Chapter 8

Padmé slid through the fissure behind Anakin and winced as she jarred her knees against the close stone wall. "Are you sure you know where you're going?"

"Trust the Force, Captain," Anakin returned without missing a beat. "We can't have been taken far from our campsite; finding it should be an - ah, here we are."

Padmé emerged from the stone cavern and info the familiar hollow where their belongings remained untouched. Her gaze was drawn immediately to the pool the river formed on the far side and the yearning for a bath was almost over powering. She pushed it aside. She could bathe when they were packed and away from here.

Anakin went straight to where his belongings had been left and collected his lightsaber, hooking it back on his belt with a smooth motion. Padmé cast him a long look as he knelt and began to place several of the items into the middle of one of his heavier blankets. She waited until she was confident he was occupied before crossing to the tent where she'd spent most of her time in this clearing.

Her blaster was the first thing she retrieved, scooping it from the blankets where it'd been left and she proceeded to clean it. Her movements were practiced and smooth as she tore down the blaster and then rebuilt it. Each movement was as much about ordering her thoughts as it was about ensuring her weapon hadn't been tampered with. Once it was back together, she slid it into her holster and secured it in place.

"Need a hand?"

She managed not to jump at Anakin's inquiry. "What, already packed, Skywalker?"

"I travel light, Captain." He returned, his tone amused.

She didn't turn to look at him, but instead knelt and reached for the pack. She flipped it open, satisfied to find it empty, and began folding the blankets on the floor. She didn't intend to bring everything back with them - just what they were going to need to survive. She felt Anakin's eyes following the movements of her hands as they folded the blanket and placed it in the sack. She felt his gaze on her legs as she shifted, burning into her back and side as she reached forward, stretching to retrieve the-

"How's the head?"

She just about dropped the small med kit she'd scooped from beyond where her bedroll had been. She tossed him a dry smile. "It's still on my shoulders - as I'm sure you can see."

"I was talking about the abrupt about-face back in the tunnel."

She went back to packing the sack. "What about-face?"

"You're about as warm as a glacial pond."

She chuckled softly, packing away what clothing she could see was hers and using the opportunity to keep her hands busy. The fact it kept her back to him was an added bonus. "That's rich coming from a man who grew up on a desert planet, Skywalker."

"Care to explain why?"

She flinched. It was like he hadn't heard her retort. She bristled, disliking the feelings his question brought out. She rose to her feet slowly and turned to look at him. "Not particularly. I don't know about you, but I would like to get back to my ship and away."

"You haven't earned your fee yet."

Her hands slid to her hips, one resting slightly lower on the grip of her blaster. "All the more reason to get back to my ship. I located Barriss, I informed her of the Council's wishes. I even went so far as to answer her questions. If the rest of those female Jedi I'm supposed to collect as as pleasant as she is, I'll be shot, beat, drugged, mutilated, dunked and restrained every time I do this. Can you tell I'm looking forward to it?"

His lips twitched. "You're supposed to bring Barriss back with you."

"I can't make her come, Skywalker." Padmé managed a slight smile. "She's safer here anyway. The only reason we found her was because of you. She knows now that she has to remain hidden and she will. She's equipped to protect herself here far better than any Jedi out there." She waved her left hand towards the sky. "She said no. End of story. We're leaving."

"Just like that?"

"Just like that." She told him firmly.

"And what of your... conquest?"

She arched her eyebrows and smiled cockily. "You want me. You admitted it. I win."

Anakin blinked and she turned away, as if dismissing him, and knelt at the sack to replace the last of her belongings and snapped the cover closed with a flick of her wrist. She rose back to her feet, pack in hand, and turned to find Anakin hadn't moved from his position. Only now he was watching her with an unreadable expression. "You got a problem, Skywalker?"

"One or two," was his soft reply.

"Planning on making it mine?" Her words were teasing.

"I was thinking about it." His reply wasn't.

Padmé dropped the pretense. "Look, we've got a long way to travel in the next couple of days. Once we hit the suubatar we'll be riding double and you can re-think your priorities. Getting out of here - or not."

He regarded her silently, thoughtfully. "And in return for agreeing to your terms?"

She arched her eyebrows and struck a deliberately provocative pose. "Why, Skywalker, you can have whatever catches your fancy."

His gaze didn't waver from hers for a moment, despite her cocked hip and hand gestures. "Answers."

She blinked, straightening. "Answers? To what?"

"You. This mystery. If I agree and lead you back to the suubatar, I want answers."

Her defenses went up. "No you don't."

"I do. I want to know why you keep pushing me away. I want to know what it is in your past that turned you into such a remarkable woman. I want to know," he stepped closer, something flashing through his gaze when she didn't back away, didn't cower. "What makes you tick."

Her mouth went dry and she swallowed with difficulty. She arched an eyebrow at him. "Tick?" She drew the word out like a caress. "You've seen what makes me tick, Skywalker. You just refuse to act on it."

"And back in the cave?"

She smirked, reaching up to place one hand between them and pushed him back with a firm pressure. "Self-defense. A girl has to keep her guard up."

He barely budged, keeping her gaze locked with his. "Do I look amused to you, Captain?"

"You're amusing; it's much the same thing."

Anakin was silent, watching her with those clear, clear blue eyes she found so disturbing. She pushed against his chest again and frowned. "You're crowding me, Jedi."

"Tough luck, Captain." His words were soft. "I'd get used to being crowded if I was you because I'm not going anywhere until I get my answers."

---------

He hadn't been kidding about crowding her.

Padmé's temper was frayed by the time they determined they could finally head out to look for her suubatar. Whenever she paused, wherever she looked, whatever she was doing, Anakin was right there. Her nerves were shot by his by-play, the secret smiles as if he knew what he was doing to her control. The way he simply looked at her, a challenge in his gaze, daring her to comment on his tactics. The tables had been turned and Padmé found she didn't like it.

She was the aggressor; not some wet behind the ears Jedi who happened to have a kid.

Thankfully, the knowledge of Karrin had a mitigating effect and she was able to last longer under his scrutiny than she'd expected. They'd had to spend several hours packing everything in the camp to ensure the Gwurran could carry it away. They were hotter and sweatier by the time they finished and took a moment for a breather and some water.

A giggle brought her to her feet, blaster in hand, as she scanned the surrounding rock faces.

Anakin remained where he was seated, going so far as to retrieve something that looked like jerky from a pouch on his belt and begin to chew contentedly. Padmé knew her look was dirty when she glared at him. "It's no wonder you end up in tricky situations, Jedi. You don't have the sense to react when threatened."

"There's no danger."

She snorted. "That's what you said about Barriss and look how that fiasco turned out."

"I never said I was omnipotent."

"No, you just imply it." Another giggle sounded from nearby and Padmé turned towards it, her blasted aimed at the shadows of one of the crevices. She raised her voice, her eyes narrowed. "Show yourself!"

Her blaster flew from her grip, tugged by an invisible hand towards the very crevasse at which she had it aimed, only to pause in mid-aid and then arc gracefully back towards the lazily lifted hand of her Jedi companion. Anakin was on his feet now, a mild look of irritation on his face. "Enough with the games, Barriss."

Padmé didn't think it was Barriss.

The giggle came again, amused. Anakin frowned. "Barriss..."

Padmé placed her hand on his arm as he shifted as if to move beyond her. The hand was a restraint as much as a caution. "That's not Barriss, Skywalker."

She could see by the look on his face that he'd started to draw the same conclusion. "Who else could it be?"

Who else indeed. She sighed, turning to the rock face. "We won't hurt you, Karrin. You can come out."

"Karrin?" Anakin echoed the name in surprise. "Who's-"

The small form of the seven year old girl slid out of the crevice and into the clearing. Her hood was pushed back, revealing the olive toned skin and long brown hair that matched her mother's. Her blue eyes, the ones that had so shocked Padmé, were full of mischief and curiosity and focused solely on the Jedi Master.

Anakin's face had gone white. Padmé could feel the muscles of his forearm bunching and shifting under her fingers as he stared in complete shock at the child. Karrin stared back at him, her impish smile slowly fading to be replaced by a wary look. Padmé turned her attention to the Jedi Master for only a fraction of a heartbeat. "You'd better sit down before you fall down, Skywalker."

He did, settling heavily on the nearby rock, his gaze never leaving the child.

Padmé turned back to Karrin and extended her hand in a welcoming gesture, managing to find a weak, but genuine, smile. "Hello again, Karrin."

"Hi," the child's voice was as musical as Padmé remembered. "You're the lady mom had in the cave."

Padmé chuckled softly. "That's right. My name's Padmé, and this is-"

"Anakin." Karrin said the name shyly, as if testing it out on her tongue.

"That's right." Padmé faltered. Should she bring up their relationship now and confirm the suspicion she could almost see growing on Skywalker's face? Or should she let them figure it out on their own? Would they? Could they accept it? She tried another tactic. "Does your mother know your here?"

"No," Karrin met Padmé's gaze squarely. "She told me to go stay with Nixlew. I did, but then I saw you leave and I wanted to see where you were going." Her eyes drifted back to Anakin, a yearning Padmé had no trouble reading shining in their depths. The girl had followed more out of curiosity about Anakin than anything else.

Karrin stepped forward cautiously as Padmé beckoned her closer. "I don't bite, child. At least - not children." That drew a giggle from the girl and made her eyes dance. Padmé grinned in return. "Don't you want to meet him?"

She nodded enthusiastically.

Padmé waited until Karrin slid her hand trustingly into hers before turning to Anakin. Anakin's gaze had never left the child, his expression closed, his thoughts unreadable. Karrin squeezed Padmé's hand as if seeking reassurance and Padmé gave it without thinking. "Karrin, this is Anakin Skywalker," she paused, waiting until she was sure she had Anakin's complete attention. "Your father."

Anakin jerked as if she'd struck him.

Karrin smiled tentatively at the announcement, clinging to Padmé's hand. "I'm pleased to meet you, sir. Mother speaks very highly of you."

Anakin didn't reply, simply continued to stare.

Padmé kicked his foot with one booted foot as the silence stretched and Karrin shifted nervously. "Anakin, say something."

He lifted his gaze from Karrin's, slowly seeking Padmé's, his volume so faint she barely caught it. "Father?"

Padmé nodded, her lips quirking into a half-smile. "You and Barriss have a child, Anakin. You were more reckless than I gave you credit for."

He flinched at her barb, his gaze dropping back to the child beside her. He extended his hand and, to Padmé's surprise, it was as steady as it had ever been. "Karrin, you said?"

The little girl nodded eagerly. "Yes, sir."

Anakin's lips kicked into a small smile. "I think you can call me something other than sir, Karrin."

"I can?" She fairly breathed the words, the hope in them making Padmé's heart squeeze.

Anakin nodded. He beckoned with his fingers and Karrin dropped Padmé's hand, reaching for Anakin in the same movement. Karrin by-passed his hand and threw herself into his arms, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Father!"

Padmé watched with a small smile on her face as Anakin realized for the first time that his little girl, his child was hugging him. His arms came up to encircle her and Padmé turned away. She left them there, keeping her back turned, as she headed for the pack she'd be carrying once they left the area. Now that things were starting to settle down, she could attend to the furrows on the backs of her hands.

Anakin was well and occupied with his daughter and had been too interested in forcing answers about her past from her to have noticed the dark lines. She wondered idly if Barriss was still finding pieces of her skin under her nails as she retrieved one of the med-packs and flipped it open. She moved to the side of the river and carefully cleaned one and then the other, sterilizing and bandaging the wounds with bacta patches.

She took her time, knowing that Karrin wouldn't want to share Anakin just yet, and marveled at how Barriss had managed to manipulate her into revealing the relationship between Karrin and Anakin anyway. Had it been deliberate? Had Karrin really been sent after them to ensure Anakin knew about his daughter before he left the planet? Or was it as innocent as the child had claimed and curiosity had simply been too much?

Padmé sighed, leaning back against the nearby rock face and turning her face skyward. The sky wasn't visible, and wouldn't be for several days despite the daylight in the cavern-like clearing, but it was soothing to think beyond herself.

Would Anakin choose to stay behind now?

The thought entered her mind unbidden and her reaction took her completely by surprise. Pain blossomed in her chest in the vicinity of her heart. The tightness was so acute it was as if someone had reached in and squeezed with an iron fisted grip. She lifted her hand unconsciously to rub it, hoping to ease the ache. She didn't want Anakin to want to stay behind. She could admit it to herself, though it was difficult. She wanted him to come with her, to continue trying to break past the barriers she'd placed in his path. She wanted him to care enough to try.

She closed her eyes against the revelation, but now that she'd admitted it, it wouldn't be silent.

She was in deep, deep trouble.