FROM THE ASHES

Chapter 25

Anakin and Obiwan brought Padme to her bed and gently helped her down into it. While they were not followed, they were still careful of bugs and spycams. Obiwan shut the windows and drapes. "I'm going to go get the vids, Anakin, then I'll come right back here."

"Be careful, Obiwan. Someone may be following you."

"I will."

After he was gone, Anakin lay down next to Padme and tried to cuddle her. She was not responsive. "Back in your own bed, safe and sound."

"I never thought I would be."

"What's wrong, don't you love me anymore?"

"I have been through a lot."

"I know. does that have something to do with the way you feel about me?"

"I can't tell you now."

He whispered in her ear in case the room was being bugged. "Padme, are you faking, like I was?"

"What?"

"Shhh. Yes, Padme, I know you saw me at the med center. You aren't a good faker."

"You think that's what I'm doing?"

"Yes, I do. Look, I won't tell anybody. I did it too, who am I to judge? If you want to continue to feign blindness to make them go easier on you, go ahead, but please, don't make me lead you around and cut up your food, okay?"

She was at first a bit sore, but soon smiled. "Yes, Anakin, that's exactly what I did, I admit it. I am a dirty, lying, faker just like you."

"You mean you can see okay again?"

"Yeah. That's why I didn't want him to put the bandages back on!"

He laughed. "I knew it!"

"You're not angry?"

"How could I be? I'm just so happy you're okay." She guilty seeing how much more forgiving he was. He smiled at her, their eyes meeting in a loving way for the first time since before Mustafar. They were both so happy in the moment, they didn't even want to discuss any of the other problems. He grabbed her and they rolled over and over in the bed, laughing. They ended up flat on their backs, staring up at the sky. It was still daylight, and it was beautiful and blue, with flashes of light reflecting off passing vehicles. "I love you." He told her. "It's so good to have you back."

"But for how long?" She turned away again, sad.

He was a bit upset she didn't tell him she loved him back, but didn't mention it. "Don't worry, Obiwan and I are going to get you out of this."

"How?" He didn't know if he should tell her.

Padme, there's something you need to know. Obiwan and I were reviewing the holovids from the banks you robbed." She looked sad and turned away. "You wanted to see me doing all that bad stuff?"

"No, we were trying to find a way to help, and we did!"

"You did?"

He took her hand in his and stared into her eyes, deeply. It felt so good to be able to do that. "Padme, from what we saw, you didn't kill that family, you didn't kill any customers. You shot at them, but the deadly fire came from other blasters around you, the cronies."

She sat up and sighed out loud. "Are you sure? You mean, I didn't kill any of them?"

"I don't think you did. So this means that they can't bring murder charges against you, only robbery and accessory, but those can be more easily bargained away, especially for a person of your position."

"You mean, I get cop a plea because I'm famous?"

"Something like that."

"I'm so ashamed. Others wouldn't be able to do that, but then again, others did it willingly, and I was coerced with threats to my children!"

"And we can use that!" Anakin shot back fast, pointing at her. "We can use that to our advantage!" Then he looked forlorn and put his head down. She reached over and pushed some blonde curls across his forehead.

"What's bothering you?"

He glanced shyly up at her with his deeply blue eyes and blinked his gorgeous long lashes. "Well, it's that, now that you know you didn't kill that family, you can't understand how I felt when.."

She put her hand over his mouth. "Yes, I do! I still do! I thought I killed those people, if you didn't tell me, I always would have! The worst thing is, I would have. I could have. I meant to, I did it to save someone, JUST-LIKE-YOU! I have walked along the same path, took the same direction. So this changes nothing about the way I feel!"

Anakin smiled and heaved a breath of relief. "Thank you, Padme, you're wonderful."

She held both sides of his face between her hands. "I do know how you felt, it was a bad thing but you get pushed into a terrible position. I saw a dark side of myself I didn't know existed, and it frightened me.."

"That's how it is, and the guilt.."

"I know that too."

"But you didn't really kill anyone!"

"I thought I did, I intened to, that's the point. Besides, I did kill some people. I blasted every one of the people who came in the room after my mother died- some had tortured and killed her, but some did not,some were innocent, but I killed them all! I knew exactly how you felt at the Tusken camp, and I felt for you."

Anakin began to pucker up and weep, he was so moved. "I am so sorry you had to go through that, you know I know how you suffered."

"I should have known how you suffered over your mother long before it was my own. You know, I can't help thinking, maybe somehow the force did all this to show me what you went through, so I'd understand. I promise, Anakin, I will never judge you again."

"This means more to me than anything you could say." He said as they embraced and kissed. They didn't want to let go of each other, ever again. Close to each other both in mind and body, their passion got the best of them, and they made love.

The next morning, an ominus knock came at the door. They awoke, their hearts pounding, and pulled on dressings to go answer it. Standing there in front of them were the agents who had confronted them at the med center. "Senator Amidala, we have some information on your case."

She didn't even remember to pretend to be blind, she just stared at them with her mouth open. "And...?"

"We are not going to press charges against you for murder."

"You're not?"

"No, something came up to show you weren't the one who did the killings in the banks." An agent held up copies of the holovids Obiwan had. "Another Jedi stopped by and showed us things in these we hadn't seen before. It gave us no pleasure to charge you, now, we don't have to."

"What about the other charges? I promise you, I didn't act of my own free will in any of them."

"We can use the fact that you were obviously coerced to perhaps get you off on probation, since you have no criminal record. On the other hand, I can't imagine your political career will survive this."

She looked very devastated. "You mean I must give up my position?"

"That will be up to your government on Naboo. My guess is you will lose it. Be thankful if that is all it will cost you."

Anakin had been silent, but spoke up. "She did a good thing, she helped us capture Gerapaline and end his syndicate!"

"That is true, but it is quite another case. It might help her, it may not. But for now, you are a free woman." The agent bent to the ground and removed her house arrest bracelet. "Good day." He said as he and the others turned to walk away. "Our business with you is at an end."

When the door was closed, Anakin swooped Padme up off the ground and spun her around in his arms. She tried to control her happiness until the agents were out of earshot. Anakin smiled at her as he sat her down. "You are a free woman, you're not going to jail!"

She whispered back "I did kill those people at Gerapaline's compound."

"They don't know that, and it was justifiable, you were a kidnap victim.They killed your parents, and you feared for your life. it was self defense."

Her arms tightly around his neck, she stood on her tiptoes and whispereed in his ear. "It was a rampage!"

"There is no record of it, you needn't worry. The only ones who witnessed it are now dead."

"What about the bank robbery?"

"You were under duress, we can prove it."

She looked down. "I am most likely ruined politically though, they can't have people with such scandals in position of power."

"You are surely not the first or the worst!" She swung around and faced the window. "A lot of them aren't found out. Look how long it took to find out about Palpatine!"

"That's for sure."

She stared out the window toward the Senate building. "I am all over the news. I am tainted for life." She started to cry.

He walked over and hugged her and dried her tears. "Not to me you aren't, you never will be." She hugged him back, and they rocked back and forth gently in the sunlight spilling through the glass.

Soon, Obiwan arrived, and they thanked him for what he had done. "I thought it best I do it, not involving either of you, considering.."

"Considering our reputations?"

Obiwan laughed. "No need to put it that way, but, kind of, yes. Coming from me, a Jedi with an unblemished reputation, it helped." They all laughed at his mock gloating. They both hugged him.

"We cannot thank you enough."

"It was my pleasure. Now, how are we going to get your daughter back?"

Padme looked at him sadly. "I've been so afraid of that. What will Bail do once he finds out? Will he do the right thing and give her back, or will he use my actions, and Anakin's, against us to keep her?"

"Surely he must have his own political hide to be concerned for, " Anakin brought up, "after all, he was involved with a crooked lawyer from Gerapaline's syndicate. He should be worrying himself."

"You're right!" Padme joined in. "It doesn't take much of a scandal to ruin one politically. I think we should go and see him about it, get it straight, now."

"Now?" Anakin questioned. "I don't know if I can deal with it right now."

"We have to. Come on, let's get dressed. I'm going to go tell Bail Organa to his face he has my daughter, and he adopted her illegally."