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

6. Wedding Shenanigans

Authors Note: First of all, I am so sorry it took me so long to update this! While some of these scenes were already half written between posting chapters one and two, a few of them, especially one steamy section was a bitch to write.

I also was dealing with some mental health issues for a few months and I got myself hooked on webnovels(I'm sure you've seen the adds for them all over social media) so those two things kinda interfered with my writing.

To make it up to you, this is very steamy and pretty long chapter. Enjoy the reward for the long wait!

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Chapter 6:Wedding Shenanigans

When Padme woke up the next morning, it was to lukewarm sheets and an empty bed. Languidly stretching like a cat, Padme reached up to run a hand through her hair, pulling her unruly curls out from her eyes. Rolling over to check the time on her alarm clock, she found a glass of water and a bottle of aspirin left out on her nightstand.

It was already after ten, so it made sense that Anakin was already up, the annoying morning person that he was. Wrapping a blanket around herself, Padme approached the window to pull the curtain aside and sagged against the window frame at the sight of the motorcycle parked outside the building.

It's not that she expected Anakin to have left before she awoke per se. She trusted him enough not to be the type to hit it and quit it, at least, not with her. Then again, every other time that they had sex, they had been in hotel rooms on the road between LA and home. She really had no idea how he usually conducted his sexual encounters. Did he usually spend the night after each one?

After donning an oversized t-shirt under a robe, Padme left her bedroom, belting her robe. "Hey," she said upon finding Anakin on her couch, fully dressed already and perusing the collection left out on her coffee table.

She made her way into her kitchen to find a mug of coffee already filled from her Keurig and steaming. She turned towards him in surprise.

"I heard you get up," Anakin explained with a small smirk as he took a sip from his own mug.

Padme smiled to herself as she fixed her coffee the way that she liked it and brought it up to her mouth, inhaling the addicting aroma before taking a sip. "How long have you been up?" she asked, settling down next to him.

"About an hour. Your phone woke me up," Anakin answered as he handed over the cell in question.

Padme accepted her phone and checked for any missed calls or messages. Frowning, she noticed only one accepted call form this morning.

"I thought it was mine," Anakin explained with a shrug. "Satine was surprised to hear me answer it."

"Oh, god, she's going to ask questions," Padme moaned.

"I told her that I came over for one of our classic movie nights and I fell asleep on the couch. She repeated the line to my brother who backed up the excuse by the way. A perfect excuse for why I answered your phone by mistake," Anakin assured her.

"I wish I had thought of that," Padme admitted, setting her phone down. "What did we watch?" she asked with a raised brow as she sipped at her coffee.

"Titanic," Anakin muttered, tapping an old photo from when they were twelve, taken at Wildwood.

Padme choked on her coffee at the choice in the movie. Anakin reached over and patted her back.

"I know, stupid, but I was looking at this magazine you had stuffed in the seat cushions and I couldn't think of anything else," he excused himself, indicating the wrinkled magazine she had purchased at a checkout counter a while ago with the classic picture of the famous shipwreck on the cover.

"It's not that," Padme assured him. Groaning, she shook her head. "Satine's going to tease me over this," she bemoaned.

Anakin gave her a curious look. "Because of Titanic?" he asked, clearly puzzled. He was clearly thinking about her brief phase when she had been obsessed with the movie during the sixth grade. However, Padme was thinking about something completely different.

"Because of my ex-boyfriend," Padme corrected.

Anakin furrowed his brows. "Ian?" he questioned flatly. Padme recognized that tone and knew that despite never meeting, Anakin had already decided to dislike her ex-boyfriend with prejudice.

"No, Palo," she corrected, rolling her eyes.

"Who's Palo?" Anakin asked, confused.

"Just some guy I dated for a while in my sophomore year of college," Padme dismissed. She had no ill will towards Palo, she just held some residual embarrassment over that brief relationship.

"Okay," Anakin sounded uncertain. "And Satine is going to tease you about it?"

"Because of how we met," Padme said.

"And it's connected to Titanic?" he asked. At her nod, Anakin shook his head and chuckled. "Well that's a story that I need to hear," he told her with an amused glint in his eye. Padme recognized it immediately and knew that once she told him that story, he would be relentlessly teasing her about it.

"Well, you're going to have to wait," Padme told him primly and casually shoved at his shoulder. Both of them laughed together as though the last ten years didn't exist. Something inside her clenched at the familiarity in their interactions, as though the dynamics of their relationship were completely normal and unchanging. Yet, everything had changed and Padme questioned if they could ever go back to the way things were before that fight.

"So, got time to go grab breakfast?" Anakin asked, setting his empty mug down.

Padme sighed, "I don't, actually," she answered. "I'm supposed to meet everyone for brunch followed by a spa day. Satine's mother set the whole thing up as a classy bachelorette party. Your mother is also supposed to join us," Padme explained.

"Sounds fun," Anakin drawled. Leaning forward, he plucked one of the pictures from the pile on the coffee table and held it up. "Mind if I take this?" he asked.

Padme glanced at the picture he held up. It was taken during the Homecoming dance of their junior year. They had gone together as friends, just as they had to every school dance except for prom. They had coordinated outfits, in this one, Padme wore a black sleeveless dress, and Anakin was wearing a black dress shirt that he had yet to fill out. They were embracing, Padme's arms reaching around his torso as her hands held onto his shoulders, her cheek resting on his chest, his chin on her head, both looking at the camera. She had multiples of that photo. "Yeah, go ahead," she told him, briefly wondering why he had chosen that picture out of all the others. Checking the time she said, "I should probably start getting ready."

"Right," Anakin agreed, standing up and tucking the picture into the inner breast pocket of his motorcycle jacket after shrugging it on.

Padme followed him out, standing on the sidewalk as he straddled his bike. She had to admit that he looked good on it. "Be careful," she implored, worried about him as she thought of all the motorcycle fatalities she heard about.

"Always," he said, turning the key in the ignition. "Maybe you'd like to take a ride sometime," he offered, pulling on his gloves.

"I don't know," Padme said slowly, eyeing the motorcycle in all its black and chrome glory, noticing the Harley Davidson logo for the first time.

"Sounds like a challenge," Anakin grinned at her.

"If you say 'challenge accepted', I swear…" Padme shook her head.

Anakin let out a bark of laughter that was so carefree that for a moment the past ten years melted away and lit a flame deep inside of her. "Duly noted."

Leaning over, his hand reached up to cup the nape of her neck as he pulled her in for a lingering kiss. Padme melted into the kiss instinctively, lost to the heady feelings he inflicted. The entire street fell away to the feel of his lips against hers, the taste of his tongue as it danced with her own.

All too soon, the kiss ended and Anakin was pulling away. Padme opened her eyes to meet his. "I'll see you tomorrow. I'll be the one in the tux standing next to the groom," Anakin told her softly.

Padme bit her lip and nodded. "I'll keep a lookout," she promised.

Anakin threw her a knowing look as he pulled on his helmet and for the first time, she could make out the firebird emblazoned on the black surface.

Anakin kickstarted the motorcycle and gave her a two-finger salute before he was off. Padme watched him ride off and through the streets. Hugging her robe around herself tighter, she suddenly became acutely aware of her state of dress out in the street and hurried back inside. She had half an hour left to get ready tomeet the rest of the bridal party for brunch and the day of pampering.

---

As part of the bridal party, Padme had arrived at the church less than twenty minutes after the bride, the maid-of-honor, and both mothers of the happy couple. The wedding ceremony was being held at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church, an almost two-hundred-year-old cathedral in Center City, only a ten-minute drive from the location of the reception. Satine, who was Episcopalian, had agreed to a Catholic ceremony, much to her mother's disapproval. Rather than have the ceremony take place at the church the Skywalker clan had attended for generations, Obi-Wan had compromised and let Satine choose the church. After all, Obi-Wan's first wedding had been at the family parish and officiated by Father Mundi, who had been the pastor of the parish that both the Skywalkers and Naberries had attended for as long as Padme could remember. It took some negotiation, but Father Mundi would be officiating the ceremony today as a guest.

As soon as Padme arrived, her dress in a garment bag and a small overnight bag packed with a change of clothes, her lingerie, jewelry, makeup, and other essentials in hand, Satine greeted her with a warm hug.

"Oh, Padme, I'm so glad you're here!"

"How are you feeling? Nervous?" Padme asked as Satine let go so that Padme could hang up her garment bag.

"A little bit of everything," Satine admitted. "Most of all, I'm just happy."

Padme couldn't help but envy her friend's happiness. On the other side of the room, Shmi was exchanging pleasant small talk with Satine's mother, Cynthia Kryze. Upon close inspection, Padme noticed the slight tension between the two mothers. Cynthia Kryze had far higher expectations for her debutante daughter than marrying into a middle-class family. Nonetheless, Satine was deeply in love with Obi-Wan and his daughter. Satine was a much warmer and more open person than her Upper New England society parents.

Padme was going to ask about how the two mothers were getting on when the door opened, followed by an excited voice.

"Padme!"

Padme turned in time to catch Jinney who ran over to throw her arms around her waist. "Oh, wow, hi!" Padme laughed as the little girl enthusiastically greeted her.

Padme looked up to see Ahsoka close the door behind her, her hair in a stylized updo made out of braids, ice blue and white braids intermixing with her natural black. Ahsoka was already wearing her bridesmaid dress, her white ink tattoos on full display. Mrs. Kryze made a face at Ahsoka's appearance. Satine had informed them about her mother's wishes for Ahsoka to cover up her tattoos and hopes for the sister of the groom to wear a 'proper wig', for the photos. Satine, at least, had the grace to shut her mother's demands down. Padme was glad of it, despite Ahsoka's frosty attitude towards her, she couldn't help but admire the beauty of Ahsoka's tattoos. Padme caught Shmi's knowing look as she silently communicated with the bride.

"I have a present for you," Jinney announced.

"You do?" Padme asked, kneeling to be at the little girl's eye level.

Jinney nodded and reached into her little backpack, producing a small velveteen pouch. "Uncle Ani helped me with it," she informed her.

Padme glanced up at Satine and smiled down at the little girl.

"I think you'll love it," Satine said as she reached down to softly brush her hand through Jinny's curled hair.

Padme accepted the gift and opened the punch, emptying it onto her hand. On a delicate silver chain hung an oblong pendant about the size of a quarter, made up of natural moonstone wrapped in silver wire. "It's beautiful, thank you," she said, hugging Jinney.

"I got the moonstone from a bag of rocks Uncle Ani had brought back from Virginia in April. He helped me with the wire wrapping, though, because I'm not big enough to handle the tools by myself," Jinney explained.

"Jinney wanted to make necklaces for the wedding," Satine explained and showed Padme a similar gift, the stone a rose quartz instead of moonstone.

"We all got one, with a different stone. I got Aventurine and Ahsoka has tiger's eye," Kat explained. "Mom has onyx and Shmi has amethyst."

"Anakin had been helping her with the necklaces for a couple of months," Shmi explained. "They just finished yours yesterday."

"Uncle Ani helped me pick out your stone, Padme," Jinney informed her.

"More that he picked it out himself," Shmi said softly as she set down a garment bag over a chair. "Ahsoka, dear, help Jinney get dressed, will you," she requested.

Ahsoka came over to retrieve her niece from Padme all without greeting her. Padme barely noticed as she brushed her thumb over the smooth moonstone, noticing the designs in the silver wire wrappings. She was incredibly touched by the gift. Though it came from Jinney, it had Anakin written all over it. Hearing Satine sigh caught her attention, and Padme turned to see her friend shaking her head in Ahsoka's direction.

"According to Obi, Anakin had words with her about her antics," Satine quietly confided in Padme, a look of relief in her eyes. "I love my new family, I do, but I wish I could understand Ahsoka's behavior more. It seems that Anakin is the only one that she'll take seriously."

"I'll explain sometime," Padme promised, unable to say more as the stylist, hired to do the hair and makeup for the bridal party, called them over.

Satine had chosen an elegant design for the bridesmaid dresses in an ice blue satin. The bodice was strapless and fitted within the a-line skirt was a hidden slit for a touch of sexy. Padme's moonstone necklace that Jinney had presented to her complimented the dress perfectly. The stones that Ahsoka and Kat wore contrasted the dresses instead, but they complemented each recipient.

"Kat, can you take these bags and coordinate with Anakin on their final destination," Satine asked, once identification ribbons were placed on each bag after they each had changed into their bridesmaid dress.

Satine breathed deeply, taking a final glance at herself in the mirror, in her satin, long-sleeved, deep v-neck mermaid wedding gown. She wore a pair of diamond studs that had belonged to her grandmother, along with the necklace that Jinney had given her. Her hair had been styled up in an elegant French twist, her veil pinned to the top. "This is it," she breathed.

After taking time for wedding photos, the ceremony would begin. Jinney, as the flower girl, went first, followed by Ahsoka, escorted by Obi-Wan's friend and colleague, Bail Organa. Padme was escorted down the aisle by Quinlan Vos, who had his long dreadlocks tied back, looking as polished as possible in his black tux. Apparently, no one had bothered to inform Anakin that she was one of Satine's bridesmaids, judging by the surprise on his face when she took her place in line and accepted Quinlan's arm.

As Obi-Wan and Satine made their vows, Padme's eyes met Anakin's and for a moment she felt transported back to when she attended Obi-Wan's first wedding, with Anakin making goofy faces at her from his place up at the altar behind his brother's back. This time, there were no goofy faces, hidden giggles, and inside jokes between two childhood friends. Instead, there existed laden glances across the altar, filled with the reminder of the things they had done in hotel rooms across the country, things that not a single other person in this church knew about, save the two of them.

Anakin reserved the goofy faces this time for his niece, who stood between the bride and the maid of honor, Kat Kryaze. Jinney giggled at her uncle's attempt at humor and Anakin winked at her in return. The interaction brought about a longing deep within her as Padme met his gaze again. Something unspoken passed between them, a spark of what if .

The reception was held at Hotel Monaco located across the street from Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell. Satine had once again shown an exquisite taste fordesign upon entering the beautifully decorated ballroom. The ballroom was a display of class and elegance that was pure Satine. Even the food was perfect. Padme had chosen the fish option and she was dying for the recipe so she could try it out herself some time. She was busy twirling the stem of her wineglass as she watched Obi-Wan and Satine dance with Jinney between them, already a picturesque little family, when someone sat down next to her.

"Some wedding, huh?"

Padme turned to her right to see Anakin sitting next to her. He had chosen the steak. "Satine has an excellent eye," she said.

"I think it's got just as much of Obi-Wan's taste," Anakin countered, taking a bite of potato. "I didn't know you were in the bridal party."

"I'm surprised no one mentioned it to you," Padme said.

"I think they were afraid to," Anakin commented, leaning in and holding her gaze with his mesmerizing stare. "Remember when Obi-Wan married Siri?"

"I was thinking about that earlier. I remember you making faces behind his back," she replied.

"I was an obnoxious punk. Obi-Wan saw what I was doing anyway," he recalled. "Besides, you thought I was funny," he said, nudging her shoulder playfully.

"I think you're an asshole," she told him playfully, stealing one of his potatoes just as he speared a piece of her fish with his fork.

"Damn that's good fish," he said.

"I was just thinking about getting the recipe," Padme informed him conspiratorially.

"Split?" he asked, holding his plate up and raising an eyebrow.

Padme rolled her eyes at him but split up their respective meals in order to share. "You clean up nice by the way," she told him softly.

"All I did was shave and comb my hair," he said modestly. "You, however," his eyes raked over her appreciatively. "Look amazing."

Padme averted her gaze, sure that the heat flaming her skin was on display. Across the room, she saw Ahsoka glaring at them in disapproval.

"Man, it's a good thing Obi revoked that invitation to Ferus, the little shit would be in a right snit at that perfect little family image."

Padme turned at the sound of a new voice as Quinlan sat down across from them with his meal. Despite his formal attire, he still managed to look out of place. Never mind the fact that his dreadlocks were pulled back neatly, some of his tattoos were still visible around the neck, on his hands, and even one on his face, contrasting nicely with his golden skin. He even wore black eyeliner and his nails were painted black. Satine's mother must hate having to socialize with him.

"Well, he wasn't exactly pleased that Obi-Wan was remarrying but Ferus absolutely lost his shit when the subject of Satine adopting Jinney came up," Anakin commented.

"I heard something about a fight," Padme interjected.

"That's putting it lightly," Quinlan said with a dark chuckle, taking a bite of steak. "What's with the little Soka glare?" he asked, effectively changing the subject and nodding to where Ahsoka was glaring at them.

"Ignore her, she's just being dramatic," Anakin muttered, as he continued eating, not even bothering to glance in his sister's direction.

Quinlan eyed him shrewdly. "Are you and Soka fighting?" he asked incredulously. "You never fight!" he leaned in with a guileful look on his face. "This is interesting…"

"Nothing is interesting about it," Anakin countered, giving Qinlan a warning look.

Quinlan chuckled. "Ah, I see someone is taking his solo best man duties seriously," he said. Glancing around, he spied something that made his eyes light up like a predator. "Looks like mommy-in-law is free for a dance. Excuse me." and with that, Quinlan left them alone at the table.

"She's going to hate him," Padme predicted.

Anakin scoffed. "Like that's going to deter him," he commented. "What is with that stick up her ass anyway?" he asked.

Padme figured that he was no stranger to Cynthia Kryze at this point. She had little doubt that he had already heard of her complaints about both Ahsoka's and Quinlan's unconventional style choices. "Boston Brahmins," she deadpanned. At Anakin's furrowed brow, she rolled her eyes. "She's Emily Gilmore and Shira Huntzberger combined," she elaborated.

"Ah," Anakin said as he cleared his plate. "Makes sense. Mom is going to be glad to see the delightful Mrs. Kryze return home. I haven't seen her force so many smiles since Sister Mary Eunice retired," he commented as he took a sip of whatever was in his glass.

"Satine doesn't share her mother's values," Padme informed him.

"Obviously, or else this wedding wouldn't have happened," Anakin agreed.

Padme smiled, glancing over to the dance floor again. Quinlan had indeed cornered Cynthia Kryze into a dance while Adonai Kryze, Satine's father, danced with Shmi, apparently charming the Skywalker matriarch. Ahsoka was busy talking with Cliegg, Owen, and Beru across the room. Everything was going as smoothly as could be and Padme reached for her wine glass to take a sip but Anakin gently snatched it from her grasp. Turning to him, she was about to protest when he gently took her hand.

"Dance with me?" he requested.

Padme let herself be pulled from her seat and led to the dancefloor, as La Vie En Rose began to play. She relished being in his warm embrace as they danced, the world falling away so that it was only them. "I imagine people are staring," she said, leaning her head on his shoulder.

"Let them stare," he said softly and she could practically feel him roll his eyes. "Two chocolate bells says that a few are expecting a scene," he said with a grin.

Padme laughed as they twirled. "If this weren't the wedding of my two good friends, I'd be tempted to stage one just to test that theory," she told him.

"I'm pretty sure my mom would kill me if I tried that," Anakin laughed nervously. He probably remembered the last time he caused a scene at a wedding.

Padme caught Ahsoka dancing with Cliegg not that far away and turned her attention to where Quinlan held Satine's mother captive. "Two moonpies if Quinlan doesn't try to give Satine's mother a kiss for the camera," she bet him this time.

Anakin snorted at the thought and grinned mischievously. "Three moonpies if she doesn't try to get the evidence deleted," he countered.

"You're on," Padme laughed.

"What are you two laughing about?" Shmi asked warmly as she passed them by with her partner.

"Nothing!" Both Anakin and Padme answered together and then laughed when Shmi merely raised an eyebrow at them in response.

"Suddenly I feel like a teenager about to be caught sneaking around," Anakin deadpanned.

"Probably because you are," Padme quipped.

"Very funny," Anakin said with a roll of the eyes.

"I try to be," Padme said lightly. Smiling, she looked up to meet his eyes and caught the warm look in his eyes as he looked at her. As her breath began to catch in her throat, he looked away and she swore a shadow fell, obscuring the warmth from his gaze. Something shifted in his posture that Padme wished she knew how to decipher.

"We may not be kids anymore, but the sneaking around is all the same," Anakin said under his breath.

"Anakin," Padme started, quickly glancing around them to make sure no one was listening in. "We've talked about this…"

"I know," Anakin assured her, looking back to meet her furrowed gaze. "Besides, the sneaking around is just half the fun," he grinned.

Padme chuckled and shook her head in bemusement. "You're incorrigible," she told him and laid her head on his shoulder as they swayed to the music.

"I have a room upstairs booked for the night," he whispered, his hot breath against her ear.

Padme bit her lip and suppressed a shudder. Heedless of the fact that they were in a room with his entire family, or the risks of getting caught, all she could think about was the addictive lust this man provoked in her. Pulling back slightly to meet his hungry gaze, she said in a quiet suggestive voice, "Why wait for a room?"

She stepped out from his arms. "I think I'm going to go use the bathroom," she informed him calmly. As she walked towards the doors, she glanced over her shoulder at him, hoping that he got the signal as she left in search of an unoccupied bathroom. With satisfaction, she noticed him quickly adjusting his tux and making his way around the room to inconspicuously follow her.

---

This wasn't in her plan for the evening in the slightest, it was downright indecent but Padme couldn't bring herself to care. Not when she was pressed against the door to the bathroom, holding onto whatever she could for support with one hand while biting down on her fist to keep herself from screaming. Her chest heaved with the effort of trying to suppress the need to moan. She felt slightly off balance with only one foot on the floor in the silver strappy heels she wore, while her other leg draped over Anakin's shoulder as he knelt beneath her dress, giving her the most amazing head of her life. His tongue was doing tricks she had never dreamed of, making her whimper with the need for release.

Padme was on the cusp of coming for the second time when she felt his fingers come into play, reaching spots that threatened to make her see stars. Padme threw her head back, panting with need as she fought against the pressure to not make a sound. He was making it increasingly difficult for her to maintain what decorum she had left. "So close, don't…oh god…" she gasped, arching her back, her hand reaching down to grip his hair as she rode out her orgasm.

Anakin leaned back on his haunches, meeting her heated gaze as he brought his fingers, coated with her arousal, to his mouth and sucked. It was the filthiest thing she had ever seen him do - and they'd known each other since they were three, so that was saying something,- and yet, all Padme could feel was a rush of arousal and empowerment.

"I'm fairly certain that was longer than five minutes," he informed her with a cocky smirk.

"Asshole," Padme panted breathlessly.

"Is that my new nickname?" he asked as he slowly rose to his feet, sliding his hands up along her thighs, around her hips, circling around to cup her ass underneath her dress, pulling her body flush against his. "Because I have a few for you," he informed her huskily, his lips hovering an inch over hers.

"Don't tease me," Padme pouted, gripping his lapels roughly as she pulled him in for a searing kiss, groaning into his mouth as he slid his tongue into hers. Padme slid her hands around his neck, running her fingers through his hair, needing to be closer, needing to be utterly devoured by him. He apparently felt the same, grinding against her hips with need. Padme broke the kiss to gasp at the feel of his arousal.

"Who said anything about teasing?" he queried, nipping at her bottom lip lightly. "However, if you want me to tease you, that's going to have to wait for the hotel room upstairs."

"Ani," Padme breathed in deeply, feeling her chest heave, "Shut up."

Anakin chuckled as his mouth returned to hers. "Impatient?" he teased, his mouth over hers a fraction of an inch.

"Well this is supposed to be a quickie and you're taking too long," Padme huffed and boldly reached down to cup him through the restrictive fabric of his trousers.

Anakin hissed against her neck, instinctively pressing against her touch. Encouraged by his reaction, Padme deftly undid the closure of his trousers to reach inside to palm his already throbbing cock, provoking a low groan in response.

Grasping his shaft, Padme leaned forward to whisper into his ear, "If you don't hurry up, I'm going to leave you in this room very frustrated and in need of a cold shower." she promised.

That got his attention and he threw her an appreciative look. "Fuck, that's hot," he moaned. Roughly gripping her thighs, he deftly lifted her up off her feet while at the same time, Padme gripped his shoulders, wrapping her legs around his waist as he pressed her against the bathroom wall. "Try to be quiet, someone can hear us," he teased with a quick kiss. Padme, in response, bit his lip, making him hiss. "Worth it" he grinned.

Supporting her with one arm, Anakin made quick work of shoving his pants down to his knees and used his teeth to tear open a condom wrapper. Panting in anticipation, Anakin held her gaze as in one swift motion, he thrust up, deep inside of her with a low grunt.

Padme gasped at the feel of him inside of her, her legs tightening their hold around his waist while she gripped at his hair. Anakin pressed his mouth to the side of her neck, his teeth grazing at her skin. Tugging on his hair, Padme's mouth fell open in a sharp cry as he began to set a quick pace. "Don't," she mewled as he hit just the right spot, "you dare leave a mark for me to cover up" she panted.

Anakin gave a throaty chuckle. "No promises," he huffed, crushing his mouth to hers in a fiery kiss as he kept up a frenzied pace, with quick, hard thrusts.

Padme didn't think she could last much longer. She could feel her release coming, and judging by the alterations of his thrusts, and the pulsating she could feel from within, she knew that he wasn't all that far behind. Breaking the kiss, Padme threw her head back against the wall, her breath coming in short gasps. "Oh.. god, yes. That's it…ah," she gasped out as she could feel her climax washing over her.

Meanwhile, Anakin had returned to placing open-mouthed kisses along her neck as his own release overtook him, his thrusts becoming jerky. He came not long after her, grunting and groaning against her skin.

Spent, it took them a moment to get their breathing under control before Anakin gently lowered her to her feet, his hands remaining on her hips.

"You good?" he asked, holding her steady.

Padme nodded. "Yeah," she breathed.

Anakin cupped her cheek and leaned in for a languid kiss before stepping away to dispose of the condom. In his absence, Padme stumbled over to the sink so that she could start to clean herself up and make herself appear less wanton, as though she hadn't just snuck away to have sex in the bathroom.

Anakin stepped up behind her as he faced the mirror, tucking his shirt back into his trousers. Smoothing any perceived wrinkles and reaching up to smooth down his hair until it looked presentable, he glanced over at her and smirked. Holding his wrist up in front of him at eye level, he checked the time on his watch. "That was definitely over twenty minutes," he commented.

Padme threw him an incredulous glance. "You timed it?" she asked.

Anakin shrugged. "I had to prove a point," he said nonchalantly, shoving his hands in his pockets and giving her a triumphant grin.

Padme just stared at him and remembered the small argument that they had after leaving LA. "Asshole," she gasped.

"First of all, this was your idea, second, you enjoyed it," he defended himself.

Padme shook her head at him and turned back to the mirror to fix her hair and paused. "Wait, we've been gone, how long?" she asked. Someone was bound to notice that they were both missing.

"Relax, I have it covered," Anakin assured her. "As far as anyone is concerned, I roped you into helping me set up a surprise in the honeymoon suit. And before you ask, it's already taken care of."

"You're just full of cover stories, aren't you," Padme commented.

"Well, you're the one who wants to keep this a secret," Anakin said, smoothing back his hair and giving himself one last satisfied glance in the mirror. "It is rather fun, this sneaking around and finding ways to evade detection," he threw her a grin.

Padme adjusted her dress and bent to fix her garters that had come loose before she paused and looked around frantically. "Have you seen my panties?" she asked.

"You mean these?"

Straightening up, she turned to him, only to see her light blue panties dangling from his crooked finger. "Yes, thank you," she said, reaching for the scrap of lace only for him to hold it back. "Anakin!"

"I think I'm going to keep these," he said decisively, stuffing her panties down into his pocket.

"Give me those," Padme demanded, pouncing on him to retrieve her panties.

"Hey, careful," Anakin jerked back. "Unless you want to go for round two, keep your hands to yourself," he warned, grasping her wrists.

"This isn't a game of keep away, Anakin," Padme protested.

"You'll get them back later," he promised. "Just consider this, no one else will know. We walk back into that ballroom and no one else but the two of us will know that I have your panties in my pocket," he suggested, whispering into her ear. "To everyone else, we're completely normal, just two old friends having fun and enjoying each other's company. Meanwhile, we alone share this one, fun, kinky little secret…"

Padme closed her eyes and breathed in, listening and imagining what he was suggesting. It was risky, it was shameless and yet she couldn't help but to feel tempted. The cut of the dress she wore would be more than adequate to conceal any hint of indecency. Padme had certainly never done something so bold and risque, especially in a room full of people she knew. The rebellious part of herself that she had spent so many years repressing reared its head. With one look into Anakin's eyes, her decision was made.

---

When Anakin and Padme returned to the hotel's ballroom, they were immediately cornered near the bar before they could even order a drink.

"There you two are! We've been looking for you," Kat, Satine's sister, said as she approached. "Mom wants one last photo of the bridal party before they cut the cake.

"Wouldn't want to disappoint Madam Kryze then," Anakin agreed, smoothing down his tux.

"That's honestly not hard to do in the least," Kat muttered as she led them over to where the rest of the bridal party was positioned around the cake.

Padme, privy to the relationship Satine and Kat had with their mother, understood what the redhead wasn't vocalizing and felt grateful for her own relationship with her mother. As she took her place between Ahsoka and Satine's cousin, Sabine, Padme smoothed down the front of her dress, carefully adjusting the slit as modestly as she could. She was acutely aware of the fact that she wasn't wearing any panties and while it felt somewhat uncomfortable and made her feel self-conscious, the risque game they were playing was oddly titillating. Anakin caught her eye from his place at Obi-Wan's side and subtly touched his pocket where her panties were tucked, sending a simultaneous shiver down her spine as heat poured through her veins. Oh, this was a dangerous game they were playing. They were just begging to get caught out by his entire family. The risk only managed to thrill her in ways she hadn't yet imagined possible. Anakin was right, the sneaking around made what they were doing that much more thrilling.

The photographer took several pictures in a variety of arrangements before Cynthia Kryze was satisfied. And once the photos were done, they all gave the bride and groom enough room for the rest of the guests to watch them cut the cake. Padme was struck by the look of pure contentment on Obi-Wan's face as he and Satine cut the cake together and fed each other a bite from their own fork. It was a stark contrast to the youthfully enthusiastic way that he and Siri had cut their cake. Back then Obi-wan and Siri had smashed cake in each other's faces, laughing before kissing each other with cake-covered mouths. While she loved Satine and knew that she and Obi-Wan truly were happy together, Padme couldn't help but miss Siri.

"Hey, I saw that look," Anakin said, coming up behind her with a plate of cake in hand.

Padme didn't need to ask to know he had guessed what she was thinking. "Can you blame me?" she asked softly.

"No," Anakin agreed. "I miss Siri too," he intoned solemnly. "I miss her all the time."

Padme turned to glance over at him and noted a look of regret in his eyes. She wondered what that was about but decided that now wasn't the time to pry. "Think she would like Satine?" she asked.

"I think Siri would have loved seeing how happy Satine made them in her absence," Anakin told her. "She would have wanted them to be happy."

"What about you? Are you happy?" Padme asked, watching him closely.

"As I'm ever going to be," came his automatic response. He offered her a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes and Padme felt something constricting inside of her at the expression.

"Ani," she softly said, reaching out to him.

"It's my brother's wedding. This isn't the time to deal with my shit," he told her quietly, but firmly.

He was right, it wasn't the time or pace to talk about this so she dropped it. That didn't stop her from suspecting him of using it as an excuse to avoid the subject. She knew him well enough that when he didn't want to talk, he would evade the topic with a valid excuse.

Before she could say anything else, Jinney came over and threw her arms around Anakin who squeezed her back. Shmi and Cliegg were not too far behind.

"We're taking her up for the night," Shmi explained.

"Tired, Peanut?" Anakin chuckled affectionately.

"Nu ah," Jinney denied, shaking her head. "Wanna stay up," she protested.

"I'm sure you do, but it's getting late. I think Grandma is pretty tired herself. You wanna keep her company?" Anakin reasoned, while sending his mother a wink.

"I'd love to watch a movie with you, honey," Shmi coaxed, combing her fingers through Jinney's hair.

"Can I pick?" Jinney asked.

"Of course," Shmi agreed with a warm smile.

"Anything you want, kiddo," Cliegg agreed.

Jinney looked between her grandparents with a decisive look she definitely inherited from her father. "Okay," she agreed obediently, allowing Cliegg to pick her up so she could rest her head against his shoulder.

"We'll see you in the morning," Shmi said, giving Anakin a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Have fun tonight," she encouraged.

"We will," Anakin promised and Padme knew what he was thinking but refrained from saying anything when Shmi moved to embrace her too.

"Keep an eye on him," Shmi whispered into her ear.

"I'll do my best," Padme promised, glad to feel included in the family once again.

"And now the kids are away, this is where the fun begins," Anakin grinned over at her.

Sure enough, a few minutes later the bouquet toss was announced as Satine got into position at the front of the dance floor, standing up on a platform. Padme allowed herself to be pulled into the group of single women vying to be the one to catch the bouquet. She caught Anakin's eye from the spot she had been jostled to by some over-eager guest. He threw her a teasing two-finger salute before accepting the bar glass from Quinlan, who said something that obviously amused him.

As Satine tossed the bouquet, several other women tussled to be the one to catch it, however, Padme felt someone push her from behind. Throwing her hands out to keep her balance, Padme didn't get the chance to turn around and catch who had pushed her because at that moment the bouquet landed in her outstretched hands.

Satine turned around and caught Padme's bewildered, embarrassed face and covered her mouth in a laugh. Across the room Padme found Anakin staring at her intently.

The next several minutes, or so it felt, was a blur as she endured all the wedding tradition jokes and innuendos regarding being the one to catch the bouquet. Padme felt numb and embarrassed by the attention.

However, she kept up a pleasant mask and responded to every comment in kind, even if her hands shook as she held the bouquet. She hadn't intended to be the one to catch it and if it wasn't for whoever decided to push her out of the way, she was sure it would have been someone else in her place.

When it came time for the garter toss, Padme felt her knee bouncing as she sat at a table, the bouquet in her lap. Her eyes were fixated as Obi-Wan playfully removed the garter from his wife's thigh underneath her dress. It was a rare show of his cheeky side as several hoots and hollers were echoed, with Quinlan being the loudest. When he moved to stand up, Satine grasped her new husband by the shirt in order to pull him down for a kiss that held promises for later, enticing several woof whistles that Padme was sure to embarrass her friends. However, for tonight, they both appeared to enjoy the attention.

When it came time for Obi-Wan to toss the garter, Padme's anxiety spiked. Whoever would catch the garter could risk discovering her immodesty. A group of single men gathered to catch the garter, each sending various looks her way. Quinlan, at least threw her a supportive glance and she knew that he would be like a protective big brother if he caught the garter. She only had to hope that it wasn't Satine's cousin Paul Vizsla, the guy made her skin crawl.

Playing into the provocative nature of the traditional garter toss, Obi-Wan twirled the blue silk and lace bridal garter around his finger to the tune of Pour Some Sugar on Me , before flinging it in the direction of the waiting group of single men.

Padme's breath caught in her throat, and her spine stiffened as she waited to see who had won the right to place the garter on her leg. Time appeared to slow down to an agonizing speed as the guys who lost the prize dissipated. Exhaling in relief, her posture relaxed as time normalized at the sight of the winner. In the center of the group of single men stood Anakin, bridal garter clutched in his fist above his head, a possessive look of triumph in his eyes as his gaze focused solely on her from across the room.

"Why am I not surprised," Obi-Wan said upon noticing that his brother had won the garter toss.

Quinlan barked out a laugh as he clasped Anakin on the shoulder. "Skywalker strikes again, boys!" he chortled.

From behind her, Ahsoka scoffed and crossed her arms. "Seriously, Skyguy?" she called.

"What?" Anakin called back. "I like to win," he stated with a shrug of his shoulders as though that was simple enough of an explanation.

"Alright, you know the rules of the game so let's get it on!" Quinlan called, interrupting the siblings' banter with a pat on Anakin's shoulder.

"Padme, time to take your place of honor right here," he said with a wicked grin as he positioned a chair in the center of the dance floor.

Padme's gaze met Anakin's gaze and sighed. Standing up, she made her way over, unable to believe their luck. Once she reached the center of the dance floor, Quinlan gallantly took her hand and kissed her knuckles as he escorted her to take her seat. Much to her embarrassment the DJ started to play WAP.

Padme buried her face in her hands in embarrassment, moaning, "Oh god!"

"Seriously? What the fuck is this shit?" Anakin shouted and pointed an accusatory finger at Quinlan who gave him a cheeky double thumbs up.

"Get it on, Skywalker, before someone else steps in," someone shouted.

"Fuck off!" Anakin shouted over his shoulder only to be met with a rumble of bawdy laughter. " Dick ," he swore under his breath. "Hey," he said, touching her knee as he knelt in front of her. "Forget about those assholes. Focus on me," he instructed.

"At least Paul didn't catch it," Padme deadpanned.

"Yeah, good thing, or I might end up charged for assault," Anakin agreed, clearly sharing her dislike of Satine's slimy cousin.

"I'd bail you out," Padme promised, earning herself a chuckle.

"Or maybe just wait for a conjugal visit," he countered quietly.

"Think you could last that long?" she asked doubtfully.

"Good thing we don't have to find out," he smirked, lightly grasping her calf to lift it off the floor.

"Yes, very fortuitous," Padme agreed softly, doing her best to suppress any bodily response to his touch along her calf as he slipped the garter up her leg. It was even more difficult the higher his fingers reached. He held her gaze as his fingers drew circles along her inner thigh. Padme wanted to curse at him when her breath hitched as his fingers stroked her teasingly over her folds briefly before he withdrew his hand. "I'm going to kill you," she growled.

"Looking forward to it," Anakin grinned as he rose to his feet.

As though a spell broke over them, the DJ changed the song to a vigorous dance tune to start the countdown to the evening's festivities. Satine came over with a flute of champagne for her as she and a few others descended on her for a group dance with just the girls.

Spinning around through the crowd, Padme tried to see where Anakin had ended up. She expected to see him over by the bar with the rest of the groomsmen and Obi-Wan but he was nowhere to be found. Shrugging, Padme downed the champagne in hand and enjoyed herself.

---

Anakin growled a vulgar swear once he found release. Panting, he leaned his forehead against the bathroom stall, pounding his free fist against the surface next to his forehead, the sound muffled by the fistful of lace he had restored to using to both aid in finding his release and muffling his own vocalizations.

There was no way he would have been able to make it through the rest of the reception if he hadn't made the hasty retreat to the men's room. Everyone watched as he slipped the bridal garter up Padme's leg and one look at him if he hadn't come back here to take care of himself and it would have been impossible to hide just what kind of effect his supposedly platonic best friend had on him. It's bad enough that Padme was visibly embarrassed by the whole thing, he didn't need to inadvertently add to her embarrassment with a very noticeable hard on.

It was absolutely ridiculous, the effect the barest of touch between them had on him. He normally had more control over his own body than this. He hadn't felt this needy since adolescence. With his breathing under control, Anakin cleaned himself up with some toilet paper before tucking himself back inside his pants, stuffing the scrap of lace back into his pocket. Exiting the stall, he calmly approached the sink to wash his hands.

"Are you finished with your perversion?"

Anakin glanced up into the mirror in the middle of scrubbing his hands, his shoulders stiffening as he met Owen's disapproving gaze through the mirror. "What's your problem, Owen? Jealous much?" he taunted.

Owen frowned. "I have no reason to feel an ounce of envy towards you," he informed him stiffly.

"You really should look into getting that stick up your ass removed. The surgery just might save you money on IVF treatments," Anakin suggested flippantly.

Behind him, Owen hissed through his teeth and tensed, glaring daggers at his back.

Realizing what he just said, Anakin paused and felt instant guilt. Shoulders slumping, he sighed, looking down at his hands. "I'm sorry. That was rather dickish of me," he apologized.

"Yes, it was," Owen grunted. Without another word, he turned around and left the men's room.

Bracing his hands against the counter, Anakin hung his head and exhaled. He had given up ever trying to improve his prickly relationship with his stepbrother. Owen had always been stiff and uptight towards Anakin ever since Cliegg married his mother. Anakin had tried, he really had, to get along with Owen and find some common ground, in the beginning. Owen, however, had rejected every olive branch. Cliegg, the long-suffering man that he is, had consoled his step-children that Owen's rejection had more to do with his mother than them. Anakin understood to a point. Owen's mother had been a bitter shrew of a woman who used her strict adherence to her religious beliefs to deny the realities of divorce. In her eyes, even if man's law recognized divorce, God's law did not and she would insist upon referring to Shmi as Cliegg's whore. Owen had been caught in the middle of his parent's issues. It didn't help that Anakin flipped out upon learning what that woman was saying about his mother. When she finally died in his junior year of High School, Anakin could only say good riddance, showing very little sympathy towards a grieving Owen. Of course, now that they were both grown adults, the damage had been done and Anakin constantly found himself unable to stop throwing the low blows. Then again, Owen didn't make any effort to change in the least either.

Instead of returning to the reception, Anakin swiped a bottle of bourbon from the bar and made his way up to his room for the night. A couple of glasses in and two hours later, Anakin settled in his room, discarding his tie, tux jacket and vest, shoes and socks as he paced the room. He had booked a king premium parkview room for the night on his credit card months in advance in expectation of getting drunk during the reception, conscious of the promise he made to his brother years ago. Thanks to his foresight, the room had the added benefit of aiding in his current situationship.

Anticipation coiled tautly within him at the thought. Earlier, prior to the ceremony, while he was in charge of directing the personal items of everyone in the wedding party, he had taken it upon himself to direct Padme's bags to be brought up with his upon check in. After making it up to the room, he checked to ensure the bags were in the closet. Two garment bags hung in the closet next to the room door and opposite the bathroom's pocket door, accompanied by two overnight bags. Anakin stripped down to his shirt and trousers, discarding the rest of his tux into the armchair next to the bed, depositing his phone, wallet, and a fresh box of condoms on the mirrored nightstand and waited, nursing a glass of bourbon.

A soft knock on the door drew his attention and he rose to answer it, setting his glass down on the desk as he passed it. Pleased to see Padme in the hall, he stepped aside to let her in, closing the door and locking it after leaving the do not disturb sign on the exterior side of the door.

Their eyes met and like the charging of an electrical current, the distance between them was closed instantly. Anakin pulled her close, one hand cupping the back of her head, the other slipping around her waist as his mouth found hers, the taste of her lips as intoxicating as the alcohol that lingered on her lips. Spinning their entwined bodies around, he had her pinned up against the wall as desire took over. All coherent thought had left her, as Padme returned the kiss with equal fervor. She ran her hands from his shoulders, along his back, digging her nails into the fabric of his shirt. As her back hit the wall, she flung her silver clutch off to the side, where it landed on the floor near the bed, Anakin gripped her wrists and held her hands over her head against the wall, their fingers entwining as she moaned into his mouth.

Hooking a leg over his hip, Padme gasped audibly as he ground his hips against her, trailing featherlike kisses along her neck, suckling at the spot behind her ear.

"Where did you disappear to?" Padme asked softly as her eyes fluttered shut.

"Did you miss me?" he asked, nipping at her ear.

"Well, you missed the show. When I left Quinlan and Obi-Wan were belting out a metal duet of Lady Gaga's Just Dance. Your brother had even used his tie as a bandana," she informed him. *

Anakin chuckled. "I'm sure there's a recording somewhere," he assured her, returning to his progress along her neck, dipping lower as he moved towards the top of her dress, leaving a wet trail with his tongue.

"So sure of that?" Padme teased, wiggling her hips against his, running her foot along his calf.

"Oh I'm certain, it wouldn't be the first time," Anakin confidently said, pulling away just a fraction to meet her eyes. "Besides we're talking about my brother and his crazy best friend, that's nothing I haven't seen before."

"You've piqued my interest. Just what other insane shenanigans has Quinlin dragged Obi-Wan in on?" she couldn't help but laugh at the idea. It always struck her as odd that out of all people, insane Quinlan was best friends with the always composed Obi-Wan. *

Anakin shook his head. "I really don't want to talk about my brother right now," he groaned, releasing her hands so he could trail his fingers along her side. He moved in to kiss her again but stopped, looking at her with hooded eyes as she placed a hand against his chest.

Padme bit her lip and slipped away from the wall, turning her back to him and swiped her hair over her shoulder. "Unzip me," she requested.

A tiny shiver traveled down her spine as she felt his hands on her back to comply with her request. When the dress pooled to the floor, a wave of self-consciousness came over her as she slowly turned around in her undergarments, minus her panties from earlier. That wave dissipated at the throaty moan from Anakin as he took in the view.

"You should wear lingerie more," he told her softly.

"I do, it's called a bra and panties," Padme told him.

"And what's this thing called? A corset?" he asked, fingers ghosting her skin through the lace boning of her undergarments.

Padme chuckled softly. "Bustier, actually, I needed something supportive to wear under that dress," she said as she reached behind her to start unhooking the garment in question, only for Anakin to reach out to stop her.

"Leave it on," he instructed while he looked her up and down appreciatively, his eyes darkening with lust. "I almost wish I could see the complete set," he moaned, as he pulled her panties from his front pocket only to toss them over his shoulder. "Ah well," he shrugged, reaching to grasp her hip and pull her forward.

His mouth found hers in a hungry, needy kiss, his hand on her hip sliding around to grip her ass while the over rested at the nape of her neck, supporting her head as his fingers tangled into her curls. Padme's fists gripped his shirt where they rested against his chest. Moaning into his mouth, she pressed herself closer against him, needing to be closer. His hand on her ass pressed her hips firmly against his and she gasped at the feel of his arousal.

"Is this the part where you tease me now?" Padme let out a breathy moan as his mouth moved along her neck.

"Funny, I thought you were the one doing the teasing," he returned, maneuvering them toward the bed. Lightly nipping at her skin he groaned. "Fuck, you have no idea what you do to me," he ground out.

Heat crawled beneath her skin at his words. An idea formed in her mind as she crawled onto the bed, an idea that she had only ever seen in the movies or read about in the romance novels that no one knew that she read. Anakin moved to follow but she stopped him, raising her left foot, strappy silver stiletto and all, to press against his chest. Their eyes met and the needy, lustful look in his eyes spurred her on. "Uh uh, strip," she instructed.

Anakin grinned, understanding where she was going without any more words. "As you wish," he quoted, grasping her ankle, and pressing a kiss to her nylon-coated calf before setting her foot down on the mattress. "But you're keeping that on," he decided, gesturing to her bustier and gartered stockings.

Padme leaned back on her forearms as she watched him. Anakin stood at the foot of the bed and kept his eyes fully focused on her as he slowly unbuttoned and shrugged off his white dress shirt, one shoulder at a time. Padme bit her lip as she took in the defined muscles of his chest, shoulders and arms. It was truly unfair just how attractive this man was.

"Enjoying the show?" Anakin asked.

"Cocky much?" Padme threw back.

"Well," Anakin smirked, gesturing at himself, his eyes briefly flicking down to the very noticeable bulge straining against his paints. "Yes." His eyes met hers intently.

"Why don't you drop those pants and show me then," Padme found herself saying.

"What do I get in return?" he asked as his hands moved to his zipper.

Padme's eyes flicked towards the direction of his fingers and mewled. She found herself enjoying this little powerplay, she felt wanted, empowered just by the teasing alone. Sex has always been either a frenzied experience or a means to an end to try to force an intimacy that just wasn't there. But with Anakin, it was different, she just didn't know what to call it yet. She was under no delusions when it came to what they were doing. Perhaps it was the lack of pressure to make it feel more than what it was that felt so different. Padme didn't know what else it could be, but instead of trying to decipher it, she decided to just enjoy it.

"Will this do?" she purred, spreading her legs just enough to allow him a glimpse of her slit.

"Fuck," Anakin growled. Quickly undoing his zipper "Will you touch yourself?" he requested.

"Only if you drop your pants for me," Padme breathed.

"Let me see you first."

Padme brought a hand up to touch the hollow of her breast. "Like this?" she breathed. "Or?" her fingers trailed lower until she reached between her legs. "Like this?"

"Fuck," Anakin breathed, undoing his pants to let them drop to the floor, along with the pair of boxer briefs he wore. Free of its confines, his cock was fully erect, straining for release.

Padme laid on the bed and stared at him. Taking every inch of him in, every hard muscle, from the chest, arms, thighs, and the v in between that made up his hips. Finally to the large cock nestled in a bed of blond curls. She wanted to commit this virile image to memory. It certainly contrasted the image of the little boy she had grown up with.

When Anakin moved to join her, she had an idea. "Wait, don't move," she told him.

"Why?" he asked, frustration leaking into his voice.

"I want a picture," Padme explained, twisting around towards the side of the bed where her bag had landed. "Where's my phone?"

"Oh no you don't," Anakin said, lunging at her and pinning her to the bed before she could grasp her bag. "You've had your fun, now it's my turn," he breathed into her ear, his warm breath making her shiver.

Picture and phone forgotten at the feel of his body pressing against hers, feeling his hard cock straining against her ass, Padme sighed and wiggled her butt against him. She grinned in satisfaction when he groaned in response against her shoulder.

"You're killing me," he told her in a strained voice.

"What are you going to do about it?" she asked.

"I'm going to make you scream," he told her roughly, pressing his hips against her from behind, his aching cock rubbing against her ass cheeks.

Padme moaned, wigging her ass needily against him and gasped at the feel of his teeth grazing her shoulder, certain that he would be leaving a mark there for the morning. "Ani," she mewled, needing to feel him inside of her now. "Please," she whined, reaching behind her to touch him. He groaned against her shoulder and she watched as he reached over to the nightstand for a condom.

When he pulled away momentarily to apply the condom, Padme missed the warmth of his skin pressed against her. When she moved to roll over, his hands on her hips stopped her. No words were needed as his grasp pulled her hips up towards him, and she felt him hovering over her from behind. Padme felt herself shudder at the feel of his lips on the back of her neck.

"Tell me, did you buy this for me?" he asked, his fingers ghosting along her side over the lacy fabric of her bustier.

"I bought it to wear under my dress, for support," she told him.

"Bullshit," he teased her, kissing her spine, just over the top of the bustier. "If you just wanted support you could have worn one of those spandex things, you wanted to look sexy," he deduced. "You wore it for me, admit it," he breathed into her ear.

She didn't, at least not consciously. She bought the undergarments on a whim after the first dress fitting. "If that's what you want to think," she let out a breathy moan as his hand trailed from her hip, over her stomach, and then lower until he was touching her, stroking the sensitive folds of her cunt, his thumb drawing teasing circles around her clit.

"Fuck, you're so wet," he breathed into the crook of her neck.

"Anakin," Padme moaned. "Please," she closed her eyes. "Need…" she broke off with a cry as he thrust a finger inside, quickly followed by a second. Padme let out a shuddering cry as he crooked his fingers just right, grinding against his hand.

"Need what?" he breathed into her ear, nipping at her lobe.

Feeling bold, Padme let out a strained moan. "Fuck me," she told him through a breathy mean.

"As you wish," he moaned with a quick slap to her ass. Padme mewled, curling her fingers into the sheets. "You like that?" he quired.

"Yes," she said simply, surprising herself with the answer. It was another thing that she hadn't truly enjoyed before but with Anakin, it just felt oh so good.

Anakin nuzzled the crook of her neck, kissing his way up to the spot behind her ear. "So do I," he confessed huskily into her ear, his warm breath tinged with the scent of whiskey, fanning her skin.

Padme felt like purring when he began to suckle the skin behind her ear. Once he had discovered just how affected she was by the barest of touch behind her ears, it became one of his favorite points of contact. Emitting a low moan, Padme reached up to stroke the back of his neck, her nails scraping along his lower scalp. Feeling the tip of his cock pressing against her slit, she instinctively pushed back, needing more.

Padme let out a cry at the feel of him pushing his way in, completely filling her up. Biting her lip, Padme felt herself buckling forward, bracing herself on her forearms. She greedily savored the feel of his big cock buried to the hilt inside her as his big strong body completely covered hers. Moaning, she rocked herself against his hips, desperate for some friction. Gripping her hips in a vice grip with one hand, he returned the gesture, making her cry in pleasure.

Anakin kissed her shoulder and inhaled. "Fuck," he swore. "You have no idea how good it feels to be buried inside of you," he said huskily, kissing the crook of her neck. His other hand trailed along her body, cupping her breast through the lacy fabric of her bustier, squeezing and kneading, eliciting a throaty moan out of her.

"Ani," Padme gasped.

"I want to hear you scream my name," he breathed into her ear.

Padme's breath hitched as he suckled the spot behind her ear again. "Make me," she told him, reminiscent of their childhood game of give or take that they had always engaged in throughout the years of their friendship.

"Very well," Anakin bit her ear and left her whimpering when he withdrew to the tip. She desperately missed his closeness and felt empty when he withdrew. It didn't last long as she gasped out a moan when he slid back in with a hard, quick thrust.

It wasn't the first time that they had used this position and Padme secretly loved it. In this position, she often found herself coming the quickest. Using his grip on her hip for leverage, Anakin angled his body over her from behind, as he set a fervid pace that sent shockwaves through her system with each thrust. Their moans and ragged breathing intermixed with the sound of slapping flesh echoed against the walls.

Reaching above her head, Padme gripped the edge of the headboard as she gasped out a ragged mewl. Anakin was absolutely serious about making her scream his name and she was dangerously close. Closing her eyes and biting her lip, she pressed her forehead down against the pillow as she groaned. "Mmm… fuck…feels so good," she panted.

Anakin's hand on her hip slid around her hip and over her belly as he pressed himself flush against her back. His other hand gripped the headboard next to hers as he nipped, and suckled at the crook of her neck, increasing the pace of his thrusts. "Tell me what feels so good." he panted into her ear.

Biting her lip so hard that she was surprised that it didn't bleed, Padme couldn't contain the pleasurable squeal that was ripped from her throat. She knew what he wanted to hear and she could feel herself start to flush at the thought. "You," she moaned. "Fuck me…"

She felt so close, she could taste it. She knew that he could feel it too with the way she felt herself clenching around his cock. Padme shrieked and bucked her hips when she felt his fingers on her clit without slowing down the pace of his thrusts. The added friction driving her over the edge. Writhing against his cock, Padme gave in, screaming his name through her orgasm.

Falling forward onto the mattress, gasping for breath, she mewled in protest when she felt him withdraw.

"Had enough?" he teased.

"Cocky bastard," Padme groaned, turning around to stare at him. Rolling onto her back, she leaned up on her elbows and raised an eyebrow. Anakin kneeled at the foot of the bed between her ankles, his hands stroking her legs. She eyed his glistening erect cock expectantly, the inner muscles of her pussy clenching in need.

Anakin smirked at her, as though he read her mind. "Don't worry, we're not done," he assured her, massaging her calves. Padme groaned, dropping back down against the mattress. Anakin chuckled at her impatience. Taking her right foot in hand, he carefully removed her silver strappy heel before kissing her nylon-covered foot. Setting that leg down in an arch, he trailed his fingers down her leg and kissed her inner thigh. "You're so sexy when you pout," he told her and repeated the same process with her other leg.

"Anakin," Padme groaned. Sometimes she wished he wouldn't say such things when all it did was mess with her head.

"Padme," he mimicked her tone and crawled over her body, hooking his arms under each leg as he positioned himself between her legs. "Don't believe me?" he asked, his mouth hovering inches over hers.

Opening her eyes to meet his, she couldn't help but smile as she reached up to brush aside a lock of blond curls that had fallen into his eyes. Anakin's hair had a natural, slight curl that, when dry, appeared to be more of a wave, but if wet or drenched in sweat like it was right now, the curl was more pronounced. "I bet you say that to all the other girls," she teased him and saw something shift in his eyes. She had half a mind to ask him about it when he briefly averted his gaze. "Ani…"

She was cut off when he leaned down and crushed his lips to hers, suckling and nipping at her lips. At the same time, he thrust back inside her in one long stroke. Taking advantage of her gasp, he deepened the kiss. Padme wound her arms around his shoulders, clutching to him while also scraping her nails along his scalp. Unlike their previous position, Anakin had set a more slow, languid pace that he gradually increased with each thrust.

Padme clung to him, her nails digging into his skin to the point that she knew they would leave marks. Clawing at his back, her nails scraped along the scar on his spine and she broke the kiss to gasp in pleasure. Anakin leaned in for another kiss, cupping her cheek with one hand while she ran a hand through his hair. Breaking the kiss with a moan, he leaned his forehead against hers. His panting breaths mingled with hers when he opened his eyes to meet with hers.

Padme's breath caught as their eyes locked. There was something in his eyes that she couldn't quite decipher. Padme couldn't look away, feeling drawn to the azure storm that held her locked within. Anakin's eyes were always intense, yet as azure locked with caramel, the intensity that was so familiar was missing. Padme didn't know what to make of the way he was looking down at her, a touch of warmth in his gaze. Her breath hitched when she felt his hand cup the side of her face, his thumb gently brushing over her cheek. It suddenly struck her just how intimate a gesture it was as she stared into the eyes of her best friend while he moved inside of her. Her eyes fluttered close as he leaned in to capture her lips in a tender kiss.

Anakin shifted his position so that he leaned in closer, changing the angle of his thrusts, and Padme moaned against his lips. With one of her legs hooked over his shoulder, trapped between their bodies, he continued to caress her cheek. Padme gasped, breaking the kiss, as he increased the pace and deepened each thrust. Anakin trailed a line of kisses along her jaw, reaching the spot behind her ear with a moan. Dropping her other leg to the side, he drew circles on the underside of her knee with his thumb before hooking it over his hip.

Padme arched her back, throwing her head back moaning his name. She was so close, she could feel it as she gasped for breath. With her arms wound around his shoulder, her fingers gripped at the hair at the back of his neck.

"Padme," Anakin groaned, nipping at her ear. "Come for me, Angel," he breathed into her ear.

As if her body needed permission, those magic words opened the floodgates. All coherent thought left her as Padme lost herself in one of the most intense orgasms she had the pleasure of experiencing. Heaving for breath, she gasped as in one swift motion, Anakin rolled them over on the bed. Pushing up from her place, splayed across his chest, Padme leaned back, regaining her breath. Leaning her head back, and staring up into the ceiling, she brushed her hair back.

"You good?" Anakin asked from beneath her, gripping her hips, the tips of his fingers digging into her ass. He was breathing heavily too, intently watching her.

"Never better," Padme said, her chest heaving as she breathed deeply.

"Really?"

Padme shook her head at the self satisfied tone. "Don't get so cocky," she chastised, trailing her fingers over his pecks. She pinched one of his nipples and twisted, earning her a painful growl in response.

"Too fucking late," Anakin groaned, thrusting up into her in response, earning himself a surprised gasp.

"Ani," Padme moaned, rolling her hips. Dragging her nails up to his shoulders and back, she closed her eyes and leaned back and moaned. "Tell the truth, did you cheat at the garter toss?" she posed.

Something flashed in his eyes as Anakin held her gaze. "You think I was going to let any of those fuckers have the chance to touch you?" he growled. "Fuck no!"

A tantalizing thrill trailed up her spine at Anakin's words. Padme should feel appalled at the display of possessiveness he was displaying. She had always hated it anytime Ian had been possessive, she especially hated the possessive entitlement that Clovis had shown on prom night. Anytime she saw the merest hint of possessiveness, Padme felt like recoiling. And yet, seeing the fire in Anakin's eyes as he spoke, feeling the way his muscles coiled beneath her at the mere thought of someone else touching her for the garter toss, Padme couldn't help but to be incredibly turned on. Of course, this was Anakin. Anakin had always been insanely protective of those he cared about. It was only natural for him to teeter into possessive territory in this instance, she rationalized.

Rolling her hips and spreading her thighs wider, Padme leaned forward, she groaned in sync with his growl, his hips rising to meet her movements, his fingers digging into her skin enough to leave bruises. "Thank you," she breathed against his lips just before pressing her lips to his.

Padme moaned into his mouth as their tongues tangled leisurely. Rolling her hips to meet his upwards thrust, her fingers gripped his shoulders tightly. Anakin's hands moved from her hips to trail along her back and she gasped as she felt him unhook her bustier. Padme sat up to slip the lacy material from her body only for Anakin to move alongside her, his mouth chasing hers hungrily. His fingers slipped the piece of lingerie from her grip to toss it aside himself.

Straddling his lap, Padme's knees pressed against the plush mattress on either side of his thighs as she rocked back and forth, needing the friction between their bodies to continue, indulging in this new angle as his cock hit spots inside her that she didn't know was even possible. She locked her arms around his neck, nails scratching along the tip of his spine as well as tangling into the hair at the nape of his neck. She could feel his heavy breathing through his chest which was pressed up against her and huffed out a breathy moan as his mouth left hers to trail along her jaw.

"Ani," she mewled as he found the sensitive spot behind her ear which he licked, nipped, and suckled on and she dug her nails into his shoulder blade when she felt his grin against her skin. The cocky bastard knew exactly what that did to her. He hissed and she realized that he enjoyed the sting of pain. She would unpack that surprising response at a later date.

Padme tilted her head to the side as Anakin trailed, warm, opened-mouthed kisses along her throat, pausing to suckle on her pulse point briefly. The pace of their hips gradually increased the lower his mouth reached. She could feel both of his hands pressing at opposing points on her back, one at the small of her back, gently guiding the movements of her hips, the other pressing between her shoulder blades, his fingers tangling with her hair. His hands were large enough that just one splayed wide reached from one side to the other.

Padme gasped when his mouth latched onto one of her breasts, the tip of his tongue circling her nipple, his teeth grazing the hard pebbled nub before he was suckling hard. Throwing her head back, she cried out, "Oh god," she panted. Tangling her fingers into his hair, she tugged and shuddered at the growl that came from his throat. She was so close, she could feel it as she picked up the pace in her hips, she could feel herself clench around him and judging by the jerk of his hips and the way he pulsed deep inside her, he was not far behind her this time.

When his mouth moved over to the other breast, her mouth fell open and she closed her eyes. Stars burned beneath her eyelids and she fell right over the edge. The roaring rush that filled her ears drowned out her own cries. She was still within the aftershocks of her own release when she felt and heard his release crash over them both.

Riding out the aftershocks, Padme felt herself crashing. With a deep breath, she opened her eyes and brushed her hair out of her eyes, finding herself splayed out across Anakin's chest as he took heaving breaths, splayed out on the mattress beneath her.

"Fuck!" he swore. Opening his eyes, he met her gaze. "That was one for the books," he said with a lazy smile.

"I thought you didn't keep score," Padme teased him.

"You know what I mean," he said with a roll of the eyes.

Chuckling, Padme rolled off of him and laid beside him, hand over her rapidly beating heart. "Yeah, I think I do," she admitted.

Eyeing her wryly, Anakin threw her a teasing grin. "You know, it's true what they say about catholic girls," he said.

Narrowing her eyes at him, she threw him a scathing look and scoffed. "Says the former altar boy," she reminded him pointedly.

"Chrior boy," Anakin corrected her nonchalantly, rolling over to the side of the bed to dispose of the used condom. "Obi-Wan was the alter boy," he pointed out, as though it made all the difference.

"My mistake," Padme snarked and turned her head in time to catch the nail marks she had left all over his back, some of them bleeding. "Ani," she gasped, reaching over to touch his back. "Did I hurt you?" she asked.

Turning, he grasped her wrist and leaned over to kiss it. "Worth it," he insisted.

"Still, we should see if there is some neosporin somewhere that we can put on those," Padme insisted, moving to get out of bed to do just that. However, she didn't get far when she was yanked back into bed and she let out a yelp.

"That's not necessary," Anakin insisted. "Mark me all you want, I don't care," he told her, hovering over her and leaning down to leave a quick kiss. "A few scratches aren't going to kill me," he assured her.

Brushing a lock of hair back from his forehead, she searched his eyes. "I don't want to hurt you," she told him softly.

Anakin chuckled and shook his head. "You're not going to hurt me, Padme," he assured her. "Trust me, I know exactly what I signed up for when we agreed to do this," he told her softly.

Padme bit her lip, marginally mollified by his words. Still, it didn't ease her apprehension in the least. She didn't share his confidence in her alleged inability to hurt him. She was acutely aware of her ability to hurt him and it weighed on her conscience, making her hesitate in broaching that very loaded conversation.

Brushing those heavy thoughts to the back of her mind, she gave him a teasing smile. "Or maybe you just like the pain?" she taunted.

Something shifted in his eyes as he stared down at her. Whatever it was, it was gone in a flash, replaced with his lopsided smile and the teasing glint in his eyes as he said, "Think you've got me figured out, huh?"

"Perhaps," Padme said with a teasing smile.

"Well in that case," Anakin said, leaning down, his mouth hovering inches over hers. "You wanna know what I think?" he breathed.

"What?" she croaked, feeling her pulse jump at his close proximity, she could feel the heat from his body seeping into hers.

"I think, it's time for round two," Anakin whispered against her lips and without giving her time to adjust, his mouth sealed over hers in a heated kiss that stole her breath, leaving her gasping for air when it ended all too quickly as he trailed open mouth kisses over her jaw, down her neck and steadily moving down her body.

"Anakin!" Padme squealed, squirming against the mattress beneath him. "Again?" she gasped in disbelief.

Looking up at her from his position over her navel where he was teasing her with his tongue, he threw her a heated look that stole her breath. He propped himself up on his elbows and raised an eyebrow. "You didn't believe me about going all night, did you?" challenged.

"You're serious?" she gaped down at him.

"I can stop if you want?" he offered.

Padme stared at him, surely he wasn't serious. Feeling her entire body flush, she knew that was the last thing that she wanted. "Don't stop," she pleaded.

Grinning, he just muttered an, "As you wish," before throwing the covers over them and continuing his descent on her body to the spot that was already desperately in need of his touch.

Fisting the sheets on either side of her head, Padme arched her back, leaning her head back into the pillows as her eyes began to roll in the back of her head. She moaned loudly and fervently in response to what he was doing to her. If he even dared to stop, she was going to kill him.

---

"What was the deal with Ferus that you and Quinlan were talking about earlier?" Padme asked sometime later as she exited the bathroom, clad in the complimentary hotel robe.

Anakin scoffed, setting aside his phone and sat down on the bed. While she was in the bathroom, he had pulled on a pair of boxer briefs. "Ferus, being the absolute shit that he is, took it personally that Obi-Wan proposed to Satine."

"I remember hearing something like that," Padme noted. "Siri's death hit him hard, you know," she couldn't help but remind him. Siri and Ferus had lost their parents young and as a result, Ferus had clung to his older sister to an unhealthy degree. It took a while for Ferus to even warm up to Obi-Wan as a permanent fixture in their lives and the circumstances didn't help anytime Anakin and Ferus had to interact. Ferus was practically territorial when it came to his relationship with his sister and when she died, he absolutely lost it and drowned in his grief.

"Siri's death hit all of us hard," Anakin reminded her, staring at her intently. The intensity of his gaze hit her and Padme remembered that Anakin had also been close to Siri. "Anyway, Ferus had been nothing but hostile towards Satine and threw a conniption fit when he heard Obi-Wan and Satine talking about Satine adopting Jinney. He started to use his visits with Jinney to poison her relationship with Satine. When Obi-Wan heard about it, he confronted Ferus and they argued. Obi-Wan had restricted Ferus from having any contact with Jinney until he dropped his shit only for Ferus to threaten to sue for custody. It's a huge mess right now," he explained.

Padme sat down on the bed next to him and shook her head. "That's insane," she commented.

"You're telling me," Anakin agreed. "Before Ferus' shit storm, Obi-Wan was originally going to have Jinney stay with him while he and Satine went on their honeymoon so that they could bond. Now it was a scramble to figure out an alternative."

"What was the final decision?" Padme asked as they turned towards each other.

"After much deliberation, it was collectively decided that Jinney's going to stay with me. So I have to play the good, responsible uncle," Anakin informed her as they settled down beneath the covers.

"Oh," Padme said.

"They actually gave Jinney the choice on who she wanted to stay with and much to Ahsoka's disappointment, she chose me," Anakin stated with pride. "I'm actually looking forward to it really."

"You are?" Padme asked. She had difficulty imagining Anakin as the responsible uncle, although, to be honest, she hasn't yet seen him taking care of a child on his own. Even when they used to babysit Rue in high school, he struggled to deal with handling young children. Then again, that was over ten years ago and the brief glimpse that she had of how Anakin interacted with Jinney so far showed a close bond between the two. "Sounds like you two are pretty close," she managed to say as she felt Anakin throw an arm around her waist, his fingers interlocking with hers.

"I love that little peanut, so yeah, we're close." Anakin confirmed with a chuckle. "Seriously, though," he sighed. "As much as I'd love for us to hang out in the next few weeks, I'd rather Jinney didn't accidentally catch us doing unspeakable things," he said, nuzzling the back of her neck.

Padme rolled her eyes and kicked his shin. "Like we can't spend time together without having sex?" she retorted.

"Well…"

"Don't finish that sentence," she warned. "It's fine though, my schedule is pretty busy, work has been piling up." Just the thought of work and how everything just kept piling up was enough to give her a headache.

He grunted in response, his arms tightening around her. Padme could feel his breathing begin to even out. Feeling content, she couldn't help but to think about the last couple of days and she couldn't help but feel wistful towards her two closest friends and the feeling of being in the arms of her best friend.

"Ani?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you ever want what Obi-Wan has?" she asked softly.

"What do you mean?" he asked, sounding perplexed as he opened one eye to look at her.

"A family," She tried to clarify.

"I have a family," Anakin pointed out, genuinely perplexed by her question.

Padme rolled her eyes. "You know what I mean. A wife, a kid?"

Anakin was silent for a while and Padme wondered if he had fallen asleep. "I would be lying if I said that I hadn't ever thought about it," he said carefully.

"And?" she prompted.

"Nothing," Anakin was quick to say, dismissively. A sign that he was being defensive. "What about you?" he asked.

"Yeah," she said wistfully. "I can honestly say that I've wanted to fall in love, get married, have a few kids…" she sighed. "Unfortunately all I ever seem to attract are assholes."

"Does that include me?" he asked lightly, teasingly, as he trailed his fingers up and down her arm.

"You're different."

"How so?"

"While you can be an asshole yourself, you're still my best friend," she explained. "I've known you my whole life. No matter how much of an asshole you appear to be, you'll always be the boy next door."

Anakin didn't say anything in response, so they lay there, in comfortable silence. While she felt like drifting off to sleep he spoke.

"In all honesty, there is only one person I can ever legitimately see myself having that… that life with. But she doesn't see me, not the way that I see her."

Padme took in his confession and mulled his words over in her mind. Something she couldn't name twisted inside her at the way he spoke. "So you don't ever try to see if you can have that with anyone else?" she asked.

"No," he answered. "It wouldn't really be fair of me to do that, would it? Being in a relationship with someone, knowing that I couldn't ever love them because they aren't… her ."

Padme closed her eyes, feeling the overwhelming sadness of it all. It was tragic, in a sappy romantic sort of way. To be perpetually pinning for someone who wouldn't return your feelings was no way to live. Yet, Padme understood it all too well. "That's…"

"Pathetic? I know," he said, turning over onto his back.

Padme rolled over to look at him. "No. Not pathetic. It's so…" her mind tried to conjure up a way to express her thoughts when it hit her. "So Nora Ephron."

Anakin snorted. "More like that one Ryan Reynolds movie," he countered grumpily.

"Which one?" she asked and waited for him to answer, but was disappointed when he fell asleep instead of answering.

---

Adrenaline pumped through his veins, his vision was impeded by warning flashes, frantic shouts and blaring beeping disoriented him as he mentally went through every checklist he knew as survival mode kicked in. Faces blurred together as they rushed into his vision but he couldn't distinguish who was hovering over him nor what they were saying. The sun blared overhead, almost blinding him. His vision blurred as his eyes kept fluttering closed. Suddenly, everything went still, silence engulfed him as an angel hovered over him, whispering his name over and over, promising that everything would be okay, he just had to hold on. It had been so long since he had seen her, heard her voice. What was she doing here? He tried to ask but his voice wasn't working, all he could do was to stare at her, the blinding sun shining behind her like a halo. Finally he managed to groan her name before his eyes rolled to the back of his head and darkness consumed him.

Stabbing pain greeted Anakin as he woke up and he hissed. Hangover, he summarized, as he felt the stabbing pain in his head. He heard the sound of running water before padded feet approached, attempting to be quiet. As the bed dipped beside him, he grunted in pain. His back seized and he swore, as he carefully rolled onto his stomach, and hissed into his pillow, his hands curling into fists. It was just his luck for it to act up now of all times.

"Ani?" soft hands reached out, stroking his hair.

Anakin grunted in response, squeezing his eyes shut.

Padme giggled, as though finding his predicament funny. "Not a morning freak today, huh?" she teased him.

"Fuck off," he mumbled into his pillow. He then flinched when she flicked his ear in retaliation

"Perhaps you should drink less or at least have some water with your liquor," Padme suggested.

"Yes, Mommy," he grumbled sarcastically into his pillow.

"Don't be gross," Padme chastised, pinching his shoulder and making him hiss. "Would you like some aspirin?" she asked, taking pity on him.

"Side pocket of my bag," he mumbled, waving his hand disorientedly in the general direction of the closet. He felt her move off of the bed and heard her feet pad over to the closet. In the time it took for her to retrieve a bottle of water and his bottle of ibuprofen, Anakin gingerly moved in the position to crack his back with a painful groan that he was sure Padme would have noticed.

"You okay?" she asked, returning with both bottles and sitting down on the edge of the bed.

Sitting up in bed, Anakin accepted both, popping two ibuprofen capsules and taking a swig of water. "Thanks," he said, leaning his head back against the padded headboard and closing his eyes. "Why are you awake before me?" he asked, lightly. He had gotten used to being the one who woke up first.

"The concierge called in their wakeup call. Apparently, your brother and his new wife decided to set one up for the wedding party," Padme said.

Anakin groaned and ran a hand through his hair. "Yeah, I knew about that. Sorry, forgot to mention it," he said. "They wanted to host a breakfast."

"So no sleeping in?" Padme mused. Anakin grunted in response. He felt her hand touch his thigh and he cracked an eye open. "We have some time before breakfast," she suggested.

Under normal circumstances, Anakin would have no hesitation on taking up the offer. He would like nothing more than to greet the morning where he was, with Padme in his lap, riding him into ecstasy until he couldn't think straight. Unfortunately, all he could think about was an overdue appointment with Dr. Thrawn and a steroid shot to the back instead of the very beautiful woman in the bed next to him, and the sinful desires that sizzled between them. "I think I'm going to take a shower," he decided, moving to get out of bed.

"Want some company?" Padme asked after him.

Shaking his head, he paused at the bathroom door. "I'm not in the mood for sex this morning," he told her before stepping into the bathroom.

Anakin had spent a considerable time in the shower after that, the majority of the time standing under the scalding hot water with his forearm braced against the shower wall, his forehead resting on said forearm as the water hit his back. When he had finally stepped out of the shower, the ache in his back had eased into something more manageable. By the time he had left the bathroom, towel wrapped around his waist, Padme had already gotten dressed in a pair of jeans and a plain t-shirt. She had both of their overnight bags open on the bed and had managed to retrieve a baggage cart from which two garment bags hung, one containing her dress from the night before and the other hung unopened. She had organized their discarded clothes into piles on the bed from the scattered places they had left them.

"I left your tux on the chair," Padme said as she folded a few garments into her bag, "I figured you would prefer to hang it up yourself."

"Thanks," Anakin said, moving to sort through the various pieces.

The trousers, shirt, vest, and jacket were all parts of the rented ensemble that he hung up in the garment bag. He rolled up his socks from the night before into his black dress shoes before tucking them away into the shoebox inside his bag. His great-great-grand-father's cufflinks that he wore with the tux went back into the box they were kept in. He left the box out as he would be returning them to his mother over breakfast so she could take them home. Once he had that sortered, he pulled out his own outfit for the day so he could get dressed. Dropping the towel so that he could pull on a clean pair of underwear and jeans, he caught Padme watching him.

"What?" he asked, zipping his jeans and reaching for his t-shirt to pull it on over his head.

"Are you okay?" Padme asked.

Grabbing a clean pair of socks as well as his doc martens, he sat down in the chair to pull them on. "Why do you ask?" he asked in return instead of answering directly.

"Oh I don't know, oh grumpy one," Padme rolled her eyes as she zipped up her overnight bag. Anakin scoffed as he tied his laces. Padme moved over and ran her fingers through his damp hair, finger combing through the curls, sighing as he leaned into her tough as though soothed by it. "How much did you actually drink last night?" she asked.

"Not enough," he grumbled and Padme frowned.

"Ani…"

"Seriously, I'm fine," Anakin assured her, standing and pocketing both his wallet and phone. Looking around, he checked that they had everything. "We're going to be late," he muttered. He was used to masking his pain or any discomfort so he didn't worry everyone around him and simply dismissed her concern as they exited the room with their bags.

Padme kept an eye on him and as they made their way down to the lobby, he threw her a reassuring smile and gripped her hand, interlacing their fingers. Once downstairs, they would have to maintain the appropriate distance in order to pretend that they were the platonic best friends that they had been before Missouri.

After checking out, Anakin led her to where their cars were parked. After sorting the respective baggage of the bridal party the day before, Anakin had taken it upon himself to drive Padme's car over from the church's parking lot, parking it next to his mustang. When Padme saw their cars parked alongside each other, she threw him a knowing look.

Glancing around, Anakin leaned down for a quick kiss. "I'll see you over there," he told her and stood by his driver's side door, watching as she exited the parking lot safely before sliding inside his car and taking off.

---

Obi-Wan and Satine had decided to host breakfast for close family and the bridal party at a cafe a couple blocks away. By the time Anakin walked through the door and was led into the reserved room in the back by the hostess, Padme was already there, laughing along with Satine and Obi-Wan. She threw him a glance over her shoulder when he walked in. Anakin, for his part, couldn't help himself from the brief longing stare. Perhaps in another life, had he been more worthy, they could have walked in together, hand in hand.

"You look like shit," Ahsoka said, intercepting him with a cup of coffee. Leaning in, she sniffed him and wrinkled her nose. "Let me guess, you decided to flood your veins with whiskey…" she wrinkled her nose. "No, bourbon."

"Fuck off, Snips," Anakin grunted with a roll of his eyes and accepted the offered coffee. "Thanks," he murmured, indicating the warm mug and took a sip.

"You may be an ass, but you're still my brother," Ahsoka stated in her way of telling him that she loved him and worried about him. She then narrowed her eyes at the mark on his neck. "Uggg," she grunted, giving him a disgusted look and throwing a suspicious glance around the room before slinking off.

"Love you too, Snips," he threw at her retreating form and rolled his eyes. He moved around the room and eyed everyone mingling about. Making his way over to his mother, he leaned over to kiss her cheek. "Morning, Mom," he greeted, sliding the worn velvet box containing the art-deco style cufflinks over to the table next to her place setting.

"Ani, you finally decided to grace us with your presence," Shmi exclaimed as she gave him a warm smile in greeting. Rising from her seat, she reached up to pull him into a tight embrace. At six-two, he towered well over her five-four foot frame. Cupping his face, she kissed his cheek and studied him. Giving him a look over, she sighed, noticing the hangover he was trying to hide. Try as he might, he rarely could hide anything from her. "Did you take anything?" she asked worriedly.

"I'm fine, Mom, just tired," he assured her.

Shmi hummed, clearly not buying it. "Very well," she said, reaching up to brush his hair into place and patting his shoulder. "Promise me that you'll have some food with your coffee," she instructed.

Chuckling, he nodded. "Promise," he agreed.

Shmi gave him a warm smile as she patted his cheek. Anakin's stomach churned at the way she looked him over, her eyes falling to the mark on his neck that he didn't bother to cover up. Anakin caught the look Padme threw him from the other side of the table over Shmi's shoulder as his mother tisked. Shmi, thankfully, didn't comment on it much to his relief.

After greeting Cliegg, Anakin circled the table to give Obi-Wan a hug, followed by the pat on the back. Throwing his brother a cocky grin, he asked, "So, how's marriage so far?" while wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

"Do you have to be so crude?" Obi-Wan asked with an annoyed look.

Quinlan guffawed as he approached and clasped both brother's on the shoulder. "From the sounds of it, you weren't the only to get some action last night, Obi," Quinlan stated, squeezing Anakin's shoulder a little more tightly.

Anakin threw Quinlan and suspicious glare. "Sounds?" he questioned lowly.

Quinlan winked at him. "You really should check on your neighbors next time you decide to entertain yourself so loudly," he advised.

Anakin stared Quinlan down with a heated glare. "How much will you miss your best friend, Obi-Wan?" he asked, the threat clear in his voice.

"Life imprisonment, Anakin," Obi-Wan cautioned evenly as he threw Quinlan a warning glance.

Quinlan threw his hands up in surrender. "Hey, your business who you entertained last night. I won't tell unless you do," he informed them. "Good luck reigning in the kid's temper, Obi," he threw before sauntering away to pester Cynthia Kryze some more.

"Mind explaining what that's about?" Obi-Wan asked.

"No," Anakin answered tersely. He caught the worried look Padme shot him and he shook his head.

A few minutes later they all took their seats. Anakin found himself seated across from his mother with Padme on his right. He kept up with the flow of conversation around the table as they all ate, all the while he was acutely aware of Padme's every mother and wanting nothing more than to be touching her freely. However, everytime his mother would throw him a warm look, he fought the uncomfortable churning of his stomach. The urge to stand up from the table and jump into his car in order to take off down the highway crawled up his spine. Once again, he wondered what the hell was wrong with him. Here he was, sitting, surrounded by everyone that meant something to him and he still felt unworthy of being here. Everytime that his mother would smile in his direction, he wished that she would just stop. Why couldn't she just once, just frown at him? Throw him a look that said anything but love and pride. Why couldn't she stop looking at him like he hung the stars? He didn't deserve her unconditional love. Not when he reminded her of… him . Of course, Shmi Skywalker was a saint of a woman because no matter what the truth was, she loved him with all her heart and never once showed the same turmoil that churned in his gut.

A hand on his thigh, drew him out his internal spiral and Anakin turned to the woman beside him who offered the coffee carafe with a questionable look. With a glance at his coffee mug, he noticed that it was empty and chuckled. "Thanks," he said, accepting the carafe to refill his mug, passing it down the table. If only an angel's touch could heal all wounds. In the meantime, he would maintain the same mask that he was accustomed to wearing.

Catching his new sister-in-law's eyes, Anakin grinned, throwing Padme a mischievous glance before focusing on Satine a few seats down. Leaning over Padme, he caught the blond woman's attention. "I've got a question for my new sister," he said, drawing curious eyes on him.

Obi-Wan groaned, clearly anticipating whatever he had up his sleeve. Satine, met his gaze with a raised eyebrow, laughter dancing in her cool blue eyes. "What do you want to know?" she asked with a twitch at the corner of her lips.

Glancing at Padme who eyed him wearily. She knew what was coming, he was certain by the way her eyes glinted at him in warning. Grinning wolfishly anyway, he directed his entire focus on Satine. "Tell me what is the connection between our good friend, Padme, Titanic and some guy named Palo," he implored.

The reaction to his question was instantaneous, just as he knew it would be. Satine's eyes sparkled in amusement as she laughed, sending Padme a teasing glance, grasping Obi-Wan's bicep(who looked bewildered) as she laughed. Padme, however, just shrieked in outrage as she focused solely on him, "Anakin Skywalker, I am going to kill you!" she exclaimed, pummeling his shoulder with her tiny fists.

Anakin barely defended himself as he just laughed heartily, his eyes focused on his best friend, dancing with amusement, effectively keeping any of his previous intrusive thoughts at bay and safe from discovery once again.

Satine's eyes glinted at the two of them knowingly, smiling warmly at their antics. "I'm sorry, Anakin, but I'm going to save that story for Padme to share," she told him.

Padme huffed and crossed his arms. "Don't count on hearing it anytime soon," she promised, glaring at him.

Turning to her in his seat, he gave her a challenging look. "Hmm, I have ways of getting you to confess," he taunted, earning him a kick under the table.

Down the table, Jinney perked up. "Uncle Ani can tickle her until Padme confesses!" she helpfully suggested.

"That's a great idea, Peanut!" Anakin chuckled.

Padme glared, arming herself with her fork threateningly. "Don't you dare," she warned, making everyone else laugh when he held up his hands in surrender.

Across from them, Shmi shook her head at them, watching them warmly. "Children don't seem to grow up, apparently," she tisked at them.

Turning to his mother, the glint in his eyes fell and the churning in his gut returned. With a nonchalant shrug that he didn't feel, he stabbed a forkful of his omelet and took a bite. "Just making up for lost time," he excused himself. Glancing around the table, he knew that he wouldn't want to be anywhere else. In spite of his own issues, he knew that this was where he was supposed to be, he just wished he didn't hide parts of himself. It was exhausting.

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End Authors Note: Kudos to the person who can guess which Ryan Reynolds movie Anakin was referencing.