By obi's girl
Summary: I don't have an official plot written up yet but the story starts
after Sabé gave birth to Mara in the Epilogue of Defining Us. Parts of
the story take place before Attack of the Clones, during, some after and a majority
of it in Episode III.
A/N: Why write this? Well, I always wanted to expand on the events in 'Defining
Us' Epilogue. It might be good, it might be bad but I thought it'd
flow nicely into Episode III. The first part begins during the middle part of
the Epilogue of Defining Us, and is expanded on from there.
Chapter 1, Post 1
9 Months Later
Obi-Wan Kenobi tried not to seem nervous as he waited with Anakin for the Temple healer to give him an update of Sabé's condition. He was overjoyed when she told him that he was going to a father -- they made a pact with each other that even though babies born in the Temple, were supposed to be tested for midichlorian count, Obi-Wan and Sabé were going to wait about a year or two. As new parents, they didn't want to be stranger to their child. It wouldn't be fair to them or the baby.
Anakin nudged his Master's shoulder as Healer Aiska greeted them, the Temple's youngest Master Healer. "Sorry, for keeping you waiting, Master Kenobi. Your wife is sleeping now but we expect the delivery to begin in a couple of hours,"
"Can I see her?" Ben ventured.
Coryn frowned, "Sorry, Master Kenobi, but she needs her sleep... but you are allowed to be present during the delivery,"
Obi-Wan quietly thanked Aiska as Master Yoda walked slowly into the ward. Anakin bowed slightly but Obi-Wan was too distracted to see the little Master. Finally, Yoda tapped his gimmer stick on Obi-Wan's knee and he looked down. "Sorry Master, I didn't realize you were here,"
"M'lady, how is she?"
Ben shrugged, "Sleeping… Um Master Yoda, I -- Sabé and I were wondering about something. We realize many babies are tested for midichlorian counts at birth, but Sabé and I, we'd like to wait a year or so. Is that possible?"
The Master's ears drooped and he nodded solemnly, "Possible, it is Obi-Wan, but better to know earlier if the youngling has the potential,"
"I understand Master, but Sabé and I want to enjoy being parents before we hand her over to another Master to train,"
"Acceptable, your reason is, Obi-Wan," he paused, "Alert me, you will when the youngling is here."
Sabé moaned and panted as she pushed harder and harder. She had been in labor for five hours now and Obi-Wan was still outside with Anakin, not allowed to come in yet. Master Healer Aiska smiled as she noticed the baby's head and shoulders. "Just a few more pushes, m'lady!" she cried.
"I don't know Aiska…"
"You must," she said and Sabé bore down again, pushing the child a little further to the point that half of the child's body could be seen. Sabé pushed a little more, then Aiska was able to pull out the legs.
"You can relax now, m'lady," Aiska whispered and Sabé dropped her head onto the pillow, sweat on her brow and in her hair.
Sabé smiled and laughed lightly as Aiska asked one of the apprentice healers to clean the girl off. Once she was clean and swaddled in a pink blanket, the apprentice gave the baby back to the healer. Aiska smiled at the child as she walked slowly back to Sabé and carefully handed her to her mother. A moment later, Obi-Wan and Anakin entered the room.
"A girl?" he asked.
Sabé smiled as Obi-Wan settled beside her, staring into the blue eyes of his daughter. Anakin smiled, watching his Master and his wife welcome their daughter. "Oh darling, she's so beautiful," Ben whispered and laid his hand on her small head, "She has reddish-brown hair, she's definitely a Kenobi,"
"A little Kenobi," Aiska added, "I have to say this to make it more official, but you, Master Kenobi and m'lady are the proud parents of a baby girl,"
Sabé looked up and beckoned Anakin closer, "Come here, Ani. Don't be afraid, come closer,"
Anakin smiled and as he walked closer to the baby, she started crying uncontrollably. Anakin froze and backed away again. "Did I frighten her? Why is she crying?"
Obi-Wan shrugged, "I wouldn't worry about, Anakin. Baby's cry all the time, it's what they do,"
Anakin started to walk closer again to the baby but she started crying again. "Okay, that kid definitely does not like me!"
Sabé laughed and smiled, holding her daughter closer to her, "Ani, why don't you come back later after she's calmed down and is more familiar with her surroundings?" Anakin looked at his Master and Obi-Wan agreed. He smiled goodbye at the little girl before walking quietly out of the ward.
As he walked out, Master Yoda and Master Windu entered. Mace smiled at Obi-Wan and Sabé as Yoda stood on the side of the bed, looking curiously at their daughter. The little Master then closed his eyes, reaching out to the Force, "Strong this youngling is, in the Force. Much like her father,"
Sabé smiled slightly and then looked at Obi-Wan, "Master Yoda, you know Ben and I don't want our daughter to be tested right away..."
"Know, I do, m' lady. Came here, we did not to test her. Came here, we did to see the youngling and play with her," Yoda's eyes widened, his lips making little kissy sounds. The girl frowned, glanced at Mace, her father and mother and started crying, scared too by the little green Master. Master Yoda frowned, "Like me, she does not,"
"Don't worry Master, she cried when Anakin approached her too," Obi-Wan said as she yawned, snuggling against her mother's breast, "I think it's time for her to take a nap," Sabé said and Obi-Wan scooted off the bed as Sabé placed her on the side, tucking the blanket around her small body.
Obi-Wan moved off the bed, straightening his cloak, "I better check on Anakin," he smiled goodbye to Sabé and sent a mental goodbye to his daughter. She giggled, cooed quietly and went back to sleep.
Yoda tapped his gimmer stick quietly on the floor as both he and Mace followed Obi-Wan out.
"Obi-Wan, wait long you should not to train your daughter," Master Yoda said.
Mace slapped Obi-Wan on the shoulder, smiling, "Congratulations, Obi-Wan. She's beautiful girl, a Kenobi in every way,"
"Thanks Mace," he said, "Sabé and I will be watching her these next couple days for any sign of sensitivity to the Force, Master," Yoda nodded his approval before turning and walked out of the center.
Once Yoda was gone, Mace gestured for Obi-Wan to walk with him, "No Jedi has ever been able to enjoy parenthood. All the crèche babies are from all over the universe, Obi-Wan, but you're little girl, she's going to be a handful,"
"I look forward to fatherhood, Mace. How difficult can it be? I was able to raise Anakin successfully through his teenage years without losing my mind, I think I can handle a little girl,"
Mace grunted, "Just remember Obi-Wan, girls are more fussy than boys. Most of the time, anyway," he peeked down the hall and leaned in to whisper something to Obi-Wan, "But with your luck, she'll be more stubborn like her mother, then you'll have a big problem,"
"I have no worries about raising her," Ben shrugged, "Why should I worry?"
Padmé smiled, sticking her head into the room later that afternoon to visit her friend. Sabé was fixing the blankets on her bed as her daughter sat between her legs on the blanket. "Oh Sabé, she's so beautiful!" Padmé squealed as she grabbed a chair and sat beside the Ben. "Where's Obi-Wan?"
"He left awhile ago to check on Anakin, his presence upset the baby and well, Anakin was clearly upset too she didn't like him,"
"He'll get over it, I think," Padmé mused and smiled at the little girl. She had the brightest blue eyes and barely grown red hair. "Have you two thought of a name for her yet?"
Sabé frowned and shrugged, "I don't know, actually. Our biggest concern was more about her last name. Was she going to carry my name or Ben's."
Padmé looked again at her friend's daughter, noting the visibility of red hair, "Clearly, she is a Kenobi because of the red hair...What about hyphenating your last names?"
"You mean like Maberrie-Kenobi?" Sabé questioned, "I don't know. I'd like for her to have room for a middle name, a hyphenated last name would be too much, I think"
"You're a picky mother you know that, Sabé?" Padmé joked, "But you're right, it would be a bit complicated.
Sabé raised her leg so it acted as a boundary for her baby, "A boy was easy. Ben and I both agreed on Owen if it was a boy, but a girl is different. I think my parents were hoping my sister Devin would be a boy since my mother has so many sisters."
"Is your sister expecting anytime soon?"
"Devin's finished having children but Mia is expecting a boy and this would be her third child," Sabé explained, "My sisters and my mom especially were so happy when I brought Obi-Wan home to meet them. My father always expected me to be single my whole life and that I would typically, be married to politics...What about you Padmé? Any thoughts of settling down?"
Padmé huffed, "Not now...I have my career and dating, I have no time for that. And I think my resume intimidates most men; a Queen at age 14 and a galactic senator only a few short years after and all the stuff I'd done before I became Queen."
"Sounds like you're avoiding the issue," Sabé noted, "But back to this little one. We can't call her baby Maberrie-Kenobi forever. She needs a name...How about Sirai?"
"Sabé dear, all my sister's and nieces' names begin with a 'P', not to mention my mother. My father is the only 'R' in the family," Padmé stated, "My point is, don't make it a habit of making the first letter of all your children's names the same."
Sabé snickered and laughed, "I think that was my mother's biggest complaint after Devin was born. All right, what about Ama?"
"Ama? That better be a nickname for something.."
"Mara," Sabé finally said, "Mara Jade Kenobi,"
Padmé looked again at little Mara and smiled, "Yes, that name fits. I like it, but you better run it by Obi-Wan first before making it official. But I don't think he'll have any objection." she said and winked.
Chapter 1, Post 2
"Anakin, are you here? Padawan?" Obi-Wan called as he walked into the quarters he shared with his apprentice. However, during the last weeks, he hadn't been there as much as he should have been. Instead, he was attending to his pregnant wife but he still wasn't even that far away from Anakin, just down the hall. Obi-Wan strolled through the apartment before finally finding Anakin on the balcony, overlooking the city. "How are you doing?"
Anakin smiled to himself, "It shouldn't bother me that your little girl cries every time I'm near her, but it does," he turned to his Master finally, "Why doesn't she like me?"
"I wish I could answer that, Anakin, but I can't. It shouldn't matter. She's only a baby, she'll get used to you, sort of like a bigger brother." Obi-Wan grinned.
Anakin smiled and rolled his eyes, crossing his arms, "Does that mean I have to baby-sit when you and Sabé want some alone time?"
"I wouldn't worry about babysitting, Master Yoda's already offered his assistance in that area," he said and both men laughed. "Give her time, Anakin. Look, we're going to be able to bring her home in a couple days. Maybe you can work on a welcome home party for our new addition to our family." Obi-Wan slapped his apprentice's shoulder, smiled and walked back inside the apartment.
"Great potential, that child has," Master Yoda stated as he walked sat across from Master Windu during meditation. "However, disturbing it is she does not like Obi-Wan's apprentice…Fear, this is only a premonition of things to come."
"I agree," Master Windu muttered, "Even at this young age, Anakin himself doesn't understand the full intent of the prophecy. Obi-Wan doesn't either, but somehow his child senses darkness in Anakin."
Yoda lowered his head and sighed, "Feared we have, for a long time that, the prophecy means we will lose Anakin to the Dark side. Now, true it might possibly be."
Mace stood up, pacing the room, "Indeed Obi-Wan's daughter is very strong in the Force, but too young to understand her powers. Obi-Wan and Sabé refuse to train her until she is at least old enough to understand her gifts."
"Push them, we must not. Their decision, it must be."
"That's what troubles me, Master," Mace continued, "What if Sabé doesn't want her daughter to be trained and what if Obi-Wan agrees with her?"
Yoda frowned, "Hard for her, it will be. Trained, she must be before her coming of age. Otherwise, loose her too we will," Mace sighed and Master Yoda gestured he sit down and meditate again. "Find the answers we need, Master Windu, we will."
"Where do you think you're going?" Healer Aiska asked the former Ambassador began to pack her things and some clothes for her daughter into a duffle bag, "You need to rest, m'lady. You and your daughter need to rest."
Sabé shrugged, "I know, Master but I would rest better if I were out of this infirmary and in my quarters with my husband. Besides, I never liked hospitals."
Aiska sighed and began to grab an extra bag from the closet, "Well, I know I can't keep you here any longer. You're a strong and stubborn woman, Sabé, Force knows that."
"Thank you Aiska for your help." Sabé smiled and picked up her daughter from the bed, carrying Mara in her right arm while she carried the duffle bag on her other shoulder.
As Sabé walked down the hallway to the apartment, she couldn't help but feel people were staring and whispering things about her and Mara. It shouldn't have bothered her but it did. She was sure everyone heard the rumors of the Council approving her marriage to Obi-Wan months ago but now, it seemed like everyone was talking about her. Mara began to cry, sensing her mother's inner turmoil and Sabé cooed her daughter.
When that didn't work, Sabé began to walk faster until she came upon the apartment. She sensed Anakin and Obi-Wan were already inside and she sent a mental message to Ben to open the door quickly and a moment later, he was at the door. "What are you doing here? I thought you were going to stay in the Healer's Ward a couple more days?" he asked as Sabé handed Mara over to her father.
"Ya know me, I hate being cooped up, especially when I'm surrounded by Healers all the time." Sabé said quickly and went to the kitchen to grab herself a glass of cold water.
Obi-Wan frowned, glanced at Anakin and handed his daughter to his apprentice. Surprisingly, Mara didn't cry in Anakin's arms, which shocked Obi-Wan but at the moment, he was more concerned for his wife. "Sabé, love, what's wrong?"
"I had this strange feeling on my way over here with Mara that people were talking about me. know it shouldn't both me but it does. I mean, what do people say about me, about us?" she questioned.
"I don't know but I don't care. Look Sabé, we went over this. The Council approved of our union, even though it's on a trial basis -- but now that I think about it, I think that was more for my benefit than yours. So, let them talk. What they say about you and me, shouldn't matter." Ben said and grinned, "Feel better now?
Sabé drank some more water and went back into the main room, "Which way to the training rooms?"
Anakin laughed but then frowned once he saw his Master scowl, "Sabé, I don't think that's a good idea. You need to rest."
"Obi-Wan, I've been resting in a bed for two days now," she said grinning, "I promise I won't do anything strenuous."
"Anakin, escort Sabé to the training room and keep an eye on her."
Sabé scowled and laughed, "I can't believe you're ordering your apprentice to baby-sit me, Obi-Wan."
He shrugged and said nonchalantly, "Not baby-sit you, just watch you…."
"Anakin's baby-sitting me," she said, "Fine, fine, come on Anakin. You'll serve as my dummy." Anakin gulped and then followed his charge.
"Um excuse me, m'lady, but when you said I'd serve as your dummy, what does that mean exactly?" Anakin asked. Sabé smiled to herself and continued down the hallway to the gym.
"Ambassador Naberrie," the blue eyed Master said, greeting the former Ambassador of Naboo. Sabé smiled politely at the woman as Anakin hesitantly followed her. "What brings you here?"
"I hope you don't mind, Master, but a work-out. Since the attempt on my life a couple months ago, I'd been putting off coming here to the gym to do basic training - to teach myself how to defend myself as I did when I was a handmaiden for Queen Amidala."
The Master smiled, "No doubt, you're in need of the practice. If you wish m'lady, you can take one of the private rooms…"
Sabé looked at Anakin and then to the Master. "Actually, I was hoping I could get some useful tips from any of the teachers available."
"I'm not busy at the moment. I could help you," she said and extended her hand to Sabé. "Master Luminara Unduli." Luminara looked at Anakin. "And you're Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan's apprentice?"
Anakin grunted, "I am but right now I'm a dummy for m'lady and babysitter…"
"Anakin," Sabé scolded, "I think I'm all right here. You can go back to your Master and tell him I found someone to help me." He looked at Master Unduli, bowed, leaving the two ladies alone. "Thank you again, Master Unduli, for helping me."
Luminara smiled at Sabé briefly and then went to the training closet, grabbing some staffs. "Before we get to the hand-to-hand combat, I think it would be best to work with staffs first. Do you agree?"
"Yes, very much. My hand-to-hand combat is pretty rusty," Sabé cried, and then was quiet as Luminara threw the extra staff to her and she caught it, "But apparently, hand coordination is still good,"
"Hand coordination is only a secondary weapon, my dear. The biggest thing you must worry about is your focus," she said, and began to twirl the staff around, circling her. "You must watch the staff, find it's path and know which way I'm going to strike before I do."
Sabé followed her staff as she said and then suddenly backed away before she swung the staff in her direction. Luminara smiled. "Good. You're learning. Had you resisted, you would have met the floor," she swung again but this time sweeping past her legs. Sabé dodged her, jumping quickly enough that the staff barely touched her.
"Two points for me!" Sabé cheered.
"Hmm, I think you've been holding out on me, m'lady. Have you been training with your famous husband during late nights?"
Sabé blushed and sighed, "He's a good teacher."
"Yes, he is. His master was the best swordsman in the Order as was his Master."
"You knew Qui-Gon Jinn?"
"We worked together once on a mission, a long time before he met Obi-Wan and became his Master," she admitted. "I will even admit this, I had a little crush on Qui-Gon not too long after I met him." she said and swung unexpectedly at Sabé, but Sabe blocked her again mid-chest and pushed her away.
Sabé shrugged, "I never pictured Obi-Wan's former Master as a ladies man."
Luminara snickered. "Oh no, my dear. Qui-Gon and I were never involved romantically."
"What about Obi-Wan? I'd never talked to anyone in the Temple about his bachelor days."
The Master lowered her staff and looked curiously at Sabé, "Do you really want to know about your husband's life when he was a younger man? A lot of it isn't pretty."
"We all have our beginnings." Sabé shrugged.
"Yes, we do," Luminara said as she set her staff off to the side and gestured Sabé sit down with her for a rest. "His nickname was Oafy-Wan."
"Oafy-Wan? Wait, does that mean what I think it means…? My husband was a klutz as a young boy?" Sabé said incredulously.
Luminara shrugged, "Not extremely klutzy, he only tripped that one time and it earned him that nickname. He wasn't considered a -- er, a good catch until his twenties."
"Hmm, I think I know what you mean. Many of the Queen's handmaidens had the biggest crush on him," Sabé remembered, "Despite the seriousness of the situation, Obi-Wan was the subject of many late night girl talk sessions. Although I didn't participate in them, I always had a pretty good idea of what was said about him."
Luminara smirked and laughed to herself. "Um, I heard you gave birth recently to a baby girl. Congratulations, Obi-Wan always wanted to be a father."
Sabé smiled dreamily, "Mara is wonderful, red hair like her father and blue eyes. She's so beautiful and precious."
Luminara smiled in return, "And her potential? Has she been tested?"
"No, Obi-Wan and I decided she wouldn't be tested during her first year. We'd like to be able to be parents first and then give her to a Master to train," Sabé paused. "She does, however, have a clear sense of people, or at least I think she does. I'm sad to say she doesn't like Anakin too much for some reason."
"Odd," the Master said, "Maybe she senses something about him, a darkness perhaps."
Sabé shrugged. "In Anakin? Maybe, I don't know. Maybe it's too early to tell these things."
"It's good to see her gifts develop this early, that way they can be nurtured later in life."
"I suppose or she could just be fussy about certain people," Sabé mused and then stood up. "Wanna have another go at it, or do you need to attend a class or something?"
Luminara smiled, "I would love to fight with you some more m'lady but my Padawan is expecting me. I'm free in the morning tomorrow. We can practice, gossip during break, and practice some more if you wish."
"Thank you, Master. It feels good to be able to talk with someone about these things."
Chapter 1, Post 3
Sabé set Mara in her eating seat, grabbed a large napkin and tucked it around her daughter's neck. She felt her husband and Anakin return from sparring, Master and Padawan parted ways and then Obi-Wan continued onto the apartment. Sabé wrinkled her nose and then stood up, grabbing two dishes from the kitchen and set them on the table as Obi-Wan entered the apartment.
"Dinner?" he asked.
"Hope you don't mind, I thought I'd make some Nubian dishes."
Obi-Wan smiled. "I'll be right out, just need to clean up."
Sabé smiled and Obi-Wan disappeared into their room. "I met someone wonderful today at the gym. I think her name was Master Luminara Unduli. Do you know her?"
"Luminara? Hmm, sounds familiar. I think she may have been involved with Qui-Gon at some point," he said from the other room. Sabé giggled as he walked back into the room in a fresher tunic and pants, "She's a good listener. I remember that much about her."
"Yes, she is. I was going to ask her if she could train Mara but then she mentioned she was meeting her Padawan in a while." Sabé mused.
Obi-Wan frowned as he sat down, "Train Mara? I thought you wanted to wait at least a year before training her."
Sabé sighed as she sat down. "I do but it doesn't hurt to start looking at possible Masters to teach her. Even if Luminara doesn't, I'm sure there's someone else out there."
"You've changed. This afternoon you were wired...you seem calmer now."
Mara watched her parents, not really paying attention to her dinner as Sabé set some salad on her plate and poured some soup for her. "I guess it helped to talk to someone. I got the feeling before that no one really liked me in the Temple," she explained. "Um, we have some extra food, do you want to call Anakin to join us?"
"You don't mind?"
She smiled, "It's fine, Ben. Call him," Sabé watched her husband curiously as he reached into their bond and then moved slightly, eating some food. Sabé sighed, stood up and walked to the door, showing her husband's apprentice inside. "Welcome, Anakin."
"I don't think it'll work, Sabé," Anakin started, facing Mara. Mara turned her head away defiantly, she was a fussy girl with her mother's stubbornness. "She doesn't like me."
Sabé laughed, "Be calm, Ani."
He shrugged and held out the spoon again to Mara, the small piece of shaak meat on it. Anakin waited patiently but she was starting to try his patience. Obi-Wan sent his daughter a mental message to eat the food. Mara shrugged away again and then opened up her mouth, eating the meat. Anakin smiled, sat back easily and looked at his Master and his wife.
"Good job, Mara," Sabé congratulated her. "See, Anakin, she does like you. She ate the meat."
"I still think she doesn't like me," he said and drank some water. "Why doesn't she like me?"
Obi-Wan shrugged, "Don't worry about it, Padawan. Remember what I told you before."
Anakin grunted, looked at Mara and then made a silly-face, making her cry. "Do I scare her? Is that why she doesn't like me?"
"She's not used to you, Anakin, that's all," Sabé reassured him, "She's only two days old."
"But very powerful in the Force," Obi-Wan added. "She feels everything; she can sense other people's emotions." Sabé was quiet as she wiped off the sauce on Mara's lips from the meat.
Anakin cleared his throat, "Have you two decided when she'll be trained or who will train her?"
Obi-Wan glanced at his wife and then at his apprentice. "Not yet. But we know she definitely has the potential."
"It's not the right time for that, Ben," Sabé finally added. "Maybe a year from now we'll find her a Master."
"Isn't that a bit late?" Anakin said and then Obi-Wan motioned him to be quiet. "But I think that'll be fine. She'll be tested the day after her first birthday."
Sabé stood up, removed the napkin from Mara's neck and picked her up from the chair, "I'm going to put her to bed now. Anakin, if you could stay and help Ben with the dishes."
"Why do I get the feeling Sabé is avoiding the question of whether Mara should be trained or not?" Anakin asked his Master as they stood on the balcony, overlooking Coruscant.
Ben shrugged and took another sip of his blue milk. "Mara is our only daughter, Anakin, and Sabé knows how dangerous our lives can be. She wants to protect her as a mother would. I want to protect her too."
"I know you both want to protect her, Master," he whispered. "Now that Sabé is out of a job, do you know what she's going to do?"
"Stay at home probably and take care of Mara, but knowing her, she wouldn't want to be cooped up too long in one place. She'll want to get out and do something," he said.
Sabé suddenly cleared her throat and the two men turned to her, "Talking about me behind my back, are we?" she said, grinning, "Ben was right about one thing, I couldn't stand to be cooped up for long. Maybe I can get a job as Padmé's assistant in the Senate..."
"I thought you were through with politics?" Obi-Wan cried and then sensed her mocking tone and frowned wryly, "That wasn't funny."
Sabé twirled around briefly, smiled at her husband and then directed her attention to Anakin. "Anakin, how's your new job going? You're the Chancellor's new assistant, right?"
"The Chancellor is a good teacher, very wise," the boy said, receiving an huff from Obi-Wan, "Do you wish to add something, Master?"
"Nothing, Anakin, nothing," Obi-Wan said but Sabé suspected what he was feeling. He never liked politics and never trusted the Chancellor. "What have you learned from the Chancellor, Padawan?"
Anakin smiled, "He never tells me anything about politics but rather that I watch him and the actions of other Senators."
"Observation is always the best way to learn politics, Ani," Sabé added. "I wasn't much of a politician in my service to Queen Amidala but I learned over time from watching her."
"And how did your view of things differ from Padmé's?" Anakin wondered. "You two argue all the time about the way things should be done?"
Sabé shrugged, "Not really. Mostly because when it was just us, we never talked about politics. We made it a rule early in our friendship that we would never talk about politics to each other if we were alone and didn't have to worry about Naboo or the Republic. I mean, Padmé was only 14 years old, I was 17 at the time but even though I was older, I often looked to her as my mentor and best friend."
"I understand that," Anakin mumbled. "Why waste your time talking about other people's worries when you could be relaxing and gossiping about the newest cutie place guard."
Sabé blushed and grinned, "Please, we would never gossip about the palace guards! That was Saché's and Eirtaé's job. They were the expects on men, or at least claimed to be."
"Can we please talk about something else?" Obi-Wan interrupted, "I don't want to hear about palace guards or the hot males you handmaidens' chased after."
"Who said I ever chased them?" Sabé quipped and smiled. "Padmé would kill me if I ever used my position as Queen's Decoy to flirt with a man. Captain Panaka would have had a fit too."
Obi-Wan smiled, glancing at the chrono. "It's getting late, Anakin. You need to report promptly to the Senate building and be in the Chancellor's office tomorrow morning."
"Oooh Anakin, could I go with you?" Sabé asked and Obi-Wan looked at her suspiciously. "Can I? I promise I won't stay long, I just want to visit with Padmé before she returns to Naboo for rest ...I'll take Mara with me."
"Don't stay long, love,"
Sabé smiled, "I promise."
"Why is Padmé returning to Naboo? Doesn't she have a lot of work to do here?" Anakin asked Sabé as they walked down the senate hall.
Sabé shifted her weight as she carried Mara, "Because she needs the rest, Ani. As a politician, she doesn't get to go home as much. There's always a crisis to take care of or new legislation to worry about. She needs a break, too."
"I guess," he mumbled and stopped at a specific door. "This is Padmé's office, I'll be in Chancellor's office if you need anything." Anakin smiled at her before leaving and Sabé once again shifted her weight, accidentally awakening Mara in her arms.
"Sabé," Padmé started, shocked to see her former decoy, "What are you two doing here?"
She shrugged, "I hope you don't mind the visit, but I wanted to talk to you before you left later today for Naboo."
"Padawan Skywalker, the Chancellor is waiting for you," the secretary said and pressed a button on her comlink, "M'lord, Anakin Skywalker is here for today's lesson."
Anakin barely listened as she gestured he could go in. He looked around the apartment/office before resting his gaze on the Chancellor, "Sorry, if I was late, M'lord. Sabé wanted to spend time with Senator Naberrie before she returns to Naboo."
The Chancellor smiled. "I understand ...I also understand the new Mrs. Kenobi gave birth recently to a baby girl."
"Yes she did. Mara's wonderful, M'lord, except that she doesn't like me for some reason. She hasn't liked me at all since her birth."
Palpatine turned to him, "She's probably just fussy, Anakin," he said.
Anakin shrugged. "Probably, M'lord." He paused and looked at his mentor, "She has the potential but her parents refuse to train her now."
"I thought Master Kenobi would be against that decision, he is the Jedi Master in the family."
"It was a joint decision, I think," he mused. "They don't want to be strangers in her life, which is understandable."
Palpatine grinned. "One year out of the child's life isn't a bad thing, Anakin. I think it was a wise decision on their part...Sabé and the child are here in the building?"
"With Padmé," he said.
"Very good," Palpatine mused. "I shall like to visit with them."
tbc