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Padmé cursed herself for driving in heels. True, they were heeled boots rather than proper stilettos, but it still made working the pedals a total nightmare. “Come out to the lodge on the lake, Padmé,” she muttered to herself in a poor imitation of her friends’ voices. “It’ll be fun, Padmé, we’ll set off fireworks at midnight and drink spiked hot chocolate. As if those two things should be done in tandem!”
As if it were listening to her, she heard a sound in her engine that sounded like metal chewing itself. “Oh, no, no, no, no,” she wailed, pulling to the side of the road and getting out of the car. “You’ve gotta be kidding me!”
As she popped the hood, nothing seemed to look wrong in the engine, but she’d known what she’d heard, and things were too hot for her to do anything now, but it was too cold for her to wait until it was. Frowning, she slammed the hood back down and got back into her car, checking her phone for a gas station. But the only thing that was even remotely close was the Lars Family Bed and Breakfast. “Well, I guess you’ll have to do,” she sighed, starting the route to the little hotel.
It took ten minutes to get there in increasingly heavy snowfalls, with the chewing sound getting louder and louder. The Lars Family property turned out to be a collection of round-looking barns that she assumed had been converted into living spaces on the inside. There was a cute, homey kind of feel to it, a pale, warm brown color popping against the snow that was continuing to fall, and flickering candles in the windows. Add on some brightly colored gumdrops to the roof, and it could have been a gingerbread house.
She honked the horn as she pulled into their parking lot, and a woman with graying dark hair came out of the front door and down the path to meet her.
“Dear, are you lost?” She asked in a warm, motherly tone. Worrying lines the only sign of aging in her round face, and chocolate brown eyes.
“Not exactly,” Padmé said as she climbed out to the car. “I’m supposed to be meeting my friends for a party at the lake, but I started hearing something with my car that didn’t sound good. I was hoping you guys would let me crash in your lobby while I call a tow truck?”
“Oh, honey, of course. I’ll ask my son to take a look at your car. He studied for that,” she chuckled. “Come on in, it’s freezing here. I’m Shmi, by the way, my husband and I run the B&B.”
“He doesn’t have to do that,” Padmé protested as Shmi helped her up the stairs, which was probably for the best, given her heels. “I’m perfectly alright calling a service.”
“Nonsense, Ani’s better than any company mechanic, and this way, you won’t have to wait,” scolded Shmi. “I insist.”
“You’re too generous, Mrs. Lars,” Padmé demurred as she followed the woman into the warmth of the building, through the mudroom, and into the main lobby. There was a big fireplace in the center of the room, the kind with a metal tube hovering over it to connect to the chimney while allowing anyone to sit around it and warm themselves. The collection of couches looked well-worn, their cheerful yellow color muted by sunlight and time. There was a staircase against the wall, leading up to the balcony where the doors to bedrooms presumably waited. A woman about Padmé’s age was sitting behind a desk just off to the side of the door, doodling in a notebook.
“Beru, dear, will you check in our new guest?” Shmi asked as the woman raised her head to smile kindly at Padmé. “This is Beru, my daughter-in-law. She’s usually on the front desk and she’s the person to ask for anything, she will get it for you.”
“Oh, of course. What brings you to our Bed and Breakfast?” Beru immediately jumped up and grabbed a key from a panel behind her.
“A problematic car,” Shmi chuckled as she took the key and offered it to Padmé. “You can complete your check-in after you are settled.”
“I really don’t need a full room—”
“Mom? Mom, have you seen the news, they’re announcing a blizzard,” someone called out and when Padmé turned to see the origin of the voice, she came face to face with the most handsome man she has ever met. He was tall, a head full of blonde curls and the clearest blue eyes she had come across. Underneath his winter clothes, he was definitely a lean build, probably a runner. When he noticed her, he blinked surprised, before smiling and she swore she turned to mush. “I didn’t know we were expecting new guests.”
“As I was trying to say, I’m not a guest,” Padmé explained, now fighting the urge to nervously finger her own brown curls like a schoolgirl. “I just needed a place to wait while I called for a truck to fix my car before I head back out to the lake for a New Year’s party with my friends. I’d have been there already, but I had some work that I needed to finish before I left the city.” Why was she telling him this? He didn’t need to know this information!
“This is my son, Anakin,” Shmi said with a smile. “How bad are they saying the snow’s going to get?”
“Bad enough that I think our guest who is not a guest… will be a guest,” he chuckled. “I don’t think you’ll be able to get to the lake. There is a strong blizzard coming and roads are already getting blocked. I can take a look at your car because Watto won’t be able to get up here with this weather,” Anakin explained.
“Maybe you should let your friends know you are safe, dear,” Shmi told Padmé.
“Even if I get your car to work and you leave… you might spend New Year’s trapped in the snow and freeze to death,” Anakin quipped.
“Ani!” Shmi scolded.
“Thanks for the visual,” Padmé said dryly, the immediate flare of attraction cooling somewhat at Anakin’s snarking. She pulled out her phone and selected Sabé’s number from her favorites, holding the phone up to her ear as it rang.
“ Pad? Please tell me you’re here. Or like, ten minutes away.”
“More than an hour. And I don’t think I’m going to make it,” confessed Padmé. “My car was acting wonky, I had to pull over at a B&B.”
“ The forecast is terrible, Padmé,” the girl on the other side lamented, “ there’s no way you’ll get here without getting hit by the blizzard, ” she sighed, “ you’re safe, now, aren’t you? Because it’s better safe than sorry. ”
“Yes, I’m fine, there’s a really nice family running this place who’s helping me out. You guys will just have to celebrate with the fireworks and the booze without me. Okay?”
“ This sucks. It won’t be the same. See what happens when you put work before fun? ”
“Sabé, I stand by my choice. Consider my punishment whatever bills I rack up for my car and expenses staying here. I’ll see you in the new year, okay?”
“ Okay, fine, but you also owe me at least three brunches,” her friend warned. “ Be safe. I’ll see you next year.”
Padmé hung up the phone and took the key Shmi was still holding out to her. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” Shmi said warmly. “Ani, why don’t you help Padmé up to her room?”
“It’s alright, I can manage on my own,” Padmé protested, indicating the purse dangling from her arm. “This is all I have.”
“Maybe I can find you some loungewear? For you to be more comfortable?” Beru offered.
“And I’ll check on your car,” Anakin replied and extended his hand. “Keys?” Padmé pulled them out of her coat pocket and tossed them to him. He caught them easily. “Thanks.”
“Thank you again, to all of you, you’re very kind,” she said, finally pulling off the purple boucle coat she was wearing, revealing the blue cowl neck sweater and flared black miniskirt underneath.
As she climbed the stairs up to the bedrooms, she missed the lingering look that Anakin gave her. On his side, he focused on the beguiling woman, watching as she unlocked the door to her assigned room. Then he was swatted in the arm. “Ow. Mom?!”
“Freezing to death, really, Ani?” Shmi scowled and Beru snickered.
“Well, I was trying to make a point and a joke,” he shrugged.
“Your flirting is awful,” Beru cackled.
Anakin rolled his eyes. “Alright, I will apologize later.”
“Good call, especially since she’s probably going to be joining us for dinner, given this weather,” Shmi said, shaking her head. “Go see about the car before it gets buried under the snow, sweetheart.”
“You know, I had plans today too, you know?” Anakin sulked. “Kitster was going to pick me up for a party as well, she’s not the only one who gets to sulk about ruined plans,” he sighed and turned on his heel to head outside.
Shmi shook her head. “I am going to tell Cliegg that we need an extra seat at the table,” she informed Beru. “Where’s Owen?”
“He said there were some lights in the cottages he wanted to fix, I’ll go get him,” Beru said. “And don’t be such a grump, Anakin, just because you were eager to be introduced to the latest girl Kitster’s planning on setting up with you.”
"It could have been the love of my life," he said dramatically. "I'm going to check on the damage to the car."
“Keep dreaming, Ani,” Beru said as she wrapped her scarf around her neck and grabbed her coat and boots. "See you in a bit.”
Upstairs, Padmé pulled off her boots and put the coat down on the hook on the back to the door. She was probably going to give this place a five-star review anyway, if only because the Lars family had been so generous and welcoming, but she made a mental note to compliment them on the commitment to aesthetics. The room was done up in the same cheerful yellow color scheme as their lobby, from the painted walls to the quilt and pillows on the bed to the flowers sitting in a vase on the dresser.
Maybe she could come back here sometime, with her parents and Sola’s family. They’d probably have to rent multiple rooms or bigger ones, but it wasn’t exactly like she had anyone she could bring here for a romantic getaway.
Sabé hadn’t mentioned it on their phone call, but Padmé knew she was disappointed that Padmé wouldn’t be able to meet the mystery date that their friend group had insisted Padmé needed to meet. As if a guy was something she wanted after her disaster of a breakup with Rush. She fell back on the bed and let out a groan, closing her eyes to take a cleansing breath.
There was a knock on her door. “It’s open, you can come in,” she said.
"Sorry to bother you," Anakin opened the door, shaking snow from his jacket, "but I just took a look at your car and I don't have good news. I will need to ask for some parts tomorrow."
“Oh.” Padmé’s face fell as she sat up and looked at him. “Oh, no.”
Anakin grimaced. "If you want my sincere opinion, the parts will just give it a few months to live. You need a new car. That one is falling apart. It's a miracle it got this far."
“I’ve had that car since high school,” she pouted a little. “It’s practically family. ”
"That's the kind of family that you put in a nursing home."
“You’re mean,” she huffed, crossing her arm. “You never attached sentimental value to anything?”
"I have a very worn-out teddy bear," he chuckled. "That car is going to bring you more grief than you want. Trust me. You need something new."
“Well, I suppose now’s as good a time as any, given the fifty million auto sales that go on in January.”
"New year. New car."
“Just so long as it can get me home when the snow’s cleared.” She reached for her purse. “How much will you need to cover the parts?”
Anakin waved his hand. "I will need to call Watto and I'll let you know. I don’t know the prices by heart. Well… not anymore. It's not something that you'll pay today anyway. Also, dinner is almost ready and Mom already set a place for you at the table."
“Okay, thank you,” she nodded. “It’s just downstairs, right?”
“Right. I hope you’re not allergic to anything though…” he tilted his head.
“Does your mother cook with cat dander?”
“With what?” He widened his eyes.
“I’m allergic to cats,” she explained. “It was supposed to be a joke.”
Anakin laughed. “Ah. I thought it was some sort of exotic spice. We don’t have pets, don’t worry.”
“Aw, I would have expected a few critters, since you’ve got a farmhouse thing going on here,” she said, slipping past him through the doorway. Their hands briefly brushed against each other, sending a shiver through her. “I have a dog at home,” she explained as she headed down the stairs, “a mini Samoyed named Artoo. I let my sister borrow him for winter break, to give my nieces a chance to see what having a pet is like.”
“We had a Golden but it died of old age a few months back and it has been rough on us to even think about getting a replacement,” Anakin explained as he followed her. “Samoyeds are cute, though. Very playful, mischievous, but good with kids.”
“And good with single career women,” she agreed as her stocking feet hit the main floor. Again, why was she telling him this?
“What do you do?” He asked.
“I’m the chief operating officer of the Refugee Relief Movement.”
Anakin tilted his head. “I’ve heard about it, actually, from a few friends. You guys do amazing things.”
“Thank you,” she smiled. “We do try. And what about you? Have you and your parents always been running a B&B?”
“Oh, the B&B is an investment my Mom and Stepdad made when they got married. Beru and Owen, my stepbrother, help run it and I do too when I’m around, but I’m in Boston most of the time. I’ve recently graduated from MIT and I’m completing my internship next month.”
“Where are you interning?”
“Jinn’s Engines,” he replied.
“Any chance they could put a new engine in my car and let me keep my baby?” she asked with a laugh.
“Qui-Gon Jinn is a miracle worker, but he’s not that good,” he snickered. “Getting a new car is always a good way to start the year. I’ll give you a couple of models that would suit you.”
“Hey.” A male voice cut into their conversation, and Padmé looked over to see a young man with dark hair and a beard, a few inches shorter than Anakin, but still taller than her, standing in the doorway.
“Time for dinner, Owen?” Anakin asked.
“Yeah, and if you don’t get to the table right now, I’m eating all the macaroni and cheese.”
“You wouldn’t,” Anakin snickered. “Beru would never let you get away with it.”
“Wanna try me, Skywalker?” Owen playfully doubled his fists, and Padmé rolled her eyes, tapping the edge of the doorway.
“May I go into the dining room before you two start doing whatever it is you’re about to do?” Owen let her move past him into a room with frost-covered windows and warm candlelight, the table in the center laid out with an impressive spread of cookware filled with food. She spotted the aforementioned macaroni and cheese, along with steamed vegetables, a basket of bread rolls, and a platter of steak.
“This is a table that always has neverending food,” Beru chuckled, watching her surprised face. “Where’s my husband? Being childish with his brother?” She guessed warmly
“Yes, but I don’t think they’re going to knock down the house just yet,” Padmé said, taking a seat in the middle of the table. “They do this often?”
“All the time. It’s their way of bonding. When Shmi and Cliegg got married, Owen adopted Anakin as a little brother right away,” Beru explained, taking the seat next to hers. “They don’t spend as much time together as they did before, so this is their way of bonding.”
“It seems violent,” Padmé said as she spooned some macaroni and cheese onto her plate. “Is that normal for brothers?”
“You either have a sister or are a single child,” Beru guessed, shaking her head. “They’re boys. They are not hurting each other.”
“Older sister,” Padmé confirmed. “Who now has two little girls of her own.”
“Owen! Ani! Come to the table, please. Stop being embarrassing,” an older man who must have been Owen’s father called out as he came out of the kitchen with a salad bowl in his lap. Padmé realized that the place setting without a chair at the head of the table was meant to accommodate the wheelchair he was using, as his right leg stopped just above the knee. “Ah, there’s our guest. Welcome to our humble place. I’m Cliegg,” he introduced himself as he made it to his place and set the bowl down on the table with the other dishes.
“Hi,” Padmé nodded. “Thank you very much for letting me stay here, I’m sure you were all hoping for a day off.”
“It’s no trouble. Shmi and I like to entertain and make people feel welcomed and comfortable. It’s why we bought this place,” he explained as Owen and Anakin returned to the table, laughing about something together. Owen sat across from Beru and he winked at her, making her roll her eyes and blush. Anakin took the seat in front of Padmé.
“Based on the look of it, I would have assumed you’d been running it for generations. It feels so cozy and familial.”
“That’s Shmi for you,” Cliegg laughed. “She’s in her element making people feel at home.”
“Mom has that special ability,” Anakin pointed out.
Shmi entered the room with a bright smile. “Good, everyone is around,” she squeezed Padmé’s shoulder reassuringly and went around her to sit at the far end, opposite Cliegg. “Padmé, has Ani told you the news?”
“That it’s time to pull the plug on her car? Yes, I did,” he quipped.
“Oh, you,” Shmi shook her head. “Honey, pay him no mind. He talks a big game but when it was time for him to surrender and switch his old junk car for a new one, he got depressed,” she said and Anakin ducked his head, blushing.
“You total hypocrite!” Padmé gasped in shock while Owen and Beru chuckled. “Are you kidding me?”
“I spoke from experience!” He exclaimed with a laugh. “Like, I know you want to keep it but you can’t and it will make you bleed money and it will hurt more when you have to give it up by force.”
“Ugh,” Padmé groaned and started shoveling macaroni and cheese in her mouth. “Oh, wow, this might be the best mac and cheese I’ve ever had.”
"One of Shmi's specialties," Owen said. “But she swears she’ll take the secret of what makes it so addicting to the grave.”
“You’re exaggerating,” Beru scolded as she took the salad bowl from Cliegg and served herself before passing it to Padmé. “So, how were your holidays, Padmé? Aside from how this evening’s turning out?”
“They were good,” Padmé answered. “Largely uneventful, no big family feuds arose, nothing was broken, and no bank accounts were drained, that’s usually the sign of success. And this evening might not be going how I planned it, but you’ve all been lovely hosts.”
"Padmé is with the Refugee Relief Movement," Anakin pointed out. "She's their chief operations officer."
“You make me sound like a bigger deal than I actually am,” Padmé demurred, her cheeks flushing slightly pink as she focused on her food.
"I've heard of the Movement. It has done some great things," Shmi said, marveled.
"My Mom is very fond of charity work and helping the next one," Anakin said with a soft smile.
"Have you been with them long?" Cliegg asked.
“Since the end of school, when I finished my master's program. My father helped found the organization, so it was quite a process to apply without it being overt nepotism.”
"Family business," Cliegg said, pleased. "It's always good to continue our parents’ life work. When we want, of course. What did you study?"
"Cliegg, she'll feel like she's in an interrogation rather than a family dinner, dear," Shmi frowned.
"Oh, sorry about that, I'm just curious," Cliegg chuckled, embarrassed.
“It’s fine. I have a Bachelors in Psychology from Harvard and my master's is in Nonprofit Management from Columbia,” Padmé answered cheerfully. “Honestly, I’d rather be asked about it than try to offer the information unprompted. The latter always feels like bragging.”
“I don’t see anything wrong with bragging a little about our achievements,” Shmi pointed out.
“When Anakin entered MIT with a scholarship, Shmi would brag for him,” Beru laughed and Shmi blushed.
“It’s true,” Anakin nodded, smiling, “I only got there because of her, anyway,” he winked at his Mom.
“The Ivy League schools have a reputation for being snotty,” explained Padmé. “I’d rather not contribute to it. I take a lot of pride in the work I do, I think that’s what matters more than where I earned my degrees.”
"You are very right," Shmi pointed out. "Your parents must be very proud of you."
“They are,” Padmé nodded.
"Were you on your way to meet them?" Owen asked.
“Actually, they’re with my sister for the holidays. I was going to meet up with a bunch of my college friends at the lake for tonight.” Padmé set down her knife and fork on her now empty plate. “That was delicious.”
“I was going to the lake too,” Anakin pointed out, “I was meeting a few friends to watch fireworks and celebrate a new year.”
“And maybe kiss a new girl under said fireworks,” Owen teased, ducking before Anakin could punch him.
“With this year, no one will watch fireworks,” Beru pointed out. “And if you had gone, you would have never arrived. It’s actually lucky Padmé’s car failed, the snow is already up to my knees.”
“This way, I get to spend New Year’s with you,” Shmi accused. “Do you know how long it has been since you’ve spent it with your family?”
Anakin rolled his eyes. “Alright, alright. I’m here, aren’t I?”
“Yes, you are.” His mother said, ruffling his hair fondly. “And I could not be happier.”
“So,” Cliegg said, as he cut off another piece of his steak. “The big question that needs to be answered, aside from what everyone wants for dessert, is what we’re playing until midnight.”
“Playing?” Padmé echoed.
“We do a game night on New Year’s Eve,” Owen told her with a wink. “Anakin will claim he stopped coming here because of MIT, but really, it’s because I kicked his ass at Monopoly three years ago.”
“I let you win,” Anakin said, affronted.
“Monopoly, huh? I mean, it’s banned in my house for exactly this reason, but I might be able to give it a go,” Padmé mused. “What are the other options?”
“Clue, the Game of Life, Codenames, and I think we have RISK still in the packaging,” Beru said. “Plus a deck of cards.”
“Maybe we should go with Clue, we finally have six people,” suggested Shmi.
“What about Codenames?” Padmé suggested. “I like that one.”
“We could do charades,” Anakin suggested. “The last time we played that was before I went to MIT, we should dust it off.”
“You know Owen is terrible at charades,” Beru accused.
“Am not!” Owen defended himself but paused. “Alright, maybe a little.”
“How about Pictionary?” Shmi suggested. “With three teams of two?”
“Yes!” There was a collective of agreements around the table except for Anakin, who groaned while everyone snickered.
“I suck at drawings,” he pouted.
“Only of fruit,” Owen rolled his eyes. “You can draw perfectly good robots.”
“Well, I happen to be a very perceptive person, so why don’t you and I team up?” Padmé suggested.
“Challenge accepted,” he grinned at her.
“Babe, with me?” Owen asked his wife. Beru rolled her eyes and got up to start clearing the table. “Aw, come on! Don’t abandon me!”
“I’ll give you a second chance, but I hope you learned how to draw an airplane. You are just as bad as Ani,” Beru accused and Anakin cackled.
“We have tough competition,” Anakin told Padmé. “My Mom and Cliegg are nearly unstoppable at Pictionary.”
“Damn right we are,” Cliegg agreed proudly. “Now then, shall we finish clearing the table and see about dessert? I believe there’s cheesecake?”
“Yes, there is,” confirmed Shmi as she got up to help Beru. Padmé leaped to her feet to follow suit. “Oh, goodness, Padmé, you don’t have to do that, you’re a guest.”
“Chipping in with the dishes is the least I can do to thank you. Especially since Anakin and I will be crushing you this evening.”
“Easy there, Columbia, I’ll believe your skills when I see them,” he shook his head amused as he grabbed the dishes around him.
“I hope you are not a sore loser like Anakin here,” Cliegg teased.
“On the occasions that I do lose, it’s done with dignity and poise. I’m telling you this because you won’t get to see it in action,” Padmé promised.
“Okay, there’s four minutes to midnight, so at this point, I think we need to go into sudden death,” Beru said as she tapped the dwindling pile of unused cards. “We’re running out of things to draw.”
"I can't believe we're tied," Anakin grinned, bumping his shoulder with his partner. "You're pretty good at this, Columbia."
“I told you,” Padmé said, grinning. “And it helps that you told me it was fruit you were bad at drawing.”
“He’s just trying harder because he wants to impress you,” Owen sniffed, and Beru elbowed him in the side. “What?”
“Don’t be a sore loser.”
“We’re not losing.”
“Yet,” Padmé added on with a grin.
“I should invite you over to every game night,” Anakin quipped. “I like to win and your competitive streak makes it easy.”
“I mean, it’s a three-hour drive, but maybe.”
“Okay, sudden death,” Shmi said, taking the deck and reshuffling the cards. “If you don’t guess before the time runs out, your team’s out. Ready?”
“Ready,” everyone agreed and she pulled a card out, passing it facedown to Padmé. After staring at it for a moment, Padmé went to the easel while Cliegg flipped the egg timer on the coffee table.
“What the hell are you drawing?” Anakin made a face as he watched Padmé’s doodles.
“What is that?” Beru focused on the paper. “A bowl?” She guessed.
“Ugh, no, no,” Owen shook his head.
Padmé added on a few stick figures and the rough image of a bed under one of the stick figures and a circle on top of the other one’s head.
“Doctors? Hospital?” Anakin guessed one after the other. Padmé groaned, and drew something in the standing stick person’s arms, an oval with a circle inside and a little curlicue on the top. When Anakin still didn’t react, she added a teddy bear and a pacifier, and both Cliegg and Shmi gasped and laughed. “Baby? Having a baby?”
“Augh!” Padmé drew a box around the scene and added a set of doors. Then she circled the box and added arrows pointing to it. And for good measure, she added on a car and another stick figure holding a box.
“I...uh…”
“Ten seconds!” Cliegg warned.
“Uh… damn… delivery room?” He asked, a bit unsure.
“YES!” Padmé shouted, sitting next to him on the couch and throwing the marker on the table emphatically . “Thank you! I would have killed you if we’d lost on a time out!”
“You’re scary when you get competitive,” he laughed. “I’m glad I guessed it, I would have feared for my physical health.”
“Whatever we get can’t possibly be that bad,” Beru said to Owen optimistically as she pulled a card from the deck and took a look over it. The color draining from her cheerful face suggested otherwise.
“Turn that egg,” Anakin ordered. “Omelets are about to be made.”
“Ani, please, don’t embarrass yourself,” Shmi said amusedly. Cliegg reset the timer as Beru tore off the used paper and started a new page, drawing a rounded rectangular container with a flat top.
“It’s protein powder!” Owen guessed eagerly.
“No, come on, this is so easy, Owen, please,” Beru implored as she continued to try and draw little doodles that would shed some light on the word. She drew something round with a little leaf on top, like an orange and what could have been a watermelon slice.
“Fruit? Juice? Juice from fruit?” Beru added a hand around the orange and watermelon slice. “Fruit snacks? Gummies?”
“Thirty seconds,” Padmé taunted with a smirk, leaning against Anakin a little. He grinned widely and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
“Twenty-five seconds,” he snickered.
“Shush,” Beru threw at them. “Come on, Owen, please.” She drew a stick figure and a smiley face on the original drawing of her container, but the timer buzzed.
“And you’re out, son,” Cliegg said sympathetically. “Sorry.”
“It was vitamins! You eat them every day, how did you not get that?” Beru complained.
“Vitamins?” He groaned. “Oh, come on,” Owen scowled. “All I saw was fruit!”
“Vitamin C,” Anakin corrected.
“Well, I guess that leaves us,” Shmi said, looking over at Cliegg. “Are you ready, love?”
“Born ready,” Cliegg rubbed his hands together. “Let’s go win this!”
Anakin sighed. “If we lose, we had a good run, I never got this far,” he quipped to Padmé.
Owen snorted. “You never stood a chance before. Your last girlfriend made all dumb blonde jokes true and your other partner is Kitster, who has the attention spawn of a puppy.”
“Kitster Banai?” Padmé asked curiously.
“Yeah, why?” He asked and he completely forgot his arm was around her. “If you know him, I’m so sorry. He was dropped a lot as a child.”
“No, I just,” Padmé wet her lips, “I think we might have been headed to the same party.”
“Can you two wait until after the game’s over to talk about this?” Owen complained as Shmi pulled a card and headed the easel. Beru started the timer.
Immediately, Shmi started to draw arrows pointing down and a square next to it.
“Gravity,” Cliegg guessed. “Dropping. Falling?” Shmi shook her head and drew a plug that she connected to the square and in the middle of the square another drop-down arrow. “Computer crashing? Computer virus?”
“Uh-oh, twenty-five seconds to go,” Anakin taunted.
“Shut up!” Owen scolded his stepbrother.
“Is it dial-up?”
Shmi added a rounded bar and filled half of it.
“Ten seconds,” Anakin ignored Owen and kept going in his countdown.
“Buffering? Connecting to the internet? Sending an email?” The timer rang at the same moment Cliegg guessed, “downloading music?”
Shmi looked utterly devastated. “Couldn’t you have said that last one a little faster?”
Anakin jumped out of his seat, throwing his arms in the air. “We won!”
“Only because of the new girl, you still suck, baby bro,” Owen scowled.
“There’s always next time,” Beru said as she checked her watch. “And as it happens, we’ve finished just in time for the new year to start in fifteen...fourteen…thirteen...”
Padmé joined in on the countdown. “Twelve...eleven...ten…”
“Nine… eight… seven…” Shmi continued as she passed around flutes of champagne she'd poured earlier in the evening.
“Six… five…” Owen prepared a confetti cannon while Beru plugged her ears.
“Four...three...two…”
“One!” Anakin shouted as the confetti cannon went off and he cheered while the two married couples moved in for the traditional midnight kisses. “Happy New Year,” he raised his glass to Padmé’s, “to new friendships.” Padmé’s face flushed a little as she tapped her glass against his. Then she leaned in and pressed her lips to his mouth before pulling back just as quickly.
“I’m so sorry, I should have asked, I don’t know what came over me,” she babbled.
While Anakin was sort of gaping at her, Beru was amused. “It’s New Year’s, you have to kiss someone ,” and she turned to kiss her husband again.
“Yeah, it’s alright,” Anakin nodded, blushing and biting his lower lip. “Completely alright.”
“Honey, I did hope you had a good time tonight,” Shmi smiled. “I know it wasn’t what you planned but…”
“I did have a wonderful time,” Padmé promised with a nod, though her eyes never fully left Anakin. “Thank you.”
“You should come by more often,” Anakin offered. “Or start coming by, now that you know us.”
“He will give you a calendar of when he’s home,” Owen teased.
“Shut up and kiss your wife, idiot,” Anakin scowled. “You were a fun change to our night. I did very much enjoy winning.”
“Thank you, and we could also just meet up in Boston, you know,” Padmé pointed out as she knocked back the last of her champagne. “Since we both live there?”
“I would like that,” Anakin nodded and glanced at the table where her phone was. He grabbed it and gave it to her. “Unlock it so I can register my number.” Once she did so, he noted down his number and name. “There. Now you can call me so we can meet up. I’ll be in Boston again by next week.”
“Okay.” She looked down at her phone, and a second later, he felt his own phone buzz with a text.
UNKNOWN NUMBER: «is it ok if i kiss you again?»
He read the text and chuckled. “Totally ok,” he replied with a grin and didn’t wait for her to take the initiative and bent down to kiss her again.
Behind him, his mother smiled while leaning against the arm of her husband's chair. “You know, Cliegg,” she whispered to him, linking their fingers together, “I have a feeling we’ll be seeing a lot more of our surprise guest.”
“I think you’re right, love. And as far as ways to start the new year go, this is one I’m perfectly happy to see,” Cliegg agreed.