Anakin was feeling an uncharacteristic amount of anger as he stood in the breezy front room of the apartment he shared with his wife, a place that usually calmed him down. Though he was frustrated with Padme on a regular basis, he was not often angry with her. He had always admired her bravery and her refusal to be dictated to by anyone. She was formidable, never failing to stand up for what she believed in, but with more tact than he could ever hope to have. These qualities proved difficult, however, when he would make anything from the gentlest petitions to the most serious commands to keep herself safe, and she would defy them all.
He remembered very early in their marriage when she had expressed very clearly that she would not allow him to tell her what to do. "I know you are used to a hierarchy with clearly defined roles," she'd said, "but in a marriage there is no superior." He had agreed at the time, but it was much harder in practice.
He was feeling that struggle again as he looked upon her and was torn between his anger and his desire to make the most of the time he had with her before he had to leave again. She had the good sense to be silent, letting Anakin work through his thoughts before he chose to voice them. "I hope you enjoyed spending time with my padawan," he said finally, the thought of her helping Ahsoka to get into trouble pushing him toward his anger, "because that will be the last time I let you. You're a bad influence on her."
"Were you very hard on her?" Padme asked quietly. She knew Anakin could sense her feelings, and her one defense against his insight was to try to remain as calm as possible.
"Why?" Anakin asked, crossing his arms. "Are you feeling guilty? You should feel guilty. Ahsoka's still learning, but you know better."
"Anakin, I am five years older than you. You are not allowed to scold me." Padme spoke patiently, being careful not to let emotions escalate.
"Well I'm mad at you. You lied to me," Anakin countered, justifying his frustration by reminding her of her offense.
"I withheld the truth to spare this useless argument and do what needed to be done," she reasoned. "It was a necessary evil, and you would have done the same."
"Everyone keeps telling me that," Anakin said, dropping his arms and rolling his eyes. "Still, we agreed you weren't going to travel to illegal places."
Padme sighed, searching for a suitable defense, but she found none. "Well, I'm sorry, Ani. Will you forgive me for that?"
"I forgive you, of course, but I'm frustrated." Anakin paused and let out a heavy sigh. "I would have helped you, you know, if you'd given me the chance instead of going behind my back."
Padme took him by surprise by laughing. "You would not. You'd figure out some way to keep me guarded while you went by yourself, and because you don't have the necessary diplomatic experience, you wouldn't have been able to rescue the Senator without blowing something up, and then I would be the one mad at you."
Anakin stared at her, feeling a distinct mixture of amusement and irritation that belonged only to these situations. He knew she was right, but he wasn't ready to say so. "You are very lucky you're my wife, or..."
"Or...?" Padme asked, giving him a sharp look.
"Or I might tan your hide. I'm still mad... You shouldn't tempt me."
"Anakin 'double standards' Skywalker, you do things I don't like all the time, and I don't threaten you with physical violence."
Anakin chuckled in spite of himself. "Well, maybe you should," he joked.
Padme shook her head in disapproval, but she was glad he was working himself out of his frustration. "You're terrible, Ani."
Anakin laughed then, his irritation subdued by his wife's comical expression, and he let the matter drop. It was their last night together before he had to return to the warfront, and he did not want to spend it angry with her. He buried his lingering frustration and pulled her into an embrace, letting the feeling of her heartbeat calm him down. "I love you even though you don't listen to me," he whispered.
"You love me because I don't listen to you," she countered teasingly.
Anakin kissed the top of her head and pulled away from her. "I wouldn't be so sure about that," he said, the special mixture of amusement and irritation returning, "but I'm not going to argue with you about it."
Padme grinned at him mischievously. "That's always a wise choice."
Later that evening, Anakin sat on their bed and watched his wife go through her nightly routine as she brushed her hair and cleansed her skin. Her feminine actions were as mysterious to him as they were beautiful, and he waited patiently, in captivation, before she would come to bed. Normally this exercise calmed him, but tonight there was a lingering unease that interfered with his ability to see her only with eyes of affection. He realized that he was not quite over their disagreement, and he was troubled by that fact.
When she was finished brushing her hair, Padme set the wooden instrument down next to Anakin on the bedside table. It was an innocent enough action, but Anakin found himself staring at the brush thoughtfully. He noted the name etched on the handle. It was a Dells brand, and he recalled how he had felt one like it, a hand-me-down from Qui-Gon, on his backside a time or two as a youngling. It could deliver a keen sting.
He picked it up, a smile creeping across his face as he thought about giving it a secondary use. When Padme returned to the room, he motioned for her to sit next to him, and she did so, not suspecting his motives. He gave her a quick kiss, then carefully pulled her across his lap.
"Anakin, what... What are you doing?" Padme asked in a combination of amusement and confusion.
"I think I am going to give you a spanking," he said, taking her brush and giving her a firm tap on the backside with it. It wasn't hard enough to hurt, but a thread of anxiety weaved its way through her along with the confusion, and Padme's body tensed.
"Don't be afraid, my love," Anakin said softly, stroking her back. "This is child's play. My padawan got much worse for her part. I'm not going to hurt you, Padme. I am just going to spank you."
Anakin brought the brush down again, and Padme let out a tiny yelp. "Anakin, no, you are not."
Anakin set the brush aside and placed both his hands on his wife, holding her securely in an effort to make her feel safe, and he leaned down to speak to her softly. "Let me ask you this... Do you want me to forget about you lying to me and putting yourself in danger or not?"
"I thought you were already over it," she whispered.
"Well, I'm not... Not as much as I'll be if I know you've been disciplined a little. It's only fair."
"You have a simple view of justice, Anakin."
"I'm not ashamed of it," he countered. "You broke our agreement, and you got me and my padawan into trouble with the Council. Don't you think you deserve this, just a little?"
Padme did not want to admit it out loud, but she was feeling a little guilty over her husband coming into the line of fire because of her actions. She also knew that Anakin might be bothered for a while if he didn't find a way to vent his frustration over this, and she decided it would be an easy way to make amends. "Fine," she conceded begrudgingly. "And then you're going to let it go, and we're not going to talk about it again."
"Very well," he agreed. "Now, I hope you trust me because this will sting."
Padme nodded, resigning herself. "I understand. Just get it over with."
Anakin took a deep breath and carefully smoothed away her nightgown before bringing the brush down rather firmly against her skin. She yelped again, but she did not fight him, so he repeated the action, continuing to spank her until she began to squirm and he sensed it was getting harder for her to bear it with dignity. He rubbed her back comfortingly as he paused, and he felt Padme relax a little.
"Are you done?" she asked in a subdued tone.
"Not quite, my love. I want to know if you're sorry."
"I'm sorry," she said without hesitation, the humility that comes with being turned over someone's knee making the apology easy to deliver.
"Thank you," he said, gripping her reassuringly. "I forgive you, and now I need you to listen carefully... You will not take yourself, or my padawan, to illegal planets, ever, again." He emphasized each phrase with a swat and then gave her a few extra to instill the lesson. He was being careful, not wanting to give her a pain that would linger, but just enough to make her think. When he was finished, he picked her up quickly and wrapped his arms around her, soothing her with gentle kisses.
Padme was surprised to feel a peace wash over her, and she wasn't sure if she was responding to the end of the temporary pain or to her husband's sudden affection. "Are we all right now?" she whispered, clinging to him tightly.
"Absolutely," he assured her, feeling closer and more connected to her than he had in a while.
"Did you do this to your padawan too?" she asked him curiously, processing that she was partially responsible for the girl's pain.
"I gave her a whipping, which is a bit more serious than what I just gave you. She'll be feeling it for a while. It was hard for me to do, but I think, making allowances for your station, you're both even now."
Padme mentally noted his need for the even distribution of justice and realized that was probably what had bothered him so much this time. She had done unsafe things before, and though it caused her husband great irritation and alarm, he had never tried to discipline her for it. However, having been involved in causing his padawan's pain meant the offense was not against him alone, and his black and white need to even the score demanded satisfaction.
"She told me that she was nervous about being punished, but she decided helping Senator Keteris was more important. I didn't know that she meant she was nervous about getting a spanking. I thought you weren't going to do that again." Padme remembered hearing Anakin vent about having to discipline his padawan before and how it had caused him emotional distress.
"Well, I might not have, but the Council insisted. If I didn't, someone would have. Anyway, you both did deserve to be disciplined," he said matter of factly. He let that truth rest for a bit as he held his wife in silence and reflected on the day's events. "Did you know, Ahsoka called you my 'girlfriend?'" he recalled, laughing as he remembered his own surprise.
Padme looked at him, worry flashing across her face. "Do you think she meant anything by it?"
"No, she was just messing with me," he clarified. "Trying to get me back for the whipping, I think. It gave me a start though."
"I can appreciate a girl who can keep you on your toes," Padme said with a chuckle. "I like her, Anakin. I hope you weren't serious about not letting us work together anymore. You've trained her well... She reminds me of you."
Anakin's heart swelled at this remark, and if his wife were trying to manipulate him, it was working. "You can work together again, so long as you both remember your spankings," he said, humbling her a little. Padme blushed and buried her face in his chest.
"I'm getting rid of that brush," she joked, and he laughed at her affectionately, holding her tightly before the night saw them both to sleep.
Author's Note: The "Dells brand brush" was something I specifically included for a friend. :)