Zelina sighed, stretching out on the couch in Padme's office, her head resting on the couch. It had been quite some time since she had seen her friends; Anakin had been on one side of the galaxy while Aayla and Zelina had ended up on the other side. So, she had not gotten a chance to look deeper into whether or not Anakin had ever figured out she'd kissed him. Though an unconscious kiss was the last thing on Anakin's mind it seemed. Zelina wiggled deeper into the couch cushions. "You know, I could get used to being banished to the Senate building to learn a lesson in politics. It's rather relaxing."

"Hey, I'm supposed to be on a meditative retreat, I didn't get banished anywhere," Anakin chuckled. He was reclining in a chair in front of Padme's desk, a small smile on his face and a twinkle in his eyes.

"I never said that we got banished Ani, just that I got banished," Zelina chuckled, eyes closed. She heard Anakin stand up, moving closer to Padme's desk.

"We should go away together. I know a place far away from here where no one would recognize us. Yeah, it will be like we're actually husband and wife…instead of Senator and Jedi." His last words were said rather spitefully, and for a moment the only sound was Padme typing away. Zelina peeked at the two from her seat on the couch.

"It's a great offer. I'd take it," Zelina said with a small smile that Padme didn't meet.

"I-I can't Ani…" she said with a sigh, resuming her typing.

"What do you mean you can't? Uhg, it's only two weeks! We'll be back before anyone even notices we're gone!" Anakin plead, trying to be as persuasive as possible.

"I don't think that's her issue here," Zelina added, studying Padme's face; it was morphing into a look of utmost determination.

"I have to bring this bill before the Senate. It's important!" she insisted.

"Uh huh…" Anakin said slowly, his voice challenging as he approached her. "More important than you feel about me?"

Padme sighed in agitation. "Not more important, but important. The work I do…" Anakin looked exasperated, rolling his eyes and shaking his head as he sighed and moved to the other side of her desk. Padme sighed a little but kept talking. "The work we both do is in service to the Republic."

Anakin tried to say something, but Padme cut him off, causing him to be slightly annoyed as she continued speaking. Zelina snickered a little, sitting up on the couch and watching the conversation in mild interest.

"To protect those who would otherwise be powerless to protect themselves."

"Of course, but those are ideals! Isn't our love more important to you?" Anakin asked sincerely, placing a hand on the back of her chair.

"But I—" Padme started.

"No, no but!" Anakin said firmly before she could get much further. "To me, there's nothing more important than the way I feel about you. Nothing."

Suddenly, Zelina wished that she was back on the planet with the Lurmens. Or at least that she was unconscious. Or just…not in the room. She suddenly felt like an intruder on their moment. And being forever stuck as the best friend…this scene was stabbing a lightsaber through her heart. Oh, why was she always around for these moments.

"Anakin," Padme said softly, standing up. "Don't be so…"

"Oh, you don't believe me?" Anakin said challengingly, smirking.

"I didn't say I—"

"I'll prove it, just watch," he said with that infuriating smirk Zelina loved so much as he reached to unhook his lightsaber. "When I finished constructing my lightsaber, Obi-Wan said to me 'Anakin, this weapon is your life!' This weapon is my life…"

He offered it to her, but Padme pushed his hands away. Zelina raised her eyebrows. She knew what Anakin was doing. They themselves had switched lightsabers once as a show of utmost trust long before the Clone Wars started. "No Anakin, I can't. A Jedi lightsaber is…"

She trailed off as Anakin raised her hand, gently placing the weapon in her palm. Zelina had a brief flashback in that moment, practically able to feel the weapon as Anakin pressed it just as gently into her palm all those years ago.

"Wow…it's heavier than I thought," Padme exclaimed as she hefted it a little higher.

"It's yours," Anakin said softly. "Believe me now?"

She sighed. "If all you want to do is make fun of me, I think you should just go," she muttered, starting to push past him. Anakin put a hand on her shoulder to stop her.

"That's not what I want," he said quietly, and Zelina suddenly became very interested in the carpet when she saw Anakin cup Padme's cheek. She knew where this led. "Not at all."

She picked at her nails to pass the time. Oh look, there's a piece of dirt under my nails. I think that's a stain on the rug; it's almost gone though, that's a good thing.

Suddenly, 3PO could be heard outside the door. "But Senator Organa! It just would be—"

"Quick! Hide!" Anakin Padme hissed, and Anakin quickly ducked under the desk. Padme shoved the lightsaber—which Anakin had forgotten—up her sleeve as Zelina stood from her seat, throwing her nearly black cloak back on so it wouldn't look like she was just lying around. Even if that was all she had been doing.

"I apologize for my abruptness," Bail Organa said as he made his entered the room, 3PO just behind him. Bail's gaze flickered over to her, causing him to pause.

"Oh, Senator Organa, how good to see you," Padme said pleasantly.

"I do hope I'm not interrupting something," Bail said slowly.

You have no idea, and I thank you dearly for saving me from that something, Zelina said in her head.

"Oh, no, Padawan Du'ahn was just telling me how she was sent to the Senate building to learn a lesson in politics and was wondering if I could spare the time to tutor her in the future," Padme said with a small smile.

Zelina nodded. "Politics aren't my strong suit."

"What do you need?" Padme asked Bail.

"Senator Philo has called a meeting in the lobby before we vote on the Enhanced Privacy Invasion Bill," Bail said seriously.

"Right…Privacy Invasion Bill…" she said softly. Zelina had to stifle her snicker behind Bail. Now she knew what was so important that Padme had to be at the Senate for instead of sneaking away with Anakin. Oh, irony.

"We must hurry if we are to stop the vote. Coming Senator Amidala?" Bail asked, already turning back towards the door.

Padme started to follow him. "O-of course."

"I'll get with you again another time Senator," Zelina said with a small smile.

"Another time perhaps," Padme responded with an appropriate nod before she reached the door. Both women looked back to see Anakin's head poking out from under the desk, his eyes the only thing available. Zelina had to quiet her snort with how amusing the scene was. He looked like an overgrown child trying not to get caught sneaking cookies out of the cookie jar. His eyes darted towards the direction Bail had gone, as if to say 'go on, go follow him!' and Padme smiled, disappearing around the corner and shutting the door behind her.

Once he was clear, Anakin stood from his hiding spot, stretching. "Why did I have to be the only one to hide?" he asked pointedly.

"Because I'm actually supposed to be here. You're supposed to be on a meditative retreat, remember? You said so yourself," Zelina said in amusement. Anakin sighed but smiled.

"Well, I guess I can't complain. I'm the one who got the secret wedding," he chuckled, glancing around.

"Yes, and now Padme's got your lightsaber since she had to hide it. You better hope you don't need it any time soon," Zelina joked.

"Please Zee, don't jinx me. You're good at that," Anakin chuckled, opening the door so they could slip out.

"Well let's hope no one sees us leave; I don't really want to be mistaken as your Padawan again," she said with a small smirk.

"What, that wasn't amusing for you?" Anakin laughed, eyes sparkling with mirth.

"Hilarious."

The lighthearted mood died rather quickly when the power suddenly went off, causing the backup lights to flicker on. They both looked around, both tensed on high alert.

"What's going on?" Anakin asked no one in particular.

"Do I look like I know?" Zelina asked. Anakin frowned.

"I don't like this…let's go see if Padme and the other Senators are all right; see if they know what's going on."

"I am Padme Amidala, Senator from Naboo, and I demand that you release us immediately!"

Padme's firm voice wafted towards Zelina and Anakin as they crept closer to the source. The Force hummed with danger, and Anakin was very well aware that the utmost discretion was needed at the moment. That's why they were currently crouched down, padding silently through the shadows of the Senate building.

Padme's current words did nothing to ease Anakin's warnings, and he crept closer to the railing, peering through the cracks towards the scene down below. Zelina crouched down beside him, just as silent.

"The Galactic Senate will not treat with terrorists," Padme was saying, slightly obscured from Anakin's view by a particular bounty hunter that had recently been gaining fame in the Galaxy.

"Aren't you awful young and pretty to be a Senator?" Cad Bane asked her, his fingers holding Padme's chin in a tight grip to keep her looking at him.

"Get your hands off of her you sleemo," Anakin growled under his breath. Beside him, Zelina put a hand on his shoulder to calm him, her thumb rubbing gentle, soothing circles. Her own blue/green eyes were trained on the scene below, analyzing the situation. She was as alert as ever, silently discovering their options. He couldn't help but admire the fact it seemed she was always ready for anything. With their luck, she kind of had to be.

Padme's eyes shifted from Cad Bane's, forcing Anakin from his thoughts almost instantly as Bane whipped around and started firing. Zelina hadn't been lost in her thoughts, and so she'd pushed him out of the way a split second before the bounty hunter opened fire. She rolled off of him the next second.

"Go, go, go!" she hissed, pulling him to his feet by the arm before pushing him forward. They darted along the balcony, weaving between Bane's shots before disappearing down the hall. Once they were clear, Zelina took a moment to catch her breath. "Never a dull moment for us, huh Ani?" she asked.

He couldn't help but smile just slightly at the joke, the corners of his mouth tipping upwards despite the situation as he straightened. "Come on, he'll be sending people after us; he recognized me."

They both bolted towards the stair well, ascending several flights in a matter of moments. "This…would have been a…wonderful time to have a lightsaber…don't you think Ani?" he heard her tease from behind him.

He felt a twinge of annoyance and amusement. "Don't remind me I'm weaponless right now Zee, it's not helping," he said with a roll of his eyes before turning and rushing down a corridor, Zelina right behind him. He pulled out his com link; this was a situation it would be nice to have help for. "Hello? Come in, anyone there?"

He was met with static.

Turning a corner, two friendly looking terrorists appeared down the hall across from him. Instinctively, he reached for his lightsaber, but as Zelina had just pointed out, he didn't have it right now.

Speaking of Zelina, she had just rounded the corner. She took in the assailants on the other end of the hall before swiftly unclipping her lightsaber. Instead of activating it though, she tossed the weapon to him. "Anakin!"

Before he could even think of the fact that she had ironically just handed him 'her life' like he had told Padme earlier, he acted on instinct, activating the blades and deflecting the blaster bolts that had come rushing towards him while Zelina ducked back around the corner, watching the proceedings from her cover spot.

"Any calls?" Zelina asked as Anakin sent two more blasts back towards the droid assailant.

"Do you think you could get up close and disarm them while I cover you?" he grunted, disappointed that they seemed to be avoiding the fire he was sending back towards them.

"Already on it," she said cheerily. Sure enough, she zipped past him the next moment, and he watched her dance around the blaster bolts that Anakin was sending back towards the terrorists and the shots the terrorists were firing at both of them now. He found himself starting to be distracted by her movements and tore his gaze away, focusing on the guidance of the Force to know when to react to the shots and how. Out of his peripherals, he saw her jump at the wall, gathering herself up and launching herself at the pirate and crossing the path of the droid at the same time. It appeared that she liked the pirate's gun better.

Typical Zelina, crossing the line of fire for the weapon she favors the most.

Zelina and the pirate toppled to the floor, struggling for control of the blaster. Shots went off at random from the gun as the trigger was occasionally pulled, and Anakin worried for her safety even as he rushed forward and decapitated the droid in its momentary distraction. It had been a little too concerned with the scuffle beside it and hadn't paid enough attention to him.

To get her attention, Anakin clucked his tongue. Both of them stopped scuffling, and the pirate relinquished his weapon to her whenever he saw the purple blade pointed towards him.

"Thanks," Zelina said with a smile before she hit him hard over the head with the handle of the weapon. The pirate fell to the floor, unconscious.

"Now did you have to do that?" Anakin asked with a small smirk.

She thought for a moment. "Yes…now come on, let's hide them in one of these rooms to cover our trail," she said with a small chuckle, already grabbing the ankles of the pirate. Anakin shook his head and smiled, hauling the droid and its head as well as its weapon into the room on his side of the hall. Once it was safely stashed under some senator's desk to give them a terrible fright later, he met Zelina once again in the hall. She was studying the door. "Do you think they'd mind me destroying Republic property if it was a precaution to hold an unconscious pirate in?"

He laughed. "They probably would. Whoever owns this office would most likely have a fit. Best to leave it alone; you disarmed him anyway."

She shrugged. "Oh well, perhaps some other time."

"Should I be worried that you search for an opportunity to destroy Republic property?"

She rolled her eyes. "Come on Anakin, with your track record, it seems you do exactly that; what are you doing pinning a hope for vandalism on me?"

He punched her arm playfully. "That's hardly fair."

She sighed, suddenly turning serious. "I believe we have a hostage crisis to handle right now."

Anakin sobered, the serious mood settling over him as well. "Yes…let's see if we can manage to get in contact with anyone before we do anything else." He unhooked her lightsaber from his belt, offering it to her. "Here, you can have your lightsaber back; I can use the blaster."

She cocked an eyebrow, meeting his gaze evenly. "No, you go ahead and use it; I've seen what you can do with a lightsaber. We're better off with you wielding the weapon of mass destruction. I'll stick with the nimble movements and a blaster."

"Are you sure?" Anakin asked, doubting. He knew not having a lightsaber made a Jedi feel helpless, practically naked; he'd suffered from the feeling several times himself. Besides, it was her lightsaber.

She closed his fingers around the hilt, lowering his hand. "Keep it for now. I trust you with it, all right? You know I do; it's not the first time you've handled my lightsaber. You can give it back once you have yours back from Padme and we're out of this mess."

Anakin felt a warmth spread through his chest at her words, but she continued forward before he could say anything. He glanced down at the lightsaber, custom crafted as an extension of herself, before he hooked it back onto his belt. He was honored that she trusted him with it; especially with his track record for losing lightsabers.

Smiling to himself, Anakin joined her in checking the rooms for a com unit they could use.

After a while, they finally found just what they were in need of.

"Think this will satisfy you?" Zelina asked, gesturing towards the unit. Anakin chuckled.

"I can make it work."

She nodded. "All right, I'll stand guard while you work your magic. I wouldn't put it past Bane to send a few more men after us once he realizes we took out the other two."

"Well, you just knocked one of them out."

"I'm not going to kill anyone if I can help it," she said simply, leaning in the doorway with the blaster raised. "I'd get to making your call; we don't know how many there really are or how much time we're working with."

"Point taken," Anakin murmured before leaning over the unit. He pulled apart his com link, lifting the panel and patching his device in after he rearranged a few wires and linked some up to his link. Easy, beginners stuff really. "This is General Skywalker; Chancellor Palpatine, can you hear me?"

"My dear boy! I'm glad to know you're there and are all right," came his friend's immediate reply. Behind him, Anakin could sense Zelina's discomfort and annoyance over the Chancellor. He was no stranger to the fact that Zelina didn't like Palpatine, but she respected his choices and never said anything to him about it; for that, he was grateful. He already heard enough about it from almost everyone else.

"What is going on down there?" Anakin asked, figuring Palpatine would know what he was talking about.

"They've sealed the entire building; no one can get in, and we cannot get out. It's up to you; you have to get to the power control room and turn off the security seal."

Suddenly, Zelina interrupted. "I hate to cut the conversation, but someone's coming. Let's avoid notice if we can," she stated, entering the room and placing a hand on Anakin's shoulder. He nodded and disconnected his handiwork before Zelina replaced the panel he'd removed. "Get down; behind the unit!" she hissed, pushing him behind the unit and crouching down next to him. After a moment, a light suddenly washed through the room. Anakin wasn't comfortable with the fact that the light lingered on the com unit, but just as he was preparing to use a Jedi Mind Trick the light disappeared, and they heard the sound of footsteps echoing down the hall. Beside him, Zelina breathed a sigh of relief.

"I'd say we have to get to the power control room as soon as possible," she whispered with a small smile. "The longer we're gone, the more men Bane will send after us."

"Well, I think there's a slight problem with that; they seem to be going in the same direction as us," Anakin responded. It was true. He could sense them in their path as he stood up, creeping out of the room and hurrying to the edge of the hall. Peering around, he could see the female bounty hunter was the one searching for them, starting a descent downstairs.

"Do you think she's going for backup?" Zelina murmured behind him.

"Probably…we should hurry; who knows how much time we've got before Bane's got this place crawling with bounty hunters after us," he murmured back.

"Tell me about it," she grumbled.

Soon, Zelina and Anakin were rushing down the hall that the power control room was located, having successfully dodged the notice of the bounty hunter girl and slipped past her. Anakin still stayed in the lead, especially since he was the one with the lightsaber. Zelina was just the cover fire provider in this operation it seemed.

Anakin came to a sudden stop in front of her, and she bumped into him. Before she could scold him for not warning her, she spotted the creature in front of them that had just left the control room. Without a word, they both rushed towards the door, but reached it just after the creature retreated inside and shut the door as promptly as possible. Anakin furiously pressed the button, but Zelina growled low in her throat.

"Force Ani, you have a lightsaber, use it!"

He glanced back at her sheepishly and she backed up as he activated the blade, and she stood at the ready, eyes scanning the halls for any upcoming threats as he cut through the metal.

Suddenly, movement down one of the halls caught her eyes, and she took aim. "Ani…we have company. Think you could hurry your progress?"

"I can't really speed up how fast this melts," he shot back.

They both had to duck as the female bounty hunter took about five shots at them before Zelina returned fire, hoping her aim was true and she scored a headshot.

She wasn't counting on a partner.

"Chuba!" she cried out when a blaster bolt she hadn't been expecting grazed her cheek. She was glad she'd pulled her hair up today, or else she'd have just gotten an involuntary haircut. "Uh, Ani, I need help! Think you could cease the cutting for now?"

He did just that and she nudged him forward. "I'll cover you," she said, focusing most of her fire on the female bounty hunter but occasionally switching to the other hand and firing at the partner that stayed just out of reach. Something told her it was that pirate she'd taken down earlier, recovered from the head blow she'd dealt them.

"Well this is a nice setback," she grumbled as Anakin powered forward, doing her best not to accidentally shoot her friend in the back as he progressed down the hall and she switched hands as well as targets with her blaster.

Behind her, the door opened. She was about to turn around when webbed hands grabbed her face and she cried out in surprise. She'd been so focused on the two terrorists in front of her, she'd completely forgotten about the one behind the door.

She didn't have much longer to think about this, because the next moment she felt bolts of electricity going through her at a rapid rate; a sensation she hadn't experienced since Geonosis. Despite herself, she screamed at the pain.

"Zelina!" she heard Anakin shout before everything went black.

The pirate prodded the bound Anakin into the Senate Lobby, seeming pretty proud of himself that he had captured a Jedi. The only reason he had Anakin under his control was because he had surrendered though. Anakin had already slipped the lightsaber off of the pirate again and hid it in his boot as Zelina had once done though; he wasn't about to lose Zelina's lightsaber. However, he didn't do anything with the weapon.

Doing so would risk Zelina's life.

The female bounty hunter and the webbed creature dragged the bound and unconscious Zelina along the floor; a sight that infuriated Anakin. He hated feeling so helpless to help her, and he hated seeing her dragged around like a piece of scrap metal, like she was worthless. Worthless was the last thing Zelina was.

But such thoughts weren't going to help him now.

Padme was watching as he was brought to the hostages, a sad look on her face. He gave her a small smile of reassurance in response. All wasn't lost; he still had a trick up his sleeve. Or down his boot to be more specific.

"Young Skywalker…" Bane said, approaching Anakin. The smile disappeared from Anakin's face immediately, replaced by a scowl as the bounty hunter got up in his face. "Not so impressive without your lightsaber, are you Jedi?"

"I'd watch what you say Bane; I'm only here because I want to be," Anakin said chillingly.

"Ah yes, you surrendered to protect your little Jedi friend here, I heard. I'll have to remember you have a weak spot for her for future references," Bane said with a sickening smirk, nudging the unconscious Zelina with his boot. "It's a shame she's a Jedi; such a fine looking specimen."

Anakin growled at the implement in Bane's words, but the blaster pointed at Zelina's head kept him from launching himself at the bounty hunter.

"Throw them in with the rest," Bane commanded, and the other's did just that, throwing Zelina's limp form into the crowd of Senators. Anakin was by her side in an instant, turning her over gently and brushing the hair from her face. Padme was at his side the next moment, also checking on Zelina's condition but letting her hand brush against Anakin's. Anakin met her eyes and smiled a little before he inclined his head towards his boot. She frowned, but got the message, glancing towards it.

It took her a moment to see the lightsaber hilt.

"Ani," she breathed. He shook his head, angling himself to glare at Bane but block the hunter's view of his boot. He felt Padme wiggle the lightsaber out of his boot, and was glad to see Bail shift to hide her action from Bane further.

"You're not going to get away with this Bane," Anakin hissed.

"I believe I already have," Bane replied smoothly before he turned to the web fingered one that had knocked out Zelina. "Go and get the…the parting gift," he said with a laugh.

Anakin didn't like watching as they set charges around the room, and he rose to his feet, taking note of the spots that the charges were placed. His mind was already racing to figure a way out of the room in a short period of time as he stood protectively over Zelina.

"We need to get to the landing platform; is everything ready?" Bane asked them once they had finished and he had finished talking to Palpatine.

"Yup, Yup!" the webbed creature Anakin had decided he despised responded.

"Turn on the field," Bane barked, and immediately the red lasers turned on, crisscrossing all around the room and trapping them in the center of the lobby. "If you so much as breathe on one of these lasers the whole room will blow up. Senators, Jedi; I bid you all a most respectful farewell. Let's go," Bain said with a tip of his hat.

Anakin was mildly amused to see that the dim-witted pirate had not figured out that he no longer had the lightsaber, even as he walked out of the room with Bane's party and the doors slid shut.

Anakin dropped to Zelina's side once Bane and his men were gone, putting a hand on her shoulders. "Zee…Zee…" he said quietly. "Come on Zee, time to wake up."

Her eyelids fluttered open, causing relief to wash through him as he smiled at her. "It's about time."

Zelina smiled with a small groan. "Hey…you can't rush me with these things."

"Well, now would be a time to be rushed," Anakin said with a tiny chuckle.

"The bounty hunter said we should just sit here. I think we should just sit here," Padme's uncle said as Anakin and Padme helped Zelina to her feet.

"Well, that's not a very good idea," Anakin said with a smirk.

"I think you two could use these now," Padme said with a smile, pulling the lightsabers out of her sleeve and handing the respective lightsabers to their respective owners.

"Yes, thank you, that's much appreciated," Zelina said with a relieved sigh, cutting the binds on her wrists while Anakin did the same with his. "Everyone get to the center of this circle," she added, pointing to the circle most of them were gathered on.

Anakin grinned. "You're thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Always," she said with a laugh, and they both plunged their lightsabers into the floor, starting to cut a large hole in the floor around the group. It would go much faster with both of them doing it at the same time. Sure enough, they were already halfway done a few seconds later.

Anakin heard the charges starting to whine and sped up his pace. "Brace yourselves!" he heard Zelina warn the Senators before they finally met at the opposite point they had started on. The floor gave way, and everyone scattered as they fell to the floor below. A few seconds later the charges went off above them. Anakin dusted himself off, offering a hand to help Padme up off the floor.

"Another daring rescue Master Jedi," she said with that smile he loved so much.

"I do my best, Senator," he said respectively, bowing to her before he smirked.

Oh how badly he wanted to kiss her right now; just snatch her up and twirl her in a wide circle. But, of course, he couldn't. He had to stay formal around his own wife in front of all these people.

At least he didn't need to pretend around one of his friends. At least he didn't need to pretend around Zelina.

She was one of the few bright lights in his life, right next to his wife.