Title: "The Light and the Dark"
Chapter 1 in the "Heart and Soul"
series. (1/5)
Part 2 of 2
Written by: Shawn
Summary: An unexpected Separatist attack
'accidentally' reunites two star-crossed lovers, giving them a brief moment of
peace at a time of war.
Rated: NC-17
Category: Angst/Romance/Drama
Pairing: Anakin/Padme
Timeline: Obviously, knowledge of Star Wars:
Episode 1 and 2 is needed. This story takes place one year and eight months
after the beginning of the Clone Wars. Padme and Anakin have been married for
that long. Check 'Authors Notes' for more information.
Disclaimer: George Lucas and Lucasfilm owns
everything. I just want to give Padme and Anakin a happy, albeit passionate
ending. Oh, by the way. I loved Episode 3!!!!!!!
Email: DayShawn1974@hotmail.com
Authors Notes 1: In this universe, the Clone
Wars will last three and a half years. It's commonly known that Anakin and
Padme were seperated for five months before Episode 3 when Obi-Wan and Anakin
were dealing with the Outer Rim Sieges. This story picks up one year and eight
months after Star Wars: Episode 2, and will take us through the Clone Wars and
up until Anakin's moment of truth in the Episode 3. From there, I take things
in my own direction.
Authors Notes 2: While slightly overdramatic
as a couple at times, I also imagine a passionate, playful, deeply loving
relationship between Anakin and Padme. They have so little time together, so
when they have a chance to steal a moment together, it can go from intense to
sweet to passionate and back again in a heart beat.
Authors Notes 3: Dorme, Padme's handmaiden
and best friend in this story knows of her marriage to Anakin. Obi-Wan only
suspects more is going on than he knows but, but elects not to pry.
~~~~~~
~~~~~~
"The Engager"
A Republic Assault Cruiser
One year and eight months into the Clone Wars
Despite the bells and whistles of droids
puttering about around him, as well as gunship engineers working with heavy
machinery near by, Obi-Wan would still be able to recognize the sound of
Anakin's footsteps anywhere. "I told you to get some sleep."
"I tried, Master. Sleep does not come
easy to me these days."
"Must you always be so difficult?"
"Must you always be so critical?"
With his arms crossed in the pose of a
slightly disgruntled parent, Obi-Wan sighed. "This conversation seems well
rehearsed."
"I strive to be consistent."
"Consistently driving me out of my
mind," he noted. "I swear, Anakin, you'll be the dea..."
"Please, Master. Don't say it
again."
"You're not the only one who likes to be
consistent."
"You clearly need a vacation."
"To Naboo, perhaps?" Obi-Wan
needled ever so gently as he stood on the 'Engager's' docking bay ramp with a
suddenly quiet, almost shy Anakin. He figured that might silence his sharp
tongue.
Sight unseen, if someone listened to their
conversation without knowing of their wry smiles, or the brotherhood they
exuded so effortlessly, one might get the feeling that they didn't like each
other all that much. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Their friendship
exemplified the elemental push and pull between father and son, master and
pupil, older brother and younger one. Often argumentative, their opposing ways
of dealing with certain situations have left them on bad terms many times, but
never for long. Minor spats were forgotten minutes later. Respect always, even
in the face of disagreement. They might go at each other vehemently, with
vigor, but neither stood alone when the other needed back-up.
Flanked by twenty Republic investigators,
three battalions of Clone Arc-troopers, and eleven med-droids, Obi-Wan and
Anakin waited patiently for the locking devices to secure and the air-pressure
stabilizers to set before the freighters hanger bay door would rise.
Casting a glance out of the corner of his eye,
Obi-Wan remarked, "You're tense. Relax."
"I'm sorry, Master," he replied as
a echo of a memory tugged at the back of his mind. It felt all to
familiar. Something was on the horizon. He
could feel it. There was a disturbance in the Force, but it was not one he
feared. It was a bone deep sense, just underneath his skin. He's...
exhilarated, as if on a high. For the life of him he couldn't explain it.
"Assisting you here will at least give me something to do. Hopefully the
work will tire me out so that I can get some sleep."
"Practicing your meditation techniques
would help as well."
"A drink would accomplish the same
goal," he joked with the curve of a grin dancing along his lips. He knew
all to well his good friend would not have a leg to stand on if he denied that
claim. Obi-Wan wasn't above a glass of Jolesq wine before going to bed. Then
again, neither was he. "What's wrong? A Wookie got your tongue?"
Obi-Wan stared straight ahead at the hanger
bay door, doing his best to maintain a serious expression. He struggled
mightily. "I cannot wait for the day you have an annoying Padawan of your
own."
"If he or she saves my life as many
times as I've saved yours, I will count myself very lucky." Possessing a
far superior sense of humor than a typical Jedi, Anakin greatly enjoyed the
lighter side of his Master's personality, as well as his ability to enjoy a
friendly poke at himself.
Obi-Wan heard the loud metal pops of the
lockdown pins spring open. "Finally." The red and blue panels lit up
simultaneously on either side of the hanger bay doors, signaling the docking
sequence was complete. With a motion of his hand, the troopers, investigators
and medical-droids took their position. "Would you like to take command of
the first deck investigation?"
"Not a problem. I'll have it swept for
tracking devices and spy droids. I suggest you personally interview the
non-injured survivors first."
"Yes, I do feel talking to those who are
conscious would be a far wiser course of action than those who are not."
Oh yes, Anakin had a great comeback for that
one, especially since even a Clone seemed to snicker at his expense. He held it
in only for appearances sake as the wide hanger bay door rose slowly from the
floor. Having been quickly briefed just after he left his quarters, he hoped he
wouldn't fall asleep when he talked to the personality-less representatives the
Supreme Chancellor usually surrounded himself with. At least he won't have to
think about...
... no
It can't...
... this isn't
Roaring waves of overwhelming emotion
cascaded over Anakin so powerfully he was forced to shut his eyes, sensing a
presence... feeling 'her' presence before he saw her. And then as if a glorious
sun rose brilliantly from it's hiding place in the sweet morning, there she
was. Padme... utterly beautiful, even standing in that dusty, decrepit hanger
bay of a mining freighter. His proud, noble, capable angel. His heart caught in
his throat, beating even there as he quickly put up his Jedi mental-shields to
ward off Obi-Wan's sensing what her presence meant to him. He's devastated with
the purest joy imaginable at the mere sight of her, drinking her in with a
unquenchable thirst, and she hasn't spoken yet. Hasn't even seen him as she
exited the freighter with Captain Typho and a group of twenty others. He
absolutely couldn't speak, frozen in place by a dream he prayed was reality.
Surprise seemed to be the nature of the
evening, or so Obi-Wan figured. "Senators," he greeted them with a
bow, especially the very surprised Senator Amidala, who's trademark cool facade
broke for a fraction of a second the moment she saw Anakin, then slipped back
into place just as easily. In the span of one heartbeat and the next she
revealed nothing at all, and everything. He felt her euphoria. It's
implications scared him. "I am sorry for the losses you all suffered in
the attack. Rest assured the Supreme Chancellor and the Jedi Council have been
notified, and the Republic Cruiser 'Sandstorm' will arrive in twelve hours to
escort you back to Coruscant. The long waiting period is due to our ships
reassignment and the 'Sandstorm' having to carefully navigate a minefield to
reach this part of the galaxy. We have rooms and food available, so you will be
comfortable and the wounded will be tended to. I assure you we will get to the
bottom of this attack quickly."
"General Kenobi, it's good to see a
friend," Padme somehow managed to say in her normal, calm voice, shaking
his hand while wearing a gracious smile. "Anakin," she spoke his name
as if her every wish had come true, offering a polite nod his way. Contrary to
every predictable, clichéd HoloNet romance movie she hated but watched with her
sisters in her youth, when the woman would rush across whatever distance
seperated her from her love and throw herself in his arms, at this very moment
she wanted nothing more in the universe than to do just that. She struggled to
regain her professionalism. Her heart's pounding so loudly in her chest she
worried someone might actually hear it. "Two of Senator Graham's guards
are the most severely injured. The rest of us are just a bit shaken up. There
was a fire in the engine room we managed to put out, but some of the dead were
buried under rubble. We could not retrieve their bodies."
"Are you alright?" Anakin asked
quickly, before even his Master could speak. Courtesy be damned, he needed to
know she how she was doing. Then he needed to know who attacked her. Then he
needed body bags to fill their corpses with after he killed them.
"I'm fine, Anakin," she assured him
with a trusting gaze. Her precious Ani, before her now, as tall and strong as
she remembered. Alive, and so she can breath again. She lifted her right wrist,
revealing a faintly purple bruise. "I took a hard fall when the attack
began, but I'm not injured. Others need medical attention far more than I
do."
Nodding respectfully, Anakin took a step back
as Obi-Wan greeted the other Senators. His protective stare never for a second
left Padme. She was holding up far better than him, detailing the attack with
the other Senators while listening and offering her insight. If it were up to
him he'd Force-shove everyone out of the way, take her into his arms, and never
let her go again. Alas, duty mattered to her, and so it had to matter to him as
well.
Anakin watched the Clones board the
freighter, standing off to the side, next to Obi-Wan. His Master seemed
reflective. In a mood of sorts. Most troubling was the fact that as he himself
had his mental shields up to guard against Force-reading him, so did Obi-Wan.
Curious indeed.
How ever did Qui-Gon become his Master once
upon a time? Obi-Wan wondered if he'd be half as prepared for someone like
Anakin had he not been trained by a man like Qui-Gon? Hardly. Rules were
subjective to the moment, he once said. "Anakin, would you kindly escort
the Senators to their quarters while I begin the investigation."
Anakin looked to Obi-Wan. A surprised
expression focused on his Master. "I thought you wanted me to begin the
investigation on the first floor?"
"I've changed my mind. I want the
representatives of the Supreme Chancellor to be escorted by you personally. See
that they have everything they need, and are prepared to answer questions
within the next two hours."
"As you wish, Master," Anakin had
no choice but to comply, or seem at odds with his Master in front of the
Senators. After bowing his head, he cast his arm forward, leading the group of
chattering Senators from the docking bay into the corridors, towards the
elevator being held open for them. He maintained a careful distance from Padme,
though he could feel her mood through the Force. She's simply desperate to
touch him. She will have her way soon enough. "Kindly follow me,
Senators."
Sparing a glance at the departing group,
Obi-Wan pondered if he had done the right thing, encouraging what he only
suspected. Or at least allowed himself to suspect while looking no further into
matters that were not his own. He trusted Anakin with his life. There was a
mystery here for him to sink his teeth into, and so he shall, leaving all else
to work itself out.
******
The official Galatic Dictionary defined the
word 'patience' as the calm endurance of a trying, tedious or annoying
situation. Wearing her ever-perfected disguise of a woman slightly above it
all, Padme quietly trailed Anakin and the last two Senators he was escorting to
their rooms. She realized that despite the many heated arguments and fierce
debates she had engaged in the Senate Hall over the years, she had never
exercised patience to the extreme degree she was doing so right now. Her
ability to remain calm, cool, and collected no matter what situation she found
herself in was a gift she thankfully had at her disposal in this dire time of
need.
No one noticed her hands were trembling, or
that her heart was beating a mile a minute.
"This Republic Assault Cruiser is
capable of operating and landing within a planetary atmosphere, deploying
hundreds of troops and their vehicles into combat," Anakin replied to
Senator Kriliak's query about the ship. A former military man himself some
twenty years ago, his fascination with the newer Republic vessels was unending,
much to the Jedi's dismay. Annoying though he was, Anakin at least had a voice
to focus on since he dare not look anywhere other than straight ahead. The
sheer torture of having his beloved wife so near and not being able to touch
her was driving him mad.
"In my days before public service, I was
a partner in Rothana Heavy Engineering. They're the company that built these cruisers
for the Republic," Senator Ty added with his trademark level of
self-pride. Never one to allow any being that lived the satisfaction of not
knowing of his immense wealth and powerful connections, both political and in
industry. "When we began designing these ships we never dreamed they would
be put into production so quickly. We were under the impression that another
decade of research and planning would be necessary."
Senator Kriliak considered his words
carefully. "War pushes everyone and everything further and faster. In the
Megis Sieges some twenty..."
Wishing his party would pick up the pace,
Anakin fought back the rude retort on the tip of his tongue. He's struggled his
whole life it seemed with what he wanted and what was expected of him. He wanted
to get these men into their rooms immediately without hearing them utter
another single solitary word. He needed to be patient, as Obi-Wan had preached
to him many times as it pertained to politicians. Nonetheless, he couldn't help
himself, shifting just enough when they turned a corner to glance over his
shoulder... a moment of bliss, drinking in the sight of Padme. Within her
beautiful, warm brown eyes laid the answer to every question anyone who wanted
anything from him could ever ask.
You do not matter more than her. None of you.
Unable to touch her the way he longed to, the
way he knew she longed for him to, Anakin reached out with the Force instead.
He never intruded where she did not want him to go, and had taught her how to
mentally halt him if she was in a mood for her own personal inner thoughts.
Often times, as was the case now, she was open and willing, dying to share with
him. He allowed the voices around him to gently fade into the background, again
focusing on the joy of his life. She's frustrated to a level he's not seen in
quite some time, and that amused him as much as matched his own feelings. She
was a little hungry, and she was wondering why he had chosen yet another darker
cloak. She thought his longer hair was sexy, and he swore he could feel her
smile when he learned that bit of information. Her left wrist was still
bothering her.
"Jedi, sir. What is the height of this
ship?" Senator Kriliak asked just before they reached his room. Anakin
opened the security lock, sliding the door aside.
"752 meters long. It is currently the
largest ship the fleet uses." Standing to the side as the Senator walked
into his room and looked around, Anakin's gaze locked with Padme's for a brief,
agonizingly painful moment. If Senator Ty wasn't so disinterested in
practically everything that had nothing to do with him, he would have noticed
their sheer need for each other. "Senator Kriliak, I'm sure everything
will meet your requirements until the 'Sandstorm' arrives in twelve
hours."
Once inside, Senator Kriliak removed his
jacket, then sank down in a chair next to the bed. A older gentleman who's used
to far more, but has lived and loved in far, far less. "I'm just happy to
be alive and off my feet after what happened. Everything is more than satisfactory,
Anakin. Thank you."
"Good evening, Senator." One down,
one to go. Offering a polite bow, Anakin pressed the door button, and with all
his might willed himself not to throw Senator Ty's tall, lithe frame over his
shoulder and race him down the hall to his room.
The winding corridor seemed to go on for
miles when in actuality, they were less than twenty-feet away from Senator Ty's
appointed quarters. Upon reaching the door, Anakin opened it as he had the
others, then stepped aside for the Senator to enter. He was seconds away from
being alone with Padme. Seconds... "Someone will be reporting to you
within the next two hours for a official inquiry. I assure you it won't last
long, and then you won't be bothered until the 'Sandstorm' arrives."
Senator Ty seemed neither pleased nor
dismayed, affording a small nod as acknowledgement of what the
Jedi said. "The Supreme Chancellor
speaks so highly of you, Anakin. I feel safe in your company."
That was something Padme did not feel in his.
In a rare effort to be fair, for tonight’s secret meeting Palpatine allowed a
small group of Senators who regularly opposed his views to travel with a few
who were known to be his strongest supporters. Senator Ty was as swarmy as he
was a liar in the Senate. He had a reputation for two things. Corruption and
womanizing. The fact that he, on no less than three occasions asked her if she
wanted to 'share a drink with him' in his quarters alone, spoke volumes about
his character. His dark eyes held no want for political conversation or debate
of any kind. His baser urges were best satisfied by his well-known wife of over
thirty years. He regularly made Padme sick, and though she exhausted little
effort in fending him off, he seemed to have no trouble in continuing his
efforts.
"Senator Padme," he spoke her name
in a wispy shrill of a voice, his unwanted gaze appreciating her. "Would
you care..."
"No. Thank you. Goodnight." Padme
shut the door herself and exhaled a long deep breath. What Senator Ty might
consider to be rude behavior, in fact, couldn't be farther from the truth. Her
success was two-fold. For one, she may have just saved his life. While Clone
troopers didn't care if sexual overtures were made in front of them, Anakin
surely would. And while she had no problem rebuffing anyone with such veracity
that ninety-nine percent never tried again, her words were no match for her
husbands lightsaber.
Her second success happened to be the purest.
The one that mattered most. At long last, she was alone with Anakin, albeit in
this security-camera observed corridor. Caution here, as salvation for a short
time was not far away. They set about a casual walk, led by Anakin of course.
Padme ached to take his hand into hers, curling around it. The sight of him was
intoxicating. "The HoloNet's nightly news reports on the war are filled
with awful sights. How have you been holding up?"
He paused before answering, "I'm doing
okay."
Letters and communications that could be
picked up or read had to use coded messages. A secret language all their own,
developed in bed one night not long after they married. 'I'm doing okay'
translated to 'I've missed you terribly and I can barely stand it.' The raw
pain echoed in his voice caused her heart to
ache. "I'm doing okay too."
Suddenly, his hand shot out, grasping her right wrist. He stopped in front of
her, his superior height towering over her. Heat seared every nerve in her
body, causing her belly muscles to clench. She felt lightheaded from his touch
alone. Unable to resist any longer, her trembling hand rose to caress his face,
to run her fingers over his jaw and chin, to know this moment was real.
"Your hair's a little longer."
"So is yours," Anakin whispered
softly, emotionally. His eyes shut under her tender ministrations, leaning into
her desperately missed affection. He reached up to pull a wisp of her silky
hair from her lovely face. He was at a total loss for words. All he knew was
that he wanted to kiss her. To hold her until the end of time. Her slender
shoulders, her luscious mouth, her long silky hair, her subtly curved body all
called out to him. He absorbed the thrilling sight of her, struggling to
maintain his composure.
The soft feel of his fingers on her skin made
her tingle from her toes to the crown of her head. Padme tried not to let her
emotions get the best of her, but she couldn't help it. She felt sentimental.
Perhaps she wanted to. Catching that familiar hunger in his eyes for her alone,
she remembered the exquisite way he made love to her for hours, forever marking
her as his. There are faint scars on his back made by no war, but the passion
he drew from her. Branding him for all time as hers.
"Follow me, my lady. I'm sure you're
tired." Mustering all the remaining restraint he had left, Anakin
relinquished his gentle hold on her wrist, and then rested his open palm on her
lower back. He escorted her down three long corridors, past two sets of
saluting Clone guards, until at last they reached her room. He had already
decided to give her the one farthest from the other Senators for privacy. So
far, so good.
"Jedi, sir?" Padme called out, ever
mindful of the security camera on the other side of the hallway facing her
corridor. "I'm thoroughly exhausted this evening. Would I be troubling you
in asking that you take my formal statement for the investigation now rather
than later? I would like to rest uninterrupted for as long as I can until the
'Sandstorm' arrives."
"It wouldn't be any trouble at all, my
lady." Force, did he ever love her mind, body, and soul. Anakin pressed in
the wall-mounted keypad the security protocol that opened the door. He extended
his arm just inside the door, motioning for her to enter. When she did, his
extended hand summoned the Force, and quickly severed four wires from the
wall-embedded security camera near the window in the far corner of the room. He
followed her inside and shut the door behind them.
All of a sudden the war, the Senate,
Palpatine, the Separatists, and the Jedi Council ceased to exist.
As if a dream fulfilled at long last, Padme
found herself swept into the loving home of Anakin's strong arms, and was
kissed endlessly. Her feet dangled barely off the floor, clutched to his chest
in such a possessive manner that they might never be apart again. The tender
plundering of his mouth on hers evolved into a devouring of lips as her arms
slipped around his neck. A sense of urgency was nearly overwhelming them, so
long had they gone without seeing each other. Their ten and a half week
separation was finally at an end.
They broke their kiss only when the need to
breathe became a priority. Anakin held her around the waist so tight, his
forehead pressed against hers, eyes shut. He savored her scent, the soft feel
of her skin, and the peace of soul that only came with her presence.
His eyes drifted over her, she observed. Her
eyes lingered only a second, and she could see his delight. "I love you so
much," her voice cracked with the truth of her life. Her throat tightened
and she suppressed a sob.
"I'm overcome," he found his voice,
though barely above a whisper. He held her closer, burying his face in her
neck, inhaling the scent of his beloved.
"I was so worried about you. I feared
every evening Holonet broadcast that might bring word of your death."
He softly caressed her cheek with his flesh
hand. The dread she's been forced to live with, he silently swore she would
know an infinite amount of happier times. He would see to it by any means
necessary. "I've slept in tents and holes made of dirt and dark caves.
Sometimes in the pouring rain, or the bitter cold. I've seen so much death that
sometimes I think it haunts me. I've suffered and witnessed suffering," he
confided, lifting his head to take a good long adoring look at his wife.
"I survived it all just to come home to you."
Her fingers threaded into his hair as she
drew him down to her, pressing her lips to his in a kiss that spoke of the
deepest commitment. Of something eternal, shared only by them. She often
wondered if any woman in all the galaxy was as loved as her. "I am so
proud of you. You have exuded such bravery."
His smile evolved into something partially
sheepish in the wake of her praise.
They simply held onto each other for the
longest time, allowing the moment to sink in before they became hungry and
kissed again. Only this kiss was full and passionate. It was a kiss of lovers,
and it lingered on and on.
"You smell so much better than
Obi-Wan."
Padme laughed and leaned against him, letting
her head settle on his shoulder. "I should hope so. If the case were
otherwise I'd have far more to worry about than I already do."
Her laughter breathed hope back into his
heart. "How have you been? Really, I mean."
"I've missed you so much," she
confessed. "Otherwise, I'm doing as much as I can to discover a way to end
this war peacefully. Keeping busy helps, but at night..."
"I'm so..."
"Lonely," she finished for them
both, her fingers curling through the hair on the back of his head. With him so
near she could smell his masculine aroma. She took a deep breath, savoring him.
She lifted her head from his shoulder, smiling. His sudden silence wasn't what
she wanted. "You're brooding. Stop it," she ordered playfully.
"However do you know I'm brooding?"
he teased, then pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. "Are you sure
you're not a Jedi?"
"No, but I'm married to one."
"One who missed you more than words can
say."
"His wife missed him just as
badly." Anakin released his hold from around her waist. His left hand
rose, ghosting his touch past the side of her neck. A long wistful sigh escaped
his lips and his robotic hand clenched into a fist. "What is it?"
"I can't take much more of this,"
came with such bitter frustration he had to step away from her, turning his
back. "I'm sick of this war. No one's
winning it. For nearly two years now it's been going on without an end in
sight."
"The Republic has to and will find a
peaceful solution," she maintained. Her hand grasped his forearm so that
he faced her again. "The Senators might bicker regularly, but all of them
want the same thing. They want this war to end. That is the Senate's top
priority, I assure you."
"Then let them deal with the war,"
Anakin declared in a dark tone, his eyes narrowed seriously. Padme was not only
his wife, but his very best friend. They accepted their opposing views on the
war, it's true origins and what it was really about at the end of the day. But
at the end of that day, his life, the one that mattered most, was meant to be
lived by her side. "I can't stand being apart from you for months at a
time with no way to communicate with you," he complained. "When
Senator Gyles was kidnapped and his staff assassinated, I was horribly worried
for your safety. You are a well-known, highly respected Senator with direct
ties to the Jedi Council and the Supreme Chancellor. It doesn't really matter
that you no longer fully support him. The next attempt on your life wouldn't be
the first."
"My personal security, as well as the
other Senators has been increased. There are more Jedi stationed at the Galatic
Senate, as well as undercover officers patrolling twenty-four hours a
day," she explained to him. "One thing you need to understand is that
those attacks are meant to provoke us into changing the way we live our lives and
scare us into inactivity. They tried to use fear as a weapon, and they have
failed. They will continue to fail."
"If I lost you..."
"You won't. Not now and not ever."
Sometimes, when he was alone in the dark, he
wasn't so sure. "This has to end."
"I'm open to suggestions."
His intense stare found hers. "We could
disappear."
"And we've talked about this before.
What about the Jedi Order? What about my position in the Galatic Senate?
"I am not the last Jedi. And the Senate
won't fall apart without you."
"Disappearing would be selfish of
us," she reasoned with him using a calm, rational voice. For just a moment
his wife had to leave the room so that his trusted confidant could help him see
the bigger picture. Her husband, though wonderful and satisfying to her heart
in every way, had a side to him that she didn't always like, but understood
nonetheless. "Duty," she watched
him bow his head, "A word I know you hate to hear coming from me, matters.
We made commitments long ago and we have to uphold them the same way everyone
else does. People are counting on us, albeit in different ways, but
nonetheless, they are."
"I don't care."
His defiant glare was almost cute. Her
beloved carried with him such a fiery temper. Padme approached him with careful
steps, resting her hands on his chest in a affectionate manner. His tightened
jaw relaxed, as did his mood, and his shoulders settled from their once rigid
pose. When she tipped his chin with a finger, smiling as she gazed into his
eyes, he softened that very moment. "Yes, Ani. You do care. It's one of
the many things I love about you so much."
He's had little doubt since earning her love
that she was the cure to all that ailed him. She could brush aside his pride and
ego with a gentle wave of her hand. Whenever he lost focus, she showed him the
way home. He might not always agree with her, but he loved her with every fiber
of his being. "I want to ask you a question."
"Ask it." He took her by the hand
and led her over to the bed, then motioned for her to sit at the end, before
falling to one knee beside her.
"Do you know your place in my
life?"
Padme brushed her hand over his face, awed by
her feelings for him. "I'm not sure I know what you mean. Of course I know
you love me. I've never doubted that."
"This isn't about love, Padme. This is
about your place in my life. This is about you knowing beyond a shadow of a
doubt where my priorities are." He searched for the right words to convey
life from lifelessness, which best described him after he met her. "Being
a Jedi Knight is fulfilling in a way I could have never imagined. It's exciting
and dangerous at the same time. Our duty is to protect and keep the peace in
the whole of the Republic. We garner the utmost respect wherever we go in the
galaxy. In a lot of ways, we are the hand and the fist of the Galatic Senate.
And one day soon I will become the youngest Master ever, as well as the
youngest person ever elected to the Jedi Council." He knelt before her,
taking both of her small hands into his. His gaze spoke of an everlasting
devotion. "None of those things matter to me more than you do. I would
walk away from my life as a Jedi if you asked me to. I would do it without
hesitation. I know you're right when you speak of duty and our
responsibilities. And I would be lying if I said being a Jedi meant nothing to
me, when in fact, it means a great deal. And yet, being a Jedi is not the sum
total of my life. Being with you, and loving you, is."
Heartfelt tears sparkled her eyes until one
lone droplet fell, followed by another as it leapt off her cheek and onto their
joined hands. Padme gathered Anakin to her, wearing a smile that bore a touch
of euphoria. Aside from a kiss, he was her first everything, and if there had
been others, none would have a hope of comparing to her Ani. He filled every
corner and every section of her heart entirely and she wouldn't have it any
other way. She had never truly doubted her place in his life, nor would she
ever deny how beautiful it was to hear him confirm it. "You humble
me," she proclaimed in a almost fragile tone of voice.
"You should be exulted."
Padme smiled so bright. "And to think, I
thought I could not possibly love you more."
A devilishly daring grin came over his face.
"So, does that mean you're ready to run away with me?"
"We're needed, Ani," she replied
with a kiss as he slowly pushed her back on the bed, his solid weight pressing
her into the soft mattress. How ever did they survive so many nights apart,
they both thought as their lips danced and played joyfully.
"My precious Padme," murmured
against her lips. "I need you."
"It's been so long, Ani," her voice
dripped with wanton desire. "Show me how badly you need me. Make me feel
how badly you've missed me."
Amid softly whispered endearments they
undressed, toying playfully the whole while. Hovering over her, Anakin leaned
down and breathed fire on her throat, skittering across it with his tongue. As
her fingers combed through his hair, he suckled her pulse point. The sensation
elicited that sweet humming sound she made whenever his attention was focused
on that part of her neck.
The heady sensation of his mouth mesmerized
her. His soft lips touched her ear, then he took her lobe between his teeth,
nibbling it. More than anything she was aware of his warm breath bathing her
neck. When his fingers trailed down her thighs, across it, and up her inner
thigh, her skin tingled. She craved his touch and only wanted more.
"Feel what you do to me, Padme."
Anakin took one of her slender hands and wrapped it around his thick hardness
at the base. She reflexively squeezed it and he flexed it in her hand. She
gasped and wiggled from head to toe. The power she wielded over him, she
reveled in. He leaned over and put his hands on her beautifully curved
hips. The slightly thicker leather glove
covering his mechanized hand contoured for a more natural, warm feel. He loved
the way her thighs instinctively opened in invitation. His own hips made a
slight involuntary twitch. He
smiled at the sweet tension.
The sensual wincing faces he made when she
stroked him from root to tip only heightened her arousal. She felt the dewy
reservoir of her femininity moisten, readying for him. Only, always, for him.
"Padme, please... enough."
"As you wish." Sith Lords could not
bend him to their will, but she could, and she loved it. She pouted, but
dropped her grasp from him, now ghosting her fingers over the chiseled muscles
of his hard abs. He brought his body down on hers, but his mouth was at her
breasts. Her hips squirmed anyway, nudging her pubis into his belly. He groaned
when her thighs clasped his cock tightly. Her nails raked his scalp when he
took a distended nipple between
his lips. He flicked it with his tongue and
she bucked beneath him.
Her eyes met his and she saw he felt the same
heavy, radiant pleasure she did.
"I love you so much, Ani."
Her voice was soft and small. He looked only
at her lovely eyes. There was an innocence there and it burned
him. Smiling, his tongue slowly lapped the
sweet curve of her supple breast, then tortured her nipple until he inhaled the
sensitive tip inside the warmth of his greedy mouth, where he suckled hard.
Judging by her deep moaning, her voice sounded far away. Glancing up, he
watched her lips tremble, her nerves sizzled and sparked for a moment. His
teeth nipped at her nipple, and her back arched high off the bed. He set about
swirling over the tip, bathing it in liquid heat. All she could do was purr in
appreciation of his talented technique.
Her legs scissored over the back of his
strong thighs as he paid methodical homage to her breasts. His kissed and
caressed her so perfectly he left her womanhood weeping, and then his lips
trailed a line down her chest, brushing wet kisses over her shuddering belly,
dipping inside her navel with his tongue for a delirious second before the
ravishing scent of her tore through his senses.
"Oh, Ani..."
Anakin heard Padme's satisfied sigh when he
gently parted her legs. Her sex shined with arousal, glistening. His need to taste
her became the only need he had in all the galaxy. He slowly licked a trail
from her entrance to the sensitive bundle of nerves at her apex and sucked it
in. Her hands flew to his head and pulled him in harder to her, as the woman
who not so long ago replaced the inexperienced girl, and knew how to lift her
hips to feed him. Her knees splayed out and her back arched when the sucking
noises between her slender thighs grew hungry in volume. He began nursing her
clit, savoring the gentle swelling inside his mouth as he lashed the tip with
his tongue.
As if the intense sensations weren't enough,
the sight of his head rolling between her splayed thighs threatened to send her
into sensory overload. Anakin's eyes peered up and shone with desire. Padme was
beside herself with pleasure. His tongue was everywhere, on her clit, over her
folds, and inside her. She started to whimper softly to herself. He drew his
tongue up the inside of her thigh sending another wave of aroused pleasure
through his wife's body. His hands slipped under her firm backside and
controlled her bucking hips a little. Her thighs tightly wrapped around his
head and her feet beat into his back, as he sent her into fits when his tongue
lashed a furious nod over and over and over. Instinctively, she arched her hips
upward so that he could really dig in, which he did dutifully.
"You taste incredible, my love."
Anakin knew he had Padme where she wanted her. He finished long licks over her
clit, sucked gently, then furiously swatted at her clit with his tongue.
Suddenly, Padme threw her head back, arched her shoulders to the dim room, and
opened her mouth in a loud, shameless scream. She rode the sensations high,
writhing until she nearly rolled on her side. Her expression crawled from
blissful agony to pure satisfaction. He felt the tension in her leg and thigh
muscles relax as his slow laps soothed her down from on high. He pressed his
lips against her one final time, then made his way back up her until he's
kissing her again, loving the little aftershocks that caused her to shake.
"Are you alright?"
"I'm... I'm fine, Ani," she
stuttered, much to his amusement. Now if she could only get her legs to stop
shaking. Her husband looked all to pleased with himself, but damn if he didn't
have a right to be. "You're incredible."
"I know."
"You're making fun of me."
"No, I'd be much to frightened to tease
a Senator."
She remembered that, and smiled accordingly.
"Shut up and make love to your wife."
"You're more bossy than Obi-Wan."
"In the future, kindly refrain from
mentioning his or any other Jedi's name before we make love."
"Yes, my Master." Once more, he
kissed her mouth with his hungrily, lovingly. His darting tongue explored hers
as they moved as one, to finally become one.
Padme kissed her husband with such passion,
and welcomed his solid, protective weight over her, though she could hardly
breathe. Their hearts pounded together. She whimpered softly when his hard
flesh sank into her. The sensations made her toss her head from side to side in
helpless response as he eased in and out until he was buried so deeply inside
her she could feel his heart beat from where they were connected.
Her slick tightness caused him to suck in his
breath with a slight gasp every time he felt the ring of muscles slip over the
head of his shaft. Ohh, she felt so good. He thrusted higher, deeper, and
nuzzled the side of her neck.
She hung onto the hard muscles of his sides
and enjoyed the fullness of him as their bodies surged to meet each other. She
panted and wailed under him, trying to impale herself further as the minutes
flew by of their aggressive passion.
Anakin raised onto his elbows and stared at
his wife's beautiful face. With their bodies still joined and slick with sweat,
he kissed her deeply. Unable to tame the beast within any longer, he violently
fucked her. Her inner sheath seemed to grab hold of him like a vacuum and suck
every inch of him in deeper every time he parted her tender flesh. The bed
slammed back into the wall and nearly cracked the plaster. The room filled with
the decadent sounds of flesh rhythmically slapping together as they fulfilled
their wanton cravings.
"Mercy, my love," Padme chanted in
wonder. The delicious fullness that bordered on pain lifted her yet again as Anakin
couldn't stop throbbing inside her. An avalanche of sensation awaited her.
"Anakin... harder, please."
Her voice was strained and it was the
sweetest thing he had ever heard. "... Padme." He couldn't tell if
she heard him becasue she started kissing his throat. She licked the skin over
his pulse, then moved down to bite his collar bone as her nails dug into his
shoulders. Her ankles locked over his lower back as she met his every invasion
into her with a vigorous thrust of her own. Her tight, exquisite caress left
him barren of coherent thought as he raced ever closer to that edge of sanity.
The picture they must have made, their
writhing forms, sweat glistening off their skin as they mated with a primal
hunger.
Anakin parted his wife’s lips with his tongue
and she accepted him in her mouth, then turned the tables on him and sucked his
tongue so hard he nearly shouted.
The storm of Padme's climax gathered steam.
Their feverish embrace ignited her, loosening the last tethers of control. The
thick, heated feel of him pounding into her faster sent her crashing into
ectasy, and the final blind delirium of joy. "I love you. I love
you," she mumbled incoherently into his mouth, feeling in her excitement
the blending of herself with him.
Her explosive climax triggered his own.
Anakin arched his back completely off the bed, and cried out his very soul.
Never had Padme seen anything so erotic as
his body arched above her, frozen in a trembling clench of every muscle. She
could feel him swell and pulse inside her. Jets of hot fluid filled her until
she overflowed. He collapsed onto her breathing harshly, sated at last.
Bliss.
Pure.
Sweet.
Bliss.
Reunited, as the dim light touched him softly
all over, the pressure of his erection eased off, but she could still feel a
faint throbbing when he gently slipped from her. They repositioned under the
covers, wrapped in each others arms, at a complete loss for words. Yes, this
was all that they needed.
To just be together.
******
Eight Hours Later
******
Anakin wasn't quite sure why Padme asked him
to bring her here. Then again, she was never a predictable sort of woman. He
watched her carefully appraise the room, taking in every detail. "It's not
much to look at, I know."
Her need to see where he slept was an odd
one, even to her. Nonetheless, Padme wanted to visit where he spent his nights
away from her while aboard this ship. The mid-sized room, with it's bland gray
walls and tiled hard worn flooring carried with it no personality at all. The
wall-mounted HoloNet viewer, and just below it, a R-Unit recharger were the
only things to remotely be considered as decorations. The ceiling bore the
crest of the Republic. There was nothing of Anakin here, she surmised. No
pictures of any kind. No items that spoke of the man she loved. No plants, nor
anything else alive at all. It was a simple room with a bed and a refresher. It
was a place to sleep, and no more than that. "Do all the rooms look this
way?"
"Yes, except Obi-Wan and I are the only
two individuals on this ship who have a room all to ourselves. Clones share
rooms four at a time. We also have the biggest rooms, for what it's
worth," he told her from his place by the door, standing just inside. His
followed his wife as she toured his quarters, moving past the bed where she
traced her fingers over the blue covers that kept him warm at night. He could
feel her mood grow somber as she moved
about. "Tell me what you're
thinking?"
"I'm thinking that my husband deserves
better than this," Padme responded quickly. She turned to him, then looked
away, out through the glass hub into black of outer space. "But this is a
time of war and so many across the galaxy are suffering in ways far worse than
your humble accommodations." She heard him walk up behind her. Instinctively,
she leaned back against him the moment his arms slid around her waist. Her
hands rested over his, covering both the flesh and the gloved metal of the man
she loved. Her eyes shut briefly while in his safe embrace. "I needed to
see where you slept, Ani. I try so hard to picture you somewhere peaceful and
quiet. It helps me rest when you're not with me."
"My offer to disappear still stands, you
know?" He enjoyed her amusement, and knew her answer before she gave it.
"I know, I know. We must accept our duty."
"It's nice to know you listen to
me."
"I always listen to you," he sought
to remind her.
"No, you don't."
"How could you say such a thing to
me?"
"Remember that time at the Lake Retreat
a year ago when my sister stopped by unexpectantly?" Padme felt her
husband tuck her head underneath his chin. "I told you to wait in our
bedroom until she left, but you saw fit to come out and say hi."
"I felt it would be the polite thing to
do."
"Did you truly believe she would think
you were protecting me again?"
"It wouldn't have been the first
time."
"Yes, but last time she did not meet you
walking out of my bedroom without wearing a shirt, barefoot, and grinning like
a well satisfied man."
She had him on that one. "Okay, so next
time I'll listen to you."
"You should always listen to me and do
everything I say."
"That sounds like a dictatorship."
"Well," she reasoned with a smirk
adorning her lips. "If it works."
"Funny, Padme. Real funny." He spun
her around in his arms, leaned down and kissed her for the longest time,
holding her so tight around her waist. Their time was fast running out, and
both knew it, as well as avoided talking about it. They'd woken from a blissful
sleep only thirty short minutes ago. After a dual refresher visit of the most
pleasurable kind, Padme made her request. The 'Sandstorm' was due to arrive any
minute, and with it's arrival would come yet another separation. For how long
was anyone’s guess.
Padme's emotions washed over her so quickly
and she began crying even before they stopped kissing. She wept softly against
his chest. Her hands clutched his cloak the whole while he held her through it
all.
Anakin felt helpless to ease her pain.
Comfort was all he could offer, and he realized it was enough. Padme cried
until she stopped almost instantly, and when she lifted her face from his
chest, the strong-willed, proud Senator Padme Amidala had returned. No less of
a woman, only the one she needed to be in public. "Are you alright?"
"I won't be until you're home with me
for good and this war is over with. But until then I will be alright. And so
will you."
The true strength in their little family
resided in her most of all. Anakin didn't worry about himself. Reckless and
overly aggressive, he'd throw himself into any situation. Just another walk
through the fire. As long as his angel could persevere, then he would too.
"I don't know what to say."
"Then say nothing, because nothing will
make this better for either of us. It's our lives right now. We just have to
make the best of it." He nodded his understanding, though he didn't like
their reality one bit. Suddenly, his comm-link went off.
"Yes, Master?" Anakin answered,
holding it to his face.
'The Sandstorm' has arrived. Kindly escort
any remaining Senators who are touring the ship to the hanger bay. A shuttle is
waiting to transport them.'
Anakin sighed as he held Padme closer.
"I'll be right there, Master.'
'Thank you.'
Their time together has ended. A brief stay
amidst their commitments during a time of war. Why did it seem as though no
matter how hard they fought against it, fate found a way to pull them apart.
"We have to go," Padme said with
little emotion. Willing herself, she slipped from his arms. She took a long,
deep, cleansing breath. She wiped her face clean of any evidence that she had
been crying, and walked towards the door. Anakin followed her, quiet and
sullen. "Ani, I love you. And when this war is over, we will never be
apart again."
"Do you promise?" he teased in a
moment he truly needed something lighthearted.
Padme smiled. The Jedi Master to be still
held enough of that little boy him in that he still needed promises. "I
promise."
Anakin bent down to her and stole one last,
long kiss for the cold, lonely days ahead. "I love you, Padme."
"I know," she kissed him again,
then turned away from him and opened the door. They took to the hallway as
friends from afar. They walked down a winding corridor, took a deathly quiet
elevator ride, and soon found themselves entering the crowded hanger bay. Ahead
of them was the transport that would take her to the 'Sandstorm' and away from
the one she loved. Alas, that was unavoidable.
Anakin made sure to walk a few steps apart
from Padme, for appearances sake. They did not say goodbye, for they promised
they never would. And when she walked away from him without a last word, he
felt no anger when she never looked back. This was there way. He followed with
his eyes until she rejoined her group, greeted Captain Typho, and then Obi-Wan
as the other Senators conferred around them. Hugs and handshakes later, she
boarded her shuttle. The ramp door shut ever so slowly as he watched the
blue-white heat of the shuttles engines ignite. It lifted from the floor, it's
landing gear retracted, and it took off, out into space towards the
'Sandstorm.'
At least they had a few hours to remind them
what was most important, and what they were truly fighting this war for.
"You seem well rested," Obi-Wan
greeted him as he approached.
"I actually enjoyed some uninterrupted
sleep."
Standing beside his former student, Obi-Wan
felt his somber mood, though found him in far better shape than he was hours
ago. There was a spark to his sprit. A recharging of sorts. He had little doubt
why that was. "It's a good thing you did. It may be a long while before
you can again."
Such a curious thing to say, Anakin thought.
"I'm sure you could use some too," he stated, arms behind
him. "Sleep, I mean."
With a touch of the Sith in his grin, Obi-Wan
replied, "Indeed."
******
The End
Chapter 2 "Shadows of Winter"
coming soon.