"Track down this bounty hunter you must," Yoda said. After last night's chase, there had been no more threats on the Senator's life, thankfully, but that didn't change the fact that their assassin had been hired by another to take Anakin's life, leaving them with more questions than answers, and leading to Padmé and Obi-Wan standing before the council, waiting to hear more details on their mission.

"More importantly, find out who he's working for," Master Windu added, waiting to see what the two Jedi Knights would say.

Obi-Wan frowned. "What about Senator Skywalker? He'll still need protecting."

"Investigate the bounty hunter, only one of you will."

Master Windu took over moments later. "Padmé, while Obi-Wan is looking into who hired the bounty hunter, you'll escort the Senator back to his home planet on Tatooine. He'll be safer there. I trust you and Obi-Wan will be able to come up with a plan for this."

"An-Senator Skywalker," she corrected herself moments later. They may have been friends, but it didn't mean she could simply slip up like that, "won't be easy to convince to leave the capital. Not so long as the bill is still up for debate in the Senate."

"Until caught this killer is, our judgement he must respect." There was a finality to Yoda's words. There would be no debating with them.

"See if you can get Chancellor Palpatine to convince him otherwise. He was willing to listen to the Chancellor earlier when accepting your protection. Perhaps he'll be able to get Anakin to leave Coruscant for now." With Master Windu's words, she and Obi-Wan were dismissed.

Anakin was definitely not going to be happy to hear this.

"I will talk with Senator Skywalker. I know he is temperamental, even he won't be able to ignore an executive order if the need arises, not if he wishes to remain the senator for Tatooine." Palpatine smiled at Padmé as she stood next to him. Their shared planet of origin may have been the reason he'd reached out to her, but a mentorship had formed in its own way between her and the kindly old man, and she appreciated his presence.

Padmé bowed to him in respect. "Thank you, Your Excellency."

"None of that Padmé." Palpatine smiled, patting her on the shoulder. "We've been friends for far too long to need that. I'm much more interested in hearing how you're doing. I hear you've finally become a Jedi Knight."

"I have." She smiled back. "I'm sorry I hadn't told you sooner, Chancellor. I finished the trials and then Obi-Wan and I were immediately sent out to negotiate with the Separatists and protect Anakin." She'd known the life of a Jedi would be busy, but before all this started she and Obi-Wan had definitely had more time on Coruscant. So had the rest of the Jedi.

Palpatine simply gave a laugh and another kind smile for her. "It's not a concern, I understand things are busy for the Jedi right now, as they are for us all."

The chancellor's understanding was a relief to her, if she was honest. Though their shared heritage from Naboo had been the starting point for their bond as he told her stories of her home planet, their friendship had been invaluable, and she was worried he'd be offended by her inability to visit lately. "We are. I'm grateful that up until now they've let me stay with Obi-Wan. With things as tense as they are, I don't want to make a mistake that will throw us all into a war."

"Nonsense, my dear. You need not worry about the chances of that, you have all the skills you need to continue to succeed and flourish. You simply need to continue doing what the council asks of you, and have more confidence in your own abilities." Palpatine walked away from the window, prompting Padmé to follow him. "And after that, it won't be long until you've earned the title of Jedi Master, and a seat on the council yourself." She smiled. She knew it was simply a compliment and some advice, but the idea that she could be closer to her aspirations than she'd seemed was a nice thought.

"Thank you, Chancellor." She bowed her head, continuing to follow Palpatine out so she could pass on the message to Anakin.

"Don't thank me, my dear." Palpatine stopped for a moment. "I'm afraid I've left the hardest task, dealing with the Senator, right in your hands. But I trust you'll be able to handle him. He is a close friend of yours, after all."

Padmé sat on the edge of the bed, watching as Anakin packed the last of his senatorial outfits into a suitcase, ready for travel to Tatooine to continue serving as Anakin's bodyguard, as per council mandate. "This is unfair. I've spent weeks going over everything with Bail. Weeks. And I've had to sit and listen to the other senators go on about how important it is to have an army to go against the Separatists like I actually believed what they were saying." Just as she'd expected, he was unhappy, to say the least. Fuming might have been a better way to describe the Senator as he raced from one end of the room to the other.

"As opposed to doing what…?" Padmé asked, more than a little amused at the senator's irritation, but still wanting to know what he would've been doing instead of listening to the other senators. She knew Anakin could be slightly temperamental (another reason he had likely been denied admittance to the Jedi after he'd arrived with them on Coruscant) but watching him upset like this was a new experience for her.

It seemed her asking the question to try to get his mind off of all this seemed to simply irritate Anakin more, as he assumed she wasn't taking him seriously. (Which she wasn't, if she was honest. He was throwing a tantrum.) "I'm serious about not wanting to go back home. I need to be here to try to stop this bill. An army's not an answer, especially not a drafted one like we'd need if we went to war and–"

He stopped his rant as Padmé put a hand on his shoulder. "Anakin, Bail will take care of this. He's a good politician. Obi-Wan and I have worked with him before, and if he's helping you with this, I doubt he'd just let the bill pass when he's been fighting against it too. And your mom will be representing Tatooine. She'll make sure to represent you well." Shmi Skywalker was amazingly strong from the few times that Padmé had worked with her. Anakin's cause was in good hands.

"It's not easy to accept though." He looked up, as though hating to admit it. "I'm not used to having to sit on the side lines." It was why he had decided to organize and lead an entire slave rebellion when he was barely a teenager. It was why he was fighting so hard now.

"I know, but right now you're safest on the sidelines, and you can't just let your pride make you take unnecessary risks. I can't leave you to throw away your life like that." As stressful as his plan had been earlier, there had been at least some kind of reason for it, with a good chance of his survival. What Anakin was planning now would've been suicide with things in Corsuscant as they were. Deep down, he had to know that too.

He looked up at her and smiled, zipping up the suitcase and sitting down on it. "It's a good thing I have somebody as reliable as you serving as my bodyguard, then."

"Obi-Wan would be better at this, he's been a Knight longer." But Obi-Wan would be getting to the bottom of who was hiring a bounty hunter to take down Anakin. And it was a job that needed his talents a lot more than a guard mission.

"Obi-Wan may have been a knight longer, but I wouldn't want anybody else." Just like before, when he'd pulled her aside to talk to her about the security detail in more depth, Anakin's blue eyes met hers, and she found herself unable to look away. He was so...he had so much faith in her despite having only recently been knighted. So much trust she'd had yet to prove she deserved.

But despite that, there was something else in those eyes. A passion, born from the desert, a fight that only Anakin had in him. It drew her in in a way nothing else could, a passion that seemed like it was dedicated to nobody but her. Like she hung the stars in the sky. She didn't want to look away. It was a look like she was the only person that mattered in that moment.

He wanted her, and under the intensity of his gaze, it made it difficult to avoid wanting him just as much.

...she broke his gaze. That was ridiculous. She was a Jedi. She couldn't, not like that, not like what he wanted. "Please, don't look at me like that. It makes me uncomfortable."

Immediately, Anakin looked away. "Sorry." She appreciated the apology, giving him a smile in return.

"Finish packing. I'll check with Obi-Wan to see how we'll be making our travels." She needed to get away from him, at least for now. To get herself under control. He didn't seem to question it, instead nodding and standing out of the way.

"As soon as I'm done, I'll meet you outside." And with that, she was out of the apartment and back in the elevator, trying desperately not to think about what had just happened between them.

She started taking deep breaths, attempting to deal with the knots around her heart from how Anakin made her feel. He was attractive, she could acknowledge that much even as a Jedi. He was also sweet, and gave everything his all. He was caring and she still remembered how brave he was when he'd stood up to Jabba, just before…

No, she'd stopped thinking of that years ago. It was her past, her regret, not for her to think about now. She buried those memories of her second time on Tatooine, choosing instead to return to her current predicament. Anakin was a Senator, and he loved so wholly that there was no way she could even consider a potential relationship with him. He demanded love so completely that she would need to give him everything she was, something she would never be able to do as a Jedi. Rather than continue to think on it, even entertain the possibility of feeling something for him, she chose instead to release those feelings into the Force. The knots in her chest that had begun to form with Anakin's look unraveled, and as she stepped out of the elevator she was able to greet Obi-Wan with a smile.

"Done packing?" Obi-Wan asked, surprised at the appearance of just Padmé.

"I left Anakin to finish alone. He's definitely capable of handling things by himself." She smiled. As a Jedi, she didn't have many belongings to take with her, and she was honestly more useless than not helping Anakin prepare himself for his trip back to Tatooine anyways. "I figured I should get the full briefing."

"Very well." He pulled up a holo-projector after making sure nobody was watching and pulled up a large ship for Padmé to memorize the look of. "A refugee ship will be taking off in about three hours. You and the Anakin will join their numbers as though you're seeking shelter in Tatooine, in disguise. I'm sure the senator will have something in his wardrobe you can hide your Jedi robes under while on the trip."

Padmé looked over the plan. "And we'll take that to Tatooine?"

Obi-Wan nodded. "Once you arrive, report in to the council. I'll be unable to do so because I'll be doing some investigations of my own. You'll be required to send in a report daily, but do not mention where on Tatooine you are. The less people who know where you and the senator are, the less likely somebody will be able to launch an attack."

"Understood." Padmé gave a salute and turned off the projection before turning to Obi-Wan. "You're sure this will work?"

"Not at all, but I get the feeling I'm the one with the more challenging mission. Tatooine will be twice as protective of their senator than anybody on Coruscant would be." Obi-Wan smiled a moment later. "I get the feeling that the person who will be the hardest to deal with will be Anakin anyways. You might have your hands full protecting him from himself, rather than more bounty hunters."

He...wasn't wrong, if Anakin's behavior the night before was anything to go by. She let out a small laugh "I'll make sure to keep the senator out of trouble."

Obi-Wan nodded. "Are you sure you'll be the one keeping me out of trouble?" Anakin appeared at the entry of the building, wearing a poncho over his traditional Tatooine outfit. "I'm pretty sure I had to help keep you safe when you first arrived."

"I was fourteen."

"I was nine." Padmé huffed at his response, which caused Anakin's teasing smile to just get bigger. "I'm assuming our chariot awaits, my lady?"

"I'll be with you in a second as your escort." She bowed to Obi-Wan, abandoning the conversation with Anakin for the time being. "May the Force be with you Obi-Wan."

"And with you." He bowed to Padmé, a sign of respect that brought a smile to her face. As she went to turn to lead Anakin away, Obi-Wan grabbed her wrist. "Be careful."

"I will be." She turned to Anakin after Obi-Wan let go, offering him her hand. "Well, Senator, shall we head to the ship?"

"At your command, Master Jedi." Anakin took her hand, and she led the way to their transport.

The shuttle transport to Tatooine was a lot more cramped than Padmé had expected, but she shouldn't have been surprised either. Anakin had mentioned as they were boarding that since being freed from Hutt control, the planet had become a hotspot for refugee activity, protecting them from anybody off planet who might hurt them.

Which left them in cramped spaces, making the most of the small amount of privacy they could find with their single astromech guard and having light and easy conversation.

"So, what's it like being a Jedi?" Anakin asked, having finished a tale of his highly exciting adventures in the Senate, dealing with those who were resistant to change. "I can't imagine there's a dull moment."

"Not with Obi-Wan as a master." Padmé smiled, thinking back to her Padawan days. "But I suppose I didn't help. I was probably a handful for him."

"You, a handful?" Anakin gave a surprised gasp, playing up his overdramatic nature. "I couldn't imagine that, you've always seemed to have everything under control. I would've thought you were the perfect Jedi."

"Unfortunately, although I did learn from one, I made my fair share of mistakes. Like the time I accidentally used my lightsaber to set Master Yoda's robes on fire." She watched as Anakin's face lit up at that information.

"How did you manage that?"

"Jedi secret." Padmé put her finger over her lips, not telling him anything more on it.

"Oh come on Padmé." He pushed for a few more minutes, but she refused to budge. Telling about it happening was one thing, explaining just how she managed to do it was absolutely another. "Okay fine, if you won't tell me that, at least tell me some things about the Jedi."

"I thought you weren't interested in being one anymore." He'd said so much last night at least.

"Maybe not in being a Jedi, but I do want to know more about the world you and Obi-Wan live in." Padmé searched for signs of deception in him, but he was surprisingly being earnest. "I know it's been a while before circumstances forced us to talk again, but I do think of both of you as some of my closest friends. You can't blame me for wanting to know more."

Padmé couldn't, if she was honest. "So long as it's not one of our Jedi secrets, I can answer."

Anakin gave a grin, happy to have gotten some confirmation on getting answers. "What's life like at the temple then?"

Padmé remained silent for a moment. It had been a while since she'd just spent a decent amount of time there. After thinking on it for a minute or two, she answered, "Peaceful. It's a lot like coming home to get to go there. I used to spend a lot of time learning lessons from Obi-Wan, but lately I've been trying to get to know the younglings. I've been thinking of asking for a Padawan, and it wouldn't hurt to get to know them now."

"Planning on teaching another kid how to be a perfect Jedi like Obi-Wan?" Anakin asked. At first she'd thought he was teasing, and refused to answer. "I'm serious, I'm surprised you want a Padawan. I think I'd hate having to teach one."

That was...oh. "It's rewarding. When you get a Padawan, it's like getting to add another member to your family. A sibling or a kid. It's also the only way you can become a master, and get on the Jedi Council." Admittedly, having a seat on the council hadn't always been her dream, but Palpatine had told her that she'd make an excellent Jedi Master if she set her mind to it, and the idea had stuck out in her head ever since as something to aspire to be.

Anakin seemed to latch onto the family bit however, looking at her with confusion. "I thought Jedi weren't supposed to have family or love like that?"

An unfortunate misconception. Anakin should have learned based on watching her and Obi-Wan interact, but it wasn't something he internalized. "We love differently. The people we love can never be more important than the galaxy, but we're allowed to love. Obi-Wan's my brother, and Master Qui-Gon was practically his father."

Anakin remained silent after that for a moment, as though taking in what she had said. "Does that include romantic love?"

"It's allowed, but we can't settle down with anybody. Not if we want to stay in the Order." It hadn't bothered her, if she was honest. She knew if she found somebody, they'd understand that. They'd let her go.

Anakin frowned, trying to reconcile that with the information he had. "Because if you have that kind of bond, it'd mean you'd put them before the galaxy, right?" Padmé nodded. "I couldn't imagine living like that. There's very few things I'd put above my mom."

Above his mom? "Like what?" Padmé asked, her face leaning into her hand as she looked at the Senator, who had chosen to lay down on one of the benches.

"You." Anakin's answer was simple, and Padmé swallowed, once more a little uncomfortable as the feelings she'd tried to bury just hours earlier started swimming to the surface. She waited for him to add on.

"Anakin, I'm flattered really, but–"

"Padmé, you're the one who forced Obi-Wan to come back to Tatooine when he couldn't take me as a Padawan." Oh this wasn't about anything like that. "If it wasn't for you, my mom would still be held by Watto, and there'd probably still be slavery on Tatooine. It's a life debt I can't repay."

Subconsciously, Padmé found her free hand had grabbed one of Anakin's, and at that moment, she didn't care about appearances, or anything else. "I didn't realize I meant that much to you."

"You always will." Whether it was platonic or romantic, Padmé wasn't quite sure what Anakin's intent was. Before she could ask, he changed the subject. "So what was that about burning Master Yoda's Jedi Robes?"

"Anakin!"

As they disembarked from the ship, Anakin offered his hand, allowing for Padmé to take it as she left the ship, smiling at him. It had only been a few years since she'd arrived last on Tatooine, but in spite of that, the desert planet had a different, less oppressive feel to it. The two suns still beat down on the harsh sand, but it felt cleaner in the hanger, less dangerous.

"Come on." Anakin turned to Padmé. "I have one stop for work, then afterwards we can focus on lying low."

It took Padmé a moment to process what he said. "Anakin what?"

"My step brother's girlfriend will have a comm I can use to reach my mom. If nothing else, she should know we got here safely." Padmé hesitated at that for a moment, but realized she had to relent. Making Shmi worry for the sake of Anakin's safety did seem wrong.

"Wait a second, step brother?" Since when did Anakin have any other family?

"My mom married a moisture farmer a few years ago. They live in Anchorhead now with her when she's on planet. He had a son, Owen, who has a girlfriend." Seems like things had changed a lot since Padmé had last been on Tatooine. "Beru's nice. She was very involved in helping get slaves away from their owners and removing their chips. She helped remove my mom's."

Right, that made sense. Padmé struggled to determine if there was any occasion where she might have met the girl. "And that's all you're going for?"

"I might also be hoping to check in on the Military Creation Act," he admitted, albeit with some reluctance.

"Anakin!"

"I'm not going to be there to do anything bad, just give her some thoughts I've had that she can pass onto my mom."

Padmé sighed. "You're determined."

"I have to be." Anakin smiled, although it was clear it wasn't easy for him to admit. "Somebody has to make this galaxy a better place, so slavery doesn't slip through the cracks again on another planet. If I don't stand up for people, who will."

"Is that why your people were so eager to have you take over for your mom as Senator once you turned eighteen?" Anakin looked at her, more than a little confused. "I kept my eye out for you on the holonews and the holonet."

His face lit up at that, like he hadn't expected it. "They wanted me to take up the seat sooner, it's why I did so much in the Senate. But my mom insisted that I was too young and they could take her if they wanted a Skywalker in office."

"And so you can't let them down." She saw where this was going, and smiled.

"Not if I want to keep the faith of everybody on Tatooine." Anakin pulled her away, leading her into one of the newer buildings of Mos Espa, or at least one that had recently been cleaned up, judging by the significantly cleaner buildings.

As they stepped inside, it was clear to see just how busy Anakin's team was with getting everything working. Each of the desks held a different resident of Tatooine, with refugees and others scattered around in a panic. Sentients of a million different species seemed to scatter about from place to place, and the building was a madhouse of people. Anakin led her right through the lobby and up to the second floor, opening it up to a wide, less chaotic office with a young blonde girl doing some paperwork. She looked up at the door in surprise. "Anakin?"

"Hey Beru." He waved and fell back in surprise as the girl gave him a hug, one he quickly returned.

"I didn't expect you to come back so soon to Tatooine." She smiled before turning towards Padmé. "Who's this?"

"This is Jedi Knight Padmé Naberrie, the Jedi who helped free my mom." Anakin introduced her. "She's serving as my protector until the threat on my life has passed."

Before Padmé could say anything more, she found herself also pulled into a hug. "Thank you, for helping free Shmi, and helping keep Anakin safe. I don't know what any of us would do if it wasn't for you."

Padmé smiled. "Thank you. I'm glad Ani managed to find people like you to be a part of his family."

"Family that includes you now, too." Having addressed the Jedi protector, who was surprised at the inclusion in Anakin's family so easily, Beru turned her attention back towards Anakin. "Why are you back here?"

"Sa–"

"Safety. It's not safe for Anakin on Coruscant so long as people are still after him, so Shmi is filling in on the Senate and Anakin is staying here until it's safe for him to return."

"I can answer for myself." Anakin was indignant for the interruption, but seemed to let it go. "I was hoping you could pass on a few messages for my mother before we head out to the farm."

Beru looked at him in surprise. "You want to hide out there?"

"It's far out of the way, and nobody's likely to catch me on camera there." Anakin grimaced moments later though. "It's not the best or biggest place to be, but if I'm going to hide out it's probably one of the safest. I can always help with the vaporators too, make sure they're ready for the next harvest."

"I'll let Owen and Cliegg know. They left for Coruscant a few hours ago with Threepio." Beru paused, as though something had sunk in while talking. "That must have been why they left. They're going to keep Shmi company."

Anakin nodded. "Probably. So you agree it's a good idea?"

"Of course." Beru smiled. "Nobody associates the Whitesuns or Skywalkers with the Lars family. Nobody will think to look there." Padmé nodded in agreement. "Now then, what messages did you have for your mom? I'm assuming it's not just to tell her you both arrived here safely"

Anakin chuckled. "Of course not. You always were able to see right through me better than anyone." He turned to Padmé. "Do you want to stay for this?"

"I believe the council told me not to let you out of my sights." Padmé smiled. "I suppose I'll have to though for this, since I have to call the council. I'm sure you can take care of yourself for a half hour?"

"If not, then you can kill my dead body, Master Jedi."

Padmé laughed. "I'll be back." And with that, she left the room for a small hallway nearby, pulling out her comm once more.

"Master Windu. Master Yoda." She bowed as the two Jedi appeared. Though she couldn't see them, she assumed most of the council was present as well.

"Knight Naberrie. I'm assuming you and Senator Skywalker have arrived on Tatooine?" Mace asked, looking at her.

Padmé nodded. "The Senator's talking with a relative. After he's finished, we'll be going into hiding, just as planned."

"Done well, you have." Yoda's praise made Padmé smile as she realized that she'd at least so far been successful. "Senator Skyawlker's safety insured will be."

"How's Obi-Wan's investigation going?" Padmé asked. Perhaps it was too soon for him to have found anything, but it'd be nice if she had some good news for Anakin.

"Found a lead, Knight Kenobi has," Yoda answered. "Left for another planet, he did."

"We'll let you know as soon as developments are found." Mace nodded. "For now, your objective remains the same as it has."

"I'll let you know if my situation changes then." Padmé smiled, hanging up on the two council members. If Obi-Wan had a lead, perhaps they wouldn't be in hiding out on Tatooine for as long as she thought.