Chapter 4: Moonlight and Star Dust
by: dreamingofani
A/N: This chapter is dedicated to you!
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So what you wished for could come true
You aren't surprised love, are you?
-Guster-What You Wished For
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Before she could even think about it, about the consequences or the problems they would face, Padmé reacted. She pulled Anakin close to her face.
"Yes..." she breathed against his skin before kissing him. She acted on something more than her undying love, more than her desire, more than her desperate need to be with him. It was almost as though something bigger had compelled her to utter that one word to him. Something bigger, more powerful, than her or Anakin or the Jedi... It wasn't that she would have said no, but she knew she couldn't have, even if she had wanted to. It was a very odd feeling. Almost like she was inevitably destined to marry him...
The drew apart and Anakin carefully slipped the ring onto her awaiting finger. They abandoned the rest of their dinner and walked outside, hand in hand. The sun had set, and the sky had turned a deep midnight blue. Thousands of twinkling stars spread across the vast sky. Padmé found a place by the water and she lay down, pulling Anakin into her arms. She felt the love and warmth pouring out of his heart, and she only pulled him in closer. They looked across the gently rippling lake that reflected the light of the stars.
Padmé took his hand and reached his finger up to point to different constellations in the sky— the goddess of wisdom and beauty, the goddess of love, the god of fate and destiny. He smiled at her knowledge and the kind of innocent moment they were sharing.
"Isn't it funny to think about the stars?" Anakin whispered in her ear.
"What do you mean?" she asked and rolled over to face him.
"Well, just how far away they are, but so close at the same time. It takes years for the light to travel all this way, and when it finally does, it's like looking at the star light of thousands of years ago. A star could be dead for all we know, but we are still bathed in their magnificent light. It's breathtaking," Anakin said quietly and stared up at the sky.
Padmé stayed on her side as Anakin continued to gape at the stars. She traced a finger across his chest, smiling at his apparent awe.
"Look, Padmé..." he breathed to her. Their eyes looked up to see a single star fall across the sky, leaving behind a trail of brilliant white light.
"You're my shooting star, Ani," she whispered delicately.
"And you're my angel, Padmé," he told her before trapping her soft lips in a kiss. "My angel..." he repeated dreamily.
They stood up and kissed again in the moonlight, stardust falling all around them.
Anakin felt her shiver in his arms. He removed his long cloak and wrapped it around her bare shoulders.
"You're cold," he whispered.
"No," she said stubbornly and pulled him back to her by his robes. Her arms slid up to his shoulders, crossing her wrists behind his neck. Her hands crept up to his hair, where she playfully entwined her fingers in his little ponytail. This time she felt him shiver. He pulled back again.
"Well I'm cold!" he said with a chuckle. She took his arm and Anakin led her inside. They went to the living room, where a warm fire was crackling in the fireplace. They snuggled into one of the cushiony couches facing the fire.
"Anakin?" Padmé asked uncertainly after a moment.
"Mmm?"
"Have you thought about it at all?" Padmé asked.
"I don't know what you're talking about," he said, obviously trying to avoid this conversation.
"You know perfectly well what I'm talking about, Anakin Skywalker. I mean, what about your commitment to the Order? What will the Jedi say?" she asked with concern.
"I told you, Padmé, they don't matter. We can try and keep it quiet, I'd love it if they don't find out. But I love you more. I don't care if they discover us, because we will have each other, and that is the only thing that will ever matter to me."
"All right. But when? I'm going to be busy with the Senate and you'll be finishing your training for the next few months..." she trailed off.
"Tomorrow, then," he said simply.
"Tomorrow?" she asked in surprise. "I think-"
"Don't think," he whispered and leaned down to kiss her.
"All right, handsome. Tomorrow it is, then."
They sat on the sofa until the fire burned low, and Padmé had to stifle a yawn.
"Time to get you to bed, Senator," Anakin said formally.
"Yes, Jedi," Padmé replied, playing along.
She rose and trailed off in to her chamber, Anakin following not far behind.
"Go—od night," he said through a yawn and he slumped off in the direction of his room, but she grabbed his arm and swiftly pulled him into her.
"And where are you going?" she asked seductively.
"My chamber?" he asked innocently.
"Oh no you're not," she said as she dragged him off with her. "You're coming with me, and you're going to hold me until I fall asleep."
"Yes, Padmé," he said in feigned exasperation.
She pulled him into her chamber, where she shoved him onto her giant canopy bed.
"Wait here, I need to change," she said firmly, and she walked into her spacious closet, shutting the door behind her.
Anakin pulled off his clunky Jedi boots and his robes, leaving him with only his pants and a flimsy undershirt. He put his clothes in a neat pile beside the nightstand, and he placed his lightsaber on top. He leaned back in the soft bed, waiting for Padmé to emerge from the depths of her walk-in closet.
Moments later, she appeared, wearing a gracefully fitting white nightgown. She came up to him and kissed him briefly on the lips before sliding into bed next to him.
'That nightgown looks awfully familiar..." he started. " Didn't you wear that on Coruscant? I never thought I would see you wear something twice..."
"Hey! Shut up!" she exclaimed and slapped him playfully.
"They sat in silence for a moment, until she spoke.
"Thank you for a wonderful day, Ani."
"Thank you, angel."
Padmé smiled inside herself. She loved it when he called her that.
"Goodnight, Ani."
"G'night, angel of mine..." he whispered into her ear. And, as promised, he wrapped her up in his arms, holding her and rocking her until she drifted off to sleep.
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A/N: Ahh, fluffy, huh? It's been fun. Look for more later! Please review— that's the only way it can get any better, and it's encouragement for me to keep writing...
