Anakin ran to Padmé and the two hugged for a brief moment.

"Padmé, I saw your ship. What are you doing out here?" He asked, worriedly.

Padmé's eyes were red and puffy; she had obviously been crying. "I was so worried about you. Obi-Wan told me terrible things."

Anakin's alarm spiked through the force."What things?"

"He said you have turned to the dark side . . . that you killed younglings."

"Obi-Wan is trying to turn you against me," Anakin replies softly, attempting to console her.

"He cares about us," Padmé says hoarsely.

Anakin was growing more upset by the minute. "Us?!"

"He knows . . . He wants to help you." She said, her grip on Anakin tightening.

"Anakin, all I want is your love."

"Love won't save you, Padmé. Only my new powers can do that," he states firmly.

"At what cost? You are a good person. Don't do this." Padmé pleads.

"I won't lose you the way I lost my mother!" Hissed Anakin. "I've become more powerful than any Jedi has ever dreamed of and I've done it for you. To protect you." He added.

"Come away with me. Help me raise our child. Leave everything else behind while we still can." She pleaded.

"Don't you see, we don't have to run away anymore. I have brought peace to the Republic. I am more powerful than the Chancellor. I- I can overthrow him, and together you and I can rule the galaxy. Make things the way we want them to be." Anakin says, talking about it like a happy fantasy.

"I don't believe what I'm hearing...Obi-Wan was right. You've changed!" she says, taking a few steps back.

"I don't want to hear any more about Obi-Wan. The Jedi turned against me. Don't you turn against me!" Anakin warned, his eyes gradually turning yellow.

"I don't know you anymore," Padmé answered, taking a few more steps back. "Anakin, you're breaking my heart. You're going down a path I can't follow." She says, tears shining in her eyes.

Anakin was suddenly interested in something above Padmé. "Because of Obi-Wan?"

"Because of what you've done, what you plan to do. Stop, stop now, come back...I love you."

"Liar!" Anakin shrieked.

Padmé turns to find Obi-Wan standing in the doorway of her ship. "No!"

"You're with him! You brought him here to kill me!" he circles Padmé dangerously, like a predator about to ambush its prey.

And then, he reaches out his hand and squeezes.

"No!" Padmé gasps, shaking her head, trying to get the pressure off her throat. "...Anakin-"

"Let her go, Anakin!" Obi-Wan yells.

Anakin increases pressure on her windpipe.

"Let. Her. Go." Obi-Wan yells again, firmly.

Anakin finally lets go, and Padmé gasps for breath before falling unconscious.

-----

Padmé awoke with a gasp.

Her head was pounding, and in fact, her whole body ached- opening her eyes felt like a daunting task.

Padmé's head was swimming as she shifted where she lay, groggy and weak. Duly, she notes that she's wearing different clothes, a light blue nightgown with long sleeves.

She coughed, grimacing when she realized how sore her throat was. Sore...because she got choked. Anakin had choked her in a rage.

Wait.

She pauses, waiting to feel the baby in her womb give a sign of life...and feels nothing. There's the familiar weight there, most definitely, but everything is still.

Padmé pokes at her belly. "Hey in there, Mama is really worried about you...can you please give me a sign that you're awake in there?"

A few very tense moments pass, and she feels a familiar kick, and relief washes over her. As long as her baby is alright, she has a fighting chance, a reason to continue.

Back to her other problems. Anakin used the dark side, Anakin slaughtered Jedi at the Jedi Temple...Anakin more than likely killed Obi-Wan...

A wave of nausea wears over her. This was bad. This was very bad - catastrophic, even.

The baby kicks in a way that provides a reassuring distraction to Padmé. It's a brief, but much welcome distraction from her own inner turmoil.

More importantly, what happened to Anakin? Was he on the loose, wreaking havoc across the already war-torn galaxy? Was he nearby? Did he fight Obi-Wan, and if so, did Obi-Wan defeat him, and now they're off in a starship somewhere?

Conceivably, that third scenario is unlikely at best. Padmé takes in her surroundings, and it's most definitely not a starship, rather it's a lavish bedroom.

More than likely, she was in Anakin's custody, which could potentially have some...repercussions.

Certainly, there was still some good left in Anakin...there had to be. Surely, he'd explain that this was all some horrible mistake that he was attempting to fix, and Obi-Wan was wrong somehow.

A grave feeling in the pit of Padme's stomach told her this was not the case.

Sometime later, the door to Padmé's bedroom hisses open, revealing none other than Anakin.

In an instant, Padmé recoils to the corner of the bed, arm protectively around her stomach, other hand gripping a lamp on the nightstand in a defensive position.

"Padmé...you don't have to do that. Put down the lamp." Anakin says, his tone betraying no emotion.

"No. Not until you tell me what's going on." Padmé replies, grip on the lamp tightening.

Anakin takes a step closer. "I'm not going to hurt you, Angel."

"How am I supposed to believe you? I- I remember what happened. You...you choked me. Your eyes-...your eyes were yellow like Dooku's were. You used the dark side." she responds, tone accusatory.

Anakin sighs. "You don't understand, Padmé. It was a moment of weakness...the dark side of the force is intoxicating, and I embraced it too much. I promise you, I won't do that ever again." He takes a couple of steps closer, now within arm's length of Padmé.

"A moment of weakness," she echos bitterly. "You almost killed me- and more importantly, our baby."

"I know how to control the dark side now." Anakin declares. "I won't let it happen again."

"I'm not going to sit and watch you destroy yourself, Anakin," Padmé states, swinging her legs over the bed. "I'm going home."

"No, you're not," Anakin asserts, grasping her arm. "You're staying right here with me. Where you belong, where I can protect you."

Padmé twists her arm in a failed attempt to get out of his grasp. "I am going home, Anakin. If you love me, you won't stop me."

"You're being ridiculous, Padmé," Anakin says calmly; as if speaking to someone mentally ill. "Where are you even going to go? You're eight months pregnant. You need me, Padmé."

"No, I don't! You nearly killed me! Now let me go right now or I'll-"

"You'll what, Padmé?" Anakin challenges, blue irises slowly bleeding yellow. "Go on, tell me what you'll do. Go ahead, show me." and to prove his point, he gripped her arm harder.

"Do you think that your mother would have wanted you to act like this? Or Qui-Gon?" Padmé's fists clenched to keep from shoving him. "Because I don't!"

Anakin raises his voice. "Don't you dare tell me what they would have wanted."

Padmé wrenches her arm from his tight grip. "I don't feel safe with you anymore! The Anakin I knew would let me go because he wanted me to feel safe. Remember when we took that break after Clovis? You let me go then; so why is now any different?!"

"Because you need me more than ever now," he responds smoothly. "because I love you more than anyone else would," he slowly circles her. "We're soulmates, Padmé...we stay together."

Padmé purses her lips. She doesn't have any other options at the moment, does she? For now, it seems the only safe option for her baby is compliance.

"...Okay," she says simply. "We...can make this work," she affirms, feigning a smile that doesn't quite reach her lips.

If Anakin notices, he says nothing.

"Where are we?" Padmé asks, changing the subject.

"A secure location," Anakin answers flippantly. "I can keep you safe here."

"What planet?" she questions, noticing the room has no windows.

Anakin shakes his head. "I can't tell you, Angel, for security reasons. You understand, don't you?"

Padmé frowns. "So I'm trapped here?"

"No, Padmé, no. Trust me...please. There are so, so, many moving pieces. The Galaxy is at a standstill and frankly, I don't know who to trust. You know that you can trust me, right?" Anakin replies, cupping her face.

Padmé eases away. "I'm hungry. Where can I find food in here?"

"Right, let me give you the tour."

Padmé has to admit, it's certainly a nice place. Lavish and mildly impersonal, but still...she could think of worse places to be trapped.

"Almost everything here is either black or white. Why?"

"I'm not too sure. I suppose the previous owner had a certain taste. If you don't like it, once things are more secure we can move somewhere else." Anakin responds.

"And when exactly is that? When you-" Padmé stops her sentence, clearing her throat. "When will things be secure?"

"I don't know," returns Anakin. "Sooner than you think, I'm sure."

There's clearly more than what Anakin is telling her, but whatever it is, he's clearly not about to share it with her.

Their little tour ends as soon as it begins; the "home" that Padmé is now staying in for an indefinite amount of time is one-story, Padmé has a sizeable bedroom with an ensuite bathroom and a nursery attached, her bedroom exits into the kitchen which exits into a dining room and a living space. It's comparatively smaller than Padmé's Coruscant apartment.

It's only when they get to the front door that she recognizes her first obstacle.

"Why isn't the door opening? There aren't any handles, either...why?" Padmé asks, brow furrowed. She feels the door, which is a heavy, solid metal. Beskar, perhaps?

"It can only open with the force," shrugs Anakin. "It's more secure that way."

Padmé stills. "I'm a prisoner," she whispers, sinking to her knees. The realization that she is completely trapped, only to be let free on Anakin's whims, is deeply troubling. "You're keeping me here as a prisoner in my own home."

"You're not a prisoner, Padmé. Don't be ridiculous." Anakin chides. "If you ever need out, I'll let you out, or if I'm not here, the Clone Commandos will. You don't have anything to worry about, Angel."

Padmé is still on the ground, horrified. She finally has realized the gravity of the situation; this was a prison and Anakin was never letting her free. Her baby would be raised as a Sith, and she'd have to watch as her husband and child wreaked chaos and war upon the galaxy, all while she would be locked away, wondering where she went wrong.

Anakin's commlink beeps, and he looks at the message with a groan. "I have to go, love. I'll be back as soon as I can, I promise."

Padmé says nothing in reply, watching him effortlessly move the massive door open and closed with just a flick of his wrist.

She's alone, truly alone.

And as soon as the door closes, Padmé screams. She lets her anger, her sadness, her confusion, her fear, her everything out.

And Padmé screams, and screams, and screams until her throat is raw. She bangs her fist on the door with every cry.

Eventually, her screams meld into weepings.

She presses her back against the cool metal of the door as her body shakes with every sob, and all she can wonder is, what happened to her Anakin?

Eventually, Padmé begins to calm down somewhat, tears still running down her cheeks, and her hand drifts to her swollen tummy; finding herself talking to the baby.

"Don't you worry...Mommy's gonna find a way to fix this," she says hoarsely, her throat dry and aching. "I promise you, you won't be raised like this. Your Daddy...he's just...confused. I'll-...We'll find a way to fix everything."

She doesn't know if she will ever be able to 'fix' the situation, but she'd be damned if she didn't try.

-----