I am deeply sorry it has taken me so long to upload this next chapter. School and work got the better of me over the last few weeks and I haven't found much time to write a chapter I was completely happy with but for the most part I'm happy with this one. This chapter is just pure fluff only because things are going to start taking a turn in the next chapter so I hope you enjoy it and I hope to have the next chapter up much sooner next time.
Once again, thank you all so much for all of your kind words.
Chapter 21
They had barely had two weeks to themselves before Bail had requested that she return to the Senate as soon as possible. Palpatine was planning to make another move to gain more power and Bail felt that he needed Padmé as backup. Anakin had reluctantly agreed to return to Coruscant, agreeing only after she promised that once the entire thing was over they would return to the lake house and spend the two weeks they had left without any link to the galaxy beyond.
The storm had settled unexpectedly over the lake country late in the morning, raging with little sign of abating any time soon. It was their last day in the lake country and they had planned on spending the afternoon in the fields where they had picnicked before but the rain had ensured they were confined to the lake house. Instead they created a little nest for themselves out of pillows and blankets in front of a warm fire in their room and enjoyed the picnic they had packed. Anakin, drowsy from all the food and the glass of wine, drifted off to sleep, content with how their afternoon had panned out, even if it had not gone according to their plans.
Anakin stirred from his light nap at when the sound of a loud pop and crackle from the fire filled the air as a log shifted and settled into a new position. Padmé was sitting up beside him, leaning back against the couch as she read over a datapad, one hand absentmindedly caressing the back of his shoulder. He rolled over, a drowsy smile tugging at his lips and she tenderly touched his cheek.
"Did you have a nice nap?" she asked, setting the datapad to the side and focusing her attention on her adorably sleep disheveled husband.
"Mmhm," he murmured, eyes twinkling with humor. He stretched out his long limbs beneath the covers, feeling her eyes follow the line of his body as he did so. He smirked knowingly and pulled himself up to sit beside her, his arm slipping around her slender shoulders to pull her close. "Someone seems to be wearing me out more often than usual."
"Maybe she should tell you to keep your hands to yourself in the middle of the night then," she teased, pressing a swift kiss to the skin above his heart.
"Any more news from Coruscant?"
"I wouldn't know," she admitted with a sheepish grin tugging at her lips.
"You mean to tell me you didn't spend the last hour working?" he teased.
"We'll be going back to all of that soon enough. I'd rather not focus on that when we only have a couple days left of this."
"That's understandable," he said.
"Bail promised to forward anything important to me but so far nothing important has come up."
"Now that I find surprising."
"There's still plenty of time for something to come up, especially with the way Palpatine is pulling the strings now that the Separatist crisis seems to have ended without too much bloodshed."
"Very true," he said, his voice taking on that low husky tone that never failed to make her blood heat with desire and she knew he was no longer paying attention to what she was saying. In the next instant she found herself effectively pinned beneath her husband, her shriek of laughter ended on a soft moan as his lips found the racing pulse in her neck. "However, I think something may have just come up."
She wanted to laugh, to playfully slap him for saying something so suggestive, but the only sounds she was capable of were sounds of pleasure as he kissed his way down her graceful neck and paid homage to her collarbone. Her fingers fisted in his hair as she eagerly arched into his touch. "You're terrible," she managed to whisper breathlessly against his hair as all thoughts of what awaited them on Coruscant faded under his touch.
"And you love me for it," he replied, his head lifting from its pleasurable task to meet her eyes.
"Always," she said. Her hand moved from his hair to slide along his jaw, tenderly framing his face as she watched his reaction her vow, the quiet intake of breath and his eyes widening fractionally, it was always the same no matter how often she assured him of her love. She smiled and pulled him down for a kiss, letting it linger and deepen at its own pace and choosing not to rush the inevitable and welcome outcome to the moment.
Their hands made quick work of the little clothing they wore, tossing the pieces aside to be completely forgotten about as they delved deeper into the seemingly unending amount of passion they shared. Her arms wound around his neck as he settled over her and her legs parted eagerly, drawing him closer still. Their lips met again as they set a slow languid pace, drawing out the moment as much as they could as the friction between their bodies stroked the fire infinitely higher. Their sighs became moans of pleasure as the demands of their bodies became impossible to ignore. Blue eyes met brown, both blazing with desire, and the dam broke. Their cries drowned out the loudest clap of thunder outside and then the moment slowly subsided, leaving them both boneless and sated.
Anakin's arms gave out and he collapsed against her, careful not to crush her beneath him even as he felt as though all of his strength was gone. Her arms banded around him, holding him tightly, one hand skating up and down his sweat slicked back, as they relished the aftermath. She could feel his heart hammering against her own and she smiled against the hair at the crown of his head, his ragged breathing warming her neck and giving her a sense of pride that she could reduce such a powerful young man to trembling within her arms.
When his head finally lifted and drowsy blue eyes met hers a satisfied smile spread across her lips. His breath hitched again in his throat at the sight and his lips found hers again and again in feather light kisses that somehow managed to make her heart race even faster. Loving fingers fisted in his hair as their kisses slowly grew in intensity yet again.
They left the lake country the next day as soon as the weather permitted, arriving back in Theed early in the afternoon before making their way to her parents' home for the evening. Her mother greeted them at the door with her typical warmth, hugging and kissing them both, and ushered them inside.
"We have the girls for the afternoon," Jobal said, guiding them through the house toward the lush yard beyond. "Something told me Sola and Darred needed a little time to themselves."
"It'll be nice to see them again before we have to leave," Padmé said as they stepped out onto the porch that overlooked the playhouse her father had built when she and Sola were children. Her eyes were drawn to the older woman waiting patiently, a broad smile lighting her withered face. "Nana Ryoo," she breathed softly.
"Hello dear," she said, holding out her arms to get a hug from her granddaughter. "It's been far too long."
"I'm sorry I've been such a terrible granddaughter and that I haven't been to see you in so long," Padmé said, remaining within the warm embrace. "Things have been so hectic lately I haven't had much time to even breathe."
"Hush now, I understand the demands of your calling," she said, stepping back to glance over at Anakin. "Your mother mentioned that there was someone rather important that I needed to be introduced to."
Anakin smiled at the flush that colored his wife's cheeks as she glanced at him from beneath thick eyelashes. "Nana, I want you to meet my husband, Anakin," Padmé said, tugging Anakin forward to be introduced properly. "Anakin, this is my grandmother."
"Husband?" Ryoo repeated, her smile growing impossibly wider as she surprised the young man by enveloping him in a warm hug and laughed at the look on his face when she stepped back. "How long?"
"Almost a month," Anakin said.
"Welcome to this family Anakin. My daughter left out this bit of joyous news when she told me that you found someone," Ryoo teased, winking at her own daughter.
"She probably figured we were better suited to tell you," Padmé said as they sat down together on the bench swing.
"This is a most pleasant and welcome surprise," the older woman said, gently taking Padmé's left hand and bringing it up so that she could examine the intricate mark on her skin. "I've never seen these symbols before."
"They're traditional symbols of affection," Anakin explained. "They're meant to bring luck and protection, as well as love. At least that's what my mother told me when I was a boy."
"They're beautiful," she said as her finger traced over the marks before she lowered Padmé's hand back to her lap. "Now, I expect to hear the proper story about how this marriage came about."
"Well, we met for the first time during the Trade Federation's blockade nearly eleven years ago," Padmé answered, glancing up at Anakin.
"You met when you were children and you never once mentioned him?" Ryoo teased.
"I mentioned him. I just didn't know that I was going to marry him."
"Oh?"
"Anakin Skywalker was the young boy that destroyed the Federation flag ship."
"No! You're the same mop-headed boy?" Ryoo exclaimed, grinning broadly as she saw Anakin in a new light.
"That was me," Anakin said with a nod as his cheeks burned. "I didn't know any better at the time and I was just trying to impress a pretty girl."
"You still wouldn't know any better then," Padmé teased and he kissed her briefly.
"Now that I think about it the name Anakin did sound familiar," Ryoo said. "I believe your sister may have mentioned something about wanting to marry you someday and calling you an angel."
"Sola talks too much," Padmé said, glancing down at the hand that had slipped into hers at some point, long fingers knotted through hers. "Anakin and I met again several months ago and it just… happened."
"Ah, so he swept you off your feet now that he was a grown man," Ryoo teased, "A very handsome young man I might add."
"Something like that," Anakin said. "We weren't really planning on falling in love at the time but it seems to just happen when you don't really expect it to."
"It was kind of a whirlwind romance but we both knew that this was something special and we decided to get married," Padmé added.
"I'm very happy for you both," Ryoo said sincerely. "It was about time you found someone to spend your life with and it seems like you've found your match."
Padmé smiled and nodded her head in agreement. "I think I have too," she said softly.
"I'm sure your family is more than happy to see you finally get married."
"Oh they are. Mom and Sola were ecstatic and the girls adore him."
"What about your father?"
"He took his time getting warmed up to Anakin but he seems fond of him now."
"Ruwee has always been a bit stubborn, more so than your mother anyway," Ryoo said. "Rather like you my dear."
"She knows you quite well," Anakin teased, a swift kiss following as an apology when she glared at him.
The conversation ebbed and flowed naturally as the afternoon wore on and eventually the girls were able to tear their new uncle away from the adults long enough to engage him in a game of hide and seek. Anakin seemed to relish the chance to spend time with the girls, having grown quite fond of them, and they were equally fond of him and the games he could play with their dolls.
Her mother and grandmother slipped into their own conversation as Padmé watched her husband play with her nieces, a wistful smile pulling at her lips. It was not hard to picture Anakin as a father in moments like these, as rare as they were, and more often than not she found herself dreaming of a day when those children were theirs. It was a distant future, one that hung heavily in balance with Anakin destroying the Sith, but it was one she found herself longing for more than anything she had ever known before.
"I know that look," Jobal said, smiling conspiratorially at her mother as they drew Padmé back into the conversation.
"What look?" Padmé asked.
"That wistful smile that seems to find its way onto every Thule woman's face at some point," Ryoo said, patting her granddaughter's hand where it rested in hers between them. "You're daydreaming."
"I was just thinking," Padmé said as she felt heat rise to her cheeks. She had not expected them to be paying that much attention to her but she should have known better around her family, they knew her too well.
"About the children you want with your handsome husband," Ryoo teased. "I saw that look on your mother's face the first time she saw Ruwee with his own nephew shortly after their wedding."
"And I saw it on Sola's when she watched Darred hold his niece for the first time," Jobal said.
"Something seems to shift when we find the man we want to spend our lives with," Ryoo said. "We begin to think of things we may not have really thought about before, of a future that includes the children we didn't know we wanted so desperately."
"I don't have time to daydream about starting a family. Not yet anyway," Padmé said. "There is too much going on in the Republic that needs attention before we can think of such things."
"But you are thinking of them," Jobal said gently. "And I am certain that Anakin thinks of your future children as well."
"I don't even know if we'll have a chance to enjoy such a luxury," Padmé admitted sadly.
"What do you mean?" Ryoo asked, growing worried for her granddaughter.
"Anakin is a very powerful Jedi and they seem to believe he already has a certain path laid out before him, one that does not include a wife and children and one that may require a great deal of sacrifice," Padmé explained. "These are difficult times, made all the more so by painful discoveries regarding manipulation and lies."
"I thought the Separatist crisis was resolved," Jobal said.
"It goes much deeper than that, and it is much more troubling."
"But you can't tell us everything, can you?" Ryoo asked.
"I can't. At least not yet."
"You will tell us when it is time for us to know, I have faith in that," Ryoo said. Padmé's smile was grateful as she leaned her head against her grandmother's shoulder. "Go to him child. Spending time with your husband is far more important than the gossiping of old women."
Padmé's eyes sought out her mother, who nodded her agreement, before she got to her feet and went to join her husband in his game. He beamed at her and pulled her close, kissing her briefly before they gave chase to the giggling girls.
"A Jedi?" Ryoo asked when she was left alone with her daughter.
"He's different from the others," Jobal said. "And his feelings for Padmé are true."
"But the life of a Jedi is not an easy one."
"No its not but it suits him."
"Then may the mother goddess protect him."
The three girls were running away from Anakin as he chased them around the large yard, but Padmé paused long enough to taunt him, staying just out of his reach as the girls dove for cover. Anakin took advantage of the moment and gently tackled her to the ground, using the Force to cushion her fall as he landed over her. Their eyes met and his hand lovingly brushed the stray curls from her face before he lowered his lips to hers. Her arms wound around his neck, pulling him even closer, and for a moment they both forgot where they were.
"Ew!" Pooja shouted from her hiding place in the playhouse. He lifted his head to make a silly face at the girls staring at them from the window, but when his eyes returned to hers they were so filled with love that she felt tears sting her own eyes.
"You're like our mommy and daddy!" Ryoo added.
Her smile was tumultuous as he helped her to her feet and he seemed to sense exactly what she was thinking, pulling her close to whisper into her ear, "Someday." She nodded in agreement and he pulled away to once again chase after the girls.
Padmé stirred at the loud clap of thunder that rattled above Theed. Thunderstorms happened frequently during this time of year, and more often than not they hit during the night or early morning hours. Her eyes opened reluctantly, unwilling to leave the wonderful dream she was enjoying, but knowing that it was pointless to fight against the pull of waking up. Anakin shifted at her back, a low mumble coming from him, before he settled closer to her and buried his face against the back of her neck.
She smiled contentedly and slid her fingers through his where they rested near her chest above the silken sheets. The warmth of her husband's body pressed so firmly against her made her mind wander to a different kind of heat, one they had indulged in quite frequently during the first weeks of their marriage. Anakin was a deep sleeper when dreams did not plague his slumber. She silently hoped he would sleep through the storm to allow her some time of her own to enjoy the simplicity of being held by him and the way their bodies fit so perfectly together in every way. She knew he had spent several mornings pondering over the same things as she slept in his arms and she reveled at the chance to do the same, finding a great amount of joy in such a simple act.
She brought their clasped hands up to her lips, kissing the knuckles of his hand and lingering over her mark on his ring finger before she rolled onto her back. He settled slightly over her in her new position, his head coming to rest on the pillow near her head and his arm tightening its hold around her waist. She brushed some of the more unruly strands of hair from his face and let her fingers linger, tracing over the defined lines of his face. She did not need the dim light from the low storm clouds obscuring the moon to see his face; she had already committed every line to memory and she figured she knew it as well as she knew her own.
Her fingers moved of their own accord along his neck and over the corded muscles of his broad shoulders. Raised flesh from various scars interrupted the smooth skin there and each scar had a story that she longed to know the truth behind. Her fingers continued their journey down his back, tracing the line of his spine and unable to stop herself from letting her hand drift over his firm backside, blushing as she did. He mumbled sleepily and shifted even closer to her as his own hand slid up her side to graze the gentle swell of her breast.
"That tickles," he murmured against her ear.
"Sorry," she said, hastily moving her hand from its resting place.
"You didn't have to stop," he teased, his voice husky and warm as he placed a lingering kiss against the spot where her neck and jaw met and earned the expected gasp that always accompanied such an action.
"Anakin," she sighed.
He smiled knowingly against her softly scented skin and continued to press lingering kisses along the graceful column of her neck. Her body welcomed the weight of his as he moved over her and another soft sigh met his ears as he settled into the cradle of her hips. He traced the line of her jaw with his lips as one of her hands fisted in the hair at the back of his head and urged him towards her greedy lips. He kept the kiss light and lingering, enjoying the frustrated little growl that worked its way from her as she tried to get him to deepen their kiss. In the end all it took to get the desired response from her husband was the possessive glide of her hand up and down the length of his back.
She took advantage of his momentary distraction and managed to roll him onto his back, pinning him beneath her as she smiled down at him in the dim light. Her lips found his again as his hands slid possessively around her hips to hold her to him as their mouths met passionately. She whimpered her surrender against his lips as one of his hands came up to hold the back of her head, the long fingers sifting through her tangled curls.
"I love you," she breathed against his lips. "We have to be quiet, can you do quiet Skywalker?"
He didn't say anything but his eyes burned with desire as a slow, seductive smile curved his lips upward. Another quick flip found her on her back again, the sheets tangled around their legs. Her arms tightened around him as their shared passion swept them back under the seductive waves.