When she woke up the next morning, Padmé was overwhelmed with nerves at the prospect of seeing Anakin again. She'd been too blissed out to think much about it at the time, but after Anakin had left the night before she'd realized they hadn't actually talked about anything very seriously. Was Anakin going to say it had all been a terrible mistake? Had it all been a terrible mistake? Padmé had always prided herself on her professionalism, but sleeping with someone who worked directly under her (no pun intended, the sly part of her brain whispered) was the definition of unprofessional.

But it wasn't like that, she reminded herself as she hurriedly dressed and started packing her bags (they were heading back to DC after breakfast). First of all, Padmé wasn't actually Anakin's boss. It wasn't some underhanded agreement where she'd promote him or give him a raise in return for sleeping with her, because she didn't actually have the power to do that. Well, she could go to Mace and insist that Anakin be promoted and he might do it, but still, Mace was the one in whose hands Anakin's career rested, technically. Padmé and Anakin did have a working relationship, yes, but they weren't boss and employee. They were just two people who had feelings for each other and who had mutually decided to act on those feelings. There wasn't anything sordid or disreputable about it.

Well…Anakin did have feelings for her, right? He hadn't specifically said so, but again, Padmé took his initiation of their first kiss as a sign that he did. Loath as she was to acknowledge the power imbalance in their professional lives, it did mean that making the first move wasa lot riskier for Anakin than it would've been for her, but he was still the one who'd done it. If he was just looking for sex, he wouldn't have taken such a huge risk.

Unless he was just using her? Padmé bit her lip as this new worrying thought dawned. She was the most powerful person in the country. What if Anakin had only wanted to sleep with her so he'd be able to get a favor from her or blackmail her or something? But no, Anakin was the head of her security team. He'd sworn his life to protecting her. If she couldn't trust him, she couldn't trust anyone.

Calm down, Padmé told herself sternly. She was overthinking things and working herself up over nothing, just as she always did. She just had to talk to Anakin and clear some things up. It was as simple as that.

Still, when she opened her bedroom door and stepped out into the hall and saw Anakin waiting with Luminara and Barriss, her heart started thumping so loud it was a miracle none of them heard it. Anakin met her eyes and his face went very pale, then very red; the heat Padmé felt on her own cheeks told her she probably looked the same.

"Good morning, Pa—uh, ma'am," Anakin stammered.

Padmé did her best to smile at him in an "I'm being polite to my professional acquaintance" way as opposed to a "we had sex last night and have you been freaking out about it all morning because I sure have" way. "Good morning, Anakin. And Luminara and Barriss," she added hastily, remembering there were, in fact, other people there. "Did everyone sleep well last night?"

"I've been sleeping much better here than I do in DC, ma'am," Luminara replied. "It's so quiet and peaceful."

Barriss made a noise of agreement, and Padmé turned to Anakin. "What about you, Anakin, how did you sleep?" she said in a would-be casual tone.

"Very well, ma'am, thank you," he said, his tone also one of forced nonchalance.

Padmé was desperate to say something, anything about the night before, but Luminara and Barriss's presence made that impossible, so she settled for an awkward nod before heading to have breakfast with her family.

Something which, as it turned out, was very difficult to do when the man you'd slept with less than twelve hours earlier was standing right outside the dining room and that fact was all you could focus on, leading to some concerned questions from family members about whether you were feeling all right. "Sorry, I'm fine, just a little distracted. Thinking about all the things I have to do when I get back," Padmé said, an excuse which her family seemed to accept easily enough, to her relief.

The flight back to DC was even more excruciating. Anakin was right there the entire time, but still they didn't have enough privacy for Padmé to talk to him seriously. She didn't think she had it in her to make small talk with him as if nothing had changed, so she pulled out her laptop and busied herself with work. Anakin spent the time staring at her and quickly looking away whenever she glanced over at him. All things considered, Padmé failed to actually get much work done.

And once they arrived back at the White House, she was immediately swept up in paperwork, phonecalls, and meetings with Bail to be filled in on what she'd missed. She resigned herself to waiting until that night to talk to Anakin alone. If she could survive that long without dying from the awkwardness between them.


"We need to talk," Padmé said as soon as Anakin had shut her bedroom door behind them that night.

Anakin felt his cheeks turn pink. "Okay. Um, yeah," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Let me just check the room first."

He did so as quickly as he could while still being thorough, though even so Padmé looked impatient by the time he came back to stand in front of her. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and stared down at the floor, waiting for her to speak first. Waiting for her to say she regretted last night and never wanted to see him again.

"So. Last night," she began after a long moment of silence.

There was another pause, so Anakin chanced a glance up at her and saw her looking expectantly at him. He made a noncommittal noise and went back to staring at his shoes. Padmé heaved a small sigh but obligingly continued speaking since Anakin wasn't going to. "Um…so this situation is very complicated, obviously," she said. "Since you're my bodyguard and all. So what happened last night was—was probably kind of inappropriate. My reputation would be dragged through the mud if anyone found out, and you'd get fired."

Anakin finally looked up at her again, heart sinking. "Oh. So…so you think we shouldn't have—you think it was a mistake?" he said, trying to keep a wobble out of his voice. He knew it was too good to be true, knew the cold light of day would make Padmé realize how stupid last night was, knew she'd want to break it off—

"No," she said quickly, and Anakin blinked at her in surprise. "I meant, logically I know I should think it was a mistake, but…I don't. Because—because there's something I didn't tell you last night."

"What?" he asked, equal parts curious and apprehensive.

"I—" Padmé licked her lips nervously, and then she looked at him with more openness, more vulnerability in her face than he had ever seen. "Anakin, I—I have feelings for you. I have for weeks, maybe months but it just took me kind of a while to realize it."

All the air whooshed out of Anakin's lungs, and all he could do was gape at her in utter astonishment. She…had feelings for him? She really, actually had feelings for him? So last night hadn't just been about sex for her either, it had meant more than that? Had meant as much to her as it had to him?

Padmé was watching him anxiously, and it was only when she started talking again that he realized how long he'd been staring speechlessly at her. "I-I'm sorry if this is weird, I know what with—with me being the president, it's kind of—obviously I don't expect you to—it's fine if you don't—"

Anakin took three steps forward, cupped her face in his hands, and kissed her hard. Padmé squeaked in surprise when their lips met, and he pulled away a few moments later to see her staring at him with a mix of amazement and hope.

Anakin cleared his throat, a little embarrassed at his overzealous reaction—but more than anything there was joy singing through his veins. "I have feelings for you, too," he said, offering her a shy smile.

Padmé let out a small breath, and then a smile gradually started to grow on her own face. "Really? So…last night wasn't just about sex?" she asked hopefully.

"No, last night—it meant a lot to me," Anakin confessed. "Padmé, I've had feelings for you for months too, and I never, ever thought—I mean, you're the president. I never thought you'd have time for someone like me."

She raised an eyebrow. "You thought I was a snob?"

"No, just that you could do better if you wanted. So much better than me."

Padmé's face softened, and she reached out to rest a hand on his cheek. "How could I do better? Anakin, you're one of the most…genuine people I've ever known. All the people I've met throughout my political career, they're all so self-serving and two-faced and cynical, but you? You're real. I never have to wonder if you're lying or sucking up to me. You're so honest, so sincere about everything, and I can't explain how much I appreciate that."

"You're saying you like me just because I don't lie to you?" Anakin said, bemused. "I'm sure you've met other honest people."

"You'd be surprised," Padmé said dryly. "And of course that's not the only reason I like you."

"Oh yeah? What are some of the other reasons?" he asked with a grin; now that the surprise was starting to wear off, elation and playfulness were settling in to replace it.

She rolled her eyes, though she was smiling too. "Well, you're funny and caring and trustworthy and fun to be around. And very hot," she added, her smile turning a little sly.

"Is that so?"

"Mm-hmm. I've been replaying last night in my head all day," Padmé murmured, hands slowly wandering down his torso. "Remembering how hot you looked, how good you felt…"

Anakin swallowed and grabbed her hands. "Not that I don't want to physically replay last night right now, but I think Obi-Wan and Ahsoka might be suspicious if I stayed late in your room two nights in a row," he said.

Padmé huffed in disappointment, but then she laughed. "That's probably a good point. Did they say anything about it?"

"Yeah, but I just told them we were talking for a while."

"And they believed that?"

"Yeah. I think."

They both chuckled again, but then Padmé's expression turned serious. "So…what happens now?" she said tentatively. "If we both have feelings for each other but we can't really be together?"

Anakin bit his lip. "We could keep it a secret," he suggested after a minute. "I know it's not ideal, and we'd have to do a lot of lying and sneaking around, but—but I want to be with you, Padmé."

She sighed. "You're right, it would be really hard…but I want to be with you too. No matter what it takes." She paused and Anakin saw a flicker of uncertainty in her eyes. "But are you sure—I mean, it's my fault we'd have to keep it a secret, really, not yours. So I guess I'm just wondering, wouldn't you rather find some nice, normal person to date? Someone whose every move isn't scrutinized by the entire country? Someone you could be with openly and not have to hide it?"

She looked genuinely worried, and Anakin could only stare at her, once again baffled by the fact that she was unaware of her own perfection. "Are you kidding? Padmé, you're incredible, and I care about you so much," he said. "I would rather have a secret relationship with you than a normal one with anyone else. Hell, I still can't even believe you like me, seeing as you're way out of my league and all."

Padmé ducked her head, blushing. "I am not out of your league, don't be ridiculous. I can hardly believe you like me. I always kind of figured I was just a job to you."

Anakin reached out and tilted her chin up to look at him. "You're not. You never have been," he said softly. "From the moment I met you, all those months ago, you were always more than just a job. I was never able to emotionally distance myself from you the way I was supposed to, not even on day one."

Padmé smiled at him, and he only had a second to marvel at how beautiful she was before she was standing up on her toes and kissing him, soft and gentle and sweet. "You should probably get going, you've been in here kind of a while," she said reluctantly when they parted. "But we should lay some ground rules first."

"Like what?"

"Well, I guess the number one rule is that we can't say a word about any of this to anyone. Not even our family and friends, to be extra safe."

Anakin hesitated. The thought of lying about something so huge to his mother, to Ahsoka and Obi-Wan and the rest of his friends…then again, if word of their relationship got out, he'd lose his job and Padmé would be ruined. He could already see the tabloid headlines: Amidala in Disgrace for Secret Affair with Bodyguard! She was right, they just couldn't risk it. "Okay," he said. "So then obviously we'll have to act like nothing's changed whenever there's other people around."

Padmé nodded. "I guess you'd better get back in the habit of calling me 'ma'am.' After I worked so hard to break you of it," she said wryly, and Anakin grinned.

"I can still call you Padmé when we're alone, though, right? I mean, if you want me to call you 'ma'am' in bed—"

"Nope, let's pass on that," Padmé cut him off quickly, turning red as he snickered. "But on that note, we won't be able to spend that much time alone together seeing as it would be suspicious if you stayed extra long in my room too often."

"Oh. That's true," Anakin said in disappointment. "So then we probably won't be able to have sex very often, either."

"Probably not," she agreed, sounding equally disappointed. "But…that might not necessarily be a bad thing. I mean, I don't want our relationship to revolve around sex anyway."

"Me neither," Anakin said, perking up at the thought. "If all we ever did was sneak around and have sex it would feel like some kind of sordid affair or something, and that's not what this is. This is a real, serious relationship, even if we can't tell anyone about it." Then he stopped, realizing he may have overstepped. "That is, I don't know if you wanted—it doesn't have to be serious if you'd rather—"

"No, I-I'd like that," Padmé said, giving him a small smile. "I've never really been into casual dating, to be honest. So obviously we can take things slow—well, we did already sleep together so that might be kind of out the window by now—but I want it to be serious, as long as you do too."

"Definitely," Anakin said at once, heart swelling. "I don't like casual either."

They stood there beaming at each other for several moments until Anakin came to his senses and realized he really should be going. He pulled Padmé in for another kiss, drawing it out so he wouldn't have to leave. But eventually she pulled away and murmured, "Obi-Wan and Ahsoka are probably getting suspicious."

Anakin sighed. "See you tomorrow," he said, placing a light kiss on her nose and making her giggle.

"Goodnight, Anakin."

"'Night."

Anakin did his best to wipe off his giddy smile as he went back out into the hall and bid Obi-Wan and Ahsoka goodnight, but once he was safely heading upstairs to his own room he let it return in full force. He couldn't believe how quickly things had changed, and how drastically. Only two days ago he'd been hopelessly pining over Padmé, and now they were together. He would've thought he was dreaming, except even his subconscious wouldn't have been able to come up with such a wonderful scenario. No, this was definitely real. Padmé really returned his feelings and they really had decided to start a relationship.

It would be cheesy to say that Anakin fell asleep that night with a smile on his face, but it was entirely true.


Finally! Resolution! Hope you liked this chapter :D