A/N: I'M SORRY! I'm sorry I've taken so long to update. Honestly, my life has been pretty crap as of late. I had a car accident, so I've been dealing with all that and trying to find a new car, plus working. So I haven't had any time to write.

I left you on a bit of a cliffy and I'm sorry that this update is so short, but trust me, there is another chapter coming up in a day or so to make up for it. Please don't be too hard on Padme for her choices... she means well. She's only human, after all.

Enjoy xx

After the unexpected surprise of Rush Clovis appearing once again in her life, Padme thought she was done with surprises. She couldn't handle another one. It was bad enough that the ghost of boyfriends past had shown up, out of the blue, and taken her completely by surprise, without even so much of a warning. Despite her sister's advice, Padme kept the letter. She knew she needed to talk to Anakin, and she would, she swore it. Just not now. It was Christmas. She didn't want to dampen the spirits by bringing up the awful topic of Clovis.

So, when her family were about to set down for Christmas lunch with Anakin's family, the last thing she expected was for the doorbell to ring. Excusing herself from the table, she hurried out to the front door and opened it, expecting charity workers, and had already prepared her speech for dismissing them. She didn't need to use it though, because standing there, in the doorway, was her father.

At first, she thought she had actually gone insane. She closed her eyes and pinched her thigh, hoping the pain would snap her out of whatever hallucination she was currently experiencing. When she opened them again, he was still there, watching her meekly, as she tried to come to her senses. This wasn't real. This couldn't be happening. It was some sort of joke, and any minute now, someone would jump out of the bushes and yell, "gotcha," and her father would disappear and it would all be forgotten.

Instead, Ruwee Naberrie gave her a small, slightly awkward smile and inclined his head. "Padme."

All she could do in return was gape, throat going dry, palms sweating despite the cold, as her mouth struggled to form a simple reply. "D-dad…?"

He seemed just as uncomfortable as she felt. His eyes were darting everywhere, looking anywhere but at her face. Padme had never seen him like this before. The father she knew was a strong man of conviction, never backing down or shying away from anything. It was almost sad, watching him struggle to meet her eyes, but the part of Padme that was still hurt from their last conversation enjoyed it.

"Yes," was all he said. A rather unremarkable greeting. Still not looking at her, he shoved his hands into the pockets of his coat and, for the first time, Padme thought her father looked very, very young.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded harshly, crossing her arms and frowning at him. Why was he here? Was he determined to ruin every scrap of happiness in her life?

The tone of her voice made him visibly wince, and when he finally met her eyes, she instantly felt guilty. He was hurt, his pride wounded, ego bruised, and that compassionate side of her reached out to him. "I… I just – " he stuttered. Padme's eyes widened. Her father never stuttered. He was very well spoken, a professor at an Ivy League. He always knew exactly what to say and how to say it, never tripping over his words like a young boy. Her expression softened, and that seemed to be just enough for him to form a proper sentence. "I wanted to give you this."

He held out a gift, wrapped in silver paper, and Padme stared at it, slightly dumfounded. He wasn't serious, was he? After everything that had happened between them, this was how he was asking for forgiveness? She wanted to laugh at how pathetic the entire situation was.

"Really?" she cocked an eyebrow, keeping her firm composure. "You…" it was then she noticed his black Mercedes parked on the street, which only made her more bewildered. "You drove all the way from Boston to give me a gift?" she cried, incredulous. "You could have just mailed it."

"Well… I also wanted to see you…" he conceded.

"I don't want you here." It was cruel, but it was also true. She was still angry at the way her father had reacted about Anakin. "Anakin's family is inside."

He opened his mouth, as if to speak, but was stopped when Jobal appeared in the doorway, calling Padme's name. When she noticed her ex-husband, she froze, staring at him, and Padme watched the interaction between her parents with great interest. The last time she had seen them together in the same room, breathing the same air, was just after the divorce. If it was awkward before, it was nothing compared to the tension currently in the air.

"Ruwee."

"Jobal."

They stood in silence for the longest time, and Padme simply switched back and forth between them, begging someone to explain what was going on. For a moment, she felt as though she was thirteen again.

"You… you look well," her father said with a soft smile. There was a look on his face that Padme hadn't seen before. It was familiar though, she'd seen such a look on Anakin's face when she caught him watching her. The realisation made her blanch.

"As do you," Jobal replied sweetly and Padme swore a faint flush rose up on her mother's cheeks. It was then she understood that the tension in the air was not simply because of the uncomfortable situation they were in, but because her parents were reliving their attraction to each other, and it made her squirm uncomfortably on the spot.

"We were just about to sit down for lunch," her mother explained and, much to Padme's horror, added, "why don't you come in and join us." It took every ounce of willpower that she possessed not to gawk as her father nodded his head and swiftly went inside, ducking his head under the door a little.

Padme followed, speechless, as though she was in a dream, but was yanked out of it when her mother brushed passed her. Reaching out, she took a firm hold of Jobal's wrist and tugged her, forcing her to stop.

"Mom!" she hissed under her breath. "What is he doing here?"

Jobal blinked several times, before flashing her a small, shy smile. "I invited him," she replied, a small nonchalant shrug accompanying her words. Padme stared at her mother, eyes wide, as though she was crazy. Surely, she hadn't heard correctly. Her parents hadn't seen each other in years, and suddenly her mother was inviting her father to Christmas? It didn't make sense. Nothing seemed to add up.

"Why?" she asked, suspiciously, resting her hands on her hips.

Jobal sighed. "He wants to talk to you, Padme. He's your father." As she went to join her ex-husband, Padme frowned, staring after her. Her mind flicked back to Clovis' letter. Was Christmas truly the season for forgiveness? If she was willing to give Clovis a chance to explain himself, surely she could give her own father that same right.

The only person more surprised by Ruwee's sudden appearance was Sola. As soon as he entered the dining room, she sat up, a look of utter surprise, and blatant anger, on her face, her entire body growing rigid. Padme suddenly felt as though she was watching a very private reunion, as Ruwee looked upon his eldest daughter and swallowed. Sola handled herself better than Padme expected, inclining her head and giving him a small smile, which he returned.

Her eyes then fell on Anakin, who was looking directly at her, watching her carefully as though she was going to break. Padme had a feeling he had been looking at her like that since she came into the room. To assuage him, she mouthed I'm okay and then introduced her father to Anakin's family. Anakin stood up and nodded his head in respect, and she felt a huge rush of affection for him for being so polite. After everything her father had said about him, she adored that he was acting so maturely. From Ruwee's stiff reaction, it was clear he was uncomfortable, which only made Padme even more proud of Anakin.

Once introductions were done, she slid into her spot between her sister and her boyfriend. Sola's expression was one of confusion and resentment, which Padme understood completely. Her father had not been very active in keeping in contact with her since she had gotten married. To her left, Anakin gently rested his hand on her thigh, giving it an encouraging squeeze and bending to whisper in her ear, lips brushing against her skin.

"I didn't know your dad was coming," he muttered under his breath.

Padme met his gaze with a sidewards glance, before looking back at her plate. "That makes two of us," she replied softly, yet her hand snaked down to cover his. Beside her, she heard Sola mumble three of us and stifled a laugh.

"You should talk to him," Anakin told her as his hand caressed her thigh, rubbing the pads of his fingers against her jeans. "Sort things out."

Sighing, she nodded. "I will. But can I at least enjoy my Christmas turkey without family drama?"

Chuckling, Anakin grinned at her and bent to peck her cheek. "It's not Christmas without family drama, angel."

That sparked her interest. Fixing him with a questioning stare, she asked, "and what family drama have you experienced at Christmas, Anakin?"

His grin widened as he recalled some distant memory. "Well… a few years ago Ahsoka got gastro. We spent the whole of Christmas at the hospital."

Padme grimaced. "That's some family drama."

"It'll make for a good twenty-first speech," he teased, eyes lighting up with amusement as he contemplated the thought of embarrassing Ahsoka. Padme rolled her eyes and nudged him playfully in the ribs with her elbow. All of a sudden, she felt better, lighter, calmer. He tended to have that effect on her, was able to cure her anxiety and worry with bouts of humour or light-hearted remarks.

All throughout lunch, Padme watched her parents closely. It was odd. They were acting shy, and almost flirtatious and it confused her immensely. She'd never seen her mother blush so furiously before. The playful exchanges, shy laughter, tentative smiles, the way Jobal rested her hand on Ruwee's arm for the briefest of moments, it was all Padme could do not to stare at them. Surely, she was missing something. This was all just a play. They'd been divorced for… years, and from what Padme knew, they hadn't exactly kept in contact. The more she thought about it, the more it troubled her. Her mother had never dated anyone since the divorce, had never even shown an interest in finding another partner. Neither had her father. Was it possible that, after so many years, they still harboured feelings for each other?

While Padme came to terms with that strange, confronting realisation, Anakin spent the entirety of lunch in deep, enthusiastic conversation with his uncle. Padme listened to him speak with a affectionate smile. Truly, he was so happy, especially when he told of his achievements at college. Sheev listened raptly, praising him highly and Padme couldn't help but think that it was a good thing that he was back in Anakin's life. He already had Obi-Wan, but to have a relative, a male relative at that, be so proud of him was a step in the right direction. From what she could gather, Sheev was well travelled and imparted many amusing and enlightening stories from his adventures, which acquiesced to Anakin's adventurous spirit. The expression on his face was full of complete awe and Padme watched him fondly, letting her fingers dance across his thigh the way his had, silently letting him know that she was so, very, proud of him.

It was after lunch, when Anakin's family had gone home, that Padme began to dread the conversation she knew was looming with her father. It was Anakin who actually encouraged it, nudging her in the direction of the living room when he went to leave. The way he was so adamant about her reconciling with her father surprised her, particularly given that he was the subject of the argument. When she raised that, he muttered, all serious, "I don't have a father. If I knew him, I'd want to smooth things over, too. I wouldn't want to fight with him."

His words hit her hard. She hadn't thought about that, before. "You're right," she conceded and he pulled her to his chest, his strong arms coming around her.

"I'm not just a pretty face, you know," he teased as he nuzzled into her hair. Padme pulled back and hit him playfully in the chest, which only made him wink and brush his lips against her cheekbone. "Do you want me to come over tonight?" he asked, all husky and she trembled at the sound of it. She wanted it, but knew that there were other, more important things that she needed to concentrate on.

Shaking her head, she sighed and bit her lip. "I think I should spend tonight with my family."

Anakin nodded. "Yeah, I should too."

She put her hands on his chest and stretched up on her toes, chasing his lips, and he bent to capture her mouth in a sweet kiss. "Tomorrow night?"

He smirked. "Wouldn't miss it."

Once he'd left, Padme swallowed and closed her eyes briefly. She didn't like confrontation. It made her feel uncomfortable. She would have to handle this diplomatically, of course, take the emotion out of it and simply lay everything out on the table. She could do that.

Her father was in the living room, admiring all the photographs her mother had set up on the wall and the mantle; of her, of Sola, of the girls. He appeared almost sad as he regarded them, hand coming up and tracing over the glass with a reverence that Padme hadn't seen before. Instead of interrupting him, she granted him this time and simply watched from the doorway. Seeing her father like this, all vulnerable and soft, was a large contrast to the usual stoic, stern man she had come to know. A nice contrast, but a contrast all the same. Perhaps it was simply because he was surrounded by his family again, or because he was reminiscing his past life, when he was married, but either way, he was a changed man.

After several minutes of silence, Padme approached him, coming up to stand beside him. He had found, hidden at the back behind Sola's graduation picture, a photo from his wedding day. His fingers reached out, tracing over the wooden frame delicately, and if Padme looked close enough, she swore his eyes were moist.

"How long are you planning on staying?"

It was unfair to pull him out of such a private moment, but she couldn't stand it any longer. He claimed he wanted to talk to her, and yet he hadn't spoken a word to her. Not since he had arrived. Padme simply wanted to hurry things along.

Ruwee turned to face her. "A few days, I suppose."

He grew silent, flicking his gaze back to the photographs, almost ignoring Padme completely. It irritated her to no end. Huffing, she crossed her arms and fixed him with a stern glare. "Well?"

A sad smile graced his face as he looked upon her. "You look just like your mother," he told her, forlorn and there was a painful tone that she could pick up, that made her stop suddenly. No. Regardless of how miserable and vulnerable her father was acting, she needed him to tell her what she wanted to hear. She needed to hear him say that he was sorry. That he would take back everything he'd said about Anakin.

"Why are you really here, dad?" she pressed, not relinquishing her firm stance even though her tender heart yearned to reach out to him and hug him.

It felt like a lifetime before he finally answered her and his voice was so quiet that she had to step closer to him to hear it. "I wanted…" he began, tentative, awkward, shifting uncomfortable from one foot to the other, eyes not quiet meeting hers. He was uncomfortable and part of that satisfied her. Ruwee Naberrie was never one to admit to a mistake easily. "Padme I – where we left off… it wasn't right."

Wasn't right? That's all he was going to say? Padme stared at him in utter disbelief. "That's it?" she cried, incredulous. She deserved an apology, a real, proper apology. "You came all this way to say it wasn't right?"

He sighed. "Padme…"

"What you said – how you reacted, it was…"

"I know."

"So you're not even going to apologise?" she demanded, nearing hysterics, tears stinging her eyes.

Frowning, he replied, "I admit, the way I acted was irrational. But I won't apologise for what I said. I stand by my opinion."

Tears of rage spilled from her eyes as she took in his words. "I can't believe this…" she muttered under her breath and made to leave. If he was too proud to admit that he was wrong, then she didn't want to be in the same room as him any longer.

He called out to her as she reached the doorway. "Padme… wait."

Slowly, she turned around, expression furious, eyes flashing darkly. "What?" she hissed.

"Let me explain myself."

Narrowing her eyes, she replied, ruefully, "you've already made yourself perfectly clear."

He shook his head, hand coming up to rest on his forehead and he released a heavy, frustrated groan. "No, I – I haven't," he insisted, suddenly flustered. "Padme, you're my baby girl. I – I just want what's best for you."

"Anakin is what's best for me!" she all but sobbed, fists clenching, arms waving. Why couldn't he see what she saw? See past the prejudice and his past to the wonderful man he truly was, so attentive and good to her. The man she knew him to be. "I can't excuse his past," she admitted. "But he's changed. Anakin's not like that anymore. He's… he's grown up – he's so good to me, dad, and he makes me… he makes me feel… alive… if you – dad, if you just…" she was incoherent in her hysteria, but she didn't care, because she needed him to understand, sought his approval more than anything. "If you just give him a chance, you'll see."

Once her rant was finished, she exhaled deeply, willing herself to calm down. Ruwee reached out and took her hand, giving her a small, reassuring smile. "Padme…"

She shook her head, tears falling down her cheeks. "I love him." Her voice was so soft and broken, thick with emotion, yet the words fell easily off her tongue, as though she was born to say them.

"I know," he replied, nodding his head. "I know you do, sweetheart." His brows furrowed as he sighed in resignation. "Your mother and I have been talking and… well, she gave me a lot to think about."

"Like what?" she barked aggressively.

"Basically, she told me that if I wanted to lose another daughter, then I was going the right way about it. If not, then I needed to get my head out of my ass and make things right." Padme was a little shocked at her mother's harsh words, when it hit her. She was referring to her father's broken relationship with her sister. They'd virtually lost all contact once she had gotten married.

"Right," she frowned. "So?"

"So," he explained slowly. "I've thought about it and… I'm willing to overlook Anakin's past and give him a chance to prove himself."

It was music to her ears. Automatically, her entire expression lightened and she felt a huge weight lift from her chest, a weight she hadn't realised was upon her. All her tension and anxiety suddenly lifted and she let out a bubble of euphoric laughter, rushing towards her father and threw her arms around him. "Thank you, thank you," she cried into his shoulder, mad with happiness. When she pulled back, she kissed both of his cheeks, unable to keep the wild grin off her face. "You'll see. He won't let you down."

Ruwee bent and pressed a kiss between her brows. "If he really means that much to you, then I will try." It was the best answer she could hope for.

A sudden thought occurred to her and she smirked, raising an eyebrow. "Since when have you and mom been talking?" It was a question that had been bothering her since he had arrived.

Swallowing uncomfortably, her father shrugged. "On and off for the past few years."

Padme raised her eyebrow suspiciously. "Right, so it's only for my sake that mom invited you here?" He didn't respond but she swore she saw him flush and it made her grin. "I saw the way you two were acting at lunch. You were like lovesick teenagers."

His lips formed a thin line. "What exactly are you insinuating?"

"Do you still have feelings for her?"

"Padme, your mother and I have been divorced for – "

" – ten years, I know," she interrupted, impatiently. "You know, she's never dated. Never even seemed interested in another man."

That sparked his interested and he brightened just a little. Victory, she cheered internally at his reaction. "Really?"

"Do you still love her?" she asked bluntly, cutting straight to the chase.

He didn't respond immediately, cast his eyes to the floor, suddenly tentative, and she realised she had hit a sensitive spot, but she was far, far too curious to let it slide. Regardless of what her mother said, Padme knew that she was still in love with him. And after seeing them around each other again, it only became that much clearer. Maybe it was because she was so blissfully in love, but the thought that her parents could find happiness again after so many years apart filled her with hope. She suddenly vowed it would be her mission over the break.

"I never stopped," was his answer. It was so simple, so honest and true and it made her beam uncontrollably, like an idiot, because she realised that maybe, just maybe, it could work.