A/N: So, I just saw The Force Awakens and oh my god it was amazing. I love it. I love the old characters and the new and I simply CAN'T WAIT FOR THE NEXT ONE!

Back to this story, this is probably be my last chapter before Christmas - but not before the new year because I'm not that cruel. I'm sure you'll all be too busy to read my little story anyway, so it's probably not a big deal. Anyway, I just want to wish you all a merry, merry Christmas! It's possibly my favourite time of year!

And, on that note, enjoy xx

Two days later, and nothing. She was still late. If Padme was concerned before, it was nothing compared to how she was feeling now. No matter how hard she tried to keep it together, she was plagued by nightmares of what if? She'd refused to take a test, not until Anakin came home anyway, because if she was pregnant, she would want to tell him face to face. It wasn't something she could do over the phone. Anakin deserved more than that.

Of course, the rational part of her brain was telling her she was overreacting. Six days was still not that long, not really. Was it? Yet her logical thought processes were slowly being consumed by crippling anxiety. It had gotten so bad that Padme had reverted to biting her fingernails again, a habit of hers when her parent's had been fighting. It was all she could do not to give her mother any indication of what was truly happening.

Being around her nieces didn't help either. Especially when she began envisioning her own children. As much as Padme wanted a family eventually, she knew she was far from ready. Yes, she may be twenty-four, but she was still at Harvard, she didn't have a job, she still relied on her father's money. And she definitely knew that Anakin wasn't ready either. He was just starting to turn his life around. It wasn't fair to him.

For the next three nights, Padme hardly slept. Her dreams were plagued with images of a child, a son, blinking up at her with Anakin's bright, blue eyes and she would wake, sitting up in bed so suddenly that she gave herself a head rush, her body covered in perspiration despite how cold it was. After the first few sleepless nights, she refused to let herself succumb to dreams, and constantly woke herself before she could. As a result, she was extremely tired.

Her brave face seemed to break through, however, as her family was too busy preparing for Christmas to notice her distress. Padme was more than grateful for this. The last thing she wanted was her mother fretting or her sister getting involved. The two of them were notorious for prying into Padme's life and pushing her buttons and she was too on edge to deal with that right now. All she wanted was for Anakin to come home.

In order to keep busy, she helped her mother bake. Though not a skilled cook, she had quite a love of baking, and it gave her a sense of peace, kneading the dough for shortbread, rolling rumballs in coconut, making plum pudding and pumpkin pie. It had a calming effect on her nerves and keeping her hands busy gave her less time to think about the possibility that she might be pregnant. While she did so, she couldn't help but hear Anakin's words ringing in her head; so, running away from our problems is the best solution then, is it? Was that what she was doing? Running away from the problem instead of facing it. She refused to answer that question. Just wait until Ani's home, she told herself, then everything will sort itself out.

"Something's wrong," Sola said bluntly after dinner, the night before Anakin was meant to come home. The two of them were washing up the dishes whilst Jobal put the girls in bed. Padme stayed silent for a moment, not quite ready to confess what was troubling her. Sola meant well, she always did, but Padme still didn't feel comfortable in revealing her fears. They were silly fears, she was sure of it. When she refused to answer, Sola sighed heavily and gripped Padme's wrist, forcing her to stop what she was doing. It took a moment before she met her inquisitive gaze. "What is it?"

Smiling softly, Padme shook her head. "There's nothing wrong," she lied, taking her wrist from her sister's grip to continue scrubbing dried pasta sauce out of a large saucepan.

Sola wasn't having any of it. "You've been biting your nails. You haven't done that since the divorce."

It was true. While her parents were going through the sticky end of their divorce, which had often involved a fair amount of yelling and high tensions in the house, Padme had unconsciously began biting her nails as a way of dealing with the intensity of the situation. Of course, she'd weaned herself off that habit once she'd hit high-school, so for her to have resorted to such an old habit meant that she was not alright, at least, not subconsciously.

With a deep sigh, she peeled off the rubber gloves and stared out of the window. The snow fall was light and gentle, dusting the window pane in a thin layer of white. Everything outside was white, so pristine and beautiful. It helped to calm her nerves. Padme closed her eyes briefly for a moment, not caring that she was making her sister wait, because she needed time. This was a delicate situation.

"I'm late," she whispered into the night, so very quiet that Sola had to lean closer to her to hear it. Saying the words aloud seemed to make the situation all the more real and her heart raced behind her ribs, the pulse flowing down all the way to her fingertips. When she opened her eyes again, they met her sister's own wide, concerned ones.

"Oh, Padme," was all her sister said, clasping her hands together.

Nodding, Padme bit her lip. "Yeah."

Sola reached out and gripped her hand tightly, giving it an encouraging squeeze. "How many days?"

She swallowed the lump that was stuck in her throat. "Six so far." It was only now she realised that her voice was trembling. Six days. Almost a week. That couldn't be normal, could it?

"Do you know if you're – "

" – I don't know," Padme replied immediately, almost defensively.

Her sister picked up on her attitude and merely sighed, running her thumb over Padme's knuckles. "Ignoring it won't make this go away," she explained kindly.

"That's not it," Padme assured her, though she was more likely trying to convince herself of that fact. "I just – I want to wait until Anakin comes home."

Sola's eyes widened incredulously. "You haven't told him?" When Padme shook her head, she grimaced. "Padme, you can't keep this from him. That's not fair."

"I know! I'm not keeping it from him." She looked out the window again, her eyes drawn to the stray cat sprinting across the snow-covered lawn. "I just don't want him to worry about it. Not while he's still at school. It could all be for nothing, you know. I…" she sighed, rubbing her temples with her forefingers. "I can't do that to him." Sola nodded in understanding, pulling Padme into a comforting hug. The two were of similar heights, but Padme still felt so small in the arms of her sister, so naïve and young and innocent. "What if I am pregnant?" she heard herself mutter into her sister's shoulder.

She suddenly realised that this could change everything. Her entire world could be turned upside down. Would she still be able to graduate? Maybe. She'd only be six months pregnant by graduation, that wouldn't be so bad. An image of her appeared in her mind, accepting her graduation certificate with an enormous belly sticking out from underneath her ceremonial gown. What would people think of her? Harvard students were not the types to get pregnant, especially if they weren't married first. What would her friends think? Her professors? Random students she ran into when getting coffee? All these thoughts flooded her and she was overwhelmed and felt her body shudder with sobs.

"Shhh, it's okay," Sola cooed in her ear, stroking her back softly. "It'll all work out."

Padme knew she was simply trying to soothe her, but she was far from calm. What would her father think? It was bad enough that she might be pregnant without being married, but if he knew that Anakin was the father? She couldn't bear to see the look on his face. Such disappointment and anger. What about her mother? Jobal had always been more understanding, but would she be just as disappointed in her youngest daughter?

And Anakin? What would this do to him? As usual, her thoughts always led back to Anakin. She could picture him now; he would declare in a fit of gallantry that he would marry her and he'd give up college and find a job to help support her and the baby. And although it would be so wonderfully sweet, Padme felt sick at the thought. She couldn't do that to him. Who was she to ask him to throw away everything he had worked so hard towards just because she happened to fall pregnant? That was entirely unfair. He was so young; he had so much to look forward to. Fatherhood would hold him back. Or maybe, as another more sinister voice informed her, he would leave. Padme shuddered at the thought. She knew he wouldn't – or did she? – but the possibility was just as real.

"I'm not ready," she sobbed, clutching her sister tightly. "Not yet, Sola. I – I can't be – " There was so much she wanted to achieve and do, and even if it was selfish, she didn't want a child. Not yet.

Sola pressed a kiss to her cheek. "You don't know for sure, Padme," she said softly. "Just wait to see what happens. Then, if you are, you can deal with it then."

Padme nodded and pulled away, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. "Yeah," she said thickly, giving her sister a small, but grateful smile. That was exactly what she needed, a shoulder to cry on and tell her everything was going to be okay. "Can we keep this just between us, for now?" she asked.

"Of course," her sister vowed. "I won't tell a soul."

They continued washing the dishes in silence but Padme was grateful for the chance to think. Anakin would be home until tomorrow and then she would have to find out for sure. Regardless of the situation, Padme realised that she wouldn't want anyone else but Anakin beside her in a time like this. No matter what happened, as long as he was with her, everything would be okay.

He arrived around midday and appeared on Padme's doorstep just after one and she launched herself into his arms, snaking her arms around his trim waist and pressed him as close to her as possible. His warmth enveloped her and she felt his cheek brush against her hair as he held her for several moments. Padme sighed into his sweater, not wanting to let go, as a small smile played at her lips. She could feel Anakin's heavy breathing and his fingers rubbing soothing circles along the small of her back and it was everything she could have wanted in that moment.

It felt like an eternity before they finally pulled back, arms still around each other, but enough to look into each other's eyes. Anakin's were as blue as ever, dancing with light and life and love as he gazed adoringly at her and she beamed back up at him, the same affection mirrored in her own eyes. Then, for she had only just noticed, she made a small sound of surprise and her hands curled up into his hair, which was dramatically shorter than the last time she had seen him. Her fingers played with the locks tenderly, and though he always looked gorgeous, she couldn't help but feel sad at the sight. His hair had always been a beloved feature of hers.

"You cut your hair," she remarked, letting her fingers roam quizzically through the cropped, golden curls that fell about his ears.

"I guess that means you don't approve," he replied with his teasing smirk, his eyes flashing.

Padme shrugged. "I'll get used to it." Then, she curled her fingers tighter into his hair and pulled him down to her mouth, her lips ghosting over his gently, not quite touching but oh so close. "As long as I can still do this."

Anakin took the hint and kissed her, pulling her body flush against him and she sighed happily. All of her worries seemed to melt away at the feel of Anakin's mouth dancing with hers. For a moment, she was lost; there was nothing else in the world. Gravity ceased to exist, only Anakin was holding her feet firmly on the ground. Without him, she was sure she would float away into the clouds.

They pulled back, both a little breathless and Anakin traced her cheek with his fingers, feather-light. "Hey," he grinned at her, his voice barely above a whisper. Padme grinned back up at him, resting her forehead against his and their noses brushed together.

"Hey."

A delicate flush crept up on her cheeks as she realised that her family was watching them, and she untangled herself from Anakin, looking down at the ground. He simply looked smug and greeted Jobal with a gentlemanly shake of her hand, before being ushered inside. He was so tall he had to duck his head, yet he still kept his hand firmly clasped in Padme's, which made her grin like a little girl.

The only person more excited to see Anakin than Padme was her sister. Sola's entire face lit up in a mischievous grin and Padme groaned as she realised that the entire Christmas was just going to be a platform for her sister's teasing. Just then, Ryoo and Pooja sprinted around the corner and skidded to a halt when they noticed Anakin, Pooja tripping over her sister and almost falling to the ground. Both eyes widened almost comically as they blinked up at the unfamiliar, gigantic stranger, their mouths falling open into adorable little 'o's.

Padme stepped up beside Anakin, giving his hand a squeeze just as Ryoo asked as bluntly as her mother, "who's that?"

"This is Anakin," Padme told her niece, bending to her level.

Ryoo eyed him suspiciously. "Is he your boyfriend?" she asked.

Giggling at her neice's forwardness, Padme nodded, "yes, Ryoo. Anakin is my boyfriend."

The eight-year-old screwed up her face in disgust and made silent, gagging noises, muttering, "ew, yuck," under her breath. Anakin chuckled and crouched down beside Padme.

Pooja, the younger, more naïve of the two, was far less sceptical and ran forward. "I'm Pooja," she introduced herself, still shorter than Anakin even when he was crouched. She held out her little hand in a very formal manner and Anakin laughed, taking her hand in his and shaking it lightly.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Pooja," he said seriously, bending to kiss the top of her hand, and the little girl shrieked with giddy laughter. "Are you a princess?"

She shook her head, her little brown pigtails whipping about her face. "No."

Anakin gasped in mock-shock, clutching a hand to his chest. "Oh, but you must be," he exclaimed in a very animated voice. "Only a princess could be this beautiful."

Padme couldn't help but smile at her little niece's expression, her eyes widened and her cheeks flushed and her smile was enormous. It was all very adorable and as she observed the interaction, Padme suddenly noticed how easy Anakin seemed to be handling her nieces. He was good with children, she decided. Watching him with Pooja, the way his entire expression lit up and his eyes sparkled, was one of the most beautiful things she had ever witnessed, and she felt a great surge of affection for him.

"Are you going to marry Aunty Padme?" Pooja asked, her blue eyes full of hope and her bottom lip stuck out almost pleadingly.

At the sudden question, Padme blanched. She was about to scold her niece for asking such a personal question, when she felt the heat of Anakin's piercing gaze. She met his eyes and had to swallow at the intensity of those warm pools of blue. He didn't say a word. He didn't have to. The intention was right there, sizzling in the air. Padme was sure everyone could feel it. Yes, the unspoken response almost suffocated her and she felt her breath catch in her throat.

"Maybe one day," Anakin told Pooja with a nonchalant shrug, successfully hiding his true intentions from everyone but Padme.

That seemed to be a good enough answer for the five-year-old and she beamed, her eyes flicking between Anakin and Padme, until Sola told her to go outside and stop smothering them. As they rose to their feet, Padme met his eyes once more and trembled under the certain desire that was evident there; so clear, she could never doubt his affection for her. Ever.

"Sorry about that," Sola apologised. "Kids, right?"

Anakin brushed it off good-naturedly with a hearty laugh, but Padme couldn't join in. The word kids suddenly brought back all of her anxiety and she swallowed the lump in her throat. Only Anakin seemed to notice her change in demeanour and reached for her hand. He stepped closer to her and peered into her eyes, into her very soul and she knew she wouldn't be able to hold it in much longer. Tell him, her conscience screamed at her. Tell him now. But she couldn't. Not with her family here.

"Padme… are you alright?" His lips were at her ear, his thumb rubbing over her knuckles.

Her eyes flicked between him, her mother and her sister, who were giving her strange looks, and she nodded her head. "I-I'm fine."

That wasn't enough for Anakin. He ducked his head to meet her at eye-level. "Your hands are shaking," he whispered. "What's bothering you?"

Her teeth sank into her bottom lip and she blinked her eyes at him, hoping to convey her meaning without talking. "Not here, Ani," she told him under her breath. "I can't… not here."

With a frown, he tightened his grip on her wrist, expression hardening. "Padme…"

His protest was cut off when she pressed her lips against his briefly, swallowing his words, because she couldn't tell him in front of her mother. She needed him to understand that. Even if he didn't understand, he accepted her silent request, because he simply returned her kiss sweetly and ran his hands through her undone hair. He held her focus for a moment as they pulled away, and she sawthe meaning behind it, demanding that he knows what was going on. And she returned his gaze with the confirmation that she would tell him, when they were alone.

It was when they were finally alone, in the privacy of Padme's bedroom, that Anakin demanded answers. "What's wrong?"

She didn't know how to respond. What was the proper way to explain what was going on? Ani, I think I'm pregnant but I don't know because I'm too scared to take a test and find out for sure? As much as she had been thinking about how her speculated pregnancy would affect her life, she'd thought little about how she'd actually break the subject to Anakin. It needed to be done in a way that didn't frighten him or worry him, but how was the bigger question.

The more she stewed, the more nervous she became. Her fingers trembled beside her and she was gnawing so intently on her lip that it was like to bleed soon. Anakin regarded her with a look of great concern, scrutinising every inch of her face until he took her shoulders tightly between his hands, in order to steady her. "Angel, you're killing me," he pleaded in a tortured voice, searching the lines of her face for any sort of clue. "What is it? Are you sick?" She shook her head. "Are you hurt?" Again, she shook her head. "Are you in trouble?"

"No, Ani… I – " she paused as a shudder wrecked through her.

"Then what, Padme?" Anakin begged of her. "What is it you can't tell me?"

Taking a deep breath, Padme closed her eyes and willed herself to remain calm. "I'm late," she whispered into the air, as though if she said it any louder it would make it more real and she wanted to remain in denial. When she finally opened her eyes again, she saw Anakin staring at her in confusion, one eyebrow partially raised. It would have been quite funny if Padme didn't have such a deep pit in her stomach. "I'm late, Ani, you know? My period is late.

His eyes widen in comprehension and his mouth fell open just a little. "Oh." It was all he said. The two of them remained silent for a few minutes and Padme suddenly regretted telling him. That sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach only worsened and she thought she was going to be sick. "Are you…?"

"I don't know," she told him, honestly, casting her eyes to the floor because she couldn't bear to look at him. Not when he was reacting this way. "I haven't taken a test yet."

"W-why?" His voice was trembling and deathly quiet and he was nervous, just like her.

She bit her lip, still refusing to look at him. "I-I wanted to wait until you were home… in case – " she broke off as she felt tears well in her eyes and she choked them back. Now was not the time to cry.

Anakin nodded nervously, his face deadly serious. "Right. We probably should find out then."

He left the room and Padme felt a single tear spill down her cheek and she brushed it away, feeling incredibly foolish. What else had she expected from Anakin. He was shocked. Just like she was.

They were silent as Anakin drove them to the nearest drug store, but when Padme snuck glances at him, he met her eyes. They were unreadable. A mixture of confusion and pain and guilt and anger. It was unsettling. Anakin was usually so easy to read. Padme could read every one of his expressions without him even saying a word, and yet, now, she got nothing. At first, she wondered how he was remaining so calm, until she saw his fingers clutching the steering wheel so tight that his knuckles turned white, and still his hands trembled. He was just as anxious about this.

Anakin parked Obi-wan's truck and followed Padme inside, his arm looping around her waist and pulling her into his side. It was his way of comforting her, for his words had failed him and she knew he was trying his best, for her sake. How could she begrudge him that?

The number of different pregnancy test brands overwhelmed Padme and as she mulled over which to choose, Anakin – who had run out of patience – roughly pulled one randomly off the shelf and stormed over to the cashier, throwing the cash rather aggressively on the counter and demanding the bathroom key. Padme stared at him, incredulously. He was acting so… erratic and it unnerved her.

"I'll wait for you out here," he told her as they rounded the corner to where the single toilet cubicle lay off to the side. Then he kissed her quickly on the cheek and Padme nodded, nervously opening the cubicle door. It was extremely daunting, for she knew there was a high change of her life being changed forever inside that cubicle. She opened the package with shaking fingers, desperately trying to keep herself under control but finding it difficult to breathe. The walls seemed to close in on her, and although she wasn't particularly claustrophobic, she felt extremely uncomfortable. Outside, she could hear Anakin pacing back and forth in front of the door. The sound only served to grate on her already-fragile nerves.

It took several minutes for the test to take effect, but once it had, Padme's breath caught in her throat as she saw the result. She unlocked the door and stepped out, to see Anakin stopped, mid-pace, staring at her intently, waiting for her to speak.

"Well?"

She swallowed and looked at him. "Ani…"

She didn't get a chance to finish because he suddenly began muttering a string of ramblings and continued his frantic pacing. "Okay. Okay. That's fine. We can do this. I – I'll drop out of college and – "

"Ani," Padme said again, trying to get his attention, but he was refusing to listen to her.

" – and I'll go back to Obi-wan and get my old job back so I can provide for us. We can m-marry, if you want? You'll want that, I think… I mean, that makes it more proper, right? And I can dig into my savings and save to buy a house and – "

"Ani!" Padme cried, reaching him in four strides and gripping his forearms, forcing him to slow down. "I'm not pregnant."

It took several minutes for Anakin to process what she had just told him, for his mouth opened and closed several times and his brows furrowed and he looked at the ground, and then back up and her, and then back at the ground again. Padme simply waited for him to come to his senses. "You're – you're not pregnant?" he asked.

She shook her head and held out the little device, which clearly displayed a thick, horizontal line. Negative. "I'm not pregnant," she repeated again. She expected to feel a huge weight lift off her shoulders, a weight she had been carrying for four days, but instead she only felt… sad. There was a part of her, small though it was, that felt disappointed in the fact that she wasn't pregnant. It was the same part of her that felt that urge to be maternal. Only now that she wasn't, Padme realised that she might have liked to be.

Anakin's expression was one torn between relieved and disappointed, and she realised he felt the exact same way. "Well," he began and he slid his hands up her arms to rest on her shoulders. "That's… good, I guess?"

Padme let out a sort of bewildered laughter as she nodded her head, but it quickly turned into a sob of despair and suddenly, Anakin's arms were around her, holding her tightly and she was clutching him desperately as time stilled. "It's okay, it's okay," he told her in soothing tones and she nodded against him.

"I'm sorry," she sniffed when she pulled back.

Anakin wiped her tears away with his thumb and shook his head at her. "Don't apologise. There's nothing to be sorry about." His hand cupped her cheek and he held her gaze with his own. "Padme, if it had been positive, I swear I'd do everything I could to provide for you. I'd – "

"I know, Ani" she gave him a soft smile, covering one of his hands with hers. "I wouldn't want you to give up college. That's not fair."

Anakin shook his head earnestly. "It wouldn't matter," he told her. "I never knew my father, Padme. I – I couldn't let my child have the same fate. I'd be there, always."

Hearing him speak so honestly and opening made Padme sob and she reached up on her toes and kissed him fiercely, pouring her unyielding love for this wonderful man of hers into him, letting him know just how much his confession had meant to her.

"For what it's worth," she whispered against his mouth. "I think you'll make a great father, one day."

Anakin beamed at her and ran his hand through her hair in such a loving, tender action. "And you'll be an amazing mother."