Chapter Two - Elope

Padme slowly entered her walk-in wardrobe wearing a pale blue flowing gown. She was still feeling very downcast as she hung up the green velvet gown she had been wearing that day. She felt another kick nudge her from within her stomach. She rubbed it as she thought that she may have to request the Senate for some time off with the due date's possible approach. She could claim she was under a lot of stress or just under the weather and needed a healthier climate surrounding her so she could recover.

The question also lay, when the due date would actually be? She decided that the first thing she would do the next day was visit a med droid and see how far she was from delivery. Then once she saw Anakin she would inform him and he would know to be close when the time came. Her eyes fell as her fingers stroked down the soft sleeve of the green dress. Hopefully, he would be able to find some excuse to make himself absent for a while, but would the Jedi see through him? Padme just did not know. Rubbing her belly again she whispered quietly, "If only things could be easier for both of us."

Behind her Threepio's voice suddenly came calling to her from the bedroom entryway. "I say, Mistress Padme! There is a ship approaching the landing platform. I believe it is Master Anakin's." Padme whirled around, all her sadness and concern gone at the thought of her husband being only seconds away from her. She hurried from her room.

The closer Anakin got to Padme's Penthouse the more hopeful he became. Despite the fact that he was flying at full speed, he felt as though he was flying in slow motion and not getting anywhere. But finally the building was in front of him and he braked his speed and his fighter came to a stop at the platform of Padme's home. No sooner had he climbed out of his fighter that the love of his life came hurrying out of the building in a blue nightgown, her dark curls flying out behind her. He wasted no time as he took her in his arms. Her curls were soft against his cheek and her nightgown was smooth under his hands.

Threepio trotted over to Artoo who was still inserted snugly in his socket of the fighter. Both droids engaged in a silent conversation occasionally eyeing their human owners.

Anakin was almost crying again as he kissed Padme's soft, sweet lips. The relief her presence gave was so intoxicating that he didn't want to ever let her go. When their lips parted she wrapped her arms round him, gently stroking his hair. He in turn held her close to him, being careful not to squeeze her too tight and cause the baby harm. He could feel his tears coming though they did not spill over.

"Oh Padme," he sighed, breathing in the sweet scent of her hair.

"Oh Ani," she responded. They said nothing more for a long time just staying in each other's arms, feeling each other's presence.

When they leaned back to look into each other's eyes, Padme's heart clenched. Just from looking into his eyes she could tell that Anakin was in great pain. He looked as though he was burning from within himself.

"Ani?" she said, gently stroking his cheek. He closed his eyes, not responding. She slowly led him over to one of the sofas and they sat down. "What is it? What's hurting you, my love?"

Anakin took several deep breaths, then he told her everything. About Palpatine's confession of his true identity, Obi-Wan confronting Grievous alone, Mace Windu's orders and his conflicted decisions all tied to his nightmare visions. He didn't look at her as he spoke. He said all this staring downwards as though he were confessing to the floor.

By the time he had finished speaking, Padme could see his eyes filling with unshed tears.

"My god," she gasped. "How could we not have seen this after all these years? In desperate search for a Sith Lord, when all along he had been right under our noses and in command of all of us."

Anakin still did not look up. "I don't know. I almost didn't believe his claim at first but the force confirmed it as the truth." He closed his eyes tight before opening than again. "One of the few people who I thought I could fully trust with my life." His throat was tight. "He tried to convince me to join him Padme, he says that if I embrace the dark side I will be able to prevent your death."

Padme was shocked as she heard this and unable to find a reply. "I could feel it, when he pleaded with me. I could feel his obsessed desire for me to follow him. Yet he also spoke to me as though he was still the fatherly friend I have known him as all these years."

Padme rested her hand on his shoulder. "That explains why he has favored you ever since you saved Naboo when you were nine. It wasn't out of gratitude for saving our home world, it must be because he saw all the power and determination you had at such a young age."

Anakin stood up from the sofa and stared out at the vast city. "When he begged me to join him I felt some kind of pull, drawing me to him. It was so tempting, I felt as though it was the right path to go. But the thought of using dark power on you or the baby, I'm afraid that it might get worse, even if I managed to help you survive childbirth. I'm scared that it might hurt the baby."

"Or yourself?" Padme asked quietly as she too stood up.

Anakin slowly turned back to face her. "I don't know what to do Padme. I'm…so scared. I want to save you. I want to keep you and the baby safe. But if I beg the Council to provide protection for us, they'll find out about us and expel me as a traitor to the Jedi Order. If I follow Palpatine, I'll be joining the Dark Side and face an uncertain future of untold horrors. I don't know…what to do." His last sentence came out as a sob.

Almost immediately Padme took him in her arms and at the same time his tears spilled down his cheeks as he clung to her petite form. His artificial arm wrapped round her, while his flesh hand came down and pressed against her stomach and felt the growing form of their child. He sobbed, remembering again how he had failed in saving his mother. It was a pain even worse than losing his arm had been. He felt as though he was being torn apart piece by piece.

"Are you sure Obi-Wan could not help us?" Padme asked.

Anakin leaned back but kept his hands on her waist. "I don't know. He may be like a brother to me but…for as long as I've known him he has always remained loyal to the Jedi code. Even before he became a Jedi Knight, I remember him questioning Master Qui-Gon about me all those years ago, even though he didn't think I did. He said I was "dangerous." Even before he was on the Council, he doubted me and supported their original decision not to train me as a Jedi. I honestly don't know whose side he'll take if we tell him the truth."

He took her hands in his. "I feel so lost Padme. I know I promised you I would become more powerful and stop people from dying, but I don't know how. And I don't know who else to trust anymore, you're all I have left now, you and the baby. You're the only ones in my life that wouldn't turn against me." He closed his eyes and two more tears fell.

Padme leaned in and rested her forehead against his. A single tear slid down her own delicate cheek for her husband. Why did he have to suffer so much? It tortured her so much to see him in so much pain. She kept picturing that little boy she had met on Tatooine, so small, so helpless and yet so brave and clever. The thought of him being separated from his mother and not allowed to have any attachments was just so wrong. No one deserved to go through anything like this. She wanted to help him, erase his pain and bring back the cheerful young man with the charming smile who had always been a joyful light in her life. Her eyes suddenly opened as it hit her.

"Ani, perhaps there is another way."

He stood up straight staring at her, his face still stained with his tears. "What do you mean?"

She reached up to wipe his tears from his cheeks. "Let's leave."

Of all the things she could have said, he had not expected that. "Leave?"

She nodded her face becoming hopeful. "Let's leave all this behind. Take my ship to Naboo, to the lake country and raise our child. No one knows about us there and we would be safe enough. You said on the night of our marriage that Naboo was one of your favorite places in this whole galaxy. So let's settle there and live a normal life."

Anakin was dumbfounded. Running away with her and living a normal life together sounded more like a fantasy than reality. He did want that more than anything, to throw away all his worries and to finally relax with his wife. But he could not imagine just leaving the Jedi order and becoming like any normal man. But the way Padme was saying it, it sounded so easy and a better plan than any of the ones he had come up with.

"Do you not want to do that Ani?" she asked, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"Of course, it sounds so… so wonderful. I'm just worried about what will happen with the Jedi and the Senate if we both just disappear."

Padme rubbed a hand down his cheek. "They'll survive Anakin. There are plenty of senators and plenty of Jedi to take care of the Galaxy. It won't matter and it's no crime for two people like us to want a normal life. Is it?"

On that Anakin did agree. Wanting a normal life was no crime and not wrong. "No, I guess not." She smiled at his answer and his heart warmed just seeing the beautiful sight of her face lighting up. She leaned in to give him a quick kiss and he responded just as eagerly with another gentle rub against her stomach.

"Come inside and we'll get everything ready."

Anakin felt a smile on his own lips as Padme led him towards the door. Then he stopped and called over his shoulder. "Come on, Artoo. You and Threepio can lend us a hand."

Artoo beeped in response and hovered out from the socket and rolled on beside Threepio and they followed their master and mistress back into the penthouse.

Author's Notes
To those of you who already read the first chapter yesterday, I know this may be sooner than you expected. But I was desperate to post this next chapter because I wanted you all to have some more details and not be left on a cliff-hanger after a small opening. I know the first was not as long as this one but it was pretty much an opening prologue to give you an idea where the story is coming from. So now we have something more interesting to think about. What more will come.
And to make this more interesting, I'm going reveal that in the next chapter we will have a surprise unexpected appearance from another character who I hope most of you will know. Well happy reading to you all. Let Me Know in the reviews what you think!

Thank you Carrie2sky for BETA Reading this!

May The Force Be With You!
LouisaJane007