First let me say THANK YOU to the 13 people that reviewed the last chapter! I wasn't expecting that so thank you for your comments!

This chapter (and the next one) is shorter then the last few chapters - it's just worked out that way. Originally this chapter was meant to be at the end of chapter nine but it got a bit too long so I split it.

Onto the chapter in which Shmi and Obi-Wan interfere...

A Mother's Love

Ten

"I heard on the news network this morning that there had been another attempt on Senator Amidala last night," started Shmi carefully, glancing at her son to see if his expression changed. But it didn't. He had gotten good at controlling his emotions that it was difficult for her to figure out what was going on in his mind.

"There was," replied Anakin softly. "They nearly got her, mum. They nearly killed Padmé," he sounded so wistful. "If Master Obi-Wan and I hadn't sensed the danger through the Force, she'd be dead by now."

"Did you catch who was behind it?" she asked.

Anakin shook his head, his Padawan braid flying to and fro over his shoulder. "No. We caught the person who we assume was employed by another bounty hunter to carry out their job though. Before we could get any information from them, the assassin was killed. The only evidence we have is a small dart that Master Obi-Wan is going to follow up on."

"Oh and where does that leave you? Will you be accompanying Obi-Wan or are you staying here?" She wanted to know if her son would be gone a long time if he was due to leave. He'd barely been back a day and already he was being dragged on a further assignment when he should be resting. Her motherly instincts were taking over again even though Anakin had left her care many years ago. She had given him to Obi-Wan after-all.

"I have to protect Padmé," he answered. "The Council have requested that she returns to Naboo for her own safety and the Council wishes for me to accompany her, at least until Master Obi-Wan has followed up the lead we have and hopefully bring whoever wants her dead to justice. Padmé isn't happy about being asked and I think I might have to visit with the Chancellor so that he can order her to do so. She'll listen to him."

"Oh, I had hoped you could remain here," said Shmi sadly. "Do you think you will be here for Kia's celebrations?" His little sister would be six in a few weeks and he hadn't been able to be around on her birthday for a few years. She had hoped that this time he would be.

"Unless the threat to Padmé is eliminated then I doubt I will be here for it." Anakin sat back on the sofa. "Where is Kia anyway? I haven't seen her for months. Does she know I'm back?"

Shmi smiled. "She does. She was very excited when I told her you had returned. Kia is out with her father. Do you have time? I could comm Dar and see if he could bring her home?"

"I'm not sure if I have time," Anakin contemplated, "but I'm not due to leave just yet. Padmé has to sort out a few things before she can leave the planet and that would take another few hours. I should be with her now but," he smiled, "she told me to come and see you after she found out I have barely spent any time with you since I got back. She…err… informed me that if Obi-Wan wanted to stay in her good books, he would overlook it," he blushed as he spoke, his continuing affections for the Senator clear.

Choosing not to remark, for her son was indeed now an adult, Shmi picked up her hand-held comm and keyed in the code of Darec's. She held it out to Anakin who took it and waited for the call to go through.

"Darec Layson."

"Hey Darec, it is Anakin. Are you able to bring Kia home? I'm visiting but need to leave planet by this evening. I know Kia would like to see me…" he trailed off, grinned. He was very fond of the man that had taken on his mother and loved her unconditionally.

"Anakin!" Darec boomed. "It's good to hear from you! We're already on our way back, should be home within fifteen minutes, if you will still be there by then?"

Anakin chuckled. "Unless Master Obi-Wan comes and drags me from the apartment I should still be here."

"Good, good," Darec responded softly. "Kia is already jumping up and down in excitement. She has your energy for sure."

"At least you know what to expect," added Anakin cheekily.

Darec laughed. "See you shortly, and you too my love."

The call disconnected and Anakin grinned at his mother. "I'm so happy that you've found him. He truly makes you happy doesn't he?"

Now it was Shmi's turn to blush. It was rare that her son could make her do that. "He does. I always wanted another child, Ani, but the life of a slave doesn't give you much of a chance to form lasting attachments. It was a happy co-incidence that we met when we did. Kia is worth it."

He was quite surprised when he received a comm-call from Shmi, especially when he had assumed that she would want to spend as much time with her son as she possibly could in the short time Anakin would be on world.

"Obi-Wan here," he said, lifting up the comm to his lips.

"Obi-Wan, I'm just calling to make you aware of something that I feel you should know, but –"

"I already know Padmé sent Anakin to you," he interrupted, thinking he knew what Shmi was going to tell him, however he was proven wrong.

"No, that's not it," she said, "but first, before I tell you, how are you? And how is Anakin doing on the last few assignments."

Should he tell her what the Council had told him in private only a few hours ago when Anakin had already left the chamber? He hesitated wondering whether it would be considered correct for him to reveal what had been decided among the Jedi Council members. He could trust her to stay quiet, she respected him far too much to go behind his back and tell Anakin everything he told her in confidence.

"I'm fine and Anakin is ready for the trials. Apart from being a tiny bit impulsive – which does not prevent him from taking the trials – the Council will do a final meeting with Anakin before informing him that his trials are imminent. The assignment he has now will act as a prelude to becoming a Knight. I believe he suspects already about the nature of my many meetings with the Council and that he can detect that I'm hiding something gives it away as well."

"He certainly has noticed, he told me so earlier that he suspects it because he is under consideration for Knighthood," chuckled Shmi. "I didn't tell him the truth of course."

"Good. I can't deny that Anakin has become very perceptive in the last few years. He takes on board what I say and looks at the bigger picture. He's made some difficult decisions recently on several assignments. I am truly proud at how far he has progressed in ten years. In fact his training will be the shortest a Jedi has ever undergone if he is Knighted soon." Obi-Wan looked around him, reaching out with the Force to make sure that he wasn't going to be disturbed in his quarters. "Now, you're calling me for a specific reason, what is it?"

Shmi hesitated and Obi-Wan waited.

"It's about Padmé," she finally admitted. "I'm not sure I should be saying this to you as Anakin may think of it as a betrayal… but Ani has feelings for Senator Amidala. He's told me so."

Ah, so that was it. Shmi was concerned that her son would allow his love for the Senator get in the way of his training. He was well aware what difficulties this assignment posed for Anakin but he was certain that he would prevail. "I know he loves her, Shmi. But I have faith in his abilities and commitment to stay true to the Jedi Order. I understand he made a promise about not acting on any feelings while his destiny is unfulfilled."

There was a sigh of relief over the comm. "I'm glad you know. And you know Ani better than me – as a Jedi I mean – if you have belief that he can handle his emotions then I will too."

"It's probably for the best," he returned lightly. "Is that all?"

"It is. Ani is just with Kia now. I thought it best if you knew of the situation that may arise between Ani and the Senator. But you know so I shouldn't have bothered you. I'm sure you are doing some important work."

Obi-Wan couldn't help but laugh. "Unfortunately the work I am doing is just leading me to dead ends! It's been good to hear from you again and if I have time I will visit. But right now it is imperative I track these assassins down so your son can return to Coruscant quickly."

"Good luck, Obi-Wan. May The Force Be With You."

"And with you too, Shmi Skywalker."

Kia tugged at Anakin's robes once more, her beseeching brown eyes staring up at her older brother, making his heart melt. How could he say no to her? She wanted him to stay longer so they could play more together, but Anakin had duties he had to attend to; duties that involved preparing himself for his mission and checking in with Obi-Wan before departure.

Much as he wanted to stay he had remained for as long as he could.

He and Kia had participated in a game where he used his Force powers to make objects fly and Kia had to use her limited Force potential to guess which objects he was levitating through closed eyes: a game which she happened to be very good at.

He bent down to her height and placed his hands upon her shoulders. "Hey, I'll be back soon, I promise."

"You said that last time," sniffed Kia, "and they kept stopping you."

Anakin smiled slightly. "It's the life of a Jedi. I come by as often as I can. But I am needed, especially if I am to make this galaxy safe for you to grow up in."

"My mummy and daddy can keep me safe," she said sounding grumpy.

"I know they can."

"Then you should stay and play!" she returned, adamant that her older brother would stay.

Anakin grinned, watching as his mother walked into the room accompanied by Darec.

"Kai, your brother has an important task to do," explained Darek, joining Anakin on his knees in front of the girl. "It's vital he does his duty otherwise people could be hurt."

Anakin nodded serenely. "I'll be back before you know it. You won't even have had a chance to miss me!" he promised.

"You sure?"

"Positive." Anakin took the girl's hands in his and turned one hand over so that the palm was facing up. Placing his own larger palm over her one, he reached into the Force and prodded her aura gently. Her small sensitivity to the Force allowed him to have a weak Force bond to her, and it could only be properly sensed if their skin was touching. "You sense that don't you?"

She nodded. "Uh-huh."

"Well then, that is a promise I will be home sooner than you think. I won't be gone as long as last time."

The little girl opened her eyes and removed her palm away from Anakin, breaking the connection he had forged with her. She opened her arms and hugged him. "When you get back we can play?"

Anakin stood up." Of course!" he said enthusiastically. "Are you going to let me go and do my job now?"

She nodded. "Just come back!" she tried again, though more quiet as she allowed herself to be pulled into a hug by her father, watching as Anakin said a farewell to his mother and then departed from the apartment.

There wasn't much that Obi-Wan could do without Anakin knowing about but he hoped his actions today wouldn't come and kick him for interfering. Mindful of Anakin's feelings for Senator Amidala, he had made arrangements to talk to her privately where he intended to explain about Anakin's appreciation of her. He wasn't sure if he was doing anything wrong but he was risking Anakin's ire if he spoke to Padmé about the feelings he had for her.

But he felt she deserved to know, despite sensing that Padmé herself had been attracted to Anakin too. There was dangerous risks involved in doing this but Obi-Wan considered this to be the best course of action.

He didn't doubt Anakin but a part of him couldn't help but wonder if this would be the point where his mostly perfect Padawan would stumble greatly in his training at the expense of becoming a Jedi Knight at quite a young age. Most apprentices had a stumble: Obi-Wan himself during the Melida/Daan crisis had temporarily left the Order and he regretted that every day.

He could trust Anakin but he felt it was wise for Padmé to know of Anakin's feelings: that way she would be aware of them and could maybe appreciate that acting upon them would be a very bad thing. Anakin handled his attachments very well but who knew how many attachments a Jedi could have before they fell prey to the dark side? It was unknown territory and Obi-Wan was keen to protect his Padawan's future.

He did feel nervous about this but it had to be done, didn't it?

"Obi-Wan?" Padmé walked into the room, dressed in a simple attired dress, a head-band around the top of her head. Elegant as always, no wonder Anakin found her attractive.

"Senator," he bowed. "I need a quick word regarding my Padawan."

"Is something wrong?" she asked, trying to hide the anxiety that he had felt through the Force.

He hesitated. "Not something wrong, no." He sat down on the edge of the sofa, looking up at Padmé. "I feel I should inform you of Anakin's feelings for you."

"Oh…" she didn't waver.

"I trust Anakin and he is determined to be a Jedi but unlike most Jedi he does have strong attachments to other people, his mother for instance. You may or may not be aware of this but a year after Anakin came to the Temple I petitioned the Council to free his mother, of which they agreed and they employed Shmi Skywalker at the Temple. As a consequence of this, Anakin has been allowed to keep attachments," he swallowed, smiling, "and he has progressed wonderfully in his Jedi training."

"If he truly wants to be a Jedi then he will not act on these feelings that you say he has for me," she said, sitting down opposite him. "You can be assured, Master Kenobi, that I harbour no such feelings for Anakin."

"Senator… Padmé…" Obi-Wan began, "we both know that is not true. I am a Jedi. I sensed that he had feelings for you long before he even admitted them to me. I could sense appreciation and interest from you when you saw him again."

"You Jedi should not be able to spy on our feelings," Padmé intoned darkly.

He could sense that he had offended her but it quickly faded as she sank back. "I'm sorry, I trust you both but I wanted you to be aware, just in case." He stood up quickly. "I should leave. I only wanted to warn you."

Padmé locked gazes with him. "It is appreciated Obi-Wan that you care enough to tell me. My career in the Senate is far too important for me to have distractions such as a romance going on behind the scenes."

"Thank you for listening to me, Senator," he said, bowing once more to her, "I do trust my Padawan. He is very loyal to the promises he makes." With that enigmatic note he then left the apartment, feeling rather guilty that he had practically ratted out his Padawan. Anakin would hate him for this.

That's if he ever found out.

Obi-Wan hoped he wouldn't.

Feeling uneasy was not something that Anakin Skywalker liked being. Especially in front of the Supreme Chancellor.

Despite keeping a distance from the man that had made his mother feel uncomfortable being around, the man was insistent on seeing him on a regular basis. Most of the time he could get out of their meetings by feigning studying or other reasons but this time he had a legitimate reason for visiting the Chancellor. Padmé had refused to leave the planet when she had travelled all this way for the vote. She didn't intend on leaving until the vote had happened. So, he needed the Chancellor to intervene and order her to leave.

The interest the Chancellor had in him felt wrong. Before his mother had intervened he had thought nothing of it but since she had aided in making his and Obi-Wan's bond stronger, his feelings towards the kind old man, formally Senator of Naboo, had changed.

Undetected manipulation seemed to be what he was best at.

Shmi's suspicions regarding Palpatine had made it to both Yoda and Mace Windu through Obi-Wan, and though they could not forbid contact they could use Anakin to report on his dealings with him, which Anakin was doing whenever he did see him: he immediately spoke to Obi-Wan or his mother afterwards. Whether Palpatine suspected that Anakin was reporting their conversations to the Council or not, he didn't know, but a part of him suspected he did but never said.

Palpatine moved around the table after hearing Anakin's request. "I will talk to her. Senator Amidala will not refuse an executive order. I know her well enough to assure you of that."

"Thank you, Chancellor," Anakin said.

"And I hear that instead of Knighting you, as you deserve to be by now, they have given you another assignment?"

Anakin frowned. The Chancellor should not be meddling in his training. "With all due respect, Sir, I am not ready to take the trials. I have taken the lead in several assignments lately but to become a full Jedi Knight? Not yet. There are still some things that I need to learn."

"Yet some of those things you cannot learn until you become a Knight, Anakin," continued Palpatine smoothly.

"Maybe so," admitted Anakin, "but it is not your place to comment on my training. You are not part of the Order."

Palpatine stiffened. His gaze seemed to become more lucent then before as if he was trying to hide something but when he spoke his voice sounded normal. "Your mother has certainly given you the gift of being rather blunt."

"No sir, I trust my feelings." Uneasiness settled upon him and he took a step back from the Chancellor. "I need to go. I'm sure you need to talk to Senator Amidala about leaving for Naboo and I'd like to spend more time with my family before I leave."

Palpatine nodded his sage old head. "I will of course speak with her, Anakin," he smiled. "In time, my friend, I see you becoming the greatest of all Jedi. I am certain that you will prove yourself worthy of Knighthood soon."

Anakin bowed and acknowledged his thanks before leaving, the uneasy feeling remaining in the pit of his stomach until he made it back to the Temple, where he found his mother on duty in the kitchens. She would listen to him about what had just transpired.

She always did.

They were leaving, not by the main spaceport, but by a smaller port that was used for refugee ships. It was an efficient docks, also used to import supplies into Coruscant, as well as running constantly throughout the day and night; its workers forever on a rotation.

Into the hustle and bustle of the spaceport came Anakin and Padmé, walking along, dressed in simple brown tunics and breeches, wearing garbs that classified them as Outland refugees, determined to escape the busy atmosphere that had become Coruscant.

As they reached the walkway that would take them to one of the gigantic transports that currently nestled inside the docking platform, they found Padmé's security guard, Typho, her handmaiden Dormé who was taking over Padmé's duties and acting as the Senator, and finally Obi-Wan.

Anakin had hoped to see his mother here, but she was too busy working at the Temple, her shift not ending for another few hours. He had spoken to her about Palpatine and she had simply advised him to not to listen and trust in his feelings, which was something she always told him when it came to that man.

Padmé spoke to her bodyguard and handmaiden and Anakin approached Obi-Wan.

"Master, before I depart I need to tell you something."

Obi-Wan moved in closer so that their conversation would not be overheard. "What is it?"

"The Chancellor," he whispered. "He tried to interfere again."

Obi-Wan frowned. "I hate it when he does that. What did he say?"

Quickly, Anakin recollected what had transpired between himself and the Supreme Chancellor and when he was finished he waited patiently for his Master to speak.

"His interest in you makes me uneasy and his ability to believe that you are ready to be Knighted makes me feel that there is something not right there and we are missing it." He laid a hand on his Padawan's shoulder. "You've guessed by now anyway, your mother told me. The Council is considering you for Knighthood. It shouldn't be long now before you are given that honour."

He had finally admitted it! "I'm glad you said it, Master!" the young man grinned.

"I don't think I need to give you the usual instructions. I can trust you to make decisions that you feel may be beneficial to protecting the Senator. If you are unsure – and I am unavailable – check with the Council first. You've earned my respect enough that you don't need me or the Council to make decisions for you." Obi-Wan clapped him on the back.

The two Jedi turned back to Padmé and her entourage.

"I will get to the bottom of this plot quickly, m'Lady," said Obi-Wan. "You'll be back here in no time."

Padmé smiled gently. "I will be very grateful for your speed, Master Jedi."

"Be careful, Master," said Anakin, shaking his Master's hand. "I don't want to be the one to rescue you again."

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes. "I fell into a nest of gundarks, Anakin. That was some years ago now. It's been a long while since you rescued me. I'm hoping that there won't be a next time."

Laughing, Anakin took up the luggage and led the way up the landing pad towards the docked ship.

May the Force be with you… he heard in his mind.

And with you too, Master, he reciprocated along the bond.

Without looking back, Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Amidala boarded the transport that would take them to Naboo, where he hoped that he would be able to adequately protect the Senator from harm. He just had to believe that Obi-Wan would find the assassin before they struck again.

I will, Padawan, I promise.

Good.

To be continued...

Please let me know what you think!

Ok, so the interference was Shmi telling Obi-Wan about Anakin's feelings for Padmé and Obi-Wan then telling Padmé about them. The two most important people in Anakin's life know of his feelings for Padmé which is a big difference to the films since Anakin never confided in Obi-Wan. It is a lot more open, which makes what Shmi and Obi-Wan did in this chapter a bit sneaky: they don't want Anakin to fail so close to becoming a Knight so they have gone behind his back.

On the other-hand, I've introduced the idea that Anakin is reporting to his mother and Obi-Wan who are in turn reporting to the Council about Anakin's meetings with the Chancellor. A plot point that was a main focus in ROTS which Anakin didn't like doing however in this his own mother's weariness of the man has caused him to look at Palpatine differently so it isn't something he has a problem with because even he can now sense something wrong there but they can't figure out why.

Next up in chapter 11: a Padmé and Anakin centred chapter. Basically their time on Naboo, dealing with their feelings and stuff, unfortunately its needed to progress the story forward. After that, in chapter 12, we move onto the end arc of EpII, i.e Geonosis.

Until next Saturday!

the-writer1988