To me, one of the more interesting aspects to fully understanding the events of Episode II was left on the cutting room floor, namely that of Padme's character arc in the film. If one was to watch the movie only, I can easily understand how one comes away confused as to how Padme goes from telling Anakin that they cannot fall in love because it will destroy their lives to coming to terms with her emotions and falling in love with him anyways.

The key, as I mentioned, lies on the cutting room floor. In the course of a couple, and I believe, unfortunate edits, Padme's thought process is completely left out of the film. In watching these sequences or in reading R.A. Salvatore's novelization of the film, we begin to see inside Padme's mind and learn more about her hopes and dreams.

As AOTC begins, it's safe to say that Padme is enjoying her professional life. She feels very strongly about government and politcs and is working hard to protect the interests of her people specifically and the galaxy in general. But, she's not completely happy. She has other needs and dreams that are not being met. And this is where the confllict comes in.

One of the deleted scenes in Episode II is most telling in this respect. Padme had thought that by this point in her life she would be married and have a family. And regardless of whatever professional fulfillment she may be enjoying, this unfulfilled personal need sits there in the back of her mind. While it does not define who she is, it does define who she wants to become.

As Padme gets to know Anakin as far more than the little boy she knew on Tatooine, she comes to see, that like her, he has similar personal dreams, separate from his professional life. Anakin, who's thought of no other girl since Padme first wandered into Watto's shop, knows what he wants and begins to move towards it. Padme, though she has similar feelings, is troubled by this. She thinks of the scandal of having a Senator married to a Jedi and the resultant poltical fallout. In this time of turmoil for the galaxy, she feels that she must put her career first, so she regretfully turns down Anakin's offer of love.

But this doesn't end her conflict. While her head says that she cannot fall in love with him at this time, her heart longs for companionship. I believe that recent attempts on her life have her feeling far more vulnerable in private than she lets on in public. There is a part of her, that like her daughter after her, just wants to be held in this time of galactic and inner turmoil.

And so Padme continues to die a little bit each day as she moves further away from the desires of her heart. As Anakin tells her that he must go to Tatooine, she volunteeers to come with him, ostensibly to help him obey his mandate to protect her, but really just so that she can be with him. Whether she can admit it or not, she does love him. As Anakin's inner turmoil comes to a frightning head, Padme's love for him actually grows stronger as her innate sense of compassion has found someone in so much need of compassion and help.

Instead of being surprised by an attempt on her life and having long since lost the invincibility of youth she may have felt as Queen of Naboo, she now faces what appears to be near certain death on Geonosis. And as the chariot prepares to take her to her doom, Padme reflects upon her life and the one regret she does have. Beginning to understand that life can be very, very short, Padme realizes that regardless of what is to come, she doesn't want to die alone. Even if they survive, their lives are about to be forever altered by the coming war. So now, Padme decides to be honest with herself and with Anakin. "I truly, deeply love you, and before we die, I wanted you to know."

Now, Padme is at peace with herself. She can face whatever is to come. Perhaps the scene that demonstrates this best is after Anakin guides the Reek to take out the Nexu. As Padme jumps down the column on to the mount, she greets her knight in shining armor with a quick peck on the cheek. Now in every sense of the word, he is her Jedi protector.

In so many ways, there marriage was yet another casulty of the Clone Wars. Anakin mistakenly listened to Palpatine more than Padme, eventually driving her away from the monster that he was becoming. Yet Padme did not let that change how she felt about him. Showing the remarkable compassion that defined her, she still looked for and believed in the good man who had been her husband. It is that love and compassion which would help redeem her husband, and save their son and daughter many years later.