"Where are we going?" Padme called over the roar of the speedboat as it soared across the water, its ripples flying up and splashing her face slightly. The weather was warm and was probably comfortable for beings local to Naboo, but to Padme who was used to Coruscant's weather controlled climate, it was stifling. The water was a welcome relief. They'd only been travelling for around ten minutes and she'd been too engrossed in the passing landscape to be curious about Anakin's plans until now.

"Somewhere quiet." Was the only answer he gave. Padme fought back the temptation to roll her eyes and returned her gaze to the scenery around them. Every time she thought Naboo couldn't be any more beautiful, she looked at another street, another corner and proved herself wrong. It was incredible. She could spend a lifetime here and never grow bored of it.

Idly her fingers played with the bright yellow material of the dress she'd borrowed from Dorme. It was easily the most beautiful piece of clothing Padme had ever worn. The yellow tulle skirt was embroidered with small floral patterns that matched with the corset and sheer blouse she wore beneath it. Naboo fashion was extravagant, she was learning. She'd always stuck to simpler clothing after leaving the Order, though Padme had to admit, she could easily grow used to dresses like these. Dorme had also insisted she borrow a special headdress to match the dress, a double netted thing that had looked ridiculous to the former Jedi until her friend had painstakingly tucked some of her curls into the bejewelled little nets and left the rest free to cascade down her back. The look had been finished with a floral ribbon around Padme's forehead and when she'd looked in the mirror, the woman hardly recognised herself.

"It's a date!" Dorme had cried when Padme insisted it was too much. "Your first real date in Force knows how long, if ever, Padme! Besides, everyone dresses like this here. You'll blend right in!"

She hadn't believed Dorme about blending in then, but her short time in Theed with Anakin earlier had proven it to be true. The fashions were as beautiful as everything else here; she could have sat in the town square for hours just watching people pass.

When they finally docked, Anakin climbed onto the deck and offered his hand to assist Padme out. Normally, stepping up would have been easy but wearing something other than her leggings made matters a little more difficult. Padme wasn't used to the extra material everywhere and was inwardly very thankful that she was a graceful person… If she hadn't been, she suspected she might have spent the day tripping everywhere. She didn't hesitate before sliding her palm into Anakin's and tugging the yellow skirts to her knees as she climbed up, grateful for the extra help.

"Thank you." Padme smiled and carefully released the material from her free hand. This was still Dorme's dress, she wanted to keep it nice, it felt expensive and she'd feel terrible if she creased or ruined it.

"That's alright." Anakin shrugged. He didn't release her hand as she thought he might but kept it in his own gentle grasp as they began to walk toward the beautifully carved stone stairs. Strangely, Padme found that she felt alright about it, holding his hand. Clovis tried it with her once and she'd only felt uncomfortable and tense the entire time. This time it was nice… Surprisingly so.

"This part of Theed is unbelievable…" She gasped. The city had been stunning but the buildings and cobbled paths had been replaced by lush green grass, high colourful flowers and vast mountains so close the former Jedi was sure if she reached out; she'd be able to touch them. It was serene and breath-taking. A lake glittered just to the left reflecting the high sun and creating dancing little rainbows against the stone bridge just ahead. It was quieter here too, Padme noticed with a smile. Anakin hadn't been kidding earlier when she'd asked.

"Oh, this isn't Theed." He chuckled. "This is the lake country. There's a meadow just ahead that overlooks the waterfall – it's beautiful. I thought we could have lunch there."

"A picnic?" Padme smiled, "How very romantic of you…" She drawled playfully and smirked when his cheeks appeared to flush slightly.

Though Anakin had said the meadow was just ahead, he led Padme to the right and down a small street of pretty houses with generous space between them no doubt to allow the residents some privacy. She couldn't imagine living somewhere like this. Waking up every single morning to views like these… It would be impossible to be unhappy here.

"Where are we going? I thought you said the meadow was just ahead?" She asked curiously, eyeing the houses wistfully.

"It is. I just need to pick something up first. It'll only be a minute, I promise."

He led her to a modest but beautiful house with yellow and white brick and a lovely lush patch of grass and flowers with white windows and Padme couldn't help but think it looked like something from a children's holovid. A little peaceful piece of paradise. "Is this your house?" She asked, mouth agape in wonder. Anakin really lived here? Padme hadn't imagined where he might live but she'd assumed it would be like Obi-wan's house. Simple. Quiet. Perhaps a little hidden from the world for the sake of peace.

Anakin chuckled and shook his head. "Not yet. I just rent it for now but I'm saving to buy it from the owner. He runs a business selling houses all over Naboo. His family live not too far away from here actually."

Padme couldn't look away from the house, astonished. "Wow… You'll have to give me his name. I think I want to live here too." She laughed as Anakin led her down the little stone path.

"It's Darred something, I think. Nice guy. His kids are sweet."

Once they were inside the house, Anakin headed straight into the kitchen and picked up a basket that was sitting on the counter. She was too busy gawking at the beauty of the little house to pay him any attention. The interior was mainly wooden but high windows and sheer drapes let the sun shine in and bathed the house in an ethereal glow. It was no wonder Anakin wanted to buy it from its owner. It was perfect… Then again, everything here seemed to be perfect.

The walk to the meadow was a short one and a comfortable quiet fell over the two former Jedi. The houses of the picturesque neighbourhood faded away to vast fields and flowers as far as Padme's eyes could see. Rushing water filled her ears and she supposed it came from the waterfall he'd mentioned earlier. Padme had never seen one of those in real life before, only in holovids and images. The small gate was locked when the couple approached but Anakin waved his hand and it clicked itself open as if to welcome them inside. Normally, Padme may have suggested just climbing over, but with Dorme's dress on, she suspected that if she tried, she may fall over.

Hardly the impression she wanted to make on a first date.

When they'd found a spot to settle on, Padme spread out the blanket over the grass and lowered herself down, admiring the flowers that seemed to go on forever. "How did you find this place?" She asked as Anakin dropped to his knees beside her and opened the basket.

"Well, I'd just come to Naboo after leaving the Order. I'd had enough trying to move furniture around the house and went for a walk. It was the sound of the water that really brought me here though."

"Oh, so you're one of those?" Padme sniggered.

Anakin's eyes narrowed. "One of what?"

"Those people who can't pass a patch of water without leaping in?"

He laughed and shook his head. "Not exactly. I like being close to it… The sound is soothing. Where I grew up… There wasn't much water around for anyone." The laughter fell away then and Padme sensed a flair of hurt flashing through his heart and shifted closer. It was common knowledge Anakin had been older than most younglings when he joined the Order after leaving Tatooine. What little she knew about the Outer-rim planet was enough to tell her it must have been a difficult life there.

"On Tatooine?" She whispered and placed a hand on his shoulder.

He nodded. "Yeah. It's uh, well, there's nothing but sand." This brought a small smile to his downturned lips for a moment. "It gets everywhere. Not like here…" Padme watched his gaze flick to the beginnings of the waterfall which was visible from where they sat before returning to her face. "Everything is nicer here. The buildings, the nature," Suddenly his blue eyes dragged across the entire length of Padme's body creating a hot flush come to life in her cheeks. "The people…"

It was overwhelming and she tore her eyes away to look at a small still blooming flower to her right and traced the stem carefully with her fingers. "I was born here actually…I don't remember anything about being here but I was." She said softly. She'd never told this to anyone else, not even Dorme. It was a fact that just didn't seem relevant until now.

"That doesn't surprise me," Anakin said, drawing Padme's eyes back to his.

"No?" She laughed.

"No." His hand reached for hers, gently tugging it away from the flower and lacing their fingers together. "You're kind and warm, just like this place."

Padme blinked twice and swallowed, watching their joined hands for a moment. "You don't know me…" It was the same thing she'd said to Clovis not very long ago but Anakin's words felt less like an intrusion and more… Well, they felt like more. Padme couldn't explain it.

"I don't have to. I can tell. You're a good person, Padme. I think everyone who's ever met you knows that."

She shook her head. "You're being too kind, Anakin. I'm not perfect, nobody is." Padme felt his thumb run across her knuckles gently and lifted her gaze back to his eyes once more. It felt magnetic, she couldn't look away even if she'd wanted to, which she didn't.

Her heart skipped a beat in her chest when Anakin's blue eyes flicked down to her lips for a moment before his tongue swept across his own. "I think you are." He murmured quietly and didn't give Padme a chance to respond before he was on his feet. "Come on. I wanna show you something."

She wanted to argue her point, to disprove his sweet claim of her perfection but decided against it. It didn't matter; it was just silly first date talk. Anakin was just trying to be nice, why ruin it? Padme let him help her up and together they began to walk through the lush meadow toward the waterfall. Part of her wanted to ask exactly what he wanted to show her but she didn't bother. She was beginning to learn that Anakin was spontaneous and liked to keep things a surprise. Padme had never been very fond of surprises but played along anyway. What was the worst that could happen?

To her surprise, what she'd originally believed was merely a cliff edge looking down on the waterfall was actually a jagged staircase leading down to a grassy bank beside the water. It had to be nice, for the owner of the land who'd probably installed it, to be able to walk down to swim whenever they liked. "Come on!" Anakin laughed like a carefree boy and began to tug Padme down the stairs. It felt a little wrong to be intruding upon someone else's land but it was surprisingly easy to push those feelings away. It was actually a little fun to get into some mischief for once. Being the Padawan of Mace Windu hadn't left a lot of room for shenanigans in the Order.

They reached the bottom and Padme was content to spread her skirts and sit down near the water, but it seemed Anakin had other ideas. He kicked off his boots and Padme watched him with a raised eyebrow. "What're you doing?"

He laughed as if it were obvious and Padme frowned a little. "I'm going in! Come with me?"

He was getting in? Was he crazy? This was – the owner of the land could appear at any moment and find them in the water! Just being here was adventure enough for Padme, besides, she was wearing Dorme's clothes. Getting them wet in a lake would ruin them and she'd feel terrible. "Absolutely not! It's probably freezing and we could –"

Padme stopped midsentence without entirely meaning to. Anakin's hands untied the laces holding his light grey tunic together and then slipped it off his body when they were free. His back was turned to her as he placed the tunic down onto the grass mercifully so he missed the hot blush that painted her cheeks. She wasn't exactly innocent, Padme had seen shirtless men before in her life, it was just… Anakin was very… She felt her lip sink into the pillow of her bottom lip. Years in the Order training and fighting had created a generous muscle tone that seemed to ripple beneath his skin as he moved. Padme knew she should be respectful and look away but it was easier said than done.

She did turn away, jolted away really when Anakin turned back around suddenly and pretended to be fiddling with her skirt. A moment later, the former Jedi heard a loud splash and felt droplets of water spray all over her and looked to see her date had dove into the lake without hesitation. He resurfaced a moment later and shook the excess water from his hair and face with a laugh. "It feels great!" He called out to her. "Come in!"

Padme shook her head with a laugh, sitting down close to the water's edge. "You're crazy, Skywalker."

Anakin swam to where she'd sat down and grinned. "Maybe… But I'm fun at least."

Padme raised an eyebrow with narrowed eyes, making him chuckle. "Are you saying I'm boring?"

"Never." He smiled then offered his hand up for Padme to take. "Give me a hand out?"

Padme eyed his wet hand suspiciously for a moment, unsure, before taking it. Without simply hoisting himself onto the edge, she supposed it would be a little difficult to manoeuvre oneself out of the water. She moved to her knees to have a better pull when Anakin suddenly jerked her toward him, eliciting a surprised yelp from the former Jedi. Being unprepared, there was nothing Padme could do to stop herself from falling into the cool water with a splash.

Coughing, she resurfaced and wiped water from her eyes, grateful she hadn't taken Dorme's advice and worn makeup. Force only knew how it would look if she had! Gritting her teeth, Padme set her angry eyes upon Anakin who had bent over under the force of his laughter. "You nerf herder!" She cried and sent a small wave of water splashing against his face. The yellow skirt of Dorme's dress floated up and bunched around her waist, hovering on the water's edge, thoroughly soaked.

Anakin splashed her back without hesitating, still laughing at Padme's expense. Without thinking, she blocked the water with a little Force manipulation and sent it flying back into his face. "Is that how it is?" He raised a challenging eyebrow and suddenly, she found it very difficult to keep a straight face. When Anakin lunged at her, Padme squealed playfully and moved away but he was faster in the water without the weight of her dress and caught her around the waist easily.

Both former Jedi laughed as Anakin spun Padme around in the water and she wrapped her arms around his neck for further support. Any irritation she felt about being soaked vanished because it felt so good to laugh and to laugh genuinely. She hadn't laughed like this in a long time, long before the war ended. It was freeing. For a beautiful moment, the dark cloud that had been lingering above her head gave way to sunshine.

When Anakin stopped moving them around, the pair froze in each other's arms, finally realising just how close they'd gotten. Every inch of them was pressed against each other, wet and dripping and far, far too close for what was probably appropriate for a first date. Strangely, Padme found she didn't care. Even more strangely, she found herself being the first to move, leaning closer to Anakin and letting her eyes flutter shut when he began to meet her halfway too.

When their lips met, Padme had expected it to be soft and sweet, and it was, but only for a moment before the kiss became urgent and hungry. She sighed against Anakin's lips as one of his rough calloused hands lifted to cup the smoother, wet skin of her cheek. They pulled apart just enough to breathe, trembling in each other's arms as the cool water rippled around their waists with every slight movement. Anakin's body was hard against hers, muscled from the years of training and fighting they'd both done in the Order and it was a strange change. Clovis had been soft beneath her fingers not unfit by any means but not like Anakin. Padme's body still carried the evidence of her previous work too though she'd lost much of her muscle tone since leaving the Order and giving up her training.

She felt the tip of Anakin's nose brush against her own and smiled, wrapping her arms a little tighter around his neck. The only sound around them was the rushing of the waterfall just behind them and she was grateful for it because it was the only noise around them was loud enough to drown out the desperate thud in her chest. She only had a moment to relish the relief before Anakin's lips had taken hers once more and Padme was happy to surrender, running her fingers through his wet hair.

She wasn't sure how long this kiss lasted but she was panting by the time it ended. Somehow Anakin managed to manoeuvre them through the water and toward the bank and Padme felt her back press against the damp slope. His hands were on her hips when their lips collided for a third time and by the fourth, her legs were around his. Padme wanted more. Needed more. But she couldn't have it. Could she? Was it too soon? Anakin's lips kissed a fiery trail along her neck and something about it – about this, them, everything they were doing – felt like release. Suddenly it was the most natural thing in the world to turn her head and find his lips with her own and unexpectedly, it didn't frighten her. With anyone else, it would have. It had with Clovis. What it meant alluded Padme for now but she couldn't bring herself to care, not one bit. It felt too good. Shefelt free. How was she supposed to question it?

As Anakin's tongue licked across Padme's bottom lip, seeking entrance, she decided questioning this was the very last thing she wanted to do.