THE DEPARTED

Chapter Seven

Two months had passed since that night and Anakin had thought of nothing else since he had had to leave her. That morning had been the most painful, agonizing thing he had ever had to do in his life and the look in her eyes had spoke volumes of everything she was feeling, making him want to stay with her that much more. But somehow, he had managed to pull himself away from her warm embrace and retreat to the coldness of space and the coldness in his heart. The night they had shared had scarred him for life, of that he had no doubt, but he had no regrets. Even if he never felt her or kissed her again, that night was worth it.

The Council hadn't reassigned him like they had said; instead, he was forced to continue his training with Obi-Wan and his days were spent either in meditation or in the sparring room. He didn't mind it, even though he couldn't help but feel frustration towards the Council, because it gave him time to reflect back on what he and Padme had shared and it also gave him time to deal with the knowledge that those memories were all he would ever share with her.

Today would be a challenge for him because today was the day that Padme and Sabe were returning to Coruscant. A part of him was overjoyed that he would get to see her again and the other part him almost didn't want to see her because he knew it would never be enough now. Somehow, the day carried on and he found himself with the Council, waiting for Padme to report on her now completed mission.

Several moments later, the doors swung open and his angel was revealed to him. She looked more beautiful than he had remembered but now, as he reached out with the Force, she was nervous, agitated, and also a little frightened. He frowned but immediately replaced it with an expression-less mask.

"Master Naberrie, it is good to have you back."

Padme smiled almost regally and nodded her head. "Yes, thank you, Masters. It is certainly good to be back in the Temple."

As she spoke, her eyes scanned the room for a certain someone, and when she found him, her eyes sparkled with happiness.

He shot her a quick smile and immediately replaced it with his mask. However, this did not go unnoticed by Obi-Wan, who frowned at his padawan in confusion and disbelief.

During this, Padme reported on the end of the mission, which was basically eventless. It was acknowledged by the Council that Chancellor Palpatine had made it clear that there was no longer a need for Jedi protection of Senator Amidala, so the mission was officially declared complete.

After the meeting was over, Padme mingled with the other Council members and Anakin did the same, both waiting for an opportunity. It came as the last Council member departed from the room and Anakin immediately led her to secluded place in the Temple were they could talk in private. Once they had reached it, they rushed into each other's arms, marveling at the touch they had missed for so long.

His hands gripped her face and he kissed her passionately. The kiss couldn't last long and they quickly pulled away from each other.

"Anakin…" She whispered. She reached for his hand and grasped it gently. "I've missed you so much."

He nodded and bit his lip. "I know. Not a day goes by that I haven't thought of you."

She took a deep breath and reached for his other hand, squeezing them both gently. She had missed everything about him, his infectious grin, his intense eyes, his hair, his body, the way he held her and looked into her eyes. It had been more difficult to be away from him than she had thought it would be. It was torture. It ate away at her soul and she didn't know how much more of it she could take. To make matters worse, she had not just been emotionally altered by their night together, but physically too.

"Anakin, there's something you need to know."

She paused, in an attempt to catch her breath and gather her thoughts. He gazed down at her, patiently waiting, sensing that she was struggling with something.

She lowered her head and whispered: "I'm pregnant."

Anakin took a step closer to her, unable to believe what he had just heard. "Wh...What?"

She looked up at him now and after seeing the paled, shocked, terrified expression on his face, she couldn't stop the tears from falling. "I'm pregnant, Anakin. You're going to be a father."

He ran a hand through his hair and took a deep breath. He should've known something like that could have happened. But at the time, he didn't care. He also knew, deep down, that he still didn't care. They had made this together and he didn't regret it for a second. He took her face gently in his hands and kissed her softly.

"This is the happiest day of my life, Padme."

She looked up at him with confusion etched on her face. "How can you say that? We've ruined both our lives and our child's life!"

"It doesn't have to be that way, Padme."

"There's no other way it can be."

"You know that's not true."

She turned her head away from him and began sobbing uncontrollably. "What have we done, Anakin?"

He rubbed her shoulders soothingly and knew there was nothing he could say, at least not right now, that help. She needed time to deal with everything that had happened but he knew that he didn't need any time at all. Their baby was a blessing and he was willing to do whatever it took make them a family.

Unknown to Anakin and Padme, an angry, hurt pair of eyes had witnessed the entire exchange. A moment later, the figure was gone.

Obi-Wan ran hurried through the halls of the Jedi Temple, searching for Padme. He had checked every place he could think of but so far, his efforts were in vain. Realizing that he probably wouldn't find her in time, he resigned to finding his padawan, knowing that Anakin would most likely be in his room.

After punching in the code, the door leading to Anakin's room slid open to reveal a sleeping Padme with Anakin sitting next to her on his couch. Obi-Wan's mouth opened slightly as his gaze shifted uncertainly from Anakin's expressionless face to Padme's sleeping form.

"What's going on here, Anakin?"

Anakin sighed. "What does it look like? We were talking, she was tired, and so I let her take a nap on my couch."

"But in here?"

Anakin rebelliously rolled his eyes to the ceiling but before he could think of a smart reply, Padme's eyes opened tiredly. She sat up quickly when she noticed that who else was in the room.

"Master Kenobi…I was just sleeping…" She trailed off and immediately shifted her eyes away from Obi-Wan's suspiciously intense stare. Anakin, however, stared right back.

Obi-Wan didn't know what to think, especially after the news he had just received. He was starting to have suspicions about Anakin's feelings for Padme, but would never guess that Padme would actually return those feelings. She knew better than that. At least he thought she did. He pushed those thoughts away and decided to carry out the mission he had been determined to complete several minutes ago.

"Padme, I've been looking all over you. The Council has learned from an unspecified source that you are pregnant. They've summoned you to speak to them immediately and once I heard, I thought you deserved to know not only why you were being summoned but also so that you had some time to prepare what you wanted to say to them."

Padme's face was unreadable to both men in the room. One moment, she looked like she was about to shatter, the next, her eyes filled with a determined gleam. She gripped the edge of the couch and nodded slowly to Obi-Wan.

"Alright. Thank you for telling me this. I just need a few minutes…tell them I'll be there within a half an hour."

Obi-Wan nodded and began walking towards the door. When he realized Anakin wasn't following him, he turned back.

"Anakin, aren't you coming?"

Anakin stood slowly, looking uncertainly at Padme who shook her head.

"No, Anakin, please stay. I need someone to talk to. You've always been such a good friend to me."

Anakin nodded, biting his lip to stop himself from crying out. "I'm sorry, Master. But Padme's asked to stay, so I'm staying."

Obi-Wan stared into Anakin's eyes for a moment, looking for some sign of deception, some sign that his padawan had done something forbidden, but in the end, he could only curse himself for teaching Anakin how to build his mind shields so strongly. A moment later, he was gone, shaking his head in both confusion and frustration.

As the door slid shut, Anakin gathered her in his arms and held her tightly to his chest. Their fates were about to be sealed and he didn't know whether to be happy or sad about it. He kissed her forehead tenderly and gazed deeply into her eyes. He knew what he had to do. It was the only thing he could do and it was the only thing he wanted to do.

"Padme…marry me…"