A/N: I'm sorry I've been so slow. My life has been pretty hectic at the moment; my cousin got married, my family is here and I've been working almost every day and just haven't gotten a chance to write. Anyway, I hope I make it up to you with this chapter.

I can't believe I've gotten over 200 reviews. That is actually amazing. Thank you so much for all your continuous support for this story. It really means so much to me.

Please enjoy xx

"Have you talked to dad yet?"

Padme sighed deeply as she balanced her phone between her cheek and shoulder, clutching a takeaway coffee in her left hand and her suitcase in her right. It was unbelievably cold as soon as she stepped off the plane, and it was currently snowing and the wind had picked up, making it, all in all, a fairly dismal arrival. Her mother was on her way to the airport to pick her up, and so Padme was huddled under the shelter of an awning, desperately trying to keep her teeth from chattering as she spoke to her sister.

"No."

It had been two weeks since she had left her father's house, and since then, she'd not made contact with him. She wasn't one to hold a grudge, at least, she liked to think that she wasn't, but there was just so much that had been said between them… awful things… and Padme didn't know how to breach the subject again without losing her control. Besides, it wasn't as though he had made any effort to contact her.

Sola clicked her tongue on the other end of the line. "You really should forgive him. He means well, you know, even if he goes about it in the wrong way."

Sighing again, Padme let go of her suitcase, sitting it upright so she could support her phone with her hand again. "I know." If she was being honest with herself, Padme had forgiven him already. She just couldn't face him, not yet. Her pride was too strong. "When you are you getting to mom's?" she asked in an effort to change the subject.

"Tomorrow. The girls are excited to see you."

The thought of her little nieces brightened her mood and Padme couldn't help but smile. "I'm excited to see them too." She made a mental note to buy them Christmas presents before she forgot. Just then, her mother's car pulled up beside the curb, so she ended the call with her sister, and quickly got into the passenger seat, grateful for the shelter from the insistent snow storm.

Jobal Naberrie did nothing by halves, and Christmas was no exception. Padme had almost forgotten how much her mother adored decorating until she arrived back home, to see a glorious and elaborate display of reindeer, Christmas trees, fairy lights adorning every tree, lining the path, hanging from the roof. A large wreath was pinned to the front door. It was a step back in time to Padme's childhood, and the sight of it thrilled her.

"This looks amazing, mom," she praised as she went inside, eyes wide with awe as she drank in the tinsel lining the window frames and the various ornaments resting on every surface.

Her mother smiled brilliantly, her cheeks flushing a little. "Well, Ryoo and Pooja are coming, so I thought I'd make an effort. I've been doing some… redecorating, lately," she added with a knowing grin on her face, before taking Padme upstairs. It was there, that Padme noticed the largest change in the house. Her single bed was gone, replaced by a much larger double bed, in elegant white sheets and a monochrome patterned quilt. Of course, her childhood memorabilia was still every present, but it was a much more adult room. Padme beamed at her mother and thanked her immensely. She had not expected that.

"It's nothing, dear," Jobal dismissed the thanks with a wave of her hand. "You're an adult now, it's about time you had a room that showed it. Besides…" her expression grew sly. "I needed to make changes if Anakin is going to be staying here more often."

Padme couldn't help the blush that rushed to her cheeks at her mother's words. She couldn't believe how differently each of her parents were reacting to her relationship. Her father had been all uptight and treated them like teenagers. She was relieved to hear her mother appreciating that she was an adult. It was refreshing, and she was more grateful for it than anything.

"When is he coming home?"

"Tuesday," Padme replied somewhat sad. As always, she missed Anakin, but this time, she was more concerned about their relationship. Things had ended well the last time they had been together, but still there was this uncertainty in the air, and many things left unspoken. It made her anxious. She knew that she needed to clear the air and actually talk to him, but it was always so much easier to pretend that nothing was wrong.

Her mother seemed to notice her distress and put her hand on her arm. "Is everything alright?"

Nodding, Padme brushed her off with a small smile. "It's nothing," she ensured her. "I'm fine."

Not convinced, Jobal frowned. "Darling, if you need to talk about anything – "

" – I know, mom," she said in a rush. "I'm fine, really." Hopefully, Padme had done enough to abate her mother until she could figure out her own feelings. There was just some things she didn't want to discuss, not yet, anyway.

Her mother only sighed, a sad expression on her face and sat down on Padme's bed, hands clasped in her lap. The silence in the air grew still and Padme grew anxious again as she regarded her mother. Why was she acting like this? What had happened?

Then, the words she dreaded to hear surfaced. "Your father called."

Padme paled considerably. Her father had called? Called her mother? They were not on good terms, that much she knew. If he had called her mother, it must have been something important. A wave of guilt washed over her. She should have contacted him. She should have called him or visited him and smoothed things over. It was coming up to Christmas and they still hadn't spoken a word to each other. The situation must have been bad for Ruwee to turn to his ex-wife.

She remained silent and began to unpack her suitcase, keeping her back turned. "He told me what happened," Jobal continued, prompting her to turn around and talk about it, even though all Padme wanted to do was hide. Perhaps Anakin was right. Perhaps she did have habit of running away from her problems instead of dealing with the consequences.

It was obvious what was coming next. A lecture. And Padme was not in the mood to be told what to do, especially by her own mother. When she said as much, her mother just shook her head and heaved a heavy sigh. "I'm not here to tell you what you did was wrong," she explained. "I don't agree with the way your father handled the situation, but that doesn't mean he didn't raise some good points. Have you actually thought about your future?"

Again with the future talk. For someone so futures-orientated, Padme was surprised at how uncertain everything about her future was. The only thing she knew was certain, was that Anakin would be in the picture, one way or another. "Of course I have," she retorted stubbornly, whipping around to cross her arms and frown at her mother for daring to ask such a question, even though she was well within her rights to.

"You're not a very good liar, Padme," Jobal informed her with a small, soft smile, trying to placate her. "I just want to make sure you know what you're getting yourself into. Relationships take a lot of work and if you don't – "

" – there's nothing wrong with our relationship," Padme snapped. "Anakin and I are coping just fine with the distance."

Jobal only shook her head. "For now. What happens when you graduate? What happens when you get a job? What are you going to do?"

"I don't know! I'll move to Chicago or something. There'll be jobs there." Now, she was starting to get frustrated. Why was her family so sure that her relationship with Anakin was doomed? They loved each other. Wasn't that all that mattered?

Apparently it wasn't enough for her mother. Jobal blinked at her with eyes that were moist with pity, something Padme had never expected her mother to feel for her. "Please, Padme," she all but pleaded. "Please don't make the same mistake your father did. Don't give up your dreams for a life you think you want."

She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Her mother, of all people, was supposed to be the one who stood up for her. Here, now, she was sounding every bit like her father, only in much softer, gentler tones. "I can't believe you would say that," she said quietly, turning her head away. "I love Anakin. I thought… I thought you would understand that."

"Your father loved me once, too," her mother whispered, her voice trembling and when Padme finally glanced up at her, she saw tears swimming in her eyes, threatening to spill down her cheeks. "You are his daughter, Padme," she continued. "No matter how much you try to deny it, it will never be enough for you."

And then she left the room, leaving Padme confused and angry and hurt and betrayed as she sat on her bed, her clothes around her, wondering if her mother was actually right. What was going to happen when Padme graduated? What if she was offered a job to travel, or move, while Anakin was still in college? If she was being honest, the long distance was killing her. She missed him terribly every single day he was apart, and the fleeting visits, whilst wonderful, were never enough. And yet, Padme had sworn to herself she could never be one of those women that sat around all day waiting for her man. She hated that idea. She longed to explore the world and integrate herself into society wholeheartedly. She wanted to make a difference. Could she do that? Commit to two things at once?

It was a terrifying prospect to consider, and it was something she definitely didn't want to think about, especially not now. So, to quell her anxiety, she did the only thing in the world that made her feel better. She called Anakin.

"Why Tuesday?" Padme whined as soon as Anakin answered her call. She was lying on her bed, book resting on her chest and toothbrush wedged between her teeth.

He laughed from the other end, and the sound of it thrilled her, as it always did. "Hello to you, too," he teased.

Huffing, for she was not in the mood for his banter, she retorted, "Why should I greet someone who's always making me wait for him?"

"Someone's needy," he replied, voice light and airy. "Are you missing me, Padme?"

"You already know that answer to that, Ani."

He merely laughed again. "That's not the point. I like hearing you say it." Padme could practically see his arrogant grin.

"Fine. Yes, I miss you. Happy?" she bit back, harsher than she had intended.

Anakin paused. "Are you actually mad at me?"

"No," Padme sighed, miserably, closing her eyes. "I'm sorry, I'm just being silly."

"Four days, angel, and then I'm all yours."

She grinned in spite of herself, her insides fluttering at the thought. She knew she was being ridiculous, but it had been two weeks and they'd both been so busy with last minute assignments and work that they'd hardly even had time to call each other. She missed him.

"Hmm, I like the sound of that," she said, low and seductive, trying to get a rise out of him. It worked, for she heard his gorgeous husky laughter fill her eyes and her grin widened at the sound of it. "Hey, what do you want for Christmas?"

"You."

Padme rolled her eyes. As spontaneous as he was, he could be so predictable sometimes. "That's not helpful at all, Anakin. You've already got me. Pick something else."

"I don't want something else. All I want is you." There it was again, that honesty that made her entire body light up. She was she was safely inside the privacy of her bedroom, otherwise she might have been embarrassed by the sappy grin that curled her lips at his words. Instead of letting herself get affected by him, she swallowed and shook her head.

"I'm not wrapping myself up in a big red bow, if that's what you're suggesting. I doubt I'd fit in a stocking." There was a pause, though she could distinctly hear a sharp inhale and she groaned. "No, Ani. Whatever you're thinking, stop."

She swore she could see him grinning at her, those blue eyes flashing with mischief and his bottom lip between his teeth as he whispered the words, "that's not exactly the worst image."

"You're unbelievable," she groaned, trying to hide the fact that such an image had flashed before her mind as well, but she didn't want him to know that. Trust Anakin to make something sexual out of an innocent comment.

"You're the one who put the idea in my head. Don't blame me."

Padme rolled onto her stomach, letting her book fall to the floor, and kicked up her legs as she propped herself up on her elbows. Streetlight from outside spilled onto her pillow and she traced the shadows it made with her forefinger. "Can you please be serious for once, Ani," she pleaded in frustration. "I want to get you something special."

"You don't have to get me anything," he told her instantly.

"Of course I do," she insisted. "Stop being so self-righteous and help me out here."

Another pause. Padme waited patiently. If she was being honest, she had no idea what to get Anakin for Christmas either. It had to be something special, something he would actually want and use, but she was stumped on what that gift actually was. Part of her was tempted, a very desperate part, to do as he had jokingly suggested, wrap herself up in a bow and lay on her bed, completely naked. But sex was not a present. Not really. No, she decided firmly. Anakin deserved something far better than that.

"You know," he said after a while, a familiar slyness creeping into his voice. "If you really love me like you say you do, you wouldn't have waited until ten days before Christmas to buy me a present." He spoke matter-of-factly and his teasing made her roll her eyes again.

"Right," she drawled sarcastically. "So you're telling me you've already bought me something?"

"Of course I have."

"What is it?"

He laughed again. "I'm not telling you. It's a surprise."

"If it's just you wrapped up in a big red bow, I want a refund," she teased.

Anakin made a wounded sound. "I'm sorry to disappoint, Miss Naberrie. You can only refund if you find the product faulty, and since I'm flawless, I guess you're stuck with me."

"Hmmm," Padme grinned, pausing for dramatic effect. She loved this more than anything. Talking to Anakin was one of her favourite things in the world. His effect on her was like none other; his light-hearted, teasing nature absolutely contagious and she fell right in without complaint. "Well, I suppose you'll have to do, if I'm stuck with you." She made a false, disappointed huffing sound that erupted into a fit of giggles, which Anakin soon joined, his beautiful laughter filling her ears.

"I promise I'll make it worth your while," he said darkly, and his suggestive tone made her shiver.

It took everything she had to keep her voice under control, for she couldn't let him know just how much he affected her. "That's some mighty talk there, Mr. Skywalker. I hope you can back it up. A girl doesn't like to be disappointed."

His husky laugh made her skin break out into goose pimples, all over her arms and the back of her neck. "You won't be, angel. Trust me."

The connection suddenly became muffled and there was a shriek and a lot of background laughter as Padme tried to assess what was going on. The pause continued for a few muffled moments, and she clicked her tongue impatiently, eager to continue her playful banter. When Anakin finally returned his concentration to her, his voice seemed very, very far away.

"I've got to go, Padme. We just got to Rex's and… well – yeah alright, Securra, I'm coming! – I'll talk to you later, alright."

Padme tried not to sound too disappointed. It wasn't fair to ask him to continue talking to her when he wanted to have fun with his friends. Still, she would be lying if she said she wasn't upset at the fact that her conversation had been cut short. They'd had so little of it lately. "Oh, sure, Ani. It's fine. Have a good night."

"You too."

She could sense he was just about to hang up, so she blurted out, "Anakin – "

"Yeah?"

She swallowed. "I love you."

Her ears filled with his joyful laughter and she knew he was smiling and shaking his head at her, even if she couldn't see him, because she just knew him and every one of his expressions. "Love you too, angel. Only four days til I come home to you."

Four days. She nodded her head and rolled back over onto her back, pressing her fingers to her lips in a promise. Four days until she was in Anakin's arms again. It couldn't have come sooner.

The only thing that made her longing for Anakin bearable was the arrival of her sister. As soon as Sola appeared on the doorstep, Padme's mood had considerably lightened and the two of them had embraced so fiercely, tears in each other's eyes. It was the sweetest of reunions. And her little nieces were absolute delights. Little Pooja had attached herself immediately to Padme's side, becoming her adorable little shadow and following her everywhere she went – even into the bathroom at some stages, which made Padme laugh and Sola shake her head in embarrassment. Ryoo, the more serious of the two, preferred to keep to herself, and yet she, too, insisted that Aunty Padme read her a story before she went to bed.

It was an unusual thing, being surrounded by so much family. Most of Padme's childhood had been squandered by her fighting parents, and Sola had always been so much older. At times, Padme envied Ryoo and Pooja being so close in age, able to do things together and confide in each other and be friends. Although Padme had always been close to her sister, the age gap had certainly complicated things.

The next day, Jobal insisted on taking Ryoo and Pooja to the local cinemas, leaving Padme and Sola to do their Christmas shopping by themselves, which suited her just fine. Sola was especially relieved, for it was difficult to hide presents with snooping children in the house. Especially when most of the presents were supposed to come from Santa.

After the first three hours of fruitless shopping, at least on Padme's part, for Sola had bought dozens of little gifts for her daughters and a new set of tools for her husband, they decided to stop for a much needed coffee break. Whilst they sat in the crowded little café, Padme couldn't help but smile at the moment, and how much she enjoyed spending time with her sister. After so many years apart, it felt good to have her back in her life. Sola had always been a shining light in Padme's life, someone she had looked up to and aspired to become.

"This is nice," she said after a while, taking a sip from her latte and running her tongue over her top lip to rid any excess foam.

Sola nodded her head, smiling kindly. "Yeah, it is. It's been forever since we've done something like this."

Forever was almost an overstatement. Padme couldn't recall a single time where she and her sister had gone out together, alone, without their mother or friends. It really was a unique experience. "I'm sorry I didn't keep in touch that often," she apologised sincerely.

"I'm just as at fault," Sola insisted. "I didn't keep in contact with you, either. It takes two."

"Well," Padme said brightly. "At least we're making up for it now."

"How are things? With you and Anakin?" Sola asked after a while, narrowing her eyes and scanning her face. Padme frowned. Why was everyone so convinced that someone was wrong with her relationship? First her father, then her mother and now her sister? Were they all so certain that they were doomed? That things wouldn't work out? When Padme raised this opinion, her sister only smiled sadly. "I just want you to know that you can talk to me, about anything. I'm your sister."

"I know." Padme knew she could trust Sola with anything, but one question continued to worry her. Were there cracks in her relationship that she wasn't seeing? Everything seemed so wonderful when they were together. Perhaps, she realised, this was the opportunity she needed to figure out how to make things work. As every member of her family had pointed out, things were going to get a lot more complicated once she graduated. Anakin's unfortunate past aside, he would still be at college, whilst she would be looking for a job. If they continued on the path they were currently following, Padme knew she would go insane. The distance was killing her. She longed to be with Anakin every minute of every day, and it had only gotten so much worse the longer they had been together.

And so, with that at the forefront of her mind, she decided now would be the time to seek advice from someone who understood her position. "How did you do it?" she asked her sister, her voice soft. "How did you make your marriage work?" It was well known that Sola's husband travelled a lot for work, and Sola had followed him everywhere, sacrificing her job, a home, stability, constantly moving from place to place.

Nodding, Sola inhaled deeply, before explaining. "I chose love." The answer sounded so simple to Padme that she cocked her head to the side in confusion, which only made Sola laugh. "I decided that I couldn't only half-commit to something, and that Darred deserved my full attention. I couldn't divide myself between him and a career," she elaborated. "So, I chose him. I gave up any hopes of having an actual career, and simply followed him wherever life took us."

The answer was something Padme wasn't expecting to hear. Her sister had actually chosen to give up her aspirations and life dreams in order to follow a man around the world. No wonder her father had been so disappointed. Ruwee Naberrie had spent his life pruning his daughters into becoming successful, independent women, and then his eldest gives that all up for a man. It almost made her understand why he was so against her relationship with Anakin – not just because of his past, but because he was afraid that Padme would make the same decision that Sola had thirteen years ago.

"Do you regret it?" She felt bad asking such a private, personal question, but Padme needed answers. She needed guidance.

A large, proud smile broke out on Sola's face. "Not at all. I love my husband and I love my family and I couldn't imagine being happier. It was the best decision I could have made."

The bright, ecstatic look on Sola's face made Padme question her principles. They were two different people. Sola was her mother's daughter, family orientated, whereas Padme was far more ambitious, like her father. Could she do as her sister had done? Give up her goals and her aspirations just to be with Anakin? The conflict messed with her. Padme had never seen herself as an idle housewife. She was ambitious and fierce and proud and wanted to make a difference in the world. She wanted a career that was every bit as fulfilling as she could hope for. But, she loved Anakin, too, more than she thought she could possibly love another person, more than was humanly possible, she was sure of it. He was everything to her. She couldn't give him up.

"Look, I know why you're asking me this," Sola began, reaching out and taking Padme's hand, patting it softly, reassuring her. "I'm not saying you should do as I did. We're different people and we want different things in life. But…" she broke off and Padme glanced at her, seeing the concern evident in her blue eyes. "You need to think about this. Graduation will come around sooner than you think, and then you need to evaluate your life."

Her teeth sunk into the cushion of her bottom lip and she sighed, casting her eyes at the table below her. "I know."

"You should probably talk to Anakin about this. He wouldn't want you to give up your dreams just for him."

"I know," she said again. It definitely gave her a lot to think about, even if she wasn't quite ready to think about her future. That fear of the unknown, it was consuming her, and Padme suddenly realised that she needed to tackle it soon before it was too late, and they both did something irrational that affected them in a bad way.

It was late afternoon by the time they came back home, and Padme helped her sister hide the presents from the curious eyes of her nieces. The rest of the afternoon was spent playing Pictionary with her nieces, mother and sister, and, once again, Padme felt that strange urge to be maternal. Watching Sola with the girls made her ache to have her own family one day. Regardless of what her future held, she definitely knew she wanted children. Not now, of course, but one day, when things were less chaotic and she was more grounded.

As she went to take her contraception pill later that day, a sudden, mundane thought occurred to her. She hadn't gotten her period. Bemused, but not entirely worried, she counted back the days to her last cycle and her brows furrowed.

Her period was meant to come three days ago.

Inhaling deeply to calm the rush of anxiety that was likely to emerge, she shook her head firmly. Three days was nothing. Right? But you're always so regular, a voice inside her head informed her.

No. There was nothing to worry about. Being late a few days was normal. She couldn't be – they used protection, they were careful – it was just her hormones playing up on her. Either way, Padme couldn't sleep that night. Her sudden, maternal thoughts earlier that day haunted her, like a curse.

Had she spoken too soon?