A/N-Thank you for the revive of reviews and follows! I have a few more chapters stored away so you might have a gap of a week in between for awhile for updates. -GP

Chapter 50

Location: Senator Organa's Office, Senate Rotunda

Month 2 Day 22 Year 27

1230

After her final meeting with Rush and their lawyers, she decided to return to work. She was in a good mood and felt productive enough to work her way through some of the bills and assignments Bail had given her for the week. She had been working pretty furiously through the last two hours since her arrival and had needed another cup of cafe' at this point. The sleepless night had begun to wear her body down and continuously looking at document after document on a data pad didn't help too much. It has made her eyes feel as if the words are blending together at this point...

Padme sips her cup of cafe' as her eyes scan the latest legislative bill to pass through the office. Bail had assigned it to her to review anything she found suspicious or out of place. Bail did not like to vote on bills that had statements of sorts that benefited the rich or allowed the Emperor to have access to more powers that overreached the Senate or courts. Padme sighs this bill had been through several revisions and it had something to do with excavating on Jedha for some sort of minerals the Imperial Navy needed to build their Imperial Cruisers. Padme' scans the page and something catches her eye.

The former ancient Jedi Temples on Jedha shall become possessions of the Empire in accordance with this bill. Any materials found will become the possessions of the Empire and shall be used in accordance with any projects deemed and approved by the appropriate committees and the Emperor.

Her brow furrows. Why did the Empire need to directly state their possessing the former Jedi temples? What other purpose would they need to have? Her instincts kick in sensing the danger within this bill. Her mind drifts back to the documents signed by Rush from several weeks back she'd found on the datapad. Those documents had suggested the Emperor had asked for funding from the Banking Clan for a special project. Did this have anything to do with it? Was the Emperor creating something like a weapon? She didn't know. But who would have access to this?

Her head perks up as she hears a familiar voice within the front of Bail's office. His secretary greets the visitor with mirth and she can hear, " She's in, go ahead."

The footsteps are solid and those of a man. Her eyes lift and meet those of her best friend. He takes his uniform hat off and greets her, " Hi. Are you free?"

Padme' notices the exhaustion on his features from his sleepless nights. He looked like he needed a friend to talk to- and a bit of sleep.

Padme' eyes the datapad on her desk. She had a lead of some sort of connection between the document she'd found to this new bill attempting to pass again through the Senate. But it could wait and maybe she deserved a break to figure out the connection. She smiles. " Yes, and I'm a bit stuck with this bill so I need a break. What do you have in mind?"

His sly grin shines with a hidden desire which she tries to ignore. She leaves her desk and asks, " Dex's?"

He nods, " Where else?"

Her eyebrow lifts as she hears even in his exhausted state the desire in his voice. She grins back and says, " I'm starving anyway. Let's go."

Location: Dex's Diner, Imperial Center

13:00

Padme' orders the special of the day, while Anakin orders some sort of fish. She sips her cafe' and asks, " How was your class this morning?"

He sighs and sips his cafe', the warmth tingling his lips. He murmurs against his cup, " I almost fell asleep during both lectures, and one was on piloting the new cruisers being built."

She reaches without a thought to touch his hand and rub the back of his hand with her thumb. The dark circles under his eyes are plain as day and he looks like he could slide down in the seat and fall asleep now.

" Do you have any classes or shifts tonight?" She asks quietly, though he doesn't miss the concern etched in her tone.

He shakes his head. " No, but I should be training with Ben."

She takes her other hand and reaches for the datakey to her apartment and slides it across the table. " Then after lunch go back to my place and get some rest. You look exhausted."

He smiles just for her and whispers, " I'd rather you join me."

She sighs and murmurs, " Then you won't get any sleep. Besides I have to continue looking over this one bill I started reading before your arrival.

Anakin groans. She always loved to talk about politics. She waves her hand and states, " No, actually it has some odd requests."

He lifts his eyebrow and asks, " What exactly are these odd requests?"

She begins, " The document hasn't passed through the Senate three times now, but many Senators want it passed and the Emperor does too. The document is about mining on Jedha."

His ears focus on her next words. " The document regards information about former Jedi Temples on Jedha."

Anakin ponders on her question. He had read up a bit more on Jedha. It had been the birthplace of the former order, at least what it was during the High Republic era. Jedha had also been the place many Jedi went to get their first kyber crystal. Anakin hadn't been able to perform this ceremony when he built his lightsaber. He had built it with the remains that Qui-gon had recovered from the former Temple here on Coruscant.

He replies, " I remember reading up that it used to be where the Jedi received their first kyber crystals, something about a cave or mine located under the Jedi Temple."

Padme's brain tries to connect the crystals in a way that is logical to the Emperor's project. " What were they used for?"

Anakin states firmly, " They focus the laser in the lightsaber. It's what powered them, allowed them to be used-"

Padme's heart skips a beat as if she's made a connection. " As a weapon."

Anakin smiles at her connection. Her mind reels. Was the Empire building some kind of weapon that could fire a larger laser? How much destruction could this thing cause? What plans did the Emperor have for the Galaxy? Could he have something constructed to kill an entire planet?

Anakin notices her worry in the force and he questions, " What is it?"

She shakes her head and tries to smile, but it doesn't reach her eyes. She whispers, " It's nothing- I think I'm just seeing things that aren't there."

His hands cover hers and he murmurs, " Perhaps, but trust your instincts. Your job is to advise Bail, is it not?"

She nods in agreement and smiles at him. She liked the feeling of his touch. It felt like a comfortable piece of your favorite clothing that felt like second skin to her. His eyes peer back into hers- lost in that moment she loved to get lost into. Those oceans mirroring back her own home within his eyes. The silence crowds them in comfort and she changes her tune, " I'm finally officially free of Rush."

His blue exhausted gaze lights up at this mention. He lifts her hand in his and his warm lips touch her skin. She swallows as he says cheerfully, " Congratulations. How did he agree to give you the property on Naboo?"

She squeezes his hand and she suggests, " He didn't. I agreed to stipulations made by him and his lawyer."

His smile fades and he narrows his gaze. He says darkly, " What stipulations?"

She shrugs and suggests, " He will be the owner of the property until I choose to marry again."

" That's banathashit, " He mutters under his breath.

She can sense his anger building up and she pushes his hands down to the table with hers, urging. " It is, but I'm free of him which means I can be free to pursue a relationship with anyone I want to."

He blinks upon hearing her words and her tone. He is tired but is she implying that they make things official? He swallows and asks, " And who are you thinking of pursuing?"

She smiles coyly, " Perhaps an old flame of mine from Naboo. We've been spending an awful lot of time together. I'm sure he wouldn't mind attempting to go on a date sometime."

The usual smirk he wears on his features returns and he assures, " I'm sure he'd like that very much."

She squeezes his hand again and murmurs, " Me too."

To Be Continued.