A/N: Thank you all for your reviews. Keep them coming! You encourage me to keep writing :)

Padmé opened her eyes slowly, then quickly put a hand over them when the sunlight got in her eyes. She tried to roll to her back but winced when she felt the sheets brushing her skin. For a brief second she wondered what had happened, then it all came back to her.

The battle in Geonosis had been brutal, and while it left her with a few scratches on her back it had cost Anakin most of his right arm. She couldn't help but feel sympathy for him. She had seen him in action; there was no doubt that he was an extremely talented Jedi. She just hoped his talents would remain intact with a new limb. But she couldn't think about him now.

Padmé sighed heavily and lay on her stomach, the scratches on her back still healing, and gazed out the window of her designated room. A war had begun. The one thing she'd fought for so long and now it was there. She couldn't help but feel guilty about some of it. If she hadn't landed on Geonosis, Dooku wouldn't have accused her of espionage and tried to execute her, thus forcing the Jedi to intervene with an army that was, in practice, the one she'd been trying to oppose in the first place.

She questioned her negotiating skills, and if she could've done anything to prevent the massacre that followed her trial. She didn't know how many Jedi had perished in the arena, but she knew the number was substantial. She couldn't help but feel angry with herself. She was an experienced politician; she knew better than trying to negotiate with Dooku. After all, hadn't she been the one who doubted Master Windu's assurances that the Count didn't have a violent nature?

She couldn't think like that anymore. It was done, now it was time to think about the next move. The first thing would have to be speaking to the Chancellor and hearing his strategy, or at least ask him to issue a statement to the senate. Communication was key in times of war and it wouldn't take much for the sensationalist media to twist information. No, the senate and especially the Chancellor had to be clear.

Sick of looking at the same set of walls for four straight days now, she slipped on a pair of pants and a loose blouse and decided to take a walk. She wanted to make sure Anakin and Obi Wan were okay. The Jedi Master had suffered what appeared to be superficial wounds, and while he had faired much better than Anakin, she still wanted to make sure he was safe and sound.

Asking a few droids led her to the Healing Ward of the Jedi Temple. It was then that she realized she'd been staying in one of the recovery suites. She wondered why they hadn't sent her to a Healing Center, and then remembered having Mace Windu in her room the previous morning, asking her questions about how exactly she and Anakin ended up in Geonosis. They were keeping a close watch on her, and it was safe to assume him, too. Perhaps it wasn't such a good idea to see him at the time, but the kid had lost an arm. She needed to see he was fine.

Padmé reached his door and knocked.

"Come in."

She took a deep breath and stepped inside. Anakin was dressed in his Jedi robes, standing by the window as he examined his new mechanical hand. Padmé tried not to look at it and met his eyes, which lit up when she closed the door behind her.

"You're up," she observed the obvious.

"Looks like it," he smiled.

"How are you feeling?" she asked, glancing at his new hand. Anakin flexed the metallic fingers and exhaled.

"Fine, I suppose. I've seen better appendages in Outer Rim planets, though," he admitted.

"It's probably a transition limb. You'll get a better one soon. Or probably build it yourself," she added with a smile.

"I think I will. How about you, how's your back?" he asked, coming closer and putting a hand on her shoulder to turn her around. Padmé shivered at his touch and allowed him to lift her blouse to look at the almost healed scratches.

"They should be alright by tomorrow," she said in an unsteady voice. She cleared her throat and turned to face him again. "The council wants you to escort me back to Naboo."

"Yes, Obi Wan told me," he paused, then smiled, "I can't wait." His arms slid around her waist and his mouth descended to her neck, placing kisses down the soft column. Padmé closed her eyes and felt her body start tingling.

They had been through such an extreme ordeal and they'd both come out of it alive. Geonosis was the closest she had been to death and she wanted to feel more alive than ever before. All she wanted was for him to take her, to take control of her body and their movements, to feel his thick arousal sliding in and out of her until she screamed.

Padmé mentally shook herself. What was she thinking? Anakin was in love with her. She couldn't pursue him anymore; it would only hurt him.

"You should get some rest, Anakin," she said simply, stepping out of his arms. She turned to him when she reached the door. "I'll see you later."

"See you later," he echoed, barely able to contain his excitement.

Padmé walked down the hallway of the Healing Ward, busy with her own thoughts, when Master Obi Wan Kenobi intercepted her, a stern look on his face.

"Hello, Master Kenobi," she greeted. It would take more than a grumpy Obi Wan to startle her.

"Senator," he bowed his head. "What are you doing in the Healing Ward?" he questioned.

"I came to see Anakin, of course. And they had to take a look at my scratches," she explained.

"You're healing nicely, I hope," he said politely.

"Yes, thank you. How about you?" she inquired.

"As good as new, thank you," Obi Wan nodded. "Senator, I'm concerned about your relationship with Anakin." Padmé was glad that he went straight to the point. She knew Obi Wan hadn't missed the way Anakin had called for her when she stepped into the hangar after Dooku fled.

"Master Kenobi, I assure you that my relationship with Anakin is strictly platonic. And if he's not under that impression, then I'll have to have a word with him." She could see the relief in the Jedi Master's eyes when he heard her answer.

"Thank you, Senator. I worry about Anakin," he said earnestly. She realized she'd been wrong about Obi Wan. He truly cared about his apprentice, and while he lacked some sensitivity, his love for the boy was undeniable.

"I worry about him, too. After what happened to his mother…" she paused when she saw the confused look on Obi Wan's face.

"Why, what happened to her?" he asked quickly. Padmé felt her stomach sink. She was sure Obi Wan knew.

"Anakin didn't tell you?" she asked back.

"No, we haven't talked much. What happened to Shmi, senator?" he pressed. Padmé sighed sadly.

"Shmi is dead, Obi Wan," she said softly. "She died in Anakin's arms." Obi Wan looked down, a painful look in his eyes.

"Blast… Poor Anakin…" he whispered. "I appreciate you visiting him. He must be suffering the loss greatly," he added.

"Yes, well… Anakin is a good young man. He needs a friend right now," she replied, feeling more and more guilty after every second. She shouldn't have seduced him, she shouldn't have led him on. There were so many things she wanted to change, but she knew it wasn't possible. There was only once choice: she would have to break his heart.

Anakin helped Padmé out of the boat, her hand casually letting go of his when he made no indication of letting hers go. He mentally shrugged it off as her trying to be discreet, but it still struck him as odd. It was almost nighttime; no one could see them.

Padmé walked down the terrace and turned to look at the three moons of Naboo already shining over the crystal lake.

"I never thought we'd made it back here alive," she admitted, leaning her elbows on the rail.

"Lucky for you I was there to protect you," he teased, his hand reaching out to comb a strand of hair off her face. Padmé looked at him.

"Oh, my hero," she teased back, making him laugh. Anakin leaned in and kissed her, his hand cradling the back of her head. In spite of her promise to Obi Wan, Padmé allowed herself to get lost in the soft caress.

He broke the kiss and took her hands in his, studying them nervously.

"What's wrong?" she asked, confused by his sudden shyness.

"Padmé, I want… I want us to get married," he finally said, his eyes shining with excitement and adoration for her. Padmé felt her stomach twist.

"Married?" she asked in disbelief. Anakin nodded and was leaning in to kiss her when she stepped out of his arms. "Anakin, we can't get married."

"We could keep it a secret," he offered, his hand reaching out to touch her cheek. She pushed his hand away and took another step back.

"That's not why – Anakin, we barely know each other," she said. She could've cried at the look in his eyes.

"But… we love each other, right?" he asked hopefully. When she didn't answer he felt his chin quivering. He rolled his eyes, annoyed with his lack of self-control. "Right, Padmé?" he pressed.

"Anakin, I… I like you and – " she paused when he turned away from her, "I do, and I really care about you. But we… we don't know each other well enough to… do something like that," she tried to reason. He turned to face her again, sadness slowly being replaced by anger.

"But we can do everything else?" he asked. She knew what he was implying and she had to remind herself once again that he was younger than her.

"Those are two different things," she said softly. "I thought you knew what we were doing here."

"And what is that?" he spat. Padmé remembered that look. It was the same look he had on Tatooine after he confessed his crimes to her. Rage and despair all mixed up into one broken look in his eyes.

"We're making the most of our time together. We can be friends, but we can't have a relationship. Not a normal one. We'd never see each other, and don't forget that you're not allowed to –" she was cut off by him.

"Well, I know how I feel. And I know you feel the same way, you just won't admit it because you're scared," he insisted.

"Scared of what?" she asked, confused.

"Of damaging your perfect reputation, of people finding out you're involved with someone like me," he said, not really thinking about what he was saying. Padmé knew he was speaking like that because he was hurt, but that didn't mean she was going to allow it. Before she could say something he added, "if only they knew your reputation was damaged way before I got there."

That was it. Padmé slapped him hard across the face, her palm tingling afterwards. Anakin went to grab his cheek, his eyes wide with shock. He never would've thought she would slap him, let alone that hard.

"You do not talk to me that way, understood?" she said firmly, leaving no room for argument. When he nodded, she continued. "I'm sorry I hurt your feelings. That was never my intention, but it happened anyway. Now, you can choose to be childish about it or you can behave like an adult and move on. You think I've never had my heart broken?"

Anakin looked down, suddenly feeling very young. Padmé sighed.

"I'm sorry I slapped you, but you can't talk to me like that. You can't insult someone because they don't feel the same way as you; that's not how it works, Anakin."

"I know. I'm sorry, it won't happen again," he said sincerely. "I'm… I'm just confused. It's been a weird couple of weeks."

"You can say that again," she added. Anakin smiled and she rolled her eyes, unable to stay mad at him. "Let's go inside." Anakin chuckled softly and followed her.

They walked down the hall in silence, their steps echoing down the gallery. Padmé eyes were set forward while Anakin glanced at her every now and then.

"So, what are my chances of spending my last night here with you?" he asked. Padmé scoffed, making him laugh. He wasn't sure he liked that sound, though.

"Very slim," she replied.

"I really am sorry, Padmé."

"It's not going to happen."

Anakin wrapped his hand around her arm, making her look at him. "I mean it," he said earnestly. Padmé sighed.

"I know." They looked at each other for a long moment. Of course she wanted him to spend his last night with her, but she didn't want to further encourage him. "Anakin, first you ask me to marry you, and then I turn you down and hurt your feelings. What kind of friend would I be if I slept with you right now?" she tried to reason.

"A very nice one," he quipped. Padme couldn't help but laugh, but turned serious again. "Yes, you're right…" he sighed, though not sounding too happy about it. "I guess… I guess this is good-bye, then?" he asked. Padmé nodded.

"Goodnight, Anakin," she said. "Please be safe."

"Goodnight, Padmé," he replied. She smiled softly and walked away from him towards her quarters.

"Hey, Padmé?"

She turned to look at him.

"If we're ever in Coruscant at the same time, is it okay if I stop by your office to say hi?" he asked, his weight shifting from one leg to the other awkwardly. Padmé fought the urge to smile. He could go from petulant and childish to charming and adorable in a matter of seconds.

"Of course you can," she replied softly, not sure if he had heard her, but his smile was confirmation enough. She walked into her room and closed the door, the sound reaching Anakin's ears.

He sighed and made his way to his room, where he would spend his last night on Naboo. Away from Padmé, but with things clear between them. Or as clear as they could be. Although the idea of her not loving him back hurt him, he knew she was right. Life didn't always give you what you wanted. He failed to save his mother and now he had failed to make Padmé love him.

He still had one fight left in him, though.

He would be the greatest Jedi the order had ever seen, whether he was the Chosen One or not. He wouldn't let some prophecy dictate his steps anymore. So far the prophecy had brought him nothing but disdain from his superiors. He would do as he was told and travel the same road as every other Jedi before him. Then there would come a time when they would have to acknowledge his superiority.

But first he had to be patient. Actions spoke louder than words. He would show the Jedi that he was the best among them. It would be his only victory in life.