Chapter Nine
Anakin and Padme walked briskly into Theed Palace for their briefing with the Queen. Both of them wanted to spend as less time as possible there, for fear that the past would continue to catch with them.
When they had finally reached the throne room, Anakin was faintly reminded of a ball that took place ages ago, where he was reunited with an angel…but that time had passed and he shot back to reality when Padme and Queen Jamilla began to talk about her situation. He listened patiently as Padme relayed the details about their planned stay at the Retreat. His eyes shot up when the Queen directed a question towards him.
"Master Jedi, I was informed that there was another assassination attempt on the Senator's life shortly before you left. Please tell me what you've planned for her security. It would be a great tragedy if anything should befall our beloved Senator."
Anakin nodded and quickly cast a concerned glance towards Padme, who was trying to hide her grimace at the mention of the recent assassination attempt.
"It seems as if the assassins, most likely bounty hunters, are getting bolder. That's why it's imperative that we stay as unnoticed as possible. While we're at the Lake Retreat, no one will be allowed to enter without clearance and I've made sure that all servants and any handmaidens are sent back to the Palace to make it look like no one is there. Besides that, I promise you that I won't allow anything to happen to her."
The Queen smiled brightly at the young Jedi, feeling more reassured after speaking with him directly.
"Well then, it seems that you have everything under control Master Jedi. If there is anything that I can do for you, I mean anything, do not hesitate to notify me."
"Thank you, your majesty."
After bowing respectfully, they started to head towards the way they had came, but then Padme stopped them.
"No, this way is faster."
She turned directions and he decided to follow her, even though as they continued to walk, he realized where they were in the palace. He dared to look to his right and there it was, their pillar, as he had liked to think of it. He licked his lips hastily and could almost taste her skin as he had so long ago. He closed his eyes and heard her soft laughter ringing in his ears, musically tormenting his soul. His eyes were unable to draw themselves away from the pillar as they walked closer and he realized his breathing matched their quick pace.
Padme glanced at him, confused at the change in his demeanor. Then her eyes followed the direction his was focused and she knew. Her heart began to pound at the memories that followed through her mind and she found that she welcomed them wholeheartedly. Being back at the Palace brought so much back, so many wonderful yet painful memories.
It was then that she realized that Anakin didn't seem to feel the same way. He looked like he was being emotionally and physically inflicted with terrible pain. He was breathing heavily and his eyes were transfixed solely on that pillar where they had stolen passionate kisses. She felt her anger towards him continue to rise when she realized that he had yet to utter her name. She couldn't understand why that bothered her so much, but it did. And his continuously hurtful reactions to reminders of their past only added to her anger and annoyance towards him. She gritted her teeth and prayed that they would get to the Lake Retreat as soon as humanly possible.
Fortunately for Padme, Anakin had similar thoughts and drove the speeder as fast as he could. When they finally got there, he was slightly relieved when Padme hurried to her bedroom and only came out to eat a wordless dinner with him. He resigned himself to his own bedroom and was just about to get into bed when he realized that he had forgotten to make sure everything was alright in Padme's room. He had been too concerned with keeping his distance from her that he had completely disregarded the job he was supposed to be doing.
He sighed and put his robe back on. He headed to Padme's room and knocked on the door. He frowned when there was no answer, but just knocked again. Again, no answer. He was starting to become concerned and knocked more furiously this time. No answer. Now, he knew something was terribly wrong. He took a step back and kicked the door open.
"Padme! Are you in here?"
Still no answer. He was beginning to become frantic now and he hurriedly ran from corner to corner of her rooms. For the first time since they had been reunited, he found himself desperately wanting to see her beautiful face and hear her melodious voice.
"Padme!"
Padme froze in the refresher. Was her mind playing tricks on her? Did she really just hear that? She heard him calling out to her again and her heart began to pound in her chest. Maybe now he would at least regard her as a human being instead of the heartless, cold monster he seemed to think she was. When he called out to her yet again, she quickly realized that he was starting to sound panicked and quickly left the refresher.
"Anakin, I'm fine…"
He turned at the sound of her voice, incredible relief washing over him, but when he saw her, his eyes practically popped out of their sockets. His mouth dropped open slightly at the sight of her and it curved upward into a smile.
"I…uh…I thought that…" He couldn't get out any more words, he just stopped and stared at her, still slightly smiling, now a little more smugly.
Padme looked at him in confusion, then remembered that in her haste, she had forgotten to throw a robe on. She was wearing an extremely low-cut, tight, and very transparent nightgown that showed way too much cleavage. No wonder Anakin was smiling.
She quickly ran back into the refresher while Anakin had turned his back towards her. He ran his hand through his hair in embarrassment and muttered to himself, "Oh gods, not again…"
He immediately decided that he should do what he came there to do, so he started to check under her bed for nothing in particular, anything to get his mind off of what he had just seen. It was surreal, like he was being shot back into the past, but he knew that this night was different somehow. Maybe it was because he was more mature now. He had seen more in the last two years than he cared to think about, not to mention the suffering she had caused him. Maybe it was because his feelings towards her had changed. When he had first been put into that uncomfortable situation, he had just found her again and was beginning to realize that he was falling in love with her. Now, in the same situation, he was reminded of what he could never have, of what he kept telling himself he didn't want.
Padme emerged within a matter of moments, dressed in a more appropriate robe which covered her from her neck to her toes. She didn't want any skin showing at this point, especially after she had seen the look on Anakin's much too handsome face. She realized that there were certain memories that didn't need to be relived, as her eyes fell to her bed.
"What are you doing in here anyways, Anakin?" She asked, somewhat haughtily and placed a hand on her hip.
Anakin looked up from under the bed, almost hitting his head in the process, and stood up to meet her eyes. "I just wanted to make sure everything was secure here. You know, no bugs, hidden cameras, anything like that."
She nodded quickly and walked past him to get to her vanity. "I heard you yelling for me. Is everything ok?"
He bit his lip, reluctant to tell her that he had been worried about her. "I…uh…was knocking and you didn't answer so…I broke down the door."
Her brow furrowed in confusion and her eyes quickly found the mangled door. A small smile crept to her lips and a little laugh escaped from her mouth. Soon, she was having a hard time breathing she was laughing so hard.
"What?" Anakin was at a complete loss with the woman. He had absolutely no idea what was so funny.
She just looked at him and doubled over again in laughter. "Anakin, you broke my door!"
He looked at the door, then looked back at Padme. "So?"
That just caused her to laugh even harder. "Never mind."
He just shook his head at her and continued his search of the room. She followed him a little bit, with her head tilted a little to the side. She studied his every movement, so fluid and athletic, and realized that he was truly extraordinary. He had become a great Jedi and she knew, even from just looking at him now, that he would just continue to grow.
She found herself smiling while she continued to watch him move around her room. After he was done, he nodded to her and headed back to his room across the hall. She sighed, almost contently, and crawled into bed.
Several hours later, Padme abruptly awoke from her sleep. Her wide eyes scanned the dark room and she noticed that the window was open a crack. She quickly got up and closed it, then without warning, she thought she saw a shadow move near her closet. That was all she needed. Within seconds, she was out the door and running towards Anakin's room.
