Chapter 7
Padmé was looking at herself in the mirror. She observed the white dress she bought in the morning. Her wedding dress! When she was a kid, she had always imagined she would have a big wedding on Naboo, with her entire family and all of her friends. She wanted to wear her mother's dress. Instead of that, she was about to secretly marry a Jedi on a distant and mysterious moon of the Miriette system.
Anakin was on the couch next to her. He looked at her and his gaze was full of concern. He could feel conflict in her.
"You know we don't have to do it now," he said gently. "I'm sure I can find a way to get a leave soon. I could join you on Naboo."
Padmé smiled at him. His concern was touching but he had misunderstood the reason of her concerns. She had dreamed of a classic wedding and a simple life. She wanted to have a family someday but what Anakin had to offer was so much better.
"We don't know when we'll be alone again. I don't want to wait," she said.
"I know this is not what you wanted…"
"It's better," she cut.
Padmé sat on his lap and kissed him softly.
"I imagined my wedding when I was a kid, but it doesn't mean everything has to happen this way. I don't care about all of that as long as I am with you."
"Well… you do look good in that dress," he complimented shyly.
Anakin seemed uneasy in certain situations. It made Padmé smile, not because she was making fun of him, but because it reminded her of the little boy she met so long ago. However, in other situations, he could have a very high self-esteem. Maybe even a little bit too high, sometimes. Padmé was honored to be one of the only people in the Galaxy to know his true self. The hero of the Republic could also be vulnerable. Human.
Anakin was staring into the void. He was thinking about what he was about to do. Padmé would be there in a minute and they would be married by the end of the day. Thinking about that made Anakin's heart skip a beat. He had almost lost hope that this day would come.
It was a small wedding but the organization had not been easy. They had found someone who would marry them but this person had to be discreet. Thankfully, Miriette was not part of the Republic and its inhabitants had no interest in scandals and credits. Moreover, Anakin and Padmé were completely unknown here. In all cases, it was better to be careful. Nobody could be aware of their marriage, which is why Anakin used the Force on the man who married them. Just to be sure he would not remember too much.
Padmé came out of the house, wearing her beautiful white dress. It was not common to see Padmé Amidala speechless. It was also very unusual to see her being shy. Yet today she was both and couldn't suppress a timid smile. Anakin didn't need Jedi powers to understand that she was nervous.
They faced each other and the man they had hired to celebrate their wedding started to speak. Anakin couldn't care less about what he was saying. All that mattered to him was that he was about to marry the woman he had loved his entire life.
The ceremony didn't last long. Anakin and Padmé looked at the sunset without saying a word for a moment. Padmé had lived many important moments in her life. From the diplomas she received to her election as the queen of Naboo. However, nothing could compete with today's event. She was Anakin Skywalker's wife and no title was more precious to her.
"I can call you Padmé Skywalker now," Anakin teased.
Padmé looked at him with a smile. That would be her real name now, even if nobody would know it.
"You'll like it for a while and then you'll realize that Padmé Skywalker can have quite an unbearable behavior on her bad days," she said with a smirk.
"That's just a regular Skywalker's trait," he answered and smiled at her. "I'm sure I'll get used to it."
The Jedi Temple was full of the wisest people of the Galaxy. It was rare to witness agitation or stress in this place. Usually, everything here was calm and peaceful. Yet, today was an exception. Ahsoka was running so fast she didn't pay attention to the people around her. She even hustled younglings on her way and didn't notice it. She finally arrived to the meeting room where Yoda, Obi-Wan and Mace Windu were giving a briefing. Many Jedi were listening to them but she decided to interrupt anyway.
"Anakin… he… he has," she tried to speak but she was breathless.
"Breathe Ahsoka," Obi-Wan advised. "What is going on?"
She rested on the wall and breathed slowly before trying to talk again.
"Anakin contacted us. He is transmitting in the communication center, next to the Archives," she said with excitement.
Obi-Wan and Yoda looked at her with a discreet smile. Good news: finally.
"We're coming right now," Obi-Wan said.
"I'll handle the rest of the briefing," Mace offered.
Ahsoka lead the way, followed by Obi-Wan and Yoda. She was happy that her former Master contacted them again even she was still upset with him. She was now a Jedi Knight but it was still a recent promotion. She was used to be alone on missions but she didn't like to be avoided, especially not by Anakin.
They entered in the room and came face to face with Anakin who was projected by the holographic transmitter.
"Anakin! I'm glad to see you again," Obi-Wan said.
His voice was calm but he was truly happy to see that his old friend was all right. He never believed something bad had happened to him, but it was a relief to see him anyway.
"Where are you? What about Vice-Chancellor Amidala? What happened? Why did you take so long to contact us?" Ahsoka asked without bothering to take a breathe between each question.
"It's all right Snips," Anakin answered to calm her nerves. "Vice-Chancellor Amidala is safe."
"What happened?" Obi-Wan asked.
Anakin bit his lips discreetly and sighed. It was time for the first lie of his married life to Padmé. And this one was a big one. He had done many reckless things in his life, but he had to admit this time he maybe went a bit too far. If they believed him, then he probably was the Chosen One of the Force.
"I was with Vice-Chancellor Amidala during the ball in the Celebration Center of Galactic City. I noticed something strange was going on. There has been a kidnapping attempt against her. We avoided a disaster so I've decided to take her away from danger."
Anakin pronounced those words and tried to repress a smile. It was a terrible explanation and it didn't make any sense but he didn't have the choice. Now that he was in this situation he had to convince the Jedi of his "honesty".
"And who's responsible for that?" Obi-Wan asked skeptically.
"I couldn't catch her aggressors. My priority was to keep her safe."
"Young Skywalker, on Coruscant you didn't stay?" Yoda asked with the same skeptical tone.
"No, Master. Vice-Chancellor was in danger and I thought it would be better to keep her away. You probably remember my first assignment: I had to protect her and, in order to do that we went to Naboo. I thought it would be a good idea to do the same again."
It wasn't entirely a lie. Anakin had been in a similar situation years ago when he had had to protect Padmé. Of course, nobody tried to hurt her this time, but the situation was still dangerous. The war was over but Grievous was still alive and she had been newly elected Vice-Chancellor of the Republic. She was an easy target and taking her away for a moment could make sense after all.
"I see why you judged wise to take her away from Coruscant, but why didn't you contact us?" Ahsoka asked.
She had been silent so far. Her former Master's explanations were… strange. She knew him well and was almost sure he was lying.
"As I said, Vice-Chancellor Amidala and I ran away from Coruscant to avoid a dramatic ending to this situation. I didn't want anybody to know where we decided to go to ensure her safety," Anakin answered.
He looked at Ahsoka and even if he was parsecs away from her, he understood very well that she was upset with him. Her tone was cold and he could clearly see darkness in her eyes.
"Is Vice-Chancellor Amidala safe?" Obi-Wan asked asked.
"Yes, she's fine. She received a blow on the head but nothing serious at all," Anakin lied.
"So why didn't you come back to Coruscant? If she's hurt, she needs medical attention," Ahsoka replied.
Anakin looked at his former apprentice and sighed. She was suspecting something. It was true that his explanations were not perfect, but Obi-Wan and Yoda seemed fine with it. Why wasn't she?
"I did what seemed right to guarantee her safety," he replied angrily.
Anakin and Ahsoka argued vividly about the recent events and the way Anakin decided to handle the situation. It wasn't rare to see them fight. Yoda and Obi-Wan looked at each other and didn't try to hide a weary sigh. Those two would never change! They loved each other, but they both had a bad temper and it was the reason of many arguments.
"And you never thought that I would be worried?" Ahsoka yelled, losing patience.
Anakin didn't answer right away. It wasn't common to see him admitting a mistake, but he started to understand Ahsoka's point of view. She was more worried than she was angry. He had spent the last years taking care of her. Their relation was special and many Jedi agreed on the fact that he had raised her. In any case, they were closer than any other Jedi.
"What I've done doesn't matter. Vice-Chancellor Amidala is fine," Anakin said. "Don't thank me," he added ironically.
"Are you done now?" Obi-Wan asked wearily.
Anakin and Ahsoka both looked at him. They had been fighting for a while and had almost forgotten that they were not alone.
"Sorry, Master," Ahsoka said while squirming her leg in embarrassment.
"Master Skywalker, your location we need to know," Yoda said.
"We are in the system of Miriette. I'll send you the exact coordinates."
"Stay where you are. We will join you as soon as possible. Ahsoka will take care of Vice-Chancellor Amidala and bring her back to Coruscant. You and I will directly leave for our new mission," Obi-Wan said.
The transmission was over and the image of Anakin disappeared from the holographic transmitter. Ahsoka was still quizzical about the situation. She didn't buy any of Anakin's explanations. She knew him too well. Something was going on.
Yoda left the room to go back to the meeting they were having in the other room but Obi-Wan staid with her.
"You can't be so naïve," Ahsoka said mildly.
"What do you mean?" Obi-Wan asked, trying to feign ignorance.
"We both know he is lying. His explanations make no sense."
"Do you have any evidence of that?" Obi-Wan asked, still trying to look casual.
"I don't. But you have to admit it's weird."
"It is true. I don't know what Anakin has in his mind. I'm sure he had reasons to take Vice-Chancellor Amidala away," he answered.
Obi-Wan knew how Ahsoka felt. He had had this feeling countless times since he had known Anakin. His former apprentice was not a conventional Jedi. With time, Obi-Wan understood that there was only one way to deal with him.
"It happened to me many times and it will happen to you again, Ahsoka. Anakin will never be conventional. He has his own reasons but the real question is: how much do you want to know about it?" Obi-Wan asked.
Ahsoka didn't answer. She hadn't seen things like that. She was so focused on trying to know what Anakin was hiding that she forgot the main problem. If he had something to hide, maybe she just didn't want to care about it.
Padmé was lying on the couch in the living room, watching the Holonet on her holographic tablet. Anakin went closer and sat next to her. She had listened to his conversation with the Jedi and he was waiting for her comments.
"It didn't go so bad," Anakin said, his voice full of hope.
"You're kidding? You are a terrible liar," she answered with a smirk.
"Come on, it wasn't that bad."
Padmé smiled at him. She knew he did his best, but there was no good excuse to explain why a Jedi and a politician would disappear for days without leaving a message. For the first time in her life, Padmé didn't care about what people would think. They bought it, didn't ask for more details and for now, that was all that mattered to her.
"Your temper seem to have rubbed off on your apprentice," Padmé noted.
"First of all, Ahsoka is not my apprentice anymore," Anakin answered. "Then, I can assure you I have nothing to do with her behavior. They gave her to me like that," he added, laughing.
Padmé burst out laughing. She was happy that Anakin had had to take care of this young girl. She had changed him. He was more mature and Padmé was convinced that his apprentice had a great deal to do with his new maturity.
A new chapter! See, it didn't take so long!
I wanted to say THANKS to all the people who post me reviews! This is the only reward we have when we write fan fictions and it really really makes me happy :)