Padmé Amidala was just about to go to bed when she heard a knock on the door.

She looked at the door and frowned. Who would be knocking on her door at this time? Most everyone who visited her would use the doorbell.

Maybe it was Anakin?

No, she realized. She may not have been Force-sensitive, but she had grown to recognize Anakin's presence. She wasn't as good at it as a Jedi, of course, or even a Jedi youngling, but she just subconsciously knew when Anakin was nearby.

And it was most definitely not him on the other side of the door.

Padmé took a deep breath, feeling it push at her lungs before she slowly let it out again. She went to the couch and pulled out one of the many blasters she had hidden around the house. She slipped the blaster under her shawl, making it appear as if she were simply hugging herself for warmth, and went to the door.

She pushed the button.

The door slid open to reveal Ahsoka Tano.

Her eyes looked tired, her lightsabers were absent from their usual places on her belt.

But why was she here? After being proven innocent, she should have been back at the Temple.

Padmé just stared for a second until her brain caught up with her eyes.

"Hello, Ahsoka," she said with a kind smile. "What can I do for you?"

"Hello, Padmé," Ahsoka said, her mouth curving into a smile of her own. "I… I just… after everything that happened, I…"

"You didn't want to be in the Temple?" Padmé suggested gently.

Ahsoka nodded shyly, looking up at Padmé.

Padmé smiled again. "Well, come in," she said, moving aside so Ahsoka could enter.

Ahsoka walked hesitantly into the entryway. She slipped her boots off and then, for a moment, she just hovered there.

Something was definitely off.

Well, Ahsoka had just barely escaped being executed. And also found that her former friend was the one to blame.

Padmé laid a hand on Ahsoka's shoulder. "Do you want to sit down?"

Ahsoka nodded again. She let Padmé guide her to the couch.

They sat down. Ahsoka pulled her legs up in front of her chest, resting her chin on her knees.

"Does Anakin know you're here?" Padmé asked.

Ahsoka shook her head.

"He'll have a fit when he can't find you," Padmé chuckled.

Her laugh caught in her throat when she saw a tear running down Ahsoka's face.

Padmé laid her hand on Ahsoka's arm. "Ahsoka, what's wrong?"

"I… I left," Ahsoka said, her voice choked.

What?

"Why?" Padmé asked.

Ahsoka sniffled. "Nobody trusted me," she said, her voice almost a whisper. "So how can I trust them?"

That was pretty fair.

"I understand," Padmé said, rubbing Ahsoka's arm. "But Anakin trusts you. He always did. I do too."

"I know!" Ahsoka cried, her voice breaking. "But it wasn't enough!"

Without a second thought, Padmé scooted over to Ahsoka and pulled her into a hug.

Ahsoka melted in Padmé's embrace. She buried her face into Padmé's shoulder, her entire body trembling. She wasn't crying, but her breathing was loud and unsteady.

"I'm sorry," was the only thing Padmé could say. She held Ahsoka's shaking form close, rocking her back and forth in a swaying motion as if she were a little child.

Because really, she was a child.

She was… what, sixteen, seventeen? And she had been fighting in a war for the past three years. As if that wasn't enough, she had also been accused of murder and terrorism, only to find that someone who claimed to be her friend had turned against her.

Nobody should have to go through any of that. Especially not someone so young, innocent, and sweet as Ahsoka.

Padmé rubbed her hand up and down on Ahsoka's back, trying to calm her, get her to stop shaking.

"You're okay," Padmé whispered. She kept on gently rocking Ahsoka, softly humming snippets of a soothing melody she remembered from her own childhood.

Ahsoka's breathing slowly evened out again, and she relaxed in Padmé's arms.

"There you go," Padmé said, smiling.

Ahsoka didn't reply.

Padmé pulled back to look at her.

Well. It appeared that Ahsoka had fallen asleep.

Padmé laughed softly, shaking her head. She couldn't really move, as Ahsoka was pretty much sitting in her lap, holding on to the front of her gown with one hand.

So Padmé just leaned back against the couch and closed her eyes to get some sleep herself.

A/N: There will be three chapters to this story. Chapter 2 is almost done right now, but I'm currently somewhat busy with school. Don't worry, it should be up soon! Until then, please give me feedback! Reviews are excellent motivation for me to write faster :)

-Jimmy