"Heaven forbid! That would be the greatest misfortune of all! To find a man agreeable whom one is determined to hate! Do not wish me such an evil." Elizabeth Bennet to Charlotte, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin

Chapter 6: S.P.E.W.

Four Days Later

The next few days were rather calm and uneventful for Padmé, but that was probably due to Anakin's absence. For three days, she got to watch Sabé and her arduous Master pretend to not become flustered by each other as he assumed the role of teacher and Sabé that of his pupil. Detention had become more of a delight rather than a punishment, for Padmé had come to really enjoy reading Anakin's letters.

Bu then, her fellow students had rallied behind her and had spent many hours with her planning Padmé's upcoming aspirations. On the fourth day, they were ready to launch her campaign.

With a book bag that was heavier than usual and a triumphant smile on her face, Padmé entered into her piloting class that morning. As it was Monday, she was well rested and thus prepared for anything.

That is, she soon found, until she saw a familiar personage looming at the front of the classroom. Instantly, the smile was wiped off her face and she silently sat down in her seat though everyone else remained talking.

"Please sit down quietly," Anakin said darkly as if he had a really bad headache.

Not surprisingly, everyone suddenly became quiet.

It seemed that Master Skywalker was not feeling so well. His cheeks were flushed and his hair was rather limp. His normally penetrating eyes seemed rather distant and his whole air conveyed how depressed he was.

Looking at him, Padmé silently vowed to not cause him any trouble- she needed his help.

Soon, twenty pairs of eyes were looking up at him in an apprehensive but expectant way.

"Today," he said quietly, staring at the wall behind them, "we shall study for a while about the different systems, and then the rest of the time shall be yours."

Gesturing to the wall on his left, he walked over to it. "This is where we are," he said softly, pointing to the centermost spot on the map, "and here is Naboo." Pointing to a spot a little distance away, Anakin turned to the class. "Can anyone show me where the Hapes Cluster is?"

Reluctantly raising her hand when no one else did, Padmé, beckoned by his puzzled nod, quickly went over to the map and pointed to the prescribed area.

"Very good," he said blandly as she sat down. "Has anyone actually ever been there?"

Only Padmé raised her hand.

"I'm sure you liked it," said he, "it seems to be your sort of society."

Upset, Padmé replied, "On the contrary, I believe in equality and justice for all."

"You just seemed like the sort that would advocate female rights."

"Oh yes- I do believe our rights can be improved upon, but I never believe in totalitarian rule," she said fervently, shaking her head. "Not in the government nor on planets or in classrooms." The last part had accidentally slipped out and she covered her mouth with her hands regretfully.

"I, of all people," he said dryly, "do not believe in dictatorships or totalitarian rule." The scar stretching from his forehead to his jaw was testimony enough to that.

All the girls silently mulled this over.

"Here is the Yavin system," he continued on, "and here is the Outer Rim Territories." Sweeping his hand over the large area, he once more fixed the class with a hard gaze. "Can anyone name one of the planets or systems located here?"

No one could name one. Even Sabé, Rabé, and Padmé, the ones who generally knew most everything, were blank.

Sighing, he turned his back to them and appeared to be studying that area on the map. "Miss Padmé," he said softly, "you of all people should know of one in particular."

Confused, Padmé just continued to stare at him even as he turned around.

"I am afraid I don't," she reluctantly stammered.

Much to her surprise, a manual flew across the room to her desk and landed open to the pages showing similar charts.

"Find it."

With the help of her two anxious friends, Padmé soon found that the page contained the Outer Rim Territories. Scanning the area, she looked for a planet that sounded familiar.

Tatooine.

"I've been to Tatooine, Master Skywalker," she announced.

He nodded. "And what do you remember of it?" There was an odd look in his eyes and Padmé was afraid to find out what it meant.

"It's been nearly eight years," she protested but instantly stopped when he glared at her. "It was hot, sandy, and it had a very high slave population."

The sides of his lips quirked and they eventually curved into an odd smile. "And what of its inhabitants?"

She shook her head. "We had only gone there to get the parts we needed for our ship," she informed him. "The only beings we really meet were a Toydarian and a slave boy," she said, wrinkling her nose in remembrance. "The slave boy, his name was…" Gasping, she clamped her hand over her mouth. "Oh gods… the slave boy… he was… you!" Horrified, she came to realize that her enemy had been the teenager that she had momentarily made friends with.

The class gasped in shock.

"Yes, the boy was me," he said with a ghost of a smile.

"You were a slave?" Eirtaé exclaimed disgustedly, drawing his gaze from Padmé to her. The look she sent him conveyed how repulsed she was. "Now I know why you aren't married- no woman would want to marry a slave, well, I at least wouldn't." When he looked to her friends for support, they looked away in fright.

Padmé, who had been the subject of Anakin's wrath many a time, held her breath as she waited for the explosion.

She did not have to wait long.

Anakin's face went livid and, in a flash, Eirtaé's entire desk had levitated and smashed against the wall. Everyone jumped but, deadly pale, Eirtaé could only tremble in her seat.

"Don't… you… ever… talk… about me… like that… ever again," he said in a menacing tone through clenched teeth. With each pause, he had taken a step towards the girl. As there was no longer a desk there, he knelt down in front of Eirtaé. "Slaves are people too, Miss Eirtaé. Surely you must have realized that not all people out there have been blessed with such fortune as you have." He bent in close and whispered, "A week's detention." When she started to protest, Anakin held up a hand. "Quiet or I'll double it."

Slowly, he stood up and regarded the rest of the class. "The rest of the time is yours to do as you please."

Releasing the air she had unconsciously been holding, Padmé whispered to Rabé and Sabé, "Let's wait a moment for him to cool down."

Agreeing, her two friends nodded, and about five minutes later, they went up to the desk behind which Anakin sat. It appeared that he had found his mail, for as he read one, a soft look came over his face, but upon reading the next, apparently the one she'd been highly embarrassed to read, his face went beat red before he crumpled the note and threw it into the trash.

"Master Skywalker?" Padmé asked timidly, jumping when he looked up at her.

"Yes?" he asked a little hesitantly.

"I have a favor to ask of you," she began cautiously. "I read through Jedi Temple: A History and found that, in order to start a club, I first need a sponsor."

He stiffened.

"I was wondering if you could help me."

"I am a very busy man," he said impatiently. "How about you ask Obi-Wan- he's got plenty of time."

"I did and he said the same about you."

Sighing, he tiredly ran his hands through his hair. "What is this club?"

"S.P.E.W." When he gave her a confused look, she explained, "It's my platform- Senator's Protecting Everyone's Welfare."

"You want me to help you further your political career?" he asked warily.

"If I can get the support of the Jedi… well, that would mean a lot to me," she said desperately, pleading with him with her eyes. "Look," she said eagerly, pulling a bag out of her backpack, "I even made pins and pamphlets."

The pin was holographic and alternated saying 'Padmé is Our Queen' and 'S.P.E.W. is the Thing to Do.'

For a moment longer, he seemed hesitant, but something flickered in his eyes. "Fine," he muttered, "as long as you don't make me wear one of those pins."
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That Evening

Wearing a flowing red skirt with a black top that had sequins around the neckline, Padmé entered into the hangar bay of the Jedi Temple. Shifting about in her heeled shoes, Padmé gazed through the dim light at the numerous rows of speeders and starfighters.

Still, there was no sign of Anakin and, ten minutes later, Padmé began to wonder if he was not going to show.

Right as she was about to leave, she heard the whirring and beeping of an astromech driod. Whipping around, she saw a little blue and white droid communicating with none other than Master Skywalker. Both were standing beneath Anakin's famed starfighter and, by the way that Anakin kept gesturing with the tools in his hand at the ship, it appeared that he was giving the droid some instructions.

When Padmé walked over to where they worked, Anakin looked up in a startled way to find her expectantly watching him. "Blast!" he cried out, banging his fist against the hard metal of the ship, "I had forgotten!" Wiping off his dirty hands on his pants, he strode over to her and it was then that she saw that he was once again shirtless. Using the Force, he called a grungy shirt to his hands. As he slipped it on, Anakin noted her attire. "Are you seriously going to fly while wearing those shoes?" he asked doubtfully.

Shrugging and swallowing down a few choice words about his appalling attire, Padmé followed him over to the speeder and sat down in the pilot's seat.

It was then that she noticed the huge smudge of grease on his face, causing her to giggle.

"What part of buckling in do you find so amusing?" he snapped, obviously impatient to get it started and done with.

For a moment, her only reply was more giggles. "You've got dirt on your face," she laughed. After he attempted to brush it off and failed, she reached out and rubbed it off of his cheek, much to his displeasure. "There you go."

"Start the speeder," he ordered.

"But my fingers are dirty," she protested, deciding what to do about it.

"My fingers are dirty too." Anakin sighed. "Wipe it on my shirt- it's already dirty," he grumbled, impatiently drumming his fingers.

Padmé gave his shirt a wary glance.

"Fine," he muttered, drawing a clean handkerchief out of his pocket. Quickly, he wiped he hands, but not before muttering, "Women."

As soon as he was done, Anakin said, "Okay, shift into gear." Carefully, he watched her do so.

In no time, they were cruising at a respectable speed through Coruscant's traffic lanes. All the while, Anakin gave her instruction after instruction, but when it became apparent that she had some natural skill, he remained silent.

Triumphant that she was able to do something right without him scrutinizing her, Padmé allowed herself a wide grin.

That is, until she made an honest mistake and nearly killed them both.

Suddenly stirred out of his brooding, Anakin bolted into an upright position and suddenly yelled out, "Watch out!" so loudly that Padmé actually jumped.

From then on, things went downhill. So jittery from his explosion, Padmé began to drive more carelessly and had several more narrow escapes. All the while, Anakin alternated between yelling at her and the irked other drivers.

"Couldn't you see the speeder in front of you?" he hollered.

Not daring to look at him, Padmé knew that hew was giving her a very evil look. "Could you not have used your Force abilities to foresee trouble?" she retorted.

In response, the air around them seemed to cackle.

"What are you going to do when you don't have a Jedi sitting next to you?"

"Perhaps I ought to take the Master's advice and marry you so I can have a full time protector," she snapped.

He whipped around, horror on his face. Suddenly, he snatched the controls from her. "I am landing this," he muttered.

Soon, they were landed and he was already out of the speeder. Walking around it, he came to a stop before her side. "Out."

Terrified, she shakily obeyed.

"What did you just say?" he asked.

"I didn't say anything," she innocently replied, taking a step back lest he should become violent.

"About the Masters," he snarled, making her jump once more.

"They think we like each other and that's why we're fighting," she said quietly, not liking how angry he seemed.

He pursed his lips. "I…" he stammered, unable to find something to say. "I should have guessed that they would try to meddle with my life again," he muttered.

"You don't like me, do you?" she asked fearfully, going red.

"Of course not!" he snapped. "How could I? The only woman I have ever loved is now…" Going white, he suddenly stopped mid sentence.

"Master Skywalker?" she asked, completely shocked.

He did not move. "I… said too much."

"Anakin," she said softly, horrified by the sadness that had washed over his face. "You…"

"Honestly, Padmé!" he said brusquely, flinging her hand away when she rested it on his arm. "Did you seriously think that I had never been interested in a woman before?"

"No," she said meekly, not noticing the informal way in which he had just addressed her.

"Well, my nosy friend, you will be delighted to know that I have been married for the past three years and have been very happy until you decided to waltz into my life and ruin everything," he yelled. "I had been happy," he said, his voice catching. Haunted eyes looked at her. "It is all gone."

"I… I don't know what to say," she stammered, tears running down her face. "It was she that…died, wasn't it?"

Numbly, he nodded.

"I am sorry," she whispered, feeling a sudden urge to go over and hug him.

"Don't be," he said, rapidly blinking. Shoulders slumping, he gestured back to the speeder. "Let's go back to the Temple."
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Ten Minutes Later, Jedi Temple

He hadn't said anything to her, but Padmé somehow knew that she was supposed to follow him. Barely able to keep up with his long and purposeful strides, she followed him to the Master's commons room.

Unhesitant, she followed him inside.

And ran smack into his back when he stopped suddenly.

"Master, what are you doing?" he gasped.

Three familiar faces looked up startled and saw Anakin.

"Why are you rolling dice?"

"Umm…" Master Windu stammered. "The real question is why are you running through the Master's Wing with one of your students?"
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Spoiler for the Next Chapter: The Charming Mr. Olin

"Anakin, we must confess that we have been hoping that you would take an interest to Miss Padmé here," Mace Windu said slowly.

The look on Anakin's face became even darker. "I do not want another female in my life at this point," he retorted.

"Perhaps it would help you to heal," Obi-Wan said gently.

"I highly doubt that," Anakin said, looking at Padmé with pursed lips.

"Well, that's too bad, because we have nominated you both to be partners at the Yule Ball this year," Obi-Wan sighed, a mischievous look in his eyes.