The Strawberryish One – thank you for your positive review. This story won't be very long and I'm doing it in a quicker style than I usually write in, but hopefully it will work out the way I want it to.

DarthGladiator45 – well, I'm glad to see that you are also interesting in this story and I just want to let you know that I really appreciate all of the feedback you have left me in the past. In this storyline, Anakin and Padme don't know each other…yet.

Bethie522 – thank you for your review, I hope I don't disappoint on this one. This story takes place shortly after Episode III, but there are obviously some major changes. More details will be cleared up in the future.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters or anything Star Wars related.

SEVEN DAYS, SEVEN NIGHTS

Day II – Two's A Crowd

After pacing the cold floor of her tiny prison cell for hours on end, Padme eventually settled back into one of the dark corners and sat down in exhaustion. The lights in the ceiling had gone out some time ago and she could only assume that meant it was late at night and she was supposed to sleep, but she was far from tired. Physically drained, her mind was still running in constant thought and the notion of sleeping seemed rather impossible at the moment.

Glancing over at the energy field that covered the door and supplied the room with its only current source of light, Padme couldn't help but feel a chill run down her spine at the sight of the eerie red glow that illuminated her cramped living space. Something about the color was extremely unsettling.

She didn't quite understand Palpatine's reasons for imprisoning her and keeping her alive. From his display of intolerance and anger upon her arrival on Coruscant, she was truly surprised that she had even survived to see another day after experiencing the rages of his pure hatred. She couldn't grasp any ulterior motive or think of any plausible reason her living would benefit the barbaric Chancellor, but she was sure he must have had his reasons…after all, if he didn't have any ultimate plot that would somehow help further his cause, she would be nothing more than a corpse by now.

Restlessly tapping her fingers on the hard floor beneath her, the young woman from Naboo tucked her legs close to her chest for warmth and placed her forehead on her knees. She could only wait and see what the future held in store for her…

Padme's head snapped to attention when the lights to her cell hummed back to life. The sudden movement of her body sent a sharp pain coursing through her neck, but she ignored it and hastily rose to her feet. She had almost drifted off during her time spent in her huddled position and her joints ached at the discomfort of being in such a way for so long, but she wanted to be up and ready when whoever came to speak with her arrived. She would not be caught unprepared under any circumstances or for any encounter, no matter how minor it might be.

She straightened her posture and her muscles tensed when the energy field at her door faded away. A short wait later and the door noisily swung open, several clone troopers training their blaster rifles on her as they stepped inside. She remained where she was and didn't allow any fear to show while she watched them move aside to grant their counterparts passage into the cell. She stood firm and watched as two other clone troopers hauled an unconscious human male into the room, the individuals limp legs dragging on the ground behind him while he was brought to the center of the floor and carelessly discarded in a lifeless heap at their feet. Padme contained her curiosity for the time being and watched the retreating soldiers as they moved to leave.

"When will your superiors come to speak with me properly?" she asked, her voice steady and even. "I demand to be given the opportunity to defend myself against the absurd charges and allegations that have – "

She only grew more infuriated when she received no answer and the durasteel door slammed shut behind her visitors, leaving her alone with the unconscious stranger as the crimson glow of its energy field reappeared.

After glaring at the door for a moment longer, Padme nervously shifted her focus to the man who now shared a cell with her. From beneath the dark robes he wore, his body appeared to be muscular yet slim. He was much bigger than she was and she could only pray that he would not be the kind of person who would try to take advantage of their situation once he had awoke. It was obvious to her that he would have very little trouble in overpowering her…and she was in a prison, after all. There was no telling what he had been arrested for. Although, she also knew that he could have been completely innocent just as she was.

She moved back to the far corner of the small cell and leaned her back against the metallic wall, keeping a safe distance between herself and her new roommate. She would most definitely not be getting rest any time soon now…

Padme had nearly dozed off several times before she finally climbed back to her feet. She had nothing to do, but she knew that it would be wise to stay awake and not allow her heavy eyelids to drag her into an unwanted slumber. At least if she were on her feet, she would be in no danger of falling asleep.

It had felt like more than a day since her unconscious guest had been dropped off in her cell, but she knew that in all actuality it had only been a few hours. Time seemed to pass much slower when there was nothing to do. Having served a long term as Queen of Naboo before becoming a representative of her home world in the Galactic Senate, she had never had trouble in finding something to occupy her time. However, she now found herself without anything to keep her mind off of the dreaded situation she found herself in the middle of. She desperately wished that she had a bill or legislature that needed to be worked on – anything to distract her.

Peering across the room, she observed the motionless form of the man that lay sprawled out before her. His head was turned away from her and she had not yet seen his face, but she guessed that it was well hidden behind the length of the long strands of hair that hung down if front of it anyway. He hadn't moved an inch since his arrival and Padme had studied his breathing patterns on more than one occasion just to make sure that he was indeed still alive.

She let an exasperated breath escape her lips as she proceeded to pace the less than spacious cell.

Hours after her unwelcome guests had stopped by, Padme abruptly halted her pacing when a low moan of pain met her ears. Spinning around, her eyes immediately locked onto the man lying on the floor a short distance away as he slowly began to stir. She nervously watched while he rolled over and his tall frame shook from a labored fit of strained coughing. His disheveled hair fell out of his face at the movement and she instantly saw his face, contorted in distress. She felt the urge to approach his anguished presence and wake him from his suffering, but she still had no idea what kind of person he was and quickly thought better of it.

She hadn't noticed until now that he was drenched in sweat. Now facing her, she could see that his hair was plastered to his forehead from the moisture that blanketed his exposed skin and his lower lip was trembling as if he were in freezing temperatures. Something was definitely wrong with him.

Taking a wary step forward, Padme slightly knelt down to get a better look at the chiseled features of the stranger. He looked to be around her age with a single deep scar running along the right side of his face, the line of a past injury visible through his eyebrow. Despite his shaggy hair, he was clean-shaven and appeared to be otherwise well kempt. Her mind wandered as she gazed at him and wondered just what he had done to land himself in a holding cell alongside a former Senator. Perhaps he had gone against the New Empire as well…maybe he was an ally in the rebellion against Palpatine's rise to power. Or maybe to consider such a thing would just be wishful thinking.