Boundless as the Sea

Chapter Twenty Eight

Padmé awoke to the beautiful sound of silence. The sun was high in the atmosphere; she must have slept late. Thankfully, she didn't have to go to the Senate today. She got out of bed and stretched, then paused. She heard something coming from the 'fresher.

Padmé wasted no time in grabbing her blaster and sneaking up next to the door. "Threepio?"

The door opened and Padmé pointed her blaster at the intruder, her hand perfectly steady.

"Guess again." Anakin came out of the 'fresher, wearing only a towel around his waist. "You know you can kill someone with that thing."

"Ani!" Padmé dropped the blaster, her mouth agape in shock. "What are you doing here? You should have told me!"

"You were asleep, I didn't want to wake you! We got back early and I was gonna surprise you, but you were already in bed and you woke up a lot later than usual."

"It's been weeks since I've seen you! I've been-" Padmé stopped herself. She couldn't let him know she was up late every night worried sick about him. "Never mind." She suddenly looked away from his eyes.

Anakin raised an eyebrow. "You've been what?"

"Nothing, Anakin."

They suddenly heard the sound of Threepio bumbling about something outside the door to the bedroom, and before they knew it, the door was open.

And Ahsoka was standing in the doorway.

"Sorry to intrude, my lady, but- oh." It was then that Ahsoka saw Anakin, wearing nothing but a towel. "Master!"

Anakin reddened and cleared his throat. "Uh, Ahsoka, could you wait outside?" Padmé's cheeks were blazing. Ahsoka covered her mouth trying to hide that she was laughing, and she made a hasty exit.

"You really need to get a lock on that door," Anakin grumbled as he put on his tunic. Padmé just covered her face with her hands and shook her head. Then her shoulders began to shake. "Padmé, are you crying?" He quickly ran over to her and took her hands off of her face. She was laughing uncontrollably.

"I don't believe I've ever seen you blush like that, General Skywalker," she said once she could talk.

"Oh yeah? Well, I know plenty of ways to make you blush, Senator, and I'm not afraid to do them," he replied with a devilish smirk.

"This door isn't soundproof!" yelled Ahsoka from outside the bedroom.

Before Padmé could even think about what she would say next, his lips were on hers. She wrapped her arms around his neck and ran her fingers through his messy hair. Anakin pulled her close, relishing in her presence.

Finally, they had to break apart. Padmé cleared her throat. "I'd better not keep Ahsoka waiting any longer." She turned around and walked out the door, a big smile on her face.

Anakin smirked. She had also been blushing.

...

Later that night, Anakin and Padmé were curled up together on the sofa, simply enjoying each other's company. Padmé had laid her head in the crook of Anakin's neck, and she let out a sigh of contentment. Anakin placed a gentle kiss on her head and smelled her hair. He then held her chin and turned her face towards his. "Are you sure you're ok?" His brow was furrowed with concern.

"Yes, Ani, for the tenth time, I'm fine. I barely ever feel it anymore," she said, referring to her blaster wound. "What about you? Are you alright?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Yes, you do. Look at you, you're exhausted. Ahsoka is too, I could tell. And what about Obi-Wan?"

"What about him?"

Padmé rolled her eyes. "Honestly, sometimes I wonder if you ever notice how tired he always seems to be."

"There's a war going on, Padmé. Of course we're tired. We're all tired. That's why I love it here, with you, so much. Nothing to do but relax and spend time with the most important person in my life.

"Threepio?" she replied with a smirk.

"No, Captain Typhoid."

"Typho. Anakin, you really should know his name by now. He is my head of security after all. He makes sure that assassins don't kill me for making honest speeches."

"That's my job. Besides, I'm pretty sure that guy doesn't like me." Anakin sat back on the sofa with his arms stretched out.

"Well, maybe if you got his name right, he would like you."

"Fine." Anakin yawned. "It's late. I'm goin' to bed." He stood up and held out his arm. "Care to join me?"

Padmé stood. "Why, certainly," she said with a smile as she took his hand.