Secrets

Asajj Ventress prided herself on being a formidable assassin and most people who had heard of her and lived to tell the tale would probably describe her as such. But apart from that she was also an impressive spy, able to get into a lot of places unseen and without anyone ever realising she had been there.

As such, when tasked with the objective to gather some more intelligence about the doings of the Republic senators her plan had been rather clear from the beginning.

The idea was to impersonate one of the more popular members of the senate for a few days to find out as much as possible about their colleagues. After all, senators were prone to talk to each other about all kinds of things, not just politics.

xxx

She had needed a few weeks to set everything into motion, but finally she had chosen a target and prepared the whole ruse. Senator Padmé Amidala would find some very urgent business on Naboo she had to solve as quietly as possible that would keep her away from Coruscant for a week or two. Meanwhile Asajj used a rather advanced - if still experimental and thus officially strictly forbidden - form of technology to take the genetic code of the woman and copy it over to her via a small device stuck to her skin, making her disguise perfect. The transformation would hurt a lot and prolonged time under the disguise would be bad for her health, but for a short time it was as foolproof as possible - provided that she didn't slip up.

But she had studied the woman from afar before, in various public events. Always a peace-loving and gentle senator, even if Asajj made some minor slip-ups nobody would notice or they would be too polite to ask. Not that she intended to do so, but it never hurt to be careful. And of course, the senator was a female humanoid, something Asajj much preferred in terms of her disguise.

It would be perfect.

xxx

And her disguise held. She had spent the last two days in her disguise, turning it on in the morning and disabling it again in the late afternoon. She had gathered a lot of information already, mostly seemingly unimportant information about which senator was currently dating whom or what kind of food they liked to eat or flowers they liked to plant. But in the light of a possible assassination every single of those tidbits could come in handy, resulting in various ideas of more or less amusing deaths.

It was a way to stand the endless political discussions she had to participate in after all. Especially so as senator Amidala wasn't know for being quiet either. One of the downsides of impersonating somebody who was as outspoken as her and tended to have a lot of social contacts.

But the real downside of her disguise came on the third day. She had originally intended to stop the farce on that day - lest she be discovered in case of the real Padmé returning to Coruscant early - but one of the senators had kindly offered her to escort her home since they seemingly lived in the same direction and she hadn't been able to decline.

So she had been sitting and discussing things with him all the way to Amidala's apartment, which Asajj had been forced to enter thanks to the other senator watching, making her glad that she had, in fact, remembered to get a copy of the keys to the senator's apartment too.

And if she was already here she could just as well snoop around a little she guessed. Maybe she could find some dirt on the perfect picture of a senator too?

But what she saw in the entrance hall made her stop. There was a pair of shoes standing around that most certainly didn't belong to Amidala. Those were more like combat boots, nothing at all like the stuff the senator usually wore with all of her fancy wardrobe.

Although Asajj was rather glad that she hadn't encountered any of those pesky handmaidens, the senator had probably taken them all with her to Naboo.

Still, the boots didn't fit, and when she saw light in the room adjacent to the entrance hall she grew suspicious. Who else was in here? Amidala lived alone, Asajj had double-checked that fact to make sure nobody would wonder about her not turning up. Or about appearing at all, depending on how much the real Amidala had told that person.

Still, nobody was supposed to be here... Was there a secret lover of some sorts?

Asajj considered using the Force to find out more for a moment but quickly decided against it. She had concealed her presence in the Force as tightly as possible as she tried to mimic Amidala's signature, something very much necessary as Coruscant was swarming with Jedi. If she slipped up now and there was one of them nearby... No, that wasn't an option.

So the only possibility left was finding out what was going on the old-fashioned way:

She opened the door to the room next to the entrance hall, trying to remember that, for now, she was Padmé Amidala again, though wondering if that lover had the potential of being nice blackmail material or something.

The first thing she noticed was that she seemingly had entered some sort of living slash dining room and that there was a table with a few candles on it, with the rest of the room shrouded in darkness.

And then she got swept up by somebody who swirled her around once before kissing her.

Damn, that goody two-shoes senator had a secret lover!

Thankfully Asajj had almost expected something like this so she could kiss back well enough for it to not seem strange. She hoped. What did she know how Amidala was in the presence of her lov-

Her whole train of thoughts stopped as the man finally let go of her and stepped back a little, right into the light of one of the candles.

It was Skywalker.

Damn it, she had just kissed Skywalker!

And the guy was smiling like a lovesick puppy, staring right at her - well, at what he thought was Padmé Amidala.

Seriously, Skywalker had a fling with a senator?!

"Surprise!" he said with a grin, spreading his arms lightly.

Yes, this was most definitely a surprise.

"S- Anakin..." Asajj forced herself to say, using his first name as she was pretty sure Amidala wouldn't call her lover by his last name. She could not slip up now, she didn't have her lightsabers with her as the senate was rather strict with their weapon controls. But she could see Skywalker's weapon hanging from his belt. She wouldn't stand a chance, not with her body changed like this. Why did it have to be him?

Still she tried to smile, guessing that this would be the correct reaction of the good-natured Amidala.

"What a surprise, indeed..." she agreed, though probably not for the reasons Skywalker thought. Now, she needed to improvise. She had been in similar situations before... kind of... so she would manage. "Since when are you here?"

"A bit over an hour maybe," Skywalker answered with a shrug, still grinning. It was strange to see him like that, looking carefree and smiling happily instead of like he wanted to flay her alive if he reached her. Disconcerting, really. "I've gotten away from the order for today and since I remembered your evening was off I thought I'd come over." He gestured to the table. "I even prepared some dinner."

Asajj wished she would have brought some poison. This would have been the perfect opportunity for that, really... How carefree he was, even turning his back to her...

But of course she hadn't, so she reluctantly let her smile grow wider.

"That's sweet of you."

He just grinned before walking up to one of the chairs, pulling it from the table and gesturing for her to seat on.

"After you, milady."

Ugh... Asajj tried her best to keep the smile on her face as she sat down, trying to ignore the cheesiness. Skywalker really was different when not on the battlefield...

xxx

The meal itself then went by pleasant enough. They mostly ate in silence and since they sat on opposite sites there was no more physical contact for the time being. Which was a good thing, for while Asajj believed she could manage being nice to Skywalker for one evening with her life depending on it she wasn't sure if that included cuddling up to him or... certain bed time activities.

Now, it wasn't like she never had sex or that she believed in this 'no sex before marriage' rubbish or anything, but to share a bed with Skywalker? That really was a bit much to ask for, the only worse alternative she could imagine was Kenobi. Ugh.

Thankfully Anakin spoke up again just then, distracting her from that particularly offensive thought.

"So... how was your work today?"

It was asked almost hesitantly, but true to her role as the politics-loving Amidala, Asajj launched into an explanation of what kind of meetings had transpired over the day and what kind of legislations had been discussed. She didn't much care about those, of course, but she had needed to listen. Other senators wanted to talk about those too after all and it could never hurt to know your enemies plans even before they were official. And who was opposing what kind of legislations, of course.

She soon realised though that this had been a question posed more out of politeness than real interest, for it was clear very quickly that Skywalker didn't care about what she said at all. He was nodding along, sure, but his eyes had gone glassy and whatever he was thinking about had probably nothing to do with politics.

So she finally stopped, not wanting to talk with a wall, and changed the topic.

"The food is really good," she said instead, smiling at him, hoping it was enough to get him back from his stupor. Seriously, she was't used to talk that much, she preferred listening... At least that way she could gather information, but letting her talk on for ages... Horrible.

True enough, Skywalker blinked a few times in surprise - she hoped she hadn't been too out of character here, but seriously, did Amidala just ignore the needs of her lover?

Asajj honestly wondered how those two had gotten together, what a weird combination...

"Thanks," Skywalker was just answering then though, seemingly gotten over the surprise and as such once again interrupting her thought process. "I did my best."

That did surprise her a little. So Skywalker could cook? Maybe that was also some information to file away for later...

"Lovely," she agreed once again, wishing she could finally stop smiling so much, but kept on talking. "So... What did you do in the meantime?"

She hoped it was vague enough to fit, for she had not the slightest idea how often the two of them met up, but oh well...

Skywalker actually looked uncomfortable at the mention, making her tilt her head a little to the side in feigned, as well as real confusion. What was keeping him from explaining his stuff? Amidala had to know he was a Jedi, he was basically the poster boy of the Jedi order - though seemingly a rather naguhty one, having a lover of all things! - there was no way he could have kept that a secret.

Still, when he finally managed to open his mouth and talk, he was actually going on about a pretty tame mission with his annoying Padawan, this Togruta girl. Tano, wasn't it?

But no matter, it had been a fairly simple mission it seemed, the only real action happening when they had been trapped in a small hall with quite a few droids. Sadly those droids had obviously failed doing their job and got dispatched, so... yeah. Big deal.

Of course, Asajj did her best to put on the right expression of interest and surprise, but she still had the feeling that Skywalker was waiting for something she didn't say or do. Damn it again, she had no idea what Amidala usually did there...

"Well, at least you've made it home in one piece," she finally stated, trying to sound relieved but she wasn't sure if it sounded convincing, for while Skywalker wasn't looking outright suspicious he did frown a little.

She frowned right back, a hand going to her head as she feigned a headache, deciding that - besides this proving a good distraction - she had already spent more time with Skywalker today than she had ever wanted. At all.

Immediately his expression changed to concern.

"Padmé? Are you alright? What's wrong?"

Damn, as if she was some porcelain doll or something...

"Yes, I'm fine, just a small headache," she said, trying to look as if she was downplaying things though, hoping he would get the hint and leave. "I probably just need a bit of sleep."

"Of course..." He sounded almost disappointed but she didn't much care, she just wanted him out. Wasn't so difficult to understand, was it?

Sadly, he seemed to be set on annoying her as much as possible until he left, so he walked around the table and offered her a hand to get up.

A hand she was forced to take if she wanted to stay true to Amidala's character, probably.

Although she hadn't counted on a sudden burst of dizziness once she had let herself get pulled up, making her lose her balance. She was already disguised for too long she realised, the device was starting to affect her health... There had been a reason after all why she had only planned for using it a few days in a row and never more than ten hours...

Right now Skywalker had to catch her as such - how embarrassing! - and his worried look increased even more.

"Careful! Are you sure it's just a headache?"

"Yes yes, don't worry..."

But she wasn't so sure anymore if her only problem was the faked headache... Damn it she needed to get this disguise-device off of her, it would only get worse now! She already felt warmer than she should, she supposed...

Still, Skywalker seemed dead-set on playing the concerned little lover, holding a hand on her back as he guided her into the bedroom. At least she couldn't enter the wrong room like that, but still...

"Thank you," she muttered as she sat down on the bed, still fully clothed of course, while she wondered in passing if Amidala had some cheesy nickname for Skywalker. She did seem the type to do that, didn't she? But of course, Asajj knew of no such thing, so she hoped not referring to him by name at all would be enough.

"That's the least I can do for my most beautiful wife," Skywalker answered just then with an easy wink. She needed all of her self-control not to freeze.

Had he just said wife? They weren't lovers, but married?!

Now now, that wasn't proper Jedi code at all... Maybe there was something good coming out of this disaster after all... Maybe some stuff to blackmail Skywalker with?

So she gave a shaky smile instead - for even she needed a moment to get back into the role after that revelation, but at least it fit with her supposed pain.

They sat in silence for a moment when she realised she would have to change into Amidala's sleep clothes. It would be what Skywalker expected, probably. And if they were married - she still hadn't gotten over that one, seriously - he probably expected her to change in front of him, right...? She just had to be careful to not show him her disguise-device and she would manage. She usually wasn't that easy to embarrass, even if it would be annoying.

So she slowly got up again and made her way to what looked like a closet.

"Uh, I'll be waiting outside," Skywalker was offering already then, almost rushing out of the room.

She scowled once the door had closed behidn him, finally free from having to pretend for a moment. What had that been about? Hadn't the two of them seen each other naked quite often already? Or was their sex life that horrible?

On second thought... She really didn't need to know that.

xxx

When she opened the closet a moment later she realised that it was much bigger than she had expected. Great, trust Amidala to have a serious love of fashion... Ugh.

Looking around for a moment Asajj finally decided on just taking the next best thing looking like actual sleepwear instead of the huge amount of dresses inside. It was a rather plain, light blue negligee that was probably a bit shorter than strictly necessary but still covered everything by a good bit. She actually thought it rather nice, though wondered why chaste Amidala would have it. Of course, there were some more revealing dresses visible too, but this was the only shorter piece Asajj could see right now and the only thing that even looked like one could sleep in it.

Oh well, if it was in Amidala's dresser she ought to put it on sometimes, right?

She really didn't want to spend too much time on going though the dresses in hopes of finding one that might have been used for sleep wear, so she just put on the negligee, glad that it seemed to fit Amidala's frame well, before returning to the bed. The dizziness had subsided a little, but she was still feeling rather light-headed so it was probably best not to move around all that much anymore. She would remove her device the moment Skywalker was gone and then vanish the next day, she supposed. But for now...

Grimacing one last time for she knew she would have to smile again afterwards she quickly called out.

"Anakin? I'm done!"

He was back in the room in a flash - seriously if she wouldn't have believed he actually respected Amidala she would have thought he had peeped, too.

He did a double take though as he noticed her outfit, something that made Asajj immediately wary. Had this dress actually just been in the wardrobe by accident and Amidala really only wore long dresses to bed?

Now, she needed to keep her calm...

"What's wrong?" she asked, trying to warp her worry into confusion.

Skywalker actually blushed at that!

"Uh, nothing, it's just... I wouldn't have thought you'd be wearing it... I mean, I had hoped you would, and it's just as beautiful on you as I had imagined, but... Well, it had seemed that you didn't much like it when I gave it to you..."

So this had been a gift from him? Well, at least he had a better taste in what fit Amidala than whoever was always choosing her dresses.

Wait, had she actually just complimented Skywalker?! That dizziness must have gotten to her head, seriously.

"I think it's nice," she commented then, surprising herself with the truth, but quickly added "I just have a lot of sleepwear I like. I can't very well wear everything at once."

If Amidala didn't wear it it wouldn't do to tell Skywalker the opposite... Although she did wonder why she was even caring... What problem would it be of hers if Skywalker later found out he hadn't been talking with his wife?

Then again, she liked being a good spy, without leaving a trace, so... yes. It was probably that.

Although she could have done without Skywalker staring at her that... intensely...

"I understand," he said, his eyes never leaving her. "I still think you should wear it more often... It's looking really great on you..."

Damn, Asajj could only hope he wouldn't actually jump her the way he stared, so she held her head again, feigning another bout of pain. Everything to get him to stop looking at her like that... The last time somebody had done so-

"Ah, sorry... I guess you need more rest," he muttered, interrupting her thoughts as he immediately went back to looking concerned. He basically guided her to lie down, even going so far as to cover her with the blanket.

Asajj tried hard not to gag at the cuteness, really, though she had to admit that she could understand why other people might like that, even though she wished it wouldn't be Skywalker who was now leaning over her, his face way too close to hers.

"I love you, Padmé..." he whispered, kissing her on the forehead. This time Asajj couldn't prevent her stiffening, but thankfully Skywalker seemed to be distracted as his eyes had widened. "You're burning up! Did you catch something those last days?"

Trying to focus on that instead of what had just transpired she did all she could to put on her best 'slightly guilty' smile.

"Maybe? I didn't think it would get this bad though..." Which was even true, if Skywalker would only vanish! This fever was coming from her disguise, she knew as much... And it would grow worse over the next hours... She needed to get it off the next day in the morning at latest, for longer than twenty-four hours of exposure would weaken her too much... Even this would already take a bit to vanish...

"I'll get you some wet cloth," Skywalker oh-so-helpfully supplied before leaving the room again.

Maybe she should vanish now? But no, Skywalker would look for her - or, 'Padmé' - and if he found her real self nearby, weakened as she was... It wouldn't end well.

xxx

So she waited and thanked him when he came back with a wet cloth. She had to admit that it did feel good on her hot forehead, but well, that much was to be expected.

What she didn't expect was how Skywalker suddenly undressed himself, leaving him only in his trousers, his metal arm gleaming in the light of the room.

Of course, objectively seen Asajj had to admit that a topless Skywalker was a rather nice sight, but damn, it was Skywalker and when he actually turned off the lights and climbed into the bed she realised that she would have to leave either that night or very early in the morning, for he wouldn't.

And when he spread out his arms with a small smirk, telling her how it was good to stay warm when one was sick and he had plenty of body warmth to share she wished she could simply vanish right then and there, even considering running for the time being to let herself get killed...

The only consolation was that nobody would ever know of this, of Asajj Ventress lying in an unsuspecting Anakin Skywalker's arms, of her trying her best to force herself to relax until she actually began to relax and maybe even found some sort of calmness in those arms as she fell asleep... Something surely only coming form the fever...

xxx

Thankfully Skywalker was gone the next morning, with only a note and a can of tea being left of him, telling her he had to leave for some Jedi business but that he loved Padmé and hoped she would get well soon even if he wasn't there to make sure she got better, but he was thinking of her et cetera.

Asajj quickly crumpled the cheesy note to throw it away later as she finally took off her disguise, already planning her way back to her starship.

She did keep the tea though.

I know this "disguise device" was more like a "plot device", but I don't think it's impossible for it to exist in the Star Wars universe, so yeah...
My take on a rather crazy plotbunny of mine, but I thought it was worth writing it down. I hope you agree with me?

I'd be happy to read opinions, good or bad, so feel free to leave a review if you think it's review-worthy. :)