"Obi-Wan!" Padme said, then frowned slightly. "Might I ask the reason for your visit?"

She stepped back, to allow the Jedi Master in. "If it's because of Anakin's elevation to the Jedi Council…"

"It's not," Obi-Wan replied. "At least, not entirely… I wanted to discuss something with you."

He paused, not quite sure how to begin.

"Are you aware of the way that Jedi don't marry?"

"Of course," Padme replied. "It's famous."

Obi-Wan eyed her for a moment.

"Yes, I suppose it is," he replied. "But I wanted to mention to you why it is that Jedi don't marry. It's… well, firstly it's because of a commitment issue. Being a member of the Jedi Order means agreeing to uphold the principles of the Order, and one of those is that you don't marry. So… by definition, a Jedi who's following the tenets of the Order doesn't marry, simple as that."

"That sounds tautological, Obi-Wan," Padme said.

"Well, naturally," Obi-Wan agreed, sitting down. "But there is an actual reason for it. It's… we call it commitment, but it's a much more general thing. It refers to how a Jedi should be able to treat things other than himself as a higher priority… and how a Jedi who doesn't do that is at risk of falling to the Dark Side."

Padme nodded.

"I see," she said. "But doesn't that mean that a Jedi should avoid having friends?"

"It's a matter of degree, not kind," Obi-Wan told her. "I, for example, absolutely have friends. But the point is that, if it were a choice between one of my friends and the whole Republic – the whole Order – then I should be able to make that decision based on what is good for everyone, not on my own personal feelings. It's an ideal, but it's something Jedi are supposed to aim for, and marriage is something that comes into conflict with that. Possibly stark conflict."

"And do you think any Jedi lives up to that ideal?" Padme challenged.

"I don't," Obi-Wan answered. "But I think it's an ideal to aim for."

He smiled. "It's something to think about, I suppose… and it's also worth thinking about that someone who decides they can't live with the Jedi Code can just leave. The Order would be sad, but they wouldn't try to stop that person."

Padme nodded.

"You've given me something to think about," she said.

"Anakin?" Padme asked, that evening.

"Yes, Padme?" Anakin replied, curious. "Is something wrong?"

"I was just… thinking," Padme replied.

Anakin frowned. "Something I should be worried about?"

"No, no, not at all," Padme assured him. "Just… about what you think of me."

"I love you, Padme," Anakin insisted, fervently. "You know that, don't you?"

"I know, Anakin," Padme agreed, rising, and embraced him. "And I love you too. I just…"

"You just what?" Anakin worried.

Padme waved her hand.

"You're too worried about this," she said. "I don't doubt that you love me, and I don't doubt that I love you. But… please, don't love me more than the whole rest of the universe."

Anakin looked into her eyes.

"And what if I do?" he asked.

"I'd… be flattered," Padme admitted. "But worried about living up to that kind of standard."

"Worried?" Anakin repeated, worried.

"I think it'd be impossible," Padme replied. "And I don't…"

She sighed.

"Just… don't destroy the Jedi Order or overthrow the government for me, okay?" she asked. "Being more important than everything else is very intimidating."

"If that's what you want, Padme," Anakin said.

"Anakin, help me!" Palpatine shouted, after a very eventful evening. "The Jedi are taking over!"

"The oppression of the Sith will never return," Mace Windu replied. "Your plot to regain control of the Republic is over."

"No!" Palpatine said, raising his hand, and shot lightning at Mace, who blocked with his lightsaber.

"He's a traitor, Anakin!" Palpatine insisted.

"He's the traitor!" Mace replied.

"Uh," Anakin said. "I… I'm having serious problems with this situation…"

"What do you mean, boy?" Palpatine asked. "The Jedi are in revolt! They will betray you, just as they betrayed me!"

"That doesn't mean-" Anakin began, then stopped. "Uh."

"Don't let him kill me!" Palpatine pleaded.

"I don't know what to do!" Anakin groaned. "If I help you, Chancellor, then that's destroying the Jedi, but if I help Master Windu then that's overthrowing the government!"

"...what?" Mace said, then shook his head sharply. "The government isn't one person, Anakin."

"Yes, it's the Jedi or me!" Palpatine tried to claim.

"You are not the government," Mace snapped back. "Anakin, the Chancellor has been trying to overthrow the government, that's why there hasn't been an election in years – why he's keeping emergency power!"

"Is this some kind of political science debate?" Palpatine demanded. "Anakin, save me! I have the power to save the one you love!"

Anakin approached, slowly, then picked up Palpatine's office chair and bashed him over the head with it.

"...so, uh," he began, putting the chair down again. "Master, you promise that I didn't just overthrow the government? Because I wouldn't want to make Padme mad, and I did promise…"

Mace blinked a few times.

"...no, the Republic's still going to be… a thing, now," he said. "Also, you mean your girlfriend, right?"

"My-"

"Your girlfriend," Mace interrupted him. "I'm sure she isn't your wife, because if I had to officially pay attention to that then you'd have to be expelled from the Jedi Order."

Anakin blinked a few times.

"...uh," he began.

"Look, can you tell her what just happened?" Mace requested. "I'm not actually very good at politics and we're going to need a politician to work this one out."

AN:

All Anakin needs is clear advice of the sort that nobody else needs.