Chapter 54
Awkward Good-Byes

Vader lay face-down on his bed, with his face buried in his pillow. He wasn't sleepy anymore, but he desperately didn't want to get up. If he got up, then he'd have to go someplace he didn't want to go. Obi-Wan would make him.

Roughly two weeks had passed since he'd…he'd…done some very inappropriate things with Padmé. It didn't matter that some weird drug called Trystacine was involved. He'd still done it.

He didn't remember doing it. But despite his lack of memory, he still dreamed about it. Perhaps it was subconscious memories coming back to him in his sleep, or maybe it was just his overactive imagination coming up with what might've happened that night.

Whatever it was though, it haunted him. He could practically feel the softness of her skin and the silkiness of her hair and smell the fragrance of her. And, to his shame, all he wanted was to smell her, touch her, taste her again.

Obi-Wan was no help at all. Every single day Obi-Wan tried to convince him to come with him and visit Padmé. Vader always refused. There was simply no way that he could face her ever again. Not after what he'd done.

He doesn't understand, Vader thought bitterly. He'll never understand. He's a Jedi, he was raised in a friggin' plastic bubble! He's probably never been anywhere close to being in love, and there's no way in hell that he's ever slept with anyone!

Vader swallowed a moan as he heard his door open and sensed Obi-Wan march inside. He refused to look up, keeping his face stubbornly buried in his pillow. Whatever happened to knocking and asking permission to come in? Vader wondered sourly.

"Get up," Obi-Wan commanded sternly.

"No," Vader mumbled into his pillow.

"This is ridiculous, you're twenty-one, almost twenty-two years old." Obi-Wan grumbled. "Get up."

"No," Vader repeated, shifting his pillow so that it covered his head. Go away.

"Get up now before I make you." Obi-Wan threatened.

"I'd like to see you try," Vader snorted. I'm taller than you are and I weigh more. There's no way that you can make me move–

He hadn't even finished his thought when he felt himself moving. The sheets peeled off his body and he felt himself being lifted up off his bed. It was obvious that Obi-Wan was levitating him out of bed since no one was touching him. And then Obi-Wan dropped him on the floor, making no effort to soften his landing.

Vader grunted and stiffly sat up to glare at Obi-Wan. The older man slowly opened his eyes, which had been closed in concentration, and stared right back. They scowled at one another for a while before Vader broke and looked away.

"Get going," Obi-Wan commanded. "We'll be leaving in an hour so be ready."

"Yes Master," Vader murmured in defeat.

Obi-Wan left the room with Vader still sitting on the floor. Vader slumped forward and hide his face in his hands. It seemed that Obi-Wan's famous patience was finally starting to run out with him. He was going to get Vader to see Padmé before they left this afternoon for the Outer Rim, even if he had to drag Vader there by his hair while he was still in his sleep clothes.

I'm doomed, Vader sighed. I…am…doomed…

Padmé sat at her kitchen table and yawned. It wasn't very early, it was roughly mid-morning, but she still felt half-asleep. And today, just like the last few mornings, she just felt bad. It was a vague feeling of nausea, but she never had a fever, and it always went away after she forced her way through breakfast.

The first time she thought she might be coming down with a virus. But without a fever and considering the fact that it went away after an hour or so, she wasn't so sure. Right now, her best theory was that it was stress.

Maybe I should try and find some time for a vacation, Padmé sighed as Sabé bustled around the kitchen, starting breakfast up and brewing a pot of caf. That'll make Sabé happy. Sabé paused in her preparations to pour Padmé a cup of caf and then returned to cooking eggs on the stove.

Padmé sipped at the slightly bitter stimulant drink and grimaced. She never drank the stuff for its flavor, just for the kick of energy it delivered. But this pot tasted way worse than usual…

Her stomach turned over and the next thing she knew, she'd dropped her cup and was bolting for the refresher. She barely made it in time, no thanks to her long dress that she tripped over two or three times. And then what little was in her stomach escaped.

She hated throwing up with a passion. It was absolutely disgusting and it felt nasty. But after she finished, she felt a heck of a lot better. After cleaning out her mouth, she felt more than ready for breakfast, her earlier nausea completely forgotten.

However Sabé was waiting for her on the other side of the refresher door and she was upset. "Get in bed right now." Sabé commanded, sternly pointing the way to her bed.

"What?" Padmé blinked. "No, I'm fine."

"Padmé, you just puked, that doesn't fit with being fine." Sabé scowled. "Get back in bed."

"No, really, I'm fine," Padmé insisted. "I feel much better, except for the fact that I'm starving. If I was sick I wouldn't be hungry." She argued.

Sabé eyed Padmé skeptically. "How do I know you're just not saying that?"

"Sabé, if I was sick and throwing up, I'd go straight to bed without you having to tell me." Padmé declared. "Why would I go to work if I had the stomach flu or whatever? I seriously doubt I'd do much good for Naboo's image by vomiting in the middle of a speech in the Senate."

"Yeah," Sabé muttered thoughtfully. "Well, if you get sick again, I don't care what you say, you're going back to bed and staying there until a doctor or medical droid clears you for work."

"Fine, fine," Padmé sighed in mild annoyance. "Let's get back to breakfast, I'm starving!"

Obi-Wan swallowed yet another annoyed sigh as Vader yet again fidgeted next to him in the lift. "You seem a little on edge." He observed dryly.

"What is it with you and understating things?" Vader snapped back irritably.

"I was merely making an observation," Obi-Wan frowned, "there's no need to snap about it." Vader made an incoherent sound of frustration and looked away from Obi-Wan, intent on ignoring him. Obi-Wan shook his head wearily. "You're sweating," he noticed. "Relax. Take a deep breath."

"I'd like to see you relax if you were in my situation!" Vader snarled, whirling around on Obi-Wan and fixing him with an angry, and fearful, look.

"Relax," Obi-Wan repeated more sternly. "Working yourself into a panic won't help you."

"This isn't helping me either!" Vader growled.

"You can't run away from your mistakes," Obi-Wan replied calmly. "You need to face her. And besides, Padmé would very much like to see you again. Would you end your friendship with her just because the both of you became intoxicated and slept with each other?"

Vader seemed to melt before his eyes. "No," he whispered miserably.

"I didn't think so," Obi-Wan nodded. "Now do your best to relax, we don't have to stay long."

Vader had no time for a reply as the lift came to a stop and opened into Padmé's penthouse apartment. The young man paled and Obi-Wan began to worry that he'd be sick or pass out. Obi-Wan gently took Vader by the arm and led him into the apartment and towards the common room.

Padmé and Sabé were already there relaxing on the couches and chatting cheerfully. Their conversation immediately died when Padmé caught sight of them. If there had been any thought that Padmé was upset with Vader for their drugged tryst, it was erased by the radiant smile she graced them with.

"Hello you two, I was beginning to worry that you'd never come back and visit me." Padmé smiled.

"Good morning," Obi-Wan greeted with a smile. He subtly kicked Vader's boot when he failed to say anything.

"'Morning," Vader mumbled, his eyes fixed on an invisible spot on the floor.

"Come sit down, sit down." Padmé waved them over.

Obi-Wan gladly did as he was told but Vader was more reluctant. Thankfully Obi-Wan didn't have to force him to move, but the young man moved very slowly and chose a seat as far away as he could get from Padmé without being blatantly rude. And he had yet to look Padmé in the eye.

"Now tell me, what have you been up to?" Padmé asked curiously.

When Vader remained silent, Obi-Wan reluctantly took up the slack of the conversation. "Well…"

While Sabé was glad to see that Vader hadn't completely lost his mind through guilt, his silence was driving her crazy. Aside from his one word greeting, he hadn't said a thing to anyone since arriving. His eyes were fixed firmly on the floor, his boots, or his folded hands. He had yet to even glance at any part of Padmé for a second. This would not do at all.

If Vader didn't look up and open his mouth, there was no way that he and Padmé could resolve anything that was between them. And with Obi-Wan to hold Padmé's attention, he could get away with his silence indefinitely. Something had to be done.

"Master Kenobi?" She interjected politely in a lull in the conversation.

"Yes?" Obi-Wan blinked, turning to face her.

"Could you help me with something?" Sabé asked politely with a hopeful smile. You'd better say yes!

"Um, yes of course," Obi-Wan replied.

"Thank you," Sabé smiled and left the common room behind.

Her smile became a wicked smirk as she approached the lift with Obi-Wan following her. She fought not to giggle at Obi-Wan's confused expression as she brought him into the lift and pressed the button that would bring them down to the main lobby. The instant the doors closed, cutting them off from Padmé and Vader, Obi-Wan voiced the question she knew he had.

"What exactly is it that you need help with?" Obi-Wan inquired curiously.

"You, Master Jedi, are going to help me kill and hour or two while they talk." Sabé smiled sweetly.

Obi-Wan opened, then closed his mouth. "You are surprisingly devious." He finally commented.

"Thank you," Sabé grinned as the lift came to a stop and the doors opened. "So, have you any time-wasting ideas Master Jedi?"

"Um…" He glanced upwards in the vague direction of Padmé's penthouse. "Are you sure it's a good idea to leave them alone?"

"Yes," Sabé replied decisively, dragging Obi-Wan out of the lift and into the lobby by his arm. "Now that there are no distractions and now that they have some privacy, they'll talk, which is just what they need."

"Alright," Obi-Wan agreed, stroking his beard thoughtfully. "So, we need to waste some time… How about a walk? Just see where our feet take us?"

"Genius!" Sabé grinned. "After you Master Jedi."

"No Milady, after you." He smiled, gesturing for her to precede him.

"Ladies first?" Sabé smirked. "Oh, alright."

She gleefully took the lead, bringing Obi-Wan out of the building and onto the street. Since Obi-Wan had surrendered his choice in their 'destination' she was free to pick any place, any direction. And she had a few places in mind…

Vader wanted to die. He wanted to die, melt into the floor, or somehow be rendered invisible. Or maybe he just wished to be somewhere else, like back on Tatooine with his Mom. He didn't want to be anywhere near Padmé, let alone be back in her apartment again.

And now it was worse. Obi-Wan had abandoned him. Sabé had stolen him away. Now he was in Padmé's apartment, with Padmé, alone.

I hate you! Vader thought venomously. I hate you both!

"Well that was strange," Padmé murmured. "I wonder want Sabé needed help with…"

"She didn't need help with anything." Vader declared, forgetting his plan of keeping his mouth shut until they left.

"How do you know?" Padmé asked curiously.

"Obi-Wan's having fun, that's how I know," Vader replied sourly. "I can feel it."

"Hmm, I see." Padmé muttered. "Well, at least they gave us some privacy, hm?"

"Yeah," Vader grumbled, then paled and started to sweat again. It's just me and her in here…

"So, did I get you into trouble?" Padmé asked worriedly.

"Huh?" Vader was so startled by the odd question he finally jerked his head up and looked her in the eye. "What…why…am I in trouble?"

"I don't know, I asked you." Padmé frowned.

"Um, as far as I know, I'm not." Vader squirmed.

"Oh good," Padmé sighed in relief. "I was worried."

"You were worried?" Vader blinked. "Aren't you…mad at me? Just a little bit?"

"What? Of course not!" She snorted. "Why would I be mad at you? You weren't the one who spiked the wine, you just drank it and then took me home. You weren't at fault, not at all. There's nothing for me to be mad about."

He just stared at her slack-jawed, utterly awed by her kindness and forgiveness. I don't deserve this. I don't deserve this at all…

The sun peeked through the clouds then, and rays of bright light spilled through the glass ceiling of Padmé's common room. The radiant golden light illuminated her, giving her an ethereal aura. She was beautiful.

"Are you an angel?" The instant the question slipped out, he wanted to kick himself. Stupid, stupid, stupid!

"What?" Padmé blinked, looking a little shocked.

"N-nothing!" Vader stammered, returning his eyes to her floor. His face felt like it was on fire and it seemed that a swarm of winged insects had settled into his stomach.

"No, really, what did you say?" Padmé asked, moving to sit on the same couch as he was.

"It's nothing," he swallowed anxiously. "It was a dumb question anyway."

"Well, all right…if you say so." Padmé shrugged. "It just reminded me of another question some one asked me a long time ago."

"Oh really?" Vader mumbled faintly. She…remembers that? …She remembers me? Oh…kriff…

A part of him was elated that she remembered little Anakin Skywalker. One of his secret fears was that she didn't remember him. With all that had been on her mind at the time, the Trade Federation's blockade of Naboo, and trying desperately to get to Coruscant, he wouldn't be surprised if the little blonde slave boy slipped her mind. But she did remember…

"Yes," Padmé smiled. "Years ago I met this sweet little boy who thought I had to be an angel because I was so pretty." She giggled.

"Cute," Vader gulped, struggling to keep his expression neutral. I am so dead…

"Yeah, he was a really adorable child," Padmé agreed. Then she grew worried. "I wonder what ever happened to him…"

Vader didn't reply to that. He couldn't. At least not verbally. You slept with him, that's what happened!

"Oh well…" She sighed. "So, are we still friends?"

Um… "Of course," he nodded, nervously glancing over at her. There was an entire seat cushion between them, but he still felt like he was way too close to her. "If you still want me to be…"

The smile she gave him was one of pure relief. "Of course I do!" Then she scooted over to him and embraced him.

Never could he remember feeling so deeply torn. On the one hand, he was happy. Padmé remembered him, and she'd forgiven him for what he'd done. But on the other hand, he felt so guilty and ashamed he wanted to die. She didn't have a clue as to who he really was and he still couldn't find it in himself to tell her. He couldn't shake the fear that when she found out about him that she'd never speak to him again for not saying who he really was sooner, and now for sleeping with her on top of that.

Swallowing hard he hugged her back. Hold it together Anakin… Stay calm… Behave…

…Oh I am Rancor chow…

Well that was one of the most…interesting…hours of my life…

Obi-Wan nervously ran his hand through his hair. Again. And was started at how short it felt. Again.

I'm never going to hear the end of this. He sighed as they approached Padmé's apartment building. How did I get talked into this…?

How he got into this was letting Sabé pick where they went. She led him to her favorite place to shop and then just wandered from shop to shop the entire time. And they talked and the talking was what got him into trouble.

It started out with a simple comment about his hair…

"You know, I've been wondering…" Sabé murmured as they rested in some shade provided by an overhang.

"What about?" Obi-Wan asked.

"How does a respected Jedi Master and Council member such as yourself get away with such a scruffy-looking haircut?" Sabé inquired with innocent curiosity.

"What?" Obi-Wan sputtered. "What do you mean?"

"I mean this," Sabé replied, reaching over to run her fingers through his shoulder length hair. "It works fine for a simple Jedi Knight, but, I'm sorry, this just doesn't say 'Jedi Master' when I look at it."

"My hair is fine," he reached up and removed her hands from the sides of his head, "just the way it is."

Honestly he'd never thought much about his hair. When he was knighted his mind was more absorbed with the loss of his Master. After leaving Naboo and before he'd transferred to Corellia he was granted two months leave and he used it to hide from the galaxy.

He'd fled to the Mid Rim world of Dantooine and camped out at the ruins of the ancient Jedi training academy that had been razed to the ground during the Great Sith Wars. There he did little else but meditate and grieve. When his leave was up and he returned to the Temple, his hair was longer and he had a beard. Since then all he'd done was trim his beard and keep his hair from getting past his shoulders. And that had always been fine.

Apparently Sabé didn't think so. "Well I suppose if you want to be the scruffy-looking Jedi Master, that's totally up to you." She shrugged.

"I am not 'scruffy-looking.'" Obi-Wan insisted with a scowl.

"Whatever you say." Sabé smirked.

"I am not!" Obi-Wan protested.

"Right," Sabé rolled her eyes and turned away from him.

Obi-Wan frowned and crossed his arms over his chest. "Well, what sort of style do you think is more fitting then?"

Sabé immediately spun back around with a bright smile. "I have an idea or two…"

Somehow, from that point, they'd ended up in a hair salon and he got a hair cut.

He felt a little sorry for the poor stylist who he'd ended up with. The young girl hadn't known what to think when confronted with a Jedi looking for a trim. But, he had to admit, she did a good job following Sabé's instructions.

It was certainly different. Much shorter than he was used to. But it looked nice, very clean and professional.

Then the stylist girl offered to shave off his beard for him too and that's where he drew the line. The beard was important. He saw it as a symbol of wisdom and maturity. Without it, he'd probably look like a Padawan again. That was something he didn't want, even for the few short weeks it would take to grow it back.

So he kept the beard but lost the old hairstyle. Sabé was quite content with this and immediately retracted her previous statements of him looking 'scruffy.' And Obi-Wan was quite satisfied with that.

Now to get the reactions from Vader and Padmé… Obi-Wan sighed as he followed Sabé into the lift. This is going to be…interesting.

And it was interesting. But not in the way that he expected. When the lift doors opened into Padmé's penthouse apartment, he was pleasantly surprised.

Instead of finding an upset Vader who was begging to leave, he was pleased to find a much calmer young man. He could still sense strong feelings of anxiety and hints of guilt in Vader, but other than that, he was cool, calm, and collected. Obi-Wan found him sitting next to Padmé and looking through a holo-album with her.

Obi-Wan smiled, glad to see that they seemed to have at least started to resolve things. But then his smile faded when he glanced at the wall chrono. If they didn't leave soon, they'd be late for their flight to the Outer Rim.

"Having fun?" Obi-Wan inquired, leaning against the entryway to the common room.

The both of them gave a guilty start and spun around to face him.

"Um…" Vader squirmed nervously.

"Yes," Padmé shrugged cheerfully, looking a tad embarrassed.

"Magnificent!" Sabé gushed, clasping her hands together in glee. "I'm glad!"

"So did you two have fun?" Vader asked. From his expression, Obi-Wan could tell that he hadn't been thrown by Sabé's devious efforts to get him alone with Padmé.

"Yes," Obi-Wan nodded.

"Mm-hm," Sabé grinned.

Vader frowned, like he'd expected them to deny it or desperately change the subject. Then he caught sight of the time and sighed. "We have to leave, don't we?"

"Yes," Obi-Wan replied, "unless you want to be late, of course."

Vader shook his head wearily and stood up from the couch.

"We certainly can't have that," Padmé remarked, setting aside the holo-album and standing up to properly see them off.

At the lift doors Padmé embraced Obi-Wan first and then gave Vader the same treatment. Sabé did the opposite, giving Vader an enthusiastic hug first and then switching with Padmé to give Obi-Wan a more restrained embrace. Obi-Wan accepted the attention gracefully as always and struggled not to laugh as Vader much more awkwardly handled things. The poor young man couldn't help but blush at the hugs he received from the two beautiful women.

"Now you two take care of yourselves." Padmé commanded sternly, though she was smiling as she spoke.

"Come back in as good of condition as you left." Sabé added solemnly, also with a little smile.

"As you wish," Obi-Wan smiled slightly. "We shall do our best."

"Bye," Vader waved simply with a silly half-smile.

Then they were in the lift again on their way back down to the lobby.

Vader leaned against the handrail and sighed. While he was relieved to be out of Padmé's presence without having embarrassed himself, he was also sad to be leaving. In an hour or two he'd be gone from Coruscant again, off to the Outer Rim for Force-only-knew how long, and she would stay here and wrangle with the other politicians.

I'm going to miss her, Vader thought. Not that I didn't miss her before when I went away, but…I'll miss her more now… Stupid Vorski…

He briefly glanced up at the roof of the lift car and the swiftly receding penthouse apartment beyond. I think that…I think I love her, he decided at last. When he'd been younger, and still on Tatooine, he'd been sure that he loved her. But he was just a stupid kid then, he hadn't known any other love than the love he had for his mother and his friends. Now he knew a little better and was hesitant to rush in and declare to himself (and certainly to anyone else) that he was in love with Padmé Amidala Naberrie. He'd wait and see a little longer before he made his final decision on the matter…

When the lift reached the main lobby it chimed and the doors hissed open. Obi-Wan was the first to step out and Vader wasn't far behind. As he followed his former Master out of the apartment building and onto the street he noticed something.

"When the heck did you get your hair cut?" Vader gaped in shock.

"Roughly a half hour ago," Obi-Wan replied calmly as he led the way back to the Jedi Temple.

"Sabé stole you away…to give you a haircut?" Vader blinked. Um…what the heck?

"No, we went for a walk and talked about some things." Obi-Wan corrected.

"Oh," Vader muttered. Er…so…how does that lead to getting a haircut? Obi-Wan failed to elaborate on his response and Vader wasn't entirely sure he wanted to know. "Have I ever told you that you are very strange?" He asked after a while.

"Not lately." Obi-Wan answered.

"Well, you are." Vader grumbled.

Obi-Wan only chuckled at that.

This is so weird, Vader frowned. When he'd first met Sabé on Naboo, she didn't seem at all interested in Obi-Wan. In fact, it was almost like she purposely avoided him. Then there were the strange feelings he'd sensed in her after Obi-Wan had 'returned from the dead' after Jabiim. And now they were running off together and getting haircuts. This makes no sense…no sense at all.

Padmé sighed as the lift doors closed and her guests disappeared from view. Soon they'd be off planet going to Gods-only-knew where and once again in constant danger. She really wished the war would end soon so they could return to Coruscant and stay longer than a week or two.

"I hope they can come back soon," Sabé sighed, turning away to return to the common room and the couch.

"Me too," Padmé agreed.

"So what were you showing him?" Sabé asked, eyeing the closed holo-album curiously.

"My favorite pictures," Padmé shrugged. "Some pictures from when Sola and I were little, some from Sola and Darred's wedding, some pictures from my reign as Queen, and some of Ryoo and Pooja when they were little babies. He was especially fascinated by the images I had from my tour of Otoh Gunga," she grinned.

"Ah, Otoh Gunga…that city was beautiful." Sabé smiled in remembrance. "We should go back there sometime, just for fun." She giggled, "Jar Jar could be our tour guide!"

"Yeah," Padmé smiled. "We should try and go back there sometime. And we should invite all the Handmaidens."

"Yeah!" Sabé nodded enthusiastically. "A girls-only trip! Maybe we can get Sola to come too!"

Padmé nodded. "So long as Mom will watch the girls, I think we can persuade Sola to join us." She picked up the holo-album that had been left on the caf table and traced a fingernail over the decorative cover. "It's a nice thing to look forward to…"

"Right," Sabé agreed. "This war better end soon, I want to go on vacation!"

Padmé laughed a little at that declaration. "So, what did you do with Obi-Wan while you two were away?"

"Oh we went for a walk," Sabé replied, "talked about things." She played with her necklace, a nervous gesture that raised Padmé's eyebrow. "I talked him into a haircut."

"Really?" Padmé blinked. She frowned and thought back to her last glimpses of Obi-Wan and then she caught it. "Oh wow, I didn't notice."

"I don't think either of you noticed." Sabé smirked.

"How ever did you manage to talk him into that?" Padmé asked curiously.

"Hmm…I'll tell you later," Sabé decided. "What I want to know is what did I miss while I was out?"

"What do you mean?" Padmé blinked.

"How did Vader go from sitting as far away as possible from you with his mouth sealed shut, to sitting next to you and looking at your favorite pictures?" Sabé elaborated.

"Oh, well…" Padmé shifted on the couch to get a little more comfortable. "I think he was mostly afraid that I was angry with him for what happened. And I guess he found being around me to be awkward, maybe even embarrassing. But once I got it across to him that I wasn't mad at him, he started to relax a bit." She smiled faintly. "And I'm glad. I was afraid he wouldn't be able to stand being near me again after that."

Sabé smiled an almost wicked sort of smile. "So Padmé, what do you think of him?"

"Who?" Padmé blinked.

"Vader of course," Sabé snorted. "So what do you think? Is he any good?"

Padmé blushed at the blunt question and at the faint memory of Vader's lips against the side of her neck. "I…don't know." She swallowed. "It's not like I have extensive experience or anything."

"That's true," Sabé conceded, "but did you enjoy it?"

Sabé, when did you turn into my sister? "Yes," Padmé replied simply, blushing a little darker. She supposed that she should be glad that Sabé had waited for a while to ask these sorts of questions, but she would've really appreciated it if the questions had never been asked at all.

"Good," Sabé smiled.

"Are we done with this little interview yet?" Padmé asked hopefully.

"Just one more, I promise," Sabé assured her. "So, if Vader wasn't a Jedi, would you date him?"

Well this one isn't so bad… Padmé tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Yes, I think I would," she decided.

Sabé looked very pleased. "Ah…now all I have to do is find another man just like him who is actually attainable and…"

"Sabé!" Padmé sputtered is shock.

"Relax Padmé," Sabé smiled cheerfully. "If I can find you a tolerable man to spend time with, it'll keep all the sleaze-bags away. And who knows, you just might hit it off…"

"Okay, let's just take a break from this conversation – from this topic!" Padmé begged. "How about lunch?" She suggested. "I'm starting to get hungry."

"Oh alright," Sabé sighed and glanced at the chrono. "It's a bit early…but I can do lunch."

"Thanks," Padmé sighed in relief.

Sabé giggled and retreated into the kitchen to try and throw something appetizing together. Padmé shook her head at her friend's antics. Oh Sabé, what am I going to do with you? And what would I ever do without you?

Padmé stood up from her couch and meandered over to her fountain. She leaned against the edge of the raised pool and glanced out over Coruscant's cluttered horizons. Her gaze unconsciously came to rest on the distant silhouette of the grand Jedi Temple.

Be well… Be safe… And please…come back soon…