He slides into her room in the dead of night. It's cold, and the room is illuminated by the lights from the city, not a star to be seen.

Sitting at the foot of her bed, he takes a moment to appreciate his sleeping wife in the moonlight. She's beautiful as always, and he smiles when he sees the small bump that she cradles in her arms.

He crawls up the bed until he's directly in front of her, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead.

She wrinkles her nose, blinking slowly. After a few seconds, she asks sleepily, "Ani?"

"I didn't want to wake you," he says softly. "Sorry."

"It's fine. I'm glad you woke me up," she says, sitting up and rubbing her eyes. "I thought you'd be sleeping at the Jedi Temple tonight...so I'm kind of hogging your pillows."

"You can keep them, Padmé. I slept near a frozen lake last week, I think I'll manage."

She smiles wistfully in response, that same beautiful smile he fell in love with. "I missed you. It was so lonely, and I didn't know when you were coming back, and-"

"Hey, hey, I'm here now, aren't I?" he says gently. "The Council said I won't be going on any missions for a bit, behest of the Chancellor."

"I really missed you, Anakin. It's been so long...the apartment is so lonely...I could use some company," she repeats, and there's no mistaking the invitation in her eyes.

"Then you have me, Angel," he whispers in her ear. He presses a soft kiss to her neck. "You'll always have me, Padmé..."

" Padmé ,...wake up, I made you breakfast."

Padmé stirs, briefly annoyed at being woken from her dream. "What? Oh...good morning, Sola. What did you make?" she yawns.

"You mentioned you were craving something, quote, 'extremely fattening', so I made muffins."

Padmé smiles. "I've been craving muffins for about a week now. How did you know?"

"Call it a lucky guess," Sola shrugs.

"Let me take a shower and I'll meet you in the kitchen," Padmé hoists herself up.

"Don't take too long. The muffins are best when they're fresh!"

Nearly half an hour later, Padmé emerges freshly showered.

"What happened to a quick shower? Your tea is cold," Sola huffs.

"Sorry! It's hard to shower when you can't see past your own feet." Padmé admits sheepishly.

Sola rolls her eyes good-naturedly. "That's a pretty bad excuse, Padmé, all you had to say is that you didn't want to enjoy warm food."

Padmé sniffs. "You certainly have a perchance for drama."

"I'm just teasing," Sola giggles, giving Padmé a brief kiss on the cheek. "Did you sleep well last night?"

Padmé blushes lightly. "...Yep. You?"

"Your couch is more comfortable than I assumed it would be, so yes," Sola replies as she places a teacup in front of Padmé.

Sola hands Padmé a plate and sits down herself. "So...I just got a call from Darred. Ryoo's school play is getting moved up. I... I have to leave sooner than expected."

Padmé raises an eyebrow. "How soon?"

"Ah...if I leave tomorrow afternoon I can catch a transport ship and be home a few hours before her play."

Padmé does her best to not let her disappointment show, shrugging neutrally. "Well, you should be there for her then. Don't worry about me, I'm sure Anakin will be back soon. I won't be lonely."

There's a brief pause as if Sola is attempting to figure out how to word her next question.

"...D-do you want to come with me?"

Padmé pauses. "I...can't."

Sola sighs. "I figured you'd say that," she says sadly.

"I mean, I'm due any time, now. It's not wise, Sola. It wouldn't work." Padmé replies, poking her food with her fork.

Sola nods solemnly. "I know. Please, if you ever need anything... please, please, call me, okay? You can always talk to me."

"I know," Padmé replies softly.

She wouldn't bother Sola over her own marriage issues. Sola didn't deserve to have that as a burden.

No, this was Padmé's burden and Padmé's burden alone.

The day passed quickly, and the next came just as suddenly.

"You have everything?" Padmé asks.

"Yeah," Sola says, lifting her arms with her luggage.

"Boarding pass?" Padmé questions.

"Yes, Padmé. We triple checked, remember?"

Padmé sighs, wrapping her arms around her tummy. "Well, then, I suppose you have everything you need."

"I suppose," Sola offers her a smile.

"I'll miss you," Padmé blurts. "It's...lonely here."

"Last chance, you sure you don't wanna come with me?"

Padmé forces a smile, blinking furiously. "I...can't. You know I can't."

"Right. Well, you know where to call me."

"...Say hello to Mom and Dad for me?" Padmé asks softly.

"Of course. Call me as soon as you have the babies, I want to meet them as soon as possible! And try to get a house with an actual guest room, please." Sola adds.

Padmé chuckles. "Of course I'll call, Sola."

Sola envelops Padmé in a hug, and Padmé eagerly hugs her back. "I love you, Padmé," Sola says.

"I love you too," Padmé replies, squeezing her a little tighter before letting go.

Sola quickly wipes away her tears. "I'll call you when I'm home safe,"

"Goodbye, Sola." Padmé returns.

Sola smiles as she leaves, and the giant doors shut loudly behind her.

The next day, Anakin arrives late at night.

"You should be asleep," Anakin says to Padmé, who's leaning against the kitchen counter.

Anakin spins her around to kiss her.

The kiss isn't suave or sophisticated, lacking the usual suave that his kisses usually possess, full of emotion.

"Mmn," Padmé pulls away. "Not that I don't appreciate being kissed like that, Ani, but what's gotten into you?"

"I..." he trails off, caressing her shoulders. "Kuat was hell. 35 men, only 7 made it out alive. We won, but...I don't want to talk about it."

"Oh," is all she can say.

"How was your visit with Sola?" he asks, playing with her hair.

"It was great," she breathes. "Thanks, by the way."

He presses a gentle kiss to her forehead. "I'm sorry," he says thickly. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have-"

"It's...it's fine, Ani."

"No, it's not." He says firmly. "I don't know why I-... I'm so sorry, Padmé. I'm so, so sorry."

She pulls him into a hug. "This situation has been...stressful, for both of us," she murmurs.

"Yeah," Anakin agrees. "So...I wasn't able to answer comms. What did you comm me about?"

"Oh," Padmé giggles. "I... was wondering when you were coming back."

"...So, you're fine?" Anakin questions, a smile playing on his lips. Padmé briefly notes that she hadn't seen him genuinely smile since...before Mustafar.

"Yeah, Ani. I'm fine, we're fine." Padmé smiles.

There's a pregnant pause, neither of them move. Padmé hugs herself in an attempt to keep warm.

"...Hold me?" she asks softly, arms outstretched.

He wraps his arms around her without question. She inhales softly, enjoying the feeling of being held. Unthinking, Padmé grabs the collar of his shirt, kissing him again, enjoying the feeling of his lips against hers.

"What's gotten into you?" Anakin smirks, using her own line against her. He brings her closer for another kiss.

"...Come to the bedroom?" she murmurs softly.

There's a glint of something in his eyes that she can't quite describe. "I haven't showered, if you somehow hadn't noticed," he says with a light chuckle. "I'm covered in...grease and blood..."

"Not yours, right?" she asks, concern clear in her voice.

He cups her face. "Don't worry, Angel. I'm fine."

Padmé leans into his touch, unable to help but yearn for more. "Right. Well then, go shower, and then come to the bedroom," she affirms.

He kisses her one last time, much more charismatic than the first kiss, taking her breath away. "I'll be back soon," he whispers.

Padmé sighs contently, leaning against the doorframe. For the first time in almost two weeks, she could finally relax. Anakin was being nothing short of his usual, charming self, and she was beginning to even forget everything he had done in the first place.

With a wistful smile, she makes her way to the bedroom.