Author Note: My first Star Wars fic, and my first Obi/Padme fic (gaaah!). Please be somewhat kind in reviews, though flames don't bother me much (many people know this if they read another one of my fics @.@). Be advised that this IS Obi/Padme (if you just missed it before or in the summary). Also be advised that Anakin was hurt during the making of this fan-fic. Sorry ::hangs head in shame::
For the Sake of Being With You
:: Demon Eyes ::
~ Chapter One ~
It had been 10 years since she had seen either of them, and now the Jedi pair were on their way to her Courasant appartments that hour. Senator Amidala, or Padme as she prefered to be called, paced somewhat nervously around her circular bedroom. Her constant companion, Dorme, sat poised on the bed, her eyes every knowing as she watched her younger friend. Only she didn't know.
"Are you still shaken up about the assasination attempt, m'lady?" Sabe asked her in a hushed tone, guessing that to be the reason her friend appeared so nervous. She, too, was still afraid for Padme's life and mourned the death of their friend, Corde.
Padme stopped pacing and looked at her friend. Quickly, she decided that, yes, she should tell her that was why she was nervous, because even in her own mind, being nervous to see Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker again after all those years was silly and childish. "Yes, Dorme," she said, attempting a weak smile. "You know me so well."
"Here," Dorme offered, as she stood up from the bed, "rest for awhile. The Jedi shouldn't be here for atleast an hour, unless they plan to teleport here." Padme groaned in response.
"But I can't rest! I have to be alert and-"
"Shush," Dorme commanded, and then left the room, dimming the lights as she did so.
Padme sighed in frustration, falling back onto the bed, her untied hair sprawling across her face. She crossed her arms over her chest, staring at the darkened ceiling. Obi-Wan and Anakin... it had been so long. She wondered if she would even recognize the young boy from Tatooine, or if he would even remember her. Would Obi-Wan remember her?
The senator smiled at her memory of the young Jedi padawan. Of course, now he would be a Knight, ad Master. But still, his memory lingered. His short hair and padawan braid, his incredibly deep eyes that saw into mind and soul, the way he moved. Of course, she had never admitted to anyone, even herself, that she harbored feelings for him. No, it was simply a crush or infatuation and that was all.
But still, she did wonder whether he remembered her, the young teenage Queen he had helped protect 10 years ago. Padme smiled sadly. No, of course not. The event hadn't even been important to a Jedi, and if she remembered correctly, he had never seemed to like her that much. Too headstrong and independant, compared to Obi-Wan who was stern, composed and mature, even for his young age.
Sighing, she turned her thoughts away. She never expected to be in love, let alone be in love with a Jedi, or Jedi Master Kenobi, or, the truely impossible, have said Jedi return her feelings. It was just a nice thought to occupy boring and lonely times and a dream or two...thousand. She blushed at the thought.
Her eyes fluttered closed for a moment, as thoughts drifted from her job in the senate, to current events, and eventually, against her will, they drifted back to Obi-Wan, and a rather vivid dream played through her head as she drifted into a light nap.
A knock at the door woke her too soon, and Padme found herself struggling for breath as she sat up, remembering only vague details from her daydream that were enough to make her blush in extreme embarassment infront of no one. "Yes?" Padme called to the door, quickly composing herself.
Jar Jar stuck his head through the crack in the door, and his gungan mouth smiled. "Senator, the Jedi be arriving soon."
Padme blinked rapidly several times, furious at herself for drifting to sleep. "Thank you, Jar Jar. Will you please call Dorme for me?" As soon as she said the words, her friend pushed her way past the gungan and into the room, shutting the door behind her.
"M'lady?" she said, a smile tugging at her lips as she saw her friend's furious gaze.
"Why did you wait until now to wake me up? I'm not at all ready to accept guests," Padme said, motioning to the simple silk gown she had changed into after her meeting with Palpatine. It was white with thin straps that only came to about mid-thigh. The area over her breasts were covered with two layers of lace instead of silk. Over this, which she had shrugged off before falling asleep, she wore a long royal blue robe. Her hair was a complete mess as well.
Dorme gave the senator a genuine smile. "Oh, I don't know. I don't think the Jedi would be too upset to meet their new protectee in such a condition."
"Dorme," Padme said warningly.
"I know, I know!" she grinned, and immediatly headed to Padme's closet. "I'm sure we can get you dressed and do your hair in record time."
"You better," Padme muttered, her thoughts now warily turned to think of being placed under protection. She did not need nor want said 'protection'. That's what her guards were for.
Still... another chance to see Obi-Wan... maybe it wouldn't be too bad.
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Padme was impressed. Dorme had been able to get her into a bulky dress, her hair done diplomaticly and ready and waiting to recieve her guests in the ten minutes before the Jedi arrived. She sent Jar Jar to meet the pair, knowing that they might like to see an old friend before meeting her. As well, she was incredibly nervous and also hoped Jar Jar to stall them for a few seconds extra to compose herself.
As the outside elevator arrived she could hear their voices coming from the hall, and her knees immediatly weakened as she recognized the accented voice of the Jedi Master. With a firm nod, Padme sent Dorme and Typho ahead of her, then followed, two escorts positioned behind her. It was a formal reception, but she somehow felt silly when meeting the Jedi in this manner.
"Senator Padme!" Jar Jar's voice rang out as he entered the seating room, and then stepped aside, revealing two men behind him. "Lookee, lookee. Tis Jedi arriving!"
Padme's breath caught in her throat as she laid eyes upon the older Jedi. Aside from a thick beard he had grown which not only made him appear wiser but rugged, and longer hair that made him look younger, his face had not changed much. He still appeared stern and age-worn, but at the moment, he was smiling brightly at the reunion.
It was their reunion that renewed her feelings, and she wondered if Jedi were allowed to love. If there was hope of a relationship... but of course, there wasn't. Too complicated, not only him being a Jedi, but her a Senator. And so, he would ever remain a crush in her heart and dreams.
Her eyes probed his as she tried to search for any emotion, but they seemed clear of any human emotion and she supposed that was how they were meant to be. A Jedi probably let no emotion show through their stone stance. The disappointment of finding no pure joy in his eyes at seeing her abled her to relax in his presense.
"Master Kenobi, it's an honor to have you here," she choked out as smoothly as if she was unaffected, and ended the statement with a nod of her head.
"Senator Amidala, it's a pleasure to see you again," Obi-Wan returned as formaly, bowing at the waist to her.
Padme blushed. Had he really meant that or only used it as a formality? She wondered if he really was happy to see her, as happy as she was to see him... Her thoughts were interupted as her eyes caught sight of the man behind him.
He opened his mouth to say something else, but thought better of it as he saw her eyes flicker to the young man behind him.
She could tell he was younger then her, but he was so much taller. His hair was cut similar to that of Obi-Wan in his padawan days, and the braid was there. His outfit, however, was made of leather and dark, unlike the billowing robes she had always seen Jedi wear. And despite the fact that she knew Anakin would be there, it took a moment for it to register that this was Anakin.
"Ani?" Padme said in suprise, as she looked at the man the young Tatooine slave had grown into. "Is... is that you?"
Anakin was grinning brightly now that she had said his name, rather his nickname. "Hello, Padme," he replied, bowing as Obi-Wan had. "It been 10 years and you've grown more beautiful. More beautiful then you are in my dreams." He paused, realizing what he had said, and tried to cover it up, fumbling on his words. "I-I mean, for a Senator..."
While Padme continued to smile, inside she grew more nervous then before. She had not expected Anakin to have feelings for her, as he so boviously did. Even as a Jedi, he was unable to hide his affection for her. And she didn't return nor want that affection, but instead the affection of his Master. She felt only for the younger boy in a brotherly way.
"You've grown, too," she replied, carefully, and then added, hoping to discourage him just a little. "But, you'll always be that little boy on Tatooine."
The Senator then moved to sit on the couch where Dorme had previously taken a seat. She made sure to keep her eyes focused on her hands, the table, the floor, the ceiling, anywhere away from Obi-Wan as Typho introduced herself, and then showed the two Jedi to seats across from Padme.
She listened to her secruity captain explain a little to the two Jedi before she broke in. "I really don't need the extra secruity, Master Kenobi," Padme said, but she was focusing on the area behind the Jedi rather then his eyes. "I'm perfectly fine with the secruity I have now."
"I'm sure," the Jedi Knight smiled, "but still, a little extra protection couldn't hurt."
"That's right," Anakin interjected, his grin surpassing Obi-Wan's slight smile, "We wouldn't want you harmed because you refused two Jedis."
"Senator Amidala might be headstrong, but no matter what she says," Typho said lightly, "the extra protection is greatly appreciated."
Padme just looked at the floor, not wanting to object. She really did want Obi-Wan and Anakin around, even if she believed it wasn't nessasry.
"Of course," Obi-Wan said to the secruity captain, "we'll do our best to protect the Senator."
Anakin added, "And find out who would want to kill you, Padme."
"Anakin," the elder Jedi countered with a sigh, "the council only requested we protect her--"
"And," Anakin interupted, sensing where his master was going,"to protect her we need to find out who is behind the attacks."
Padme watched silently as the Master and Padawan fought without fighting, and she could clearly tell that Anakin was a rebellious boy and didn't want to do everything he was told. Arrogant, perhaps, but Obi-Wan also seemed to be doing a good job of keeping him from straying his Jedi path.
She then realized that her eyes were locked on the facial features of the older Jedi, and she found herself unable to look away. She became annoyed that her innocent crush was overwhelming her, and longed for the day when she would find affection for a man who could love her back.
As the argument drew to a close, Obi-Wan turned back to look to her and Anakin looked away, dejected. Padme noticed a slight tug of a smile at his lips as he caught the senator staring at him. She quickly looked to the floor again. If she hadn't taken that nap, she would have excused herself to her bedroom. But she wasn't tired and did not want to be confined to her room. So instead, she said to the Jedi, still refusing to meet either glance, "Well, I guess it's settled, despite my own wishes, that you'll be staying. Have the two of you eaten anything?"
The Jedi Master shook his head, answering for them both as Anakin was still brooding, "No, we haven't, m'lady."
Padme smiled. "Good. Then I wish that both of you join me for dinner in half an hour."
"That's very kind, but we wouldn't impose-"
"Master Kenobi, I'll have no argument. You haven't eaten and I intend to see my... bodyguards... well fed. I'll have a maid show you to your rooms and then escort you to the dining hall." She rose from her seat, followed by Dorme, and then the two Jedi. "If you'll excuse me..."
Both men bowed to her and she turned to her rooms and she barely registered Anakin calling after her. "I look foward to dining with you, Padme."
Padme turned to smile at the boy's words, but instead she caught Obi-Wan's gaze. He was smiling in such away that no one else noticed except her, and as soon as he realized she had seen him, he composed his face back to it's emotionless state.
It was all she could do to keep her knees from giving out until she was safely inside her room.
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The rooms the two Jedi had been given were amazing. They consisted of several different rooms all leading from the main sitting room and each room was decorated in maroon and light blue, two colors Obi-Wan never thought would go together, but whoever had designed the rooms had done it perfectly.
Before the maid could excuse herself, Obi-Wan made sure to position himself infront of the door and then said to her, "The Senator is very kind, but we really don't need rooms. We'd be happier staying closer to Senator Amidala, incase we are needed."
The maid smiled at him, "I believe the young man has other ideas." Indeed, Anakin was excitedly walking from room to room, looking at everything there was to look at, and sitting on every couch, chair and bed. He had never stayed in a room like this. Most of the places Jedi went were dumps and therefore had very bad living arangements.
Obi-Wan sighed, "Fine, I guess it'll be good to have some space."
As Obi-Wan let her pass to the door, the woman turned, still smiling, and said, "I'll be back shortly to escort you both to the dining hall."
"Thank you," the Jedi said with a bow, as she left the room.
Finding the nearest couch, Obi-Wan sat down and filtered Anakin out of his attention as he thought. His first thoughts were of Senator Amidala. It was true, her appearance didn't look much different from the young queen he had known 10 years prior, but her face had matured and she had become more beautiful. As beautiful as his dreams... Anakin was not the only one who dreamed of the Naboo Senator. When he had met Padme as a young padawan, near Anakin's age, he had been attracted to her immediatly. But, he hated her attitude and the way she was headstrong and didn't think. Now, years later, she seemed almost the same and yet mature. All he knew was that the feelings he was having could never be acted upon.
While he his best to think of anything else, he found it impossible, which was frustrating for the Jedi. He had always been able to control his thoughts but Padme remained ever present. He remembered the look in her eyes when they first arrived; that look mirrored his own in a way, although as a Jedi he could hide it. He had been nervous meeting her again, but had kept it to himself. But that look when he and Anakin arrived was enough to make him crummble. And then, Obi-Wan had caught the senator staring at him. He smiled at the memory of the look on her face as he turned to look at her.
Padme had also seen that smile. That smile he never let anyone see. Obi-Wan hadn't expected her to turn around, or even look to him. And now, the Senator new that he had been smiling at her. All of this lead to one thought that he kept in the back of his mind, and never said. A thought he had carried around for 10 years. And still, after that meeting, he wouldn't say it.
A blur passed before his eyes several times before Obi-Wan realized Anakin was waving a hand infront of his eyes. "Master?" the boy grinned as the older jedi became aware again. "Welcome back to the living, Master."
"Anakin," he replied, annoyed, and stood up from the couch.
Anakin, though, ignored the annoyance in his master's voice and continued talking. "I can't believe it was ten years and she hasn't changed at all. She's still so beautiful... but she hardly noticed me."
Obi-Wan offered a small smile to his padawan. "She noticed you, Anakin."
"But she thinks of me as a boy still."
"She's just seen you for the first time in years, of course she'll think of you as the boy she knew. Just wait awhile, Padawan." Anakin nodded in resignation and layed down on the couch Obi-Wan had been sitting on.
The Jedi Master, seeing his couch being taken, walked over to the small balcony the room held. Opening the glass he walked out onto it, getting lost in the busy Courasant airways. The sky seemed to becoming overcast and Obi-Wan wondered if rain was soon coming. The weather. He was thinking about something like the weather because he did not want to think about...
Padme. And there she was, on the balcony of her own rooms, some yards away to the right from where he stood. She was wearing a blue robe and her hair had been let down. The chesnut locks were slightly curled and flew across her face in the wind. Obi-Wan could tell, even from this distance, that she was distraught about something, but he did not want to invade her thoughts to find out what that was.
Instead, he just watched her, hoping that she wouldn't notice him. A number of absurd day dreams ran through the Jedi's mind; jumping the distance of the balconies and kissing the young senator was one of the cleaner ones. Obi-Wan was furious at himself for thinking of her like that, especially with Anakin in the next room. But his feelings were too strong, perhaps enhanced in someway by the Force. He didn't know why he felt the attraction so strongly but the urge to feel her lips on his, her body against his own...
Again, furious with himself, he looked to the sky and the airways, scolding himself for thinking such thoughts, and promising anyone, anything, that he would not act on what he wanted. Especially since Padme did not feel the same way. Or so Obi-Wan told himself, while his heart knew differently.
Obi-Wan saw movement out of the corner of his eyes and he felt the Senator returning inside. He breathed a sigh of relief as a knock came at the door. The Jedi Master returned inside to see Anakin opening the door to the maid.
"Are you ready to go?" she asked, looking from Anakin to Obi-Wan.
Anakin grinned and nodded enthusiastically. "We're ready!"
Obi-Wan sighed, reminding himself to talk to Anakin about keeping his emotions kept inside.