Padme rushed to embrace Sol as her arrived on the balcony of Padme's apartment. C3-PO stood by the senator's side and the two watched as Anakin helped Sol out from the passenger seat. With an awaiting hand, Anakin took half of Sol's weight as she carefully stepped onto the balcony. He gripped her hand firmly before placing his gloved hand on the small of her back, and guiding her to meet the senator who was riddled with worry.
'Oh, kriff, Sol,' Padme let out a worried gasp and lightly embraced the Jedi Master. 'I rushed back here as soon as I heard from Ani about what happened.'
'I'm fine, Padme,' Sol insisted with the same tired smile. 'I just need rest.'
'You don't look fine. Those bandages! And those robes! Threepio, can you secure some tea for Sol?'
'Of course, ma'am.'
The hissing joints of C3-PO sounded as he turned from the three and made his way towards the apartment. He disappeared into Anakin and Sol's shared bedroom before he ventured through Padme's wardrobe to head for the elevator. The golden droid muttered things to himself on the way, like 'those Jedi folk never seem to live a life of peace' and 'so uncivilised these times are'.
'And I'll get you some new clothes to change into,' Padme said as she gripped Sol's hands in her.
'Oh, no, Padme, I have clothes-'
'Not a word of it. You can rest while Threepio and I take care of you.'
Sol's hands felt cold as the senator pulled her dainty hands out of hers and turned to head back into the apartment. The ball that was yet to leave her throat was forced down for a moment longer and Sol could feel the drowsiness mixing with the anxiety in her stomach. At the sway of her stance, Anakin took hold of Sol's waist and held her against him in fear that she would crumble.
'Let's sit you down, bright eyes,' Anakin said, and he guided Sol towards the lowered living space on the balcony.
Anakin was careful with the woman who was the root of all his happiness. It hurt him to guide her frail figure onto the sofa where she dropped with a loud sigh. Whether it was from relief or pain, he didn't know, but he took a pillow and slid it behind Sol's back to keep her upright. Anakin noticed how Sol didn't look up at him, but he didn't hold it against her. She was weak and yearning for sleep, but he also knew that she wanted to be in Padme's company before she went to bed. So, with a reluctancy to be away from her, Anakin pulled back from Sol and glanced towards the apartment.
'Stay here for a moment. I'm going to go talk to Padme,' he said in a gentle voice. This made Sol finally look up from her lap and he saw a certain sadness in her eyes.
'What's with all the private talks?'
'I'm just going to make sure she doesn't fuss over you to the point of unconsciousness,' Anakin attempted to joke with a small smile. 'Don't worry. It's all to make sure you're okay.'
Anakin bent down and placed his hands on either side of Sol's head to kiss her hair. He caught a whiff of her fresh scent and wanted to gather her into his arms to bury his nose into her brown locks. But Anakin forced himself to pull away from Sol's alluring presence and straightened his back, noticing again how her gaze dropped back down to her lap. With regretful steps, Anakin climbed the stairs of the living space and looked over his shoulder with a worried glance, unaware of the troubles that hung over the pale woman.
As he left into the apartment, Sol wished that Anakin would stay by her side. She wanted to be held in Anakin's arms and maybe then, she would gain the courage to sob to him about her troubles. Her hands quivered in her lap and their pale colour showed how cold Sol's hands were. Without Padme or Anakin, Sol tried to calm her nerves and think about how she was going to hold herself together until either of them returned.
---
Padme had put together some shorts and a shirt that Sol could feel comfortable in. The weather was warm, so she ensured that she had chosen a thin material that Sol could feel cool in. As C3-PO passed her to head into the wardrobe with a tray of tea, Anakin stepped aside to allow the droid to descend towards their bedroom. At his entrance, Padme turned from the laid-out clothes on her bed to the Jedi whose brow was low over his eyes.
'Ani, are you alright?' Padme asked, her concern evident in the wrinkles on her usually smooth forehead.
'I wish I could say...'
Anakin stopped in front of the window of Padme's bedroom. He remembered when Obi-wan leapt through the blinds and glass to try and stop the assassin droid from escaping after the attempted murder of the senator. As he stared out into the city, Padme folded the clothes and held them in her hands as she stared at the back of Anakin's head. She felt his concerns without the ability to look into the Force, as Anakin's troubled thoughts hung over him like a grey cloud. Anakin was her friend as much as Sol was, and with the attack, Padme was worried that Anakin wasn't taking the event well.
'Is it about Sol? I'll take care of her. I was dismissed from work today, so I'll make sure she's comfortable.'
'It's not that...' Anakin's head lowered from the window and his broad shoulders rose and fell at a long breath. 'I don't know... I feel... lost.'
'Lost?' Padme repeated as she stepped closer. 'What do you mean? You're always so sure of yourself, and Sol says how confident you always are. I don't understand.'
Padme watched as Anakin turned to face her. For the first time since he arrived, Padme noticed the dark lines that indented underneath Anakin's eyes. He looked tired and his lips were pulled into a deep frown. The bright blue in his irises were now a dull stone that Padme didn't favour to see. She remembered when she first met Anakin in Watto's workshop on Tatooine and was amazed at how a young boy could be so hopeful as a slave with his mother. Padme always admired Anakin's will to challenge situations, and to be confident even when times were tough. But now, Anakin was unhappy, and Padme didn't see his usual determination to see the good in the situation.
'Something's happening,' Anakin said, and Padme saw anguish flash across his face. 'I'm not the Jedi I should be... I am one of the most powerful Jedi, but I'm not satisfied.'
Anakin's expression changed from anguish to an angered frustration. Padme was wary and took a step backwards, clutching the folded clothes in her arms. She didn't like to think that Anakin was unpredictable, but she knew that he would never do something that would require Padme to call for Captain Typho. He was her bodyguard on Naboo along with Sol, and his obvious infatuation with the female Jedi was something that Padme found adorable in their Padawan days. But using her instincts as a politician who has had a handful of assassination attempts on her life, Padme felt uneasy in Anakin's presence.
'I want more, and I know I shouldn't...' Anakin looked down and Padme caught the shame that replaced his frustration.
'You expect too much of yourself, Ani,' Padme said. 'You know that Sol and Obi-wan are proud of what you have accomplished.'
'But I... I have so much fear. After today, when I saw Solaris like that... something came over me. It's happened before. This power suddenly runs through me and... the Chancellor spoke of this power and I just... I just don't want to lose her. What if this new power... could stop people from dying? From her, from ever dying?'
At the mention of Chancellor Palpatine, Padme knew that Anakin was falling into his delusions. She knew about Anakin's promotion onto the Council as the Chancellor's representative, and she had a firsthand experience of the executive powers that the man had gained from the Senate. Padme knew that the Chancellor made many false promises that could never be obtained, and she thought this was another promise that he had directed towards Anakin to earn his trust.
'You don't need more power, Anakin,' Padme said, making sure her voice was strong to get her point across. 'If you're worried about Sol, then maybe you two should discuss leaving the Order earlier than you planned. I know that Sol believes that you can keep her safe, and I also believe that you are capable of taking care of her just as you are.'
Anakin didn't look convinced at Padme's attempts. He appreciated her concern, but he couldn't help the urge to shake his head as he looked down to his feet. With a mumbled goodbye, Anakin walked past Padme and left the senator to stand on her lonesome in her bedroom.
At the silence that followed, Padme thought about Anakin's words and she noticed how breathable the air felt with him gone. She didn't want to be grateful for his departure, but when she heard the sound of Sol's speeder starting up and fading outside, Padme felt comfortable leaving the bedroom.
---
C3-PO left Padme and Sol on the balcony. With tea on the table and Sol in fresh clothes, Padme made sure that her friend was comfortable before she sat down on the sofa next to her. Anakin had left in Sol's speeder and when Padme asked if he had said anything on his way out, Sol was short with her answer. This told Padme that Anakin had kept his moody aura when he left the apartment, and she hoped that Sol wasn't affected by his attitude while she was still healing.
'Make sure you finish your tea before you rest,' Padme said while pointing to the tray of tea. 'It'll help you sleep.'
Padme wore a warm smile as she waited for Sol to look in her direction. The Jedi's side profile was all she could see, and it wasn't enough for Padme to analyse how Sol was feeling. The senator reached for her steaming tea and held it as it cooled, waiting for Sol to feel comfortable enough to talk. Looking into her drink, Padme glanced through her eyelashes to see if her friend had reached for her own tea, but saw that she was yet to move at all. Sol stared at the coffee table and after an overdue blink, Padme looked back up with concern.
'Sol? Are you alright?'
It was strange how Padme had asked the same thing to Anakin before he left the apartment. But instead of receiving a frustrated expression, Padme received teary eyes and a trembling lip.
'Padme...' the woman's voice was barely a squeak. Sol had turned to the brunette beside her, the tea forgotten and her lips pursing and parting in trembles. Padme was now deeply worried and rushed to put her cup down on the table. She shuffled closer on the cushion and saw how Sol's hands trembled in her lap. The Jedi was a ball of shakes and Padme had half a mind to call for a medic. Maybe she was having an episode after her attack.
'What is it, Sol? Tell me, please!'
A tear fell from the corner of Sol's eye, and it was enough to redden their whites. The ball in her throat that she had held at bay since leaving the temple was coating her tongue with an unbearable film. Sol had waited to spill to Padme, but when it came to it, she felt a twist in her stomach and a cold rush through her veins. She was scared, but if she didn't tell someone, the fear would eat away at every organ in Sol's body.
'My medical report...' Sol started; her voice throaty from the tears. 'Artoo had to reset the medical droid to keep it quiet... I can't let the Order know... oh, maker... we've been so foolish-'
'Sol, what is it?' Padme put a hand on the shaking shoulder of her friend. 'What do you mean Artoo reset the medical droid? Are you hurt?'
With a sniffle and two more tears sliding down her cheeks, Sol let out a sob. She wiped at her mouth in a fidget before she looked at Padme with all her attention.
'I'm pregnant, Padme...'
The senator's jaw dropped, and her brown eyes widened. At her silence, Sol let out another pain-filled sob. She couldn't stand to think about the med bay and how the medical droid reported that the tests were negative for all infections and diseases, but were positive with something else. The droid was unaware of the stigma of pregnancy in the Order, so it relayed the news with a congratulations. It was only out of sheer panic that Sol looked to R2 and pleaded for him to ensure that the news never left the room. With his mechanical hand, R2 zapped the medical droid and entered its memory circuit. Sol tried to keep her calm while the droid wiped the last few moments from its database. With a tear-filled 'thank you' to the trusted droid, Sol greeted Anakin in the hall like nothing had happened, and she contained her sobs until she was free from the temple and its reaches.
'Maker, Sol... this is... wonderful,' Padme let out through her shock. 'But who else knows? I'm assuming Ani doesn't?'
'N-No, um... I don't think the Jedi medic saw the results... he didn't seem concerned...' Sol tried to think but crumbled into more tears. 'Oh, Padme, what do I do? Do I tell Ani? What will he think?'
'Calm down. Take some deep breaths. This is not something to be sad about. This is a wonderful thing, Sol.'
Padme's delicate hands took Sol's and held them firmly. While Sol struggled to keep still, Padme leaned forward to catch her wandering, watering eyes. When she did, Padme saw the redness that blotched on Sol's round cheeks and her tear-soaked eyelashes. Unfortunately, Sol was only thinking about the situation as a Jedi, when pregnancy was a gift in many other perspectives. Padme was joyous when her friends revealed that they were expecting, and Sol was no different. But the woman herself had to see that pregnancy was not something to panic about.
'This'll be it, Padme... Ani and I will be out of the Order when I start showing.'
'And by then, you and Anakin will be safe on another planet,' Padme said; calm and with sparkling eyes. 'Your child will be beautiful, kind and intelligent. I'm so happy for you, Sol. What a wonderful miracle to have during these dull times.'
'Children, you mean...'
'Sorry?'
'Children, Padme. I'm having twins.'