DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything.
When Padme woke she found herself wrapped tightly in strong arms. For a moment, she was confused, totally disorientated. Then the previous night came back to her and her eyes snapped open. Anakin was holding her against his chest, his eyes still shut, chest gently rising and falling in his slumber. Padme watched him for a while, a small smile touching her lips. If she was being honest with herself, she hadn't really expected to see him again. She knew Palpatine was using her as leverage over Anakin but after having no contact with anyone for three months, Padme had begun to doubt her usefulness. Maybe the Emperor didn't need her anymore which was why he was allowing them this time together. Maybe this was their last moments together. Was Palpatine going to kill her?
Her whole body tensed as these thoughts ran through her mind. She didn't want to die; she had so much to live for. Anakin's arms tightened suddenly and she glanced back up at his face. He was awake, watching her silently. Slowly he let go of her with one hand and brushed a gentle finger along her cheek. His finger caught a stray tear she hadn't known she'd shed. Without a word, Padme lifted her head and kissed her husband.
He responded just as furiously, the chemistry still lingering in the air from the night before. His hands were firm against her bare back, pressing her closer to his naked body. A moan escaped Padme's throat. Anakin just pressed harder, seeming to like the sounds he was eliciting from her. Just as she threw her head back to let Anakin at her neck, the door opened.
Anakin broke away from her instantly. It took her a couple of moments before she realised that he was not even lying next to her anymore. Confused and a little stunned, Padme raised herself onto her elbows, wrapping the blanket tighter around her body.
Anakin had moved as close to the door as his leash would allow him before kneeling with his head lowered, hands resting on his knees. He seemed not to notice his nakedness.
Palpatine stood at the door, his glowing yellow eyes sneering at her. Aayla stood behind him, her eyes focused only on Anakin. Jealousy and possessiveness bit at Padme as she understood Aayla's expression and without thinking she growled a little.
Aayla glanced momentarily at Padme, a smug grin stirring Padme further.
"Get dressed," the Emperor ordered.
Anakin nodded. He collected his scattered clothing and started to dress, all the while his gaze stayed on the floor.
"You too Padme," Palpatine said.
More out of humiliation, Padme did as she was told. Anakin was dressed well before her but the small group waited patiently for her to shrug into her dress. It was the same cocktail dress from the night before. As she was zipping it closed, Palpatine walked into the room.
He removed the leash from Anakin's collar and attached a shorter one, this one only half the length of the other. He tugged harshly on the chain and Anakin stood, jerked to his feet by the shortness of the leash. He didn't complain or cry out, just stood with his eyes on the floor and his arms by his side.
"Make one wrong move Senator and you will both pay," the Emperor warned.
Padme ignored him and walked over to the three. She let Palpatine lead them out the door, Aayla walking behind her and Anakin. Once or twice Anakin's hand brushed hers as they traversed the confusing corridors. Mind elsewhere, she gripped it tightly and held on.
She was counting the steps between each air vent and had noticed that Aayla was walking a few feet behind them, a handful of droids behind her. Her mind was whirling with ideas. She knew how fast Anakin was and she knew if she could somehow let him know what she was about to do, he would be able to hold everyone off. She just needed time to get a blaster off one of the droids so she could blast away the vents cover and then they could lose themselves in the vent system.
Still calculating, Padme gave Anakin's hand a squeeze. He turned his head slightly in her direction, not much of a movement but enough to know she'd got his attention. Padme faced forward and moved closer, clutching at his arm with her other. She hoped she looked like she was just scared and needed to be closer to him.
Suddenly Palpatine stopped to unlock a door and Padme had to refocus her attention. They had come to the end of the corridor and the door before them revealed the ship's control room. Once inside the door closed behind the droids, who instantly spread throughout the room. Palpatine, Aayla, Anakin and Padme were the only ones left on the entrance walkway.
The walkway stretched out in front of her, reaching into the middle of the room before just stopping. In a semi-circle around the room were all the controls, manned by droids and beings alike. It looked like chaos to Padme's untrained eye but everyone had their jobs and they were the best in the galaxy at them. They wouldn't be there otherwise. Through the giant viewing windows, Padme recognised Coruscant as the ship passed through the cloud cover.
She hadn't seen Coruscant in years and a small pang of homesickness gripped her stomach as she spotted 500 Republica towering in the distance. She pushed it away and turned to Palpatine. He was staring out the window, watching his domain come nearer every second. Anakin was patiently kneeling beside and slightly behind the Emperor. She hated that her husband seemed to have this instinctive reaction to Palpatine and her determination grew. They needed to escape and soon.
Aayla leant against the wall behind them, her eyes on the happenings in the control room. Padme lowered herself down next to Anakin so their arms were touching. She noticed him throw her a small apologetic smile under his shaggy hair.
Now was the moment she was waiting for. Aayla and Palpatine weren't watching them and the droids were only holding their weapons loosely. Anakin could easily disarm them with the Force and then steal either Aayla or Palpatine's lightsaber to keep them distracted.
"Ani, we need to get out of here. There are vents..." her words were barely a whisper but she never had the chance to finish her thought.
The moment she'd finished her first sentence, Anakin had cried out in pain, his hands flying to his head. He was gripping his temples, his handsome face distorted in agony. Padme watched in horror as he fell onto his side and curled into a ball.
Palpatine threw a careless glance over his shoulder and smiled at what he saw. Padme was reaching out for Anakin as he writhed on the ground.
"Ani, what's wrong?" she cried.
Within seconds she was kneeling beside him, her hands hovering uncertainly over his body. Palpatine laughed and Padme looked up at him. Anakin grit his teeth, pushed all thoughts of escape away and focused completely on Palpatine, trying to assure his cuff that he was not going anywhere he wasn't allowed to. He could already feel the pain leaving him.
He forced himself back onto his knees.
"Don't even think about escaping Padme," Palpatine was saying. "Well you can I guess, but you'll be on your own. My pet here doesn't want to leave me, do you pet?"
"No Master," Anakin ground out.
He hated the humiliation he felt at having Padme see him so weak and powerless. He couldn't even look at her, although he felt her eyes on him.
"Anakin, look at me," Padme ordered.
Reacting more to her tone of voice, he slowly looked up. He was careful to keep his eyes well averted from Palpatine, that fear always there.
"What is going on? Why can't you leave?" she demanded.
Anakin saw the fear, the curiosity, the pleading in her eyes. She needed to know. Watching him go through that pain had scared Padme and she just wanted to know how to stop it from happening again. He took her shaking hands in his and held on tight.
"I'm sorry Padme," he began. "I tried to resist but I just couldn't. The pain was just... I couldn't even... I tried..."
Padme pulled one hand out of his and placed it on his cheek gently.
"Shh," she murmured calmly. "It's okay. Try again. I love you."
Anakin took a deep breath and focused on her hand. Somehow this managed to help, somehow allowed him to give her a brief recount of the things Palpatine had done to him. Padme just listened, only her eyes showing any emotion. He could see she was getting angry but she was also getting very scared. With Anakin controlled so completely, Padme knew that escape was impossible.
"So I'm sorry Padme but I can't... I won't escape with you."
Anakin changed his wording the moment he felt the small warning spark from his cuff.
Padme was nodding her head slowly. Anakin kept a careful eye on her, wary of any anger she may try to take out on Palpatine. He couldn't let her hurt him, as much as he hated himself for that. But Padme just threw her arms around him and clutched him tightly to her.
"I'm sorry you had to go through that," she whispered in his ear.
He nodded, releasing the tense breath he'd been holding. She wasn't going to hurt anyone. Not yet at least.
"As touching as this is, we mustn't keep our crowd waiting," Aayla's snide voice broke the pair apart.
Anakin instantly went back into his kneeling position while Padme coolly stared down the Sith Lady. At some point during Anakin's recount they had landed and Padme recognised the Senate building outside the ship. Aayla stalked over to her and pulled her to her feet, turning her away from the window. Beside her, Anakin was jerked to his feet too. As Aayla slapped a set of stun cuffs around Padme's wrists, Palpatine started leading Anakin away.
When they reached the ramp access, Anakin threw Padme one last sad glance before returning his gaze to the ground. Palpatine pulled him close and attached his wrists together behind his back with stun cuffs.
Entirely unnecessary, Padme mused. Considering how tight his leash is, both physically and mentally.
Anakin knew it was just for show too. He ground his teeth together, ignoring the tightness of the cuffs and the aching in his back from having to stoop over slightly, due to the shortness of his leash. This was all for the people of the galaxy, for those who hadn't lost hope that the galaxy would win back its freedom. With the Chosen One – apparently the only one who could restore the peace – at the mercy of the Emperor, hope would begin to dwindle. And then when he started doing as the Emperor ordered, their hope would disappear altogether. He would be a traitor and the people who he'd protected for years would turn their backs on him.
His head hung in shame. Padme stood helpless at his side. Anakin knew that the Emperor had won. There was no hope for him. No hope for the galaxy.