Finally, chapter three! I love writing this story, I love it so much :D I hope you guys are enjoying it :D I can't wait till they get to Naboo personally hehehehe ;) be afraid, be very afraid. mwahahahahahaha

Anyway...Chapter three...yeah...

thanks for your amazing reviews, I love reading your feedback and hearing how you're enjoying the story! Recommend it to your friends! Please continue to review and, as always, Enjoy!

Someone shoot me now…why did I agree to guard duty with these two?

Zelina's feet dangled over the arm of the couch she was sprawled out on, staring at the ceiling. Also, currently, Anakin and Obi-Wan were bickering about politicians, of all things…she'd thought that the conversation had started off innocent enough…

"You look tired…" Obi-Wan had said.

"I don't sleep well anymore," Anakin stated quietly.

"Because of your mother?"

Zelina had approached them then, eyeing Anakin curiously. He hadn't replied, simply shaken his head. "I don't know why I keep dreaming about her…"

Obi-Wan sighed, but Zelina cut in before he could say anything.

"If you don't mind me asking Ani…could you possibly tell me what you saw?" she asked curiously.

Anakin stared at his feet for a moment, turning back to look out over Coruscant's view. Zelina walked up beside him, sensing he wasn't quite comfortable talking about it.

"She's in pain…so much pain…." He murmured. "She'll call for me but…I can't do anything…"

"How clear is it? How real does it feel…if that makes any sense," she murmured back.

He shook his head. "I don't see anything…but it feels like she's right there, standing right next to me while she speaks…"

Zelina frowned, though Obi-Wan spoke before she could say anything more.

"Dreams pass in time…"

Not if they're something other than regular dreams, Zelina thought, a suspicion starting to form in her mind. She didn't say it because she didn't want to worry Anakin any more until she was sure.

"I'd much rather dream about Padme. Just being around her again is…intoxicating," Anakin said, making is way off the small balcony. Zelina deflated as he walked away, shaking her head. Obi-Wan spared her a sympathetic glance before following Anakin.

"Be mindful of your thoughts Anakin, they betray you…You've made a commitment to the Jedi Order, a commitment not easily broken. And don't forget, she's a politician, and they're not to be trusted…"

Somehow, that line of conversation had developed into the squabble they were having now. Zelina only listened half-heartedly, amused yet also a little annoyed.

"Not another lecture! At least not on the economics and politics…" Anakin complained.

"Yes, please Obi-Wan, spare us," Zelina quipped in with a small smile. Obi-Wan shot her a look as if to say 'can't you be on my side for once?'

"And besides, you're generalizing: the Chancellor doesn't appear to be corrupt," Anakin said confidently.

Zelina did her best to cover up a snort.

"Palpatine is a politician. I have observed that he is very clever in following the passions and prejudices of the Senators," Obi-Wan pointed out.

"I think he's a good man," Anakin said sincerely. "My-"

Suddenly, everyone's attention was drawn to Padme's room, Zelina sitting up fast from her spot on the couch.

"I sense it too," Obi-Wan stated, and immediately they all broke out into a sprint. Zelina felt her heart pounding in her chest. She hoped Padme was alright…

Zelina came in behind Anakin, watching as he leapt on the bead, lightsaber springing to life as he cut whatever had caused the disturbance in half. Two slug looking creatures flew across the room, their remains making a sick sounding splat against the floor. Padme sprung awake almost immediately with a gasp.

Zelina was startled as glass shattered, Obi-Wan having jumped out the window. Zelina rushed to the window, watching as Obi-Wan flew away on a droid. "Ani…"

"Stay here!" he told Padme firmly. Without another word, we both took off down the hallway.

"Well, this night just got interesting," Zelina huffed as she followed closely behind Anakin.

"I just hope Obi-Wan hasn't found himself in another mess that I have to dig him out of," he grumbled under his breath. Though there was still a note of worry in his voice as well.

"I'm sure he'll be fine…" Zelina said reasonably.

Anakin glanced back at her. "Maybe you should stay back with Padme…"

Zelina shook her head. "She'll be fine, I think half of Typho's men were back there."

Anakin shook his head. "Alright, alright, I'm convinced, come on, we're going to have to cover some ground to catch up with him…"

"I thought you were a fast flyer?" Zelina teased lightly.

"Not now Zee…let's just find a vehicle…"

Anakin ran down the aisle of speeders, his hand resting on a yellow one. Zelina shook her head. "Won't do. Once we catch up to Obi-Wan there will be three of us. It only seats two."

Anakin gave a short sigh of exasperation. "We'll make it work."

"No, we'll use this one," Zelina argued, making her way to an orange four seated speeder down the other wall. It was almost similar to the yellow one he'd picked. Hopefully he would be satisfied.

"Fine," he said shortly, hoping in the driver's seat. Zelina got in the passenger side just as quickly, hardly having time to get situated before Anakin backed up and peeled out into Coruscant's traffic. He weaved in and out, speeding past all of the other speeders at a breakneck speed.

"Don't kill us too," she scolded Anakin, trying to relax despite his reckless driving.

"I'm sorry, I'm just trying to catch up to him and find him."

"It should be easy. Wherever Obi-Wan is there's bound to be chaos right now."

"Good point. Though you do need to remember this entire planet is one big city."

"I know Anakin, I know, now why don't we focus on finding our runaway friend, hmm?"

Anakin laughed a little. "That's what we're doing right now."

There was a few beats of silence, both of them searching for Obi-Wan with their eyes and by stretching out their senses. Suddenly, Zelina grabbed Anakin's shoulder, pointing towards the freefalling figure in front of them. "There he is."

"I'm on it," Anakin murmured, dropping into a steep dive. Zelina closed her eyes, trying not to think of the fact that they were almost going straight down. Zelina kept her eyes on Obi-Wan as Anakin leveled out the speeder, craning her neck as Obi-Wan stretched out to grab onto the back of the speeder. He pulled himself onto the back and into the back seat.

"Welcome back. Glad you could join us again Master Kenobi," Zelina said with a chuckle.

"What took you so long?" Obi-Wan shouted in their ear over the noise of the speeders all around them.

"Well, you know Master, I couldn't find a speeder that I really liked," Anakin said nonchalantly.

"Or one that would fit all of us for that fact," Zelina chipped in.

"There he is," Obi-Wan said, pointing at a small green speeder up ahead.

"With the open cockpit and the right speed capabilities…" Anakin continued.

"If you spent as much time practicing your saber technique as you do your wit, you would rival Master Yoda as a swordsman," Obi-Wan muttered.

"I thought I already did."

Obi-Wan laughed a little. "Only in your mind my very young apprentice."

Zelina grinned at Anakin. "I'm going to have to test were you've gotten in your lightsaber technique Ani, I can't remember the last time I sparred you."

"Another time perhaps," Anakin said with a grin.

Ahead of us, the green speeder suddenly dived. Anakin flipped the speeder we were in over before following it in the steep dive. Zelina took a few steadying breathes, trying to relax as she was pressed against the back of her seat. Down and down they went, further and further, closer to the core than Zelina would like to be.

Below them, a ship started to slowly make its way directly into the path that they were on. That's when Zelina's nerves started to fray.

"Ani…" she said, her voice cracking.

"Pull up Anakin…" Obi-Wan added, his own voice cracking. "Pull up!"

Anakin simply laughed like a madman before he finally pulled up at the last moment, barely missing the giant ship and evening out the speeder.

Zelina slumped in her seat, pale and feeling a little sick. She'd been seriously convinced she was going to die for a few moments there.

"You know I don't like it when you do that…" Obi-Wan muttered.

"I'm sorry Master. I forgot you don't like flying," Anakin quipped.

"I don't mind flying but what you're doing is suicide!" Obi-Wan said, his voice rising to a yell as Anakin nearly missed another speeder.

"Agreed," Zelina said weakly, straightening up in her seat.

"Sorry Zee," Anakin said sincerely.

Now, as if the regular chase wasn't bad enough, Anakin had them weaving around fire in an industrial zone.

"You'd think I'd be used to this kind of stuff by now. I think it's just the fact it's an open cockpit that's got me so jumpy," Zelina muttered, more to herself than anyone else.

Up ahead, a pair of power couplings sprung to life and Zelina grimaced as Obi-Wan shouted from the back seat once more.

"Anakin! How many times have I told you—" Obi-Wan momentarily cut off as they all suddenly felt the electricity coursing through them. Obi-Wan forced out the rest of his sentence through the jolts running through him. "Stay away from power couplings!"

Zelina shook herself a little as the shock finally subsided.

"That was good," Obi-Wan grumbled.

"I think I'm going to be sick at this rate," Zelina mumbled.

The green speeder took a sharp turn, headed down a tunnel. Anakin, on the other hand, went straight. Obi-Wan leaned forward from the back seat. "Where are you going? He went that way!"

"Master, if we keep this chase going any longer that creep is going to end up deep fried. And personally I'd very much like to find out who he is and who he's working for…this is a shortcut…I think…"

"You think?" Zelina asked incredulously. "You sound confident about that."

"Zee: not now."

She held up her hands in surrender. "Alright, alright, I'm backing off."

"Thank you," Anakin muttered. She gave him an apologetic smile and, thankfully, he returned with a smile of his own.

They came to hover at a standstill at an intersection. Anakin and Zelina's eyes scanned the speeders coming to and from, hoping to spot the green speeder. So far, no luck.

"Well you've lost him," Obi-Wan said disapprovingly.

"I am deeply sorry Master," Anakin said, a muscle jumping in his jaw. Zelina discreetly put a hand on his knee reassuringly, and he thankfully relaxed a little.

"That was some short cut Anakin, he went completely the other way," Obi-Wan continued, even getting to passionate about it he resulted to hand gestures. Anakin, however, had spotted something below. "Once again you've proved you—"

"If you'll excuse me," he suddenly said, hopping out of the speeder. Zelina and Obi-Wan both peered over the edge to see Anakin plunging downwards.

"I hate it when he does that…" Obi-Wan muttered.

"He's done this before? Never! Never ever would I do that!" Zelina said, a little shocked. She hadn't heard anything about Anakin plunging miles down to a certain death out of a speeder. As she watched, however, he landed right on the speeder they were pursuing. She hopped in the driver's seat, grabbing the wheel.

"My turn!" she said cheerily. Obi-Wan groaned.

"Spare me. I've already had to go through Anakin, now I have to survive your driving?"

"Thank you Obi-Wan, that's so reassuring," Zelina said sarcastically as she shot forward after Anakin and the green speeder. Obi-Wan crawled into the passenger side. "I do hope he doesn't get into any specifically nasty situations while we're trying to catch up to him."

"It's Anakin: I'm sure he'll get into trouble of some sort," Obi-Wan pointed out.

"Good point."

They lapsed into silence as they continued to pursue the green speeder. Zelina could see Anakin dangling from the front end one moment, then holding on for dear life in the back the next minute. Her stomach twisted from nerves from where they were, wishing she could help him. She hated seeing him in danger, despite their danger-fraught way of life.

"Relax Zelina: your fear's coming across loud and clear right now," Obi-Wan muttered to her.

"Sorry Obi-Wan," Zelina murmured. She watched as Anakin got on top of the speeder, saw his blade blaze to life as he pierced into the speeder's cockpit. The lightsaber suddenly came hurtling in their direction.

"You got that?" she asked Obi-Wan. In response, he simply reached up and snatched the lightsaber out of the air, setting it between them. "Why am I not surprised he lost it again," Zelina murmured. Obi-Wan simply chuckled.

Zelina's eyes narrowed as she saw the speeder start to dive. "They're going down…"

"He'll be fine, don't worry; just follow them, alright?"

She followed after the green speeder that was currently on fire as it rapidly descended to the ground.

"If he gets hurt I'm going to kill him, just so you know Obi-Wan," Zelina muttered. Obi-Wan shook his head.

"He'll be fine, alright? Don't worry Zelina…"

Just as he said that, she saw Anakin fall off of the speeder, though thankfully it wasn't that high up when he did. Still, she winced seeing him fall, hastily getting ready to land her speeder so they could catch up to them in the shops.

She gave a frustrated growl as Anakin disappeared from view. "Well, this job just got complicated…" she grumbled.

"Relax and use the Force; we'll be able to find him."

She glided the speeder to a smooth stop on the ground, leaping out almost immediately with Obi-Wan at her side. "Come on, we might be able to catch up to them before Anakin gets into too much more trouble."

"No guarantees we will though," Obi-Wan admitted.

They were able to cut him off right before he rushed into a club.

"Anakin!" they both called out at the same time. Anakin paused, taking a few steps toward them and pointing inside the building.

"She went into the club Master," Anakin said breathlessly, pointing at the entrance.

"Patience: use the Force. Think," Obi-Wan said softly.

"Sorry Master…"Anakin mumbled.

"They went in there to hide, not to run," Obi-Wan continued.

"Yes Master."

Obi-Wan offered Anakin his lightsaber. "Next time, try not to lose it," he said wearily.

"Yes Master."

"This weapon is your life."

"I try Master…" Anakin said with a sigh, taking the lightsaber from Obi-Wan as Obi-Wan entered the club. Zelina pulled up next to Anakin.

"Don't feel bad, he just gave me some of that advice too just moments ago," Zelina said with a small smile as they followed after Obi-Wan. Anakin returned the smile.

"That makes me feel a little better…"

"Why do I get the feeling you're going to be the death of me?" Obi-Wan asked Anakin as they all stood at the entrance of the club. Zelina frowned, uncomfortable with what he'd said.

"Don't say that Master, you're the closest thing I have to a father," Anakin said solemnly.

"Then why don't you listen to me?" Obi-Wan asked.

"I am trying…"

"He really is," Zelina quipped. Obi-Wan sighed.

"We'll talk about this later…can you see him?" Obi-Wan asked Anakin.

"I think he is a she…and I think she is a Changeling," Anakin informed them. They took a moment to let the information sink in.

"In that case be extra careful," Obi-Wan said slowly before he suddenly started off in a different direction, nodding to Anakin. "Go and find her."

Anakin stopped him. "Where are you going Master?"

Obi-Wan smiled as if it was obvious. "For a drink."

Anakin chuckled a little as Obi-Wan walked away. Zelina shook her head. "You take right, I'll take left?"

"Sure," Anakin said with a slight smirk, already turning in the other direction. Zelina sighed, starting to weave her way through the crowd, looking for anyone that seemed suspicious. She eyed every person she passed, doing her best to stay out of everyone's way. However, she wasn't having any luck. She couldn't find anyone that might be their would-be assassin, resisting the urge to groan in frustration. She slowly worked her way through the crowd, a growing sense of danger making the hairs on the back of her neck stand on edge. Something was wrong…their guy was still in here…but where?

She could see Obi-Wan at the bar, and she could see Anakin coming around as well. It seemed they'd both scanned the area without much success.

Apparently she'd spoken too soon.

The Force hummed in warning, and as she watched, Obi-Wan effortlessly spun around and cleaved the would-be assassin's blaster in two with his lightsaber. The entire club went silent as Obi-Wan pulled her off the floor.

Zelina pulled up next to Anakin, who turned to the frightened onlookers. "Easy. Jedi business, go back to your drinks."

"Smooth," she muttered with a smirk. He laughed a little under his breath as they followed Obi-Wan and the girl outside.

Obi-Wan helped the girl down to the ground outside in the alley by the club, and Anakin and Zelina crouched down beside him.

"Do you know who it was you were trying to kill?" Obi-Wan asked her.

"It was a Senator from Naboo," the girl grunted.

"And who hired you?" Obi-Wan asked, a little firmer.

"It was just a job…" she said pitifully.

"Who hired you, tell us," Anakin said, his voice taking the tone of forced kindness.

Obi-Wan glanced at him and Zelina tensed a little.

"Tell us now!" Anakin suddenly shouted at her. Zelina put a hand on his shoulder. "Breathe…" Zelina murmured to him, massaging his shoulder. Thankfully, he gradually relaxed.

"It was a bounty hunter called—"

A poison dart came out of nowhere, striking the girl right in the throat. She began to wither away almost immediately, her last words indistinguishable to Zelina.

"Oh come on, we are not that unlucky," Zelina groaned, looking around for the killer. She saw a trail from a jetpack, but that was all.

Obi-Wan took the dart from the girl's neck. "Toxic dart…" Obi-Wan murmured. Anakin turned to inspect the girl, though Zelina knew there was no point. She was dead.

"Well this was fun," Zelina said with a weak smile.

Anakin simply shook his head, the smallest of smiles flickering across his face momentarily in return to her own.