Cute, Fuzzy, Rabid, Little Bunnies

A trip to the mall (and pet store) turns into a trip to the ER.
Semi-sequel to Milk, Socks, and Fried Chuba, it it not nessicary to read it first, but you should.

"Does the term, 'Cruel and unusual punishment' mean anything to you?" Anakin Skywalker demanded as Padmé Naberrie Skywalker dragged him into the shopping mall, literally, by the arm. Any passerby would have thought the scene hilarious. A petite, five-foot-three-inch woman dragging her six-foot-one-inch husband by the arm into the mall, while he whined and complained. Padmé was surprised no one was laughing yet.

She turned to him. "Stop whining. I went to that stupid podrace you wanted to go to last week, now you can go shopping with me."

"It wasn't stupid!"

Padmé shot him a look. "I thought it was," Anakin made to open his mouth again, but Padmé beat him to it. "You need some new shirts anyway."

Anakin frowned. "What wrong with my shirts?"

"They're the oldest shirts this side of the Galactic Core!" Padmé told him.

"Honey, this is the Galactic Core."

Padmé spun on her heel and stalked off, heels clicking against the tiled flooring. Anakin took off after her. He caught up to her quickly, and she stopped, glaring at him.

Anakin held up his hands. "Okay, okay. You can get me new shirts. Deal?"

She nodded, satisfied, as she eyed him up and down. "Come to think of it, you're about due for a hair-cut."

Anakin shook his head vehemently. "Uh-uh. No way. You are not touching my hair!"

"Anakin..."

"No."

Padmé sighed. "You're gonna have to get it cut eventually."

"Right," Anakin nodded. "Eventually. Not now."

"Fine. C'mon," she headed off into the crowds, leaving Anakin to trail after her.

***

After ten stores, Padmé was feeling very happy with her purchases, and Anakin was wondering why his wallet was so thin. As Padmé spotted another of her favorite stores and began heading towards it, she didn't miss Ankain's audible sigh. She paused then, and turned to him. She did feel a bit sorry for him, knowing that he would much rather be watching races on the holovid or working on that new fixer-upper hovercar he had bought. She felt a bit bad about making him carry everything too.

"Alright," she turned to him. "Where do you want to go?"

"Home," Anakin asked hopefully.

"I mean, which store do you want to go to?"

"I know..." Anakin paused, thinking. "Remember that one store? Back there a little ways." He gestured with his shoulder, as his arms were full of shopping bags.

Padmé groaned inwardly. You asked for this, she told herself. "Yeah..."

"Good," Anakin grinned. "Let's go!"

He turned and headed towards the electronics store, Padmé following behind him.

***

As soon as they had walked into the store, Anakin had become as giddy as a schoolboy, reminding Padmé of when she had first met him. He had shoved the bags into her arms, and gone off in search of anything that looked like it was really cool. Padmé had ended up getting a hovercart to carry all the stuff, and the small, flat, board sat hovering beside her as she looked at the newest holocameras.

They'd been in the store about a half time-part, and Padmé hadn't seen Anakin since they had first walked in. She was becoming very bored as time passed, and was beginning to wonder what had gotten into her to make her let him pick the next store.

Ten minutes later, Anakin came up behind her and dropped another bag on the hovercart, startling her. She spun around, then looked down at the bag. "What did you buy?"

"Just a couple of parts for that hovercar."

"And..." she promoted.

"A couple of games for the holovid." She eyed him. "And a couple of videos and a surprise," he added with a wink.

"A surprise?" She asked.

"Yep," he told her. "And no, I'm not going to tell you what it is. That's why it's a surprise." He was grinning.

"Are you ever going to tell me what it is?"

"Just wait."

"I could always just look in the bag."

"Go ahead."

She frowned, then leaned over and peeked inside the bag, finding only the items he had told her about. No surprise. "There's nothing in here."

Anakin shrugged. "You'll have to wait."

Padmé tried to think of what would be coming up that he would want to surprise her for, but the only thing that came to mind was her birthday, and she didn't think Anakin had even remembered.

"C'mon," he said. "Let's go."

"Yeah. I think I've gotten everything I need for now." Padmé agreed.

Anakin took her hand. "I'm sure you have." He began walked, taking Padmé with him. She activated the hovercart and it trailed alongside them as they headed for the exit.

***

Anakin pulled them both to a stop before the pet store. "Aw, look at the puppies."

Padmé almost burst out laughing right then and there, but contained herself. Instead she pulled him into the store. She stopped at the rabbit cage. "You wanna get one?"

He eyed her. "You want a bunny?"

She smiled. "Well yeah. It'd be fun to have a pet."

"And you want a bunny for a pet?"

She shrugged. "You have something else in mind?" She watched as his eyes flicked over the puppies in the window, but he quickly turned back to her.

"If you want a bunny, we can get a bunny."

Padmé knelt down by the cage. "Oh... aren't they so cute!"

Anakin knelt beside her. He held out his hand to one of them, and it started sniffing his hand.

Padmé looked over at the bunny that he was about to pet and noticed it's eyes looked a little... odd. "Anakin, I wouldn't touch it if I were you."

"It's just a harmless little bunny."

"Ani..."

He placed his hand on it's head, only to have the bunny bite his finger. Anakin swore loudly and lunged back, holding his finger. "The smeggin' thing bit my finger!" He yelled.

"I told you not to touch it."

Anakin swore again as he looked at the finger, and the bleeding from the wound. He glared back at the bunny, and noticed now that it was drooling. "Um..."

"What is it?" Padmé, who had been examining his finger, asked.

"Are bunnies supposed to drool?"

"Drool?" Padmé asked, turning to look at the bunny. "Oh dear..."

"What?"

"I think it has rabies."

"WHAT?"

Everyone in the store turned to look at them, and a couple of salesladies hurried over. "Is something wrong?" the blond one asked, annoyed that Anakin had interrupted business.

Anakin looked up from his place on the floor. "Yes! Something is wrong! That damn rabid bunny bit my finger!"

Both of the salesladies managed to maintain a non-caring attitude. The blonde shrugged, and turned to the redhead. "Peggy, go call that one place. Ya know, the animal one."

"What am I supposed to tell 'em to do?" Peggy asked.

"To get over here!" The blonde exclaimed. "Do I have to do everything around here?"

Peggy turned and hurried off, as fast as her high-heeled shoes would allow.

Padmé helped Anakin to his feet. "We're gonna have to go the ER now, before you start going into convulsions. You'll need a rabies shot."

Anakin looked horrified. "A shot?"

"Yes, a shot."

"Do I have to?" he whined.

"You do if you ever want another kiss in your life."

Anakin looked dejected, and Padmé felt sorry for him. He turned to the blonde saleslady who had gone back to fixing her hair in the window. Angrily he yelled at her, "You're gonna pay for this. Just wait! I'm a Jedi, and I--"

Padmé grabbed his arm and dragged him out of the store, remembering the hovercart at the last minute. Anakin turned to her as she led him out of the mall. "You shoulda let me hit her."

"I know, I know," Padmé sighed as they got to their hovercar. She started unloading the hovercart into the backseat. Anakin helped her one-handedly. "But the quicker we get to the hospital, the quicker you can get that shot-" Anakin opened his mouth to say something, but Padmé cut him off. "And the quicker we can get home."

"I thought you had a bunch of other stuff you were gonna drag me to today."

"I did," Padmé said, climbing into the driver's seat as Anakin got in on the passenger side. "But I decided to go home instead."

"Why would you..." He trailed off as he noticed the look she was giving him. "Okay," he said, perking up quite a bit. "Home it is then."

Padmé floored the gas pedal as she speed onto the skyway, weaving between buildings and ignoring the honking from other hovercars. Anakin held onto the dashboard for dear life.

***

They got to the hospital in record time, and Anakin was so relieved about Padmé finally stopping that he almost forgot why they were there. Almost.

He tried to look brave as they went in and as they explained what had happened and the nurse herded him into a back room, Padmé hurrying after them.

The nurse told him to have a seat on the bed, and told Padmé to have a seat in the waiting room.

Padmé glared at the woman. "I'll wait right here, thank you."

The nurse shook her head. "You'll have to wait in the waiting room. I need you to fill out some paperwork."

"I can fill it out right here." Padmé said, sitting down. The nurse sighed, but decided not to argue any further. She handed Padmé a large stack of papers, then turned to Anakin. "Someone will be in here shortly to give you your shot."

"Oh, they can take all the time they need." Anakin told her, his smile a bit too big. The nurse gave him an odd look as she left the room.

Anakin sighed, as did Padmé. She eyed the stack of papers, grabbed a pen off the table, and set to work.

Five minutes later, they were still waiting and Anakin's finger was beginning to swell up a bit.

"Have you had chicken pox?"

"Yes."

"Measles?"

"Yes."

"Mumps?"

"Yes."

"Any past surgeries?"

"Yes."

"What were they?"

"Yes."

"Are you pregnant?"

"Yes."

The doctor came in then. Anakin eyed him warily. He looked at the two, then at his chart.

"Which one of you is Anakin Skywalker?"

Padmé pointed to Anakin, "Him."

The doctor turned to Anakin. "Hello. I'm Doctor Antilles. This says you were bit by a rabid bunny."

"Yeah." Anakin muttered.

"Okay... and where is this bunny?"

"How should I know?"

Antilles frowned. "It wasn't your bunny that bit you?"

"No. It's was the one in the stupid pet store."

"Oh." Antilles looked over the chart, then marked on it with his pen. "Okay then, I'll be back shortly with your shot."

Anakin cringed, and Antilles noticed it. "Don't worry, Mr. Skywalker-"

"Jedi," Anakin corrected.

Antilles frowned, "Excuse me?"

"Jedi Skywalker," Anakin told him. "Not mister. I didn't spend half my life listening to Obi-Wan's lectures just to be called mister."

"Oh. Sorry. Um... Jedi Skywalker then. There's really no need to worry. You won't even feel the shot."

Anakin glared at him, "Sure."

Antilles looked over at Padmé. "And were you also bit by this rabid bunny too, Miss?"

"Missus," Padmé corrected. "I don't put up with him," she jerked her thumb towards Anakin, "just to be called miss."

"Uh... right." Antilles looked a little uncomfortable. "I'll be right back."

It took Antilles another ten minutes to get the shot, then he was back and Anakin was acting like a five-year-old going to get their immunizations.

"Now don't worry, this won't hurt." Antilles told a fidgeting Anakin. "Just relax, Jedi Skywalker."

"Relax my ass..." Anakin muttered under his breath. "I'll show him relax."

"All done." Antilles said a bit too cheerfully for Anakin's taste. "See? That didn't hurt a bit."

Anakin was about to lunge for the guy's throat, but Padmé held him back.

Antilles reached into his pocket, and pulled out a bright red sucker. "Would you like a sucker?" he held it out to Anakin.

Anakin accepted the sucker grudgingly, and yanked off the wrapper, popping it in his mouth.

As he and Padmé headed for the hovercar, Anakin vowed to her. "We are never, ever, ever getting a pet."

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