"Now this is luxury," Anakin sighed blissfully from his position on the bed on the Naboo Cruiser.
"I thought Jedi didn't know luxury."
Anakin flopped over to his stomach to look at her. "Every time we get onto a ship, Padmé, we always have a discussion on what a Jedi can and can't do." He gave her a teasing look. "I thought Senators could discuss about a wide range of topics."
His smirk remained on his face until a ball of cloth and feathers smacked him squarely across the face. Startled, Anakin barely had time to roll to one side to dodge another hit. His eyes narrowed. "No fair."
"Oh yeah?" Padmé challenged, raising the pillow again. "Ow!" she cried out as something soft smacked her across the back. A second pillow floated easily through the air, landing in Anakin's hands. "You're unfair," she replied. "You and the Force."
"I know," Anakin smirked.
"Well you can't beat me," Padmé said, flying at him viciously. The silk pillow coverings were cast aside quickly as both took desperate swings. At last, Anakin fell back, his hands pleading.
"All right you win," he said.
She eyed him warily. "Are you sure?"
"Hmm...no," Anakin swung outwards and secured her pillow with one hand, tugging. She refused to let go. Anakin exerted a bit more strength into his tug, causing Padmé to stumble. She was in his arms immediately.
"Wow, you're fast," Padmé breathed out before more sensible words came to her mind. "I mean, your reflexes are incredible."
"Everything about you is incredible," Anakin said softly.
A warm blush crept up Padmé's face. How was it possible he made her feel this way? So out of control...so wanting...without fully aware of herself, she leaned closer against him, their lips touching ever so briefly for the third time in their lives.
"M'lady?" Typho sounded more amused than anything else.
"Oh!" Padmé hastily straightened, ignoring Anakin's attempts to help. "What is it?" she asked, flustered.
"We will be landing in a few minutes." Typho cast a smile at a sheepish Anakin and Padmé. "I just wanted to inform you of that."
"Um, thank you," Padmé stammered. Typho gave her a knowing smile, bringing another flush to Padmé's face. This was embarrassing. Over the years, Typho had seen many people court her, but each time had seen her decline. She had even given him a stinging speech on how important duty was that time she had caught him kissing a friend of hers. And now....
Thankfully, he didn't remark any further. "I'll see you at the platform, M'lady. You and Jedi Skywalker can come down whenever you're ready. And Skywalker, I have a message from Obi-Wan Kenobi. Just ask when you want it."
Anakin flushed. "Thank you, sir," he said as strongly as he could manage. "I'll come by in a few moments...after I pack my stuff." Nothing in the room belonged to him except for his lightsaber, which was already clipped to his belt.
With a bow, Typho left the room, smiling to himself.
***
"We need you back on Coruscant immediately. The Commerce Guilds have declared war. The Council wants us to report immediately to a Jedi task force being sent to Kamino. We must track down the son of that bounty hunter for more information. You must return immediately."
Anakin stared blankly at the transmission.
"So it's war, then," Padmé sighed.
"That's what I love so much about Naboo," Anakin said, "Nothing ever seems to disturb this planet. Other than the invasion ten years ago, I mean. But it's always so peaceful and everything. I just – love it so much here."
"It won't be safe forever, even," Padmé sighed. She gestured towards the transmission. "Perhaps you should leave now with the transport," she admitted, "Obi-Wan will be expecting you."
"But I just arrived."
Padmé hid her surprise at his answer. "You know you have to go where duty calls."
"I know these things. I know all of them." Anakin paced restlessly.
"What's on your mind?" Padmé asked immediately.
Anakin paused. "I didn't have time to tell you this before, but when my mother – died, I thought I had lost everything. There was nothing to live for anymore. I was ready to throw myself off a cliff at any moment. But you – you gave me a reason to live again." He fumbled with words. "When you went to rescue Obi-Wan, I remembered that I had people to live for. If I had lost him...I don't know what I would have done."
He hesitated. "And when I had thought I had lost you, when you fell off the Geonosis carrier, I felt as if a part of me had been broken forever." He lowered his voice. "You are the reason why I'm standing here, Padmé. If it weren't for you, I'd be dead...or worse."
"Oh, Anakin," she said softly, touched.
"And now the Council is ordering me to leave." Anakin sighed. "If only they could understand these things. The simpler parts of life. They're wise, Padmé, everybody says so...but sometimes I can't help but think they're wrong."
They were bold words, for a Jedi, Padmé realized. "Wisdom is not always clear," she said slowly.
"But something tells me I should be with you," Anakin persisted. So that was his point, Padmé realized in a flash.
"I've been thinking about that, too," Padmé said. "When you told me about marriage and everything, I thought it was too fast. But now, I see that love isn't always by-the-book. It can take place over a decade or in the space of two weeks."
Anakin's eyes widened.
"Before you go," Padmé continued. "We should – marry. We've been through so much together. It feels right." She placed one hand to her heart. "In here."
"I feel it also," Anakin echoed.
***
Sabé fell back on her hands, laughing uncontrollably. "Qui-Gon actually said that?"
"I know!" Obi-Wan said, shaking his head dolefully. "And I was standing right there, too! He just turned to the aide and said, 'there's a bed – '"
"Obi-Wan!" Sabé shouted, "I already heard it once!" She giggled. "I don't need to hear it again. I think I'll prefer to think of Qui-Gon as a sensible Jedi Master, not some – some – "
"He might hear you know," Obi-Wan warned.
"He's miles from here," Sabé protested.
"Well that's my Master," Obi-Wan said, "I swear, he can sleep through a thunderstorm but the moment I swing out of bed, he wakes up!" He rolled his eyes. "I can't get away with anything, it seems."
She smiled sympathetically. "Well it's the same with Panaka around here. The second Padmé gets a wild idea, he gets all cautious. But it's a good thing in the long run...we owe him everything."
Obi-Wan grinned and stretched out his long legs. "How long do you think we'll be cooped up here?" he asked, "You know, before Panaka and Master Qui-Gon think we can leave?"
"A few more days?" Sabé guessed.
"I spoke with the Queen earlier. She's very upset. She'll be wanting to leave earlier, I suspect."
"Perhaps," Sabé said carefully. "What do you think of her, Obi-Wan?"
He held back a smile. "What do you expect me to think of her?"
"Wise?"
"Very."
"Pretty?"
A faint smile crept over Obi-Wan's face. "Sometimes. Like this afternoon, I felt warm around her, like something was sweeping my entire body with complete joy. But other times, it feels like a business arrangement."
"Such as when?"
"Like back on Naboo." Obi-Wan grinned at Sabé, seeing that she was swallowing in all his words. "It's a complex feeling. I'm not used to discussing my feelings, at least not my feelings of love.
"So your duty holds you back?"
Obi-Wan held his hands pleadingly. "I feel love. But when it comes to maintaining a relationship, I'd never be able to do it. One day I'll be out here in the Outer Rim, the next I'll be on Coruscant speaking to the Council. I go where I go."
"So if you ever fell in love, you wouldn't be able to enjoy it?"
"No Jedi ever has been able to." A wistful smile graced his handsome features. "And if they do, they aren't really Jedi, anymore."
***
"So what are we going to name our kids?" Anakin asked jokingly as he moved bags around. Just earlier that day, they had gotten married, with only droids as their audience. But the view had been worth it all – and so had the oath the marriage had brought him.
But despite everything, Padmé had told him to get back to Naboo. You can't disobey the Council just for me, she had argued vehemently. So Anakin had reluctantly agreed and they had returned to Padmé's Senatorial quarters in preparation for his trip.
"We can't have kids yet!" Padmé protested.
"It was just a thought," Anakin defended himself. "You know what would be so cool?" He ignored Padmé's exasperated sigh. "Our names start with A, you know? We could have two kids and name them with identical first letters too!"
"That's...nice," Padmé said slowly, thinking anything but.
The smile dropped from Anakin's face as he realized his brilliant idea wasn't that appealing. But a moment later, it was back. They could argue this point later. They were together now, and that was all that mattered.
He flopped back down on her bed and studied the room. "I don't really have anything to pack," he admitted, "So I guess I'm just delaying."
"Are you going to tell Obi-Wan?" Padmé asked, voicing the question that had been on her mind ever since the wedding.
Anakin straightened immediately. "If I do, he'll end it."
"So we will keep it a secret."
"I won't let it destroy us," Anakin promised. And no matter what Obi-Wan said, she won't get hurt during this war. I won't let it. And if anyone does...they'll have to answer to me. "Do you think this marriage was worth it?" he asked, "Worth everything?"
Padmé didn't hesitate. "It was, Ani. It was."
Epilogue
"Why did you delay me?" Anakin shouted, anger evident in her voice. "I could have saved her, Master," he sneered angrily, "If only you hadn't sent me sent me on a stupid background check!"
"Nobody could have saved her," Obi-Wan said steadily. "I prevented you from seeing her death."
"Well thank you!" Anakin snapped sarcastically. "Is that the truth? Or did you just want to see my heart break?" His voice grew shrill, choked with hysterics and lanced with anger. The result was an odd comical cackle, but one that held a burning hatred behind it.
"I never wanted to hurt you, Padawan..."
"Don't you dare call me that anymore!" Anakin erupted. "You are no teacher to me. You are simply the executioner of my wife!" Breathing hard, he advanced on Obi-Wan. "Do you know what she said, all those years ago on Geonosis? When you were captured with odds strongly stacked against you, she went for you anyway! And now, in the same situation, you didn't go after her! You didn't let me go after her!"
"Could you have won?" Obi-Wan asked softly. "Could you have defeated all thousand droids by yourself? Would her sacrifice have been made in vain?"
Anakin's credibility was rapidly slinking away, but the words refused to defuse the rage he felt. "I could have saved her," he repeated. "You didn't give me that chance."
"No, you couldn't have." Obi-Wan replied, deadpan. "You would have died next to her."
Tears came to Anakin's eyes. Padmé had died because he hadn't been strong enough to save her. His mother had died because he hadn't been able to save her. Two people, the only people who had ever truly believed in him were gone. It was too difficult to keep it all in himself. And here was Obi-Wan, a solid rock who would never ever waver...it would be so easy to place everything on him.
"Anakin, listen to me," Obi-Wan tried. "If we go now, we can capture her killers..."
"No!" Anakin declared. "She's dead because you didn't let me go after her. And you know what, Obi-Wan? Someone else will die now because of that." He took off down the hallway.
Confusion fazed in Obi-Wan before the news hit him. Sabé was just down the hallway, alone, unarmed, and unguarded. "Anakin, no!" he shouted, struggling to push his feet forward.
He was back in that nightmare. He could see the Sith Lord battling, hammering away at the one he loved. They were beyond him. A laser wall stood between them. He could do nothing but watch. With a cry, the red lightsaber came flashing downwards, sinking through her body. Noiselessly, she fell, her eyes locking one last time on Obi-Wan.
I love you.
"NOO!" Obi-Wan shouted, trying to rush forward. Anakin turned at the sound of the cry, his expression emotionless. "Do you feel better now?" Obi-Wan snapped bitterly. "Do you feel better now because now I'm hurt?"
Gently he knelt next to Sabé, one hand gently brushing the gentle curve of her cheek. Her silk brown hair had fallen onto her face, covering her lifeless eyes. With as much courage as he could, Obi-Wan brushed the hair behind her ear and closed her eyes with one hand.
"How do you like that feeling?" Anakin asked hoarsely.
"How do you like the feeling of being a murderer?" Obi-Wan asked, advancing on Anakin.
"Stay away from me," Anakin said blankly. His lightsaber hissed alive and pointed at Obi-Wan's throat. "Stay the hell away from me."
All previous compassion Obi-Wan had felt for his apprentice had melted away. "Go to hell," he replied and gently laid his forehead down on Sabé's, almost daring Anakin to strike them both down.
But he couldn't. He saw Obi-Wan and in that image he saw himself, that night had had laid his head down over his mother's and wept. And looking at Obi-Wan, the shimmer of tears was evident in his eyes, too.
Gathering his cloak around him, he strode out from the room, not looking back.
"I couldn't live like that. Could you, Anakin?"
"You're right. It would destroy us."
The End
Thanks to everyone who has reviewed this! I can't believe I finally finished another multi-chaptered story! !_!
And to everyone who has seen AOTC already, you are so lucky! I have to wait another two weeks before I can go see it!