Amidala-Skywalker

Part 2

"Ahsoka!"

Padmé called through the abandoned lower levels of Coruscant, barely any life forms passing by every so often. It was both comforting and alarming for the senator to be alone in such a remote place; while there weren't many people around, it was also not the place to get into any trouble. Anakin had told her about two parks higher up that she'd frequent whenever they'd get time off and she didn't want to stay in the temple.

"Ahsoka!" She called again, passing by an alley. The senator paused as she got to the next building, hearing soft cries from the next backstreet. "Ahsoka?" Padmé peeked around the corner, seeing a little boot sticking out from behind a dumpster. "Soka, honey, is that you?" She moved to the other side of the dumpster, seeing a very familiar set of head-tails hunched over. "Ahsoka..." She breathed, more than just a little relieved by the sight of her. Ahsoka peeked up, her cyan eyes widening. "Senator... what are you doing down here?" She sniffled, bringing her hands up to wipe off her wet cheeks. "I needed to find you...." Padmé reached forward and brought the former padawan into her embrace. Ahsoka clung to the woman's shoulders, comforted by the familiar presence. "I missed you."

"I missed you too, Ahsoka." Padmé sighed, running a hand over the crown of her head. "I've been so worried... When General Skywalker told me that you'd left on your own, I felt like I had to come find you." She confessed, allowing her husband's former padawan to pull away. "I've been alone for days now. What took you so long if you wanted to come find me?" Ahsoka sniffled, curious as to what made the young woman finally look for her. The brunette in front of her sighed, gently wiping away the tears that had fallen from her once-bright eyes. "When General..." She stopped herself, deciding she didn't need to be so formal with Ahsoka. "When Anakin came by my apartment yesterday, he'd been around Coruscant three times. He apparently had just kept flying around the planet since you left." Padmé bit her lip, knowing the harder part of her explanation. "You know he's one of my closest friends, I'm sure... Well, I let him crash on my couch last night because he was out of fuel - both in his ship and himself. Before I left him to sleep, he told me that he needed to find you and I agreed with him. I know that the Jedi Temple isn't where you want to be anymore... but you don't have to be out by yourself like this."

"What are you saying, Senator?" Ahsoka raised a painted brow, not certain what the senator was proposing. "I wanted to offer you a place with me... as a member of my family." Padmé took one of Ahsoka's hands, holding it between them with one of her own. "Ever since I first met you, you've always been like a daughter to me." She smiled when she felt the alien's grip tighten around her hands. "Perhaps now, if you wanna be... you could."

"What do you mean? I don't understand." Ahsoka confessed, willing her tears to stop falling. "You're barely fifteen now but you're still not old enough to be out on you're own yet... I want to offer you a place in my home."

"As what? Some charity case?" Skywalker's former padawan suddenly became defensive, as if the senator had just insulted her. "No, Ahsoka..." Padmé paused, trying to come up with the right words to say. Both Anakin and she had always seen Ahsoka as if she were their own and both were just as reflectively fierce in their protectiveness of her. "Perhaps... perhaps you'd consider being... my daughter." The Togrutan gasped, a hand flying to her mouth; her human counterpart continued. "I won't force you to anything you don't want to do. I'll help you do whatever you'd like to do - be it pursue an education, go after a career, or nothing at all if you just wanna relax for a while. I'll give you your own space as well as every amenity and necessity you want." Padmé took a deep breath, calming her racing mind. "I can't promise you a normal, quiet life but I can promise you one with love and support."

"What about the Jedi?" Ahsoka finally broke her silence. "What if they try to take me away?" Padmé gave her hands a reassuring squeeze. "I won't let them. You may still see some of them from time to time, but it's mostly just Anakin and Obi-Wan as they come over every once in a while. You don't have to see them if you don't want to; they are my friends though so I'm afraid they won't be going anywhere..." She swore, sharing a soft smile with the girl. "The only thing I will require from you is your permission to adopt you."