Chapter 3: Denca Dreams
by dreamingofani
A/N: This chapter is dedicated to Mrs. B, my fifth grade teacher, who one day wanted to see me write a novel. This'll just have to do for now.
And readers, please look at the A/N at the end when you're done
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And I'd give up forever to touch you
cuz I know that you feel me somehow
you're the closest to heaven
that I'll ever be
and I don't want to go home right now
When all I can taste is this moment
and all I can breathe is your life
well sooner or later it's over
I just don't want to miss you tonight
And I don't want the world to see me
cuz I don't think that they'd understand
when everything's meant to be broken
I just want you to know who I am
-Goo Goo Dolls-Iris
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Padmé was meeting with Queen Jamillia again in the giant throne room. Everyone else seemed engaged in the conversation, but Anakin stood off in the corner, staring at Padmé and caught up in his own little daydream.
"....and that's when Count Dooku escaped," Anakin heard Padmé say, and he snapped out of his reverie. He looked around to see every head shaking in disapproval.
"I am glad I could hear this from you, Padmé," came the heavily accented voice of the Nubian Queen. "However, it seems that you have endured enough for now. You deserve a rest."
"Well, it's not like there's much I can do in the Senate," Padmé said bitterly.
"I know," the Queen replied with equal distaste. "But, I've said it before, and I'll say it again: We must keep our faith in democracy."
"Yes, I agree, your highness. I must go now. Thank you for your time," she said with a bow, and Anakin followed suit. Padmé led the way out of the grand chamber. Once they were out of sight of the Queen and her attendants, Anakin took Padmé's hand as they walked through the palace. She was seething, and Anakin wanted to relax her a bit.
"What would you like to do today, love?" he asked her.
She just ignored him and began rambling on about the Republic and Palpatine and how much she loathed Jar-Jar at that moment.
"Shhh... Padmé, forget about them. All right? Today is our day," he said softly as he wiped a tear off her cheek.
"Yeah, okay."
"So what'll it be? Hiking in the countryside? Visiting old ruins?" he offered.
"How 'bout we go back to the resort for a romantic evening alone?" she suggested with a grin.
"Mmmm," Anakin sighed with pleasure. The cab pulled up, and Anakin helped her into the back seat before clambering in himself.
"Lake Country Resort, please," Padmé said to the driver. He nodded and started to drive away.
Halfway through the ride, he looked back to see the two humans had fallen asleep in each others arms. He was dripping with jealousy.
"Will this day never end?" the green-winged creature sighed.
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When the couple arrived at the resort, they tried to retrace everything they did there the first time. They stood on the balcony overlooking the lake, in the same spot as before. He kissed her as he had done before, only this time, Padmé didn't object. Memories of that glorious first kiss floated back— it wasn't that long ago, but already things were drastically different. It's amazing what time can do to anything, really, Padmé thought as her lips pulled away from his.
"C'mon Padmé, let's go inside," he whispered, and held out his arm for her to take. She did so with a smile, and he led her inside.
"Would you like some dinner?" he asked.
"Yes, that would be great."
So Anakin arranged for Nandi to prepare their food. After he emerged from the kitchen, Padmé gripped his hand firmly and dragged him off to her chamber, where she sat him down on her bed. He pulled her down with him, but she objected and stood. Padmé began to rummage through her trunks, throwing her garments aside.
"What are you looking for, Padmé?" he asked playfully. She didn't respond, but continued sorting through piles of clothes. Finally, she pulled out a data pad and a news chip from a couple of days ago. She closed her trunks and sat down next to him on the bed. Padmé handed him the data pad and wrapped her arms around his body. She rested her head against his as he began to read. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, inhaling the comforting scent of her Anakin.
"I want you to know," she told him.
She felt his muscles tense up as he read the headline.
Wealthy Prince of Alderaan to Wed Former Queen of Naboo, As Per Nubian Tradition
Anakin looked above to see a picture of a handsome, dark-haired man in nobility robes. He was grinning broadly. Anakin read the article uncomfortably. It told of his riches and his immense political power. He became more upset as the article went on, wondering how he could ever compare to a man like this. But then Anakin read the last sentence, and the data pad fell out of his hand and on to the floor.
Surprisingly, however, Senator Amidala did not accept.
His breathing was a bit ragged, and he just stared at the wall. After a moment, he turned to Padmé. She was still draped across him, her grip tighter than ever.
"Anakin, please don't be mad," she whispered.
"Why didn't you marry him, Padmé? He was rich, he could have helped you, he-" Anakin had to take a deep breath to let the words come out.
"He wasn't you," she replied simply, and planted a little kiss on his cheek.
Anakin's heart was nearly beating out of his chest. Oh gods, he thought. Oh Force... He pulled her closer to him, tears brimming in his eyes. He struggled to breathe, more so than usual. She curled up against him, and he rested his cheek atop her hair, his tears mingling with her brown curls. Padmé pulled his face down to be level with hers, and she rested her forehead against his. By this time, tears were running down her face, too. He hungrily pulled her in for a deep kiss, their tears mixing on each other's cheeks. They pulled away and Anakin scooted back to the headboard of the bed. He leaned his back against it and invited her into his lap. Padmé obliged and snuggled in to him. He securely wrapped his arms around her, and her senses went wild, his touch sending electric nerves throughout her body. They closed their eyes and sat in each other's arms for quite some time. Anakin wanted to register everything about this moment— the softness of her skin, the delicate scent of her hair, her intoxicating presence in the Force. Finally, Padmé crawled out of their embrace.
"I have to get dressed for dinner."
"Okay, Padmé. See you," he said, and he kissed her briefly before walking out and closing the door behind him.
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Anakin sat at the table, waiting. All the place settings were out, a bottle of wine stood in the center of the table, and Teckla was ready to serve the first course. Where's Padmé? he wondered. He stared out in the direction of her chamber, and he had to physically stop himself from shaking with anticipation. He couldn't stop running terrible hypothetical situations through his head. What will she say? What if...
Anakin's thoughts were interrupted as Padmé strolled in. If he had thought she couldn't be more beautiful than yesterday, he was sorely mistaken. Tonight she wore a backless, sleeveless dress of midnight blue satin. Tiny silver sparkles shimmered and glistened in the light of the sunset, accentuating the folds of silky fabric. Two straps crossed behind her neck, tying in the back. A long slit ran up her side, exposing most of her lower leg as she walked. Half of her curly hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail behind her ears, letting the rest fall gently down her exposed back. She wore strapped high-heeled silver sandals, and a silver wire bracelet spiraled down her upper arm. She truly looked like an angel, descended from the stars.
Breathe in... Breathe out... Anakin had to think yet again.
As Padmé walked into the dining room, she, too, had to consciously remind herself to breathe. She saw Anakin sitting in one of the tall chairs at the table, his back to the window behind him. The light from the sunset surrounded him, illuminating his entire body. The giant rays of color and light seemed to radiate from the depths of his soul instead of the setting sun. It reminded her of their last dinner, when she had opened the door... She could tell that he was just as amazed by her presence as she was by his, maybe even more so, despite how he tried to hide it.
She sat down in the other chair and Nandi came in to serve the salad, while Teckla poured the deep red Nubian wine. The salad was full of crunchy greens and topped with a tangy dressing and crushed pepper. They ate politely and conversed about Padmé's time as a Queen and Senator, or of Anakin's adventures with Obi-Wan. After the salad, they ate a creamy brown soup, followed by the main course of a kind of spicy pasta mixed with vegetables. Finally, the desert came around, and Anakin grinned as Nandi set a plate of cream-colored, puffy cookies on the table. He could see the childish excitement on Padmé's face.
"Dencas! How fun! I haven't eaten these since I was a little girl."
She reached for her first denca. She bit off a corner and shook it until the prize embedded in the center fell out into her awaiting hand.
"Ooh!" she exclaimed and giggled in delight as she slipped the pink elastic bracelet on to her wrist.
"Your turn, Ani."
He reached for a denca and slowly brought it to his lips. He stopped for a minute and stared at Padmé.
"C'mon, Ani! Open it!" she giggled, rather giddy from the wine.
"I don't know..." he said teasingly.
"Come on, Anakin. The anticipation is killing me!"
He brought it back to his mouth and gently licked the edge before slowly taking a bite. He waited before he had swallowed it all, and he licked his lips before attempting to remove his prize. All the while, Padmé was on the edge of her seat with feigned anticipation. He finally gave the cookie a shake, and out popped a tightly folded paper crown. He unfolded it and placed it jauntily atop his head.
"Hey! I thought I was the royalty here!" Padmé exclaimed as he popped the rest of the cookie in his mouth. He finished it and shrugged.
Her hand reached out to take another denca, but the cookie floated out of her grasp.
"Anakin! Not this again!" she said through a fit of giggles.
"You know you love it, Padmé."
She kept reaching for the denca, but Anakin continually pulled it away with a dramatic wave of his hand. Slightly exasperated, she grabbed for it one more time when she thought he wasn't paying attention. But he pulled it away again. She gave up, and he let the denca float to her , finally stopping before her lips. She bit into it delicately, and held out her hand to catch the prize. Anakin took a deep breath and brought the denca up above her hand, flipped it in the air, and shook it vigorously with the Force.
A glittering diamond ring dropped into her palm. She sucked in a huge breath and stared at it, unable to speak. Anakin rose from his chair and knelt down beside her.
"Padmé, will you marry me?"
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A/N: DUH DUH DUN. What a place to stop. Well, I'm sure everyone knows what will happen. But you never know! You'll just have to wait for the next chapter. Please review. May the Force be with you.
Okay guys. That was a present (I NEVER post two days in a row. Unheard of). In exchange for such a lovely gift, I need your help with something. I started writing this story in my notebook in the middle of January. I've devoted a lot of time and effort in the name of this obsession. And this obsession is driving me crazy. So I'm thinking of stopping. I mean, think about it. I've been working on this since January, and I haven't even gotten past what happens in Episode II yet. I wish I could just wish my obsession away (hehe Anakin LOL). And it's becoming harder and harder for me to write. I love writing, but I want to do my own stuff instead of stealing all George Lucas' plot ideas. But I don't want to abandon you guys. So I was thinking of turning this in to an Episode 2 and a half, which explains everything in towards the end and ends at the wedding. And that way it will stay happy. No evil. No Vader. And I have at least two more short stories that I will do about Ani and Padmé. After that, you can read my stuff on FictionPress.net. Is that okay with you? Please tell me what you think. Or if anyone has some other ideas or has a burning desire to tell me to keep going, just click the review button. It's right down there. I'm going to sleep on it tonight and I will take any input you give me in to account before I make a decision. Thanks. You guys are the greatest.
Love,
dreamingofani
