Disclaimer: I don't own "Star Wars"

Chapter Two

After having led Padme into her bedroom, her handmaidens removed the blindfold and told her that her first surprise lay on the bed. They then left the room after telling her that they'd return for her in 15 minutes in order to lead her to her next surprise. Once the handmaidens were gone, Padme turned towards her bed to see what her first surprise was, and her eyes widened at the sight of the beautiful gown lying on the bed. The gown was a sleeveless Nabooian silk gown, and it was colored purple with a spaghetti strap. Next to the gown lay a shining silver necklace. As Padme gazed upon the gown and necklace, she was certain that Anakin was behind all of this. His mission on Corellia with Obi-Wan must be over now and held decided to prepare a special date for Padme and himself.

Believing that she'd solved the mystery and deciding she had nothing to lose, Padme changed her clothes and put on the beautiful gown. Afterwards, she picked up the necklace and clasped it around her neck. Finally, "admen added a touch of makeup, including lipstick, to her face and curled her hair into ringlets. Satisfied by her appearance, Padme checked the time and saw that exactly 15 minutes had passed. At that moment, there was a knock on her bedroom door. Opening it up, Padme saw that it was Dorme and Sabe on the other side.

"You look absolutely beautiful M'lady."

"Sabe's right, you do look stunning. Especially in that gown."

"Why thank you", Padme replied in appreciation to her two smiling handmaidens and friends. "And this lovely gown the two of you gave to me is a wonderful first surprise."

"It was our pleasure", Dorme replied, after which she held up the blindfold once more. "Are you ready for your second surprise?"

"I'm as ready as I'll ever be", Padme responded, allowing Dorme to wrap the blindfold around her eyes once more. Afterwards, Dorme and Sabe escorted her from her bedroom to the dining room.

Once they arrived in the dining room, Sabe and Dorme removed the blindfold from Padme's eyes for the second time that evening, causing her to take in the new sight before her. For right in front of her was the dining room table, beautifully set with the golden silverware she and her family owned, a vase full of flowers, and an assortment of delicious foods. The foods consisted of sizzling Shaak patties, Nabooian vegetables, freshly grilled and buttered, hot Alderaanian rolls, and steamy Corellian beans. In addition, there were goblets of filled with ice cream and shurra fruit. However, the biggest surprise of all was the individual standing next to the table, for it wasn't Anakin, as "admen suspected, but Luke instead. Luke's attire consisted of a clean, white shirt, kaki trousers, and a black cloak small enough to fit his 11 year old frame. Upon seeing his mother, he smiled widely and held out his hand.

"Welcome home mommy. I hope you like my surprise for you, and you look very pretty."

After being momentarily at a loss for words, Padme finally managed to recover and ask her still smiling son, "Luke, what is all of this ?"

"Well mommy, Miss Dorme and Miss Sabe told me how you always work hard and don't have a chance to relax and enjoy yourself. Plus, I know that dad's been busy lately with his Jedi work and hasn't taken you out on a date in a long time. So I decided to put together a dinner date for you with Miss Sabe's and Miss Dorme's help. I did want to take you to a restaurant like dad does, but I don't have enough credits in my allowance for that. I also set up the table, though Miss Sabe and Miss Dorme cooked the food and bought the dress, which I selected. Do you like everything I put together for you mommy ?"

After listening to what Luke had to say, Padme was overcome with emotion and immediately rushed over and embraced her son.

"Oh Luke, that was so sweet and thoughtful of you to do all of this for me. Of course I like it", she she said as she continued to embrace him. After they parted, Padme and Luke went to sit at the table, with Luke being a gentleman and trying to pull out the chair for his mom.

The dinner was absolutely delicious and Padme felt that Luke made some excellent selections in regards to the food choices. As they ate, they talked about their day, with Luke telling his mom that he'd finally succeeded in meditation, something that he was very proud of. As Padme listened, she knew that Anakin had been trying to teach their son meditation for quite some time now, but Luke, just like his dad when he was a Jedi padawan, had trouble mastering meditation. To hear that Luke had finally succeeded in accomplishing something as difficult as mediation brought joy to Padme's heart and she herself was very proud of her son. Padme on her part told Luke about a bill to increase funds in order to build new apartments for Coruscant's underprivileged. Despite some minor opposition from a few senators who felt that the funds could be more useful elsewhere, the bill managed to pass with the majority vote in favor of it.

After finishing their dinner, and then their dessert of ice cream with shurra fruit, which Padme enjoyed immensely, Luke got up from his chair and walked over to his mom, holding out his hand.

"May I have this dance please mommy ?", Luke asked her with a smile.

"Why yes my kind young sir, I'd love to", Padme replied as she returned her son's smile and took his offered hand, allowing him to lift her off of her chair and escort her to the living room. Once there, Luke placed his other hand on his mother's back while she placed her free hand on his shoulder. Together, they danced around the living room, the two of them gliding forwards, backwards, around, and side to side. As they danced, Padme agreed to herself that her son was a pretty good dancer, even though he was a little clumsy and stepped on her toes a few times. Otherwise, it was fun.