Chapter 3

He had no doubt he was in love. Just the thought of her sent thrills coursing through him that he'd never felt before. He felt so lucky to have spent one night with her, to have shared those soul-searing kisses, to have looked into those deep, dark pools she called eyes and seen an exact reflection of what he felt.

But...

But...

But right now, more than ever, he could use assistance from Qui-Gon. And for the first time, Qui-Gon wasn't there for him. His Force-presence still lingered, slightly, but it wasn't the advice Obi-Wan craved. And he couldn't go to anyone else with his worries--this was the sort of thing only a master and apprentice could share. Besides, he could hear what Master Yoda would say, anyway. Let your guard down, you should have not. Wise it would be to return to Coruscant. Pursue this relationship, you should not. Qui-Gon would have understood the love he felt for Padmé. He may have given the same warnings, but he would have done so carefully and without truly interfering.

Maybe it was hopeless, but he honestly didn't care. Maybe his heart would get broken, but he would deal with that when the time came.

Right now, he knew what he needed. Her.

-

Saché, Yané, Rabé, and Eirtaé were all sitting in the large room that each of their sleeping quarters led into. Of the Nubian handmaidens, only Sabé was not present. They all knew that something was wrong, and Padmé was nowhere to be found.

Which was why they bombarded her when she stepped in the door.

"Where were you?"

"Everyone's so worried!"

"We though you'd been abducted!"

"Are you hurt?"

"Girls, girls, I'll tell you exactly where I was. And who I was with."

"Who?" The handmaidens all sat, hanging on Padmé's words as they saw the signs of an interesting tale.

"I was with...Obi-Wan Kenobi."

"No!" exclaimed Rabé in disbelief.

"How did you manage that?" Saché asked.

"I'll tell you, I'll tell you! Anyway, he came around at about six in th evening to ask if I wanted to walk in the garden with him, like he has almost every day. And of course I said yes. It was still light, and besides, what was going to happen in the gardens with a Jedi? And...I like talking to him. So I didn't summon any of you.

"We walked almost the entire garden, but I didn't even notice, because we were talking so much."

"About what?" Yané piped up.

"Oh, not much, Naboo, Coruscant, Tatooine. What it was like to be a Jedi. What it was like to be a Queen.

"Anyway, the clasp broke on my gold necklace."

"The one your father gave you?"

"Yes. I always wear it. Maybe you could take it to the jeweler to get it fixed, Eirtaé?"

"Of course, Your Highness."

"Well, Obi-Wan picked it up, but he made this huge deal, joking about how I was making him do my grunt work and he could do that on Coruscant, thank-you-very-much.

"But when he stood up--you know, he has the clearest, bluest eyes. And he had this look...I've got goosebumps on my arms just thinking about it.

"And then he kissed me."

"No!" The handmaidens squealed in delight, as this had certainly been worth waiting for.

"Yes, and it was wonderful! And then I kissed him. And then he kissed me again. And then..."

"You didn't sleep with him, did you?" Rabé and Eirtaé asked in unison.

"That's exactly what Sabé asked! And no! You know I take my vows seriously!"

"I wouldn't blame you if you broke them," Yané sighed dreamily. "He's gorgeous."

"Don't even joke about it, Yané. I don't know why everyone assumed I slept with him." Padmé rolled her eyes.

"What happened next, then?" Rabé asked to break the tension.

"Well, we kissed for a while, then we put my cape on the floor and sat down--"

"And kissed some more?" Saché guessed.

"Exactly. But it got really late, so we ended up falling asleep. Oh, m cape still smells like him!" She pulled the material off and buried her nose in it. The handmaidens began chattering and gathering around the cloak in the center of the room.

"Um, girls?" Sabé stood in the doorway, arms crossed. Padmé and the others stopped talking and looked up sheepishly.

"Let me see, too!"

Well, that was basically a lot of girly chit chat, but I thought that Padmé needs to be shown as just a girl, too! And I've kind of made Sabé into the most mature of the handmaidens, the one that always plays by the book but still loves her friends. I just don't really know that much about Sabé.

HanSolosGal - Actually, I prefer bearded Obi. ;) And you do have a point about all Star Wars relationships being creepy. I mean, Han is, like, two feet taller and ten years older than Leia. Mara tried to kill Luke. Anakin is a perve...oh wait. That's true even without Ani-Ami.

mrs. skywalker - Heh heh, even if you can't think of what to say, it's still awesome that you review. :)

doreenthatshot - Here you go!