Morning bled into the suite as Padme's brown eyes fluttered open sleepily. In the times before, the city would have started its day hours ago, with people running frantically through the streets to their work, tourists frolicking at the unmissable landmarks, cabs lining every sidewalk as far as the eye could see and the unescapable, never-ending sirens of New York city… Once, that noise had been her bane, making her grumble furiously into her pillow every morning it woke her before the call of her alarm. Sometimes in the silence of this world, she missed the sounds of before.
She yawned and stretched beneath the warm, thick blankets before hissing a sharp wince at the burn which awoke between her legs with an angry vengeance. Maybe last night had been slightly too rough for her first time… She laid there, staring up at the once pristine white ceiling and waited for the shame and regret to arrive. They never did. She didn't want to regret sleeping with Anakin but had expected to once she woke. After everything that had happened, it bewildered her why they simply couldn't let each other go in peace. Last night hadn't been all-consuming forgiveness between them but Padme felt almost… cleansed somehow. Lighter. Better.
Maybe she'd just let him taint her beneath his touch?
Padme gently rolled over onto her side to face her quietly slumbering lover, resting peacefully on his back where she'd been coaxed to sleep in his arms just hours ago. The oddest leviathan of confusing affection flooded her mind as she observed every deep breath that passed through his chest. It was the most peaceful she had ever seen the dauntless Imperial leader be. Anakin always looked years younger while sleeping as if he could finally stop fighting just to live and protect what he fiercely claimed as his own from perceived enemies. It had always been a wonderful, secretive thing to see his hard face soften as the worries of the day slipped away beneath the blanket of night. Once, she might have kissed him awake or slid her body into the warm crook of his own to enjoy a lazy morning.
Other times... well, there were many ways to wake a man.
Now, she merely watched as he began to stir, yawning and grunting as sleep faded from his fogged mind. When startling blue eyes blinked open, Anakin greeted Padme with a lazy smile, "g' morning…"
"Hi," she felt herself smile in return. "How do you feel?"
"How do I feel?" The Imperial leader chortled sleepily, stretching his arms high above his body in an exhaustive stretch that made her own limbs envious. "You kidding? I want to you how you're feeling?" He turned his body to face hers almost nose to nose now as they lingered in their own little world in the sky too high for the creatures outside to ever find. Anakin's wandering hand climbed Padme's outer thigh before ducking around to hold her close. It was nice in every way that it shouldn't be, as if they were just a normal couple waking up on a day off in their normal bed, in a normal house before beginning their normal day. The pretence was too easy to cling to.
"A little sore," she admitted, casting her eyes down low, "but I think that's mainly my fault."
"Shit, I'm sorry…" His free hand brushed back her hair, his eyes watching the movement so intensely Padme would give given anything to know what exactly was on his mind right then. "I shouldn't have done that – I should have held back… I – I'm sorry – really, is there something I can do? To help?"
His own tussled hair was in desperate need of a brush but she kept her hands to herself. Before she might have fixed it up for him, now, she held back. "It's fine, I think it's normal. I'll feel better in a few hours probably."
"You sure? I can take a few people and go out if you need – "
"I'm fine, Anakin," truly, Padme didn't mean to be short with him but she knew how to tend to herself these days. She didn't need his help. "Sorry, I think I'm still a little tired."
She saw his understanding in the blossom of sadness in his eyes, seeing the truth beneath her lie even as she spoke it. He wanted things to be how they were and Padme… She didn't know how. Maybe there was a way back for them… She just couldn't see it right now.
"Right. Yes. I – yeah, that's fine," he mumbled, tripping over his own words to hold an obviously struggling composure and Padme's heart wept at the sight. It was easy to forget that beneath the cruelty and coldness of the infamous Imperial leader, Anakin heart was sensitive and highly emotional. He felt so much that sometimes she wondered if it numbed him.
When he withdrew his hand from her, her skin missed his touch but she held it such feelings back. Instead, she focused on how to fill the dense silence that fell upon them as neither knew exactly how to respond to each other anymore. Eventually, she held the sheets to her breast and watched him, one particular question coming to mind.
"Can I ask you something?"
"Yeah," he nodded right away, "whatever you want."
"What was your first time like?" And who was it with? Maybe someone they went to school with? Now that she had her own experience for comparison, Padme wanted to hear all about her lover's first tumble between the sheets. Maybe it would make them laugh at the memories and break the awkwardness she'd put between them? First times were hardly ever perfect, after all.
Instead of the nostalgia she expected to see light up his face, Anakin looked at her incredulously, as if her face had morphed into one of the scaled, foaming snouts of the beasts. "I'm sorry," he laughed breathlessly, "were you not here last night or…?"
Wait, what? Now they stared at each other on the cusp of laughter and the slight sting of embarrassment. "I just thought… I mean that – well, I assumed that you had been with someone before me… You seemed to know what you were doing is all…"
If the creatures could take her now, Padme would walk into their teeth willingly! Kill her, something please kill her now…
"I was that good, huh?" He teased her with a grin so bright the sun would have envied it. "Wow… I suppose I can add incredible lover to my list of talents now…" His chest puffed with immense masculine pride and Padme began to wish she'd kept her mouth shut.
"I did not use the word 'incredible'!"
"You didn't have to your tone made it clear."
"Well, from now on, I'll be very selective of which tones I use around you from now on, Anakin Skywalker."
He laughed and drew Padme to him, cupping the back of her head to capture her in a deep kiss and held her to his mouth, devouring her lips with a ferocity which surprised her. The joking atmosphere between them shifted as, despite the quiet discomfort between her legs, his kiss awoke hot, needy arousal within her core. When he released her, neither moved to create space between them again. "I've only ever been with you, Padme," he whispered against her lips, "in every way. You're all I ever wanted."
For once utterly wordless, Padme held the Imperial leader to her and firmly shut her eyes at the revelation. How did he always find the most unexpected ways to surprise her?
The change between Padme and Anakin wasn't earth-shattering, it was subtle… but progressive. Their dynamic irrevocably altered but not in the way things were promised in the romanticism of the stories she used to read. They weren't suddenly loving or even peaceful, but the energy changed… Softer now. Things didn't feel like last time they'd fallen into intimacy together when they'd hardly kept their hands off one another. Now, whenever their paths crossed in the crumbling hallways of The Empire, there was no affectionate brush of their fingers, no secret glances that spoke silent words across a crowded room, no, they lacked the sweetness of those lost months but at least now it was real.
The man she saw in their suite was rare and fleeting, a secret only she knew existed. He vanished, melting into the formidable form of the Imperial leader the moment they were downstairs and in the presence of the other survivors. Anakin was still a fighter, ruthless and merciless and finally, Padme felt she was beginning to understand that fire within him. He desperately wanted to live through the hell their planet had been caught up in no matter the cost.
And the cost was high. It didn't take long for the strays, the factionless people, to grow desperate as supplies began to wither away. Territorial boundaries became mere challenges to overcome rather than laws to be abided by. The emptied stores Imperials used for storage faced nightly raids until Anakin had people out on patrol at all hours of the night to catch the perpetrators. It was a new crime in this decaying world, one that was being taken with the utmost of seriousness despite the strays' lack of knowledge.
For that reason, Anakin decided to send a message to every lost soul trapped in New York.
He always did have a flair for the dramatics, Padme thought to herself.
"Please! Please! I – I'll stay out of your territory, I promise! Please don't do this – I'm begging you!" The raven-haired man pleaded as Maul and Dooku finished knotting the thick rope which bound him to a streetlight near what used to be Central Park, their respectively aged and tattooed faces grim and serious as they worked. His clothes were stained and rumpled, the once blue shirt he wore was torn and stained in dirt, sweat and blood. Being out on his own meant there was nowhere to store clothes, Padme remembered that, living between two shirts and one pair of pants for months at a time. Dark bruises swelled beneath his eyes, evidence of the beating Aphra and the others who'd followed her on patrol last night had clearly given him upon discovery.
The poor soul had been held tied and gagged in the lobby of the hotel all night until his punishment had been properly decided. It was mental torture, she imagined, to sit amongst your murderers as they debated how best to take your life. It had made her sick to her stomach even before Anakin made his decision.
"In normal circumstances," the Imperial leader paced before the helpless man, the hem of his dark coat dancing at his heels in the soft wind, "trying to steal from us would get you a beating and a warning not to come back… but things have changed." He winced the words, enjoying the theatricals it all far too obviously "I've known that I need to remind people that Imperials aren't to be messed with for some time now. You're just the unlucky one we got first."
"I'll do anything! Anything! Please! God, please! I'm begging you, c'mon, I didn't even take anything! Don't kill me – I – I don't want to die!" The man wept as he struggled against his bonds, the wetness of his tears fell and dripped off his chin.
The idea was that anyone, stray or otherwise who hoped to sneak into the Imperial's areas would see what little was left behind by the time they were done here, it had been Aphra's plan, an unforgettable public warning.
The woman in question was busy taping thick slabs of cardboard to every streetlight and surface facing outside the area each bearing an identical, threatening scrawl in thick, black handwritten letters, "Entry = death."
How quickly humans turned on each other in times of need, it still managed to surprise Padme even now.
"I'm not going to kill you." Anakin shook his head, "you might not even die today… I can't make any promises though since," his fingers twisted the long blade he carried in a careful circle as he closed the space between them. "They'll smell the blood…" He was fast, before Padme even saw him move, he slashed the tip of the knife along the man's shoulder, tearing his skin apart all the way to his belly as he howled in agony.
Deep enough to bleed, shallow enough to not kill. Of course.
"It should be quick," he callously wiped each side of the blade on a cleaner patch of the man's shirt, ridding it of blood as his wound wept red, "when they get here, they won't waste any time. Good luck to you."
Padme closed her eyes and struggled to hold herself together as the poor man yelled and shrieked for mercy but there was none to be found as the Imperials began shuffling back to the hotel before the creatures came to feast. Objectively, though it truly pained her to admit it, she understood why they were doing this… If they were perceived to be weak then every store and storage unit in Imperial territory would be raided within weeks until they had nothing left. Anakin had to send a message to every survivor in New York that he and his clan weren't to be trifled with. He was protecting them in his own way. While she understood that, methods such as these gutted her. Unimaginable cruelty for the sake of a show of strength felt wrong. It was evil. That man would die a torturous death because he tried not to starve… Where was the justice?
Dead, Padme shook her head at herself, like everything else from the old world.
Still, she wondered in times like these how Anakin did it. How he closed off his heart and purged himself of the guilt to focus purely on survival. It was almost enviable. Almost.
Then again, maybe if she were more like him her family would have lived…
She tried not to think about that too much.
That night, after the horrors in the daylight, Padme's mind was too uneasy and stricken to sleep peacefully. She dreamed of heartbreak, the echo of screams and the sickening sounds of flesh torn from a person's body. She saw the remains of her family in pieces, the head of little Ryoo severed from her neck on the driveway, the horror of her violent passing stiffened into her small features forever until she woke up screaming.
"Shit," Anakin bolted awake a moment later with a startled curse, "hey – hey, it's okay… It was just a nightmare…" He pulled her trembling body into his arms and held her, stroking her hair. "It was just a nightmare… I'm here. You're fine, I promise…" His words came in soft whispers and Padme clung to him, weeping and gasping as the panic tore through her. She just wanted to forget. Why couldn't she forget how they looked after the beasts were done? "It wasn't real, it was just a dream."
She shook her head face crumpling into devastation all over again. "It was real… It – it was my family… And…" The words almost choked her as they came out. "Anakin, we – we…. We left him out there. We left him to die like my family d-d-died. How could we?"
"Hey, look at me." He turned her chin and pressed his forehead to hers, "Everything he planned to take was one less mouth we were able to feed here. Yeah, it wasn't pleasant, I know that but I had to do it. You know I did."
"I know," she sniffled, "but – "
"No," his voice grew firm, "no buts. Listen, I'll kill so you don't have to. I'll spare you from the worst of it the best I can… I'll fight to keep you safe until it kills me but I can't protect your mind, Padme…" he cupped her cheek and guided her face back to his when she made to look away. "Look at me and listen, you need to be strong. Stronger than you are now. People are going to die – they're going to be murdered or killed by the beasts or they're going to starve in front of our eyes. I need you to stay strong for me, okay?"
"I can't," she shook her head, "I can't do it, Anakin, I hate this world… I hate what it's doing to people."
His lips pressed a kiss to her forehead as she spoke, "I know…" It wasn't the romantic speech of comfort Padme would have hoped for once upon a time, there was nothing hopeful or promising on his lips… The only comfort was his comfort which was the best Anakin could offer. He held her in the warmth of his arms as her tears began to dry and her heart calmed itself and it was enough… It was enough.
It wasn't always blood and fear and death. Sometimes, after a group patrol or an intimate walk outdoors just the two of them, the transcendent thrill of survival made Padme's blood pulse primally. Being alive became the most delicious high that left her tearing Anakin's clothes from his body as they sought the first surface that offered some semblance of privacy. They'd had each other frantically against the wall on the twelfth floor while laughing and panting more than once…
Sometimes, Anakin would return to the hotel or their suite from a patrol or cull with the braver Imperials with a craving so fierce the bright blueness of his eyes melted into a startling black as he kissed the breath from Padme's lungs.
In the midst of all the hunger and death, she'd never felt so alive.
Of course, this knowledge crippled her. Made her feel tainted. Ruined. The guilt weighed almost as heavily as the weariness of keeping her feelings to herself. It would be rude to throw her complex and unsettling feelings onto her friends and Anakin… He shouldered the burden of her conscience already, Padme knew he sheltered her from the worst of what happened outside already now that the desperation was spreading. It wouldn't be fair to add to it.
Sometimes, in the quiet moments, she felt incredibly alone and ached for her former friends.
This too she kept to herself.
One evening, she walked from the bathroom to their bedroom to find Anakin tying the laces of his scuffed boots. It was late, long past the time deemed to be safe to go outside, everybody would be settling in for the night. He looked up and met her with an easy smile, "I'm heading out with Kit, Rex, Maul and Aphra."
"Isn't it too late to be going out? The night patrol already left." She circled the bed and climbed on behind him, crawling close to wrap her arms around him and lay a gentle kiss to his cheek. "You go out with them all the time, you should take a break."
His hand came up to squeeze hers with a short chuckle, "last time Ahsoka was here she told me about some areas way near Brooklyn that the Rebel's haven't taken yet, I want to check it out before they do."
"Why does this have to happen at night exactly? Exploring somewhere new is dangerous enough without going outside when the creatures are at their most active, Anakin. Just wait until morning." Her lips began a heated exploration along his jaw, "Come to bed with me…"
"Don't tempt me…" He laughed, "If the area's been taken, we're more likely to get caught wandering around during the day. That's become pretty frowned upon these days."
"Yes, I've noticed…" The dim spark of arousal in her belly began to fade as he spoke so she merely held him instead, resting her chin on his broad shoulder. "I don't think this is a good idea, Ani."
"Didn't think you would," he turned to nudge his nose affectionately against hers. Little moments like these felt like time had rewound to their few happy months together when everything had been wonderful and new. Sometimes, Padme enjoyed embracing it. "But if there's a chance of finding viable supplies, it's worth the risk."
"And if it's been taken by someone else? What if you all get caught?" Anakin's cruelty and callousness were infamous, there had to be angry people out there who would happily grasp an opportunity to make the Imperial leader suffer. "You aren't exactly winning any popularity contests out there."
"You like me," he threaded his fingers through hers on his chest, "that has to mean I can be charming from time to time."
"I like you sometimes," Padme rolled her eyes. Neither acknowledged the truth of her words, "but, I'm serious, Anakin, you have to be careful. People here are depending on you."
"I'll be careful," he murmured, closing the slight space between them and taking her lips. The angle was a little awkward but the soft intimacy of the kiss was more than enough to make up for it. They kissed deeply, tongues meeting and mating sensually and Padme leaned into it revelling for once in their closeness. When they parted, Anakin reached up to brush his knuckle against her cheek, "I promise I'll be back before you know it."
"If you see anything that might hint toward the area being taken by someone, I want you all to leave, okay?" When he opened his smiling mouth, Padme shook her head, "I mean it. If there's a sign or any sort of graffiti or - or even some kind of rock formation just walk away, we'll find another way to keep everyone fed."
"Okay, okay, I will." Anakin laughed, reluctantly pulling himself free of Padme's embrace and grabbing his coat. "We should only be a couple of hours, try to get some sleep."
She nodded accepting his parting kiss and flopping down onto the mattress with a long sigh. Sleep? The thought was almost enough to make her laugh. That would be impossible until she knew everyone had come home safely. Until Anakin slipped back into bed with her like he'd never left the building…
So, Padme laid between the once expensive sheets in bed and waited… Sleep called but her bleary eyes battled its call with imaginings of Anakin, Rex, Maul, Kit and Aphra out there on the streets. Were they safe? How many monsters had they run into? Did they have enough bullets? Was someone hurt? She rolled to her side, clutching the pillow tight, lips pursed with worry. Despite her efforts, she slept. And she woke to look around the bedroom for any sign of her lover's return. There wasn't. The city was cast in absolute darkness outside, it had to be getting close to dawn by now… Before her worry could overcome her, Padme slept again. And when she woke, it was to an arm snaking around her waist and the hotness of a kiss to her neck.
"You're home…" She yawned the night's tension away, blinking as the early morning's brightness filled the room just a little too brightly for tired eyes. "Is everyone alright?"
"Better than that," Anakin rasped against her skin, licking a wet trail from the corner of Padme's jaw to the little mole at the end of her neck and suckled it into his mouth for a moment. "We took it. No one was there – it looked like no one had been there since everything went to shit. Now, we have enough rations to last three weeks – maybe a whole month if we're careful."
"That's…" She shuddered, desire slowly coming awake in the pit of her belly as his lips mapped their way along her shoulder, "mhm… Yes, that's wonderful news… But you were out all night – you should sleep and eat something."
His fingers drifted lower, beneath her stomach to slip beneath the plain black panties she'd worn to bed. "Don't worry, I intend to."
That night, Anakin was out again with other Imperials for a cull. There'd was too many beasts migrating to the area for comfort, he'd said, they wanted to thin their numbers as much as they could before the females went into heat. She thought about joining and fighting by their side but decided against it. Padme could fight to live, she had a good aim when she needed it but she wasn't a savage like Anakin, Maul, Aphra or even the mysterious Dooku in the rare times he left the hotel to fight. She would only hold them back and put herself in unnecessary risk.
Rex was left in charge in the Imperial Leader and his second in command's stead. He took the responsibility quietly, sitting in the corner of the lobby and cleaning out a gun since he was unable to fight while recovering from a thick, jagged wound delivered by sharp claws to his chest only a week ago. Padme drifted closer to her friend, amused at his brooding over being left behind until the white handle of the weapon in his hand caught her eye.
Stomach clenching, she approached the New Zealander on shaking legs desperate for and dreading the answer to her question both at once. "Where did you get that? It's Bail's – my friend's. I've seen it before."
His large brown eyes lifted to look at her, warm and friendly as always, but for once that was of no comfort to the shaking woman. Bail always kept that gun close by – it was his trusty weapon… Did something happen between him and Rex? Rebel and Imperial's getting into fights wasn't exactly uncommon.
"Relax, lass," her friend laughed jovially, "I saw him the day that orange bastard gave me a scratch. He and a few other Rebels got chased away by one of the biggest beasts I've ever seen. He dropped it – probably didn't even notice at the time. I figured it's a nice gun, so I took it. I'm sure he's not missing it."
"So he was alive when you saw him?"
"The whole group of them were… Can't say what happened after they turned the corner. Heard a lot of gunshots though."
Padme let out a long breath of relief so powerful she could have laughed with it. Thank god – thank god, he's alright. Sitting down beside Rex heavily, she glanced around the lobby. It was all but empty, some people out fighting, others completing the daily chores and other's preferring to stay in their rooms for the afternoon.
"Rex… You're out near the Rebel's territories almost every day. Do you know who's still alive?"
Her friend stiffened at the risky question. Showing any kind of affinity for the rival gang never led to anything good, Padme learned this lesson the hard way but Anakin wasn't here. No one would tell him. It was her only chance to know.
"You'll get me thrown to the beasts downstairs." He muttered, glancing suspiciously around the room for anyone who might overhear their words.
"Anakin would never do that to you," she shook her head, "you're his friend. He loves you. Come no, one here is listening, it's fine. Please, if you know anything, just tell me."
After a long moment of consideration, Rex sighed and set the gun aside on the table next to him. "I saw Kenobi, your pal who dropped the gun and that idiot who stood up in front of Anakin before the fight. They were all alive the last I saw them, that's as much as I know."
Obi-wan was safe. Bail was safe. The only man other than them who had stood up against Anakin had been Rush – which meant he was safe too! The relief was enough to make her sag in her seat and hang her head for a blissful moment of peace. They were fine… They probably hated her but at least they were alive. Those gunshots behind the corner had to be the death of the beast at their heels. It had to be.
"Thank you, Rex," she gripped his muscled arm tightly, "for answering. Not everybody here would have done the same for me."
"Oh, get off." He shrugged away Padme's touch with a roaring laugh, "you're going to get all sentimental." They shared a sweet laugh together until his head turned just enough to meet her eye. "You're welcome," he murmured the words quietly, lest someone else know the wonderful, loving teddybear he truly was.
The friends fell into a comfortable silence as Rex picked up the gun to complete its cleaning to keep his hands busy. His short-sleeved, blue t-shirt revealed a long, thick, gnarled scar that snuck out beneath the cap of his sleeve and down toward his elbow. Padme hadn't ever seen that scar before. Her eyes followed its path as she tried not to wince at the sight. That was a bad wound, the kind that killed people if they didn't have help.
"What happened?" She asked, "How did you get this scar on your arm?"
He seemed to consider his words carefully as he selected them, taking his time to craft an answer. Padme hoped touched on something traumatic for him. "A beast. I'll never forget the bastard. Bright blue with ugly green stripes. Dug its claw in deep and dragged it down."
"You were all on your own when it attacked you?" The Imperials usually moved in groups of two or more as a rule. Being out by yourself was too dangerous these days.
"I was on my own when I attacked it." He chuckled lowly, "made sure it was good and dead to say thanks for the scar."
Padme caught herself frowning at him, "wait, you attacked it? Why would you do that if you were all alone?"
A little smirk twisted at his lips, a joke she wasn't allowed to understand on his mind. "It was chasing after someone who wasn't allowed to die."
That made her mind reel. What kind of a thing was that to say? The confusion leaked into her words when she spoke, "not allowed to die? Who was it - someone you wanted to protect?"
"Someone that someone else wanted to protect." His eyes stared straight ahead toward the lobby window that looked out onto the streets outside as if waiting for Anakin and his friends' return.
"Will you tell me who it was?"
"Sorry lass," he shook his head, standing and slipping Bail's gun into the black leather holster around his waist. "That's the end of storytime for today."
Three days later, they went on a raid – all three of them. Padme, Anakin…and Aphra. They were an odd group considering the raven-haired woman's absolute apathy for Padme and her barely suppressed desire for Anakin but it was fascinating to watch them work together without the others. They were absolutely connected, moving in sync, their years working together obvious.
Anakin and Aphra moved fast, feline-like, their movements quick, graceful and with intent. Anakin was the more feral of the pair, all brute strength and determination while Aphra was stealthier, more gymnastic which was surprising when Padme remembered the other woman's previous occupation. It was entrancing to see them speak to each other without words, conversing in the silence of gestures, glances and subtle nods.
They were better fighters than she could ever hope to be and Padme made her peace with that a long time ago. Her focus wasn't killing but in gathering as many supplies as the worn, green backpack she wore over the black Beatles band shirt she stolen from Anakin could carry.
It was only on the way home from the seven stores and storage units they visited, when the bag hanging from her shoulders was heavy enough to make her body threaten to topple backwards that a pack of creatures found them. The growing and clicking of claws on the sidewalk gave their approach away just one breath before they appeared from within the darkness of an alleyway.
She pulled her gun free from the holster strapped to her navy jeans and shot, precise, quick, hitting her target between its giant yellow eyes. Mentally, Padme counted the beasts as they bled out onto the street, six… ten… twelve… fourteen… By far the biggest pack she'd ever run into!
Aphra shot them down with a gun in each hand while Anakin sliced his way through green, purple, blue and orange flesh with his long, trusty blade. At first, they managed, holding their own as beast after beast fell with screeches of death in their jaws but their numbers refused to dwindle. Stray beasts joined the horde in hope of a bite of flesh, heightening Padme's stress and fear.
Just as Aphra slit the throat of a purple monster with wings so small and gauzy to ever hope to to carry its gargantuan weight off the ground, Anakin pressed his back to Padme's as they shot down as many creatures as possible. They panted at the relief of their backs being covered as creatures pounced, died and were replaced all around them in an instant. It was endless.
Swallowing her fear, Padme's voice rose above the snarls, cries and firing of bullets, "this is hardly what I would call keeping me safe, you know."
It was a joke, one that managed to lift her lips into something close to a smile as she shot bullet after bullet into the hideous faces of creatures, in better circumstances she might even have laughed.
"I'll do better from now on then," his voice was hard and angry, Padme tipped her head toward her lover as much as she dared without taking her eyes from their assailants. From where she stood seeing his face was impossible but his body was tense and hard against hers. Battle focused, primed to kill… The humour must have gone over his head.
On the next shot on her gun, it clicked uselessly and her stomach dropped. Out of bullets. She had two knives but she wasn't as adept at wielding them as Anakin. They were her last-ditch effort weapons for when there was no other option. She should have strapped in two guns! How could she have been so damn stupid?
"Anakin!" Aphra cried, "we've got to get the hell out of here!"
"I know." His voice was strained and tense as though he spoke through grit teeth, "You got bullets?"
"I'm running out," the other woman called out, "maybe another four if I'm lucky."
"Padme?"
"I'm all out."
"Shit." Anakin cursed, "I'm about the same… Padme, run. Get the hell out of here! Aphra and I'll hold them back until we're out too. That'll buy you a good head start."
"Run?" She cried, "I'm not going to leave you here – either of you!"
"Princess," Aphra looked over her shoulder, "get the hell out of here while you still can! Don't be stupid!"
Her mouth opened and then shut again, as badly as she didn't want to admit it, they were right. Without any bullets, Padme was as good as dead out here. She threw one desperate glance at her lover and took off toward the hotel.
Two long-necked beasts on four green, scaley legs pounced after her as she ran furiously down the sidewalk, they were fast, faster than she was with the added weight of the backpack but Padme didn't dare ditch it. It was food her people desperately needed to add to their supplies. Three blocks later, she was trapped against a dead-end she'd forgotten existed.
Baring her teeth, the survival instinct pounded in her body as she threw the long blade at the largest creature's face. It implanted itself between its foul, feline yellow eyes. Instant death. One less thing to worry about. Panting, Padme withdrew her second blade, her last weapon. Throwing it was a risk… If she missed or hit it somewhere non-lethal then she'd be…
No, no throwing, she decided, gripping its hilt with shaking fingers. She thought of the brute, brilliant strikes performed by Anakin with his blade and exhaled shakily. She could do it. She had to do it. Just slice its throat and it would be done. She had to be fast, get in and get it done.
She moved, throwing herself at the beast with all the power her trembling body could muster beneath the weight of the backpack. It was fast, the fastest she'd ever been but it was faster, its teeth caught and clamped down on her arm making her scream. The pain was momentarily blinding and unwanted tears sprung to her eyes, legs buckling as the beast swung its head violently from side to side, taking her with it, trying to kill her before it feasted.
Padme saw her mother and father's faces, heard the laugher of Ryoo and Pooja, saw the warmth of her sister's eyes…
It was over. This was how it ended… She never got to see her friends again. She would never kiss Anakin again or be with him. Please don't blame yourself, Ani, she thought as a desperate, pained cry burst from her lips when the beast bit down harder. Blood burst from her wound and coated her arm in its fresh warmth. It was too much… The agony was too much to bear...
Suddenly, just as death began to seem inevitable, the beast released her with a pained shriek. She collapsed to the ground, grunting though the backpack took the brunt of it as the sharp tip of a blade burst through the monster's throat, spraying thick yellow blood everywhere as the knife tore through its flesh mercilessly. She watched, wide-eyed, as the creature crumpled and collapsed lifelessly to the floor just a few inches from where she lay.
"Ani!" She gasped without glancing up at him. Of course, he found her! "Thank god, I was starting to think – "
Padme lifted her eyes to greet her lover only for her breath to catch and tangle between a gasp and a cry at what she saw standing above her.
It wasn't Anakin or even Aphra.
"Obi-wan!" She cried, hardly unable to believe it. "I think I've lost too much blood… You can't really be here." It was impossible, they were deep in Imperial territory of which entering carried a death sentence. In the sunlight, the auburn of his hair shone gold, heavenly even, perhaps this was Padme's own angel to carry her off to death…?
"Oh, I'm here alright," the Rebel leader moved closer, stepping out of the sun's shine so that Padme could see him clearer. Her old friend was just as she remembered, auburn hair, big blue eyes, perfectly trimmed beard regardless of circumstances and… a large, fresh pink scar which had settled across his face beginning at the base of his hairline near his temple and came to a thick and uneven end a few inches diagonally from his nose. "And a good thing too or else that beast would have had your throat in his teeth next."
"Your face! Oh god, Obi-wan, I'm so sorry! You must hate me for what he did – I'm so, so sorry!" Despite the agony burning deep in the flesh of her arm, Padme pulled herself to her feet with her friend's help. Was this really happening? She hadn't thought their paths would ever cross again!
"That's enough… No need for tears now," he sighed, taking her shoulders in his hands but she didn't let him speak another word before throwing both arms around the older man's neck in a desperate hug. They'd never hugged before but the absolute joy of seeing him alive before her eyes was too much to hold back, she didn't care that he wasn't the affectionate type. The Rebel leader froze in Padme's arms but after a moment she felt his arms return her embrace.
"Alright now, I'm beginning to think you're trying to choke me to death." His voice was rough, even if it held the pretence of a silly joke and Padme gave a quiet laugh as she released him.
"You saved my life… again… And here I am getting blood all over your nice coat." She shook her head, brushing the fingers of her unwounded arm over the buttoned-up beige coat he wore over his clothes. It was nice… Looked less worn than everything she owned which was the standard in the new world.
"Why're you out here alone?" Obi-wan's eyes narrowed, "I thought Skywalker kept you in a tight grip."
His words were true and yet something within Padme bristled at them.
"He's out here… There were too many creatures to take on and I ran out of bullets. He told me to run home while he and Aphra held them off. Obi-wan, what're you doing here? This is Imperial territory – don't you know what could happen if you're caught here?"
She thought of the poor man tied to a streetlight and left to die, imagined her friend's face instead and shuddered.
"I know. I saw what happened to the last sorry soul Skywalker and his henchmen got their hands on. I was hoping to slip in and out… We're running low on supplies."
"That's – that's not exactly fair…" It pained her to defend Anakin's actions but she understood the heart of the issue. There were limited supplies and he wanted to preserve what they had for their people. It sickened her, the punishments being inflicted but she understood. "We're struggling too… Things have been tough."
"Padme?!" A voice carried through the streets loudly and both Obi-wan and Padme recognised Anakin at once.
"He's looking for you," he muttered bitterly, "it's my fault you've been put in this position…" Padme saw it, the silent plea to ignore Anakin's calls in his eyes, large and blue and heartbreakingly sad. "You don't have to go with him. You can come back with me, nobody blames you for what's happened. Take this opportunity to escape, I beg you."
He was right, it was a chance, a real chance to get out of The Empire and away from Anakin forever. He'd tear the streets apart searching for her and when he found dead creatures and a pool of human blood, it would be so easy to believe she'd run out of weapons and been killed by a third beast. If she was careful, he might never know she was alive.
Once, Padme would have taken his hand and run for her life. Now, her heart ached for her friend as she shook her head. "I can't… I'm sorry…" She thought of her friends back in The Coruscant and wanted to cry. How disappointed would they be to hear she turned her back on them again? It hurt to imagine but… she wanted to stay. "My home is in The Empire with Anakin now… I'm so sorry. Besides, even if I did come... You and the Rebels would never have peace again."
"That's…" Obi-wan didn't hide the bitter disappointment he felt, "that is your choice to make."
When Anakin called out for her again, Padme clutched her wound again and stepped toward the end of the alleyway. "I'm here!" She shouted, "Ani, I'm alright!"
It took only a few seconds for the Imperial leader to stumble across Padme and Obi-wan, breathless, heart racing with fear and adrenaline. His expression softened in open relief to see Padme standing and alive but hardened once more as he glanced between her wound and the Rebel leader. "Shit!" He rushed toward her, "what happened? One of these got you?"
"It just bit me," she shook her head as he tenderly took her arm between trembling hands, uncaring about the blood that coated his fingers, "it looks worse than it is, I'm alright."
His free hand cupped Padme's cheek and brought her forehead to his, close enough that she could hear the shake of his breath as it escaped his parted lips. "You're alright…" He murmured so lowly the words were only for them, "thank whatever shitty God is up there, you're okay. I was so worried when I saw those things go after you."
She clutched at his black coat tightly, letting her eyes fall shut as they relished one another and their survival. And then, as quickly as he'd come, Anakin pulled himself from her, rounding furiously on Obi-wan with a rough shove at the older man's shoulders that sent him stumbling. "Now, what the hell are you doing in Imperial territories, old man? I thought I'd made myself quite clear about that."
"Oh, I was just passing through," Obi-wan answered smoothly, "I do hope you'll excuse the intrusion."
"And the rest of your crew? I'm assuming they're close by?"
"Just one, Rush actually," his eyes met Padme's, "he's just a few blocks away."
Laying her unwounded hand on Anakin's arm, she squeezed tightly, silencing whatever angry words he was about to speak. "How is he? Is he alright?"
Her friend's expression softened further at her question, "he's perfectly fine. Misses you."
"I miss him too," she nodded, tears stirring once more.
"Hey…" Anakin tugged her unhurt wrist so they stood a few steps away from Obi-wan, "if you aren't in too much pain…" He swallowed, battling an obvious urge not to say whatever it was he had in mind. "You could… If you want to see him, well, it's fine. They can come to The Empire to be safe."
Padme blinked, once, twice, trying to register his words as her brain scrambled in shock. What? It's fine…? Last time she so much as asked Ahsoka about her friends Anakin set his beast on Obi-wan – his face had been mauled! Now, it was just fine for Rush and Obi-wan to visit after they invaded his borders?
"I – what?" She shook her head, "You would be alright with that?" What changed? When did it change? Padme almost couldn't believe what she was hearing… Her arm throbbed and ached, dripping blood onto the sidewalk. "Why?"
"I want you to be happy," Anakin lowered his voice as if to hide his words from the Rebel leader's ears, "I – I told you I'd be better, I promised… Well, I'm trying."
Truth shone in his eyes and Padme's heart began to race. A small smile tugged at the corners of her hips as a swell of affection for him rose within her. He really was trying, before, such an offer would have undoubtedly led to violence in some way and now he welcomed it… Well, allowed it at least. It was change. Progress.
"Anakin…" She murmured, reaching for him but Obi-wan's voice interrupted them.
"Another time, perhaps," regret bled into his voice, "you need your wound seeing to. I wouldn't want to risk too much blood loss… Besides, from the sounds of things the streets are dangerous today. Rush and I should be getting back before it's too late. I… I'm sure we can come together and sort something."
The intense dislike between the two men thickened the air, neither fully willing to work with the other… And yet they were trying, for Padme they were trying. It was a first step! A real step toward a potential peace. She could have leapt into both their arms with delight.
"Yeah," Anakin inspected her arm once more, "this needs cleaned and wrapped… But the choice is yours, Padme."
It pained her to agree, she desperately wanted to see Rush again but the pain was growing worse by the second… She really had lost a lot of blood. "Yes – yes, I think you're right… But soon, yes?"
Both men reluctantly agreed with mutters and nods, refusing to meet one another's eye as a petulant act of rebellion against one another. Immature, but after the forward steps taken today, Padme allowed it. What was the old saying? Rome wasn't built in a day…
"Until then," Anakin's voice hardened once more, "keep your people out of my territory."
"Oh yes… I saw what happened to the last person you caught around here… A new level of depravity even for you, Skywalker."
Suddenly, it was as if the agreement between them never happened. The dislike, perhaps even hate, returned with furious glares. Padme felt her elation die in her chest. It had been wonderful while it lasted…
"Obi-wan, please don't," she pleaded as Anakin's arm slipped around her waist, holding her weight against his body as her mind was beginning to swim with the discomfort.
"Think about your own people, old man… Imperials are thriving because of what we do. Besides, you should thank me... That new scar's made you much prettier to look at." He began to lead her toward the end of the alleyway. Padme wanted to scold him for being so cruel but her arm needed to be bandaged before she lost any more blood and passed out. It would come later once they were safely home. Fatigue nipped at her heels but Anakin bore her weight with ease, slinging her unhurt arm over his shoulders.
Just as they stepped out onto the street, Obi-wan's voice followed them, "you said she'd be safe, Skywalker… That's why you took her." Resentment lay heavy in his words. "You promised she would be safe."
At that, Padme gripped her lover's coat tightly, holding him to her just as he held her. His body trembled with rage as he turned to the Rebel leader, his gaze heavy with fury. "She is safe," he growled dangerously.
"Really? Is she?" A bitter laugh fell between Obi-wan's lips, "She would have died if I wasn't here today. Do you realise that?"
It was rare to see Anakin shaken by anything, he slew beasts without care, threw himself into deathly fights as easily as breathing, left a man to die without a care and yet she felt him startle at the Rebel leader's words. "I… I was coming for her… I wouldn't have let anything happen…"
"Stop it!" She hissed at her friend. This was pointless, it would only sour the progress they just made. Didn't he realise how far Anakin had come by allowing them visitation? Why was he testing him? "That's enough, Obi-wan! Please!"
Alas, her plea went unheeded.
"I didn't see you anywhere, boy."
Anakin tensed violently beneath her touch, offended to his very core by the older man's words. Padme's heart sunk as she felt the hand on her waist pull away, probably curling into a tight fist, prepared – and worse, determined – to fight the Rebel leader. "No," she whispered, laying her unwounded hand on her lover's chest, "Anakin, don't. Just leave it… Please!" Slowly, grudgingly, he pulled his raging gaze away from Obi-wan to look down at Padme, "Let's find Aphra and go home."
He looked at her, a savage wrath in his eyes which didn't fade and it scared Padme to her very core. Why did Obi-wan have to agitate him? Things were going so well… She gave one more murmured plea and his expression began to shift, subtly, but Padme knew him enough to see it. He nodded shallowly, swallowing down whatever violent urges pulsed in his blood.
Right now, that was enough. It was unexpected growth and maturity… Despite her dismay, pride blossomed in her chest. How far he'd come.
As they made to leave again, Padme threw a furious glance over her shoulder to Obi-wan. Anakin was willing to let her see her friends – it was a step toward peace between the factions! Now that was endangered because he refused to hold his stupid tongue! What was he thinking?
At the anger in her eyes, the older man seemed to deflate slightly as they rounded the corner leaving him behind. She hoped he found his way back to Rush and got home safely. With them alive, there was a hope for peace at least.
Aphra waited for them outside the hotel, a bleeding cut on her leg, shallow and easy to heal and she greeted Anakin with a casual smile before her eyes fell to Padme's wound. "Jeez, Princess! What'd you do, try and feed yourself to it?"
The other woman's words were nothing. Her arm throbbed in agony and her head pounded at the loss of blood, Padme had more important things to think about right now. They made their way inside and she sat on a stool as Anakin fussed around her, calling for clean water and bandages to be brought to them. People worked swiftly to make it happen, as they always did when one of their own returned wounded. Kit patted her shoulder with a worried smile, speaking words of encouragement in her ear as Anakin disinfected her wound.
It burned, enough to make Padme wince and curse but her lover's hands worked quickly to clean bandage the injury tight. By the time he finished, exhaustion nipped at her eyes and the call of bed was too powerful to ignore. Anakin stood, handing the bloody rag to someone by his side with a murmur as Kit handed her a cup of water and some of the rare, non-expired painkillers they kept for serious wounds.
She swallowed them at once and thanked her friend, turning back to Anakin wearily. "I think I might sleep away an entire week… Come with me… I think we both need it." Her hand reached for his but he shook his head and stepped back into the small crowd that had gathered around them, his haze pained.
"I – I have something to do. Kit, make sure she gets upstairs alright."
With that, he stormed off beyond Padme's gaze.