I'm back! Sorry it took me so long. I had been halfway through this chapter when I hit a stumbling block then before I knew it months had passed before I managed to make it through it. I hope that by continuing to write I can get past my writer's block and get back in the groove of things.

In this chapter we see how Padmé escaped during the Empire's formation, Anakin and Padmé interrogate one of the handmaidens with some shocking revelations, and we see Great-Aunt Padmé Lydonia sneak off Sheev.

Chapter 17

Coruscant: 19 BBY

Padmé was feeling sick to her stomach as the baby moved inside of her.

She had dismissed her staff for the night, but had been unable to go to bed, her thoughts filled with worry for Anakin as she waited for him.

He had been so happy and excited when she had told him she was pregnant with their child, but after that first night, he had been overwhelmed with fear and paranoia. The dreams he had of her dying in childbirth had caused him so much distress it was everything Padme could do to keep him in check. She had gone to the best doctors on Coruscant discreetly, and they had all confirmed that she was in the best of health aside from being a little stressed.

Despite that, Padmé was scared too. Not for her health, she had been reassured of that, but of the fact that she was going to be a mother in an uncertain time. The democracy she had been fighting for for years was disappearing with every amendment Palpatine made towards the constitution, the Republic twisted into a government she no longer recognized, and she was about to give birth to an innocent child into all of this. Her latest meeting with the Delegation of the Two Thousand today had not gone as she had hoped it would. Her colleagues underestimated Palpatine. He was no longer the kind and rational man she had known as Queen. Instead he was a power-hungry dictator.

Oh she needed Anakin!

She walked towards view of the Temple where she knew he would be, and a strangled gasp escaped her.

The Jedi Temple was ablaze!

"Mistress Padmé! Mistress Padmé!" Threepio shuffled over to her in alarm.

"What Threepio?" she asked, her eyes glued on the temple, fear and horror growing as she thought of what could be happening.

"Oh Mistress Padmé it is dreadful! Chancellor Palpatine has announced that the Jedi have tried to assassinate him, and has declared them enemies of the Republic."

What?! Padme looked at Threepio in alarm before turning back to the temple. She bit her fist as tears poured down her face. Oh Ani!

Looking at the temple now made her feel sick as she thought about all the killings happening right now. Was Anakin still alive? He had to be.

She heard her holocomm beep, the private one she and Anakin used. Relief filled her as she saw Anakin's face, but it quickly turned to worry when she saw the state of him. There was blood down the side of his face as well as his lip, and he was coated with dust and substances she recognized as other species' blood.

"Padmé, are you alright?"

"Am I alright?! Ani, are you alright? You can see the smoke from the Jedi Temple here," she told him incredulously.

Anakin's eyes were weary and he looked as though he had been in a fight for his life, but there was anger in them as well.

"Palpatine is the Sith Lord we've been looking for. He's been responsible for the whole war. Master Windu and other Jedi went to arrest him, but they failed. Now Palpatine has ordered the 501st to storm the temple and kill the Jedi."

His own men? Padmé couldn't believe it. The 501st were loyal to Anakin. Why would they attack him and the temple full of Jedi that were either too old or too young to fight? Anakin's appearance told Padmé of the deadly battle he had fought and if he, the Jedi's greatest warriors struggled…

"Ani, where are you? Are you safe?"

He looked behind him, and Padmé wondered if he was truly alone. "For now Padmé. Right now, I'm worried about you and the baby. Palpatine knows about us. About the baby. He even knows about my nightmares. He tried to make me his apprentice, and he nearly succeeded."

Padmé felt her blood turn to ice at Anakin's words, and her arms wrapped around her belly where their child nested inside of her. Ever since she was a teenager people had threatened her life, but now it wasn't just her life at stake, it was her child's, an innocent being who couldn't defend himself yet. If Palpatine knew about her and Anakin, and he planned to make Anakin his new apprentice, he could use her and their child to control Anakin. And if Anakin escaped, she knew that Palpatine would send people to catch and use her as leverage.

Anakin continued. "Artoo and I got separated, but he was in the hangar last I got a hold of him. He'll get to my starfighter and come get you."

Padmé nodded. "We'll be ready. I'll find some place to hide until I see you again. How will I find you?"

There was a loud explosion on Anakin's end, and he ducked before turning back to Padmé. "Wherever you go Padmé, I will find you. Just get out of there!"

"I will Ani. I love you."

"I love y-" He tried to say, but the comm cut off.

Padmé was sobbing, but she kept telling herself that he was alive and not dead. Her Jedi protector would find a way back to her. She had Threepio help gather essentials she would need when Artoo would arrive. Her night bag her handmaidens had prepared for when she would have to go to the medcenter carried a couple of outfits, some toiletries, her jewelry box, any loose credits she could find in case she would have to bribe someone, some baby supplies she and her handmaidens had secretly bought, and of course her blaster. By the time Artoo arrived in Anakin's starfighter, she and Threepio had packed two large bags. She had thrown a dark cloak over her blue nightgown because there was a chill in the air.

However, when Artoo landed and she and Threepio prepared to get on, she found a surprise that froze her. In the cockpit were two frightened human girls. The older one had ginger hair and couldn't have been older than twelve while the other was probably a year or two younger with dark skin and the brightest eyes despite the terror she felt.

"Oh my!" Threepio cried out.

Artoo beeped at him, and Threepio answered him back as if the astromech had insulted him. "Of course I didn't expect you to just leave them for dead."

After a minute, Padmé was able to find out that the older girl's name was Vera and the younger was Noor. there was no room in the cockpit for them, so Padme began to dig in her bag. She pulled out a couple of her grappling hooks. She could use them to help tie her and Threepio to the starfighter. Perhaps she shouldn't be hanging off a starfighter at her late stage of pregnancy, but there was no way she would make two little girls little older than her own nieces do so. Just as she was finishing tying Threepio down where he could hold onto Artoo, she heard a loud bang inside her apartment.

"Senator Amidala!"

"Oh no!" Threepio cried out.

Padmé realized that Palpatine must have already sent the clones after her. She hurriedly dug her blaster out while also setting up the grappling hook for her to hold onto. She could hear the clones searching her apartment, and hoped her staff and security would hide from them.

Several clones entered the veranda and pointed their blasters at the still docked starfighter. Threepio cried out in alarm, and the two Jedi children crouched lower in the cockpit, obviously terrified.

Tarkin came out, his face reminding Padmé of gremlins from Naboo lore. "Senator Amidala, you are under arrest for conspiring with the Jedi against Chancellor Palpatine."

Padmé lifted her blaster at him.

The admiral sighed as if bored. "Don't make this more difficult for yourself. I have my orders, and they are to take you to the Chancellor unharmed. I would hate to use a stun bolt. After all, it wouldn't be good for your unborn child would it?"

Just the snake mentioning her baby was enough to set Padmé. She had a sickening feeling as to why Palpatine wanted her unharm. She felt a mother's instinct to protect her child, and fired her blaster.

She was aiming at Tarkin, but the man had ducked and the bolt hit the clone behind him. The clones began to fire back at her when the couches were suddenly lifted and slammed into him. Padmé turned her head and saw the two Jedi children with their hands stretched out and a look of concentration on their faces.

She didn't have time to think, and ordered Artoo to get them out of here. She hung onto her grappling hook as they flew into the Coruscant night. She could feel the baby kicking up a storm inside her, almost as if it was excited. It seemed her child had inherited its thrill of adventure from his father and that worried Padmé.

One of the girls, Vera asked where they were going.

"We're going to an old friend of mine to hide for now."

000{{*}}000

Naboo; 18 bby

Padmé sipped her tea as she sat in the Lasara library while Anakin did a sweep of the room for bugs.

It was getting late. Everyone had forced themselves to eat a small dinner, the kitchen's atmosphere heavy with a tense silence as it grew darker outside and the rain continued to pour down. It had deeply saddened Padmé to see her friends and former companions like this.

Sabé, Eirtaé, Rabé, Saché, and Yané were all part of the first set of handmaidens Panaka had trained to protect Padmé when she had been Queen, Dormé when she became Senator, Moteé when the war began, and Ellé, although having not served Padmé as long as the others, was recommended by a former colleague and had become almost like a little sister. Typho had served her since the Blockade from Queen to Senator, and she liked to think that they had become friends. All of them were her friends, and yet it was the death of Vatié another friend of their's who seemed to divide them.

She sipped her tea as she added the brave woman to the list of other friends who had died in service of her:

Moré.

Cordé.

Versé.

Fé.

Teckla.

Duja.

She wondered where all the others were, Karté, Hollé, Miré, and Umé who had served as her lower handmaidens as Queen, and later as Senator, and Dané who had replaced Moré after the invasion, and went her separate way when Padmé's two terms were up. She would have to ask the others.

Her thoughts were interrupted when Anakin dropped something on the desk in front of her. It was an elegant bookmark you would find in flimsibooks, but there was a thickness to it, and when Padmé took the fabric material off, she found a listening device in it.

"I almost missed it," Anakin admitted as he sat down across from her. "The traitor must have heard me, Ferus, and Vatié talking the other night."

Padmé saw the guilt in his eyes and felt some of her anger towards him soften a little. "Panaka and his wife Mariek taught us how to hide listening devices and weapons in plain sight. That's why most of my outfits were so elaborate: to draw attention elsewhere. The fabric would serve as armor or fire proof while also hiding a weapon or two, and some of my jewelry would serve as recording devices or homing beacons, and even some of my headdresses served as helmets."

Anakin looked at her, stunned before he let out a chuckle. "All this time, I thought all those fancy outfits were just part of Naboo fashion."

Padmé chuckled as well before she became serious. "I'm afraid it only confirms that we have a traitor, not who specifically it belongs to."

"Shavit," Anakin muttered under his breath.

"Were there anymore?"

Her husband shook his head.

"I suppose that's some good news." Padmé sighed and began to rub her temples.

Anakin had updated her on what he and Ferus had learned from their interaction with Jar Jar to know that it wasn't Saché, and while that did bring some relief that still left eight of her other friends as a potential suspect. She knew it wasn't Sabé who murdered Vatié based on the timing, but Anakin refused to drop her as a suspect incase there was more than one traitor.

They had argued about it. Anakin had pointed out a couple of suspicious facts in Sabé's personal file, and confessed to feeling a flash of guilt from Sabé under all her grief when they announced Vatié's death. Padmé could scoff at the personal files Anakin had read of her former guards because they only told a fraction of the real people she knew. She could not, however, ignore what Anakin's feelings were telling him: that Sabé was hiding something.

Sabé was Padmé's closest companion ever since they met fifteen years ago. With the exception of Anakin, nobody knew Padmé better than Sabé and vice versa. Padmé knew secrets Sabé kept from the first handmaidens and even her own mother, but was six months enough to change a person you've known half your life?

Padmé had to be brutally honest with herself. She saw the best in everyone, especially the people she loved and cared for, but it sometimes led to her ignoring their flaws and excusing their mistakes. She had done the same for Anakin, and even Palpatine before she saw the latter's true colors. The same happened when Uncle Ono died. She didn't even consider anyone, but Deechi, Burtoni, or one of his political enemies as a suspect to his murder, until it was almost too late. His killer had been Lolo, his own aide and someone Padmé had considered a friend. Padmé had been held at blaster point, and she had watched the sweet and timid female Rodian morph into someone unrecognizable.

Padmé didn't want to suspect and interrogate her friends as if they weren't, but she feared they even greater consequences: jeopardizing the safety of the friends who were still loyal, her innocent children hiding on Tatooine with Owen and Beru whom Padmé had come to love being discovered should Palpatine capture her and Anakin, and the remaining freedoms of the Naboo should Palpatine discover her great-aunt's secrets.

"Who do you want to bring in first?" she asked her husband with a heavy heart.

Anakin had told her his reasons to suspect everyone, and that it led to him suspecting Dormé and Moteé the most. Padmé supposed she could understand his reasoning.

She had taken Moteé as a favor to Queen Jamillia when she was still in good favor after the deaths of Cordé and Versé. It had taken her oldest friends time to accept Moteé fully because of the underhanded tactics she and her sister had used to win the election against Eirtaé, something the blonde never forgave the Sensari sisters for. When Jamillia had been forced to resign from office for being a Seperatist sympathizer, Panaka had commed and tried to persuade Padmé and her security to get rid of Moteé for fear of her being a Seperatist spy, but Padmé and Mariek had convinced Typho not to. Moteé had proven her loyalty, protecting Padmé and risking her own life in doing so.

Dormé had been Padmé's closest companion when she had started out as Senator. She had been recommended by Typho because they had trained together at the Academy, and she had stayed to complete the modified version of handmaiden training. She was top of her classes and had even begun in assisting the training of future handmaidens when Padmé took her on as her Senatorial handmaiden. Rabé had even supported the decision since they were second cousins and pretty close. With Dormé Costil family seeming to support Palpatine and his Empire it didn't make things look good for her though. Plus, her behavior these last few days seemed very off from the calm and collected woman Padmé and Anakin knew. It seemed like she was very stressed about something, and Padmé suspected that she knew what the root of it was.

"I suggest Dormé first. I don't need the Force to know that something's up with her," Anakin suggested.

Padmé agreed. The sooner they got to the bottom of it the better.

Anakin called Dormé in, and when she did, Padmé took a good look at her friend. Her eyes were red-rimmed from crying, but aside from that Padmé noticed the bags under them and the paleness of her skin. She looked tired, thin, and stressed that it broke Padmé's heart. Not even when they lost Cordé and Versé, did Dormé look so rough between managing her extra duties to Padmé while also mourning her friends as she did now.

Padmé motioned for Dormé to sit down in the chair in front of her. While she poured Dormé a cup of tea, she saw Anakin standing just a bit behind Dormé in case she tried anything. Padmé thought it ridiculous considering the state Dormé was in, but she could understand his precaution. She poured a bit of honey in the tea, remembering how Dormé took hers before handing it to her.

The former handmaiden relaxed a little as she drank the warm and sweet tea.

Padmé couldn't delay the inevitable, sadly. "Dormé, I hate to do this, but I have questions I need you to answer."

There was a look of resignation in the woman's eyes as she set the tea down on the side table.

Padmé reached over and gently took her hands in her lap. "Dormé, how far along are you?"

Dormé's head shot up, and Padmé probably would have found the surprised look on Anakin's face amusing if she wasn't so focused on her friend.

"I…" Dormé struggled, shocked.

Padmé gave her a soft look of understanding. She had been with Padmé when she had begun to suspect she was pregnant with the twins.

Dormé sighed, looking down at their adjoined hands. "Just about three months."

Padmé nodded. The morning sickness for her had been rough in her first trimester, some days she almost didn't go to the Senate for work.

"The father?" Padmé gently asked.

Dormé took a shaky breath, looking as though she was about to start crying again, but was out of tears. Padmé allowed her to recover before she began to talk.

"He was… a mistake. I… had admired him for a long time. We were good friends until… it happened. We had just lost a friend, and we were grieving, and… we had too many drinks."

"Who was the friend?" Padmé asked.

Dormé looked at her surprised, then guilty. "You don't know. It was Karté."

Padmé felt her heart hit with a pang, and the air disappear from her lungs. Karté had been one of her handmaidens. She had been a minor handmaiden during her years as Queen and had regained her services a little after she became Senator when Mariek suggested she take on more handmaidens to assist her. She was a sweet girl, maybe not much of a fighter, but she was an excellent assistant in helping Dormé manage her wardrobe, and she helped Padmé in her research and how to negotiate with difficult politicians. Most of all, she was a dear friend of Padmé's.

"How?" she whispered.

"We're not entirely certain. When you disappeared, Queen Apailana offered the position of Ambassador to Otoh Gunga to her and she accepted. She was doing such good work you would have been proud, but one morning she and her fiance were found dead in their beds with their house on fire. The officials believed it was an assassination made by a Gungan radical and executed the poor soul."

Two tears escaped Padmé;s eyes and descended down her face. Another one just like Sabé had said earlier. She took a deep breath and wiped her tears away before she asked. "Do you truly believe that?"

Dormé shook her head. "No. She was always fascinated with Gungans. You know that. Jar Jar, Boss Leonie, and many of the Gungans adored her."

Padmé remembered.

"Have you noticed anything peculiar around the others?" Anakin asked.

Dormé frowned thoughtfully. "Not particularly. Ever since the Empire's formation, and your… disappearance, we've all been trying to get by. After you escaped Tarkin, My Lady, those of us on Coruscant were arrested and interrogated for two weeks before the Queen and our families arranged our release. I returned to Naboo because my mother had become sick. Tarkin had been trying to glean everything we knew about your marriage to Anakin for Palpatine. Sabé conducted an investigation to figure out how he knew about your marriage, and discovered that it had been Panaka who informed him about it."

There it was again, that pain in her heart, only it felt like a knife stabbing her. She should have known or expected it, based on Panaka's behavior when he hunted her and Anakin down. Panaka, who had been one of her most dedicated bodyguards as Queen, who's paranoia had kept her safe, and who had been her friend to where he was like family. Even when she had finished her terms and became Senator, he had helped Typho and Mariek set up her new security team, but their differing politics in how to protect Naboo had caused their friendship to drift to a professional relationship. It had saddened Padmé, but she had accepted it. But never had she imagined he would betray her trust like that.

"How?" Anakin asked, surprised and sounding betrayed as well.

"Sabé thinks that he discovered it by accident. She had gone to the temple in the Lake Country to find the priest Brother Agolerga who had married you two. It turned out Queen Neeyutnee had sent Panaka over there years ago to invite the Brotherhood to a religious ceremony in Theed. Panaka had apparently come in while they were organizing their files and had stumbled upon a marriage license with the names Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Naberrie Amidala on it."

Padmé and Anakin's jaws dropped. Padmé struggled to speak. "That's… that's not possible. We never told him our real names."

They had used Veré and Set, fictional characters from Padmé's favorite love story.

Dormé raised an eyebrow, and she was the Dormé Padmé remembered as she said, "Obviously he figured it out considering he was marrying you at Varykino, notoriously owned by the Naberrie family, and that Anakin quickly became the poster boy of the Jedi in the war."

Padmé winced, realizing how stupid she was not to realize the priest would recognize who they were, but why did he write down their names instead of the ones she had requested? An act of conscience that prevented him from lying?

"Sabé discovered all this three months ago, just days before Karté's death. She had gathered all of us handmaidens, and included Gre-Typho in on it since he helped her recover this information. We didn't know what had happened to you or Anakin, but we knew that Panaka was responsible for endangering your life and it provoked the capital punishment to Naboo guards," Dormé finished.

Padmé felt herself grow pale and sick. "Dormé, you guys didn't-"

"We debated on it!" Dormé told her. "Many were in denial of his betrayal. He mentored us, fought during the Blockade, and was one of your most dedicated bodyguards as Queen. Why would he betray you? Betray us all for Palpatine?"

Padmé didn't know. She remembered how Panaka had admired and respected Palpatine, but never fully understood how much.

Dormé continued. "While we were arguing and debating, I saw Sabé have this determined look in her eye, the one when she's made up her mind."

Padmé knew it all too well.

"It had me worried she was going to do something reckless, but days later Karté and her fiance were murdered."

"You're not suggesting-" Padmé couldn't bring herself to finish.

Dormé shook her head. "Sabé is the most devoted handmaiden anybody has ever known. She would never hurt you or any of her sister handmaidens, but… well… I think Yané blames her for Karté's death. I don't know why though."

They were silent, the only sound coming from the pouring rain outside.

Anakin was the one to break the silence. "What's your family's relationship with Palpatine?"

Padmé saw Dormé tense up, and she threw a glare at Anakin.

"My father's family has a long and unfortunate history with the Palpatines. Before the Celestine Bombing, my great-uncle Reggie Costil ran as a candidate for the monarchy. Palpatine's father, Cosinga Palpatine was helping him run and finance his campaign while also taking my great-aunt Regina as his mistress. When most of the Palpatine family died in an accident, my great-aunt was seen as a disgrace in the upper-class society, especially when it became clear that she was pregnant with his illegitimate child. Uncle Reggie depleted all the Costil family assets thanks to his gambling, and she went to my grandfather for protection. She gave birth to a girl, my cousin Supé Costil, and… I guess the shame of seeing herself and her family brought down so low was too much for her. After she died, her daughter was placed under my grandfather's care until she came of age and disappeared for a while. I didn't even get to meet her until after the Blockade when she suddenly reappeared with her young daughter Mari, boasting about her good fortunes and becoming the new owner of Convergence."

Padmé already knew about this thanks to Liné, but Anakin who hadn't was obviously blown away by it. When he seemed to get over the shock, he asked, "Does your family keep in close contact with her?"

Padmé and Dormé both glared at him. "I know what you're thinking, but you're wrong. Yes, my aunts, uncles, most of my cousins, and even my grandparents have been trying to smooch off her, but not my own parents and certainly not I. I am no traitor. I didn't kill Vatié, and I would never endanger Padmé and all she loves. If you don't believe me, use the Force or however it is you Jedi do it."

Padmé watched as Anakin reached towards Dormé, his eyes closed. She saw Dormé grimace in discomfort, but showed no signs of pain.

Anakin sighed, dropping his hand to his side. "I'm sorry for being a piece of shavit."

Dormé's glare softened. "Well, we all trusted Palpatine, and we all trusted Panaka. That didn't work so well, did it?"

Anakin and Padmé both winced. "No it did not."

The chrono chimed and all three of them realized how late it was. Padmé asked Dorme to help keep an eye out for anything suspicious before letting her leave to get some rest that night.

Before she left however, Padmé called out to her one last time. "You never told us about the father."

As soon as she said it, she regretted it as she saw the devastated look on Dormé's face. She hesitated and looked down in shame.

"It's Typho, isn't it?" Anakin asked in a gentle voice.

Dormé let out a choked breath as she nodded. "He doesn't know. Like I said, we were drunk, and we wanted to find some kind of comfort after losing Karté, and it was fine until…" she trailed off before turning away from Padmé.

It hurt Padmé to see her friend in so much pain that she stood up and carefully made her way over to her when Dormé flinched. Stung, Padmé kept her distance as her mind worried what Typho had done to hurt Dormé. "Until?"

Dormé looked up and finally met Padmé's gaze, the humiliation evident in her own. "Until at the height of it, he called out your name."

With that the former handmaiden bid them goodnight, leaving the former senator and Jedi agape at this revelation.

000{{*}}000

Naboo: 65 bby

Padmé fidgeted nervously as she sat next to her window, waiting for Sheev to come.

After the games, Padmé was thrown into chaotic excitement. Everybody had swarmed her, wanting to know who the little sprite of a girl who took on the daughter of one of Naboo's prominent families. Padmé Lydonia was in the spotlight and it alarmed her. For one thing, the reason why she had been chosen to undertake the Queen's assignment was because she was unassuming and nobody of importance. Another thing was that she now had the attention of the Palpatine family, and she wasn't sure she wanted it. Despite what Sheev had told her about his father, Padmé knew how powerful Cosinga Palpatine could be. He was exceedingly wealthy with a bloodline that could be traced back to King Jafan. She highly doubted he would allow his firstborn son to court and maybe marry a farm girl. Padmé could just imagine the scandal it would cause the upperclassmen of Naboo, and yet… the thought of breaking away from Sheev was unbearable. He was her escape from all the troubles in life. He made her want to break the rules, rebel. He was a taste of freedom, and it was intoxicating to Padmé.

She felt so lost.

She wondered if Sheev really would come. Blantyre had guards patrolling the Varykino property and overlooking the lake. Maybe she should have come up with something else instead of the first thing that had come to her mind. Sheev would probably like the challenge though. She just hoped none of the guards shot him if they spotted him.

"Padmé." The soft whisper of her name caused her to jump.

She looked down and in the dark waters, saw a gondola with Sheev in it dressed in dark robes. Padmé was surprised. He blended so easily in the darkness and was so quiet she never would have detected him. She quickly put on her gray cloak over her pink chiffon dress and blew out the candle. Next was the rope of fabric she had tied up while waiting for him which was tossed, and she began her descent.

It was awkward, and in the complete darkness Padmé had to watch her step or she would plunge into the water below. As she neared the bottom, Padmé feared how she would get into the gondola. Her heart jumped as she felt Sheev's hand grab her bare ankle and she almost let go of the rope. She didn't, and she realized Sheev was guiding her feet into the gondola. She lowered herself further down, and put more weight in it. She fought to hold her balance in the gondola and held tight to the rope until she was fully seated in it. Sheev pushed off from the wall and began to quietly row away from Varykino.

Padmé didn't know where they were going. It was cloudy that night, covering Naboo's moons. If Padmé wasn't so nervous about talking to Sheev she would have thought this little getaway romantic. It was like she was Veré sneaking away to be with her mortal lover Set.

All too soon Sheev brought them to shore. He brought the gondola further inland and helped Padmé out. She held on to his hand as he led her into the woods, stumbling a bit as they walked down a path only Sheev seemed to see.

When they suddenly stopped, Padmé felt her nervousness grow. She opened her mouth to speak when she suddenly felt a pair of arms surround her, filling her with warmth. The breath in her escaped, and she instantly returned his embrace.

"I've missed you, Padmé," Sheev whispered.

She felt a flutter in her stomach. Sheev guided her and helped her sit down on a fallen tree.

"I wish we didn't have to sneak around to see each other," he admitted to her as he leaned closer to kiss her.

Padmé allowed herself to be lost in his embrace, his touch intoxicating and irresistible. However, she had to bring herself back to reality, but when she pulled away to speak Sheev beat her to it.

"Several other kids here at the Lake Country are having a bonfire not too far from here. There will be music, dancing, and some alcohol. We can have some fun."

Padmé's first thought was to say no and just break things off right now, but then another voice whispered to her, 'You're young, you'll be turning seventeen soon. Live a little and see what it's like." The voice sounded a lot like Pooja's.

Perhaps one night more, Padmé could have fun and be with Sheev before returning to reality. She let Sheev lead her down the path deeper into the woods. She could hear the faint sounds of music and laughter growing louder and louder the closer they got until finally, they reached a clearing.

In that clearing were a bunch of teenagers dancing around a large bonfire, a small band playing music including a young girl who sang, and there were other teens sitting on the ground or on makeshift seats gossiping and telling wild stories. Padmé recognized the majority of them from her LYP days and from the nable families, along with those who lived here at the Lake Country. With the bonfire casting shadows and the music, it gave Padmé an eerie feeling.

"Come on," Sheev tugged her, and she followed him into the fray.

They snuck their way through the dancers and over the sitting people before they reached a fellow who had been placed in charge of all the alcoholic drinks people had been able to steal out of their parents' stores. The guy poured a drink into a disposable cup without even asking them and handed it to Padmé. Growing up on a vineyard, working in the palace, attending the occasional ball or dinner party, Padmé had alcohol, but when she took a sip of her drink she felt as if she was tasting yeast and was forced to spit it out on the ground.

Sheev snatched the bottle out of the guy's hands. "Why in the Seven Goddesses' names would you serve this Shaak piss?!"

Padmé watched as Sheev argued with the guy about getting a decent drink when a hand grasped her wrist. Padmé jumped and turned to face the person. A smile appeared on her face. "Xoana!"

Xoana Perine was a former intern Padmé had worked with while she served Lady Veruna. She was a couple years older than Padmé, and was also mute due to a childhood accident.

The other girl smiled and accepted the hug Padmé gave when she flung her arms around her. When they pulled apart, Xoana tugged Padmé to sit next to a tree just a few feet from Sheev and they talked.

Xoana asked about her sister Veta, one of Celestine's handmaidens. The two sisters came from a family line of handmaidens. Their mother, their grandmother, their great-grandmother, all the way to the Gungan Wars had all been handmaidens. It was Xoana's dream to become a handmaiden herself one day and follow in her family's footsteps, but for now there were no openings, and was presently serving as Lady Veruna's newest assistant for the time being.

"I haven't been able to talk to Veta one-on-one, but she seems to be alright. Haven't you talked to her recently?"

Xoana shook her head, and signed that there hadn't been a convenient time to comm each other due to their conflicting schedules and numerous duties to their mistresses.

"How's working under Lady Veruna? She's not making you run on ridiculous errands is she?"

Xoana shook her head, signing that she didn't mind the exercise due to it helping her keep in shape for training. While Xoana was unable to speak a word out loud, she more than made up for it with her fighting abilities. She was the top of her class in hand to hand combat as well as the best sharpshooter to impress even Captain Blantyre. Padmé had no doubt that as soon as a position opened, Xoana would be quickly snatched up.

Xoana signed that working under Lady Veruna wasn't so bad as long as she was sober. She did believe that Lady Veruna missed Padmé.

"She does?" Padmé was surprised but touched. In her months of internship, she had grown to appreciate and respect the older woman who taught her so much about politics and the lifestyle. Padmé could also remember seeing the vulnerable woman under the snappy but cold political mask which lead to her asking Xoana how Lady Veruna was doing. Normally, they wouldn't discuss their bosses private life, but given Padmé's past as a former student of Lady Veruna, Xoana allowed Padmé to see the sadness in her eyes. Padmé began to feel worried. "Is she alright?"

Xoana signed that she was becoming more agitated and stressed lately.

"Over what?"

Fights with her son. Apparently, they had become more frequent and louder recently. Xoana couldn't tell the exact cause of it, but she suspected it had to due with their opposing politics.

Padmé winced for Lady Veruna. She remembered Lady Veruna telling her that Ars had been the only child she had managed to give birth to with three miscarriages, and that sge and her husband had left him in the care of nannies while they focused on their careers, and that made her feel guilty. Despite the choices he made, Padmé knew that Lady Veruna loved her son. She wondered if her former mentor knew about the young woman he was seeing.

"Xoana, have they ever fought about… Ars' personal life?"

Xoana nodded her head vigorously. "All the time," she signed.

"Has he ever mentioned any names or brought someone over?"

Xoana nodded then shook her head.

"Who?" Padmé asked excitedly.

Xoana signed a series of letters, but she went too fast for Padmé to catch it all.

"I'm sorry. Could you repeat that?"

Xoana began to sign again, this time slower when her eyes widened.

Padmé tried to ask her what was wrong when a cup appeared before her.

"Here you are Padmé."

Sheev.

She turned to look up at him to see him with a charming smile. She accepted the cup and returned his smile. "Thank you, Sheev."

Upon sipping it, she noticed the much sweeter taste compared to her first drink. She turned to Xoana, wanting to introduce her to Sheev when she noticed her gone. Sheev tugged her to her feet and they joined in the crowd.

The night flew by, and Padmé found her cup emptied and refilled before she even realized it. She had discarded her gray cloak, and found herself dancing around the bonfire, her pink skirt swishing around her legs with her movements. Perhaps the wine had gone to her head, but in this moment as she laughed with the other teens she felt free, empowered.

An arm wrapped around her waist and she slammed into Sheev's chest. "Let's get out of here," he whispered.

She felt goosebumps where his breath hit her skin, and allowed him to lead her back into the darkness of the woods aware from the bonfire. They went deeper and deeper until all the noise from the bonfire was nothing more than a distant sound. By the time they stopped, Padmé felt as if her heart was beating at lightspeed. Was Sheev going to- All thought erased itself when she suddenly felt Sheev's lips upon her own.

Their kisses had always been passionate, but never had they been as heated as this. One of his hands clung to her waist while the other made its way up the back of her head, tangling his fingers in her hair. His tongue separated her lips and tangled with her own. Padmé could feel a heat inside of her, growing more and more intense. She twisted her fingers into the sleeves of his robes to find an anchor as she returned his ardor just as fiercely. A groan escaped him, and Padmé felt herself pressed against what felt like a boulder. They finally broke away, gasping for breath.

"Don't be afraid," Sheev whispered.

"I'm not afraid," Padmé disagreed.

"You're trembling."

"Am I?"

She was. Despite her experience in court, Padmé had grown up in a community where lying with someone not your spouse or even your betrothed was severely frowned upon. Padmé wasn't naive to not know where their embrace might lead to. Her mother, Mammy, Ryoo, and Winama had each given her the Talk at some point. Maybe that's why she was scared. If things went further, would she disappoint Sheev? Has he done this before?

As if sensing her thoughts, Sheev whispered, "Padmé you know I would never hurt you."

"I know."

To prove that she did, she pulled him in for another passionate and heated kiss. They molded together as if they were one, and soon Sheev was no longer satisfied just kissing her lips. His lips trailed down her jaw, down her neck, and further down her cleavage. Gasps escaped Padmé as she held onto him, his kisses even more intoxicating than the wine she had consumed. His hands went down her body until he grasped her legs and lifted her onto the boulder. They were now head to head, and Sheev was in the space between her legs. The heat inside Padmé seemed to grow hotter and hotter as she felt Sheev's hands slide under her dress and go up her legs, caressing her skin. It was sinful bliss.

Then Sheev stopped and pulled away from her.

It took Padmé a few moments to clear her head from the glazed passion it had been in to ask. "What is it?" Had she done something wrong?

"We're not alone out here," Sheev told her, his face tense with suspicion as he looked out into the woods surrounding them.

Padmé felt as if she had been doused with cold water. They weren't alone? She looked out into the dark woods fearfully. "I can't see anything. Who could it be?"

"I'm not sure," Sheev said. He tugged her down off the boulder, and her skirts fell back into place. "Lets get out of here."

She wasn't sure how Sheev managed to travel in the dark without tripping, but he did, and they made it back to the gondola where they left it. As they set off back to Varykino, Padmé's thoughts wandered.

Who had been watching them in the shadows? One of the teens at the bonfire, a Gungan, or somebody else? Why had they been watching them? Padmé felt exposed and vulnerable, and she tugged her gray cloak closer to her body as Sheev rowed.

He had been quiet ever since they had stopped their passionate embrace. She had planned tonight to either break things off with him or find out if things were serious between them. Now, however, she was unsure, and it didn't feel right asking Sheev about it right now.

As they neared where the rope ladder was left out, Padmé found herself telling him. "Come over tomorrow."

She heard Sheev pause in his rowing, but could not see his expression in the dark. "My family will be spending time on the beach after breakfast tomorrow morning, and I would like it if you joined us."

Her father and Mammy were here in Varykino now, her whole family together. Serious boyfriends sometimes hung out with their girlfriend's family, didn't they? Even if they were little children and older adults.

After several moments, Sheev finally answered her. "Alright."

Oadmé felt relief and happiness bloom in her heart that she would have turned around and kissed him if she wasn't afraid of tipping the gondola.

When they reached the ladder, Padmé realized that she was still a little tipsy as she swayed, nearly falling into the water. Luckily, Sheev caught her and helped her climb the first few feet up the rope ladder. Whispering a goodnight, Padmé carefully climbed up inside her room, and fell into a blissful sleep when she landed on her bed.

000{{*}}000

So what do you guys think?

Around the time I started writing this I had watched A Call To Spy, a WWII movie about some of the brave women who helped spy on the Germans during occupied France: Vera Atkins, Virginia Hall, and Noor Inayat Khan. Those are who the two escaped Jedi kids are based off of.

What do you guys think about Dormé's intel? Anakin and Padmé's reaction? Maybe Sabé didn't kill Vatié, but what secrets is she hiding?

How about Great-Aunt Padmé Lydonia, Sheev, and the newest character Xoana?

Let me know. I'm not sure when the next update will be but I'm going to try and experiment.