Padme stepped into the grand gala in an elaborate gown of dark sea blue - a shining gem among the crowd. She felt eyes on her, enemies or admirers, she didn't care much either way.

The Gala tonight would benefit struggling systems of the Republic, credits donated would purchase food and supplies for the worlds. She simply had to show up and represent Naboo, although she was itching to get back to the bill she was poring over in her office.

Dignitaries, leaders and rulers, Kings and Queens from across the galaxy had poured in and mingled amongst the crowd. All happily and boldly supporting the Republic.

She excused herself from her short conversation with Senator Organa, moving to the pyramid of delicate champagne flutes.

Her heart ached as a Mon Calamari male asked his partner for a dance, and they were at once waltzed away into the crowd.

Her eyes flicked to the security she had picked out when she arrived: Jedi Knights. They stood guard at every entrance, secure in their confidence, sabers gleaming at their sides. Jedi Masters and the Council were invited as guests, and she picked out a few familiar faces as they made rounds.

But her Jedi wouldn't be here. He'd been gone for two months now, and she hadn't heard from him in almost three weeks. It was only the snippets she'd heard from listening in to other Jedi that had kept her heart at ease: Kenobi and Skywalker on Lothal…Longer mission than expected, projected success, indefinite return…

She sighed, draining the champagne flute and reaching for another.

A man approached her then, tall and lean, an air of authority to him. He bowed and stretched out a hand. "My lady. Care for a dance?"

Padme smiled politely, but declined. "I fear I'm not a fun dance partner." She actually was a fair dancer, but was just not in the mood tonight.

His eyes glinted with the challenge. "I don't believe that for a second. How can I persuade you?"

Padme shrugged. "You tell me."

He considered her for a second. "Your dress is far too beautiful to not be showcased."

Padme scrunched her nose. "I've worn this outfit once before, actually. Wouldn't want anyone to know."

He smiled slightly, but tilted his head. "Then dance with me for a distraction. You seem to be carrying some heavy thoughts."

Well, he wasn't wrong there. She felt her resolve swaying - "I stomp. Horribly."

He offered his arm, "I'm willing to risk a few bruised toes."

She left her half drank flute on the table, and he swung her into a waltz, the music just now reaching a crescendo. Padme spun out, her gown fanning around her, and her partner was an impressive dancer, leading and guiding every step. She felt weightless, gliding.

When the music finally settled and slid into a softer tune, they continued to dance. "You're the representative of Naboo, correct?"

"That's right," Padme responded. "And you are…" She squinted at him slightly. He was a bit older, with dark brown, short cropped hair… "Scipio?"

He laughed. "Yes. Rush Clovis, representative of Scipio, nice to finally meet you. Well, meet you when we're not sitting 200 feet away in the Senate Chamber, Miss Amidala"

She smiled but her heart sank. Miss. Amidala. That's all she would ever be to the world. All she would ever be, even though her whole heart and everything in it belonged to Anakin Skywalker.

She could never publicly claim him, or him her.

"Is something wrong?" Rush asked.

"I- I'm fine, thank you. Just need some fresh air."

"Stay for one more song," Rush suggested, still holding her waist with one hand, her hand with the other.

Padme made to pull out of his hold regardless, but to her surprise, he held firm.

"Senator Clovis," a stern voice cut in from just behind her left shoulder. "I'll be cutting in."

Rush sized up the man standing behind her. "Aren't you on guard duty, Jedi?"

Jedi? Padme turned to look over her shoulder, and there he stood, in his dark Jedi robes, like he'd appeared out of thin air. Her heart felt like it was electrified at the sight.

"I wasn't asking." Her husband's voice was a deadly threat itself, his eyes on Clovis.

The Scipio Senator looked as if he'd push, but met Anakin's stare before relenting, with a wave of his hand. "If you so insist." He released Padme.

A moment later, she was in Anakin's arms. And he was trembling with anger.

"Anakin!" She kept her surprise in a hushed tone, looking up at her husband's face. His arms were around her, but he was staring daggers at the back of Clovis' head as the Scipio Senator departed through the crowd.

"Anakin, you're here. How are you here?" She resisted the urge to push onto her toes and kiss him.

His jaw twitched, his eyes still fixed on a moving point behind her. "Ani…" She whispered and they swayed to the soft music. "Ani, you're here."

"Why would you dance with him? He's vile." He didn't bother to keep his voice down.

Padme shook her head slightly. "Anakin," she continued in a whisper, "he's a fellow senator, of Scipio. Ice planet? In the Outer Rim?" When he didn't respond, she went on. "He asked for a dance, and I obliged. That's all. But you're back. You're back and you're here-"

"We just arrived." He finally dragged his gaze back to her. "What did he say to you?"

"He hardly knew my name. How are you here? Here, at the Gala? Is Obi-Wan here?" Padme looked around, peering past Anakin's broad shoulders before her.

"Was Clovis pushing you for something? Did you want to dance with him?" His voice was low now, gravelly.

Padme sighed, "He was a bit pushy for another dance but I was just about to walk away when you showed up. Now, can you tell me how the hell you showed up? How was the mission? Is Obi-Wan ok? Are you ok?"

"I don't like him - I don't have a good feeling about him. What planet did you say he represented?"

Padme stopped dancing then, walking away from Anakin. The Jedi didn't dare call after her, didn't dare cause a scene. He followed her slowly, followed as they slipped through halls away from the crowds, and finally ended up on a quiet terrace, a small bubbling fountain at its center.

She leaned against the railing. "Padme." The hard tone in his voice had her turning. "What planet does Clovis represent in the senate?"

"Are you asking as my husband or as a Jedi Knight?"

Anakin drew back at that. "What do you mean?"

"You're interrogating me, and I haven't seen you in months. Months, Ani."

"Imagine how I feel arriving to surprise you, only to find you dancing with another man."

"So you're asking as my husband, then."

Anakin crossed his arms. "What planet."

"Why does it matter? So you can keep an eye on him? Stalk him in the Senate Chamber? It was a dance, Anakin. I figured you'd be more excited to see your wife after so long rather than plot another mission." She couldn't help her frustration from coming out, and she leaned against the railing again, overlooking Coruscant. Maybe it wasn't fair of her to say, but she said it anyways. She felt her pride, like a living thing in her chest, keep her from turning and running into his arms, even as she desperately wanted to.

Anakin was silent behind her for a few seconds before he leaned against the railing beside her. "I'm sorry. I-,"He seemed to struggle for the right words for a moment. "The mission." She peered sideways at him as he continued gazing over the darkened horizon, occasional speeders flashing past in the distance. "Lothal was difficult. Much more than expected. We had to take extreme measures and I just -" He shook his head, like he could rearrange his thoughts. He turned to her then, a hand lightly grazing her chin. "I did miss you. It felt like a piece of me was missing." He lowered his voice. "I didn't think it would take that long, and being away from you, made me feel… different. Bad."

She turned slightly into his touch, looking up at him. Black smudges were beneath his eyes, his hair tousled. "When you say "just got back"….?"

"Landed at the Jedi Temple, Obi-Wan went to meditate and debrief, and I heard some other Jedi talking about the Gala with all these leaders and senators in attendance so…" He flourished his hands as if he performed a magic trick and appeared out of thin air. "I expect Obi-Wan will send a loud and angry com-link message any minute now."

Padme shook her head in disbelief, but couldn't help the smile from coming. "How'd you even get in? Security is crazy."

"I am security," he said, straightening out his Jedi robes. "I walked right in. I wasn't on any roster, but you just have to look forward and no one questions you."

Padme laughed then, and Anakin grinned. "My sweet wife. How I missed you." He caressed her face again.

Padme melted into his embrace, her heart finally feeling whole after months. He dipped his head down and kissed her gently, slowly, like they had all the time in the world.

She pulled away, which felt like ripping off a limb, and pushed his hair back from his face. "Ani, you look terrible. You must be exhausted."

"Well I can't always be the hot one and the smart one in this relationship."

Padme rolled her eyes. "Seriously, when was the last time you slept?"

Anakin grimaced, holding her in his arms but gazing outward again. Avoiding eye contact, she realized. "I might've convinced Obi-Wan we could fly through the night. And then we ran into some pirates. And before that had been up for a couple days so… three days?"

"Three days?! Your brain is fried at that point! We have to get you to bed."

Anakin waggled his eyebrows at her. "Want to hop into bed so soon? You know, I do remember you saying you owed me a favor when I returned…"

Padme playfully pushed at his chest. "Ani, really. You need rest. You could drop dead any second." She peered at the colossal building behind them. "I'm sure theres a spare room somewhere in here." She took his hand and they ducked inside.

He quieted on their walk, teasing gone, lost in thought.

"Lothal?"

Anakin shook his head. "Nothing for you to worry about, my love." He patted her hand that rest around his arm.

"You can tell me, Ani. I want to help you."

But he shut her down again, "It was just a tough mission. I shouldn't have said anything."

They tried lock after lock, jiggling handles, trying codes. Anakin's shoulders sank forward, his steps heavy. She squeezed his arm, breathing in his scent. What had happened on Lothal?

A few floors up, Anakin suddenly sighed. "I'm more tired than I thought." At the very next door, he motioned toward the handle and it clicked open.

Padme didn't know why she didn't think of it herself. She swiped a comforting hand along his back, and they crept into the room.

It was dark inside, furniture covered in swaths of fabric. "Doesn't look like it's in use."

They locked the door behind them, leaving the lights out, venturing further into the space. There was a small sitting area, kitchenette, bed, and what was probably a bathing chamber further within.

Padme reached for Anakin, and he held her against his chest. They stayed like that for a long while, not saying anything.

They stood together, husband and wife, in the middle of the dark room. Intertwined, body and soul, in the way they could only be when they were utterly alone. She felt Anakin's heart beat against her ear, her head pressed to his warm chest. He breathed shallowly, slowly.

"Ani," she finally started, a whisper. "I know you're weary. So am I." She pulled back, just enough to look up at him. "Anything you need from me, anything, take it. Take it. It's yours." She grabbed one of his hands and placed it over her heart.

A sad smile was on her husbands face as he looked down at her, his hand over her chest. "My love for you drove me mad the past few months." His voice was also dropped to a whisper, despite them being completely alone. "The force feels out of balance when I'm away from you. I'm out of balance."

Padme pushed his messy hair back, gazing into his eyes, her own eyes burning. "This is the price of our secret, my love."

"And for that, I regret nothing. And I never will." He ran a thumb over her bottom lip.

"Do you think we can do this forever," Padme was whispering still, her cheeks now wet with tears she didn't know were coming. "Sometimes I feel I'm letting my duties slip, letting the responsibility of peoples entire lives slip from me. And I'm powerless to stop it."

"My sweet wife," Anakin's voice was rough, raw, his eyes heavy lidded. But he sighed deeply, looking away. "I have felt the same. Sometimes, more than others, like with Lothal... But Padme," her head had dropped, and he gently lifted it to meet his intense gaze. "You are the most important thing in my life. You are what I live for. I vowed myself to the Jedi, but I also vowed myself to you." His other hand, cybernetic but warm, was still over her heart. "And I will live and fight for you until the day I die. Our love surpasses our troubles, the troubles of others. It spans the galaxy, I feel it," his hand went to his own chest, over where her own hand now rested, "I feel it even when I'm systems away. Our love is powerful, Padme."

Padme held him closer, her head pressed to his chest, no words came to her. "We will always have each other," he whispered, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "Nothing can part us, not forever. Nothing."

And Padme felt better than she had in months, because she believed him.

Anakin held his wife in his arms, content to stay here forever.

He would not share Lothal with her, would not burden her with what happened there. At least not tonight. He only wanted to soak in her presence, her sweet scent, her soft curls.

Holding her felt like eternity wrapped up into a moment, felt like absolute bliss. And he didn't think it could get any better.

But then Padme got on her knees.

She had pushed him to a chair, falling to the ground in front of him. "Think you can stay awake a few more minutes?"

"I think I can manage," Anakin replied, heart thundering.

He helped her tug off his pants, and he was already hard with anticipation. Padme licked a bold swipe up his thigh, smiling at the top.

"I'm far too tired for teasing," Anakin groaned as she took him in hand, mouth hovering over the top of his cock. He grew somehow harder then, seeing Padme and her sweet mouth only inches away.

"Don't worry," she licked from base to tip, cupping his balls. "I won't torture you too much."

He was wide awake now, chest heaving. Padme licked another stripe up, then swirled her tongue around the tip. Anakin hissed, "That qualifies as teasing, Padme."

She clicked her tongue at him - "What were those Jedi virtues again?" She swirled her tongue around his sensitive tip: "Honor," another lick, "courage," another lick, "patience?" She gave his balls a little squeeze and he tensed for a second, shaking his head at her.

"Padme." He ground out from clenched teeth. She didn't spare a second, taking him fully in her mouth, her tongue pushing against him. The warm wet enveloped him immediately, and he almost came right there.

Yeah, Lothal was a dry run, to say the least. And if she kept that sweet tongue swirling, he didn't know how long he would last.

Padme took him deep, bobbing up and down, her saliva dripping down his shaft, into her hand that gripped his base. He groaned again at the image, her on her knees before him, but he wanted more, wanted to see her in all her beauty. He reached down and tugged at a sleeve of her dress, and she got the message, slipping out of it in a second.

Her breasts now out, her dress pulled down to her waist, they swayed with her steady rhythm.

Her silken curls rest over one shoulder, and he grabbed a fistful of it as she continued to suck him, one hand still at his base working in tandem with her mouth. Her other hand stayed on his balls, squeezing and tugging lightly, with just the right amount of pressure.

Anakin groaned his pleasure again, her warm mouth slick and sucking him steadily. He stayed his hand where it was tangled in her hair, resisting the urge to move her head himself and pump into her.

Just when he thought he would explode, she picked up the pace, moving her mouth and hands slightly quicker and with harder pressure.

Anakin came so hard he saw stars, pleasure shooting through his body like lightning. He moaned her name, tensing in pure ecstasy before slouching back into the armchair, breathing heavily, fully sated.

After a few moments, he struggled to open his eyes, where Padme still crouched before him, wiping her mouth and smiling.

"That was…" Anakin started, unable to form sentences. Words jumbled in his head.

"Good? Great? Spectacular? Exemplary?"

"You know, I think you have a praise kink, Senator Amidala." Anakin chuckled breathily. "But I'd go with "mind-blowing." An A+, if that's what rocks your boat." He grinned at her, even as his exhaustion hit him like a wall.

Padme laughed with him. "Okay, five second shower and then let's crawl into this bed."

Anakin groaned, not in pleasure this time, and let her pull him out of the comfy chair.

When they were in bed not ten minutes later, Padme held her husband against her chest. She was on her back, his head on her breast, his breathing already deep and steady. He held her in his arms, so securely, so lovingly.

Tears silently slid from her eyes, and she squeezed him closer. She didn't know how much more separation and sneaking around she could take. The gala was probably wrapping up now, people were probably looking for her, and she cared, she really did. But not as much as she cared about her husband who was fast asleep on her chest. Exhausted, completely worn to the bone from whatever Lothal had held for him.

The lies, the secrecy, the constant separation from the one she loved most… it was eating her alive. How was she to help others in this state? Could they be naive enough to think this could last forever? Was this what was best for them? For their futures?

Padme held Anakin for a while longer, the Jedi Knight snoring slightly and murmuring sleepy death threats to Clovis. The young Naboo Senator eased out of his grasp, leaving a note on the bedside table and slipping out, back to the gala, and back to her the role she had abandoned there.