Summary: Padme Amidala built bridges with people, especially with her 4th grade students. When new student Ahsoka joins her class, she is ready to start building a bridge to the young girl. Anakin Skywalker doesn't trust easily, especially when his little sister is involved. But he's drawn to the 4th grade teacher and willing to trust Padme with the darker battles his family is facing.

Chapter Fifteen

Of all the things Padme could have said to him, that was the absolute last thing he wanted to come from her, but he knew this was coming. When Obi Wan had speculated about Maul stalking them along with the fact that Anakin had seen him at one of his shops recently, he knew it was only a matter of time before Maul either showed up their house or at her school. Anger bubbled inside him, the edges of his vision burning red.

"So he was there," Anakin said carefully,

Padme replied, her tone a little uneasy, "Just before Obi Wan came. He knew that Ahsoka usually stays later on Thursdays which means he'd been watching like you had suspected."

"And Ahsoka," Anakin asked next, "Did he see her? Did she see him?"

Anakin wanted Padme to tell him no, that Ahsoka hadn't seen her father appear at her school, but he knew that wouldn't be the case. Otherwise she wouldn't have come, he wouldn't be standing out here with her. Maul had gotten in the school to see her. That made his blood boil, he didn't deserve to be anywhere near Ahsoka and the one Wednesday he didn't get her, Maul appeared. That was it, he was going to have to pick her up everyday from now on. None of his brothers would throw a punch at Maul unless provoked, his existence was enough to provoke Anakin and if he so much as stepped close to Ahsoka, he would fight him.

"She came into the classroom when Obi Wan was arguing with him," Padme started, then stopped, her expression looked pained.

"What happened," Anakin questioned, his brow furrowed slightly.

Padme lifted her gaze to meet his, her eyes were glossy, "Ahsoka is so strong, she's so brave and doesn't back down. As long as I've known her, she's never really shied away from a fight."

"But with Maul she was scared," Anakin whispered softly.

"Petrified," Padme said with a small shake of her head, "He shouldn't have shown up at the school, he should stay away."

Anakin crossed his arms over his chest, "Yeah, well he never does what anyone else wants. Him showing up at the school won't look great for him when he files for custody."

Padme tensed in her spot, "You said when?"

Anakin glanced away, out of everyone he denied that Maul would file at all, however he knew that attitude wouldn't, couldn't last long. One way or another, Maul was going to try and get Ahsoka back. When that summons can, he knew it would come, then he could worry about keeping Maul from her. For now, they were dealing with a shadow.

"With grandfather withdrawing his summons for custody and Maul becoming a stalker, we know that his next course of action is to file," Anakin replied looking at her, "He hasn't shown his face since he got out, not really anyway, most likely to get his affairs in order like Satine said."

Padme nodded along, that was right. In order for Maul to gain custody, he had to show that he was ready to care for a child which meant he needed a place to live, could be self sustaining, had the best interest of the child and more. The past month he had been silent, which meant he was building that all together.

"How was Ahsoka, after he left," Anakin asked, his worry overtaking the anger he felt.

Padme frowned, "She had a panic attack when Maul left, it took several minutes to get her to even respond to Obi Wan."

Anakin had a feeling that something like that would occur. When Maul was first brought to jail, it had been a year before she was brought to visit him and the only reason why was because the courts thought it would be a good idea to maintain that father daughter relationship. When it came to children and parents, the system was designed to bring them back together, not keep them apart.

In a lot of scenarios, that was a good thing, but Anakin wasn't sure it had been right for their case. Especially considering Ahsoka was haunted by the memory of watching her father attack those men, he never should have allowed her to go to those visits. They stressed her out enough, seeing Maul free and right in front of her in a place where she felt safe must have shattered whatever security she had then and there. That made his anger spark again, but he forced himself to keep it down until he was alone.

Anakin spoke plainly, "I had a feeling that would happen, that if she saw him out there it would freak her out. Urgh, I should have been there."

"You couldn't have known," Padme argued, a little sharply as she took his hand.

"Maybe not, but today is usually my day and the one time I didn't go, this happened," Anakin pointed out, he gave her hand a squeeze, "And how are you feeling with that? Are you alright?"

Padme was caught off guard that he asked, "Yeah I'm fine. He was intimidating, but I wasn't worried."

Anakin's brow quirked, "As strong as I know you are, you should be worried. I'm not saying that to scare you or because I don't think you can handle yourself. I'm saying it because his past is shady and he's only been convicted of one horrible thing, that doesn't mean he hasn't done other bad things."

"I'll be cautious," Padme replied, "Just, I'm worried about Ahsoka."

Anakin glanced away from her for a moment, "This shouldn't be her burden. If I could take it, I would."

Padme gave his hand a squeeze, "I know and she knows that to."

"Did Obi Wan take her home," Anakin asked next, he needed to get to her.

Padme shrugged, "I have no idea, I'd imagine yes. He only informed me she likely wouldn't be at school tomorrow due to a cold so."

Anakin's expression shifted slightly to something she struggled to decipher, "That makes sense. But he probably didn't take her home then."

"Because Maul might show up at your house," Padme asked, frightened.

"No, he won't try anything at the house yet because that will look really bad for him, the school doesn't look great, but that could go either way. But I have feeling it will go our way," Anakin said confidently, "No, Obi Wan's probably taking her-"

A small grin formed on Anakin's face as an idea struck him and some hope that Obi Wan would have considered the same thing. Quickly he pulled out his phone to ask his brother about it. Hopefully he would already be taking Ahsoka there, it would be the perfect opportunity for them to go, a great distraction and chance to get away. Thanksgiving had been great last week, but the nerves of Maul appearing had left them on edge most of the time, but this was something Maul didn't know about.

His biological parents had belonged to this interesting religion, Church of the Force and it consisted of three sections to worship and practice. In this church you were called Jedi, Sith or Grey. It reminded Anakin of Judaism, Catholicism and Islam. His father had been a Grey, Obi Wan had taken to the Jedi and Anakin, well he hadn't quite decided yet, so he listened to all three though technically he was a Jedi. Ahsoka was following in Obi Wan's direction more so than his own.

Neither Rex nor Cody believed in it much, they believed in a higher power, but they weren't completely sold on the religion. Qui Gon had built a house for them as sort of a retreat spot for the religion as well as a vacation home. It wasn't around anything special, not in the middle of nowhere either, but it was out there away from the world. When Maul came into the picture, Obi Wan made their mother swear never to mention and she had agreed.

After three rings, Obi Wan answered.

Anakin didn't give him a chance to speak, "Take Ahsoka to Temple."

"Already ahead of you," Obi Wan said through the phone, "I take it Padme found you."

Anakin answered, "She did. Mind if I invite her?"

To his surprise, Obi Wan said, "Not at all. Tell her she is more than welcome to come if she wishes. Rex and Cody will be taking Ahsoka there tonight, Dooku intends to get there tomorrow morning and I'll be there in the afternoon with Satine and Korkie."

"Perfect, Skywalker out," Anakin said as he hung up the phone. He looked at Padme with a grin. "How would you feel about taking a trip this weekend?"

Padme's brow rose, "What?"

That was not what she was expecting to come from Anakin, so she was curious to know what he was talking about.

Anakin looked a bit sheepish, "Have I told you about my religion yet?"

Padme shook her head. The pair of them had talked about politics a few times before, that was where some differences arose, but they hadn't gotten into religion yet. Padme remembered her parents had taken her to several different churches, giving her the opportunity to be exposed to all kinds of different faiths and practices so that she could pick the one that spoke to her the most. None of them quite clicked, but she did enjoy a number of those services and spoke with the people there, asking them questions and learning more on her own.

"We belong to a very small religious group," Anakin started, wondering how he could explain it, "And one thing our religion has us do fairly often is take retreats. Would you like to come? And don't worry, we don't spend the whole time praying or anything. More than half the time is spent like a way to spend time with each other, games, barbeque, movies. Think of it like a weekend getaway."

Padme nodded to show she understood, but she appeared, hesitant, "Thank you for the offer, but I'd hate to intrude on this."

"No intrusion, if Obi Wan thought you were one then he wouldn't have okayed the invite," Anakin told her, his smile confident. "I also understand it's very last minute, so if you can't or if you don't want to-"

"It's not that I don't want to or that I'm not interested. It's just, I'm not family and they don't know we're dating," Padme said softly.

Realization reached Anakin, "Oh yeah. That's a secret."

Padme gave him an unimpressed look, "Did you spill the secret already?"

Anakin scoffed nervously, "What? No, no… Yes. Rex found out, he was covering for me which means I'm sure Obi Wan knows which is why he okayed the invite."

Anakin brought his hand over his face, mentally kicking himself. How could he have been so stupid? Of course Obi Wan knew now, he'd making remarks about for weeks and Anakin had brushed them all off. Rex knew because of his mistake, Obi Wan must have figured it out with all the times that he noticed his brother was leaving or going out to places. That left Cody and Ahsoka, he was sure Ahsoka didn't know, but there was a chance Cody did. Rex wasn't great at keeping secrets, especially from Cody.

Padme chuckled in amusement at his response. Part of her was a bit worried that their secret was out and that hiding it had been for nothing, but she was actually okay with it. Having to hide it had been a challenge for her, Sola had found out two days after despite Padme arguing that she wasn't dating him. Regardless, her sister did not believe her.

"In that case, I accept the invitation," Padme said with a smile.

Anakin beamed, "Great. How about I pick you up after school?"

Padme continued to grin, "I'd like that. It will give you the chance to tell me more about your religion."

"Can't wait," Anakin said a little less enthusiastically, but perked a second later, "With half my family being not being home, I'm sure they wouldn't miss me if you were up for another sleepover."

Padme grinned at him, "That sounds lovely Mr Skywalker."

"Excellent Senator Amidala, I will see you this evening milday," Anakin said with a deep bow.

Padme playfully shoved him, ignoring the heat rushing to her cheeks.

On that note, Padme climbed into her car and headed back to her house while Anakin went to his. Now that he was alone in his car, he was able to focus on the anger inside of him that had been stirring. Gripping his steering wheel as tight as he could. Burning anger rushed all through his veins, how dare he show up at Ahsoka's school and cause her to have a panic attack. He had no right to do that, he had no right to his sister.

Hate wasn't a word Anakin threw around lightly, but he hated Maul, he hated all the pain he put Ahsoka through. If he could take it all away, he would, but he was powerless and couldn't stand it. He was failing her. It was his job to protect her, to always be there for her and he continued to fail at both those things. He has to get better, he had to get stronger, smarter and faster. He would protect her, he won't let her get hurt anymore.

Ahsoka hadn't said a single word since Obi Wan brought her home, it was the quietest she had been in years. Not saying anything, she had gone up to her bedroom to pack a bag for the weekend. Obi Wan said they were going to Temple, Rex and Cody would take her tonight, everyone else would come tomorrow. Going to Temple was fun, she did enjoy going because it meant she could spend uninterrupted time with her family and she could get back in touch with nature, back in touch with Ashla, the deity that Jedi focused on.

The young girl shoved her clothes into the duffle bag, toiletries were already in there, she had her Jedi history book and her Jedi Path guided journal that had been passed down through the generations which was exciting. She stood at the foot of her bed, dressed in a blue sleeveless shirt and grey pants, her hat was lying on the bed. Her hair was, as Master Ti said, 3c so it was real curly and thick, also kind of a pain to take care of on her own. Not that she minded too much, she did enjoy those hair visits and Obi Wan was a big help in braiding.

Currently her hair was more on the wavy side since she had taken the braids out, the orange color was fading so it looked more like a brown and natural color instead. She was thinking of dyeing it white and blue, like her hat. Her blue eyes fell on that hat, her mom had made several of them when she was born, some were real small for her toddler years and some were a bit bigger that she couldn't quite fit yet. Ahsoka didn't know why her mom had made the hats for her, but it was the item she apparently thought of.

"Our mother loved to make things," Anakin had told her when she was five, "She made Obi Wan handkerchiefs, a whole mess of them cause he always seemed like the proper one. I got jackets, cause apparently she was worried I would be cold all the time and she wasn't wrong. Cody got scarves and Rex, what did he get? Oh! He got vests."

"He never wears a vest," Ahsoka protested.

Anakin chuckled, "Only on the most special of occasions. She made us these things because she figured we'd need them one day. Your hat protects your hair and keeps your ears warm."

"Is it kind of like her protecting my hair and keeping my ears warm," Ahsoka asked then, her look hopeful.

Anakin grinned, "Absolutely."

"Hey little 'un," said Rex as he knocked on the door, "You almost ready?"

Ahsoka didn't turn around as she replied, "Yeah. Just making sure I have everything."

Rex smiled, pleased that she had said something, and made his way to stand beside her in front of her. Her bed was in the middle of the room, headboard pressed against the wall with night tables on either side. The walls were a beige color on the bottom half and the top half was a grey-ish purple color. They were supposed to paint the walls this past summer, but never really had the time so the walls remained the same. He'd already packed some clothes and contacted his professors to let them know that he wouldn't make it to class due to family emergencies.

He and Cody had been fairly upfront to their professors about the situations at home, their honesty had served them well and their professors had been easygoing about it. It also didn't hurt that the twins were the top students in their classes, on the Dean's list, had one of the more coveted scholarships and well known on their campus. The two of them had made quite a name for themselves at Republic University.

"Rex," Ahsoka started looking up at him.

"Yeah," he asked prompting her to go on.

Ahsoka hesitated, wondering how she should ask this, "How do you feel about da- about him?"

Rex frowned at the question, but carefully considered his answer. Neither him nor his brothers could truly blame Maul for flying off the handle at Ahsoka being taken, he had no blame for him in that regard. Where the problem came was that he didn't prioritize her safety over revenge, that he was more willing to take revenge than protect his child. Maul wasn't a great father to begin with and that made it worse. His childhood had been a good one with his brothers, it had been when Ahsoka was born to, but things changed when his mother died.

Before Ahsoka, the home had been decent, but Maul had been tough. He was harsh with all of them, but more so with him and Cody since they were biologically his. In his own words, the man had said his lineage would not be weak and made sure that the twins weren't. The pair of them were the most disciplined out of the group, almost military like, due to Maul's treatment of them. Ahsoka likely would have been the same if she had spent as many years with him as they had.

He'd had respect for his father until he was thirteen, that had been when his mother died and Maul got harsher with them, teaching them lessons that shouldn't be taught and he went after Obi Wan and Anakin more than usual. A man who couldn't care for someone because they weren't his blood didn't deserve respect. He also just wasn't a very good guy, especially when it came to the darker activities the man participated in and expected his sons and daughter would one day join. That had been the last straw for Cody, he didn't want any part of that crime life his father had, but Maul wasn't one to take no for an answer. Him going to jail had relieved Cody, Rex and Ahsoka from having to follow after him in that regard.

"Well, he's, uh, not a great guy," Rex said carefully.

Ahsoka huffed, she put some more items away, "You don't have to walk on edge shells, I can take it."

"Egg shells," Rex lightly corrected.

"That's what I said," Ahsoka replied with a scowl.

Rex made a tsk sound before he continued his answer, "I don't feel too much for him. Out of the little respect I still have for him, which is the baseline I give everyone, he's still my father."

"Do you still care about him," Ahsoka asked him, her eyes glanced away, "Do you Cody?"

Rex turned to see Cody leaning in the door way, dressed in blue jeans, a white shirt and yellow jacket. It was the most casual outfit the man ever wore, he was always so stiff about his attire. The only time he ever wore something so carefree was in honor of vacation. The dark haired twin stepped into the room with a thoughtful look on his face. He was loyal to a fault and it had taken a long time before he had decided to no longer be loyal to his father, it had taken several incidents, too many if he was being honest with himself.

"He's our father," Cody said with a sigh, "We can't change that. What he did today was wrong, he shouldn't have come to the school."

"That's not what I asked," Ahsoka said, her tone bordering a whine.

Cody's shoulders sagged, "I know kid. The care I have for him is very small. I wouldn't be happy if he got hurt or died, but it doesn't mean I want him around, especially around you."

Ahsoka looked to Rex then, wanting his answer to her question.

"I agree with Cody," Rex told her, "I'm more indifferent to him than anything."

"Why do you ask," Cody questioned coming to stand on her other side.

Ahsoka didn't look at them, she zipped up her bag, "I was just curious."

Cody and Rex exchanged a look with each other knowing it was more than that, however before either of them could question her further, she grabbed her duffel bag and left the room. For a few moments, the twins didn't move, just watching the direction she had walked away in. It wasn't difficult for them to decipher why she would have asked them that question now. Maul had spooked her today, scared her enough to have a panic attack, but despite that fear, despite the fact that this man had made himself out to be a monster in her eyes, she was still a girl who saw her dad.

"I saw this scary monster who looked like our dad," Ahsoka had cried, furiously wiping her tears away.

"We both know why she asked," Rex said looking to his brother.

Cody replied easily, "Because she stills cares about him and doesn't know how to deal with it."

Rex let out a soft sigh, "Hopefully this trip to Temple will help."

The pair of them made their way out of her bedroom, down the hall and down the stairs. It was time for them to start heading out, stop for food on the way and get some groceries for the house there. Once the pair made it to the living room, they spotted Anakin in the middle of the room on his knees in front of Ahsoka who stood before him, arms crossed over her chest. And then, Anakin just pulled her into his arms, knowing a hug is what she wanted.

Quietly, Rex grabbed her duffel bag and Cody her school bag, they'd bring it to the car when she was ready. Anakin flashed them a concerned look, he mouthed 'you guys alright?' Both of them nodded their heads, they were as alright as they could be with the situation and would leave it at that.

Anakin watched Rex and Cody exit the room, leaving him with the trembling girl in his arms. The moment Ahsoka had come down stairs, he met her part way apologizing for what happened, being angry it happened and checking to see how she was. And she wasn't alright, she was doing her best to out on a great front, but it wasn't perfect and she didn't need it, not with him and the look on her face as that facade fell told him all he needed to know. That she was a scared kid who wanted to be strong, to be safe.

Years ago, she had said the safest place was in his arms and she meant that. All the times danger had come her way, he had been there, holding her, bringing her to safety and not letting go until she was absolutely safe. It made her feel stronger for it, giving her the strength she didn't believe she had on her own.

Ahsoka had been fiercely independent, even from a young age, she was always so ready to do things herself, to take care of herself, fight her own battles. Rarely did she let her guard down, rarely did she take the help that others offered unless she had to. It was in moments like these when she really acted like a kid, showed just how she felt and wasn't trying to hide it. She could be embarrassed about it later, right now she just wanted to feel something other than the terror in her stomach.

"Promise we'll get through this," Ahsoka said as she pulled back, despite the tears on her cheeks, there was a new sense of determination in her gaze, "That we will get rid of him, that I'll stay with you and he'll go."

Anakin nodded, his hands gripping her shoulders, "I promise, we're going to get through this, together. He won't win."

Ahsoka wiped her tears away and walked past him, accepting his promise and clinging to it with all she had left. For the first time in the past few hours, she finally felt her nerves begin to settle down and no longer felt like she was shaken can of soda. A burst of assurance went through her at Anakin's words, they would get through this, her dad wouldn't take her, she wouldn't be like and everything would be okay. Without a look back, Ahsoka entered the garage and climbed into the car, ready to leave.

Anakin watched her go with a forlorn expression as anger stirred inside him. Like any child and even for most people in general, promises were something sacred, a vow that could not or should never be broken. However the first promise he'd ever made to her was one he could never really keep.

"Don't you worry Ahsoka," a twelve year old Anakin had said looking down at his newborn sister, "I'll never let anyone hurt you, ever. I promise."

"I promise," Anakin whispered to himself in the living room.

Sidenote: Hey all, I'm sorry about the delay. Life was in the way and writing, suddenly became hard to the point I couldn't even edit the stuff I already had written. It's not really writer's block, but more of a mental one and it's been awhile since I last felt this way and frankly I'm not sure how I got out of it last time. I'm in tears as I write this note cause I miss writing, but everytime I try or tried, I couldn't seem to do it. But after some pushing, I edited some things and could get this up and I think two other stories. Bear with me, I'm working on it and with Nanowrimo days away, I'm hoping to get over this wall and get more stuff. I won't promise anything, but I'm hoping for the best.

Hope you all are doing well wherever you are!