A/N: Communication between A and P in the prequels was a massive issue in their relationship, but I actually liked that because it showed a flaw in their otherwise perfect-ness. I've tried to adopt that ideal in this story. They both hide things from each other, not out of malice, but out of love. Hopefully, you'll see this later on in this story. There are things they don't say - or at least, struggle to say, and it causes a few issues. You'll see what I mean.

Also, for those who haven't read The Boy Next Door, I reference some things that happened in that story arc in this chapter. Just a pre-warning, if you don't understand what's going on.

Thanks so much for all the support so far! It seriously means so much to me :)

Enjoy xx

Padme woke to the sound of Anakin groaning and trying to discretely remove his arm from underneath her body. It was endearing, really, because she knew he was desperately trying to be quiet and not wake her, but it was clear that he was uncomfortable. Giggling, she shuffled out of his arms and turned onto her back, head turned to watch him. Anakin sighed with relief and flexed his arm gingerly.

"Dead arm?" she asked softly, letting her fingers caress the curve of his bicep, the crease of his elbow, the lean muscle of his forearm.

He nodded, before his entire face screwed up into a large yawn, mouth opening wide, and Padme couldn't help but laugh at the ridiculous expression on his face. Shaking his head, allowing strands of golden hair to fall into his eyes, he stretched out, crossing his ankles and throwing his right hand behind his head in an easy pose. "I'm sorry, angel. I didn't mean to wake you. Just I couldn't feel my arm."

She smiled at him and let her fingers circle his outstretched palm, still half-asleep. "S'alright, Ani," she assured him sleepily. He curled his hand around her exploring fingers, giving them a gentle squeeze and she watched their hands for a while, marveling at how small and delicate hers looked wrapped up in his large, tanned one. Anakin brought her hand up to his lips and rubbed them over her knuckles in such a sweet, tender action that made her blush, before he released her and slung his arm around her shoulders, pulling her into his side.

Padme snuggled closer to him, resting her head on his chest and released a soft sigh of contentment. He was always so warm, and the chill of the early morning made her press herself eagerly against him, craving that delicious heat, sliding her feet along the length of his calf. He jolted and gasped at the contact, hissing, "your feet are freezing."

Nodding, she hitched her leg up over his thigh. "Mmm, Ani, you're so warm," she hummed against his skin and he laughed, his hand coming to rest in her tangled, sleep-messy curls. They lay like that for several blissful minutes, and Padme dozed, not quite asleep, acutely aware of the lulling thud of Anakin's heart beating steadily away underneath her ear and the slow rise and fall of his chest. It was always reassuring to wake up in his arms, just to know that he was with her again. "My personal hot water bottle."

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're just using me for my body," he teased.

Padme simply responded with a scoff, that turned into a snort and she was suddenly overwhelmed with a fit of giggles, unable to make the quick remark that dangled on the tip of her tongue. She felt Anakin rumble with laughter underneath her and his hand cupped her cheek, tilting her head to look at him. The adoration dancing in his eyes, impossibly blue in the early morning light that spilled through the curtains, made her flush. His thumb lightly stroked her cheek and she closed her eyes, sighing into the touch.

"Smooth," he whispered affectionately and bent his head a little to kiss her when she yawned straight into his mouth. Embarrassed, she blushed and turned her head away, muttering apologies but Anakin shook his head, beaming at her. "God, you're so adorable in the morning."

His words warmed her from the inside out, the sweetness of it turning her into a puddle of goo before him. Anakin affected her on such a deep level with everything he did. His words, his actions, his very being. Padme didn't think she could ever be more in love.

"Ani…" she asked after a while. "What's the time?"

She felt him shift lightly, his arm momentarily leaving her shoulders, before he settled back down beside her. "Almost six."

Nodding against him and nuzzling into his chest, she sighed sadly, because she knew he would have to leave. Her father was an early riser, and if he wasn't up yet, he would be soon. "You should probably go," she muttered, though her body language told him otherwise. Her eyes fluttered closed and she heard him mumble in response but the only thing she was concentrating on was his warmth.

Anakin's body shook with quiet laughter again and she felt his hand rest on her shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. "Are you going to let me leave?"

With a huff, she untangled her limbs from around his body, letting one eye drift open to watch him sit up and swing away from her. As he rose to his feet, she took pleasure in admiring his nude form shamelessly displayed before her before quickly shuffling into the warmth left behind by his body. Once again, she heard his gorgeous laughter while he tugged on his pants and then, suddenly, he was beside her, reaching out to stroke her hair lovingly. "I love when you're like this," he told her, quietly.

She gave him a lazy smile before turning her head to press a sweet kiss to his palm. "Like what?" she asked through a soft yawn.

Anakin kneed down on the bed gently, trying not to rock her, and captured her lips in a tender kiss. "All sleepy and gorgeous like this," he replied. "It's cute."

His hair tickled her cheeks and she reached up with both hands, curling her fingers around the locks, forcing him to kiss her again, their mouths moving languidly against each other's in such an easy, familiar way. When they eventually pulled apart, they brushed their noses together and Anakin beamed at her. Padme felt so adored by the way he was looking at her and she felt her cheeks redden and heat flush from her face down to her chest.

"Anakin," she called to him as he made to leave and he glanced back at the sound of her voice. "Thank you for – you know…" her words were swallowed by another incredible yawn that made her eyes water.

"Go back to sleep, angel," he said, fondly. "I'll see you later."

Grinning madly, overwhelmed with affection, she snuggled further into the bed, bringing the heavy covers up to replace the warmth of Anakin's body. Though it was not the same, Padme fell asleep almost instantly, snoozing soundly for another two hours until her alarm went off.

Once she'd showered and dressed, she headed downstairs to see her father sitting at the dining table, newspaper in front of him and a cup of coffee resting in his hand. He looks up as she approached and bid her good morning, before offering her some breakfast. Padme settled for a cup of tea and sat down on the adjacent seat, reaching out her hand, silently asking for the political section of the newspaper. The two of them settled into the familiar morning routine, remaining silent but enjoying each other's company. Padme had developed her passion for politics from her father, who was a man with strong opinions and views on the subject. Whenever she stayed with him, they engaged in many friendly – and sometimes heated – debates on the state of the world, the economy and other such things. It was one thing she enjoyed about her father. Her mother had never cared much for politics.

Anakin came downstairs ten minutes later and took a seat opposite Padme.

"Good morning, Anakin," Ruwee greeted him. "Did you sleep well?"

Anakin met her eyes, a knowing glint in them, and she gave him a small smirk in return, before he nodded. "Yes, sir. One of the best sleeps I've had in weeks."

Smiling into her tea, Padme took a sip before she started laughing at Anakin's lack of subtly. It was definitely not one of his defining features. Luckily for the both of them, Ruwee didn't seem to notice anything out of the ordinary and merely asked Anakin if he wanted tea or coffee. Anakin chose coffee, then proceeded to lean across the table on his elbows and read her news clipping upside down. She clicked her tongue and raised her eyebrows at him, before huffing and continued to read. Sometimes he could act like such a child.

"What are you reading?" he asked after a while, clearly bored.

"The newspaper, Anakin," she sighed. "Surely you've come across those before." When he simply frowned at her sarcasm, she smiled, "would you like to read it?"

He paused, glancing back and forth between her and her father, as though he was missing out on some sort of joke. Padme realised that this probably looked very odd to him. She doubted that such routines went on at his house in the morning. Normally, Anakin woke and then went straight out to his garage to start tinkering with something. As brilliant as his mind was, he was no intellectual. The poor thing must have felt very out of his depth.

"What takes your fancy?" Ruwee asked, trying to make him feel comfortable. "We've got finance, global news, home and design, art and fashion, sports…"

Stricken, he looked back at Padme, who gave him a reassuring smile. It's okay, she mouthed at him and he nodded and swallowed before requesting the sports section. The three of them read in silence for a while, and Padme absorbed the political news eagerly. There was an election due at the end of next year and she was curious to read about the different candidates and their proposed policies.

"So," Ruwee began, folding away his newspaper and signalling for breakfast. "I was thinking we could go out shooting today, Padme, what do you think? Show Anakin a bit of the country life?"

Smiling, she nodded. "That sounds fine, dad. We could have a picnic out there, or something?"

Ruwee considered the suggestion for a few seconds and then nodded. "Yes, that will do. I'll get Emma to make something up for us. Anakin?" he then turned to him, "Padme tells me you've never gone shooting before."

Once again, Anakin looked to her, though this time it was not a look of fondness. It was surprise, and hurt and even a hint of betrayal, which she didn't understand. Why was he looking at her like that?

"Uh, no sir," he responded after a while, a little tentatively and Padme frowned at his sudden, and unexpected change in demeanour. "I haven't."

Ruwee only nodded his head, smiling. "Not to worry. You'll get the hang of it."

Anakin inclined his head in response but didn't speak for the rest of breakfast. It confused Padme immensely. What had happened to his soft, endearing affection that he had showed her that morning? Why was he acting so cold and stiff and awkward again? Surely, it couldn't simply be because of her father. Ruwee was being nothing but friendly and welcoming. It had to be something else. And she was determined to find out.

When they had finished breakfast, she took Anakin aside into one of the sitting rooms at the other end of the house and raised her eyes at him, hands on her hips. "What was that all about?" she demanded of him.

"Why did you tell him that?" Anakin glared at her, his arms crossed and a sullen look on his face.

"Tell him what?"

"That I've never shot a rifle before? Why did you feel the need to tell him that, Padme?"

She groaned at how melodramatic he was being. "He asked me, Anakin. What? Did you want me to lie?"

He frowned. "Now you've gone and made me look weak."

"Ani…" she sighed, shaking her head at him. "He doesn't think you're weak. He just knows you had a different upbringing to me, that's why he asked. Stop being so dramatic."

Anakin remained firm, pouting at her and she might have laughed at him if he wasn't acting so ridiculous. "Do you know how to use a rifle?" he demanded.

Padme blinked up at him in surprise. "Of course." It only served to make Anakin's eyebrows knit together. "Dad used to take Sola and I out shooting all the time when we came here. So did my grandfather. You can't grow up in this family without knowing how to shoot." They had never hunted animals, but they knew how to shoot targets. She'd been surprised by how quickly she had gotten the hang of it. She hardly missed.

"Well, that's just perfect," Anakin growled.

She couldn't believe this. He was acting like a child. "Anakin," she put her head in her hands. "It's not a big deal. Honestly, why are you being like this?"

His fists clenched and he went to tug at his hair, but he stopped himself. There was something tormenting him, she could tell, and he quickly averted her lingering gaze. She regarded at him in concern; he was biting his lip and there was something in his eyes that worried her, a sadness that she couldn't place. "I – I" he went to say, and then caught himself and inhaled sharply.

"Ani…" Padme said softly, reaching for his hand. "What is it?"

He opened his mouth, beginning to speak, before shutting it and shaking his head stubbornly. "Nothing." She watched, incredulous, as he turned to leave. No. This wasn't over. He couldn't just leave without explaining himself. That's not how it worked.

With a snarl, she took his arm roughly and tugged on his, forcing him to stop. "No, Anakin," she snapped, annoyed at his behaviour. "You can't just say something like that and then walk away!"

He yanked his arm out of her grip, his expression hard and she returned it, crossing her arms and frowning at him. "I don't want to talk about it, alright?"

She shook her head, growing more and more angry. "No, it's not alright!" she argued. "You can't do this, Anakin. You need to talk to me. That's how relationships work!"

He frowned down at her, eyes narrowed, but she remained firm because she could be just as stubborn as him and wasn't going to let him leave until he had explained himself. It wasn't fair. She tapped her foot on the ground for emphasis, urging him to spill whatever it was he was holding back. "Feel free to take your time," she drawled sarcastically. "I have all day."

"Ugh," he groaned, this time he was the one with his head in his hands. "Why are you so – ?"

"Don't make this my fault," she told him, bitterly. "If you actually told me what you're feeling, we wouldn't have this problem."

"There are some things you just don't need to talk about."

Obviously, the stern approach wasn't working. It was only making him shut down and retreat under his bruised ego. But Padme was determined. She was going to get to the bottom of this, one way or another. Softening her features, she stepped closer to him, taking his hand in hers and squeezing it gently. "Ani," she begged, voice infinitely soft. "When are we going to start being honest with each other?"

His resolved crumbled under her penetrating gaze. "You'll think it's stupid," he muttered, cheeks flushing a little.

Shaking her head, Padme flashed him a shy smile. "No, I won't," she promised. "Tell me."

He inhaled deeply, eyes closing for the briefest of moments, before he opened them, blue eyes completely sincere. "I…I just want – I want to prove myself. Prove that I'm…" he broke off and rubbed the back of his neck, like he did whenever he was nervous or unsure. "That I'm good enough for you."

Oh, Anakin. She'd almost forgotten how insecure he was sometimes; she hadn't seen this side of him for months. The sight of him, like this, reminded her of when he had confessed his dark past to her. Padme had fallen in love with him that day, she just hadn't known it back then. And here he was, standing vulnerably before her, and if she wasn't in so deep already, she possibly would have fallen in love with him again. Her heart surged with affection and she beamed up at him through moist eyes, letting her hand trail up his arm to rest on the side of his face.

He swallowed. "See, this is why I didn't want to tell you," he grumbled. "I hate when you look at me like that."

At his words, she tilted her head to the side, suddenly confused. "Like what?"

"Like I'm something that needs fixing."

And just like that, her heart broke. She pulled him down to her and kissed him, hard, passionately, desperately, because she needed him to understand that she wasn't pitying him. She was simply in love with him. It was too much, and she felt tears slide down her cheeks, spilling onto his face, and he broke away suddenly, wiping them away with his thumb and regarded her with concern.

"Why are you crying?" he asked.

She sniffed, shaking her head at him, and balled her hands into fists against his chest. "Because," she cried through sobs. "You can be so, so… infuriating sometimes, Anakin." He didn't say anything and just wrapped his arms around her. "You don't need to prove anything."

"You deserve someone who's… well - perfect, Padme. And I'm not that. I'm far from that."

This was starting to remind her of their conversation the last time they had been together. She almost laughed. What was it about the two of them that they thought each other deserved better? Lifting her head, she locked her eyes firmly onto his, making sure she had his attention. "I don't want you to be perfect, Ani," she told him. "I just want you. As you are. Right now." She splayed her hands on his chest, feeling his breaths beneath her palms and felt his heart quiver under her touch.

Eventually, the tiniest of smiles pulled at his lips and she beamed in triumph. "Flaws and all?" he asked, softly.

Padme nodded her head. "Flaws especially," and she stretched up on her toes and kissed his lips briefly. His expression brightened and she sighed happily, glad he was finally coming to his senses. "Come on," she took his hand, leading him upstairs. "Let's get ready to go."

It was a cold day, threatening to rain from the look of the overcast sky, but nothing could put a damper on her father's attitude. He was elated, happier than Padme had ever seen him and it made her smile. She was glad that this trip was turning out to be a success. If she was being honest, she had been anxious about it for about a week, worried that her father wouldn't like Anakin or approve of their relationship. It meant the world to her, that two people she loved so much were getting along. It gave her high hopes for the future.

They set out around ten and Padme offered to teach Anakin how to shoot properly, something he had said he found extremely sexy. As with everything, he was a fast learner, and picked up the skill quickly, soon becoming a natural, which impressed Ruwee considerably. Padme watched Anakin in complete amazement. He always managed to surprise her and she regarded him fondly as she watched him hit the practice targets with ease. What on earth had he been so worried about? A part of her found his insecurities endearing, and it only served to make her feel better about her own. They were both hopeless.

Padme decided to let the men have their fun and simply sat by, watching them. It was only fair to let them bond by themselves, without her interfering. Besides, from this angle, she could admire Anakin in peace without being teased.

"How long have you been at the University of Chicago for?" Ruwee asked as he loaded bullets into his rifle.

"Just started this semester, sir," Anakin replied. "It's a really great school. I never thought I'd ever get to experience college life." His humble smile was so gorgeous that Padme couldn't look away from it. It lit up his entire face and made everything around him so much brighter. And there was this look of pride in his eyes that was intoxicating. Anakin was breathtaking.

"Why not? You're a bright young man. School must have been a breeze."

Padme watched Anakin's reaction cautiously, gauging for anything that might make him upset. However, to her surprise, he handled himself well, nodding his head solemnly. "School wasn't exactly my top priority when I was a teenager, I'm afraid. It wasn't until I met Padme that I even thought about college." His eyes landed on her and she grinned proudly at him.

Ruwee paused at that comment, and Padme watched him intently, noticing the slight quiver in his left eyebrow and the crease in his forehead deepen, as though he was deep in thought. Something about that expression concerned her

"I see," he muttered.

Padme intervened before her father could ask any more questions, feeling suddenly defensive. There was just something… she could sense that something bad was about to happen. "Ani's got a scholarship," she told her father proudly.

"Really? That's impressive…" his voice broke off again, that look of concentration on his face, before continuing, "you would know know my friend, Qui-Gon Jinn, then. He's the Dean of Students there."

Anakin nodded his head, eagerly. "Yes, sir. He's the one who organised my enrollment."

"Yes. I think I remember him telling me about you."

Padme froze. Oh no. Anakin needed to stop talking. Now. Or he was going to give away his secret… Padme's secret. She remembered when she'd first gone to her father, asking for help about a 'friend' enrolling in college even with a criminal record. She hadn't told him it was Anakin she was trying to help, but even then, Ruwee had been very adamant about his disproval of her associating with someone like… well, that.

But she hadn't told Anakin that. She didn't know why, she just hadn't. And now she was blindly leading him into a trap. Ruwee was clever, surely he was piecing the information together, or if he hadn't already, he would. And Anakin had no idea what was coming. She wanted to jump up and tell him to stop talking, but she couldn't without raising suspicion. Instead, she tried to catch his eye, but for once, he wasn't looking at her, and instead, was telling her father all about how much he had appreciated Padme's help.

Horrified, Padme watched her father's expression change from one of interest to one of confusion and then, suspicion. No. She cursed herself for being so stupid. She should have warned Anakin. She should have told him how her father had reacted when she'd contacted him all those months ago. But she hadn't. And now it was too late.

Panicking, she called Anakin over, under the pretence of asking him to help her take apart her rifle. As he approached, she pulled him down to her level, keeping her eyes fixed to the ground.

"What is it?" he asked her, confused by her behaviour. "What's wrong?"

"You need to stop talking," she warned him through clenched teeth as her fingers worked.

Anakin just cocked his head to the side. "What do you mean, stop talking?"

Sighing in frustration, she hissed, "just do what I say Anakin. Stop talking about college, and me. You can talk about anything else, I don't even care what, but not that. Alright?"

He scrutinised every inch of her face before his eyes widened in understanding. "He can't know… that's impossible," he insisted in complete denial, voice shaky. "You didn't tell him about me… did you?"

Padme swallowed, biting her lip. "Not everything, no," she conceded.

He exhaled heavily, breath trembling. "Padme… what does that mean?"

She didn't respond. She felt sick. She couldn't even look at him, because she felt so terrible that she hadn't given him any warning. That feeling of dread resurfaced, the feeling that had cast a shadow over the entire outing. Luckily, before anything could be said, it started to rain and Padme had never been more grateful to being drenched to the bone in her life.

An awkward silence existed between all three of them as they sat in the sitting room, in front of a fireplace, drying their clothes, boots, socks and hair. Padme's eyes constantly flickered between Anakin and her father and she hugged her knees to her chest, her hands shaking. The suspense was killing her. She was waiting for her father to pounce, but all his did was sit passively in front of the fire, cleaning his glasses methodically.

To ease the tension, Padme tried for small talk, complimenting her father's shot, the outing, anything. Ruwee only answered in mild interest and soon, she just gave up. Anakin was no better. He stared sullenly at the fire, flames dancing in his eyes, and when she tried to engage him, he answered with one-syllable responses. Rubbing her temples, she stretched out her legs, wondering what to do next, when Ruwee finally spoke.

"Padme," he began, voice very soft. "When did you and Anakin get together?"

She paused and cleared her throat before replying, "almost six months ago."

Closing his eyes, Ruwee sighed deeply. "And was that before or after I forbade to associate with someone who has a criminal record?" His voice was sharp and cold, laced with betrayal. Anakin's head snapped up at the comment, eyes unnaturally wide and Padme's breath caught in her chest. So he did know.

With a trembling voice, she responded, voice deathly quiet. "After," and Ruwee's frown deepened, his jaw locking. He was angry. But not only that. He was hurt. She could tell just by his expression. When he eventually opened his eyes, he trained his stony gaze on Anakin, all previous warmth gone and replaced by a cold distrust.

"Leave us," he ordered, and Anakin was not foolish enough to question him. Sparing a look at Padme, he hurriedly got to his feet and went upstairs, leaving Padme alone with her father.

She gulped nervously.

Why, oh why, had she not seen this coming?