A/N: Companion piece to "A Different Story of Love" and "Sympathy". Actually is a prequel, but it would help if you first read ADSOL. Warning: Will make you hate Anakin. Takes place about a month before ADSOL.
Jedi Knight Drave-Harr Villois was walking beneath the stars. Looking up his eyes automatically went to the brightest one in the sky. Coruscant. Capital of the Republic. Home of his secret wife and daughter.
He wondered what they were doing now. Celacia would probably- no, definitely- be in bed now. Keara, come to think of it, would most likely also be preparing to settle down for the night. After all, it was nearing 11:00 on Coruscant.
He sighed. The Knight was used to being away and fighting in these days of war, but did one ever really get used to being away from the ones they loved?
This time he was serving under General Skywalker. Tomorrow they would be leaving to ambush a 'secret' camp of battle droids and enemy officers. It was a fairly routine mission; nothing out of the ordinary.
And yet still, he felt a sense of foreboding.
Lost in thoughts he didn't notice the man standing in the night before it was too late.
"General Skywalker," he stuttered, embarrassed. He wasn't a particularly talented Jedi, certainly not one of the Masters, but he should have sensed the other Jedi's Force Signature!
"Oh, greetings," said Skywalker, seemingly unaware that the other had just crashed into him. "Is anything bothering you Knight Villois?"
Here the knight hesitated. Yes, something was bothering him. Yes, he desperately wanted to tell someone what was wrong. And yes, he felt that Skywalker was as trustworthy as a person could get.
But was it worth the risk?
Yes.
"Can you keep a secret?" He already knew the answer, but it he had to ask, just in case.
"Okay… just as long as it isn't that you're actually a Sith."
"Oh no, nothing like that," Villois assured him. Although, he thought to himself, perhaps it is a little bit similar to that. After all, I am breaking an important part of the Jedi code…
"I've broken the Code," he blurted out. "I have a wife and daughter. We married 12 years ago…" He continued to give the story of his marriage to the senator from Hiros, all while waiting for Skywalker's reaction.
Unfortunately, he couldn't see the other's face in the dim moonlight.
Anakin was astonished. He wasn't the only Jedi to have known love? He could tell that Villois wasn't lying.
The commander's mind was telling him not to reveal his secret, but his body didn't obey.
"I understand," he began. "Better than you think…"
He desperately wanted to stay silent but couldn't. For the first time, someone would understand the way he felt about Padme.
But they couldn't risk that someone revealing their secret.
The next day Knight Villois learned he would be leading the clones into the most dangerous part of the camp while Commander Skywalker tried to get information from the human soldiers about their leader.
It was risky, but he couldn't question Skywalker's judgment. After all, the commander would never deliberately put a fellow Jedi in danger.