Summary: A different take on AOTC where Padmé is the seducer and Anakin is the young Jedi trying to resist her. It loosely follows the plot of Episode II and beyond.

Disclaimer: Just trying to have a little fun!

Author's Notes: The idea for this story came to me after watching Mr. Plinkett's epic prequel reviews on YouTube. He suggested it would've been more interesting if Padmé was the one tempting Anakin and he was the one trying to resist her (a standard forbidden fruit story), and I thought that was a great idea. The story also gave me an opportunity to tinker with Anakin's personality a little bit.

I wrote this as one piece, but for formatting purposes I'm dividing it into chapters, so the pacing might seem odd sometimes. I also skimmed through some scenes from the movies to get to the parts I really wanted to write about.

This is an adult story, meaning some scenes and situations are not suitable for children.

Chapter 1

The two Jedi marched along the wide hallway of the Temple. The oldest of the pair glanced at his young student, briefly wondering why he seemed so nervous. As always, he seemed to sense his master's feelings.

"What is it?" Anakin asked.

"You tell me", Obi Wan countered.

"I'm worried about the assassination attempt. It's going to happen again, I can feel it." He met Obi Wan's eyes pointedly.

"Most certainly", the master agreed. "The council will probably ask us to keep an eye on her while she's in Coruscant for the vote."

"I don't understand politicians", Anakin commented.

"Me neither. I have yet to meet one I can trust." They turned on a corner and found themselves in the Council Hall, statues of legendary Jedi Knights standing proudly on both sides.

"I'm sure we can trust Padmé", Anakin said. Obi Wan met his eyes sharply.

"Ten years is a long time, Anakin. A lot of things have happened. And you will call her Senator Amidala", he said firmly, leaving no room for arguments.

"Yes, Master", Anakin muttered. They stopped outside the Council Room and fixed their robes.

"And I don't think the council needs to know we went a little overboard celebrating your birthday last night", Obi Wan noted with a smile. Anakin laughed a bit too loudly and his master had to elbow him. "Calm down."

"Sorry, Master", he grinned.

The doors to the council room opened and they stepped inside.

Padmé, escorted by Dormé and Captain Typho, stepped closer to her two Jedi visitors.

"It's a pleasure to see you again, Milady", Obi Wan greeted, shaking her hand.

"It's been far too long, Master Kenobi." She paused and got a better look at the young man standing behind Obi Wan. He was even taller than the Jedi Knight and his face was very handsome, albeit young. "Ani?" she looked at him from head to toe and then back to his blue eyes as he stepped closer to her. "Oh, my goodness! You've… grown."

"Master Kenobi makes sure I eat well", he quipped. Padmé laughed softly and Obi Wan elbowed his apprentice. Anakin elbowed him back and smiled at Padmé. "It's nice to see you're safe, Senator Amidala", he said more seriously offering his hand. Padmé looked at it and shook it firmly.

"Thank you, Ani", she looked at Obi Wan and then at Anakin again. "Let's sit down, shall we?" She guided them to the sitting area and sat across from the two Jedi. She noticed Anakin kept his eyes on his lap, his hands resting on his knees. She looked at Master Kenobi.

"I appreciate your presence, and I'm certainly glad to see you again, but I think this much security is an exaggeration", she said.

"The situation is worse than she will admit", Captain Typho cut in. Padmé shot a glance at him, but the good captain was doing his job.

"I've had attempts on my life before. What I need is answers", she pointed to Master Kenobi.

"I'm afraid you misunderstand the purpose of our presence here, milady", the older Jedi started, "we're here to protect you, not to start an investigation", he clarified.

Padmé had to contain her sigh of frustration. She had more important things to do right now. There was an important decision to make in the senate, a decision that could change the fate of the galaxy for the next few years. She wanted to know who was behind this murder attempts and get back to her life.

"I'm sure this will be over soon, Senator", Anakin said. Padmé was surprised to hear him speak up. His eye contact was steady, too. She half-smiled.

"Let's hope so, Ani", she rose to her feet and the Jedi followed. "If you'll excuse me, I will retire." The Jedi bowed their heads and she nodded, then walked to her private quarters. She glanced over her shoulder and caught Anakin looking at her, but his eyes quickly went back to Captain Typho. Padmé smiled to herself.

Anakin sat with Captain Typho in the luxurious kitchen, both nursing hot drinks. It was a chilly night.

"Do you like your job?" Anakin asked, trying to strike up a conversation with the stern captain. He wasn't a man of too many words.

"I'm proud to serve my home planet", came the dry reply.

"Naboo is amazing", Anakin said. Typho's expression softened.

"Yes, it is. You've been there before?" he asked curiously. He didn't remember any recent Jedi missions to Naboo. He made sure to keep track of those.

"Once, a long time ago. For the Trade Federation blockade." Anakin noticed a bowl of berries on the table and looked back at Typho. The captain slid the bowl in front of the young man. Anakin smiled guiltily and popped a berry into his mouth. "Thank you."

"You must've been very young", Typho commented.

"He's the little boy who blew up the Trade Federation's command ship", a familiar voice cut in. Captain Typho and Anakin rose to their feet to greet the senator, the latter almost choking with a berry. Padmé noticed and fought the urge to smile. She walked over to the table and picked up a berry for herself. "Are you still the best pilot in the galaxy, Ani?" she asked before putting the berry in her mouth.

"Uh", he cleared his throat when his voice cracked, "I don't know", was all he managed to answer. Padmé half-smiled and turned to Captain Typho.

"I have a plan. If it works, we can get this over with tonight."

The plan was simple: Padmé would be in her room, just like every other night, while Anakin waited just outside ready to capture whoever it was who was trying to kill her. The problem was that Anakin wasn't too crazy about the idea. He inspected Padmé's room while she watched from the doorframe, almost amused by his stubbornness.

"I'm not crazy about that", he said, nodding towards the large window separating her bedroom from the exterior.

"I'm hoping the assassin disagrees", she said. Anakin exhaled heavily and tapped the glass. "It's blaster proof", she assured.

"I think your assassin knows that", he looked at her. "I don't know, senator, this… this seems too dangerous."

"That's the whole point, Ani. Someone will try to come in through the window, but you'll stop them. I trust you", she added. Anakin looked down, embarrassed. "Master Kenobi said you were a very good student."

"He said that?" Anakin asked, surprised.

"I'm sure you've heard that before", she smiled.

"Well, no. Not from him. Or anyone else for that matter", he said, giving her a half-smile. Padmé felt her toes curl at the gesture. The more she looked at him, the more handsome she found him. If only he wasn't jailbait.

"Why is that?" she questioned, moving closer to him. She felt Anakin tense and it endeared him to her.

"Uh, it doesn't matter…" he tried to shrug off. Padmé sighed and looked at him.

Anakin looked into her eyes, not knowing what to say. She looked so beautiful, more so than he remembered, and he couldn't believe she was standing so close to him. His affection for her never disappeared and throughout his training he had hoped their paths would cross again. But he knew he wasn't supposed to think about her so much. He had to lift up a wall to keep her from affecting him. But why did she keep looking at him?

"I have to change, Anakin", she finally said.

"Oh. Right. Yes, of course", he stumbled over his words, quickly leaving her room. When the door closed she allowed herself to laugh.