A/N: I was a bit surprised at your reactions at Anakin's behaviour. Did you honestly expect him to run to Padmé, hug her and say that he didn't mind being deceived:-P It wouldn't have been much Anakin-like, and then there would be no point in writing this story at all. ;)

Well, this is a short story, and there are maybe six chapters of it left.

Thank you so much for reading and enjoy!

CrazyAni

Chapter Five

Due to the fact that Padmé's apartment was damaged and needed repairing, she was forced to stay at a guest house for some time before the Senate would allot her another apartment.

Anakin and Obi-Wan escorted her to the guest house, but neither of them was really talking to her. Anakin continued to ignore her, and Obi-Wan withdrew himself from her as well. The two Jedi were talking in hushed voices in the main room as Padmé was unpacking her things in the bedroom.

Anakin had changed so much since the last time she had seen him. His buzzed Padawan cut had grown into wonderful golden locks, and it fell softly on his face, making him look even more seductive. War had driven the last remains of boyhood out of him, and he turned into a man, a cunning warrior and a loving husband, whose only weakness was immeasurable love to his wife. And how did she repay him for his love?

Her thoughts were interrupted by the door bell ringing. Padmé hurried out of her room, and saw Obi-Wan opening the door to a young Jedi woman. She was a tall human, with her dark red hair made in a neat braid. As her gaze fell upon Anakin, her grey eyes swirled with mad joy, and her face was lit by the brightest smile. Padmé's heart sank deeply, and she almost felt a physical pain as she saw Anakin's eyes shining with equal great joy. His lips stretched into a soft smile, and to Padmé, the dark room seemed to be lit by a ray of sunshine. She gritted her teeth. It was a special smile, reserved for her only…

"Master Kenobi," she bowed to Obi-Wan, for a second averting her eyes from Anakin.

"Hello, Dayla," Obi-Wan said casually. "Thank you very much for joining us on this mission."

Dayla smiled delightedly. "It was my pleasure, Master Kenobi. I respect Senator Amidala, and I haven't seen both you and Anakin for a long time."

Obi-Wan nodded, casting a glance at Dayla that Padmé couldn't interpret. "A long time indeed," he said.

Dayla walked to Padmé and bowed deeply. "Senator Amidala," she said. "It is a pleasure for me to be assigned to guard you."

It is a pleasure for you to work with my Ani, Padmé thought acidly. On the outside, she mastered her best fake smile. "Thank you, Knight Telwis. I hope we will get to know each other well." I hope I'll find out how you are connected to my Ani, she added inwardly.

Dayla smiled politely, her eyes burning with purest excitement and enthusiasm. "I hope so too, Senator," she said kindly. "This is my first mission on my own, and I'm glad to be assigned to spend some time with one of the few politicians I respect."

Padmé frowned. "Don't you like politics?" she asked, unable to stop herself.

Dayla shrugged. "I think that all the politicians are just liars. I like a few, but most of them are just corrupted little people who think of nothing but their own well-being."

Padmé wanted to retort something harsh, but the girl's eyes were watching her so sincerely and innocently, that she bit back her nasty remark.

"I suppose we better stop discussing politics for today," Anakin said, stepping between Dayla and her. "Senator Amidala is a skilled orator, and she can make you believe that you see white instead of black." He grinned playfully at Dayla, and the girl blossomed in response. They must be even-aged.

They hugged each other, and, in Padmé's opinion, didn't let go for too long.

"Anakin, it's been so long," Dayla said after they broke apart. Then she grinned and played with a lock of his golden hair. "Love the hair."

You're not the only one, Padmé thought contemptuously.

"Likewise," Anakin replied mischievously and pulled her by the braid. She laughed melodically, and her laughter was a pain in Padmé's ears.

"Ani, you haven't changed," she said after her laughter subdued a bit.

Anakin raised his eyebrows, glints of amusement dancing in his eyes. "You'll find you're very much mistaken about it, Knight Telwis."

Obi-Wan stepped between them, and Padmé wanted to hug the Jedi Master to death.

"I'm sorry to interrupt you, but we are on a mission," he said sternly, though Padmé could have sworn that she had seen him hiding a fluent grin in his beard. "Anakin, why don't you go to the Temple and grab some of our belongings? I'm dying for a shower and a fresh tunic."

Only now did Padmé notice clumps of mud on the Jedi's tunics, how tired and worn Obi-Wan looked. Anakin's appearance wasn't screaming with fatigue, but the circles under his eyes and bitterness by the corners of his lips told Padmé that he wasn't at his best either. Obi-Wan slumped into a chair and rubbed his forehead.

"Are you all right, Master?" Anakin asked anxiously, putting his flesh hand on his former Master's shoulder. "You look worse for wear."

"I'm fine, Anakin," Obi-Wan said weakly. "This mission had just gotten into me."

Anakin snorted. "Taren got us fooled. We have searched nearly all the swamps in the galaxy for him, and he had been on Coruscant all along."

Padmé shifted uncomfortably. When Dayla entered the scene, the spikes of overwhelming guilt and shame stabbing her heart were replaced by the choking feeling of jealousy. Though, why was she jealous? Dayla seemed to be merely an old friend.

But now the dull ache sprang to life again, and Padmé felt her heart bleeding and hurting so much she wanted to scream. Everything she desired for was to rest in circle of Anakin's loving arms, to hear that he loved her despite what she had done and that he forgave her. But could she ever forgive herself?

The world began spinning around her, and Padmé lost all sense of reality. The weight of betrayal on her shoulders was unbearable, suffocating her and squashing her. Her knees trembled, and she fell onto the couch. The edge of her mind perceived vaguely voices speaking, but she couldn't distinguish words. She just stared blankly in the space.

How could she be so stupid to believe in the rumour of Anakin's death? How could she let herself be infatuated by Kayle's charms, by his good looks? As the image of cold, inhuman eyes resurfaced in her memory, Padmé couldn't understand how she could have been attracted to him in the first place. She had been lonely and desperate, but it was no excuse for what she had done.

Padmé heard vaguely the door hissing, and then a warm hand touched her shoulder. With an enormous effort, Padmé dragged herself back into reality, and found herself staring at Obi-Wan.

"Are you alright, Padmé?" he asked her kindly.

How can I be alright if Ani doesn't even look at me?

"Yes, thank you for your concern, Obi-Wan," she said, stretching her lips in a fake, unconvincing smile. She looked around. Anakin and Dayla were gone. "Where is Anakin?"

"He went to the Temple to freshen up a bit. He should return in a couple of hours."

"But Knight Telwis doesn't need to freshen up," Padmé blurted out before she could restrain herself. What was up with her?

Obi-Wan frowned, and his gaze became cold and distant again. "Anakin and Dayla are old friends, and they haven't seen each other for years. They have a lot to catch up."

"Anakin had never told me about her," Padmé said barely audible.

"Why should he?" Obi-Wan asked her, the tone of his voice harsh. "With all respect, he doesn't have any commitment to you, Senator."

"But I'm his … friend!" Padmé yelled. How dare he hide from her the fact that he had had a … female friend?

Obi-Wan surveyed her silently. Then he sighed, and his gaze softened. "I don't mean to hurt your feelings, Padmé, but after the scene Anakin had witnessed at your apartment, he is in desperate need for a good friend. Dayla is exactly the person he needs now."

Padmé swallowed, her eyes burning again, as the weight of guilt pressured on her again, twisting her and making it hard to breathe. "I-," she began, and then stopped abruptly. What was she going to say, anyway?

"Anakin loves you, Padmé," Obi-Wan said softly. "He has loved you since he was a little boy. After Geonosis, I had a feeling that you returned his feelings. But this morning had proven me wrong."

Padmé blinked furiously, trying to stop hot tears, but then a single tear run down her cheek. Soon it was followed by others.

"This morning, he witnessed the woman he loves kissing another man. By a cruel twist of circumstances, this man is the one he had been chasing for months." Obi-Wan paused for a moment. "You have hurt him deeply, Padmé. His wound is deeper than you'll ever realise."

"I know," Padmé said in a small voice. Anakin was always a bundle of energy and never calm and indifferent. Padmé wished he would just let his emotions out and not let them brew inside. One day, he would release them, and Padmé feared that it would consume him, like it did in her dream. And all that would happen only because of her…Unable to hold back her tears any longer, Padmé broke into desperate sobs. She had no idea that a person could have so many tears to shed.

"You must be feeling awful," Obi-Wan said. "And … I can understand you."

Padmé had the feeling that the Jedi Master wanted to say something completely different, but restrained himself from doing so.

"You're taking his side, aren't you?" she asked quietly.

Obi-Wan pondered long before replying. "I'm not taking anyone's side," he said at last. "But my sympathies lie with Anakin." He sighed heavily. "Anakin was never an ordinary Jedi, and his unconditional love to you is a part of who he is. I think he had always hoped that you would return his feelings one day, and maybe you have even given him hope. Anakin has always walked in the skies, and today he crashed into the surface in the most brutal way. His world shattered, and it will take some time before he adjusts to the bitter reality."

"I'm so sorry," Padmé whispered through another fit of sobs.

"I think you both need to talk, Padmé," Obi-Wan said softly. "You need to clear some things out."

Padmé drew a shaky breath. What she had done couldn't be made right by a simple apology. Anakin was the most loyal and devoted person she had ever encountered, and betrayal was the only thing he couldn't understand. Especially if it was she who stabbed him in the back…

Obi-Wan placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "You don't need to feel bad, Padmé," he said. "You are a beautiful woman, and a man charmed you. You didn't know he was a criminal."

"But it still doesn't make it right," Padmé contradicted. "It doesn't make it right for Anakin."

Obi-Wan smiled slightly. "You haven't done anything forbidden. You don't have any commitment to Anakin and you are free to kiss whoever you like to. It was a pure coincidence that Anakin had seen you doing that."

Obi-Wan, if you only knew how much more complicated this story is.

Obi-Wan cupped her by the chin and made her look at him. "You haven't betrayed Anakin, Padmé." Then he laughed softly. "After all, you aren't married to him."

Padmé had never thought before that these simple words could have the effect to tear her heart apart.

------

His quarters greeted him with a glooming coldness. It was supposed to be his home, but his heart didn't lie here. His home was at his mother's side, or with Padmé. Padmé… How could she do something like that to him?

When he had seen her together with another man, a traitor to the Republic, Anakin had felt he would explode from conflicting emotions. He forgot how to breathe, how to move his arms, he forgot what his name was – he could just stare at the horrible scene playing in front of him, and the image of Padmé fiercely kissing another man still stood before his eyes.

He had felt as if he had been struck by a bolt of lightning. Then another sensation had awoken in his soul, a feeling he hadn't experienced since his mother died. The night his mother had been taken away from him, a monster had been born inside of him, and it had ordered him to make the Tuskens pay for what they had done. Today, this monster woke up and, sniffing the air delightedly, told him to make Padmé pay for her betrayal. Roaring in anger, it told him to kill Kayle, to choke Padmé, and then destroy everyone who had ever been unjust to him.

Anakin feared this creature, and it took all of his mental power not to let the monster kill Taren. This man was a bad and twisted person, but no one deserved death. If he killed him, he would kill a small part of himself. Taren was not worth it.

Being with Dayla relaxed him, and he was glad to see her again. She was a reminder of happier times, the happiest in his life as a Padawan. But she was also a reminder of one of the most tragic events in his life, and one of the gravest mistakes he had ever committed.

"It doesn't look cosy," Dayla said, stepping into his quarters.

Anakin went to the wardrobe and started packing his belongings. "I don't live here. You know, I tend to spend most of my time either in a jungle or in a swamp."

And with my wife when I'm on Coruscant, he added inwardly. His thoughts drifted to Padmé again, and his heart made a painful jerk. The monster snarled venomously, but Anakin pushed him inside. Being with Dayla distracted him from pain, and she was one of the symbols of his innocence, of the times when he hadn't yet carried a monster inside of him.

Dayla laughed. "I know the feeling. But my former Master and I tend to hang out in bars to get information."

She walked around and approached the table full with spare droid parts. She picked a broken transmitter and smiled, lapsing in reminiscence. "You haven't changed at all, Ani," she said softly, turning to him.

He smiled sadly. "I changed too much." You won't like the person I've become, he added inwardly.

She walked to him and put her arm on his shoulder, looking him deep into the eyes. Standing so close to her, looking so intense in her sparkling grey eyes brought in him memories he had fought long to bury.

"It's been a long time," he said.

Dayla smiled, but the smile didn't reach her eyes. "Since Tak and Darriss were gone," she whispered, her eyes bearing a haunted look he hadn't seen in her eyes since that night.

Whenever he had been with Padmé, Anakin tried to convince himself that he had nothing to hide, and as years passed, he had even started to believe in it. Giving Dayla a hug, he had a sinking feeling that the past he had been trying to escape from had finally caught up with him. He asked himself dumbly if his marriage with Padmé could survive it.