Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars.

Summary:

I truly... deeply... love you and before we die I want you to know.

Now, they're alive.

Then what?

An interlude, after Geonosis and before the wedding.

A/N: I've always wondered how Anakin and Padme decided to get married. Who proposed first? So, I decided to write this fic. It's rated M for adult themes, sexuality, and language in later chapters. Please take the rating seriously.

English is not my first language, I apologize if there are any problems with grammar or expression. I'd appreciate it if you'd leave a comment, share your thoughts, or point out my mistakes.

Prologue

I truly... deeply... love you.

At the end of the phrase, her lips pressed against his. Her warm breath poured into his, igniting a flame that burned through every fiber of his body, his panicked heartbeat pounding excitedly. Her confession was unexpected, euphoric happiness was boiling in their lingering kisses and whispers.

"I'm here, Anakin, I'll be there for you."

Her promise was like a blanket caressing his naked body, so warm so soft, smelling like a quilt in the sun. When he broke down, she held him, whispering repeatedly in his ear, 'It'll be fine, everything will be fine...' He believed her and tried to catch a light of hope in the darkness.

Padmé…

"Anakin?" Someone answered him. "Anakin, are you awake?"

Instead of Padmé's scent, Anakin smelled a pungent sourness—medical disinfectant. His muscles felt limp, and dizziness and headaches overwhelmed him, like hundreds of Gorgs singing in his head. It awakened his aching nerves and made him want to slip back into deep sleep. However, His eyes were so sore it felt like his eyeballs might pop out of their sockets. When he subconsciously opened them, a bright light pierced his iris, causing a sharp, tearing pain.

He raised his hand in an attempt to block the light, only to have his concentration taken away by the black and gold color - a piece of shiny metal clung tightly to the skeleton of his arm, like his skin- It was his skin! Anakin sat up with a start. Metal replaced his organic arm, smooth as a mirror, strung with wire. The whirring of the electro-drivers, loud and harsh...Finally, he remembered everything-

His mother, so beaten, so brutalized, whispered his name... He held her and begged desperately...he still lost her. His uncontrollable rage drove a massacre, but he couldn't stop himself from collapsing. Padmé's embrace mended his broken soul. On Geonosis, Padmé declared her love for him, they made promises to each other; in the execution arena, one Jedi after another was murdered in the sun. In the fight with Dooku, the red lightsaber sliced, quick as a flash, he was knocked unconscious by the dull pain of his burning arm before he could make any reaction...

Anakin let out a weak gasp involuntarily, a pain hit him, like a hole pierced by a sharp sword in his chest. Memories of pain and hatred were poured into this hole, tumbling and roaring, so aggressive in the storm of the Force-

"Anakin!"

It awakened his spirit, the ceiling, walls, lights, and bed stopped shaking.

"Anakin, don't move. You're hurt badly."

He turned to the source of the sound and saw a face, blurred to clear - Obi-Wan was leaning down to watch him, frowning deeply. The rage that had been extinguished in his coma came back to life. The memory of Shmi lying in a pool of blood was like vitriol pouring into his festering wound. He wanted to yell at Obi-Wan, to vent his anger, with total lucidity tearing him from his peaceful dreams and throwing him into an abyss of pain and hatred.

Stay away from me, Obi-Wan. He wanted to say, but he remained silent.

"Anakin, I'm sorry." Obi-wan said softly, "I didn't know it would happen like this. I didn't know your dream was a warning... if..."

if... what？ If I set her free, she wouldn't die; If I insist on returning to her, she wouldn't die; If I hadn't left her, she wouldn't die... But there are no ifs... Anakin closed his eyes painfully, and the truth surged to the forefront of his consciousness -You failed, Anakin Skywalker, It was all your fault， because you're not strong enough.

Anakin struggled to sit up, trying to avoid Obi-Wan's move to help him. He raised his right arm again, recognizing that the arm of flesh-blood that his mother had given him had turned into a pile of metal, wires, and sensors mixed into a mechanical contraption, too weird to look like an arm, but it was definitely a derivative of his body. He curled his metal fingers, and it seemed like an eternity before the sensors vaguely irritated his nerves, tingling like a light electric shock. He remembered the first time he tried to run an electric current on C-3PO, At first, It was unresponsive. Just when he thought he had failed again, C-3PO sprang to its feet, dragged its metal legs, and began to stumble along. Is this what a machine feels like？ Awkward and confused. Indescribable fear crept into Anakin's pores and a wave of nausea rose to his throat.

"It was installed while you were unconscious, and Master Vokara Che said that early on there might be phantom pain, and the wires that connect the nervous -"

"I know how wires work, Obi-Wan."

"Anakin, about what you've been through, I'm so sorry. " There was a brief silence in the air, then Obi-Wan said softly, "I wish I could be there for you."

Anakin turned to his master - his heavy expression as sincere as his words. This, he thought, was probably the most emotional moment he had ever seen in Obi-Wan. Except at Qui-Gon's funeral, the pain in his eyes was fleeting but so real. Anakin felt guilty about his outburst, but his anger lingered.

"Even if you're there, it wouldn't change anything."

"Anakin, you can tell me anything."

You'll never understand. Anakin swallowed the words before they came out. "When can I leave?" He said it was the most restraint he could do at the moment.

"Master Vokara Che will examine you again and make sure you're ready to go as soon as you've recovered." Obi-wan paused and added, "The Council decided to give us time off to prepare for the war."

Anakin's gaze shifted from Obi-Wan to his mechanical hand, his excitement mingling with a raging tide of anger. The mechanical replacement glowed in the light, not as harshly as before, and soon he would be able to control it completely. Of this he had no doubt, even a blind man can learn to read, write, and even play an instrument. He will practice, practice hard, and get better, be the best. Then, he would make Dooku pay for what he had done.

"I know what you're thinking, Anakin, but revenge is not the Jedi way." Obi-Wan's tone was softer than usual. "I don't need the Force to sense your desire for vengeance, and I understand it, but as Jedi, we must put the peace of the galaxy first."

"Master, what were you thinking when you saw Darth Maul kill Master Qui-Gon? " He knew he was cruel, but he couldn't help it. "Just curious."

Obi-wan froze for a second, then his face darkened. Anakin allowed a little satisfaction to swell in his chest.

"In that regard, I won't claim to be a good example. But we have a more important mission， must learn to control our emotions, for the Republic, for to face the war with calm and reason."

"Master," he said, "Dooku started this war. I don't see how wanting to capture Dooku and end the war conflicts with our duties."

"This is not a personal war, Anakin. You shouldn't put personal vendettas above your duties."

"I didn't say that!" Anakin snapped. Obi-Wan's expression became stern in the brief silence. Then, a wave of fatigue washed over Anakin, and he sighed, "Anyway, I'll put my duty first."

"I'm glad you think so, and I'm also relieved that on Geonosis you chose duty over Senator Amidala—"

"Is she all right? "

"Don't worry, she's safe."

Immediately, Anakin felt a weight lift off his chest. Obi-Wan frowned at him, seemingly weighing another lecture on the Jedi way. Anakin cut him off. "I'd like to rest now, Master."

Obi-Wan hesitated for a moment. "Then rest well."

"Thank you."

Obi-Wan walked to the door, looking back at his apprentice. "Anakin, I know your concern for Senator Amidala goes beyond the ordinary, but whatever feelings you have, you should bury them, for your sake and hers."

"Senator Amidala and I are... " He looked away from his master's gaze. " just friends."

No, they were no longer just friends, not anymore, and never would be again. When she had said those words to him, words he had never dared to dream of, he made a decision; They would be together, and not Obi-Wan, the war, or even the Jedi could keep them apart.

Obi-Wan left. Anakin lay back on his bed, suddenly feeling restless. This agitation was different from the anger he had felt earlier. Still, there was too much chaos he needed to deal with, but when he thought of Padmé, all those tiny details from his time with her came flooding into his brain. She is easily amused, couldn't help hiccuping when she laughed too hard; she pouted when she pretended to be angry and was expressionless when she was truly mad; the little round moles on her cheek were really cute, the faint freckles on her nose that sparkled in the sunlight. Despite her many handmaidens who looked like her, she was always uniquely herself. When she kissed him, she would lightly bite his lower lip, her breath warm and moist... Where was she? He wanted to see her, touch her, feel her. The physical and emotional pain seemed insignificant in the face of his longing.

Anakin closed his eyes, letting himself be enveloped by the Force, immersing the energy field created by millions of lives. It was like sinking into a sea of molten sunlight, with waves washing over him. Instinctively, he sought out that one beam of light among the billions. The light of Padmé. In the ten years they had been apart, ever since he began learning to use the Force, he had tried countless times to find her unique signature within it. He had never succeeded, but that had never stopped him from incorporating this action into his instincts.

Suddenly, his chest trembled. He found her. She was right there, in her apartment, among the sea of light from countless lives. He recognized her immediately. She was so far away yet so close, close enough for him to feel her life leaping, vigorous and strong. His agitation just disappeared, and a wave of peace swept over him. As long as she was there, he could always find peace.

He was certain that they would be together. Loving her, protecting her, and fighting for her would be the most certain things in his life.