Under the Stars 2: Another Anakin and Padme Fanfiction

By the Waterside

     Padme knew that all good things must come to an end, but did they really have to end so soon?
     Three days after their wedding, Anakin was already being called into a war that they hadn't even known existed. Padme knew that she shouldn't blame Anakin but that didn't keep her from storming out of the dining room the moment he told her the knews.
     "It's only been three days! Weren't you given a two month leave?" she asked bitterly. Anakin stared down at his food, "I know. But things are changing Padme. The Council needs me. There is a war..." he added distantly. Padme couldn't believe her ears. "What do you mean?" she asked in astonishment. Anakin stood up and looked out the tall windows of the lake house, "The Chancellor has declared war against the Separatists. The world we left only a few days ago is gone Padme," he said grimly, "And I'm not sure if we will ever see it again..."
      After that, Padme had ran out of the room on the brink of tears. She felt obligated not to cry, to not to show weakness. She wouldn't allow Anakin to see it. He had already been burdened with the concern of a civil war which left him full of dread and anxiety. Padme could hear it in his voice.
     Now she sat along a calm stream by the island's waterfalls, surrounded by towering grasses. Night had already fallen and the stars were the only thing illuminating the darkness. Tucking her knees against her chest, Padme fought back the tears. Anakin was leaving. Leaving for a war. Padme knew from her experiance as Queen of Naboo that war was not a pretty thing. It destroyed not only towns, cities, and civilization, but also the lives of those who inhabited them. Even worse, it cost the brave people willing to fight in them. What if Anakin was one of those people?
    Padme shivered at the thought and stared at the sky. In it were trillions upon trillions of sparkling stars. She smiled sadly as she found the star that she once called her favorite, but it's usual breath-taking brilliance seemed dulled that night. Casting a stone into the water, Padme took in a breath of cool air. A soft splash echoed in her ears as the rock met stream.

    "Can we talk?" a soft voice asked. Padme didn't have to turn around to know that it was Anakin nor did she have to turn around to feel his water blue eyes gaze down at her. Even before she answered, Anakin joined her in the grass. "I suppose by answering you, we're already talking..." she remarked. Anakin smiled despite the resentment in her voice and looked across the river. "For what it's worth... I don't have to leave until tomorrow morning," he noted, hoping to cheer her up. It didn't. "Is that suppose to be a good thing?"

     Anakin didn't seem to mind the annoyance in his wife's tone. He moved closer to her, "Every minute I get to spend with you is a good thing. One night? I consider that a very good thing," he stated thankfully. Padme turned away, "Anakin, this isn't funny. I don't want to lose you," she said without thinking. Anakin looked at her with sympathy. "You won't," he anwered, as if he were trying to convince a young child. This only made Padme more upset, "You don't know that," she protested. The words came matter of factly and she instantly wished she hadn't spoke them. Anakin's gaze turned cold and his positive ego disappeared, "You're right," he admitted quietly, "But I do know this; Our love is stronger than anything this world can throw at us. And wether you are by my side, or galaxies away from me, that love will be what protects me."

     Padme finally let her eyes meet with Anakin's. Those electric blue gems of his bored into her heart. She couldn't help but melt into his arms where she allowed him to hold her tightly. Why was she so afraid of letting him go? Was it because she finally had someone hold onto? Anakin brought his soft lips to her temple and ran his metal fingers through her hair. Somehow even that prosthetic hand could comfort her. Padme pulled back slightly and studied Anakin's face. The glow of the stars imluminated his every feature. His eyes reflected the water as he returned his gaze to the gurgling stream. While he did, Padme looked back up at the stars. Anakin's presence alone added brightness to the sky full of stars. Or maybe he just made it easier to see the beauty of it all. Letting her head lean against his strong shoulder, she asked the question she feared the answer to, "When will you be back?"

      Anakin was unfazed by the question, "Two weeks," he replied without feeling. Padme sighed and hugged his arm, "Where are you going?" Again Anakin showed little emotion in his response, "Ansion: Churnis sector, Mid Rim." After a second of thought, he turned back to her, "One hundred, thirty point four, four, four, light-years from you." Padme read the melancholy in his voice. She allowed her fingers to weave together on the back of his neck and found her lips against his for a moment.

      It didn't take long for the tears to dry from Padme's eyes. She believed Anakin with all her heart and she knew she would see him again. Breaking the kiss, Anakin tucked an arm around Padme's waist, "Obi-wan wanted me to take an overnight ship back to Coruscant, but I told him I would wait until morning. We should head back inside," he suggested. Padme didn't respond for a moment. Instead, she buried her face in the warmth of her husband's leather tunic. "Will you stay out here? Just for tonight?" she asked auspiciously. Anakin took no more than a long second to answer, "Anything you ask M'lady."

      Padme smiled as she and Anakin layed back in the grass. She cuddled up under Anakin's arm and into the security of his tunic. She rested her head upon his chest so she could hear his heart-beat. Just after she closed her eyes, Anakin's voice disturbed her, "Can you show me your favorite star again?" he asked. Padme left hertired eyes shut, "I told you Anakin, you're my favorite star..." she yawned. Anakin layed a palm on the small of her back, "Imean the star in the sky. That really bright one," he pressed. Padme breathed in the smell of his worn tunic and smiled. She barely opened her eyes long enough to point out the star. "Happy now?" she questioned sleepily. Anakin rubbed her back, "Of course. Now I will be able to see that star from anywhere in the galaxy and it will remind me of you," he replied with a tone dripping with charm. Padme laughed faintly, "You can't really see it from anywhere in the galaxy. That was just a myth."

       Anakin kept his eyes on the star, "I bet you're wrong," he rebuked, "In fact, I'll proove that you're wrong," he proposed with his usual cockiness. Padme rolled he eyes, "And how will you do that?" Anakin craned his neck to looked down at her. "When I am on the other side of the galaxy, I am going to look up at the sky at night and see that star. And when I see it, I will win the bet," he announced. Padme chuckled, "And what exactly is the prize?" she asked jokingly. Anakin answered with no humor in his voice, "A kiss from my favorite star. The most beautiful of all the stars in the entire unvierse and even beyond that," he murmured flawlessly, "That is what I will win." Padme felt a smile grow on her face, "I'll take that bet," she said mockingly. Anakin held up his right hand, "Shake on it?"

      The moment Padme took his hand, Anakin pulled her on top of him. He rapped his arms around her waist and pecked the tip of her nose. Padme brushed a hand against his jaw-line, "Goodnight Anakin," she whispered almost silently as she settled her head into the crevice of his neck. Anakin held her to his chest, "Goodnight M'lady," he sang into her ear. But Padme was already drifting into sleep which she found very easy to do in his arms, under the stars.