Chapter Eleven

Anakin did indeed have a great deal of difficulty falling asleep that night. His mind kept returning to the kiss he'd shared with Padmé, the scent and feel of her skin filling his senses utterly.

Anakin woke up as he sensed the presence of someone in his room. He sat up and moved to the side of the bed, prepared to destroy whoever it was that dared to invade his privacy, only to see that it was Padmé who had entered his room.

"What are you doing here?" he asked as she approached his bed.

"I was lonely," she replied. "I was hoping you were too."

Anakin was surprised by her boldness, and more than a little aroused by it as well.

"As a matter of fact, I am," he told her, positioning himself on the edge of the bed, watching her as she stepped closer. "I've been lonely for a very long time as a matter of fact."

Padmé nodded her understanding. "I know you have," she replied as she stood in front of him. "I've been lonely too, Anakin. No man has ever made me feel the way you do," she told him, running her hands into his tousled hair. "No man has ever made me want them like I want you."

Anakin was mesmerized by her, his eyes roving over her body through the diaphanous fabric of her nightie. He brought his hands up and captured her around her tiny waist, drawing her closer. "You want me, Padmé?" he asked, his voice soft and silken.

Padmé nodded. "Yes," she replied. "I want you to do to me what I saw in my mind at the ballet," she told him. "I want you to…"

Anakin stopped her mid-sentence as he pulled her closer and brought his mouth to hers. She wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I need you so much, Anakin," she told him as he nuzzled the side of her neck.

Anakin could only nod in response, his own brain function rapidly evaporating as his body's blood supply surged to other parts of his body. He had to fight hard not to take her the way his body was demanding he take her...but he knew that she was a virgin, she was not ready, not yet…and so he was forced to go slow which required every ounce of self control he possessed…

Anakin woke up at this point, his body bathed in sweat. The images of his dream had been so real that he could feel the arousal coursing through his blood. He sat up in the bed and ran his hands through his sweat soaked hair. Padmé was under his skin now, in his blood; and he suspected that she always would be. How he would reconcile these feelings to the orders his master had given him ate away at him. There was one thing, however, that he knew for certain; he would not allow any harm to come to her, and would happily kill anyone who tried to harm her. If that meant killing his own master…well he just hoped it wouldn't come down to that.

Padme was up early the next morning, and found Anakin already sitting at the breakfast table.

"Good morning," she said as she sat beside him.

"Good morning," he responded with a smile. "How are you this morning?"

His smile made her knees grow weak. "I'm wonderful," she said.

Anakin reached over and took one of her hands. "I dreamed about you last night," he told her, kissing her hand.

"Oh?" she asked. "Was it a nice dream?"

Anakin nodded, his eyes fixed on hers as images from his dream jumped to mind. "Very nice," he told her, causing her to blush and wonder if his dream had been anything like the one she'd had about him only a few nights earlier.

"Anakin, what are we going to do about Palpatine?" she asked, saying what was on her mind. "He is nothing if not single minded."

"I know," Anakin replied, looking down at her hand in his. He looked up at her. "I won't let any harm come to you, Padmé," he averred. "I promise you."

"I believe you," she replied. "But if he told you that he would send another to kill me, then you can be sure he will."

Anakin frowned, knowing that what she was saying was true. "Yes, there's no doubt of it," he told her. "But for now he doesn't know where you are. I told him that I hadn't found you, remember?"

"Yes," Padmé replied. "But how long do you think it will take until he realized that you were lying? He may already know, Ani; he may be just toying with you. He seems the type who would take great enjoyment from that sort of thing."

"You're right about that," he said. "But I won't let him win, Padmé, I swear it. I don't care what it takes, he won't win."

Padmé could see how sincere he was, and while it warmed her heart to see it, she still had to wonder if a tough decision was required would he be able to make it.

"And what if you are forced to kill him, Anakin?" she asked. "Would you be able to do that?"

Before Anakin could reply, Shmi entered the room and joined them. She noticed that they were holding hands and smiled.

"Well, seems I was right about you two all along," she commented. "I'm so glad you finally decided to face your feelings."

Anakin looked at Padmé and smiled. "Didn't I tell you?" he asked. Padmé laughed.

"For what it's worth, I think this is wonderful," Shmi said as she helped herself to some juice. "What will you tell Palpatine?"

"I'm not certain," Anakin replied. "He is very devious, I don't know if it would be wise to tell him just yet."

Shmi and Padme exchanged a glance. "So what exactly is your plan?" Shmi asked. "You don't intend on going back to his employ, do you?"

Anakin focused his attention on the plate of food before him. "No, I don't," he replied. "I do plan to confront him, however," he said, looking up at the two women. "Before he has a chance to harm you," he said, looking at Padmé.

"You mean you're going to Coruscant?" she asked, the thought of him leaving her and Shmi alone unnerving her.

"And so are you," Anakin replied. "I won't leave either of you alone here. You can stay at my apartment there, you'll be safe there."

Padme nodded. "I know my parents would be more than happy to have you stay with them, Shmi," she told her. "You would be safe with them."

"Good idea," Anakin said. "Palpatine mustn't know that you are alive, Mom," he told her. "Or else he'd be as determined to kill you as he is to kill Padmé."

Shmi nodded. "Yes, I agree with you there," she replied. "It seems that he feels threatened by anyone who has a place in your heart, Anakin," she observed.

"That's why he wanted me to stay away from you all these years," he told his mother. "And why he wants you dead, Padmé," he said, turning to her. "He knows that I care about you."

Padmé nodded. "And that threatens his hold on you, doesn't it?"

"Very much so," Anakin replied. "The Sith don't care about anyone but themselves," he told her. "He has no concept of what it feels like to care about someone else." He stopped, his frustration at his own short sightedness angering him. "I've been such a fool all these years," he said bitterly. "So blind to what he really is."

"At least you've realized it now, Ani," Shmi told him. "Before it became too late to turn your life around."

"Ironic, isn't it?" Anakin commented. "That by sending me to kill Padmé, he was setting into motion a course of actions that would eventually spell his own undoing." He looked at Padmé. "The Force works in mysterious ways."

She smiled. "So it seems," she replied. "Perhaps we should think about getting ready to leave," she said. "I will contact my parents before we go."

"Good idea," he replied. But then he remembered what he had told Padmé's father when he had visited the Naberrie house last. "There's something you ought to know," he told her.

Padmé turned back. "What?"

"I ….kind of told your father I was someone else," he told her.

Padmé frowned. "Why?" she asked, and then remembered. "Oh….well perhaps we can explain to him what has happened since then. What name did you give?"

"Obi-Wan Kenobi," he replied. He hesitated before continuing. "Palpatine told me that you and Kenobi were lovers."

Padmé's eyes widened at this disclosure. "What!?" she cried. "Please tell me you didn't believe him."
Anakin smiled. "Actually I didn't," he said. "I know the Jedi don't take lovers."

"Oh, and that's the only reason you didn't believe him?" she challenged.

"Well, no," he said. "Somehow I just knew that you wouldn't be involved with him. He's way too old for you," he added with a smile.

Padmé smiled. "Yes, I prefer younger men," she told him, and then left the room, leaving Anakin more than a little tantalized.

Office of the Supreme Chancellor-Coruscant

Jango Fett stood at the large picture window, hands resting behind his back, as he waited for the Chancellor to conclude his meeting. He hated that he was being kept waiting; but he knew better than to complain. No one complained to the Chancellor without dire consequences. Besides, Palpatine was a good customer. He paid his employees well, and that was the very reason Fett put up with the old man's bizarre tendencies.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Jango," Palpatine said as he entered his office. He took his seat behind the enormous desk.

"No problem," Fett replied. "What can I do for you, Chancellor?"

"I need you to do a job for me, Fett," Palpatine said.

Fett nodded, realizing that 'do a job' invariably meant kill someone. He only had one question. "Where's Skywalker?"

Palpatine's face darkened. "I am beginning to have doubts about my young apprentice's loyalty," he stated sourly. "That is why I need you. Skywalker has less than forty-eight hours to eliminate Senator Amidala of Naboo. If he fails, then I leave it to you to kill them both."

Fett smiled. He had secretly hated Skywalker for years; nothing would give him greater pleasure than to kill him. But he was a powerful man; not one who could be easily killed. "How do you propose I do that?" he asked.

"I don't care how you do it," Palpatine snapped. "Only do it and be sure he suffers. Be sure they both suffer. I don't tolerate disloyalty, Fett."

Fett nodded, more convinced than ever that the Chancellor was quite mad. "Just give me the word, and the job is done."

Palpatine only smiled in response.