Chapter 11: Reunited

The aftermath of the situation on Antar 4 left the Jedi Order shaken, the use of the electromagnetic pulse to retake the moon had turned the native Gotal population against the Republic, and though the sector was technically part of the Republic, the people were all Separatist sympathizers. Before Antar 4, the Separatists had a thousand worlds dedicated to their cause. In the months following, the Separatist had five thousand.

The Senate blamed the Jedi for not being able to stop the battle from taking place, and though they never publically said it, many of the Jedi blamed the Senate for creating the situation that forced them to arrive on Antar 4 as an army. The Jedi death toll had doubled on that day, and the peacekeepers were beginning to feel the strain of impending war. Worse, the Jedi and the Senate slowly began to distrust each other. The members of the Republic began seeing the Jedi Order as ineffective peacekeepers, but impressive warriors, a force that could bring the mechanical armies of the Separatists to heel. The Jedi began to see war as inevitable, and with public opinion against them as a result of the battle of Antar 4, there was little they could do to argue for peace.

What made Anakin most angry, though, was the assassination attempt of a powerful Senator, and when he rushed to tell his Master the news, Qui-Gon had already put in the request to the Council to serve as Senator Padmé Amidala's guards until the assassination plot was exposed. The Jedi Master had served as her guard once before, and he found it appropriate that he do so again, though he had a new Padawan by his side this time. Anakin, however, was no stranger to Padmé, and his anticipation to see her again was making him fidget nervously in the elevator next to his Master.

"Are you alright?" Qui-Gon asked softly, and his Padawan's nervous laugh said it all. "I know you have been anxious to see her-"

"What if she doesn't remember me?!"

"Anakin, you were a child, it was ten years ago. You're a man now, I wouldn't recognize you either."

"B-but what if she doesn't remember?"

Qui-Gon chuckled softly. "Anakin Skywalker, you are difficult to forget. You are part of the reason her planet was saved, if you would recall. She hasn't forgotten, I assure you."

Anakin nodded, nervously fiddling with his robes. "W-what if-"

"If this mission is too personal for you, Anakin-"

"No!" The Padawan coughed, clearing his voice, flushing in embarrassment as his voice cracked. He was too old for this. "No, Master, I'll be fine. I'm just...nervous. Because, you know, she's a queen-"

"Was a queen."

"Was a queen," Anakin corrected. "When we met. She was a queen and I was a slave and I never thought that anything so...amazing could ever happen to me. And then there was you, and the Jedi, and a battle, and the Force!"

Qui-Gon laughed, and his Padawan bit his lip, smiling shyly. "I understand, Anakin. I do. Just...try not to make a fool of yourself in front of the Senator."

"I won't, Master." The elevator door slid open, and the two Jedi stepped out, Qui-Gon the very image of calm, and Anakin a sweating, nervous mess. It only took a moment for Senator Amidala and the retinue to arrive, and the young Senator ran to Qui-Gon and threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly.

"Qui-Gon, I have missed you!" she mumbled into the thick folds of his robe, the little woman completely engulfed in the towering Jedi's embrace.

She pulled away from him, her small hands gripping his arms, her eyes wide and emotional. "I heard about what happened t-to..." She paused, looking away and sniffling before she looked back to him, her face composed, but her eyes conveying the depths of her emotions. "I heard about what happened to Obi-Wan. I-I'm sorry, I truly am. I didn't know him as well as I would have liked, but...I-I was shaken by his death. He was good and brave and handsome, a-and-"

"I miss him too, Senator," Qui-Gon said softly, and Anakin couldn't help but feel pride for how well his Master was holding it together. His teenage mind was so in tune with Qui-Gon that it took a moment for him to process Padmé's words.

Handsome?!

He finally looked at Padmé, really looked at her, and he found her so different from when he saw her last. Before, she had been this unattainable queen, perfect and beautiful and brave and caring, and when he was young, she was all he ever wanted, before he even knew what he wanted. But now...

Now, Padme had grown into a woman, her body still small, but curved in all the right places, shaped in all the right ways. She was still beautiful, but not like Anakin remembered. Now she was just a person, not some shining goddess, and he could feel his heart ache with...longing? He wasn't sure. He'd have to ask his Master. But what was also there was the realization that Padmé had lived ten years without him, ten years as an adult, and while Anakin was studying to be a Jedi, she was out here with other people.

She had called Obi-Wan handsome. Anakin didn't remember his Master's other student, but he did know that if the Queen thought that of her young Jedi protector, than she may have thought that about other men as well. After all, she wasn't a Jedi. She didn't need to keep herself from love, she could engage in her wants, her desires, her passions, her lusts...

Anakin shivered, groaning softly and standing closer to his Master as very unwelcome images of the Senator entangled with other men flooded his mind. He had no idea why he was behaving in this manner...

He felt eyes on him, and Qui-Gon cleared his throat. "Padmé, this is my current Padawan, Anakin Skywalker."

The Senator looked him over, her smile growing as she held her breath, trembling in excitement as she threw her arms around the fidgeting Padawan. Anakin forgot how to breathe.

"Ani, is that really you?" She pulled away, looking him over, and Skywalker wished that he could will away the fierce blush he knew was on his face. "I didn't even recognize you, look how you have grown!"

"Y-you have too, Padmé..." She looked at him curiously, and the Padawan could feel himself begin to sweat. "I-I mean, you haven't grown, you're still the same height, I think..." Her eyebrow arched, and he could feel panic grip him. Did he say the wrong thing? Qui-Gon was a fine Master, but he didn't prepare him to deal with girls at all. "N-not that it's a bad thing! I-I like small girls!"

"Anakin..." Qui-Gon gently admonished.

"Not small, just...Force, I'm sorry! I-I don't know what to do around girls!"

"That's enough, Anakin," the Master said, quietly pulling the stuttering Skywalker to his side, Padmé chuckling softly. "You'll forgive my Padawan, Senator, he hasn't had a lot of contact with women of your caliber."

The former queen smiled brightly, her entire face seeming to light up, and Anakin wished he could have been as smooth as his Master. Just for once. "There's nothing to apologize for, Qui-Gon. I think it's endearing."

Skywalker shivered despite the warmth that was spreading through him. Endearing was much better than awkward. "Don't say that too loudly, Senator," Qui-Gon said softly. "We don't want Anakin getting full of himself."

"No, of course not." She took the Master's arm, pulling him toward a large, spacious sitting room. "Just so you know, Master Jedi, I didn't ask for a guard detail. My allies in the Senate demanded it. I apologize if this is an inconvenience to you."

"N-not at all!" Anakin cut in. "It's no trouble, none at all! W-we weren't doing anything anyway!"

"The Jedi are busy, Padmé, but I was not." He smiled softly as he felt relief wash over the woman. She may not have asked for them, but she was glad they were here. "It's actually refreshing to get out of the Temple. The Jedi are electing new members to the Council after the events on Antar 4, and I prefer to be out of sight, out of mind for that."

"You don't want to be on the Council?" Her big, brown eyes looked over the Master's stoic face. "Isn't that what Obi-Wan wanted for you?"

"All Padawans desire for their Masters to be on the Council." The answer was evasive, but it seemed to satisfy the young woman, though Anakin sensed that she was...disappointed. His eyes narrowed, focusing in on her, but he could not discern why. Qui-Gon would know, he'd have to ask later. "Regardless, Senator Amidala, Anakin and I are glad to be here. Keeping you safe does seem to be what we're good at."

"Y-you'll be safe as long as we're here, Padmé, don't you worry!"

She smiled at the teen. "I know you will, Anakin." She looked at the Master, all good humor gone from her face, her big eyes serious. "I want to know who's trying to kill me, Qui-Gon. The assassination attempts won't end until we stop it at the source."

"Senator, the Council assigned us here to protect you, not-"

"We'll find who's doing this, Padmé, and we'll stop them!"

Qui-Gon glared at his eager apprentice, his young heart beating quickly and a foolish grin on his face. "...as I was saying, our goal may be to protect you, but if the Force gives us an opportunity to find who is doing this, we will, of course, take it." He grabbed Anakin's braid and sharply yanked it, the teen uttering a sharp cry and grabbing his head. "Patience, Anakin. Have you ever known me to not follow my instincts?"

"No, Master..." Skywalker smiled sheepishly. He didn't like being scolded in front of Padmé, but he did deserve it. "I apologize. I'll try to...contain my enthusiasm." The Master's large hand ruffled the Padawan's short cut hair, and Padmé laughed gently.

"You two get along so well! It's...good to see you happy, Anakin."

He was grinning like an idiot, he knew, but he didn't care. They didn't know each other anymore, not really, but even after all this time, they clearly still cared for each other. Anakin knew this mission wouldn't last long, but he was glad to be here at all. Maybe, now that they had been reunited, he would get to see the lovely Senator more often.

"Shall we discuss your security detail?"

The Senator nodded. "I have Senate guards posted on the floor above and below this one, and there are additional guards at the entrance of the building. My own personal guards are on this floor, and I have you two as well."

Qui-Gon nodded. "And your sleeping arrangements?" The woman pointed toward a door down the hallway. "May we see?"

"Of course." Padmé stood, and Qui-Gon immediately fell beside her, putting himself between the young woman and the large, wide window in the room. Anakin stood on her other side as close as he dared to. He was certain that if he came any closer, she'd be able to hear his heart pounding in his chest.

The bedroom was large, spacious, the light of Coruscant's busy nightlife filtering through the blinds that covered a long window. Qui-Gon frowned, stroking his beard as he observed the room. "This isn't going to work..."

"...Qui-Gon' it's where I sleep."

"Your assassin blew up your ship, Senator. Whoever he is, he isn't subtle, he isn't shy, and he knows you."

"Master Qui-Gon is right," Anakin said swiftly, much more eager than he attended. "We definitely can't leave you in here alone." He shrugged, a coy smile on his lips. "Guess we're just going to have to stay in your room with you."

The young woman looked to the Jedi Master, and Qui-Gon sighed heavily. "Anakin lacks tact almost entirely, but he's right. Your assassin is certainly still in the city. One failed attempt isn't going to stop him. We have to assume he'll be back again soon. We need to stay here with you."

The Senator nodded. "Let me get ready for bed."

"Anakin. Check her closets and any other rooms she may need to use without our supervision." The Padawan bowed, smiled at Padmé, and rushed off to do as he was bid. "...do I need to apologize for Anakin's behavior?"

"What? No!" Padmé scooted closer to the Jedi, smiling softly as she heard his Padawan shuffling about in the other rooms. "He's excited, I understand. I was hoping to see him again as well. I kept meaning to try and see him at the Temple, but I've been so busy here and..." She sighed, twirling her finger through a loose strand of hair. "I knew you were training him, but he's grown up so much, I didn't know it was him." She pressed closer to the Master. "I saw Obi-Wan maybe...a month before he..." She shook her head. "He said that visiting Anakin would be a bad idea. He had to focus on his training and I would be a distraction."

"...I didn't know you saw him." She nodded, averting her eyes. It was a sore subject for both of them. "But he was right. Anakin is doing well. He struggles, like we all do, and he's a bit behind his peers because of his late start. Not much behind anymore, but he was. He's talented, yes, but he's learned that talent only goes so far. He's closed the gap so much because he has been wholly dedicated to his training."

Padmé was beaming, her face lighting up with pride and...something else. Qui-Gon frowned. She was passionate, yes, and wore her emotions on her sleeve, and she couldn't contain the deep affection she had for her young Tatooine boy. "When do you suppose he'll become a Knight?"

"He has some time yet. Don't forget, he's still younger than Obi-Wan when you first met him."

"Have you really let him go?" The Master's dark blue eyes ran over the girl, and he didn't need the Force to see the change in her disposition, watching her fade from bright happiness to a dull ache, an old pain that had not stopped hurting. "I haven't."

"...I haven't either."

"I-I know Jedi aren't supposed to love, but..." Qui-Gon held his breath as he watched her carefully sift through her mind to choose the right words. Nothing good ever started this way. "When we last met, he was...I-I had felt that there was something between us, I liked him. A lot." She blushed, turning her eyes from him. "I wanted him, I thought we could-"

"Done!" Anakin, the Master of Poor Timing, shouted, rushing out of one of the adjacent rooms and stopping before his Master and the Senator, face flushed and beaming and chest puffed with pride. "No windows, no people, no explosives. It's all safe, Senator!"

Padmé smiled shyly, laid her hand on the Padawan's arm, muttered a quiet thank you, and left to ready herself for bed. The door clicked softly behind her as the door was locked, and Anakin wasted not a second longer before throwing himself against his towering Master.

"I am so sorry! I have no idea what's gotten into me!"

"Anakin, hush, it's fine..."

"I thought I was just excited to see her because it's been so long, and then I saw her, and she's beautiful, Master! Sweet Force, I didn't know people could be that beautiful!"

"Anakin..."

"A-a-and I feel hot and sweaty and just when I think everything's fine, she smiles at me and it starts all over again! I don't know what to do!"

"You're going to sit and calm yourself," Qui-Gon said softly, sinking to his knees. When his Padawan didn't move, the Master sighed, reaching up and tugging on his braid hard, yanking the yelping teen to the ground. Anakin attempted to recover some dignity by righting himself, legs crossed and looking at the other Jedi. "You need to be mindful of your emotions, Anakin."

"I know, Master, I just-"

"You care for the girl, I know. I was young once too."

Anakin scoffed. "Not like me."

"Just like you, but I was far worse." Anakin looked at his Master, wide-eyed and curious, his focus shifting from thoughts of Padmé to the smirking Jedi before him. "My own Master struggled to keep me away from the opposite sex for years. I think his disapproval only spurred me forward. I was...rebellious. Much more so than you."

"W-what's it like?!" Still on his knees, the Padawan scooted closer. "Owen was telling me about his girlfriend, but he didn't really tell me, you know?"

"I won't lie to you and say it isn't pleasurable. It is. Immensely so. It's a biological urge, Anakin, we all feel it, some more keenly than others, and you did not start your life as a Jedi. This is expected, though this is happening later than I anticipated."

"So...it's ok?"

The Master nodded. "It's alright, yes. Just be mindful that your attachments don't rule you. They almost destroyed me."

He could feel Qui-Gon's presence through the Force, alight with pain, both old and new. Anakin knew what one was, but the other was unknown to him. "Are you talking about Obi-Wan?"

"...him as well, yes." Qui-Gon cleared his throat. "I loved once. Another Jedi. My whole life I loved her, and when she died, I was nearly driven to the Dark Side in my grief. I would be cautioning you against love now if I hadn't instructed Obi-Wan before you."

Again, his old Padawan. Anakin suspected that his Master had learned from his student nearly as much as his student learned from him. Even from beyond the grave, his Master seemed to be learning from Obi-Wan. "Did he love someone too?"

"Oh yes. I warned him about the dangers of love, of course, having come so close to falling, and he did try to listen. But sometimes, these things just...happen. We were on an extended mission to protect the ruler of Mandalore, and Obi-Wan had become quite close to her. Falling in love with her was nearly inevitable."

"Did you try to stop him?" Anakin was actually curious. The more and more he heard about Obi-Wan Kenobi, the more he wished he had remembered him from ten years back. Skywalker was really beginning to like the Jedi.

"At first..." Qui-Gon looked past Anakin, his eyes distant as he remembered. "But Obi-Wan was different than I was. After a while, I stopped trying and just watched. He was...cautious. Careful. He approached love hesitantly because he knew he wasn't supposed to have it, but he did want her, and eventually he gave into it. When our mission was over, the two of them parted ways."

"Just like that?!"

"I am certain it wasn't that simple, but Obi-Wan put his feelings aside to continue his training. He may have still loved her, but if he did, he hid it deep." Qui-Gon smiled softly at his young Padawan. "I changed my opinions after that. Obi-Wan wasn't me, like you aren't him. I don't know how you will handle emotions that deep, but if you are mindful of the Force, if you know that all things are fleeting and that you must let go when the time comes...perhaps it's not so terrible."

Anakin slowly took his hand, smiling gently at the old Jedi. "Can you heed your own advice?"

"I do try, Anakin. It isn't easy."

"So..." He smiled slyly. "You're saying my feelings for Padmé-"

"Don't you even think about it, Anakin. A Senator can do better than a Jedi, and she certainly can't afford the scandal. Neither can the Order, for that matter..."

"...friends, then?" Saying it out loud didn't sound like such a bad idea. After all, he didn't want to be ruled by his most base urges. He wanted to make Qui-Gon proud, and a heated night with his old friend wasn't worthy of him. She was worth more than that as well.

"Friends sounds good to me." The Master smiled. "You don't know her anymore either. People change quite a bit in ten years. Look at you."

"Y-yeah, you're right. Thank you, Master."

"Where will you be sleeping?" Padmé asked, coming out of the ancillary rooms, her long hair let down and cascading over her shoulder and dressed in an oversized shirt and loose, silk pants. She was modestly dressed, but Anakin found her just so perfectly human that he couldn't help but like her more.

"I wasn't going to," Qui-Gon said softly. "Anakin can have the couch."

"I-I was going to stay up and keep watch with you, Master!"

"Oh?" Padme said coyly, a devious smirk on her lips, and Anakin found heat rushing through him again. "You're just going to watch me sleep then?"

"W-what? No! No, I didn't mean-"

"You are really enjoying this, aren't you?" Qui-Gon asked, his voice filled with laughter, and Anakin pulled his hood over his head to hide his face.

"I really am." She smiled brightly, sitting on the floor next to the Master and the Padawan. "I'm so happy to see you guys again. Even if the circumstances are...less than ideal."

Anakin and Qui-Gon both felt her distress through the Force at the same time, both reached out to take one of her hands in theirs. "I'm sorry for your loss, Padmé," Anakin said softly, and Qui-Gon gently squeezed her hand.

"It seems we're all losing people close to us these days," the Senator whispered, and she suddenly felt overwhelmingly weary, the adrenaline from her brush with death and the excitement of seeing her old friends finally wearing off. She had lost a friend that day. Cordé had been with her a long time, and she had died for her, along with six others. Her nerves were too raw to hold it together, and the young woman softly began to cry, tightly clutching the Jedi's hands.

"...we've been losing Jedi," Anakin said quietly. "On Antar 4, on Kabal, on Serenno...we've lost Knights and Masters and Padawans, a member of the High Council, the Sithkiller..." Anakin laughed bitterly. "I haven't really thought about how many have been taken from us."

"It's all so senseless..." Padmé sniffled, and she scooted closer to her Jedi guardians. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to drag things down like this, I just-"

"You don't need to apologize, Senator," Qui-Gon said, pulling the tiny woman close to him. "We understand."

They were silent for a long while, and Anakin began to fidget uncomfortably. He didn't like the long silence; it made him feel helpless to ease his friend's grief. "Padmé, um..." He cleared his throat, frowning at how high-pitched he sounded, and those big, sad brown eyes turned on him. "I...h-haven't lost anyone really...personal. Not yet, so I don't...w-well, Master Qui-Gon has been suffering over Obi-Wan for a long time now, and..." He took a deep breath. "If you ever want to talk about it, I've turned into a really great listener."

She smiled gently, leaned up and kissed his cheek, and Skywalker could hear his heart pounding in his ears. "Thank you, Anakin. I'll remember that."

His head was swimming, his every fiber aching for contact, and the rational part of Anakin's mind tried to tell him that this was just lust, carnal and base and primal, but everything else in him didn't care. It was desire and need, yes, but it felt like love to him. He didn't know what love actually felt like, of course, but it must have been this since it felt so good...

A sharp pull of the Force yanked Anakin out of his blissful haze, and his blue eyes darted up, instantly focusing and looking to his Master, the old Jedi looking just as sharp. "Master."

"I felt it too." His hand shot to his lightsaber, taking it in his hand, his thumb hovering over the ignition. Anakin did likewise. "Follow my lead, Anakin. Senator, don't move." Padmé nodded her head ever so slightly, her large eyes alert and unafraid. Qui-Gon closed his eyes, breathing deeply and focusing in the Force. "Are you in tune with me, Anakin?"

"Yes, Master."

"Feel for the right moment. You know what to do."

There was absolute silence for just a moment, and then the sound of glass shattering and lightsabers igniting filled the room, followed by the swift sound of sparking as the two Jedi stood before the Senator, their blue blades deflecting the projectiles that were fired into the room. Padmé flattened herself to the ground, making herself as small as she could, but the towering Jedi formed an impenetrable wall between her and the assassin.

The shots finally stopped, and without wasting a moment, Anakin dashed from his Master's side and dove out the window in pursuit of the sniper on the building across the way. The gap between buildings was much too wide for even a Jedi to jump. Qui-Gon reached out with the Force and grabbed his Padawan as he started to fall, Skywalker flailing as he was lifted back into the room, his bright blue eyes narrowing in anger as he watched the assassin fly away with the jetpack that was strapped to his blue and white armor.

"Are you alright, Padmé?" Qui-gon asked the Senator swiftly, and when she nodded, he quickly turned an angry gaze on his Padawan. "Anakin, what were you thinking?!"

"I was pursuing him, Master, he's getting away!"

"And just what did you think you would accomplish by jumping out of the window?"

"W-well, I'd catch him and-"

"How. No Jedi can make that jump."

"...I'd land in a speeder and-"

Qui-Gon crossed his arms and shook his head, turning from his apprentice and going to carefully search the room.

Anakin sighed. "Master, I'm sorry. You're right, of course, I wasn't thinking." Qui-Gon was silent. "I'll try to be more patient in the future." Nothing. "...I'm trying to be mindful of the Force, Master, but my feelings told me to go after him, so...if I should trust my feelings, but be mindful of the Force, which should I listen to first?" Still, the Master said nothing. "...Master, please, I'm sorry! Can't you just yell at me like a normal Master?!"

"Shh..." Qui-Gon carefully picked up something small that had dug into the floor as the guards ran into the room, blasters drawn.

"Senator, are you-"

"I'm fine, thank you," she said swiftly, looking at the small object in Qui-Gon's hand. "The assassin has fled. Contact the authorities." The guards saluted and ran from the room. "What's that?" she asked softly, reaching out to it, but the Jedi pulled his hand away.

"Don't touch it. Anakin, did you get a good look at the assassin?"

"Um...yes, Master. He was wearing a helmet, though, I couldn't see his face." Anakin took a deep breath, inching closer to his Master through the broken glass on the floor. "Are you mad at me?"

"Not at all, you're young and impulsive and you want to help your friend. I understand." Qui-Gon held the small object up, rotating it around, examining it from all angles. "Describe the assassin."

"Um...Master, he was wearing Mandalorian armor."

"...Mandalorian?" Qui-Gon's dark blue eyes shot to his Padawan. "Are you sure?" The teen nodded. "There isn't a place for warriors on Mandalore these days, the New Mandalorians would never accept it. Bounty hunter and assassin are the perfect profession for those that kept the old ways. Contacting the Duchess about this may offend her, but I feel like we should..."

"Is it possible this guy is tied to Mandalore, Master?"

Qui-Gon nodded. "Possible, yes, but unlikely. We need to rule it out if we're going to track down this assassin." The Master frowned, observing the object in his hand. "The problem is, he was shooting these, and they aren't Mandalorian rounds."

Anakin kneeled next to the Master, looking at the small ballistic. "...I don't recognize the make of this, Master."

"Nor do I." Qui-Gon groaned as he rose to his feet, slipping the dart-like projectile into a pouch on his belt. "I fear this task is beyond my skill."

"Master, don't give up! We can-"

"We can't, Anakin. I know you want to find this assassin, but we are sworn to protect Padmé, and she's in danger as long as the assassin is out there. Not only that, you and I aren't suited to tracking and hunting." Anakin was disappointed, his blue eyes drifting to his Master's face, and Qui-Gon had a clever smirk on his face. "But I know a guy who is."