Padmé comforted Anakin as they sat on the floor of the Lars' home, mourning his mother, Shmi.
Rubbing the back of his neck soothingly, she kissed his temple lightly, trying to calm him. "I'm so sorry, Ani. I --"
"No. You don't know what it's like to lose someone in your life." Anakin buried his face in his hands. "I'm sorry," he apologized, his voice muffled. "I haven't been a good Protector. At all." He lifted his head and met eyes with Padmé, his cheeks stained with salty tears and his eyes watery.
"Anakin, don't say that! You have been an amazing protector this whole --"
Anakin stood, cutting her off. "We should go," he said firmly, taking in a deep breath.
"What? Why? This sudden --"
"Yes, let's go. Being a good protector does not consist of sitting and mourning and dwelling on sad thoughts when we could be in a more discrete place. We need to get back to Naboo."
So without opposition, Padmé stood too, Anakin taking her hand to help her up. She knew that Anakin, with his stubbornness, would not listen to her counterclaims no matter what. She merely gave up and went with the flow.
*
Later, after Anakin and Padmé had left Tatooine and had been on their way to Naboo for a straight twenty-four hours now, Padmé ended up asleep in the cot in the back of her Nubian yacht.
Anakin was getting tired as well, rubbing his tired eyes of sleep. He turned on the autopilot and walked back to where Padmé laid in the ship's bed.
He knelt beside her, brushing his fingers across her forehead lightly to push back the mini curls that hung over it. He smiled at her sleeping face; a reminder of how beautiful she was to him.
Standing to lean over her, Anakin whispered into her ear, "I'm sorry if I'm not a good enough Protector." He kissed her jaw lightly, and pulling back to look at her face, he smiled again. "I love you."
With no response from Padmé but her light breathing, Anakin walked back to the pilot's seat, spinning it back to face the front window. He leaned back, crossing one leg over the other, breathing out. He sensed approaching danger for the both of them.