Padmé sat quietly in her room atop the huge Senate residence in Coruscant. She'd asked for this one specifically, knowing that it had a view of the Jedi Temple. //Not that there's anything to see. Anakin's gone.// She shook her head, remembering her disappointment at Master Kenobi's words. It irritated her that she was forced to spend three months without seeing her husband, and then come back to find him away on some silly Jedi business. //It's not fair.// She sighed. //But it's not like we didn't know it was going to be this way.//

Her head turned abruptly at the sound of her door opening. She stood and grabbed her blaster, aiming it at the figure in the doorway.

"Who are you?" she asked, "What do you want?"

"I wanted to see my wife again, if that's alright with you, m'lady."

Padmé lowered her weapon in surprise. "Ani?"

The figure said nothing, but stepped into the light so she could see his face.

"Ani!" Padmé dropped the gun and ran into the waiting arms of her husband.

Anakin hugged her tightly, almost as though he was afraid she would slip away if he let her go. He pulled away slowly and looked into her eyes in that way he had.the way that made her insides turn to jelly. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine.how did you know about the attack?"

"I didn't know, exactly, until I got back.I felt something when I was on Kamino and I got back here as fast as I could.where's Obi-Wan?"

"He's in the infirmary at the Temple."

"What?" Anakin cried.

"Relax, Ani, he's fine. He's visiting Naori Li. She was knocked unconscious when the ship exploded and we had to take her back to the Temple," Padmé explained, "She'll be fine, too."

Anakin sighed. "Thank the Force." He hugged her again. "You have no idea how scared I was, Padmé."

"I thought Jedi weren't supposed to have fear."

"Jedi aren't supposed to have wives, either," he reminded her.

Padmé frowned. "As if I could forget that."

"It doesn't matter. I got the best one, anyway, so there's really no point." Anakin smiled and kissed her. She pulled away from his embrace quickly and looked down.

"It's been too long, Ani. I don't know how much longer I can keep living this way.when will be able to stop living a lie?" Padmé asked.

Anakin nodded. "I know, honey, I know. And we're going to have trouble keeping it a secret once you start to show."

Padmé's face turned pale. "How did you know, Ani?"

"I could sense it." He smiled. "Our child will be a Jedi."