Hello: Chapter 2 my pretties. This one just sprang up as I was writing it but I've got another 3 stories in the making so don't fear about my brain. I hope I don't offend anyone by this story; it's just the thought of Mace being 'beautified' seemed good to me. Uhm. Yeah. This one kinda ended up a bit long. Not the intention. Still, enjoy!

Disclaimer: As ever, all character, names, etc. belong to George Lucus. Any similarities between this story and real life/other stories are merely coincidental.

"You don't look so good Master Kenobi," Master Windu said, eyeing a rather blue and puffy Obi-Wan Kenobi.

'If you think I came off bad you should see my apprentice,' Obi-Wan mused to himself proudly. "Yes, well, uh, Anakin and I we were, uhm, we were…"

"Trying to contain a wild snake," Anakin finished quickly for his master. Which wasn't entirely a lie.

"Yes! Yes, a snake!" Obi-Wan replied, pouncing on Anakin's reply.

Mace raised a perfectly plucked eyebrow, "A snake?"

"Uh huh. Very large it was. Powerful too. Now, Anakin and I must leave we, uh, have a dinner to cook," Obi-Wan stammered, desperately thinking of a way to leave the conversation. He bowed to Master Windu, put a hand on his padawan's shoulder and started to drag him away. As he did he turned back to Mace and shouted, "We hope you have a good tanning session!"

"What did you say that for?" Mace heard Anakin whisper to his Master.

"Oh I don't know," Obi-Wan said, trying to look back at Mace slyly only to find him still looking at him. "He's looking, quick, run!"

And off they went. Leaving Mace to think of them only as a pair of idiots. He started to walk away when he realised something. How on Naboo did they know he had tanning sessions? He thought it was his little secret. He started to panic.

"Why did you tell him that?" Anakin moaned when they were safely inside their apartment. He was, of course, referring to Obi-Wan telling Master Windu to have a 'good tanning session'. "It was supposed to be my secret."

"Not now Anakin. Go and break some china in your room or something. Just, you know, leave me alone for a while. I need time to recuperate my strength. After last nights… attack I'm not quite feeling myself. Go on now Anakin," a rather tired looking Obi-Wan said as he shooed his apprentice into his room. His apprentice grumbled but did as he was told. Obi-Wan let out a thankful breath and slid down the chrome door he was resting on. Then, without him even knowing it, he was asleep.

"Stupid Obi-Wan," Anakin mumbled as he kicked the ground in his bedroom. "Telling Master Windu," and here he put on a whiny Obi-Wan voice, "To have a 'good tanning session'. Bloody boot licker."

Anakin walked over to the mirror in his room and examined himself. He was looking rather worse for wear. There was a funny blue line around his neck where Obi-Wan had tried to strangle him and his bottom lip was looking strangely balloon-like. He didn't want to look at the rest of his body because he knew there were similar injuries across it. He scowled. He knew he had commenced the fighting last night but Obi-Wan had deserved it, especially since he had cut his arm. His master didn't get out of the fight totally unscathed though. His right eye was a rather fetching shade of blueberry and there were little puncture marks all over his body were Anakin had successfully bitten him. Embarrassingly, though, his master had won the fight with a sudden attack of tickling which Anakin had no defence against. Next time though. Anakin looked at his pale reflection in the mirror again. If only he could get his healthy Tatooine tan back. Hello. Tan. Tan was along the same lines as fake tan. Anakin giggled to himself and walked over to his door. He had just thought of the most perfect thing. First he had to get out of his and Obi-Wan's apartment though. He waved his hand over the lock sensor of his door and the door unlocked quietly. Anakin knelt down, opened the door slightly and poked his head out of it. He couldn't see anything. Obi-Wan wasn't in sight. He smiled to himself, straightened up and walked out of his door. He walked as quickly as he could to the door when a strange sound pierced the silence. He looked around. He couldn't see anything. So he continued to walk. But there it was again. This time he looked at the room closer. Then he saw where the sound was coming from. Covered in a grey blanket and propped against the door with a furry teddy bear by his side was Obi-Wan. Anakin stared at the scene with a raised eyebrow. Where did that blanket come from? He didn't remember Obi-Wan owning one of those. And he knew for a fact he didn't own a teddy bear. He scratched his head. He hadn't put them there so where had they come from? It didn't matter much now, because he had something much more important to do. He had to get out. But how on Naboo was he going to do that when Obi-Wan was sleeping in front of the flipping exit? Anakin sighed when he realised the answer.

'Not the window again, please no,' he thought to himself remembering his last scuffle with the window. He sighed. It was the only way. He just had to hope this time he wouldn't break his ankle on the jump down from his window to the ground.

Anakin looked at his fingers. They were all rather swollen looking. Despite his best efforts not to break anything he was sure he had broken all the fingers on his right hand. He scowled. He knew what Obi-Wan would say if he told him what had happened:

"Well that's what you get for trying to grab onto a windowsill while hurtling down to the ground at 200 mph."

He'd just have to make up some lie and ignore the pain while he put his plan into action. It sure hurt though. A door tinkled shut and Anakin looked at the neon lit beauty parlour. He smiled. In the dark night something, shrouded in a black cloak, was trying to leave the salon un-noticed. Anakin got up off the cold step he was sitting on.

"Lovely evening we're having no, Master Windu?" he said, sliding up behind Windu like a cat would on it's prey.

"Padawan Skywalker!" Mace said, freezing in his tracks. He turned around to face Anakin, fearful eyes glinting through his dark cloak.

"Not trying to hide something behind that cloak are you? Evidence of a tanning session maybe?"

Mace grabbed onto Anakin's bruised shoulders, "You won't tell anyone? Please, no one!"

Anakin chuckled, "Of course not. If,"

"If what?" Mace asked sceptically.

"If you do things for me. Back me up."

Mace stood up to his whole height, "Are you blackmailing me Padawan Skywalker?"

Anakin stopped. Blackmailing a Jedi Master at age 12. Wow, that was an achievement and a half. He smiled, he definitely wasn't going to let it get away from him, "It would appear I am. So, you help me when I ask and I won't tell anyone about your secret. Deal?" He said, holding out his left, unbroken hand.

Mace couldn't believe it. He was being blackmailed. By a kid no less. What was the world coming to? But he didn't want his secret to get out.

"Fine," he said shaking Anakin's hand, "I'll help you. But you promised. Force help you if you break it!" he swore at Anakin. Then, he pulled his hood up and began to walk away.

"Wait!" Anakin shouted. "I wanna know why. I want to know why you get a fake tan, I mean, it's not like you need it," he said, eyeing the Master's fine skin.

Mace stopped and sighed, "How do you think I keep this other-worldly glow hmm? It all takes work. I may have the skin but I don't have the glow! I have respect for my looks. Unlike some people" Mace muttered while eyeing the beaten-up boy. Then he walked off into the night. Again.

Anakin stared at Mace's fading silhouette: shocked. He'd just insulted him! Then he remembered. He owned him.

'Oh yes!' he thought. 'Now, Obi-Wan, I own the key to kicking your butt 24/7.'

Anakin grinned. Blackmail was dead fun!