Note from the Author

I want to send a HUGE shout-out to the awesome DawnsJediWind for collaborating with me on this chapter. I wasn't quite sure where to go from Chapter Fifteen, so she jumped right in and threw three awesome pages my way. I fixed them up, added a few additional paragraphs (and my personal flair) and voila! I think you guys are going to see a lot more from us two, because she definitely has some great ideas and is a great help out of the dreaded stage of writer's block. Go check out her profile!

As always, thank you SO SO SO much for all the comments! They mean so much to me! Please comment, like and follow this story, and if you have any ideas, throw them my way! Thanks and hugs!

{trinity6diversia}

Chapter Sixteen

"I think we should pay a visit to my family," said Padmé, sitting down opposite Anakin at the breakfast table, or was it lunch? Anakin couldn't quite tell, being so distracted by his beautiful wife in front of him, his mind still full of the actives they had, until this moment, been attending quite dutifully to. The line between life and work was starting to blur just a bit.

"Anakin?"

Padmé's voice brought him back to reality. Anakin looked up at her, realizing that he'd been staring out the window, recalling those blissful memories of loving his amazing beloved. He might be a Jedi, but he was also human, and it wasn't very often that he allowed himself the luxury of those natural masculine emotions. A Jedi wasn't suppose to have feelings, but Anakin didn't care, especially now. If the Council wanted their plan to work, eventually he would have to act on his own. Besides, Anakin seriously doubted that none of the Jedi Order had come to a point in their lives when those safely concealed emotions didn't rise to the top. He just had to smile at this; there was one person he knew this had happened to. Obi-wan might be very good at faking his true feelings, but Anakin knew his little secret.

"Anakin?

Anakin found that he'd let his mind wonder again, and snapped back to the present.

"Err, sorry," he apologized. "Mind elsewhere."

"Yes, I could tell," said Padmé. She smiled at him, and so seductive was that smile, (Without even knowing it; how does she do that?!), that Anakin was suddenly tempted to forego brunch altogether, and scoop her up to love on her for hours on end. He knew he could get away with it, too. There was no one here except the dogs and the natural wildlife of the island. But he restrained himself; they would have plenty of time for that later.

"You were saying something?" Anakin asked after a pause.

Padmé sighed contently. Anakin marveled at how much she had changed since only a few days before, when she was all weepy and hormonal and stressed.

"I was saying," started Padmé again. "I think we should visit my family. It's a beautiful day…" (I wonder why? Anakin thought with a grin.) "… and my parents are at their villa retreat not far from hare."
"Well, seeing as we have nothing better planned…" He shot her his own seductive smirk, one which sent a bright flush of color into her cheeks before she turned away… "It sounds like a great idea."

Padmé was clearly pleased by her husband's willingness, and leaned over the table to kiss Anakin lightly on the cheek. She sat back down in her chair and asked, almost like an afterthought: "Have you ever met my parents, Anakin?"

"The wedding," he answered quickly.

"Well, of course the wedding."

"And…" Anakin ran a hand through his shaggy hair as a certain awkward meeting replayed itself in his mind:

It was the night before their wedding, and he had been in a foul mood all day. He couldn't bear the thought of being in the Jedi Temple any longer than necessary, and couldn't even bring himself to attend the Council meeting held that day. He knew that if he faced the Council, especially Master Windu, all hell would erupt. He might be the Chosen One, but there was only so far he could keep his emotions in check. Obi-Wan said he had more attention deficit problems because he was the Chosen One. So, he had skipped the meeting.

As a result, Obi-Wan had given him a rather lengthy lecture, and Anakin had tried to block out both his Master and the doom of the next day by getting as sloshed as possible, as quickly as possible. Unluckily for him, his midichlorian count prevented him from getting drunk on what he had, so he stepped it up to something stronger. There Anakin was, sitting on the floor of the pad he shared with Obi-Wan, numerous beer bottles strewn about him, a whiskey bottle in one hand and another, empty, beside him; Obi-wan talking him to madness, occasionally stopping to grab a bottle for himself. They both drove each other out of their minds. A fit pair, the two of them.

And in the middle of it all, the door chime rang. It sounded like mating banthas, and Anakin, in his increasing state of drunkenness, burst into laughter at the image. Obi-wan staggered up to answer the door, trying to return to his usual glum self, and failing horribly.

What made matters worse was that it was Ruwee, Padmé's father, and Anakin's future father-in-law. He had brought Anakin's lightsaber, forgotten at the rehearsal dinner. Anakin stumbled up to retrieve it, embarrassed at the fact that this was not the first time he had lost his lightsaber; far from it. Then he had seen Ruwee, and one look at the man's face made this Jedi Knight sober up fairly quickly… well, as quickly as a half drunk Jedi Knight could. Ruwee was a very practical man, and Anakin knew he didn't put up with bullshit. Finding Ruwee Naberrie's hard gaze on him had been a little more than intimidating for the young Jedi Knight.

"Um…" Anakin started. "I met your father once, before the wedding." He took a deep breath, realizing he should probably tell Padmé just in case Ruwee decided to skewer him; this way she'd know why. "I was in a bad mood, Obi-wan wasn't helping, so I tried to get drunk. Then your father showed up with my lightsaber, and I don't think he liked what he saw. That part was a little fuzzy, to be honest."

Anakin could tell that Padmé was trying to hold back her mirth, and gave her a sheepish look, complete with puppy-dog eyes. It didn't help, because she burst out laughing; the one thing worse than a truly sorry Anakin Skywalker was a 'not really sorry, but I'm going to make you think I am' Anakin Skywalker.

"Oh, Anakin," she laughed, walking over to him and wrapping her arms around his shoulders to whisper in his ear: "He's a great man. He's not going to skewer you."

"Hey, those were my words," he said back in that soft, 'for your ears only' voice. Her only reply was a soft kiss on the cheek. To be honest, neither of them knew quite what happened after that, only that it was perfect, and amazing, and neither would trade it for anything.

It wasn't very far to the retreat were Ruwee and Jobal Naberrie were staying. They had been stressed in their own way through the past few months, with wedding preparations and the like, and they weren't as young as they used to be. They more than deserved a little time away from their village and the chaos surrounding their family, and took it without shame. They welcomed Anakin and Padmé with open arms, cringed a little as the dogs leapt from the gondola skiff and ran for the beach, then ushered the newlyweds inside.

"We were so worried when the news came through from Mandalore," said Jobal as she brought food into the open air dining room, where the other three were already seated.

"How are you making it, punkin nickle?" said Ruwee, glancing down the table at his youngest daughter.

Padmé smiled reassuringly at them both. "I'm fine, really I am. It wasn't anything. I guess being married to a Jedi Knight has some benefits." She smiled down the table at Anakin, who hadn't heard anything she said, busy as he was smashing grapes into his plate with his fingers. Jobal bit back a grin while Ruwee's expression never changed.

"Whatever makes you look on the bright side of life," Ruwee said, still eyeing Anakin, who looked up quickly, somehow sensing that the discussion had turned towards him. Padmé quickly glanced away when his eyes met hers, for fear he would see the amusement. Anakin gave Ruwee a reassuring smile, knowing, without really knowing, what had been said.

"Padmé is in good hands. I won't let anything happen to her."

"Good," said Ruwee, and his expression still hadn't changed. "Or there'll be hell to pay." He lifted his knife this time, and a sinister smirk just barely crossed his face as he made it clear to Anakin what would be done if anything went amiss.

Thank you for the encouragement, thought Anakin, meeting his father-in-law's gesture with a passive expression. He said nothing aloud, though, and it wouldn't have been wise anyway, for Jobal was dishing up the food even then. Though they had eaten not long before, Anakin didn't mind an extra meal or two. His appetite was more than ready, and his stomach was as big as a bantha's. He was content with the fare Jobal had put together for them, and listened in silence as Padmé caught up on all the news of her sister and her nieces, as well as the local politics.

"The Queen is very disturbed by these reports from the Chancellor," said Ruwee.

Anakin pricked up his ears then, though his eyes never left the new pile of grapes Jobal had put out just for him.

"Yes," said Padmé. "I am under the impression that he has deceived us all, or at least is in the process of doing so, even to the Jedi."

"I hope they're not in league with him," said Ruwee, and Anakin felt his eyes flicker disdainfully towards him. He looked up at Ruwee then, putting down his fork for the first time that meal. He knew without looking that Padmé was afraid he would do something stupid.

"I don't believe so," he said slowly. "Although… it's hard to tell sometimes, isn't it?"

"It is," his father-in-law agreed, the two sharing a masculine strength test with their eyes across the table. Ruwee sat back in his chair and crossed his arms. As if he's daring me to do something, Anakin thought with contempt.

"I personally don't trust the Council's motives," he said slowly. "They're too close to the Senate and the Chancellor to be healthy. And I don't think they know what might happen in such close proximity."

"Perhaps," said Padmé, looking at Anakin with a bit of surprise, for she didn't realize he was so indebt with politics. And the rest of the meal was passed in silence, for no one knew quite what to think of the young Jedi Knight's words.

When the meal was over, Jobal cleared the table with Padmé's help. A silent agreement had been made, one way or another, that politics or matters of war would not be discussed. At least, around the woman. And with both of them busy cleaning the dishes and storing the leftover food in the kitchen, Ruwee leaned back in his chair and cleared his throat.

"You surprise me, Skywalker," he said.

"How so?" asked Anakin, a little taken back by this comment.

"One minute, you're like a child, and the next, well, you say something wise."

"You're only as wise as your years," answered Anakin with a shrug. "I don't know everything."

"That's why you surprise me, Skywalker," answered Ruwee with a small smile. "We hear about the Hero With No Fear. We see him on the holonet every day. And you know everything, you win every fight, you know every strategy. To meet this man and discover him to be so humble in real life is indeed something unexpected."

Anakin did not respond. He didn't know how to. He hadn't expected this level of praise from anyone, much less Ruwee Naberrie. He looked down, trying to figure out what he could say, but Ruwee changed the subject before he could think of anything.

"You are going to keep an eye on her, then?"

Anakin nodded. "I can feel her in the Force, now more than ever before. I won't let anything touch her."

"And what's going to happen, later, when you get called back to the front lines?"

"I… don't really know." The thought had never occurred to Anakin before; he assumed this was his new mission, to marry Padmé. He had almost forgotten that a war still raged in the galaxy, and he was a key role in the success of that war. The Council would no doubt have to call him back to duty at some point. He just hoped it wasn't for a long while yet. He didn't know what would happen to Padmé if he ever left her.

"Well," said Ruwee. "I don't want to see my daughter killed, Skywalker. People have tried to assassinate her before, so I hope that you'll doing everything in your power to prevent that from happening."

"I can't prevent what people think of her," said Anakin seriously. "But I can make sure they can't get to her."

"That's all I ask," said Ruwee, seemingly satisfied. "I think you've got your head on straight, Skywalker. Just make sure it stays that way."