Six Months Later…
"I double checked with the caterer again," Padme said, her eyes pouring over the binder of wedding stuff that she'd set on their picnic blanket. She lay on her stomach, leaning on her elbows, dressed in denim shorts and a t-shirt and flip-flops, enjoying the feel of the early summer sun on her back. Next to her, on his back, wearing khaki shorts, a navy blue polo shirt and canvas deck shoes, with one arm resting across his eyes to block out the sun, lay Anakin, her husband in her previous life, soon to be her husband in this life.
Tomorrow, to be exact.
Tomorrow, as the sun set over the sea, she and Anakin would finally have the wedding they had always dreamed about. It was well planned out—Padme had made sure of that. She had poured over every little detail with the help of her mother and sister and had organized each detail into the binder she now sat over. It all seemed so simple on paper, but Padme just had a feeling something would somehow 'go wrong.'
Although, in the end, what really mattered most was that she was going to be with Anakin, forever this time. They would seal their union again, this time in front of their loved ones…and a bunch of other random people their parents had invited. That was actually the part that stressed Padme out the most, since many of these people were the political gurus she had always admired from afar. Her parents, who did have relationships with them, invited them because they were ecstatic to share their daughter's happy day with apparently the entire country…or at least with the entire State of California.
"Let me guess," Anakin said, and she could hear that he was trying to restrain his laughter. He had always loved teasing her in their old galaxy whenever she got worked up about hosting a social event, and now was no exception. "There was an awful fire and all of the food got ruined so our guests will have to starve."
"You guessed it." She rolled her eyes, glancing over to check on Ryoo and Pooja who were still playing gleefully a few yards away in the grass with a now fully grown Jedi and Artoo. "In all seriousness, they have everything good to go, and they should be there on schedule."
"Sweetheart, isn't it Mindy's job to worry about that?" Anakin asked, removing his arm from his eyes and rolling to his side so that he could look at her, propping his head on his hand. His other arm now snaked around her waist, his fingers sliding up under the hem of her shirt to caress her skin, drawing her closer to him. Her skin jolted with electricity whenever he touched her, and her breathing hitched. Anakin continued on, completely oblivious (for the moment) of what his touch was doing to her. "You and I aren't even going to be at the reception location when they're setting up, Angel. We have bigger things to worry about at that moment...like preparing to say our vows." He arched his eyebrows at her.
"I know," she said with a sigh, "But, this is Mindy we're talking about." Padme gave him a pointed look, and he relented, nodding his head.
"Okay. I see your point." He pulled her even closer, nuzzling his face into her neck, flicking his tongue out to trace the shell of her ear, and sending shivers down her spine. She had to resist the urge to pull the picnic blanket over them so that she could have her way with him…that would not be good to do, however, when her nieces were playing just feet away from them with the dog and the droid. Her sister would rightfully murder her. So, to distract herself from the sensations he was rousing within her, she thought back over the last six months and all that had happened.
First, she had fully recovered from all of her injuries, and thanks to Vokara's continued Force treatments and the rigorous physical therapy she had undertaken, she had regained full use and strength of her left arm. And, true to her word, Mindy had moved out into her own apartment at the beginning of the last semester, leaving Anakin and Padme alone in the house with Jedi and Artoo. Padme did somewhat miss being surrounded by the bubbly personality of her best friend, but like Anakin, who was completely happy that she had moved out, Padme very much enjoyed finally having a home with Anakin all to themselves. As a surprise early wedding gift, Padme had put the house in his name, too, which had been a pretty big moment for her husband, as he had never owned his own home before, and they had certainly never technically owned a home together. In their old galaxy, they had lived in her apartment. So, Anakin was really excited to now actually own a home himself. And, they had certainly made the home uniquely theirs, in every sense of the word, redecorating here and there to incorporate a blend of both their styles, instead of it just being all hers.
And, Padme had enjoyed watching Anakin learn to do household maintenance chores, like mowing the grass. They had gone to Home Depot and purchased a new mower together, and he had tinkered with it so he could work it remotely. It also amused her highly to watch him using the Force to do yard work or other chores around the house when he thought she wasn't looking. And, in an effort to make up to their neighbors for their rather raucous Halloween party last fall, they had hosted a barbecue for their neighbors on Memorial Day, which had gone a long way toward smoothing things over with the elderly couple who lived right next door especially, and Anakin had, like most everything he did (well, aside from making S'mores), quickly mastered cooking on their new outdoor gas grill just for the occasion, having taken 'lessons' from both her father and her brother-in-law on how to use one.
"Ani," Padme groaned softly, her eyes fluttering closed. "Wait until tomorrow night, Honey."
"Why?" His lips were at her ear, nibbling gently on her earlobe, his breath warm against her neck. He planted a whisper of a kiss on the sensitive spot just below her ear, moaning softly deep in his throat and...she forced herself to pull away, shooting him a wry look.
"First of all, we're in public."
"We're in a largely empty park, Angel." He pointed out amusingly, eyes dancing with mischief...and want.
"Yes, but, we're technically watching Ryoo and Pooja." Padme motioned towards the girls who were now trying to wrestle a Frisbee from Jedi's jaws. Artoo was also attempting to help pull the Frisbee away from the dog using his grappling hook, but it only seemed to make the dog clamp its jaws around the toy harder.
"Ahhh, they aren't paying attention." Again, Anakin's lips fastened on her neck, beginning to trail wet kisses ever lower…
"And, now you're just doing it to make me squirm." She said breathlessly, eyeing him with wry amusement.
"Of course not, Angel. I love you." She pulled away and gave him a skeptical look, and after a moment a little bit of guilt filled his twinkling blue eyes. "Okay. Maybe just a little bit…" He smirked.
She couldn't help but laugh and shake her head at him, and, her wedding binder momentarily forgotten, she sat up and then pushed him back onto his back, leaning down and kissing him deeply, her newly cut, mid-length, straightened hair hiding their kiss from view. He kissed her back wantonly, groaning, his hands going about her waist holding her against his chest…
She pulled away, breathing hard, brushing her hair out of her face. "Seriously, Ani. At least wait until we get back to the house."
"I would, except the house is so crazy right now...We've not had any privacy for almost 2 weeks, Angel," Anakin grumbled in frustration, running his hand through his hair, but nevertheless, he didn't try to tempt her further. "It's so claustrophobic at home right now."
Sure enough, he was right. Both sides of their family were in town for the wedding, and although her family had hotels to stay in, they had invited Shmi and Cliegg to stay at their house, as well as Owen and Beru and little Kylee, as they did not have quite as much money as Padme's family did. So, their house was rather crowded at the moment, and it was kind of crazy.
And, really, the entire last six months since Christmas had been almost a blur for them both between their Spring semester classes, her rehab for her arm, all the work Anakin and Obi-Wan were putting into their new company, plus all the planning for the wedding. They had hired a wedding coordinator to help, but Anakin was still shocked at how much was involved in planning a wedding, with all the decisions to be made on color schemes, flowers, food, music, guest lists, seating charts, and hall rentals. Honestly, it made his head swim, and he was both thankful and grateful that Jobal and Sola were helping. At times, he privately missed the simplicity of their first wedding all those years ago, but he wasn't about to tell Padme that. No, he wanted her to have the dream wedding she deserved.
So, he kept his mouth shut, stayed out of the way, and basically just let the ladies handle it.
And, they had certainly had a hectic last 2 weeks what with their engagement party, her bridal shower (which Mindy had refused to let him crash, much to his annoyance), the wedding rehearsal and rehearsal dinner, plus packing for their honeymoon (along with having a house full of guests). Amidst all the activity, Anakin had groaned because he'd hoped to turn Mindy's old room into his office so that he could move all the various droid supplies and drawing plans that had cluttered the garage into his new 'office' space, which currently made parking in the garage impossible (much to Padme's annoyance). And, with the international hunt for Palpatine still ongoing, Anakin wasn't happy about having to leave their new SUV (which they both had grown to love) parked in the driveway, especially at night. It was too easy a target for one of Palpatine's goons to mess with. So, in the interim, Anakin had rigged up a multi-camera surveillance system around the outside perimeter of the house which he could access remotely 24/7 from anywhere on either his laptop or his cellphone.
However, until the wedding was over and they were back from their honeymoon, he wasn't going to be able to set up his office, and so, currently both of their extra bedrooms were being used by his family. Even though months had gone by since their loss and the trauma from it had calmed some, that did not mean that little Kylee, who was now six months old and teething, was not a handful, and her crying spells in the middle of the night had driven Padme's light-sleeper husband up a wall. She had pointed out to him that all babies did that, which had prompted a horrified look and a "They do?!" response from him.
Apparently, Sith Lords did not hang out around too many babies.
So, the trip to the park was a chance for not only her nieces to take a break from the craziness that was the wedding, but also themselves.
"Well. Tomorrow, we aren't even going back to the house once we leave for the wedding, and we're going straight to the hotel after the reception for our wedding night," she rolled her eyes at the darkly suggestive laughter from him at the mention of that, "and then the day after that, it's off to Europe for a month!" The mention of Europe made her smile widely, as it always did. She had been to Europe a few times growing up, and she and Mindy had recently gone skiing in Switzerland in their junior year at Stanford during the Christmas break, and going there now with Anakin to show him more of the world she'd grown up in excited her. "You're going to love it, Honey! If I had to bet, I'd say that Italy will be your favorite. Especially Tuscany!" Her eyes sparkled with excitement. Anakin loved Italian food, Tuscan cuisine specifically.
"I don't know," Anakin mused, "I did some reading on Paris. With the bloody revolution that happened there, I think I'll enjoy that location the most." He grinned to show he was teasing, and she rolled her eyes. Men. Anakin may not be a Sith Lord anymore, but he was still very much a warrior at heart. He had recently started reading up on the various wars, conquests, and battles in world history. He was a quick study, and Mindy had an endless supply of history books to choose from; so, it was not uncommon for Padme to trip over a fairly large book on the Crusades or something else history related on her way to the bathroom in the middle of the night.
"Paris, huh? Well, it is the city of love," she purred suggestively, giving him a smirk, which caused his eyes to suddenly darken with desire.
"Really? Then, I'm sure it's going to be my favorite," he whispered huskily before pulling her in in for another deep kiss, his hands reaching up to tangle in her new shorter hairstyle.
Her cell phone suddenly beeped a reminder for tonight's bachelorette party, pinging it across her screen. She groaned, pulling away. "Ani, we need to get going. I have to start getting ready for my bachelorette party Mindy's throwing."
"You know that's going to be a wild party, right?" Anakin asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I made her promise it wouldn't be too wild." Padme said, but even she didn't believe her own words. Mindy had said that about most of the parties she'd ever thrown, and every time the party had been wild. Mindy's version of 'not wild' was definitely not most people's version of 'not wild.' And, that being the case, Padme didn't want to know what Mindy actually considered to be a 'wild party.'
"Right…well, I made it very clear to her that she wasn't to even think about bringing any male strippers tonight." Anakin told her sternly, moving to sit up and faced her with just a hint of jealousy glinting in his eyes. "I don't want you watching other guys taking their clothes off, Angel. Nope. NOT happening." Anakin shook his head and set his jaw and gave her a pointed look.
Padme groaned again and covered her face with her hands before raking them through her hair. "Don't give her ideas. Ugh...You just gave her ideas."
"It better not have," he said grimly, "If there are strippers, I don't care if you don't want to hurt her feelings, you leave. Understand me?!" Anakin was dead serious now, that possessive gleam in his eye, and she had a feeling that he had very clearly told Mindy that it was not acceptable in the clearest way that he knew how without trespassing into Sith territory.
Suddenly amused at his jealousy, she replied, "Oh, okay-y...but...y'know, strippers might be kinda fun..." She sighed dramatically with a roll of her eyes. When he growled at her with a scowl on his face, she laughed, quirked an eyebrow and said, "Okay, okay. And, what if I still feel uncomfortable anyway with whatever else she has planned?"
Anakin frowned, thinking. "Well…you could text me a code word, and I'll come over to get you and make up some Jedi emergency that I absolutely need you there for, and I'll come and take you home."
"But, you have your own bachelor party tonight. Remember? You can't just leave." Padme pointed out the obvious.
"Yes, I can. I'm not going to leave my Angel to be surrounded by Mindy's wild shenanigans all night long when she doesn't want to be. If I do that, then you don't have to hurt Mindy's feelings if you leave." Padme wasn't sure Mindy wouldn't take offense even if there was a genuine emergency, but she also didn't feel like going to a wild party the night before her wedding either.
"Okay," Padme agreed, "But, if Mindy turns her wrath on you…"
"Somehow," Anakin said, rolling his eyes, "I think I'll survive."
"Ok. Fine...oh, and by the way, Sweetie...I better not find out you've had any female strippers at your party tonight. I don't want you watching other women taking their clothes off, either." She shot him her best no nonsense glare, her eyes narrowed. "If I can't, you can't."
Anakin smirked, amused at feeling her jealousy so strongly in the Force. "Angel, there won't be, I promise," he assured her with a grin before leaning in for another kiss.
She returned his kiss, but then pulled back with a pointed look. "Alright, but remember...If there are any strippers at your party, you will be in for a very...lonely...wedding night, my Love."
"Well, I can't have that, now can I?" he said on an amused whisper before stealing another kiss.
Padme sat blindfolded in the limo Mindy had rented, a champagne glass in her hand, hoping that none of her friends would accidentally knock against her and spill the liquid all over her dark blue jeans, white tank top, and black cardigan. She carefully drained it just in case, wincing as the bubbly liquid raced down her throat and tickled the back of her nose.
"Do you want more, Padme?" Satine asked from somewhere off to her left.
"No, no thank you. I'm dizzy enough as it is with the car turning left and right and not being able to see and all. I don't really need to get tipsy at the same time."
"Well, get prepared to get more than just tipsy, my dearest friend," Mindy practically sang from directly next to her. She had refused to tell Padme what they were doing, and Padme had lost count of the turns the limo had made almost as soon as they'd left their neighborhood. More and more, her suspicions were increasing, and she had a feeling she would be texting Anakin their 'code word' immediately upon arrival of...wherever it was they were taking her. "It's just too bad that we couldn't go to the club we used to hang out in…" Mindy huffed.
"Oh, not that again," Ahsoka muttered under her breath, reading Padme's mind. Obi-Wan had told her what had happened at the club just after Anakin had arrived in this world.
"Oh hush, Mindy! There are lots of other fun places to go to around town. We'll have fun," Padme heard Satine's voice say from her left.
"Why can't we go to that particular club?" Sola began to ask, but this time Padme was quick to shoot the question down.
"It's not that we can't. We just aren't. It's just lame. Right, Mindy?" Padme's voice was cheerful, but Mindy took the hint. Padme did not want to explain to her family about the incident at the club shortly after Anakin had arrived in this world. Padme hadn't known it then, but Anakin was still very much struggling with his identity at that point after years of being a ruthless Sith Lord. Without explaining that fact to Sola, her sister would not understand, and Padme did not want to have the conversation about whether or not she was sure if she really wanted to marry someone with anger management issues. Sola just wouldn't understand…and Padme wasn't even sure that she would understand even if Padme told her the whole story.
"Yeah," Mindy grumbled, "Lame."
"We're still going to have a good time anyway. So, don't worry about it, Mindy," Beru piped up from somewhere across from Padme. To enable Beru and Sola to be able to come tonight, with their respective husbands out with Anakin, Shmi had volunteered to watch Kylee at Padme and Anakin's house, and Jobal was watching Ryoo and Pooja at the Amidala's house.
Finally the limo slowed and pulled over to a stop, and even from within the car, Padme could hear loud music and voices of already drunk patrons going to and from wherever it was that they were going. "We're here!" Mindy gushed, and Padme heard the car door open before she felt hands gently guiding her out of the car and out into the warm night air.
Padme took a wiff, trying to determine where they were by smell. She could smell the salty brine of the ocean (but that wasn't surprising: It wasn't often that you couldn't smell the ocean in this area)...but was that the smell of grilled beef? And, of course, the smell of alcohol was heavily pungent. "Mindy...," Padme began, but before she could continue, the blindfold was pulled off.
"Ta-da!" Ahsoka proudly announced, raising a hand to show off the building they were standing in front of.
Padme blinked rapidly to adjust her eyesight and comprehend what it was she was standing in front of. It looked to be a large country western dance hall, but she could also clearly smell food, too. She squinted at the lit up letters up above, confirming that it was indeed a bar and grill, similar to a Coyote Ugly. Even early in the night, scantily dressed "cowgirls" were heading in and out, laughing as they met up with their guy friends. "We're going to a country western bar?" Padme asked, a look of shocked surprise on her face. She had figured Mindy would take her somewhere with alcohol, but she didn't think she would take her to a country place. Country…was not Mindy's scene.
"Yeah," Sola grinned, "We figured that since you're marrying an Idahoan…"
"...And, since your fiancé rudely made me promise not to get strippers...," Mindy rolled her eyes and snorted.
"…We should take you somewhere that kind of fits the lifestyle of an Idahoan!" Beru grinned.
"Just wait. I still think you'll end up moving up there," Sola said.
"Not a chance," Padme grumbled, making Satine laugh.
"But, sadly, no cowboy strippers." Mindy scowled. Whatever Anakin did to threaten Mindy, it must have been good, since it worked. Padme made a mental note to ask him about it later.
"Somehow, I doubt Padme is missing much." Satine rolled her eyes. "And, maybe I should have asked this before, but how exactly are you planning on getting in there, Ahsoka? Aren't you eighteen?"
"Shh!" Ahsoka hissed, shooting Satine a dirty look before arching her eyebrows. "I have my ways."
"By which you mean a fake ID, right?" Sola raised her eyebrows and smirked, but she didn't protest further. Good thing, too, because Padme happened to know that Sola hadn't exactly been innocent of that in her own younger days.
"I will neither confirm nor deny anything. I plead the Fifth in the presence of a lawyer and a lawyer-in-training." With that said, Ahsoka turned her full attention back to Padme, holding her hand out. "Cell phone. Now."
"What?" Padme asked, frowning. "Why?"
"Because, I know you, and I know Anakin. I'm not going to have you texting Anakin and then he mysteriously shows up with an excuse to carry you off." Padme opened her mouth to deny it, but that instantly earned her a "don't even try it" look from Ahsoka.
"It's your last night being single," Satine added with a feral grin, "Come on! One last hurrah before you go play boring housewife."
"I will not be a boring housewife." Padme protested.
"No, but you will be a housewife," Mindy pointed out, "Well, sorta...Or…enough of one."
"You get the point that we're trying to make," Sola added, "Seriously little sis, you need to take this night and just…let go. Trust me, being married is wonderful and fun, but there's also a lot of work involved in marriage that keeps you from going out with your girlfriends all the time. Right, Beru?"
"Yep! Sola is right, Padme. Marriage does take work, even when you're madly in love. So, just this once, you need to let it all go and kick up your heels like a real Idahoan!," Beru chimed in.
Padme sighed, giving in and handing her phone over, her heart sinking as she did so. She wanted to argue and point out that, technically, to her mind, she hadn't been single in a very long time, and even when she was, she was so much happier now that she had her soulmate back.
But, she didn't.
Instead, she squared her shoulders and followed her friends and bridesmaids into the dimly lit, music blaring, laughter filled, smoky hazed, tightly packed western bar.
Anakin, meanwhile, was unknowingly having a completely opposite experience than his wife. His groomsmen, Obi-Wan (the best man, naturally), Darred, and Owen, plus his father-in-law, Ruwee, and his stepfather, Cliegg, had all gone out to Red Robin to have an enjoyable, quiet dinner. Anakin had driven himself, Obi-Wan, Cliegg, and Owen in the SUV, and Ruwee had driven himself and Darred there.
And, quiet it was, which was exactly how Anakin preferred it. He had told Obi-Wan that's what he wanted, and Obi-Wan had delivered, picking a restaurant that had food that every man there enjoyed (including bacon cheeseburgers, much to Anakin's delight), and a good variety of drinks. It was laid back, and Anakin felt relaxed as he talked with the family he hadn't gotten to know very well in his galaxy, finding that he liked them much more than he used to, and looking forward to the relationship he could have with them now.
The men had ordered a round of beers with their meal, and they had all laughed at the various marital "tales of woe," that Ruwee, Cliegg, Owen, and Darred had regaled them with. Anakin smirked, realizing he had a few husbandly tales of his own he could impart to their conversation, but didn't dare because Obi-Wan was the only one who could appreciate them. Still, hearing his family members going on and on about various amusing incidents that had occurred with their wives throughout their respective marriages had them all laughing uproariously, and it was just the thing Anakin needed to relieve the remaining stress he felt in the leadup to the wedding tomorrow.
"So, you already have investors lined up?" Darred asked, changing the conversation topic while taking a sip of his beer.
"Yes," Obi-Wan replied, even though technically the question was directed at Anakin. He didn't mind though—Obi-Wan was the one handling all of that aspect of their business anyway. Anakin just sat in his garage or the workshop at school and designed different droids for the company. "We've just settled, and we hope to be fully running with our first factory by the end of the year. We're planning on interviewing potential employees when Anakin gets back from his honeymoon."
Anakin refrained from scowling—he hated interviews. He always had. Occasionally, he'd had to interview men for various high ranking positions on the Executor or other areas of the Imperial Fleet, and he'd hated it. It was dull, tedious, and boring, even if it was necessary. He certainly wasn't looking forward to interviewing people when he got back.
"I have to admit, that's pretty impressive," Owen said, the first indication that he thought anything Anakin was doing was impressive. Owen made it clear that he thought Anakin should be closer to home to help with the ranch. When he had arrived with his family, Anakin had sucked up whatever resentful feelings he had towards Owen over how he'd raised Luke and tried to show his stepbrother everything he could to make him feel at home in the big city, but Owen just didn't seem impressed by any of it. He'd sort of treated Artoo like an abomination and avoided the droid whenever he could. Given that this was the first praise he'd ever heard Owen speak, he couldn't help but soften up just a little bit.
"Thanks, Owen," Anakin said with a small smile, "We're both very excited to see where the company goes."
Owen smiled back, just a little, one of the few smiles Anakin had seen on his brother's face. "I may not agree with everything you do out here, but I'm proud that you're successful, and you're going to be able to support your family."
Jeez, Anakin wondered, where had this Owen been his whole life? Then again, maybe this Owen had been there for this world's Anakin, and he just hadn't seen it since arriving here. Anakin's smile broadened. "That means a lot. Thank you."
Owen nodded. "Anytime, brother."
It was strange to be called 'brother' by anyone other than Ahsoka or Obi-Wan, but…it was a good strange.
"Hey, speaking of your new and upcoming family," Cliegg said, "Where exactly are the girls taking your bride tonight?"
Anakin shrugged, quickly glancing down at his phone to double check that Padme hadn't texted him. So far, no texts. That was a good sign. Perhaps Mindy had actually listened to him this time, and they were having a quiet evening like the guys were. "No idea," he continued with a shake of his head. "Mindy wouldn't tell Padme, so Padme didn't tell me. I did make Mindy promise not to involve any male strippers though," he added with a growled huff as he took a swig of his beer.
Darred, who had also begun to take another swig of beer, suddenly choked, slamming his glass down on the table as he tried to get control of his breathing again. All of the men at the table turned to him and frowned, watching him as he took several deep breaths to clear his throat. "I'm sorry," Darred wheezed in response to the strange looks they were giving him, "Swallowed wrong. It went down the wrong pipe."
"Are you sure about that, Darred?" Obi-Wan asked, his eyes narrowed and a dangerous edge suddenly in his voice. Anakin looked over at his best man and almost asked why Obi-Wan was getting involved, but then he remembered…Satine was with the girls. If Padme was subjected to something, Satine was going to be as well.
"Yeah, it's fine...it's just…oh, nothing," Darred flushed red and cleared his throat, darting a nervous glance at Anakin and then quickly looked back down at his beer.
Anakin frowned and exchanged a knowing look with Obi-Wan. They had both feltDarred's spike of nervousness in the Force. He was hiding something. Anakin just knew it.
"Darred? Do you know where the girls are taking Padme tonight?" Anakin asked, his eyes narrowed. His brother-in-law stammered and turned even redder in the face.
"Well...uh...you know...I can't really say. I mean...I promised Sola that I wouldn't say anything…"
Oh, FORCE!
Immediately, every possible horrible situation that could occur flashed through Anakin's mind. What if Mindy had ignored him and brought strippers anyway?! And, what if those strippers did things to Padme...things that onlyhewas allowed to do?! What if the party was just plain wild out in the middle of nowhere, and Padme was stuck without reception and couldn't get ahold of him?
He had to check. He had to know that Padme was safe. Already he was pulling his phone out, dialing Padme's number. It went straight to voicemail.
Not good.
He tried Mindy's number. Voicemail.
Sola's. Voicemail.
Satine's. Voicemail.
Beru's. Voicemail.
Kriff!
Obi-Wan was trying their numbers also, and he had no luck either. By the end of it, Anakin was about to explode with anxiety. He had no idea where she was. No clue whatsoever. If something happened, he would have no way to get to her, to help her and, Force forbid, if Palpatine were to send one of his minions after her…He looked at Obi-Wan, whose own face was suddenly stern.
What if Palpatine...Their Force thoughts echoed each other's, and they both grimaced.
"I'm sure they're fine, Anakin," Ruwee was saying in an attempt to calm down his son-in-law, as the waiter refilled their drinks, "It's just for one night. They're big girls. If Padme doesn't like something, she can take care of herself."
Of course, he knew that, but, now that Anakin had thought of Palpatine, he couldn't calm down. He should have forced Mindy to at least give him their location…not because he wanted to stalk them and be the overbearing husband, but because Padme could legitimately not be safe, and he wouldn't be able to do anything about it. Yes, technically, she had Ahsoka with her, but he doubted Ahsoka had…Wait a minute.
Ahsoka.
He immediately flipped to her contact, and before he pressed the call button, he saw her signed into Skype. He pressed the Skype option, hoping and praying that she would pick up, and he would not only hear that they were safe, but actually see it for himself. He clenched his jaw and waited.
For a while, the call continued to ring, until he was sure that she wouldn't pick up. Right before he was about to give up and call her by phone, however, the line picked up, and his screen flashed with Ahsoka's face. She was in a darkened room. Her braids were a little messed up, and her eyeliner was running a little, but she smiled when she saw his face. "Heeeeey, Skyguy!" She greeted, her words slurring a little. He felt Obi-Wan lean over to look at the screen, too. "And, Ben, heeeeey!"
"Ahsoka," Obi-Wan said, his voice holding that tone that just screamed that he would be giving her a lecture later. Anakin knew that tone all too well. "Are you drunk?"
"What?" Ahsoka scoffed, "Noooo, why would you think that?" She hiccuped.
"Because, you're clearly not yourself." Obi-Wan pointed out, his eyebrows arching.
"Pssh. Whatever! It's a party! I'll do what I want. You're not my dad, Ben."
Anakin hissed in frustration. "Snips, we'll talk about that later. Just…" he hadn't failed to notice the raucous laughter or the loud, blaring music in the background...even though it didn't sound like the usual club music he was accustomed to hearing when he went out with the girls. It was hard to tell though through the phone what kind of music it was. "Look, Snips. I need to know…what are you girls doing? Are you safe?"
"Of course, we're safe, Skyguy!" Ahsoka rolled her eyes, "And, you know...I have a lightsaber if it isn't…" Anakin quickly glanced at the rest of the men, who were busy trying to listen in without making it obvious they were listening in, but by the puzzled expressions on their faces, they had overheard the lightsaber comment and weren't sure what to make of it.
He had to change the subject fast.
"Okay, okay, but what are you girls actually doing?" His fingers gripped the cell phone like a vice, and he struggled not to start yelling and demanding that Ahsoka tell him immediately.
"Ohhhhh, we're at a parrrrr-taaaay," Ahsoka grinned, "A secret party! It's none of your concern. So, shoo. Go away." She made a waving off motion with her hand at the phone.
"Why isn't Padme answering her phone, Snips?" Anakin continued to demand, his concern growing by leaps and bounds.
Ahsoka rolled her eyes. "Y'knoooow, I just knew you would do this. Ihave her phone, Anakin, and it's off so that she can't try to escape with you. Don't worry so much, Skyguy. Just chill out, OK?"
"I have lots of reasons to worry, reasons that you know very well," Anakin ground out through clenched teeth, his eyes narrowed, "Just tell me: What are you girls doing?! WHAT IS PADME DOING?!"
This time, Ahsoka didn't get to answer. Another face suddenly appeared upside down on the screen staring at him and Obi-Wan. Mindy. Perfect. And, she was clearly way more into her drinks than Ahsoka….not that that was a surprise. "Oh, Looky, looky! If it isn't the allllll powerful, scary Jedi!" She crowed, giggling at her own joke, and Anakin resisted the urge to start banging his head on the table.
"MINDY…" he started to say, but she cut him off.
"HEY! You said no strippers, and I don't have any sexy cowboy strippers...unfortunately…but you didn't say anything about a mechanical bull!" The last part she spoke in a tipsy sing-song voice before cackling with glee.
Mechanical bull? He frowned. What was that?
He was about to ask, but Mindy suddenly disappeared from view. Ahsoka lifted her head to look at Mindy, as Anakin heard Mindy's voice trailing off, "Can you believe those guys knew Padme and Satine from Hooters?! That's so…"
Next, Beru's voice (though they couldn't see her on the screen) could be heard, a little closer to Ahsoka but still moving away with Mindy. "Oh, I know! Did you see Padme's face when that one guy grabbed her b-..."
Ahsoka dropped the phone a little so that Anakin and Obi-Wan had more of a view of her nostrils and the darkened ceiling above. They could tell that, wherever they were, the place was packed with people. More shouts of hysterical laughter could suddenly be heard in the background, and the music inexplicably seemed to increase in volume, if that was even possible.
"Hey! Don't tell Anakin about that! Or Ben, either! They wouldn't like to know that those fellas were trying to..." she was yelling after Mindy and Beru, obviously forgetting for a moment that she was still connected to Anakin's phone on the Skype call, but there was another loud yell of some sort in the background that drowned out the rest of what Ahsoka was saying, as she dropped her phone again, holding it down by her hip this time so they had a darkened view of lots of legs and the floor.
"Hey, wait a minute! Hooters?! Hold on…" Obi-Wan began, the anger registering in his voice matched Anakin's own, but Ahsoka cut him off.
"Hey, we gotta go here, Skyguy," Ahsoka said with wicked glee, as she brought the phone back up to her face. "We'll see you guys tomorrow!"
"NO, Ahsoka!…"
Click.
It was too late. The line went black.
Anakin stared at his cell phone for a silent, awkward minute, as if Ahsoka would magically reappear and tell him every detail of what was going on at that party. When she didn't reappear, Anakin slowly looked back up at the other men who were awkwardly looking into their glasses as if they hadn't listened in on his entire conversation, but it was painfully obvious they'd heard every word.
Anakin and Obi-Wan slowly turned to look at each other, their mouths pinched into a flat line and fury etched on every line of their faces.
"We need to go." Anakin said, his voice quiet and lethal. Obi-Wan nodded in grim agreement, a stony look on his face. Standing abruptly, Anakin was suddenly consumed with the need to go and make sure that Padme was okay...and to get her and drag her butt home.
Enough was enough of Mindy's 'wild party,' he decided firmly.
"Darred, you're taking us."
"Wait, what?! But…" Darred began, but Obi-Wan cut him off.
"This time I have to agree with Anakin," Obi-Wan stood as well. "I think, with all of the trouble our girls have gotten into in the last year, we should at least check in on them." Anakin wasn't fooled in the least—if the girls had run into yet more Hooters acquaintances (this time male ones at that!) neither Anakin nor Obi-Wan wanted to even think about the possible consequences.
"You might as well give it up, Darred," Owen said with an amused roll of his eyes, as he, too, stood up from the table. "Anakin isn't going to drop it until he makes sure there really aren't any strippers anywhere near Padme and that the girls are all fine. Trust me," Owen shook his head, as Cliegg nodded his, "Once something is in his head, he won't let it go until it's over and done with."
Darred hesitated for a moment, looking first at his father-in-law's amused expression and then to Anakin and Obi-Wan's stony ones, before he finally gave in with a nod. "Ok. Fine. But, if Sola gets mad at me, I'm going to claim that you dragged me out at gunpoint."
"She won't believe it, but you can try." Obi-Wan said before turning to a very amused Cliegg and Ruwee who still sat and calmly sipped at their drinks. "Are you two coming?"
"Nahhh," Ruwee said with a chuckle, "We're too old to be chasing after those girls through a club scene. You boys go on ahead. We'll finish up here, pay, and see you in the morning." Ruwee and Cliegg looked like they were having to fight to keep from breaking out into full blown laughter, both of them just shaking their heads.
Still, a grim Anakin threw his father-in-law a grateful look just the same before grabbing the keys to his SUV off the table and headed out the door with his groomsmen in tow to go collect his rather...mischievous...bride.
Anakin was almost ready to explode with anxiety by the time they pulled up to the dance hall. Since he had the least amount of alcohol in his system, he took it upon himself to drive. And, since he was listening to Darred give instructions from the front passenger's seat, he wasn't able to meditate and calm down on the drive over, and therefore, he'd resorted to gripping the steering wheel like his life depended on it. So, when he parked the SUV, let go of the wheel, climbed out of the vehicle, and began storming towards the front doors of the bar, his hands literally ached.
Obi-Wan was right behind him. However, unlike Anakin, Obi-Wan had been able to take the time during the drive to meditate and calm down, and just before Anakin marched inside, he felt his best friend grasp his shoulder, stopping him. "Anakin, wait up," Obi-Wan warned, "We don't know what we're going to find when we go in there. Maybe I should go first…"
"NO." Anakin's answer was firm. "No. I promise, I'm…I'm not angry, just…anxious." He took a few deep breaths, trying to calm himself. "Obi-Wan, I promise I won't do anything irrational."
Obi-Wan stared at his face for a moment, and Anakin knew his friend was searching the Force for a clear answer. Finally, he nodded his head, let go of Anakin and stepped back. "Alright. I'm right behind you," He said as Owen and Darred caught up with them.
Anakin nodded tersely before turning around, pushed the door open, and entered the building.
Immediately, his senses were assaulted with the pungent thick smell of body odor mixed with alcohol and grilled burgers. The dance hall was packed from wall to wall with scantily dressed women in various colors of plaid, denim, and short shorts, and men who wore jeans and the boots and cowboy hat that Obi-Wan had convinced Anakin to wear up in Idaho (an incident that he refused to think about even if this place did remind him of his trip there). Loud music blared over the speakers, but it wasn't the pulsing noise that Mindy frequently enjoyed, but rather it was an upbeat version of the music his stepbrother and stepfather listened to. Anakin suddenly realized he actually kinda liked this music. He certainly liked it better than the stuff Mindy favored.
Looking around, the room was darkened, with the brightest place being, naturally, the bar, but there were colored lights flashing and lighting up various parts of the massive dance floor as well, and scattered about on the walls were big neon signs illuminating the names of several different brands of beer.
Anakin stood there at the door for a moment, scanning the crowd with narrowed eyes, hands clenched into fists, looking for Padme or any other familiar face. He felt Obi-Wan doing the same while Owen and Darred just stood there awkwardly as they waited for Obi-Wan and Anakin to make a move. "Do you see them?" Anakin asked in a tight voice when he didn't see anyone he knew near them.
"No, but…" Obi-Wan was interrupted by a burst of sudden loud cheering coming from the very far back corner of the bar, a corner that, due to the massive amount of people in the place, was hard for Anakin to see. At first, it sounded like just random cheering, but Anakin soon realized that there were words actually being chanted. He began to walk towards the noise, drawn to it, his ears straining to make out the words…
"GO PADME! GO PADME! GO PADME!"
WHAT?!
He began to walk faster, Obi-Wan hot on his heels, pushing between people, earning him some irritated glances and a few Hey, watch it! comments from those he knocked against, but Anakin didn't care. The chanting got louder and louder, and there was also another noise, a mechanical noise, that he couldn't place….
Finally, he and Obi-Wan burst through the crowd, accidentally bumping into Ahsoka as they did so. She turned to apologize but paused when she recognized who it was, frowning. "What on Earth…Anakin?! Ben?! You can't be here!"
Anakin ignored her. His eyes were riveted to the scene before him, frowning as he tried to understand just what was going on.
She was on some sort of mechanical…thing. It looked like it was part of an animal's back, but there wasn't a rest of the animal to go with it. There was no seat, just a small leather rope attached to the front.
Padme sat on top of it, one hand wrapped tightly in the rope, the other hand flung up in the air as the thing she sat on whipped around and around, back and forth and up and down. Her hair had fallen around her face, but he glimpsed a massive feral grin spread on her lips just before it whipped her around, and he could no longer see her face.
"What…" he asked, eyebrows furrowing, "Is that?"
Ahsoka glanced back at the thing. "That? It's a mechanical bull." She shrugged and glanced down at the time on her phone. "Padme's doing pretty good! She's almost been on it for two and a half minutes...at a pretty decent level, too. Impressive." Ahsoka pursed her lips and nodded her head.
As Anakin continued to watch in bewilderment, the thing began to jerk and buck around a little faster, and finally Padme flew off from on top of it and landed flat on her back on the padded surface below. He gasped as he watched her fall, and if it wasn't for the people around him, he would have used the Force to catch her, but instead a huge cheer of "YEAH, PADME!"rose up around him, accompanied by thunderous applause and whistles, from the crowd that had gathered to watch her, reminding him where he was.
He had to be careful.
Still, he was relieved to see that Padme quickly got up, wobbled a little, likely from being dizzy, and smiled and waved for the cheering crowd, seemingly completely at ease. Her hair was now completely tangled, but she didn't seem to care as she picked her way off of the cushioned platform and back onto solid ground.
"Seriously though," Ahsoka snapped, drawing his attention, "You guys aren't supposed to be here. Go, before Padme…"
"Well, well, weeeeeelll..." Mindy's voice drawled, and Anakin immediately whirled around and shot a glare at her. "Looky what we've got here!"
"Mindy," Anakin practically snarled, crossing his arms over his chest and trying to restrain himself. "What have you gotten my wife into this time?"
Mindy just rolled her eyes. "Pfft...It's just a mechanical bull. It's not like I took her sky diving with sharks or something. I mean...Come on! We had to do something else for fun, since you...requested...no strippers." She arched her eyebrows at him, not in the least bit intimidated by the scowl on his face.
"No, but…" He ignored her jab about the strippers and glanced again at the mechanical contraption. Beru was now mounting the bull, and the crowd was beginning to dissipate a little. "That…thing. Is it safe?!"
"You're more likely to get killed in a car accident than seriously injured on a mechanical bull. Calm down, Skyguy." Ahsoka sighed, "And, it looks like it's too late to kick you out now. Look who comes."
Sure enough, Padme was now making her way over to them, her eyes set on Anakin, a confused look on her face. Anakin broke away from the girls to meet her halfway, his gaze roaming over her to make sure that she was in one piece. She looked fine, but…
"What are you doing here, Ani?" She asked, and even though he wanted to grab her hand and pull her out of there, take her home, and never let her go, he couldn't help but soften a little in her presence.
He quickly reached up, his hands running over her arms as he looked her over. "Are you hurt, Angel?" He asked, his voice worried.
She frowned and shook her head. "No, I'm fine. But, I somehow doubt that's why you're here." She glanced behind him. "And, why you brought your entire wedding party with you." Her frown deepened. "Did Obi-Wan bring you here?"
"No," He admitted on a sigh, starting to feel a little foolish now. She wasn't in danger. She wasn't hurt. She didn't even seem drunk. And, as far as he could tell looking around the place, there weren't any strippers. "Darred…made it sound like Mindy was going to do something like bring in strippers, and then when I was panicking over that, I realized that I didn't know where you were, and if Palpatine attacked you, I wouldn't know about it. So, I called all of you and finally got ahold of Ahsoka on Skype. Mindy interrupted our conversation and made it sound like it was a much wilder party than it really is. And, apparently, you ran into some guy from Hooters, and he tried to grab…something." He sighed again as he finished his explanation and ducked his head, looking at his shoes, more than a little embarrassed.
"Not tried. Did."
His head shot up, and he stared at her. "What do you mean?!"
"He didn't try. He did grab something. My butt, specifically," She said wryly, her lips twisting.
Anakin scowled, and he opened his mouth to demand she tell him what happened, but before he could, she continued, "So, you were jealous and decided you had to come find me." Padme raised an eyebrow. It wasn't a question. She already knew the answer.
Anakin sighed, cleared his throat awkwardly and looked down at his feet again. "Yes. But, to be fair, Angel, Obi-Wan was jealous, too." He glanced behind him, and, sure enough, Obi-Wan was now deep in a conversation with Satine who, like Padme, looked a little annoyed at whatever Obi-Wan was trying to explain.
"I see." Padme said, her voice hard. Anakin winced. He was supposed to try to get better at not reacting to his jealousy. He had done so well since the Hooters incident in Lake Tahoe back in December, but now, here he was, literally crashing Padme's bachelorette party that really was, by Mindy's standards, calm. Padme sighed. "Ani, Honey, I'll be honest with you. Yes, Satine and I did run into a couple of guys we knew from Hooters. They came in almost daily to get wings, and this one guy…well, he was a creep and tried to hit on me all the time when I worked there, and tonight, when he saw us, he recognized me and reached out and grabbed my butt," Anakin immediately felt himself flush with anger at this unknown man who had dared to fondle his wife, and he opened his mouth to demand where he was so he could go 'deal' with him, but Padme quickly beat him to it, "And, I smacked him across the face. Hard. Then Sola reported him to management, and he and his buddy got kicked out."
Anakin took several deep breaths, forcing himself to calm down, but he still felt the irrational urge to go hunt the man down and 'talk' some respect into him about keeping his hands to himself. Maybe a Force choke?…But, NO, that wasn't the Jedi way, and he wasn't a Sith Lord anymore. So, instead Padme waited as he clenched and unclenched his fists while taking more deep breaths, forcing himself to calm down. Finally, he sighed. "Are you angry with me?"
"Maybe." Anakin flinched a little at that. Great. He'd upset her, and they were supposed to get married the next day. What a great way to start out their new marriage...upset and angry.
"Buuuut...I might forgive you."
"Might?" Anakin echoed, his eyes widening in concern.
A feral grin slowly spread over his Angel's face, a devilish glint in her eyes. "Yes. But, only if you get up on that bull...and beat my time." She cocked her hip, crossed her arms over her chest, and lifted her eyebrows at him as she threw down the gauntlet between them.
Anakin blinked in surprise. "Huh?" He said stupidly, looking back up at the contraption that had just flung Beru off.
"Yup." Padme motioned to it with her hand, "You mastered becoming a Jedi, but can you master…the bull?" She smirked.
"Pfft," A new voice sounded to his left, and Anakin glanced over to find Obi-Wan and Satine now standing there hand-in-hand, having apparently resolved their own argument over Hooters. "He couldn't even master real cows." Obi-Wan scoffed, "How is he going to manage a fake one?!"
"I can so master it," Anakin protested with a frown, slightly offended at their scoffing. "I can master whatever I set my mind to. And youall know it."
"OH? Then prove it." Ahsoka was suddenly at his right elbow, grinning from ear to ear. "Show us the error of our ways, Skyguy. Go ahead and prove you're the best."
"I don't need to prove anything, Snips." Anakin scowled at their teasing, but already he was eyeing the bull, analyzing it, trying to figure out a strategy.
"But...you do want my forgiveness…Do you not?," Padme teased him, as she sauntered right up to him, almost touching him and looked up into his face with a grin. "You've already dragged your party here. So, you might as well join in."
"That's not how these parties are supposed to work!" Mindy, now joining Padme with yet another drink in her hand, protested, but she took one look between Padme and Anakin and sighed, giving in. "Ok. Y'know, whatever."
"Wait, what's going on?" Owen asked, joining the group with Beru at his side with Darred and Sola following.
Obi-Wan smirked, "Oh, Anakin's going to get on the bull and show us his...Moooooooooooves!" Anakin glowered at his best friend, who simply gave him a feral grin in return, delighted at the idea that Anakin was probably going to embarrass himself again.
Anakin turned and looked at each of his friends, his mind whirling with possibilities. Finally, he locked his gaze with Padme's, saw the challenge in her eyes, and he caved. He grinned ferally, crossing his arms over his chest. "Fine," He said, "It seems like we're going to stick around." He leaned forward, his own eyes filled with a wicked gleam, his voice dark and husky. "Get ready to get into the forgiving mood, Angel."
Smirking, Padme motioned to the empty bull, but Anakin did not immediately get up. Instead, he grabbed her around the waist, pulled her tightly to him and planted a firm kiss on her mouth, and then let go, before climbing up onto the stage to the cheers of his friends and the crowd.
I KNOW. This has been the LONGEST I've ever waited between updates. The reason? I teach and children are infested with disease and I got sick for almost two weeks. I couldn't even read, much less write. It was awful. I'm also behind on grading and grades are due by next Friday...yeah...
And it's a fluff chapter...I hope it's a good one, but it is a fluff chapter. Next chapter is wedding, and action comes back to the story the chapter afterwards. I am super excited to get this story moving again...urg. Stupid, stupid sicknesses...
BUT there was more Ahsoka this chapter. A lot of you requested, so here you are! I didn't have her go with them to Idaho because she has a family and most people spend the holidays with their family and I assumed she would too. However, you will be seeing more of her soon since the Jedi Order is being established and she's important to that.
Anyhow, review! Hopefully you didn't disappear due to the wait... sigh.
Love,
Sarah