Ruby-Flame Jedi Queen

Rating: G

Feedback status: Always appreciated!

Disclaimer: Georgie owns the Universe, I just live in it�

�Darling, I am telling you, there is nothing to worry about,� Anakin circled the kitchen floor and watched his wife shake her head and give up on the dishes, grabbing a towel to dry her hands and wheeling to face him.

�But Ani, you are always out�and I never know where! It�s driving me crazy,� Amidala continued to dry her hands furiously and gave Anakin a reprimanding and very �wifely� look.

It had started.  Married but a year and the arguments were already becoming more frequent.  Anakin was developing a headache, and Amidala was developing a dose of suspicion.  Anakin sighed and brought his deep blue eyes to her yearning brown ones, and her eyes searched his desperately for an answer.

�Didn�t we agree that in a marriage we must both be totally and completely honest with each other, Ani?� Amidala reminded and brought a hand up to his cheek to steady his gaze.  Anakin finally met her gaze, and he took a seat at the kitchen table.  Amidala placed his hands on his and gave them a slight squeeze, a gesture Anakin knew was asking him to continue.  Anakin returned her squeeze and let his fingers drift along her hand.

�Yes, you�re right.  I�� she isn�t going to like this� Anakin�s fingers began to trace a more frantic pattern on her hand, �I�I�ve been listening in on some of Palpatine�s committee meetings and conferences; he even invited me to attend a discussion as a participant, which is quite an honor considering that even though I am a Jedi, I am not a politician or chairman.  Yet he seems to think that my opinion is important enough��

Amidala cut him off and pulled her hands back towards her after she had emitted an aggravated sigh, ��You are associating with that man? Anakin, there is a deceitful politician if I ever saw one.� Amidala thought about her first encounter with Palpatine.  He had always seemed�too smooth.  Too sincere.  And what worried Amidala the most was how meticulously in-tune he was with everyone�s needs�almost too much so.  He was every bit the stereotypical politician�but to such an extent that he had everyone fooled.  No, she did not like the man one bit.

��Deceitful? He is greatly respected by many, Padme, and do you want to know why?�

�Because he has mastered the art of winning trust and thereafter manipulating! Chances are he�s got you playing right into the palm of his hand right now and��

�I am a Jedi, Amidala! Do you think I am not capable of sensing whether or not he is inviting me on false pretenses? He says he thinks that I am the greatest Jedi and that I surpass the power of the others, and when he says that I know that he is not lying to me or buttering me up because he never asks anything from me! He might offer me a position, advice, or an�alternative route�but how could that ever benefit him? Honestly��

�You forget that I am a politician too, Anakin! I have seen the corruption that occurs within countless leaders�and many citizens still believe their illusions of grandeur, but only because they cannot seem to think for themselves��

��So are you accusing me of not being capable of independent thought? Let me tell you���

��I never accused you of anything, but if you want me to, it would be of becoming too arrogant when it comes to your Jedi abilities.�

�Too arrogant? I only speak the truth, Padme��

��Well then a little modesty wouldn�t hurt you, would it?�

And the argument came to a standstill.  Anakin sighed and stood up shaking the argument off by waving his hands in a dismissive manner, �You�re right Padme.  I�m sorry.� Sorry that you don�t even see as much potential in me as he does�

Amidala sensed his bitterness and once again reached for his hands.  �Anakin, I�m not trying to be right.  I just don�t want you to become involved with someone like Palpatine.  I�ve never trusted the man.  Do you not think it is suspicious that if I had listened to him when the federation attacked during my rule that the retaliation plan would never have had a chance to form and we would have lost the war��

��But you don�t know that.  You may have won it still.  And he was only worried for your safety on a planet outside of Naboo��

�My safety? I would have been forced to surrender had I stayed, Anakin!�

Anakin didn�t answer.  He didn�t seem to have an answer for that, and besides that, he was tired of arguing.  He busied himself by rummaging around the compartments, trying to find an idea of what to eat that evening, even though there was really no point in doing such a thing now as it was barely mid-day.  Finally he conceded, �If you don�t want me to confer with Palpatine as much, then I won�t, Amidala.  I really don�t know why you are so against him, but I love you, so if this is what you want, then I�ll do it.  I don�t want us to argue�� Anakin stopped open compartments and faced his wife.  She looked so beautiful as the sunlight filtered in and illuminated her soft features�Anakin moved to her and helped her to her feet.  Amidala wrapped her arms around him and kissed him on the cheek.  �I don�t want us to argue either.  I love you, Anakin.�

Anakin grinned and kissed her.  �I love you too, my angel.�

And so ended one of their earlier arguments, but many others would lay ahead despite the intense love that flowed between the pair as naturally as it was for them to breathe, because little did Amidala know, but the whispers of the dark side were beginning to seep through to Anakin�