Ch. 4
He wasn't sure what possessed him to do what he did. In fact, as it was happening, he couldn't believe what he was doing. When Jobal had invited him over for dinner, she did not say anything about this. Although… What would she have said? Or better yet why would she have told him anything? It is her house, and this is her daughter. That was beside the point! Or was it. Anakin couldn't decide, he couldn't think straight. He wasn't thinking at all, or he would have never taken her hand reaching out for what he now assumes was a handshake as a welcome to crush her against his chest in a tight hug. A tight hug that lingered probably a little too long.
He swore he felt her lean in just a bit before he snapped out of it, releasing her and stepping away from the door to clear his throat. She stepped back away from him a bit and pretended to be fixing her dress. It didn't need fixed as far as he was concerned. It was…perfect. Because she was wearing it, and she was… What on earth was he saying – err – thinking? The two of them were standing in what was now absolutely torturous silence. The only thing comforting was the assurance that he hadn't said any of the things he was just thinking. Had he? Her eyes were scanning his face. Here's to hoping she didn't notice him sweating as he tried desperately to not meet her eyes.
"Anakin." She was the first to speak, softly, drawing out the letters of his name like she was just as unsure about this moment as he was. It was oddly comforting; she was always the one so put together while he was constantly unsure of himself around her. A crack in her exterior.
"Senator Amidala," he stood upright, squaring his shoulders, reaching out first this time for a handshake. It was… absurdly formal. She looked at him with a raised eyebrow.
"Please…don't…Oh, God, please don't call me that," she ducked her chin to her chest before standing back up straight and shaking his hand in earnest but quickly. "We are so beyond what's required for a first-name basis."
"Hey, I don't make the rules. Blame the military and my mom. I address people by their proper titles, ma'am." She glared at him this time and he couldn't help but grin at her. He knew she always dreaded the day people would start calling her ma'am. "Padmé."
"Hi," she said with a small grin of her own as he awkwardly danced his foot around on the concrete step.
"Hey." There were so many words in the English language and only about twelve of them were coming to his mind right now. What the hell was going on. He didn't even think it was possible to get tongue-tied anymore. He hoped she wasn't noticing, but if he knew anything about her, there was no doubt that she was. She had broken eye contact first, so he took a moment to actually take her in. She was…stunning. He had only really seen her on the TV or in a news clip on his phone, he hadn't seen her in person in…years? How was it even possible she seemed to look exactly as he had remembered her.
"So…" She rocked just as nervously back and forth in the doorway. "…would you like to join us?"
"I would, but…only if you want me…I mean, not want me…I didn't…I don't know if you knew…if you did and you weren't okay wi—" He was cut off by her grabbing his wrist and pulling him in the house.
"Shut up and come on. I knew," she looked at him over her shoulder smiling with a nod. He shut his mouth and nodded back, trusting her in this moment. "Hey everyone, Anakin made it!"
If the entire ground could have opened and swallowed her whole, it wouldn't have been soon enough to account for the agony that just took place. She had assumed the second he saw her he would've turned and walked away, but instead he… grabbed her? Hugged her? Held her so tight like he was making sure she was real? What was that about? She was just about to relax and accept the gesture when he made like a light switch and pushed her back away from him. Good thing she hadn't because she might have fallen right back into his chest, only adding to the embarrassment. But for a brief moment, she was consumed by the feeling of having him against her again, being surrounded by the smell of his cologne that didn't seem to have changed at all. While she was worried earlier about how he was going to act, she forgot to even remotely consider how she would. Padmé was far from some sort of reminiscent, sentimental, "squeezy-tilty girl" as she referred to them. But that man still made her weak in the knees.
And apparently, she was going to have to report back to Dormé that he was, in fact, as gorgeous as everyone had said. Because, damn, was he ever. Even the now-faded scar by his eye which seemed to only enhance it. She really wanted to ask eventually what happened. But she wouldn't, afraid she'd disclose some detail she shouldn't have known before he got a chance to reveal it. Saying something she had read in a briefing. And then he'd know she was checking on him. But dressed in a tight black V-neck shirt, black jeans, and black combat boots, he looked vaguely dangerous or mysterious but very… Ugh! What was she thinking? Knock it off, Padmé.
She shook those thoughts from her head on her way to the kitchen with Anakin trailing behind her. For a moment, she was worried he really was going to turn to leave. Her words had caught in her throat, and he wasn't saying much, it was like the entire world had gone silent for no good reason at all. But when she invited him to stay, she's pretty sure she saw a faint blush come across his cheeks before he started stammering. That's when she knew.
"Anakin!" Her family had cheered upon seeing him round the corner.
Padmé had dropped her hold on his wrist once she was sure he would keep following her. As he moved past her, she swears he brushed his hand against the small of her back, but that could've just been in her head. Why would that be in her head? She rubbed the back of her head because surely this was all from how hard she smacked it in the fridge earlier. Anakin moved with ease through the kitchen, hugging her mother, sister, and both girls, while shaking hands with her dad and bro-hugging Darred. He was floating around like he did this all the time. That struck her as odd, but her family seemed to be acting with just as much ease. Which was actually…even stranger. Eh, she was probably being paranoid.
She went to help her mom with plating the food, avoiding Anakin like the plague all the way as everyone settled at the table, refusing to get any more flustered than she already was. The lasagna truly was Jobal's specialty, looking even better than she remembered as it finished cooking in the oven, and she didn't care how many Italian restaurants were in DC – there was nothing like her mom's. Her mom had prepared a full four-course dinner, for no good reason actually, but she wouldn't complain except about the prolonged period she'd have to spend looking at Anakin who Sola had seated conveniently across the table from her. She didn't spare her sister a dirty look as Sola smirked when she set down his drink. Then, of course, he sat down and flashed her his million-dollar smile, and it was clear she wasn't going to be able to focus on a single bit of this meal.
"So, Padmé, what...uh…what brings you back to Boston?" Anakin asked, clearing his throat. Jobal's attention snapped to him, before casually glancing over at her.
Padmé picked up her wine glass, quickly drinking it all down, her mom's eyes going wide and Sola snickering. "Well… Dormé finally gave me a month off, no press, no meetings. Hit the ground running when I touch back down, so this is the last bit of relaxation I'll be getting. Just trying to enjoy it," she shrugged.
That was not exactly the truth, but it was the gist. If he didn't actually hear what happened it was a miracle and he must not own a tv or a phone, which she knew he had to. He only nodded, stuffing more salad in his mouth.
"I heard grandma tell mommy that auntie Padmé got in trouble, and she had to come home," chimed in Pooja. A clattering fork later, Darred had swooped his younger daughter's face into his side and kissed the back of her head. Sola leaned over whispering something Padmé couldn't hear but could assume based on the solemn look on her niece's face when she sat back up, muttering an apology.
Padmé narrowed her eyes at her mom, who averted her attention, "Did she now? That was so nice of grandma to say."
Anakin choked on his last bite of salad at that as her mom rose to her feet, "Who's ready for lasagna?!" She shouted, clapping her hands together and walking back to the kitchen.
"Trouble?" Anakin asked, raising an eyebrow.
She gave a half smile, "What can I say, I didn't come to DC to play nice."
He grinned, "I'm sure the old man had it coming."
"Old man? What old man?" She cocked her head to the side. Oh, so he did know. His ears were red though he was somehow keeping his composure. She wanted to laugh but watching him squirm in his chair was enough as she tore off a piece of bread to eat. "Asking questions you already know the answers to? That's new of you."
"Or… or woman, you know. Whoever it was. I'm just—I'm sure you had your reasons, is all. And, you know. They're mostly old men, right?"
She let out a soft laugh, nodding, "Unfortunately, they are. So, just a lucky guess on your part, hmm?"
Sola coughed, awkwardly, but Padmé was too focused on him to have her attention drawn away that easily. Jobal returned, handing out plates of pasta no one hesitated to dig into.
"Anyway," Ruwee cut in, "Anakin, how was your trip?"
"Oh, it was fantastic, actually. I was skeptical. Not really much of a beach person y'know, but the guys drug me out there anyway. We managed to do a ton of surfing, some of us better than others. Not gonna lie, it wasn't my thing but California over all was... great. Rex is already figuring out our next spot, probably somewhere else out west, traveling the coast, maybe some more hiking," Anakin explained, her dad seeming more than a little interested, "Or camping! That was actually one of the highlights, so thanks for that suggestion, Darred."
"What trip? Where'd you go in Cali?" Padmé leaned forward, listening intently as she ate her food without making eye contact. Why did her dad know so much about what he was up to? Why was… Darred making suggestions?
"Ah just was out in the LA area, visiting a military buddy of mine. The brother of one of the guys that served under me. Really great people, you'd like them." He glanced up, and she met his eyes briefly before he looked away. "Anyway, ended up turning into a boy's trip and went from there." Anakin added, kind of awkwardly.
The conversation continued for a while, him recounting what all they'd done, Darred asking if they'd gotten a chance to go hiking on some trail she'd never heard of. She couldn't help but to steal glances at him while he told his stories, that was one thing he was always good at. He had a way of commanding a room, mostly because he more often than not got himself into more trouble than she thought possible, and the stories were hysterical. This was no exception as he recounted his tent collapsing partially through their camping expedition, in the middle of the night, miles away from his friend who had the rest of their supplies.
"So, anyway, here I am. Halfway up this tree, with a flashlight, calling out for Cody—" he continued. It was a wonder he hadn't lost a limb by this point. She couldn't believe he'd made it thirty years and all his accolades in the military with his terrible survival skills and questionable decision making. He finished the story with a tale for Pooja and Ryoo that she questioned the honesty of, involving a bear. He rose up on his toes, mimicking the larger creature causing the girls to squeal and run as he chased them before laughing and returning to his seat.
Her mom ran a hand across his shoulders as she passed behind him, picking up empty plates and asking him about a particular restaurant she'd suggested to him. This was all still…so weird, right? Wasn't it? They all were too comfortable. And it definitely wasn't her imagination, or her recent head injury. Padmé rose to help clear the table, unable to really pay attention to the conversations going on around her now as she played through everything her family had told her so far. But then, he mentioned something about bringing them all back souvenirs from his trip like he 'promised', and he was back to having her undivided attention.
Wait a minute. They knew exactly where he was going, had offered him suggestions for it, and he brought them back gifts? She stopped at the end of the table, looking at all of them. "…Anakin?"
The room fell silent as he glanced up and met her eyes, his smile slowly fading. "Yes?" He stood up straight and stepped away from her mom, who was now shifting her eyes between the two of them in rapid fire succession. She could see her sister doing it also, but much more subtle.
"Can I…talk to you? For a moment? In…" She stared at her family who all suddenly averted their eyes. "In private, please?"
"Uh, yeah, sure thing," He scratched the back of his neck, and Ryoo let out an obligatory "Oooooooo" before Sola hushed her.
"Great!" She gave her best fake smile and turned away. She started up the stairs, not sure exactly why she chose going upstairs, but it was too late now since she could hear his footsteps coming behind her. She stopped in the doorway of her room, standing sideways, and waving a hand for him to step in.
He complied with her motion, now looking more awkward than ever. Unsure where to stand, or move, shifting between leaning on the furniture or making to sit on the end of the bed. She cleared her throat and he settled on standing straight up in the middle of the room. "Did I do something? Padmé, I swear if you want me to go…I will."
She closed the door slowly and turned her attention back to him. "No, you didn't do anything, I don't think. I believe my mother did. Possibly my entire family? I'm not sure yet, but of everyone downstairs, you're the one I…think…will tell me the entire truth." She was trying to be strategic, but his gaze was making her a little uneasy. "You come here often, for dinner, don't you?" She crossed her arms over her chest and waited for his response.
He decided then to sit down, pressing his hands together, elbows on his knees. He rested his chin on his fingertips, biting his lip before nodding, "Uh…yeah. Yeah, I do." He wasn't sure if that was the right answer or not, Padmé had pursed her lips together before nodding slowly back. He could almost see the gears turning in her head, but he was honest when he said he didn't know she'd be there! Okay, he'd been watching the news; because he always watched the news that involved her. The press wasn't exactly her biggest fan right now, so it was safe to assume she was swept up in that mess somewhere in DC. Not…in Boston, hanging out at her childhood home. What did she expect from him?
She took a long time before starting to reply, opening her mouth a few times with no words coming out. He decided to stand up and just collect his things and go home. This was clearly supposed to be a dinner for her, and he was… ruining it. They spent way more time talking about him, than her, and he shouldn't have done that, clearly. "Well, I should be…" He started rising but then she snapped her fingers toward him and pointed.
"Sit." He sat. Didn't seem like the right time to disagree with her. She moved closer to him until she was only inches away. He tried to control his breathing, to remember to breathe, actually. Being around her was so… He slowly leaned his head back to look up at her. She was short but her presence was twice her size and demanded attention. She seemed unsure of what she was planning to do next, but what did he know. "How often? Do you come to dinner?"
"I…well…I…"
"That often, huh?"
"Listen, Padmé, I come because your mother invites me, that's all. I swear I didn't know you'd be here, I didn't. If I did, I…"
"You what?" She stepped back away, and he let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. "You would have said no? If you knew I was coming home? You could've just left, when you saw me."
"No, I'm not saying that. I-I don't know what I would have done, okay? That's why I'm just trying to assure you that I didn't…" He was rambling. Why was he rambling? As if he were incapable of being a normal human in front of her.
"I believe you."
"You what?" He was shocked. She didn't have any reason to not believe him, but she also didn't really have a reason to, either. And she was being… confusing anyway.
"I believe that you didn't know. I didn't know about you either, until earlier today, but I guess that means I wasn't quite as blindsided as you."
He rubbed his chin slowly, "I guess not."
"But I am more blindsided than you in being unaware that you come over regularly for family dinner. Sitting around telling literal fireside stories. You were just parading around the table like a natural. Like a Naberrie!"
He chuckled at that comment and if she had glared at him, he didn't even look. She was starting to sound more than a little ridiculous. "And?"
"And? And how long were all of you going to keep me in the dark about how close you were? Are? Whatever, it doesn't really matter."
His eyebrows furrowed as he studied her face, trying to tell if she was actually mad about this, which would have proven his previous thought right – she was being ridiculous. If she came home more, then maybe she'd know all of this already. She huffed at him when he didn't respond at first. "Are you…are you mad at me? You just got here! And I keep offering to leave. What more do you want?"
She looked indignant, pointing at him from across the room, "I know you do! And I'm not… I don't… If you want to leave, then…" She wasn't finishing a single thought, which was starting to piss her off. Her whole goal on her way up here had become to not let him get under her skin and now that's… Why was he being so agreeable?
"Padmé…" He made to grab her hand, but she shrugged away before he could reach her. "Oh, c'mon Padmé. Cut it out." He sighed before standing, stepping toward her. She didn't move that time, but she refused to look up. "What…what is all this about? If you don't want me to leave, how can…well, how can you be so mad at me for getting along with your family?"
She was staring squarely at his chest, trying to focus on anything other than how close he was getting to her. She prepared herself for him to be angry, to be upset, and all he was doing was being cooperative, and… she was mad. It was completely irrational, but she wanted him to be… something else! Anything else. "I'm... not mad, I'm… I don't know, okay? Let's just drop it."
He rolled his eyes. Not mad. Tuh. Could've fooled him. But damn if she didn't nearly take his breath away, even with… whatever the hell she was doing. She still hadn't moved and looking at her – he was really starting to hope she wouldn't. "Well… I'm not mad… To be here or to get along with your family like I do…" He closed the distance between them.
Her breath hitched as she continued to try to control her thoughts and ignore his overwhelming presence now practically wrapped around her. She quietly replied, "Maybe you should be… Mad. At me. At someone…" She took a few small steps backwards, him stepping forward to match her every move until she felt the dresser against her back.
She hadn't made to get away from him, even when he approached her again. The low, soft tone of her voice was… wow, he had forgotten the effect this woman could have on him. "But I'm not, Padmé." He tried to keep his tone level and his words smooth despite himself. "I couldn't be, it's been too long. Isn't that a good thing…? Shouldn't you want this?" He wasn't sure what "this" he was referring to anymore as he hesitantly pressed a thumb under her chin to tilt her head up at him. She looked like she might have said something but didn't.
They were standing entirely too close; his heart was beating so fast he was sure she could hear it. He was getting completely wrapped up in the heat radiating between them, the smell of her perfume, the way her eyes were scanning his face, flicking between his eyes and his lips. They were both starting to breathe a little heavier as he moved, leaning down, watching her just the same. He was waiting for her to do or say something, but she hadn't. She parted her lips slightly and her eyes fluttered shut. His face hovering centimeters above hers - he could feel her breath on his lips as he slid his hand around to the nape of her neck, tangling his fingers in her hair. That's when she finally brought her hands up pressing them firmly against his chest.
"Ani…"
He snapped out of it again, backing away quickly before rubbing his face, rougher this time. "Yeah. Right. Well… Anyway. Good talk. Guess I'll just take my dessert to go?" He coughed and took a deep breath. "I'll… I'll see you downstairs, okay?" He hurried out the door, leaving her behind. In the quiet of the hallway, he fixed his clothes and collected his thoughts. 'Good talk'? What the fuck was that? He felt like kicking himself. What is happening?
Padmé felt a little…flushed. Was that the word? It had to be - it was the only one coming to mind. She held a fist in the center of her chest, willing her heartbeat to slow down. Now all she'd be thinking about was that entire interaction! She hadn't swept through so many emotions in a row since who knows how long. Oh my god, she has to stop thinking about Anakin!
Back to the original problem at hand – her family. He was here, regularly, just hanging out with them. And not a single one of them were keen on letting her know. She could hardly blame Anakin when he was so shocked to see her. There was no masking the look on his face. And besides, unlike them - he didn't have any way of contacting her, not that he wanted to. She was a senator, and he was a well-respected soldier in the military. Or he used to be? Honestly, she didn't know where his career stood at the moment and that was the least of her concerns. Her point was that they had their own lives to be concerned about, and that was fine.
Except for right now, their "own" lives were intermingling in a way she had not expected or planned for. She was getting a little irritated thinking about this entire series of events, between the phone calls from her mom and sister to her dad's casual conversation on the drive here. They were all pretending to be blissfully unaware of how she might react to learning they had…welcomed her ex-boyfriend into the family like they never separated. And separated such a long time ago, to make matters worse! Then she started to wonder just how long he'd been living across the street, how long they had been keeping that from her too. Maybe this was the world being cruel, punishing her and getting back at her for not coming home as often as she should have. She came back all the time for constituent work, but not for any serious time with her family. Maybe she would now.
Wait, why would she now? Not that she didn't miss her family or have regrets about how little she saw them, but that was no different than it ever was. It was him that was different. Making this entire trip different. Already. "Shouldn't you want this?" rolled off his tongue so casually, she nearly came apart. She wasn't sure if they were still talking about the familial friendliness or his being agreeable at that point, and against her better judgment really hoped they weren't talking about either. Had she given it five more seconds, she's certain he would have crushed his lips against hers like he had crushed her entire body against his chest earlier. Why did he have that effect on her, and how could she take it back? Did she want to? His hot breath against her skin made her feel a way she hadn't in so long… Maybe she just…
She honestly needed to make a call. And needed the whole team for this one, wondering if she could track down Sabé because she was going to flip over the whole damn thing. Of all her friends, she was pretty sure Sabé liked Anakin the most and vice versa. They butted heads frequently when she was dating him because Sabé was just as protective as he was, but they usually found a way to work it out. When they split, it's like she had lost someone important to her as well, which meant she would be the most level-headed one about this. Padmé rummaged through her purse looking for her phone. She quickly opened her group chat, aptly named "Advisory Board," and let them all know she needed them as soon as possible. She threw her phone back on the bed, ran her fingers through her curls one more time, and took a long, deep breath before heading back downstairs.
By the time she made it halfway down, she could hear the round of goodbyes followed by the front door closing. He must have decided to run off without waiting around for her after all. She couldn't say she exactly blamed him. She might have taken a few extra minutes upstairs herself in the hopes he would. There were very few things she could think to say to him after all of that. She finished helping her mom clean up the remainder of the dishes, putting away leftovers, and avoiding her mom's lingering stare. Jobal didn't ask and Padmé surely wasn't about to offer up any conversation. Once everything was spotless as expected, she wandered into the living room. Her parents had remodeled and redecorated since the last time she was home, expanding the open living area and adding a massive sectional sofa to wrap around where the wall used to be. It was different, but somehow making it more spacious made it seem cozier. Padmé sunk down into the cushions at the bend, wrapping herself in a quilt. What. A. Day. If this was any indication about how the rest of this trip would be – this was no vacation after all.
"So, little sister, you and Anakin seem…friendly." Sola plopped down on the couch next to her, holding a mug of tea between her hands.
"I don't want to talk about today," she said with a long sigh. All she really wanted to do was go to bed, but Dormé had assured her she could arrange the group call that night. For once, everyone was in the same time zone. Sabé apparently just got back from a work trip and had taken a long weekend for herself. "I'm mad at you, you know?"
"Mad at me? Why?" Sola looked genuinely confused which only irritated Padmé more.
"Why? Oh, I don't know, maybe because you all have practically adopted Anakin into the family without so much as a mention of his name until last night when you found out I was coming here. It sent me spiraling, Sola. I couldn't sleep, imagining how it would be if I had to run into him by accident. Instead, it was on purpose that I ran into him because he assumed he was coming over for just another normal family dinner! I expected him to be furious, and instead he… Never mind. Not the point. The point is—" Padmé was getting louder by the sentence and now her sister looked irritated too. Good, she thought. Until Sola cut her off with her own sharp tone.
"Hey! I didn't do any of that, mom did. So don't get mad at me. Besides, you don't come around, and his mom died Padmé. He sits in his house alone. He doesn't hang out with anyone; he doesn't do anything. When he wasn't deployed, his truck didn't leave the drive. Ahsoka caught me out to dinner with Darred a few years ago and asked if I had talked with him at all. I said I hadn't, and she told me her and another army buddy, someone named Obi-something, were concerned. When I told mom, she went over. Everything else just happened from there. This isn't about you," Sola snapped.
Ahsoka was concerned? If she wasn't talking to him then he must've been really bad. She didn't know much about his time in the military, but she'd known Ahsoka since they became friends in college. For a long time, Padmé had been irritated with her after she helped convince Anakin to join her in the army. Ahsoka had journalistic aspirations though, and after becoming a rather successful communications specialist in the military, she had transitioned to civilian life before being quickly snatched up by Boston's largest news corporation. Then the two women ran into each other more frequently, first by accident, then more deliberately.
Dormé tried to always land on her show if they needed a particularly favorable bend for an upcoming bill when she was in the statehouse, or if it was a slow news day for Ahsoka and Padmé was around to chat. And occasionally, they'd drop her exclusive news in an attempt to boost both of their ratings. The biggest of which included announcements of the convention, and ultimately a hint at her run for the senate prior to her rally. It was an extensive series of mutual favors. The only thing they ever danced around was talking about him, both on and off-screen. They were friendly with each other, and she was kind enough to lend a hand, but she knew that was Anakin's friend at the end of the day, so they kept it professional.
"I didn't think this was about me..." Sola scoffed at her, but she tried to let it go. "...but it doesn't make me feel better that you hid it from me. Even if was for the best of intentions." Both taking care of Anakin and hiding it from her, came from a place of love. She knew that, but that wasn't the point. Despite how much her family always loved him. Or how much it broke Padmé's heart that he'd clearly still been troubled, and also…alone. But he's been here for years? Was she that out of touch? Maybe it wasn't completely her fault, they usually did holidays at Sola's so Darred's family could join… But she couldn't help but feel she was to blame, at least in part, for all of this. "Does he not talk to his… stepbrother?" She was pretty sure she already knew the answer.
Sola barked out a laugh, "Yeah, right. You can't even be asking that as a serious question. Do you see any of them around?" Her sister made a motion around the room with her hands. "If he wasn't talking to his closest friends, he definitely wasn't talking to Owen. He barely wanted to talk to mom. She was leaving meals on his porch in the beginning until she coaxed him into coming over again."
Well, if she wasn't already feeling terrible, she would be now. She slumped back, pulling the blanket up around her shoulders. Sola rubbed Padmé's arm and leaned in, "Look, I'm not trying to hurt you. I don't know everything, but I know enough from your visceral reaction hearing his name, and from his avoidance of any conversation that involved you that things must have been…bad. And I'm sorry, we've tried to do right by you both, but apparently, we didn't do enough."
"Bad is the understatement of the year, and I really, really don't want to talk about that. Seeing him today was just... a lot of emotions I wasn't expecting. But I'm so happy you all took care of him. I'm glad he's had you all these years, and that mom does all that she does, and I'm sorry I haven't been around, I need to do better…" Padmé's voice started to sound shaky.
Sola set her mug of tea on the table behind the couch and pulled her little sister in for a hug, stroking her hair. "Everything isn't on you, Padmé. We could all do more, okay? We all could have gone about this differently. I'm happy you're here. Mom, Dad—they've been over the moon. This… Anakin thing could have been handled better, sure, but it was a little last minute, so… maybe we all give each other the grace for once?" Padmé wrapped her arms around her sister, nodding. She didn't really know what to say, her anger was never really…anger. It was hurt. Hurt that she'd done so little for her family being too focused on her career, hurt that they'd kept secrets from her, hurt that the secrets dealt with the biggest heartbreak she'd ever had.
They sat there for a few minutes in the quiet before Padmé's phone suddenly buzzed, and she knew it had to be the group call she was waiting for. Armed with all her new knowledge about what the last few years were like for him, she was back to not knowing exactly what to say. "I've got to take this," she started to get up, and her sister nodded before getting up herself.
All alone now, she pulled out her phone to answer the call. After the commotion of saying hello, how are you, what's going on from all of her friends, she started with: "I have a huge problem, his name is Anakin."
Anakin had taken his pie to go, opting to eat in front of the tv, with Artoo at his feet. The Labrador had been assigned to him when he was discharged from the army, his psychologist thought it was a good idea to find a therapy dog for him. Something about it giving him a routine to keep. Beyond that, Artoo helped him with his panic attacks and to keep his anger at bay. Seeing Padmé earlier had been one of the most emotionally stressful things he'd done in a while, so when he got home Artoo was on high-alert and hadn't left his side.
He was just about to turn the tv off when a breaking news alert had flashed on the screen. He usually rolled his eyes at those announcements as they were hardly breaking news. This time, though, Padmé's face once again flashed on the screen. The media would really just not give it up over this. Despite his terrible attempts at playing coy at dinner, he had seen the original clip. In fact, when he saw it, he saw the whole thing coming before anything even happened. The corners of his mouth twitched when he saw her start tapping her knuckles against the podium. She was shifting her weight back and forth and kept her eyes directly on the paper in front of her. Those were all her signs – she was about to blow. The other senator – their names weren't important to him – cut her down one more time, ending his statement by calling her "dear" with a patronizing grin and it was over. Anakin leaned back in his chair and laughed to himself as she completely came undone. When the press got their hands on the clip, they had shown different angles and captured the faces of several other senators the second she started yelling. Priceless. All of them were priceless.
But then the media turned sour as it always did and he couldn't take listening to the awful things they were saying about her, she was just passionate, fired up, ready to go. That's how he believed politicians should be, instead of the passive, indecisive people they usually were, doing nothing except making empty promises. Tonight the "news" anchors were speculating over what she was up to and making accusations of her hiding out. There were pictures and video of what had to be the neighborhood she lived in. That made him angry. He didn't know how she, or anyone else, could live without privacy like that. Then he started to wonder how she managed to make it here when they had pictures of…her? From just a little bit ago leaving her apartment. He shook his head deciding he'd have to ask her later what was going on with that.
"Well, Artoo, I think it's time for bed." The dog lifted his head and stood when Anakin stood. He turned the tv off and stretched his arms above his head. As he moved to close the curtains of his front room window, he could see Padmé sitting on her couch, laughing and clapping her hands together. Who was she talking to? He froze there for a moment just watching before she turned her head and caught him. Why was he such an idiot? He gave her an awkward wave with a smile. And mercifully, she gave a small wave in return with a smile of her own as he finally pulled the curtain shut. Wow - he was in trouble.