A/n: close to the end! Thanks so much to all the wonderful readers and reviewers out there. Hope you enjoyed it. And I'm sure you know that I am not the one behind the creation of these dear characters.

Anakin stood alone on the hangar deck, his thoughts back on what had happened on Tatooine, and whether the choice he made was the right one. He searched past the tall buildings obstructing his view to a patch of darkening sky, seeking a distant planet that would never again be home. Behind him he felt someone approach, but he didn't turn to look. He already knew who it was.

"Anakin?" Padme's soft voice called to him as she placed a gentle hand on his arm. He felt her eyes on him, carefully watching his expression, and he knew all the bitterness he felt inside showed plainly in his profile. "I'll escort you back to your apartments when you're ready, Senator," Anakin said in a coldly formal tone of voice. But Padme wasn't ready to leave just yet, not while she knew Anakin needed her.

"Obi-Wan went back to his room. He was exhausted. I thought you might want to know," she said, apologizing for Anakin's absent Master.

Anakin nodded. "He's already asleep," he replied quietly, almost to himself as his gaze softened.

"Would you like some company?" she asked. He didn't answer, but he didn't push her away, either.

Obi-Wan wouldn't have understood. Anakin had come to accept this a long time ago. But Padme could soothe him at his darkest moments, maybe not healing, but certainly easing the pain of the scars he bore. Maybe that was the way it should be. Perhaps it was his Master's place rather than Padme's to speak with him about what had happened but there were some things not even the Force could provide; some things Padme was more sensitive about than even the greatest Jedi.

"I could have saved her this time," he said, not turning to look at her. "I had the power, I was right there; if it weren't for Master Obi-Wan nearly dying..."

Anakin shook his head furiously to hide his tears, finally spinning around to face Padme. "I chose the Jedi over her again!" he cried in hopeless frustration. His hands clenched into fists. "I keep sacrificing everything I am, everything I have to the Jedi Order and Master Obi-Wan. Now, even my mother!"

Padme listened patiently, her heart aching for him. She sudden anger wasn't directed at anyone in particular, just the cruel situation in which he had felt completely powerless, despite his abilities. Something more powerful than Anakin always seemed to work against him when all he wanted to do was to help others. Padme prayed he would not allow despair to cause him to give up completely. She determined not to allow him to give in to it, not as long as she was there for him.

"I think your mother would understand, Ani," she said gently, patting his arm to comfort him. Anakin jerked away from her support.

"Would she?" he asked bitterly. "She's dead, Padme, and I don't know if it would have been better if I had saved her instead!" He shrugged faintly, trying to control his feelings of utter helplessness. "I don't know if I'd feel better right now. Why did I save Master Obi-Wan?" Don't get me wrong," Anakin added quickly, a need to understand it all replacing his brief anger. "I don't regret saving him but...Why couldn't I help both of them? Why'd I have to choose between..." he trailed off, unable to finish.

"I think you made the right choice, Anakin," Padme replied, slipping her arm around his back, giving him her support in that simple gesture.

He looked down at her delicate form, amazed at the strength he always found there. "How can you know that?" he softly demanded of her, this time allowing her loving embrace to stay.

She turned her face upward to look straight into his haunted eyes. "Because I know how much you loved your mother and how you miss her. I know how painful it was for you when she died. I don't think you would have let anything stand in your way if it were the right decision to save her instead of Obi-Wan."

Anakin didn't answer. With Padme's arm still around him and his arm now resting on her shoulders, they stood silently together staring at the stars.