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"Anakin look out!" Padme yelled as she recognized the black figure Sabe spoke of.

Anakin dodged the hit that was thrown his way, consequently the man kept running towards Padme and grabbed the nearest object and tried to hit her with it. Reflexively she stopped it and pushed against him, however he was slightly stronger than her. With all his force he propelled her backward until he was able to push her out the window shattering the glass that was present. Anakin lunged himself and was barely able to grab her hand as she hung over the balcony, dangling in the air.

"Padme!"

"Anakin! He's getting away with Luke and Leia! Anakin!"

Confused and frightened Sabe left for any sort of possible aid, meaning she fetched the droids. With effortless tug Anakin pulled Padme to safety. Once she was on level with him, he hugged her with all the strength he could whilst not hurting her.

"Anakin, the … the children." The tears began to blur her sight as she put her hand over her heart. "What are we going to do??" She asked him attempting to contain a sob. But he didn't answer her as immediately as she would have liked.

"Anakin? Aren't you going to say anything!?"

"Padme." He held her close to his chest once more. "The children are safe for the moment."

"What?" She was deeply perplexed; she had just seen the caped man take them right in front of her.

"But … I saw …"

"No love, what he thinks he took were actually decoys and I doubt it'll be long before they figure it out."

"Oh Anakin!" She tightened her hold of the embrace and kissed him quickly and smoothly. She was enlightened by the fact that they were still safe and out of harms way.

She ran her fingers through his hair taking notice into the subtle texture and buoyancy. "But, how did you do it?"

Flashback; "When you untied Sabe I saw the children in the crib and sort of hinted to Sabe, with my gaze, to take them and conceal them. That's when that … that scoundrel attempted to throw you out.."

Sabe intercepted, "Meanwhile, I acted quickly and replaced the children will decoys I had created a while ago. I knew that one day they might come in handy."

"And surely they have. Thank you so much Sabe." Padme smiled with compassion and hugged her long-time friend and confident. 'Thank you' wasn't nearly enough to express her appreciation and gratitude towards her.

"But where are they now?" Padme asked as she let go of Sabe. In response, she led them all to a small circular side table that contained a holopic of Anakin and Padme on their original wedding day. The fluidic metallic color that covered the velvet textured mantle draped over the ledge of the table till floor length. Sabe pulled the covering out of the way and revealed the two sleeping infants, unaware of the chaos around them.

Padme knelt beside them and softly ran her finger on their delicate cheeks. "What are we going to do?"

"I'm going to send construction droids to build an exact replica of this home, nearby, but just hidden enough. It won't take them long but when we move out we have to be extremely discreet and cautious." There was a sudden change of tone in his voice, an obscurity that coated his attitude, "don't worry love, when I find whoever did this … he. Will. Suffer."

Padme became frightened by his sudden shift. She rose to her feet again and turned to look at Anakin, "What are you going to do?"

His gaze was fixed on the sheer entity of nothing yet Padme's voice retained his attention and she drew him back to reality. "He tried to hurt you and the children. Killing him wouldn't come close to what he deserves."

She slightly gasped at the quickly drawn plans he was bestowing, "Ani, it's not the Jedi way."

"I am not a Jedi right now." His response was quick and cold.

She knew that when Anakin was heated there was no point in trying to reason or compromise.

"Just promise me that you won't do anything impulsive, nothing for the utter will of killing."

He inhaled a gust of air and slowly exhaled it as he nodded, he couldn't deny her anything.

She shifted the topic more towards the children, "I want Luke and Leah to sleep in our room. I need to know where they are and what they are doing at every second I can. I mean, I can't risk losing them." She was being overprotective, she accepted it but she comforted herself by believing she had a legitimate excuse.

"I understand. We will do as you wish. No harm will reach any of you as long as I'm here. I'll be loving you, and protecting you forever." She was swooned by his words and inclined to deem them as true. Every single word alleviated a worry that she carried on her chest, being in his arms was the most reassuring gesture. She only knew to repay him with a deep passionate kiss.

It was a day after the assault and things were slowly returning back into orbit, that didn't mean normal because that word was rarely used around them, but back to stability. Padme was in the kitchen with Sabe preparing a meal for Anakin who was still fast asleep. The twins were in the kitchen as well in their automatic baby carriers.

"Sabe, did you see who the man in black was?" she asked casually as she chopped some produce.

"No Milady, well the only thing I saw was his hair. It was somewhat curly, like Master Skywalker's."

"I see… I only hope that Anakin can control himself."

"You really do love him don't you?"

At that moment Anakin was standing at the doorway, halted by the question Sabe. He was discreet and ambiguous, unseen or unheard.

Padme immediately answered her question, "I do. More than anything, he's everything, perhaps more, than what I could have hoped for in a man."

"Really? I don't mean to be prudent but would you mind explaining?

She paused for a second, "Anakin? Oh, he's incredibly handsome, very romantic, he always make me laugh, his eyes are captivating and gorgeous, he understands me, he's such a gentleman, a great husband, and excellent father. He's almost quite perfect."

"But?" Sabe was dazzled by her depiction of Anakin.

"But, nothing is perfect. Our love is truly beautiful but it has not been without suffering and anguish. There have been numerous sleepless nights, days where I hoped that the next person to knock on the door was him and not a Jedi messenger informing me that he was dead." She felt the surge of emotions take her over, the memories of the pain the past. She stabbed her knife onto the cutting board. "And seeing him almost fall to the dark side, it almost killed me."

"Milady, you are one of the strongest people I know and the fact that your love withstood all that, well that means you two were meant to be."

Padme smiled at the comforting words that Sabe provided her with, "I love him so much Sabe, I think I derive all my strength from him, I rely on it and if it were to vanish, I would become feeble."

"Everything will turn out fine Mistress Padme, don't worry."

Padme touched her shoulder briefly, "Thank you."

A week has passed, tomorrow evening Anakin and Padme will move into their new more concealed home away from perils and hazards.

As they laid on the bed the first thing Anakin did when they awoke was to pull Padme by waist closer to him and kissed her temple. "It's a beautiful morning." She said as she starred out the window. Anakin smiled behind her but his idea of a morning conversion was shifted towards a different topic. One he had been trying to address but never found the means to. He tried for the direct and blunt approach, "Padme, do you recall the other morning when you were making breakfast with Sabe? About a week ago?"

She thought about the question for a second but then she remembered what he meant, "Yes, I think so. But you were asleep, right?"

"You could say that, but then I awoke and overheard your conversation."

"Did you?" She turned around to face him, "How much did you hear?"

"I – heard enough." He smirked at her with vague anonymity.

"And how much does enough include?"

"I suppose all that was about me."

"And?"

"I was thinking about what you said. I wanted to apologize."

A confused expression ran across her face she did not understand him, "For what?"

"For all of the torment …" He intertwined one of the curls in her hair around his finger, " … and all the agony I have put you through."

Then she understood what he was speaking of, "Ani-"

He cut her off, "No." but she retailed with in intrusion of her own, she placed her finger upon his lips and silenced him. She cupped his face with her hand as she studied the same features she had every time she had the chance, and they never failed to amaze her.

"I have suffered, yes. But that's what marriage is about Anakin. One must make sacrifices for the other person. None of it has been in vain, your love is all I need. It's the only thing I will need, always … "

".. and forever." He embraced her tightly and pulled her in for a profound kiss. "I love you. Your beauty never ceases to astound me, your kind empathy, and your aura." He is thumb ran up and down her face in taking the soft porcelain texture it with held. "Padme, you're the reason my heart beats."

"Oh Ani." The tribulations of the world and the obstacles they had overcome were suddenly vanished. His words enveloped and cradled her into a state of utter contentment and romanticism. She couldn't help but kissing him again, feeling the soft marble touch of his lips clash against hers. Tasting his lips was a neurotic toxin that she had become captivated by over and over again.

The doorbell rang chiming in the halls of the house; 3P0 walked over to the intercom and asked for the party on the other side. As Padme came into the sitting room, "Paul." The voice answered.

"Thank you 3P0, before he left Anakin told me his friend would be coming by this afternoon. I'll take it from here."

"As you wish, Lady Skywalker." He prompted and exited. Padme loved the sound of that, of having the privilege to wear her husband's name with pride and no concealment.

Padme pushed the button that slid the door open and found something unexpected, "Paulo?"

"Padme!" He looked just as surprised as she had.

"But how?" She asked not yet over the shock of finding a long lost friend.

"Oh, I apologize please come in. Have a seat." She pointed at the couches, they each sat on opposite spaces facing each other.

"Paulo, why do you go by Paul now?"

"Oh my name was simply too long, too common. I shortened it that's all."

"I see." There was an awkward pause, so much time since they had last seen each other. There was so much to ask and answer that there wasn't a precise place to start. Padme remembered their short lived romance, if it could be called that. She also remembered that he was her first crush, the only other man that had ever attracted her attention besides Anakin.

"Does Anakin know who you are? I mean, he knows about Paulo but does he know that you're him." He got up and situated himself next to Padme. Slightly too close for her comfort.

"He doesn't need to know." She smiled out of mere politeness, not because she was happy at all by the insinuations he was giving her. She scooted a bit away from him and twisted her marriage ring, "You know we are married."

He moved closer to her, "The Jedi weren't too happy to know that you two eloped were they?"

She tried to shift away from him but she had reached the edge of the seat, "That's a personal matter I do not wish to discuss." She said trying to retain her poise and courtesy.

He placed his hand atop of her own, "You know that you can trust me."

She instantly got up and pulled away from him, "I think you should get what you came for and leave."

He smiled openly, she could see that he was no longer the smart and charming boy she had fallen for, there was something critically different but she couldn't pin point what it was that had changed him.

"Of course."

She led him into an empty room that only contained a bed frame and couple of stacked boxes. Paul bent over to get them and using his peripheral vision he made sure that Padme was off guard before he attempted his next move. Unexpectedly he grabbed her by the wrists and slammed her into the wall.

"What are you doing!?" His response was a mere cynical laugh and an effort to kiss her, but she did everything she could to impede it.

"My last attempt to try and take those bastards failed. But I assure you that this time it won't and you will finally be mine." Her face was churned with mock horror; she couldn't believe the words she heard. He kissed her neck as it was the only part of her his lips were able to feel. She yelled and kneed him in gut then she tried to run out for help. But just as she reached the foot of the door, from the floor he grabbed her ankle and brought her down. She tried to scream once more but he covered her mouth kissing her where he could again. She bit him with endeavored force making him retract his hand from the pain. "Help!"

Like an answered prayer Anakin ran in dropping everything he had and igniting his light saber. Pointed at Paul's neck he had no choice but to put his hands up and kneel before Anakin.

Agitated and petrified she sat up and held onto Anakin's leg, "No Anakin, don't kill him. He's not worth it!"

"But Padme! This sick, filthy creature tried to- to…" He swung his light saber but Padme openly cried out, "Nooo!" He stopped and looked down to her. He couldn't refuse her anything, particularly not in this state. Her vast teary eyes made him cave into her request. They tied him up and prepared for an interrogation.

"You were the man in black." Padme said, still in disbelief.

"So what if I was?" His sarcastic remark enraged Anakin; Padme put a hand on him as to calm him down.

"Ani, do you remember Paulo? The one I told you about the first time I brought you to the lake retreat?"

"Yeah wh-"He rapidly understood that Paul was in fact Paulo.

"Him?" Padme plainly nodded.

He pulled his light saber once more and pointed it to his neck, "Why are you here?"

Paul gulped and smiled, one centimeter of a move and he could be decapitated.

"After you refused him, Palpatine hired me."

Padme tried to clear things up, "But how? How would you sink so low? You were studying in the arts."

"Yes, but Palpatine saw in me more potential than anyone before. His offers were quicker and more rewarding to me than years of studies. He offered me so much power and the ability to get you back, all I had to do was destroy the man whom you married and give him the bastards you had."

At the derogatory term he directed to her children she got up and slapped him. "Don't you ever insult my children or my husband." She sat back down next to Anakin who kissed her lightly on the forehead then hugged her close. As they exchanged gestures of comfort and love a ray of blue lightning came through the window and hit Paulo.

"A Sith NEVER reveals his plans." Darth Sidious made his grand entrance and astonished those before him, he was alive.

"Palpatine!?" Padme asked in absolute alarm.

"How?" Anakin asked with an equal surprise in his tone.

"I only used him because I knew full well that his brains would be easy to control. Hahahaha. An oh yes, Anakin. Paul he learned what you couldn't, well half of it at least. Through his knowledge he learned to manipulate the midi-chlorine to the extent that I have been revived for a limited amount of time. It will be enough however and now that I have returned I have plans for this meager galaxy. I will retain the assistance of a Sith, one who is powerful with the force. Perhaps maybe more, two, or even three."

His cynical laughter echoed and silently shook the entire household.

There you go! Ah! Haha, please review. Please please!!