Chapter Eight: Love and Grief


"You're an asshole!"

Leonardo leaned back in his seat, looking at his wife Rosie. "What did I do?"

Rosie gave a scoff, turning back to the children playing a card game on the floor. Only a few saw her amused smile.

"You are a bit of a jerk, brother dear." Satine giggled when her half-brother shot her a nasty look, then leaned down when her youngest niece - Sigyn - crawled over and pulled herself up onto the blue couch. "Do you want up?"

Sigyn only gave a toothy grin, opening her arms and being caught by Satine before she could fall. "Bavdo!" Sigyn pointed at Satine, then Obi-Wan sitting quietly beside her before smiling. "Bavdo!"

Satine glanced over at her sister Patricia, raising her eyebrows. "What?"

Patricia rolled her eyes, earning a laugh from the rest of her siblings. She was tucked into a pink armchair, her wife Kendra-Anne perched on the arm. "She's trying to say ba'vodu. For some reason you're more important than me."

"Meaning that's her first word?" Jared chuckled, only to have a pillow chucked at him. He fell to the floor dramatically, mainly for the sake of his nieces and nephews, whom were all giggling around him.

All of Satine's siblings - sans Kristen, who had to leave immediately after the Council of Clans - were in the formal sitting room, beside their children and spouses. Small affairs with Mandalorians resulted in about twenty people crowded into a room, laughing and joking and speaking a mix of Mando'a and Basic so quickly he couldn't quite keep up.

Obi-Wan held out a hand, chuckling when Sigyn slapped it and grinned proudly. He blinked a little when she wiggled out of Satine's embrace and crawled onto his lap, clapping her hands together and swinging her legs proudly when she righted herself.

"Well she likes you," Satine murmured, the attention of the cozy room drifting from them to the kids playing cards with Rosie - and Korkie, who had just returned from...somewhere. Probably avoiding everyone until the memory of the stunt he had pulled during the Council of Clans was fading from everyone's mind. She leaned against him, reaching out a hand and smoothing Sigyn's fluffy baby hair. "I like you too."

He snorted, watching Sigyn take one of his hands in her tiny ones, running her fingers over his rough, calloused hands with a frown of concentration. A small smile came when she tried to spread his fingers and he closed his hand into a fist, earning a huff before Satine tickled her behind an ear, earning a loud giggle.

Satine leaned her head against his shoulder, smiling while Sigyn shifted and leaned against Obi-Wan's chest. "Today was an adventure huh?"

"Yeah...yeah. Mandalorian politics are...something."

"Looks like you're gonna have to get used to it."

"Mmm...a tour around the system for four weeks - "

"We're heading to Coruscant for the last week." Satine tried to hide her wince at the grimace at her slip-up. She knew he was blaming himself for Adi Gallia's death...for not killing Maul properly over a decade ago. Ignoring the alarm bells ringing her head, because his anger and hurt the other night had been justified if kind of terrifying, she reached a hand around tiring Sigyn and squeezed his thigh.

Obi-Wan pressed a kiss to her head, not entirely surprised when she titled up and pressed their lips together. "I'm looking forward to more evenings like this," he murmured while surveying the cheerfully chaotic room. It wasn't the family he was used to, but it was stlll a family that, for the most part, had finally accepted him after the miscarriage.

Satine hummed, then smirked to herself.

"What?" he muttered, adjusting Sigyn while she dozed off.

"Nothing...just...I found something in the sock drawer this morning." Satine peered at him, amused he was able to keep his face neutral - besides his bright pink ears. She readjusted herself, keeping her voice low. "I don't know how long you've had the ring Obi - but the answer is yes."

"You looked at it?"

"Hmm mmm."

"Well I guess we're engaged."

Satine glanced around the room, at the people that she loved most. They were completely unawares...and she'd keep it that way for now. Just for now. "I guess we are."


"I know I've said this before, but my goodness, why does the Jedi keep their insurance so quiet? It cost nothing this morning where before we were worried on putting the food on the table and - "

Anakin rubbed at his eyes, propping himself on his elbow when he realized his wife was talking to him. It was a little impossible to understand what she was saying now, as she was in the 'fresher and brushing her teeth while talking. He shook his head in amusement, pushing the covers back and moving to the edge of the bed where he could see into the 'fresher.

Padmé noticed he hadn't responded and glanced over, toothbrush stuck in her mouth and curly hair piled into a bun. She spit the foam out and tried to wipe her mouth delicately.

"I've held your hair while you throw up, why does brushing your teeth in front of me disgust you?"

"Just because we're married doesn't mean boundaries don't still exist," Padmé muttered, wrinkling her nose before rinsing out her mouth. "Did you hear any of what I said?"

"I heard, I heard." Anakin stood, rolling his shoulders with a grimace while he stood and went to the dresser. He tugged a drawer open and began to rifle for clean clothes before his head snapped upwards. "Wait, Mé - your iron transfusion was this - " He turned to the Holoclock on her side of the bed, squinting at the time and date before staring at his wife - whom was coming out of the 'fresher - in shock. "Padmé, it's nearly noon! Why didn't you wake me up? I'm your husband, I'm supposed to - "

Padmé stepped over to him, rising on her toes to put a hand on his cheek. There was a bandage on her hand, probably where the catheter had been for the transfusion. She smiled when he covered her hand, leaning into it. "You haven't slept well in months, Ani. Missing something I do every few months is fine with me."

"It's not with me," Anakin grumbled while he held her hand and examined her hand a moment before pressing his lips to her knuckles. He had to smile when she wrapped her arms around his middle, resting her head on his chest.

She peered upwards at him. "You doing okay? You haven't spoken much about - "

"I'm fine Angel...I'm okay." Anakin didn't admit he had cried in the shower for Adi Gallia, and she pretended that she hadn't heard, that it was tearing him up inside, that he probably, most definitely should contact Obi-Wan and asked how he was coping. The man had been through so much shit, it was the least he could do.

Recover from one trauma and Obi-Wan is thrown another…

He had only spoken to Obi-Wan briefly, after the meeting with the Chancellor and Master Yoda and Mace. When they were shuttling Obi-Wan's belongings onto the shuttle and trying to ignore the seismic grief that surrounded them.

Padmé patted his chest, ignoring his gaze following her for a moment before he turned back to the dresser. He wanted to ask how she was feeling, wanted to ask why she just didn't wake him up, wanted to ask what she wanted to do since today started the weekend, wanted to…

He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to keep quiet his mind.

You're overreacting.

You're always overreacting.

"Ani?"

Anakin glanced over, then left the dresser drawer open in a hurry. She was leaning a hand against the wardrobe paneling, grimacing and looking paler than usual. Pushing the roar of thoughts out of his mind, he went to her, putting a hand on her hip to steady her.

Without saying anything he helped her move to the edge of the bed, sitting her down gently. He knelt to her level, frowning while she massaged her brow.

"Don't you usually have reactions from infusions on the ride home?" he muttered, rubbing her knee. It had been at least three months since her last one - wait, no, longer. When she had vomited for days because of a migraine and couldn't eat or ingest anything.

"Guess it took awhile today." Padmé grimaced, pressing her fingertips into her temples. "I'm just feel dizzy. Woozy."

Anakin helped her lie down, relieved that he could at least of use. At least this is normal, he thought while pulling the shades down and moving around. He put a fresh set of lounge clothes on the ottoman for her, pressing a kiss to her head before taking clothes and heading towards one of the guest showers.

He didn't want to disturb her.


"Sleep well?"

Anakin rolled his eyes, pushing his wet hair into a half-bun when he walked into the kitchen. "I dreamed of pushing you off a cliff Gregor - it was awesome."

"Oh, I had a similar dream. Except I was pushing you off a cliff instead." Gregor chuckled at the horrified look of one of the handmaidens came into the kitchen. He recovered quickly however, and stood when Anakin turned around from the kaf maker and frowned.

"Sir - this is Karté. She recently entered Senator Amidala's service."

Anakin did a quick once over of the woman, not surprised that she looked similar though not identical to his wife. The handmaiden had red hair though, which was held back in two plaits. He gave a smile, shoving down the fear that this could be the person that leaks everything to the public and nodded. There was a part of him that felt a little ridiculous, holding a chipped kaf mug and wearing a blue sweater with slacks.

It was nothing like his Jedi robes.

Karté recovered, bowing low. "It's an honor to meet you, Master Jedi - General - "

"Anakin is fine." Anakin walked to the table across from where Gregor had been taking a meal and sat. He knew that his wife had probably already instilled the fear of the Nubian gods in the woman - it was the least he could do, being the nice employer right now. "Don't stop whatever you're doing - you live here as much as I do."

"Uhhh - General Skywalker." Karté swallowed, folding her hands over her blue dress. "I was hired by your wife. As a carer."

Anakin nearly choked on his kaf. He stared at the Captain of the Guard for a moment, whom was busy stirring his own drink. Coughing, he turned around. "I'm sorry - what?"

Karté winced, but to her credit she held his gaze. "There is no one on staff trained in the medical field - I used to be a nurse and - "

"I've been home for a few weeks, where have you - "

"I was still in the hiring process - "

"Why didn't anyone tell me - "

"Because you'd react like that," Gregor muttered into his kaf.

"Today is my first day - I brought Senator Amidala to the clinic and back. Nothing happened, she was fine."

Anakin glanced between the two, feeling his nostrils flare and trying to control the rage he was feeling. The team they had was fine. Everyone knew Padmé well - and he was her husband. He ground his teeth together while Karté stood, looking a little nervous.

"It's noon sir," Karté tried to keep her voice level. "Shouldn't the Senator be taking her meds now?"

"She takes them at two o'clock. She needs food in her before she takes them." Anakin tried his best not to glare at the handmaiden when she hesitated, then nodded her head and left. He shook his head, taking a sip of his kaf. "Don't look at me like that."

"I'm not doing anything." Gregor set his mug down before folding his hands underneath his chin. "Besides thinking you were being a jerk."

Anakin flexed his mechanical hand, staring at it for a few seconds before looking out the window. He could see the Jedi Temple in the distance.

"You were harsh on her though - she's already terrified of Padmé."

"What if she's a Seperatist spy and plans to kill Padmé? Poison her in her sleep - or take out the shower chair and let Padmé fall - or give Padmé something with tubers in it or gluten or - "

"Do you even know how handmaidens are trained?" Gregor asked, raising his eyebrows at his terrified boss. He didn't fear Anakin Skywalker. How could he, when the most vivid memory he had was walking into the kitchen and seeing a naked, nineteen year-old Anakin Skywalker eating cereal with chocolate milk at the crack of dawn.

"... Padmé mentioned something about torture once. For handmaiden training," Anakin grumbled.

Gregor gave a small smirk, picking his kaf up again. "It's considered the most intense security training in both Core and Middle-Rim worlds. If Karté was a spy, we would have found out by now."

Anakin felt his shoulders slump, and he massaged his brow. His head was pounding - it felt like he hadn't slept.

"Where's your padawan? I haven't seen her around lately."

A change of topic. Finally. Gregor always knew how to divert a conversation.

"She's on a mission with Master Plo - I'm shipping out tomorrow. We're meeting a few parsecs from Onderon. They need help freeing themselves from the Separatists."

Gregor gave a snort, finishing his kaf and leaning back in his chair. He was quiet for a few moments before looking upwards. "Will you two be back in time for Master Gallia's funeral?"


Mando'a translation: Ba'vodu - Uncle / Aunt


The Kryze Siblings:

Richard - 40 (assassinated at 25) (Korkie's father)

Leonardo - 39 (Father's bastard) (Spouse - Rosie)

Satine - 35

Bo-Katan - 29

Kristen - 23 (Spouse - Kevin)

Patricia - 21 (Spouse - Kendra-Anne)

Jared - 19


Author's note: Obi-Wan, not being dramatic in his proposal? I'm shocked too. Sometimes you don't control your characters - they control you.

I know I've said this so many times, but having Padme be disabled is quite enjoyable for my chronically ill self. And Anakin...oh Anakin. Be nice.

Enjoy guys, and stay safe. I have heard from less of you lately - I presume it's because of what's going on.

ii Digestive Reader ii