A/N: Boring day. Might as well update.

Chapter 8: Sealing Fate

After that moment before we were led out to what was thought to be our death, I knew, I couldn't let her die. We both couldn't die.

I wanted us to be able to live together, sharing our love. More than ever, I desired that.

So, in the Geonosian battle arena, I fought as hard as I could, constantly checking on Padmé. But I didn't have to worry. She seemed to be doing better than I was.

Even though it seemed like we were doing well, suddenly Obi-Wan, Padmé and I were surrounded by destroyer droids. There wasn't much we could do against them.

For a moment, I thought we had lost.

We lost…

Padmé and I…

We're going to die…

A sharp fear pierced my heart.

But all of a sudden, out of nowhere, several Jedi appeared, coming to our rescue! The droids focused on them, giving us time to grab weapons and enter the second stage of this fight.

During the battle, where blasts whizzed past my face so close enough to singe my hair, I kept Padmé at my side at all times. Obi-Wan had gotten separated from us, But I would not let that happen to Padmé. I had to make sure she was safe.

That she wouldn't die like my mother.

No matter what the cost, I vowed to keep her alive.

But, even with this new help, we were soon vastly outnumbered by apparently the second version of battle droids. Count Dooku, apparently in charge of the separatist movement, tried to bribe us for our lives.

Mace Windu refused.

And so, once again, we resigned ourselves to our fate. To fight until death.

When, once again, unexpected help came to our rescue.

Master Yoda had seemed to procure a clone army that I learned later was secretly being built for the republic. They gave us enough time to board a ship and escape that Sith-cursed arena.

For a second, I thought we were safe…

Until I spotted the battle that was taking place outside of the arena. Between the clone troopers and the droids of the Separatists. This battle was bigger than I thought.

As we skimmed over the battlefield, we saw Count Dooku fleeing on a speeder, like a coward. We were intent on chasing him down—

Until the ship was hit, and Padmé fell out.

I turned, and watched her fall, landing on the sand dunes. Down on the ground where she was vulnerable. Where she was out of my protection. Where she could die.

I immediately lost all thought of catching Dooku.

I yelled at the pilot, begging him to lower the ship, but Obi-Wan disagreed. He told me that he couldn't take Dooku alone. That we had a job to do, as Jedi.

That was not the first time I hated the Jedi principles, but at the time I was the most angry with them. Because I was a Jedi, I couldn't go back and save her! I might let her die!

I begged and pleaded with Obi-Wan, but he would not relent, being stuck in his Jedi ways. He told me I needed to come to my senses, that I would be expelled from the Jedi order.

I guess, in a way, he knew.

But I didn't care. If it came between letting Padmé die or being expelled, I would take expulsion. At that moment, nothing would make me leave her.

Until Obi-Wan asked me what Padmé do in my situation.

That made me think. Padmé, though still loving me, was different. She wouldn't get like this. She wouldn't risk expulsion. I sighed. I was defeated. "She would do her duty."

As we sped off, I still felt remorse for leaving her there.

As Master Obi-Wan and I jumped into the hangar to encounter Dooku, I felt immense anger as I remembered what this man had done. He had started the Separatist movement, he had been the one responsible for all this fighting, the one responsible for putting Padmé in so much danger.

The one who tried to get Padmé killed.

My blood surged in anger; I didn't listen as Obi-Wan told me not to run for him. Instead of meeting a lightsaber, and shredding him to bits, I was hit by Sith lightning.

I was a terrible, painful feeling. It felt as if my body were on fire, as if I would explode. Darkness flooded through me, and I would have done anything to make it stop. I was left gasping, thankful it was over, but still unable to move. It was pain that I will never forget.

As the rest of the fight progressed, I soon had to jump up and take Obi-Wan's place, pain forgotten. But, I was too driven by anger, too angry at this Sith Lord who had killed so many, who tried to kill Padmé…that I got cocky.

I failed. And Dooku won. He sliced off half of my right arm.

I didn't see much of what had happened next. I was in pain and in too much of a shock. I couldn't look over at it. All I knew was…It's gone…my right hand is gone…

I barely noticed anything until I heard an angelic voice fill the hangar. "Anakin!"

My stomach did a jolt. Padmé! Was Dooku still here? He could hurt her—

But as I got up, I saw that he was gone. As Padmé ran to me, and saw the stump of what had been my arm, she gasped. I hated that look…that look as if I was something not human.

And more than anything, I hated Dooku for doing this to me. I vowed that next time we met, I would kill him.

After that encounter. I was fitted with a mechanical arm. I hated it. It wasn't like I was human anymore. I was part machine. The only brightness was that Padmé said she didn't care. If it was a part of me, then she didn't care at all.

What happened in the week after the fight with Dooku was a blur. Padmé and I had finally admitted our love to each other, but we didn't see each other much. Obi-Wan and I had to report to the council, and she had important votes in the senate. I wondered if we would ever see each other again.

Until, I was ordered to once again be her escort, according to the council. Since Senator Amidala had decided to go back to her home in Naboo for a rest. When I talked to her about this, she smiled. She thought exactly what I had.

We both went back to that beautiful planet, back to that beautiful lakeside palace, to start our lives together. We would only be there for a couple days, since I once again had an assignment, but I didn't care…it was enough.

We wanted to spend as much time together as possible. We arrived at the palace in early afternoon, and Padmé rushed to her apartments, telling me that the priest would be here in two hours.

I thought my heart would burst. Priest? That means that…we're… I was in too much joy and shock to speak, but then I felt like bursting out laughing.

I didn't even need to ask her. She knew what I wanted and had taken care of everything herself, like she always did.

And I loved her more than ever for it.

When she emerged from her room, dressed all in white, looking like an angel, I was stunned. She was more beautiful than I had ever seen, her radiance shining like the sun, making everything else dull in comparison.

The only other time I had this feeling was when I was nine…ten years ago when I met that strange girl in Watto's shop…

And now, I was getting married to her. To the most beautiful woman in the world.

As we stepped out on the terrace, the terrace where we had shared our first kiss, I saw the priest was already there, with C-3PO and R2D2 silently observing.

I don't remember what exactly was said, I was too happy. I just remember the feeling of Padmé's hand in mine, the softness of her voice as she proclaimed her wedding vows, how she shimmered in the setting sun…

Finally, the priest declared us married and left as I slipped the wedding ring onto Padmé's finger. My joy swelled. My dream has come true. She's really mine! I thought.

And we grasped hands, her touching my mechanical hand without pulling away at the coldness of its touch. We looked deep into each other's eyes…and our love was communicated silently through her dark brown orbs.

Not being able to hold back any longer, we kissed innocently. With that kiss, we sealed our love. We sealed our fate. We were bound to each other, not by law, but by love.

The kiss broke all too sudden, but it didn't matter. At that moment, nothing mattered. Not the war, not the Jedi, nothing. Just ourselves, in our little world of happiness and love. We looked back at each other, with small smiles on our faces, an then looked out on the lake, watching the sun set.

With that day, my dream for so long had come true. Padmé and I were together, and I knew nothing could ever change it.

But, ignorant as always, I thought the struggle had ended. That everything would be all right now.

Oh, how wrong I was.

A/N: Loooong intro. I guess its cuz the scene contained no dialogue, I had to make the intro long…anyway, next is ROTS part.

I'll tell you right now, I don't own it as of the moment. My mom wouldn't let me buy it because she already bought it for me for Christmas, so I have to go off memory and on-line scripts. Please tell me if I get anything wrong.