Padmé seemed more than eager to have me around as company when I stopped by on her floor. We made a day out of it, while not leaving the building. We gabbed as though we weren't pieces of a war that threatened to destroy the entire galaxy should it get way out of hand.

Sometimes I wonder where I'd end up had I not been taken in by the Sith, then landed myself in Jedi hands. I wonder where I would be had I not been Force-sensitive.

Night has fallen over the planet. Padmé is currently separating my curls into three even strands to braid it. She has me on the sofa. On our right, the room opens to a small landing platform, where Anakin presumably parks his Starfighter. From afar, through the dark, the Jedi Temple can be seen.

"I've never really had anyone to do this with," Padmé comments lightly. "It brings me a sense of normalcy."

"Have you thought about names?" I ask conversationally. Every time I see her, I swear Padmé's bump swells even more. I'm not sure how it doesn't kill her back, carrying my niece/nephew inside of her.

"Annie and I haven't really talked about it much, with everything going on. Do you have any suggestions?"

"I'm not carrying the baby, so I don't think my input is necessary." My hair begins to get twisted as Padmé winds the three strands together. She makes them tight, taking her time to make sure no hair is out of place. "I don't really have an input as to what I hope it'll be, either. I'll be happy with whoever I get to meet."

"I'm kind of terrified, Thea."

"About the pregnancy? I'm sure you'll have the best doctors to help you." My eyes are fixed on no particular point on the sofa.

"Well, I'm sort of scared about that, being a first time mother. I'm...I worry about a lot, though I shouldn't. It doesn't help the baby any, or me. I worry about your brother, Thea."

I sigh. "I share the sentiment, believe me, I do."

"Has he told you what's gone on?"

"Oh, that the Chancellor and the Council are making him play Spy? He's given me basic details. He's not handling it well, Padmé."

"I know. It bothers him, a lot. He seems more frustrated than anything lately. I try to help him talk it out, but it's like pulling teeth with him."

I chuckle. "I wouldn't know, we don't share the same closeness as you two do."

"I'm hoping he works through this," Padmé sighs softly. "I want the man I love back. This is stressing him out, and it's not a good look for him."

"Stress isn't a good look on anybody," I admit.

"And I didn't even mention the fact he has nightmares about me dying—"

"What?"

Padmé hesitates. "They started when he returned from rescuing the Chancellor. I'm just afraid that what he's enduring might make him...snap, or something. The nightmares...I try to tell him that they aren't real, that they won't happen. But when I tell him that, he doesn't look like he believes me."

Maybe Padmé has no knowledge that sometimes Jedi dreams can be premonitions, but I don't want to freak her out any more than she already seems to be. Even if I did tell her, she'd probably insist they won't happen anyway; she tends to be optimistic and stubborn like that.

"There." Padmé finishes tying off my braid. "You'll give me good practice if I have a girl."

I excuse myself so that I can use her bathroom. I use the mirror to glance at her handiwork. It doesn't feel tight, the braid, but it sure looks sturdy.

"Thea!"

I run at Padmé's panicked tone. I run out to the main sitting area, where we just were. She stands, facing out towards the landing platform, but that's not where her eyes are focused.

As I stand beside Padmé, I find what's got her so stunned with shock. From our view, the Jedi Temple looks to be up in flames.

"What...what's happening?" she stammers in horror.

I have no answer for her. The Temple is being attacked? Is this the Sith? I thought nobody would be stupid enough to attack the Temple while there are plenty of well-trained Jedi inside. It's hard to comprehend such a concept.

I gasp, feeling a disturbance through the Force. Padmé casts a frightened glance at me. There's something very wrong here. Little bits of energy are winking out through the Force—lives are being lost.

Jedi are being killed.

My mind goes to one person who's not here in the chaos. He's too busy tracking down General Grevious. But my mind also flies to another person who just may be at the Temple, as he's not with me or his wife. And I know for a fact Padmé is thinking of that same person.

I find myself pulled closer, out towards the landing platform, in a horrified trance. More blips are snuffed out through the Force, more Jedi are dead. What is this?

"Thea?" Padmé asks, still panicked.

Though instinct should tell me to stay away from the Temple until the fire is dowsed and the smoke has cleared, my mind tells me something entirely different. Something that Padmé will not approve of.

"I can't watch this anymore. I need to go there."

"You don't know what's going on!" Padmé intercepts my arm as I get past her. Her doe eyes are big with fright.

"I know this much: Jedi are dying in there. I don't know why, I don't know how, but I know." I look at her woefully.

"You don't owe it to them to figure out the cause behind this. You don't owe it to them to help save them. They rejected your reentry."

"True, I don't owe them a thing, but I must do this. You know that I have to. I don't know what I'll be walking into, but, I can only hope for the best and prepare for the worst."

Padmé lets go of my arm. "I should call someone."

"No, that might escalate things. I'll go and assess the damage. If Anakin finds his way here, make sure he stays away and doesn't go to the Temple. If...If I don't return, if I don't make contact, assume the worst."

"I'm not asking you to find him. I would go there myself if I could."

"Even if you could, I wouldn't allow it. Though you've dismissed me from duty, you're family. I protect my family. He's my little brother, I've got to make sure he's all right, if he's even there." Which I hope to the stars he's not. On the off chance that he is, he has to be helping the Jedi stop the threat.

"I'm not losing you both."

"You won't." I can't bear to tell her that there is no guarantee in that. That Force users are not invincible. I don't know her perception of us, but I hope she does not see us as gods. "You know you can't stop me, Padmé."

"Unfortunately, you're right." She hugs me tightly. Her pregnant belly makes the hug a little awkward.

"Don't do anything crazy like avenge me if I die. You'll be a mother soon, you can't go down that path."

"If anything, I'd hire someone to avenge you."

Though she teases, I know she would be serious if she really put thought into it.

**[nervous laughter]....hang on tight, folks. Y'all know what's about to go down.**