Card of Heart

Chapter 1 - Deception

But she doesn't understand how Obi-Wan could have gone along with this. It doesn't make any sense. Even if he's always extremely controlled about showing any emotions, it was clear how much he cared about Anakin. Or was it? She doesn't understand any of this.

She's always trusted the Jedi Council, even in cases when things they were doing didn't seem entirely right. But this... no, it's wrong on every moral level, even if they did it for a good cause. After all, aren't the Jedi the ones who say 'the end does not justify the means' all the time?! Talk about being hypocrites. She'll never be able to look at them the same way again.

"How can they do this?" Ahsoka exclaims, finally finding her voice.

"I don't know, Snips," Anakin says quietly, sitting down next to her on the couch. She can see his pain, feel it echoing through their bond and into the Force, and it hurts as much as her own. This is a betrayal which cuts them both deeply. Even if Anakin won't admit how much he's hurt, she can only imagine. One would have to be both blind and stupid to not realize how close Anakin and Obi-Wan were. To learn that he did something like this... Ahsoka has no idea how he's even keeping himself together. Probably by sheer willpower if she had to guess.

A heavy silence hangs over the room for a long time before Anakin retreats to his room, and Ahsoka departs for the Senate. Of everyone she knows who can help her, Padme is the best option right now.

***

Padme is in her office at the Senate when Ahsoka arrives, thankfully not in the middle of a meeting. Hopefully, she's not too busy right now, because Ahsoka wants to talk to someone about this, and throwing a temper tantrum with Anakin isn't going to make either of them feel better. If anything, it might make them feel worse. They were both betrayed, Anakin more than her, and he needs support more than she does, even if Obi-Wan "died" in her arms. He lost his master or thought he did.

"Do you have a minute, Senator?" she asks, reminding herself to remain polite until she can guarantee a moment with just the two of them.

"Of course, Ahsoka," confirms Padme, looking up from her work. "You seem upset. What's wrong?"

"I – I can't understand what's wrong with the Council!" she blurts out finally, and then, something inside her snaps, and everything tumbles out in a jumbled mess. She hates the way her voice breaks on the words, her pain bleeding out. "Obi-Wan is still alive. The whole assassination was fake. They made us think he was dead all this time. They don't even seem to care how much it hurt Anakin. They still had us completely involved, knowing full well we could have killed him, and not even known until it was too late!"

Padme is visibly stunned by the time Ahsoka quiets. "He's alive?" she asks quietly. "And they never told you, until now?"

"Yes, exactly," she confirms darkly.

There's a flare of surprise and hurt in the Force before Padme tamps it down.

"I don't understand why they would do this," Padme declares, shaking her head. She moves over to Ahsoka, wrapping her arm around her shoulder. "After the funeral they should have at least told you. It was wrong for them to keep this from you, even if his mission is important."

"They don't trust Anakin," she says bitterly. It's honestly the only reason she can think of to explain it. She clenches her hands into fists, wanting nothing more than to scream and hit something until everything is fixed again, but unfortunately, that's not how it works. This isn't something she can fix. This is something else, something deeper, something that none of her training has taught her how to handle. Certainly, she knows how she's supposed to deal with emotions, but being near Anakin and feeling his pain as a constant echo of her own, she's begun to suppress everything.