Hey everyone!

Sorry, I have been absolutely rubbish at updates lately! Everything has been so crazy and I've been majorly distracted. But that's not an excuse to give you your fix of Anakin and Padme being awkward and cute!

This chapter is finally going to hot up between these two. (I'm not sure I could in good conscious post yet another conversation!)

Let me know if you like it! Or if you don't!

Anakin could feel the food clumping in his throat as he struggled to chew a lump of the flavorless crap from the canteen, to no avail. To his left, Obi Wan, clearly replenished from his long nap, was having a passionate discussion with Bail Organa about the importance of political neutrality in a peacekeeping role. Ahsoka was entertaining herself by goading Princess Ecosa, who had arrived at dinner after a 3-hour stint in hair and makeup (or, as it was more commonly known, the shower block) adorned in a silver beaded minidress. Anakin chuckled as he overheard their conversation, mindful to avoid the Princess's piercing gaze.

'So Princess, who would you rather fuck? Clone trooper 2392 or clone trooper 1910?'

'Well 2392 looks like he's ethnic so I would definitely give him the ride of his life' her voice pierced the ears of all at their table. 'You know I like an ethnic man.'

Anakin tried not to roll his eyes at this pointed comment. Opposite him, he could see Padme biting her lip to suppress a snort of laughter.

Ahsoka piped up again. 'What about clone trooper 4221? Now he has a certain… je ne sais quoi does he not?'

'Yeah he's a whole different ballgame!' The Princess licked her lips. 'and I bet those balls have game if you know what I mean.'

Anakin had never met someone more stupid in his whole life. Her dimness was almost a distraction from the nerves in his stomach.

'Thanks for this meal guys! I am shattered- I think I'm going to head off to bed.' Padme stood up, addressing the table with suspicious formally. Anyone paying attention may have had cause to ruminate on this odd exit. But, fortunately, they weren't.

'Good idea Senator' said Bail cheerfully. 'Not sure I can handle another night of drinking either!'

The table broke into good-natured laughs as Padme pointedly caught Anakin's eye.

Oh god. Here goes.

He would give it 10. Couldn't leave together- that would be too obvious. Although- maybe waiting for ten tactical minutes was even less conspicuous! How was this so stressful! Maybe he should just sack this all in, tell Padme it was too much pressure and go back to his comfortable life of loving her from afar. Until she inevitably was snapped up by some other man and taken away from him forever. No. Now was his chance. To be with the hottest woman in the world, to fulfil the dream he had had since he first met her all those years ago, without having to humiliate himself by admitting he liked her.

'Master are you OK? You look kind of pale' Ahsoka shocked him out of his mental pep-talk.

'Yeah, yeah Snips.' Gulp. Showtime. 'I.. um.. actually am feeling a bit rough myself. Think it's best I call it a night too.'

He could feel the seconds passing in painful detail, scrutinizing the air for the hint of recognition. Ready for anyone to put the pieces of the puzzle together.

'You couldn't have had this desire to rest earlier Master? Say, when piloting a ship?'

Phew. Snips was focusing on his leadership negligence, not his desire to leave suspiciously after Padme.

'I could have flown that ship fully drunk and still done a better job that you Snips' he said, winking playfully, 'Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to rest myself from this torrent of abuse.'

'Oh Anakin if you're walking in my direction we co-'

He marched off, completely ignoring Princess Ecosa's attempts at his attention. Not tonight sweetheart. He had bigger fish to fry.

Padme paced around the corners of the tent, painfully aware that a clone could walk in at any minute, discovering her snooping around the personal possessions of a senior Jedi Knight and raise the alarm. Why was she so nervous! This was a one-night stand! She had done this plenty of times before. Well, plenty may be an overstatement. She had done this at least twice before. And both had been satisfying experiences that she continued to use as irrefutable examples whenever Sola had the nerve to call her boring.

Maybe it was because this was with Ani. Little Ani. Her childhood friend.

Maybe she was finding this icky? No, that wasn't it at all. She could feel the pit of her stomach tightening delightfully whenever she thought about what was about to happen. Maybe she was just nervous because Ani was definitely the sexiest man she had ever slept with (had? Would have had? Her nerves were messing up her use of the common verbal phrase.) She could feel goosebumps picturing him wrapping her in those huge arms, his full lips on her neck as she melted into him. God!

It felt weird! It was Ani! Her attraction to him had always been a dirty little secret. And now? She was basically admitting to a crush she had wrestled with for years. Maybe bearing her truth to publically was country to all her Senate training?

Stop! She caught herself overthinking. This wasn't some conundrum to debate. She was sleeping with a gorgeous guy and breaking her embarrassing dry spell in one fell swoop. So, get into it!

She shook herself. Come on! A wicked thought crossed her mind; maybe she should do something sexy for him. The idea of stripping naked and hiding under his bedsheets crossed her mind. Fuck, that would be hot. But then… she would have to stand up to kiss him. He would see her naked before they had ever even touched. Their first kiss awkwardly in the middle of the tent, her fully nude and him still in battle armor? No. Too weird.

Before she could be fully overwhelmed, she turned around. And there he was.

Anakin stood there, suddenly very aware of the presence of his limbs. And what to do with them. They currently hung limply by his sides, all the blood in his body pounding through his flesh hand. Thank god it wasn't his face! Or worse…

No. Don't think about that.

'Uh.. h-hey Pad' he said, breaking the silence as his flesh hand picked nervously at the material of his trouser leg.

She smiled her beaming golden smile. His heart pounded.

'Hey Ani.'

She gave a little laugh. 'This is… weird, isn't it?'

Her big brown eyes shone with nerves too. He felt oddly accepted.

'Thank God you feel it too!' the words burst out of his tense body. 'I haven't felt this tense around a girl since I was a teenager!'

'Me either!' she giggled, covering her mouth with her hand to mask her laughs. He flushed, the sudden desire to take her in his arms and kiss her palm washing over him.

He took a single step forward. So did she.

Her laughter cut through the silence, almost startling him.

'God Ani this is so weird! I feel like we are about to have a duel!'

'Well how do you want to do it Pad!' he was playfully exasperated. 'We can't do this from other sides of the room!'

'Look, why don't we just take it slow and-'

'And what? Have a nice chat for a bit and see how we feel?' He laughed a bit manically.

'No! I meant- why don't we …' She paused. Come on Padme! Just grow up and say it! '...kiss? Try that first and not overplan-'

He cut her off. 'Yes. Yes, let's do that.'

She took another step forward.

He suppressed a laugh.

'What Ani!'

'You shouldn't have said that duel thing Pad because now I can't get it out of my head!'

'Oh my God this is a disaster! Shall we just say we tried, we failed, call it a day?'

NO! Screamed her ovaries.

'No!' Anakin was quick to shoot that idea down. 'Look, just relax –' he walked over and took her shoulders, towering above her.

He gulped.

Screw this. She grabbed the back of his head, tilting it down and meeting his mouth in a kiss.

She pulled away. The kiss was over before it had even begun.

'Ani-'

'Shh.' He leaned back in stroking his hand across her cheek and pulling her waist close to him. He leaned in and gently brushed his lips against hers. They melted together, her lips parting to let his tongue slowly stroke hers. She froze for a moment, adjusting to the feeling of his mouth on hers. As her body reacted to his touch, sending sparks tingling down her back, she kissed him back. They deepened the kiss, her hands winding through his hair as she pulled him closer. She was pressed up against him, his hands running slowly down her back causing her stomach to ache delectably. Their tongues stroked together as they panted into each other, pulling apart.

Her eyes were deep black, her mouth swollen as her gaze flickered between his eyes and lips. Her breath was ragged. Her chest rose and fell as he kept his hands on the small of her back, keeping her close.

'Was that weird Pad?' He whispered, his breath lightly stroking her face with every word.

She laughed, shaking slightly in his arms. The glimmer of a smirk crossed his gorgeous face as he leaned in to kiss her again, taking her bodies reaction as a go-ahead.

They kissed deeply. Padme's fingers stroked the small of his neck as she melted into him. He couldn't get enough of her, his hands running over her ass to pull her even closer, eliciting a gasp as a trail of sparks exploded where his hands touched. Suddenly all her nerves dissipated. She was about to sleep with one of the sexiest and famous men in the galaxy. The Galaxy poster=boy, The Hero with No Fear. A man who was so universally admired that including him as your imaginary Hall-Pass was almost cliché. And by God she was going to enjoy it.

She pulled back. This had to be about him.

'Ani. Sit down.' She smirked at him.

Anakin's head was still reeling from the passion of the kiss. 'What? I don't- '

'Sit down.'

Bewildered, he complied. He sat down on the green chair on the far wall of his tent.

'Now what?' he smiled, raising his hands in confusion. He was still slightly breathless.

She smiled, a cat-like grin dancing across her perfect face. She walked towards him slowly. (Why had so much of this encounter been taken up by pacing every square inch of this tent?)

When she was standing in front of him, her hands cupping his gorgeous face as he ran his fingertips up and down her sides, she just smiled. Then bent down to his him again, tilting his head back to meet her lips. His tongue scorched her, the kiss lighting their entire bodies on fire. Anakin pulled her down onto his lap, her legs wrapping around his waist as his lips grazed her jaw, her neck, and his arms pulled her flush to him. She gasped. The feeling of his lips against her neck was making her loose every conscious thought in her mind.

No! Tonight was about him!

She wriggled out of his strong arms, eliciting a moan of surprise from his mouth.

'wha-'

'Shh.' She was back on her feet, legs shaky and the ache in her stomach delicious torture as she laid a single finger against his swollen lips.

She trailed the finger down as he stayed silent as instructed. Her hand brushed against his chest, moving lower across his stomach until she slowly knelt down, fiddling with the belt of his trousers.

'Pad, I-'

'Anakin. Tonight is for you.' She smiled like a devil. 'Now sit back and relax.'

A cliffhanger! I'm the worst!

Good news is the next chapter is written and ready to go shortly, and I have somewhat of a direction for this story too.

But no spoilers- you'll just have to be patient!

Please give me a review to fuel my creative fires!

xxxx