Here goes…

Chapter 11

Naboo

Varykino

Late at Night

That night Padmé lay in Anakin's arms, her head resting above his heart as his hand stroked her back through her thin nightdress. They had decided that – after the close encounter with Jev – they'd better give sex a rest for a bit, so just held each other.

It was late at night – about half past eleven – and the vast house was quiet and sleepy. The atmosphere was calm and relaxing in their bedroom, the silence broken only by the steady sound of their breathing. But neither Padmé nor Anakin was asleep. Anakin's thoughts centred around the mission he had just come back from, in his minds eye seeing all the lives he had seen cut short right in front of him, and wondering how those peoples loved ones were feeling and doing right now. A lesser man would be mentally scarred after seeing the things Anakin had seen, but Anakin was stronger than that. While he mourned like everyone else for those lives cut short, he was still fully functional, and had no problem helping out in the battlefield, because he knew that someone had to fight, or there would be nothing left to fight for. It wasn't that he didn't care, it was just that he had learned to live with the horror's he had witnessed, and he knew how to deal with them.

Padmé was thinking about her Grandfather, and his accusations earlier that day. The thing was, he was right. Anakin was messing her around, but as her husband, not a brief fling who her 'husband' didn't know about. Sure, Clovis didn't actually know that she wasn't technically married to him, he just thought he was. But that doesn't matter, Padmé told herself sternly. What matter's is that Grandfather is suspicious. What do I do?

She tightened her arms around her husband, and looked up at his face, which bore that tense look that it did when he was thinking about the war. She never knew exactly what he was thinking at times like this, but she knew it couldn't be anything good. "Ani?" She whispered.

"Mmm?"

"I've been thinking…"

A grin tugged at her husbands lips. "Never a good sign." He said in a solemn voice. She pressed her face into his shoulder to muffle her laughter.

"I'm serious, Ani!" She said, slapping his chest gently while he grinned oh-so-sexily up at her as she propped herself up on her elbow, her head resting in her hand as her other hand traced patterns over his chest.

"OK, OK! What's up?"

"Jev."

"What about him?"

"I think we should tell him."

Anakin raised his eyebrows. "After this morning? And what about Olivia? Do you want to tell her as well?"

Padmé sighed, but shook her head. "No, she wouldn't understand. I don't need her to hate me even more. But…well, it was this morning that made me think that it would be a good idea to tell him. He'd keep our secret, I'm sure he would!" Her voice was eager, and her eyes shone in the darkness.

Anakin looked into her beautiful face that was alight with hope, and sighed. "You really want to tell him, don't you?"

She smiled sadly. "Well, it's just that…see, he always stuck up for me whenever Olivia was really mean, and I love him for that and so much more. He was always good to me, and I'm sure he'd be happy for us."

Anakin smiled. "I understand, Padmé. But we're going to have to think about how best to approach this. You pretty much chewed him out, today."

"Is that a yes?" She asked, excited.

He chuckled. "I guess it is."

"Yay!" She squealed, throwing her arms around him again and giving him an incredibly hungry, open-mouthed kiss full on the lips. His surprise was momentary, and he was soon kissing her back with equal passion. When oxygen deprivation reached it's maximum, they pulled apart, gasping in lungfuls of air, while grinning stupidly at each other, Padmé's cheeks flaming red as it hit her what she had just done.

"Oops." She whispered. "Sorry."

Anakin smiled, and leaned up, pressing a soft, slow kiss on her lips. He pulled back before things became too heated again though, and smiled at her pouting lips. He lightly touched her nose with the tip of a metal finger, and she smiled back.

"So, about your Grandfather…" He murmured, now caressing her cheek.

She moaned shamelessly as his hand came down her back, making quick, practised work of the fastenings down the back of her nightdress.

"He can wait." She said, and dove in, her lips capturing her husbands in their timeless dance.

So much for no sex tonight, she thought to herself as he rolled her under him, loving the glorious weight of him pressing down upon her.


The next morning they had breakfast with everyone else, each of them absorbed in their own thoughts once again. Breakfast was a rather subdued affair anyway, as Olivia had decided to grace them with her presence, and no one was willing to talk in front of her, for fear that they would set her off on one again. Normally, Anakin would have annoyed her just to lighten the mood, but today he was too preoccupied. They had aggressively negotiated telling Jev last night, and he had won – but then again, he usually did. His wife was just too easy to seduce. It was rather amusing. But he had agreed with her that they would tell Jev, and, unfortunately, said that they would do it today. Question was; 'When?' and 'How?'

He caught Padmé's eye across the table, but quickly looked away. Ahsoka shot him a curious look, so he gave her a reassuring smile of sorts. Satisfied that he was alright, she shrugged and turned back to his meal, while Anakin went back to his brooding.

Jobal's voice brought him surfacing slowly from his thoughts once more.

"So, what is everyone planning to do today?" She asked brightly, trying to ease the tension a little.

Anakin and Padmé's eyes met briefly once again, but again they looked away quickly. Jev raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything.

Then Padmé cleared her throat, and everyone focused on her. "Actually, mother, I wanted to talk to Grandfather." She glanced at Jev. "Is that OK?"

Jev smiled. "Of course it is, my dear. When would you like to talk?"

"Now?"

He nodded. "Of course." He rose from the table, and followed his granddaughter from the room. At the door, she stopped and looked back at Anakin, and he nodded, rising too.

Ahsoka shot him a curious look, but he shook his head, and his voice floated into her mind, but this time she was ready for it. To anyone who didn't know they were communicating telepathically, there was no way to tell.

We're going to tell Jev.

Is that a good idea? Or do you want the Hag to know as well?

Anakin's lips twitched slightly. No, Snips, we don't. But he already suspects something. Don't worry about it, we'll be back soon.

She nodded, and Olivia gave her an odd look, and shifted her chair further from away from her.

Anakin, Padmé and Jev walked out to the balcony where they had had their confrontation the day before. As Anakin had won their 'aggressive negotiations' that night, Padmé was the one that was going to tell her grandfather. She had pondered how best to do it, and had decided that to be completely open, honest and outright would be the best way. She wouldn't tell him everything, of course, just what he needed to know.

They stopped in the exact spot that Anakin and Padmé had shared their wedding vows, and he raised an eyebrow quizzically at her, but she just shook her head.

"Well, dear?" Jev said. "What did you want to tell me?"

"So you know what happened in this exact spot nine months ago?" Padmé asked, her voice slow and careful.

Jev looked puzzled. "Um…should I?"

But Padmé shook her head, and smiled. "Grandfather, you were right. Yesterday, I mean. Anakin is messing me about."

"WHAT! I knew it! How could you do this?" He demanded, squaring up to Anakin – who, again, was a lot taller than him. "How could you mess around a married woman?"

"Yes, Grandfather, I am married." Padmé said calmly, even though her heart was beating out a jive in her ears. "To Anakin. On this balcony, in this exact spot nine months ago, Anakin and I exchanged our vows."

Jev stared at her, his mouth slightly open and his eyes popping out of his head. "Wh…What?"

"I'm married to Anakin Skywalker. My real name is Padmé Naberrie Amidala Skywalker."

Jev continued to gape at the young couple in front of him for a moment. Then he swallowed, and asked; "And Rush? Does he know about this?"

"Of course not." She replied, turning and leaning on the railing, staring out over the beautiful lake that still looked exactly as it had on their wedding day. Untouched by the war that had already ripped so many planets around the Galaxy apart. She hoped it would never affect Naboo as it had so many others.

"Then why did you marry him? Why did you marry both of them?"

"I married Anakin because I love him with all my heart, as I know he loves me. And I was married to him first." She added as an afterthought.

"But that doesn't explain why you decided to marry Rush! How could you do that to such a good man?"

Anakin snorted beside him, and Jev shot him an annoyed look.

"What?" He demanded.

"He ain't a good man." He replied simply.

"Yes well, you would think that, wouldn't you?" He demanded. "He is married to your wife." Anakin just rolled his eyes.

"But he's right, Grandfather," Padmé said softly, turning back to the two men – one old and one young. "He isn't a good man. Sure, he may seem like one, but I've never actually told you the circumstances in which I met up with him again after years, have I?" The question was obviously rhetorical.

Jev looked puzzled. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, that I only met up with him on the Jedi Council's orders. They needed someone to get close to him, and I was the obvious candidate. I'm trained in combat, and I knew him from the past."

"Why would you need to be trained in combat?"

"Because Clovis was conspiring with the Separatists." She held up a hand to silence Jev's shocked gasp. "I know. I didn't want to believe it either, but it was true. I managed to get the information I needed, but before I could get away, he proposed. The Council told me to accept, because, as his wife, I might be able to turn him back to the Republic. Anyway, I managed, and I've had to put up with him ever since."

They were all quiet for a few moments, then Jev asked; "But how do you do it? I mean, you have two husbands, right?" Padmé nodded. So, how do you…you know…spend time with Anakin?"

Padmé chuckled. "There are more places we can meet up other than my apartment, though that is where we do normally. Dorme and Teckla help get rid of Clovis for a night so Anakin can come home for a bit from the war." She smiled softly at her husband, who grinned back.

"Oh." Silence again. Then; "Isn't it hard? I mean, with Anakin always away fighting?" He shot Anakin an accusing look.

"You think I want to be constantly fighting for my – and others – life? You think I like the idea of leaving my wife behind and not seeing her for weeks on end? Because I don't. I hate it. Every soldier hates it. You may hear otherwise, but we aren't all trigger happy. Only a select few who don't have two brain cells to speak about are." He added bitterly.


Sorry it's so short. I promise the next chapter will be longer. I have an interesting plot lined up, I just have to figure out how to get there. Bear with me…