Saga The Anakin Skywalker Diaries, Part 4: Coruscant...Epilogue 11/21

Hi everyone--this is a continuation of my AU fic. It picks up where The Anakin Skywalker Diaries, Part 3: Naboo leaves off.

All disclaimers from the other parts apply here.

Another disclaimer: Yes, I know Ewan McGregor can sing.

*****

One thing about space travel--it was the perfect place to practice my holochess skills.

"I believe my knight just captured your queen, Master," I said, smiling victoriously. "And...can we have a drum roll here, ladies, gentlemen, droids, and creatures of other species? Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi, once again your Padawan has put you in the galactically-threatening position of...CHECK."

Obi-Wan grinned. "Not so fast, my very young apprentice," he said, moving his rook to capture my knight--and leaving my queen in the perfect position to capture his king.

"YES!" I shouted, throwing my arms up in the air and jumping out of my seat. "CHECKMATE!"

"Chubba," Obi-Wan muttered. "Do you think we could switch to cards now, Anakin? We've played holochess five times already on this trip."

"That's because you keep insisting on a rematch every time I beat you," I said, grinning.

Obi-Wan laughed and shook his head. "What I wouldn't give to have Master Yoda's cane right now just to wipe that ridiculous smirk off your face," he said.

I put on my best fake pout. "Awww, come on, Master," I said.

Now it was Obi-Wan's turn to smirk.

The voice in the doorway was no louder than a whisper. "Do you think you two could hold it down? I'm trying to work," Padme said. She was leaning in the doorframe, wearing her bathrobe and slippers, her hair falling down around her shoulders, her eyes bleary.

"I'm sorry, babe," I said, crossing the room, putting an arm around her shoulders and kissing her. "I guess we got carried away."

"Typical Anakin playing holochess," Obi-Wan said with a slight smile, "or sabacc, or anything else, even sparring. I was always afraid to turn the power up on his practice sabers, even when he was ten or eleven--I thought he'd take my arm off or something."

Padme laughed, and I shook my head and smiled. "I'm not that bad, Master," I said.

"Oh yes you are," Obi-Wan said, and winked at me.

We all shared a good laugh, and I ruffled Padme's hair and kissed the top of her head. "So what is it you're working on?" I asked. "Can't it wait until we get to Coruscant? You still need your rest, babe."

Padme sighed. "Remember that holoconference I had with those three senators this morning?" she asked.

Organa, Vela, and Atmos--from Alderaan, Sullust, and Concord Dawn, respectively. "Sure," I said. "Why?"

"They agreed with me that someone needs to call for the Trade Federation, the Banking Clan, and the Commerce and Mining Guild's franchise licenses to be revoked. And they want me to be the one to do it." She sighed and rubbed her eyes wearily. "I'm working on a speech right now."

"How far have you gotten on it?" I asked.

"I'm almost done," she said.

I rubbed her shoulders, then wrapped my arms around her waist, encouraging her to lean into me. "Finish it tomorrow," I said, "We've still got another day before we get to Coruscant."

She nodded, not protesting, and I knew that she must be exhausted. It had been six weeks since the fight with Palpatine, and Padme had made an almost full recovery from her injuries; but she still walked with a slight limp, suffered from an occasional blinding headache, and tired out easily. I started to lead her out the door to her sleeping quarters when I heard another voice, coming from the doorway opposite us.

"Oh, Ke-NOB-i," Sabe said in a low voice, a mischievous grin on her face. When we turned around, we saw why. My fiancée's best friend was wearing a sheer red robe that laced up the front, revealing a very skimpy red lace teddy underneath.

I thought for sure that my master's face would turn redder than Sabe's outfit, but to my surprise he winked at me and grinned. "I'll be there in a minute, Sab

 

yay!! a new post sooner than I suspected!! I haven't read yet, but I will later
Keep it up, AG!


UP!

 

KOOLY! I LOVE THE END! IT WAS AWESOME! I READ IT AT SOTJ!

 

I really like this story! It's always fun to read and I'm glad that you posted. But now Anakin and Padmé are fighting. Get them back together!

 

Lingerie on a kitchen droid?

And, seriously, enough with the infliction of pain on sensitive areas of the male anatomy!! I'm reading along, having a good laugh -- and then all of a sudden I'm cringing and closing my eyes! And I can't read with my eyes closed!

Yay! Anakin's a Knight!

I'm finally all caught up -- and you drop the cliffhanger on us! I'm not too worried though, despite Anakin's scary vision. You seem to like happy endings. So I bet Padme will be safe and they'll be back together soon.

Looking forward to more.

p.s. Feel free to post segments shorter that this one!

 

yes, for our sake, please post shorter!!!




but UP anyway!

 

"Hey, Anakin!" came a voice from the background, then Owen's face appeared onscreen. "Congratulations," he said, then the neutral expression on his face became a scowl. "And by the way, next time you're going to pull a stunt like you did with the 'Coruscant Venereal Disease Center', warn me ahead of time so I can make sure Beru isn't there when I'm opening my mail. I got a twenty-minute tongue-lashing before I could even get a word in edgewise to remind her of your history of pranks." rotflmao!

OMG, that was the funniest part yet! I can't wait for more!

 

Kris: Thanks! And yes, future posts will be shorter--what you saw there was about six months' worth of work.

diamond_pony: Thanks!

aotc: Well, hon, the course of true love never runs smooth. Thanks for reading.

Lex:

And, seriously, enough with the infliction of pain on sensitive areas of the male anatomy!!



Who, me?

Actually, I think that's it for those pranks--my beta-reader wouldn't let his wife read the ice-trick post.

Thanks for reading! (And yes, the anakin_girl universe has happy endings--doesn't mean there won't be some trouble getting there though. )

Monica: Thanks!

Here's a shorty for you guys. There may be more up tonight--depends on how much work I get done on my National Board Certification.

*****

Even with my face stubbornly turned towards the back of the couch, I felt Sabe's hand on my shoulder and smelled the mug of steaming tea that she shoved under my nose. "Anakin," she said.

I didn't respond.

She gently shook my shoulder. "Come on, Anakin, quit being such a pain in the ass. I'm not your enemy, and neither is Obi-Wan. Roll over and drink this. You'll feel better."

I rolled my eyes and reluctantly rolled over, sat up, and took the steaming mug from her. I still didn't stay anything.

She put her hand under my chin, forcing me to look into her brown eyes--so much like her best friend's. So much that they were able to swap roles and fool everyone except those deep inside the Naboo Royal Security Forces.

I bit my lip, then took a swallow of tea.

"Anakin," she said. "She's under a lot of pressure right now. And she feels helpless and out of control, and if there's one thing Padme can't stand, it's being helpless and out of control."

"Why won't she let me help her then?" I asked.

Sabe laughed and shook her head. "Anakin, that's just it. You don't get it. She doesn't want help. She knows she needs it--she knows her life is in danger and she needs the extra protection--but it's inconvenient for her, it keeps her from moving as freely as she'd like and getting accomplished as much as she'd like."

I rolled my eyes. "And because I'm a Jedi so I'm part of the problem," I muttered.

Sabe sighed. "No, Anakin," she said. "It's not about you. She's just frustrated, that's all--frustrated with Palpatine's ability to take over the Republic so easily, and frustrated with the seeming lack of ability to find out who his remaining allies are. She's also frustrated with how dangerous her normal everyday routine has suddenly become. What she needs right now is for you to let her vent. Not try to convince her that she needs the extra security--she's got plenty of people to do that for her. She just needs someone to complain to about how much she hates it."

I nodded. "You're right. I should have listened to her."

Sabe took my hand and squeezed it. "There's still time to make that up to her."

I shook my head and sipped my tea. "After the way I stomped out of her apartment, I don't know."

She laughed. "Anakin," she said. "She was angry, you were angry. That doesn't mean the end of the galaxy. Just leave her alone for awhile to cool off, then go back over there and talk to her."

I shook my head again. "All I want is to take care of her, Sabe."

She gave my hand another squeeze. "I know, Anakin. And she knows that, too. She's just been angry lately, that's all...and unfortunately for you, she unleashed all of it at once."

I smiled. "Well, better me than some unsuspecting senatorial aide in chambers..."

Sabe laughed. "You're right about that one. I can see the headlines now. 'Senator Amidala drops out of Chancellorship campaign after assaulting a Gungan security guard'..."

I laughed, and gave Sabe a hug. "Thanks. I needed that." I finished off my tea and stood. "I'm going to go spar for awhile. I need to release some frustration of my own, I think."

She took my hand again and gave it

 

Poor Ani, I know exactly how he's feeling these days....

 

"Well, better me than some unsuspecting senatorial aide in chambers..." I hope Anakin and Padme make up soon!

Great post!

 

Awww. Sabe is such a good friend. I'm glad he has someone like that around to smack some sense into his dense, teenaged-guy brain.

Just don't accidentally kill somebody in that angry sparring, okay, buddy?

 

Great post. Thank the force that Sabé is there to help them through their fight. Anakin and Padmé really need to get back together soon!

"Senator Amidala drops out of Chancellorship campaign after assaulting a Gungan security guard'..."

Maybe the security guard is related to Jar Jar...

 

Breezy: *hugs* I know how that is...

Monica: Thanks! And read the next post...

Lex: Yep, guys can be bullheaded, can't they?

aotc: Thanks! And hey, they allowed Jar-Jar to be a senatorial representative...and in the real GFFA, to bring down the entire Republic...

Here's more:

*****

Snap-hiss. Slash. Parry. Jump. Turn back. Slash.

I was putting up a good fight against these remotes. I normally only sparred with three or four at a time, but today I decided to challenge myself to five. I was getting a good workout, working up a sweat, and I was winning. I had only gotten zapped once.

More importantly, I was momentarily putting out of my mind my fight with Padme. Or that her stubbornness was putting her in the line of danger from Palpatine's allies, unseen and unheard allies but allies that I knew were there.

When I was sparring, I could forget the visions that plagued my sleep. Once it was visions of my mother--being beaten by the Hutts and calling for me, being dragged away by unknown beings and calling for me, being engulfed by a shadow. Now, it was visions of Padme--Padme with eight blasters pointed at her head, Padme's senatorial box sinking into the depths of the underworld of Coruscant, never to return...

Slash. Block. Jump. Dodge. Leap. Turn back. Slash.

"Well, well, well. A Jedi Knight without his shirt on. I should come down here more often."

The soft female voice came from the doorway to the training room. I knew immediately who it was.

I dodged one last zap of voltage from one of the remotes, blocked it with my lightsaber, jumped, turned, and landed firmly on my feet--just in time to get zapped in the back by one of the remotes.

"Ow! Poodoo!" I yelled, grabbing the small of my back.

"You shouldn't let yourself get distracted, Master Jedi," Padme said, smiling at me from under the hood of the purple handmaiden's robe she wore. "It might not be a remote next time."

"Don't remind me," I said, disengaging my saber and, with the Force, shutting off all five remotes at once and sending them to a corner. I grabbed a towel off a nearby chair and wiped the sweat from my face. "So, Senator Amidala," I said, "what brings you to the Temple training room? And alone?"

Her smile turned to a scowl. "I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself, Knight Skywalker," she said, lifting the folds of her robe--and revealing two tiny blasters.

I couldn't help but smile. Now that, I thought, is my wife.

"I believe you can, Senator," I said. "And may the Maker help anyone who dares to think otherwise." I threw the towel on the chair, to take to the laundry later, and grabbed my shirt. "But," I continued, "your natural charms would make any man want to protect you even if you didn't need it--just so he could be by your side. You wouldn't deny a man the pleasure of your company, would you, Senator? Even under the guise of being your protector?"

Her face softened. "OK, Ani, cut the charade," she said. "Look, I'm sorry, OK. It wasn't your fault. I shouldn't have taken it out on you. I'm just ready to throttle the Senate and that Council of yours for not being quicker to find out what the hell is going on..."

I crossed the room and put my finger to her lips, cutting her off. "No," I said. "I'm sorry. I should have listened to you. I was too busy trying to convince you to my way of thinking instead of trying to understand what you're going through right now. That wasn't right, and I'm the one who should apologize."

She bit her lip, and I saw the large tears that had formed in her eyes. "Ani," she said quietly, "will this ever end?"

I turned the hood of the cloak back with one hand and stroked her hair. "Will what ever end, baby?"

"I thought the danger, the need for extra protection, the constant hiding and looking around corners...your visions...I thought all that was going to be over after Palpatine died. I didn't even mind getting hurt by the Fo

 

Yay, they made up!

I feel sorry for Padme, being guarded all the time would get annoying after a while....

Wonderful post!

 

Cute! It's nice to see a little maturity from Anakin for once.

"Ow! Poodoo!"
For some reason, I find this Star Wars "curse" absolutely hysterical. And combining it with Ani getting zapped is pretty funny.

"Don't you know it's dangerous to tease a Jedi?"
What is this, a zoo? "Please don't tease the animals."

A Jedi Knight without his shirt on.
Yeah, yeah. Somehow it's always Obi-Wan or Anakin -- never Aayla Secura, or Barriss Offee, or...

Great post!

 

Yay! Ani and Padmé are back together. I have to admit, poodoo is a pretty cool word. Good post. Now I want more!

 

Shirtless Annnnnnnnnnniiiiiiiiiiii..............


Tracy where are you????

 

Monica: Thanks! You knew they wouldn't stay apart for long! And yes, Padme doesn't like being guarded...those independent headstrong SW women...

Lex: Of course Ani is mature! In some ways...

What is this, a zoo? "Please don't tease the animals."

Nah...that's only in Council sessions...

Thanks!

aotc: Yep. And thanks.

Breezy: I'm drooling over that image...

Here's more:

*****

A couple of hours later I returned to my quarters. Sabe had come to help Padme dress for the fancy senatorial dinner that night, one that I felt like going to about as much as I felt like sharing a meal with Jabba the Hutt. I hated getting dressed up like a Hoth ice bird for one of those dinners under normal circumstances, and tonight, I had a blazing headache and felt like every muscle in my body was on fire. Probably the workout I had, I thought. I haven't sparred since before Obi-Wan and I left to meet Padme on Alderaan, and that was four months ago. I probably overdid it.

I had one thing going for me at the moment though--the fact that it takes my fiancée three hours to dress and fix her hair, and only takes me fifteen minutes to put on the ice bird suit, meant that I had exactly two hours and forty-five minutes to flop on the couch and rest. And feel my achy muscles. And moan.

"Too much exercise, Padawan?" I opened my eyes and looked at Obi-Wan, who was staring down at me with a look that was half-piteous and half-reprimanding. "You always overdo it, Anakin. But at least you took it out on a bunch of remotes and not on our furniture this time."

I frowned and sat up, moaning as my head pounded with the effort. "Yeah, yeah, Master," I said, waving one hand, gripping my forehead with the other.

"So did you fix things with Padme?" he asked.

I sighed. "Yeah, I did. Or she did. She found me in the training room."

"Good," he said. "I prefer to be at least three galaxies away from you next time you're in that kind of mood."

I looked at him again. "I'm really sorry, Obi-Wan," I said. "I shouldn't have shoved you off. You didn't deserve that. You were just trying to help."

He sat beside me and placed a hand on my arm. "It's alright, Anakin," he said. "I probably should have just left you alone immediately instead of pushing you to talk."

I shook my head slowly. It hurt to shake it. "No, Master," I insisted. "It's my fault."

He moved his hand to my shoulder. "You were just determined to shut everyone out," he said with a half-smile. "That's why I sent Sabe after you. I knew she wouldn't let you off the hook very easily."

I laughed. "No," I said. "She has a way of making people talk. It's called 'issues with men that cause serious danger to the bodily organs thereof'."

Obi-Wan laughed out loud. "That's only when she's mad, Anakin," he said, "not when she's trying to get you to blow off steam about what's bothering you." He dropped his arm from my shoulder and folded his hands together. "Was that your first fight with Padme?" he asked.

I sighed and nodded. Nodding also hurt, and I squeezed my eyes shut. "Yes," I said. "It's really the first time since we've been dating that we've been together long enough to actually have anything to argue about."

"You mean the first time you've been together long enough to find your way out of the bed and do any real talking," Obi-Wan said, jabbing me in the ribs.

When I didn't jab back, he got his famous "I'm Obi-Wan and I'm worried" look on his face--which, understand, does not necessarily mean anything more than he forgot one of his vitamin pills--and put the back of his hand on my forehead. "Are you alright, Anakin?" he asked.

"I'm tired and my entire body hurts," I said. "Especially my head. Why?"

"You're a little warm," he said.

Great, I thought. This is a hell of a time to be coming down with something, with Padme making her presentation to the Senate in a few days and the Jedi in

 

"I'm Obi-Wan and I'm worried" look on his face--which, understand, does not necessarily mean anything more than he forgot one of his vitamin pills--


LOLOLOL! Brilliant!

 

The Obi-Wan look was funny, along with "She has a way of making people talk. It's called 'issues with men that cause serious danger to the bodily organs thereof'." Sabe does have a way of taking out her anger on men. I'm really liking this frequent posting!

 

Breezy and aotc: Thanks!

And here's more: (Warning: Ani-torture. My poor baby...I've got to keep coming up with reasons to cuddle him though. )

*****

Organa had been talking for forty-five minutes over our dessert, telling everyone all the glorious things he planned to do for the galaxy as acting Supreme Chancellor. Someone really needs to tell this guy that the markative word here is acting. He may be running for the real job, but he doesn't have it, and therefore he certainly doesn't need to make a filibuster for the sole purpose of boosting his own ego and giving the rest of us sore butts from listening to him for so long.

Of course I had a sore everything. The longer the night went, the more my entire body ached. I was also starting to feel chilled, in spite of the fact that the warm air in the room earlier had made me want to take off the jacket of the ice bird suit. Beads of sweat were forming on my forehead, and my nose was starting to run.

Padme leaned in, took my hand, and whispered, "Anakin, are you alright?" It must have been the tenth time tonight she had asked me that.

I gritted my teeth, trying hard not to snap at her. "I'm fine," I muttered, sniffling. I felt an unavoidable tickle in my throat, and turned and coughed as quietly as I could.

"No, you aren't," she whispered back. "You are absolutely radiating heat. We're leaving."

"Not right now," I whispered. "No need to make a scene."

"Alright," she whispered fiercely, "as soon as Bail stops talking."

Well, that means we'll be out of here sometime next week.

"It's not like people would think anything of it if we left now," she whispered. "You look like you don't feel well, and you've hardly eaten any of your dinner. And just the fact that you actually care whether or not we make a scene proves that something's wrong."

OK, she had a point. Normally there was nothing I would like better than to interrupt one of His Royal Pompousness' filibusters.

I could have summed it up for him in two sentences. "I am the king of the galaxy. You will love and adore me for what I do."

I dug in the jacket of the suit for my handkerchief and held it to my nose, trying desperately to stop sniffling. Obi-Wan was staring at me. I'm fine, Master, I sent.

Sure, Anakin. And I'm Yoda.

Now that would be a sight to see.

I sneezed and shivered. Padme laid her cool hand on top of mine.

"And ladies and gentlemen, fellow delegates, I would like to thank you for being here tonight and sharing this grand celebration. The Senate will reconvene in three standard days. And as a final word to end this wonderful dinner, and to officially begin what I hope will be a friendly and amicable campaign..."

Shut up, dammit. Just shut up. Good thing Organa wasn't Force-sensitive.

"...I would like to propose a toast to my opponents in the campaign for Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Republic, the honorable Aks Moe of Malastare..."

He paused and turned in our direction, giving Padme a smile that was friendlier than I would have liked. Of course I was seeing it through the fog of my headache.

"...and the beautiful Senator Padme Amidala of Naboo."

The dining room erupted in applause as Organa grinned from ear to ear. Padme held her glass high, allowing it to clink with Organa's--and allowing the lights from the chandelier to reflect the sparkle of the diamonds on her ring.

I resisted the urge to use the Force to cause the chandelier to splinter on top of Organa's head, then I raised my glass, allowing it to meet theirs, then immediately sat back down.

The other senators and their escorts rose quickly and mingled about the room, refilling their wine glasses and chattering with delegates with whom they had not gotten a chance to talk previously.

Padme grabbed my elbow. "Come on, Anakin," she said. "We're leaving."

I nodded.

Obi-Wan was at my other side with Sabe behind him. He took off the jacket of his suit and wrapped it around my shoulders, th

 

I'm fine, Master, I sent.

Sure, Anakin. And I'm Yoda.

Now that would be a sight to see. It sure would, lol!

Poor Ani! I hope he gets feeling better soon!

Great post!

 

Good decision about the chandelier, buddy. You've already killed one Supreme Chancellor -- best not to test your luck on a second.

He's funny even when he's ill. I love it!

Great post!

 

oh GOODIE! Good job

up, up, uperoos!

 

Anakin has given me his cold........ *YARK***********


That means he owes me an update to his diarey...