- - - Chapter Four: The Lovers - - -
Padmé took Anakin's hand, his only hand, gently in her own. She pulled him up the stairs. They passed the maid on the stairs, who smiled at them and nodded as they passed. This only caused Anakin's cheeks to burn hotter. They didn't stop at the first landing, instead, they kept going up to the top floor. Padmé led him down the small hall to a door.
"I have something to show you," she said in a soft shy voice.
She opened the door and stepped in. He followed and looked around the room. The walls had white with green floral motifs pattern wallpaper on it. There was a bassinet in the corner made out of painted white metal. Thick white cushions were plumped up on the inside. White fabric and lace draped down from the basket hiding the legs. A white wooden rocking chair sat next to it. There was a wardrobe in the corner and what he assumed was a changing table next to it.
"I've been slowly working on putting this room together," Padmé said as she looked around.
"Isn't it . . . far?" he asked.
"Far?"
"I mean from our room. It's on the top floor. How would we hear the baby if she is crying?"
"That's what the nanny is for," she said giggling.
"Nanny? We're going to get a nanny?"
"Oh, the girls are already arguing who will get the job. I suspect they'll take turns." She walked over to him and placed her small hand on his chest. "You think our baby is a girl?"
Over the past day whenever he thought about Padmé and their baby, all he could imagine was a little baby girl with big brown eyes and brown curls just like her mother.
"Yes," he said. "A beautiful little angel."
"I think it's going to be a boy," she said. "A handsome little devil just like his father."
"A devil?" Anakin asked.
"Aren't you? A devious devil who stole my heart?"
She pushed herself up on her tiptoes and kissed his lips.
"Well when you put it that way," he said smiling then stealing a kiss back.
He leaned towards her and she reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck. They kissed. Then kissed again and again. Oh, how he had missed this. Missed her.
"I noticed something," Padmé murmured between the short kisses.
"Hmmm?"
"You said our room."
"Huh?"
She pressed her lips against his harder and longer. He opened his mouth, but she pulled away.
"You said our room. The nursery is far away from our room," she said.
"Huh? Did I?"
She shook her head. "I'm glad you think of it as our room."
"Speaking of our room, why don't we go down there?" he said in a lusty voice.
She giggled, gave him a quick kiss, then slipped away and out the door. He was right on her heels. She laughed as he chased after her. It was a slow race. He didn't want her rushing down the stairs. The moment he entered their room, Padmé grabbed his coat and pulled him towards her. Then she pushed him back towards the door, causing it to shut. She grabbed his hat and threw it to the side. Then her hands were pulling off his jacket. His vest. His shirt. His . . .
She stopped and stared at his arm. His stump. For a moment, a blissful moment, he had forgotten. Shame tore through him. He turned away from her, so his injured arm was hidden from her sight.
"Anakin," she said softly.
"I . . . It's . . ."
Soft cool hands touched his face. She gently pulled it so he would look at her. Her eyes were so large and round and filled with nothing but love. But there was a slight pout to her lips. Then her hands slipped away from his cheeks. They slowly touched the bandages wrapped around his arm. Her fingers carefully explored his stump. He wanted to pull away. He was disgusted by the thing, but she didn't seem to be.
Then she leaned over and kissed it. Then she kissed it again and again. She started to move her lips up along his arm and left a trail of kisses higher and higher. As her lips moved past the bandages and onto his skin, each kiss sent a little shiver of excitement through him. When she reached his neck, he moaned.
"Padmé," he muttered. "You have no idea what your lips do to me."
"Oh," she purred as her lips finally found their way back to his, "I think I do."
Her hands were undoing his belt buckle and then his pants. Her hands reached in and grabbed him. Her touch stole the air right from his lungs. He instantly grew hard. She giggled as her hands continued to stroke his length.
"Padmé," he said. He was ready. He was so ready. It had been months since they had last been together. All very long and lonely months.
"Take your pants off first," she said.
He wasted no time in kicking off his boots and pulling his pants off. However, she was still completely dressed.
"Aren't you going to-" He didn't get to finish.
She grabbed his arm, pulled him to the bed, and then pushed him down on to it.
"I just want to show you how much I've missed you," she said as she slowly sank to her knees.
She kissed the inside of his leg next to his knee. He laid back on the bed as her lips moved up his inner thigh. Then her plump lips reached his manhood. As she took him in, he gasped and moaned. And oh, what she did with those lips . . . The thoughts she made him think . . . The words and sounds he moaned and shouted out . . .
Oh, God. He loved her. It went beyond what he felt with his physical body. It was deeper than that. There was a fire deep inside his heart that grew stronger when he was around her. Whenever he was apart from her, the fire grew weak. He grew cold. It became painful to be without her. But now they were together. His fire was raging. He was so warm, so content.
"I love you," he said as he watched her stand up.
"I love you, too," she said as she slowly took off her clothes.
He sat up as her bare form was revealed. Usually, his eyes would be on her breasts or her round butt or the lovely spot between her legs or her lips. But now his eyes were drawn to her stomach. It was swollen and round. She slowly climbed on to the bed. He cautiously reached over. His hand hovered right above her stomach. She grabbed his hand and lowered it down. The stomach was smooth and warm. He started to rub small circles as his smile grew and grew.
"A baby," he whispered.
"Yes," she said.
"We're going to have a baby. I . . . I'm so happy. This is the happiest day of my life."
He leaned forward and kissed her. She wrapped her arms around him, and he did the same. They held each other tightly for a long while.
Obi-Wan came to Padmé's house the next morning.
"You don't have to talk to him," Padmé said. One of her maids was doing her hair while Padmé applied makeup. "I can go down and talk to him. You two never have to speak."
There was a sharpness to her voice. She was ready to fight if she needed to. She would defend him, and Anakin's heart swelled at the idea of his little love fearlessly facing down one of the best knights in the Order.
"No," he said. He was dressed in the same clothes he had arrived in yesterday. They were the only clothes, besides some pajamas and robes Padmé had bought him, he had. Padmé had planned a shopping trip for them today to immediately rectify the situation. "I'll talk to him."
Padmé glanced at him through the mirror. "Are you sure?"
"Yes," he said. "This is something I need to do."
He walked over and gave her a short kiss on the cheek. Then he went downstairs. Obi-Wan was waiting in the parlor. Neither one said anything as they both took a seat. Obi-Wan was dressed in a fine suit brown suit, which made him look more like a nobleman than a holy knight. He looked more like Padmé's peer and equal than Anakin.
Obi-Wan sighed. It was the first sound either one had made in several minutes.
"I suppose there is nothing I can say that would change your mind," he said slowly and with a clear note of sadness in his voice. It only struck Anakin's heart and made it heavy.
Obi-Wan was more than just a friend. He was Anakin's best friend and mentor. Obi-Wan had taken on a nine-year-old Anakin as his padawan apprentice. Anakin was not the easiest student, and yet he managed to help Anakin become a successful knight. They were almost like brothers, and he was one of the things Anakin was going to miss the most about his old life.
"No," Anakin finally said.
"Is this about Clovis?"
"No." Anakin paused to take in a deep breath. "I was thinking about this before Clovis. Losing my arm probably just helped me make my decision faster."
"I see," Obi-Wan said. "I'll be honest, Anakin. I am disappointed you're leaving. The Order needs you. There is a lot of vampire activity. The Order fears Sidious is planning something large."
"In America?"
"It's gone beyond that. Yoda has gone to the Kashyyk Forest in Norway."
Anakin couldn't help but become more alert. "Jutuls? The giants?" he asked.
"Yes." Obi-Wan nodded. "Vampires have been coming into their forest and attacking them."
"Why?"
"We don't know. I've just been given a new mission. I'm headed to Greece. There are confirmed sightings of Grievous lurking there."
Grievous. One of the most powerful vampires. There was a part of him that ached to race upstairs, grab his sword, and leave with Obi-Wan. He wanted to smite the vampires down. But . . . with only one arm, he would not be able to offer any serious aid to Obi-Wan.
"I wish you luck," Anakin said. "And I'll pray for you."
"I see," Obi-Wan said slowly. "So you're going through with this? You've decided to leave the Order?"
To leave your home. Your family. The words were left unsaid. Anakin's heart hurt, but he kept his resolve.
"Yes," Anakin said. "I . . . " He glanced down at his right arm. His stump.
"There is more to a knight than a sword arm," Obi-Wan said. "But I feel it's more than that. It's Padmé isn't it?" Anakin's cheeks started to grow red and hot. "I have no doubt you two will be very happy with each other. I always knew the only thing that could pull you away from the Order would be Padmé."
"You knew?"
Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow and smiled. "You ran off after her the moment Lord Organa mentioned her on Sunday. You two were in the chapel, alone, for quite some time."
"Ah," Anakin said as his cheeks burned hotter. Had it been that obvious? They had tried so hard to hide their relationship.
Obi-Wan smiled. "May God be with you, Anakin Skywalker," he said.
"And also with you, Obi-Wan," Anakin said. And he meant it. He wanted nothing but good things for Obi-Wan. He wasn't really one for prayers, but he would make time to pray to ask God to watch over Obi-Wan.
Both men stood up, and Anakin walked with Obi-Wan back to the front door. Obi-Wan put on his hat and coat. The two stood there awkwardly for a small moment. Obi-Wan placed a hand on Anakin's shoulder and gently squeezed it. Pressure was building up behind Anakin's eyes, but he wasn't going to let it turn into tears. He was not going to cry.
"By the way," Obi-Wan said, "I'm sure you two will make beautiful children." Then he laughed at Anakin's shocked expression. He nodded, opened the door and was gone.
Anakin stood there dumbfounded for a moment. How much did Obi-Wan know?
The carriage continued its bumpy ride. Padmé sat on Anakin's lap. His right stumpy arm wrapped around her to keep her in place. Padmé's arms were wrapped around his neck. She was peppering him with small little kisses.
"Tell me," he murmured, "is my face now stained red from your lipstick?"
She leaned back and examined his face. "I do suppose your right cheek does look a bit redder than the left. I guess that means I should give that side equal attention."
She leaned back in and started to kiss his other cheek.
"Padmé," he said in a soft but stern voice.
She sighed and stopped her ministrations. "You're worrying too much," she said. She pulled out a handkerchief and started to wipe at his face.
"You're not worrying at all!"
"Because the Duke is going to accept your proposal."
He grumbled as she continued to clean his face. It had been a week since he had left the Order. He was falling into a comfortable pattern living with Padmé, but things couldn't be left as they were. There was the matter of marrying Padmé. He did want to marry her. He loved her. They both wanted to marry before the baby arrived.
That meant their wedding was going to be a simple and private affair, which suited Anakin just fine. Not like he had any family to attend a grand wedding. All of his friends and associates were part of the Holy Order, and many of them were scattered across the globe. Not to mention, he wasn't sure how many would actually show up after he had just left the Order.
Padmé was also an orphan. The rest of the Naberrie family had fallen prey to a vicious vampire attack when she was twelve. It was at that age she inherited her family's title and land. It was Duke Palpatine who stepped in and offered his help. He himself had no children and took Padmé under his care. He saw that she attended the best schools and that her family's estates were taken care of until she was old enough to manage them herself. Padmé had been successfully handling her family's fortune and businesses since she was eighteen. And it was all thanks to Palpatine.
This meant that Anakin had to ask Palpatine's approval to marry Padmé. This was why they were in the carriage going to Palpatine's grand countryside estate.
"Ani," Padmé said drawing him out of his thoughts. "Sheev already knows about us. He knows about the baby. Plus, he's always liked you."
This was true. Anakin and the duke were not strangers. The duke was a huge patron of the Holy Order. So much so, his opinion held a lot of weight. A fact the council disliked, but they didn't dare risk pushing him away. They needed Palpatine's money and information. Palpatine was well connected and managed an information network that kept tabs on vampire dealings and sightings. Anakin's work often brought him in close proximity to the duke. The old man was always kind and understanding.
But that still didn't shake Anakin's nerves.
"Can't we talk about something else?" Anakin asked.
"Of course we can," she said. "What do you want to talk about?"
"What about the baby?"
"The baby?"
He placed his hand against her round stomach. "What about names? Have you thought of any names for our little girl?"
"I have not thought of any name for our little boy," she said. She leaned heavily into him and rested her head on his shoulder. "What names do you like?"
"For a boy?"
"Yes, for our baby boy."
He paused for a moment as he considered. "Luke," he said.
"Luke?"
"As in Luke the Evangelist."
"Patron saint of artists and physicians. Are you saying that's what you want our son to be?"
"I was thinking more along the lines of Luke chapter one, verse eighty. 'And the child grew and became strong in spirit.'"
"Isn't the rest of that verse about how John, not Luke, grew up in the wilderness or desert?"
"Yeah, that's why I know that verse. I've always connected to it having grown up in a desert myself."
"Then Luke is a good name," she said. "Luke Skywalker."
"And now can we discuss what our little girl will be named?"
"Oh very well. I suppose we can always have a second child and hope it's a girl," she teased. "What name will go well with Luke?"
"Well, Luke means light giving."
Padmé sat up and looked at him. "You've given this some thought," she said.
He gave her a shy smile. "I might have."
"So then you already have a girl's name picked out."
"I do," he admitted. "Leia."
"Leia?"
"Luke means light giving. Leah means the light of the sun in Celtic. Plus they sound good together."
"Luke and Leia," Padmé said. "Those do sound like good names."
He tightened his arms around her bringing her close to him. He kissed her lips. They stayed like that for the rest of the ride. Just the two of them holding each other, cuddling, and occasionally kissing.
"We're here," Padmé said as she leaned away from him.
He instantly missed the weight of her, but he leaned forward to look out the carriage window. Across a large field, beyond a small grove of short trees and bushes rose a magnificent building. It was large and sprawling containing several wings.
"That's not a house," Anakin said. "That's a castle or a palace or whatever it is."
Padmé giggled. "Coruscant House is sometimes called Coruscant Palace. There used to be a 13th-century castle here. Some of the house incorporated the design, especially in the back. That tall tower in the back right was inspired by the original castle."
They turned down a long, wide, and straight drive that brought them directly to the front entrance of the house. The carriage came to a stop. There were servants already waiting for them. At once a servant approached the carriage and opened the door. Padmé slid off his lap and took the hand of the servant as he helped her down. Anakin hesitated. All of his anxiety had come roaring back now that he looked at this large house. He was out of his league here.
"Anakin?" Padmé called from outside.
Finally, he stepped out of the coach. His throat felt tight as he glanced up at the impressive building. He had to turn his head fully from side to side to take in the rest of it. Padmé was holding out her elbow. He clumsily rushed over and looped his arm through hers. It felt like the servants were glaring at him. Judging him. He couldn't stop his cheeks from reddening.
No doubt they saw past the expensive clothes Padmé had bought him. No matter how well he was dressed up, he couldn't hide that he was just some peasant. They walked up the steps and through the door. More servants waited inside to take their coats, hats, and gloves.
"Welcome to Coruscant House Lady Naberrie," a butler said. He was an older man with white hair and e stood straight and proud. He bobbed his head when he addressed Padmé. Then his eyes went to Anakin. "Mr. Skywalker," he said. His voice seemed a bit tighter. There was no bob of the head. "The duke has been eagerly awaiting your arrival. This way please."
Without any hesitation, the butler smoothly turned around and started to walk to the right. Padmé laced her right hand into his left hand as they walked through the grand foyer. The place was crafted out of fine wood with carved detailing, some of which were gilded in gold. Large paintings hung on the walls of beautiful landscapes. The largest and most central one was of the duke himself. He was dressed in a fine suit with a large red cape lined in white fur draped across one shoulder.
They were soon escorted into a large library. The walls were completely covered in bookshelves. Sitting at a desk in front of a large window sat the duke. He was dressed in a dark blue lounge suit. Duke Palpatine was an elderly man with white receding hair. As soon as they entered, he rose and walked around his desk.
"Padmé, my dear," he said. "And Anakin! So glad you two made it."
Padmé did a small curtsey, and Anakin followed her example and bowed at the waist.
"Your grace," she said in a smooth voice.
"Duke Palpatine," Anakin said.
"No need for all of that my boy," Palpatine said as he approached them. He patted Anakin on the back. "We're almost family, no?" He eyed Padmé's stomach. "Come. Come. Let's sit down. Almeda will be back soon with fresh tea."
They headed over to a sitting area in front of one of the windows. Palpatine sat on one couch while Padmé and Anakin sat on another. A table sat between the two.
"Now, why is it that you are here?" Palpatine asked.
Padmé's hand slipped into his. She squeezed it and smiled at him. Anakin took a deep steadying breath.
"Duke Palpatine," Anakin said as he stared the duke directly in the eyes. "I have come here to ask for your permission to marry Marchioness Padmé Naberrie."
Palpatine leaned forward. His eyes narrowed on Anakin. Everything in Anakin seized up. His heart struggled to beat in his chest. He wasn't able to breathe. A sharp coldness froze his limbs. Then Palpatine leaned back and smiled.
"Of course, my dear boy, I grant you permission."
Anakin smiled as his body relaxed. Padmé squeezed his hand.