Anakin wakes early, the grey morning light falling across his bed where Circe still sleeps, her shoulders peeking out from under his blankets. It is one of the first nights that he has slept through until morning, unplagued by the nightmares and premonitions that have haunted him so.
He sits up quietly, pausing to gaze at her for a few moments, in her quiet tranquility, before slipping out from under the duvet and heading towards his closet.
He's not used to being up this early, but it feels good. The calm of his best friend's quiet breathing and the stillness in his room. On most mornings, she is the early riser of the two of them. When Anakin would finally come knocking on her door she'd have been up for hours, reading, studying, going over old notes and work from their earlier training days. But today, she is as still as a Bantha during the cold season.
Anakin pads across his room to his dresser, pulling a fresh undershirt out along with his belt, and robes, and pants. He lay them out as he thinks of breakfast, of the day that follows. He was safe from his troubles here, with the door closed and precious Circe asleep, but when she wakes, he will be thrown back into the world again. Thrown back into his troubles.
It does not matter now. He lays his things out on his desk and disappears into his bathroom, closing the door quietly and turning the shower handle to let it heat up.
After a few minutes, the faint sound of rushing water stirs Circe from her sleep and she yawns, rolling over onto her back. She's groggy, although her head doesn't hurt which is always a good sign, but her throat is unbearably dry. The sound of water only makes her desire for a drink more intense.
Around her, Anakin's room is a mess. She steps over piles of clothes as she makes her way from his bed, uses her foot to push mock-ups of droids and ships out of the way, searches for her outer robes among all of his things. A toy figurine of a Tusken Raider sits on his windowsill, with a few dried flowers from his last birthday. A paper bird she made him years ago rests underneath them on the corner of his desk, along with a solar powered orb-lamp—a small machine that uses a tiny manufactured orbitational pull to hold the sphere up above its base. She can see Anakin's youth demonstrated in a rough timeline around the room. She makes past it all and knocks on his bathroom door.
"Yes?" Anakin answers, and she opens it.
"Good morning," She sighs, rubbing her eyes in the mirror and grabbing the cup on the sink, filling it with water.
"You couldn't wait?"
She eyes the opaque screen separating the shower from the rest of the bathroom. Not even Anakin's silhouette peeking through.
"Oh, stop being coy," She teases, "I have known you all my life. Remember the swimming pools we used to go to when we were Younglings? All of us running around like we'd never known clothes in all our lives."
But it is different now, She thinks. It is not the same as when they were barely more than toddlers and the nurses had not cared to dress them while they swam. She does not know Anakin's body as she did then, when they would fight and play and tumble in the grass. She has seen the changes in him, watched him grow taller and stronger, noticed as his robes began to hang off of him differently. But it is not the same as knowing him.
Sometimes when they train, she can feel the tight knot of his muscles below her hands, her fingers catching as they push and pull beneath his skin. The very thought of it brings a strange heat to her face, and she is glad that she cannot see the outline of him through the screen.
"Did you come up with anything for the second trip for the Younglings?" Anakin asks over the sound of the water.
Memory from last night comes back to her, of Padme's promise of House Naberrie, the image of a wide, warm hall filled with children and their laughter. She smiles.
"Yes! I forgot to tell you. Can we go to the Council today?"
The shower handles squeak, and the water dies off quickly. She grabs the towel sitting on the counter and hoists it over.
"I don't see why not. Are you going to make me wait to hear it?"
"Well, it's not really my idea. Padme suggested House Naberrie. It's got a full staff of guards on its own, and there are plenty of people around in the village. I doubt anyone would make an attempt in such an open place."
"House Naberrie, like, on Naboo?"
She hums in response. "And Padme said she would come with us, too."
He pulls the shower curtain back and she grimaces at him.
"Oh, hurry up and go get dressed."
"Give me a minute, won't you? You're the one who decided we needed to have this conversation in the bathroom," He smiles at her, his towel hanging off his hips as he leaves the bathroom.
Her eyes follow him as he goes, almost against her own will, caught on the water slipping down his back. His shoulders are taught like a stringed bow, crossed with faded scars.
"So, you think Obi-Wan will go for this plan of yours? It's not on Coruscant," He says from around the corner, pulling his pants up and buckling them tightly.
"I think he will," She answers. "It's got everything he wants: a secure location, extra protection."
He grabs his comm, glancing at the unanswered message on it from the day before, and clips it to his belt.
"I'll go with you," He says. "Let's go now before the Council members get the chance to leave for jobs of their own."
Circe disappears into her own bathroom to scrub the previous night away. Anakin sits on her unused bed, surrounded by her maps, and her books, and her photos. He wonders what she's thinking. If she remembers herself from last night, giggling like a child, palms pressed to his face in the dark. He remembers. He remembers and his cheeks burn, as though her fingers were still on them.
She eventually comes out of the shower in a black tank top, her shimmering wet hair like ice down her back.
"Maybe it still won't be enough," She says, tying a fresh set of robes over her shirt, a hint of worry edging at her words. "Maybe it's just too soon."
"I'm sure he'll think it's great," Anakin answers, "He always favors your ideas. Have you noticed?"
She smirks at him. "You just think that anytime someone's attention is not on you that you've been forsaken. But Obi-Wan has never been one to dote. He values us all equally."
"Oh, he dotes, just not on me," He teases back.
They leave her room and walk quickly towards the Council Room, in hopes of catching the older Jedi before he gets to the morning meeting. He is there, just about to grab the handle when they call out for him.
"More news about your plans for a field-trip part two?" He says, crossing his arms.
"Yes, actually. I have a plan that should work, and I wanted to propose it to you," Circe says.
Anakin is busy looking at his comm-link beside her.
"Perfect, you can come in now and talk to all of us," He replies. "Anakin, let's go."
"Wait, Circe, I'm really sorry but I'm needed elsewhere," He says, putting the comm back in his pocket and looking at her apologetically. "Something came up."
Her face falls. "What? Why?"
"I'm sorry. But I have to."
A lump forms in her throat that makes her pause before she speaks. "Okay. Will you be gone all day?"
"Anakin, this seems important to her," Obi-Wan tries but she shakes her head.
"It's fine. All day?"
"I'm not sure," He says, "I'm really sorry, Circe. I'll comm you. Good luck!"
She watches as he runs off down the hall and suddenly her great idea doesn't feel great anymore. Not when she has to give it alone.
Obi-Wan gives her a knowing look and puts his hand on her arm. "I, am excited to hear what you have to say. Let's go."
She nods and follows him through the large double doors.
She has always liked the Council Chamber room. With its huge glass panels and domed ceiling. She likes the way the sun rises and falls behind them, basking the room in fresh morning light, or sunsets the color of apricots. But it does not feel so magical today. She can't understand why her confidence has drained, but suddenly she wishes to be anywhere but there.
The Council members sit in their red velveted chairs, chatting lightly amongst themselves as they wait for the final member to join them. When Obi-Wan approaches, they quiet.
He is the greatest Jedi she has evern known, she thinks standing beside him. Despite all the others' courage and their cunning, their grand talents, even Master Yoda's wisdom, the other Council members pale in comparison.
Having him with her aids the emptiness beside her where Anakin is supposed to be. She can't help but feel like a child, wishing him to pick her up like he used to. Everything is alright now, isn't it? Look, there are your fingers, your toes, do you feel your heart in your chest? As long as you have them, everything will be alright, he would say. She longs to be little again. To be told it was alright.
"Circe," Plo-Koon says warmly, "To what do we owe the pleasure?"
"Good morning, Council members," She says bravely. She has stood in this very room a million times and yet she feels as though her tongue has forgotten how to wield words. "I'd like to propose something to you all, before you get to your other work."
They nod intently, listening.
"I'd like to take the Younglings out again."
A somber feeling falls over the room. The hardest part is over, she says to herself. Everything else should be easy.
"Circe..." Saesee Tiin starts, looking at the others tentatively.
"Please, I don't think it's wise to leave them with the memory of Ahch-To for too long. They're restless, Masters, they worry about traveling again. I fear if we don't give them another experience, they will be too frightened to leave Coruscant when they begin their training."
She brings good points, none of them can deny it. But they are hesitant to bring their precious children out again, as she knew they would be.
"What is your plan?" Plo-Koon asks.
She breathes out silently. They'll hear her out.
"I know it's too dangerous to go somewhere remote," She says, "And I don't think it's right to make the outing educational—at least not entirely. Anxiety-relief should be the priority, to ensure the incident doesn't stay with them."
They nod along. She can see on their faces that they believe her, earnestly. They too have noticed the hesitancy the Younglings have had with venturing out, even just beyond the city-limits. These children—some still just infants—are imperative to the survival of the Jedi Order, and even without all their usual needs, the unusual feeding hours, the protective gear, the knapsacks and diapers, the nurses and nannies who raise them in the Temple, they will need to be watched carefully to ensure the Ahch-To mission does not spook them.
"I imagine you have a location chosen?"
"House Naberrie, on Naboo."
"Senator Amidala's home?" Master Yoda asks.
She nods. "I've spoken with her, and she's assured me that it is well-protected and available for the outing."
"I suppose it wouldn't be too far-stretched of an idea..." Saesee-Tin says slowly, looking at the others for approval.
"Naboo is a very well-known planet," Windu says, "And it's very accessible. I feel as though someone looking to harm the Younglings again would not have to work very hard to do so."
Before she can answer, the door behind Circe swings open and Padme Amidala herself waltzes in, her dress trailing behind her.
"I thought you all would need a little convincing," She says mischievously.
"Senator, welcome. We weren't expecting a guest," Obi-Wan says.
"Well, I just came to help sell the idea. I think it's a really good one." She steps up next to Circe and winks at her. "Anakin messaged me yesterday," She whispers.
So, he never had any intention of coming, Circe thinks, suddenly very annoyed.
"Well, we're all ears. How would this play out?" Windu asks.
Padme smiles encouragingly at her, which makes her feel a little better. She lets go of the budding resentment towards her absent friend and focuses once more on the Council.
"The idea is to take the Younglings to Senator Amidala's home on Naboo, which is well protected by her guards."
"It's a spacious place, and there are certainly enough rooms for all the kids," Padme says, "I would go along as well, as an extra pair of eyes."
"This sounds promising," Saesee sighs. "But as Master Windu mentioned previously, Naberrie is well-known and easy to get to. Anyone wanting to go after the Younglings again wouldn't have much trouble finding out where they are."
"If anything, Masters, that makes it safer," Padme objects. "Everyone knows we live there. The townspeople know my family well and would be suspicious of strangers. Help would come quickly if anything were to go wrong."
The Council nods.
"Okay," Windu says, "I could see this working. We would have to send more Jedi than before to be safe."
"I agree," Circe says. "I don't want you all to think that I'm not shaken by what's happened, or that I don't take the threat seriously. But I believe the Younglings need to be out again and bring a positive experience back with them."
"I think it's great, Circe. And we appreciate you offering your house up to us for this, Senator Amidala," Obi-Wan says.
Padme nods and smiles graciously. "Of course! I love throwing parties, and it's been a long time since Naberrie's halls have housed children. There is one rule though."
"A rule?" Windu raises a stern brow.
"No Jedi robes allowed. This is going to be a black tie party," She grins.