Washington D.C. 2011

Pottery Barn Kids wasn't a mall or a huge store like Buybuy BABY, it was more of an exquisite one. To start with, they found a baby bed, a changing table, a cupboard and a chest of drawers and ordered them straight away. They were happy to receive the furniture in two weeks. They found a few more things and settled a large bill. On the way to Buybuy BABY they took a break at Starbucks, Padmé wanted something sweet, coffee and...toilet. The stroller and baby car seat were found, and luckily, they were there with Padmé's A5, so they were able to fit the one they had bought with difficulty. Anakin only saw how much they had actually bought when he had to carry everything into the house.

"You see, Angel, we urgently need the SUV."

"What are the delivery times?"

"I need to find out about."

"First thing tomorrow."

"Very well, My Lady."

"Anakin! You keep making fun of me."

"Oh no, I would be far too scared to make fun of My Lady." He laughed.

"Speaking of tomorrow. My friend Sabé comes over after work and I have to tell her about Sunday. When do you think we can paint the walls in the nursery?"

"Not us, I'll do it. Next Saturday I'll buy the color you had in mind and then I'll get to work. I called Mrs. Summers, she comes extra and cleans everything. You don't have to do anything."

"Ani, you mother me too much, I can still do a lot of things."

"Yes, but some things are dangerous for you." He caressed her body, stomach, kissed her hair, neck and whispered in her ear that he loved her.

"Ani, I don't feel like having sex anymore, I feel like a whale, so bloated and clumsy. When I think there are almost two more months to go…I don't know how I can handle it."

"Don't feel like having sex? …but you can still give me a…blow job, huh?"

"Not even that, the stomach is always in the way."

"…and like last time…maybe?"

"We will give it a try."

"Tonight? We haven't had sex in three days."

"Do you need that much sex?"

"Padmé, I'm thirty, a man in his prime, I need sex."

"Did you have sex regularly before, I mean before me?"

"Do we need to have this discussion? Do you want me to tell you about my previous sex life?"

"Yes."

"You're impossible, but well, I'll tell you. No, I only had sex semi-regularly, I mean, not every day or every week. Before it was just sex, now it's making love. I express my feelings for you with physical love and since we have a lot of sex, my sex hormone, testosterone, remains at a high level."

"Then why don't I feel like it?"

"You're almost at the end of your pregnancy, it's normal to not feel like it, and after the birth you'll feel even less like it...for a while. Your body needs time to recover from the stresses of pregnancy and childbirth. These reasons are known to me, like every gynecologist, and I will respect them."

That evening Anakin got his blow job, but Padmé didn't want to be spoiled by him. She believed that it was not just the pregnancy, but also that her emotional turmoil was playing a role.

The next morning, Padmé searched for and ordered clothes for the babies she thought she would need. Later she wanted to buy some things at Bloomingsdale's, but now she was thinking about visiting her friend who was coming in a few hours. She made a Greek casserole called moussaka, she knew Sabé and Anakin would be hungry.

Laurel 2011

The doorbell rang at 4:30pm.

"Hi Missy. I haven't seen you for just a few days and your stomach has already grown, how are you feeling?"

"Like a whale." Padmé snorted.

"Oh, you poor thing. Still want to have more children?"

"At least two more."

"Yes, I know because it's so nice to have children with Lord Adonis."

"That's probably the reason...you know very well that I love children, I'm crazy about Ryoo and Pooja."

"You just don't have to worry about them, you're the mother to your children."

"I still have my husband."

"Oh yes, your Lord Perfect. Perfect lover, perfect husband, now he will be a perfect father...you are to be envied."

"Don't despair, you will definitely meet someone who is perfect and will enchant you."

"So, now tell me what you saw on Sunday."

"OK. For now, I've made us tea, and we'll eat something when Anakin gets home."

"Made tea, oh like English. Did you make scones too?"

"No, that would spoil your appetite...even though...you've gained weight girlfriend."

"The frustration eating is real."

"Do not wreck yourself."

"You're good at talking…but now tell me."

"You are bound by your confidentiality."

"Yes."

"Well, I should bring the documents to Senator Kerry for the committee meeting on Monday. I worked on it all week, I was already tired of the topic. He wanted to meet me in his office on Sunday afternoon. Anakin took me to D.C. but the Senator was not in the office. I was told he would be at the White House where he was waiting for me. When I arrived at the White House, I was led to him. He was in the President's Situation Room and called me in and told me to stay. The small room, which I didn't realize was so small, was crowded. President Obama, his Vice, Secretary of State, one general, many security advisors and Senator Kerry. They were all looking at a large monitor on the wall, and at first, I didn't know what the plot was until the Senator told me we were witnessing a historic event. He didn't say what it was, someone dropped the name Bin Laden, and I realized it was the hunt for him."

Padmé paused, took a sip of tea and started talking again.

"The Seals, I later heard it was the Seals commando, a special unit, you know, rappelled down and broke into a neighboring building, the shooting started. It was all so fast…and loud. Another camera showed the other group moving up a flight of stairs in another building and shooting everyone they saw. Then they went into a room and shot those present. Bin Laden was among them. They had no weapons. Sabé, it was worse than any crime thriller I've ever seen, I still can't calm down, I dream about it. I actually didn't want to see that...in my condition. Anakin was worried."

"Oh Padmé, you really didn't need that...and I don't know what the Senator was thinking letting you see something like that in your condition."

"Probably nothing. Everyone who was there was like high. The woman, the, the…she had her hand over her mouth and was giggling. Sabé it's so wrong, everything is so wrong. Punishment, yes, but no retaliation... and then they try to sugarcoat it by saying they were supposedly armed and resisted. It's all a lie, damn it, it's all a lie."

"Sometimes you don't know what to believe."

"I believe my eyes, Sabé."

"I don't know what to say."

"But I know what to say: I'm getting out of there."

"You want to leave Congress, leave it completely?"

"Yes !"

"Oh girl, so you're not coming back after your maternity leave? What do you want to do then?"

"I will take care of my children."

"Just a housewife and mother…WOW! Padmé, have you even thought about that?"

"That's what I want at the moment and I still have a lot of time to change my mind, but the children will need me for longer than eight weeks of maternity leave. I actually want to take a break of three years, then the children can go to preschool and I can go back to work if I don't get pregnant again." She winked at her friend, and Sabé left her mouth open, almost unable to find any words.

"Lady Skywalker, when did you become the way you are? Shit Padmé, I don't recognize you. One unpleasant event and monkey love for Lord Perfect and you are a completely different person. I miss my girlfriend !"

"Yes, I have changed and I think it's normal. I'm pregnant, with two babies ,Sabé, I have to think about them first, about what they need. They come first…and I have a husband now. You are alone, live from one day to the next and don't have as far-reaching thoughts or plans as I do. But that doesn't mean we're not friends anymore, we'll stay that way as long as we live…I think."

The two turned around at the same time as the front door slammed shut.

"Hey, where is that pretty blonde who turned my friend's head on and then left him. I have to talk to her."

He greeted her warmly, put a hand on her upper arm and, as friends greet each other, he gave her a kiss on the cheek. Sabé found herself enjoying it, he smelled so good, male and his touch was pure goosebumps...but he was her best friend's husband, shit.

"Hi Anakin."

Padmé didn't miss anything. He kissed his wife and held her carefully to him.

"How are my three Skywalkers today?"

"Good, Daddy."

"Oh, daddy sounds good."

"So...now who's hungry?"

"I am, my Angel. I'll eat everything you've cooked. What's nice?"

"Greek moussaka and lettuce."

"Do you like that too, Sabé?"

"Yes, I eat everything that's on the table, Anakin, that's how I was raised. Padmé can tell you how strict my father was."

"True. He taught her to be thrifty, she would never buy Louboutins."

"Yes, and you seduced me into buying much more expensive things than we had that first dinner with Ben."

"Speaking of Ben, is this finally over or is there still hope?"

"No, unfortunately not Anakin. I don't think he's over his wife's death yet." She looked Anakin in the eyes and was almost crying.

He wanted to comfort her and put his hand on her shoulder. "You will definitely meet someone who will make you happy. The fool doesn't know what he's missing."

Padmé took this to mean that Anakin thought highly of Sabé and felt a twinge of jealousy. They ate and drank, Padmé only had water, and Anakin talked a lot with Sabé that evening. Like every pregnant woman, Padmé found herself unattractive the way she was, huge belly, swollen feet, even her face had changed. She saw Anakin's eyes glued to Sabé, which wasn't true, he was just kind to Sabé, but in her despair over her changing body, Padmé saw things that didn't exist. No matter how many times Anakin caressed and kissed her, she found herself at a disadvantage, so uncomfortable, and wondering if she would ever look as good as she once did.

Sabé sat there for another hour, they discussed the political situation and the controversial statements and descriptions of the events, and then Sabé said goodbye and left.

"Anakin, we need to talk."

Best regards from Germany