"Well, I definitely don't want to sell Artoo's specific plans, that's for sure." Anakin said, "I would like to keep him unique, a one of a kind model."
"So, you could keep Artoo's plans for yourself, but patent all of your designs, and then just sell the plans for the other robots you sketched out here," Satine said from the seat directly behind the front passenger's seat. She had Anakin's plans and was looking them over. "There's so many options…and you could use them for so many different things…jeez Anakin, if you play your cards right, you could be filthy rich."
Anakin, Padme, Obi-Wan, and Satine were currently in the SUV, headed for Idaho and the Lars' ranch for the Christmas holidays. School had just let out, and both Padme and Anakin had passed their semester exams with flying colors. After Anakin told Obi-Wan what had happened with his mother, the group of four had assumed that their trip to Idaho was surely cancelled. However, a few days before the semester had ended, Anakin's mother had called him out of the blue and invited the four of them to the ranch for the holidays as originally planned. Padme had insisted this was a good sign, but Anakin was uneasy by the serious tone of his mother's voice. He tried to talk to her about the situation, but his mother had simply said, "Anakin, you and I will talk when you get here."
Still, he was thankful she hadn't decided to just cut him off entirely, and so, the four of them had finalized their travel plans for the holidays. Anakin and Padme had taken a couple of days and spent it with the entire Amidala clan at Ruwee and Jobal's home, so they could share Christmas with her family before leaving for Idaho to be with his family. Anakin had taken this opportunity to privately discuss the various business offers he'd been given at his school presentation with Ruwee and Darred (as well as show his father and brother-in-law the detailed plans he'd drafted for each droid), who were most impressed with Anakin's mechanical and technological skills and thought Artoo was a beyond brilliant invention. Ruwee and Jobal had agreed to keep Artoo and Jedi (to Ryoo and Pooja's delight) with them at their house while Anakin and Padme were gone to Idaho.
While they were there, Anakin and Padme had ventured up into the attic and retrieved Padme's mahogany jewelry box, and they had once again placed Anakin's padawan braid back in it, but Padme had taken to wearing the japor snippet all the time again, which pleased Anakin immensely. They had the jewelry box with them in the back of the SUV with the rest of their luggage, as Obi-Wan and Satine had met up with them at the Amidala's house (where Obi-Wan had left his truck), and the two couples had left from there headed eastward toward Idaho.
And, so it was that Anakin now found himself putting on a calm front, but inside he was a mass of nerves. What if his mother disowned him? Padme didn't think that would be the case, and he supposed it would have been awkward for her to disown him and yet still have the four of them there for Christmas. But he couldn't help worrying. He would have meditated to calm himself, but he was driving, and driving and meditating didn't exactly mix very well.
So, instead he poured his focus into discussing the matter of his droid plans with Satine, Padme, and Obi-Wan.
"Or, you could start your own business, Anakin." Obi-Wan suggested.
"Hey! That would be pretty cool!" Padme agreed, "Then you could keep control over what is being made and what is being done with them."
He had to admit he liked that idea, too. However, Mindy had recently showed him information about the NASA space program—or what it had been at one time. It had pleased him to find out that this world was at least attempting space travel…until she'd told him that the government had cut the program in 2011. The night before, while Padme finished packing their suitcases, he had sat on their bed and done independent research on the matter on his laptop, and the more he found out, the more interested he was in the program. Obviously, NASA was missing important pieces of the puzzle, pieces of information and skills that he had. If only he could provide them somehow…
"I'm not sure I want to get into having my own business, though." Anakin said, shooting a knowing glance at Padme. Since his idea was still fresh and new in his mind, he hadn't really talked to anyone else about it except Padme, and she fully supported it. "I'm not really a good businessman. I just like to build things, not go through the process of selling them."
"Well, you could co-start the business with someone else." Satine suggested, "People do that all the time. If you know someone who is good with negotiations and planning the business aspect of things, then perhaps you could work together as partners."
Padme's face lit up at this suggestion, and Anakin was sure inspiration had struck his wife. "You know, it's just a suggestion, but you could partner with Ob…. Ben." Since remembering Obi-Wan, she had begun having a hard time remembering his Earth name. He was no longer the only one with that problem. "He's got tons of the necessary experience for the business aspect of things, and you could deal with the physical manufacturing side of it."
"Wait, what?" Obi-Wan choked—Anakin couldn't see him, but from the sound of it, Ben had been taking a sip of his soda when Padme suggested that.
"Sure," Padme shrugged, but by the gleam in her beautiful brown eyes, Anakin could tell she was excited...and serious...about the idea. "Well, I mean...you've always sort of worked together that way anyhow. Plus, Ben, you can't keep living on the savings you made from working on the Lars' ranch forever, and, like Satine said, if you work together and do this right, you could both probably earn more than enough money to not only take care of your personal living expenses, but your other interests as well." Anakin didn't need her to elaborate to know what she was referring to. She was referring to the Jedi Order Obi-Wan and Anakin were planning on establishing here on Earth. Satine didn't know about the Jedi yet, so Padme was trying to convey the message without raising a bunch of questions from Satine, a message that Anakin couldn't help but think had quite a bit of merit.
Satine didn't seem to notice the vague reference. "Plus, by going in together and dividing up the responsibilities, you would both have personal time to pursue other things in your lives as well." Satine added with a nod, as she continued to peruse Anakin's plans.
Anakin had to admit, they had a valid point. Plus, if they were successful in this endeavor, perhaps he could attract NASA's attention that way….
"I would be okay with that if you are, Ben," He said casually, hoping that Obi-Wan liked the idea, too. But, maybe Obi-Wan didn't want to get that involved with him again. He was already partnered with him to re-establish the Jedi Order. Maybe establishing a business together would be too much for Obi-Wan to deal with.
"Hmm...I like the idea as well, Anakin…as long as you're the one actually building things." Anakin grinned in relief—Obi-Wan sounded genuine, and even a little teasing. He wished he could turn around to double check, but he had to keep his eyes on the road. They had reached the mountains near Lake Tahoe, and already the sky was growing dark now that they were nearing sunset. The roads looked clear, but Anakin could tell with the amount of snow on the side of the road that looks were likely very deceiving.
"Perhaps Ahsoka could work with us as well," Anakin suggested, knowing that Ahsoka enjoyed building things, too. She had been quite handy at it back in their old galaxy, and it had been yet another reason why she had been the perfect Padawan for him all those years ago. "She's changing her major to mechanical engineering next semester anyway. So, she'll have the skills needed to work with us on this."
"Good idea. I think she'd like that a lot." Obi-Wan agreed.
They began to bounce ideas back and forth, which mostly consisted of Anakin asking questions on how to establish a business in this world. The conversation flew by for an hour before the snow began to fall. By then, it was completely dark, even though the clock on the dashboard read 4:45 PM.
Anakin cut off the discussion, frowning at the flakes that blew harder into the windshield by the minute. "I don't like the looks of this," He said, shifting in his seat. He pulled his right hand from Padme's left hand and rested it on the wheel.
"I agree," Padme said, pulling her phone out. After a moment, she said, "Looks like there's a bad storm coming in."
"How bad?" Satine asked.
Anakin felt a warning through the Force—he had to find somewhere safe to stop and soon. The idea of pushing forward through the storm didn't sit well with him. "I'm guessing bad."
"It's probably not that bad during the day," Padme said, "But at night? That's a different story."
Anakin hated the idea of pulling over for the night, but he also didn't like the idea of getting into a car accident either, not with their new SUV. He highly doubted Padme wanted to get into another car accident ever again. "Is there an inn nearby?" He asked her.
Padme was silent for a few minutes while she searched, the light of the phone casting an eerie glow across her features. "Yes," She said, "In about three miles, there's an exit that will take us to a ski resort called The Gray Dove Inn. It has great reviews, and the pictures make it look really nice."
"Well," Obi-Wan said dryly, "If you have to get stuck in a snowstorm, you might as well get stuck in style."
"Will it still have rooms open, do you think?" Satine asked.
"Their website says they have vacancies." Padme looked out the window at the dark shapes of the mountains that loomed around them. "It says that there's a ski lift around here, too."
"Ski lift?" Anakin asked with a quirk of his eyebrow, glancing questionably at his wife before darting his eyes back to the road. Anakin had never been skiing and was skeptical of the entire idea.
Padme grinned mischievously and leaned over to him. "Sweetie, when I don't have my left arm in a cast," she said, "We are so going to go! You'd love it, I promise. Snowmobiling is a lot of fun, too."
Obi-Wan rolled his eyes and scoffed. "Ha! Now that I think about it, love is probably an understatement. He'd probably be obsessed with both of those sports."
The sign for the exit flashed into view, and sure enough, in big letters underneath the exit number, was a notice for the inn as well. Anakin began to slow the vehicle, exited, and began a long, painfully slow journey up the canyon towards the inn. Because it was technically a back road, there weren't any lights illuminating their path, and the only thing they could see was the snow falling and the massive snow-covered trees on either side of the roadway. Anakin kept the car close to the side of the mountain, driving slowly, honking before they turned any sharp corners just in case there was another car coming around.
"This is probably a really pretty drive in the daylight," Padme said, and out of the corner of his eye Anakin could see that she had gripped the edge of the door. There were no other signs that she was worried, however. She had been with him on much more dangerous flights before, and he had gotten them through it every single time.
"This is probably even prettier when it isn't a snowy death trap, too," Satine pointed out, and Anakin could hear the worry in her voice. "I assume that being from Idaho you're used to these kinds of roads though, aren't you?"
Anakin had no idea. If Idaho was this bad, he probably was used to it...or at least this planet's Anakin was. As he struggled to come up with an answer, Obi-Wan came to his rescue. "Trust me, Satine, when it comes to driving…anything, really... I wouldn't pick anyone else but Anakin to drive, even if sometimes he drives a little…risky."
"Risky?" Satine focused on that one word. Anakin knew Obi-Wan was trying to calm her nerves, but given that Obi-Wan didn't exactly love all of Anakin's driving decisions, he probably should have kept his mouth shut.
"Well," Obi-Wan said, trying to back track, "I mean technically we've gotten into lots of crashes, but every time he gets us out of it and usually he doesn't total the vehicle…."
"Ben," Padme cut in firmly, looking over her shoulder at him, "Now would be the time to shut up."
"I'm not going to crash. The road has plenty of traction." Anakin said, though that wasn't completely true either. He was just trying to keep Satine from having a meltdown since the man she was dating apparently thoroughly failed at doing that.
Through the Force, he felt Satine calm a little at his words, but he could still feel her anxiousness. Obi-Wan must have also felt it, for he sent Anakin a surge of gratefulness through their Force connection. Anakin smiled: He hadn't realized just how much he had missed that connection between them. It was good to feel a positive Force connection again with Obi-Wan after so many years.
They continued the drive for what seemed like hours, but in reality was only about fifteen more minutes, when the road suddenly opened up to a clearing. Through the haze of the falling snow, Anakin could make out the lights of the massive inn that loomed above them at the base of the canyon wall. The exterior mimicked a very large log cabin, and it had lots of tall windows that were misted over, the golden light from inside streaming through the glass and into the cold snowy world outside.
"Oh, thank goodness," Satine breathed out as Anakin parked the car near the front entrance.
"Yes, good job, Anakin, for not crashing this time." Obi-Wan said, and although Anakin could hear the teasing in his voice, he couldn't help but roll his eyes.
"I am a fantastic driver. I don't need to listen to this foolishness." Anakin said, and now that the car was parked, he turned around and threw Obi-Wan a mock glare.
Obi-Wan grinned, a mischievous glint in his eye. "Well, when you stop crashing, I'll stop teasing."
Anakin raised his eyebrows. "Oh, it's on now." Obi-Wan laughed, but Anakin was totally serious about somehow getting Obi-Wan back for the teasing. Already his mind was whirling with ideas.
"Okay, cut the teasing competition, you two," Padme chided, but when Anakin turned back around she was giving him that knowing smile that he loved so much. "Let's get inside and get warmed up."
Anakin and Obi-Wan exited the driver's side of the SUV and walked round and helped their respective ladies out of the car and then grabbed their luggage out of the back before locking the SUV and then entering the front lobby, which was as warm and inviting as they had hoped with a large roaring fire in the main seating area and lots of squashy comfortable chairs and sofas scattered about. While Padme and Satine went and sat down by the fire to warm up, Anakin and Obi-Wan got them checked in and arranged for the valet to take their luggage upstairs to their rooms. Fortunately, they were able to get rooms on the same floor and in the same wing, Anakin and Padme sharing a room and Obi-Wan and Satine each having their own room.
"It feels so good to be out of the car. I still feel like I'm moving," Padme said as they sat down at a table in the four star restaurant inside of the resort thirty minutes later. Just like the outside of the inn, the inside also maintained the feel of a super fancy log cabin. It was like a rich hunter's paradise, except that the lodge wasn't geared towards rich hunters but rather skiers who wanted to enjoy the slopes and natural beauty that Lake Tahoe had to offer.
"I couldn't agree more," Satine grumbled, sitting next to her at the square table the seating hostess had led them to, which was covered by a crisp white tablecloth with hunter green napkins and a pine and cinnamon scented candle as the centerpiece. Their waitress quickly appeared to hand them menus and then took their drink orders before scurrying off.
"I didn't come close to crashing," Anakin reminded her, "So, don't listen to everything your boyfriend tells you." Padme smiled at that, deciding not to mention that Obi-Wan had a point: Anakin had crashed a lot of ships during his Clone Wars years, usually with Obi-Wan riding along with him. Anakin would always consider his skills to be perfect when it came to driving anything no matter what, so even if he had crashed, Padme was certain that Anakin would have insisted that he had everything under control. Part of Padme was glad Anakin hadn't changed that much.
"Yeah, yeah," Obi-Wan said, rolling his eyes. "But, did your girlfriend tell you that you look like a walking stoplight in that shirt, hmm?"
Sure enough, Anakin had chosen to wear a bright borderline neon red shirt to go with his black jeans for the trip. Padme didn't bother mentioning that he also had a snow jacket that was accented with the same color, and she actually had told him that the combo looked a little too neon. He had smirked and informed her that he had gotten it just so he could tease Obi-Wan a bit. Apparently, Obi-Wan was not a huge fan of the color red.
Anakin, having clearly achieved his objective by the look on Obi-Wan's face, grinned ferally. "She sure did." He announced proudly.
Obi-Wan squinted his eyes at him. "You got that just to annoy me, didn't you?"
"You bet!"
Satine frowned in confusion. "Do you not like red, Ben?"
"I don't love that particular hue of it, no," Obi-Wan glared down at his menu, now avoiding looking in Anakin's direction. "You know, the red shirts always die on Star Trek, don't you?"
"It's a good thing then that I'm not on Star Trek," Anakin snickered, "You should see my snow jacket," he added with relish.
"I don't think I want to look at you at all during this trip," Obi-Wan grumbled, and Anakin grinned in triumph. Padme met Satine's gaze with a knowing glance and both women rolled their eyes at their menfolk. Somehow, Padme had a feeling that Anakin and Obi-Wan would now be playfully trying to one-up each other for the rest of the trip. Boys, she thought, highly amused at their back and forth teasing.
There was silence between the four of them as they read through the menu, and casually Padme reached under the table with her right hand and grasped Anakin's left hand. He jumped a little in surprise, but then his fingers intertwined with hers, and he gave it a squeeze. She almost considered playing footsie with him, but the table was much too small for that. She was worried that she would accidentally slip and kick either Obi-Wan or Satine and…well, talk about embarrassing if she did.
"I wonder what an elk burger tastes like," Padme mused aloud, looking through the menu.
Satine looked up from her menu with a smile. "Oh, I've had elk before, Padme. It's divi…" she trailed off, her skin paling, as her eyes widened in shock.
"It's what, Satine?" Obi-Wan asked, glancing up at her from his menu, as he felt her anxiety suddenly spike through the Force.
Satine was looking at something to her right just past Padme's shoulder, but when Obi-Wan asked, she quickly looked back at her menu, clearing her throat. "Divine...It's absolutely divine." Padme, curious now at Satine's reaction, frowned and turned around to see what had bothered her so much…
She immediately wished she hadn't.
Walking toward them was a very familiar face, a face she was hoping she wouldn't have contact with again, especially not now with Anakin sitting right next to her. Quickly, she whipped back around, shooting a furtive glance over at Satine before burying her face in her menu, hoping that Anakin was paying more attention to his menu and less to her and Satine. She gulped and blew out a sharp breath.
Of course, it was wishful thinking.
Anakin, with his now abnormally strong connection to the Force, had felt the instant spike of nervousness within her without even realizing he was doing it. He quickly looked up from his menu at her, frowning, giving her hand another squeeze and leaned towards Padme. "What's wrong, Angel?"
"Yes," Obi-Wan agreed, as both he and Anakin looked back and forth from Satine's shocked expression to Padme's pale but pained one, and both men were instantly on guard and suspicious at their girlfriends' sudden behavior. "What is the matter?"
Padme and Satine glanced at each other again in panic, but neither had the chance to say anything before…
"OH. EM. GEE! I can't believe it! Satine! Padme!" Both women visibly cringed before they forced smiles to their faces, and turned around to meet the owner of the voice.
"Hello, Kat. Wow, it's kind of wild running into you here," Padme said in what she hoped was a polite voice. She had to use every ounce of her political persona to keep up the façade. She noticed out of the corner of her eye Anakin beginning to frown as he watched her reaction.
Kat, a blonde buxom woman who was about Satine's age, approached their table…or rather, almost tripped into it. It was only 6:00 in the evening and already she was tipsy. "Heeeeey, girlfriends! Long time no see!" She gushed, leaning against the edge of the table between Padme and Satine. Padme was really glad their drinks weren't there yet, because she had a feeling Kat would have accidentally knocked them over. "How have you two been? You know, things just haven't been the same since you guys left." She put a hand on Satine's shoulder. "So, you're miss big lawyer now, right, Satine?" She put her other hand on Padme's left shoulder. "And, you're also a lawyer, too, I hear!"
"Well, not yet, Kat," Padme reminded her, "I still have to get my masters before I can take the bar exam."
"Right," Kat giggled, patting her on the back. It was a good thing she had just finished her last rib Force healing with Vokara before their trip…
"I'm sorry," Anakin interrupted with a frown, "I'm afraid we haven't been introduced."
Oh no, Padme panicked, thinking, Kat, please, please don't say anything about…
"Oh, I'm sorry. My bad! I'm Kat." She reached over Padme's head and shook Anakin's hand. Anakin looked a little startled, if not a bit annoyed, but he was maintaining his cool.
He wouldn't though if he found out…
'I'm Anakin, Padme's boyfriend."
Kat nodded and looked over at Obi-Wan, shaking his hand across the table. "I'm Ben, Satine's boyfriend," he said with a polite tilt of his head. He, too, looked annoyed at this intrusion of their meal.
Anakin, curious, looked at Kat and asked, "So, how do you know Padme and Satine? I don't recall seeing you on campus before, and Padme's never mentioned you."
She giggled again. "Oh, the girls and I used to work together! Right, ladies?!" Kat continued on, and instantly Padme and Satine began to panic. And, again, both Jedi noticed the spike in the girls' emotions, and their concern escalated.
"Yeah, but it's been awhile, though," Padme interrupted, her voice raised a little too high, causing the people at the next table to look over at them in annoyance. She cleared her throat. "Well, it's really good to see you, Kat, but I have to go to the restroom. If you'll excuse me?" Padme practically jerked her hand out of Anakin's and abruptly stood up, causing Anakin's eyebrows to rise in shock. Throwing Kat a huge, over exaggerated smile, she said, "You still have my number, right? Text me and we'll catch up then. OK? Bye, Kat." Pushing her chair back, she left the table as quickly as she could, heading for the restroom in the back corner of the restaurant, weaving her way through several tables.
Kat laughed, not getting that Padme was trying to usher her away before she announced to the whole table just what that particular job had been. Padme did not want to deal with a jealous Anakin at the moment. No way, no how. Because, if he found out, she knew it was something that would make him really upset and he would complain to her for hours about it.
"Yeah, sure, Padme. I have to go find my boyfriend anyway. See you later!" Kat called after Padme's retreating back. Turning back to their table, she failed to notice Satine's now pinched expression and said, "See you round, Satine. Happy Holidays!" And, blessedly, she turned and left towards the lobby.
"Padme?" Anakin called after her with some concern, but Padme was already turning down the hallway leading to the ladies room, blushing madly as her mind raced to try and find a way to explain what just happened to Anakin. Distantly, she heard Satine also excuse herself and the scrape of a chair against the floor as she, too, moved to follow after Padme.
She was so screwed.
"What was that all about?" Obi-Wan asked, frowning in concern, as he stared toward the ladies restroom door, long after the girls had disappeared behind it.
Anakin frowned again, looking after them as well, his mind whirling with possibilities. Sure, Kat was basically like a blonde version of Mindy on drugs and definitely not the type of person Padme would normally want to hang out with, but his wife rarely panicked like that about anything. It was both worrisome and very suspicious. His eyes narrowed. "I don't know," Anakin replied slowly, turning to look the way Kat had gone. "But something's up, and I intend to find out what."
Obi-Wan cringed. "Couldn't all of you have waited until we had at least ordered our food?" he complained with a flicker of annoyance across his face, but he set his menu down anyway, leaning his forearms on the table and folding his hands on top of it, resigning himself to the inevitable with a shake of his head.
"Calm down, will you? I'll be right back." Anakin stood up and pushed away from the table, his tall figure walking briskly between the isles of tables. He would have run to catch up with Kat, but as the other restaurant patrons were rather annoyed with them already by the scene the girls had just caused, he didn't feel like accidentally knocking a plate off a table and causing even more trouble.
In the end, he stretched out with the Force and found Kat texting someone on her phone in the far corner of the lobby, swaying slightly from the obvious amount of alcohol she had been drinking. He approached her not long afterwards. "I'm sorry," Anakin said cautiously, "But, it's Kat, right?"
Kat looked up, blinking at him with an almost unintelligible gaze. He didn't know if it was the alcohol or if she always looked like that, but it reminded him of a Shaak on Naboo—the one time he had actually looked into one's eyes while it was in the process of almost trampling him. It hadn't appeared too intelligent either. At least Mindy was smart once you got past her partying habits.
"Yes," Kat replied with a sultry smile that made Anakin inwardly cringe and then take an uncomfortable step back. "Oh, wait...you're Padme's boyfriend, right?"
Well, sort of. "Yes." Anakin cleared his throat. "Sorry to bother you again, but…"
"Oh, no need to be sorry, Sugar!" She took a step up to him, swaying as she moved, reaching out to touch his arm suggestively, her intentions vividly clear in her eyes.
Oh Boy. Maybe she was lying about the whole boyfriend thing…or she was too drunk to care.
It didn't matter. Anakin gulped and took another bigger step back from her, carefully pulling his arm away from her grasp without making it seem like he wasn't repulsed by her. "Right. Anyway, I was just wondering where it was, again, you said you three worked together?"
"Oh, I didn't get to tell you, did I?" She giggled, snorting rather loudly as she did so. Yeah, he was already thanking the stars that Padme had apparently deliberately dropped contact with this particular female. "We worked at Hooters together, Sunshine."
Sunshine? Did she really just call me that? Has the woman no morals?
Anakin frowned and mentally shook himself, focusing again on what he was trying to find out.
Was the name Hooters supposed to mean something to him?
"I'm sorry. Hooters?" He echoed, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion.
This seemed to sober her up a little. "Are you serious? You've never heard of Hooters before?" Anakin shook his head, feeling his face flush a little with embarrassment. How he hated it when someone else outside his close knit circle caught him not knowing something that should have been obvious to an Earthling. "Well, it's…" she frowned, trying to search for the words to explain it, but either she was too stupid, or she was too drunk. He honestly wasn't sure which it was. "You know, I've got some pictures of us working together there. It was a couple of years ago, but I should still have them somewhere on my phone. I could text them to you, if you want."
Did he want to give this strange woman his cellphone number? No. Obviously, he really didn't, but he also wanted to know what a "Hooters" was. So, he had no choice but to do so, and he found himself giving her his number (albeit reluctantly) and thanking her, but when she started to input his number to dial it, he paused, clearing his throat to get her attention. I really don't want her to get the idea it's okay to try and keep calling me after this, Anakin thought, unnerved by the way she'd looked at ,when she looked up, he waved his right hand before her face and quietly said, "After you send the pictures to that phone number, you will delete those pictures off your phone, delete that number and forget it, and forget that you bumped into Padme, Satine, myself, and Ben here. You will go about your trip as if none of this happened."
She blinked as the Force wrapped around her mind and said, "I will go about my trip as if none of this happened."
Satisfied, Anakin stepped away quickly to head back into the restaurant before she could make another awkward pass at him.
Obi-Wan looked up as Anakin approached their table and sat back down. "Well?" He asked, seeing Anakin's confused expression, "What'd she say?" By this point, their drinks had been delivered, and Obi-Wan picked his up and began to take a sip.
"She said they worked together at some place called Hooters."
Suddenly, Obi-Wan began choking on his drink, coughing until he was red in the face. Anakin frowned, waiting to see if Obi-Wan needed assistance, but his friend soon managed to get control of himself; although, Anakin noticed Obi-Wan was now avoiding looking at him, and Anakin had a funny feeling Obi-Wan knew something he didn't.
"Obi-Wan," Anakin asked suspiciously, his eyes narrowed, "What's Hooters?"
"Uh," Obi-Wan said, his voice a bit raspy now, "Yes, it's…well, it's…"
Suddenly, Anakin's phone began to buzz in his pocket, and he pulled it out. "Hold on," He said, unlocking it and pressing download on the texts he had just received. It took a few seconds, but the pictures finally began to load up. "Kat is texting me some pictures from her phone…although, it seems I have a lot slower reception here in the mountains."
"Oh, Kriff! Anakin, don't…" Obi-Wan muttered, reaching for Anakin's phone, but just as he did, the pictures finally loaded and appeared on the screen, and Anakin's expression said it all.
It was rare that Anakin's jaw dropped.
In fact, he couldn't remember the last time it had dropped. But, at that moment, seeing pictures on his phone of both Padme and Satine…but mostly his Padme…wearing a skimpy, figure hugging, white tank top that showed way too much of her cleavage for his liking with the word Hooters provocatively splayed across her bosom and orange short shorts that hugged her bottom and looked more like underwear, drop his jaw did, and his eyes bugged out in shock at these pictures of his wife…dressed so…so…
"WHAT THE….?!" He began to shout, but he instantly got nasty glares thrown his way from people at other tables, and he forced himself to stop and quiet down. "Obi-Wan, explain these!" He hissed through clenched teeth.
He shoved the phone across the table towards his red-faced former mentor who did not look like he wanted to mentor Anakin at all about this particular custom of this world.
Obi-Wan hesitantly took the phone, looking through the pictures as well. Suddenly, his own expression soured at seeing Satine dressed like that. "Well," he began, "Hooters is a well-known restaurant chain…"
"They have their employees wear that?" Anakin interrupted, scandalized, nodding at his phone for emphasis. "What are they, the American equivalent of Jabba the Hutt?!"
"No," Obi-Wan shook his head, "Hooters is a perfectly legal business, Anakin. Apparently, they have really good chicken wings. Not that I would know that, of course" Obi-Wan shook his head and shrugged, sliding the phone back to his obviously upset friend.
Anakin suddenly wanted to throw his phone across the room.
Instead, he filed the photos away for later for…whatever he decided he was going to do with them, and looked back at Obi-Wan with an expression that clearly demanded he continue with his explanation. Obi-Wan sighed. "It's basically a sports bar whose clientele is, to be honest, mostly male, because the wait staff is all female and required to wear," he motioned to Anakin's phone, "That."
"But, why call it Hooters? Why that name?" Anakin felt there was more to this than just wings.
Again, Obi-Wan flushed red as Anakin's shirt and seemed to hesitate again before answering.
"Well, umm...you see, it's that...uh…."
"Yes? Out with it."
Obi-Wan heaved another sigh, deciding to just be blunt about it, "Ok, Hooters is a slang term for a woman's...well, you know…," and he motioned with his hands indicating the chest area.
"You mean breasts?" Anakin's eyes narrowed and his lips pressed into a thin line, as Obi-Wan nodded his head yes.
Anakin's frown deepened, and even though he was confident in his love and relationship with Padme, he couldn't help getting upset imagining all of those men looking at her like she was an object, just a prize to be won, instead of the beautiful, intelligent, and competent woman he knew who was filled with so much love and life. He knew she didn't work there anymore, and Kat had said they had stopped working there a few years ago, but he wondered what he would have done had he come to this world while she was still working there.
It wouldn't have been good, that's for sure.
"Text me those pictures of Satine." Obi-Wan said suddenly.
"What? Why?" Anakin asked, bewildered, but he was already pulling them back up anyway.
Obi-Wan leaned forward and took a long swig of his drink, tilting his head toward Anakin and giving his friend a pointed look. "Because, I think you and I each need to have a long talk with our respective girlfriends."
Anakin thought it over for a moment before he nodded and texted Obi-Wan the pictures. "I agree, but we need to wait until after dinner though." He glanced at the irritated customers around them. "We've made enough of a scene as it is."
"Agreed."
Padme didn't need to technically be married to Anakin to know that something was up.
She and Satine had both freaked out in the bathroom after they each confirmed that neither of them had told their significant other about their old job. It hadn't ever occurred to either of them to do so. After all, neither of them had known their respective boyfriends at the time. Granted, Padme and Anakin had not exactly had the relatively calm relationship Obi-Wan and Satine had had so far. So, it would have been hard for Padme to remember to tell Anakin about it anyway. Still, as soon as she saw Kat, she suddenly realized that it was something Anakin definitely would have wanted to know.
When they had calmed down and headed back out to their table, both of the men had been exceptionally…cool...about the whole incident. Almost too cool. It was as if the girls hadn't acted strangely around them at all and then run off after they had unexpectedly met a very strange woman from their past. She didn't know about Obi-Wan and Satine, but Anakin's abnormal calmness was unnerving, and Padme just wanted to get done with dinner and follow Anakin to their room to get what she knew would be an...interesting...conversation over with.
Because, even though he was acting normal, she just knew that everything was not normal. She could see it in his eyes; though, he was masking it well for the sake of their friends.
Finally, once the waitress had removed their plates after their meal, Anakin leaned over, his hand sliding suggestively around her waist, as he softly whispered in her ear, "Let's go back to our room."
She would normally have been shivering with excitement at those words from him, except this time she knew that something was up, and that Anakin would pull the information out of her one way or another. The mere thought of going through one of his jealous moods exhausted her, and she mentally groaned. But, she managed to keep a smile on her face as she said, "Well, I think we're going to retire. Thank you for joining us for dinner. Goodnight. See you in the morning." Anakin stood up and she followed suit when he pulled her chair back for her and then took her hand in his with a firm grasp. Her stomach was twisted in knots, and she suddenly wanted to throw up.
Obi-Wan smiled pleasantly, seemingly unaware of the sudden tension. "Sure. Anytime. It's our pleasure. Sleep well, and we'll see you at breakfast."
With that, Padme and Anakin headed up to their room.
As soon as they left the restaurant, Anakin's mood almost visibly darkened. His expression was still normal, but something about the way he walked made chills race down Padme's skin. She could feel the tension in his fingers as they flexed around her own.
Oh, yeah. She was in trouble alright.
It was almost a blessing when they reached their room. At least there they could have it out in private. With shaking hands clasped together, Padme stood still while Anakin unlocked the door with the cardkey and ushered her in first before stepping in behind her and shutting and locking the door.
I am so busted, she thought.
The valet had brought their luggage up while they had eaten dinner, and the maid had been in and turned down the bed and turned on some lights, bathing the room in a soft golden glow. It was a beautiful room that looked as rustic as the rest of the inn and romantically inviting, with a massive king size wooden four-poster bed with white sheets and covers at the far end of the room and a fluffy white rug on the floor at the foot of the bed. Padme kicked off her boots and wiggled her toes in the plush white carpet, walking over and setting her purse down on the wooden dresser before she sat down on one of the white chairs facing the bed, leaning forward, her good arm resting on her knees. "Ani…" she began, but Anakin cut her off.
"I'm glad you can tell I'm not happy." He said as he almost casually strolled toward the bed. Gone was the normal, happy façade he had put forward during dinner. But, at the same time, he wasn't yelling either. In fact, although there was a tight edge to his voice, he seemed rather calm, despite his narrowed gaze and lips pinched in a flat line.
It was a start.
"I know you're upset," Padme began again, "And, I can explain…"
"Explain what?" Anakin whirled to face her, cutting her off, his arms crossed over his chest, one eyebrow raised. "Explain your strange behavior at dinner? Or, would you care to explain the pictures that your friend Kat texted me?" He shot her a pointed look, his blue eyes flashing.
This time Padme's jaw dropped in shock. She had expected him to be suspicious, yes, but to actually go and ask Kat…?
"Hold on a sec," Now it was Padme that had a dangerous edge in her voice, "You actually went and asked Kat about what was going on before you asked me?"
"How was I supposed to ask you, or even Satine for that matter, when you were both hiding in the girls bathroom?! I wasn't about to waltz in there and get yelled at by a bunch of strange women just to get answers from you!"
"You could have waited until we came out, couldn't you?!" Padme was angry now, even though she knew he technically had a point. She had panicked and kind of run off to avoid the subject.
Anakin sighed in frustration, rubbing his hands across his face, and she could see him struggle with holding back curt responses that had probably popped into his head. But, knowing him, he would say one of them anyway.
Instead, he shocked her. "Fine. I'll give you that. I should have waited for you," he said, holding up both hands in acknowledgement of the fact.
Oh. For a moment, she didn't know what to say. She just blinked at him.
She had forgotten, momentarily, that this Anakin, although he was still her Ani, was not the same man she had known before. She didn't know him quite as well as she used to. The old Anakin would never admit he was wrong unless it was painfully obvious, and even then his apology would have been vague at best.
She wanted to stay angry with him, but as he continued his apology, her defenses melted. "When you ran off like that, I was worried and…well, I get nosey when you get like that and I don't know why."
And, she could tell that he genuinely was sorry for it. There was still that dark look in his eyes, but she could also see the sincerity in his dazzling blue eyes and…
She really needed to stop looking into his eyes when she was trying to hold her ground.
"What exactly did she text you?" Padme asked on a sigh.
"Pictures of you and Satine in your Hooters uniform. I'll admit, I didn't know what Hooters was when she told me where you worked, so she suggested she text me those pictures…"
"Oh, of course, she did." Padme rolled her eyes, a look of disgust crossing her face. "I bet she also hit on you, too. Didn't she?"
Anakin blinked in surprise. "Yes, actually, she did. I was repulsed and moved away from her quickly though…"
"Oh, I know. Believe me, I know. I didn't cut contact with her just because she's incredibly annoying." Padme cleared her throat awkwardly, and glanced down at the floor, shaking her head before looking back up at him . Sighing, she said, "Let's just say Mindy didn't like her either, and she pulled a rather mean prank on Kat once…except that Kat thought it was Satine and I who did it, instead of Mindy. So, she's been rather fake and backstabbing to us ever since."
Anakin frowned. "I'm going to ask you about that later."
"Fine."
He shook his head, leaning his shoulder against the bedpost, shoving his hands in his front pockets. "Why didn't you tell me about all this before?"
Padme sighed, looking down at her hands—one arm perfectly fine, and the other still encased in an itchy blue cast. "To be honest, I didn't think to tell you before, Ani. It's not like we haven't had a lot of other important things to talk about. More important, really." Like our past. Our future. Our lost…
NO. Don't think about that, she thought to herself.
"I understand," Anakin said, "But... why didn't you tell me when you saw Kat? Instead, you ran off, and even when you came back, you still didn't say anything."
Her face flushed, and she suddenly felt small. He was right. "I thought…I was afraid that...well, after we've been through similar situations in the past…." She trailed off softly, completely embarrassed. Sure, she had had good reason to think that he would blow a fuse and overreact that way, but at the same time, she knew he was different now. She should have trusted him more.
"You thought I'd get mad and jealous and blow up over it." Anakin finished.
Padme sighed, nodded her head and shrugged her shoulders. "Yes, I did." She didn't bother to defend herself, and she couldn't bring herself to look at him either.
Anakin was silent for a moment, and she didn't dare look up. She didn't want to see his anger, or worse, disappointment. She supposed he'd seen that look on her face multiple times, but she hadn't really been on the other side of that look before now. It was a strange, awful, feeling.
Suddenly, he crossed the room, kneeling down on the floor in front of her chair, taking both of her hands in his, ignoring the cast altogether. "Padme," he called her name softly. She couldn't help it. She met his eyes, bracing herself to see her expectations, but instead she found something completely different. Sure, there was hurt. But there was also understanding and…
Love.
"I would be lying to you if I said I wasn't jealous when I saw the pictures of you wearing that outfit." Holy crap! He admitted he was jealous?! He'd never done that before! "I admit I don't want other men looking at you like...that. Ok? You're my wife, Angel. I'm the only man who's supposed to look at you that way." He reached up with his hand and gently tipped her chin to look at him, surprising her again when he said, "However, I also understand that it's in the past. I assume it was to earn money for…what, school?"
"No," Padme said quietly, shaking her head "I just needed a little extra money for the BMW, and Satine was already working there, and she made great tip money. So, she helped me get a job there. I only worked there for a semester during my sophomore year."
"Ok, fine. You didn't know me at the time. You didn't know our history together. I get it. I can't change that, and I'm not going to judge you over something like that." He paused, and he moved his fingers from her chin to gently cup her cheek. "What upsets me more is that you weren't open with me about this. We still have so much to talk about, Angel, and we'll probably always have things to tell each other. That's part of growing old together, but we have to be open and honest with each other. This won't work if we aren't." His eyes implored her to understand.
He was right, and she knew it. She had told him that before, in their old galaxy, and he hadn't listened to her. He had kept secrets from her. Had they been truly open with each other like they should have, they might have had a different ending back then.
But, they hadn't ended. Not really. They were starting over in the here and now.
"I'm sorry, Ani," She said softly, leaning into his touch. "I panicked when I should have trusted you completely."
"I understand why you didn't. I hadn't reacted very maturely before." Neither of them needed him to mention it to know what he was referring to.
"Well, I'm still sorry," she said. "Do you forgive me?"
"Of course, Angel," He kissed her forehead tenderly. "Do you forgive me, too?"
"I already have." She kissed him briefly, softly, speaking against his lips, "No more secrets?"
"No more secrets," He replied, smiling against her lips, his eyes dancing with love and mischief.
He tunneled his fingers into her hair and deepened their kiss, gently caressing her tongue with his own, sending shivers up her spine, and just when she thought she couldn't take it anymore, he suddenly pulled away.
"You are so never going to work at a place like that again." He said (only half teasingly), a smile on his face, as he suddenly wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her off of the chair and onto his chest, as he fell backward to lie across the rug at the foot of their bed. When she laughed, his voice lowered to a husky intimate timbre as he nuzzled her neck and then whispered in her ear, "Although, if you want to wear those kinds of outfits for me at home in private…well, I won't object."
That cocky grin she loved so much spread across his face, as his hands settled possessively on her hips, and she rolled her eyes at him. "Well, it's good to see that you haven't changed that much," she said, but she couldn't help but smile in return. Oh, how much she loved him!
"I'm still your Ani…changed somewhat, sure, but at heart, I'll always be the man you fell in love with." He promised her before he rolled her onto her back and kissed her again.
And, this time, there was no further discussion.
Satine was sitting on one of the stools at a small round table at the back of the bar next to Obi-Wan, enjoying a glass of white wine. Obi-Wan only had a glass of water, not necessarily because he didn't drink, but because at this moment, he wanted a clear head.
"So," Satine said, putting her wineglass down. The corner of the bar where they were sitting was semi-darkened, lit only with flickering candles on each table and very dim lighting from wall sconces around the room, and at this time of night, there were few people there, allowing them a modicum of privacy. "Are you angry?"
He had just told her about the pictures. He offered to show her the photos he'd seen, but she'd declined, saying that she was well aware of them.
"Am I mad that you worked there?" Obi-Wan asked, "No."
"Good. I made good tip money there, and I got through college that way. And, it's not like I worked at a strip club."
"I said I wasn't mad about that, per se." Obi-Wan reminded her, "I'm not even mad, really. I'm just surprised...disappointed, I guess...that you didn't tell me."
"Honestly, Ben, I never thought to tell you. I have a much better job now that I got because I used that other one to pay for the education that got me where I am today. I have a lot of other things on my mind besides the job I used to work at in college." She took another sip of wine. "Besides, it isn't like you haven't told me everything about your past either."
Obi-Wan tensed, and he glanced around the darkened bar to check to make sure no one was paying attention, sweeping the room with the Force before he spoke. The only person who seemed to be paying any sort of attention was the bartender, and Obi-Wan lowered his voice as he asked, "What exactly are you referring to?"
Satine was silent for a long moment, looking into her wineglass as she debated how to phrase her next words. "When Padme stopped dating Anakin for those three weeks after their discussion about his past, she told me that you and Anakin were involved with…thinking that you were from another universe." She flicked her gaze toward him and waited for him to deny it, but he didn't. He couldn't. He hadn't exactly told her the whole truth, but he had never flat out lied to her. When he didn't say anything, she sighed. "So, it's true then."
"I don't think it. I know it." He said calmly.
Satine was quiet as she processed this. "I told Padme that if you ever opened up and told me, like Anakin did to her, that I would at least listen to your side of the story." She looked at him. "Well? Would you be willing to tell me your story?"
If he told her, there was no going back. He hadn't really made a move towards taking their relationship to the next level because he still had the Jedi Code practically embedded in his soul. He knew that things were different now—obviously Anakin's relationship with Padme was not hindering his ability to be a good Jedi. The man was now so filled with the Force, it almost made Obi-Wan dizzy just being around him sometimes, his Force signature was so strong. But, if Obi-Wan told her, if he…if he kissed her…
It would be real. Perhaps he had grown an attachment, not to any particular person, but to a Jedi Code that was clearly out of date and antiquated and no longer even condoned by the Force.
"Okay. I'll tell you," Obi-Wan said, taking a deep breath, and resting his arms on the table as he began his tale, "My full name is Obi-Wan Kenobi, and I come from a galaxy far, far away…"
It took him a long time to tell her everything. He had been older than Anakin and had lived longer. There was more for him to tell. By the time he was finished, a few more patrons had wandered into the bar, and the TV hanging from the ceiling behind the bar was now playing some hockey game most of the people there could care less about.
But, he did finish, and when he was done, both of them sat there in silence for awhile. At some point during his speech, Satine had finished her glass of wine, and she hadn't called for another glass.
Finally, she spoke. "So, I was a Duchess from the planet Mandalore?"
"Yes."
"And I was a pacifist?"
"Yes."
She turned to him and smiled. "It sounds like I was someone I would have liked."
Obi-Wan couldn't help but laugh a little. "Oh yes, you two are very similar. Padme is very similar to her other self, too."
"And you don't remember this world's Obi-Wan's memories?"
"No."
Satine frowned. "Well. That is quite a story. And it certainly explains a lot of your behavior."
"My behavior?" Obi-Wan quirked an eyebrow.
"Yes. For instance...The only reason you actually asked me out to begin with was because Anakin prodded you into it." She gave him a look. "Don't even try to deny it, either. Then, it took you forever to even start holding my hand in public. And," she motioned around them, "You've brought me on this trip to go back to your home, which most people would consider to be a major step forward in their relationship, but you haven't even kissed me yet."
Obi-Wan flushed, but he couldn't exactly deny any of what she'd said. He supposed he wasn't any good at being a boyfriend, really. Anakin made it look so easy, and yet, whenever Obi-Wan tried, he just felt awkward and out of place being "romantic."
Still, he wanted to do those romantic things with her. Even if he was a little afraid to make the first move.
"So, you believe me?" He asked, deciding to keep the conversation focused.
Satine sighed, turning to face him fully. "I know I shouldn't, but somehow, I just…know it's true. I feel it in my heart. It's still weird to think I had another life before this one, but I can't deny that I haven't felt like something about my life has always been…off. Like I was supposed to be doing something else, but I just couldn't figure out what it was."
Obi-Wan sighed in relief. At least she hadn't outright rejected him. Now that he had been with her for this long, he didn't want her to go. He wanted….
He wanted…
His eyes trailed down to her lips.
Not for the first time, he wanted to lean down and kiss her. He wanted to stop being "virgin lips," as Mindy called it, and actually kiss the woman he loved.
"Obi-Wan?" His heart soared at hearing her use his full name. He normally didn't care what people called him since he had gotten used to both names, but to hear the woman he loved call him that...it was exhilarating. "Do you realize that most women would have given up on this sort of relationship a long time ago?"
"Yes." He was surprised every time she said yes to another date with him after he had taken her on date after date that didn't end in even a peck on the cheek.
She leaned forward, her blue eyes meeting his as she asked, "And, do you know that I am madly in love with you?"
His breath caught in his chest, and he felt a wave of utter joy rolling through him. She had told him she loved him before in their old galaxy, but to hear it again, after so many years…
He suddenly felt like his nerves were on fire.
"I didn't know that for sure," He admitted, leaning a little closer to her as well. Again, his eyes trailed down to her lips. "And, did you know, that despite being a stubborn Jedi fool, that I love you, too, more than I have ever loved anyone before?"
She smiled, a deeply feminine smile that just made her lips seem even more tempting. "I suspected, even if you haven't…"
He kissed her.
At first, it was awkward. He didn't really know what to do. Sure, he had seen movies. He had even seen Anakin kiss Padme. But, watching other people kiss was very different than actually doing it yourself.
His lips tingled as his mouth pressed against hers, but as soon as her surprise wore off, she leaned into the kiss, her lips parting under his. He wasn't sure what to do next, but he followed her lead, opening his own mouth and was surprised...but overjoyed. Soon her arms were around his neck, pulling him closer, while one of his hands gently rested on the small of her back, the other cupping her cheek as they kissed.
It ended better than he ever expected a kiss could feel. He didn't want to stop. He suddenly wanted to keep kissing her, and kiss her over and over and over again, but soon they were gasping for breath and were forced to pull away, their foreheads resting together. "Wow." He said softly.
She smiled gently, her eyes sparkling. "Wow, is right," she breathed.
Obi-Wan leaned forward to kiss her again, but she pulled away slightly, laughing a bit. "We're getting stares." She whispered, and sure enough, Obi-Wan looked and found people looking at them from the corner of their eyes.
"I think we should take a walk," Obi-Wan said, climbing off the stool. Satine followed his lead, lacing her hand in his, their fingers intertwining.
"I love you, Obi-Wan," She breathed, resting her head against his shoulder.
"I love you too, Satine." He watched as Satine's smile brightened, and he kissed the top of her head before he led her off to take a walk around the inside of the lovely resort.
This was a SUPER long chapter, but I hope it answered a lot of your questions, like what does Obi-Wan do with his life/what does he plan on doing, what are he and Satine up to, etc. I just HAD to write their first kiss for you all...it would have been mean to just be like "oh and the other day they kissed, moving on." Now that they've kissed and Obi-Wan isn't as worried about a Force-less, conflicted former Sith Lord, their relationship should move faster.
This chapter also highlights yet another change on Padme and Anakin's relationship. Before Anakin was always jealous, and even when he had a bad feeling about a guy, Padme would just assume it was jealousy and not listen because he got overly jealous so much. Now that's obviously changed...and they had their first argument without them breaking up!
Basically, we have two more chapters before I do my first somewhat major time skip. To answer questions, no, Padme and Anakin have yet to marry in THIS world. They consider each other married because they were married before, but as previously explained, Anakin plans on changing that...pretty soon here.
Also. I am not trying to imply that Hooters is bad or that it's a bad place to work. I wouldn't have any idea. It's just something that I doubt Anakin would like Padme doing.
One more thing. I have not forgotten my decision to include Grievous and Ventress in here, as well as some other characters. Grievous will be showing up soonish, and Ventress...I'm changing her timeline a bit, so she'll arrive around Luke and Leia...which I am crazy excited to write. Those of you who love action, you'll get a LOT of that when Luke and Leia show up. Right now though I need to pull pieces together so Luke and Leia can happen. We're almost there. ALMOST. I dream about this stuff.
The songs for this chapter are:
Obi-Wan and Satine by Kevin Kiner (Clone Wars)
Tenerife Sea by Ed Sheeran
Anyhow, review!
Love,
Sarah
