Chapter 2: I've Missed My Best Friend

At five in the morning Anakin's phone alarm went off as planned, he groaned, missing his own bed at home. After a quick trip into the bathroom, he popped an ibuprofen and stretched, feeling several joints pop. From her cocoon of covers, Padme groaned.

Anakin shook his head as he turned on the light. Padme had never been a morning person. He had his doubts that she would be agreeable to waking up this early but if he was going to make it to his next stop in time to meet with Rex, he needed to be on the road soon.

"What the hell?" Padme grumbled as she checked the time on her phone. "It's way too early to be up, you psycho!" She threw the covers over her head and bundled down further.

"I've got a schedule to keep, I'm not changing the itinerary just because you decided to come along. So get up and dressed, you can sleep in the car," he said and just for good measure, he pulled the covers away from her, tossing them across the room.

"I hate you!" Padme protested as she sat up.

"Yeah, I've heard that before," Anakin said as he pulled out a fresh change of clothes for the day before walking into the bathroom to change, shave and brush his teeth. When he returned, Padme had already changed from her pajamas to a pair of leggings and a graphic v-necked shirt. As soon as he sat down to pack up his duffle, Padme grabbed her toiletries bag and rushed into the bathroom. That's when he noticed that the leggings she wore were the same kind that went viral for accentuating the butt. Padme had left the bathroom door open as she brushed her hair, teeth and applied her makeup, giving him a perfect view to admire.

"How are you even functional?" she asked.

Anakin tilted his head to the side slightly to get a better look when she bent over to grasp her hair at the right angle to tie it off in a ponytail. Padme always had a great ass, even during high school and it looked even better in those leggings. He ought to have felt some shame in checking her out this way but he didn't. "Oh well, you know the early bird catches the worm," he said mildly.

He watched as Padme rolled her eyes through the mirror at him. She reached up to straighten out her hair and the t-shirt she wore rode up a little, exposing her midriff. Anakin was certain that she was doing it on purpose, she had to know what she was doing. This was payback for how much he purposefully needled her yesterday.

Padme left the bathroom and proceeded to pack up her suitcase. "You're a freak," she informed him.

"You have no idea," he agreed, though for entirely different reasons as he retrieved his ballcap from the desk.

They made sure to check that nothing was left behind before leaving the room. Padme sat in one of the lobby chairs while he checked out, a different receptionist tending the desk than when they checked in. Padme slid into the passenger side seat while Anakin loaded their bags in the trunk and was already asleep when he took off down the road.

She woke up sometime between eight and nine, just in time for Anakin to pull into a Denny's for breakfast. She devoured her first cup of coffee happily while Anakin calmly sipped at his.

"Tell me something, are you just as insane about your car with anyone else or is it just me?" she asked him as she sipped on her second cup of coffee.

"It's nothing personal," he said with an eye roll.

"Oh, so you treat your six-year-old niece just as insanely whenever she comes near your car? Don't try to tell me that she doesn't, because I've seen the photo evidence," Padme challenged.

"Jinney knows the rules," Anakin said as their food was brought to them. They tanked their waitress who also restocked their coffee carafe and creamer supply.

"Jinney is six," Padme reminded him, spearing a piece of strawberry from atop of her stack of pancakes.

"And she's also Obi-Wan's kid," Anakin countered.

Padme sighed in defeat. He had a fair point. Jinney was one of the most well behaved children in existence. "Well, I still say that you're insane," she informed him.

Anakin chuckled. "What's this? That's your whole argument? What happened to the Padme Naberrie who could debate circles around everyone she met?" he teased.

"Shut up," Padme grumbled, throwing a sugar packet at him. After a few bites she said, "I can't believe Obi-Wan's getting married again."

"I thought you set them up?" he reminded her.

"I didn't set them up, I just introduced Satine to Obi-Wan. I had no idea that they would fall in love. Though I'm glad it happened, He deserves to be happy," Padme corrected him.

"Yeah, he took Siri's death pretty hard. He was like some kind of ghost for a while. Mom, Ahsoka and I had to step in for a while to make sure he could function and that Jinney was taken care of," Anakin agreed.

"I was away at Notre Dame when she died. I wish I could have been closer to help," Padme said quietly.

"There really wasn't anything you could have done. Aneurysms happen. I think what Obi-Wan beat himself up the most over is that Siri was home alone with Jinney when it happened. He was in court at the time and had no idea what happened until he got home," Anakin assured her.

"You know what I meant."

"I know."

They ate some more in solemn silence as they both remembered the kind, yet passionate woman that they once knew as Siri Kenobi.

"Alright, Skywalker. So far I've been at your complete mercy since leaving LA and considering that you rather rudely woke me up at such an ungodly hour, I demand to review this itinerary of yours," Padme said, setting down her fork and giving him an expectant look.

Anakin rolled his eyes at her. "Give me your phone," he said, holding out his hand.

Padme complied and he clicked a few buttons before sliding it over. He pulled his own phone out, checked his messages before sending a few off. Padme's phone pinged and she reviewed the itinerary sent along her way.

"Are you sure you planned accordingly? Because I think there's enough leeway to cut the days in half. With the way you drive, we should make better time than what you allotted for each day," she asked.

"Yes, I'm sure," he told her. He didn't mention how it would affect his back to drive for longer than he planned each day. He was reluctant to ever mention his back issues unless absolutely necessary.

"Okay, but when do you plan to go to church?" she asked, frowning at the lack of notation. "It's Thursday, if we go by your itinerary, we won't be home before Sunday Mass."

"It's not the end of the world if we miss Mass once," Anakin told her.

"My mother would badger me to go to confession if she knew I skipped mass," Padme pointed out.

"So don't tell her," Anakin shrugged.

"I can't lie to my mother!" Padme said agasp. "She's going to ask me if I went to mass and then she's going to know…"

"Fine, we'll try to figure out a way to attend mass. No need to incur your mother's wrath," Anakin conceded. "Though I don't know why she insists on bullying you into going to confession for missing one mass. Not when you can just say one Our Father and three Hail Mary's and be done with it."

Padme gaped at him and threw a piece of bacon at him. "Please don't ever say that to her," she said.

"I think I'd be too afraid to say anything flippant like that around her," Anakin agreed.

"This coming from the boy who pulled Sister Mary Eustace's habit off during Sunday School as a joke," Padme teased.

"Sister Mary Eustace had it coming, she was a bitch," Anakin defended himself.

"She was a nun…"

"So? Just because she was a nun didn't exempt her from being a bitch. You know she used to call me the Spawn of Satan? She once told me, in front of my mother, that those who are born of sin must work extra hard to ensure a life of righteousness…" Anakin defended himself.

"That's horrible," Padme told him softly.

Anakin shrugged. "It is what it is," he dismissed. "I really don't care what people think, I was just more upset at the way her words impacted my mom," he said. He didn't mention how the exchange had affected him for years to come. The circumstances around his birth had been shrouded in secrecy and fear. Anakin had always felt that Sister Mary Eustace's words had been entirely too loaded to be anything more than the standard sin of bastardhood.

They paid the bill and were on the road again. Anakin appeared to be in a more pensive mood after breakfast so Padme read a little from her kindle before setting it down to text with Teckla.

Teckla Mannu, her best friend since highschool, who had joined hers and Anakin's little exclusive circle after freshman year was her closest friend that didn't have a direct link to Anakin. Teckla was neither one of Anakin's siblings nor was she in association whatsoever with Anakin since the fight in senior year. Teckla had always been her friend rather than Anakin's.

Padme updated Teckla on her run in with Anakin and the ride so far and Teckla asked for details that Padme wouldn't normally divulge. "Teckla says hi," she informed Anakin.

Anakin glanced over at her. "Tell her I said hey," he said.

Padme held up her phone towards him and took a picture to send to Teckla.

"Did you just take my picture?" he asked.

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Teckla didn't believe me," Padme informed him, not bothering to elaborate. She then laughed at Teckla's reply, sending a quick text back.

Anakin shook his head. "I did not miss this," he said.

Padme set her phone down and turned to him. "Are we making you uncomfortable?" she teased.

"Not at all," he denied. "But if you ladies want to continue ogling me, go right ahead," he teased.

Padme rolled her eyes. "Your ego needs a hit or two," she informed him dryly.

"My ego is just fine," he countered.

"You would say that."

They passed the time until their next stop with light banter, reminiscing about good times and falling into old habits as though they never stopped being friends. Anakin took a call from Obi-Wan that he kept on speaker so that they both could talk. Obi-Wan expressed his pleasure at the fact that they were getting along.

After clearing the rest of Colorado and a little bit into Kansas, Anakin pulled into a gas station. While he was pumping gas, Padme opened the glove box in search of a tissue. Feeling around with her hand, she frowned as her fingers curled around cold metal. Her jaw dropped when she pulled out a gun. When he slid back into the driver's seat, she threw him an incredulous look. "What the hell is this?" she demanded.

"What the fuck are you doing? Put that away!" Anakin snapped, taking the gun from her hand and replacing it in the glovebox. He glared at her. "Why are you going through my stuff?"

"Why do you have a gun?" Padme demanded.

Anakin shrugged as he started the engine. "Because we have a second amendment," he challenged nonchalantly.

"I don't feel safe with a gun in the car," Padme informed him.

"Relax, it's not loaded,'' Anakin informed her dismissively.

"That is so comforting," Padme stated dryly.

"Why do you care so much?" Anakin demanded.

"Why do you have a gun in your car?" Padme challenged back.

"I also have an AR 15 locked up in a safe at my house," Anakin informed her, giving her the same look he always did when purposely riling her up.

"Since when did you start using firearms?" Padme asked in shock.

"Basic training," Anakin offered his short answer. He glanced over at her, noting her intense stare. "Staff Sergeant Anakin Skywalker of the United States Air Force, at your service," he informed her, taking a hand off the steering wheel to give her a two finger salute.

Padme gaped at him. It all began to click, the Air Force cap, the well worn military issue duffle bag instead of a suitcase, the dog tags around his neck. Padme found that she didn't like it, not when… "You asshole, you enlisted?" she cried.

"Senior Year," Anakin confirmed.

"What about MIT?" Padme cried. She always assumed that Anakin left to study mechanical engineering at his dream school. He spent a considerable time working towards that goal when they were kids.

"I still went, the Air Force paid for it," Anakin said.

"You enlisted just to go to college?" Padme asked dubiously.

"Yep, I also got to fly some sweet jets at mind blowing speeds," Anakin quipped.

"So, you're what… MIT graduate with a military career?" Padme asked.

"Air Force Vet. I'm permanently grounded," Anakin corrected. "I don't regret it. I'd have gone all the way if not for… well, I'm proud to have served my country."

"I never thought, why didn't you tell me?"

"We stopped speaking by then. I didn't think I'd owed you an explanation for my life choices," Anakin explained.

"I can't imagine it was easy for your mom," Padme muttered.

"Mom's proud of me for serving, but she was terrified at the same time," Anakin agreed.

"I'd have been terrified too if I knew," Padme told him, trying not to think of Anakin engaging in dangerous situations while in service. Her mind conjured so many scenarios that she didn't know how to deal with it all. The worst thought of all was the idea that Anakin could have died while serving the country and she may not have known until it was too late.

"I kind of expected more of a lecture than this," he noted.

Padme shook her head and turned to look at him. "Did you enlist because of what I said?" she asked.

Anakin sighed. "No. It didn't help but I had decided to enlist before that…day. Obi-Wan had his tuition already provided for him through his dad's financial planning so he never had to try to figure out how he would pay for Princeton. I wasn't going to ask Cliegg to pitch in, I'm not his son, and Mom… I didn't want to burden her with trying to figure out ways to help. The Air Force had the most benefits. It just fit. I would have told you, you know, when you couldn't talk me out of it." he answered.

"I would have tried," Padme told him.

"You might have succeeded," Anakin agreed. "You were always able to talk me around to your way of thinking," he reminded her.

Padme scoffed. "Bullshit. I don't know anyone as stubborn and bullheaded as you," she retorted. "If you were told: No, don't do that, that's insane. You know what your response is? Hey, watch this!"

Anakin laughed at her rather accurate assertion of his personality. "They tend to train that out of you during basic training," he deadpanned.

"You must have been the drill sergeant's favorite then," she retorted sarcastically.

"Yeah, I was rather difficult," he agreed. "Worth it in the end, though."

"You're an idiot," she deadpanned.

Anakin glanced over at her. "Hey, Padme?"

"What?"

"Watch this…"

"You're a child!" Padme laughed, slapping his arm.

"It's not my fault you are still fun to tease!" He needled her.

"I think we've known each other way too long," she deadpanned.

"Let's blame our mothers. They're the ones who decided to introduce those playdates…" Anakin offered.

"And those baby baths… Sola still likes to pull those pictures out every chance she gets," Padme agreed.

"Your sister is just plain evil," he told her. "How's she doing these days by the way?" he asked.

"She moved to Virginia when Darred got transferred four years ago, so we don't get to see her that often. It's hard enough having a sister who's ten years older than me, harder now to live so far away," Padme informed him.

"There's always this little thing called technology. It's not like the old days when someone moved and they cut contact with the people they left behind," He told her lightly.

Padme rolled her eyes. "No shit, Sherlock…" she retorted sarcastically.

Anakin mock gasped. "Does your mother hear you talk like that? I think you better go to confession!" he teased.

"You're one to talk, I learned to curse from you! Face it, Ani, you're a bad influence…" Padme returned.

Anakin groaned. "Not the childhood nickname!" he bemoaned.

"I think I'm going to use it from now on," Padme teased him lightly.

Anakin threw her a dirty look. "Go ahead, I've got plenty more ammo to retaliate with," he threw back at her.

Padme huffed. "We have known each other too long."

Fifty miles from their stop at Kansas City, Missouri they pulled over at another rest stop to take a quick break. Padme was busy reading from her kindle as she sipped from her soda and snacked on some pretzels from the vending machine. Anakin was walking around while on the phone with his mother before he came over to join her.

"Mom's bogged down with wedding prep," he said.

"Well it's not like she hasn't been through it before," Padme reminded him.

"Yeah, I know. Owen and Beru are coming in next week for the wedding. It was like pulling teeth to get him away from the farm for a week and a half," he told her, pulling a face.

"Oh come on, it's not that bad. You could have Ferus as a step-brother," Padme teased, reminding him of Siri's little brother. Anakin and Ferus couldn't be in the same room alone together without something breaking.

"Lucky for me, too bad for Obi-Wan. At least he's not going to be at this wedding," he agreed.

"Where is Jinney going to stay after the wedding?" Padme asked.

"Well, she's still got school so Ferus is out," Anakin mused. "So far it's a toss up between me and Mom. Ahsoka has roommates and not enough space."

"You have the space?" Padme asked.

"I have a house."

"Wow, look who's adulting," Padme said lightly.

"It sucks, let's go back to being kids again," he quipped.

"Sure, once you find that time machine," Padme agreed.

Anakin checked the time and sighed. "Almost done?" he asked.

"I'm sorry, are you in a rush?" she asked mockingly.

"What are you reading?" he asked, tapping her kindle.

"The Davinci Code, don't tell my mother," Padme quipped.

"Really?" Anakin drawled. "Think it's true that Jesus had a wife?"

Padme rolled her eyes and slid her kindle over.

"A biography on Lewis Carroll," he noted. "I heard he led an interesting life."

"Are you referring to the drug rumors?" Padme asked mildly.

Anakin shrugged. "Not really interested."

Padme threw a pretzel at him. "Come on," she said, gathering her stuff and walking back towards the car.

Anakin intercepted her. "Ah, where do you think you're going with that?" he asked, indicating her soda can.

Padme sighed. "Anakin, really?" she asked.

"Padme, if that shit spills in my car, I'm going to lose it," he warned her.

"You need to relax," Padme dismissed him.

"No, I don't," he countered as she reached to open the car door and he hit the lock button on his key fob.

"Anakin, come on, I'm just putting my kindle away," Padme protested.

"Get rid of that soda first," he told her.

"You are being ridiculous," Padme insisted.

"You're not getting in my car with that soda," He told her stubbornly.

Having enough, Padme set her purse and kindle down by the curb and rounded the car. "Is that so?" she challenged.

Anakin eyed her suspiciously. "Don't try it," he warned.

"So suspicious," Padme tisked as she sidled up to him. "You know, Tecckla was asking about…" she demurred, reaching over and just as she was about to snatch the key fob from him, he twisted out her grasp at the last second and held the key fob out of her reach.

"Ha! Sucks to be short doesn't it…" he snickered as she jumped to try to reach for the key fob.

"You know there are certain advantages of being short," Padme huffed.

"Yeah? Like what?" he challenged.

"Like this!" Padme jumped one last time, latching herself to his torso, surprising him enough to grab the key fob and hob down. "Ha!" he yelled triumphantly as she hopped into the driver's seat and started the car.

"What the fuck!" Anakin snapped, grabbing the door handle and finding it locked. "Padme!" he yelled, tapping on the window.

Padme threw him a teasing grin as she started the engine and gave him a little finger wave.

"You are not driving my car!" Anakin snapped, pointing to the ground. "The last time I let you drive a stick, you almost plowed into a fire hydrant," he reminded her.

"You don't know whether or not I've improved," Padme pointed out.

Anakin glared at her. "Did you?" he demanded.

"Oh, what's this peddle for?" Padme mused teasingly.

"Get out of my car!" Anakin demanded.

Pamde revved the engine and motioned to her ear. "I can't hear you," she said.

Anakin threw her a heated glare as he stepped away from the car door and popped the hood, bent over the engine and did something that Padme couldn't see but whatever it was, the engine cut off. Anakin reappeared at the door, his expression eerily calm as he pulled it open, reached over her to grab the key fob.

"Get the fuck out of my car," he ordered.

"Anakin, I was just teasing," Padme told him as she stepped out of the car. "What are you doing?" she asked as he popped the trunk and pulled out her suitcase, depositing it at the curb. "Anakin?" Padme cried in panic. This was a new side to him that she hadn't seen before.

Anakin ignored her as he fixed whatever he did to the engine, closed the hood and slid back into the driver's seat.

"Anakin!" Padme tried, reaching for the door handle but it was locked and she jumped away when he started the engine and pulled out of the parking spot.

"Anakin!" Padme yelled, as she jogged to the edge of the parking lot, watching as he left her in the middle of nowhere.

Padme hugged herself as she sat down on the curb by her bags. He wouldn't just leave her here. Padme tried not to panic as she held her phone, she had half a battery left. She would not cry. She was a planner, she would figure it out. She knew his next stop, he just needed time to cool down. She just needed to figure out her next move.

Twenty minutes later, Padme hadn't moved from her spot and hadn't yet figured out what she would do when she heard the blaring of a car stereo and what sounded like Remmstein coming closer. Padme looked up, having not realized she was crying until she saw Anakin's car pull into the spot next to her.

Anakin got out of the car, picked up her suitcase and placed it back into the trunk beside his duffle, slid back into the driver's seat and just looked at her.

Not one to kick a gift horse in the mouth, Padme slid into the passenger seat, tucking her purse and computer bag in by her feet and they were back on the road with Padme twisting her phone between her fingers.

"If you cry to my brother about this, I'm going to scream," Anakin told her.

Padme turned to him. "You left me in the middle of nowhere," she said softly.

"I lost my temper, I'm sorry," he apologized.

Padme didn't respond. Instead she shifted in her seat to lean against the window.

"Padme," he said her name softly. "You know that I wouldn't have left you there…"

"But you did," she reminded him. "Sometimes, I don't know this person you've become. I miss my best friend."

"I've missed my best friend too," he told her. He sighed. "We haven't spoken in ten years, it's only natural that we're not the same people we were back then. I'll try not to lose my temper like that again."

They didn't say another word until they reached Kansas City, Missouri and Anakin pulled into the parking lot of the hotel they were staying at. "Are you awake?" he asked.

"Yes."

"Are you coming in?" he asked.

"Depends. Are you planning to leave me here too?" she asked.

"I'm not leaving you here or anywhere until I drop you off at home. You have my word," he promised her.

Padme grunted but followed him out of the car and into the hotel, like the night before, carrying their own bags. Padme silently waited for him to check in and when they made it to their hotel room, Anakin dropped his duffle on one of the beds and pulled out his phone, sending a quick text. Padme turned to him as she set her suitcase down on the rack.

"What do you feel like ordering?" she asked.

"There's a bar down the street that I'm meeting a buddy of mine at for some drinks," he informed her as he grabbed one of the key cards and pocketed his phone.

Padme nodded. "I see," she said as she sat down on her bed.

They had barely talked since the last rest stop. But the more she sat on it and his sudden decision to leave her behind again, Padme seethed. She debated calling Teckla and complaining about it but she knew what Teckla would tell her. If she didn't like something, then she should do something about it.

"What's the chances of the military cutting us out of this entirely?" Rex asked as he stood to the side, arms crossed over his pool cue.

"I own the patents, the contracts are solid, Man," Anakin assured him from his position bent over the pool table. He lined up his shot and took the hit, sinking two balls.

"I trust you, it's General Windu that's the issue," Rex said as he shifted his weight. "The guys from CalTech are on board?"

"Locked and secure, just waiting for the rest of the team to assemble," Anakin said as he circled the pool table, eying up his next shot.

Rex took a sip from his beer as he approached. "Who else have you talked to?" he asked.

"Jesse, Fox, and Dogma are on board," Anakin said as he leaned in to take another shot, sinking another ball. He straightened up and met Rex in the eye. "So what's it going to be? Are you in?" he asked.

Rex set his beer down and squared his shoulders. "I haven't said that I wasn't," he said. However before another word could be said, he nodded at something over Anakin's shoulder. "Hey Man, isn't that your girl?"

Anakin turned around to see that Rex was right. Padme had walked into the bar and was already drawing attention. She had changed into some floral dress that cut off mid thigh and had let her hair down. Some asshole at the bar had apparently just offered to buy her a drink. Anakin took a long drink from his own beer and gave Rex a look of confirmation before turning back to his next shot.

Rex chuckled. "You two have a fight?" he asked and shook his head at the irritated look he received. "You do know that I'm not about to bail you out if you get into a bar fight?"

"Who says I'm going to fight?"

"Gonna loosen up your grip on that pool cue?" Rex asked.

"She's not my girl," Anakin told him firmly as he took his next shot, sinking the remainder the balls left. He straightened and gave Rex a pointed look.

Rex sighed. "Next rounds on me," he said as he moved towards the bar.

Padme had managed to rebuff yet another offer to pay for her drink by a man with a mullet under a trucker hat when a man slid up to the bar next to her and ordered two beers before he turned to her.

"Hey, I'm Rex," he said.

Padme glanced at him, noting his golden skin and blond buzzcut, unlike the other guys who hit on her so far, this one actually took care of himself. "I'm …"

"...Looking for Anakin," he cut her off with a knowing look. "He's over there holding the pool table," he nodded towards the back where Anakin leaned against the pool table with his arms crossed.

"Maybe I just came here for a drink," Padme suggested.

"Then I'd say I was Mother Teresa," Rex deadpanned as he accepted the two beers he ordered. "Look, just come over and join us. Skywalker's kicking my ass at pool, be nice to win for a change." He leaned in a little, giving her a conspiratorial look. "Besides, I'd rather not get kicked out of my favorite bar on karaoke night because my buddy got into a bar fight," he informed her.

"Anakin wouldn't …"

"... Lay someone out because some drunken idiot decided to grab your ass?" Rex cut her off again with a pointed look.

She was going to say that he wouldn't get him kicked out of the bar but knowing Anakin the way she did and judging by the two losers who immediately hit on her before she made it to the bar, she knew Rex spoke the truth.

She and Rex made their way over to Anakin who just shook his head. "Looks like they're setting up," he said, nodding to the stage.

"Same rules apply?" Rex asked.

"Same rules, Man," Anakin confirmed, taking the beer handed to him. When Rex turned back to the bar, Anakin turned to Padme. "So that's Rex, we served together, went through basic training and everything," he explained. He guided Padme over to a table off to the stage.

"I wondered about that," Padme said as she took a seat. "So do you guys often meet up?" she asked.

"Whenever one of us is in the same city, yeah. There's an entire group of us," he answered.

Rex rejoined them sitting down on Padme's other side, with a tray full of tequila shots, a salt shaker and a bowl of lemon slices. "So, Padme, you knew Skywalker here the longest. Got any interesting stories?" he asked.

Padme threw Anakin a sly look. "I don't know, what would you like to know?" she replied.

"Keep in mind that turn around is fair game. I have just as many embarrassing stories of you that you have of me," Anakin reminded her. Padme merely stuck her tongue out at him in response. "That's mature," he said dryly as Rex chuckled.

"Okay, so, to let you know what's going on. It's karaoke night and we've got this little drinking game," Rex began to explain as he divided up the shot glasses between the three of them.

"For every infraction, we take a shot," Anakin supplied. "Someone is way too off key, a shot, and I mean Mrs. Petrofkey's parrot off key."

Padme nodded. "Got it," she said.

"Mrs. Petrofkey's parrot?" Rex questioned.

"Don't ask!" Both Anakin and Padme replied, causing the two to laugh at an inside joke.

Rex shook his head. "Someone sings Piano Man, take a shot," he continued.

"Oh Piano Man," Anakin groaned, shaking his own head. "They always go for that one. Same with Elton John, Queen and whatever pop song is trending." He and Rex continued to fill Padme in on the rules of the game while the karaoke stage was set up and one of the servers came around the tables with a sign up sheet for the karaoke. Sure enough, the first person on the stage belted out an off key rendition of Piano Man.

Rex and Anakin cringed. "Oh come on!"

Padme laughed at them and took her shot first, slamming her shot glass down on the table before the two boys could grab their first. "Are you two ladies gonna keep up or what?" she asked.

Rex and Anakin shared a look before shrugging, taking their own shots. Three shots in and some renditions of Elton John, Micheal Jackson, Queen and a rather interesting blend of Snoop Dogg and Kelly Clarkson, they were ready for round two.

"Next rounds on me," Anakin said, standing up to get the next round.

"Hey, you're doing great," Rex said, leaning in to be heard over the noise.

"This isn't my first drinking game," Padme informed him. "Though, I haven't done something like this since college."

"What one did you go to?" Rex asked.

"Notre Dame. Did you?"

"Nah, I just served in the Air Force."

"Oh." Padme looked around. "What do you do now?" she asked.

"Airport security," Rex answered. "Occasionally I collaborate with Anakin on some of his projects, including the ones designed for the government. We were just going over his current project before you got here."

"I didn't know he did that," Padme replied.

"Did what?" Anakin asked as he returned with their next round, dividing up the shots. He also brought each of them a glass of ice water. "Drink the water, it helps," he instructed.

"You mean it slows down the buzz," Rex corrected.

A genderbent rendition of Girls Just Want to Have Fun was belted out, prompting another shot between the three.

"Looks like we got a duet, will Anakin and Padme come up…" the MC called from the stage.

Padme turned to Anakin, a panicked look on her face. "Ani, no, please…" she cried.

"Come on, you gotta get over your stage fright sometime," Anakin laughed, pulling her to her feet.

"I hate you," she cried, hiding her face in his shoulder as he led her up to the stage.

"Hey, forget about everyone else, okay. It's just you and me, having fun like we did as kids, remember? We used to drive Aunt Jira crazy by jumping on the bed as we sang along to the radio," he assured her.

Padme smiled despite herself, remembering the fun that they used to have. "I'm going to get you back for this," she promised as they accepted a mic each. A familiar tune began to play, surprising her. Anakin had picked Shallow from A Star is Born for their duet. A strange warmth filled her at the knowledge, her breath catching as Anakin sang Jackson Maine's part. The feeling didn't leave once she began to sing Alley's part, instead it only grew as their duet continued. Their eyes met and Padme was taken in by the shade of blue Anakin's eyes were and by how they crinkled when he smiled. At some point in the duet, Padme wasn't sure who initiated it, but somehow they reached out for each other, fingers interlocking as their voices merged in the duet.

When the song ended there was a collective of cat calls and cheers from a group of patrons, breaking whatever daze she found herself in. Handing off the mic, she turned and exited the stage, knowing that Anakin was right behind her.

"Admit it, that was fun," Anakin challenged her as he circled in front of her, wearing that charismatic grin of his, the one that she used to call his cheshire cat grin.

"It was terrifying and you know it," Padme told him, shoving him forward.

"Hey, you looked pretty good up there."

Padme turned to find a guy in a burgundy button down had approached her. "Uh, thank you," she replied, reaching behind her for Anakin's hand, catching his attention.

The man leaned forward, his dark eyes raking up and down her body, making her skin crawl by the way he smirked. "Let me buy you a drink," he offered.

"I'm good, thanks," Padme said, turning back towards Anakin and saw Rex make his way over.

The man was persistent as he grabbed her arm. "Hey! What's your problem? I'm just trying to be nice here," he said.

"Hey, I think you might want to back off man," Anakin said, as Padme moved closer, frowning at the stench of alcohol and tobacco coming off of the man.

"I didn't ask you!" the man shot at Anakin.

"Hey, I think she said she wasn't interested," Rex said as he joined in.

"This aint your business," the man said, shoving Rex out of the way and moved to grab Padme but Anakin stepped in the way.

"You don't want to do that," Anakin warned him.

"Yeah? What are you gonna do about it?" the man challenged, poking at Anakin.

Anakin raised an eyebrow and turned to Padme and then shrugged at the drunk. "Suit yourself," he said, stepping to the side.

"Now, you are gonna let me buy you a drink," the man said, moving to grab Padme again.

"I don't think so," Padme told the man coolly and pulled a fist back, punching him in the throat.

"Bitch!" the man choked out, as he fell into a couple seated at the bar.

"God Dammit, Maynard! I warned you about this shit, you're out!" the bartender yelled.

"She started it," Maynard cried.

"Get out before I have to call the cops!" the bartender ordered.

Padme flapped her hand with a wince as Anakin just laughed at Maynard's expense. "You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, just not used to doing that anymore," Padme said as she flexed her fingers.

"Here, let me see," he said as he took her hand and examined her fingers. "You're a bit rusty but that's easily fixed. A few rounds at the gym might help. We can try working on that when we get home," he said and leaned over to ask the bartender for some ice, which he pressed against her hand. "Any better?

"Yeah," Padme said, the same warmth returning, making her stomach flutter. "Are you trying to be my Jackson Maine?" she asked, leaning into him.

Anakin chuckled. "You're drunk," he noted.

"No I'm not. You're drunk," Padme argued.

"I never said that I wasn't," Anakin told her.

"Hey, I have an idea, let's do some body shots," Padme proposed.

Anakin shook his head. "No, no body shots," he denied, like he was speaking to a toddler.

"Yes, body shots!" Padme insisted as she leaned into him. Then she proceeded to lick him, reaching for the salt.

"What are you doing?" he asked in amusement.

"Body shots, stupid," Padme told him.

"We can do shots, just not body shots," He compromised as he reached for two extra shots. "Cheers to Maynard," he snickered.

"To Maynard," Padme echoed as she threw back her shot.

"Hey, where's my lemon?" Anakin asked, after he slammed his shot glass back down on the bar.

"I took it," Padme informed him with a smile, exposing the lemon wedge between her teeth.

"Can I have it back?" he asked, reaching for the lemon wedge. But Padme shoved his hand away, leaning in to pass the lemon wedge from her mouth to his.

The moment their lips met sent shockwaves that changed the entire chemistry of their friendship. Anakin stayed very still as his eyes fixated on hers while she leaned back slightly, silently mouthing "Oh."

Tentatively, Padme leaned back in, as though testing a hypothesis as she kissed him again. "Huh," she said as she leaned back.

"Padme?" Anakin asked softly, not knowing what to make of this turn of events.

Padme bit her lip as she seemed to come to a conclusion. Climbing up to straddle his lap, she ran her fingers through his hair, her eyes taking in his expression before leaning in to kiss him again. Anakin sprang into action, running one hand along her thigh while reaching up with the other to tangle in her hair at the base of her neck. Padme gasped into his mouth, and he took the opportunity to add his tongue into the kiss, eliciting a pleasing groan in response.

The entire bar faded away as they got lost in each other and this newfound experience in their friendship. It was intoxicating and neither knew if it was the tequila or something else. In their haze, neither could recall how they managed to make it from the bar and back to their hotel room. Who initiated what would blur in their consciousness as they fell on top of one of the beds, but what would become absolutely certain was that their friendship would be forever altered from this moment forward.

I apologize if I make any mistakes regarding The Air Force. I tried to do my research as well as I could. Unfortunately the only close family members I had who served in the military have passed away and neither of them were in the Air Force.

For those of us who grew up catholic, I think there was always that one nun who we would cringe every time we saw her...

A nod to my older brother who actually did pull off our nun's habit during Sunday school because she annoyed him. We still joke about that every so often.