Author's Note: Hope you all had a great weekend! We're back with an update! Hopeless4Life – Aw, was the cliffie all that bad? Sorry about that! Hope this chapter makes up for it. Thanks for sticking with me! Hellish Red Devil – Aw, what a nice compliment to hear how much you like Jarrick and TX-306! I am honored! And thanks for stopping in to all my other stories – you are such a source of encouragement! Meandmysharpie – Yes, I must agree with you, there is nothing better than a well placed bit of sarcasm! Thanks for always having the ability to make me smile with your comments! To all – hope you like the update! Please let me know if you have a moment! I love hearing from my wonderful readers!

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SAME DAY, MID-AFTERNOON

"Ouch!" Padme cried, rubbing her elbow as she glared at Anakin accusingly.

"Critical error: dropping partner!" TX-306 screamed from across the rink. "Remedy: returning partner to the ice in an upright position."

The stationary lifts had actually been going well - so well in fact, that the droids had suggested they try them while actually skating. Feeling confident, everyone had quickly agreed... and the practice had gone downhill from there.

"I know the remedy, TX-306! Force, this is impossible!" Anakin cried in frustration as he dug into the ice with his toe pick.

"Patience, my former apprentice," Obi-wan soothed.

"Oh stuff it," Siri snapped. She was currently stretched out on the ice, resting her knee on the cold surface in an attempt to keep the bruising to a minimum. She has undergone a particularly spectacular fall moments earlier and her pride still stung.

"Well that was uncalled for," Obi-wan sniffed.

"So was dumping me on the ice," she retorted, wincing as she tried to stand.

"It wasn't like I did it on purpose," he sputtered innocently.

"Yeah, we're doing the best we can," Anakin chimed in, rushing to defend his former Master. "The men clearly have the more difficult jobs here."

"What?" Padme cried.

Turning to Padme, his tone was gentle. "Well, love, it's just that we have to actually lift you and maintain your balance-"

"And we have to contort our bodies into various positions while sailing through the air!" Padme pointed out.

"All the while trusting you not to let us break our necks," Siri chirped sarcastically. "A job neither of you have been performing very well, I might add."

"Hey now-" Anakin interrupted, pointing a finger at the two women as they faced him shoulder-to-shoulder. "That's… That's not…" At a loss, he turned to Obi-wan.

"That's not very team-oriented behavior," the Jedi Master offered, nodding at Anakin understandingly.

Padme and Siri's biting reply was cut off as Threepio rushed over in his hoversled, his audio sensors warning him of raised voices.

"Oh dear," he fussed. "It seems everyone has gotten a bit overexcited. Perhaps we should take a bit of a break and regroup after a short rest?" His suggestion was met with four nods and the droid's posture relaxed slightly. "Very well, we will plan to meet back here in one hour's time."

The two droids immediately exited the rink, Threepio muttering something about desperately needing an extended recharge. As the hum of the hoversled motors died away, the Arena was filled with an awkward silence.

Always the diplomat, Padme was the first to speak.

"I suppose disagreements can be expected in our situation, but it's not something I enjoy. We're facing a monumental task and you know I'm not talking about the lift element we're supposed to be learning today."

She let the insinuation hang in the air and their gazes came to rest on her face. Satisfied she had their attention, she continued, "We can't allow ourselves to lose sight of why we're here. Remember Master Yoda advice - we're supposed be strengthening our bonds, not frittering them away over a blasted routine. Let's all take a deep breath and release these frustrations to the Force, shall we?"

"Wow," Siri breathed, impressed. "You're good."

"Well, it comes from-"

"Being a politician," Siri finished, grinning broadly. "Yeah, I seem to have heard that before."

"Are you saying I talk too much about my career?" Padme asked, pretending to assume an air of arrogance.

"Oh no," Siri pretended to stammer. Putting a hand to her heart, she insisted, "After all, I would be much too frightened to tease a Senator."

"Somehow I don't think there's much that frightens you, Master Tachi," Anakin offered, coming to stand by his wife. He ran his fingers over her bruised elbow apologetically and received a reassuring smile in response.

"Well, now that you mention it, Anakin... There was that one time she fell into a nest of Gundarks," Obi-wan prompted lightly.

"Don't you dare tell them that story!" Siri screeched. Then, she calmed as she quietly stated, "I guess I could always tell them about the last time we met up on Coruscant…"

"You wouldn't!"

"Oh, wouldn't I? Just try me, Kenobi!"

Soon, all frustration was forgotten as they left the ice in search of some hot tea and cringe-worthy stories.

LATE EVENING - SUITE OF LIRI AND KAIDE

Padme curled herself around Anakin's body, resting her head on his chest. For a long moment, she reveled in the simple joy of listening to the beat of his heart.

These were the times she liked best - when she was simply a wife, completely in love with her husband and relishing the thought of a life together. There was no plotting, no danger - just the two of them, cocooned safely in each other's arms.

She vowed they would have many such moments - a lifetime of them - when this confrontation with Jarrick was over.

She couldn't say she was looking forward to the final battle, of course. The thought of it was nerve wracking and kept her constantly on edge. But at least it would be over... Because if she was certain of one thing, it was this:

There would be no other chance.

Winner takes all.

"Padme?" came Anakin's voice, rough with sleep.

"Hmm?" she replied, trying to pretend she had just been awakened.

"Stop fretting and get some rest," he instructed, opening his eyes a small crack to peek at her through his lashes.

"I'm not fretting," she lied, wrinkling her nose in dismay at his accuracy.

"Yes, you are," he said, squeezing her shoulder. "I can feel the little barbs through the Force. Please, try to relax, you need your rest."

She nodded her head, the motion causing her soft curls to spill over his arm. With another shuddering breath, she allowed her eyes to close and promptly fell into a deep sleep.

Gingerly, Anakin eased himself free from her embrace and crept out of the room.

TWO HOURS LATER, MAIN LIVING AREA

"What in the name of the Force are you doing?" a voice asked, sounding annoyed.

Anakin jumped, sending the tool he had been holding through the air, narrowly missing the voice's owner.

"Master!" he gasped. Then, in a more casual voice, he replied, "How nice to see you. To answer your question, I'm working on my assignment."

"At this hour?"

Rubbing his neck gingerly, Anakin nodded and took the tool Obi-wan handed him. "Thanks. I'm sorry if I disturbed you."

"I was up," he reported regretfully. Then, his tone softened as he said, "You know, when Master Windu suggested you try to break into TX-306's memory bank, I don't think he expected you to do so in the middle of the night."

Anakin continued to work, his eyes never leaving the task before him even as he replied, "I know, but I... I just felt like I needed to work on this tonight."

"Because of Padme?"

The young Jedi paused, his work momentarily forgotten. Fighting back a wave of emotion, he admitted, "Yes."

Obi-wan stayed silent. He knew his former apprentice; he would explain what he was feeling once he worked it out for himself.

He didn't have to wait long.

"She senses that it's coming, Master," he whispered brokenly. "My moment as The Chosen One. She's trying to take some of the burden that's mine alone to carry and I can't let her do it. I can't."

Obi-wan took a moment to digest the impassioned statement. He knew he needed to tread carefully.

"Anakin," he finally began. "You do realize that you have been given a gift? The Force has seen fit to unite you with Padme, in all aspects of your life. Have you ever dared to think that perhaps she is meant to help you?"

A look of hope began to mingle with the fear that was so plainly evident on the young Jedi's expression, but Obi-wan sensed it wasn't enough. He took a deep breath and tried again.

"The dear Senator is one of the strongest women I have ever known. You don't have to do this by yourself. She'll help you, I'll help you - and you couldn't keep Siri away if you tried! We all have faith in you, Anakin. You won't let us down."

Through the Force, he felt a wave of peace wash over his former apprentice and he sighed, happy he had gotten through to him. Intending to return to his suite, he had taken a few steps before he was halted by a hand on his arm.

"Thank you, Master. For everything."

Smiling, he replied, "It's Obi-wan now, Anakin."

"Yes, Master."

Shaking his head at his former Padawan's stubbornness, Obi-wan started to leave the room, but not before Anakin called:

"I'm not the only one connected to my partner, Obi-wan."

The hiss of the door as it slid shut behind him was the only verbal reply the Jedi Master could muster.