A/N SORRY! I am SO sorry it took so long! I just didn't want the reunion to be really cliché so I rewrote it loads. Thanks for your patience and if anyone's still reading, here's the next chapter!

Chapter Six

Anakin stepped into his quarters for the first time in three months. Closing his eyes, he allowed the familiar sensations to wash over him. The general sense of disorder amidst the serenity of the Temple. Cluttered things, cluttered thoughts. And the unfamiliar waves of… well, it was a mixture. Fear, resentment and apprehension, they all radiated from the small window seat. He opened his eyes. Karys sat there, back to the frame, arms loosely encircling her legs, pointedly looking out of the window instead of at him. The relative light from outside filtered around her, casting a shadow in the tense silence of the room.

"Hello." The voice was small, emotionless, but a welcome relief from the silence. Anakin nodded, though Karys couldn't see it. He eventually managed to speak.

"You hungry?"

"No." The curt reply heralded the silence's return. Anakin sighed, then headed for his room.

0-0-0

The tension continued for several days. Whatever Anakin said would be replied to with words of one or two syllables, even when they trained together. He still hadn't managed to say sorry, but eventually he grew tired of constantly feeling on edge around his Padawan, so one morning he arranged for meditation to take place in the living area of their quarters. Karys, as usual, sat in silence, head bowed. He watched her for a few minutes, trying to think of something to say. Eventually he opted for the straightforward option.

"I'm sorry." He said softly. There was no response. "I said…"

"I heard." Karys' voice was muffled by her hair as she made no attempt to look at him.

"I mean it. Please, Karys. This is just getting…"

"What?" She raised her head and looked straight at him. "Hard? What do you think it was like when you strangled me? All those days since, scared you'll do it again. That was hard."

"Karys!" Anakin was starting to lose his temper. Then the meaning of her words hit him, and he fought to keep his anger in check, dreading a repeat of the last time he had lost it. "Look, I said I was sorry. And I meant it. About everything."

Then he ran out of words to say and trailed off. But the silence was tempered this time by… it was impossible to describe what the Force was doing. A weight quietly lifted itself off Anakin's shoulders, bit by bit, and, though Anakin did not know it, Karys found that some of her anger and fear began to slip away too. The silence now settled around them with an odd feeling of wordless acceptance and forgiveness.

0-0-0

Obi-Wan smiled. He sensed the change. Even though Anakin was no longer his Padawan, and Karys never had been, he still had a strong bond with the pair, and had sensed the resentment between them. 'And about time too,' was the first thing that came to mind. And it was. Anakin was certainly growing up. If Obi-Wan had known what it was to be a proud father, it wouldn't have felt very different.

0-0-0

Palpatine scowled. He sensed the change. He had so hoped the resentment would force them apart. It was so vital that it happened, but it seemed he would have to continue his wait. IT wouldn't be too long, he was sure, before something else came up.

0-0-0

Karys blinked. It was as though she was looking at her master with new eyes. The fear of him was still there, it could never fully vanish, but the resentment was gone. A man who wasn't too much older than she was herself stood before her. The Force whispered through the room, wordlessly soothing, and she smiled for the first time in three long months.

0-0-0

Anakin saw the smile and returned it, feeling so much better now everything was out in the open. He stood, offering Karys his hand. She took it and got up. Then, startling him slightly, she hugged him. After a second of confusion, he returned it.

"I'm sorry," he heard her say, her voice muffled slightly by the folds of his cloak. His smile broadened as he held her at arm's length. Finally, he could see forgiveness in her eyes. The last of the weight vanished as he hugged her again.

0-0-0

Within the next few days, a call came from Padmé. Thanks to her schedule, she had been off-planet for three weeks and had finally managed to arrange some time to see Anakin, who leapt at the chance. Karys raised her eyebrows slightly when he told her, but agreed to stay at the Temple and Anakin was quickly on his way to the private apartment of Senator Padmé Amidala.

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A/N Again, really, really sorry this took so long. The next chapter will be longer, and a lot quicker to arrive, I promise. If anyone's still reading, thankyou so much for your patience.