Picking through the proposed bills Vader had asked her to help him make choices about, Padme could not stop fidgeting. Every tick of the chrono brought her one moment closer to dinner with her family and Anakin and she was deathly nervous. It would be a lot to understand for any family to accept a surprise engagement and baby on the way but to add her fiancé's royal status into the mess?
Padme's stomach wound itself into knots.
Seeking a distraction, the Senator lifted her troubled gaze to where the dark-haired Prince sat further down the table, pouring over proposed battle plans for Crait. She hadn't been very sure how to feel about Vader accompanying Anakin to deal with the growing rebel base there and her fiancé had told her the royal council threw a fit when they heard the news. It was incredibly dangerous for both heirs to the throne to run headfirst into danger without a viable third option for the throne. If, Goddesses forbid, something happened to them both then her child would be too far away from birth to even consider an option. The House of Skywalker would fall. Someone else would take over and rule the galaxy instead, someone new and untested. Or maybe her child be taken from her arms and raised to be the Emperor or Empress far away from her?
Anakin had assured her endlessly there was nothing to worry about, that he and Vader had both survived battles together many times before, but there were rumours, whispers she had overheard from some of her friends who sympathised with the Rebel cause, words her beloved's spies had confirmed to be true. There was a weapon inside that base. Something new and never before discovered in the galaxy. The Rebel leaders were confident it would be the undoing of the Skywalker rule.
With all of the worrying, Padme had lain awake for three days holding Anakin in her arms and stressing until the sun rose. When he questioned the darkening circles beneath her eyes, she forced a laugh and spun a small, white lie about the baby keeping her awake with nausea. Yes, she knew lying to Anakin was wrong, but his focus was needed on battle plans now. When he came back to her in one piece she would sleep peacefully again.
As Vader toyed with the holoprojection of their battle plans, she worried her lip though everything she saw made little sense to her untrained eyes. A moment passed and the Prince's yellow eyes flicked up to catch her with a knowing smile through the blue flickering projection. His gaze was trapped lightning. "We're going to have one half of the 501st land approximately five miles out from the base at night when their defences will be at their weakest. This is the ship I will be on." He explained softly, lifting a finger to point at the white sand cavern the rebellion had made their home. "The other half will arrive in the morning, led by Anakin. He and his men will engage in a direct attack while my men and I come up behind them. They will not be expecting it or have any time to prepare a real defence."
It made sense. It was a good plan but it did not soothe the fear howling in her heart. "Anakin is a wonderful strategist, I trust that this combined with your strengths will lead to a swift victory for the Empire."
"Thank you," Vader smiled brighter at her praise, "Whatever this weapon of theirs is… I will find it and destroy it so that it may never threaten us again, I promise you."
It wasn't easy to push her lips upwards for him but Padme tried anyway. "Even if the council doesn't approve, I'm glad you two will be together. You'll look out for one another."
"We will," he nodded right away, "everything is going to be fine, Padme, I promise you."
And then her smile became real until she glanced at the chrono on the wall and sighed. It was time for her to get back to her apartment and ready for dinner with her family tonight. Anakin, wishing to make a positive impression, had bought out the entirety of one of Coruscant's finest restaurants just for them where the serving droids would care little for their identities. It was a lovely gesture and Padme truly appreciated it. Her mother had already told her four times how excited she was about it.
"I should go," the Senator stood and gathered the billing proposals Vader had saved onto separate datapads. As she passed him, Padme laid down three by his arm, "I think these deserve your attention – none of them are of my making so I'm not doing myself any favours, I promise," they shared a short laugh as he nodded. "These can really help people, Vader."
"Thank you, Padme," Vader glanced at the datapads before meeting her eyes once more, "I don't know how I'll manage to rule without you by my side." He laughed again but something within that sound was tight and strained for a moment. "Enjoy your night," his eyes fell away, back to the datapads she delivered, "and tell my brother to make sure he smiles. You know what he can be like."
There was no stopping her own smile now, even at Anakin's slight expense. "Thank you, Vader. I'm just hoping my family will take it easy on him. They have a lot to process."
She remembered, years ago, before she had the opportunity to get to know the mysterious Skywalker Princes, people always murmured that Vader was cold and seething. Always standoffish and angry and Padme had believed it – most people did, but those people were more wrong than they could possibly imagine. Vader was a good man! He was kind and generous and so very polite with everyone she had seen him interact with. There would be quite a shift in public opinion when he took the throne one day. She couldn't wait for the galaxy to see the real him.
The Prince looked amused as she excused herself from his presence and left, climbing into the ship where Captain Typho had been waiting in the driver's seat for her arrival. They had arranged to meet with her family at seven, so she only had around two hours to get ready, something made slightly more difficult by the absence of her handmaidens this evening for their day off.
After taking some time to bathe, Padme stood before her open wardrobe to consider her options, holding a soft, lilac towel around her body. The restaurant was an extravagant place she had only attended once before with Bail, Mon and some other friends of theirs to celebrate a hard-won deal with the banking clan once. As she shifted through her clothes, the Senator dismissed potential dress after potential dress until warm arms snaked around her waist and lips sealed to her neck. She smiled leaning backwards into the hard body invading her space as Anakin lavished her skin with gentle worship.
"Mmm," he groaned, "it's not a bad day when I come home finding you in nothing but this little scrap of material…"
This was all Padme ever needed. If he came home to her at the end of every day, that would always be enough. He was the best part of her days, what time they stole to spend together were the highlights of her life. And soon there would be no more hiding their love from the galaxy! This could be every day from now on.
"Hmm," she laughed as his lips tickled her, "this little scrap of material will remain on my body until I decide what to wear and you need the sonic shower, my love. I can smell your troopers from you as poignantly as if they were here."
His chuckle reverberated against her as Anakin laid a parting kiss on her temple. "You're a harsh mistress!"
"I intend to be a harsher wife."
"What a lucky man I am!" He called over his shoulder as he walked into the refresher, making the Senator laugh harder as she watched the door slide shut behind him. What an adorable idiot. Returning her attention to her wardrobe, Padme pursed her lips as she narrowed her choices down. She wanted to dress how Anakin made her feel. Young, attractive and hopelessly in love…
And suddenly, she knew the perfect choice.
Padme reached into her closet and withdrew a sleek, black corseted dress with hugged her figure tightly. The black skirt flared just slightly at her heels. The leather of the corset contrasted wonderfully with the material of the skirt, especially with the addition of the sleeves she had specially made and attached to wrap just beneath her shoulders.
It was a stunning creation from one of her favourite designers and though it covered almost all of her body, the gown was sensually tempting, pushing the swells of her breasts noticeably upwards – something she had greatly enjoyed the first time she had worn the piece with Anakin when he invited her to dinner in the palace a month into their relationship. He hadn't been able to tear his eyes away all night.
Still, they were dining with her family tonight so the Senator added a long-collared necklace of black shimmering beads which hung all the way to her ankles and a black shawl of rare, feathers which came to rest off the shoulder along with her sleeves and neckline, leaving her collarbone and upper arms exposed. The shawl was one of her best finds from a little market on Theed years ago.
When Anakin padded out from the refresher, steam following in his wake, he held his towel around his waist and sat on the very edge of the bed. "You're wearing that to see your family?" She heard the surprise in his voice, "I won't have the strength to look your father in the eye, Angel."
Having straightened her curls to sleek, silky strands, she began twisting them into a delicate, curving braid which would settle against her back for the sake of simplicity, Padme laughed, rolling her eyes at him in the mirror. "I think you'll find I've gone to quite the effort to ensure this dress is modest enough for the evening!"
"Perhaps," he smirked, "but I know what's beneath that bird you're wearing…and I know how much fun it is to slide it off and…"
"Behave," she secured her braid and flicked it over her shoulder, "or you will remove nothing for the foreseeable future."
Sliding a band of two silver rows onto her forehead, Padme smiled contently. Once she applied her cosmetics, she would be all done – and before Anakin for once! That had never happened before in the entirety of their relationship. While she worked, the Senator watched him dress in a charcoal suit and tug on a coat of the same colour, only an intricately detailed pattern of leaves and plants was sewn in silver thread lining the hem, lapels, shoulders and cuffs opulently. It was a grand piece of clothing and she knew Vader owned similar items too.
Anakin did not often dress to reflect his rank but this evening he looked every inch the Prince she had fallen in love with. The mere sight of him made her stomach flip and her heart began to race. "You're so handsome, Ani," she smiled at him through the mirror, leaning her chin on her palm, "I'm so in love with you."
"No," he laughed softly, "I'm so in love with you. That's why I want to make a good impression tonight. Your family believe I've avoided them for a year and even when they know who I am, I'm afraid some resentment lay linger, especially when we surprise them with the news."
Spinning around in her chair, Padme glanced down at the grandiose ring which sat on her finger and chewed on her lip, spinning it around so that only the smaller diamonds on the back of the band were visible for now. It would be the very first thing her mother and sister noticed overwise. "I think that they'll be happy once the shock wears off. Though, I hope you're ready to discuss the delicacies of nuna-ball. My father and Darred are big fans. It's very important."
She knew he preferred more thrilling sports such as pod-racing and especially the Cloud City Grand Prix where he hadn't allowed Padme to so much as speak to him throughout the entire event in case she somehow curse his favourites with her words, but she hoped there was some common ground the three of them could find together.
"Numa-ball?" He laughed, "You should have asked Vader to come instead! His obsession with those games runs deeper than mine with the Boota Eve Classic!" When he noticed her smile falter slightly, the chuckling stopped. "Don't worry, I know enough to hold a steady conversation even if I don't particularly enjoy it. Vader used to make me watch it with him for years."
"Thank goodness," she grinned, "you'll fit right in then."
Once they arrived at the restaurant, using one of Padme's private drivers, she felt her hands begin to shake as Anakin held the door open for her entry. This was it! Her mother, father and sister were inside and then there would be no turning back. The engagement and baby would be real. She had wanted this – she still wanted this – so why now had absolute terror come over her?
"Nervous?" Anakin laid his hand on her lower back comfortingly as they stepped inside. He chuckled as she frowned, "I can sense your feelings, remember?"
Oh yes, she often forgot about that particular perk of his powers. She should have known better than to believe it would be possible to hide her feelings from him. "I am," Padme sighed, "not because of you… I'm just worried they'll be angry with me for keeping so much of my life from them."
"They will understand," Anakin cupped her cheek softly, tracing the calloused pad of his thumb over her smooth skin. "If they are truly the people you've described to me, then I have faith that they'll come to understand and love you no less for the secrecy."
Before Padme could say a single word, clicking pulled her attention from her beloved only to find Sola rushing in their direction, her bright eyes shining as she smiled. "Finally! There you are! Dad was about to take bets on what excuse you would use to cancel on us – oh my Gods!" Her sister squeaked as she noticed Anakin by her side and had the Senator not felt quite so nervous, the slackening of Sola's jaw might have been rather comical. "You… your highness!" She bowed unsteadily from lack of practice, "It's an honour!"
"Anakin," he smiled tightly, "Please, just call me, Anakin, my lady." When Sola stood to her full height once more he stepped forward, catching her hand in his own and bent at the neck to deliver a polite and charming kiss to her sister's knuckles. "It's an honour to finally meet you, I'm only sorry it's taken so long."
A woman of thirty-eight and married for nine of them, Sola flushed from her cheeks to her neck at Anakin's gentle kiss while Padme merely rolled her eyes, even as her sister stepped forward to press two warm kisses to her cheeks which she happily returned. He was effortlessly charming when he wanted to be, she could not wait to see how he reduced her mother to a giggling schoolgirl once they sat down. "Your high – Anakin, so you're the mystery man our Padme has kept hidden from us! Well, mother and father are just back here and they are positively hysterical about this introduction. It's all they've talked about since deciding to come."
"Lead the way," he smiled, and Sola raised an eyebrow at Padme before turning back toward the endless rows of empty tables. Dressed in a deep purple dress with a high, square neckline and long sleeves which puffed at the shoulder and fit tightly to her wrist, her sister was as lovely as ever. Her usual smartly coiled bun decorated her hair, as was the custom for married women on Naboo, a tradition she never intended to follow, despite her great love for her home world's fashions and habits.
Padme held her breath as they made their way through the restaurant, candles lighting every table for perfect ambience despite their party being alone for the evening. As her parents and Darred came into view, Anakin slipped his hand into hers with a gentle squeeze and she glanced at him for strength. They were in this together. No matter what came of this night, she would always have him, he wasn't going anywhere.
For tonight, she wanted to forget Crait existed.
"Padme!" Her father cried, rushing from where he had been conversating quietly to scoop her into his strong arms, lifting her off her feet for a moment, even as she protested between delighted peels of laughter. When Ruwee finally set her down, she felt her eyes burn just slightly. It truly had been far too long since she made it home to visit. It had been too easy to bury how much she missed them beneath the recent dramas she had endured. "Now, introduce me to –" Her father's words cut off just like Sola before him. Padme cringed to hear the scraping of chairs as her mother and Darred leapt to their feet to bow deeply as Anakin glanced uncomfortably at the ceiling.
"I – oh Goddesses," her mother stuttered, "Sola, she's brought one of the Princes for dinner!"
"Mother!" Padme sighed even as Anakin chuckled awkwardly behind her.
"Well, I… There are no words, your highness," Ruwee fumbled nervously, "I – well, of course, we knew our Padme rubbed shoulders with some of the galaxy's elite but I admit, well, I believed there were limits to…"
Releasing her hand, Anakin offered it instead to her trembling father, "Anakin, sir. We don't need any titles here. In fact, I would prefer it if we dropped them entirely going forward. I would like you to know me as the man who loves your daughter rather than the public figure you've heard of."
Slowly, her father straightened himself and nodded. "I can respect that, son. I have a lot of time for a man who enjoys simplicity in his life and presents himself honestly." They shook hands tightly and Anakin moved to greet her mother the same way he had Sola, with sweet words and a hand kiss. Padme greeted her mother as Anakin and Darred shook hands, exchanging polite words about the day's nuna-ball score. Her fiancé shot her a subtle glance and she smirked as she kissed Jobal's cheeks.
After a few more moments, they were seated. Ruwee, Jobal and Sola on one side of the table and Padme, Anakin and Darred on the other. The first round of drinks came quickly as everybody considered the menu, making small talk as they grew more comfortable. As the second round was served and the first course ordered, Anakin reached for his Corellian whiskey, an order shared with her father and Sola's husband, and squeezed her knee beneath the table. "I just wanted to say that, I know you all must be curious as to why Padme and I have put off our meeting for so long." Everyone quietened at once, nodding, "The truth is, unfortunately, there are… rules that I am forced to follow as an heir to the throne, even secondary to my brother as I am, if I wish to retain my title and place in succession. This is why I've been unable to get to know you all as I would have liked to. Padme speaks so fondly of you and in such detail, I feel like we have met already." He gave a soft smile, "I do hope that you can forgive my delaying this night for so long?"
Lifting her thin stemmed wine glass, Jobal smiled kindly at Anakin and clinked hers against his. "All is forgiven, Anakin. Don't ponder it a moment longer. I know that we're all very glad our Padme has finally found someone to share her life with… and, well, Ruwee, I may as well tell her now?"
Her father laughed, shaking his head, "On your head be it, my darling."
"Tell me what?" Padme narrowed her eyes at her parents who sniggered together like children so that even Anakin began to smirk, though he likely sensed whatever was to come before they confessed. It really was unfair the more she thought about it! "Tell me then!"
"Well, dear," Jobal delicately covered her mouth with her palm for a moment, "you were telling us all about this boyfriend of yours – so many details and yet somehow, nothing at all. I admit, there were some… discussions between us that perhaps you were simply making it up to spice up the mundane of your life in our conversations."
Beside her, Anakin choked on a sip of his drink, just barely avoiding spraying the alcohol across the table. He coughed and Darred patted him on the back, barking with laughter of his own. Even Sola giggled at Padme's expense. "Apologies," her fiancé choked and she rolled her eyes.
"Wait… you both believed that I just… made up a boyfriend to seem interesting?" She cried. Padme was a high-ranking Senator in the Imperial Senate! There had been numerous assassination attempts on her life. Galas were thrown in her honour! She made speeches of the utmost importance with the eyes of the galaxy on her weekly! And yet her mother believed she was frightened of seeming boring… Disbelieving, she shook her head, slumping in her seat. "I don't even know what to say to that."
"Well, you can hardly blame us!" Sola smirked, "Your professional achievements are grand, yes, but your social life is hardly something to be envied, is it?"
Feeling herself begin to flush, Padme was surprised to hear Anakin's voice as she gathered her rebuttal. He slung an arm comfortably over the back of her chair and laughed. "Actually, your sister is one of the most sought-after attendees of any event in the core worlds. My own aide, Sabe, was obsessed with networking with Padme's handmaidens to secure her attendance at functions my brother and I would attend before we were together. People love her. They want to be around her. Padme's name gets people interested whether it's charities or a good party. She's just selective in what she attends and rightly so."
When her mother and sister exchanged a surprised glance, Padme turned to him, wishing more than anything that she could take his handsome face in her hands and kiss him senseless, instead, she displayed her gratitude more subtly. "Thank you," she whispered.
"Well, that settles that!" Ruwee smiled, "Anakin here is very much real and our Padme has been a secret socialite all along. We've had nothing to worry about all this time, Jobal, what would you know?"
Dinner was served soon after and they eat and drank and laughed comfortably throughout the meal. Her mother and father delighted in sharing embarrassing stories from Padme's childhood much to her utter humiliation, whilst Sola probed for details about their relationship. Eventually, while Padme nursed her glass of water and the others enjoyed another round of beverages, she met Anakin's eye and nodded. It was time. Since the meal was over, if things went poorly they could make an easy escape. That thought was slightly comforting.
Waiting for a lapse in conversation, Padme cleared her throat. "I'm so glad you travelled all the way here," she smiled at her family widely, "I… well, Anakin and I actually have some news we would like to share with you." When their eyes widened curiously, the Senator used her thumb to spin her ring back to its rightful positioning on her finger, even as her hand visibly trembled. Glancing at her beloved, for a moment, she pushed beyond the nervousness and brought her hand over the table. "We're engaged."
For several moments, the Senator's senses were overpowered by her mother and sister's rapturous screams of sheer elation as they rounded the table and threw their arms first around Padme and then Anakin who accepted their embraces happily. A thousand frantic questions poured out of their lips as they fussed over her ring, squealing at the enormity of it and congratulating Anakin for his taste. Just as her father made to stand and join the celebrations, she steeled herself.
"There's something else," she said, reaching for Anakin's hand for support and he squeezed her fingers. "Well, I… We…" Shaking her head, Padme looked her mother in the eye. "I'm pregnant."
Jobel's face slackened as she looked questioningly between Padme and Anakin as if they might burst into cruel laughter and admit their joke but when she nodded at her mother, tears filled the matriarch's eyes. "Oh, Padme!" Her mother threw her arms around her, pulling back after a few moments to take her daughter's face in her hands. "A grandchild? Our first grandchild? Oh, bless you, child! Bless you!"
Tears painted Jobal's cheeks as she moved to embrace Anakin, kissing both his cheeks as elated laughter fell from her lips. When her father came around to hug her, his joy matching her mother's, Padme opened her eyes over Ruwee shoulders as Darred whispered something to Sola from across the table. In the few moments they had been celebrating, her sister and her husband had become pale and stricken.
Guilt clawed at Padme's heart. How many years had they been trying for a baby now? Certainly, more than she could count. After intensive testing, the doctors had made them aware of problems in Sola's womb which greatly reduced the odds of her conceiving. She knew how terribly this pained her sister, even if she hid the worst of the grief from the galaxy. how could she not have considered this before?
"Anakin," Her father's deep laughter rumbled through the room, "welcome to the family, my son!" The two embraced and though she noted the awkward tension stiffening her fiancé's shoulders, the smile which lit up his face was brighter than any star in the galaxy. After the turbulent upbringing he and Vader had suffered through, she hoped this acceptance into their family healed the fractures in his heart. He deserved so much to be loved and cherished and now he would have a whole family to do just that.
"Congratulations," Sola smiled widely though it did not reach her eyes, "Truly, I wish you both – all three of you – a galaxy of happiness, sister."
"As do I," Darred's smile was far more genuine, or at the very least, he was a better actor than his wife, "I'm sure you'll be wonderful parents!" He shook Anakin's hand warmly, clapping him on the back when he thanked him.
Before Padme could say anything, her father held his glass in the air, "To my beloved daughter and my new son," everyone reached for their own drinks as Anakin slid his arm around her waist, pulling her body flush to his own. She gazed up at him and nothing in the galaxy could have stolen her smile as she laid her hand on his chest and her arm on his back. All of the troubles they had faced had been worth it to reach this moment with the love of her life by her side. They shared a smile and Anakin could not resist brushing his lips against hers so softly, she barely felt him. It only made the Senator even more giddy with love. "Tonight, you have made our family the happiest people in all of the galaxy and we toast to your marriage, your obvious love for each other and to the first, most blessed and long-awaited grandchild to soon join our family. To Padme and Anakin!"
"To Padme and Anakin!" the others cheered.
Tonight, the future was so bright and exciting, and Padme could not wait for their lives to begin.
A/N: It's all so perfect isn't it? Well, major drama is on the horizon, I promise...
Also, bonus points if you spotted the Hamilton reference.
