A/N: Hi, guys. Just wanted to apologize in advance, this chapter is a little slower than the last. Just stick with me, I promise this is going somewhere. :) D.J.B
Padmé woke to a sharp pain in her lower back. Groaning, she sat up and stretched her arms out to her sides. Feeling the pain subside, she stiffed a yawn and looked over at her husband. He laid on his back, his nude form only half covered by the blankets, leaving his toned torso exposed for Padmé's eyes. Padmé listened to him snore quietly as she looked him up and down. He looked so peaceful. That's probably because he's not carrying two humans around in his stomach. Padmé laughed quietly and rolled her eyes to herself as she slid off the bed. He was rightfully tired. With everything that he had been through in the past couple weeks, she decided to let him sleep. Careful not to wake him, she crept quietly towards the kitchen.
It was early. Really early.
Padmé could only see the beginning of dawn as she looked out her apartment's windows into the busy world of Coruscant. Sighing, she continued into the kitchen. She grabbed a fresh-looking shuura fruit and put it into the grinder with some of her favourite yogurt. After her smoothie was complete, she grabbed a bowl of Protein Flakes and headed towards the sofa in front of the holovid. Sitting down slowly, she settled herself against some pillows and turned on the holovid in front of her. She began to feast on her breakfast as she watched two reporters argue vigorously at a large desk. The headline across the bottom read, 'Scandal in the Senate?' and Padmé couldn't help but scoff.
"How could Padmé Amidala do this to herself? Did she want her approval ratings to go down? Surely she had to know becoming pregnant in such a time of uncertainty was unwise." The first reporter said colourfully to the other. He sounded amazed? Angry? Honestly, Padmé had no idea.
"No, I disagree completely! She did this to make herself more famous. She obviously wasn't getting her way in the Senate so she put as much of the spotlight on herself as she possibly could have, even if that meant getting herself pregnant with some no name!" The second reporter answered even more colourfully than the first. She was practically yelling at the man in front of her.
Ever since her bump became relatively noticeable, the media exploded. They exploited every opportunity they got to take pictures and ask her questions. The male reporter was right about one thing, her approval ratings had gone down, a lot. Being a single mother in the cruel world of politics? People thought she had gone crazy. Most were worried that her ability to lead in the Senate would be squandered by the needs of motherhood. That she would become unfit for the role of a senator. But that was not the case. What the media doesn't realize, is that there is a father. A supportive, loving, passionate being who would do anything to make his family happy. But they couldn't tell the galaxy their secret. Or could they? Their lives could be ruined if word of this ever got out, they would be devoured by the media until there was nothing left. Or would the public accept them? Would they embrace the forbidden love and support them? No, that's too far-fetched... isn't it? Losing herself in the possibilities of what could happen, Padmé didn't even hear Anakin come up behind her.
Anakin placed his strong hands on Padmé's shoulders and squeezed gently, massaging her for he could practically see the lines of stress radiating off her. She snapped back to reality and instantly relaxed against the feel of his touch. She breathed a shaky breath as he continued massaging up her neck until he reached the muscle under her chin. He brought her chin up gently as he leaned over the sofa to look into her eyes. His icy blues stared back at her chocolate orbs for a moment before he leaned in and slowly kissed her lips. He leaned back and looked at her again. He smiled and Padmé's heart almost exploded from the amount of love she carried for this man.
"Good morning, love." He whispered huskily to her as she pulled him back for another kiss. Pulling away again, he made his way around the sofa and plopped down beside her. He glanced up at the holovid then back over at Padmé. After reading the headline, he stopped to listen to what the reporters were saying.
"It's completely... for lack of a better word, stupid. It's distasteful and almost disgusting what she has done for popularity sake!" The male report spat the words towards the camera.
Anakin's lips tightened as his eyebrows came together angrily. Can't they just leave her alone? He thought to himself. He couldn't help but feel angry. His children were a blessing and this sleemo just called them "disgusting". And not to mention, they were making his wife sound like a whore on the intergalactic news. Anakin scoffed and looked at his wife who was watching the show with a frown. Immediately feeling her sadness, he leaned over and rested his head on her shoulder as he took her hand in his. "Angel, why are you watching this? It will only add to your stress. May I turn the channel?"
Padmé squeezed his hand and nodded. Her heart swelling even more from the amount of care he was showing her.
Anakin grabbed the remote and flipped to the next channel. They found themselves staring upon a very good-looking female Twi'lek dressed in a tight black jumpsuit. She was standing in front of a large screen with Anakin's picture on it. The photo had obviously been taken while him and Obi-Wan were sparring in the Temple gardens for he had no shirt on and was wearing only pants. In the image, he was holding a wooden staff and was mid-laugh, looking happier than ever, and Padmé thought he looked absolutely delicious. Padmé laughed when she looked down at her husband, mouth agape and looking utterly shocked. He looked up at her, eyebrows raised, as if looking for some kind of answer. She giggled as she said, "Turn it up, Ani! I'd like to hear what she has to say."
Shaking his head, Anakin found the remote again and turned up the volume as requested. They both sat there and listened intently. "Hello, everyone and welcome back to HoloNews. To start off our program today, we wanted to start with something very exciting." She lifted a brow and pursed her lips, she was trying to be seductive and it was definitely working. "As most of you already know, in the past month many Holovid Stars, Senators, and Sports Stars have all been nominated for the position of the Galaxy's Sexiest Man, and us here at HoloNews have been working day in and day out to bring you the results from our intergalactic poll. I'm super excited to tell you that the results are in." She clapped and the screen switched from the picture of Anakin to some famous actor, then to some other nominee. They had some kind of slideshow happening on the screen and Padmé found it funny how Anakin's pictures were on there way more frequently than anyone else's. "For the first time in the history of this award, the winner is... a Jedi." She laughed then turned her attention back to the camera. "That's right folks, this year's winner of the Sexiest Man in the Galaxy is Master Anakin Skywalker." As if it were even possible, Anakin stared at the screen with a look even more shocked than before. Padmé couldn't help but laugh again. "This one was an absolute landslide with Skywalker winning the hearts of over 99% of the voters. Anakin absolutely destroyed the competition, and in my humble opinion, no one else even stood a chance. I guess he really is the Chosen One." The reporter put her hands on her hips and gave another seductive laugh and this time Padmé and Anakin couldn't hold in their laughter either.
As the reporter continued to talk about Anakin and his new award, Padmé pushed Anakin's shoulders and forced him back up against the sofa. As quickly as she could without hurting herself, Padmé got up and straddled Anakin's lap. She twined the fingers of her right hand through the hair on the back of his head and traced his jawline with the fingers on her left. She looked over his beautiful face and met his eyes with a smile. "So," Padmé said smugly, "I get to keep the Sexiest Man in the Galaxy all to myself?"
"Well, we did say those vows all those years ago, so I guess till death do us part, yeah, I kinda am all yours." He answered with a smirk while he slinked his arms around her waist.
"Good, cause I never planned on sharing." Leaning over her belly, Padmé pulled Anakin into a deep kiss. She savoured the taste of his lips and he did the same to hers. She pulled back just long enough to breath, "I love you, Anakin".
"I love you too, Padmé."
Just as she leaned back into the kiss, she was distracted by what the reporter was saying on the holovid. "But what's next for Anakin Skywalker?"
Anakin had obviously heard it too because he turned his head to look back at the holovid. "Yes the man is a Jedi. But surely he's done his job by restoring peace and order to the galaxy. Some of our latest polls say that he might be going into an early retirement."
"What? Early retirement? Do Jedi even retire?" Padmé asked.
"I actually have no idea." Anakin shrugged and turned his attention back to the reporter, obviously curious where she was going with this.
"Why early retirement, you may ask? Because Jedi are forbidden to do one thing everyone else is allowed to do. Love. With Anakin Skywalker being the hunk he is, he's going to have a difficult time dealing with all his fan girls and who knows, he may end up falling for one of them. Hear that ladies? If he gets outta there, he may be available."
Anakin scoffed. Padmé looked at him nearly mimicking the same shocked expression he had on earlier. He shrugged and rolled his eyes.
"On that note," the Twi'lek continued, "For the hell of it, we put together a small list of celebrities who we think would be a good match for Skywalker if he ever decided to retire. In the number three spot, we have Alain Boterti. This hot model and our hot hunk would definitely be one hell of a couple. Their combined sexiness would blow us away everyday."
"Really? The adult Holovid star? I don't think that works." Padmé said with a slight mouth of disgust.
"Yeah, I'm with you on that one." Anakin replied honestly.
"Number two on our list, Elea Mongoet. This gorgeous powerhouse would pair nicely with our toned Jedi Master. They would be the athletic couple to beat. I'd like to see one of their sparring sessions, if you know what I'm saying." The reported winked into the camera and Anakin shifted in his seat feeling extremely uncomfortable. "Last but not least, our number one pick for the list, Padmé Amidala."
Anakin and Padmé suddenly looked at each other with a shock of excitement. The HoloNews really thinks that they would be a good couple! Maybe Ahsoka was right. Maybe they should tell the galaxy. Maybe the results wouldn't be so bad.
"Yep, that's right, Padmé Amidala. Though the development of other events would say otherwise, the Senator has always had a soft spot for the Jedi. It may be because he saved her planet during her reign as queen or maybe its because he served as her Jedi protector a few years ago, but they have always had a strong bond. And it's no secret that they spend a lot of time together and enjoy each other's company. They would be the definition of 'power couple'."
He had heard enough. Anakin grabbed the remote and turned off the holovid. He leaned forward and rested his chin on his palm. "Maybe Ahsoka was right."
"Yeah, maybe she was." Padme responded in almost a whisper. "Oh, speaking of Ahsoka, you have to pick her up from the Temple in 60 minuets." She reminded her husband.
"Right." Anakin pouted, "But I wanted to spend my day here with you."
"Oh stop your whining. You two are going to have a great time. Like you said, it will be good Master-Padawan bonding time." Padmé stood up and walked to their bedroom. When she returned, she had a small wallet that she kept for Anakin to use if he ever needed it. "I've packed you 10,000 credits for the day. I'm expecting you to use them all."
Anakin stood up and walked to his wife, placing his hands on her hips. "10,000 credits? Padmé, that's a small fortune."
"Yes, I know, but I want you to take Ahsoka shopping and you are going to buy her and yourself something nice to wear to one of Coruscant's finest restaurants. Okay?"
It sounded more like an order than a request, but Anakin didn't feel like arguing. "Okay."
"I know shopping isn't your favourite pass time, but think of your Padawan. She may be a Jedi, but she is also a woman. So when she takes joy in shopping, you are going to find joy in her joy."
"Yes, my Master." Anakin joked as he hugged his wife and kissed the top of her head.
"Oh stop it. Go freshen up. I'm going to com Ahsoka and tell her to wear civilian robes so that you two don't stand out as much."
"Alright." He leaned down and kissed her lips before he departed to the refresher.
,,,,,
"You're late." Ahsoka joked as she stepped into Anakin's speeder.
"Only by two minutes, Snips."
"Yeah, well, that's two minutes later than you should have been here." She said as she pulled off her hood.
"Whatever." Anakin rolled his eyes as he pulled into one of the many lanes of repulsor traffic. Like usual, the lanes were busy and packed full of many different variations of speeders. Anakin's speeder was originally an XJ-6 luxury airspeeder most likely given to him by Padmé, but he made so many alterations to it that Ahsoka wasn't sure the manufacturers would be able to recognize it. Every modification he made added a new benefit, whether that meant making it faster, more powerful, or more efficient. Anakin was so good with machines that Ahsoka could swear that, with the right parts, he could make his own.
After admiring the sleek new paint job Anakin had given his speeder, she turned to look at him. He was wearing some rather expensive looking civilian robes, no doubt one of the benefits of having a rich wife, and he was looking very handsome. He was wearing a crème coloured cloak with very intricate brown and gold stitching around the hood and cape line. Underneath, he had on a nice tunic that was the same brown and crème colour of his cloak. His pants were the same brown with gold designs down the sides. He looked rather dashing but she knew he probably didn't like it. This style definitely had a lot of Padmé flair. "Looking good, Master."
He shook his head as if she awoke him from deep thought. "What? Oh, the robes. Yeah, Padmé picked them out. Little did I know she had a whole section of her closet filled with clothing for me. I swear she put me through at least four different outfits before she decided which one she liked best."
They both giggled. "Yeah, that's what I figured. No offence, Master, but I didn't feel like that was something you would have chosen first."
"None taken. I prefer my Jedi robes any ways. She wouldn't stop commenting on how wonderful I looked. I think she wants me to wear stuff like this more often."
"Well if you purse an early retirement, than maybe you can." Ahsoka smiled devilishly as she awaited Anakin's reply.
Anakin's eyes widened. "You, uh, heard about that?" He began to blush and Ahsoka laughed.
"Oh the whole Temple did." She turned to look at Anakin with one brow raised. "You know that one holovid in the entire Temple? Yeah, Master Yoda wheeled that thing into the main corridor and everyone stopped to watch."
A look of horror spread across his face. "H-how much of that report did you hear?"
"Right from the unveiling of your new title." She smiled smugly. "Don't worry about it, Skyguy. One of the younger padawans there turned to Master Yoda and said, "Master, isn't this holovid for educational purposes only?" And he responded with, "Learn something, did you not?" and everyone laughed."
Ahsoka's Yoda impression made Anakin laugh. "I'm never going to hear the end of this from Obi-Wan." He half whispered.
"Your never going to hear the end of this from anyone. Anakin Skywalker." She waved her hand in front of her. "Jedi Master. Chosen One. Galaxy's Sexiest Man."
Her laughter roared and Anakin could help but join in.
,,,,,
Anakin felt ridiculous. He honestly couldn't remember the last time he had worn anything fancy like this. He wore a white, collared button-up shirt with the last few buttons on the top undone. The shirt was tucked into some black dress pants and he wore shiny leather dress shoes on his feet. He slung the matching jacket over his shoulder with his left hand and ran the other through his hair. The stylists had been drooling over him since he and Ahsoka had walked into the store. They watched his every move and were enamoured by his every word. Anakin began to find it annoying. With one last look in the mirror, he sighed and left the dressing room.
He walked into the main area of the boutique to find some of the female stylists that had been with him earlier dotting over Ahsoka. She looked like she was having a blast. Smiling brightly and giggling over something one of the stylists had said. She was wearing a long blue gown with large gold beads hanging from around her neck. The stylists stepped away from her and she did a twirl in the mirror. Ahsoka made an excited sounding squeak and Anakin couldn't help but smile from the amount of glee he sensed from her. Padmé was right, he was having fun spending time with Ahsoka. It was like being with the sister he never had. But that's exactly what Ahsoka had become, family. Anakin stepped farther into the room to make his presence known. A few of the stylists had smiled and breathed shaky breaths when he cleared his throat. "Ready to go, Snips?"
"You bet! Let's go!" Ahsoka turned on her heel and darted towards the door. For a 17 year old, she could act so much like a child sometimes. Laughing at the thought, Anakin payed for the clothing and left to meet Ahsoka at the speeder.
,,,,,
Ahsoka found it miraculous how Anakin had managed to get both of them into the restaurant without being recognized. He was broadcasting some kind of confusion into the Force and everyone within a 20 meter radius had no idea who they were. Ahsoka found it quite fascinating. As they were being seated, Ahsoka couldn't help but admire the decor. It was rustic yet modern, bright with dark furniture, and just utterly breathtaking. They had definitely found Coruscant's most luxurious restaurant.
After they had ordered, their food arrived fairly quickly. Ahsoka was surprised. Ever since they had left the boutique, Anakin had seemed quiet. This was slightly alarming for conversation usually flowed easily between them. He was being so distant. It had to stop. If their bond was to become any stronger, Ahsoka knew she had to push down this little barrier he had put up between them. Ahsoka set down her utensils and looked at Anakin. "Master, are you alright?"
He shook his head again as if she broke him from another deep thought. "Yes, I'm fine, Ahsoka." He tried to say it in a reassuring tone but Ahsoka saw right through it.
"You know, you can trust me, Master. You don't have to hide things from me anymore."
"Yes, I know."
"Than why don't you tell me what's bothering you."
There was a small silence. "Ahsoka, I'm fi-"
"No, don't try to push that on me. Your not fine. You do I good job of shielding it from others but I can see right through it."
Silence again. He looked back at Ahsoka. For a split second he looked angry, but then his features softened again. He sighed. Aha, I've won, Ahsoka thought to herself. "I'm still worried about Padmé."
"Why? You killed the Sith, shes safe now."
"No, she could be in just as much, if not more danger than before. Palpatine had many powerful allies and Padmé was one of their biggest obstacles to achieving their goal. They will do whatever it takes to get their revenge on her." He paused and looked away from the wall to Ahsoka's eyes. "We seriously considered what you had said yesterday about going public. We both want to so badly, but the only thing holding us back is fear."
Ahsoka tilted her head. "Fear of what?"
"Padmé doesn't want us to lose our careers, and I-" he paused and leaned back in his chair. "I don't want to endanger my family." He took a long swig of the Corellian whiskey in front of him.
Ahsoka always knew that Anakin was a very passionate person but she never really understood how deeply his feelings ran until she learned about everything that was going on behind her back. Padmé had a place deep within Anakin's heart, and even his unborn children did too. They were the source of his power and if he ever lost them, he would loose a part of himself. Ahsoka couldn't begin to imagine the fear that was eating away at Anakin's mind.
"I just can't loose them, Ahsoka. I don't know what I would do without them." He whispered as he hung his head.
Ahsoka's eyes began to burn with tears. She'd never seen Anakin so vulnerable. It scared her, saddened her. It angered her to think Palpatine tried to use this against him to turn him to the dark side. All these emotions hit Ahsoka at once and she felt a single tear fall down her left cheek. She placed one of her hands on top his and whispered back as steadily as she could, "Everything will be okay, Master."
Anakin looked up and immediately noticed the tears in her eyes, his mood instantly lifting. "Force, Snips. Don't cry. If you cry, I might start crying, and no one wants to see that."
He laughed and Ahsoka managed to laugh through her tears. Wiping her eyes, she said, "Damn, your right. It would ruin your reputation."
After another chuckle, Anakin's head suddenly darted up, startling Ahsoka. "Master?"
He quickly ducked his head back into the booth. "We've been noticed."
Ahsoka's eyes widened. He was right, she sensed it too. She also realized that Anakin was no longer broadcasting the confusion into the Force. He must've accidentally let his guard down during their talk. "We have to leave."
"You said it." Just then a waitress walked pass the table. Anakin cleared his throat to get her attention. "Excuse me, ma'am, but is there some kind of back exit?"
The waitress took a step back and looked Anakin up and down, eyeballing him. She bit her bottom lip and Ahsoka couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Yes, sir, there is." She shifted her weight onto her hip, trying to look seductive, and Ahsoka made a small look of disgust. "Just down the back hall to the right."
"Thank you." Anakin blurted out. The two Jedi quickly stood and Anakin threw more than enough credits on the table to pay for the meal. Anakin quickly grabbed his jacket and the two began speed walking towards the back of the restaurant. Ahsoka turned long enough just to see a large mass of people collecting behind them. "Uh, Master?"
Anakin turned for a split second and then quickly looked at Ahsoka. "Run."
The two darted down the hallway and out the back door, just like the waitress had said. They looked both ways down the alley and quickly ran to the left.
"Master, do we have a plan?" Ahsoka said between breaths.
"Plan? Uh, sure, umm, just get to the speeder." Anakin replied. This was the first time he had ever been chased by fans. Swarmed? Yes. Chased. No.
Anakin planned ahead and parked a few blocks from the restaurant in case of an emergency, but by the time they got there, there was a swarm of teenage girls of all races screaming at the top of their lungs. Kriff, not my speeder! Anakin thought to himself.
Neither Anakin or Ahsoka thought that a frequency so high even existed, but boy, were they wrong. Upon spotting the group, the two stopped and went to turn the other way but found themselves trapped by the swarm from the restaurant.
"Oh no." Ahsoka breathed, eyes wide.
Anakin looked up for a split second then back at the two groups surrounding them. "Ahsoka, jump!"
Instantly both Jedi Force jumped on top of the building beside them. They sprinted across the top and jumped back down into the alley on the other side. "Okay, that bought us a few minutes. Do we have a plan B?" Ahsoka asked.
"Uhhhh," Anakin turned as if trying to regain his bearings. "Yes. Get to the 500 Republica."
Wow, he has a plan B. Ahsoka smirked at the thought.
"There he is!" A high-pitched female voice rang in Anakin and Ahsoka's ears.
"Times up, Master." Ahsoka said quietly. The two started backing away.
"Quickly, this way."
The two Jedi weaved between dumpsters, droids and building while running at top speed towards the 500 Republica. Ahsoka finally realized why Jedi wore robes and not dresses.
While jumping over a garbage can, Ahsoka saw the top of the 500 Republica to the right. "Finally." She said loud enough for Anakin to hear. When they reached the end of the alley, Anakin darted to the left instead of going towards the building. "Master, isn't our destination that way?"
"Yes, but we will never make it in there without being recognized. I know of a secret emergency escape hatch that works just as well as an entrance as it does an exit."
Anakin suddenly stopped in front of what looked like a large dumpster. After hitting a hidden button on the side, a hatch opened and the pair fled into the tunnel. After they were both inside, Anakin slammed a fist onto the control panel and the hatch closed again with a loud thud. They both stood there a minuet catching their breaths. "Is that normal?" Ahsoka asked in almost a whisper.
"Whatever that was, I don't think you could possibly call it normal." Anakin replied with a small laugh. "C'mon, this way, Snips." He began walking down the tunnel.
Shaking her head, Ahsoka followed closely behind.
,,,,,
Padmé heard a soft knock at the door followed by two sets of footsteps. Smiling gently, she set down the datapad she was working on and walked out of her office. When she reached the main living area, she found Anakin and Ahsoka both plopped down on one of the main sofas. "You two look tuckered out." Padmé said with a smile as she continued striding into the room.
"You have no idea." Anakin said as he stood up and made his way over to her. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a soft hug. "We've been running around all day." He said sarcastically.
Ahsoka gave an exasperated laugh from across the room.
Padmé took a step back and looked her husband up and down. "Well, did you guys have fun? You both look amazing."
"Yeah we did, and apparently you're not the only one who thinks that." Ahsoka said.
This time, Anakin laughed. Padmé quirked a brow. "Have I missed something? She said smiling.
"We were chased." Anakin said with a grin.
"What? By who?" Padmé said worried. Obviously she thought that they were chased by one of Palpatine's minions or some bounty hunter.
"Oh, don't worry, Padmé." Ahsoka said sarcastically while glaring at Anakin. "It was just a hoard of Anakin's fan girls."
"Oh, I see." Padmé replied with a laugh. "Well at least you weren't in danger."
"I wouldn't say that. Those girls were ferocious. They have my speeder!" Anakin said the last part like a little kid.
"I'm sure you'll get it back, Ani." She lifted herself on her tiptoes and kissed Anakin's forehead. She walked over and stood by the Padawan. "Ahsoka, it may be in your best interest to stay here tonight. Force knows how many "fan girls" are still out there waiting for your return." Padmé said with a smile.
"Your right. That's probably a good idea." Ahsoka replied.
"There's a guest bedroom just back there, your welcome to it. On the other hand, it's getting late, shall we, Ani."
Padmé held out her hand but Anakin hesitated. He and Padmé stared at each other for a minute but then Padmé finally nodded. Ahsoka found it sort of strange, but then again, this evening had been strange so she just shook it off.
"Ahsoka," Anakin started off, "Padmé and I are leaving."
Surprise took over Ahsoka and she stood up off the sofa. "What? When? Why?"
"We want to have the babies back on Naboo." Babies, Anakin thought. He still had to get his head wrapped around that. "Plus it's not safe here. Padmé is close to her due date and some of Palpatine allies are still on the loose. It would be better to get her to safety as soon as possible."
Ahsoka understood their reasons, but confusion still ran through her. "So you're just gonna get up and leave?"
Anakin looked a little shocked. "Well, no, I'm ju-"
"Are you gonna tell anyone? Are you at least gonna tell Obi-Wan?" She replied. Annoyance lined in her voice.
"N-no, I-" Anakin was taken aback by her tone.
"Anakin, this is getting out of hand. The longer you hold this off, the more difficult this will become to explain. Before you leave, you should at least tell Obi-Wan. He deserves to know."
Anakin looked down at Padmé. She took his hand in hers and nodded. Anakin sighed. "You're right, Ahsoka. There is a civilian transport to Naboo scheduled to take off tomorrow. That's how Padmé and I were going to leave unnoticed. I'll see if I can talk to Obi-Wan before we go."
"That's all I ask, Master." Ahsoka said, finally calmed down again.
There was a brief pause, then Anakin nodded. "Goodnight, Ahsoka."
And with that, Anakin and Padmé left Ahsoka in the living area.
