A/N : Some domestic-type violence towards the end. It is mild, but if that is triggering for you, you can skip it without missing any major plot points.


500 Republica, Coruscant

19 BBY

The holovid news was on in the salon, Sabe noticed as she came into Padme's flat one clear morning. There was only one reason Padme left the holovid on anymore.

Dorme smirkingly confirmed Sabe's suspicion. "He's still here."

Sabe sighed and leaned against the wall near their little service chamber. If the Senator wanted to act like an Academy student she could at least hang something on the door to let them know.

C3PO wandered by carrying a tray, but then paused and tilted his head creakily. "My, my. Do you suppose the Senator is having a bad dream? Perhaps we should check on her."

Sabe went red as she too just caught a soft cry through the heavy door to Padme's chamber. She pushed herself away from the wall. "I'm sure that won't be necessary, C3PO."

She truly hated that droid.

She very nearly returned to her own flat in a pique. Let Padme call her back when she was ready. But then Sabe realized a little self reflection was in order. Her irritation was a bit too acute to be entirely just. Padme was still a newlywed, after all. It was entirely normal and healthy for her to enjoy the company of her new husband. The lines Anakin had crossed to earn that title were his own affair.

And Sabe's misbegotten hopes and envy were hers.

A bit of the holovid's daily briefing filtered through from the salon, and her ears perked up.

"Calls for action in the Uscru Entertainment District after the body of well-known business man Seti Asgard was found in the 16th block of the dancer's quarters, an area often referred to as 'Glitterstim Row'. Authorities suspect foul play. Local entrepeneurs and customers are calling for a law enforcement sweep of the area."

Sabe rounded the corner into the salon and watched as a reporter interviewed an irate-looking Faleen. "It's getting so bad that an honest man can't find himself some company without turning up dead," He was spluttering.

Seti Asgard. The tech designer Dex had mentioned. It sounded like he had been a hard-living playboy. It was possible he had acquired enemies entirely unrelated to his profession. But Sabe's instincts were screaming.

At that moment, Padme's door slid open. Anakin stepped out, straightening his tunic and pulling hs robe around his shoulders. He noticed Sabe, but avoided direct eye contact. It was funny. For all his insistence that there was nothing wrong with his and Padme's marriage, he snuck around like a thief, barely speaking to Sabe unless they met outside the apartment by happenstance.

"Anakin," she said softly.

He whirled around, guilty as can be.

She pointed to her own head.

He peered into a side mirror and licked his fingers, frantically smoothing down the masses of cowlicks.

Sabe rolled her eyes as he fled the apartment, and picked up the breakfast tray to take into Padme.

Padme was sitting at her vanity. She made eye contact with Sabe in the mirror, pulling a silver brush through the curls hanging loose around her shoulders. Her smile was serene, but her eyes were faraway.

"Good morning," Sabe said with forced cheer.

Sabe was pleased to see Padme attack her breakfast with ferocity. Her morning sickness appeared to have dissipated even as the growing curve of her abdomen became harder and harder to disguise. "Are you free today?" Padme asked with her mouth full.

"Of course," Sabe said. "I'm always at your disposal."

"I'd like it very much if you were on duty for a meeting I have this afternoon."

"Oh?' Sabe said, surprised. Usually Padme took Dorme to official functions because of her superior knowledge of languages and ceremonial protocols. "What kind of meeting?"

"I think you ought to see for yourself," Padme replied, dabbing a bit of jam from her lips as Sabe moved to dress her hair in a red agate coronet.

The meeting turned out to be in a lushly appointed conference room in the Senate office building. It seemed even more odd that Sabe would be in attendance. Padme usually only took her handmaids to large gatherings or formal functions. Today, Padme explained her presence by saying that her personal security remained an ongoing issue. No one asked any questions. All told, five other senators filed into the room at the appointed hour; Mon Motha, Fang Zar, Giddean Danu, Terr Taneel...and Bail Organa.

Sabe tried not to move her head to follow Senator Organa with her eyes. All of the senators shunned the conference table in favor of a little sitting area at the far end of the room. Away from windows and doors, Sabe noticed. They all had drawn, nervous faces and scanned the room as if looking for anything unusual. Listening devices? Sabe herself had checked the room at Padme's request prior to the meeting and found nothing, at least nothing obvious.

"Well, now that we are all here, I won't mince words," Senator Organa began. "We are in a constitutional crisis. Now that he has control of the Jedi Council, the Chancellor has appointed Governors to oversee all star systems in the Republic."

Control of the Jedi Council? Sabe stared at the Senator, trying to figure out what he meant. She knew that Anakin had been asked to be a liaison between the Chancellor's office and the Council, but Senator Organa's description seemed overwrought. Unless he was deliberately sowing distrust against the Jedi among the Senators.

"When did this happen?" Fang Zar asked in alarm.

"The decree was posted this morning," Senator Organa said grimly.

There was silence for a moment as the other senators processed the information.

"Do you think he will dismantle the senate?" Padme asked.

"Why bother?" Mon Motha snapped. "As a practical matter, the Senate no longer exists."

"The constitution is in shreds," Giddean Danu agreed. "Amendment after amendment...executive directives, sometimes a dozen in one day."

"We can't let a thousand years of democracy disappear without a fight!" Senator Organa exclaimed.

Sabe stiffened at his raised voice, the tips of her fingers automatically seeking the reassuring cold metal of the blade she wore beneath her cloak. The other senators stared at him, taken aback.

"What are you suggesting?" Terr Taneel said in a small voice.

Sabe tried to understand what was playing out in front of her. She hadn't been privy to much in the way of politics lately. Her own investigations and Padme's private life had been absorbing all of her attention. But it sounded as if Chancellor Palpatine had been engaging in the classic method of consolidating power; boiling the proverbial colofish alive by turning the heat up a degree at a time.

Senator Organa lowered his voice. "I apologize. I didn't mean to sound like a Separatist."

"We are not Separatists," Mon Motha added hastily. "We are loyalists, trying to preserve democracy."

"I can't believe it has come to this!" Padme said, shaking her head. "Chancellor Palpatine is one of my oldest advisors. He served as my Ambassador when I was Queen."

And used every opportunity he was given to full advantage.

"Senator, I fear you underestimate the amount of corruption that has taken hold in the Senate," Giddean Danu said gently.

Purposefully underestimated. Padme has been busy with other concerns. Then guilt flooded Sabe. What right did she have to judge?

"We can't sit around debating any longer," Senator Organa said. "We have decided to do what we can to stop it. Senator Mon Mothma and I are putting together an organization..."

Padme held up a hand, her face pale. "Say no more, Senator Organa. I understand. At this point, it's better to leave some things unsaid."

"Yes, I agree," Senator Organa conceded. "And we must not discuss this with anyone without everyone in this group agreeing."

"That means those closest to you. Even family. No one must be told," Though addressing the entire group, Mon Mothma's eyes were on Padme. Padme's connection with the Jedi was no great secret in Coruscant society, and talk was already beginning to circulate about her changing figure.

Padme hesitated for only a second. "Agreed."

She remained seated as the others filed out one by one. They left as they had arrived, their anxiety palpable as they each looked around the hallway before leaving the room. Then Padme rose to her feet and walked into the corridor herself with Sabe trailing behind.

"Well?" Padme murmured.

"Well...what?" Sabe whispered back as they entered the empty turbolift.

The doors slid shut. They had a few floors to talk.

"Are we really in a constitutional crisis?" Padme asked.

"Senator, this is your purview, not mine," Sabe said. "All of this is news to me. I've never particularly liked the man. But strong ambition and guilt of high crimes and misdemeanors are two very different things."

"Some people find him very charming," Padme said with a shade of bitterness. "Anakin thinks he is the father he never had. The Jedi, on the other hand, have had a conflict of interest since day one. And these senators...I'm sure they have a myriad of motivations of which I have no idea. You are the only person I know who is even close to objective."

Padme's hands were wringing the fabric of her skirt in an uncharacteristic gesture of anxiety. She had a lot of those kinds of tics lately. "If Corde was here she would have known of the secrets and motivations of every Senator in the room," She said. "Gods, I miss her."

Sabe privately agreed. She'd missed Corde's political savvy lately too. Corde had lived in Coruscant on her own for a while and had family connections, using every one of them to build contacts relevant to every situation Padme had come across. She'd been indispensable, particularly during Padme's early years in the Senate when she was seen as a young upstart who could not necessarily be trusted.

"I can't say what their ulterior motives are. But I know they all have them, and it would be strange if at least one or two of them didn't run counter to the interests of the Republic," Sabe said.

They rode in silence for a few moments.

"Perhaps I can track down the motivations of at least one of them," Sabe finally ventured. "Senator Organa."

"Bail? Of all of them, he would be the one I would be most inclined to trust."

"Once you would have said the same of Sheev Palpatine," Sabe said. Then she tried to relate as briefly and dispassionately as she could what she had learned of the Incom Corporation, of Seti Asgard's death, and of Organa's connection to the company.

"What do you intend?" Padme asked when she'd finished.

"I could follow him," Sabe said. "See where he goes, who he meets. Meanwhile, you should keep attending these meetings. Either you will succeed in forming alliances and protecting the senate or you will gather information about these Senators' intentions. If I need to watch anyone else, I will."

Padme nodded slowly. She seemed so hesitant and unsure of herself, so unlike the Amidala Sabe was used to. Sabe tried to decide how long this had been the case and realized that her crumbling confidence seemed to correspond exactly with Anakin's return. But...everything had changed for Padme. She was about to be a mother. Her whole world was on shaky ground, and she was facing all of that while awash with hormones. Surely it was only natural. Sabe just had to stand beside her and give her the strength to keep moving forward until she could take it back for herself.

Padme squeezed Sabe's shoulder just before the turbolift dinged the floor and the doors slid open to reveal the busy lobby of the senate office building. "I'm so glad you are here, Sabe," she whispered, then arranged her face back into the impassive mask of Amidala.


Senator Organa turned out to be an extremely easy mark. His habits were completely regular and utterly dull. Every morning he left his apartment at seven precisely. He took a brisk walk in the Monument Gardens famous for their clear view of Coruscant's only mountain. From there he caught an air taxi to Dex's, of all places, where he drank jawa juice and bantered with the staff. Of everything she observed, this made her doubt her own suspicions the most. Dex was too canny to be taken in by just anyone.

After his breakfast, he took an air taxi back to the Rotunda and circulated between there and the Senate Office building for the remainder of the working day, taking his meals on the go or at his desk as far as she could tell. He went straight home at nine or ten on a good day and his light dimmed at around midnight. Unlike many other politicians both male and female, she never saw him go near Uscru or order companions or other recreationals to his room. He was by all appearances squeaky clean.

This of course made her all the more suspicious.

She had to get up early to follow him, and it was robbing her of sleep to keep up with him. One morning she dressed quickly and left her chamber for the kitchenette of Padme's, hoping to sneak some caf without waking anyone. At first she thought she had succeeded and gratefully filled her cup with the pungent brew. But then a light step out on the balcony drew her attention.

She saw the outline of a tall figure through the gently blowing curtain. Her hand dropped, sneaking her blade from its hidden pocket as she crept toward the balcony on tusk cat feet. The figure spun around just as she pushed aside the curtain.

"Anakin!" she exclaimed, a hand to her heart. "What in the world are you doing?"

The shadows beneath his eyes looked like bruises in the half light, making him appear far older than his years. "Bad dreams," He said. "Padme is sleeping. Do not wake her."

Sabe studied him for a moment. "May I sit?"

He shrugged.

Sabe took that as an assent and arranged herself on a little permacrete bench nearby. "I...feel the need to be really frank. Padme is my chief concern, as you know. But I consider you a dear friend, and I see you both suffering."

Anakin stared at the ribbons of undulating traffic, his robe wrapped tightly around himself.

"Why don't you just leave the Order?"

"What?" He spun to look at her, his brows lowered. "I can't do that!"

"Why?"

At first he had no answer. He was left stuttering, and she understood that for him there had been no other future or way of life presented as an option for quite a long time. In fact, he'd probably never had an opportunity to imagine what he wanted for himself rather than what was expected by a slavemaster, and then later a council member. What she proposed left a yawning vacuum before him.

"Because...I am the chosen one," He finally said lamely, seeming to realize himself how it sounded.

Sabe shook her head. "What does that even mean, Anakin? Even the Masters don't seem to know."

She continued, trying to be gentle, but desperate to have him understand. "Padme isn't a liar by nature. It eats her up, living with a secret like this. Her condition makes her an object of gossip and possibly even vulnerable to professional censure. It's backward, but it's reality. Is that what you want for her?"

"I just...they just put me on the Council. They need me there."

Sabe frowned. That hunger that had just seeped into his voice, it seemed familiar somehow. She didn't like it. "They need the scandal that will occur when it comes out that you've married and fathered a child?"

Anger flashed across his face like a bolt of lightning. "This is jealousy, isn't it? You can't stand to see what we have."

Sabe lifted her chin, tightening her jaw against the hurt of his words. "You are lashing out now because you know I'm right."

"I don't know...anything." He said, lifting his hands in helpless defeat.

Her brow furrowed. "I know it's a terrifying thought. But it seems to me that we all arrive at a moment when the path defined by others runs out, and we have to make a choice for ourselves. It looks to me like that moment has arrived for you, Ani."

She realized her mistake immediately, when his face darkened at the name. It was a name for Padme to call him, and for his mother. From her lips it sounded forced and patronizing. "Don't call me that," He hissed.

"Fine," she said, holding up her hands. "Just do the right thing. Tell Obi-Wan. Tell the Council. Be honest and devote yourself to being the father and husband I know you want to be."

"Are you saying I am not a good husband?"

"I'm saying if you don't choose, you are letting them all down, Anakin."

He grabbed her arm with his metal prosthetic, the shiny, skeletal fingers digging hard into her skin. His face was terrible. She shrank back. She had known him since he was a boy, and had never once seen a violent inclination from him in person. But for a moment she was sure he was going to hit her.

"You're hurting me," she said softly.

He dropped her arm immediately, his face clearing until all that was left was regret, and fear. "I'm sorry. I don't always have good control with it...I..."

He moved away from her. She flexed her fingers, an ache setting into the arm that promised bruises later

"I'm sorry. Forgive me," He said, and walked quickly back into the apartment. Sabe couldn't bring herself move again until she heard the soft sound of the outside door opening and closing.

He did not return that day. Padme had slept on through the whole interaction, and Sabe struggled with what to do. She had pushed him to it, she told herself. She'd always let her feelings run away with her, let the wrong thing come out of her mouth. It was true what he'd said about the prosthetic. At least once he'd broken a cup without meaning to. He'd told her before that he'd had to relearn swordsmanship altogether when he'd first gotten it. He would never hurt any of them on purpose. He would come to see the wisdom of her advice. There was no way he would be able to continue with his secret after the baby was born, and probably he wouldn't want to.

The next day he was back, upbeat and more rested. He almost seemed like the Anakin she remembered before the war, before the marriage, before the secrets. He brought Nubian flowers and sweets for Padme and Sabe both. Padme seemed delighted in his unexpected light mood, and it seemed inconceivable to say anything to her that would take away her happiness. Sabe made them tea and listened to their normal chatter about the coming birth, and which room in the lake country house would be best for a nursery.

She was mindful of her sleeves for a few days, concealing the four purple marks on her forearm.

,