Sorry there's no Obidala action in here; it's all AniLara, but there will be some Obidala in the next chapter. Enjoy!

Chapter 9

Anakin lay in bed, his arms around his naked wife. During the almost two years he'd gotten to know Lara, he found himself feeling as if he'd met her before, even before they'd met at the lake country house on Naboo.

He carefully eased himself away from her sleeping form and tucked the covers around her. Dressing quickly, he decided to go out onto the patio to meditate.

When he first began his Jedi training, Obi-Wan had been dismayed to find that his young apprentice had trouble staying in one place long enough to meditate. However, Anakin learned that whenever he started working on repairing droids or performing certain katas, he would find himself slipping into a meditative state, and his mind was more open to the Force. It was what he was doing now.

As he did a certain kata move, he felt the Force surrounding him and that's when he found himself looking into the past…

He watched his younger self run aboard the Nubian ship, leaving Qui-Gon to fight the mysterious being trying to kill him. As he ran to the cockpit, he saw a little girl with shoulder-length blond hair inching back to a dark corner, like she wasn't sure if she wanted to be seen.

Later after leaving Tatooine, he was with a sleeping Jar-Jar in a spare room. Because he wasn't used to being in space, he was very cold and he found himself without a blanket. As he shivered, he saw the same little blond girl running into the room. Only this time she carried a small heavy wool shawl. Smiling shyly, she carefully spread it over him. Hearing footsteps, she ran from the room before the boy could thank her.

The handmaiden, Padme, came in, seeing him still shivering under the shawl. She hurried over. "Did one of the other handmaidens bring this?" she asked softly.

Anakin was unsure whether he should give the little girl away, so he simply nodded. Padme came over to him, tucking the shawl around him so it would trap some of his body heat and keep him warm. "You come from a warm planet, Ani," she said in a motherly way. "A little too warm for my taste. Space is cold."

"I made you something so you'd remember me," he said, handing her a pendant on a leather-type string. "I carved it out of jappor snippet. It'll bring you good fortune."

"It's beautiful," she said softly, brushing his hair back like a mother or older sister would. "But I don't need this to remember you by. A lot of things will change when we reach the capital, Ani, but my caring for you will remain."

"I care for you too," Anakin said softly. "Only I…" His voice trailed off.

"Miss your mother," Padme finished for him. She hugged the little boy close to her and let him weep for the mother he missed already. After she left, the little girl came back.

"Thank you," he whispered so he wouldn't wake Jar-Jar. She nodded and climbed under the shawl with him.

"What's your name?" he asked.

"Lara," was the simple reply. The little girl settled in.

"I'm Anakin," he told her as he watched the tired girl fall asleep. Carefully draping an arm around her shoulders, he eased her closer to him in an effort to make her more comfortable…

Suddenly Anakin jumped, startled out of his meditative trance as the images from his memories sank in his mind. Lara??? Lara had been there on the ship going to Coruscant? Why hadn't she ever said anything? Why hadn't he remembered? And then, he decided to meditate on it some more and that's when he found himself looking into the past again…

He watched as Qui-Gon came into the room with a younger Obi-Wan. Qui-Gon nodded to his young apprentice and Obi-Wan gently lifted the little girl into his arms and carried her away. The motions caused young Anakin to wake up. Qui-Gon placed his hand on Anakin's forehead.

"It isn't time for you to meet her," he intoned softly.

"It isn't time for me to meet her," Anakin repeated.

"You will forget this meeting with her," Qui-Gon said, using the Jedi mind trick.

"I will forget this meeting with her," Anakin said softly. A moment later, he was sleeping peacefully under the shawl once again.

Meanwhile, the older Anakin watched as Obi-Wan carried the sleeping Lara to another bunk. Laying her down gently, he pressed a hand to her temple. "When you awaken, you won't remember the little boy you saw," he whispered…

As Anakin came out of his trance, he was a little angry that Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon had kept them apart for so long. Yet, he could hear the Force whispering to him that it was all for the best; that if Anakin had remembered Lara from the time he'd begun his training, it would've blossomed into an unhealthy obsession, even with the ban on attachments lifted, and it would've sent him on a path to the dark side. At least now, he could be comforted that the Force had other plans that still led them to this point anyway.

Feeling exhausted, he went into the refresher and showered quickly, wanting to be with his wife. Just as he finished, his transmitter beeped. He dried off and dressed quickly, hurrying over to answer it so it wouldn't wake Lara. "This is Anakin," he said.

A blue image of his childhood friend grinned back at him. "Hope I wasn't interrupting anything," Kitster said with a smirk.

"Nope, she's taking a nap." Anakin grinned. Since the announcement of their engagement, Kitster had not let up on his teasing. And because he was a pilot for the royal family on Naboo, it gave them time to cut up together, whether it be here or on Coruscant. Kitster and Anakin had taught Lara how to fly a Nubian starfighter when she first became a senator, just in case she needed to use a decoy. In fact, Anakin wouldn't be too terribly surprised if Lara flew an escort starfighter back to Coruscant when it was time for her to return to the capital, as Anakin would have to return first.

"Obi-Wan might Force choke me for what I'm about to tell you," Kitster said, startling Anakin back into the present. "But I think it's wrong for him and his wife to keep this from you."

"What's up?"

"There's a contract out on your wife."