Newlyweds
By Serena Kenobi
Rating: T (Just to be safe)
Summary: Just a little Ani/Padme oneshot. Lots of fluff! Set just after AOTC.
Disclaimer: I own Star Wars!! Nah, just dreaming.
"Anakin, I don't know if this is a good idea."
"Why not?"
"Well, because… because… well, because it just isn't!"
"Aw, come on, Padmé. Lighten up. Have a little fun and stop being a Senator for once in your life."
"I did. I married you, remember?"
"Doesn't count, because most of our 'dating' period was either, arguing, killing people, going to the worst places in the galaxy, nearly getting murdered by ferocious beasts, getting limbs chopped off, or pining over each other."
A pause.
"Who says I was pining over you, Anakin?"
"Uh… weren't you?"
"Not exactly. Most of the time, I was wondering why I put up with you. I still wonder the same thing sometimes."
Anakin sighed, very displeased. "Please, Padmé, you know I'm irresistible," he said.
His wife raised an eyebrow, answering, "Is that so? Or is it that you're just arrogant and think you're the best Jedi in the entire galaxy–"
"You're getting off subject," Anakin quickly interrupted her, waving a hand dismissively, "you still haven't told me why we can't out tonight."
Padmé fought the urge to roll her eyes. "Honey, you know why–"
"No one will know it's us! No one will even be paying the slightest attention," Anakin insisted.
"How do you know?"
He shrugged. "I guess I don't." His face fell slightly. "But Padmé, we haven't gone out together as a couple yet. All I want is to take you out to dinner. Is that too much for me to ask?"
"Anakin," Padmé said in a gentler tone, "it's too risky for us. What if someone recognized you? They would find out that we're together and kick you out of the Jedi Order. Do you really want to put your entire career in jeopardy?"
A devilish grin formed on his handsome face. "I married you, remember?"
Padmé couldn't help but laugh at his throwing her own words back in her face. "Okay, okay, you got me," she chuckled. "I deserved that."
Anakin's face abruptly turned serious, and he said, "You deserve even more, Padmé."
She could only smile as he bent down, took her into his arms, and kissed her passionately. When they finally pulled apart, forehead-to-forehead, he suddenly grinned again.
"Uh-oh," Padmé said in a warning voice, "I know that smile."
His smirk never faltered. "What smile?" he questioned innocently.
"The smile that means you're up to something," she replied suspiciously, pulling back a little further from her husband.
"Who, me?" The grin widened slightly.
"Yes, Anakin, you. What's going on?" Padmé demanded sternly, folding her arms over her chest.
Anakin chuckled at his wife's skeptical gaze and grabbed her hand, pulling her into their bedroom. "Come on, I have an idea," he told her, Force opening the closet doors.
"I'm almost afraid to ask," Padmé dryly answered as she watched her husband practically tearing her closet apart. After a few seconds of flying clothes and annoyed growls from Anakin, she sighed and said, "Anakin, what in Yoda's name are you doing?"
Anakin didn't hear her, as he was covered under a few feet of clothing.
"Anakin! What did my closet ever do to hurt you? Get out of there!"
"Hang… mmmff… on," was the muffled reply. He suddenly lunged out from under the clothes and shouted, "Hah!"
Padmé blinked. Blinked again. After a moment's pause, she hesitantly started, "Uh, honey? I don't get it."
Anakin triumphantly held up a dark wig in one hand and a headdress in the other. "See?" He plopped the dark wig onto his head. "Now nobody will recognize who I am." After rushing to the mirror and straightening out the wig, he frowned. "Eh, it needs some cutting. Hope you don't mind." He took out his lightsaber and chopped off some of the fake hair, making the wig's length to be just short of his shoulders. "Much better!"
"I still don't get it. Why in Hoth would you need a wig?" Padmé asked, greatly bewildered.
Anakin glanced at her as if the answer were blatantly obvious. "So we can go out to dinner, of course!" He hurried back to her closet and began filing through the different dresses. "Do you have any men's clothes that would fit me?" he asked her.
Padmé glared. "No, why would I?"
"Uh, no reason," he nervously replied. "I just need some inconspicuous clothing. I can't go out wearing this," he motioned to his ordinary Jedi garb.
Padmé had to admit, she was impressed by her husband's determination. "I think I have something," she went to a dresser and pulled out a regal tunic and pants. "These are for when the senators come here – sometimes they spill stuff on themselves and need extra clothing."
"You have clothes just for that?" Anakin said in disbelief.
"Hey, when you've been at this job for as long as I have, you always have to be prepared," she replied, handing him the outfit. "Put this on and you'll just look like a fellow senator."
Anakin couldn't help but kiss her again. "Now I know why I love you," he told her, gazing down at her in adoration.
"Now I know why Obi-Wan's always complaining that you procrastinate," Padmé said in a wry tone; she then shoved him towards the fresher. "Go hurry up or we'll be late for dinner!"
Anakin started to leave but halted. "Why I can't just change in here?" he slyly questioned, glancing back at his wife.
She simply pointed to the fresher door, lips set in a firm line.
"I'm going, I'm going!" Anakin laughed, holding up his hands in defense.
Padmé watched him enter the fresher and smiled, shaking her head at her husband.
"Force, I look strange," Anakin commented as he stared at himself in the mirror. The un-Jedish garb, however odd it may have looked on him, would make him look like any ordinary man on Coruscant.
Padmé came up behind him, dressed in something a bit more casual than normal, and grinned mischievously. "You look like a normal man, Anakin. No one will notice you since there are so many of them around Coruscant."
"So, now you think my idea's good?" Anakin said, raising an eyebrow.
She shrugged. "We'll see."
The two left the apartment in a speeder and drove through the Coruscanti night traffic.
"Where exactly are we going?" Padmé asked.
Anakin dodged a few ships and replied, "I was thinking a nice high-rise restaurant that provides a balcony view of Coruscant; something like the Twi'lek Tavern."
"The Twi'lek Tavern?" Padmé echoed, "I've been there before, they have fantastic food. Have you ever been there?"
Anakin laughed. "Me? The Jedi don't go out to eat at fancy restaurants, angel, we eat at the Temple. Mush is our everyday meal."
"Really? Even for Jedi Masters?" Padmé was dubious.
"Well," Anakin said, "Obi-Wan sometimes took me to Dex's Diner, but other than that, it's regular Temple food."
"By your tone of distaste, I'm guessing it's not that good," Padmé said.
"Not exactly what you'd call gourmet, no."
"Should I make a donation to the Order?" Padmé joked.
"Couldn't hurt," Anakin laughed.
When they came to the restaurant building, they parked the speeder and took the turbo-lift up to the restaurant, where they waited to be seated. A young Twi'lek female came up to them, smiling.
"Hello and welcome to Twi'lek Tavern, a table for two?" she asked.
Anakin nodded. "Yes, please. We'd like to sit outside, if you don't mind."
"Not at all, sir, please follow me." She took them to the outside tables and showed them to theirs. "Here are the menus," she said, handing them the datapads, "If you need anything else, let me know."
"Thank you," Padmé replied, nodding. When they were alone, she continued to Anakin, "Well, maybe I was wrong. This is a good idea."
Anakin grinned. "Of course it is. It was mine."
She shot him a look, but he just sat back, chuckling.
Another Twi'lek came up to them and cleared her throat. "Hello, I'm Ra'jan and I'll be your server for this evening. Are you two ready to take your order, or would you like to start with an appetizer?"
"We'll have the Mon Calamari shrimp to start with," Anakin told her. "Hon? Is that okay with you?"
Padmé glanced at the menu. "Yes, that will be perfect. We'll have a bottle of the Coruscanti red wine," she added.
"I like how you think," Anakin slyly put in.
The Twi'lek laughed. "You two newlyweds?"
Padmé blushed and smiled, saying, "Yes. We were married a few weeks ago."
"Congratulations," Ra'jan answered. "I'm sure you two will have a long and happy marriage. I can tell you're both in love."
Anakin inclined his head. "Thank you."
"I'll be back with your orders," Ra'jan nodded and turned away.
"Are we that obvious?" Padmé whispered, leaning across the table earnestly. "What if someone recognizes me?"
Anakin also leaned in close. "Honey, relax," he quietly said, "Everything's going to be fine. We're a great restaurant, we're newly married, and we have our whole lives ahead of us… what more could we want?"
Padmé smiled. "I guess nothing."
Anakin leaned in further and pecked her lips, drawing some sighs from other tables. Embarrassed, they pulled apart, both of their faces reddening.
"Aw, don't be embarrassed, honey," an older woman said from a table to their right, "you two deserve to have a little fun. You're newlyweds! It's only right that you're kissing."
Padmé coughed slightly. "Thanks," she murmured.
After they had eaten their food, Anakin suddenly grabbed Padmé's hand.
"What are you doing?" Padmé asked, alarmed at her husband's odd behavior.
He didn't answer but stood up, still holding her hand. "May I have this dance, milady?"
This time, a collective dreamy sigh resonated from the filled tables of the outer restaurant, and Padmé blushed even more.
"But there's no music," she whispered urgently. "You're going to make a scene!" She tried to pull her hand away, but suddenly, some light, romantic music began to play on the outer speakers. Anakin turned to see Ra'jan grinning at them, holding a remote in her hand.
"Well, milady?" Anakin said expectantly.
Padmé sighed and allowed herself to be pulled to her feet and brought into Anakin's arms. They began to slowly dance to the music, swaying from side to side.
"Having fun?" Anakin whispered, gazing down at her with mirth in his stormy blue eyes.
She had to nod. "Yeah, I am."
It wasn't long before other couples began to dance along as well; and soon, everyone had left their tables to sway along to the music. The lady who had spoken to them earlier danced with her husband next to them and said to Padmé with a friendly smile, "Your husband's a real keeper, honey, hold on to him!"
Padmé smiled up at Anakin. "Thank you, I think I will."
Anakin, of course, had to lean down and kiss her.
The End
Hope you liked it! I enjoyed writing it. Please don't forget to review!
May the Force be with you!
- Serena Kenobi