"Now I might just do it out of spite," Astrid's eyes twinkle with jest as her lips puff out to a pout. Her hands move to rest on his chest as a bright smile takes over her features. On her way home, Anakin had sent a message to her about getting on the Council, despite this good news he sounded far from ecstatic. "Congrats on being a Council member, my handsome Jedi."
"Mm, thank you, my gorgeous princess," Anakin chuckles, his smile not quite reaching his eyes. He leans down but Astrid stops him.
"Okay, spill."
"What do you mean? There's nothing to—"
Astrid raises her eyebrow. Her face resembled that of a scolding mother, perhaps her motherly instinct had already begun to kick in. Anakin huffs, his head drooping down knowing there was no way out of this conversation.
"They didn't make me a Master," he practically whines, his head nuzzling into her neck, "to be on the Council, you need to be a Master but here I am, a Council member but still a Jedi Knight. It's humiliating."
"Ani, one step at a time, okay?" Astrid runs her fingers through Anakin's hair to calm down his dangerous anger. It was clear that his emotions were strong, and with his high midi-chlorin count, it would prove to be fatal if too angry. "Not everything can happen at once. Plus, I'm sure you'll soon become a Master. You just need to be patient for now."
"I guess," he sighs, lifting his head up from the soft skin of Astrid's neck. His face hovered in front of hers, a tiny smirk glued on his face as he spoke, "can I have a kiss now?"
"I don't know. You've been quite whiney for—" Astrid was cut off by Anakin's soft lips. They help with so much fervor that Astrid almost struggled to kiss back with just as much zeal. Both melted into each other's arms, it was heavenly. They prayed that this would last for eternity.
Tick. Tock.
However, they both sensed it—the ticking time clock that seemed to be hanging above both of their heads. A sense of rush and haste had taken the course as Anakin's lips moved down towards Astrid's neck, right at one of the two arteries on her throat. It felt as if they were running out of time with each other, and they despised that feeling.
Tick. Tock.
Time ripped at the arms of each other. The boundless feeling of running out of time kept them from departing. But both had different ideas of how to cope. Astrid was at peace, if anything were to happen, she'd let Force take its course as long as Anakin and the baby were happy. Anakin was quite the opposite. He'd try to find a way to stop time, to live with her forever in endless bliss.
Tick. Tock.
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ASTRID WAS ALONE AGAIN. With Anakin being summoned by the Chancellor and Padme having taken Klaus to Naboo for a small trip, she was completely and utterly alone. She hated the loneliness she felt in the smog-shrouded Coruscant; she longed for the rich fragrance of the Apollonian flowers and the vivid greenery.
The feeling of the bitter emptiness of the apartment left Astrid to delve into her head. Explore the thoughts she'd forced into her head like when Anakin's eyes had turned yellow. It was a day she couldn't forget, her head spun with all the questions she held. The feral look that had found a place on her husband's face or the malicious smirk he'd given her as she crumbled into bits in his hands.
She couldn't forget.
Obi-Wan had yet to know about it—hell, Padme didn't even know. The Jedi Master had visited earlier about the Force bond, he'd learned next to nothing, but he did want to learn more of his former padawan's behavior to get a better understanding of how deeply intertwined they were. It was an unspoken understanding that they were both too late to stop the issue, all they could do was keep Anakin on the right track—though, he was making it extremely difficult.
He then had to depart to go to a mission, leaving Astrid, again, by herself. It didn't take long for her to doze off on the couch.
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HIS FACE WAS FILLED WITH AN UNFEASIBLE AMOUNT OF GLEE AS HE WATCHED IT ALL SLOWLY TAKE ITS COURSE. Everything was moving as planned, every clone, Jedi, and Senator were in the right spot. He could taste the power that he'd hold, the feeling of all the star systems at the control of his palm.
Through all this, there was one thing that had disappointed Sheev Palpatine. The Force bond.
He had underestimated its power. In the beginning, he foolishly thought he could kill Astrid when he was done with using her as a pawn, but she'd become so much more. Anakin's life was now intertwined with hers, if she had passed away, so would he, leaving him without an apprentice.
Not only that, he underestimated the amount of love that had been shared between the two. It was much more than the obsession that Gage had with Athena, it was stronger, brighter, and undevoted. He'd never be able to get in between them which is why he'd need to let both of them think the other had died.
