It All Started With A Road Trip

by Charlie Hayden

Anakin Skywalker and Padme Naberrie were childhood best friends. That is until a fight in senior year of high school destroyed their friendship. A meeting in an LA bar sets off a reconciliation when Padme needs a ride across the country, little do they know that this road trip home will set off more than just a reconciliation. Modern-AU

4. Mutually Beneficial Colloquial Terms of

Authors Note:this chapter marks the end of their road trip and the passing of the inciting incident. It's definitely not the end of the story and if you have ever taken a creative writing course, you'll understand what I mean by inciting incident. I'm estimating a possible 20 chapters but I'm still undecided on that. After this chapter, the setting of this story firmly takes place in Philadelphia.

I've begun to build up the framework of the big fight that ended their friendship in senior year. I have an estimated plan to reveal the fight in chapter ten.

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Chapter 4: Mutually Beneficial Colloquial Terms of Agreement

As the morning sun trickled through the curtains, Anakin awoke in blissful contentment, tangled up in the sheets, his body curled around Padme, their legs entwined. He didn't dare move, lest he disturb what felt like a dream. He feared a repeat of the previous morning, that Padme would awake in the light of day and decide that last night was a mistake and hate him for indulging in it. So, in mental preparation for the inevitable outcome, Anakin decided to commit to memory, every sensation he could. From the feel of her skin against his, the contours of her body beneath his fingertips, to the scent of her shampoo that tickled his nose, which was currently buried in her soft brown curls. He would lock everything away into the furthest corners of his memory if he could. For a few blissful moments, he was existing in a fantasy and he was going to indulge in it for as long as he could.

Any moment the fantasy would be broken and the fallout would have to be dealt with. Padme would awake and decide that they had crossed a line that they shouldn't have. Anakin mentally went over every possible scenario and tried to plan how to navigate each one. Anakin's alarm went off only a few minutes after he awoke and Padme let out a disgruntled groan when he semi-disentangled himself in order to shut it off.

"Five more minutes," Padme mumbled into her pillow, which she was curling into.

Amused, Anakin nuzzled the crook of her shoulder, getting a facefull of brown curls. "You are not a morning person," he playfully noted.

"Stop being perky," Padme grumbled, reaching back to absently swat at him.

Anakin chuckled, tightening his hold around her and kissed her shoulder. "Good morning to you too," he teased lightly.

"Fuck you," she grumbled into her pillow, trying to burrow further into the warmth of the bed, unconsciously wigging in his embrace.

"You already did," he playfully reminded her. "Come on, time to get up," he cajoled, with a light slap to her ass.

Padme turned over just enough to look at him from over her shoulder, blinking away the sleep from her eyes. Her brow furrowed in surprise and mild confusion. "Did you just slap my ass?" she asked, voice rough from sleep.

Anakin gazed down at her, blue eyes meeting warm brown. Not for the first time did he note the hint of honey swirling in the caramel of her eyes. He had always believed that Padme's eyes were the most beautiful shade of brown he had ever seen. It had registered in his mind at last that they laid entangled, still completely naked. While normally, he would resist the temptation to slap, grasp, or cup her ass; after last night and waking up together, it just felt natural to give into temptation. "I did," he confirmed. "Is that okay?" he asked, pulling away slightly, realizing that he might have crossed a line without thinking.

Padme flicked her gaze down between their two bodies and back up to meet his questioning gaze. "You're asking permission after…?"

"We had sex, that doesn't automatically give me liberties to do what I please after," he reminded her. He would never take advantage of the situation they were currently in. The thought that she might expect otherwise didn't bode well for him. "If you want me to keep my hands to myself, I will," he affirmed.

Padme turned until she was laying on her back, staring up at him. "Do you regret last night?" she asked.

Anakin shook his head. "No," he said, he could never regret last night. Just the thought of last night was enough for him to get hard. "Do you?" he asked, keeping his eyes focused on her face, instead of leering at her body beneath his.

Padme took a deep breath, "No, I don't," she agreed, even though she was unsure of what happens next.

"I'd like to kiss you now," Anakin informed her softly. He wanted to do much more than kiss her. Anakin wanted more than anything to bury himself deep inside her and stay there forever, but he would settle for a kiss.

Padme's mouth parted slightly as she came to a decision. Meeting his gaze, decision made, she said, "Then why aren't you?"

It was all the incentive that he needed. Leaning down, his lips met hers in what was at first a chast kiss. Padme's soft lips felt like an aphrodisiac the moment they connected. Even the chastest of kisses would inspire more, deeper, longing kisses. Anakin had intended to just leave a soft kiss, but that all flew out the window the moment her lips parted for his, allowing the increase of intensity.

Lost in the heady haze of desire, evoked by their deepend kiss, Anakin didn't register his body's movements until he had settled himself into a perfect position above her, nestled in the comforting space of her spread thighs. His hands had moved from their original place, cupping her face, to caress her body, feeling her hands do the same to him. It was pure bliss that he was chasing and he felt powerless to stop. Their bodies were pressed together, chest to chest, neither making a move to put space between them. He was fully hard and there was no hiding it now. Anakin was certain that she could feel it, pressed between their bodies.

Any moment Padme would end this kiss that seemed to go on forever. Any moment, she would pull away, come to her senses and ask him to stop. He would stop if she asked, he would back away and pretend that nothing had happened. He had not anticipated the turn of events within the last thirty-six hours. He would never have anticipated that Padme would instigate anything beyond a platonic friendship, so a part of his brian didn't register this as real. Nonetheless, he was willing to go along with it as far as he could, until she put a stop to it. And speaking of instigating… Anakin sucked in a hiss when he felt her slowly grind her hips against his. Pulling away by a centimeter, he said, "Stop that," summoning all of his willpower to be able to do so.

Padme gave him an innocent, questioning look. "Stop What?" she asked, feigning being perplexed, even as she repeated the action.

Anakin closed his eyes and let out an involuntary moan, feeling his cock twitch at the stimulating contact. She was torturing him on purpose. "That," he groaned, as she did it again. "If you keep doing that, I'm not sure how much longer I can control myself," he informed her in a strained voice.

"What if I want you to lose control?" Padme impishly asked.

Gazing down at her face, Anakin tried to figure out if she was being serious or if she was teasing him. "Padme…" he trailed off, unsure of what he wanted to say. Of course he wanted to continue, but he wasn't sure if she meant what she was implying.

Padme met his intense blue gaze head on. Wordlessly, as he found himself lost in her eyes, she reached for his hand, which rested against her side, above her hip, and intertwined their fingers. His eyes widened when her hand guided his lower, toward her folds. As to make her intentions clear, she ground her hips against his fingers, which began to stimulate her sensitive clit, held in place by her hand.

Padme closed her eyes, leaning her head back against the pillow and moaned. Anakin watched her intently. "Padme…" he cut off with a groan of his own when her hand left his, only to grasp his cock, stroking it softly. Closing his eyes, he let out a shuddering breath. "Are you trying to kill me?" he asked.

Padme's other arm locked itself around his neck. "I thought my intentions were rather obvious," she said in a breathy tone before pulling him back down for another intense, steamy kiss.

All rational thought left him as he lost himself in that kiss, their bodies rocking together, hands caressing, it was too easy to get lost in it all. Anakin couldn't say who had made the initial move, but found himself rolling over on his back, nonetheless, with Padme on top, her thighs firmly straddling his hips. Their kiss hadn't been interrupted in the change of potion. Padme leaned back and Anakin followed, their lips barely even separated beyond a centimeter. Caressing his hands along her back, he deepened the kiss, feeling her fingers tracing along his spine.

Padme ground against his lap, shifting her weight and leaning up on her knees a fraction as she found the right angle to feel the tip of his cock against her entrance. In one decisive movement, she lowered herself down, sheathing herself around his cock, their kiss breaking in a gasp. Time paused for a fraction of a moment and with heaving breaths, their bodies clung together. Leaning his forehead against hers, he closed his eyes and relished the intimacy. However, when he leaned in to kiss her again, Padme surprised him with a gentle push against his shoulders and he fell back against the mattress.

With her hands braced against his pecs, Padme began to roll her hips in a steady rhythm, her hair falling over her shoulders in a river of brown curls. In the dawning sun, shining through the closed curtains, a golden glow illuminated the otherwise darkened hotel room. Opening his eyes, and watching Padme sensually move over him, Anakin was transfixed by the image. Padme had always been beautiful, but now, with her naked beauty on full display for him and surrounded by the filtered sunlight, she appeared ethereal. She was an angel in living form, entirely too pure to touch and Anakin knew that he was unworthy of her touch, yet felt powerless to her spell.

With a throaty moan, Anakin felt his eyes roll back. An old familiar, dark internal voice whispered that he had no right to her touch, that he would taint her with his sin. What right does he have to crave an angel's touch when he had been tainted from birth? Yet it was still her choice, who was he to deny her either? With that thought, Anakin slammed the door on the dark voice of his insecurities and enjoyed the moment. He was so close, he could feel it, the impending culmination of it all.

Anakin's eyes flashed open with a shuddering gasp, his hands reaching to firmly grip her hips. Rational though hitting him all at once as he felt his release approach through the echoes of her own cries. "Padme," he gasped, "You have to," he sucked in a shuddeng moan as she rolled her hips hard against his, riding out her release, her head thrown back. "I'm going to come," he groaned, "No condom." He closed his eyes again, bracing himself, knowing what he needed to do. "You need to get off of me, now ," he hurriedly said, and with all the self control he could muster, he pushed her off of him just in time.

Spent, Anakin threw an arm over his eyes and took a moment to catch his breath. In the bed beside him, he heard Padme steady her breathing. Neither said a word for a few minutes until their breathing was once more under control. "That was fucking close," he acknowledged.

Padme turned over on her side and traced a finger over his chest. "Is that a complaint?" she asked.

Dropping his arm, he turned his head to look over at her. "That is one hell of a wake up," he told her with a smile.

"What time is it?" Padme asked, reaching for her phone, only to grasp his, the time taking up the display screen. "Ugg, I need to take a shower," he said, sitting up and dropping his phone.

Anakin watched her pull the sheet around herself as she padded over to the bathroom. "This is the second time you said that after we had sex, should I be offended?" he noted wryly.

Padme paused in the doorway of the bathroom and glanced back over her shoulder. "You're welcome to join me if you'd like," she invited and then let the sheet drop before disappearing inside the bathroom.

Not needing to be told twice, Anakin sprang up from the bed and followed her.

---

Once they had left the hotel and pulled off on the road, Padme feigned drowsiness and pretended to take a nap until they would stop for breakfast. Instead, she was unable to stop herself from overthinking everything. She and Anakin had sex and this time they couldn't put it off as a drunken mistake. Not that she didn't want to put it off as such, it just complicated everything. Padme needed time to think about how to handle the situation. Padme wasn't inclined to just have casual sex, she had zero experience in it. Unlike Anakin, who apparently frequented in the casual sex game to the point where he wasn't even ruffled by the fact that they had sex. Padme considered that it was his easy casualness of it all that bothered her the most. Did he not see just how monumental it was? They were best friends since diapers for crying out loud, this was bound to mean something, right?

Padme could only blame herself for the uncharted territory that she found herself in. It was she who had initiated everything. The kiss in the bar that led to their drunken night together that Padme could not remember. Granted, waking up, hungover, and unable to remember how she was naked or how she had ended up having sex was rather alarming. The fact that it was Anakin, the one person she felt that she could trust the most, did little to stem the panic. It certainly didn't help matters when it was made evident that they had neglected to use a condom. Padme had been reeling the entirety of the previous day, realizing that she hadn't been able to move on from the way that her previous relationship had ended. Padme knew, rationally, that Anakin wouldn't have done it on purpose, not the way that Ian had, but rationality had escaped her until the moment that it all reached an emotional head. She really hadn't meant to hurt Anakin by her callous words, words that she hadn't even meant. She was just grateful that Anakin had accepted her apology.

He had more than accepted her apology as Padme's thoughts dwelled on last night. She was both pleased and shocked by his confession and while she could tell that it made him uncomfortable to admit to such, she was secretly thrilled by it. Padme wouldn't have had the confidence to have sex, sober, with no expectations of anything more if not for that confession. After all, they both apparently felt an attraction to the other, right? It had been even more incredible than any of her previous fantasies, it had felt natural and Padme had never felt safer than when she was with Anakin. Waking up, entangled with each other felt the most natural in the world. It's not as though they had never fallen asleep together and woken up next to each other, it was just the first time that they had been truly intimate with each other. Padme chose to not let the drunk sex and the disastrous morning after count.

Padme startled slightly, her train of thought interrupted by Anakin's hand on her shoulder. Turning to look at him, she noticed that they had parked and that Anakin had pulled into a mom and pop diner for breakfast.

"You okay?" Anakin asked.

"Yeah," Padme said, sitting up straighter. "Why do you ask?"

"You just seemed somewhere else," Anakin explained.

Padme just shrugged as they made their way inside the cozy little establishment that Anakin had found. They were seated rather quickly. They made light conversation as they perused the menu and placed their orders to their young, and bubbly waitress. Padme guessed that she was in her late teens, barely out of high school.

"Wow, that's a lot of food," Anakin commented once they finished giving their order to their waitress, who left to put it in.

"What can I say? Sex makes me ravenous," Padme shrugged, hoping that she sounded as nonchalantly as she was pretending to be. She was starving, actually and hoped that a full stomach could help her pull herself together.

"Gotta replenish those calories," Anakin nodded, taking a sip of coffee.

Padme saw him give her that sly smile that she had missed over the years and suppressed a chuckle. "Something like that," she said, hoping that her nervousness wasn't as evident as she feared it to be.

Anakin gave her a quick evaluating look. "You sure that you're okay?" he asked.

"Of course I am," Padme was quick to assure him. "I'm just thinking, is all," she shrugged.

"Sounds serious," Anakin noted, setting his coffee down and gave her his full attention. "It's about..."

"I'm not having second thoughts if that was what you were going to ask," Padme assured him, interrupting whatever he was going to say.

"Then what has you so deep in thought?" he asked.

Padme took a sip of her coffee and bit her lip, thinking about her answer carefully. "Just that it was nice waking up this morning…"

"Just nice?" Anakin probed.

Padme shook her head. Of course he would be focused on that . "It was nice, compared to yesterday," she finished, sidestepping his interruption.

"Yesterday was a disaster," Anakin agreed. "I think I would prefer to put that entire mess behind us."

"I wholeheartedly agree," Padme told him. "Although I think I might owe you an apology for my behavior."

"You were upset, I understand that much, you don't need to apologize, again," Anakin told her dismissively.

"Maybe," Padme muttered. Sighing, she glanced out the window. She really didn't want to open up the can of worms that was Ian, not with Anakin, and ruin the pleasant morning that they shared. "I just want you to know that it wasn't about you. I'm sorry if I took out my own frustrations on you," she apologized. She felt Anakin's intense gaze on her as he took in her words.

"Padme…" Whatever he was about to say had to wait as he phone rang. Anakin glanced at the caller ID and sighed. "It's work, I shout take this," he informed her. "Skywalker," he answered as he stood up from their table.

Padme watched as he walked outside to continue his business call. Deciding to put any more thoughts of Ian far from her mind, she closed that chapter of her life again and instead decided to focus on Anakin and how their friendship seemed to be evolving so quickly after rekindling it. She loved Anakin dearly, he was her best friend and it was too painful to comprehend not being friends with him. She thought of just how amazing it had felt being in his arms, and heat crawled up her skin, making Padme wonder how deep she was blushing. She saw Anakin walking in a circle outside as he spoke on the phone. He was truly an attractive man, both clothed and unclothed. She had given into temptation last night and again this morning. She felt aghast for getting so caught up in exploring the boundaries of their newfound intimacy that they forgot to use a condom, again. Thankfully, Anakin had remembered in the nick of time. Padme bit her lip, as she noticed the mark on his neck as he passed by the window. Her fingers brushed over the sensitive bruise behind her ear, feeling the ghost of his mouth as he left his mark there. Padme combed her fingers in her hair, covering up the mark. It was their little secret, no one else's business. Remembering the other talents of his mouth on her body had Padme shifting in her seat, rubbing her thighs together.

How is it that just the thought of his mouth was enough to turn her on? This was still Anakin Skywalker! He was still the same boy who used to eat bugs and worms just to provoke a reaction out of her as kids. Yet, Padme had let that same mouth draw out the most electrifying sensations on her body. Not just the feel of his mouth worshiping her body the night before but Padme struggled to keep herself from focussing on the memory of Anakin on his knees in the shower as he gave her the most delicious head she had ever had in her life. This was the same boy who had licked a frozen pole as a dare and then again for a dollar. Yet, as Padme eyed his pacing form outside, she had to admit, he wasn't just a boy anymore.

"Here you go!" their waitress had returned rather quickly, drawing her attention. "You guys are lucky, it's a slow morning," she said as she brought out their food.

Padme turned to their waitress. "Thank you," she said appreciatively.

"Your boyfriend seems a little agitated," their waitress noted, looking out the window as she placed their plates on the table.

Padme shrugged. "Work issue I guess," she said casually and turned back to their waitress. "Oh, he's not my boyfriend," she corrected the girl.

Their waitress looked taken aback. "I'm sorry. I just assumed since he was giving you the bedroom eyes," she apologized.

Anakin giving her bedroom eyes? Padme mentally shook her head. It was just a byproduct of having sex, it'll pass. "We're just friends. We've known each other forever," she explained.

Their waitress collected her tray and gave her a knowing look. "None of my friends look at me like they want to eat me alive, in a good way that is," she noted as she walked away, passing Anakin as he returned.

"Sorry, slight crisis with my team," Anakin explained as he slid back into the booth.

"It's okay," Padme assured him as they began to dig into their food. Padme had ordered french toast with strawberries and whipped cream, a side of eggs, bacon, sausage, hash browns, a bowl of fruit and some biscuits with jam and butter. Anakin had ordered a breakfast skillet with a side of grits and bacon.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked.

Padme looked up at him. "Talk about what?" she asked.

"Whatever you're thinking about," he said. "I know you're analyzing something, you have that tell," he explained.

"I have a tell?" Padme asked dubiously.

Anakin looked her in the eye. "You get real quiet and withdrawn when you're deep in thought," he informed her.

Padme found herself struck with the disadvantages of knowing each other so well. Just as she thought she had been masking her internal conflict with an air of nonchalance, she realized just how much she must have failed. She had forgotten how well Anakin always saw through her. Then again, he was the only one, with the exception of Teckla, who could read her so well. "Is there something wrong with quiet reflection?" she deflected as she began to cut into her food.

"Well, no," Anakin said, stealing a biscuit from her plate and split it open to spread some butter and jam on it. "When that quiet reflection turns into over analyzing something you chose to do, then it helps to talk about it rather than let it fester," he stated knowingly.

"I am not festering," Padme denied with a frown.

Anakin rolled his eyes, "Not the point," he said. "If you're this bothered by what is happening between us, then you need to say something," he insisted, gesturing between them with the butter knife in his hand.

"I'm not…"

"You chose to have sex. I asked you if you were sure multiple times…"

"I know!" Padme hissed, glancing around her wildly, hoping no one was listening in. "I told you that I'm not second guessing myself," she reminded him.

Anakin huffed out a breath as he gave her an intense stare. "Then what is it?" he asked, clearly bothered by her private ruminations and Padme realized that he was feeling just as anxious as she was about everything.

"I'm just thinking," she said lamely.

"About?" he hedged.

"I don't know," she hesitated. "Maybe it's just because it's been so long for me…"

"So this is a rebound spiral?" he asked, a slight look of confusion in his eyes.

"I didn't have sex with you so that I can get over my ex-boyfriend," Padme told him indignantly.

"You didn't?" he asked dubiously.

"No!" Padme cried. "If I was going to do that, I wouldn't do that with you of all people," she told him.

"You wouldn't?" he asked.

"No. Do you really think that I would risk a lifelong friendship just for some rebound sex?" she demanded.

"I don't know!" Anakin snapped. "This isn't exactly familiar territory for me," he reminded her.

"Well that's your fault if you have no idea how to get over a bad breakup," Padme snipply told him.

"If this is what consists of getting over a bad breakup, then I'm glad to have avoided getting into a relationship in the first place," he retorted.

"Not all relationships end so disastrously," Padme argued.

"Really? So this previous disaster of yours is the exception?" He asked sarcastically.

"Well…" Padme paused, when had she ever had a relationship end that didn't turn into a disaster? "I know that it should be," she offered lamely.

"That is such a glowing recommendation for relationships as a whole," he told her dryly.

"You know, you don't need to be such an asshole about this," she told him coolly.

"I'm sorry if I'd like not to pay for some asshole's sins," Anakin argued.

"What makes you think that?" Padme demanded.

"Whoever he was, he must have hurt you bad enough that you're still not over it or else it would have no bearing on me or what we did…"

"I got over Ian long before we met back up in LA," Padme told him dismissively. "I was over him before the relationship even ended."

"Wow," Anakin drawled. "Must have been really bad to provoke such acrimony."

"Why are you so interested in this?" Padme demanded.

"You really have to ask me that?" Anakin scoffed, alluding to her constant needling about his own history.

Padme scoffed. "It was just a bad breakup," she said somewhat defensively. As she took a sip of her coffee, she noted the look he was giving her, the same one he always gave her when he called her bluff. With an exaggerated sigh, she leaned back in the booth. "He was just another asshole, okay…"

"I didn't say anything," Anakin said, taking a bite from his breakfast skillet.

"Your face said it for you."

"My face?"

"Yeah. You have this face you make when you call bullshit," Padme pointed out.

"Huh."

Padme set down her fork, bit her nail and glanced around. Finally, settling her hands down on the table, she gave in. "He tried to baby trap me," she explained.

Anakin threw her a look that was between confused and concerned. "Baby trap? I thought only crazy girls did that. How the hell…"

"Well when Roe v Wade was repealed, he took that as a sign that he should screw with my birth control. Some twisted logic to keep me from breaking up with him. Apparently he thought that I'd have no choice but to stay with him if I was pregnant."

"That's fucked up," Anakin told her.

"Yeah, he had some issues," Padme agreed as she picked at her french toast. "The baby trap thing was the final straw though."

Anakin shook his head. "Is that why you were freaking out so much yesterday?" he asked.

Padme paused to glance up at him, somewhat startled. She hadn't connected the two dots until he said something. But that was just so… Anakin , perceptive and to the point. She had long given up trying to keep things from him because he always figured it out from the smallest detail. "I... guess." she shook her head and speared a piece of strawberry with a piece of french toast, drenching it in whipped cream. "I just didn't think of it that way," she said before taking a bite.

"It makes sense. I get it. I'd freak out about it too, had I experienced something similar." Anakin took a bite of egg. "I'm just sorry that I wasn't around so I could kick his ass for you."

"I think it's just as well that you weren't around at the time. Ian had a lot of insecurities that manifested in the worst way anytime I talked to another guy," Padme told him offhandedly.

"What do you mean?" Anakin asked, pausing to stare at her intently.

Padme shrugged. "He had abandonment issues," she said offhandedly. "It made him act a little possessive around other guys," she glanced up, unsettled by the rather intense look he was giving her. Padme felt uneasy by the way he was staring at her, somewhat guessing what he was thinking. "Stop looking at me like that," she told him. "I swear it's not what you think. He even had issues with Teckla…"

"What's the issue with Teckla?" Anakin asked, perplexed.

"Teckla's a psychologist."

"So? Psychology freaks him out or something?"

"He got this stupid idea in his head that she was using her psychology training to break us up," Padme explained with an eye roll, indicating her opinion about her ex's delusions.

Anakin closed his eyes and sighed. As he looked her in the eye, he reached over to hold her hand. "I know that I wasn't around at the time so I probably have no room to judge. But, Padme, what you're describing sounds a lot like abuse," he informed her calmly.

Padme shook her head. "No. No, it wasn't like that. Ian never hit me…"

"Abuse doesn't have to involve physical attacks, you know that," Anakin reminded her.

Padme shook her head. "You're misunderstanding the situation. Like you said, you weren't there…" she said.

Anakin gave her a firm look before he nodded. "Okay," he said, letting it drop.

Padme drained her coffee mug, feeling oddly unsettled by Anakin's assessment. He and Ian never met, so how could he truly understand the situation? Right? She should talk about it with Teckla. "Well, anyway, bad breakup. So you understand why It's been so long since…"

"Yeah, I get it. You should take however long you need to get over that shit," Anakin agreed.

Padme ate some more of her strawberries and cream french toast, moaning a little at the decadence. It was rare that she indulged in this way anymore. "I do miss the sex though," she confessed.

"With this, Ian?" Anakin asked, perplexed.

Padme took a sip of orange juice, shaking her head. "No. Just sex in general."

"Ah," Anakin said, biting off a piece of bacon. "Who said you had to give up sex between relationships?"

Padme stole a piece of his bacon, breaking it in half as she rolled her eyes. "I told you… I need an emotional connection to have sex, I'm not an animal," she reminded him.

Anakin reached over to steal one of her strawberries. "So?" he said, popping the little red fruit in his mouth. "You and I have an… emotional connection," he pointed out.

Padme stared at him. "What? Are you suggesting that you and I what…use each other for sex?" she asked, trying to make sure she was hearing him right.

"Well, not in those exact words" he said

Padme laughed. "Anakin, we can't do that," she said dismissively.

"Why not?"

Padme gave him a bemused look. "Because… Anakin, we're friends !"

"And friends can't have sex?" he challenged.

"Sex only complicates things. It could affect our friendship in unpredictable ways. I don't know about you, but I'd rather not risk anything affecting our friendship again," Padme told him.

Anakin nodded. "Hmmm," he hummed. "Good point," he tapped a finger against his bottom lip in contemplation, "If only we haven't had sex at least three or four times already…"

Padme threw a piece of sausage at him. "Three times, stop trying to round up," she chastised him.

Anakin ate the piece of sausage. "My brain is still a bit foggy regarding the other night, considering we were under the influence. I have no idea how many rounds we went that night if we're going to be honest," he pointed out.

"Rounds?" Padme echoed flatly.

"I have a lot of stamina, I can go all night," Anakin informed her.

Padme refused to let that impress her. Though she was tempted to test his boasting. She gave him a shrewd look, trying to assess if he was actually serious about this. "You really want to do this?" she asked. "Have sex as what… just friends?"

"I think the colloquial term is friends with benefits," Anakin noted.

Padme mulled it over. This was Anakin, the boy she had known since she was three. Her best friend. Her first crush… They used to do practically everything together. Could they have sex and still remain friends through it all? She knew Anakin well enough to know that he wouldn't have suggested it if he didn't think it was possible. Right? Though, last night and this morning was really, really good. Good enough that it was too tempting to keep repeating it.

"If we do this," she began slowly. "We have to promise each other that we won't let the sex get in the way of our friendship. Because," she bit her lip. "Because you're my best friend and I don't want to ever lose my best friend again."

Anakin met her gaze, wearing the most serious expression he ever gave her, reaching across the table to hold her hand. "I don't want that to happen either," he told her sincerely.

"The moment it starts affecting our friendship in any way, we stop."

"Agreed." Giving her an impish grin, he followed that up with, "Should we secret handshake on it?"

Padme pulled a face, remembering that silly little secret handshake that they made up when they were eight and just watched The Parent Trap. She had forgotten it until he reminded her. "I have a better idea, " she said, reaching into her bag to pull out her kindle.

"What is it?" Anakin asked, furrowing his brow.

"I'm pulling up my eBible," she told him.

"You have an eBible?" he asked, amused. "Your mom must be so proud."

"Don't laugh," Padme scolded.

"Such a good Catholic girl," he teased. "Don't tell me you go to weekly bible study too…"

Padme rolled her eyes. "So I like to read a verse or two every so often… When was the last time you read from the bible?"

"Last week, during Mass," Anakin informed her.

Padme rolled her eyes. "You're the reason why people assume that Catholics don't read the bible," she deadpanned.

"Where'd you hear that?" he asked, pulling a face.

"Some old Baptist lady said that when she tried to convert me. Apparently she thought insulting my religion was a good selling point. That, and refusing to hear a word I said back to her in response." 1She placed her kindle flat on the table, eBible pulled up to the cover page. "Here, let's swear on it."

Anakin shook his head. "You're so weird sometimes," he said, but complied with her proposal either way.

"You like me anyway," Padme breezily said as she put her kindle away.

"Hmm, I think it's safe to say that I more than just like you," he said with a suggestive wink.

"Suddenly, I wonder just what I've gotten myself into," Padme deadpanned, earning her a laugh from him.

---

"So, maybe we should have a set of ground rules," Padme suggested as they were in the car, on their way to their last stop.

"Ground rules?"

"Yes, I think that would be wise," Padme said, glancing up from her phone where she had been reading about what she should expect from a friends with benefits arrangement.

"You're googling friends with benefits, aren't you?" he asked, glancing over at her.

Padme huffed and set her phone down in her lap. "So what if I am?" she answered. "I've never done this before," she reminded him.

"Neither have I," Anakin admitted. "What does google say?" he asked.

Padme shifted in her seat to stare at him. "You've never…?"

"Had sex with one of my friends? No, you are the first," Anakin answered before she could finish that question.

"How many female friends do you have?" Padme asked, realizing that Anakin's friend circle had expanded in the last ten years while she had kept herself rather insulated.

"Not many, other than you and possibly Teckla, most of the so-called female friendships I've had are best described as acquaintances," he answered.

"And you've not," Padme stumbled over her words as she tried to ask one of the most uncomfortable questions she never thought to ask, "I mean, it's just women that you've…"

"I'm not bi-sexual if that's what you are trying to ask," Anakin answered her calmly.

"Okay," Padme breathed. It wasn't as though she would have had an issue either way, she was just beginning to realize that there were aspects about her best friend that she had never known before. "I'm not either," she added on.

"I didn't think that you were," he commented.

Padme decided not to continue this line of conversation further, hoping to continue the original topic. "Just how out of your depth are you with this?" she asked, knowing that she didn't have to explain how out of depth she was.

"Honestly?" he briefly glanced over to her and at her nod, he sighed. "I guess this is the first time that I've had an emotional connection to a sexual partner," he admitted. "Granted, in the past, I have engaged in a no strings arrangement with some flight attendant that I met at a conference a while back," he explained.

"What does that mean, how is a no strings arrangement any different than what we are doing?" Padme asked.

"The difference is that we are friends, first. We've known each other most of our lives, there is an existing emotional connection and history. What I was doing with the flight attendant was hooking up for sex every so often. We kept everything at a need to know basis, just each other's names, profession, sexual health. We didn't share any intimate details with each other. She had no idea who my friends or family were and vice versa," Anakin explained.

"Are you still seeing her?" Padme asked.

"No. Actually, it's been over a year since I last saw her. Last I heard, she got engaged," he told her.

"How do you do that?" Padme asked. "Detach yourself emotionally from sex?"

"I guess I just know the difference between sex and intimacy," he said with a dismissive shrug. He glanced over at her. "Look, it's okay if you don't feel comfortable doing this. We don't have to do anything you feel uncomfortable with," he assured her.

"That's not it," Padme assured him. "I want to, it's just," she bit her lip. "This is just all very new to me. If I'm going to be honest, I don't think I would feel comfortable even trying to do this if I didn't trust you," she explained.

"So boundaries?" Anakin nodded, indicating that she should continue. "Anything you have in mind?"

"I want to prioritize our friendship over the sex," Padme reiterated.

"We've already agreed to that one," he noted.

"I'd like to keep this between us if that's at all possible," Padme told him.

"You mean, kept it a secret?" he asked.

"From our families, especially," Padme informed him.

"Right," Anakin said. "Can't have anyone finding out that we had sex."

"I mean, don't you think what we're doing is already complicated as it is without involving our families? Anakin, our mothers are best friends. What do you think will happen the minute they get word that anything beyond platonic is going on between us?" Padme reasoned.

"I get it, I get it," he said and rubbed the back of his neck. "Anything else?" he asked.

Padme bit her lip and thought about it, consulting her phone. "No jealousy," Padme suggested and gave him a pointed look.

Anakin scoffed. "Speak for yourself. Ever since LA you've been the one behaving like a jealous and judgmental pain in the ass," he pointed out.

"I have not!" Padme argued, feeling annoyed that he kept accusing her of such.

"Oh please! You threw me that haughty judgmental look the minute you caught me hooking up with that blonde in LA. You've had nothing but snarky judgmental remarks regarding some random woman I fucked once. And it's not just the blonde from LA either and you know it," he pointed out.

"I have not been…"

"You got bitchy with me for being polite to the girl behind the check out desk at the first hotel. You've attacked my character over some preconceived ideas you have regarding men who have casual sex on several occasions. If you don't call that being jealous and judgmental, then what else do you call it?" he argued.

Padme opened her mouth to argue and promptly closed her mouth and turned away. He was right, and Padme didn't want to admit to it, lest she gave herself away, not when she was still unsure herself why she had really reacted the way she had. "I haven't really been very fair to you, have I?" Padme said quietly.

"Well," Anakin glanced at her. "To be fair, I haven't exactly been gracious about it, myself."

Padme turned back to him, trying to defend herself. "Consider it from my perspective. The first time I see you in ten years, you're hooking up with some…"

"I swear if you say play-boy bunny…"

Padme narrowed her eyes. "... insanely attractive blonde," She refrained from calling the blonde a whore, "-stranger, it was shocking. I mean, it's not something that I would have ever thought you would do," she explained, looking down.

"Maybe I wouldn't have hooked up with someone I met in a bar while in high school," Anakin agreed. "But we're not in high school, we're not even in college anymore. We're both adults with adult lives. I just happen to engage in casual sex every now and then."

"That brings me to another point. Safe sex…" Padme interjected.

"Which I practice diligently," Anakin pointed out. "One blackout drunk night doesn't count. I plan to get tested after getting home anyway. The fact that you haven't answered my question about whether or not you've been tested is something I find concerning."

"I've been in committed relationships…" Padme tried to argue.

"The last one was toxic by your description and he tried to baby trap you so clearly there was some unprotected sex going on there," Anakin pointed out. He glanced at her briefly. "Look, I get that you don't think of this because you believe in monogamy. You wouldn't dream of cheating on someone you care about. Can you honestly say the same for any of the guys you've dated in the past?"

Padme opened her mouth to reply and closed it as his explanation hit her. The truth is that he was right. She really didn't know about how faithful any of her ex boyfriends were. She just assumed that because she was faithful, they were in return. "You're right," she conceded.

"Wow, one of the rare arguments I get to win," Anakin quipped.

"How are you so rational about this?" Padme asked.

Anakin shrugged. "Mom's been drilling it into me since my balls first dropped," he said.

"Ugg, really?" Padme scrunched her nose up at his crude word choice.

"What? It's puberty, perfectly natural. That's what happens when a little boy transitions into an adolescent boy. The balls drop, the penis grows, hair starts growing in the groin and armpits…"

"You're going to describe the entire pubescent experience aren't you?" Padme asked, acerbically.

"Wet dreams occur, embarrassing random erections start popping up where you least want them…"

Padme threw him an incredulous look. "Embarrassingly random erections?" she questioned.

"Yeah, not fun. Had it happen in the middle of Mrs. Burtoni's history class. She called me up to the front and I had to figure out how to hide it."

Padme stared at him with that revelation. She remembered that class with Mrs. Burtoni in seventh grade. She was a crotchety old woman who delighted in calling her students to the front of class to answer questions. Now, she was picturing Anakin standing at the front of class thoroughly embarrassed at a new bodily function and burst out laughing. "Oh god," Padme moaned, shaking her head.

"Hey! It's not funny. Have I ever once laughed at you for an embarrassing red stain? No, I lent you my hoodie to cover it up instead," Anakin retorted defensively.

"I'm sorry, but that's not the same," Padme chuckled.

"It's pretty similar. Remember, we went through puberty at the same time."

"Yeah, but it's still not the same thing. I had to wear dark clothing and deal with cramps, mood swings and a damn crime scene in my underwear every month. So you had a few random erections, whoop-de-do." Padme rolled her eyes.

Anakin shook his head. "Why do you think I started wearing baggy clothes all the time? Or carried shit in front of me? It's pretty noticeable. And it happened every day, more than once," he argued.

Padme had to concede the point there. Now that she had confirmation, she knew it wasn't empty boasting on his end. He was impressive as far as size goes. She gave him a once over, her eyes lingering on his lap. "You don't wear baggy clothes anymore," she noted.

"I'm not trying to hide anything anymore," he pointed out, side eyeing her. "Stop staring at my dick. Just because you will it to get hard with your eyes doesn't mean it's going to obey."

Padme bit her lip. "It will if I rub it," she said teasingly.

"That's a poor innuendo," he laughed. "It's not a magic lamp."

"So that's a no?" Padme asked.

Anakin glanced at her, considering her offer. "Not while I'm driving, no." he told her firmly. "I'm not risking crashing my car just for a fucking hand job. The same goes for a blow job."

Padme felt slightly disappointed in the popping of that particular fantasy, though she had to concede his point. It was rather reasonable. Glancing around the car, she thought of another idea. "Car sex?" she asked.

Anakin considered her proposal. "Not in Bullet," he answered decisively. "This is a special Steve McQueen edition. When I eventually do part with Bullet, she's going to be as pristine as possible. Bullet's going to be quite the collectible," he informed her.

Padme rolled her eyes. "That explains your insane car rules," she retorted.

"Exactly. Bullet's a thing of beauty," Anakin said proudly, lovingly caressing the steering wheel. "Enhanced 5.0 liter V8 engine. 475 horsepower and 420 pound feet of torque. She'll drop out at 163 miles." He revved the engine, "Listen to her pur," he grinned.

Padme shook her head. "You're such a car guy," she teased.

"Yes I am," he agreed proudly.

"I still say it's weird that you name your cars," Padme told him. "Bullet, I understand because it's the name of the model, but Sally?"

"What's wrong with Sally? Mustang Sally?" he asked.

"You named a car you got from the junkyard Sally. People used to think you built yourself a girlfriend," she reminded him.

"Hey, Sally was a 1965 Shelby GT350 mustang. She was a classic. You need to stop calling her an old junker," he defended his first car.

"You're insane," Padme teased him.

"Hey, I spent years and every cent I had restoring Sally. She may not have looked like much when I got her, but I brought her back to her former glory," he argued.

"You still got her from the junkyard," she persisted.

"You loved getting to ride in her everyday and you know it," Anakin reminded her. "Besides, when I sold her to some collector a few years back, I got five mil for her, more than she was worth," he informed her.

Padme gaped. "That's obscene!" she exclaimed.

"Sally paid off my mortgage," Anakin stated.

"Now you're just messing with me," Padme laughed.

"I'm not. The right car is quite the investment," Anakin told her. He threw her a smug look. "Still think I'm insane?" he asked.

Padme shook her head. "I wish I had you there when I bought my prius. I think the dealer took me for a ride," she told him.

"Of course he did, that's his job," Anakin agreed. "Year?"

"2016, used," Padme answered, knowing what he was asking.

"Miles?"

"Ummm," Padme bit her lip. "I don't know off the top of my head," she admitted.

Anakin shook his head. "You know better," he teased. He had shared a good deal of his car knowledge with Padme while in high school. By his definition, she should know how to properly maintain her car.

"You're welcome to take a look at it when we get home if that makes you feel better," she told him, expecting the offer before he could make it.

"I just might," he agreed.

---

They arrived at their final stop, Pittsburg PA, after dark. Their last hotel was a Double Tree and this time, instead of a double room, Anakin got them a single king. Padme took in the room and turned to Anakin with a raised eyebrow.

"Aren't you presumptive," she said with a raised eyebrow.

"Why pay for two beds if we'll just end up in the same one?" Anakin pointed out, dropping his duffle down in the single leather chair in the room.

"So just because I've had sex with you three times, you think I'm a sure thing?" Padme challenged.

"Who said anything about sex?" Anakin challenged right back. "I'm exhausted, I could pass out fully clothed and sleep for hours!"

"Suit yourself then," Padme said, shrugging a shoulder dismissively. "I'm just going to get comfortable then and perhaps find something to watch on tv," she informed him lightly as she kicked off her shoes and tugged off the t-shirt she wore, tossing it down to the floor as she sauntered towards the bathroom. She lazily unbuttoned and unzipped her daisy-dukes, sliding the short denim material down her hips, kicking them away. She made one more step towards the bathroom before he caught her around the waist and pulled her back. Padme couldn't help but laugh when she fell back against the bed, encaged by his strong arms. Her laughter was swallowed up by his mouth firmly on hers, her arms wrapping securely around his neck.

A couple hours later Padme sat up against the hotel headboard, her hair a mess of wild, tangled curls, thoroughly sated and leaning up against an equally disheveled Anakin, as they watched trash reality tv while gorging on the scattered pile of junk food via the Uber Eats order paid for with Anakin's credit card.

"Am I going to get back my Flyers t-shirt?" Anakin asked as he ate a handful of m&ms.

Padme glanced down at the t-shirt she was wearing and grinned, eating a spoonful of chunky monkey. "No idea what you're talking about," she said.

Anakin rolled his eyes and gestured to the t-shirt she stripped out of earlier. "Ah huh, don't think that I didn't notice that you've been wearing my Guns N Roses T-shirt all day. I've been looking for that since high school," he pointed out.

"Don't you mean, my Guns N Roses t-shirt?" Padme countered. "I've had that in my closet for ages …"

"Probably since you stole it from me," he reminded her. He gave her a pointed look. "Just how much of my shit have you pilfered through the years?" he asked.

"No comment," Padme laughed, taking another bite of her ice cream. "Hey!" she cried when he stole her next spoonful.

Anakin licked his lips, "I still prefer the half baked flavor," he said nonchalantly. "You've got something on your chin," he noted, leaned forward and proceeded to lick the drop of melted ice cream from her chin.

Laughing, Padme pushed him away. "Geeze, give a girl a break!" she cried.

"Just say when," he told her smugly, leaning back against the headboard.

"God, you're insatiable!" Padme exclaimed, scraping the sides of her ice cream pint.

"I've never heard any complaints," he shrugged, and ate some more m&ms, offering some to her.

"Maybe not to your face," Padme deadpanned, accepting a handful of m&ms.

"Are you complaining?" he challenged.

Padme gave him an appreciative once over, mildly wishing he wasn't wearing a pair of black boxer briefs. "You're okay," she informed him mildly.

"Well, just okay, made you come ten times in the last two hours alone," Anakin reminded her smugly.

"What makes you so sure that I wasn't faking half the time?" Padme challenged, tossing her empty ice cream pint into the trash can.

Anakin snorted. "Try telling that to someone who doesn't know you so well," he pointed out.

"In all honesty, I'd rather not think about how you are so good at that ," Padme told him.

"You don't think that I researched it before trying it?" Anakin remarked.

"All I'm saying is that it takes practice to be good at that," Padme stated.

"I'm not going to dispute that," Anakin conceded.

"And for the sake of our friendship, I'm going to refrain from thinking about how much practice it took you," Padme said primly as she took a drink of water.

"And I am going to ignore that hint of judgment," Anakin couldn't resist the jibe.

"I wasn't judging you," Padme told him, annoyed by the jibe.

"Sounded like you were," Anakin pointed out as he reached for the bottle of beer on the nightstand next to him.

"Oh, excuse me, but aren't you the one who enjoys casual sex and random hookups from a bar," she pointed out teasingly.

Anakin rolled his eyes, "I think you have the wrong impression here," he informed her.

"Oh really," Padme asked, nudging his shoulder. "Then enlighten me, how do you see yourself then? And please don't call it a healthy sex life, I highly doubt that having sex with like a hundred different women counts as healthy."

Anakin gave her an incredulous look. "I have not had sex with a hundred women. Just who do you think I am, Barney Stinson?" Anakin asked with a scoff.

"More like Joey Tribbiani," Padme corrected lightly.

"Still a guy who likes to play around," Anakin pointed out.

"Yeah, but one is a sociopath and the other is a loveable goofball," Padme countered.

Anakin shook his head. "Neither one is a good comparison," he told her.

Padme couldn't help but chuckle at his indignation. "Alright, fine, what's your number then?" she asked.

Anakin shrugged. "I don't keep count," he told her. "And even if I did, I wouldn't tell, that's gross behavior," he preemptively explained.

"Not even to boast in front of your Air-Force buddies," Padme needled.

"Nope."

"You had no issue boasting about how you fucked Jamilla Quinn in high school," Padme pointed out, staring down into her lap.

Anakin stared at her, knowing how much she was bothered by that fact, regretting having told her the way he had. "Trust me when I tell you that I took no pleasure in that fucking mistake," he told her and glanced down into the bottle of beer in his hand. "That was more of an exercise of deep loathing if I'm going to be completely honest."

Padme looked up at him. "I don't understand," she said.

Anakin took a deep breath and then took a swig of beer before he replied. "I wasn't exactly in the right headspace back then. I was angry and…" he sighed. "I didn't exactly have the best opinion of myself at the time."

"What do you mean?" Padme asked, tucking her legs underneath herself as she turned to give him her full attention.

Anakin shook his head and offered her a tight smile, one that didn't reach his eyes. "It's not important," he dismissed.

"Anakin…"

"Just let it go," he told her, taking another swig.

"Tell me," Padme implored, reaching over to grasp his hand.

"No," he said firmly, after taking the last sip. "You haven't earned that trust yet," he insisted, reaching over to set aside the now empty bottle. He had hoped to deter her with that insistence.

"Really?" Padme drawled, gesturing to the two of them and their state of undress on top of the bed.

Anakin scoffed. "Your point?" he asked dryly, knowing exactly what she was implying.

"I haven't earned your trust?" Padme echoed dryly.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know sex was transactional for laying all of my secrets bare," he retorted acerbically.

"I thought there were no secrets between us," Padme reminded him.

"We made that vow when we were nine ," Anakin pointed out dismissively. "And I really don't think you want to start invoking promises from our childhood, considering how we got here in the first place," he flatly reminded her.

Padme gave him a sharp look after that harsh reminder. Biting her lip, she looked at the tv where The Real Housewives was playing. "Is this because…"

"No, it has nothing to do with that," Anakin interrupted, knowing what she was going to ask. They would have to resolve that at some point, just not yet. "It didn't help, but it's not about that."

"Then what?" Padme asked, looking up. "If it's not because of our fight, then why don't you trust me?" she asked.

"It's not about you," he told her and sighed. "It's not even just about me. If I told you… It's not just something that affects me ," he tried to explain. He glanced at her. "It's not that I don't trust you, I just don't feel comfortable talking about it," he told her softly.

Padme sighed, she leaned against him, resting her head on his shoulder. "I'm sorry," she said softly.

"I know," he said softly, understanding what she was actually apologizing for.

"Would you have told me then?" Padme asked.

"Fuck no," was his immediate answer.

Padme glanced up at him through her eyelashes. "Would you tell me eventually?" she asked.

"Maybe. I don't know," he said indecisively. "I honestly don't even want to think about it."

Padme curled up against him and he wrapped his arm around her, leaning his head down over hers. "Are we ever going to get past this?" she asked eventually.

"I'd like to," he admitted. "Just not right now. Let's just enjoy the moment for now." he nudged her side a little. "However much of a disaster we can be, at least we're never as bad as that," he assured her, indicating the trashy reality tv show.

Padme rolled her eyes. "You always find something to poke fun at," she muttered fondly.

"Someone has to," he agreed and shared a laugh with her.

Padme sighed. "Are you happy?" she asked.

"I'm not unhappy," he answered. "You?" he asked.

"I think so…" Padme considered, "Better than I was for a long time," she admitted. She shifted her position in order to snuggle closer, snaking an arm around his torso, holding on as though if she didn't, he would slip away from her again.

If Anakin noticed or minded her sudden clinginess, he didn't say anything about it. "If we're going to make it for church in the morning, we might as well get some sleep," he suggested.

Padme nodded. "Yeah," she agreed, detangling herself enough to clean up the mess of junk food surrounding them.

Together, she and Anakin managed to deposit everything in a bag by the side of the bed. Getting comfortable under the covers, Padme went back into snuggle mode, curling into his side as he slept on his back, his arm coming up to wrap itself around her. Padme laid her head down on his chest, listening to his even breathing and the soft thump thump of his heart. His fingers softly played with her hair. She was lulled to sleep by the comfortable intimacy, secretly wishing that they could stay like this forever, yet knowing that the real world awaited them outside this hotel room.

---

Sunday morning was the most hectic of their entire trip. They arrived fifteen minutes before the opening procession for a nine AM mass, and were part of the very last stragglers to arrive, despite the church being an approximate three minute drive from their hotel. Padme felt that she could blame Anakin for their tardiness. After all, it wasn't her intention to interrupt their packing to have sex, promoting another quick jump in the shower, together. Padme, thankfully, had a green floral sundress in her suitcase which she paired with the light cardigan she had worn on the plane to LA. Anakin meanwhile had surprised her with his ability to clean up, pairing a burgundy button down with a dark wash pair of jeans, leather belt and a pair of dark brown leather oxfords that Padme would never have guessed Anakin to own, let alone carry on a trip across the country, even if it were for business. Padme couldn't help but to admire the put together look, remembering fondly the days of baggy, often ripped jeans paired with some kind of graphic tee under an unbuttoned flannel or hoodie that had often consisted of Anakin's sole style choice.

After Mass, Padme removed her cardigan and swapped her heels for a comfortable pair of sandals while Anakin unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt and rolled the sleeves up to just below his elbows. They stopped for a hearty breakfast and overall had a pleasant drive home.

By late afternoon they finally reached Philadelphia, signaling the end of their road trip and the return to their own lives. It was late afternoon when Anakin pulled up to his mom's house, parking directly behind Obi-Wan's BMW. Padme looked up at the familiar old house that sat directly next to her parent's house, a lifetime of memories invoked by the familiar sight. Rising from the car, she glanced up to the front porch, half expecting to see Anakin's Aunt Jira sitting there, sipping on tea, ready to greet them. It's been six years since she died and Padme felt overcome with grief for the kind old woman who had opened her home to her unmarried niece and her niece's son, becoming the de-facto nana to both Padme and her sister.

Both of their mothers were sitting together on the front porch laughing while drinking tea, they waved them over and Padme smiled back, meeting Anakin over by the trunk where he was pulling out her suitcase for her. "Looks like we're being summoned," she informed him, indicating the front porch.

Anakin glanced up and rolled his eyes. "They have no idea just how obvious they are being," he told her. Shmi Skywaker-Lars and Jobal Naberrie had been friends for as long as Anakin and Padme had known each other. Both mothers had been unhappy at the souring of their friendship and often voiced their lamentations for the two of them to reconnect.

"Uncle Ani!"

Padme whirled around at the excited cry. Out of nowhere, a little girl with strawberry-blonde pigtails ambushed them, throwing her arms around Anakin's waist, making him grunt.

"There's a small child attached to me, isn't there?" Anakin deadpanned, having not looked away from Padme.

Amused, Padme suppressed the giggle. "Oh definitely," she confirmed.

Anakin twisted around to give his niece his full attention. "Hey, there, Peanut!" he greeted, hugging the little girl against his side.

Jinney pulled away to stare up at her uncle expectantly. "Did you bring it?" she asked.

"It?" Padme questioned, staring at the pair in fond confusion.

Anakin reached deep into the trunk to pull out a burlap bag of rocks, handing it over to Jinney. "Fresh from California. Think you can identify what is what?" he said.

Jinney rummaged through the bag of rocks. "I'll ask Daddy if I can put them through the tumbler tonight," she said, dashing off to run inside the house.

"Rocks?" Padme asked as Anakin closed the trunk and they walked up the drive together.

"I got her a rock tumbler for Christmas and every time I leave town, she insists that I bring back something to go through the tumbler," Anakin explained as they reached the front porch.

"You two look lovely," Jobal said in greeting.

"Hey, Mrs. Naberrie," Anakin said, walking over to kiss his mother's cheek. "Home in one piece as promised," he said in greeting to his mother.

"How was the drive?" Shmi asked.

"Eventful, Mrs. Skywalker-Lars," Padme said. "Is Daddy home?" she asked her mother. Ruwee had promised to drive her back to her apartment on his way into work the next day. Padme was looking forward to spending the evening with her parents. A low whine drew her attention and Padme squatted down to greet the old golden retriever laying by the steps. "Hey Greedo, did you miss me?" she said, scratching the senior dog behind the ears. Greedo inched forward in response, until his head was in her lap, whining at her happily.

"What's up with Greedo?" Anakin asked, crouching down to pet his family dog.

"He's fifteen years old, Ani. Greedo is just old," Shmi reminded her son.

The exchange sounded all too familiar. Padme thought that it was a common topic to discuss Greedo's health. The old dog was living past his life expectancy and Padme felt anxious about the possibility of hearing second hand that Greedo the dog had died any day. Padme remembered tagging along when Shmi took her children down to the pound to pick out a new family pet. Anakin and Ahsoka had instantly fallen in love with the golden retriever puppy, both naming him Greedo due to the greedy way he would devour his food. Greedo had joined the family only months after Ahsoka and he had helped the little girl feel secure in her new, permanent home. Padme could only guess how hard Ahsoka would take it when Greedo dies.

"It seems like only yesterday that these two were dragging a mud soaked puppy through the house in an attempt to give him a bath," Jobal said, turning to Shmi.

"They made such a mess!" Shmi agreed.

Anakin rolled his eyes. "Message received. A truce was made, we're all friends again," he informed their mothers as he stood up.

Both women exchanged a look. "There's leftover eggplant parmesan in the oven if you haven't eaten," Shmi informed her son.

"Sounds good," Anakin said before Padme could mention that they had already eaten. He met her gaze and nodded inside.

Padme rose and dusted herself off, following him inside the house. "Wow, this place hasn't changed at all," she said, passing the painting of the Madonna in the foyer. The painting had been in that spot since the house was owned by Anakin's great-great-grandparents.

"Five generations of Skywalkers and not much changes around here," Anakin agreed as they moved on through the living room.

As they passed the old brick fireplace, Padme saw a portrait of Anakin in formal Air-Force uniform was placed, opposite the one of his great-grandfather from WWII, the flag that had adorned Frank Skywalker's casket between the two portraits, a small little statue of Saint Ignatius of Loyola placed at the corner of Anakin's portrait. The one major difference between the two Skywalker men was that only Anakin survived his time in service. Frank Skywaker had left to serve in WWII only to come home in a casket and a Purple Heart for his broken hearted, pregnant widow and their young son. It was rather remarkable how alike the two men resembled each other. Frank Skywalker had flown under Colonel Hubert Zemke as a part of Zemke's Wolfpack and had been shot down before the war could be even close to over. Padme remembered Anakin giving a report on his great-grandfather and his fellow servicemen multiple times throughout school. He had even brought in a picture of his great-grandfather and his Purple Heart for Show 'N Tell when they were kids. Padme was only mildly surprised that Anakin had decided to follow in the man's footsteps.

Anakin paused beside the fireplace. "That was Aunt Jira's doing," he informed her. "After I enlisted, she cried hysterically for days. The day before I left, she gave me her father's watch for good luck and a medal of Saint Ignatius of Loyola blessed by the Bishop for protection. Mom said that she prayed with the rosary every day for my safe return before she died."

"I can only imagine," Padme said, thinking of the old woman who utterly adored her nephew. Jira Skywalker had doted on her nephew from the moment Shmi Skywalker had moved in. Jira was always boasting of Anakin's resemblance to the father she never knew.

Anakin beckoned for her to follow him back into the kitchen where the leftover eggplant parmesan awaited. He made a face at a sound that the refrigerator was making. "Hey Mom, what's with the fridge?" he called, through the kitchen window.

"Don't you dare touch my refrigerator, Anakin!" Shmi called back to him in warning. "I swear that boy… This is why I used to have to take him to the junkyard," she could be heard complaining to Jobal.

Padme couldn't help but laugh. It was so typically Anakin. He used to drive his mother insane by taking apart every single appliance and electrical device in the house. Fed up with her son practically destroying their house with his need to tinker, Shmi had decided to take him to the junkyard in order to find projects for him that would settle his incessant need to take things apart. That was how he had gotten his first car.

Anakin dished out some leftover eggplant parmesan while Padme poured them a couple glasses of iced tea. Together they sat down at the old and worn kitchen table, one plate of leftovers and two forks between them.

"I remember sitting at this table as we baked cookies with your Aunt Jira," Padme remembered. "I was heartbroken to hear that she passed away. I wished I could have made it home in time for the funeral. Unfortunately I had finals, so I had to settle with sending flowers."

"I almost didn't make it in time. I had to request leave to attend the funeral. I didn't even have time to change out of uniform," Anakin informed her. "Mom was inconsolable. Thank God that Aunt Jira put Mom on the deed to the house years ago or we might have lost it through probate."

"That would have been awful to lose the family home," Padme agreed. This house had been in the Skywalker family for generations, she couldn't imagine another family living here.

"Yes, it would have," Anakin agreed. "That's why Mom decided to add me to the deed a few years ago. Something about keeping the house in the family."

Padme ignored the implication of only Anakin being the one to inherit the house. She supposed that there were reasons for that. "What about Ahsoka and Obi-Wan?" she asked.

"Some legal bullshit. I'll add Ahsoka in the future," Anakin told her. "Obi-Wan took care of the legal paperwork. Besides, he's still got his dad's house."

Padme was interrupted from responding by the appearance of Anakin's step-father, who walked into the kitchen.

"Hello Padme, Anakin," Cliegg Lars greeted as he reached into the fridge for a beer. "Did your mother inform you that she's setting up Owen and Beru in your old room while they stay for the wedding?" he asked.

Anakin pulled a face. "No… I think she forgot to mention that," he answered.

"Hmm," Cliegg grunted. "I'm sure she meant to mention it," he said, clapping his step-son on the shoulder before he left.

Padme eyed the calculating look on Anakin's face, weary for Owen's sake. "Anakin…" she said, reaching over to grasp his wrist, rubbing small circles over his pulse, hoping to distract him from his plotting.

Anakin turned his head to meet her gaze. "I hope they don't try to conceive in my bed," he said carefully.

"Are they…"

"Trying to get pregnant, yeah, for a few years now. No luck yet," he informed her. "Personally, I think it's Owen's fault."

"Poor Beru," Padme said sympathetically. Beru Lars was an exceptionally kind woman who loved children. Padme thought that Anakin would have rather had Beru for a step-sister rather than having Owen for a step-brother. Anakin and Owen just did not get along, at all.

"Maybe Owen should get that stick out of his ass," Anakin grumbled. "Probably should have it surgically removed…"

Padme reached over to shove a fork full of eggplant into his mouth in order to stop his complaining about his step-brother. Anakin narrowed his eyes at her as he chewed. Padme snorted in amusement at his expression. "Don't be petulant," she chided him.

"I'm not being petulant," he pointed out and leaned forward conspiratorially. "If anyone is going to have sex in my bed, it's going to be me ," he quietly told her.

Heat flushed along her skin and Padme was sure that she was blushing as she shifted in her seat. She gaped at Anakin, about to admonish him for his innuendo in the middle of his mother's kitchen, only to have a forkful of eggplant shoved into her mouth. She glared, mildly, at Anakin who gave her a smug look.

Anakin leaned back as she chewed. "I can always leave Owen a little present to dampen the mood," he mused deviously.

"Please, don't do that. We do not want a repeat of the incident involving Owen's credit card," Obi-Wan said sternly as he entered the kitchen.

Padme swallowed and turned to Obi-Wan who was pocketing his phone. "What credit card incident?" she asked.

Anakin was glaring at his brother in warning, which Obi-Wan feigned ignorance as he moved to place his used glass in the sink. "You do not want to know," both men said at the same time.

Now Padme was intrigued and decided to find out what this little incident was. "That was not dissuasive in the least," she pointed out.

"I'm going to assume that the trip was good," Obi-Wan said as he joined them at the table.

Anakin threw his brother a suspicious look before he scoffed. "Don't be obtuse," he said.

"I don't know what you are talking about," Obi-Wan said primly.

Anakin gave his brother a knowing look as he sipped at his tea. "For the record, I had zero intentions to cause a scene at your wedding. Regardless of the state of cordiality between the three of us," he drew a circle with his finger indicating the three of them around the table as he spoke, "I had every intention to be on my best behavior for your special day," he finished.

"And here I was nervous for weeks," Padme said airily, earning herself an eye roll from Anakin as she stole another bite of eggplant.

"Well, thank you for your consideration," Obi-Wan said, giving his brother an appreciative look.

"Honestly, if you are so worried about needless drama at your wedding, you're thinking about the wrong sibling," Anakin pointed out.

"Why do you say that?" Obi-Wan asked suspiciously.

Anakin took a sip of tea and carefully set his glass down so he could pick up his fork, stabbing a piece of eggplant. "Well, probably because Ahsoka had screwed Satine's sister at the engagement party," he informed them.

"She told you?" Obi-Wan demanded.

"I caught them finishing up in the coat room," Anakin corrected.

Obi-Wan swore. "What was she thinking?" he hissed.

Anakin shrugged. "Ahsoka and chaos kinda goes hand in hand," he reminded them.

Padme turned to Anakin. "Ahsoka and Bo-Katan?" she asked.

"My sister is a chaos demon," Anakin reminded her with a shrug.

"Speaking of chaos demons," Obi-Wan interjected. "Did you really, by any chance, flash our little sister the other morning over facetime?" he asked casually.

Padme choked on her sip of tea. "You what?" she spluttered.

"I'm going to kill her," Anakin growled. Turning his scowl onto his brother, he defended himself. "I was hungover and dropped my phone in the bathroom. I don't know what story she is spreading…"

Padme couldn't help but to feel mortified, even though she wasn't drawn into this little family drama. They could only be talking about the morning after they had drunkenly had sex…

"Please refrain from murdering our sister until after my wedding," Obi-Wan requested calmly, holding up a placating hand. "However, I figured it was an accident and intervened before she could spin some debauchery tale, especially before she could announce it at dinner with Mom, Cliegg and Satine's parents."

At hearing that attempt to slander him, Anakin spit out the bite of eggplant he was busy chewing, growing red. "She did what ?!" he yelped.

Padme felt sympathy for him, but was eternally grateful to have a sister ten years older and less inclined to sow chaos.

"I handled it, however, I just thought you might like a little warning," Obi-Wan informed him.

"Right, no dead sister until you're on your honeymoon," Anakin agreed, a calculating look in his eyes.

"I'm sure that I don't want to know what you are planning this time. Just, refrain from anything illegal," Obi-Wan noted and turned to Padme. "I hope he didn't give you too hard of a time," he said, gesturing to his devious brother.

"Don't worry, I give as good as I get," Padme told him with a pleasing smile, catching Anakin's eye from the corner of her own.

Obi-Wan checked his watch and sighed. "Well, it's about time that I located my daughter so that we can head home. It's a school night after all," he said, rising from his seat.

Padme rose as well and gave him a friendly hug as a goodbye. Obi-Wan clapped Anakin on the shoulder as he passed him on the way out. Anakin moved their dishes over to the sink and caught her hand, leading her up the back stairs. Padme marveled at how little had changed in this house over the years and yet found comfort in it. Through the open door, Padme noted that Obi-Wan's old room had been transformed into a bedroom/playroom for Jinney.

Anakin led Padme to his old room, closing the door behind them. Before she could take in the room, Padme found herself backed against the door, pressed between it and Anakin as he dove in for a kiss, his hands framing her face, fingers curling into her hair. Padme melted into the kiss, winding her arms around his neck. Padme parted her lips invitingly, moaning appreciatively as the kiss deepened, their tongues intermingling. Padme ran her fingers through his tousled golden curls as she felt one of his hands slide down her back and cup her ass, giving a firm squeeze. Padme stumbled in an attempt to pull herself closer, only to stub her toe into the old dresser by the door, knocking a few odds and ends down. Padme abruptly broke away from the kiss and cursed under her breath, pushing Anakin away as she moved to fix what had fallen.

"I hope that wasn't too loud," she worried, placing the old model rockets and cars back in their place atop the dresser, right next to the old tube style TV that Anakin had made a project of when they were twelve.

"I highly doubt that a few knocked over models is enough sound to give us away," Anakin said, moving over to the old full sized captain bed he used to sleep in when he still lived at home. As he sank down to lay back on the bed, he tried to block out the memory of the overhead trapeze bar that had been temporarily affixed to the bed after his surgery.

"Still," Padme insisted, "I don't want to risk it," she said as she turned around and to take the room in. "God, I feel like I've stepped into a time machine," she said, eyeing the details of the room.

The blue-green paint on the walls hadn't changed, nor had the black furniture, including the built-in desk and shelving unit that took up an entire wall that had consisted of Anakin's workspace, from his gaming desktop, to all of his tools, including soldering iron, minus the unfinished projects. Several old projects and models still occupied their places on the shelves. Even the posters were the same, including the framed posters of the Alien and V franchises, each featuring their leading ladies of Segurney Weaver and Jane Badler, hanging over the bed.

"I wouldn't go that far," Anakin dismissed, to him the room had changed drastically, but Padme hadn't known about those long difficult months of recovery. He couldn't escape from these walls fast enough.

"It looks practically the same way it did in high school," Padme pointed out, moving over to the alcove window that looked directly into her childhood bedroom. An entire childhood of communicating between windows came to mind, but one specific memory had her hugging herself. It was after that fight, Padme had looked out through her bedroom window, seeing Anakin through his and had tried to communicate her apologies, only to have Anakin close his blinds, shutting her out indefinitely. The rejection had stung and she couldn't stop crying any time she would look out her window. "I can't remember the last time I was in here," she said softly.

"You had that exam for whatever math class you were taking at the time and needed my help to study," Anakin reminded her.

Padme remembered now, that had been the weekend before the big fight. "I failed that exam by the way," she pointed out, turning away from the window and walking over to nudge his calf which hung off the edge of the bed. "I blame you for that ," she informed him.

"Hey, don't blame me because you suck at math," Anakin told her defensively.

Padme rolled her eyes. "Not all of us can be mathematical geniuses and take college level math courses in freshman year," she reminded him. "Besides, that wasn't why I failed that exam and you know it."

Anakin leaned up on his elbows as he stared at her. He hadn't considered that result, then again, he hadn't considered the consequences of the emotional fallout on her end at the time. He had done what had always seemed to work for him, he threw himself into whatever task he had in order to put off dealing with his issues. "As I recall, we had to team up as lab partners in every science class because you couldn't get the calculations for Celsius vs Fahrenheit right and almost burned down the school if I hadn't pulled the fire alarm fast enough," he reminded her.

"Ugg, let that go already!" Padme cried, having blocked that incident from seventh grade out until he helpfully reminded her. Flopping down next to him, she shoved at his shoulder. "Asshole," she grumbled as he laughed at her dramatics.

Rolling on top of her, he pinned her down on the bed and looked her in the eyes, trying to convey a serious expression. "I got suspended for that," he reminded her.

"I never asked you to take the blame," Padme reminded him.

"Well excuse me for not wanting to hear you cry anymore about not getting into Harvard because you could have burned down the school," he pointed out with a roll of his eyes.

Padme froze at the casual reminder, awaiting the moment he realized what he had said. When nothing happened, she hedged forward with her own response. "But you risked getting into MIT," she softly said.

"It's MIT, science incidents are pretty common. I could fill an entire book of lab accidents from one semester alone," he returned dismissively, rubbing his hand along her side. Leaning down, he began to apply a light trail of kisses along the side of her neck, finding the spot behind her ear to nip at.

Padme couldn't stop the groan from escaping as she reflexively stretched her neck, her body instantly beginning to respond. That is until her eyes landed on the closed door, the only thing that stood between them and the other occupants of the house. The thought of any one of them walking through that door to find the two of them tangled together on Anakin's bed was enough to kill the mood for her. Pushing against his shoulder, Padme tried to get his attention. "Anakin, stop, not here," she told him, squirming to get away.

"You are not helping by doing that," he grumbled, hanging his head as he pulled away.

With a last shove against his shoulder, Padme managed to push him off of her, where he rolled onto his back beside her. "We are no t going to have sex here where anyone in your family can just walk in," she told him.

"You can't blame me for trying," he grumbled.

Padme sat up and threw him a look over her shoulder. "Maybe not, but we did talk about this," she pointed out. She stood up and straightened her dress as she walked over to the mirror above the dresser to check her appearance.

Anakin sat up and watched her. "Fine. My place or yours?" he asked.

"I promised my parents that I would spend the night with them. We hardly ever get any time anymore," Padme reminded him. It was the reason for them to stop here instead of him dropping her off at her apartment.

"In that case, you might want to cover up that spot behind your ear," Anakin told her smugly.

"What?" Padme cried, pulling her hair to the side as she checked the spot he indicated. "Shit!" she cried upon seeing the very noticeable hickey he had left. "I hate you so much right now," she threw at him as she dug through her purse for her concealer stick.

"At least you can cover that up, my problem isn't so easy to hide," he pointed out, indicating the very noticeable tightening in his jeans.

"What do you want me to do about it?" Padme questioned as she dabbed concealer over the bruise behind her ear.

"Kiss it and make it better?" he quipped suggestively.

"You are awful," Padme told him, tossing an old plush toy at him.

"So that's a no?" Anakin asked, setting the old, raggedy toy aside.

Padme turned around to stare at him. "Seriously?" she asked incredulously.

"Well, I can take care of it myself, I just thought it might be more fun as a team effort," he said, shrugging his shoulders.

Padme crossed her arms stubbornly. "I am not giving you a blowjob," she told him firmly.

"Okay," he said nonchalantly, shrugging his shoulders again. "There should be an old pair of tube socks in the top left drawer," he said, pointing to the dresser behind her.

Padme blinked, taken aback. "What? No begging, pleading for me to change my mind?" she questioned dubiously. Every single guy she had dated had not taken her refusal to do that so easily.

"If you don't want to do it, then you don't have to," Anakin told her reasonably. "I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself. Besides, this is far from the first time I've taken care of myself in this room which is why I asked for the tube socks," he explained, gesturing to the drawer behind her.

Comprehending just what he asked the tube socks for, Padme quickly turned around and pulled open the drawer in question, finding an old, discolored pair of tube socks in the top drawer and tossed them over to him. "I can't believe this," she muttered. Never in her imagination had she thought she would be standing in this room with him in this very situation.

"You don't want to have sex, that's fine. But I am not going back downstairs until I no longer have a raging hard on," he told her as he unzipped his jeans and reached in to fondle himself. "You're welcome to stay and watch," he said with a suggestive look, leaning back enough to make himself comfortable.

Curiosity rooted her to the spot as she watched him. "You'd like that, wouldn't you?" she asked drolly.

"What I'd like is for you to be sitting on my face as I do this but I'm going to hedge a bet that you're going to veto that too," he told her, far too calm in this situation for her opinion.

Padme felt tempted by the idea. "Maybe some other time," she said slowly.

"I'm going to hold you to that," Anakin promised. "However, can I borrow your tube of hand lotion?" he requested.

Padme eyed him suspiciously as she grabbed her purse. "Why?" she asked.

"Well, it's been at least four years since I actually lived here so I'm afraid I'm currently out of a supply of lubricate…"

Padme dug out her hand lotion and handed it to him before he could finish that explanation. "Enjoy yourself. When you've finished, I'll be downstairs," she told him dryly. She didn't give him a chance to respond before she turned on her heel and slipped out the door.

Several minutes later, Padme found herself out on the front porch with her mother, Shmi and Cliegg(who had joined them prior to her arrival minus Anakin) and playing with Greedo as she regaled the parents of her trip to LA, how she and Anakin ran into each other after her flight disaster and the trip home, minus any of the more adult aspects of the trip.

Both Jobal and Shmi thought it was quite fortuitous that the two of them had been at the same bar that night and were quite pleased that the result was a rekindled friendship. Cliegg offered his condolences for the inconvenience the airlines imposed upon her. Anakin's step-father was an easy going and overall kind man and it was just incredibly easy to like him. It was a wonder just how much he had been welcomed into the close and unorthodox little family unit.

Greedo was busy rolling onto his back, enjoying the belly rubs she gave him when the door creaked open. Padme looked up with a beaming expression as Anakin stepped out to join them.

Crouching down beside her, he handed her the tube of hand lotion. "I think you dropped this. Figured you'd want it back," he said so casually that had Padme not known the true reason why he had it, she would have believed him.

Blushing, she took the tube and quickly muttered, "Thanks."

"Any time," Anakin told her casually as he too rubbed Greedo's belly. "You're not so bad, are you, boy," he cooed. Greedo waved a paw at him and whined in response, making them laugh at the old dog's affection. "I think you've still got some life left in you," he said softly, giving the old dog an affectionate pat before standing up. "Well, hate to cut this visit so short but I've got to get going," he said, moving over to give his mother a kiss on the cheek.

"So soon, you've only just got here," Shmi asked.

"I'd love to stay longer but unfortunately I've got a long day tomorrow, some business calls and I have to stop by the Navy Yard to assess an emergency with Project 3PO. Got a call yesterday from the team about some huge mess. I don't know yet if I'm going to either kick someone's ass or throw someone under the bus," he explained.

"Project 3PO is coming along well?" Cliegg asked, interest piqued. It was an interest he had shared with his step-son, considering that he worked as an engineer for SEPTA. Much to the fond exasperation of the woman who connected them, the two could talk shop for hours.

Anakin rubbed the back of his neck "We're in the testing stages now. Hopefully whatever fuckup occurred while I was away doesn't set us back too badly," he said.

"Well, I hope it's nothing too serious," Shmi offered, completely supportive of her son.

"What is this Project 3PO?" Jobal asked.

It was a good question, Padme thought. The name sounded awfully familiar but she couldn't put her finger on it.

"I can't really get into the details, contracts and all, but let's just say that if it works, James Cameron will have someone to envy," Anakin told her with no small hint of pride.

"No small project there," Cliegg chuckled.

"Are you kidding?" Anakin said with a grin. "Project 3PO is my baby!" he laughed. "And with that, I need to go. Mom, Cliegg, I'll try to drop by as soon as I have a free moment. Mrs. Naberrie, a pleasure as always," he said, offering Padme's mother a solute before turning to padme. "Padme," he said simply, his eyes conveying more than words could before he turned to walk back to his car.

Padme rose and followed him, leaning against the door of his car as he slid into the driver's seat and started the engine. "Why does the name Project 3PO sound so familiar?" she asked softly.

"That is for me to know and for you to figure out," Anakin told her teasingly. "I'm certain that if you put your mind to it, you'll figure it out."

"You and your secrets," Padme taunted him.

"Well, you can't know everything about me," he told her glibly.

"Evidently," Padme dryly said. "Hey, you're not leaving early because.."

"I really do have a busy day tomorrow, I wasn't lying about that," he told her seriously. "I don't get petty over being told no, you know," he assured her.

"I would have said yes, if it wasn't for…" her eyes glanced over to the front porch for a moment.

"I know, it's fine," he assured her.

"You're sure?" she asked.

"Yes!" he insisted. "I really do have to go," he reminded her regretfully. Padme let him close the car door and stepped away. Rolling the window down, he gave her an encouraging smile, his eyes conveying a promise. "See you around, Naberrie," he told her provocatively.

Padme stepped back to the curb as she watched him pull out and drive away to the sound of Disturbed echoing from his speakers. Something inside of her constricted as she watched him drive further away from her.

A few hours later, as she laid in her childhood bed, her phone pinged.

Anakin : Just say When …

Below was an attached video file. Curious and mildly apprehensive, Padme tapped on the attachment to view the file. It was a recorded video from the karaoke bar in Missouri. Someone, probably Rex, had taken a video of her and Anakin performing Shallow from A Star is Born. Padme couldn't help but feel something flutter in her belly as she watched the video.

Anakin : I'll never understand how you can still have stage fright when you were in the debate club…

Padme shook her head and chuckled to herself.

Padme : I'm going to sleep now… idiot .

Padme finished that text with a gif of a tongue sticking out.

Anakin : I repeat. Just say when …

And oh was she tempted to just say it now. Padme refrained from replying, instead, turning over to face her window, the one that looked directly into Anakin's old bedroom and the fluttering returned, as she closed her eyes. She missed him already.

---

For anyone who hasn't watched the 80's scifi miniseries, V and it's sequel miniseries V: The Final Battle, I cannot recommend that you do enough. I grew up watching it whenever it aired on tv and there was a failed reboot that only lasted two seasons in 2009 that had the absolute worst ending or cliffhanger ever! Total disservice to the original IMHO. Anyway, I can totally see a teenaged Anakin Skywalker in our world being a fan of V and the Alien movies.

The song Mustang Sally was first recorded as an R&B song by Mack Rice in 1965, the same year as the 1965 Shelby GT350 mustang that was Anakin's first "junker" car which he restored. The pet name feels appropriate. Some very rare versions of the Shelby GT350 can cost between 5 - 50 million. Lets just say that Anakin got lucky enough to find a rare version in need of repair in a junkyard and lovingly restored it, getting rewarded for his early efforts with a nice resale value. The average person would have overlooked the junked up version of his first car, but Anakin would instantly recognize what he was looking at.

Also, you can follow me on tumbler now. I'll share a link in my profile.