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You Can't Control Destiny (Completed)	By : pensfan100 Category: Casts RPF > Star Wars (all) > Star Wars (all) Views: 12132 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. I do not know the people I am writing about in this fanfiction. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

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You Can’t Control Destiny - Chapter 19

Hayden squinted at the blue sky as he opened the car door and climbed out. There was a light, warming breeze ready to greet him, wafting the indefinable scent that spring always brought with it. A smile spread over his face as his brief glance took in the beautiful hills and pastures, tiny purple and yellow flowers scattered across the meadows in a carpet of vibrant colors. It was the end of March again and unseasonably warm but in a couple of months the water from the snowmelt would be gone and the grasses would be a pale gold again as the ground began its thirst for water. His smile widened as a hand placed itself into his extended one and the topaz glow that always sent his heart to his toes glittered up at him as Natalie followed him out of the car. Natalie breathed in the scents of ng ang and lifted her face to the sun with a happy sigh. Opening one eye she caught Hayden’s grin and returned it.

“I’ll get your bags,” the driver said and motioned them to the door.

Hand in hand they walked up the steps and across the porch to the door. One long finger stabbed the doorbell. Natalie giggled.

If they don’t know about us then they’re blind and deaf,” Hayden shrugged and squeezed her hand.

“But you know how things are here even though it’s still over a year before the release of the movie,” Natalie pointed out while they waited.

Hayden nodded, his mind wandering once again to the collarless white embroidered shirt with the 5 buttons running from Natalie’s neck stopping right between her breasts. The top two were undone but the brief glimpse of smooth white skin only tantalized him for more. Those three simple buttons were just begging him to pluck them open so he could kiss that area hidden from his view. The rounded cut of the hem hugged her hips encased in butter yellow Capri pants. A daisy, he thought whimsically. The first one of spring.

“Stop that,” Natalie murmured out of the corner of her mouth.

“Stop what?” Hayden’s brows drew down in confusion.

“You know what.”

“It’s my favorite shirt,” he said as if that explained everything. “And I must remember to thank your friend for bringing it back from India as a souvenir for you.”

“Yes, I know, and quit staring at the buttons,” she admonished, shifting on her feet. Blue wide-eyed innocence glimmered back at her and Natalie shook her head ‘no.’ “No matter how hard you stare at them they are not going to unbutton.”

The sly grin that stretched his lips shot a sizzle down her spine. “A guy can dream,” he retorted, unaware of the damage he inflicted on her with what she termed ‘that look.’ “You just like to tease me so you wear it when you know I can’t do a thing about it.” Natalie turned the sly grin back on him and his eyes narrowed. “You can run, Pretty Eyes, but you can’t hide,” Hayden lowered his voice so it only reached her ears. “Sooner or later I always find you.”

Before Natalie could begin to form a rebuttal the door swung open revealing a smiling George Lucas.

“Hello,” he greeted pleasantly. “Right on time, too. Come on in.”

They barely got the door closed behind them when a grumbling Rick McCallum advanced fishing his wallet out of his back pocket. He fingered through the bills, extracted a twenty-dollar bill and with a flourish handed it over to George. Then a bright smile lit his face and he reverted back to his regular self encasing Natalie in a bear hug and shaking Hayden’s hand.

Once hellos were exchanged an unassuming George slipped the bill into his wallet with only a small, satisfied smile touching his lips.

“Oh, stop it, you braggart!” Rick groused at him. “I am never doubting you or making a bet with you again!”

Since George was his usual, quiet, laid back self, Natalie and Hayden looked back and forth between the two men, curiosity catching their attention.

“Ok, I give up,” Natalie conceded, confused.

“What bet did you lose?” Hayden asked Rick. George just smiled.

Rick rolled his eyes in exasperation. “This!” He grabbed their linked hands and lifted them. “I bet him twenty dollars that this wouldn’t happen. He suckered me into it!”

All eyes turned to George who placidly eyed the couple. “I did not sucker you into anything,” George wryly denied to Rick then turned to Natalie and Hayden. “I merely said you two would end up together and he didn’t believe me. End of story.”

“Huh!” Rick snorted turning to lead the way through the main house at Skywalker Ranch.

“Don’t pay any attention to him,” George said with a laugh. “I just made one little innocuous observation. That’s all.”

Rick harrumphed again. “Innocuous observation.”

“I’m not the one who said ‘I bet you twenty dollars…’”

“Yes…well…you said it knowing I’d do that!” A grin finally gave away his pretense.

A tinkling of laughter burst from Natalie her eyes alive with happy amusement. “Maybe this is an act, Rick,” she teased, “and Hayden and I did this at George’s instigation so you’d lose twenty dollars.”

Rick stopped and eyed the couple a moment. “Nah,” he shook his head gesturing at them. “Even I can see you’re not play acting. I’m not that senile. Yet.”

With another year to go before Episode III opened, Skywalker Ranch was alive with activity. Hayden and Natalie had separately been to the ranch the previous fall to do some looping, recording lines from the movie that were flawed because of set noise and clarity, and both had been called in to work on more. It had taken Hayden and Natalie a year just to even out their schedules so they paralleled each other’s schedule br anr and they had worked hard to schedule their looping sessions simultaneously just for that reason. It was hard and exhausting trying to carve out space for their relationship but they had succeeded through sheer will power and teamwork.

Reporters had wasted no time speculating about them and asking questions but both always politely refused to talk about their private lives. That didn’t stop tabloids and gossip columnists but they remained tight-lipped driving the unscrupulous journalists crazy.

The day’s work was pleasant and fun, hardly seeming like work at all. Hayden and Natalie visited with Ben Burtt, John Knoll, and Rob Coleman and others and enjoyed the camaraderie that was an inevitable by-product of being a member of the Star Wars ‘family.’ Even with the serious dedication to their work, the crew always found plenty of time to laugh.

After dinner with Rick and George and George’s son, Jett, Hayden and Natalie decided to stroll around the lake while George and Rick went back to work for a while. The unusually warm weather and waning sun beckoned them onward. Their hands sought each other’s naturally and they walked along in a companionable silence just enjoying being physically close after a few weeks apart.

The breeze pushed Natalie’s hair back from her face. Hayden was forever pulling clasps and ponytail elastics out of her hair preferring it to be loose and free for his fingers to stroke and play in. If she parted it on the side he found himself constantly thinking about tumbling her into bed somewhere. It gave her a sexy, alluring air, and when it fell over one eye and she looked up at him with a wicked grin he didn’t think about it, he did it. A smile quirked his lips as he glanced out of the corner of his eye. It was parted on the side. But instead of those naughty thoughts rearing their hormonal heads a warm flush of love swelled his heart. Deeply he inhaled his happiness. Surely life didn’t get much better than this, he thought to himself. Just how much happiness can one guy hold?

The one end of the lake pinched close together losing its wide berth between shores. Before the pavement rounded it a small bridge curved over a stream that began to wind through a grove of trees. Of one mind they stopped and listened to its bubbling, tinkling music.

Twilight descended bringing a chill to the air. Hayden wound his arms around Natalie’s waist and drew her into the haven of his warmth. A soft sigh reached his ears as she turned her head, her ear listening to the beating of his heart against the wall of his chest. Gentle lips kissed the top of her head.

“You are the perfect height for me,” his low voice broke the silence.

“I’m too short,” she complained, her eyes inspecting the sky’s blending from blue to indigo. The first star winked at her and quickly, childishly, she closed her eyes and made a wish.

“Perfect for me,” he assured, loosening his hold so she could lift shining eyes to his. For a long moment they stared into each other’s eyes and that magical, mystical force field surrounded them, cutting them off from the rest of the world. “I love you, Natalie.”

The hushed reverent tone of his voice raced those wonderful butterflies around in her stomach. Her hand slid up his chest and into his hair urging his head to lower. Inches from his lips her eyes held his fast and she whispered back, “I love you, too, Hayden. First, last, and always.”

When his lips slid slowly over hers Natalie found herself unable to resist and lifted onto her toes, her arms surrounding his neck. A small flame flickered to life in the pit of her stomach and Hayden pulled her closer to his body. A feeling of safety and peace filled her heart until there were no empty, lonely spaces.

Hayden’s mouth lifted from hers and Natalie smiled up at him in the twilight.

“What?” He asked, knowing something was sweeping through her thoughts.

“Nothing,” she smiled back. “I was just thinking that Skywalker Ranch was where I first met you. I thought it bizarre but I always remembered the date we met. April 29th.

Hayden chuckled and let her go, dropping an arm around her shoulders. “I’m impressed,” he teased, turning back to retrace their steps. “We’d better go back. It’s getting chilly.” He chuckled again. “You know, I remember going to see The Phantom Menace with my high school. I remember thinking you were cute, but I was really interested in the lightsaber duel with Darth Maul.”

Natalie’s laughter lilted on the air. “Gee, thanks.”

“I said I thought you were cute,” Hayden defended himself. “And don’t forget I threw up on the way here to do the screen test with you.”

Natalie giggled. “You got sick over meeting me and George.”

“Wweeelll,” Hayden drawled, a sheepish shrug in his shoulder. “I know I told the press that, but it was really you I was nervous about meeting, not George.”

Natalie’s mouth dropped open in astonishment. “Well, you little liar!”

“And I shouldn’t have been worried,” Hayden pointed out, “because as soon as George would call ‘cut’ you would jump up, dash out, and get on your damn cell phone!”

The words barely left his mouth when a few muffled musical notes interrupted. An admonishing glare from Hayden and it was Natalie’s turn to look sheepish. Hayden stopped and shoved his hand into Natalie’s front pocket while she squirmed in protest. His hand extracted the offending instrument, a wafer-thin cell phone. With a flick of the wrist he flipped it open, scanned the phone number of the caller and hit the power button shutting it off.

“Hey!” Natalie cried in protest grabbing for her phone. Hayden raised it above his head and wagged a finger at her.

“Ah-ah-ah! It was no one important,” he dismissed as she jumped up for it in spite of knowing it was an exercise in futility.

“How do you know?” She scowled back, jumping again.

Hayden held it higher in the air. “Because it wasn’t your parents,” he shot back. “It was Michelle.” He waited for her to tire then slipped it into his front pocket. When she continued to scowl at him and crossed her arms he knew he’d better attack.

“Nat, I haven’t been with you for over three weeks. Three weeks!” He pressed his case running a hand through his thick hair in agitation. Silently Natalie swore as her eyes went to the waves and her fingers itched to also run her fingers through his hair even while she was irked with him. “I just want to spend some time with you without the rest of your world intruding. When that blasted phone is on all your friends call on you constantly as if you are the only person in this whole world who can solve their problems!”

“Well, maybe I am the only person who can help them!” She shot back, her lips tightening into a flat line. Natalie stomped a few steps away from Hayden, turned and glared at him.

“No, Natalie, you’re not,” Hayden marched over to her, his blue eyes calm but penetrating. “You have a very giving heart and because of that they lean on you.”

“I would do it for you,” her brown eyes flashed in accusation.

“I would hope so,” he countered, “but I am different…and you hold my heart. I take precedence over them.”

“Are you sure about that?” Natalie arched a brow.

“Yes, I am sure about that,” Hayden answered quietly. Digging into his pocket he held out the phone to her. “If I wasn’t sure I wouldn’t have let myself get into this position where you can crush my heart. If I wasn’t sure I would’ve walked away to save myself from the pain you have the power to inflict on me.”

Speechless, Natalie’s eyes fell to the phone all the ire deflating at his revealing words. A myriad of pictures flashed through her mind so quickly she could almost see them all at once: Hayden laughing, the first time he kissed her, cheering at a hockey game, standing at the door holding a single rose, unconscious in a hospital bed…. Friends were important, family was important, and Hayden deserved better than this.

“No,” Natalie murmured waving at the phone. “Keep it in your pocket.” Hayden stuffed it back into his pocket and Natalie sighed, her brown eyes meeting his.

“I’m Jewish,” she suddenly whispered, uncertainty quivering in her voice.

“I’m Christian,” he said.

“I’m a vegetarian,” she added.

“I’m an omnivore,” he returned making Natalie laugh because she found his love of big words amusing. “But I try to take your feelings into consideration when we are having a meal together.”

Hayden stepped closer and looked down at her waiting for more. Her eyes lowered, but Hayden’s thumb lifted her chin forcing her to look at him and not hide.

“Sometimes I think I’m not good enough for you,” Natalie whispered falling into his gaze. Nervously her tongue licked her lips as his brows drew down. “I know that’s silly.”

“Yes, it is silly,” Hayden agreed, “because you are more than good enough for me.”

“I want to give you everything so you never worry about where you stand in line,” Natalie assured fervently. “I don’t want you to worry.”

“I’m not worried,” he stated with certainty his eyes never wavering from hers.

“You have no line to stand in, you’re first.”

“I know.”

Hayden took her hand and they continued their walk back to the house. Once inside he led her down the hall to a darkened room. Flicking a light switch he softly illuminated the room revealing it to be the room where his screen test had been conducted.

“Did you know that when I met you, you took my breath away?” Hayden asked, cocking his head to the side, smiling at the memory.

“Really?” Natalie’s eyes widened. “When we met?”

“Mm,” he nodded. “I was worried about getting through the screen test but even I could feel us clicking.”

Natalie wandered around the room, her fingers gliding over the furniture as her mind went back to that day. “When we were introduced and you took my hand my stomach flipped,” she admitted throwing him a shy glance. “It scared me. I had an immediate crush on you.”

Hayden laughed in disbelief. “You did not.”

“Yes, I did,” she nodded. “The worst part was when I sat in this chair.” Natalie sat down and eyed the couch across from her. “And you sat there.”

Hayden sat down on the couch. “And?” he prompted.

Natalie gulped and struggled to find her voice. “And I said ‘Anakin, don’t try to grow up too fast.’”

Hayden pinned her with his eyes, the right side of his mouth tilting in that same half smile. Eyes never leaving her he slid onto his knees and moved closer. The sound of his voice thickened the blood in her veins to a sluggish crawl.

“I am grown up,” he insisted seductively, refusing to let her look away.

Natalie shifted uncomfortably, shyness clogging her throat but unwilling to tear her eyes away from his. The next line was forgotten as her heart banged against her ribcage. “The cell phone was my salvation that day.” At the whispered confession her teeth worried her lip. “I kept running away and using the phone because of what you were doing to me. No one had ever affected me like you did. It’s only now that I can even admit it to myself.”

Hayden gazed at her his eyes drinking in her beauty, his ears rejoicing in her words. The trembling in her hands forced them to clasp together and she dragged in a deep breath.

“When we were in Italy for Episode II it got so bad that I was afraid everyone else could see it. The day Annie Leibowitz took our pictures in the meadow I just wanted everyone to disappear. I wanted to stay there lying against you and look at you all afternoon.” She sucked in a quivering breath. “You kissed me for the first and only time that night and I wanted it so much that it horrified me and I pushed you away from then on. I tried to tell myself it was just one of those onset things that pass, but it didn’t pass. It got so bad that I went into out and out denial.”

Agitated, Natalie looked down at her clasped hands as Hayden laid one of his over them. His warmth seeped into her, the sound of his breathing erratic to her ears. Golden eyes rose to his and surveyed the features she was forever memorizing so she could take them out and look at them when they were apart.

A hush fell between them as Hayden leaned towards her. At the last moment their eyes closed as he took possession of her mouth. He kissed her slowly, savoring her, sweeping his tongue between her lips, seeking her answering caress. A soft pop echoed in the room as their lips parted. He kissed her again then pulled away loving how her lips clung to his. With his stomach flipping somersaults and nerves gripping his joints he pulled back enough to look into her eyes.

“Marry me, Natalie.”

“W…what did you s…say?” Natalie stuttered, sure she hadn’t heard him right.

“Marry me, Natalie.”

The room grew still. Natalie’s brown eyes wide with shock stared at Hayden. Her lips parted as the breath rushed frantically passed them. The hands clasped under his shook, her face flushed pink. Hayden’s heart pounded nervously and his stomach churned but his eyes never left hers. When she didn’t answer and Hayden realized he had really thrown her completely off guard he swallowed the lump clogging his throat so he could free his voice.

“You touch my soul,” he murmured, the words throbbing in the air. “No one else will ever fill me so completely. I want to grow old with you and watch our grandchildren play in the yard. I want to walk beside you, not in front or behind. I know we’re young, but I know how I feel…and I think you feel the same. I didn’t mean to scare you, but…”

Natalie wriggled a hand out from under his and laid it across his mouth halting his words. She looked into his blue eyes for a long moment while she waited for her heart to stop its mad fluttering.

“Yes,” she whispered, a tiny smile lifting the corners of her mouth.

Hayden’s brows climbed as she slid her hand from his mouth. “Yes?”

“We may be young,” Natalie’s voice trembled, “but I know the real thing when I see it.” Her hand took his and placed it under her shirt on her abdomen where he automatically rubbed tiny circles. “I don’t want anyone else but you. I always thought people didn’t really find their other half, but you are mine. I’m whole because of you. I love you.” Her hand smoothed over his, her eyes soft and velvet with love. “I never thought I would want children but I want my belly swollen with yours. When I thought I’d lost you I vowed if given the chance I’d never lose you again.” The dreamy smile widened. “A boy with your smile.”

Tears flushed Hayden’s eyes. “A girl with your eyes.”

Natalie leaned close and pressed her lips against his. Hayden rose up on his knees and gathered her tightly to him. When the kiss ended they held each other, Natalie’s arms wrapped securely around his neck.

Hayden suddenly pulled away. “Oh, I almost forgot.” He dug into his pocket grinning at her. “To let everyone know you’re taken you need something to show them.”

Natalie met his teasing eyes and indulgently smiled. “You thought this all out, didn’t you?”

Hayden nodded as he retrieved a velvet box from his pocket. “Oh yes,” he gave her a smug, white-toothed smile. “All they way down to proposing to you in the very room where we met.”

Natalie barely heard him. A strange, loud rushing sound swirled through her ears as her eyes focused intently on the box. Suddenly, she couldn’t get enough air into her lungs and the room spun crazily around her. When Hayden placed the box into her hands sheallyally jerked her eyes to his.

“H…Hayden,” she stuttered, her heart in her throat making it difficult to speak. “This…l…looks just like…”

“Open it,” he urged gently, understanding her astonishment.

With shaking fingers she opened the lid, the large solitaire diamond winking at her as if to say it had conspired with him on the whole plan. By the time Natalie’s eyes met Hayden’s tears were coursing down her cheeks. She threw herself onto Hayden’s lap as he rested on his haunches, buried her face in his neck, and sobbed.

Incoherent words soaked his skin while he held the petite bundle to him. A tender smile caressed Hayden’s features. All he ever wanted in life straddled his lap dripping tears down his neck. Once, a long time ago it seemed, those tears would’ve been trapped behind a dam of her own construction. But that was then. Now he had her trust. And her friendship. And her love.

At last, the tears ceased and Natalie sniffed and leaned back wiping her eyes with one hand and holding the box in the other. Patiently, Hayden waiteile ile she inspected the ring closely. Wondering eyes searched his as the enormity of his actions tumbled over her.

“This is the ring you bought for your mom in Italy almost two summers ago,” Natalie said shaking her head in disbelief. “I saw you talking to your dad on the cell phone. This is for her.”

Hayden’s tender half smile sent her heart soaring. “No,” he confessed, stroking a thumb over her lips, “I told you that, but I saw you headed my way and pretended to be on the phone.” He shifted his arms around her waist managing to hold a penitent expression on his face. “I hadn’t planned it until that moment and I had to think fast so I could get you into the jewelry store.”

“And the ankle bracelet?”

“Oh, I told the truth about that. I had just bought it. But I wanted you to choose your own engagement ring.”

“But…but…you wanted to marry me even then?”

Hayden nodded suffused in the glow of Natalie’s happiness and awe. “I knew even if you were too afraid to peek beneath the surface and admit it to yourself. I knew that I wanted to marry you. Buying the ring for my mom was just a ruse so you could pick out your favorite.”

A cloud of anguish passed over Natalie’s face. “What if I’d said no?” She questioned, the thought of how it would have hurt him unbearable.

“I don’t know,” Hayden murmured, grimg atg at the thought. “After that last night in Sydney I thought I’d ruined my life.”

Natalie shushed him with a soft kiss that he willingly received. A hand stroked through his hair, threading around the waves, sifting it through greedy fingers. “I wear the bracelet constantly and only take it off if I’m on a set. I felt like I was bound to you when I wore it. Didn’t you notice I only wear it on my left ankle?” Frowning Hayden shook his head and Natalie smiled patiently at his lack of awareness. “I thought if you ever saw me on TV or in a magazine and saw it there you would know you still possessed my heart. I guess deep down I must have felt promised to you, though I didn’t want to admit it to myself.” Her eyes fell to the ring, a blush staining her cheeks. “After I got you back I consciously kept it on the left ankle.”

Hayden’s eyes narrowed as she lifted shy eyes to his. A hand reached down and plucked the rinom iom its box and the other scooped up her left hand. Carefully he slid it onto her ring finger contemplating how perfect it looked there. “I’m glad it still fits.”

“You are so sneaky, Hayden Christensen,” Natalie accused flirtatiously and leaned in to kiss him. “And you have me now for the rest of your life whether you like it or not.”

“Forever sounds even better.”

Tears gleamed in Natalie’s eyes. “Forever sounds perfect to me, too.”

“Uh-oh,” Hayden caught sight of the tears brimming her eyes and fumbled for her cell phone still hidden in his pocket. “Here.” Puzzled, Natalie gaped at him. He shrugged and smiled. “Now you can turn it back on. I didn’t want any interruptions. However,” he warned, placing it in her hand, “that first call had better be to your parents…or they’ll never forgive me.”
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You Can't Control Destiny (Completed)