*An hour after the meeting*
Anakin stormed into the apartment that Leia had assigned him and Padme. Frustration was radiating off him in waves.
"What's wrong, Ani?" Padme asked. "Are you alright?"
Anakin fell back on the couch, annoyance written all over his face. "I just constructed my new light saber."
"And?"
"I really want to use it on all those reporters surrounding Luke and Leia. They are attracting too much attention, and annoying the heck out of me and my children!"
Padme's laughter sounded like bells. "Oh, Ani. You had me worried for a second." She looked through the glass , to the outside of the huge apartment complex. Sure enough, down on the ground, reporters from the Holonet were swarming all around Luke, who was looking annoyed, and Leia, who looked like she wanted to throw something. Han stood behind the princess, his trademark smirk on his face. Leia didn't seem to be amused, and shot him a glare. Padme could hear the commotion, even all the way from the top of the building. The scene was actually quite funny. She hadn't been down there, however. And she didn't plan on going. She hated the annoying press and their annoying reporters.
"I'm serious! Luke and Leia were begging me for help through their eyes! Those bothersome reporters were all up in their faces, even though they kept telling them to go away!" He groaned. "They're like a pack of animals! I'm going to go deal with them."
Padme smirked. "What are you going to do?"
"Give them a warning."
"And then? Run them through with that light saber of yours for 'annoying the heck' out of you and your children?"
"Maybe."
"Anakin!"
"Fine! Only if necessary." He stood. "I'm going to go deal with them now."
"Leave your light saber here."
Anakin sighed. Then, he unclipped his new light saber from his belt and handed it too her.
"No Force choking either." She smirked.
Anakin ran out the door.
After Anakin had "very sternly warned the reporters to leave," by which he meant he threatened them quite thoroughly, the family went together to the marketplace. Everyone either bowed when they passed, or kept their distance, as the news had spread over Coruscant(before Anakin had stopped it), that Anakin Skywalker had formerly been Darth Vader. Luckily, he had put an end to the spread of those rumors, as that information in the hands of the Empire would most certainly ruin their plan. No one had known of Anakin's true identity besides the Emperor, who was now dead. Anakin intended to keep it that way.
Padme inhaled, long and slow. "Mmmhhhhhh. Something smells good. I'm so hungry."
"Agreed," Leia said. "After all those reporters, and the surprise of this morning, I'm famished."
Anakin withdrew a pile of credits. "We can eat whatever we want."
After a hearty meal, the twins returned to the Jedi Temple to talk to some Rebel leaders, and Anakin and Padme were left at the marketplace to enjoy themselves. Padme noticed a bystander selling some of Naboo's specialty blossom wine. The man was wearing a dark cloak, and his features were not visible under the dark hood. However, she didn't notice anything about the bystander. Naboo's blossom wine was her favorite, and it reminded her of the good times she had had with Anakin on Naboo, when he was her Jedi protector.
"Ani." She tugged on his sleeve, and he immediately turned towards her, a questioning look on his face.
"Yes?"
"Can we get some of that blossom wine from Naboo?"
Anakin pulled another pile of credits from his cloak. "Of course."
"Thank you."
He smiled at her. "Anything for my angel."
He kissed her, and she wrapped her arms around him, not noticing the dark and angry look on the face of the mysterious bystander.
Anakin strode over to him, with Padme trailing him. "My wife would like some of your wine. Where is it from?"
The man's eyes skimmed over Padme, resting a second too long on her face. "Naboo."
Anakin handed over a stack of credits. "We'll take a bottle."
The man took the money, barely noticing how much it was. His eyes were on Padme again.
"Keep your filthy gaze off my wife," Anakin spat, protectively putting an arm around her. He didn't see the murderous glare the man sent him from under the dark hood.
The man took a bottle from the shelf behind him and opened it. "You should try it, before you give it to your wife," he drawled. "You aim to please her, do you not? If the wine is not satisfactory, you may have your money back."
Anakin looked calculatingly at the man, who was a few inches shorter than him. He could sense that the man hated him, wanted him dead, and wanted his wife. He thought for a moment.
"Give me that!" cried a children's shrill voice, full of laughter. She zipped through the marketplace, and slammed into Anakin. He stumbled, and dropped the bottle of wine. The glass smashed, and the liquid spread over the pavement. There was a hissing sound, as the liquid eroded away the stone before their very eyes. The marketplace grew silent. The wine had been poisoned.
Anakin turned so quickly the people around him flinched. His light saber hummed to life, only to find that the man was gone. A murderous look came into Anakin's eyes. He put away his light saber and grabbed Padme's arm. A path cleared before him, leading towards the 500 Republica apartment complex, where they had come from. Anakin gave everyone in the marketplace a warning look, and they all shrunk back. "If you find that man, you kill him. If any of you ever attempt to hurt me, my wife, or my children, you will pay dearly. I hope I am understood."
He marched Padme out of the marketplace, while everyone gave each other fearful looks, knowing that the former Lord Vader meant what he said. Anakin, however, didn't notice any of this. He was intent on getting Padme home, safe.
Anakin paced the living room of the apartment, fuming. "I sensed that he wanted to kill me! I sensed that he wanted you! I should have known that he would try to poison me!"
Padme rose from the lounge and put a hand on her husband's arm. "Anakin. It's not your fault."
Anakin turned to her. "He could have hurt you, too! This is totally my fault!"
"I'm safe, Anakin. Nothing has happened to us."
"What if you or the children get hurt?"
"We'll be fine, Ani. Luke and Leia can fend for themselves, and I'll be right here with you all day. I'm always safe when I'm with you."
"Yes, but tomorrow I'll leave for the Imperial base! Who will protect you then? The man will surely come after you and try to take you again, especially since I will not be there."
Padme embraced him, holding him tightly. "I'll be fine. I'll stay with Luke and Leia, okay? And I'll give you regular updates on our welfare."
"Fine, but while I'm here, you are staying with me. I will not take any chances. You're staying in this apartment for the rest of today, and when I leave, you must either stay with Luke and Leia, or be surrounded by rebels. Be very careful."
"I will. Don't worry about me, okay, Anakin? I'll be fine." She paused. "Please be careful as well. Don't forget that today, he tried to kill you, not me."
Anakin kissed the top of her head. "Of course, angel. I promise. Now, I'll go order some dinner." He turned to go make the call, when suddenly, he stopped. "One other thing, Padme."
"Yes?"
Anakin took a deep breath. "Do you know that guy? Did you recognize anything about him?"
Padme grew silent. "For some reason, his voice sounded... kind of familiar."
The droid ambled along, pushing a cart full of all kinds of food. A delicious aroma wafted out from the huge array of dishes. The droid had just entered the 500 Republica apartment complex, when a figure clothed in black robes, with a hood over his face, jumped out of the shadows. Before the droid could even register what was happening, the man had smashed it. He gathered the pieces of the droid into a burlap sack, and quickly threw it into a trash dump. Taking a look around him, as if he was making sure that no one was watching him, he withdrew a small bottle from his cloak. It was filled with a green liquid. He took another look around him, and then uncorked the bottle and dumped its contents into a bowl of steaming vegetable soup. He stirred it with an extra spoon, and the liquid swiftly blended in with the soup. The man shoved the spoon into his pocket. Drawing his hood back the slightest bit, so that his features were partly visible when up close, he settled in front of the entrance to the building.
A pretty young girl, wearing a lot of makeup, came walking by. The figure in black strutted forward, towards her.
"Hey there, gorgeous," he said sultrily.
She blushed a bright red, as she saw that he was quite good-looking. "Hello, handsome."
"Would you mind doing a favor for me, and deliver this cart to the apartment of Jedi Master Anakin Skywalker and Senator Padme Amidala? You seem like a nice girl, as well as a beautiful one." He winked at her.
She blushed again. "Sure! Of course! I wouldn't mind!"
"Thanks, Miss Gorgeous. Here's a bit for your troubles." He pressed a stack of credits into her hand. She gasped when she saw how much money it was. "Just tell Mr. Skywalker to try the vegetable soup. He's a good friend of mine, and I'm sure that he would like it. Oh, and another thing. Don't mention that you saw me. Understood?"
She nodded frantically. She needed the money.
He gave her a long kiss. When he pulled away, she was wide eyed, and nearly hyperventilating. "See you later, gorgeous." Then he walked away, leaving her by the cart of food.
I hope you enjoyed part 9 of my story! Favorites, follows, and reviews are very much appreciated! Thanks for reading!