Deceptions
Chapter 3
They made their way down the hallway and to the elevator that would take them to the offices of the Senate. The maintenance droid beeped at Anakin, who paused before the doors and absently, he stepped aside allowing it to pass, his pale face full of consternation.
Padmé caught the look and took his arm in hers, trying to be reassuring.
"It's a quick trip, and my office is not too far from the exit..."
Anakin only nodded looking straight ahead; trying to keep himself standing without leaning into her too heavily. An involuntary shudder ran through his body as they passed through the doors and he suppressed it as well as he could. Padmé pushed the button for their floor and Anakin winced, hoping that he would be able to hold on. She smiled, and stroked the back of his arm tenderly, silently sending waves of love towards her inebriated Jedi husband. Anakin, edgy in the best of times was positively squirming now, and indeed, as soon as the door to her office was opened; he uttered one word which summed things up entirely...
"Fresher......?"
Padmé pointed to a small door on the left and Anakin made a mad dash toward it. A few moments later, retching noises could be heard from the little room and all Padmé could do was wait for it to pass. She sighed and sat down on the corner of a small day bed and leaned back, watching for him.
After a little while, Anakin came slinking out of the fresher, biting is lip sheepishly. Wordlessly, Padmé gestured for him to sit next to her and ultimately lay down with his head on her lap. He did so with a heavy sigh and closed his eyes as Padmé began stroking the top of is head in a loving, familiar gesture.
"Feel better?" she asked him quietly and he nodded.
"Yes, much. Thank you..."
They remained like this for what seemed to be ages, neither of them saying anything, but the silence was a comfortable one, but at last Padmé broke the stillness.
"If our positions were reversed," she whispered almost seductively. "Things could be very... entertaining..."
Anakin groaned softly and rubbed her lower leg with his left hand. "You're incredibly cruel, you know that don't you Padmé?"
She giggled softly, but continued to stroke his head tenderly. The quiet returned for a little while, interrupted only by an occasional hiccup or sigh from Anakin. At long last, he spoke up again.
"Well?" he asked quietly.
"Well what?"
"Aren't you going to ask me 'what's wrong Ani?'. I've been waiting for it..."
"Should I have to? I thought that you would tell me in your own time Anakin." A slight smile crept into her voice. "No more lectures tonight beloved, I promise. Besides, I presume that part of it is the fact that you're being sent off world and away from the capital so soon after... well, after Salliche..."
Anakin sighed, "Who told you? I was trying to find a way, but other things, other people kept getting in the way..."
"Obi-wan," she replied as Anakin let out a hiss. "When you were engaged with the Chancellor... he doesn't seem happy about anything these days." She paused, unsure how or whether to continue. "Obi-wan almost seemed relieved that you would be away while the Senate was in recess, as if he... if he knew we had plans to meet. Ani, I know that the Holo Net has been speculating all over the place but the Council has seemed to always take it with a grain of salt. At least until recently... do you think they suspect something?"
"Obi-wan has always been suspicious..." Anakin growled. "I had to reprogram the lock on my door because I'm certain SOMEONE'S been at least trying to get into my privet quarters while I've been away..."
"Incriminating evidence my love?" she asked coquettishly. "Nude holos of Alderanian dancing girls? Erotic Corrilian 'lover's aids'?"
Anakin snorted and began rubbing her leg again. "Hmmmmmmmmm, I was thinking more so of the Gungan aphrodisiac that I was planning on slipping onto his morning Caf... that would kept him out of my hair for a while to say the least. The man is so uptight, even for a Jedi..."
"That wasn't all..." she prompted softly, "but are you going to tell me the rest?"
Anakin considered, and then replied at last. "Can it wait until another time Padmé? I really don't want to talk about it anymore." He stifled a yawn. "Not now... they'll be coming to check up on us soon... Obi-wan's force signature is so garish with rage, it's almost palpable. I should prepare to deal with him..." Another yawn. "...When he comes as I doubt he'll allow anyone else the pleasure..." His hand slid down off of her leg and Padmé knew he was fighting a loosing battle with sleep. She sat still and quiet a little longer, making her touches as soft and light as she could, listening to his breathing slowly become deeper and more rhythmatic. Poor Ani, she thought to herself as she carefully escervated herself from underneath his head. She carefully placed a small cushion under his head and covered him with the shawl that sat on the back of the chair. When she was certain that Anakin was comfortable, she settled down at her desk and began to sort out a few data pads to examine for a while.
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Just as Anakin had predicted, Obi-wan himself had arrived at her office door, and not even allowing for an invitation, walked into the office fully prepared to find the Senator and Anakin sharing intimacies. To his surprise, Senator Amidala was at her desk, not a hair out of place and Anakin, sensing the master's presence, was slowly beginning to stir from his makeshift bed on the couch. Taken aback by this, well... unexpected scene, the angry retort died on his lips and he stood there in an uncomfortable high handed silence.
"Master Kenobi," Padmé greeted him with an icy, formal tone. "Do you make it a habit of barging uninvited into Senate Offices?"
"Excuse me madam..." Obi-wan replied stiffly. "When you and Anakin left the ceremonies so quickly, I thought something was wrong..."
"Everything's fine Master..." Anakin interjected as he rose from the couch. "Pa... Senator Amidala was kind enough to give me a sanctuary from the crowd when... well, I started to feel 'unwell'..." He offered Obi-wan a lopsided smile that wasn't returned. "I'll be escorting her back..."
"The ball is over..." Obi-wan cut him off sharply. "You've been gone for some time..."
"Master, I..."
"No need for explanations Anakin..." Obi-wan began but this time it was Padmé who interrupted.
"Is there a problem Master Kenobi? Surely you don't think there was some sort of impropriety involved?"
Obi-wan flushed and dropped his eyes. "Of course not M'lady..." he replied although his tone suggested that he had indeed thought just that."It just seemed a little odd when one of the main guests of honor disappears with out so much as a word..." He cast a look at Anakin, who merely shrugged as he folded the shawl back up and placed it on the back of the chair again.
"Master Kenobi," Padmé continued at last, in that same formal tone. "Jedi Skywalker will be escorting me back to my apartments within the hour. He was kind enough to allow me to finish up some vital reports while his illness passed. We must have lost track of time." She smiled with a look that was normally reserved for the hardest of senatorial negotiations. "Perhaps you'll be good enough to alert Captain Typhoo of my delay Master Kenobi? I was hoping that Jedi Skywalker would be kind enough to join me in a late supper before retiring this evening...?"
Obi-wan gave a stiff little bow, knowing that he was beaten this time. "Of course, M'lady. Anakin..." he nodded to Anakin and gave another little bow to Padmé before he turned and left.
After a he was gone, Padmé lost some of her regal bearing and slumped back into her chair. "So 'Jedi Skywalker'..." she smiled at him and Anakin grinned."Do you feel up to escorting a lady to supper after all?"
He stood up, brushed himself off and offered out his arm to her. "As you wish... M'lady..."
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