"Ball four!" shouted the umpire.
A groan went up from the stands as the Padawan jogged to first base; it was Mace Windu's third walk in a row. There was a break in the action as Anakin ran out to the pitcher's mound.
"The Butterflies' catcher has called for a time out," Padmé announced. "Isn't he gorgeous, by the way? Well, you can't tell with the mask, of course, but trust me."
Down on the field, Anakin was venting his frustration with Mace. "Would you please stop aiming for my head?" he asked.
Mace's eyes widened in feigned innocence. "I wasn't-"
"Yeah, you were," Anakin interrupted. "And if you don't knock it off, we're going to get beat by a bunch of freakin' twelve-year-olds."
"Which would be a small price to pay for sending you to the hospital with a softball-sized lump on your head," replied Mace, dropping his innocent act.
Anakin decided that it was time to resort to threats and intimidation. "If you hit my head with that softball," he hissed menacingly, "I swear, I will break every bone in your body. Twice," he added for effect.
Mace swallowed hard; obviously, Anakin had made him uncomfortable. "Alrighty, then," he said nervously.
"Now, would you please just throw some strikes?" suggested Anakin, resuming his position behind the plate.
The next batter stepped into the box, and Mace released a pitch.
"Strike one!" the umpire yelled, and the crowd went wild.
Three strike-outs later, the Masters were up to bat.
"Well, it's the bottom of the first," Padmé's voice came over the loudspeakers, "and amazingly, not one of the Padawan Pulverizers was able to make contact with a pitch. We can only hope that the Butterflies-" here she snickered in spite of herself- "have better luck. Oh, would you hush for one second?" said Padmé as the twins began to cry. She stuck a bottle in each of their mouths and pressed on. "First up for the Butterflies is Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi. Yes, folks, that is his real name."
Obi-Wan stepped up to the plate as the other Masters cheered him on from the bench.
"You're the one, Obi-Wan, you're the one!" they chanted.
Obi-Wan made two unsuccessful attempts at bunting, but connected on his third attempt. Unfortunately, thanks to the pitcher's lightning-quick reflexes, Obi-Wan was thrown out at first base.
"Better luck next time, Obi-Wan," announced Padmé. "Maybe you would have made it if you spent more time practicing your softball skills instead of flirting with married women."
Obi-Wan hung his head in shame and embarrassment as he trudged back to the dugout.
"Next up is Jedi Master Anakin Skywalker," Padmé's running commentary continued. "What a stud! You'd better back up, outfielders..."
Sure enough, Anakin blasted the first pitch into deep left field. The left-fielder hustled to get underneath the ball, and would have caught it easily if the ball had kept falling. Instead, it came to an abrupt halt, floating in the air just out of the Padawan's reach. Anakin bolted for first, and when the left-fielder took his eye off the ball for a moment, it dropped to the ground right in front of him. Anakin managed to stretch the hit into a double.
"Good one, honey!" Padmé exclaimed over the loudspeakers. There were cried of protest and Force abuse from both the audience and the Padawans, but play continued.
Mace Windu was up to bat next; he hit a line drive that would have taken out the pitcher or Anakin if one of them hadn't had Jedi reflexes. Both managed to dodge the ball, which rolled harmlessly into the outfield grass. It was a solid base hit, and Anakin advanced to third.
"Batting clean-up for the Butterflies, Master Yoda," Padmé announced.
Yoda shuffled up to the plate and gripped his miniature bat firmly, looking the pitcher square in the eye. A few spectators chuckled, but they were quickly hushed by more knowledgeable fans. The first pitch sailed at least a foot over Yoda's head.
"Ball one!" shouted the umpire.
The pitcher took a deep breath and released a pitch. This one hit the ground halfway to home and simply rolled across the plate for another ball.
"Something I can hit, give me," Yoda taunted the frustrated Padawan.
"I'm trying!" the boy replied.
"Do or do not," Yoda admonished, "there is no try."
The next pitch was perfect. Yoda swung with all his might and connected solidly. The crowd watched in amazement as the ball soared through the air and over the fence.
"Going, going, gone!" announced Padmé. "Home run!"
The Padawans were frozen in shock and disbelief. The entire Masters' team ran out to home plate to congratulate Yoda when he finished rounding the bases, while the crowd roared appreciatively.
The rest of the game was fairly uneventful, apart from Anakin charging the mound when he was hit by a pitch in the bottom of the third inning and a seemingly gravity-defying catch by Yoda at the top of the seventh. The final score was 17-3 in favor of the Masters.
When it was over, Padmé went back down to the locker room to meet Anakin.
"Congratulations, darling!" she exclaimed as Anakin emerged, freshly showered and changed.
"You too," replied Anakin, wrapping his arms around her.
"Yeah, I'm thinking about becoming a sports announcer," Padmé told him.
"Really?" asked Anakin in surprise.
Padmé laughed. He could be so gullible sometimes...
"No," she assured him, leaning in for a kiss.
The locker room door swung open, and Obi-Wan came out.
"Honestly!" he exclaimed upon seeing Anakin and Padmé all over each other yet again. "Do you guys ever do anything else?"
"Dude, what do you want?" asked Anakin in irritation.
"We're having a party tonight to celebrate the win. Are you in?"
"Wouldn't miss it," Anakin confirmed.
"Padmé?" wondered Obi-Wan.
Padmé sighed. "It seems like you Jedi have a party every night."
"That's the general concept," Obi-Wan agreed.
Padmé suddenly realized that she couldn't remember the last time she had let her hair down. Perhaps it would be fun to just relax and cut loose for once...
"Oh, sure," she said. "Why not?"
Dear friends and loyal readers, thank you for your patience! I would be lost without you... Man, it's been forever! I will hopefully have another chapter ready to go tomorrow or early Monday; the long dry spell is over! Yes, I did read Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince in one night; yes, it was awesome; yes, I am operating on about two hours of sleep right now. Woo-hoo! Thank you, everyone, for your reviews, and please keep sending them in. Thanks! -Luna