Remember What We Were

Twenty

The next morning, Anakin woke up early to a loud crack of thunder. His eyes opened wide as he turned to his window. Why can't I get used to that?

After pulling on a tan tunic and brown trousers, he entered the living room. To his surprise, he found Padme alseep on the couch. I thought she had gone to her room last night. He looked down at her sleeping form and smiled. As always, strands of brown curls hung in her face. Anakin leaned down to brush one out of her eyes.

But as he did, a flash of lightning lit up the room and Anakin flinched. Padme's eyes fluttered open and Anakin remembered their first encounter after the Battle of Geonosis in the medical bay. This time however was different. Padme looked up and smiled. Anakin returned a grin. "Good morning."

Sitting up, Padme looked around in confusion. "I woke up during the night and came out here to listen to the rain. I guess I must have fallen asleep again." Anakin looked out the window as thunder followed the most recent flash of lightning.

"I wish I could fall asleep to rain."

Padme motioned for him to sit down beside her and he did. The house was quite, as everyone else slept peacefully; unbothered by the storm. Anakin watched Padme shift closer to him and felt his heart rate increase. "Maybe it's good that I can't remember Geonosis. It didn't sound very pleasant," she said thoughtfully. Anakin looked at her seriously. "I know it doesn't seem like it, but that day on Geonosis was the best day of my life."

Padme stared back at him funny. "What are talking about?" Anakin took a deep breath. He thought back to the arena. While he awaited execution, Padme had said the one thing that could have made that moment one he would want to remember.

"That was the day you told me-"

Anakin winced. Before he could finish his sentence, a deafening growl of thunder sent a chill up his spine. Padme held her palm up to his cheek and smiled sadly. "You don't have to be afraid of storms. They're just a bunch of noise," she assured him soothingly. Anakin shook his head as he held her gaze. "I'm not afraid of storms. I'm afraid of losing you."

Padme leaned forward and kissed his cheek with her soft lips. "I'm not going anywhere Anakin."

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Later that day, while Palo was away at the gallery, Anakin sat with Padme by the balcony off of her room. The rain had settled down once again so that only charcoal colored clouds hung heavily over the sky. Padme had her head resting in Anakin's shoulder as they admired the stillness of the lake in the distance. After a long minute of silence, she lifted her head.

"We can't do this Anakin."

Anakin looked down at her. Something in her voice told him that she had been thinking those words for a long time. "You mean we shouldn't do this?" he corrected. Padme shook her head at him. "No, we can't. I can't let you give up your future. I just can't."

Anakin sat up straight. His chest tightened the same way it had when she had told him the same thing beside the fireplace on Varykino. "We could keep it a secret," he said slowly. But he already knew her answer.

"We'd be living a lie, Anakin. I couldn't-"

"I know," he replied quickly, not wanting to hear what he knew she would say. It was painful to relive the same truth that he had realized before. They're love was forbidden. It was doomed to destroy them.

When he stood up to leave, Padme let him go. He looked back, wishing she would stop him. But she didn't.

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That night, Anakin asked Padme to help him tuck Pooja and Ryoo in.

"Bed time story!"

"Princess and the Gungan!"

The girls shoved the book into Anakin's hands even before he had sat down on the bed. He handed the book to Padme. "Would you like to do the honors of reading the bed time story?" he asked with a smile. Padme looked down at the book a gasped softly.

"I remember this book..." she said under her breath. "My mother used to read this to Sola and I when we were younger." Anakin watched a look of nostalgia pass over Padme's face as she ran her fingers through the worn pages.

"And the princess and her prince lived happily ever after..." Padme read before closing the book. Pooja and Ryoo cheered. "Thanks for reading to us Auntie Padme!" Padme chuckled. "Well you know how much I love reading this book to you girls."

Anakin looked at her for a long moment. "Say that again?"

Padme turned to him, slightly confused. "All I said was that I love reading this book to them..." It took only another second to realize what Anakin was talking about. A smile lit up her face. "I remember reading to them! I remember them!" she exclaimed.

Pooja hopped up to hug her aunt. "Auntie Padme is back!" she shrieked with delight. Ryoo joined in on the hug as Anakin watched happily. He was glad to see Padme in better spirits. Of she was happy, that was enough for him.

After the girls released from their hug, Anakin finally managed to get them in bed. When he and Padme slipped out of the room, the house was as silent as it had been that morning. A light rain fell outside in the darkness but Anakin was thankful that the thunder had stopped.

"Will you be okay?" Padme asked him. Anakin shrugged as he looked out the window. "The rain isn't so bad. I'll be fine."

"No. I mean, will you be okay?"

Knowing that she was talking about their conversation in the balcony, Anakin forced himself to look away from her.

"You don't want to know the answer to that."

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I know I'm updating a lot today, but don't get used to it XD I am just having a lot of ideas and I needed to keep writing before I forget them. Anyways, COMMENT COMMENT COMMENT! Love you guys!