AN: Welcome to volume 2! The first to chapters are Bail and Breha fluff. Bail and Breha meet up on Coruscant after several weeks apart.
Breha remained in her seat, waiting anxiously until the captain gave the all clear signal. Usually, it was her waiting on the landing pad and Bail coming excitedly down the ramp. Breha kept her composure as the ramp descended before her. She walked regally down the gangway and into her husband's arms.
"There you are, my queen," he whispered, holding her tightly.
"I've missed you," she returned.
"Not as much as I've missed you," Bail stated, offering his arm. She tucked her hand into the crook of his elbow, and he covered her hand with his.
It had been nearly a year since her last trip to Coruscant, and Bail pointed out a few of the things that had changed on their ride to his apartment. Breha knew it wasn't exactly decorous to be hanging all over anyone the way she was at the moment, but they only had 18 hours together, and she intended to make as much out of it as possible. Besides, the only others that could see them were their personal staff. It wasn't as if they'd never seen the Senator with his arm around his wife, or the two of them sharing brief kisses or sweet glances.
Bail dismissed their personal staff once everything was situated. He pulled his wife into an indulgent kiss.
"I've missed you," she murmured, leaning forward for another long kiss. "How long do we have until the reception?"
"Not long enough for anything good," Bail muttered dejectedly, pressing kisses into her hair.
"Kissing is good," Breha argued, tilting her chin up to prove her point. He indulged her for a few moments.
"We should get ready," he murmured. Breha sighed.
"Very well. Promise me we can pick up here later, though," she asked.
"Of course, my love. I already passed on our regrets for drinks afterwards," he informed her, accompanying the statement with a salacious grin.
"Such a smart man you are. It's hard to believe there are people who believe I married you for your looks," she teased, pulling him back for a final kiss before walking into the bedroom.
It was such a small thing, but they missed it every time when they were apart: getting ready together. Whether it was for the day, for a ball, or just for bed, there was something profoundly intimate about being in the same space while they made their personal preparations.
Breha always appreciated having her husband fasten her dress rather than an attendant, even though it was a simple task that took a matter of seconds. It was in the familiar way his fingers felt against her neck, the way his hands would smooth down the fastener to her waist, where they'd pause slightly while he dropped a kiss behind her ear and whispered that she was beautiful.
Bail was rather fond of watching her comb her hair and then twist it effortlessly into the styles he knew so well but would never understand. He liked talking over mundane things with her while they got ready, and he liked how she'd smooth her hands down his shoulders and over his chest when they were both finally put together and came to each other in a mutual unspoken need for a kiss.
They were true to form once again, and they stood near the bedroom door together, reveling in their closeness after weeks apart. Breha pressed her hands into his chest and he drew her in for a kiss.
"Shall we, my love?" he asked, gesturing grandly to the apartment door.
"Indeed, my darling."
Breha didn't really mind going to social events on her own. It was a necessity, most of the time. There were always plenty of people to see and talk to, an abundance of people willing to sit with her at banquets and mingle with her at parties. Still, she was always a bit jealous of the couples in attendance who were never subject to the awkward moments between conversations, never were suddenly left at the table alone or waiting on the edge of the crowd, didn't have to go back to an empty room or a cold bed. Breha felt a little extra lilt in her step from being on her husband's arm that evening.
They greeted other Senators and planetary royalty as they circulated around the room together.
"My love, this is Senator Padme Amidala, and this is Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi," Bail introduced, gesturing to the young man and the pretty woman beside him. It was obvious to Breha that the woman was attempting to hide a pregnancy. The couples exchanged polite conversation for a moment before drifting away.
"I didn't think the jedi were allowed to have personal connections of…that nature," Breha murmured into Bail's ear.
"They aren't. It's all very complicated…I don't believe the child is his, but rather the child of another Jedi—Kenobi's padawan." Breha shook her head.
"Complicated, indeed."
"Nothing we need to worry ourselves with this night, my love. Are you ready to say goodnight?"
"The sooner the better. These shoes are killing me."
The trip back to Bail's apartment seemed faster, somehow, not that Breha minded. His fingers were dancing along the back of her hip, and his breath was hot against her ear. They locked the door, set the security system quickly, and wasted no time on chaste, light kisses.
Sometime later, Breha slipped on her silk robe and sat up to finish fishing the pins out of her hair.
"Please, let me," Bail offered, slipping his hands into her long, black tresses. When he'd collected the remaining pins, Breha handed him a pearl-handled brush and began to comb through the snarled areas.
"I've been waiting all day for this," she admitted. Bail swept her hair over her shoulder and pressed a kiss into it. Breha gathered her hair and wound it into a simple, loose braid to sleep in. Bail settled himself under the covers and Breha slipped in beside him.
"This is what I've been waiting for. Falling asleep next to you." They kissed slowly, Breha put out the light, and they fell asleep tangled up in each other.
AN: Fluffy reviews mean fluffy writers write more fluff.