Your Secret's Safe With Us

Promises

As Anakin flew down with Obi-Wan in Naboo, he shifted nervously in his chair. He didn't know how Padmé was going to take the news he had for her.

As soon as Obi-Wan landed the ship, Anakin ran out and down the ramp, eager to breathe in a dose of fresh air.

When he set foot on the cobblestone walk just by the stairs leading up to the front door, Padmé came bursting out, excited to see Anakin again.

But before she could throw her arms around him in Obi-Wan's view, he smiled at her and ran behind the ship for her to follow him.

"Anakin?" Padmé called. She peeked around the side, and when she saw him, she beamed, her smile radiating the planet. For Anakin, it was the galaxy.

She ran over to him and threw her arms around him, embracing him tightly. Burying her face in his chest, she cried, "I missed you."

He smelled of leather because of his Jedi robes, but even more he smelled like him. It was the best scent to her.

Anakin smiled sadly, burying his face in her hair. "I missed you too."

Padmé lifted her face to look at him, meeting his blue eyes, like two pools of pure water she could lose herself in. She noticed his silence and lack of affection, and she asked him what was wrong.

"Padmé, I have to tell you something," he said, tucking a section of her loose mane of curls behind her ear.

"What is it, Ani?"

He glanced behind him, making sure there was still no one to be seen. "I can't stay here."

Padmé waited for a minute, letting his words soak in. "What? What do you mean you can't --"

He squinted, trying to blink the tears out of his eyes. After looking around for a minute and shifting nervously, he met eyes with Padmé again. He had to be strong for her.

"Obi-Wan told me I had to get my things from here and travel back to Coruscant. Okay, Padmé? I can't stay here. I mean that I'm not allowed." He rubbed his temples with his I index finger and his thumb breathing out. "I'm sorry, Padmé. I really am."

Padmé stood there, searching his face. She rubbed his arms comfortingly, and despite her shock and disappointment, she replied, "It's alright. Trust me, I'll be fine." She still wasn't satisfied with her words of motivation, so she added, "I'll wait for you, right here." It was true. No matter how long it took or how many parsecs he was away, Padmé would wait her life for him to come back for her.

All the sudden his face seemed to harden, and his tears cleared. He took Padmé's face in his hands delicately, rubbing her cheeks with his thumbs. "I love you," he said quietly, turning his frown into a small smile.

"I love you too," Padmé whispered back as she was pulled closer to him, lifting her chin to look straight at Anakin.

Her lips barely grazed his when Obi-Wan called him from inside the ship.

Anakin pulled away, yelling back to Obi-Wan, "Coming!" He leaned down once more and kissed her cheek, and then picked his things up from the porch. When he set his things on the ramp of the ship and he came back down, he laced his arms around her waist and looked down at her, frowning again.

He clearly didn't want to leave.

"When I get back," he promised, tucking her hair behind her ear, "I have great things planned for us. I'll try to be back as soon as possible, just as soon as I'm granted the ranking of a Jedi Knight..."

"And how long will that be?" Padmé asked nervously, hoping that that didn't mean forever.

"Soon. I don't know exactly how soon, though."

"Anakin!" Obi-Wan said, his voice louder this time. He came down the ramp of the ship as soon as Padmé and Anakin had broken apart, standing across from each other.

"What is taking so long?" Obi-Wan demanded, looking between the two.

"I'm deeply sorry, Master. I was just wishing Padmé good luck on her next assignment... I mean, work. I was wishing her good luck on her work, and her safety. Staying hidden from any others who could be a threat that you are not aware of can be quite difficult --"

"Come now, Anakin, let's get a move on. We don't want to be late to your next assignment, now do we?"

"No, Master. Of course not. I'm coming now, Master," Anakin sputtered. Not only because of the situation they were in now, but Anakin had been very cautious around Obi-Wan lately because of his promotion to becoming a Jedi Knight. He did not wish to fail his Master before he moved on to a higher rank and earned his respect from others, including Obi-Wan.

As Obi-Wan walked up the railing and Anakin followed him obediently, Anakin turned and gave Padmé a distant look, a sad one. Padmé offered a small smile in return, and was happy to see that Anakin tossed one back at her. But his eyes were not happy. He was not happy. At least not truly.

As Padmé watched their ship disappear high into the clear blue sky above her, a single tear ran down her cheek. She wiped it away shamefully, telling herself, stop it. He'll be back soon, he said it himself.

As she reminded herself that he would be back soon, and she knew Anakin for living up to his promises, she thought of all the things they would do when they got back, she smiled. She couldn't wait for his arrival back already, and she could only imagine the joy on his face when he set foot back on Naboo, meeting eyes with her and smiling ear to ear.