A/N: Thank you guys for the reviews! I'm not sure when I'll have chapter 3 done but I'll try my best to have it out before the month's out ;)
Enjoy!
Padme Naberrie Amidala woke up with a pounding headache and a burning desire to skin the Supreme Chancellor of the free Republic alive.
"Arugh," She sat up, clutching her head in pain.
Her parents had been gracious enough to set them up in a dark bedroom. Anakin was still caught in the jaws of sleep—his chest rising and down steadily. She gently ran her hand through his hair. He looked so peaceful, so innocent. She wanted to believe that Palpatine hadn't preyed on Anakin. But she has known the Chancellor since a young girl and, she can believe it.
He has never attempted anything on her. But she spent months at his side, learning how to work the floor politically. She's seen him manipulate people like marionettes to do his bidding. She's always saw he was a snake behind his kind and naïve mask. She knew during the Crisis on Naboo that he had his greedy eyes set on obtaining the supreme chancellor seat. She only let him have it to secure Naboo's freedom with as few casualties as possible. He was always a snake, but a snake on their side.
She has never had him make any advances towards her because Palpatine is smart. He wouldn't risk his whole political career by assaulting his Queen. However, she witnessed how he stared intently at her growing prepubescent figure. How a touch on the shoulder lasted a few seconds longer than necessary. She never liked Palpatine after she discovered his true colors and he knew it. Both Palpatine and Padme put on a play for Naboo, as the finest political partnership the planet has ever produced. A weight lifted off her shoulders when Palpatine officially ended his mentorship.
"You've grown into a fine politician," He gave one of his trademark grandfatherly smiles, "There's nothing more I can teach you."
"It's an honor to receive such a compliment from you, Supreme Chancellor," She smiled in returned, a carefully crafted one that all politicians are honed in.
The holo-cams buzzed as the press eagerly snapped pictures of the two's handshake. The Holo-Net News went wild with the event, claiming you could see the "mutual trust and respect on their faces for one another". Padme laughed when her hand maidens showed her the article.
Palpatine's eyes had flared up with anger and disgust. Padme had beaten him. He pursued her—perhaps he had hopes of Padme becoming one of his puppets. But she slipped through his cracks, slowly distancing herself with her task of helping run a planet. Their dance finished once he became established as a chancellor. He longer had need of her influence.
Padme was untouchable. Anakin, on the other hand, he was a completely different story. It infuriated her to think of such an easy target he must've been in Palpatine's eyes. A former slave inducted into an order of people who forbade love? Poor Ani must've been starving for love! Love of any kind—no matter how twisted it was.
She could just picture it, Palpatine offering to take a young Anakin under his wing. The Jedi are peacemakers, the boy needs training in politics, let me take care of that for you. The Jedi agreed—who would argue when the Chancellor wants to tutor one of their own? Even if there had been dissent—Palpatine would've wormed his way in. The Jedi are servitude to the Republic and as a servant of the Republic, let me teach little Anakin.
Anakin, little doe-eyed fresh out of slavery Anakin, wouldn't have refused. He might've been excited, even. He could've been starved for any sort of attention—to have Palpatine pay attention to him must've been elating. Palpatine wouldn't have done anything wrong for the first few months. She's seen how he operates. He would've buttered Anakin up, listening to his concerns with fake concern and understanding. Once he learned how to control Anakin, that was when he began.
It was all her fault, too. If she hadn't been rash, if she didn't put such a disgusting man in office—
A hand grabbed her wrist.
"Padme?" Anakin questioned. She couldn't read his expressions well in the darkness. But she could tell he was confused and perhaps even frightened of where he was.
"I'm right here," She said softly, "We're at my parents' home."
"What—why'd are we at your parents'—" His breathing hitched, "Oh Force, we told them we got married, didn't we?!"
"I did, actually," She admitted, "But we were both very drunk last night—"
"Are they going to tell the Jedi Order?!" Anakin interrupted, panicking.
"Anakin, Anakin, it's okay," Padme said, attempting to calm him, "They aren't going to tell on you. They're actually happy for us."
"That's—good," He said, taken back by the news. He let go of her hand suddenly, clutching his stomach.
"I feel like—puking." He hissed urgently.
"Hang on a minute—" Padme snatched up the waste basket located conveniently by the bed.
He took the waste basket from her and shoved his face into it. She sympathetically rubbed his back as her husband retched up his meals from yesterday.
"I feel awful." He said, as soon as he placed the bin down.
"Me too." Padme murmured.
He looked at her before laughing, "At least we're awful together."
She grinned, happy to hear his laugh.
"Anakin, do you…remember what happened last night?"
"It's…" Anakin paused, pulling his eyebrows together in concentration, "fuzzy. I remember the bar was closing and we had to get a taxi…"
His voice trailed off.
"Anakin…?" She asked worriedly.
"It's my fault, isn't it?" He murmured, "I was the one who suggested we go out to the bar. If we hadn't gotten so drunk—"
"Ani, look at me." She interrupted, as she placed her hands around his trembling shoulders, "I'm not mad at you. It was my decision to agree with your suggestion. If I hadn't liked it, I wouldn't have done it. You didn't force me to do it, do you understand?"
He stared at her, as if startled by the revelation. She couldn't sense the Force—but she could almost feel him poking at her presence, looking to see if her words rang truth. He wrapped his arms tightly around her, surprising her how fierce his hug was.
"I understand." He spoke hoarsely.
"Good." Padme smiled, as she pulled back to examine him once more.
He was still so uncertain, still frightened and panicked. Padme's family was an unexpected variable—a variable that hadn't been planned for. Anakin had been so insistent on keeping it a secret and she obliged him. But now that it was already unraveling quickly, it set on him on edge.
She pressed her forehead against his, "I love you, Ani. I wouldn't have married you if I hadn't."
His breaths slowed, becoming a steady and calm cadence. He inhaled, his tongue clashing against his teeth to start forming words—
A pinging sound pierced the air and he flinched. He reached to his side for a nonexistent lightsaber.
"It's just the buzzer," She whispered to him before speaking up, "yes?"
The door slid open, revealing C-3PO with a tray. Padme blinked, had they brought the droids with them? She looked over at Anakin, who seemed to be sharing the same thought.
"Oh! You're already awake!" The protocol droid spoke, unaware of their confusion. He walked over to their bedside, prattling on, "Mistress Padme, your parents requested me to check up on you and Master Ani and to give you this."
He placed the tray down on the bedside table. It was two glasses of water with two tablets—presumably pills to help with the hangover.
"Also! They ask for the two of you to join them in the gardens."
"Thank you, Threepio," Anakin hesitated, "Threepio…how did you get here?"
"It's all R2D2's fault! That astromech is more trouble than he is worth, Master Ani! He's a—" The protocol droid descended into a lengthy string of swear words from various languages.
Padme had no idea what any of them meant—the droid knew over 6 million after all—but she could tell from the context they were very unpleasant.
"What'd Artoo do this time?" Anakin asked. Padme hid a smirk with her hand; he sounded like a parent meditating arguments between their children.
"You had informed us that you'd be back at precisely 2100 standard time. When you didn't return, he sought to find you himself. I tried to dissuade him but he wouldn't listen! I followed him only to make sure he didn't end up as scrap, though that overweight glob of grease certainly deserves it!"
"Artoo…was worried about us?" Padme asked. She'd never heard of a droid expressing so much independent programming. Artoo certainly was a special case—the little droid had a lot of spunk for an astromech droid. But even he usually operated based off his programming.
"I suppose, in a way he was." C-3PO responded, "Or it is quite possible he has his wires crossed. I've never met an astromech like the likes of him—so I am uncertain of his intentions."
"Perhaps he should be checked out, to make sure there isn't anything wrong with him…" Padme mulled.
"Hey, I'm sure nothing's wrong with him," Anakin protested, "He just wanted to make sure we're safe, that's all!"
His indignation reminded Padme of how excited he was to show off C3PO. Anakin was fond of droids from the day she first met him. She hadn't pondered the idea until now that droids were perhaps the only true friends her husband had. The image of a young Anakin talking his problems out to an astromech like Artoo almost broke her heart.
"Perhaps you're right," Padme conceded before looking at C3PO, "Please tell my parents that we'll be in the gardens in a few minutes."
"Of course, Mistress Padme," The Protocol droid straightened before walking out of the room.
Anakin contorted his face, clearly uncomfortable with the confrontation with her parents.
"What's…this?" He pointed at the pills on the tray, clearly avoiding the topic.
"It's a pill designed to help with hangovers," She explained as she eagerly grabbed one and gulped it down with water. Her head still felt like it was going to explode at any moment.
"I guess this is your first-time drinking?"
"No!" He quickly denied before glancing down, "Well, yeah. Master Obiwan took me to a lot of bars. Claims it's a good place for information. He'd drink sometimes, but wouldn't ever let me do it."
"Does it bother you?" She asked suddenly, "Having to call him 'master?'"
His cheeks flushed red.
"It's—it's not the same, Padme! He doesn't own me, I know that. It's just a term of respect, that's all." He hotly retorted, though he avoided making eye contact.
"I see," She said, dropping the topic for now. "We should get ready to go see my parents."
He squirmed uncomfortably, "Do we have to?"
"Ani, you met them before. They don't bite."
"Are you sure they're okay with…" He looked around anxiously before loudly whispering, "us?!"
"Anakin, all of them care for you. A lot. My mom and dad especially love you. My nieces adore you. I'm pretty sure my sister was secretly plotting to set us up if we hadn't gotten together on our own," She interlocked hands with Anakin, "I'd like for you to see them again, but I don't want to force you to come with me, Ani. Do you understand?"
"I—I understand." He said, too quickly for Padme's taste.
He fervently pressed himself against her. "I'll go with you, my lady."
She had the distinctive feeling he was afraid of losing her. Silly to some it might seem, but he seemed genuinely concerned that if he said no, she'd leave him. Yes was his only option, whether he liked it or not, in his mind. In a twisted sense, she had become another master to him.
