Author's Note: Hey everyone! We're cruising towards the big finish – not too much more to go. Sorry to leave you with another cliffhanger – it just seemed like a natural stopping point, honestly! I promise to update ASAP to make up for it! Hope you enjoy! And thanks for the reviews - you make the hard work worthwhile!

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There was a long span of silence as the small group absorbed Anakin's statement. Padme was sure if she listened closely enough she could hear their collective heartbeats.

"Well then," Obi-wan said, clearing his throat. "Let's hope that computer system stays online for a little bit longer."

He slowly swam over to Mace and they began to talk quietly, formulating a plan.

Padme turned to Anakin and found him looking at her with worried eyes. She smiled softly and ran a gentle hand down the side of his face. Despite the flakes of debris that were clinging to her skin, he kissed her palm tenderly.

"We'll make it through this," he promised firmly.

Her reply seemed to get caught in a swell of emotion, so she simply nodded and mouthed, "I know."

They remained entwined like that until the ragged scraping of gears echoed through their metal prison.

It was time.

"Anakin, you go first," Obi-wan instructed. "Padme, you're next. We'll be right behind you."

"May the Force be with us," Mace said quietly.

Four pairs of eyes met and Padme was overwhelmed at the feeling of friendship, love and family. She let it wash over her, drawing strength from the soothing emotions. With a renewed sense of calm, she watched Anakin nod to his Masters respectfully before drawing in a deep breath. With a kick of his booted feet, he dove beneath the surface, sending ripples across the dirty water.

Padme didn't hesitate as she mirrored his actions, taking in the biggest gulp of air she could manage. With a graceful arch of her back, she sliced through the water, following Anakin's determined wake.

"When I pictured myself swimming with my husband, this is not exactly what I had in mind," she thought darkly.

She was mildly surprised was she heard Anakin's silent reply, "Me neither."

The bottom of the container was dark and cold and she found herself wanting nothing more than to bob back to the surface. Pushing the thought aside, she caught hold of Anakin's arm and let him guide her through the narrow opening. She continued to swim forward until she came up against another barrier and knew this must be the second hatch.

Reaching blindly, her fingers brushed against a Jedi tunic, but she didn't know whose. In the distance, she could hear the first opening slam shut and knew their two-minute waiting time had started. Clearing her mind, she began to hear Obi-wan's voice, along with Mace's.

Well done, Padme.

Yes, Senator - you are quite adventurous. It seems Skywalker has found a perfect match.

Master Windu's sudden compliment pleased her and she found herself blushing slightly. The peaceful feeling didn't last long, however, as her lungs started burning in a persistent demand for air. Fidgeting slightly, she tried to distract herself, but the feeling only intensified. Sensing her distress like a knife to the heart, Anakin swam over and ran his hands down her arms gently.

How much longer? she pleaded.

Less than one minute, he replied. Stay with me, angel.

She tried valiantly to heed his comforting words, but the instinct to breathe was quickly becoming unbearable. She made a small sound in the back of her throat and balled her hands into fists. Her hair floated around her face and she brushed it back distractedly.

Finally, she heard the loud clanging that indicated the second hatch was preparing to open. Her heart leapt in relief and she turned towards the sound, feeling along the seams as they grew wider. She smiled as she felt her entire arm slip through, certain the rest of her body would be next.

Suddenly, the whole world seemed to shake and the hatch's progress stopped. She began to claw at it, yanking as hard as she could but to no avail. Anakin gently moved her aside as Mace and Obi-wan flanked him. Together, the Jedi pooled their remaining strength and pulled with all their might.

But it didn't move.

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Artoo rolled along quickly, ignoring the fleeing droids that shrieked warning after warning to him. He continued to monitor Master Anakin's tracking device and his sensors flared up in dismay as he realized the Jedi had chosen the trash chute as the means of escape.

Quickly, he wheeled to the nearest computer station and plugged into the controls, scanning the chute's disposal schedule. He whistled mournfully as he realized the main systems were going to go offline before his friends were free. Reluctantly, he sent the bad news to Padme's datapad and continued to peruse the files, hoping to find some sort of a loophole.

He was still searching when the system went offline. Beeping in frustration, he activated the auxiliary power and continued his desperate scan. There! It appeared as though there was a manual way to release the hatch. But accessing it would require him to go deep into the building where the structure was the most unstable.

The little droid didn't hesitate.

Firing up his rocket boosters, he zoomed willingly towards the danger.

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Padme began to struggle slowly, feeling the last of her resolve wearing thin. She knew she couldn't go much longer, her chest had tightened painfully and she had expelled the last little bit of air that resided in her lungs. A dull roar grew louder in her ears and she saw stars beginning to dance before her eyes.

Stars...

Dancing…

A haze seemed to surround her vision, blinding her to everything except her husband standing in the middle of the floor, his eyes following her every move.

Anakin...

Instinctively, her body responded to the haunting tone of the music, her hands tracing a delicate pattern through the air as she slowly made her way around the floor, easily commanding her legs to follow the elegant series of steps Threepio had taught her. The metal encircling her ankles and wrists made quiet chiming noises as she moved, perfectly in step with the seductive rhythm.

As the music started to build, she danced towards Anakin, her eyes burning into his. Before she could fully reach him, she slowly started to spin, her hands reaching out to whisper across his face at each turn. His hands clenched into fists at his sides as he felt himself being drawn in by the fire in her eyes.

I love you...

Her face got closer and closer until he could feel her silky hair brush against his cheek.

Only you...

Gently, she turned her back to him, still swaying to the beat and reached back to curl her fingers in his hair. Suddenly, he became aware of the building music and recognized it as his cue. Fiercely, he ran his trembling hands down her arms and clasped her fingers. Moving as one, their bodies swept forward, then back - echoing the tones of the soaring music. Together, they swept around the floor in perfect harmony, the colors of their costumes running together until it was impossible to see where one ended and the other began.

My love...

Gradually, the music began to slow. Her eyes never leaving his, Padme slowly brought her ankle to Anakin's shoulder and let her head fall back, her entire body going limp. Gently, he pulled her across the floor until they came back to the very center.

My life...

In one fluid motion, she brought both her feet to the ground and entered into a series of slow spins, her lips nearly grazing his at each pass. As the music started to die away, Anakin reached forward and lifted her into his arms, turning her slowly in a circle, his eyes full of love.

I am yours...

Firmly, she locked her ankles around his waist and hearing the long final note start to fade away, she slowly let go, closing her eyes as her upper body fell back, her head coming to rest mere inches from the floor.

Forever.

Her eyes opened lazily and she reached out a hand, trailing shaking fingers through his golden hair. Feeling her touch, Anakin ceased his struggles and turned towards Padme, crying out silently as he saw the faraway look in her eyes.

He grasped her shoulders and pulled her towards him, wrapping his arms around her tightly. She rested her head on his shoulder as her vision began to dim around the edges.

Suddenly, there was a enormous rattling sound, like a chain being pulled across a bumpy surface. Padme watched in amazement as the door suddenly swung open, causing a swirling current to pull her from Anakin's arms. Fighting the pull of the darkness, she kicked upwards, straining to reach the surface before it was too late.

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Beeping in excitement, Artoo spotted the release lever at the very moment the walls started to cave in. Undeterred, he hurried towards it, examining the mechanics involved. Comprehension dawned and he spun around, opening a rear compartment and ejecting a rescue cable. It easily wrapped around the handle and he pulled forward gently to see if it would hold. When it appeared steady, he revved up all his settings to the maximum level and fired his rockets, straining forward with all his might.

Objective failed.

Artoo shrieked in disappointment as he realized he didn't have enough power to move the lever. He lowered himself to the ground, swiveling slightly as he heard another droid roll into the room. He beeped at it suspiciously and watched it amble over to investigate him.

"I am TX-306, Chief Housekeeping droid. Please follow me. The building is collapsing; all droids are expected to heed the order to evacuate."

Artoo beeped rapidly in response.

"I'm sorry to hear that your friends are trapped, but I have been given orders. Please follow me." The tall housekeeping droid started to roll away.

Artoo whistled angrily and TX-306 stopped suddenly before turning around. "Senator Amidala?" The droid's midsection glowed brightly as its safety programming was activated. "I have been instructed to prevent any injury from befalling the Senator. Potential drowning is unacceptable. We must open the hatches."

Artoo twittered excitedly as he resumed his struggle with the lever, once again firing his rockets at full strength. Moving into action, TX-306 grasped the cable and started forward, metal arms bowing from the effort. Finally, their combined efforts were rewarded by the sound of clanking as the rusted gears slowly churned into motion.

"The hatches are open," TX-306 exclaimed, seconds later. "Now, we must leave this place. Follow me - we can take the service passageways."

There was another loud boom and Artoo screamed as the building came down around him.