"Bachelor party! Woo!" Sabe threw her hands in the air, wooing as if her very life depended upon it. The entire bottle of champagne she had necked all alone finally beginning to catch up with her. Rex and Cody shushed the blonde aide at once, elbowing her into silence before her shrieking drew any unwanted attention.

"Shut up, woman!" Cody hissed, "Secret bachelor party, remember?"

Anakin rolled his eyes as the five of them sat comfortably in a spacious, private booth inside a bar which Sabe had strong connections with the owner, apparently, who was all too happy to host this secret get-together they had forced upon him. They all came together to trick him, Padme included. His wife-to-be had commed him, telling him to dress nicely for the opera that evening, reminding him that her parents had purchased tickets as an engagement gift for them.

What a sweet little liar Anakin was marrying.

When he arrived at her apartment, he'd been tackled and thrown into a hired shuttle by Vader, Rex and Cody while Sabe giggled and clapped. He hadn't managed to catch Padme's reaction but force, he was going to kill her when he got out of here. Maybe he had brought this onto himself, after all, Anakin was the one who had suggested being legally wed before he left, just in case.

They would have their real ceremony when he and Vader returned and celebrate their love with her – their – family properly, but if something happened on Crait, if the Rebels and their mysterious weapon somehow get the better of them… Well, Anakin wanted to know Padme and the child would be cared for. If he were to die before he could be disinherited, then everything he had, all the titles and honours and wealth would belong to the child as was right. Of course, his Angel was independently wealthy and the baby would want for nothing even if she were alone but he wanted to do his part, even in spirit.

It would be the smallest of ceremonies if it even counted as such. Only he, Padme and the holy man to bind them together legally. It would be bureaucratic rather than an elopement, and then, when he was home and in her arms once more, they would plan their true wedding and pledge themselves to one another how she deserved.

The five of them watched as the serving droid placed down a silver platter with bright blue drinks ordered by Sabe who smirked in her vibrant green dress. Whatever these were, Anakin had no doubt his friend had gone for the strongest, foulest concoction the establishment offered.

Rex eyed the blue liquid suspiciously, "I'm pretty sure this is what we use to fuel up the fighters…"

"I believe Sabe here has made it her own personal mission to see us declared unfit for training tomorrow," Cody laughed, taking a reluctant sniff of his drink and gagging at the alcoholic scent. That did not bode well…

"Oh be quiet, all of you!" Sabe laughed, holding up her glass, "I would like to toast our dear Prince," she sniggered even as he scowled at her, "many hearts will be broken to learn you've been taken off the market, I'm sure, but unlike the rest of us, he has found his real love. Truly though, I love you, Anakin, you're one of my best friends in the galaxy and I've never seen you as happy as you are with Padme. Long may it last!"

"Here, here!" Rex nodded, banging his fist on the table, "Long may it last!" Vader and Cody gave murmured repetitions as the group clinked their glasses together, sloshing blue liquid over the thick rims and all over the table but nobody seemed to mind, though Anakin caught his brother's slight wince as it dripped onto his thighs.

After four, no, six, rounds of the searingly powerful concoction Sabe ordered, the Prince's vision began to sway. Warmth spread through every inch of his body as all the lights and beings began to blur into a haze of colour and mismatched shapes. Despite this, Anakin threw back another glass of it, jeering at Cody when he choked and coughed as the drink rushed wrongly through his throat. This was fun! When was the last time he had any real fun? It was all duties and planning and talking about the baby.

This was what he needed!

Somewhere beside him, exactly where, Anakin couldn't be entirely confident, he heard Vader's raucous laughter as Rex's drunken flirtation attempts with a passing Togruta fell on deaf ears. The sound lifted his own lips. It was nice to see his brother having a good time for once. Vader needed to let off steam more than any other person in the galaxy! Padme would be happy about that. She was always pushing him to get Vader out of his office more.

Force, he was marrying the kindest woman in the galaxy, wasn't he?

"Oh! Oh!" Sabe spluttered suddenly, slapping her palm over her mouth so suddenly, Cody yelped and jolted, fixing the royal aide with a stern glare as his brother howled his laughter into the warm club air. "I wa' supposed to say this earlierrrrr! To the bride!" The blonde lifted her drink into the air with such force that the liquid showered her in thick droplets, wetting her hair stickily. "To the lovely, beautiful bride! Padme! Far too good for this bantha's ass if you ask me!"

Vader was the first to lift his glass in response. "To Padme," he toasted, "You're a lucky man, brother. The luckiest, probably. Don't forget it."

Another round of laughter. "You thinking of marrying anyone sometime, Sabe?" Rex slurred to the aide, "Got a secret man hidden away somewhere we know nothing about."

"Several, actually," Sabe grinned over the rim of her drink. "And – and I could get married if I wanted it! You knowwww, if I met the right man… or woman… or tree at this point."

The group chattered over the thumping music as best they could while a serving droid arrived with yet another round. Anakin looked around the table of his friends, watching as Vader shared a sensual smirk with a holo-vid actress from something Padme made him watch once. Some singing story. Out of the two of them, he always assumed his brother would be the domestic man, not him. Women always went crazy for Vader, loving his dark hair and vibrant golden eyes… and the titles, of course. If he hadn't given up his chance with the haughty Duchess of Mandalore, Vader would have been a good husband to her, he thought. Maybe those kids of hers would be Anakin's niece and nephew. Maybe Vader would enjoy his life?

All of that also meant that Anakin would stand to inherit the throne in place of his brother. He couldn't imagine a worse fate.

But he knew what it was to share a life with someone now. To sleep beside a woman he loved more than anything in the galaxy night after night, to joke and smile with her, cook together, share his thoughts and opinions and hear hers in return, make love with her and argue over the stupid little things like when he placed things onto kitchen shelves Padme couldn't reach. When Anakin remembered everything that she gave him, he couldn't help but pity Vader. Yes, every inch of love his fiancé inspired in his heart dragged the cold touch of fear along with it. Anakin would never not feel afraid of losing her, whether their relationship died or if childbirth took her from him, he was more himself, more of the man he was supposed to be with Padme by his side.

Sometimes, he wondered if Vader regretted turning his back on all of that. Wondered if power was worth the price he paid to wield it.

As his brother excused himself to the refresher, Anakin shuffled closer to the blonde woman as she laughed at whatever story Cody was currently sharing. She smiled at the Prince as he drew closer and he returned it gladly. Other than Vader, Sabe had been his only confidant for so many years. She was one of his truest friends and someone he cared about deeply. His relationship with his brother was different, their bond was bone-deep, utterly irrefutable. Vader was perhaps the person he was closest with in the whole galaxy, even Padme, but their closeness was a strange, indescribable, kind. Urgent and loving. They needed one another to make their lives worthwhile.

But with Sabe, the bond was thrillingly effortless. They truly liked one another and enjoyed whatever time they spent together. She nagged him constantly and he rolled his eyes and ignored a lot of what she said whenever there was a datapad in her hands, but other than Padme, Anakin felt at his easiest with his aide. "I, uh, I wanted to talk to you about something!" He called over the music.

She nodded, lifting a curious eyebrow, "What is it?"

"I don't know much about weddings but I want you to be a part of mine. However we end up doing things, publicly or eloping, I want you to stand up there with me. Vader too, obviously."

"Anakin…" Sabe's wide dark eyes glistened beneath a sheen of tears as she threw her arms around Anakin's neck, squeezing him with every ounce of strength she hid in that tiny body of hers. "Oh, Anakin! I – I would love to! Thank you!" The Prince hugged her back, glaring at his friends as they made mocking oohs and aahs, spoiling the moment entirely.

Four hours later, after seeing Rex, Cody and Sabe off into private cruisers to get them home to relative safety, Anakin and Vader climbed into their own transports tiredly. Force, he hadn't been this drunk in a long time… tomorrow was… well, that was tomorrow's problem. Tonight, he was going home to his angel in her apartment and everything else could wait.

"Hey, I want to say something to you," Vader broke the comfortable silence between them as Anakin dragged his hazy gaze from the lights as they sped by the window. "Don't be angry with me," his brother slurred, "but I wanna say it… I know why you're scared to have a baby. Our father was a cruel bastard, more than you know. He lived for misery. Loved it. But you're not him. Neither of us are. And… and… and you're not gonna lose Padme, not ever. She just loves your sorry ass too much so don't go messing things up again. More men than you could ever know would kill for the happiness waiting at your door. Embrace it!"

Something distant haunted Vader's face. His eyes were pale ghosts as they looked through Anakin as though we were not there at all. Perhaps had he had five fewer drinks in his system, the Prince might have taken his brother's rambling more seriously, however, they were drunker than he cared to think about. Vader would wake up tomorrow and hate himself for spouting such sentimentalism.

"Thank you," he nodded, his bleary mind already beginning to forget just what Vader had said as he settled more comfortably into the cruiser's seat.


Bang! Thud!

Padme woke with a start, heart hammering in the cage of her ribs as sudden sounds tore her from sleep. The cool sheets pooled at her waist as her momentary fright calmed, fading into bewildered amusement as her beloved husband-to-be struggled to tug off boots at the end of the bed, muttering far more loudly than he intended to. Perhaps she should have been irritated by him waking her but the Senator just barely stifled a giggle at the sight of him.

She had wanted so much for him to go out and have fun with his friends tonight and apparently, they had done their job quite successfully. Padme peeled back the blanket and slid off the bed to offer her beloved a little helping hand. "Ani?" She smiled as he lifted his unfocused gaze to her, "I hope everyone else is in the same state you are."

"Worse, I think," he laughed as she knelt to undo the laces of his boots for him. "I had a good time… thought I should tell you before the hangover tomorrow makes me change my mind." His boots came away easily and Padme helped her fiancé stand for undressing. She helped Anakin slide out of his clothing piece by piece until only his underwear remained.

"I'm so glad you had fun," Padme laid a kiss between her lover's shoulders, "you needed to let off some steam."

"Mmm," he yawned as she led him to his side of the bed, "force, I'm tired…"

"Before you sleep, you need some water… hopefully that will help a little with the aftereffects." she giggled as he climbed between the sheets, groaning petulantly as she headed to the refresher. He drained the glass she brought him three times before Padme allowed him to settle down. When she got in beside him, the Senator threw her arm over Anakin's waist, savouring, for once, the opportunity to hold his body closely to hers as he relished to do every night.

As his breathing began to even out and all the tension Anakin carried in his body lessoned against her, Padme shifted just slightly to rest her forehead against the warmth of his back. Unbidden, tears came to her eyes, forcing a violent tremble through her shoulders even as she battled the rising dread she felt coming over her. In just a few days he would be heading to Crait with Vader to face uncertain danger far from her reach. Whatever secretive weapon the Rebel Alliance had created and hidden away had inspired great confidence in victory among them – it had to be something terrible.

Tears marked the Senator's cheeks as she held her breath to avoid letting the breathy sobs she felt escape her lips lest they wake him. In the daylight, the black, vicious whispers were easier to ignore, but there was nothing to drown them out in the unyielding silence of night.

You could lose him.

He might never come back.

When his ships take off, you will never see him again.

Closing her eyes, Padme gently trailed the tips of her fingers along the length of Anakin's arm beneath the blankets. Please, she prayed in silence to whoever may listen, the stars, the Maker, the Nubian Goddesses… anyone or anything with the capacity for such mercy. Please bring him back to me. Let him come back to us.

Whatever the price, she would pay gladly if it would mean Anakin remained in her life, healthy, whole and happy.

No matter the cost.

A/N: Well, it's been a while! I'm very sorry for the wait so I'm doing a little double update to try and make up for it. I can't promise it'll be a chapter every week but I'll do my best not to take too long between updates! 3