CHAPTER THIRTY ONE

FLASHBACK TO PADMÉ'S "SPECIAL" BIRTHDAY

This chapter takes place when Padmé turned 40 about a year ago in the story.

"This dress doesn't fit!!", Padmé yelled from the closet. Anakin was sitting on the bed, smiling at his wife's attitude. She was turning 40 that day, and she hated the idea. She felt old, and worn out. Anakin didn't mind at all, she didn't look 40 at all, she looked 35, like him.

Padmé walked out of the closet wearing her robe and a frowned face. She sighed and walked inside the closet again.

"Why don't you wear your silk yellow dress? You look great in that one", Anakin suggested. There was a silence. A couple of minutes later Padmé walked out wearing the yellow dress and a sarcastic smile. The dress looked a little loose on her, but she looked great anyway.

"Oh yeah? Look at this, it's all loose, as if I was wearing a tenT or something!", she spitted out.

"That's because you are thinner", Anakin said.

"NO! It's because my skin is loosing up and nothing's in it's right place anymore!". She squeezed some skin of her stomach. "See? It's like I'm making extra skin every day, I would make a fortune if I have a 'skin sale'. I look horrible!", she yelled once again. Anakin rolled his eyes and sighed. Padmé gave him an ugly look and he realized that she was angry with him. he swallowed hard before answering.

"But you look beautiful, and your skin is not loosing up, you are thinner. A bit too skinny for my taste, if I may add..."

"NO you may NOT! I'm thin because if I get fat I'll never loose those pounds! Don't you know that after turning 40 it's very hard for women to loose weight? You never listen when I talk to you about those things! And look at his stomach I have! It's all baggy and, and, and... ugly!". She was all red and breathing hard. Anakin walked towards her and placed his hands on her shoulders, forcing her to look at his eyes.

"Padmé: you've had 4 children, 4! What?, do you expect to be 'Miss Galaxy' forever?". Uh oh. He shouldn't have said that. Padmé raised a brow and frowned.

"You don't think I'm beautiful anymore?", she asked in a hard tone.

"No, no, it's not that..."

"Oh, well... I think it is. I knew it! I knew it when I turned 35 and you didn't even look at me in my birthday party!", she said angry.

"That's because Kobby was just a month old, and he felt sick, and you couldn't leave your guests alone, and...", he tried to explain, but his explanation only made Padmé angrier.

"So now it's my fault? And you are telling me that I'm a bad mother because I rather be with friends in a party than to be with my children?". Anakin was in trouble, he didn't know what to say!

"No, no, no, no ,no! You are a terrific mother, you are the best mother in the entire galaxy! I was just trying to say that if I didn't pay much attention to you at the party, was because I was with Kobby!". Anakin was sweating. His hands were too, but he noticed this a little too late. Now Padmé's shoulders were covered with Anakin's sweat and the dress was ruined. He quickly removed his hands from her and placed them in his back. Padmé's eyes widened when she looked at her delicate silk dress. She slowly moved her head to look at Anakin. he was expecting some yelling from her.

"ANAKIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIN!!!!!!!!!"

-AT THE PARTY-

The Skywalker's house was full of music, and laughs and close friends and family. There were many tables placed in the ball room, and in the middle there was the Skywalker-Naberrie family. Padmé was faking smiles to everyone that passed by and congratulated her, and people didn't notice that her real thoughts were 'Yeah, yeah, say something else and I'll kill you. Shut up!, get away!! Oh really, well I just HATE turning 40!! If you call me old again, I'll slash you with a lightsaber!!'. Anakin noticed his wife's thoughts, and at first he smiled, but then, he became a little afraid at Padmé's bold mouth and dirty words.

Finally, it was time to open the presents. Anakin gave Padmé his first. She opened the little box and found a ring inside. She smiled in surprise and thanked Anakin a million times. She inmediatly slid the ring in her finger and looked at the ring. Anakin was happy she liked the present, it was the only good point in the day so far.

Now it was Shmi's turn. Padmé unwrapped the paper and found a holo projector with a picture of her and Shmi that had been taken recently. She loved the present, and Shmi wore a satisfaction smile on her face.

Kobby brought from under the chair beautiful and rare flower and gave it to his mother. That brought out many "Awwwwwws" from everyone in the room. Padmé kissed Kobby and sitted him on her lap.

Luke and Leia gave Padmé a big box that brought everybody's atention. All the guests gathered around the table to see what was inside the box, even Anakin. he didn't know what his children were giving their mother in her 40th birthday. Padmé opened the box with excitement, but her smile disappeared when she finally got to see what was inside. It was an 'old lady' kit! It had a hearing devise, glasses, a fancy stick like the one Yoda had, nit sticks and a shoulder blanket. Padmé raised her head to look at Luke and Leia, who were smiling to themselves, but they swallowed hard when they saw Padmé's expression. She got up and pointed to the door.

"GET OOOOOOOUUUUUUT!!!!!", she yelled to the top of her lungs. All the guests stepped back and returned to their sits, acting as if nothing had happen. Luke and Leia looked at Anakin, who was giving them a pleading look, begging them to get the hell out of the room. They walked out, with Padmé's angry look following them. She sat down again and sighed, tired.

Kobby poked her shoulder impacently. Padmé turned to look at him and smiled. He was holding the nit sticks in his tiny hands, and had a big question mark written all over his face.

"Mommy grandma now? Mommy very old...", he said smiling. Padmé got up and walked towards her bedroom. She was muttering words while she walked passed the guests, whom were surprised since they had never seen the senator so angry. Anakin ran behind her, but she shut the door in his face. he knocked a couple of times.

"Damn kids, damn kids!", he could hear over and over again from the other side of the door. Was it really a good idea to go inside and be alone with her? he thought it wasn't, but he decided to make a sacrifice for his wife's sake. He opened the door and saw Padmé with a pillow in her hand and millions of feathers gathered among her feet.

"Honey, are you ok?", he asked shyly. Judging by the expression on her face, she wasn't. "Would you like to talk?". She gave him a sharp look, and he almost backed away, but then her look softened. She asked him to sit down and listen to everything she had to say.

Those were the longest two hours in Anakin's life. She talked about everything! From her 'baggy stomach' to her idea of living at home, and not in a special home for old people in a coulpe of years from then. Anakin was shocked, she was really loosing it.

"Padmé, I promise that I will take care of you", he said. Padmé smiled and sat down next to him.

"You promise?", she asked him with a pleading look on her eyes. Anakin smiled and nodded. Padmé wrapped her arms around his neck and smiled. "Thank you Ani, I knew I could count on you. I hope you don't think of me as a weigh in your shoulders".

"Never", he answered smiling. Padmé smiled once again and all of the sudden, her eyes widened.

"My guests! We should return to the party, Ani. Why were you holding me back? Is it...?". her eyes widened once again. "I embarrass you, don't I? I look too old by your side, it's that it, Anakin Skywalker?", she asked, flames coming out of her eyes. Anakin swallowed hard once again and shook his head. He decided to use his charm this time.

"No, it's the other way. I look terrible by your side, Padmé. You are far too beautiful!", he said in his most charming tone. Padmé smiled and stroke his cheek.

"You are so god, Ani. I don't know how you can stand me!"

//I don't know either...//, he thought to himself.

END OF FLASHBACK.