So this originally started as me obsessing over, logically, why Anakin wouldn't have turned to the dark side and issues with his and Padmé's relationship in the prequel. It started with me using the script from the movie, more as a writing exercise because I haven't really written in literal years but then when I wanted it to deviate I had started forming a plot in my head and voila it evolved into an actual story.

The prologue starts with the movie script, though it's been tweaked a wee bit, and it will deviate in the first real chapter.

There was a light chill in the air as Padmé collected her ornate robe and walked to the balcony of her apartment in the 500 Republica. She enjoyed the view of the lights of speeders whirring by, the voices of the people far away a gentle hum to due distance. The sun was setting, but the lights from the restless city hid most of the emerging stars, only the closest and the brightest overpowering the city lights.

"Is there anything I might get for you, my lady?" her golden protocol droid, a loving exchanged gift from her husband, asked from the doorway, curious as to why Senator Amidala was out on the balcony and not in her bedchambers.

"Yes, please make sure all the security droids are working." A chilly breeze crosses, causing Padmé to pull her robe in tighter. "Thank you, Threepio," she said before he could even reply, knowing full well that the droid will comply without any hesitation or question. She heard him walk away, closing the balcony doors behind him.

Padmé walked to the edge of the balcony, placing her hands on the railing as she attempted to admire the sunset but was too lost in thought to really enjoy it. Her head swam as she remembered the meeting in Senator Organa's office, mixed with thoughts of her current predicament. She was very pregnant and also very involved at the beginnings of a rebellion. Though she and the other Senators involved in the petition feared actually uttering those words, they all knew that unless something drastically changed in regards to Palpatine and all his power, it was going to lead to a large-scale rebellion. She tried to push these thoughts away and just marvel at the sunset, but a flutter in her stomach reminded her that the birth of her child would occur in a time that the democracy she so loved was dying. She was so lost in thought she didn't notice the shadowy figure behind her.

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

Padmé jumped, the surprise freeing her momentarily to her occupying thoughts. She turned around as if she were checking to see who the voice belonged to, as if she didn't instantly recognize the voice of her husband.

"You startled me," she said with a soft smile, momentarily forgetting all she was keeping from him. She wanted to take some time, even if it were just a moment, to forget the complicated lives they lived and just pretend they were a typical, happy, growing family. She moved from the balcony railing and made way to the bench, motioning for her husband to join her.

"How are you feeling?" he asked as he complied with her request, sitting beside her and his arm going around her. He pulled her in close, reveling in being able to show his wife affection after a long, stressful day.

Padmé looked down at the hand on her stomach and said, "He keeps kicking." As if on cue a small spot on her stomach ripples as a series of kicks are lain upon it.

"He?!" Anakin questioned as he looked down at his wife's soft face and smiled. "What makes you think it's a boy?"

"My motherly intuition," Padmé laughed as she grabbed his robotic hand and placed it on the current location of the kicking on her abundant belly.

"Whoa…" Anakin said, his face showing his surprise at the strength of their unborn child. "With a kick that strong," he continued, a mischievous glint in his eyes and that special smile that was typically reserved for the love of his life spreading across his face, "…it's got to be a girl."

They took a moment to laugh together. Moments like this were rare for them and they both wanted to enjoy it. It was just a simple moment in the otherwise complicated lives of two people who were never supposed to fall in love. Of course, moments like this were few and far between when you had to hide your love and everything associated with it. If it weren't for the pregnancy, their lies might have been able to be hidden forever, but as the due date drew near so did the likelihood that the façade they had sewn together would unravel.

"I heard about your appointment," Padmé said in regards to Anakin's recent meeting with the Jedi Council. She had hoped that even though life as she knew it would be completely changed, as she felt she'd likely be stripped of her duties as a senator, that life for her husband as a Jedi would somehow continue. Being a Jedi led to a sense of fulfillment for him, despite the fact that he was growing aggravated with the way the Council had been treating him, especially for the duration of the war. "Anakin, I'm so proud of you." She looked up at him, her eyes full of optimism that this might be the thing that finally made him happy. She could tell by the look in his eyes that this wasn't so.

"I may be on the Council, but…"Anakin started, his jaw clenching in irritation, "…they refused to accept me as Jedi Master."

"Patience," Padmé replied, trying to defuse the situation, not wanting to deal with Anakin in one of his moods on top of everything else going on in her life. "In time, they will recognize your skills."

Anakin rose from his seat and began to pace about the balcony as he rambled. "Even with everything I've done during this war, they still treat me as if I were a Padawan learner," he spat, his anger rising. "They fear my power so they're holding me back. That's the problem."

"Anakin," Padmé said softly, hating the fact that her husband was so unhappy, confused, and angry. The thing that really bothered her about this was that she felt there was nothing she could do about it. She'd lately felt powerless, between this, the potential rebellion, and their unplanned pregnancy.

Anakin meandered on, paranoia beginning to set in. "Sometimes, I wonder what's happening to the Jedi Order. I think this war is destroying the principles of the Republic."

Padmé thought back to the meeting earlier that day. Though she'd promised not to speak a word of it to anyone, including her family, perhaps she could warm him up to the idea of it. After all, it could very well be related to the constant turmoil he was in.

"Have you ever considered that we may be on the wrong side?"

Anakin stopped pacing momentarily as his eyes met hers with suspicion. "What do you mean?"

Padmé continued, "What if the democracy we thought we were serving no longer exists, and the Republic has become the very evil we have been fighting to destroy?"

"I don't believe that," Anakin retorted, a look of astonishment on his face at his wife's question, "…and you're sounding like a Separatist!" His wife, an avid lover of democracy, whom had sacrificed so much for the Republic even when she was as young as fourteen, was questioning everything they'd both fought so hard and so long for.

"Anakin, this war represents a failure to listen," Padmé said in what one might dub her Political voice, the one that was so prim, proper, and yet strong and full of tenacity and poise. "Now, you're closer to the Chancellor than anyone. Please, please ask him to stop the fighting and let diplomacy resume," she beseeched to her husband. She didn't want to resort to rebellion. She didn't want democracy to fall. She didn't want to bring their child into a world of chaos.

"Don't ask me to do that, Padmé." Though Anakin did want those same things as Padmé, the off the record assignment he'd been given to spy on his dear friend Sheev Palpatine had left him feeling raw. "Make a motion in the Senate, where that kind of request belongs. I'm not your errand boy." He almost couldn't believe his wife would request such a thing of him, or that the Council would request such a thing of him. "I'm not anyone's errand boy!"

Padmé had anticipated that he might not take the request well, but she wasn't expecting that sort of response. She could sense that there was something larger was bothering him, something more than what she had just said. She wondered if it'd been the same thing that had been bothering him that he refused to talk about, or if something else happened at the Council meeting.

"What is it?"

Anakin's face became emotionless as he replied, "Nothing." He guarded his Force signature, knowing that his wife's abilities with the Force has increased since she became pregnant with his child.

Padmé stood, "Don't do this." She walked over to Anakin, looking up at him, imploring him to open up to her. "Don't shut me out. Let me help you." Her concern for her husband was ever increasing since the war started, and even more so now that she was pregnant. She knew both things had put quite a lot of stress on him, understandably so.

A flash of emotion that Padmé couldn't quite place crossed Anakin's face as he said, "You can't help me…" Was it hopelessness? Worry? Sadness? Anger? A mix of all four? His face returned to stoicism as he continued, "I'm trying to help you."

Padmé's worried eyes met Anakin's as she took a few steps closer to him. Though his face continued to be void of emotion, but his eyes betrayed him. He never quite could hide what his eyes were saying from his beloved Padmé nor his former master Kenobi. His eyes revealed that he was petrified, but of what? His dreams of her dying in childbirth? That was part of it, she was sure, but she had sensed that his concerns didn't end there.

"I sense… there are things you are not telling me," Anakin said, stepping away from Padmé and closer to the balcony edge, turning to overlook the city but still keeping his wife in his peripheral vision.

Padmé wasn't visibly startled, though internally she struggled. She figured he would have picked up on something, as he was not only her husband but also a Jedi. She wished she would discuss the potential rebellion with him, but she couldn't go back on her word to keep those talks private especially with Anakin's close relationship with the Chancellor.

"I sense there are things you are not telling me," Padmé echoed the words back with a different accentuation, speaking a little more harshly than she'd intended. She sounded more like she was scolding a child than speaking with her partner. She'd been patiently waiting for months for her husband to reveal what had been going on with him, but nothing was seeming to get him to relax and open up.

Anakin averted his gaze, turning to fully face the city as he felt a light blush creep up his face. Padmé walked around Anakin until she could see his face. Perhaps this would be an issue that would be better addressed later. If possible, she would try to bring it up in the morning, before the day had a chance to tire them out. For now, Padmé was going to let the issue drop.

"Hold me," she requested, sniuggling her head to his chest, hearing his elevated heartbeat. "Hold me like you did on Naboo, so long ago, when there was nothing but our love… No politics. No plotting. No war."

Anakin complied, curling his arms around her and pulling her even closer, grateful that she let the discussion drop. However, she wouldn't be able to bring this discussion back up in the morning like she wanted. A few hours later Anakin had to leave the apartment as he'd been summoned by Chancellor Sheev Palpatine to the Galaxies Opera House.

It started off as a discussion of the ongoing war, with very good news to be had. The Clone Intelligence Units had discovered the whereabouts of General Grievous: he was hiding in the Utapau system. Taking Grievous down could be the endgame of this war, so this was wonderful, urgent news indeed. Anakin would inform the Jedi Council as soon as possible, and it would be likely that the following morning they'd sit and discuss who to send on this important mission.

"I would worry about the collective wisdom of the Council if they didn't select you for this assignment," Palpatine said, his eyes still on the play before him. "You are the best choice by far, but they can't always be trusted to do the right thing." He glanced at Anakin behind him, trying to get a sense of his reaction to see if the young Jedi was taking the bait.

"They try," Anakin said softly, feeling as if Palpatine were right. The Council would likely never send him on such a mission, even though he really was the right choice for this particular one. He'd been the face of the war, the "Hero with No Fear", so it would have sense if he were the one to end it.

"Sit down," Palpatine motioned to Anakin, before excusing his aides. The matters which he needed to discuss with Anakin would be best discussed in the privacy of his viewing balcony, with no witnesses around. He waited for the door to close behind his assistants before leaning over to Anakin, whom had sat next to him, and continued, "Anakin, you know I'm not able to rely on the Jedi Council. If they haven't included you in their plot, they soon will."

Anakin's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "I'm not sure I understand."

"You must sense what I have come to suspect," Palpatine said, his voice lowering to ensue no one could overhear him. "The Jedi Council want control of the Republic. They're planning to betray me."

Anakin seemed surprised by this drastic accusation. Though he had been questioning his faith in the Council, he still didn't think they were capable of such things. "I don't think-"

"Anakin, search your feelings," Palpatine interrupted. He knew what Anakin was going to say. For someone who had witnessed so much, the young Knight was certainly naïve. That's what made Palpetine's plan even more brilliant. It wasn't hard to plant the seeds of mistrust in young Skywalker. "You know, don't you?"

Anakin was quiet for a moment, apprehensive. He knew it would be best if the Chancellor didn't know of the Jedi Council's request, but he didn't want to lie to his old friend. "I know they don't trust you…"

"Or the Senate, or the Republic. Or democracy for that matter."

Anakin was once again silent, contemplating, before he responded, "I have to admit my trust in them has been shaken. "

Palpatine hid the smirk that wanted to grace his lips. Everything was going according to plan. "Why?" He just needed to continue to word things carefully and make Anakin believe that he'd come to these conclusions himself. "They asked you to do something that made you feel dishonest, didn't they?" Anakin looked down, confirming what the Chancellor had already known. "They asked you to spy on me, didn't they?"

"I don't know…" Anakin muttered, looking away from his friend. His cheeks began to burn. He was torn between his loyalty to the Chancellor and the Republic, but also to his loyalty to the Order he'd invested so much of himself into. If it weren't for that Order, he was very well aware he would likely still be a slave on Tatooine. "I don't know what to say."

"Remember back to your early teachings, Anakin," Palpatine goaded as he returned back to his typical sitting position, eyes focusing on the play. "'All those who gain power are afraid to lose it…' Even the Jedi."

"The Jedi use their power for good," Anakin countered.

"Good is a point of view, Anakin," Palpatine glanced at Anakin, "…and the Jedi point of view is not the only valid one. The Dark Lords of the Sith believe in security and justice also, yet they are considered by the Jedi to be…"

"…evil." Anakin said, as if it were a question.

"…from a Jedi's point of view," Palpatine was certain to reiterate. "The Sith and the Jedi are similar in almost every way, including their quest for greater power. The difference between the two is the Sith are not afraid of the dark side of the Force. That is why they are more powerful."

"The Sith rely on their passion for their strength," Anakin tried to rationalize. Internally, he was conflicted. He couldn't help but feel that these things Palatine were saying made sense, despite the fact that he didn't want to believe it. "They think inward, only about themselves."

Palpatine turned to Anakin, looking him straight in the eye as he challenged, "…and the Jedi don't?"

Anakin shook his head, beginning to become irritated at the Chancellor's irrational suspicion of the very way of life he'd been brought up in. "The Jedi are selfless. They care only about others."

Palpatine smiled. He knew he was getting to the young Jedi. "Or so you've been trained to believe. Why is it, then, that they have asked you to do something you feel is wrong?"

A glimmer of suspicion crossed Anakin's face as he said, "I'm not sure it's wrong."

Palpatine noticed that glimmer was wasn't fazed. He was confident he could turn this around easily. "Have they asked you to betray the Jedi code? The Constitution? A friendship? Your own values? Think. Consider their motives. Keep your mind clear of assumptions. The fear of losing power is a weakness of both the Jedi and the Sith."

Anakin didn't respond as he took in the information Palatine was presenting. He knew what he should believe, and it certainly wasn't this. However, he'd been questioning a lot lately. Maybe what he was supposed to believe wasn't really right. After all, the Council had considerably shaken his faith between the lack of recognition for his war efforts and requesting that he spy on a person he'd been friends with for over a decade, not to mention how they had cost him his Padawan.

"Did you ever hear the tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise?" Palpatine only spoke after he was sure Anakin had enough time to start to sway back to his side.

"No." Anakin looked at Palpatine perplexedly before Palpatine told the tale of a Sith lord so powerful that he could use the force to manipulate mini-chlorians to create life and even stop death in its tracks. The Dark Lord's only fear was of losing his power, which he eventually did when his apprentice, whom had been taught everything his master had known, murdered Plagueis in his sleep.

"Plagueis never saw it coming." Palpatine smiled, both in remembrance and also because he knew he'd fully won Anakin over in this round. "It's ironic he could save others from death, but not himself."

Anakin's inner turmoil temporarily vacated as he thought about what he'd deemed a more pressing matter. If this story were true, then he could use this power to save Padmé. He couldn't stand to lose his wife and potentially lose his child as well. "Is it possible to learn this power?"

"Not from a Jedi."