Padme sank into her chair at her desk. She loved her work, she really did, but it got so tiring sometimes. So many people arguing over one single topic for a full day and nothing else productive came out of it.

She wasn't even really sure that it had been worth it. She, personally, had been against the idea of more executive power in the Senate, but in the end, her words had been ignored and overruled by the opposing argument. She respected the Chancellor, but they didn't always see eye to eye.

Oh, well. It was over now, and there was nothing she could do about it. She sat up and opened her government profile. Time to see what else had happened while she had sat through a debate for fourteen hours of her day.

There were several messages from various planets and moons in the Naboo system. Apparently, there had been a miscommunication about a trading deal between two planets, and the other government systems were picking sides. She read through the reports carefully but didn't respond. It was after hours for most of the systems right now, and she didn't think she could concentrate enough to type out a response, anyway.

One other message had come in, this time from the Coruscant government itself. She opened it, but what she saw was brief. It was simply a notice telling her that, due to dangerous circumstances and the possibility of physical threat, a Jedi Knight would be dispatched to escort her to the building she was staying at and would be guarding her overnight as well.

She didn't mind the escort, in fact, she normally enjoyed Jedi company, but the part about 'dangerous circumstances and the possibility of a physical threat' worried her. She had heard many rumors about a new Separatist warrior, called the Inquisitor, but she hadn't had the time to inquire further. Maybe when the Jedi came, they would be able to tell her more. She made a mental note to ask them once they got here.

Padme scanned the notice one last time, looking for a time at which the Jedi would be arriving. She compared it to the time on her clock and realized she had less than two minutes before the Jedi was supposed to be here to take her to her quarters. She powered down all of her equipment, organized some of the documents on her desk into piles, and straightened the shelves behind her desk. She had just finished lining up the spines of her record folders when a knock came at the door.

"Just a moment!" she called out, and she turned out the lights before rushing to answer the door. She looked around one last time to make sure everything was tidy, before pressing the button to open the door.

It was Anakin.

He smiled down at her, relieved to finally see her after so long. He spoke in the most official voice he could without laughing at himself. "Senator Amidala, I am here to escort you to your chambers this evening. Are you prepared to go, my lady?"

Padme laughed, and hugged Anakin around his neck, however briefly. They were still in public, after all.

"Yes, Master Skywalker," she replied, matching his business-like tone. "I believe I have no more business here this evening. Shall we depart now?"

He chuckled and bowed out of her way, holding the door open with one hand. She curtsied and walked daintily out, and Anakin locked the door behind his wife. As they walked out of the building, they did not touch, but Anakin walked close behind Padme the whole way out. They spoke in low voices as they followed Palpatine's footsteps to the hangar.

"How did you get this assignment?" She asked him, and he responded in such a way that only she could hear him.

"The Council thought you might be targeted soon, and I had nothing better to do. Somehow, the timing lined up perfectly."

"I was wondering about that," she admitted, referring to the 'targeted' comment, "but it's probably better to wait until we get to the hotel."

"Probably," Anakin agreed. "I'll fill you in once we get there."

The shuttle (not the normal shuttle, that civilians used, of course, but a private one, that ran only between the Senate Building and the Grand Hotel, which wasn't far away) was filled with tired politicians. They were just as ready for some rest at Padme was, but they composed themselves with dignity all the same. Padme sat next to one of her closer friends while Anakin stood close by and keep watch over their surroundings. During the quick jaunt over no one tried to harm the senators, but he stood guard all the same. It was easier than trying to explain for the fiftieth time that week that he didn't know who the Inquisitor was, or where Ahsoka was.

The ride was over quickly and everyone disembarked, save for the crew. Anakin got off first and waited for Padme to finish a conversation. It didn't take long, and soon, the two were walking up to her assigned suite. As soon as the doors closed, Padme turned to Anakin and embraced him for real, not worried about who might be watching. As Anakin used the Force to close the blinds, he cradled her chin in his hand and kissed her, desperate for the tenderness that had been absent since the last time they had been alone. Padme ran her fingers through his hair, which was significantly longer than before. They didn't move for a while but rested and relaxed in each other's company.

Eventually, they pulled apart, and Anakin stared into the brown pools of her eyes. He could see how strained and exhausted she was from her day, but that didn't stop him from seeing the kindness he had fallen in love with, or the joy that strengthened him.

He smirked mischievously and suddenly swept her off of her feet, catching her by surprise. As Padme shouted out in laughter, Anakin carried her bridal style to the couch and laid her gently on the cushions. He sat next to her and pulled her close to him, and they rested together like that for a minute.

Padme then pulled her hair to one side and started to undo the braids she had worn that day. Anakin stood up to grab her brush from her luggage, which was already in their bedroom and brought it to her. He had been married to her long enough to know that the undoing of hair was an extensive and tedious process.

She took it and set in her lap before asking "So what's this 'threat' I was being 'targeted' by?"

Anakin sat down again and folded his hands. "Have you heard anything about the Inquisitor yet?"

Padme nodded. "Not much, but I have. All I know is that she's a Separatist, and she's been causing problems lately."

Anakin looked around the room, then used the Force to lift a HoloNet console to the coffee table in front of them, since he was too lazy to get up and grab it. As Padme finished untwining her first braid and moved on to the second, he pulled up a selection of Republic articles, explaining the nature and the appearance of the Sister.

"One of these might explain better than I can," he told her, and she selected one from her favorite news site.

This particular site added a video to the article, and Padme opted to play this instead of reading it herself. She had done enough of that today.

The video was quick, and it didn't contain information Anakin didn't already know. New Separatist fighter, teenage Togruta, could be Ahsoka Tano, blah bla blah bla blah. Anakin had heard it a hundred times in the last month.

Padme started at the frozen thumbnail on the projector once the video finished. "They're not serious, are they? They don't really think it's Ahsoka? Not our Ahsoka."

Anakin sighed. "The trial isn't really helping things. Everyone seems to think she's out for revenge."

"Revenge on who?"

"Good question. I wish I knew the answer."

Padme snorted. "What does the Council say, then, if the news is saying things like this?"

He didn't answer right away, and Padme began to worry. "Ani?"

"They think it's her."

Padme didn't speak and paused unbraiding her hair. He knew how much he cared about his apprentice, and she had seen how protective he was of her during her trial, ten months ago. Padme had been devastated to hear that Ahsoka had walked away from the Jedi Order, but she couldn't imagine what Anakin had felt.

"Well, what do you think?" She asked quietly, resting a hand on his. He interlaced her fingers in his and breathed deeply before answering.

"I don't think it's her, but I'm...I'm scared that I'm wrong." He looked up at her. "I know that doesn't make sense, but.."

"No," she assured him, "It does." And she meant it. She felt the same way. All of her instincts told her that Ahsoka would never do such a thing, but no one else seemed to agree with the two of them (as far as she knew). It was enough to make her doubt her thinking.

"It's going to be okay, though," he told her, changing his tone so he sounded more confident. "I'll figure this out soon, but it's going to have to wait." He smiled. "I came here to be with you, after all."

He kissed her cheek and she giggled. Anakin took Padme's braids with the Force and finished unbraiding them for her. She took the brush and smoothed her hair out, taming the frizzes that were left, before setting it down by the HoloNet console. Anakin took her hand and pulled her to her feet. He spun her hand around her head, and twirled her, despite the limited space they had between the coffee table and the couch. She laughed again, and Anakin couldn't help but laugh with her. Pulling her into his arms, he began to dance, swaying quickly from side to side.

They played around like this for a few seconds, before their dance with imaginary music began to move away from the couch and closer to the bedroom. Anakin picked Padme up again and carried her inside before shutting the door.

Tonight was not a night for worry. It was a night for hope, and for rest. A night to get away from the responsibilities of the Jedi Order and the Senate of the Republic.

A night to be alone.