Well. I may have some explaining to do. Basically, I was mentally knocked on my ASS back in February and my drive to write jsut completely disappeared. I kept going for a while even if the updates got less frequent, but i just stopped a couple months ago. I still won't be updating frequently because it's not as FUN anymore, but I genuinely don't want to abandon this fic. it just might be a while in between updates. Also, my hyperfixation on Star Wars has lessened a bit as i got into the MCU. I'm seriously debating writing Marvel fanfiction. So, consider this little chapter note myr easoning as to why I dropped off the face of this site for a while.
Enjoy this chapter, pls, it took me an unreasonable amount of time. depression is a bitch

Chapter 16: Poison

Grace smirked to herself as she opened her door, heading to the grand stairwell where Clovis was waiting. She was rather proud of the dress she'd chosen for the dinner, a purple number with no straps or back, and matching sleeves on her arms. It was truly hideous, but it was passable as bizarre Coruscant fashion. It was dangerously low-cut and to most people would look like it was holding onto her chest for dear life, but she had some very handy tape and adhesives she used on it to stay in place with minimal chance of a wardrobe malfunction. The part she took pride in was why she had chosen it.

Clovis still wished to pursue her romantically, that much was clear, but she needed to reject him without damaging his fragile ego. Hopefully he'd take a long look at the dress and rethink his life choices. Additionally, it was revealing and would therefore be… distracting to him if he was not put off by it, making her job a lot easier. Force, Clovis was dense. It would be a relief if that didn't extend to personal boundaries.

The Senator reached the top of the stairwell, putting on her most dazzling smile as she began to descend. She noted how her "colleague's" eyes travelled up and down her body, clearly not bothered by her hideous outfit. Oh well, it had been worth a shot. She closed the distance between them, waiting for Clovis to offer his arm so they could walk to dinner. He stood dumbstruck for a solid few seconds before coming to his senses.

"Grace," he said, eyes wide as he finally held out his arm and they began to walk, "you look… beautiful."

What, are you surprised? She muttered in her head. What actually came out of her mouth was a thank you, but it wasn't very sincere. This dress didn't cover much of her top half and she was kind of cold, the air temperature being more suitable for the robes Neimoidians favoured. Oh well, with any luck she could leave the planet after this dinner. There was a good chance she could get the intel she needed, she had memorized the way to the conference room she had stumbled upon. Whatever they were hiding from her, she would see it.

Grace was brought out of her plans when they came up on the dining room, Lott Dodd giving her a halfhearted smile that did not reach his eyes.

"Ah, Senator McNally," he greeted, inclining his head. "And Senator Clovis, thank you for coming."

Not much else to do around here.

"It was my pleasure." She was absolutely lying through her teeth for this. The only thing that she was happy about was using this mission to get revenge on both the Trade Federation and Clovis, though it honestly would have been nice to just not have to think about either of them ever again.

A protocol droid walked up to the Neimoidian, holding a tray with two glasses on it. "I propose a toast between us, to signify that there is no more animosity between the Naboo and the Trade Federation." He took one of the glasses, and she could see something in his eyes that immediately made her suspicious. Perhaps he was using this toast as a way to help Nute Gunray be excused for his numerous crimes, but she couldn't say no.

The Senator took the remaining glass, smiling as she clinked her drink against his. She took a sip, the wine tasting a bit sourer than she would like. But after the second sip it was back to normal, and she dismissed the odd flavor she had encountered.

"To peace," she said, inclining her head.

Clovis looked absolutely delighted to be witnessing what he probably viewed as an end to conflict, a resolution he had put into motion, and she fought not to roll her eyes as they were led into an ornate dining room. Lott Dodd was, predictably, seated at the head of the table as she and Clovis were sat across from each other and each down a seat from their host. The dinner was largely uneventful, with average food as far as the sustenance at dinner parties went. When the official event ended, however, the real action picked up.

"How about I take you on a tour? Show you around, give you a better look at the art."

Grace smiled at Clovis' suggestion, but not for the reason he thought. This was her chance to get those plans, but she needed to be smart about it. Getting caught would be very bad. For now she had to go along with his tour as she came up with a plan.

She was led down a few different hallways, and she used her trained Nabooian eye to converse about each art piece she saw. It was honestly quite boring, because Clovis was clearly not educated about artistry in the way she was. That was not something she judged him for, however, seeing as it would be quite elitist and it wasn't his fault. As the tour went on she found herself growing rather lightheaded, but she blinked hard a few times and pushed through it.

Eventually the Senators found themselves in the hallway the original conference room had been. This was her time to put the plan in motion. As soon as they arrived near the doorway, Grace stopped and put a hand to her head.

"I'm feeling rather thirsty," she said, not even lying, "would you mind grabbing me a glass of water?"

The Banking Clan Senator was on it immediately. "Of course!" he said, smiling at her. "Wait here for me."

She smiled and thanked him, waiting for him to disappear from her vision before dropping the facade and stepping into the conference room. There was a holoprojector, and she knew that was what she was looking for. She put her purse, a small, purple bag that she carried around for "fashion" on the table and opened it up. From it she pulled a small drive, something that could hold the data. She inserted it into the holoprojector and cursed when the screen displayed aurebesh lettering, reading "Access denied. Password required."

She threw out a few phrases in Neimoidian before realizing that Clovis might have chosen the passcode she needed. She wracked her brain for what he would think of, and grimaced when an option came to her.

"Grace McNally," she tried and rolled her eyes when a hologram immediately started to display. "What a fucking creep," she muttered, giving the whole thing a once-over before downloading the files onto her drive and taking it from the holoprojector. She pressed the button she'd hidden under her sleeves, signaling for Anakin to come extract the intel while she distracted her hosts. The moment after she pressed it a wave of dizziness washed over her, far more powerful than the ones that had come before it. She shook her head, stumbling a step, and barely managed to right herself before Clovis entered the room.

"Grace?" he asked, puzzled. "What are you doing in here?"

Thank Force she'd shut off the hologram. She quickly hid her hands behind her back, cursing the lack of pockets in the tight skirt. It was an issue she'd be sure to remedy.

"Oh, I just wanted to take a look around. One can only stare at the same painting for so long."

He nodded, not quite looking convinced. Her purse was still on the holoprojector, so she had nowhere to hide the evidence of her snooping. She gladly accepted the glass of water, draining it down her parched throat in two large gulps. Setting the glass down and thanking Clovis, she moved to grab her purse and dispose of the evidence. Unfortunately, she was blocked when he moved in her way, a look in his eyes that made her nervous.

"Grace," he began, and she realized he was about to go on a long tirade about something, "I know that we haven't had the smoothest relationship over the past few years. I understand that you may have been a bit reluctant to let me back in, but I hope that this is proof of how we can do great things together, just like old times. Take my hands."

He was looking at her with hopeful eyes, his palms out. She panicked for a moment, the drive still very obvious in her grip, and decided to act quickly. The Senator made a show of giving him a sappy grin before leaning forwards and wrapping her arms around him, hiding the data drive behind his back. It was really quite symbolic. She was nervous now, because at any moment he could discover her betrayal, but a face appearing in the door to the conference room made her sag in relief.

Anakin's eyes went wide when he saw his wife hugging Clovis, protective instincts rising with his anger, but one look at her face made him realize he was jumping to conclusions. He could both see and sense her relief at the sight of him, and when his eyes flitted down to her hand he realized what was happening. In it he saw the drive with the data they had needed, and when she gave him a pointed look and dropped it, he was ready. Reaching out with the Force, the Jedi caught the drive inches from the ground and pulled it to him, slipping it into his pocket. Now he had to leave.

Getting inside had been laughably easy, the security being very lax. Getting out should be just as simple, and he could get the intel safely onboard the ship. Artoo was waiting for him, ready to cause a distraction if he attracted too much attention on the way out. Just as the Jedi was creeping back down the hallway, he heard a thump from inside the conference room, followed by a, "Grace? What happened?" and then a shout of, "Medic! I need a medical droid!"

The blood drained from his face. Something was very wrong. He turned right back around, not caring whatsoever for his cover as he burst in to see his love crumpled on the floor. It was like everything else faded from his mind as his instincts took over. He got tunnel vision, sprinting to her side and shoving Clovis out of the way. He ignored the Senator's outraged splutter at being treated with such little regard by someone who he thought was merely a pilot.

The Jedi breathed a sigh of relief when he felt a pulse. It was weak but there, beating a tattoo against his fingers. He started to think clearly again, and he met Clovis' eyes with equal anger.

"What do you think you're doing, pilot?" hissed the Banking Clan Senator.

"What happened to her?" Anakin growled.

They stared each other down for a solid thirty seconds as Clovis started to piece everything together. His eyes grew steadily wider as he realized at least sort of what was going on, and the look on his face was truly comical.

"Who are you?"

Anakin was not in the mood to explain himself. "Listen, she needs medical help. Let me take her back to Coruscant and we can figure out what's wrong."

The other man shook his head. "No, it's too far. I think she's been poisoned."

The General narrowed his eyes and clenched his jaw. "Lott Dodd."

Clovis slammed his hands down on the table and growled, "What have you done to her?"

Lott Dodd smiled innocently, the sight making the other Senator sick to his stomach. "I have no idea what you are talking about. Senator McNally was poisoned, and I might happen to have an antidote. However, I will only hand it over for a cost."

The other man ground his teeth. "Name it."

"A reduction in your portion of the deal. I know a scam when I see one, Senator, and I intend to avoid it."

"Are you crazy? I've agreed to a reasonable transaction, and you are threatening the life of a very important politician!"

The Neimoidian smirked, or at least it looked like one. You could never tell with some species. "Threaten is such a strong word. But do you really wish for her blood to be on your hands?"

"Fine," Clovis snarled. "I'll take a lower cut. Now, I expect the antidote will 'miraculously' turn up soon?"

"You would be correct. Not a word of this, Clovis, or it's her head."

The human man nodded, glaring one final time before turning on his heel and storming out.

Grace's eyes fluttered open to the gentle touch of something against her cheek; a hand. She blanked hard against the pounding behind her eyes, swallowing to ease the dryness of her throat. The moment she started moving the hand left her face, and she sat up in one movement. She groaned as a wave of nausea washed over her from the sudden movement, and gentle hands helped her sit back against what appeared to be a headboard. She was still pretty out of it, barely registering what was in front of her, and did not protest as a cup of water was held to her lips.

The Senator swallowed greedily and finally began to take in her surroundings. "Anakin?" she asked, seeing him sitting on the edge of her bed, pilot uniform still on. "What… what happened?"

The moments between getting the plans and waking up were a complete blur, and she needed to know what was going on.

"You fainted," he explained. "We suspect poison, given to you by Lott Dodd. So far his exact motive is unknown."

"Of course. Of course he poisoned me. Honestly, I don't know what I expected from the Banking Clan."

The Jedi might have laughed on a better day, but the situation was far too serious for humor right now. His wife might very well be on her deathbed, and he needed to be focused. "We can't go back to Coruscant; the limited medical facilities aboard the shuttle mean that your condition could become critical in the time it takes to get there. Essentially, we're trapped on a hostile planet with very limited medical treatment available. The odds are… not great."

Her mind was whirring, trying to think of any other alternatives. Were there Republic planets nearby? She groaned again as her stomach churned, a new wave of pain wracking her body. Anakin was there immediately, holding her as she curled into herself to ease the pain.

"You need to lie back down," he muttered, voice soft. He eased her back onto the mattress, rubbing soothing circles on her back. He longed to lie down with her and hold her, but he knew that this would be a catastrophic place to be caught. He grabbed the edge of the blanket, which had been pushed down to her waist, and brought it up to her shoulders to gently tuck her in. Grace closed her eyes, the poison fatiguing her, and he watched nervously as her breaths evened out. It hurt to see her like this, but he had to stay strong, for his wife's sake.

Anakin looked up when the medical droid entered the room. He hadn't slept in the hours by his wife's bedside, and it showed in the dark circles under his eyes. The thought of losing her, his other half, was terrifying. He knew if he closed his eyes for too long the scenarios would play out in his mind, terrible nightmares that he needed to avoid. Unfortunately, due to his refusal to leave her side, he had no caf and his energy was failing. At this point he was probably running entirely on energy granted from the Force.

The Jedi sat up straighter and glared at the medical droid as if it could be intimidated. "What do you want."

The droid was holding something; a needle. "I have medication for the Senator," it explained in its monotone voice.

The General was suspicious of this droid, and rightfully so, so he decided to meditate on it before accepting. With a firm look that got the point across, he closed his eyes and reached deep into the Force, sensing for danger and ill intent. After he deemed it safe, the droid plunged the needle into Grace's neck. She didn't stir, barely reacting, and he didn't know if it was a good thing.

The medical droid began to give him instruction on how to care for her and help her heal, and he sat back to listen.

When Grace awoke, she was nestled in a pile of pillows and blankets. She blinked blearily up at the grey ceiling, groaning as she pushed herself into a sitting position. She looked to be in the back of the transport she'd taken to Cato Neimoidia, but that was odd since she didn't remember boarding. The makeshift bed she was on- if one could even use that word for the nest of blankets and pillows- was surprisingly comfortable despite the ship's hard floor.

Anakin looked over from his place in the pilot's seat when he heard her stir, and he immediately ran to her side when he saw she was awake.

"Hey, love, how do you feel?" His brows were creased with worry, and he held one of her hands in both of his.

The Senator smiled at him, tracing the length of his hand with her thumb. "I feel a lot better. What happened? I don't remember boarding this ship."

The Jedi's face went slack with relief at her good condition. "Clovis managed to procure an antidote for your poison, and we were able to leave with the stolen files. You were unconscious for a few hours, actually, and we're almost at Coruscant. Sorry, Grace, but Captain Typho insisted you receive additional medical attention."

She sighed, hating the idea of being cooped up. "Fine, but you have to come visit me."

He smirked, eyes twinkling. "I will, but on 'official business', of course. We don't want anyone getting the wrong idea."

She snorted. "Of course."

A beep sounded from the front of the transport, indicating they were about to come out of hyperspace.

"Well, duty calls," he announced before seating himself in the cockpit and getting ready to land.

Grace leaned back and closed her eyes as the familiar planet came into view. It was good to be back.

End of Chapter!

NGL i do not feel like putting chapter notes, like i barely had the drive to edit this. Uh, I hope i have the desire to like. write another chapter soon?