin sighed and sat next to her, surrounding her with his arm. Padmé gave into his embrace, resting her head on his shoulder.

"Hey, don't forget that I'm here with you, you are not alone in this, alright?", he asked making sure that she knew that. Padmé nodded. "Alright. We'll have to talk to the council first, they'll se what we can do. And you are right, you can't go in missions if you're pregnant, so I'll guess that you'll have to settle down in some place until you have the baby".

Padmé raised her head and looked at Anakin. "But I can't go in missions right after I have the baby".

"I know. Let's ask the council what we can do until then, alright?"

"But if I'm not in duty I'll have to do something to be usefull, don't think that they'll just give a 9 month vacation...", Padmé said shaking her head. Anakin sighed and brought his hand down to Padmé's stomach, softly placing it there and uncontiously carressing it. Padmé smiled and placed her hand over his.

"We'll figure something out, I promise", Anakin said firmly. His expression softened when he realized where his hand was. "I can't wait until the baby grows and kicks".

"Well, I'm not looking forward into getting fatter and having all that morning sickness. I have to warn you, mister, pregnant women are very moody...", Padmé said smiling. Anakin swallowed hard, not really looking forward into it either.

"Don't worry, um... I don't really care", he lied. Padmé giggled and squeezed his hand.

"Yeah, right..."

*

Padmé was once again outside the council room, waiting for them to let her in. They didn't know that she was pregnant yet, so this would definitely be interesting. She pushed the door and stood in the center of the room, as always and bowed respectfully. The masters lowered their heads in response.

"Listening, we are, young Naberrie", Yoda started. Padmé took a deep breath and clenched her hands in fists of fear.

"I came here to tell you some news", she started. Yoda nodded and waved his hand, encouraging her to continue. Padmé took another deep breath and closed her eyes. She opened them again and looked at the masters that were before her. "I'm pregnant".

The entire concil gasped at the news and looked at each other, shocked by this new information. "Certain of this, you are?", Yoda questioned. Padmé nodded.

"Yes, master Yoda", she answered firmly. "I wanted to know your opinion about this. It's a fact that I can't perform my duties while I'm pregnant, and I wanted to know what do you want me to do during this time and after I have my child".

Mace Windu sighed and rested his elbows on his knees as he entwined his fingers. "You can't stay without doing anything because you have a dutie toward the order and the galaxy, but neither can you keep going in missions".

"And be near her husband, she must", Yoda added. The other masters nodded.

"Let us have some time to discuss this and then we will communicate you our decission", Mace said, dismissing Padmé. She bowed and left the room.

How she wished Anakin were there with her. He had already began his reign and was very busy catching up with everything that involved Naboo and it's goverment. Padmé knew that he wouldn't have enough time for her for a couple of months, but they would have to get used to it. They didn't have any other choice.

*

What was taking the council so long? It had been an hour since Padmé had left the room, and still no word from them. She disctracted herself calling Anakin with her comm link. He answered a couple of beeps after. He looked really busy, his desk had a tower of datapads, discs and memory cards and there were people all around him, leaving even more material on the desk. But he found the time to smile at Padmé.

"Hey, Padmé, how are you feeling?", he asked while he recieved a folder.

"Wonderful, how are you doing?", she asked smiling. Anakin looked around him and made a face.

"I'm feeling very popular, everybody needs me...", he said jockingly causing Padmé to smile.

"Yeah, right...", Sabé muttered from behind. Padmé laughed.

"Hi, Sabé!, she said still smiling. Sabé smiled back and waved, disappearing behind some guards. "I've already talked to the council", she said going back to the main subject she wanted to discuss with her husband.

"And?", Anakin asked leaving everything he was doing. Padmé shrugged.

"I'm still waiting for their answer. Good news are that they didn't seem very mad and that they are being very understanding with us". Anakin smiled.

"That's great!", he said excited. A voice from behing urged Anakin to go back to his work. "Fine", he said to the voice. "look, Padmé, I've got to go. Call me as soon as you have the answer, alright?". Padmé nodded. "Great. Bye, I love you".

"I love you too", Padmé said before cutting off. Just as Anakin's holographic image faded, the council's door opened, welcoming her in. She sighed and touched her still flat stomach. Padmé stood up and walked inside the room. She stopped in the center of the room and lowered her head. Mace Windu started.

"Padmé, we've reached a decission: you are to remain here in Courasant helping the masters to train their Padawans in their mental skills. Once you've reached the sixth month of pregnancy, you are to stay in Naboo next to your husband. We are aware that he'll not be able to visit you because of his recent election as king of Naboo, but you are allowed to go to him twice a month and stay there for a maximum of three days in each visit. Is there aything that you don't understand of this agreement?", Mace questioned, almost as a warning.

Padmé shook her head. "No, master. Thank you for being so understanding with us. Anakin, my child and I really appreciate it, you've been extremely kind", she said not able to hold back a smile. The deal they had pruposed was very convinient and favourable to Padmé.

"Now you may go", Yoda said. Padmé bowed, not before thanking the council once again, and left the room. She ran toward her room and sat on her bed. The image of her former master, Obi Wan, invaded her mind. She looked down, wishing that he could be there to tell him the news.

She knew that he would've been happy for her. While Padmé thought of Obi Wan, her comm link beeped. She reached for the little device through her clothes and turned it on. It was Sabé.

"Padmé! Anakin asked me to call you, he's in a meeting right now and he can't talk until another two hours or something, so he wanted to know how the meeting went", Sabé explained. Padmé nodded a little disappointed and forced a smile.

"Great, it went great, though I preffer to discuss the subject with Anakin, if you don't mind..."

Sabé smiled. "No, don't worry I understand. I'll call you when the meeting's over".

"Thank you, Sabé", Padmé said gratefull. She turned her comm link off and laid on her bed, wanting to get some rest. She was having morning sickness again and she had also had a bad night.

//This isn't as wonderful as I had thought it would be...//, Padmé thought smiling. A couple of minutes later, she fell asleep.

*

Padmé woke up an hour and a half later and decided to call Anakin, perhaps the meeting had ended before they had forseen. She dyled Anakin's code and waited. He answered almost at the same time the comm link beeped. His image appeared in front of Padmé, and she noticed that he had a tired look in his eyes and he looked a little worn out, yet he managed to smile at her.

"Hi, Padmé. How are you feeling?", he asked a little concerned. Padmé raised her brows and nodded.

"Great, don't worry about me, I'm fine", she said smiling. Anakin smiled back. Padmé sighed and clasped her hands together. "The council talked to me".

Anakin opened his eyes widely and settled himself on his chair, expectant. Padmé explained everything to him as he listened carefully, puting all of his attention on his wife. Anakin smiled when Padmé mentioned that she would be allowed to go to Naboo once she reached her sixth month of pregnancy, but he wasn't so happy when she said that they would only be able to see each other twice a month for six days.

"What is it, Ani?", she asked frowning after seeing his expression.

"Hu? No, nothing, it's just that six days a month it's a really short time", he said looking at Padmé.

"I know, but you'll be very busy with your job, if I were there I would be in the way"

"Don't say that, please! You would never be in the way, I don't want you to think like that, not ever again, alright?", Anakin asked, almost pleading. Padmé was shocked by his reaction, and nodded.

"Alright. But It's better this way, don't worry. We'll have to agree on the days of my visits, because I don't want to get there and find you covered in paperwork and with no time to see me...", she said smiling. On the inside, she was devastaded when she realized that what she had said as a joke was the truth.

"Of course, we'll make the arrangements. When is your first visit? I can't wait to see you!", he said excited, longing to be with his wife. "You are allowed to come this month, aren't you?", he asked after noticing that Padmé didn't answer.

"I don't know. I don't think that it would be appropiate to ask them something like that right before they have been so understanding with us", she said bringing her hand to her stomach. Anakin followed her hand with his eyes and almost fell out of his chair.

"Does it kick yet?", he asked expectant. Padmé laughed softly.

"Ani, I'm not even a month pregnant. The baby will start kicking by the fourth or fifth month, I hardly feel it by now", she explained. Anakin blushed and smiled back.

"I thought that the baby kicked...", he said a little embarrassed. Padmé laughed.

 "It's alright Ani".

*

Padmé woke up in the middle of the night feeling really dizzy and with a terrible headache. She felt something wrong...

She stood up and walked inside the 'freshner to then inspect her reflection in the mirror. Was that... blood?