(Star Wars) ~ Come Closer

five

It was late in the evening when Vader returned, the moon high in the skies of Coruscant. The Emperor met him at the landing pad but there was no sign of Padmé or her entourage. "Where is she, Dad? I need to see her."

"Son, it's damn near two in the morning. She's sleep-"

"Anakin!" The men turned to see only Padmé running towards them, her guards and handmaiden nowhere to be seen. Both Sith sensed her distress, the master stepping aside as his apprentice stepped forward. He easily caught her, the petite woman shaking against him. "Padmé..." Anakin sighed, alarmed when he heard her soft sobs. "What's wrong, my Queen?" Palpatine slowly walked away, deciding they needed to be alone. Still in his arms, Padmé buried her face in his chest. Her fiancé held her to his heart, slowly strolling towards the palace doors his father was about to disappear through. She remained silent, clutching to his shoulders as if he would disappear. He shushed her, running a hand over her messy curls. They kept silent until they reached her room.

Anakin gently laid her down onto the bed only for her to sit up and wrap her slender arms around his neck again. "Padmé..." He chuckled, taking a seat beside her. "What's wrong, my Queen?" She curled up beside him, taking a deep breath as she looked at him. "I had a nightmare about you." He caressed her cheek, bringing her eyes up to meet his. "What happened?"

"I... I was in some dark room but there was a skylight of some sorts in the middle so it wasn't pitch black. I was alone..." Padmé curled up beside him, her head on his shoulder. "All of a sudden, I saw the blade of a red lightsaber. The person holding it slowly came forward...and it was you, Anakin. I couldn't see your face but I just knew it was you in that armor. You were wearing a horrible suit of black armor with this - this terrifying mask. Your voice was a lot deeper and far more robotic... You told me it was time for my reign to end and..." She couldn't finish telling him, there sobs beginning to rack her body once again. "It was just a nightmare." Anakin cooed, slowly bringing her into an embrace. "I wouldn't even dream of hurting you... I couldn't do it if I had no other choice, Padmé. I..." Suddenly, things clicked into place; she heard about what happened on Naboo. "Padmé, those monsters that touched you on Naboo... They deserve to catch far worse than the hell I put them through. You, my Queen, have no sins to be repented; why would you think I'd kill you?"

"Because everyone says you're going to." She pulled away from his chest, looking up at him. "My family, some of my friends and even some of my colleagues all told me that once you've gotten what you've wanted from me, you would...dispose of me." Anakin looked at her long and hard, his blood sent to sky high temperature. "With all due respect to you and to those you care about, they don't know a damn thing about me. Yes, they've heard about people my father's sent me to kill and yes, the media has kept an eye on me from time to time. Most of what the galaxy thinks that they know about me is complete and utter shaak shit." He cupped her cheek, kissing her forehead as he calmed down. "You know very well that my hands are coated with the blood of my enemies because I won't deny that - I can't deny that I killed. However, even now, you're becoming the most precious thing in the galaxy to me and just the notion that I'd lay a hand on you hurts me, Padmé."

Anakin brought her over into his lap, embracing her fiercely as he did so. "I swear to you that I will not only prove to you that my intentions are sincere but my actions will show that my words are true. I will never lay a harmful hand on your body, never injure a hair on your head." Again, he pressed his lips to her face, this time on her temple. Padmé let out a content sigh, leaning into him as sleep was begging for her to come back to it. "I'm sorry I doubted you subconsciously." He chuckled, laying her down against the pillows. "It's alright, I haven't proven to be anything but a destroyer so far." He pulled the sheets up to her chin, tucking his fiancé back into bed snug. "Get some sleep. It would break my heart to have you fall asleep halfway down the aisle..." The pair shared a soft laugh, Padme's hand coming out to grab his. "Stay with me?"