Remember What We Were

Twenty-Seven

You guys can stop your sadness, I'm about to fix all of this and dry your little fangirl tears! But you may cry anyways... fair warning.

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Maybe this wasn't one of my best ideas... Anakin thought as he tumbled down toward the landing planform below. Even with the Force, this jump was a stretch.

The people below were now looking up in utter shock as he free fell from the departing transport. Meanwhile, the 501st leaned over the edge of the ship, unsure of what their General was thinking.

As Anakin neared the ground, he ready his legs for impact and reached out to the Force as best he could. Unfortunately for him, the Force wasn't enough to keep him from hitting the landing platform with a heavy thump.

"Anakin!" He looked up, slightly stunned by his crash landing but positive that he saw Padme gawking at him. He jumped to his feet. The events from a month ago flooded his memory as he took in the sight of Padme as she started running toward him. "Anakin!"

It only took him a second to break into a sprint, closing the distance between them. When she was finally within arms reach, Anakin cupped her face in his palms and pulled her into a kiss. He felt the heat of her skin in his prothstetic hand as her lips met his. He had only dreamed of seeing her again.

Padme barely broke the kiss for a quick breath as she wrapped her arms around his next. "Anakin..." In the middle of their embrace, Anakin halted. His real hand felt the warmth of tears as they trailed down Padme's face. He let the kiss end, still holding her face in his hands. She smiled through her watered eyes.

"Anakin, what were you thinking?"

Anakin swallowed. The cotton feeling returned to his throat. "I was thinking, I spent ten years regretting that I had let you walk out of my life," he answered, breathing rapidly. "It took me a month to realize that I didn't want to do that again."

"You're crazy..."

"Do you mean, crazy as in 'insane' crazy?"

Padme shook her head, laughing through her tears.

"No. Crazy as in 'passionate' crazy..."

Anakin smiled down at her. At that moment, he didn't care who was watching. He didn't care what they would think of a Jedi kissing a senator. He only cared about Padme.

He looked deeply into the brown eyes he had missed for an entire month. He felt like it had been a millennium.

"Padme, I know you wanna forget about me. And, I've tried to forget about you too. But I've tried, and I've realized that I can't do that. I don't want to! Because every time I think about you, I... I fall in love with you all over again."

Padme ran her fingers through his hair as tears continued falling. "You love me?" she asked.

Anakin nodded, placing his arms around her waist. When he opened his mouth, he found himself saying the words that he had been feeling in his chest ever since she had said them to him.

"I truly, deeply, love you..."

Padme's eyes flickered. She looked up at him as a sparkle in her eyes shimmered. Something was different.

"I told you that on Geonosis..."

Caught off guard, Anakin nodded slowly. He searched Padme's expression intently, looking for any signs of...

Recognition.

Their smiles widened simultaneously. They both knew what that meant.

Anakin pulled Padme into a hug. He held her for a long time, savoring the feeling of her in his arms. When she finally looked up at him, a smile was growing on her lips. "Anakin?" she whispered into his ear.

"What is it, Padme?"

"After I told you I loved you, do you remember what happened?" she asked. Anakin smirked down at her, knowing that just remembered just as well as he did that they had kissed.

"I do," he answered, pulling her close to his chest. Padme leaned forward, closing the gap between their lips.

"Well, why don't you jog my memory...?"

THE END

That's right! The end! And they all lived happily ever after except for Palo who grew a beard and moved to Alderaan to herd Nerfs. Get it? Now he's a scruffy looking Nerf herder! BAHAHAHAHA... Anyways...

I just wanna thank you all for the support you gave me throughout writing this story. It was so fun to write and I will truly miss working on it. I'll be in Tennessee for most of next week, but hopefully when I return, I will be back to writing WCHB Part 3 so make sure you watch for updates from that.

You guys are the best! Once again, thank you and may the Force be with you! ;)