Padme closed her eyes as she slipped
down into the water. She was glad the Jedi temple felt the need to
install real water baths. On Tatooine there had been nothing but
sand-scrubbing pits, and in nearly all Naboo's spaceships, static cleansers
were the norm. At the lake manor, there were deep, old fashioned
baths attached to each room, and she remembered how Anakin had spent hours
in the bath, hours swimming to the island, as if it were some precious
rarity. She had liked it, watching his lean body slide through the
water like a golden dolphin, and she was more than content to sit on his
much-hated sand as he enjoyed the water, letting the sun soak into her
skin.
"Am I to understand you married me
solely for my body?"
She leapt in the water at the sudden
voice, splashing water onto Anakin's beautiful black boots. He looked
slightly irked, but seemed to forget about it as he knelt next to the tub.
"Did I interrupt your bath, Milady?"
he asked playfully, his blue eyes running down her length.
That intense stare, she thought, a
chill running down her spine. It still made her uncomfortable.
"Anakin," she sighed softly, pulling
him down towards her, kissing him with months of pent up emotion.
He pulled back, glancing at the door.
"You do realize there are two Jedi
guards at your door."
"I don't care," she replied airily,
giving him another kiss.
"Not so fast, Senator," he replied
formally, "I am officially here to take down the circumstances of the attack
on Bail Organa and yourself. Master Yoda thought a familiar presence
would soothe you. So he sent Obi-Wan."
"Then why is it that you're here instead?"
Anakin snorted, "Though Obi-Wan is
eager to see you again, Padme, he is in no mood to be doing detective work.
He was supposed to have some free time - to recover now that he and I are
back from the front lines. So I offered to come and do his job.
Though he was a little suspicious, he agreed."
"I can imagine. I know him."
Anakin rolled his eyes, "It was all,
'Now mind your thoughts, Anakin,' and 'Don't do anything rash, Anakin,'
and 'It's been six months, Anakin, you cannot expect that she has been
concentrating on you for the past half year.' He knows that all I've
thought of since we left Naboo was you..."
She stifled a giggle, and tried to
take his annoyance seriously. It was impossible, however, to forget
the nagging odd-couple relationship of cautious, calculating Obi-Wan and
impulsive, emotional Anakin. How different could a Master and Padawan
be? Anakin brushed a lock of hair from Padme's face.
"Come," he beckoned, "We need some
time alone."
She wasn't about to argue with that.
()()()