"…the Citadel?" Mace glanced sharply up and across the table at Obi-Wan, quickly placing his fork on the edge of his plate. "This is troubling. Are you sure—"

"Anakin told me, through our Master-Apprentice bond." Former Padawan Tano sounded as if she thought the fact was obvious.

Taking a sip of muja juice, Mace scoffed at this idea—it was impossible for a bond to become strong enough to communicate over such distances after only two years. But then again, he could have sworn on several occasions the pair looked like they were having a conversation without even talking…

After a moment, Obi-Wan pushed his tray aside. "So it seems Barriss is working with Dooku, or at least the Separatists." His voice so low with apprehension one could barely hear his Coruscanti accent. "We must approach this carefully."

"There's a difference between careful and slow." Ahsoka paused, and then quietly added, "Anakin's being tortured, Master. I felt it."

"I… sensed that not too long ago myself." Obi-Wan reached up to stroke his beard. "I'm going to take a swipe in the dark and assume Barriss doesn't know we're finally one step ahead of her. Or perhaps she is and we're already walking into an elaborate trap. But at least we're sure he's alive, Ahsoka."

"But—"

"Exactly, Obi-Wan," Mace interrupted the girl. "There's nothing we can do for Skywalker in this moment, but he's alive—for now—and that's what counts. Get some rest, Former Padawan Tano."

An obviously pained, worn out sigh crackled through the comm, and before either Jedi Master could respond, the line went dead.

Mace regarded the device with distaste before putting it back into idle mode. "She's exactly like Skywalker."

"Yes, but you can't deny she exercises more than her fair share of control for someone so much like him," Obi-Wan pointed out, pulling his tray back into place. "Ahsoka's right, Mace—the Council must act soon, or else history shall repeat itself and we'll loose yet another person valuable to the war effort and the Order."

Mace glared and picked up his fork, stabbing it through the greens that made up the last of his almost eaten salad. "Our forces are barely holding off those pirate attacks in the Outer Rim, Obi-Wan. What possibly makes you think we could mount an assault against something as protected as the Citadel?"

"The real question is whether we can afford not to." Obi-Wan frowned. "Barriss is a danger not only to the Jedi, but to the Republic itself. She has already proven just how far she's willing to go."

At this, Mace stayed silent. All those hours ago, he'd scoped out more of the warehouse on 1313 before following Former Padawan Tano out. Both to give the teenager a moment she so obviously needed and hoping to locate the bodies of Younglings Katooni and Petro. He'd found absolutely nothing aside from all manner of illegal weaponry, and now it struck him that the two children wouldn't be getting quite the traditional Jedi funeral they deserved.

He sighed. "For all we know, she purposely gave Skywalker incorrect information about his location, preying on the fact he'd relay it to Former Padawan Tano. As you said, it could be a trap." Mace let the words settle for a few minutes. "But perhaps it's better to spring a trap than have a trap sprung on us."

"…wise words, those are, Master Windu." Both Mace and Obi-Wan looked up to see Yoda floating on a power chair across the now empty mess hall, a wry smile on his wrinkled face. It quickly changed into a thin, serious line. "About to comm you both, I was."

Obi-Wan blinked in surprise. "Is something wrong, Master?"

"Received communications from Master Cin Drallig and the Chancellor's office, I have," Yoda answered, his voice grim. "Found on the main steps of the Senate Building, Youngling Petro's body has been."

Slowly, Mace traded a look with Obi-Wan. "What of Youngling Katooni?"

"Left outside of the Temple's public entrance and located by the Temple guards, she was." Yoda inclined his head toward the large, open doors. "Come with me to the War Room quickly, you both must."

"Barriss has left another message for us, hasn't she?" Obi-Wan stood with his tray in hand and made a beeline for the row of garbage compactors along the back wall, neatly putting his plate, cup and utensils with the other used items and then stacking the tray itself on top of other ones. As Mace went to do the same, he crossed back over to Yoda, grimacing. "Is it a live transmission or prerecorded?"

"Prerecorded, though sure which is worse, I am not." Yoda shook his head and turned his power chair to face the exit. Obi-Wan followed.

Mace quickly caught up with his fellow Jedi Masters, matching pace with them. "You've got impeccable timing, Master. We just finished conversing with Former Padawan Tano, and according to her Skywalker told her over their Master-Apprentice bond he has been taken to Lola Sayu."

Though his hover chair kept moving, Yoda froze as they moved into the hallway and neared the turbolifts. "The Citadel, you cannot be referring to, Master Windu."

Obi-Wan nodded regretfully. "It seems Barriss is in league with the Separatists."

"Good, this is not." Yoda glanced over and squinted at them both, the unreadable expression on his face. "Go retrieve Former Padawan Tano, will one of you?"

"I'll go," Mace volunteered, walking faster so he reached the lifts before Obi-Wan and Yoda. He pressed the up button on the closest control panel. "I'll meet you both in the War Room as soon as possible." The moment the turbolift's doors slid apart, he boarded it. "May the Force be with you."

As Ahsoka thought over her conversation with Obi-Wan and Mace, she rolled her eyes at Anakin's comlink, then flopped back and onto the bed. Had the Council's brains been melted by the war? She couldn't just stay here—standing aside, so uselessly, would kill her faster than getting shot again.

But there really was nothing she could do.

Still. The longer they waited, the greater the chance Barriss would decide it was time to prove another point. And it most likely wouldn't be by blowing up another building—what better way to weaken the Republic's already threadbare war effort than to get its most effective hero out of the picture?

Whoosh.

Ahsoka rolled over at the sound of the door opening to face a frowning Vokara Che.

"Former Padawan Tano, why are you—"

"I couldn't sleep," Ahsoka said, cutting the other humanoid off. It wasn't why she was awake, but it was the truth. Without looking away from Vokara, she put Anakin's comlink on silent mode and slipped the tiny device into a pocket on the back of her pajamas. "What's up?"

Vokara's gaze darted to the teenager's now empty right hand, but the healer said nothing for a moment. "You have a visitor."

"…a visitor?"

"That senator from Naboo—Padmè Amidala, I believe? She's a friend of Skywalker's, I remember her from the aftermath of the First Battle of…" Vokara trailed off at the odd, panicked sound Ahsoka made. "You don't want me to send her in?"

"No," Ahsoka said quickly, trying to keep her voice calm despite the fact she felt anything but. "I just… yes, send her in."

"…alright." Vokara's painted on eyebrows rose and she studied the former padawan, but she then nodded and left anyway.

Ahsoka forced her eyes closed as soon as the woman was gone. How am I supposed to tell her about him?

Whatever Padmè and Anakin were, they meant something to each other—something not in any way platonic. Something they looked at each other with during glances that lasted far too long, something Anakin used to inadvertently deny when Ahsoka hadn't even asked, something the pair seemed so sure the rest of the galaxy knew nothing about.

Almost as if in answer to her mental question, there was a quick succession of dainty knocks on the door.

Ahsoka took a deep breath and sat up. "Come in."

There was a pause, then the whoosh of the door, the flash of a familiar gold headdress and, finally, a hug so tight it hurt, although Ahsoka was reminded of the one Anakin had given her on Mortis for reasons he never really revealed, aside from a casual it's nice to see you, Snips.

Once a moment passed, Padmè Amidala drew back, her grin taking up her entire face. It faded slightly once she seemed to get a good look at Ahsoka, but, aside from that, there was another type of worry behind the happiness her eyes held.

She already knew about Anakin—however she knew, she knew.

But Ahsoka didn't have the heart to start off on a bad note. "Hi, Padmè," she said, the senator's smile so infectious she genuinely returned it. "It's good to see you."

Padmè's gaze darted to Anakin's lightsaber—which Ahsoka had carelessly left on the nightstand—but quickly met the former padawan's. "Likewise," she replied, sounding far away before giving her head a minuscule shake. "Sorry, it's—"

"—been a long day?" Ahsoka snorted at the former queen's surprised look, pretending she hadn't noticed the lapse in attention. "Yeah… don't ask."

"Alright, I won't." Padmè's grin returned as she stood and strode across the room, perching gracefully in the chair facing the window. "But I will ask about Christophsis—I heard the CIS tried to invade it and immediately thought about you. Is everything okay?"

No.

"Tried, but failed," Ahsoka corrected, still smiling despite her thoughts. "I choose my home planets well."

"That you do." Padmè paused, and then that preoccupied look returned. She said nothing for a moment. "If you don't mind my asking, why are you in a medical center… the Jedi Temple med center, no less?"

Ahsoka calmly met the senator's curious gaze. She'd been expecting to be asked this—seen the question coming from a mile away—but it didn't make coming up with an answer any easier. "It's a long story, but… how did you even know I was here?"

"I was in a meeting with Palpatine earlier. He mentioned his office had been blown up and said it was good thing I helped prove you weren't guilty of the Temple bombing, otherwise the Republic would be in need of a new Chancellor." Padmè paused. "I can't take credit for that, though. I never would have guessed Barriss Offee was the culprit."

Ahsoka had to keep from raising her eyemarkings at just how good the senator was at getting what she wanted, because the conversation had—however indirectly—turned to Anakin. "…Padmè, look—"

"You don't have to tell me." Padmè stood again and began to pace the room, pivoting one way before turning another. The action was not unlike Anakin. "Palpatine already did." Stopping in front of the nightstand, she lifted the Knight's weapon into her hand, but quickly set it back down, pausing before she turned to Ahsoka. "Is… is it true?"

"It is." Ahsoka looked away and out the window at the pink and orange clouds blanketing the sky, swirled in some places as if a giant paintbrush had been guided through them. "'I'm sorry.'" She nearly choked as she got this out. "That's what he told me right before he was gone, like he was doing something wrong, and—" She stopped, unable to force more words past the odd lump that had formed in her throat.

Padmè said nothing for a moment, instead following Ahsoka's gaze and watching the early evening sky as it began to fade to a marbled purplish grey. "No one knows where he is now, do they?" She sounded eerily calm as she said this, and continued to take in the view.

"Not… exactly. He's in the Citadel." When Padmè blanched and glanced sharply at her, eyes wide and mouth pressed shut, Ahsoka decided then and there to leave out the torture related details. "Here, you probably have more right to hold this than I do." She lifted a hand, and Anakin's lightsaber floated up and into the air before she sent it toward her guest. "I know about you and Anakin. I have for a while now."

Padmè stared, but reached up and took the Knight's lightsaber into her hand. "He told you?"

"Not really. He's an expert at halving the truth, you know." Ahsoka shrugged. For a split second, just beyond where she'd gotten shot, she felt a pang in her chest at the thought Anakin didn't completely trust her. "It just kind of clicked one day."

"I see." Awkwardly, Padmè cleared her throat and glanced down at the weapon in her hands. She was quiet for a moment, simply studying the hilt. "We're sorry about not telling you, Ahsoka," she said finally, looking up again. "Anakin hated lying to you, and I did too. We just didn't know if—"

"—I'd tell the Council?" Ahsoka couldn't help but snort. "Well, you don't have to worry about that anymore. Your secret's safe with me. Besides, you two are perfect for each other."

Padmè let out a long, relieved sigh. "Thank you, Ahsoka."

Ahsoka opened her mouth to reply, but there was a sharp rap on the door. The former padawan stiffened, though she was forced to recover when Padmè hastily tossed Anakin's lightsaber back to her. "Now's not a good time—"

A familiar voice interrupted. "It's Master Windu. Master Yoda has instructed me to bring you to the War Room."

Something inside of Ahsoka felt like it had sunk, though the feeling was quickly superseded by irritation. As fast as possible, she got out of bed and stalked over to the door. "I thought you said to rest," she retorted upon opening it, returning the annoyed glare Mace gave her for the remark and leaning against the door frame. "What's going on?"

Not answering right away, Mace looked over her head and gave Padmè a curt nod. "Senator Amidala."

"Master Windu, always a pleasure." Padmè smiled politely back.

Mace nodded once more, and then returned his attention to Ahsoka. "Katooni and Petro's bodies have been found, and Barriss Offee has left another message for the High Council. Yoda seems to be of the opinion you should see it—I agree with him."

That sunken feeling returned. "I'll be ready in five minutes." Ahsoka spun on her heel and let the door close behind her.

Looking both concerned and confused, Padmè watched as Ahsoka moved over to her bag and pulled out an outfit without really looking. "Ahsoka, I still don't know why you're in here, but—"

"I got shot helping some clones out on Christophsis." Boots and clothes in hand, Ahsoka darted into the bathroom. "Clones I now know are apart of Torrent Company."

"So that's how you ran into Anakin," Padmè mused almost to herself, her voice muffled through the closed door. Louder, she said, "Are you sure all this is a good idea?"

In the middle of painfully angling her left arm into its sleeve in her grey top, Ahsoka froze. "Come again?"

"Are you sure Anakin would want you preparing to go somewhere as dangerous as Lola Sayu?" Padmè repeated. "Without him? I heard about the first mission there, that you… weren't supposed to go, though it would have failed without you."

Saying nothing, Ahsoka finished getting dressed. And even after she finally pulled on both of her boots, she stood there for a moment, thinking over Padmè's words. The senator, as much as she would have loved to dispute it, had a point.

Clearly remembering her mission to Lola Sayu with Anakin and Obi-Wan as if it happened the day before, she would have been lying to herself if she didn't admit she always wondered how it would have gone if she hadn't assumed Anakin was only being over protective when he refused to let her go. The Citadel was a dangerous place, especially for Jedi, former or not.

Would Master Piell have even been killed if she'd just followed orders and remained at the Temple? She would never know. But she did know that she couldn't let the past stop her from acting in the here and now.

Opening the bathroom door, Ahsoka stepped back into the bedroom. "I understand what you're saying, Padmè. I know." She paused. "But I owe Anakin my life, next to you. I can't just let Barriss kill him." As if to mock her, as if to say you couldn't save him if you tried, she felt that familiar burning pain run up and down her arm.

"And if nothing's done soon, she will kill him, won't she?" Padmè closed her eyes, and there was a wave of fear in the Force.

Ahsoka's whole body suddenly felt heavier than it truly was. "Yes."

"Do what you have to, then." Padmè opened her eyes, and there was a fierce determination in them now. "I'll see what I can get done in the Senate or with the Chancellor."

Ahsoka nodded and started for the exit. She paused upon reaching it, her hand lingering on the control panel beside it. "Thanks, Padmè."

"For what?"

"Just… everything." Glancing over her shoulder to see Padmè's surprised expression, Ahsoka felt a smile pull at her mouth. "May the Force be with you."

"And with you, Ahsoka." Padmè inclined her head.

Taking a deep breath and hoping the Force was with her, Ahsoka turned back around to face the door, opening it and stepping through.

Mace glanced up from his comlink when the door shut behind her with its usual hiss. "Ready?"

As they began walking down the hall, Ahsoka shook her head. "No, not really," she confessed, shrugging. "But I probably don't have any other choice."

"The choices of one shape the futures of all, Former Padawan Tano," Mace said, his voice more cryptic than usual.

Ahsoka focused her gaze in the distance, silent as she pondered Mace's words. With resolve, she rolled her shoulders back and put on a burst of speed, both arms—despite the fact it hurt—swinging with every step she took. "Then let's do this."

Focused on the mission at hand and now ahead of the Jedi Master, she didn't see Mace's smile.