A Proper Apology:

Padmè had remained silent through many of Anakin's comm conversations with people who didn't know he was breaking the rules to be with her. Most of the time she had to stop herself from making her opinion known on whatever they were talking about. Today was no different in that regard.

But… There was something divergent about how Anakin and Obi-Wan were talking to each other. She had to wonder if it had to do with the previously alluded-to conversation that the two must have had in the recent past.

And then Anakin hinted about Obi-Wan being involved with Master Ti, and Obi-Wan outright talked about doing things they weren't supposed to be doing. Padmè's curiosity went from a five to a ten over the course of seven sentences.

She was very glad that she was currently sitting on one of the conspirators so that he couldn't run away on her just yet.

The moment Anakin ended his conversation with his friend and former teacher (although the 'former' part was debatable), Padmè narrowed her eyes at him. "Talk. Now. Why does it sound like Obi-Wan knows about us?"

Her secret husband of three years winced. "Probably because he does? Not," he added quickly, "because I told him or anything, and he's never actually asked outright what we are to each other, but my Master isn't an idiot and he's always been good at interpreting my emotions even when I wish he didn't. It was inevitable that he'd come to some sort of conclusion about us all on his own."

She was both relieved and not that at least one other person was in Anakin's corner on this. Oh, and I'm pretty sure Ahsoka knew too. And she never said a word to anyone as far as I can tell. "Yes, I suppose. I'm glad he's being quietly supportive."

"So am I." Anakin tossed his commlink down on the pile of clothes and sifted his left hand through her loose curls (he loved her hair and played with it whenever he could), looking contemplative. "From some of the conversations I've had in the past with him, I always assumed that he would instantly blow a motivator if he were ever to find out exactly how much you mean to me, but I've recently discovered I was wrong."

"That's because he loves you, Ani."

His eyes met hers solemnly. "I'm starting to see that. I also used to think he wasn't capable of real love, thanks to being raised in the Order, but I know I was wrong about that too. He hid it quickly, but I felt his terrible grief when the Duchess was murdered. And I also felt him yesterday when he first realized that Master Ti could be more to him than a friend. After that, I don't think I ever have to worry about him turning me into the Council about us."

She laughed softly. "No, I don't think so." She traced a pattern over his bare, hard, beautiful chest with a finger absently, finding a few new, faint scars that hadn't been there before he'd left for the Outer Rim sieges five months ago. Gods, I hate this war. "So… Shaak Ti and Obi-Wan… I didn't think she'd ever be one to disobey the rules. She's so…"

"Staid? Serene? Serious? Stuffy? Strait-laced?" Anakin supplied helpfully, his blue eyes starting to twinkle.

She huffed softly in amusement at the deliberate string of S-words. "Something like that. How did that even happen, anyway?"

Anakin shrugged, his hand moving from her hair to her hip in a long sweep over her fluffy blue robe (that just happened to match the colour of his eyes). "We saved her from Grievous. She was injured and ended up riding Obi-Wan's back for a bit. Somewhere during our adventurous escape they realized that the other was attractive and started flirting like mad while trying not to. It was hilarious."

Knowing Obi-Wan's smooth way with words and his propensity to flirt just for the fun of it anyway, and also knowing enough about Togrutan biology - thanks to curiosity after becoming friends with Ahsoka - to have an idea as to what had really happened (survival-induced mating instincts kicking in), Padmè had no trouble picturing the scenario. She laughed. "I bet." She also noticed that Anakin's hand had found its way under her robe was now caressing her thigh in ever-moving sweeps closer and closer to her core. She raised a teasing, imperious eyebrow, her finger stilling on his chest and her other hand stopping his. "What, pray tell, are you doing?"

Her cheeky young husband smirked back. "Apologizing?"

"Really?"

He grinned wider at her mock disbelieving tone. "Yep."

"Hmmmmm." She let his hand go and he immediately resumed his slow and sensuous trek towards a naughty destination. Padmè spread her legs a fraction to help him along, pressing one thigh against his already hard shaft. (He was so easily aroused by the thought of giving her pleasure; it was one of the things that made her love him.) She licked one of his little nipples, making him shiver slightly, as his mechanical hand also ended up under her robe and on a sensitive breast that had grown in size since along with her waistline. She then glanced up at his rapt face. "And what exactly are you apologizing for?"

She had a good idea of what that was, but she wanted to hear him say it.

But then he tacked on so much more than she was expecting.

Anakin kissed her head before blurting out in a rough, mournful tone, "For running off right away to probably go make nice with another woman while freeing Mandalore. For not being with you for the last five months as I should have been. For being a temperamental mess more often than not. For foolishly thinking that I could save the galaxy all on my own as long as I stayed with the Order just a little longer." He paused to catch a breath, the sorrow in his stormy blue eyes breaking her heart. "Is that enough?"

Padmè cupped his face, tracing the frown lines that were starting to ingrain themselves into his skin around his mouth and forehead already. "That's more than enough. And I never want to hear you apologize again for doing what you believe is right. That noble and selfless spirit is part of what makes you you. If you want to save the galaxy, then I'll be behind you every step of the way, okay? Whether you're with the Order or not. And if adding Ahsoka and Rex to our family unit is what we're meant to do, then I'll support that too."

His hands had stilled on her sensitive parts, but now he moved them again to wrap her in a tight hug, his cheek pressed to the top of her head. "Force," he whispered. "I really, really don't deserve you, my sweet angel."

"Yes you do, my avenging hero." Hugging him back, she savoured his embrace for a minute while listening to the steady, reassuring thump of his heart under her ear. Not for the first time, and with her mental shields as strong as she could make them, she secretly wondered what Anakin would be like if the Order had actually given him words of praise and pushed him to try for his full potential as opposed to telling him he was wrong or stupid at every turn and putting limits on what he was allowed to do. What he'd look like with a quiet confidence as opposed to constant nightmares and self-doubt. What he could have accomplished already if they'd just encouraged him to be himself instead of forcing (and mostly failing) to turn him into an unfeeling monk the way most of the Order at least pretended to be.

The Order is flawed. Just the like the Republic is flawed. And I don't know if we'll be able to fix either before it all blows up.

Sometimes, I just want to tell the rest of the galaxy to go frag itself and take Anakin away from it all before it destroys him. He wouldn't be a temperamental mess if he wasn't under such stress all the time. Stars, the pressure and responsibility would make anyone crack, really.

And that's why I'm willing to share him with Ahsoka; he needs her Light to keep him grounded and happy. I wish I was enough for him.

But I'm not, and that's life.

At least he's pick a second couple to join us that I really like and will have no problem letting into our bed.

I might have to get a bigger bed.

Hmmmmm. Now I'm definitely feeling frisky.

Padmè kissed his chest over his heart and then trailed a line of kisses up his neck and to his sexy, stubble-covered jaw, which most assuredly caught his attention if the twitch against her leg and the indrawn breath was anything to go by. "Ani," she murmured, now nibbling on his soft bottom lip.

"Yeah?"

"If you're going to get one more 'apology' in before you leave, you better hurry up."

"Oh." His mouth curved into a smile under hers. And then he was kissing her properly and his hands were wandering back over her bare body after deftly untying her robe.

She hummed in approval as his tongue danced with hers and his hands turned her insides to liquid fire. Both metal and flesh hands were everywhere; cupping and caressing her breasts, smoothing over the huge curve of her stomach with reverent touches, running down the length of her thighs and back up again, delving between her legs and strumming her clit with lightning results, and even sneaking into her already wet and needy pussy with clever digits that knew exactly where and how to touch and thrust to make her whine.

Anakin finished their kiss with a muted groan, and then he was moving his mouth to her neck at the same time as he turned her on his lap so that her back was flush to his chest. This settled his rock hard erection between the globes of her butt and she rubbed against it with a sound that might be interpreted as a purr.

But there were too many layers of cloth between them.

So her purr turned into a frustrated growl as she lifted off him a bit and pushed her robe off to the side and then yanked at his pajama bottoms blindly, since he was still sucking on her neck and she didn't want to lose that feeling of electric pleasure, not caring if he was giving her more marks to have to cover up later. Fortunately, he caught on immediately to what she was trying to do and helpfully lifted his ass off the bed so she could push his pajamas down far enough to free his big cock from the confines of material.

The hard fingers of his metal hand were still driving her into madness as she took his thick length into her own hand and stroked it a few times, loving the velvet over durasteel feel of it as his cock wept drops of desire for her.

She wanted that wonderful length of pussy stretching pleasure in her so much she ached. It didn't matter that they'd spent half the night already with their bodies attached at the hip, she wanted more. (Especially with him leaving again for who knew how long.)

"Anakin…" she moaned, rocking against his hand, his steadily thrusting fingers making squelching noises she refused to be embarrassed about. "More. In me."

Fortunately, he interpreted that correctly and withdrew his hand to help lift her up. Stars, I miss being light and agile! She held his cock in place with one hand, her other braced on his hard abdomen as he lowered her down on to him fully. They both gasped at the sensation as they joined together once again.

She ground her ass into his lap and he held her tight to him with both hands on her hips, getting as deep and as close as they possibly could. "Kark," he groaned against her neck. "You feel so kriffing amazing."

"Seconded," she gasped as he lifted her up about halfway off and then lowered her back down in a smooth and careful motion that still sent a jolt of pleasure right through her. "Again!"

Ever the obliging husband, Anakin did.

And again and again, over and over, with an easy strength that just made her hotter to think of it.

His whispered words of praise between licks and nips and kisses to her neck didn't hurt anything either.

"So good."

"My beautiful angel."

"So hot and tight on me."

"So karking wet for me."

"Love you forever if I could."

"Yes! Force! Clench like that again! Kark You drive me insane, woman!"

"Good," she gasped back, her head pressing against his shoulder as her spine tensed with the building explosion happening deep in her core. "Remember that. Now make me come!"

"Gladly," he growled in her ear, making her shiver from head to toe. And then he was holding her above him as he thrust up into her harder and faster than he had yet to go since they'd been reunited yesterday. His cock was reaching so far into her it felt like he was going to join the twins in her womb, which turned her on even more.

Three more slams of their bodies together and she was keening his name as her core let go of all the tension that had been building and building in her with a burst of pleasure so extreme her toes curled and her eyes rolled up.

Anakin groaned like he was dying and shot thick spurts of warmth deep inside her, completing the circle of pleasure between them.

She stayed locked on top of him for a few minutes as his arms came up to hug her around her chest, just above their restless children, his face buried in her shoulder, and their gasping breaths coming in sync as they rode out the aftershocks. His shaft was slowly softening, but she knew that if she made any sort of move that indicated she wanted more, he'd harden again for her in seconds.

Not that she loved him exclusively for his staying power, but it didn't hurt anything. Sex with Anakin was ten times better than it had ever been with the three men she'd had brief relationships with before meeting her devoted Jedi again in person, back when he was only nineteen. He may have been a little young and immature yet when she married him, but there was no way she could deny their chemistry together. Not when he rocked her world that well over and over again. He said it was because they were bonded with the Force. She thought it was because they were soulmates. They decided they were both right.

Padmè turned her head and kissed the slightly damp hair above his temple (he'd worked hard for her). "That was a wonderful apology, darling, but you should probably get going."

His chest expanded behind her as he took a deep breath. "Yeah," he mumbled into shoulder. "Is it bad that I both really want to go and don't want to ever move from this spot?"

She laughed softly and stroked his soft, dark gold curls. "No, it's not bad. But unless you can spontaneously perform mitosis and duplicate yourself on the spot, you're going to have to pick one of the two, and we both know it isn't the second."

Anakin groaned out a laugh, turned his head and kissed her sweetly. "Force, I love you."

"I love you too. Now lift me up please, because I honestly don't think I can do it myself, even if my legs weren't currently made of gelatin."

His head fell back to her shoulder. "Gods, I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault I'm big and awkward," she laughed.

"Yes, it is."

"Okay, maybe it is, but still… you're running out of time."

"Right." He huffed and lifted her up off of him, releasing the mess of combined juices that had been trapped inside her. They ignored that as she knelt beside him and they exchanged one more long kiss, hands clinging.

When they parted, she held his face in gentle hands and captured his gaze with hers. "I love you, Anakin, and I trust you to do whatever you feel is right with Ahsoka and Rex, okay?"

His eyes looked like blue pools of misery and love as he stared back at her, his fingers tangled in her hair. "Okay. And I'm sorry again, for this."

"Don't be. If we are all meant to be together, then we will be. So bring them home. I'll even buy us a bigger bed while you're gone."

"Padmè…" he groaned her name like it was being ripped from his soul. And then he kissed her again with all the fiery passion trapped inside him.

He left her apartment with only ten minutes to spare to get off the planet before Obi-Wan would have to tell on him, but she had faith that her speed-loving husband would manage.