The months dragged on. Time felt slow, as if each day was a year. Padmé couldn't stand it. Everything seemed to move at a dreadful pace.

She couldn't sleep or eat most days. Her mind was busy taunting her, reminding her of her unmercifulness. It mocked her for her inability to forgive. It whispered of the broken vows, of her unwilligness to start over.

She saw Anakin everywhere. When she held Luke, she saw his blue eyes. She trapped herself in the baby's gaze, picturing Anakin's as he pleaded for her. When she listened to Leia giggle, she heard him. She remembered how he'd laugh when he teased her so long ago.

Her bed felt large. The spot next to her firm, considering no one had ever slept on it. She often found her mind wondering to nights where she'd found comfort in his arms. Instead, she shivered in the lurking darkness.

Padmé missed him. There was no denying that the emptiness in her chest was because she wanted him. She craved his presence, his soft touch.

It had been a hard pill to swallow, realizing that her love for Anakin would never disappear. She wanted it to be consumed by her anger. Yet there she was with anger that had faded away. All that was left was the longing for him. Her soul screamed out, begging for him.

She wanted to hold him, sit in the livingroom and watch Luke and Leia with him. She wished he was there for their first crawls... She wanted to hear him exclaim when they began to walk. She wanted him to help blow out the candles on their first birthday cake. She'd give anything to cook and watch Luke tackle his father when he grew older. For Anakin to teach the twins how to read and drop them off at school.

She didn't want to do it alone on Coruscant. She wanted to live in a beautiful house in Naboo on the hills. She wanted to be with her family in the warm summer breeze. Instead, the polluted air was all the breeze she was given on the hectic planet she lived.

Luke and Leia were seven months old. It had been seven months since Anakin and herself truly parted ways. Eight since she'd lost him to the dark side.

But he wasn't apart of the dark side anymore.

Obi-wan had told her. He spent everyday with Anakin, repairing their relationship. Obi-wan explained to her that his eyes were blue, that all he spoke of was his love and regret for her. He said something had changed, a peace within Anakin that he hadn't seen since he was a little boy.

Anakin knew he deserved to rot in that prison cell. That he had destroyed the innocent, brought chaos to the galaxy, and torn his family apart. He had accepted his fate. With a heavy heart, he lived each day.

But was this what she deserved? Did she deserve to live in anguish every day when the love of her life was ten minutes away? Did she deserve to spend her life alone, without the man she'd dedicated her being to?

Did Anakin and her deserve to be apart after fighting to be together for so long?

Padmé set her glass down. Her hands shook as she drew in a breath. Her nanny was supposed to arrive in the next few moments. She had to settle herself, bring herself back to reality.

Her relationship with Anakin was gone.

The thought struck her like a bullet, it flashed in front of her eyes like lightning. The realization settled on her shoulders. The possibility seemed wrong. Yet it gnawed on her inside, pushing her towards it. She stopped moving.

What if she didn't want it to be gone?

It didn't have to be gone. Anakin didn't have to perish alone. Padmé didn't have to live in misery.

When the nanny knocked on the door, Padmé opened it immediately. She let the woman in and told her instructions for the twin's day.

"Do you have a meeting?" the woman asked, "You seem in an awful hurry. I could have come earlier if you'd asked."

"No meeting," Padmé responded, grabbing her ID off of the counter.

"What's the rush?" she teased.

Before exiting the room, Padmé gave the woman a smile. "I'm making things right."

She sprinted out the door, closing it behind her. Butterflies danced playfully around her stomach as she made the short, lively journey through the Coruscant streets.

She knew what she was walking into. She knew what her decision entailed. However, she was willing to let go of and work through all the pain, betrayal, and heartbroken months if it meant one day they could be happy again. Together, they could mend the broken pieces of each other and become whole once more.

The prison entrance was dark. Two guards dressed in navy blue stood perfectly still on either side of the entrance. They were armed with simple guns, placed in their hands.

"General Amidala?" one questioned.

"Yes," Padmé replied, "I've come to see him."

"Obi-wan said you'd be here weeks ago," the other commented.

Padmé shook her head in disbelief. Then she asked, "Where is he?"

"Farthest cell to the right."

Nodding her head, she slowly crept down the hallway. Her heart beat loudly in her chest with each step.

She located his cell, a nervousness settling over her. This was her last chance to run.

But she didn't. Instead, she approached the cold metal doors.

Anakin sat on the floor. His long hair covered his face, it hung in greasy strands. His thin body sat loosely in his peasant robes. On the floor, next to him, sat a bowl of food. It was untouched.

She sucked in a deep breath, placing her shaky hands on the bars. They felt rusted and frozen. The air below ground was cold, she shivered. He must have adjusted to it.

"Anakin."

His head snapped up, immediately recognizing her voice. He studied her face, awestruck.

"Padmé," he breathed out.

His blue eyes connected with her own. Something inside of her chest seemed to click and fall back into place.

"Hi."

Anakin stood, he walked towards her as far as he was able to. Although, the chains that bound his wrists limited his movement. "Hi."

She studied him. He was pale, considering he hadn't seen the light in months. Despite his filth and hunger, she still thought he looked stunning. Like the boy she'd fallen in love with on Naboo.

"You look beautiful," he whispered.

The words danced through her veins swiftly, a joy sparked inside of her. She felt like a teenager again, being called nice things by the boy she'd liked forever. His flattery overwhelmed her.

However, all she did was nod her head, for she feared speaking. She was terrified that if she said something, it would be the wrong thing. There was a delicate web connecting them, she refused to break it.

"I'm sorry," he shook his head, as if cursing his own stupidity, "I didn't mean to-"

"Thank you, Ani," she interrupted.

His eyes lit up. A smile crept upon his face, "Ani?"

Although her fingers trembled, Padmé reached for the key that hung against the wall. She unlocked his cell, removing the bars that had stood between them.

"Is it you?"

Padmé's words hung thick in the air. She examined him, awaiting his answer.

"Are you Anakin Skywalker?" she took a step towards him. He didn't move. He watched her, as if she were an angel sent from the heavens.

"Yes, it's me again. I promise. I lost myself... I lost my sense... I lost-"

"Stop, just stop."

"But-"

"There's nothing you can say to make it better," Padmé told him honestly, "You made a decision that broke my heart and my trust. You put our life together in jeopardy. You killed innocent people... There's nothing you can say to fix that."

"What do you want me to do?" he asked her quietly.

"Somehow, Anakin Skywalker," she said to him, "Somehow I still love you. Even if you chained yourself to a path I couldn't follow. Even though you've made mistakes, I still love you."

She made her way towards him again. They stood close as Padmé leaned towards him. Slowly, she touched her forehead to his own. A single tear slid down her cheek.

"I will always have the key, Anakin. And if I don't have the key, I will find it. I will make it. That's what we do, Ani. No matter the situation, no matter the problem, no matter how thick the chains are that we've placed around our necks... we stay. We destroy those chains."

"I love you, more than you know," he was crying, too.

"Give me your hands," she told him.

Anakin gave Padmé his hands, she smiled at him and unlocked the chains from his wrists. They fell to the cement ground roughly.

With shaky arms, Anakin lifted Padmé up. He held her securely, spinning her around in the air. When he placed her down, he hugged her tightly. Then, he wiped the tears from her eyes. His lips grazed her cheek.

"I love you too."

It felt like hours that she stood there, finding comfort in his arms in the dark. The smile wouldn't fade from her face. It could have lit up the night sky.

However, after those prescious moments, she left his embrace. Padmé took his hand, leading him freely out of the cell. They walked together, inseparable, out of the underground prison.

They navigated themselves through the city, showing the world they were together. Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Amidala. Together, as one. They were a unit. They didn't hide. They didn't pretend. They just walked home to the apartment.

Once they arrived, Anakin picked Padmé up again. He carried her through the doorway, holding her bridal style. She laughed, her heart content.

The nanny sat on the floor, an eyebrow raised. Next to her, Luke and Leia laid on the carpet. They each fiddled with a toy, babbling on without a care in the world.

The grin couldn't be stolen from her face. Her family was together, all in one place. She stroked Anakin's long hair, then kissed him softly.

Clearing her throat, the nanny asked, "And who might this be, Miss Padmé?"

Leaning her head on his chest, she sighed in relief. Things were as they should be. She was protected in the love of her life's arms, watching her children grow in front of her. Everything and everyone that she cared about, all in one room. She was safe. The twins were safe. Anakin was safe.

"This is my husband, Anakin Skywalker."

in which a forbidden love endures many complications.

shortly after his marriage to padmé, anakin is sent on a mission with his master, obi-wan. through the cloud of war, anakin is presumed dead. meanwhile, padmé is forced into an arranged political marriage. when anakin returns years later to find his wife married to another, what will he do?