Chapter 25

"Padme this is great!" Dorme hugged her. "We can go back to Naboo!"

"Yeah," Padme tried to sound convincing but Obi-wan could see right through her Senatorial mask. "I should probably get going." She grabbed the shawl off the chair and put it on.

He could tell she wasn't as happy as Dorme about the decision. He wanted her to talk to him about it but knew she wouldn't right now. "Do you still want Kayden and I to come with you?"

"It might be for the best if you two stay here. The holo-reporters will already be hounding me as it is. I don't want you two to have to be bothered." It wasn't that she didn't want them to come. It was just she needed time to think about what was happening.

"That's fine." He wanted say so much more but Dorme apparently couldn't take the hint to leave. "Maybe we can come by and get you."

Padme smiled, "I'd like that very much."

"Good, then comm me when you're done and we'll come get you." Obi-wan walked with her to the door, where her head of security waited for her. He kissed her lips trying to give her reassurance. "It'll work out."

"I know." She smiled and Kayden ran up to her.

"Mommy! Can't I come with you today? Please?" Those blue eyes were torture and how she ended up with two pair of them in her life she'd never be able to understand.

Obi-wan picked Kayden up and held him. "Mom has a lot of work to do and catch up on today. How about another day?"

"But I don't want her to go!" He tried to wiggle out of Obi-wan's arms to get to Padme. "Dad, please?"

Padme saw the smile that split his face when Kayden called him Dad. He was still getting use to it, but she could tell he loved it. "I think you need to spend the day with your father. You two can come pick me up. How does that sound?"

"But Mommy…"

"Kayden, I need to go. You just can't come with me today. I promise, another day." She kissed him on the cheek. "I love you, Sweetie."

"I love you too." He said defeated with his hand crossed over his chest.

Padme tried hard not to smile. She knew Kayden was trying to be upset but he wore the same expression Obi-wan would wear when he was thinking about something. "It'll be okay." She kissed Obi-wan again. "I love you."

"I love you too."

"Bye, Dorme. Oh, and please don't let them destroy the place while I'm gone." She flashed Obi-wan a teasing smile.

"Ha ha, goodbye Senator." Obi-wan teased back. She walked out of the door and it slid shut.

"Why can't Mommy stay at home?" Kayden asked Obi-wan.

"Because, Mommy has a job and she has to go. Plus she really likes her job; she helps make decisions to protect people."

"But why don't you go to work?"

Obi-wan contemplated on what to tell him. "Well, I quit my job so I could be with you and your mom."

Dorme had heard the conversation, "Don't worry Kayden, she'll be able to spend lots of time with you soon."

Obi-wan set Kayden down and he ran off to play. Obi-wan wasn't sure what was going to happen with Padme's removal from the Senate. Before all the credits he needed were provided by the Republic but now, Padme and him were on their own.

Dorme could tell he was worried. "Don't worry, Milord, everything will work out. Trust me and talk to Padme about it when she gets home." Dorme left the room to attend to her daily chores.

ooooooooooooooooooooooo0000000oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

They had picked Padme up earlier that day without incident. Padme had tried to keep her amount of work that she did at home to a minimum. She had waited until Kayden had fallen asleep to work on it and was just now finishing it.

Padme crawled into bed with Obi-wan. "Was he good today?"

"He was still a little upset after you left but he was fine." Obi-wan let her cuddle next to him. The feel of her silk night gown on his bare skin was distracting his mind from where he wanted it to be. "Padme we need to talk about this."

She knew he wanted to talk about it. She sat up, "I have something I need to show you."

He watched as she got up and pulled a book from under their bed. He sat up to see what was in it. She sat back down on the bed and put the book so both of them could see it. She opened it to show many different holo-stills.

Obi-wan saw many pictures in the book. "Why haven't I seen this before?"

"Well, it was under the bed, and you usually spend your time doing other things while in the bedroom than the cleaning." She said suggestively.

"Very cute." He stopped her as she turned through the pages. "Is that Kayden?"

"Yeah, that was at his first Naming Day party. He had cake all over him." She smiled at the memory. "But that isn't why I got this out." She began flipping pages again until she came to two pages filled with pictures. She handed Obi-wan to book to see it better.

They were pictures of houses, well all the same house but many different angles. Some were of interior rooms and the furniture in the rooms. "What is this?"

"Our house." She waited to see his reaction. Surprise was the main one, so she went on to explain. "I bought it a few years back, two close to three. When most Senators spent money on expensive things like redecorating their apartments or new cruisers, I saved. I didn't hire the best-in-their-field assistants, I got those fresh out of diplomacy school."

"And after two years of saving I had enough to buy it. I own it, and it's completely paid for. I've slowly been putting furniture in it. Kaliee and Kayden stayed there for a while." She turned the page to show many pictures of Kayden in the house.

"I put money away so that Kayden and I would be taken care of incase something happened. I bought the house so that when and if I retired I'd have a place for Kayden and I to live and a place to settle down at."

"We never talked about moving to Naboo and if you don't want to move then I'll understand. I can sell the house and we can buy another one somewhere else." She didn't want to force this decision on him. She wanted them to make it together.

"No! Padme you wanted this house enough to save for it. Naboo would be a wonderful place to live. You'd be near your family and Kayden could be in the house he grew up in."

"I just know that Naboo holds bad memories for you." She closed the book and slid it under the bed.

He wrapped his arms around her as she came up. He put his warm lips to her neck. "But I have even more good ones. Plus I'm sure you have bad ones as well."

"Yes, but it's only the good ones that matter." She said as she leaned into his embrace.

"That's right. So we're going to go to Naboo?"

"As long as it's what you want." She said as they settled into their bed.

"It is." He kissed her forehead and let her snuggle up to him. He felt better knowing that they at least had a plan or at least something of one. The session would be ending in a few months and they'd be moving.

Even though he could tell Padme wasn't pleased at the way they were leaving he knew that it would probably be a good thing. They'd be able to spend more time together, as a family. On Naboo, she would have her sister and her family that she missed. She'd be safer.

Padme knew that with her leaving the Senate that it would give her time to pursue other goals in her life. Like having a family of her own. Now she could work toward that. She would be able to stay at home and spend more time with her family.

She was engaged and she had a son that she needed to make up lost time with. As she lay in Obi-wan's arms she made a promise to herself. She was going to make up for all the lies she had told to the two most important people in her life. The two she loved the most.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a small cry coming from down the hall. Obi-wan had sat up a mere second before it happened. But Padme was close behind him as they made their way to their son's room.

Obi-wan opened the door and Kayden was still lying in bed. But his legs were tangled in his covers and he was crying. Padme pushed past Obi-wan and sat down beside his bed.

"Kayden, wake up Sweetie." She began stroking his forehead, to discover that he was sweating. Padme threw a worried glance Obi-wan's way. "It's okay Kayden, I'm right here."

This time his eyes popped open as if there were spring loaded. He instant threw his arms around Padme and clung to her. "What happened?" She asked him. She tried to pull him so she could see him but he wouldn't let go.

"I had a bad dream." He said as he squeezed tighter.

Obi-wan came to sit beside him. "What was the dream about?"

"You were fighting with someone with a lightsaber and it was scary." Kayden turned to look at Obi-wan but still kept his arms around his mother.

Obi-wan was at first afraid his 'dream' may have been a vision. But with the description it wasn't possible. He had disarmed his saber himself. "Do you want to come sleep with your Mom and me tonight?"

Kayden shook his head yes and the three headed toward the bedroom.