A/N: Oh, Anakin. You're just so protective of your girls. I love it!

Ahsoka, you poor, troubled, confused teenage girl. I still love you.

I like to think this is one of those moments where Padme once again proves how wonderful she is. She's just such a compassionate and understanding individual.

Enjoy xx

It felt good to do nothing. To sit back and let Anakin do everything. Not that Padme was much of a cook anyway, because she wasn't. She could make simple things, especially if it came pre-cooked in a packet, like ready-to-cook pasta or frozen pizza, but anything beyond that and she usually just gave up because she just didn't have the time. Dorme was the household cook and Padme would do the cleaning. It was a good arrangement, given that her roommate was a bit lazy in keeping things tidy. And it meant that Padme was able to stay out of the kitchen.

She watched, intrigued, cradling a glass of wine in her hands, as Anakin stirred his concoction by the stove. She'd been surprised when Anakin had informed her that they would have the house to themselves, but Shmi and Cleigg had gone to visit his son Owen and were staying there a few nights, so, they were completely alone. Something about that ignited a little spark of excitement in Padme. It wasn't as though they'd never been alone together, but the idea of them being in a house, by themselves, with Anakin cooking for them made her feel incredibly adult. Once again, she couldn't help but imagine them doing things like this in the future, on a lazy weekend after they'd both had busy weeks at work.

"What are you smiling about?" Padme was brought back from her thoughts by Anakin, and blinked her eyes a few times, before she realised that she had one of those silly smiles on her face that seemed to arise naturally when he was around.

Shaking her head, she replied, "Oh, nothing in particular. Just… this…" she inclined her head towards the stove. "It's nice. No one's ever done this for me before."

Anakin smirked at her. "Well, don't get too used to it. I expect the favour to be returned."

Padme chuckled and ran her finger slowly around the rim of her glass, wetting her lips with her tongue. "I can think of other ways to return the favour," she purred. The sight of his eyes growing dark with desire thrilled her. She loved the fact that he was just as affected by her as she was by him. It never failed to make her feel powerful.

"I look forward to it, then" he replied, voice dripping with need, and Padme shuddered with anticipation. He held her gaze for a moment, lips curling into a knowing smile, before his attention was once again occupied by the bubbling pot behind him.

Curious, Padme hopped off the stool at the counter and moved to stand beside him, wrapping an arm around his waist as she peered around his shoulder. A heady aroma of tomato, spices and chilli filled her nose and she inhaled deeply, closing her eyes. Beside her, Anakin rumbled a half-laugh, turning his head to face her.

"What is it?" she asked him.

"Chilli," he replied with a proud little smile. "It's my mom's favourite." Then, before Padme could express that she wasn't the biggest fan of Mexican food – there were far too many beans for her liking – Anakin had brought the ladle to her lips and she had no choice but to open her mouth. She sipped the contents from the ladle, surprised at how much she actually enjoyed it. It wasn't too spicy, but with just the right amount of flavour. She licked around the edges of her mouth and grinned at him. "Do you like it?"

"I can see why it's your mom's favourite." Honestly, it was that good. She was tempted to dip her finger in again, but decided against it. Anakin beamed at her, all triumphant and proud and so pleased with himself that she couldn't help but return his smile. The sight of him like this, so relaxed and easy and content; it brought a sense of calm about her. After everything they'd been through, the harsh words they'd both exchanged, the muddled feelings, it felt good to be like this. Just existing with and in each other, without worries or cares or drama. Padme released a soft sigh and nuzzled into his side, keeping her arm around his trim waist and letting the other slide down his arm to take his hand. The action made Anakin hum in approval and he pressed his lips to her hair, breathed her in deeply as though he wanted to memorise the smell of her skin.

"Do you keep in contact with your step-brother much?" she asked after a while, keeping her eyes fixed on the stove.

Anakin's shrug emanated through her. "Not really," he replied. "I've only met him once, and that was at the wedding." Padme nodded. She remembered briefly seeing Owen Lars, a stocky, broad shouldered, blond man with a round, happy face. "All I know about him is that he's the same age as me, and he's engaged. The wedding's in a few months."

That took Padme by surprise. Engaged? So young? It seemed like such a waste to her. "But he's only twenty!" she cried, slightly incredulous. "Isn't that too young to get married?"

Her outburst caused him to stare at her curiously, as though he was surprised she would say such as thing. She couldn't blame him. It wasn't exactly the normal reaction of oh wow, that's wonderful, that most people had when they were informed of upcoming nuptials. But it was a shock, all the same. When Padme was twenty, she'd been halfway through her undergraduate degree of international communications, focussed on her prerequisite classes for her current degree of political journalism. She thought back to her younger self, how dedicated she'd been, and wondered if she would have been ready to settle down and get married? The simple answer was no. She'd had a plan, and that was to finish school with honours. Marriage had definitely not been in the picture.

"I guess, when it's the right person, it doesn't really matter," Anakin said after a few minutes. "Do you think it's really that bad to get married young?" The tone of his voice, how it had gone all quiet and uncertain, made Padme want to smack herself in the head. Just a look in his eyes told her all she needed to know. She mentally cursed herself. Why had she said something like that? The way he was looking at her was like she'd just crushed all of his hopes and dreams in life.

"Oh, no, of course not," she hurried stammered, trying to wipe that defeated look off his face. "I mean, if they're both happy, then – then it's fine. More than fine, actually. It's great." She flashed him a bright smile and he returned it weakly. It didn't meet his eyes.

"But you think they're too young?" She could hear the double meaning in his voice; subtly was never Anakin's strong point. He was talking about them, which made her begin to panic. Was he going to propose to her? Is that was this was about? Cooking dinner for her, his mother suddenly leaving the house so they were alone? Had she just ruined his plans?

Her heart sank. She felt awful. Because, if he had proposed to her, she'd have to say no. Even though she'd told her sister she wanted to marry Anakin someday, now was not the right time. She hadn't graduated. There were more important things she had to focus on. And then there was the task of finding a place to live. Would she have to move to Chicago to be with him? It had always been an option after she graduated anyway, because she couldn't handle another two years of long distance, but if they got married, they'd definitely have to live together. And there'd be pressure for her to find a job straight away. Would they even be able to afford their own place? Padme was living off her father's money, she couldn't do that for the rest of her life.

She forced herself to remain calm and gave a nonchalant shrug of her shoulders, to appease him. "It's doesn't really matter what I think," she told him. "It's not my decision." Anakin nodded once, twice, and ran a hand through his hair, looking adorably sheepish and insecure and uncertain, and Padme stretched up on her toes and kissed his mouth softly. She felt so incredibly guilty that she had possibly ruined the entire evening, but at the same time, she was glad that she'd done it, even in such a subtle, unconscious way, because she didn't think she could bear seeing the heart broken look on Anakin's face when she refused him. She loved him, oh how she loved him, more than she had ever loved anything, but timing was essential in every relationship. They'd only been together six months and they'd just overcome a massive hurdle. They needed time to adjust, to heal.

One day, Ani, she tried to convey through her lips, and he must have understood, because he turned and rested his hands on her hips, pulling her closer to him so he could deepen the kiss. They stayed that way for a while, Anakin's hands moved up to run through her hair, as they often did. He loved it when she wore her hair down, and it was longer than it had been the last time they'd seen each other, earlier in the month. She'd contemplated cutting it off, because really, long curly hair was difficult to maintain, but she knew he wouldn't approve. It was one of the things he loved most about her – and she secretly loved it when he would run his hands through it or twirl it around his fingers.

They were forced apart when the pot began to bubble over on the stove, and Anakin cursed under his breath and hurriedly turned it off, before it became a disaster. Padme laughed, bringing her hands to her mouth to muffle her giggles, and he smirked cheekily at her. "You shouldn't distract the chef, Miss Naberrie," he chastised, playfully. "Things could get… dangerous."

"Are you going to punish me, Mr Skywalker?" she flirted unabashedly, blinking her eyes at him innocently.

Anakin growled, taking her hips roughly in his hand and slammed her against the counter, pressing his body against hers. She could feel his arousal pressing obviously against her stomach and grinned in spite of herself. He was so easy, always so ready for her. With a snarl, he breathed hotly in her ear, before sliding his lips down her neck, grazing her skin with his teeth, making her shudder. When he reached her clavicle, he nipped her, sharply, so pleasurably in its pain and she uttered an aroused whimper. "Do you want that?" he exhaled darkly, the sound of his low, rough voice melting her insides. "Do you need to be punished?"

Soft lips suckled at the hollow of her throat and she let her head fall back, giving him further access to her. His thigh slipped between her legs and she unconsciously moved her hips against him, making him groan deep in the back of his throat. As her hands ran down his chest to slip into his pants, stroking his hard cock through his underwear, which twitched at her touch, his phone began to ring.

With a sigh, she made to push him off of her but Anakin didn't budge. "Ani…" she half-laughed, pushing on his chest with both of her hands.

He only growled and shook his head against her. "Ignore it. I'll call them back," he insisted, too consumed on feasting on her neck and sliding his hands along her stomach.

It rang again and this time, Anakin swore, forcing himself off of Padme and grabbing his phone aggressively off the counter. "Snips, I swear you have the worst fucking timing," he spat into the phone. Padme watched him curiously, as his expression turned from frustration to outright rage. "What?!" he roared, his fists clenching so tightly that his knuckles turned white. "Right, I'm coming down there right now!" Then he hung up, searching around the counter frantically for the keys to his mother's car, all the while swearing vehemently.

Padme approached him, tentatively, not wanting to upset him even further. "Anakin?" she began, reaching out to touch his arm. He spun around so fast, a venomous look on her face, that she immediately took a step back. "Is Ahsoka alright?"

He visibly shook. She'd never seen him this angry before. "She's at a fucking party," he hissed. "A senior party. And she's fucking wasted! That was her friend Barriss on the phone." He paused to catch his breath. Padme was shocked. Wasted? But she was so young! Barely turned fifteen, and already getting wasted and going to parties with seniors. No wonder Anakin was so furious. "I'm going down there and as soon as I find her, I'm going to ring her little neck!" he growled, and stormed out of the kitchen.

"Ani, wait!" Padme called after him. The state he was in, so emotional, she wasn't about to let him drive alone. He could hurt himself… or worse, someone else. "I'll go with you."

"Padme, this is something between me and Ahsoka," he told her firmly as he continued on his rampaging path. "It's got nothing to do with you."

But she wouldn't have it. She caught his arm, forcing him to stop and look back at her, and met his simmering eyes firmly. "I'm not letting you go alone." To reiterate her words, she gave his hand a squeeze.

Anakin's expression softened, not much, but just enough for him to give a curt nod. "Fine. If you insist."

She followed him out to his mother's sedan, which was parked in the driveway, and quickly jumped into the passenger seat. Anakin was in a hurry, his hands flying through the gears as he reversed and sped down the road. His hands gripped the steering wheel so tight, she thought he was going to break it. There was a stony, venomous expression on his face as he drove, completely silent, breathing sharply through his nose, and Padme placed her hand gently on his thigh to reassure him.

Even though she knew he was angry, it was endearing how much Anakin clearly cared for Ahsoka. She could tell that he was worried about her, and he hid that behind his frustration, but Padme knew. "She'll be alright, Ani," she assured him, and he turned to face her, his eyes pained and somewhat horrified and all she could do was smile at him was nothing else to say. Padme could only imagine what he was feeling right now, and none of it was good.

When they pulled up outside the part, she couldn't help but roll her eyes at how cliché it was. There were so many kids and the music was so loud that it made her entire body vibrate as soon as she got out of the car. Anakin stormed up the lawn, jaw locked and fierce, and many of the kids on the side walk stared at him strangely as he passed, whispering to each other and pointing. Padme hurried to keep up with him, trying to reassure some of the more startled teens with kind smiles. A few senior girls whistled in appreciation, but Anakin neither seemed to notice, or care. He was on a mission and nothing was going to interrupt him.

A tall, slim, older girl, with pale skin, bleached blonde hair and ice blue eyes shrouded in black eyeliner approached them when they walked inside, blocking their path. She held a cigarette deftly in one hand and blew a puff of smoke in Anakin's face as she stood in front of him. "Sorry," she drawled in a deep voice. "Do I know you?"

Anakin growled and drew himself up to his full height. "You will in a second if you don't tell me where Ahsoka Tano is!"

The girl shrugged lazily, looking bored. "Oh, lil 'Soka? She's over there." She stretched out with one long, black nailed finger, towards the backyard, where it looked like a group of boys were making good use of a beer bong. The sight made Anakin's eyes bulge in horror and he made to shove past the girl, when she stopped him. "Uh, uh, uh, I can't just let you in here without knowing who you are," she told him. "I'm Asajj Ventress and this is my house and you look far too old to be a senior."

Anakin swelled up with rage and Padme was certain he was going to start swearing at the girl, so she hurriedly intervened before he made a scene, gripping his forearm tightly in warning. "I'm sorry, Asajj, was it? Anakin is Ahsoka's older brother and he's come to take her home."

Asajj Ventress laughed huskily, taking another long drag from her cigarette. "Alright then, Anakin. Go and find lil 'Soka. Though, I warn you, she's not a pretty sight." With a smirk, she exhaled another cloud of smoke that made Padme cough, and waltzed away to the other side of the room.

Snarling, Anakin stomped aggressively through the house, muttering curses and threats and all sorts of things under his breath about Asajj Ventress and all Padme could do was hold his arm and hope that he wouldn't do anything stupid – like pick a fight with a teenager. They found Ahsoka amongst a group of boys, who had just volunteered her for the beer bong and she stood up as the crowd cheered her on. She looked a mess. Her luscious dark hair was matted and tangled, there was – what looked like – vomit on her tiny tank top, a rip in her shorts and her makeup was half down her face.

"Snips!" Anakin shouted loudly over the noise, just as a concerned looking Barriss came rushing over to them. Ahsoka looked up at his voice, cocked her head to the side as though the sight of him amused her, and then flashed him a wry smile.

"Come to join the fun, Skyguy?" she slurred.

"Don't you dare?! You're coming home with me right fucking now!"

All around her, the crowd of boys began to laugh and Padme sighed. Anakin really wasn't handling this well at all. If anything, the way he was acting, was only going to egg Ahsoka on. She was right. At his words, Ahsoka grinned slyly and took her place beside the boy holding the bong. "Go and have sex with your girlfriend, Skyguy," she told him, a slight sway to her. "I don't need you."

"Ahsoka!"

She winked at him and opened her mouth, allowing a stream of beer to flood her mouth. Anakin was on her in an instant, before Padme even had time to process what was happening. Suddenly, he had ripped the bong from the boy's hand, causing beer to slosh all over himself, Ahsoka and half of the people watching. Ahsoka let out a cry of frustration as Anakin gripped her forearm roughly, dragging her forcefully away. "You're coming with me," he snarled and she tried to resist him, but was too drunk to stand up properly and ended up stumbling over. Anakin caught her and Padme rushed to help him, a trembling Barriss at her side.

All eyes were upon them as they made their way out of the house. Asajj Ventress smiled condescendingly at them as they passed her and Padme frowned. She didn't like this girl, and had a sneaking suspicious she was the one who was behind Ahsoka's being here. It clearly wasn't Barriss' idea. The girl was stricken, hovering around her friend like a fretful mother.

"Oh, she's going to be so mad at me," she cried. "She didn't want me to call Anakin, but I had to… she… she threw up so much – I had to do something!"

Padme patted her gently on the shoulder. "You did fine, Barriss. She's going to be alright. We'll look after her." The girl nodded, biting her lip. "Do you need a lift home?"

"No, my parents are coming to pick me up."

"Well, thank you. You're a good friend, Barriss. Ahsoka will understand that, I promise."

It was difficult to get Ahsoka into the back seat, as she threw up again on Anakin's mother's car, which only served to make him angrier, but eventually, they managed to sit her down. Padme decided to sit next to her – Anakin was far too angry to be of any help, and patted her back gently. Luckily, she managed not to throw up again during the car ride home, and Padme helped her upstairs, coaxing her with soft words and smiles. Anakin made to accompany her but she shook her head at him.

"No, Ani," she told him. "I've got it. You're not in the right mood to deal with her right now."

"She's not your responsibility!" he argued.

Padme smiled at him. "She's your family, Anakin. Which means she's my family too." She kissed him on the cheek sweetly, reassuring him that it was going to be alright, and he reneged with a defeated sigh, running a hand through his hair.

"Alright, I'll wait down here."

Getting a drunk fifteen year old girl upstairs was one problem, but getting her into bed was an entirely different one. Even for Padme, who considered herself a rather patient individual. Eventually, she was able to rid Ahsoka of her ruined clothes and dressed her one of Anakin's tshirts and boxer shirts, and tucked her into bed. The girl blinked up at her blankly, her large blue eyes slightly glazed over and Padme sighed sadly.

"Padme…" the girl began, tears welling in her eyes. "He… he hates me now, doesn't he?" The question was uttered so quietly that she almost didn't hear it.

Smiling, Padme sat beside her and smoothed out her hair. "No, Ahsoka. Ani loves you."

Ahsoka's bottom lip trembled, and it made Padme painfully aware that, despite everything that just happened, Ahsoka was still only a young girl. "B-But he… the way he was looking at me – "

"Anakin was worried about you. We all were," Padme explained. "Ahsoka, what were you thinking?"

She whimpered and sniffled. "I – I don't know," she admitted. "Ventress was having a party, and well, Lux was busy and Anakin was with you, so I convinced Barriss to go." Even in her drunken state, Padme could tell that she was regretting her decision."I thought it would be fun, you know… but now he – he's so angry with me!"

"He's only angry with you because he cares about you," Padme reminded her.

"No, he doesn't!" Ahsoka shook her head ardently, tears spilling rapidly down her cheeks. "All he cares about is you! He – he never sees me anymore…" she broke off and sunk even deeper into the covers, her cheeks flushing hotly as she admitted what was truly bothering her. It took Padme by surprise. Everything made sense now. It had all been an act, a cry for attention. Ahsoka missed him and acted in a way she knew would get him to notice her again.

Padme patted her hand gently. "You and Anakin have something very special, Ahsoka," she told the girl. "You're like family to him, and he loves you so much."

Nodding, Ahsoka closed her eyes and Padme sensed it was time to leave her alone to her thoughts. She got her a glass of water, then turned off the lights and headed back downstairs. Anakin was sitting at the kitchen counter, head in his hands, and looked up immediately when he heard her presence. The fear, the worry, the uncertainty in his blue eyes was almost heartbreaking. "Is she alright?" he asked her, all former anger gone from his voice.

Nodding, Padme stood in front of him and wrapped her arms around his waist. "She's sleeping. She'll feel pretty terrible in the morning though."

Anakin pressed his lips between her eyebrows, constricting his arms around her tighter. "Thank you," he mumbled, and she knew it was not just for putting Ahsoka to bed, but for soothing him and helping to calm his anger. "I can't believe Obi-wan would let her go to a party."

"I don't think Obi-wan knew," Padme admitted, resting her cheek against his chest. "He probably thought she was just staying with Barriss."

He grumbled. "What was she thinking? She saw what I was like, what happened to me when I got involved in that kind of thing. Why would she want to go down that path?"

Padme pulled back just enough to look him seriously in the eye and brushed a lock of stray hair off his face. "It was a cry for attention." When Anakin only frowned in confusion, Padme sighed. "The girl misses you, Anakin. You've been in Chicago for six months, and now you're home and you spend all your time with me, and she misses you."

"But she has a boyfriend," he said, as though that made all the difference.

She shook her head. "That doesn't matter. The bond you and Ahsoka have… it's different to anything I've ever seen. You're her best friend."

Anakin bit his lip and ran his hands along her spine. "Yeah, I know."

"You should spend some time with her. I mean, you go back to Chicago in a few days. You should do something with her, like you used to before I was in the picture."

He nodded, then furrowed his eyebrows. "But, what about you?"

Padme beamed at him. "I'll be fine. It'll give me some time to spend with my family. I mean, my mom and dad are in the same house together and that hasn't happened since I was fourteen. It'll be good for both of us, I think."

Anakin pulled her in close so his lips met hers. "You have no idea how much I love you," he whispered, all sweet and sincere and gorgeous.

Grinning, Padme twined her hands into his hair. "Why don't you show me?"

He crushed his mouth to hers and they both forgot all about Ahsoka until the morning.