Dormé viewed the security hologram from inside Senator Amidala's apartment with an obvious frown. She had just settled the senator down less than two hours ago, and just outside their doorway now stood the reason that her friend had been so upset.
"Anakin Skywalker." She mumbled with slight disgust, and continued murmuring to herself as she slowly made her way to the door. "What was I thinking when I talked the senator into this? Padmé is miserable and its all my fault."
She moved to the door and put on her best welcoming smile. "Anakin Skywalker." Dormé greeted the young Jedi, glancing behind and to each side of the padawan. "Where is Master Obi-Wan?"
"I'm alone." Came the quick reply. "And I need to speak with Padmé, please."
"I don't think you're supposed to see her by yourself." Dormé countered, blocking the doorway with her outstretched arms and small body.
"I know that. But this is important." Anakin beseeched her with a half-lidded blue eyed gaze. His hand had come up to touch Dormé's arm gently, but the young woman didn't flinch. No wonder she was Padmé's top bodyguard. The girl was made of stone!
She surprised him however as her arms dropped from the doorframe. "Wait here."
Dormé left Anakin standing in the apartment foyer and gracefully crossed the apartment, heading toward Padmé's bedroom, mumbling to herself along the way.
"Those blue eyes might work on your little Jedi padawans, but not me buster. I wasn't born on an asteroid you know."
She slid open Padmé's door and peeked through, finding the young woman where she had left her an hour ago – wrapped up in a thick blue comforter, propped up against several satin pillows, staring out the large window into the passing Coruscant traffic.
"Mi'Lady? Feeling better?" She asked as she entered the room.
"No." Padmé answered bluntly, not turning from the scenery.
"Well, I'm afraid you have some company."
She did turn then, looking at Dormé questioningly.
"Anakin Skywalker is here to see you." Dormé grimaced at the delivery of news that Padmé obviously didn't want to hear.
A long moan issued from the young woman on the bed as she fell over sideways and brought a pillow up and over her head. "Make them go away." Came the muffled reply.
"There's no 'them' Mi'Lady." Dormé moved to the bedside and removed the pillow. "It's just Anakin."
Padmé immediately sat up, squinting in discomfort as she reached up and massaged her aching head with her hand. "What's he doing here? I'm not supposed to see him alone! That's against the rules!"
"I told him that. He said it's important."
Padmé dropped her hand and looked sorrowfully at her young bodyguard. "I don't care. I can't do this any more. Let's face it. Our plan didn't work."
"My plan, you mean." Dormé sat heavily down upon the bed, facing Padmé. "I'm so sorry, Mi'Lady. I had no idea that this Shidoki thing was going to affect you this way."
"Me either." Padmé grumbled. "Dormé, what's wrong with me?"
"I believe I can answer that question." A masculine voice filled the room.
At the sound of Anakin's voice, both women turned to see him standing in the bedroom doorway. Dormé glanced back to Padmé and when the senator revealed a small smile and a slight nod, the young woman rose from the bed and left the room.
"Anakin." Padmé cautioned. "I really don't think you should be here." She pulled the covers tightly about her pajama-clad body.
"Probably not." He teased as he leaned against the door, arms crossed. "But I think I can help you."
"How?"
"First, let me guess what ails you. You've been having stomach problems," he began as he counted on his fingers one by one, "headaches, trouble sleeping, and sometimes…bad dreams."
"That's right." Padmé hesitatingly agreed. All except for the dreams. They weren't bad – they were just extremely erotic and and they were about Obi-Wan. It wasn't the dreams that bothered her, but waking up from them left her feeling isolated, abandoned, and bordering on depressed, and then afterward the abdominal discomfort would begin. It didn't used to be this way. At least not before that stupid preliminary ceremony.
"How do you know that?"
"Because." Anakin moved away from the door and sat down on the far corner of the bed. "Master Obi-Wan has been suffering with the same symptoms."
He smiled at Padmé's obvious confusion. The young woman's brows furrowed, as she leaned forward onto her updrawn knees.
With a small grin, Anakin explained. He had a feeling that the news he was about to bring Padmé was going to make her happy. At least he hoped it would. "You are both suffering from bond sickness."
"Bond sickness." Padmé repeated in a monotone voice.
"The results of an incomplete bondmatch."
Anakin waited while the words washed over the young woman, causing a variety of emotions to cross her face, although she ended up looking exactly the way she had before -- thoroughly confused.
"But….but…but…" She stammered.
"I'm not your bondmatch, Padmé. Master Obi-Wan is." Anakin smiled, expecting Padmé to do the same.
His smile, however, quickly turned into a frown as the young woman in front of him burst into tears, her head quickly dropping down onto her knees and her sobs wracking her small body. Anakin rushed to her side and drew her into his arms, trying to comfort her some way.
"I'm sorry. I thought you would have been happy about this."
Instead of the shudders decreasing, Anakin noticed with some disappointment that they were steadily increasing. He honestly didn't know what to do and was about to call for Dormé's help when he heard sounds of what appeared to be laughter coming from underneath the layers of Padmé's blankets.
"Padmé?"
Her head came up and in the midst of her tears, a large smile spread across her face.
"Thank you!" Padmé cried out as she threw her arms around the padawan's neck, squeezing him tightly. She then withdrew suddenly and jumped up from the bed, rushing over to the dressing area to begin changing.
"What are you doing?" Anakin asked as he averted his eyes with a hand.
"Going to see Obi-Wan!"
"You can't."
With her fresh gown on but unbuttoned down the back, Padmé spun to face him. 'What do you mean I can't?"
"Master Yoda said that we had to continue with the Shidoki courtship."
"What?" Padmé was incredulous, her hands immediately coming to her hips in a defiant gesture. "I don't want to continue! If Obi-Wan feels half as bad as I do..then…he feels terrible!" Her hand flew out from her side in an exaggerated movement.
"I'm afraid Master Obi-Wan is suffering far worse than you, Padmé. You are not Force-sensitive. My Master has been relying upon his mental shielding alone just to get through the day."
"Then we have to tell him!" The young woman insisted.
"We can't. Master Yoda has a plan. And besides, if you went to Obi-Wan now and told him, he would just deny it. He can be quite stubborn, you know."
Anakin rose from the bed and walked to the tall window. "I've been thinking on this and I think Yoda is right. In order for Master Obi-Wan to change his mind about this, it is going to have to take a sign from the Force. Something very obvious. In the meantime, we have to pretend everything is the same as it was."
"I don't like this." Padmé added as she sunk into a nearby chair. "I don't want to hurt him."
"Neither do I." Anakin turned to look her in the eye, a small smile dimpling his face. "But it's complicated. We're going to have to trust Master Yoda."
Padmé sighed heavily and nodded her head slowly in agreement. "All right." She stated, but she did not feel comfortable in deceiving the man she loved.