Two for one update! Thank you 8 hour flight to Europe! I hate you, but you give me no choice but to either sleep or do something.

Chapter 8

She found him in one of the most unlikely places she could possibly think for him. The gardens of the Jedi Temple were some of the most beautiful on Coruscant. Vibrant colors, and smells, the gardens were comprised of a variety of plants from across the Galaxy. As a youngling, Ahsoka had spent much time in the gardens with her friends and had been in meditation with Yoda under the massive tree in the middle. And as much as she liked the place, her Master was never someone she thought would ever meditate in the garden. He often said his form of meditation was to keep his hands busy, working on his ship, upgrading Artoo… he found peace easier with grease and tools than with nature. But here he was, seated on a large stone, eyes closed as if in a trance but obviously distracted.

"Master?" She asked.

Anakin opened his eyes and his face seemed to heat up at her inquisitive look. He scratched the back of his neck awkwardly as he grabbed the heel of his boot and glanced away. "Master Yoda told me to meditate," He said.

"I can see that," She said, taking a seat on the ground below him. "Do-do you mind if I join you?" She asked.

He looked surprised for a moment before he gave a small nod and closed his eyes again. Ahsoka watched him for a moment, watched as he breathed in deep and exhaled slowly. In the Force she could feel his mind fighting to stop thinking, fighting to stay in the moment. She wished she could do more to help, but there wasn't anything she could do to make his pain go away, or was there?

Closing her eyes, she drew on the Force and focused on her Master's thoughts, placing small subtle suggestions in the air around him, suggestions of feelings that were closely tied to their relationship as Master and Padawan. The memory of their first battle and how he had lifted her spirits, the pride he'd felt teaching her a new lightsaber technique, the relief of knowing they both made it through another battle, the camaraderie they both felt among their battalion. It wasn't much, but it was enough that he might be able to pick up on those feelings and those memories and at least ease his mind if only a little. Ahsoka heard his breathing slow and through one eye, she saw him relax slightly and felt him reach something close to meditation, though not quite there yet. She smiled, and closed her eye once more, focusing on more of those suggestions to help her master.

They stayed like that for over an hour as he meditated before he opened his eyes and broke off the connection. Their eyes met and he gave her a small grateful smile. He looked better than she'd seen him in a long time. Still a far cry away from the Anakin she knew, but the pain that had been a constant in his gaze was starting to fade. "Thank you, Ahsoka," He said.

"Any time, Master," She returned.

She was late. Padme was never late. Just before he left for the Jedi Temple, she had promised she'd be back by dinner. Now, the sun was fully set and the serving droids had already prepped and stored tonights dinner in the fridge as he refused to eat without her. Part of him worried she might have gotten in trouble. Danger seemed attracted to her and she always seemed to find her way into messy situations. But he'd heard no news of any such attack or threat, and that gave root to darker thoughts. What if she was avoiding him? Did she need a break from him? Perhaps he should stay at the Jedi Temple instead…

The thoughts kept coming as he paced the length of the main entryway, waiting for her return like some needy pet, practically jumping when he heard the doors open and saw Captain Typho step out followed by Padme. The relief he felt lasted only a minute as he quickly saw the think bacta patch on her cheek and the shreds her sleeves were in. Her hair which was normally tightly pinned when she attended senate meetings, was in disarray and his mind raced wondering what had happened. Typho did not look happy, which to him, seemed to indicate this was more something she did than something someone did to her. But what had she done to cause such damage?

"Thank you, Captain," She said to the head of her security, "You're dismissed for the evening." He looked as though he wanted to say something, but the silent look between them, shut down whatever he was going to say and Typho gave a short bow and left them alone.

The moment the doors to the lift closed, Anakin shoved his hands into his pockets, "Wha-what happened?" He asked.

She bit her lip and sighed, "I had some words with someone," She said, "It… didn't end well." His eyes narrowed, unconvinced by her explanation. Since when did arguments lead to violence? She seemed to notice his skepticism and after she walked further into the apartment and discarded a shall onto the couch, she pulled at her fingers as she glanced up at him. "I… I went to see her."

Anakin wasn't sure what she meant at first, but her face seemed to make her meaning clear and as he looked closer at the scratches on her face, he recognized the marks. He had them too.

"Don't be upset with me," She pleaded, "I just… I-I had to see her for myself. I wanted to say something to her, but there was just so much to be said… and then she started talking, and I… snapped," She said. Padme shook her head as she wrapped her arms around herself, "She's rather confident," She continued, "And prideful."

Anakin nodded as he took a seat on the couch. If she spoke with the Queen, then she knows how willing he'd actually been. True, he'd mentioned it to her before, but he'd left details out— omitted details that were not just painful for him, but details that could break what faith she had in him. True, it all started out with him being resistant to her advances, him being reluctant to partake… but, after a while, he found that he liked it, he found himself attracted to her to the point that he'd call out her name and beg her for more… had the Queen told her about those times? The possibility alone made his stomach sink low in his abdomen at the thought. What would she think of him then? "I-I'm sorry," Anakin muttered, hanging his head low, "I'm so sorry."

"Hey," Padme rushed to his side and knelt before him, her fingers running lovingly though his hair, "It's alright," She said.

"no it isn't," He argued. "How is any of this alright? How can you keep saying it's alright?"

Padme pressed her forehead to his, "Because I have to believe it will be," She said.

Padme recounted her encounter to him, slowly, careful not to say anything that might upset him further. Anakin listened to her carefully, shocked and surprised at how aggressively she'd attacked the Queen. In all the time he'd spent under her, he'd never even dreamed of harming her, though his reason had more to do with how her guards would treat him if he lifted a hand to her. He tried to imagine what state the Queen was in now that his wife had beat her up on his behalf. The thought brought a small smile to his lips as he knew who he was rooting for.

"I wanted to do much worse to her," Padme said once they were laying in their bed, their hands woven together in the space in the middle as they lay facing one another.

"I'm surprised you did anything at all."

Her brow furrowed as she looked him in the eye, "Of course I was going to do something… granted, my fist in her face wasn't the original plan, but," She gave a small shrug as she traced over his knuckles. "I easily could have ended up in a prison tonight," She said, "Dorme found a few loopholes to get me out, on the condition that I take a leave of absence for a while," She sighed.

Anakin nodded and watched her fingers and his entwine in a graceful dance, taking in the simple joy of just their hands touching. He found his mind moving back to his meeting with Yoda. He'd been rather cryptic about what he saw, and it was all just too much for him to want to even think about. The fact of the matter was that it would be some time before he would feel mentally ready for active duty, and longer still to be physically ready. "Let's go to Naboo," He suggested. If he was to spend an extended leave to heal, then why not?

Her head perked up at the suggestion and her lips curled in a smile, "That sounds wonderful," She said, shifting closer to him and resting her hand on his arm. He returned her smile and learned his head towards her. Fear still lurked inside him. Fear of intimacy, fear of rejection… but, he could trust Padme. He trusted her more than anyone else and she loved him in ways that no one else did. And he wanted to show her how much he trusts her. The fingers of his left hand trembled as he loosened the openings of his tunic. She watched him, surprised as he carefully guided her hand to his torso which was now bare from his ribs to his neck. The scars on his front were fewer than the ones on his back, but they were also the most intimate of injuries. He was tense as she slowly started to trace the scars by his collarbone where the Queen had once roughly ripped his shirt from his body, not giving a care for the skin she tore in the process. The scratches leading down his abdomen traced a clear line that disappeared beneath his pants.

He let her touch him. There was nothing intimate about the way she was touching him. Her soft delicate fingers were only curious and worried, wishing that they had to power to simply erase them with a touch. He wished she could as well, but the fix would only be skin deep. Her lips lightly touched the scar over his heart and he tensed, "Scars fade over time," She whispered, "It might take longer for these to heal, but they will."

He smiled at her words and pressed his lips to her brow, feeling a warm feeling encase him. "I love you," He whispered.

Obi-Wan read the report over and over and over again, hoping that it was wrong, that the two droids who had conducted the tests had been wrong. But both tests showed the same result, the same horrifying result that he had difficulty fully processing. Obi-Wan glanced through the small glass window in the door at the Queen. She'd been moved to the medical facility after a rather… heated exchange between her and Senator Amidala. The very idea of Padme attacking someone like that was… well, not too surprising given the circumstances, but still a shock. The smug look on the Queen's face only further frustrated him as they made eye contact for the briefest of moments. By now, the plan to send her home was fully underway with a full Republic Cruiser and the House Speaker on orders to escort her safely home. The medical visit was mandatory for two reasons: one was to try and mend the damage Padme had done, and the other was to make sure she was in the same medical condition as when she came in. It was a way for the Republic to cover their bases, to assure the Zygerrians that their Queen was (mostly) unharmed.

But, besides giving her a clean bill of health, the exam discovered something else. The Queen was pregnant. Obi-Wan didn't even need to ask who the father was. The only thing he could think about was if he should tell Anakin or not. Surely he had a right to know about a child he'd fathered. but, how much would that set his recovery back? Once again, he felt completely at a loss for what to do. Everything he'd done so far had been to protect Anakin. But how much could he truly protect him? This wasn't something he could just erase as if it never happened. This was a life. A life that he created that may one day come looking for him. What was he to do then? And even if he simply waited until he was better, wouldn't the knowledge just trigger him again? And who knows what Miraj would do once she is informed she is pregnant. She was vindictive and might decide to use the child as leverage against him. And that was just as if not more dangerous to Anakin. But, there was also Padme to consider. Padme was Anakin's wife. A concept he was still coming to terms with. How would she react in all this? Obi-Wan was confident that Padme wouldn't blame her husband for this, but there is no way to truly know how she'd react to the child born of her husband's rape.

Obi-Wan ran a hand through his auburn hair. So much could have been avoided if they'd gone about that mission differently. But there was no way to change the past now. The two medical droids who'd conducted the tests hovered nearby, awaiting orders for how to handle the situation. "Erase the pregnancy test results," He ordered. The droids hesitated for a moment, as if verifying it was an acceptable command before they both complied and erased the results. Perhaps, if they are lucky, the child will look more like it's mother. Perhaps he was wrong in the assumption that Anakin was the father. Obi-Wan prayed that was the case. Prayed that the Queen had taken other lovers and that one of them had sired the child. But deep down, he knew that it wasn't.

End

Epilogue will be the next and final post for this story