Disclaimer: This story includes excerpts of the movie Star Wars. The characters and idea of Star Wars is property of George Lucas. I'm borrowing the characters as respectfully as possible, simply to entertain myself and anyone willing to read this fanfiction.
AN; Again thank you all for the reviews. It warms my heart to hear you're all enjoying yourselfs. And I will apologize for any errors in spelling and grammar in my stories. Remember, I'm from Holland and English is a second language for me, and as much as I try some things will always slip by me. And the spellingcheck on the computer can only go so far. But I'll check everything carefully! To those readers who perhaps do not like me using so much conversation directly out of the movie, let me explain. I have the feeling (especially with Star Wars) that the conversation often lacks certain elements, particularly when I'm rooting for Obidala! I use the lines from the conversations to show you what I think was behind all the words, and how things can actually sound differently without having to change the words! So please don't think I'm not original enough to survive without the lines from the movie, but rather that I'm adding my originality to the movie, and subtly steer everything in the direction where I want it to go. With that off my chest, enjoy the next chapter. X, Mu-san

Peace of Heart

Tension mounting

To be perfectly honest Padme was feeling a bit guilty. When Queen Jamillia had asked her where they would be staying she had practically overruled Anakin, and probably hurt his feelings when she said he was just a padawan learner instead of a full jedi master. He had agreed with her decision, but it had been clear to her his pride had been dented.

Now, sitting next to him in the small boat heading to the mansion in the Lake Country, she tried to think of a way to apologize to him. It had been bad conduct on her end and if there was one thing she hated it was bad conduct. A strict and formal upbringing to blame for that.

"Anakin?"

He merely kept staring out over the water, his head slightly turned away from her. He wasn't going to make this easy for her. She sighed inwardly and pressed on.

"Anakin, I'm sorry I ignored you when deciding our refuge. It was wrong of me to do so."

He gave a non-committal shrug. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes at his childish way of holding a grudge. She reached out and put her left hand on his arm.

"I'm sorry, Anakin. I promise that from now on I will listen to everything you say."

He turned his head a fraction and glanced at her sideways. She gave him one of her more charming smiles to get him to come round completely.

"I promise I'll make it up to you with a nice dinner…"

For a second he still seemed hesitant. Then he put his hand on top of hers.

"Fine. Just don't do it again."

She smiled a little wider at him and squeezed his arm. Good, she thought, it's better to be friends while staying here.

- ∞ -

At first he wanted to ignore her for a while, let her think he couldn't care about it. And he didn't. Not really. It didn't really matter where they went, as long as she was safe. But it was unfair of her to just talk him down in front of everybody. He was a jedi! And the council put him in charge of things, not her! So a simple apology wouldn't be enough.

But when she placed her hand on his arm he could feel all his anger melt and disappear. Especially if she smiled such a soft and seductive smile. By the Force, all he wanted to do was take her in his arms and kiss those rosy lips. To feel how soft they were.

He would keep her to her promise of dinner. He would be the perfect gentleman and they would have a lovely evening. Then she would see how he had grown, become a man. Not that stupid little boy always fiddling with toys in that blasted desert. He would show her who he really was, how great he had become. And how much she plagued his thoughts and dreams. Yes, he would show her, and he would find out how those rosy lips tasted…

- ∞ -

When they finally arrived at the mansion Padme showed Anakin around. It was one of her most favourite places when she was younger and every little spot had its history. She led him up to one of the balconies, looking out over the lake.

"We used to come here for school retreat. We would swim to that island every day."

Another set of pleasant memories passed before her eyes.

"I love the water."

She really did. One of the things so particular about Naboo was the presence of water. Most planets in the Republic had some form of water, but Naboo was renowned for it's abundance in lakes and rivers. Luckily most of the lakes and their forests were under the supervision of the state, protecting them from extensive abuse by tourism.

Padme had always associated herself with the lakes, the water. It reminded her how a person should act, fluently and strong. It was the way of politics to her. Well, honest politics anyway. The 'waters' on Coruscant weren't all that clear much to her dismay.

Leaning forward she placed her arms on the cold stone of the railing and gazed at the island. So long ago it seemed she could play innocently, without having to worry about protocol, etiquette or responsibilities.

"We used to lay out on the sand and let the sun dry us. And try to guess the names of the birds singing."

"I don't like sand."

She turned her head and saw Anakin scrubbing absentmindedly at the stone railing.

"It's coarse…and rough and irritating. And it gets everywhere."

The sand never gave her such feelings, but then she didn't grow up in a place like Tatooine. Poor Anakin, she thought. It probably was a horrible place to grow up in.

"Not like here."

Curiously she awaited his judgement over her home. He looked out at the lake for a moment before he turned back to her. But instead of looking at her eyes or face he let his eyes roam over her arms and eventually settle on her hands.

"Here everything is soft…and smooth."

Anakin reached out with his left hand and gently touched the skin of her hand. She turned her head and looked straight ahead, not daring to meet his eyes. Although she kept a calm composure she couldn't help but shiver a little, and gooseflesh appeared on her arm. The contrast of her warm skin with his cold hands caused a strange sensation. When she noticed he wasn't stopping his caress and was staring at her back the shiver multiplied and ran down her spine. It settled itself between her thighs and caused her body to heat up a little more. Inwardly she chastised herself about it.

'Padme, control yourself! Your standing here like a hormonal teenager letting him feel you up. What's wrong with you? And what possessed you to wear this dress? Sure, the colors are great and it's a perfect design for this season, but did it really have to be a completely bare back!'

When Anakin's hand touched the side of her shoulder her breath hitched for a moment. She turned her head and looked him in the eyes. He was looking right at her. His eyes held an intensity in them that made her insides tighten. It was a look of lust, tinged with a little danger. It was the classic bad boy look, and Padme felt its pull. Her body was reacting to his attention but her mind was screaming at her to wake up.

She knew Anakin was trying to elicit some response from her and confirm his dreams, but she wouldn't give in to that. She couldn't, there was nothing to admit too. She had not dreamed about him in these ten years and although he looked boyishly handsome she just wasn't that attracted to him. Strangely enough though her body seemed rooted to the spot and was still quite warm. The coolness of his hands triggered a primal response in her that she couldn't deny or suppress. She searched his eyes to try and figure out what he was thinking.

Slowly Anakin was leaning over and his eyes left hers. She could see him looking a little nervously at her lips and his intentions were suddenly crystal clear. She kept her gaze locked on his eyes, determined to let him see there were certain boundaries he could not cross. But as his face came closer and closer she couldn't find her voice to stop him, or tell him with her eyes he was going to far. Out of their own volition her eyes looked down at his lips, just a second before he pushed his face against hers and their lips met.

Her body flushed with heat as Anakin's lips pressed against hers. When he retreated just an inch she was automatically pulled along. Her treacherous lips refused to be separated just yet from the first set of lips they encountered in many years. Her heart started beating a little faster and her lungs somehow wanted to draw in more air. Another shiver, this time not cold but very hot, raced down her spine and shot through the flesh between her legs.

His lips were slowly pushing and pulling on hers. Anakin seemed nervous and his kisses were a little clumsy, but he greatly made up in persistency. Padme could barely register what he was doing and felt herself getting lost. It wasn't that she meant for this to happen but her body had taken over. It had been many years that someone kissed her in a non-friendly manner and her body was humming with the attention. The blood pounded in her ears and she was fighting to keep aware of the world around her. When Anakin pulled her bottom lips between his and her automatic response was to open her mouth alarm bells went off inside her. She knew that if that were to happen the kiss would deepen and there would be no taking it back. Her mind suddenly seized control again and she wrenched her head away.

"No"

She took a sharp intake of air in an attempt to silence the protests of her body.

"I shouldn't have done that."

And she meant it. She considered herself the responsible adult here, even though he made her forget that for a second or two. Anakin had an air of danger about him that made him appear very alluring, but she couldn't give in to it. She was a Senator, not one to give in to easy pleasures. And he was a jedi for goodness sake, one not allowed to love or act in such a lusting way. Obi-wan's words softly echoed in her mind, telling her to stop this or it would get very complicated.

She wouldn't look at him but somehow she knew he was confused. She scolded herself again for leading him on. It was just that her pent up frustrations, emotions and cravings got the better of her this time. It wasn't easy being a genderless, rational and composed Senator when she had always been a passionate person. Truth be told, she often thought of quitting her job as Senator and work in a different area in politics. Somewhere she thought she could make a difference, instead of having to sit through endless debates with no real result at the end.

"I'm sorry."

His words confirmed he was confused by her actions, and he had every right to be. She swore to be clearer then crystal from now on. She would be friendly towards him, for they were still friends. But this would never happen again. The only thing she feared was that he somehow understood things differently. His tone of voice didn't sound sorry at all. We need time, she thought. Time apart.

"Why don't we get settled in our rooms and freshen up for dinner. I'm sure it will be ready soon."

Not waiting for his answer she turned away from the railing and started walking. She heard him give a small sigh behind her, but she didn't stop. She needed to get away from him for a moment, before she was sucked into another situation she should not be in.

- ∞ -

Obi-wan felt…weird. There was no real description of the feelings he was having at the sight of so many clones. The bodies of babies, drifting in a blue liquid with organic looking cable acting as umbilical cords, enhanced the fact of unnaturalness here. Hiding his feelings to keep a cool and composed exterior he continued his conversation with the prime minister of Kamino.

"Very impressive."

"I'd hope you would be pleased."

If there was one thing every being in the galaxy was to some degree sensitive and vulnerable to it was flattery. Obi-wan realized he had to keep up his little charade and show interest in the work they were doing for a jedi master who, to the best of his knowledge, was dead for some years now. He needed to found out everything there was about this clone army. The Force gave him a small nudge that this was a far greater mystery then tracking down the bountyhunter, so he absorbed every little detail. Lama Su elaborated on their facility and the greatness of their clones. Although Obi-wan was impressed by their training methods his feelings were making his conscience shudder. When the minister mentioned the original host Obi-wan's interest rose considerably.

"And who was the original host?"

"A bountyhunter called Jango Fett."

'Well well, seems I've come to the right place. This bountyhunter being here can not be a coincidence.'

"And where is this bountyhunter now?"

"Oh, we keep him here."

The mention of Fett wanting an unaltered clone for himself raised several questions in Obi-wan's mind. It was indeed curious.

"I should very much like to see this Jango Fett."

Obi-wan used a very small push in the Force to convince the minister he was merely curious in his request, not at all inquisitive.

"I would be very happy to arrange it for you," answered Taun We.

Obi-wan turned his head over his shoulder slightly. "Thank you."

She nodded. "My pleasure, master jedi. But I am afraid Jango is not present at the moment. He will be back here in four days. Shall I prepare a room for you?"

Obi-wan thought about it for a split second. He could stay here, but perhaps his presence would scare off the bountyhunter. No, it would be better to leave and come back when Fett had returned, giving him the element of surprise.

"No, I will be alright, thank you. I have other matters to attend to in the mean time. I will come back once he has returned."

"Very well."

They walked out unto a small balcony overlooking an entire assembly hall. Here alone Obi-wan could see thousands of clones, all dressed in white body armour and guns at the ready on their shoulders. They marched with a military precision that made his stomach churn for a second. It just felt unnatural, perverted in some way. These were human bodies, but not people. Soldiers in the purest form, nothing more.

"Magnificent, aren't they?"

Well they were something alright. But Obi-wan couldn't tell exactly just what yet.

"Would you like to see our combat training facilities?"

He turned back to face Lama Su. "Yes, I would."

- ∞ -

As Obi-wan left the dry halls of the cloning facility and walked back to his ship he considered his options. He could stay in orbit for a few days and wait till Fett returned. But then he would risk being discovered by the bountyhunter before he could see and interrogate him. No, he needed to be farther away from here. Fett would come back, suspecting nothing, and then Obi-wan would come back and trap him here.

He climbed in the cockpit and put on his headset. Automatically his hands reached out and initiated the start-up procedure. When a message appeared on his screen he was pulled from his thoughts. He read it and repeated part of it out loud.

"Where to?"

He was quiet for a second, before making his decision. "Set course for Naboo, R4. Let's go and visit R2 for a day."

He smiled at R4's whistles and beeps of agreement. And let's see how Padme and Anakin are doing, he silently added.

- ∞ -

Restlessly Anakin was pacing his room. Every now and then he would raise his hand and trace his lips with his index finger. He could still feel the burn of her lips there. Her sweet scent and taste lingered around him, teasing him with their presence. It emphasized the fact that all he could think about was her, but she was not with him. A growl of anger rose in his throat. How could she do this to him! Smile seductively one moment, and just when their kiss was getting interesting turn away from him, saying he was a fool.

He sat down on his bed and sighed heavily. How could he not think of her? She was intoxicating. The softness of her lips was something he had never tasted before, but found himself already addicted to. He balled his hand into a fist and punched into the soft mattress. What could he do, everything was so confusing!

Then it hit him like a bolt of lightning. Obi-wan had always told him that even in the greatest mess there was the path to the ultimate solution. And it was suddenly clear to him what he must do. He would wait. He would watch her, talk to her, touch her. In time she would realize they were meant to be together. She couldn't deny him in the end. It was the will of the Force. That he knew for certain.

- ∞ -