Oct 2002
Disclaimer: I don't own any this, all the characters (Except my original) are property of Lucasfilm etc etc.
Hide Your Love Away
Chapter 5
Anakin and Padmé exited the homestead as the suns were setting, the twins sleeping, after being fed, in their bed. Anakin wrapped an arm around her shoulders as they walked to the edge of the slight rise near the doorway to watch the sunset. "Do you remember the last time we were out here?" he asked her softly.
She didn't looked at him, her arm tightening around his waist, "You had to go find your mother." She could feel the strain in his frame, the surge of memories that were painful to this day, "It was the night you took your first steps away from me."
"Is that how you viewed it?"
She turned in his embrace, looking up at him, "How else could I? I was just starting to realize I loved you, and you were running off to find your mother. You brought me here to find her and then wouldn't let me go with you."
He bent his head, resting his forehead against hers, "I'm glad you didn't come with me," he admitted softly, "you didn't see what I did to those raiders."
Her hands crept up on his chest, covering his heart and sliding up to cup his face, "I didn't have to, Anakin. When you told me what you'd done... I loved you even then."
"Why?"
She shrugged, a faint smile on her lips, "Because you admitted to it. You didn't run from the pain or the responsibility. I can feel the tension in you even now, feel your desire to go running off to prove those actions wrong. You're human, love, I don't expect you to be perfect. A perfect husband, a perfect Jedi, would be boring."
He lowered his head until their lips were a fraction away from touching, "A perfect Jedi would never have loved you."
She melted into his kiss, feeling each of his emotions as they seemed to melt into her skin. His lips were demanding, sliding across hers in blatant possession as his tongue invaded her mouth. She angled her head under his, her hands anchoring him in place as they slid into his silken hair. Flush against him, she demanded everything from him, needed everything that he was demanding from her. Her tongue duelled with his, teasing, taunting, exciting. The groan in the back of his throat echoed the whimper in hers as his hands slid down across her body.
He pulled away suddenly, burying his face in the side of her neck where she felt his teeth gently nip her skin. She shivered, turning her head and biting his ear in response, her breath feathering across the sensitive skin and making him shiver. "You're playing with fire."
"Then burn me."
She closed her eyes, wishing for nothing more than to be able to do just that, but pulled away. Not because she wanted to, but because she had to. "We can't, not yet."
His breath caught in his throat. He'd forgotten. Groaning, he enfolded her close, "If I can't have you, then let me hold you."
More than willing, she waited for the pulsing of desire in her blood to stop making her ears ring. Their breathing slowly came back to normal, the passion between them banked, but not extinguished, and back into control. The suns were down, cloaking them in darkness as they stood holding onto each other.
In the doorway to the homestead, Beru watched the two lovers with a smile on her face. Turning, she went to find her man and the long delayed conversation.
Obi-Wan opened the door to his room, straightening his robe as he exited and turned towards the exit. He'd been probed and prodded, both with words and the Force, about his time with Anakin. He sighed. He needed a little down time.
"Obi-Wan?"
Deep in thought, his gaze came up as a musical voice slid into his mind. His eyes grew wide as he realized whom he was staring at, stopping in shock. "Tasha?"
The woman smiled, stretching one hand out to him. "Welcome home, Obi-Wan. I'm sorry I didn't greet you when you first got back."
He looked at her confused, "I didn't expect to see you here. I thought you'd been expelled from the temple."
Her laughter was musical and he couldn't help but take in her appearance. Jade green eyes laughed at him through lashes that were long and blonde, so light they almost disappeared against her flawless skin. Her hair lay, unbound, against her shoulders in a shimmering wave of molten sunshine. This was a woman he'd been trying to avoid for years. She placed her hands on her hips, cocking her head at him coquettishly, "I have a day pass. Actually I'm here to see if I can convince you to come out and play, I've missed the company of my rescuer. I haven't repaid you for saving me from slavery, you know."
He took in her form-fitting gown, the cape she wore, the tiny slippers and saw that the almost sheer fabric could offer no protection from his gaze. He swallowed hard. He'd hoped she'd given up her ridiculous notions of gratitude. The fact that she was Force sensitive complicated matters. "You don't owe me anything. I don't see how you've missed me, from what I've heard you have no end of admirers, Pearl." He winced as he unconsciously used his nick name for her.
Her laughter echoed through the hallway as she stepped towards him and linked her arm through his, "Now now, Obi-Wan, you know very well the only attention I want is from you. I'm still dancing, but at least I do it for me now."
"If you'd followed the code you'd still be training."
She waved her hand as if to dismiss the thought as they exited the temple and walked into the streets. Obi-Wan was tense in her presence, restrained. "Pish, I don't care. You Jedi have too many rules. Have fun with me tonight, Obi-Wan, forget about your rules and just be a man."
He wasn't going to admit it was tempting to ignore those regulations in her company. She could easily make him forget all the reasons he had for not staying with her. Unaware he was being subconsciously manipulated, he quickly discarded them. He smiled down at the lithe young woman, placing his hand over hers in the crook of his elbow as he decided she was harmless. Whatever she had planned, he could more than handle. He was a Jedi Knight, after all. "I'll escort you tonight, Tasha, but no funny business."
A slow smile crept onto her features as she led him towards the doors of one of the dance clubs where she held employment. "Call me Pearl, Obi-Wan," she purred.
Against his better judgement, he followed her into the club.
Owen paced the length of the bedroom he and Beru had shared for the past year. The one they'd occupied ever since his father had passed away. Beru sat on the bed, her hands folded in her lap.
"I can't believe they're asking this of us," he fumed.
"Who else would they ask, Owen?"
He shrugged, "I don't know."
They were quiet for a few minutes before she spoke again, her words soft, "I'd like to take care of them, even if it's only for a little while."
He spun on her, surprised. He walked towards her, stopping beside the bed, "Are you sure, Beru? I know what seeing them did to you."
Tears smarted behind her eyes at his soft, caring words. Owen loved her, and though he didn't say it often, it showed clearly in his actions. She reached out and gently clasped his hand, "How can you even think of refusing them? They need our help, they trust us enough to leave their children, their future, in our care."
He squeezed her hand, gently rubbing his thumb across the back of her fingers, "But at what cost?"
Her smile was slight, "My heart, Owen. I'd love those children as if they were our own. Padmé knows it. I can't give you a child of your own, but I can help raise theirs in a good and loving home. Please Owen, do this for me. It may be my only chance to be a mother."
He slid onto the bed next to her, searching her eyes. "That's what you want?"
She nodded, "More than anything."
Owen pulled her into his arms, "We'll help them."
A brilliant smile lit her face as she went willingly into his embrace.
Disclaimer: I don't own any this, all the characters (Except my original) are property of Lucasfilm etc etc.
Hide Your Love Away
Chapter 5
Anakin and Padmé exited the homestead as the suns were setting, the twins sleeping, after being fed, in their bed. Anakin wrapped an arm around her shoulders as they walked to the edge of the slight rise near the doorway to watch the sunset. "Do you remember the last time we were out here?" he asked her softly.
She didn't looked at him, her arm tightening around his waist, "You had to go find your mother." She could feel the strain in his frame, the surge of memories that were painful to this day, "It was the night you took your first steps away from me."
"Is that how you viewed it?"
She turned in his embrace, looking up at him, "How else could I? I was just starting to realize I loved you, and you were running off to find your mother. You brought me here to find her and then wouldn't let me go with you."
He bent his head, resting his forehead against hers, "I'm glad you didn't come with me," he admitted softly, "you didn't see what I did to those raiders."
Her hands crept up on his chest, covering his heart and sliding up to cup his face, "I didn't have to, Anakin. When you told me what you'd done... I loved you even then."
"Why?"
She shrugged, a faint smile on her lips, "Because you admitted to it. You didn't run from the pain or the responsibility. I can feel the tension in you even now, feel your desire to go running off to prove those actions wrong. You're human, love, I don't expect you to be perfect. A perfect husband, a perfect Jedi, would be boring."
He lowered his head until their lips were a fraction away from touching, "A perfect Jedi would never have loved you."
She melted into his kiss, feeling each of his emotions as they seemed to melt into her skin. His lips were demanding, sliding across hers in blatant possession as his tongue invaded her mouth. She angled her head under his, her hands anchoring him in place as they slid into his silken hair. Flush against him, she demanded everything from him, needed everything that he was demanding from her. Her tongue duelled with his, teasing, taunting, exciting. The groan in the back of his throat echoed the whimper in hers as his hands slid down across her body.
He pulled away suddenly, burying his face in the side of her neck where she felt his teeth gently nip her skin. She shivered, turning her head and biting his ear in response, her breath feathering across the sensitive skin and making him shiver. "You're playing with fire."
"Then burn me."
She closed her eyes, wishing for nothing more than to be able to do just that, but pulled away. Not because she wanted to, but because she had to. "We can't, not yet."
His breath caught in his throat. He'd forgotten. Groaning, he enfolded her close, "If I can't have you, then let me hold you."
More than willing, she waited for the pulsing of desire in her blood to stop making her ears ring. Their breathing slowly came back to normal, the passion between them banked, but not extinguished, and back into control. The suns were down, cloaking them in darkness as they stood holding onto each other.
In the doorway to the homestead, Beru watched the two lovers with a smile on her face. Turning, she went to find her man and the long delayed conversation.
Obi-Wan opened the door to his room, straightening his robe as he exited and turned towards the exit. He'd been probed and prodded, both with words and the Force, about his time with Anakin. He sighed. He needed a little down time.
"Obi-Wan?"
Deep in thought, his gaze came up as a musical voice slid into his mind. His eyes grew wide as he realized whom he was staring at, stopping in shock. "Tasha?"
The woman smiled, stretching one hand out to him. "Welcome home, Obi-Wan. I'm sorry I didn't greet you when you first got back."
He looked at her confused, "I didn't expect to see you here. I thought you'd been expelled from the temple."
Her laughter was musical and he couldn't help but take in her appearance. Jade green eyes laughed at him through lashes that were long and blonde, so light they almost disappeared against her flawless skin. Her hair lay, unbound, against her shoulders in a shimmering wave of molten sunshine. This was a woman he'd been trying to avoid for years. She placed her hands on her hips, cocking her head at him coquettishly, "I have a day pass. Actually I'm here to see if I can convince you to come out and play, I've missed the company of my rescuer. I haven't repaid you for saving me from slavery, you know."
He took in her form-fitting gown, the cape she wore, the tiny slippers and saw that the almost sheer fabric could offer no protection from his gaze. He swallowed hard. He'd hoped she'd given up her ridiculous notions of gratitude. The fact that she was Force sensitive complicated matters. "You don't owe me anything. I don't see how you've missed me, from what I've heard you have no end of admirers, Pearl." He winced as he unconsciously used his nick name for her.
Her laughter echoed through the hallway as she stepped towards him and linked her arm through his, "Now now, Obi-Wan, you know very well the only attention I want is from you. I'm still dancing, but at least I do it for me now."
"If you'd followed the code you'd still be training."
She waved her hand as if to dismiss the thought as they exited the temple and walked into the streets. Obi-Wan was tense in her presence, restrained. "Pish, I don't care. You Jedi have too many rules. Have fun with me tonight, Obi-Wan, forget about your rules and just be a man."
He wasn't going to admit it was tempting to ignore those regulations in her company. She could easily make him forget all the reasons he had for not staying with her. Unaware he was being subconsciously manipulated, he quickly discarded them. He smiled down at the lithe young woman, placing his hand over hers in the crook of his elbow as he decided she was harmless. Whatever she had planned, he could more than handle. He was a Jedi Knight, after all. "I'll escort you tonight, Tasha, but no funny business."
A slow smile crept onto her features as she led him towards the doors of one of the dance clubs where she held employment. "Call me Pearl, Obi-Wan," she purred.
Against his better judgement, he followed her into the club.
Owen paced the length of the bedroom he and Beru had shared for the past year. The one they'd occupied ever since his father had passed away. Beru sat on the bed, her hands folded in her lap.
"I can't believe they're asking this of us," he fumed.
"Who else would they ask, Owen?"
He shrugged, "I don't know."
They were quiet for a few minutes before she spoke again, her words soft, "I'd like to take care of them, even if it's only for a little while."
He spun on her, surprised. He walked towards her, stopping beside the bed, "Are you sure, Beru? I know what seeing them did to you."
Tears smarted behind her eyes at his soft, caring words. Owen loved her, and though he didn't say it often, it showed clearly in his actions. She reached out and gently clasped his hand, "How can you even think of refusing them? They need our help, they trust us enough to leave their children, their future, in our care."
He squeezed her hand, gently rubbing his thumb across the back of her fingers, "But at what cost?"
Her smile was slight, "My heart, Owen. I'd love those children as if they were our own. Padmé knows it. I can't give you a child of your own, but I can help raise theirs in a good and loving home. Please Owen, do this for me. It may be my only chance to be a mother."
He slid onto the bed next to her, searching her eyes. "That's what you want?"
She nodded, "More than anything."
Owen pulled her into his arms, "We'll help them."
A brilliant smile lit her face as she went willingly into his embrace.