Into the Night

Padmé Amidala, once child-Queen of Naboo, now valued and respected Senator, was, at the moment, playing the part of a cleaning droid.  Her protocol droid, C-3P0, had been loaned to another senator for the evening, and thus was not able to clean up Padmé's sitting room.

She carefully picked up a tray that had been emptied of its imported hors d'oeuvres, along with a half-emptied wine glass. There had been a celebration in her apartment that had lasted for several hours. Bana Breemu, an esteemed senator and good friend of Padmé's, had been thrown a lavish birthday celebration. Although she had made it clear that she couldn't manage it without Threepio, somehow Padmé had become the party host. She had not had time to hire any droids to help, so she did everything on her own, with a little help from Bail Organa.

Of course, Padmé did not feel like celebrating at all. Just that morning, a report on the holo-net stated that a small, unidentified Jedi cruiser had been shot down, likely killing everyone inside it. She had put on a warm smile throughout the entire evening, but her mind swirled with thoughts of her husband, Anakin Skywalker. Her imagination took her to terrible places as she saw Anakin, lying among the smoking remains of the crashed ship, dead.

Next thing Padmé knew, the Nubian wine-glass slipped from her shaking hand, and shattered on the floor, spilling  blood-red wine all over the floor. She gasped and quickly got a cloth, got down on her hands and knees and began to wipe it up. Padmé winced as tiny bits of glass cut through her skin. The cloth began to stain from the wine, along with her fingertips. Soon the red liquid covered her small hands, and once again they began to shake until her whole body was violently wracking with sobs.

Her Anakin. Dead. The love of her life, the only being in the universe who would ever see this side of her, the vulnerable and lonely side.

Padmé hated having to become used to sleeping alone at night, to going several weeks without her husband's gentle touch. Now, if it really had been Anakin's ship that was shot down, she would have to become used to it forever.

She was so occupied with the mess and with her thoughts that she almost didn't hear the roar of a speeder engine.

But she did.

When Anakin Skywalker walked through the door and saw the rather heartbreaking display in front of him, he opened his mouth to speak. But before he could, his wife was already running toward him, rather awkwardly considering the dress she was wearing. She ran into his arms and hugged his neck, neither of them having said a word. He hugged her back, but frowned when he felt tears spilling onto his tunic. He pulled back, and looked into Padmé's eyes, which were red and puffy.

"What's wrong? I thought you'd be happy to see me." He gently wiped her tears with his flesh thumb, then concernedly looked at her stained and bleeding hands. "Are you alright?"

Padmé didn't answer, just hugged him again with fierce desperation. Anakin was about to say something when he heard her speak. Her throat was obviously raw from crying, and her voice was barely audible.

"I love you. Don't ever leave me." She grasped him tighter, as if afraid he might vanish should she let go.

Anakin pulled her close and smelled her hair, taking in her intoxicating scent, and kissed the top of her head.

"I'm not going anywhere."