Anakin hesitated as he made his way up the steps. Each step felt like he had a Gundark grabbing and pulling one of his legs each time he took a step. The Jedi Order had yet to assign him a task yet. So he had no reason to dodge this this responsibility. Unfortunately. He would've taken a Force damned petty crime to avoid this conversation.

"Stop second guessing Skywalker. Before you find a way to change your mind. Besides, if you want to go for someone else, then do it honorably," Anakin thought as he continued up the stairs at a faster pace than before with a more resolute feeling in his gut. He was still nervous as all hell, but at least he wasn't moving at a slow pace anymore.

He stopped outside of Padme's apartment door, and he raised his fist to knock. He had it hover over the door for a moment before he lowered it and started pacing.

"Blast, what do I even say? How do I even go about this? 'Sorry Padme, but I love someone else?' Ugh, I definitely can't say it like that! I'd sooner stab myself in the foot with a lightsaber," Anakin thought furiously. Then there was a voice of calm in his chaotic mind.

"Approach the situation slowly and carefully. Explain yourself thoroughly and gently. Don't be blunt in any fashion," the voice of reason said, and it calmed him enough to at least knock on the door after standing outside it for at least five minutes thinking about how to go about the situation.

"Who is it?" Padme questioned, and Anakin almost cursed for her being home. One time she couldn't have been at the Senate? This world was not playing nice today. Or rather it was. Cause it wasn't offering him any chances to chicken out of this. It's not like he hadn't thought about at least twenty times.

"Anakin," he answered, and his voice was a lot calmer than he expected it to be. There was a long pause of silence on the other end, and Anakin had thought something had happened, but then the door opened. Padme greeted him with a wide smile, but unless he was mistaken, the smile seemed forced.

"Hi Anakin. I heard about the whole thing at the Senate," she said.

"Yeah, I got pardoned. It's nice. Mind if I come in?" Anakin asked.

"Sure," Padme said, and there was that nagging part of her telling her she should tell him what she did. She quickly managed to shut it up.

Anakin walked inside, twisting his hands nervously as he walked towards the couch. But he hid it while his back was turned to Padme and immediately stopped when he turned around to sit on the couch properly. Even this whole atmosphere felt awkward. It didn't feel like a husband visiting a wife. It just felt like a jumbled meeting that neither wanted to participate in.

"How are things with the Jedi? They driving you crazy?" Padme asked.

"Considering I'm no longer their underling, no. I don't have to put up with any of that, thankfully. So I'm ok on that front. Anything happening in the Senate?" Anakin asked.

"No, none thus far. Interestingly enough, there was little questioning about your pardon. The Chancellor put in a good word for you, so that might've helped," Padme said, making Anakin smile.

"Palpatine's a good man. Always been kind to me. I hope he's been ok as well," he said.

"He's been excellent. At the rate he's going, he can help lead the Senate to a good place," Padme said.

"I don't doubt it," Anakin said before taking a deep breath. "Padme... you know how a while back we agreed to give this whole thing a shot?"

"Yes. Why, are you having doubts?" she asked.

"Well... yes," Anakin answered hesitantly, and Padme's stomach plummeted. "There's a wrench thrown into this whole thing that makes this whole thing about impossible."

Padme was trying to play it cool, but it was getting harder. It sounded an awful lot like he knew. And it was likely he could've found out through Clovis. Or figured it out. But should she go ahead and come clean before this dragged out any longer?

"It's ok. You don't have to explain," Padme said.

"I don't? How'd you figure it out?" Anakin questioned, now confused. He didn't think anyone saw it besides Rex and his relatives.

"You seemed nervous bringing up the whole thing. I just want to know... how'd you figure it out?" Padme asked.

"Mostly I had to open my eyes to what was in front of me. And Rex helped a little," Anakin admitted with a shrug.

"Rex? Your clone captain? How'd he know?" Padme asked.

"He pays attention. More than me apparently," Anakin said, shaking his head.

"Just know that I am so sorry Anakin," Padme said regretfully.

"Why? You..." Anakin paused for a moment and assessed what feelings his tone deaf ass kept trying to block out. Padme seemed nervous, fidgety even. There was no reason for her to feel nervous if she knew of his feelings for Ahsoka. Upset, yes. But not nervous. Then there was a long trail of guilt he could pick up from her. His eyes narrowed as she wasn't in fact talking about what he was going to tell her about Ahsoka, but rather there was something else she was keeping from him.

"...are not telling me something," Anakin finished, and Padme's eyes widened. They were talking about two completely different subjects. "That confirms it for me. What are you talking about?"

"Nothing," Padme said, and the twitch of irritation on Anakin's face couldn't be mistaken for anything else. He didn't look remotely happy at her now, and Anakin was scary when he got angry. The very few times he did around her.

"Don't. Lie. To. Me," he said slowly, and each enunciation sounded deadlier than the last. "You're lying about something. What? I don't know. But it must be something big if you're willing to lie to me about it. And if it was something you couldn't speak of, you would've just told me that instead of lying. Now tell me now. Or I walk out now and not come back until you tell me the truth. The guilt oozes off you like venom."

Anakin's assessment was absolutely spot as much, and as much as it pained her to admit it, it was now or never. Say nothing or have him walk out until she did tell him or tell him now, and try and salvage something at the very least. So she swallowed what little nerve she had left and faced him.

"I... I cheated on you. With someone else a few months ago," Padme admitted.

The thing that freaked Padme out was the lack of reaction on Anakin's face. He didn't say anything, and his facial expression did not change. He just seemed to sit there, frozen in place. She tilted her head at him, and she was about to put a hand on him.

"Don't touch me," Anakin suddenly said, his voice hard. She immediately retracted it.

He still sat there for a few moments, his expression and movements still blank. Then he turned towards her and while his face was calm, his eyes were blazing.

"So let me get this straight... No warning. No sitting me down to tell me. Not having the common decency to tell me that you were feeling the same thing I was? That we were prolonging this unnecessarily? That there was nothing there anymore and we would do better to move on? What's more you had that nerve to lie about it?!" Anakin's voice was now raised, and he was angry. "At the very least, I was going to tell you the right way! I never cheated. Not once!"

"I know, and I'm sorry..."

"Sorry doesn't cut it," Anakin said angrily, but his expression had shifted. He looked devastated now. "Regardless of how this ended, good or bad, I loved you Padme. I LOVED you, dammit. And then you turn around and you lie and cheat and all of a sudden I'm wondering where the woman I initially fell in love with went!"

Padme looked even more ashamed of herself as the anger seemed to leave Anakin completely. She would've preferred him yell at her over the hurt on his face. There was no explanation and no defense she possibly had for this situation.

"I loved you. You could've at least told me. But... dammit..." Anakin stood to his feet abruptly, and he didn't look behind him as he opened the door and slammed it hard enough to echo throughout the room. Padme looked the door he had slammed before burying her face into her lap and falling victim to sobbing.

"Don't look back. Don't look back." Anakin kept mentally chanting to himself as he walked quickly through the streets of Coruscant. He initially wanted to head back to the temple, but there was no way he was straightening his emotions out the way he was now. And he wasn't airing his dirty laundry out for every Jedi to sense. No, there is no way that was happening. He just wanted a quiet place to straighten himself out.

A motel room was good enough. He had the credits to afford one night, and he'd have some privacy to himself. It was an easy choice, and he didn't even face the man who ran the desk. He just handed him the credits and went to the room he rented.

Sitting on the bed, there was some part of him that just hoped this was a bad dream. But the way he just ached emotionally let him know that this was no mere dream. It was too painful to be a dream. He just held his hand close to his heart, his eyes closed tightly. Then his comm activated, making him snap his eyesight to the thing. He opted on silencing the stupid thing and continuing to brood.

"Where did it all go wrong?" Anakin mentally questioned. "I mean there must've been..."

"No. Don't you dare insinuate this is in any way your fault. It's not your fault you fell for someone else. And you tried to do it the right way. This is all on her," another part of Anakin's mind retorted before he even finished the previous thought. There was some part of him that was still angry, but he was tired of being angry at the situation. Sick of feeling all of this worry. A simple life with a house and wife was too much to ask for. There was so many Force damned complications. It was never easy, and Anakin hated it.

Then there was Ahsoka. He admitted to himself that he loved her, but there was no way in hell he could ever tell her that. Not now. Besides, they were best friends. Going any further was more than likely only in his imagination. He had proven how well he could... Anakin's eyes hardened. No. This was not his fault. He was not the bad guy here. That had nothing to do with this.

It didn't make the situation any less terrible for him. There was so much he had wanted to say, and this had grounded it all to a halt. At least for now. Right now, he just wanted to sit here in his own grief for a minute until he felt he could control himself enough to go back to the temple. There was no one to witness his tears or grief. At least until there was a knock at his door.

Anakin snapped his head up, wondering who was at the door. He tried to calm himself enough so his senses weren't clouded, and focused on whether or not the presence was a threat. But it felt familiar. And welcome.

"Anakin, I know you're in there," Ahsoka said, making him sigh. She'd come in on her own if he didn't open the door, so he opted on unlocking and opening it with the Force. He tried to get his expression and emotions schooled the best he can, but it wasn't working for him in this case. This was a way too much turmoil for him to ignore.

Ahsoka walked in, and noticed him sitting on the bed with his head bowed as he leaned forward. She was picking up a lot of pain off him, which worried her more than anything. Whatever happened must've been serious. Anakin had seen a lot of stuff, so it wasn't easy to get him in a state like this.

"You want to talk about what happened?" Ahsoka asked.

"How'd you find me?" Anakin asked, which made her frown at how he avoided the question.

"You often say my emotions betray me. Well, they betrayed you this time. And you normally keep your emotions under check. So the moment I sensed something awry with you, I figured something was wrong. As for how I found you, your comm lets us track you. Which is a new feature, apparently. So, what happened?" Ahsoka asked.

Anakin didn't answer. He continued to look downward, not facing her even once. His face was blank, but she could still feel how sad he felt. It was obvious he didn't want to talk about it, but she know she'd be able to help him more if she knew what was going on. And she wanted to stop whatever it was that was making him hurt.

"Ani, please. I hate feeling you hurt like this. I can feel what you won't let your face show. And I can't ignore it. So just... please. Tell me what's wrong. So I can help," Ahsoka pleaded.

It got Anakin got to at least face her, and she noticed the lines of distress on his face. He looked to the side as if pondering something for a brief moment before turning back to her.

"One day, have you ever looked at your life and wondered where it all went wrong?" Anakin asked.

"Not since I was little," Ahsoka said before turning to him with some skepticism. "Do you..."

"I don't regret the journey we went on if that's what you're thinking. It's just... Padme," Anakin said, pausing for a brief second.

"What about her?" Ahsoka asked.

"Initially, I went over because our marriage wasn't working. Regardless of how much as I wished the opposite. I was going to break it off," Anakin said, making Ahsoka's eyes widen in surprise. Anakin didn't seem to notice.

"It was a tough choice, but I was set on it. Then I found out I didn't know Padme as well as I thought," Anakin said, his gaze dropping again. "She cheated on me. Sometime after I left the Jedi. I just don't... even after I had all these doubts, I never cheated. Not once."

"Do you wish you did?" Ahsoka asked.

"No. Of course not. If I want do anything, I want to do it the right way. I get that we were having problems, but that was a line I would never cross. Is it wrong of me to think she'd be the same way? Apparently so," Anakin said, his eyes starting to let tears fall. Ahsoka didn't even think about giving him a hug. She just embraced him, and she just poured every last bit of her warmth and kindness she could into it. This was the very first time she had ever seen Anakin cry, even if it was just tears. The idea itself scared her, but he wasn't going to be going through this alone.

"It'll be ok, Anakin," Ahsoka said softly.

"It will. One day," Anakin said as he broke from the hug. There was so much he wanted to say to her, but... tonight was not the night. He didn't want to admit his feelings right after he found out his wife cheated on him. It would make the idea that he loved her feel cheaper than what it was. Besides, he didn't want to go for two sad moments in the same day.

"Hey, how about we go out somewhere?" Ahsoka suggested.

"I really don't want to go anywhere. I just want to stay in. I want at least one day to brood. You can go if you want," Anakin said.

"If you think I'm leaving now, you're crazy. I'm staying," Ahsoka said firmly, making Anakin smile.

"I hoped you'd say that. It means a lot that you're still here," he told her, grabbing her left hand hand. He had his human hand on the bottom, and his metal one on top. The mix of warm and cold sent a tingle through her arm.

"You willingly gave up plenty to come with me when I no longer wanted to be with the Jedi. I think that solidified that we'll always have each other," Ahsoka said softly. The words were on the tip of her tongue. Now could be just as good a time as any to say it, but... no.

"For Force's sake, he just found out his wife was unfaithful while they were still married. You can be more tactful than that, Ahsoka," she thought to herself.

"That we do, Snips. That we do," Anakin said, wiping any traces of his tears. His tears certainly didn't last long, and Ahsoka would like to think she was a big part in helping that.

"So... where do you go from here?" Ahsoka asked.

"Only path that there is. Divorce. After that, I suppose I just... figure it out from there," Anakin said.

"I'll help any way I can," Ahsoka told him.

"You want to help? Don't change. All I'm asking," Anakin said.

"Oh, you don't have to worry about that. I'm the most personable person I know," Ahsoka said, making Anakin laugh lightly.

"That you are," he said before sobering up. "I'll deal with this tomorrow. The sooner, the better at this point."

"You want me to come?" Ahsoka asked.

"No. Stay on standby just in case there's anything the Jedi wants us to undertake," Anakin said before putting a digital comm in her hand. "That will be the only to contact me, as I'll have the comm the Jedi gave me turned off while I'm settling things. If you need me, I'll be right over. Alright?"

"I will. And... I'm sorry it ended this way," Ahsoka said, truly meaning it.

"So am I," Anakin said, looking downward again.

A/N: Not exactly sure what they're called, but think of the thing Cody used to talk to Palpatine at the start of Order 66 when I say digital comm. If you know the actual name of them, feel free to tell me.

In any case, the Anidala relationship is over. I'm sure many of you are thinking about time, but I on the other hand, just think their relationship seemed more plot related than about a long and committed bond. More like Anakin and Ahsoka's relationship. Even as friends, they seemed closer and more personable. But I digress.

Revenge of the Sith events will start being put in motion soon enough, and I'm not sure whether or not I just want to include those events in a separate story or just make this one really big. It's more than likely I'll keep working on this one though. Hope your enjoyed.