He had to be sure. He had to be sure. He had to be sure. Despite the singing of the Force all around him telling him it was true. Anakin Skywalker was the father of . . . Luke. Which was impossible. They were the same age!
Anakin was barely aware of ejecting the sample data disc from the terminal and almost running through the Temple to the nearest hangar. Flying through Coruscant traffic was a blur. He landed his speeder on one of the docking bays at the Republic Executive Building. He made his way straight to Padmé's office.
"Anakin?" she exclaimed as he walked in. Luckily she was alone. She stood up from her desk. She was wearing a lovely light pale blue outer layer with a high collar. Gold embroidery was done heavily along the edges in a vine motif. Underneath that was a cream gold dress. Her hair was twisted up in twin braids that circled around her head to a cascading ponytail. The moment he reached her, he pulled her into an embrace.
He just held her, while enjoying how her body fit against his. He closed his eyes as he took a deep breath enjoying that lovely floral scent of hers. No matter how many systems he went to, he never found a scent like hers. Despite her layers of clothing, he could feel her warm body.
"Anakin?" she asked again as she slowly pulled away. Anakin lightly groaned as she slipped through his fingers. "Is everything okay?"
He brought his flesh hand up to her face and cupped her cheek. "I just wanted to see you," he said. She smiled. Force, her smile.
"It's only been what? A couple of hours since we last saw each other?"
He wrapped his arms around her again. "Which is still a couple of hours too long," he murmured into her hair. There was a soft giggle. The soft vibration he could feel against his chest and it made its way straight to his heart. There it wrapped around his heart and warmed him up.
Again she pulled away. "So why are you really here?" she asked.
"I . . . need a DNA sample," he said.
She straightened up and shot him a look. "A DNA sample? What for?"
He quickly diverted his eyes. He hadn't thought this far in advance. He couldn't tell her the real reason.
"Does this have anything to do with that Sith?" she asked softly.
"Yes . . ." he said slowly trying to gauge her reaction at the same time.
"Anakin," she said sternly. "What is this about? Why do you need my DNA sample?"
"It's . . . complicated?"
"Complicated?" she said with a bit of anger in her voice. How did Luke get away with saying that? Anakin placed his hands on her upper arms.
"It's for my peace of mind," Anakin said. "And so I can keep you and the baby safe."
Her hands slowly went up to her stomach. "Do you . . . do you think the Sith lord got a hold of my DNA somehow?" she asked. Her eyes were so big and round. Her could feel her fear in the Force. He fought off the frown that was tugging at his lips. She didn't need to be afraid. He would protect her. She continued, "I was thinking how he could know. If he got a hold of my DNA and ran a pregnancy test . . ."
Anakin said nothing. Only pulled her close to him again. He didn't want to voice his real thoughts. His real fears about how Vader knew. He was having a hard time grasping the concept of Luke. He didn't need to think about Vader as well. This time it was him who pulled away.
"You know, I was so focused on getting here, I didn't bring anything with me to collect a sample," Anakin explained. Padmé looked at him, rolled her eyes, but then smiled at him.
"There is a small med closet down the hall," she explained. "I'm sure there is something there."
Her hand slipped into his ungloved one. His flesh one. The one he could feel her with. Her hand was small and smooth. But it slipped out as soon as they entered the hall. He sighed, and she shot him a glance. He folded his hands behind his back so he looked every bit the professional Jedi general simply walking down the hall next to a senator.
They made it to the med closet without incident. The door slid open to reveal shelves of first aid supplies. It was a quick ordeal. In a few short minutes Anakin pocketed a piece of gauze with Padmé's DNA on it. They headed back to her office. He should go back to the Temple and run her DNA against Luke's. If Luke had fifty percent DNA from Anakin and Padmé . . .
"Skywalker?"
Anakin and Padmé both froze for a second before turning around. He tried to school his face as best he could after hearing that voice.
"Master Windu," Anakin said as gracefully as he could.
A few steps down the hall, just exiting out of one of the adjoining halls, were Master Windu and Chancellor Palpatine along with a small entourage of the chancellor's.
"Anakin, good to see you," the chancellor said as he approached. "And Senator Amidala as well."
"Chancellor Palpatine," Padmé greeted gracefully. "Master Windu."
"Skywalker I thought you were to be at the Temple," Mace said in his normal no-nonsense stern voice.
"I was just . . ." Anakin stumbled, "Following a lead due to my investigations."
"With Senator Amidala?" Mace asked.
Anakin could sense Padmé tense up next to him. The Chancellor was quiet, but staring intently at the scene unfolding in front of him.
"Forgive me Master Windu," Padmé said as she took a step into the center of the group. "I asked Anakin here after I saw something strange last night."
"Strange?" Mace pressed.
"There was a strange man on a speeder," she explained gracefully. She was confident. Regal. Even in the Force, her words didn't read as lies.
"I see," Mace said slowly.
"I was trying to see if I could calculate which direction this strange man was going. Perhaps see if he was caught on any local security cams," Anakin said straightening up.
"Is this about the Sith?" the chancellor said joining in on the conversation.
"Yes, Chancellor," Anakin said.
"He is a dangerous man," the chancellor said. "He must be caught quickly. I have no doubt you, Anakin, will see to it."
"The Jedi," Mace said, "are doing everything in their power to find this Sith lord and bring him to justice."
"Of course," Palpatine said with a slight nod of his head. "And this boy? The one he is after? Luke?"
Padmé turned sharply and looked at him. Her face clearly portraying the unspoken question.
"Luke is being kept safe at the Temple," Mace said. "He will be with a Jedi guard at all times."
"Perhaps the boy could be moved," Palpatine suggested. "The Jedi Temple has already suffered terrible loss from this Sith. I'm sure we could find a safe place for the boy and place him under the watch of some clone troopers."
"The Jedi can keep him safe," Anakin said quickly. "Plus after last night, I fear even troopers may be no match for this Sith."
"I agree," Mace added. "The Temple is the safest place for now."
Palpatine glared, then it eased away. "Of course. I shall accept your judgement master Jedi," he said. Mace bowed and Anakin followed suit. Palpatine bobbed his head and went on his way. His entourage followed behind him.
"Have a good day Senator," Anakin said bobbing his head to Padmé. "You've been a great help."
"Of course Knight Skywalker," she said. She nodded to Mace before heading back to her office. Anakin bit back a sigh as he followed the other Jedi back to the landing pads.