AU: This chapter is dedicated to every single person who has read and/or reviewed my story,especially:Anya,Shana,X,EmeraldTiara,Anakinshomie,Jodi,sarahbella247,EpisodeSkywalker,Jodi,xI'll Cover Youx,miss-AZ,bluemoongirl27,dreamer,Jedi X-man Serena, Kenobi,porcelainangel,NaberrieSkyler,SeldomDarlin,Shadows08,dreamer,lala,padmeamidala1202,Ledagirl321,Stag,angelina,Skian,LightningLover,Chasity-Michelle,Hannah,summerlandlover,floridfeyfay,reveur pour toujours,Sha and GP,qtpie1117,Bricaus,Adame shmi Skywalker Vader,bluemoongirl27,swiftykenobi,ginnywitch,exesandohs,BellaRu,GalaxyPink,.Sweet-KRAZY.03.,callmesweet16,Misfit, who helped me get from one chapter to the next with their unwavering dedication. It means the world to me that I'm doing what I love (writing) and people enjoy it. Thank you for not giving up on my story or me. I haven't given up on it and don't plan to. In my absence I have written this chapter and planned the two following. Hopefully, they will not take as long to post as this one has. Much love to all of you who have supported me throughout my time as a member on these wonderful boards that encourage each and every one of us to make our creative ideas come alive. Happy Thanksgiving! P.P.S. The answers to all of Padme's questions at the end of chapter 5 will eventually be answered. We'll get to see a little more insight on her in chapters 7 and 8. For those of you who really love the lighthearted theme I've created through the story, it will return in Chapter 8. (Hint: Jealous Anakin, cute boys, party….just to leave you hanging lol) I have to throw a little drama in for a bit before the lightheartedness can return.

"The Beginning"

Part 1

The beginning of something; the start. The very essence of the core of our existence. The sooner something begins, the sooner it will end. Without it there is nothing, and with it there are endless possibilities. There is the beginning of something, and the beginning of something in that something. It's the kind of beginning that happens without realization. It only dawns on us in our weakest hour, because as long as we're strong enough, we're sure to deny it. It starts everything over in a way we never thought possible, and somehow in a way that we always knew was a fingertip's length away from our grasp; the beginning of love.

x

Why had he asked her to come? He didn't know why the words "let's go" had even come out of his mouth. They were spontaneous, the kind of words you wish you could reach out and grab before anyone heard them, but you're already saying them and it's too late. He's said them and then followed through with them. Then she'd actually followed him, and after that there was no turning back. Nothing good had come from it, because here he was cold, dirty, tired, and wet with a teenage girl who couldn't stand him, and nowhere to go until the rain let up. That's when he spotted it. Fifty yards to his left there was a camping shack. From what he could see it was years out of use, but enough to keep them semi-dry for the time being. The rain was still coming down in torrents, though not as loud as before. That's when he noticed the sound, or rather the lack of it. He couldn't hear Padme following him, and turned around to see where she was. He didn't see her, but then again he couldn't see much through the rain. For a moment he actually contemplated the fact that she may have turned back, or found some shelter that he hadn't seen, and considered going on without her.

But then it dawned on him that she might be a little farther behind him than he though, and leaving her would just get hem in more even more trouble than bringing her in the first place would. He sighed and sat down on the stump of a tree. He had known he was cold and uncomfortable before, but he had been lost in his thoughts and so intent on finding a shelter, that he hadn't noticed the brunt of it.

He was shivering, his legs and arms cold, foot bleeding where he had come dangerously close to falling as he jumped across the ravine only moments before. As the thought passed through his mind, a chill came over him. Not the kind of chill you get from the cold, but the kind that sends a shiver down your spine. Something's not right. The knowledge in itself was unexplainable, but he was somehow certain that it was true. He jumped up. Padme should have caught up by now. He'd been sitting for at least five minutes, and she couldn't be that far behind. He turned and headed back in the opposite direction that he'd been going, and walked for several minutes without finding any trace of Padme.

A glint of fear shot through him once more. What if she had slipped somewhere along the way? He put the thought down, until he came back to the ravine; the place where he himself had almost fallen not ten minutes before, and saw her. It was something surreal, and he felt his breath hitch in his throat, and his entire body from head to toe tense. She was lying face down on a large rock. At first he couldn't move, but he quickly and carefully picked her up and turned her over, lying her on the ground.

The sight that met him there was even worse. Her face was a deathly white color, her lips an eerie blue. Her arms and legs were slightly purple, and the red on her face wasn't from her rosy cheeks, but from the large gash that soaked her hair and flowed down her face the way that the ravine itself flowed through the woods. He was once again in shock, but his reflexes kicked in and he laid a hand over her chest. Her heartbeat was faint, but constant.

She was unconscious, which was not something that Anakin found particularly promising. Great! Just great! We're lost in the middle of a storm, and Padme's unconscious. He regretted wishing only moments before that she would be quiet. It was obviously something he didn't have to worry about now. He swiftly picked up her limp body and began walking toward the shelter.

x

For a moment he considered the irony of the situation. It was like a romantic holofilm, the typical boy saves girl tragedy scenario. Only it wasn't. With one look at her face he knew it was nothing like a holofilm; this was real. He easily opened the door to the shack, and laid her frail body down as gently as he could on the wooden floor, and set about searching for blankets or clothing of some kind. The shack consisted of two rooms; a kitchen with a few rusted pots and pans, and a not so promising can of soup, and a small bedroom consisting of a cot and a small dresser.

He pulled open the dresser and examined the near bareness. It contained a t-shirt and a small blanket. He grabbed them and went back to where Padme lay. He realized she was still soaking wet and went back to the bedroom, stripping the cot of one of its few sheets. He quickly tore a strip off to bandage her head with. Laying it aside, he took the rest and used it as a makeshift towel, drying her off as best as he could. Getting her dry was the most important thing; it was a key factor in keeping her alive. Cold, wet, and unconscious led to hypothermia, and that wasn't something he wanted to think about without medics around. He examined the job he had done. She was almost dry, save her hair and the "areas" concealed by her bathing suit. He sighed and threw the "towel" aside, deciding that if Padme awoke to find her bare body concealed by a mere t-shirt, he would be worse than dead. Picking up the t-shirt, he slipped it over her head, careful to not let it graze the gash on her forehead. He then grabbed the discarded sheet, and used it to clean the area around her wound as much as possible, before wrapping the strip securely around her head. Lastly he wrapped her in the spare blanket and carried her to the bedroom, laying her down on the cot. He covered her up as much as possible with the cots haggard sheets, with a near-to-shreds pillow supporting her head.

He laid down next to her, pulling her close and did the only thing in the world that he could do; wait.

x

AU:As always your reviews are appreciated (and anticipated!!)