*Apologies for slightly later update. I was doing a midterm and just finished it. Enjoy! :)

Special thanks to one of my readers (sorry, I can't seem to find your review, but feel free to give yourself a shoutout) who gave me this idea.

Important note at end of chapter. Please leave a review to let me know what you think of this. I really need to know your thoughts on my note. So, even if you didn't review before. Please do. Thank you.

Wrong place, wrong time (Interlude)

Be careful when dealing with drama, you don't want it to cause even more drama

Steele only had two reasons for coming to Coruscant: his general needed him for something or it was time for his and Wolffe's monthly catch-up dinner.

Last time, it was the former. This time, it's the latter. But he wasn't on his way to meet with Wolffe right now.

No, he was inside the Senate building, looking for Senator Amidala. Because he was somehow naive enough to be talked into delivering a couple of records to her by rookie guards.

Rookie guards.

He neared Senator Amidala's office and was surprised to not find much security there. Some talking was going on inside.

"Anakin, I'm really busy now. Can you come back at a later time?"

"But I might be sent on another mission by then."

Steele knew that was definitely General Skywalker's voice. But he decided not to think too much about it and just waited outside the door.

The voices grew louder and were accompanied by footsteps. It sounded like they were nearing the door.

"I just need a couple of hours, Ani. Please, don't make this hard."

"Alright, I'll see you tonight."

The door opened. Just in time for Steele to see Jedi General Anakin Skywalker pull back from a kiss with Nabooian Senator Padme Amidala. They froze upon realizing they have a visitor.

Steele felt his goggles slide down his nose. The records he was holding fell to the ground with a thud.

Anakin and Padme stood apart from each other. All three of them were rigid with silence.

"Ahem. These are for the Senator," Steele picked up the records and handed them to Padme.

She graciously but awkwardly accepted them. "Um, thank you."

"No problem, milady."

And with that, he turned around and bolted out of the area. Padme pulled Anakin by the arm.

"He saw us! He definitely saw us!"

"Don't worry," Anakin tried to assure her. "I—I'll fix this!"

"Please don't cause more trouble than there already is."

"I'm sure it'll be fine. He's Aliyah's commander, so I don't think he's the type to tell."

Anakin ran in the direction Steele went. Hoping to clarify things with him.

That's it! I'm never coming to the Senate again! There's waaaay too much drama happening here!

Steele thought as he speed-walked down the halls. He tried to erase the kiss he just witnessed. While at the same time, he debated whether or not he should report that.

Either way, it's not going to get him out of this mess. And he wants out. Badly.

"Commander! Commander!"

Anakin was behind him, running at top speed. But instead of stopping, Steele began to run too. To Anakin's shock.

A chase ensued between the two.

"Hey! Hey!" Anakin shouted.

But Steele didn't stop. He increased his speed from a regular jog to a full-out retreat-from-the-clankers sprint.

He made constant detours to avoid running into a crowded area. The last thing he wanted for others to assume he committed something criminal. Anakin felt the same.

Steele got to an elevator just as its doors closed. He rapidly spammed the down button.

"C'mon, c'mon, c'mon!"

Anakin appeared at the end of the hall. Seeing that the next elevator won't get here before the general does, Steele opted out for the emergency stairwell.

"Commander!" Anakin shouted as Steele steered towards the stairs.

He dashed after the clone. The stairwell echoed loudly with their frenzied steps and leaps. Combined with their voices.

"Can you please just listen to me?" Anakin asked as he leapt down another flight.

"I swear I didn't see anything, sir!" Steele yelled back.

"Then why are you running?"

"Because I don't think you believe me!"

"Well, I…" Anakin couldn't think of something to say.

The uncertainty in Anakin's voice was enough for Steele to keep running.

They eventually got the bottom of the stairwell and entered the main floor of the building. But Steele didn't give up. He is not going to be part of this drama. No, he WILL not be part of this!

Anakin, on the other hand, was adamant in getting Steele to stop. Without getting help from bystanders, because he couldn't risk more people knowing about him and Padme.

The chase continued until they reached outside the Senate. Anakin saw that he had to make an effort to stop Steele before he lost him in the streets of Coruscant.

"Commander, please! Give me a chance to explain, that's all I ask!" Anakin begged.

"There's no need to explain, sir! Just leave me out of this!"

"I won't bother you again after!" Anakin offered. "Just let me talk to you and I won't bother you again, I swear!"

Steele slowed down to a halt. He turned around to face Anakin. "Sigh. Fine, General Skywalker. I'll listen."

Anakin took Steele to Padme's apartment. No one will hear them there. Or at least he hoped so.

"Alright," Anakin sets down some food and drinks at the table. "Let's talk."

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't report this to the Council right now," Steele began.

Before Anakin could answer, Steele spoke again. "Better yet, give me one good reason I shouldn't report this to the 501st."

"Well." Anakin's nervousness seems to have lifted. "Um…in that case—"

"—Wait, what? They already know about this?"

"No, they don't! They don't!" Anakin quickly said. But then he changed his answer. "Well, they might or might not have an idea, but…well, it's complicated."

"So they have a suspicion about you and Senator Amidala?"

"I wouldn't say 'they'."

"So just a few handfuls? Or just your most trusted officers?" Steele asked.

Anakin nodded.

"But nobody else knows about you two?"

Anakin shook his head.

Steele found that hard to believe. "Then how did I manage to so easily see what I saw today?"

"What happened today was purely coincidental," Anakin quickly answered. "We were letting our guard down, so we didn't know you were right outside—"

"—So it's true then?" Steele interrupted. "You and Senator Amidala really are in a relationship?"

Anakin was about to grab the liquor. But then decided to go for the juice instead. He took a long swig before answering.

"Yes. Actually, it's worse than that." Anakin saw no point hiding it now. Might as well come clean. "We're married."

Married…married…

Those words echoed in Steele's head. "It goes against your Code."

"I know that."

"Senator Amidala knew the risks full-well."

"Yes, she did."

"This will ruin both your reputations if it's made public."

Anakin sighed loudly. "We both know that."

"Ok, you both know that. But what about me? What kind of trouble would I get in if others find out I'm covering for you two?" Steele turned serious. "Because any trouble I get in will be reflected onto my legion and my general. And that's the last thing I want."

"There won't be any trouble," Anakin replied with utmost confidence. "If it comes to that, I'll take full responsibility, I promise."

"I don't know, sir…"

"Please, Steele." Anakin pleaded. "Please."

Steele felt like he's being tugged in opposite directions to the point of tearing in two. "This is a lot to think about…have…have you been hiding this from the Jedi for a long time?"

"I have. It hasn't been easy for either of us, but it's worth it."

"Really?"

Anakin nodded earnestly. "Yes, really."

Steele found that to be very admirable. But at the same time, foolish. All this trouble, just for some time spent with the one he loves.

"General, forgive me for being forward, but…what'll happen if the Jedi finds out about you and the Senator?"

Now that definitely hit Anakin in a painful spot. He's been keeping that possibility in the deepest pits of his mind, but now Steele has brought it to the surface again.

"Gee, I don't know. Expulsion is a definite yes. But I think in my case, things may be more severe. Or lenient. Depends on the last memory the Council has of me."

"Is expulsion necessarily a bad thing?"

Anakin was silent. He always did think expulsion from the Jedi Order is bad. But now that he thinks about it again, it doesn't seem all that bad. There were definitely some perks to living life as a non-Jedi.

"I think the worst thing about expulsion is the fact that it's not a private matter. For me especially." Anakin sat back and crossed his arms. "If I choose to leave, or get expelled, I won't be able to live in peace and quiet."

"I see." Steele thought about Anakin's words. "What about after the war?"

"What?"

"The Jedi have become quite well-known since the war began—as individuals—not just as a whole. You especially. So I agree, if you leave now, it'll be the topic of the galaxy. But what about after the war? When things calmed down a bit, and there's a new topic of interest."

Anakin looked at him with a serious expression. "First, we have to win the war."

"I know. Sorry."

"No, don't be sorry." Anakin quickly explained himself. "I'm the one who should be sorry for dragging you into this mess. Besides, you make a good point. But I'm not sure if that scenario will play out as good as it sounds."

"So, you two are just going to hide your relationship forever?"

"Not 'forever' per se. But definitely for now, and maybe for some time…after the war."

That answer made Steele feel a little down. "Ok."

"Did I say something wrong?" Anakin inquired.

It was strange. He called Steele here to try and clarify his relationship with Padme. And to hopefully ensure his silence. So why were they talking about potential solutions together?

"Not really," Steele answered.

"'Not really' isn't a 'no'."

"Fine. I guess I just kinda feel bad for you, sir."

That surprised Anakin. "But…why?"

"Because all you want is happiness. But there's no easy way to it. Stay with the Jedi, leave the Jedi, do it now, do it after the war, there's disadvantages to every choice. Even if you make me keep this a secret for you, it won't solve your predicament. Only delay the inevitable."

"Then I'll delay it," Anakin replied confidently. "Because for now, I'm happy enough with what I have."

Steele was quiet. After some time, he spoke again. "You…really love her that much, huh?"

"I'd do anything to keep her alive and happy." Anakin meant it. "Anything."

Now that's going far. Romantic, cheesy, but far. Steele thought. "How did it happen? For you to love her like that?"

"Well. It's a long story…"

Steele completely lost track of time. Anakin had been going on and on about everything he loved about Padme.

Without giving away too much about how they met.

Yep, both of them had forgotten why they were here in the first place. And were now chatting away like old friends.

"I gave her my lightsaber once, you know?" Anakin recalled those memories from some time ago. "And the next thing that happened, she and some Senators were held hostage by bounty hunters. What a turn of events!"

"Maybe you shouldn't have given your lightsaber away," Steele chided.

"How was I supposed to know that bounty hunters were waiting for them?"

"I dunno. Can't you sense 'disturbances in the Force' or something?"

Anakin laughed. "I wish it's that convenient."

"What do you wish is convenient?"

The door to the apartment opened and in walked Senator Padme Amidala. Thankfully, she didn't have any guards or aides beside her.

"Padme!" Anakin greeted. "Welcome back!"

"Has everything been settled?" She walked up to the two.

Steele nodded. "Yes, milady. You don't need to worry, I won't tell anyone about you two."

"Really?" Anakin sat straight. He didn't recall successfully convincing Steele to keep quiet about this. "What'd I say to convince you so?"

"A lot of things, sir." Steele began listing the reasons that made him decide to keep quiet. "The punishment for revealing your marriage to the Jedi, the backlash from the public, the consequences for revealing now or later, and well, your overall devotion to each other. It's beautiful, really. I'm happy for you two. And I don't wanna ruin it."

Both Anakin and Padme were grateful to hear that. Padme put her hands together elegantly. "Thank you, commander. For being understanding."

"Yes, thank you," Anakin agreed as he stood up and went next to Padme. "Don't take this the wrong way, but I didn't think you'd really, well, um…not report us."

Steele got up to leave. "Well, I guess in way…I understand what you feel."

…"Careful now, General Krell. Killing out of hatred isn't the Jedi way."...

…"I make that promise to you, as your new general."...

…"What do you think you're doing to my commander?"...

…Aliyah brought a comforting hand to his shoulder. And pulled him a bit closer to her…

…"I value you more than just a commander."...

…His nickname showed up big and clear on the projector. 'My treasured one'. Everyone pointed and awed…

…Aliyah didn't say anything. She wrapped her arms tightly around him. Her cries became muffled against his shoulder…

…"I'm really glad to have met you."...

Anakin and Padme looked in silence as Steele left the apartment. Anakin continued to wonder about what he was just told.

About Steele understanding what he felt.

The second Steele stepped out of the building of Padme's apartment, he got a call from Wolffe. "About time you answered. Forget our date?"

"What?" Steele checked the time. It was way past their agreed meeting time. "Kriffing hell…I'll be right there!"

It took a good 7 minutes for Steele to rush from Padme's building to Wolffe's location. And that was ignoring the heavy traffic on the way there.

He entered the diner, panting and sweaty. Wolffe waved him over to their table. "I've been sitting here, eating samples for 45 minutes!"

"Sorry," Steele huffed as he sat down. He quickly checked-off his usual from the menu. "I'm really sorry."

Wolffe eyed him curiously as he handed their menu selections to a waiter-bot. "What happened to you? Did you run into trouble or something?"

"I was at the Senate," Steele answered tiredly.

"Ohhhh," Wolffe nodded in understanding. "Let me guess, you walked in on some plot behind some politician's back."

"Worse."

"Worse!?"

Steele sighed. "Forget it. From now on, I'm never going to that dreadful building again. Unless it's a direct order."

Wolffe nodded in agreement. Before long, the waiter returned with their selections. And the two commanders began chatting about their experiences over the past month. That's what they were here for after all.

"Let me tell you, that being stuck in the rain for a week without shelter is a fate worse than death," Wolffe finished retelling his recent recon mission. "I thought I was for sure gonna grow fungus on my foot by the end of it."

Steele gagged and put his fork down. "Thanks, I just lost my appetite."

Wolffe raised a glass. "Your welcome. What about you? How's Dogma coming along?"

"Oh, he's phenomenal. An achiever through and through. Though, there was this squabble over his last report. But it was for a pretty stupid reason."

Wolffe nodded. Suddenly, he caught sight of someone familiar a few tables away. "Hey, is that General Kenobi?"

Steele turned his head around in Wolffe's direction. Surely the person he was looking at was the ever-famous Obi-Wan Kenobi. But what was he doing here? And who was that blonde woman he's sitting across from…?

Oh no. Steele thought as a pang of recognition hit him.

"Hey, isn't that the Duchess of Mandalore?" Wolffe whispered to Steele. "What's she doing on Coruscant? And with General Kenobi?"

"She's in need of a Jedi's assistance," Steele quickly answered as he spun his head back. "Obviously."

"But why meet here of all places?" Wolffe asked.

"Doesn't matter. It's not our business."

Steele proceeded to pour himself an extra-large glass of water and began chugging it. Wolffe wondered what's up with him.

Maybe it had to do with their recent noticing of General Kenobi and the Mandalorian Duchess. So Wolffe decided to take them to a new topic.

"Anything new going on with General Korentayer?"

Steele slowly put his down his empty glass. "Why do you ask?"

"I dunno, just curious I guess. Besides, I um…" Wolffe chuckled. "...heard about that nickname she gave you."

Before Steele could say anything Wolffe quickly added, "Don't worry, I'm not gonna make any teasing comments. I just wanna know what's the story behind it. I mean c'mon, 'My treasured one'? You can't tell me that nothing's happened."

"You make it sound like I did something very illegal with her."

"Well. Did you?"

"NO!" Steele whisper-shouted.

Wolffe laughed. "Calm down, I wasn't serious. But still, it's pretty obvious she values you a lot."

"So? General Plo Koon practically sees you and your Wolfpack as his own sons. Jedi valuing us isn't news."

"Yeah…for most of us. But in your case, well, let's just say Krell wasn't the best introduction to the Jedi for you. Compared to General Korentayer of course."

Steele was silent. What Wolffe just said stirred something deep inside him. It reminded him of that feeling he got that night when he boarded the destroyer off Coruscant, after learning of Aliyah's past.

"You're right," Steele replied. "But if it wasn't for Krell and his tyranny, she wouldn't have shone as bright as she did to me."

He remembered the first day they met in the Kamino training overview room. She looked so inexperienced and innocent.

Who knew she'd end up being his hero?

Wolffe leaned in closer. "So is it true then? She values you more than just a commander?"

After a long moment, Steele subtly nodded.

I give up…

He felt bad about fearing General Skywalker's situation with Senator Amidala earlier. And for suspecting a similar situation between General Kenobi and the Mandalorian Duchess.

What right did he have to judge them?

"Wolffe."

"Yeah?"

"I think…I think I'm starting to value her more…than just a general."

Wrong place, wrong time: End

End of Interlude. The Clone's Hero will be back for the Clone Force 99 arc.

Review responses~

The Harvenger: Wow, what a coincidence! I'm happy to have fulfilled your wish so quickly! :)

Starpottergeek: Thank you! I'll really try from now on! :)

Akira-Hayama: There are no good people vs bad people in the war. The entire thing was a puppet show by Palpatine, everyone's a victim, the Republic, the Separatists, the Jedi, the clones, everyone. Your reviews are always so deep, thank you for them. Steele and Aliyah's relationship have developed to the point where I think most readers will know where it's going. Steele's stuck in a state between denial and acceptance for these new feelings. You'll see more of his mental battle in future chapters. (Even though they may take awhile to be released). :)

lionkingfactsguy3: Some senators are stubborn as hell, but some are extremely caring people. You just need to meet the right ones! Yeah, Aliyah was around infant to toddler age when that happened. I think in the HISHE of Revenge of the Sith, the clones all got new jobs (it's an AU where Order 66 never happens and Palpatine is killed by the Council). :)

KarajeJinsta: Yeah, her beginning wasn't the best. But her life after that definitely stepped up with all the great people she's met so far! Lol, I love that wink. Like I said above, some Senators are just assholes and some are angels. That's why I can never really hate the politicians in Star Wars, because there's always good old Bail, Padme, Riyo, Farr, etc. :)

MisterStarWarsFans: Wow, I did? I'm flattered, I'm really am! And don't worry about not reviewing on every single chapter. I get it, sometimes you just want to leisurely read. But I do hope you leave a review on this one. I need to know your thoughts on the future of this story. It'll be REALLY beneficial for me. :)

CotyT232: Awww, thank you! Their relationship is becoming very fun to write (and to think I never enjoyed writing romance in the first place...)! :)

A/N. Hey, everyone, I'm going on a long hiatus until the next arc. The hiatus will be 1 month long (at the shortest) and 6 months long (at the longest). I'll try to make it 1 month long, but if I can't realistically write and release quality chapters by then, I afraid you won't see anything from me until December.

The reason for this is because I still have 2 months left of my summer semester. But once that ends, I'll be back in school full-time (Sept to Dec). It won't be until my next co-op workterm (Jan to Apr) that I'll be able to write consistently and stress-free again.

So I feel it's only fair to you guys that know my story's plan.

Clone Force 99 arc (Earliest: Aug. 11, 2020. Latest: Dec. 22, 2020 EST time) - The 304th and 104th work together to retrieve a Separatist datachip, which containes extremely sensitive information stolen from the Republic. The commando squad, Clone Force 99 aka 'the Bad Batch', are recruited to help. As they hunt down the datachip, they begin suspecting the Republic of harbouring secrets

Investigating Fives's Death arc (Should be released shortly after Clone Force 99 arc) - After learning of Fives's death and the events that led to it, Steele's suspicion of the Republic hiding something from them increases. He and some of his men launch an investigation to find out what Fives really died for

Final arc (Should be released shortly after Investigating Fives's Death arc) - The end of the war nears, along with the inevitable fate of the clones and the Jedi. Steele and his men struggle against all odds to make the inevitable, evitable

There you go. My overviews of each arc up to the very end. I hope this way, I can convince you to keep faith with this story and with me.

It wasn't an easy decision to go on a hiatus this long. I almost didn't go with it because I was afraid of losing readers. But in the end, I decided to put my life and education first, and to value my story in the long-run. This hiatus is the only way for this story to reach completion.

So please, I humbly ask you to not forget me or this story. And I will not forget you.

Also, feel free to contact me via pm or email. I'd love to answer questions you have or just chat in general!

And if I don't return by my latest release date, by all means, spam my inbox and ask where the new chapter is. XD

See you all in August or December! :)

- MiraLake

(Assume if I don't come back on Aug. 11, then I'll be back on Dec. 22! Though I'll try to make Aug. 11 happen!)