At first, Padmé regretted her decision to accompany Qui-Gon into Mos Espa as she walked beside the handsome Jedi Master. Sabé was right. It was blistering hot and then there was the clumsy gungan to have to deal with. He seemed to bump into everyone and everything. So, not only did Qui-Gon have to contend with him, but he had to worry about protecting her as well.
And he was worried. Padmé smiled with that assurance as they walked the dusty street. It was the little things that he did that proved that. The way that he continuously looked back to ensure that she was still close behind him. The way that he ushered through the doorway of the parts shop by placing a hand onto the small of her back.
Those hands. They were so large. Just one of them could span her entire waist. And those arms. He could probably hold her up against him with just one as his free hand was busy removing her dress….
Padmé was startled out of her fantasy by a voice she did not recognize.
"Are you an angel?"
A boy who appeared to be around eight or nine standard years old was sitting on the counter and addressing her.
Where did Qui-Gon go?
Padmé immediately moved to the doorway in the back of the shop in order to locate him, and saw that he was speaking with the shop's owner, a Toydarian by the name of Watto.
Satisfied in knowing his exact location, Padmé relaxed and turned her attention back to the strange little boy who was saying something about some moon she had never heard of, and something about deep space pilots.
"That's nice." She responded in order to humor the boy, hoping it would shut him up.
What was taking Qui-Gon so long?
Soon, the Jedi Master appeared and after a curt "We're leaving" was spoken, they were back on the streets.
They stopped in an alleyway while Qui-Gon contacted his apprentice about the funds they needed in order to buy the parts to fix their ship.
Qui-Gon stood just in front of Padmé, with Jar-Jar at his side. While their comlink conversation ensued, Padmé could not help reaching up and ghosting her hand through the long silver-streaked locks that fluttered in the desert breeze.
Qui-Gon's shoulders straightened in surprise and Padmé immediately dropped her hand.
The conversation with his apprentice had ended, but the last few words Obi-Wan had spoken had not escaped her notice.
How dare he suggest that they sell her wardrobe! What was she supposed to wear when they got to Coruscant? These Tatooine peasant rags?
Padmé was relieved with Qui-Gon summarily dismissed the idea and once again they were wandering the streets. At least until they so happen to meet up with the little blonde-haired freak from Watto's shop. Padmé just wished the boy would go away and she found herself slightly perturbed when they actually ended up at his house.
His name was Anakin and he apparently had some type of intuitive powers, because he figured out Qui-Gon was a Jedi, and he also claimed to be able to race pods. A feat nearly impossible for a human – especially a human child.
Later that night, Padmé paced inside the guest room of Anakin's small hut and pondered over the events of the day.
She had to admit that she was a little nervous about putting their future into the hands of a nine-year-old boy that had just met. If Anakin could win the podrace scheduled for tomorrow, they could afford to buy the parts to fix their ship and leave this awful place.
That is, if Anakin could win. If not, they would be stuck here. The prospect of that possibility actually didn't seem so bad to Padmé once she thought about it. She could even see herself tolerating the high heat and sand, as long as Qui-Gon was with her.
But it was the boy that was posing the problem. For some reason, Qui-Gon was choosing to lavish all of his attention on Anakin. Attention that he should be giving to her!
In fact, they were together this very minute, outside on the veranda.
Padmé then heard Anakin's mother tell the boy to go to bed and she soon heard his scampering little feet cross the hardened dirt floor as he went to his room.
Padmé took a deep breath and decided it was time to make her move. She might not get another chance.
She walked out onto the veranda to find Qui-Gon sitting on the edge of the low porch wall, staring up into the glittering Tatooine night. He must have heard her approach, because he immediately glanced down toward her.
"It's a pleasant evening." He stated in a low, hushed voice, but Padmé found she could not respond. The glow of the lights from inside the home behind her were reflecting in his eyes, and they looked like fire on water.
Before she could stop herself, Padmé approached him quickly, positioning herself between the spread of his long outstretched legs and kissed him.