The Bittersweet Mission

A Little Rain on the Parade

     That evening, the three Jedi and the Senator of Naboo had a quiet meal together. Though Anakin, Ahsoka, and R2 had made a bit of a mess in the kitchen, they had managed to make a surprisingly good dish on their second attempt.

     Padmé had feigned tiredness at the end of her outing with the Duchess earlier on and had encouraged Obi-Wan to escort Satine back across the city. She wasn't sure if they would say a word to each other after she left, but she hoped the time alone together would do them some good so they could say goodbye if they chose, even if it was just for a few minutes.

     The night came soon enough, however, and the next morning arrived even faster, making it their final event day, unless you counted their pickup at the Sun Festival the day after as an event.

     On this day, they'd be going to see some races for a while on the opposite side of the planet until the afternoon, when they would return to finally get ready to finish the mission that they had traveled across the galaxy for.

      They weren't exactly sure what kind of races they'd be seeing, but they'd find out upon their arrival. 

     The only thing they needed to do today was remain in character and blend in with the crowds of spectators. 

     As they all dressed for the outing and boarded their scheduled transport ship, Anakin couldn't help but feel a little saddened that they were so close to the end of their mission on this world. He had been able to spend a great deal of time treating Padmé as his wife, and he had spent some quality time with his former master and his padawan. It seemed so unfair to have to return to acting like an indifferent Jedi so soon.

     Their ride was quite silent except for the hum of the ship, but the moment they landed and the doors opened, they were hit with the roar and chanting of the excited crowds.

      An attendant was waiting for them when they arrived to show them to their seats, and they were lucky that they had reserved seating in a middle section rather than one of the many higher levels that stretched so far above them.

     "There are way too many people here," Ahsoka whispered into the ear of her master, who was seated in front of her. "What are we supposed to do if something goes wrong?"

     Without even looking at her, he smirked. "Hope nothing goes wrong."

     Shaking her head, she crossed her arms and sat back in her seat, unintentionally copying Obi-Wan.

     Squeezing his wife's hand, Anakin asked, "Does this remind you of when we first met?"

     Smiling, she looked around at all the people, and she had a flashback to the podrace on Tatooine. 

     "It does," but then her smile faded as her eyes noticed some movement below them out on the track.

     "What is it, Angel?" he asked concernedly.

     "This isn't podracing," she said quietly.

     He was confused by her words, but he followed her sight to where some creatures similar to fathiers were making their way forward where they would soon be racing. Yet, behind them were their caretakers, and each being was in chains. It seemed very difficult for them to move and do their jobs getting the creatures ready, but every person's feet were bound.

     Anakin's expression shifted to something darker, and Obi-Wan sensed the slight tremor in his emotions.

     There's nothing we can do here without compromising everything, he warned his padawan through their bond.

     I  know, Anakin responded hotly. But it's not like the Republic will probably do anything to help these people after we leave, either.

     Unfortunately, though the races were quite thrilling to watch, their little group's mood was severely dampened so early on, making the day uncomfortable in addition to making it hard to stay in character. They still continued to clap politely as time passed, though the knowledge that the animals were likely as mistreated as their enslaved caretakers made it impossible to cheer or jump up from excitement like some of those around them.

     The afternoon seemed to drag on for such a long period, but when the races ended, they were one of the first groups to leave, heading back to their apartment in silence once again.

     When they reentered the place they were staying, Anakin headed out onto the balcony without a word. Though his master and his padawan wanted to make sure he was fine, Padmé gave them an apologetic smile and suggested that they take the time to change into some more comfortable clothes for the evening.

     Knowing better than to object, Obi-Wan and Ahsoka shared a glance before heading to their respective rooms.

     Padmé turned her gaze to the balcony, where her husband leaned against the railing and stared at the sprawling complexes beneath them.

     She made her way out to him, and placed a soothing hand on his back, and he slowly melted into her touch.

     "I'm sorry," she said quietly. "I wish there was more I could do."

     Sighing, he continued to watch a few ships departing. "You have no reason to be sorry. Just... seeing them today makes me think about a lot of things... makes me wish a lot of things..."

     "Your mother," she replied knowingly.

     "Yes, but..." he trailed off, thinking about his next words carefully. "It also makes me think about how much more should be done to help them, and not just them, but others too."

     When she remained silent, he looked back to meet her eyes.

     "I know what you mean," she finally answered. 

     Then, they both seemed to realize they couldn't say any more here, and their thoughts shifted to how their time together was approaching its end.

      As he sensed her sadness, Anakin straightened up and pulled Padmé into a warm embrace. 

      "I wish we could stay here for awhile longer," he murmured into her hair.

      "I do too. I'm sure we could still finish up this weekend and take care of the baby, and then stay."

     As he made a noncommittal noise in response, she chuckled and looked up into his eyes.

     "It will be good to be around the baby. You'll see. Between everything Satine and I bought, we'd be able to stay here with them for a long time if we wanted to."

     Though he wanted to remark that there was no way the Council would support the idea of them staying there longer, he decided to play along rather than dampen his wife's mood further. He knew she understood they would be leaving a lot sooner than they wanted to.

     "I'm just afraid you're going to spoil them," he smiled. "The two of you bought way too many things."

     "No," Padmé argued. "You only think that because you're a man of few possessions. I'm going to make sure our baby has a happy childhood."

     Anakin stilled at her words, and it took her a moment to realize what she had said.

      Her cheeks reddened slightly, and she corrected herself quietly.

     "The baby."

      But, Anakin looked down at her intensely, and lifted her chin so she would meet his eyes again.

      "No, our baby," he said softly, then finished silently. Even if only for a day or two...

      And he brought his lips to hers, kissing her as he so desperately wanted to.

     Both of them were oblivious to the fact that Obi-Wan had seen them, and had they known, they may or may not have pulled apart sooner. They probably would have just said they were acting.

     Obi-Wan would have known they were lying though, and he simply blinked a few times and chose to turn away.