Niobe spoke with Steve until Bruce made his way to her side.

"Hey Bruce," she said. "Everything okay?"

"You weren't there," Bruce said.

"I had to speak with Steve," she said. "Do not worry, I have not forgotten you."

Niobe waved at Steve who was beyond confused. The new bond between the Jedi and Bruce had still gone unexplained to the rest of the team. She took Bruce's hand and they walked back into the house.

"Are you okay?" Niobe asked.

"Yeah," he said. "I spoke with Nat."

"You like her, right?" Niobe asked.

"How'd you know?" He asked.

"Being a Jedi is useful," she said.

She smiled, teasing him. They sat down on the couch in the living room.

"She likes you too," Niobe said.

"I don't understand how," he said. "I know you said I'm not a monster, but my brain has spent years convincing myself that I am. I can't just turn those thoughts off."

Niobe placed a hand on his back.

"I know," she said. "I'm here until you can. You do not have to deal with this alone."

Bruce gave her a weak grin.

"Even if I am not on Earth," she said. "You must see that there are people here to support you."

"Are you leaving?" He asked.

"Anakin has been in contact with me," she said. "He mentioned that he is coming to take me home. I do not know when, but he could be here at any moment. I am not sure how far he has gotten in finding a way to me."

"If saying this isn't too bold," Bruce said, "I would rather you stay here. You mentioned how much you lost. We can be your new family. We love you."

Her heart softened. She wanted to agree, to promise to stay at his side, but how could she ignore what she knew. Her world was in chaos.

"I want to say yes," she said.

"Then say yes," he said.

"I cannot," she said. "My galaxy needs me. They are suffering. Anakin is alone. Your planet has heroes and that does not include me. You must stand on your own."

Bruce's eyes fell closed. His heart ached for her. He could not be selfish.

"I understand," Bruce said. "But you must understand that there'll be a fight over you leaving."

"I do," she said. "If you will excuse me, I must speak with Anakin."

Bruce nodded and let her leave.

OOOOOOO

Niobe sat out in the backyard. She had been ignoring the whispering voice at the edge of her mind. She could sense a turmoil she was not sure she wanted to face. Nonetheless, Niobe opened her self to the force. As she reached for Anakin, she was hit with a wall of anger. The emotion was suffocating. She keeled over clutching her chest.

"What are you doing!" Anakin said.

Niobe looked up. Anakin was standing in the grass of Clint's farm. His rage was causing the ground beneath them to shake. Her eyes widened. Anakin's power had grown stronger.

"You could have died!" He said. "I felt your energy-draining, yet you continued to help that beast."

"Ani, he is important to me," she said. "He is a living being just like you and me."

"I don't care!" Anakin said.

Niobe fell backward off her knees. She felt afraid. She was shaking. Behind her, she heard voices.

"Ani," she said. "I'm capable of taking care of myself. You know that."

"I won't lose you," he said.

Hands pulled her off the ground. She continued staring at Anakin. There was something different about his eyes.

"You won't," she said.

"No, I won't," Anakin said. "Because you're going to stop this foolishness."

Niobe shoved the hands away. Her anger was beginning to match his. The ground continued to tremble.

"You do not make those decisions," she said.

"You aren't capable of making them yourself!" He said.

Niobe stepped back. His words stung.

"Hey!" A voice said. "Fuck off, blondie!"

Niobe looked to her right. Tony stood there with wild eyes. She grabbed onto his arm.

"No, Tony," she said. "Do not do this. He is not really here."

"Stay out of this," Anakin said.

"Do not talk to him like that!" Niobe said.

Anakin hesitated. He was surprised to see her react in such a manner. Niobe had never challenged him before.

"These people mean something to me," she said. "I will protect them. Respect my decision. I understand you are afraid, but you cannot let that fear swallow you. As much as you disapprove of Obi-wan, his teachings were valid. They keep us from the dark side."

Anakin seemed to bite the inside of his cheek. He wanted to tell her more, to make her stop. Instead, he nodded and faded away. She inhaled, pausing to center herself outside of the force connection. Niobe looked to Tony who was still processing.

"Thank you," she said.

"Uh, yeah-yeah," Tony said.

She turned around. Steve and Bruce stood there in shock as well. They appeared to be prepared to fight Anakin.

"T-the house was shaking," Steve said.

"We thought there was an earthquake and ran to get you," Tony said.

"Who was that?" Bruce asked.

"Anakin Skywalker," she said. "My best friend. I am sorry for the disturbance. His emotions get the best of him."

"How did he do that?" Steve asked. "The whole, Earth-shaking thing?"

"He was here through force projection," she said. "He must have been projecting with his emotions, usually he cannot be seen by anyone but me. We have spoken before. The rage and panic he was experiencing transferred into a physical element causing the shaking. The Jedi are strong beings."

"Can you do that?" Tony asked.

"Perhaps, if I did not control my emotions," she said.

The men remained silent.

"Let's get inside," she said.

Niobe tugged them back towards the house. While she worried about Anakin, she had more immediate problems to focus on. She would deal with that later.

OOOOO

"Niobe," Nick said. "Nice to see you again."

Niobe shook his hand.

"When I see you," she said, "you look every bit like Master Windu."

"Was he any good?" Nick asked.

"The best," she said. "He always knew what to do when things got bad. I can show you if you would like."

Nick smiled and nodded. Windu would have enjoyed Nick. Niobe held onto Nick's hand and pushed her memories of Windu into the man's mind.

"It appears someone doesn't want us to know about this Kamino system," Obi-wan said.

"Which means there's something going on they don't want us to know about," Mace Windu said.

A ship lifted from the ground below. Niobe headed to prepare the ship for flight.

"Master, do you think a Jedi could have erased those files?" Obi-wan asked.

"I hope not," Mace said. "This disturbance in the force is making it hard to get a grip on things."

The wall fell open, and the landing pad extended out into the sky of Coruscant. The men walked towards the ship where Niobe prepared for takeoff.

"I am concerned for my padawan," Obi-wan said. "He is not ready to be on his own."

Niobe glanced up at Obi-wan's mention of Anakin.

"If the prophecy is true, he is the one who will bring balance to the force," Mace said.

"But he still has much to learn. His skills have made him, well, arrogant. I realize now what you and master Yoda knew from the beginning. Master, we should not have been given this assignment. I fear Anakin will not be able to protect the senator. We should have sent Niobe, instead."

"Niobe was wounded, she could not have managed this alone," Mace asked. "Niobe has been protecting the senator on her own for years now. What makes you believe Anakin cannot do the same?"

"He has an emotional connection with her. It's been there with him since he was a boy. Now he's confused...and distracted," Obi-wan said. "Niobe is different. She has always excelled in our training. She is not conflicted in the same manner."

"Obi-wan you must have faith that he will choose the right path."

"Yes, master," Obi-wan said.

Niobe assisted Obi-wan into the ship and positioned herself into the pilot's seat.

"Take care of yourself, Obe," Mace said. "You are still healing."

"Yes, master," Niobe said.

The glass closed over them. She smiled and waved to Mace as they lifted off of the landing pad.

Niobe released Nick from the memory. Reliving that moment hurt more than she was prepared to admit. Despite Obi-wan's betrayal, she still loved him.