The sorrowful conclusion to this short little story. Sorrowful only for how the real story ended: with Padme dying and Anakin turning to the Dark Side. But enjoy it anyway! And be sure to comment, follow and favorite!

{trinity6diversia}

The halls of the Senate Building were unusually empty as Anakin made his way through them in the direction of Padmé's pod. The rescue fleet had been on Coruscant for two days now following the altercation on Scipio. Anakin's time had been spent writing up reports and responding to officials investigating the death of Senator Clovis. The fleet, too, had to be inspected and brought back to par in terms of ammunition and forces. There had been only a handful of clone deaths during the short battle, but every dead clone had to be replaced with a new one, and those things took time.

Now, at the end of the two days, the Senate had finally called a meeting to discuss what was to come of the InterGalactic Banking Clan. The investigation into Senator Clovis' death had come back claiming 'casualty of war'. It had not truly been a suicide, although he had fallen of his own accord. But to save Senator Amidala and Knight Skywalker's life, it almost made him a hero of war. Almost, but not quite.

Regardless of how Senator Clovis had died, the fact remained that the Banking Clan was without a leader. Most knew, already, who the new leader would be, but it would not be official until a Senate documentation had been made. Obi-Wan and Master Windu had gone to attend the meeting as members of the Jedi Council, with Anakin attending due only to his presence during Senator Clovis' death – and the subsequent rescue of Senator Amidala.

It was the first time in a long time that nearly every political figure on Coruscant had turned up for a gathering of the Senate. The empty halls allowed Anakin time to dwell on his own thoughts, and to take his time. He was in no rush. Padmé had said she was sorry in the heat of the moment, but they had rarely spoken since then. The jump from Scipio back to Coruscant had been made in silence, with Anakin spending the majority of his time on the bridge, occasionally running down to hangers and communication decks when the need arose. Padmé stayed in the medical bay, not that she needed any medical attention, but because there were windows that she might look out of. There was nothing to see in space, but it was more than there was to see on the ship.

And then, upon entering the Coruscant atmosphere, Anakin had come in search for her. The Council and Chancellor Palpatine were all waiting for them, and by them, it meant both of them. The sad and troubled expression on Padmé's face, either for Anakin or Clovis, the aforementioned could not say, almost caused Anakin to loosen up on his defenses. For a split second, he felt the urge to pull her into his arms and whisper I love you into her hair. But the urge passed, and he was glad he had not acted on it.

They had seen nothing else of each other in the two days that had passed, and now Anakin was on his way to her pod, dreading it, and yet hoping for a chance to see her all the same. She was his wife. He knew they could get past this.

Obi-Wan looked up when Anakin arrived in the doorway. The meeting of the Senate was already in full swing, with protests coming from every direction. Chancellor Palpatine did not flinch, his face rigid as he looked from face to face, hearing their protests and caring nothing for them. Obi-Wan didn't bother to fill Anakin in; within a minute, he knew everything he ever needed to know. The Chancellor was seizing control of the Banking Clan.

Padmé stood next to the docking controls, choosing not to be in the pod if Senator Organa from Alderaan decided to float out and protest the Chancellor. She was going to remain neutral in this instance, but her face, hard as stone, spoke otherwise. She did not like the idea of the Chancellor seizing control of the Banking Clan, as she had been against the start of the war in the first place. It didn't seem right. But she knew better than to say anything, at least in that arena.

Anakin leaned against the wall opposite of her, far enough back that she wouldn't see him. He gazed out at the uproar on the Senate floor, and then back at Padmé, or what he could see of her face. He could sense her frustration and anger, but beneath all of that, he could also sense her sadness. Underneath the façade, her heart was still broken. And he knew Master Windu and Obi-Wan could sense it too, because they both glanced back at Anakin after a particularly intense spurt of dejection emitted from the Senator. He shrugged, crossing his arms wordlessly.

And then, just as soon as it had begun, the Senate meeting was called to a close, and shaking her head, Padmé turned.

"Master Windu, Master Obi-Wan, I appreciate you taking the time to be a Jedi presence during this meeting of the Senate."

"Of course, Senator," answered Master Windu without skipping a beat. "We are, after all, a part of this Republic."

"Yes, well, at least a part of some Republic."

"Senator?"

Padmé shook her head, not bothering to explain, and with a quick glance from Obi-Wan, Master Windu chose not to inquire further. Padmé's eyes traced to Anakin, still leaning against the wall, his eyes on the floor at her feet instead of on her face.

"Master Skywalker." He looked up quickly. "I cannot thank you enough for what you did on Scipio." Her voice was as diplomatic as ever, but it held an edge that he could not place.

"It was nothing, Senator," he responded, pushing himself from the wall and quickly bowing. "The Jedi are keepers of the peace; it is our responsibility to maintain order as far as our Republic is concerned."

Padmé said nothing, her eyes narrowing at this eloquent speech by the not-so-eloquent Anakin Skywalker. Obi-Wan glanced away to keep them from seeing the amusement on his face. Master Windu noticed nothing, but bowed slightly in Padmé's direction.

"Senator Amidala."

"Master Windu," she responded with an incline of her head.

Thus Master Windu and Obi-Wan took their leave, but when Anakin made to follow, he was stopped by a voice that always had the power to stop him.

"General Skywalker."

He quickly turned.

"Would you care to escort me home?"

"What of Captain Typho?"

"I gave him the day off."

Anakin didn't ask her how she'd managed to get to the Senate Building that afternoon.

"Of course, Senator."

Those were the last words spoken, for the walk down to the hanger deck was made in silence, and the drive to 500 Republica in Anakin's speeder was also made in silence, with it bothering him less than he thought it would. Padmé's mind was a maelstrom of emotion, but it soothed him and made him relax, because it reminded him that at least one of them was human.

Anakin pulled the speeder up to the platform off of Padmé's personal sitting room. He jumped out, reaching back to help Padmé alight, and when she had, and was making her way inside, he turned to leave.

"Anakin…"

He turned again, almost hesitatingly, and every bit of emotion he had felt during the drive over was now seen clearly on the face of his beautifully gorgeous wife.

"Stay with me tonight." It wasn't a command. It wasn't even a request. It was a tender heart trying to fix what had been broken.

"I can't," was his response, but it wasn't said cruely. She hadn't wanted to see him; she hadn't wanted anything to do with him. And he was still respecting that. He didn't want her to wake up in the morning and regret that night.

"Anakin, I want you to." She reached for him, a tear glittering in the corner of her eye, a fear in her heart that if he left, she would never see him again.

"No, Padmé. I can't hurt you again." And before she could convince him to stay, he turned, jumped into his speeder, and was gone.

Anakin couldn't sleep that night. He tried to wonder if it was a moment of weakness, one that she would regret, or if she truly had wanted him to stay with her. For the first time in well over two years, Anakin felt more like a Jedi Knight than anything else; following the laws of the Order, and not his heart's desire. But as the night wore on, he started to feel as though Padmé's request had been nothing more than other times, when work had been bad, or the worry had taken it's toll, and all she needed was a reminder that she was loved and always would be.

Rolling over on his cot, Anakin found himself silently wishing for the cozy comfort of Padmé's bed, the one they had shared for less time than they should have, but more time than he thought possible, given their personal duties. He glanced at the chrono by his bedside. It was only two hours past midnight, but it didn't feel like it. He was wide awake.

Groaning silently, Anakin pulled himself out of bed and into his Jedi robes. He grabbed his comlink and lightsaber, pulled on his boots, then proceeded to slip quietly through the halls of the Jedi temple in the direction of the hanger deck. He remembered a night like this a few days earlier, when he had nearly killed Clovis. Clovis was dead now. Stretching out with the Force, Anakin reached towards 500 Republica, but it was too far away for him to sense much of anything. He could feel Padmé's vague presence, but nothing more.

This time, Anakin followed the rules of the road, went the speed-limit, and stayed within the confines of the traffic. He was hesitant to be making this drive, given how well it went the last time he had. He kept remembering Padmé's words in his mind: I think it's best if we don't see each other anymore. He knew it was his actions that had brought those words to her mouth.

At the platform leading into Padmé's personal sitting room, Anakin didn't move to leave his speeder until he had stretched out with the Force. He found her within seconds. She was laying on one of the couches, sound asleep. With a sad smile, Anakin jumped out of the speeder and quietly walked across the platform to where Padmé lay, head resting on her arms, dressed in her loungewear, almost as if she had been waiting for him.

Gently, Anakin reached out to brush the hair from her face. She moaned, moving slightly in her sleep, but did not awake. He leaned down to kiss her cheek, then lifted her carefully into his arms so that her head rested on his shoulder, and made for the stairs to her bedroom. Their bedroom.

"Anakin…" Her warm breath tickled his ear, sending shivers down his spine.

"I'm here, Angel," he whispered.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and nestled into the soft crook, enjoying the free ride up the stairs, which he did so effortlessly, as if she weighed nothing. He paused at the penthouse control panel only to secure the rear landing platform and lock all of the doors. The security systems already up, he maintained that things were in order and proceeded to lay Padmé gently down on the bed. She wouldn't let him go, though, and somehow, their lips met in a passionate connection that bespoke the days they had gone without.

It was inevitable that one thing lead to another, and within moments, Anakin's robe was thrown across the floor and his tunics were wantonly spread about in a similar fashion. He didn't see how any of this was possible. His lips were always in contact with something, either those of his wife's, or some other part of her body. But some things could not be denied, and what couldn't be denied was what she was doing to him; what she had always done to him, since the beginning of time. And how much he had missed this…

Not even two weeks after this romantic rendezvous between Anakin and Padmé, the Council ordered Anakin and Obi-Wan to report to the front lines. Six months of brutal fighting were to follow, with some battles won, and other lost. The information from the front lines were misleading, and towards the end of what quickly became known as the Outer Rim Sieges, the media had labeled General Anakin Skywalker everything from missing in action to dead. Following the abduction of Chancellor Palpatine by Separatist troops, Anakin and Obi-Wan were called back to Coruscant to retrieve the Chancellor.

The rescue was a success, and after returning the Chancellor to the Senate, Anakin found himself reunited with Padmé. She was worried sick due to the misleading reports, and within moments of seeing her husband again, informed Anakin that she was pregnant with his child. A hidden marriage was one thing. A hidden pregnancy was completely different. And when the child was born, there would be questions; questions Anakin could not explain, at least not then.

Following nightmares of Padmé's death during childbirth, Anakin set out to find a way to save her. For two months, his anger simmered as he was pulled into the middle of a conflict between the Council and the Chancellor, and all the while, the only thing he wanted was to save Padmé's life. He was wrongly led to believe that Chancellor Palpatine was the only one capable of keeping others from death, and after this discovery was unearthed, a new, much more terrifying discovery was also unearthed: Chancellor Palpatine was the Dark Lord of the Sith.

In a moment of truth, Anakin turned on the Jedi and struck Master Windu down, choosing the Dark Side over the Jedi, only to save Padmé. He marched on the Jedi Temple with a clone army and eradicated Masters, Knights, Padawans and even younglings. He then went to Mustafar to destroy the Separatist leadership, so that nothing else could stand in the way of Palpatine's plans for galactic control. It was there Padmé found him, led to believe that he had turned to the Dark Side. She discovered the truth for herself, and when Obi-Wan emerged from the hull of her ship, Anakin's anger reached a new high. He choked Padmé with the Force, something he swore he would never do, and when he saw her fall away from him, he felt a part of his heart die.

Obi-Wan fought him, then, something neither of them had expected to ever do, and at the end, misgauging a jump, Anakin had both legs and his surviving arm severed by Obi-Wan's lightsaber. He was caught in the lava and burned to within an inch of his life. Palpatine found him there, and took him back to Coruscant, fitting him with mechanical limbs and a life support system in the form of a terrifying black suit. And he was called Darth Vader.

Obi-Wan rushed Padmé to a medical center on a nearby moon, where he was met by Senator Bail Organa. The attending medical droids attempted to save her, but could not. Padmé gave birth to twins, whom she named Luke and Leia, and moments later, she died, with her last words spoken to Obi-Wan: "There is still good in him. I know, there is still…" And with her last strength, she handed Obi-Wan the japor snippet that Anakin had given to her when first they met.

Luke was taken to Tatooine to be raised by his Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru. Obi-Wan went with him to watch over him while he grew. Leia was given to Senator Organa to be raised by him and his wife on Alderaan. Both would go on, many years later, to save the Rebellion from the Empire, led by the Dark Lord Sideous, formerly Chancellor Palpatine, and their father, Darth Vader.

Padmé was buried on Naboo, clutching the japor snippet. No one would ever know her story. That once there had been a man who had loved her dearly, who had fought for her, and nearly died for her. The Hero With No Fear. Everything he had done and been done for her. And no matter how sinister he would become in life, this man would spend his every moment reliving the moment he had ripped the life from the one thing he had ever loved… and left her to die.

The galaxy was told, and believed, that General Anakin Skywalker had died when Order 66 had been executed against the Jedi. He was grieved for as a war hero. No one knew that when the sinister Darth Vader led his forces onto Coruscant to start the takeover, that he was, indeed, the hero they had all looked up to in a time past.

A tragedy, indeed, that he had suffered only to save the one he had loved more than life.

Padmé.

Padmé Skywalker.