Note from the Author

Thank you so much for helping me choose the course of these next few chapters! I was surprised; most of you wanted me to continue this "honeymoon tour". So I have! I would say this a better chapter, and very enlightening. And don't you fear, when the love-making finally comes along, it's going to be amazing, because it's going to have such an introduction! I have tried to write longer chapters, but alas, this is about as long as it gets.

Thanks again for all of the reviews! They mean so much to me!

{trinity6diversia}

Chapter Eleven

True to his word, Anakin did not sleep that night. When Padmé awoke at dawn, the first thing she saw was his dark shape silhouetted against the brilliant colors of the sunrise, legs braced apart, hands clasped behind him; perfectly straight, perfectly calm, and yet so very menacing.

For some reason, the sight reassured her and made her feel safe.

You must do everything in your power to protect her, Obi-Wan had said the night before. Padmé knew there was some hidden communication between the two, possibly including Bail Organa from Alderaan.

I already am, Anakin had said, and the sincerity in his voice, the deadly intent; Padmé had felt it. A warmth in her heart, slowly growing. She realized, with both anxiety and trepidation, that this might be what love felt like. It was intimidating.

Padmé slipped out of bed and hurried to the fresher, where she took a quick shower. She had been too exhausted from the travel and the threats within Mandalore to shower the night before. She did so now, which was a relief, and when she had returned to the main room, she quickly slipped behind the dressing screen. Anakin stood by the window now, a cup of caf in his hand, staring out at the city. He undoubtedly had noticed her wake up.

He said he would never read my mind, thought Padmé to herself. She did not see Anakin turn his head slightly at that moment. He hadn't read her mind, but he knew that she was thinking about him, and it fascinated him.

"Anakin, can you grab my underskirt laying on the suitcase, please?" she asked then, and she heard him walk across the room and set down his mug. A second later, her underskirt was thrown over the top of the dressing screen.

"I suppose you want me to look decent," grumbled Anakin on the other side, but he sounded more tired than annoyed.

"Just a little," she answered.

"Fine. I'm going to shower."

"Can you help me with my dress first?" asked Padmé, and it wasn't a command, as much as a timid request. If she were back on Coruscant, her handmaids would be helping her, but on their honeymoon tour, she only had Anakin.

"Now?" He sounded more than a little intrigued.

"Yes. I can't get it tight enough."

He came around the side of the dressing screen to find her trying to tighten the strings on her corset, grimacing as she did so. Gently, he moved her hands away and carefully pulled on the strings to tighten them. His Jedi training had done nothing to prepare him for this. And for the first time in his life, he was conscious of just how large his hands were compared to hers. And how unfit they were for a task such as this.

"Tell me when," he said softly, tightening the strings little bits at a time.

Padmé did not see the expression on Anakin's face, nor did she know what he was thinking. But she could guess. She could feel his fingers on her back, even through the thick fabric, and it sent shivers down her spine. She closed her eyes and pressed a hand to her chest to feel for the heartbeat. It scared her how fast it was going.

"Stop," she whispered, and the hands did as she said. She could feel Anakin tying the strings to keep them in place, and then those hands slowly passed up her back, bringing the shivers with them. At the base of her spine, they gently gathered up her hair and pulled it away. There was a breath of cold air on her neck, and then the warmth of Anakin's breath as he leaned down to kiss it. Goosebumps covered her arms. For once, there was no fear. For once, all of this felt right. The world outside was not there.

"Don't stop," she breathed when Anakin pulled away. His hands ran lightly down her arms and took her hands into his own, wrapping her arms in front of her as he leaned in to kiss her neck once more.

"We have things to do," he whispered in her ear, then kissed her again. "People to see, places to go… all that jazz."

"No, let's not," she whispered, her eyes closed as she fell into his kisses.

"Padmé…" He pulled away and grabbed her dress from where it lay over the back of a chair. He helped her into it, then zipped up the back and kissed her neck once more. Padmé looked at him then, and saw an emotion she could not name in his eyes. Desire, but overall, love and care. She had never seen such things in the eyes of Anakin Skywalker, that day or any. Yet here it was.

"I'll be back," he grinned, then she heard him retire to the fresher. As soon as she heard the water turn on, she took a deep breath, almost as though she had been holding it. She hurried to put on her makeup and do up her hair. And after a few minutes, she heard Anakin's deep voice singing some purposeless song, and it put a smile on her face. She had never heard him sing; she had never known him to enjoy such happiness. He was a man of war; not a man of peace.

Anakin was dressed and ready before Padmé was. He pulled at the collar of his new tunic, not accustomed to the strange cuts of these new garments. Padmé came to him, then, and straightened the collar and the cape on his shoulders, not permitting herself to look into his eyes, for fear she would blush too fiercely to hide.

"I'll never understand these things you're dressing me in," he grumbled, shrugging to settle the sleeves of his tunic to where they needed to be.

"Nonsense," smiled Padmé. "You will." She looked at him then, and the expression on his face almost made her laugh. She reached up and kissed him lightly on his cheek. "Smile, Anakin."

"How can I not?" he asked then, trying hard not to, but smiling all the same. He offered his arm to Padmé and she took it, then the two of them left their rooms and headed towards the breakfast hall, where they would join the Duchess and Obi-Wan.

"Anakin, I don't want you to tell me what you're planning," said Padmé after several minutes of silence.

No questions were forthcoming from Anakin, only a simple, "I won't."

"I'm serious, Anakin," she said again, misunderstanding him, and stopped so quickly that he was forced to look into her eyes. "I don't want to know what you're up to."

"And you won't," he said again, his eyes speaking the truth. "You won't see it coming. That wasn't a promise either; that's just how it's going to be."

Padmé looked at him for a moment, wondering if her request was good or bad. She decided that she didn't want to know. There were some things better left to Jedi. And it was never a good idea to know of, or be a part of, any plan involving Anakin Skywalker as it's head. More than a helpless victim, that is.

"I trust you," said Padmé, though she eyed him suspiciously.

"Good," smiled Anakin, offering his arm to her again. "You never had a choice."

And by the time he had managed to wipe the smirk from his face, they were at breakfast hall, and Obi-Wan was escorting Padmé to her seat.

"It's the least I can do," he smiled, and Padmé was glad for it. Obi-Wan was like an older brother to her, willing to take out her husband if necessary, which was an intimidating thought. The husband part. And the fact that Obi-Wan was her husband's closest friend.

And so the meal went, and afterwards, they went on a walk along an open-air veranda. Duchess Satine had somehow convinced the reporters and paparazzi to allow them 'viewing time' instead of a full interview. It was better this way. Less of their day would be wasted as such, and they were closely guarded by a great many men with blasters.

"Do you still plan to leave today?" asked Obi-Wan as they walked, and Padmé glanced at Anakin.

"As soon as the Duchess gives us the go-ahead," he answered, and they all glanced at Satine.

"You may leave as soon as you see fit," she replied. "The sooner, the better."

"You need not worry about how the Senate and the Council will take this," assured Obi-Wan.

"When did I ever care about that?" asked Anakin, and there was laughter behind his eyes. Obi-Wan just gave him a look.

"Don't do anything foolish, my dear friend," he said.

"Come on, Obi-Wan. It's me!"

"That's what I'm afraid of…"

Padmé shook her head with a soft smile, edging a bit closer to Anakin and holding a bit tighter onto his arm. He glanced down at her and their eyes met for a split second. There was concern and tenderness in his eyes, and in hers, none could really say.

"Where is Lux?" asked Padmé then, directing her question at the Duchess Satine.

"Haven't you heard?" answered the Duchess, and Padmé did not miss the glance Obi-Wan sent in Anakin's direction. "He was fighting undercover on the front lines. Neutral ground, for the benefit of Mandalore. Neither the Republic nor the Seperatists benefited from his work."

"Was he injured?" asked Padmé.

"Nothing too threatening," answered Satine.

"He is on Shili now," said Anakin without hesitation.

"He is married," added the Duchess.

"Married?" asked Padmé. "To whom?"

"The Queen," answered Anakin, and their eyes met again, his filled with the sadness of past memories, good and bad. "Ahsoka."

"Yes," said the Duchess. "Lux is the husband of Queen Ahsoka."

"Satine…" said Padmé softly.

"No, it does not bother me," she answered quickly. "He is happy. They both are. I can ask nothing more of either. Ahsoka is a strong woman, and a strong leader. And that she is a part of the Republic does not concern me, so long as Lux has found his peace."

"I will rip him apart if he hurts her," said Anakin. "Meant as no offense, Duchess."

"No offense taken," she answered. "I would expect nothing less from someone who cares for Ahsoka as you do. But she chose him, and that says something in and of itself."

"And I'm grateful for that," answered Anakin, but his eyes were sad, and Padmé could see it, though he tried hard to hide it. She knew that Ahsoka had been like the little sister Anakin never had, and seeing her leave the Order as she had, even to pursue something far larger than the life of a Jedi… it had torn him apart. Now, it seems, he was beginning to realize how she felt.

Padmé slipped her hand into Anakin's and entwined their fingers. Their eyes met once more, and in hers, she knew Anakin could feel sympathy and love. And she was not going to hide it. She loved him. She loved Anakin Skywalker, and nothing anyone said could change that.