Chapter 7

"We can't keep her here indefinitely. We'll wait until she wakes to see if she's cooperative."

Padmé woke to the sound of Barriss' voice, hushed but audible from several feet away. She suppressed a groan as the dull ache that was her body made itself known. She hurt. All over. Like someone had stuck her in a bag and beaten her with reeds for a week. The unpleasant memory did nothing to banish the seriousness of her situation or cast it in another light. She was bound, hand and foot, the tingling in her fingers a telling sign that her bonds were a touch too tight. She tested them, finding the leather cord had very little give.

A murmured response Padmé didn't catch slid through the silence and her ears would have twisted forward had she been feline. The voice was female and younger than Barriss if Padmé heard the tone correctly; and it didn't appear to be Gwurran. The inflections on the words were too precise. She strained to hear, but the voice didn't speak loudly enough to be anything more than a garbled murmur.

Padmé tuned out the conversation, focusing instead on her surroundings. The light of a fire somewhere behind her cast all in front of her into shadow, but she saw enough to convince her she was in some kind of camp. A small camp. Gwurran, perhaps? It was underground; that much she knew for certain, the breeze almost non-existent in the cavern.

Barriss' voice dropped and then suddenly stopped, bringing Padmé's focus back to the Jedi who'd taken her. The sound of footsteps was soft; the echo indicating that the cave in which she was housed was smaller than she'd first anticipated. Barriss' hand was on her shoulder, rolling her backwards, and Padmé glared up at the other woman.

"Polite conversation is usually held without knocking one's guest unconscious first."

A giggle echoed from somewhere behind Padmé even as Barriss' lips twisted into a grudging smile. "I see your nap hasn't dented your sense of humor."

"It would take a lot more than you to do that, Jedi Offee. How about you let me loose and we'll have that chat."

Barriss looked beyond Padmé. "I don't think our audience would like that very much."

"Well bully for you." Padmé glared daggers.

Another giggle and then a softer, younger voice spoke from the shadows behind Padmé. "She has a strange way of speaking."

"Who's that? And what, pray-tell, have you done with Skywalker?"

"He's fine." Barriss assured her with a faint smile. "He'll be sleeping off the drug the Gwurran fed him for another couple of hours." The Mirialan Jedi assisted Padmé to a sitting position; one that did nothing to illuminate the identity of their mysterious audience. "I have a delicate matter I wished to discuss with you. One that may influence your relationship with Anakin."

Padmé snorted. "Relationship? What, our sniping matches? I've told him he can have you."

Barriss looked at Padmé shrewdly. "I find myself doubting he wishes to renew our relationship and you are the reason why."

Padmé shrugged, rubbing her wrists together. "He's a big boy; he makes his own decisions. What's this have to do with anything, anyway?"

"What do you know of my history with Anakin?"

Padmé blinked, not having expected the question and her curiosity began to gnaw at her. What did this have to do with anything? "I know you were once lovers."

"True. Did you know it was his pursuit of his Mastery that ended that relationship?"

"No. What's this have to do with anything?"

"I'm getting to that, Captain. What do you know of my history?"

"Very little," Padmé admitted. "The Jedi supplied a slim dossier on you that mentioned this planet several times, as well as your disappearances over the years, but never for longer than a year."

"The first time of six months."

"What relevance is that?"

Barriss nodded to the shadows and a small child of no more than seven stepped into the light. She flashed a hesitant but dimpled smile at Padmé and Padmé stared. The child was obviously Barriss'. She was the spitting image of her mother with long brown hair and clear, olive colored skin, not yet having tattooed or earned the right to tattoo, any part of her visible skin. But it wasn't that she looked like Barriss or that Barriss had a child that held Padmé's attention. It was that the girl had startlingly clear blue eyes.

Anakin's eyes.

Padmé's gaze flew back to Barriss. Barriss met it frankly. "This is Karrin; my daughter."

"Anakin's daughter."

Barriss inclined her head. "Do you see my dilemma?"

"Untie me."

Barriss arched an eyebrow.

"I'm not going to attack you in front of your daughter. Untie me. My fingers are going numb."

Barriss bent to the task and the knots slipped free quickly. "I need your assistance, Captain Naberrie."

"You've got a funny way of asking for it."

"Would you have followed me without question?"

Padmé shot her a look that said she knew the answer to that question.

"I thought not. Without giving you an explanation, and risking Anakin overhearing, I would not have been able to get you to come."

Karrin knelt to help her mother, working on Padmé's ankles with sure, swift fingers. Padmé rubbed her wrists as they were freed, smiling her thanks at the child as her feet were released moments later. She rotated her ankles and flexed her toes to get the circulation going. "Not that I'm in the habit of finding a cause, but what kind of help can I possibly give you? You're holding the trump card." She waved at Karrin who had settled onto the ground across from them. "If you tell Anakin about Karrin it proves that Jedi are just as capable of breeding more Jedi - just like the council thought. They'll be ecstatic."

Barriss regarded Padmé as if weighing some heavy decision before finally speaking. "Is that the real reason the council has searched me out? Because I am female and can provide children for the order?"

"The main one."

Barriss rose abruptly to her feet and turned away. "Karrin, go see Nixlew."

Karrin looked from one adult to the other, as if gauging if it was safe or not to leave, but rose and left without a word, only a cautionary look at Padmé

"Obedient child. She must take after her mother."

Barriss turned back to face Padmé. "Spare me your caustic wit, Captain. The Jedi Order is dying, or so Anakin tells me, regardless of how many younglings you were able to save, the Order will be nothing without learning to accept the facts of life as they now stand. You've seen it for yourself; tell me honestly. What chance do the Jedi have in renewing the order?"

"None." Padmé was blunt, meeting the Jedi healer's gaze frankly and doing a quick reassessment of what she knew about Barriss. Here, after the introduction to her daughter, Padmé was seen Barriss' actions for the last several days in another light. "With Mace Windu as the new Sith Lord, a Sith Lord who understands the intricate inner workings of the Jedi and their code, the Jedi will need to evolve or risk annihilation."

Barriss was silent for a long minute. "And do you think this new ploy of theirs, the idea to form family groups, makes sense?"

Padmé shrugged. "I think it has both pros and cons. By bringing Jedi together in groups, they're vulnerable to detection. But they're also stronger as a group. By making them a true family with children, it ensures that the parents will fight to the death to ensure their children survive. A waste of lives, but there are no better bodyguards than a passionately attached Jedi Knight."

"You know if this first hand?"

Padmé smiled wickedly. "I met a young Jedi once - he's dead now - but he'd taken it into his head to become romantically attached to me despite his Master's orders. He was most… vigorous in his pursuit of me and defense of my body."

Barriss arched an eyebrow. "It is disrespectful to speak ill of the dead, Captain."

"There's no disrespect intended, Jedi Offee. I will ever remember him fondly. He gave up his life so I could continue with mine."

"I see."

"I doubt you do, but that is neither here nor there. What is it you need my help for?"

"I want honesty to a question I must pose."

Padmé shot her a look that said she was likely to get little else. What did the Jedi think; that she was going to lie? Lie, to a Jedi? Padmé almost snorted. Barriss had been living on Ansion too long if she didn't remember it was impossible to lie effectively to a Jedi. Padmé corrected that thought with an arch of an eyebrow as she waited for Barriss' question. Jedi could be lied to effectively, in fact, she'd gotten quite good at it, but the only problem was that the lies could never be kept for very long. Besides, she wasn't about to spare Barriss' sensibilities after what the Jedi had done to enable their conversation even if she was more affable.

"My question is this," Barriss finally spoke, her voice low so not to have it carry beyond them. "Are Karrin and I safer here or with the other Jedi?"

"With or without Skywalker's presence?"

"That's the question, isn't it?"

Padmé met the younger woman's gaze squarely. "Your chances increase if you're with Skywalker if you decide to leave. Though, with all that's been said, I wouldn't be surprised if one of the other Masters took a liking to you."

Barriss arched her eyebrows. "A vessel to produce force sensitive children? Thank you, but I believe Karrin and I will remain here."

"And how are you going to explain your change of heart to Skywalker?"

"I am not." Barriss didn't break their eye contact. "You are."

Padmé blinked. "I am not."

"You must."

"I don't have to do a damn thing, lady," Padmé retorted coldly. "I was drugged, bound, gagged, insulted and brought here against my will because you can't let Anakin go free. And if you expect me to do anything to help you, you're dreaming."

"I can't tell him about Karrin. If I must tell him of my decision to stay, he will learn of his daughter."

"Is that such a bad thing?"

Barriss drew herself up haughtily. "I should have known better than to expect honor, despite your actions towards the Jedi previously."

Padmé grabbed her arm before she swept from the cavern, halting her progress. "Explain that."

"Anakin's told me of your involvement with the Jedi and why you are here." Barriss' gaze was cold. "I find that his version of the woman who helped younglings escape the temple and the one I am asking to assist me are two very different women indeed."

Padmé's gaze narrowed. "If I didn't know any better, you were trying to insult me."

"Not trying, Captain." Barriss tugged her arm free. "The Gwurran will escort you out - once you're drugged."

Padmé lunged for the Jedi, hitting her across the middle and slamming her into the wall with a dull thud. The air whooshed from the Jedi Healer's lungs at the sudden impact with Padmé's attack having come from a completely unexpected angle. Padmé's hand curled about Barriss's throat and applied pressure, keeping her from regaining her breath as the Jedi struggled to find enough air to remain conscious.

Padmé's gaze was narrowed and uncompromising. "Understand me and understand me well, Jedi Offee. Your problems are not mine and you will not make them mine. You were the one irresponsible enough to get knocked up by your Jedi lover. Something I'm certain the council frowns upon almost as much as keeping a child from the crèche - especially one that has the potential to be as talented as their parents."

Barriss' hands settled around Padmé's wrists, her nails digging in and drawing a trickle of blood. Padmé didn't flinch, didn't in fact seem to feel it as her eyes blazed with barely restrained fury. "Your insinuations that I am less than honorable are laughable. You know nothing about me or what shaped me into the person I am today. You dare accuse me of being deceitful when Skywalker remains ignorant of the fact he's a father. You dare accuse me of being dishonorable when I'm not the one who turned their back on everything they believed in to break the fundamental code by which I'm bound to live. Don't you dare imply that you're better than I am, Jedi, because you're wrong. Dead wrong."

Barriss' nails drug deeper, numbing the fingers Padmé held in a vice-like grip around her neck, but Padmé refused to relinquish her hold. She shook the Jedi by the neck, like a kryatt dragon would have shaken a womp rat, keeping a tight grip - or what she thought was a tight grip. "Do you understand me, Jedi Offee?"

Barriss nodded, clawing at the back of Padmé's hand and leaving bloody furrows, her lips starting to turn blue.

"Good." Padmé released Barriss, dropping her to the floor and rising to her feet as she shot the Jedi a final scathing look. "Oh, and a word of advice. Never underestimate someone simply because they can't use the Force."

---------

Padmé crouched in the shadows of the cavern, looking left and right as she attempted to get her bearings. Where am I? she wondered silently. The jabbering of the Gwurran could be heard all around her as the acoustics of the cavern distorted the directions from which they came and Padmé, for the first time in her life, felt beyond her depth. Not that it was going to stop her.

She stayed where she was for several long minutes, watching the angles of the shadows and the way they played about the walls. She held her breath as footsteps sounded around her, expecting to feel the prick of the drugged dart that would send her back under. But nothing came. No sound of a lightsaber humming as it moved through the air. No sound of alarm. No whistle as the poisoned dart sped through the air.

A groan floated towards her; a sound she recognized by the shudder than shook her frame. "Skywalker?"

Her hiss came back to her, reverberating off the wall in a distorted fashion. Padmé reached her hand out and moved several feet to the left until her hand hit rock. She stopped, holding her breath and listening. The echoes of shuffling feet and the gibberish version of the Anosian language that the Gwurran spoke echoed faintly through the cavern. The dripping of water, slow and steady, gave her a count.

One... Two... Three...

She let her breath out silently.

Nothing. No groans, no moans and no indication that Skywalker was anywhere near the wall by which she stood. She moved again, this time angling towards the right, and keeping to the deep shadows as she planted her feet carefully. Her right hand encountered rock and she paused again, holding her breath as she listened for the tell-tale signs of Skywalker's presence. The drip was closer now and she had to focus beyond it, the ambient noise of the tunnels making it difficult to focus.

The counted backwards slowly.

Three... Two... On- There!

She concentrated on the sound, barely audible under the rest of the tunnel's noises and moved two steps forward. She exhaled and then inhaled, holding her breath again. The sound of someone moving, shifting like they were in pain went with the muted sound of a hurting head.

Whatever they'd drugged Skywalker with must have given him one hell of a headache.

Padmé crept forward cautiously only to pause every few steps to correct her bearings and listen. The sounds drew her forward, prepared for a trick, and she found herself silently wishing for her blaster. Damn the Jedi anyway. She should just leave Anakin to Barriss and their daughter and save her own skin.

But she found she couldn't. Each time she thought about turning away, Skywalker's painful movements drifted almost painfully loud through her mind. His smile, the quirk of his lips that sent her pulse racing, and lastly, the unknown. She'd tasted something with him that she hadn't before tasted and she wasn't about to let him get away before she fulfilled her promise.

She made a face. You're kidding yourself, girl, she admonished silently. Skywalker's fire isn't what's drawing you, it's the fact he's gotten beyond the barriers you've erected to keep people away. Admit it; you're as good as smitten.

But she couldn't. Not yet. Maybe once they were out of here and away from Barriss and her kid. Maybe. She pushed the thoughts away, concentrating and then frowned. "Skywalker?"

"Captain?"

She grinned in the darkness. He sounded pained but annoyed. "How's the head."

"Heartless witch." Anakin's voice was low, just like hers. "Where are we?"

Padmé moved forward into another small chamber and caught herself as the toe of her boot kicked him solidly in the side. He grunted. "Easy, would you? My hands are bound."

She knelt, using her hands to find him. In the darkness she had no choice but to use her fingers to skim his chest, looking for the width of his shoulders.

"They'll be more time for exploration later, Captain." His voice caught as she brushed her fingers over the well defined muscles of his pectorals. "I'd like to get out of here sooner rather than later."

Padmé chuckled softly. "Relax, Skywalker. I don't exactly have the ability to see in the dark and, as much as I'm enjoying this, I'd rather be in a lighted area when I next meet your Barriss." Her fingers skimmed quickly over his shoulders as she ignored the hitch in his breathing and then down, across his biceps, searching for where his hands were joined. Her fingers slowed as they reached his elbows, shifting so she could slide her whole hands around his arms. She stopped for a fraction of a second when her fingers encountered bare skin and scolded herself.

It's just his arms for Force sakes.

"Padmé?"

"Easy, Skywalker," she was conscious of the fact she knelt over him and his breath had feathered the bangs at her forehead. Too close. She ignored the warning, sliding her hands further down, the action more of a caress than she intended, and less business-like. The warmth of his skin seemed to sear her hands even as her hands slid and finally connected with the metal bands near his wrists. "Binders."

"I know."

"Why didn't you say so?"

He chuckled and her head came up. His lips touched her cheek when he answered. "I didn't... I..." He trailed off, his lips closing and, gently, with a slight shift, became caressing on the curve of her cheek bone.

Padmé froze, feeling like a jolt of high voltage energy had been run through her system. His lips were soft and undemanding as they slid to the right, tracing the bone back until it connected with her hairline - and her ear. She jerked away, her hands sliding back up his arms as she did, "More rescue, less fraternization, Skywalker."

His low chuckle did nothing to settle the jumping in her stomach. "I can't thank you for rescuing me - again?"

"Save your gratitude for when we're actually free. Are you chained to anything?"

"Not that I can tell."

Padmé felt around behind him and then shifted her position, keeping one hand on his arm and letting go of the other one. She closed her eyes, letting her sense of touch guide her. Anakin wasn't grounded to anything. Reaching down, she searched the hem of her boots, looking for and finding the loose seam. She smiled smugly, though no one could see her, and pulled the lock pick from its secret location.

"What are you doing?"

"Breaking you out." She returned quietly. "Now shut up and let me concentrate."

"Yes ma'am."

She jabbed him none-too-gently with the lock pick, satisfied with his twitch before she found the binders and set to work on the lock. The basic elements remained the same and she was silently thankful lock picking was mostly feel to begin with. If it hadn't been, getting him free would have been much more difficult.

CLICK

She felt the first of the binder's halves give way and extracted Anakin's arm. The second binder took only a few moments more before a second soft CLICK freed his second arm.

"Thanks."

"Are your feet bound?"

"I don't think so."

"Then check, Skywalker. As amusing as it would be to watch you fall on your face, there's not exactly a lot of light. Not to mention hearing you fall on your face wouldn't be as much fun."

"You're all heart, Captain." She heard Anakin moving around for a few moments. "Nothing. I guess they figured binders were enough. I think I should be insulted."

Padmé chuckled. "I don't think they were a long-term solution. You weren't supposed to be here for more than a few hours."

"That's not reassuring."

Padmé rose to her feet cautiously, holding one hand above her head. She didn't feel a low ceiling, but Anakin was quite a bit taller than she. "Be careful when you stand. We wouldn't want you to rattle that Jedi brain of yours more than it has been."

Anakin did as she said, reaching out to catch her arm, "Any more skills I should know about, Captain?"

She patted his fingers for a moment before turning back the way she came, feeling his grip like a branding iron. "I'm sure there are many more you could benefit from, Skywalker. It's just a matter of the right time and-"

She was thrust against the wall suddenly, Anakin's frame pinning her in place as his lips silenced her saucy comeback. He pinned her, grabbing her wrists and keeping them firmly against the rock wall even as his weight kept her in place. She didn't fight him, though. I should came the slightly hazy though as his mouth devoured hers hungrily. But, for the moment, she couldn't remember why.

Anakin pulled back too quickly for her liking. "Either stop taunting me, Captain, or put those much vaunted skills to use."

"Lacking control, Skywalker?"

His laughter was low and dangerous - and right next to her ear. "Everything about you screams lack of control, Padmé; especially the effect you have on me."

Padmé felt as if he'd sucker punched her; he wasn't supposed to admit it, damn him! She twisted. "You have lousy timing, Skywalker." Her words were hissed and deliberately chosen to hide her confusion. "We've a mad woman on our tail, you've got a head full of cob webs and you're going to regret telling me that later. Why don't we get out of here before you start playing the Neanderthal?"

His release of her was almost instantaneous. He didn't say anything, didn't so much as breathe a curse as he kept one hand around her wrist and, with a tug, began walking. She didn't see where they were going - there was little ambient light - but she didn't need to see to know she'd struck a sensitive spot. He was silent as he pulled her through corridor after corridor, always pausing before making his way across open areas.

"Do you know where you're going?"

Anakin shot her a look that said now was not the time to question him, nor was it prudent. Padmé stared at him, noting, with that look that she could see him again. Light filtered in from somewhere ahead and their pace increased. The floor took a sudden, sharp turn upwards and they stumbled, Anakin dragging her down with him as he came up short and tried to catch his balance.

Padmé careened into his back at such a clip it sent them both sprawling.

She closed her eyes, resting her forehead between Anakin's shoulder blades as his body began to shake. She felt his laughter before she heard it and her head snapped up. "Just what is so funny?"

Anakin shifted and rolled, knocking her off and to the side to lever himself up on his elbows. "What are we running from, Captain?"

"Your ex-girlfriend and her delusions of world domination?"

Anakin's chuckle was accompanied by a boyish grin and his bangs falling into his eyes as he cocked his head at her. "Barriss isn't a Sith; she'd hardly hurt us."

"Speak for yourself." Padmé told him with a pointed look. "She's made no secret of the fact she doesn't want me here."

"And you've made little secret of the fact that you would rather have been chosen to do a garbage scow run than retrieve her for the order."

Padmé smiled faintly. "She won't go with you."

His smile slowly died. "What do you mean?"

Padmé pushed herself to her knees and began smacking the dust from her shirt with even, controlled motions. "What I mean, Master Jedi, is that Barriss refuses to be a brood mare for the order."

Anakin flinched.

Padmé continued, keeping her tone conversational. "She didn't seem too thrilled by the idea when I told her exactly what our mission was here. Then she had the gall to ask if she'd be safer here without you, or out in the galaxy with you." She snorted, pushing to her feet and dusting ff her pants. "Imagine, safer out there or here. With all the trouble we went through to find her, I'd be shocked if the Emperor was able to locate what planet she was on, let alone the specific cavern she was hiding in."

"She didn't want to come with us?"

Padmé finally looked up. Anakin hadn't moved from his position on the ground, and his blue eyes were serious. "She has other obligations here, Skywalker. Apparently she doesn't consider bearing children for whatever Jedi takes a fancy to her one of them."

He flinched a second time. "It wouldn't be like that."

"No?" Padmé slammed her hands on her hips and gave him a hard look. "Then what would it be like? Marriage and happily ever after? You're trying to save an order by producing children, Anakin. Doesn't it make sense to have as many different genetic combinations as possible to preserve the blood lines?"

"That's degrading."

Her lips twitched and she arched an eyebrow. "You agree with me then."

"About what?"

"About women being little more than the means to an end with the way the Jedi are going about this."

Anakin pushed himself into a sitting position, resting one arm on one knee as he looked at her critically. "I never said that."

"Then what do you mean?"

He shrugged. "If the Jedi really mean to take this as a family group, it needs to be like a family group. You can't trade wives just because you need to have more children of someone's bloodline."

"In other words each bloodline will be saved because each will have its partner?"

"Something like that." Anakin made to get to his feet and Padmé extended her hand to him. He looked at it before meeting her gaze. "For this to work there needs to be some semblance of emotion between the couple chosen. Or at the very least-" he slapped his hand into hers, grabbing her by the wrist as she secured her fingers around his, awareness crackling about them with the skin on skin contact. "At the very least, there should be passion."

Padmé was almost pulled off her feet and caught herself in time to counter balance him as he hauled himself to his feet. He didn't let go of her hand immediately, his gaze holding hers captive

"Passion." Padmé echoed him softly. She tugged her hand away. "Passions fade, Skywalker. How about mutual respect and trust for starters. I hear that's a good way to start a relationship."

"Jedi already have that; there will need to be a stronger connection than that."

"Like what?"

Anakin chuckled softly. "Sparks would be a good start."

"Am I being propositioned, Master Jedi," Padmé asked with a tilt of her head. "For, I could swear I never said I wanted to be a part of your mating program."

His eyes widened in surprise and Padmé pushed past him, starting to climb the steep incline and heading for the now-visible opening in the rock wall. He didn't answer as she moved away from him, and part of Padmé was grateful. For a moment, a brief moment when he'd been looking at her with unshielded eyes she'd seen possibilities. She'd seen a future; she's seen the offer of a family and security. The offer of home.

She ignored the tugging on her heart strings as she scrambled into the cave entrance and stopped. The breeze whipped her hair about her face as she waited for Skywalker to join her. What he didn't know yet was that she had all that, or had once had it, and lost it all to poor choice and circumstance. Once they were back at their campsite, packed, and heading for where she'd left the suubatar she'd try and find the words to explain why she couldn't accept what he was offering and why he was better off without her.