I woke up to the feeling of Anakin gently twirling a lock of my hair in between his fingers. My head was still nestled in his chest, and I felt the tendons in his forearm twitch against my cheek ever so slightly with the movement.

I remained still for a few moments, enjoying the sensation of Anakin's tender touch and the sound of his deep, steady breathing. In that moment, I felt such an overwhelming sense of comfort and safety. I decided this was my favorite place in the galaxy to be, cozy and half asleep in Anakin's arms.

With a soft sigh, I buried my head further into Anakin and was content to let sleep take over once again. However, Anakin's rough morning voice broke the tranquil silence.

"Nope" he said, I could hear the smirk in his tone. He gently shook me, rousting me from my slumber. "Rise and shine, Remlik"

"Ten more minutes." I mumbled into his chest. I could feel the vibrations of his chuckle on my cheek.

"Sorry...duty calls." He said in low voice, but the way his arms tightened around me made me think he'd prefer to stay here like this too. 

However, he was right, I had a mission to attend to. So, with a groan, I rolled over, tearing myself away from Anakin's warm hold. Staring up at the ceiling, I rubbed my eyes and allowed my brain to shed the hazy layer of sleep. As the realization of what today held hit me, I felt nerves surge through my gut.

"You can still back out." Anakin said from beside me. I turned my head to face him and saw he was propped up on an elbow, studying me. He held a sliver of hope in his expression.

"I'm not backing out." I replied, giving him a pointed look. He furrowed his brow as the hope in his gaze disappeared and was replaced by deep worry. He opened his mouth to say something, but thought better of it, clenching his jaw instead.

"I don't like this." He eventually said.

"I know, Anakin. You have made that very clear." I replied, shooting him a side-eyed smirk. He returned a soft glare but then scooted closer so that I was once again pressed into his body.

"Promise me you'll keep your mental shields down?" He asked, gently stroking my arm with his finger. Looking down, I realized he was softly drawing lines between the freckles that peppered my shoulder, it made my heart surge. I hesitated slightly, concerned that without my mental barrier, Anakin would be exposed to how I truly feel about him. But I also knew it would be the fastest, most efficient way for him to know if I was in danger. He'd be the first to detect fear, shock or worst case...if my emotions suddenly went silent.

"I promise." I whispered. Anakin nodded, and when he flicked his eyes towards my face, I saw gratitude written across his features.

"I promise I won't be far...if anything happens." He said firmly. Almost to ease his own concerns more than mine.

A few more moments of heavy silence filled the air. Nerves, anticipation, and words left unspoken hung between us. I suddenly felt to urge to have the conversation. I wanted to understand what was going on his head before I left this morning.

"Anakin, about what you said last night, I-" I began to say.

"After, Kels." He cut me off, turning away to lay flat on his back. "When you're back. Please."

Anakin has never been super forthcoming with his emotions. And having a sensitive conversation before I head off into a very real threat all alone, was probably just too much for him. It was easier to leave things unsaid until this mess was behind us. Better to focus on the mission. So, I didn't push it.

I watched him. With his eyes pressed shut and eyebrows draw into a deep v, he almost looked to be in pain. Without thinking, I reached my hand over and gently tried to smooth out the worry lines forming in between his eyes with my fingertips. His eyelids fluttered open, and he looked at me through the corner of his eye.

"Please be careful." He said, his voice catching ever so slightly. He swallowed hard.

"I will be." I promised him.

Not even an hour later, I was standing in front of the mirror, fully dressed in simple white linen dress (Editor's Note: Think Selfie Leslie's Elias decorative stitch midi dress) with my lace up boots and my hair pulled back into a collection of twisted braids at the base of my neck. I was carefully dabbing on a final light layer of berry lipstick when I saw Anakin come into view in the mirror behind me.

"And if he pulls a blaster on you, what do you do?" He asked me. I turned to face him, snapping my tube of lipstick shut. I noticed his eyes flick down to my chest, which was on display more than usual in this dress. He swallowed hard and quickly brought his eyes back up to meet mine. I had to bite the inside of my cheek to prevent the smirk from forming on my face. The dress was intended to have a similar effect on Rayme, but seeing Anakin's reaction, although slight, was an added bonus.

"Don't try to disarm, just scream. Cause a scene." I replied, reciting the information he had been drilling me with for the past hour. Anakin nodded in confirmation.

"And, if he suggests taking you to a second location?" He continued.

"End the conversation and get away by whatever means necessary." I said, rolling my eyes slightly as I crossed my arms over my chest. Again, Anakin nodded, content with my answer.

"If it comes down to it, where should you aim?" He asked, narrowing his eyes slightly at my annoyed reaction to his endless questions.

"Throat and balls." I said in a flat tone.

"And what if-" Anakin pressed on.

"Anakin." I cut him off, giving him a pointed look. "We've gone over all this. Multiple times."

He let out a deep exhale through his nose and crossed his arms over his chest to mimic my posture. I knew he was worried, but his incessant quizzing was making me more anxious.

"Just making sure." He mumbled, clenching his jaw in an effort to swallow the next set of questions I knew he was itching to go over. I could tell the lack of control was eating at him. He was used to being the one in charge, the one putting himself in danger.

Taking a step towards him, I took his hand in mine. "I'm going to be fine" I said, looking down as I gently traced along the pliant skin, following the veins and brushing over his knuckles. His fingers twitched as the contact, but when he let out a deep sigh, I knew I had achieved my goal in providing some sort of relief to his very apparent worry. I smiled to myself, still in awe of the fact that my touch seems to bring him comfort.

"You should probably get to it." Anakin said in a strained voice. Dropping his hand, I looked up to meet his somber expression. Biting my lip, I nodded in agreement.

"I guess there's no need to continue delaying." I muttered, my nerves surged across my chest, making it feel tight.

The corner of Anakin's lip twitched into a frown and without saying a word, he pulled me forward into his chest and wrapped his arms around me tightly. With my cheek pressed into his sternum, I could hear his racing heart which echoed mine. Wrapping my arms around his midsection, I squeezed him tight as I breathed in his scent. I soaked in the last fleeting moments of total, complete safety.

Anakin then pulled away, bringing his hands up to cup my cheeks. "You can do anything." He reminded me in a low voice with so much conviction it caused my heart to twist. Then, he leaned forward ever so slightly and placed a gentle kiss on my forehead. My eyes fluttered closed, and I brought my hands up to grasp his wrists. I wished we could stay like this forever, but Anakin eventually stepped away from me, causing me to lose my grip on him. Our arms fell back to our sides.

And after shooting him one last smile, I turned around and left.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The streets of Canto Bight were bustling. I quickly learned that to celebrate the end of the derby, the city held a carnival. I was surprised to see drunk patrons sloshing drinks in cheers, women dancing on tables, and street performers with elaborately painted faces performing for pockets of the crowd. And it was hours before noon. I could only imagine the debauchery this would descend into by nightfall.

Weaving my way through the crowd, my awareness was on an all time high. As soon as I stepped out of the casino hotel into the street, the feeling of being watched and followed immediately returned. I didn't necessarily have a plan for where to find Rayme, I was more certain he would find me.

So, I wasn't surprised when I felt a presence behind me as I stopped to admire a flower stand.

"Hello, Astrid." The familiar voice crooned. I had to stop myself from cringing and plastered on a fake grin before spinning around to face Rayme.

"Rayme Tarro." I replied in a smooth voice. He wasn't discreet about raking his eyes down my body, lingering on my chest. I couldn't help but shift from one foot to the next, his gaze feeling uncomfortable and intrusive.

"Looks like your lucky streak remains strong." He said once his hungry gaze returned to my eyes.

"I told you, that fathier has fire in its heart." I said confidently.

"A tenacity I see in you too, Astrid." He replied in a low voice. I smiled softly at his compliment.

"So, what are you going to do with your newfound riches, Mr. Tarro?" I asked, keeping my voice airy and flirty. He smirked in response.

"Let me get you a drink and I'll tell you all about it." He said in an arrogant tone.

"Oh, I couldn't possibly," I feigned modesty, "I'm sure you have more important things to attend to."

"It's the least I could do," he replied as his smirk grew, "Don't make me beg Astrid. It's unbecoming."

Got him.

"Well, I suppose I could do one drink." I said, looking up at him through my eyelashes.

Rayme nodded his head in the direction of the large tent across the street. He held out his arm, and I hooked my hand around his elbow with a soft smile. And with a shallow exhale, I lowered my mental shields.

We crossed the street, and I nodded my head in thanks as he pulled back the flap of the tent to reveal rows of tables packed with carnival attendees and a busy bar in the back. Rayme and I approached a crowded table and with one menacing look, the table cleared. Rayme turned to me with a grin and beckoned towards the now empty space.

"You certainly seem to have this place in the palm of your hand." I said with a chuckle, raising an eyebrow to look at him as I took a seat.

"Being me does have its advantages." He replied with a cocky grin and sat across from me.

"I don't doubt it." I said, trying to hide any hint of sarcasm.

Out of nowhere, two drinks appeared in front of us. I flashed an appreciative smile at the scrawny man who dropped off the drinks before he scurried away. I wondered if Rayme hired someone whose sole job was to make sure alcohol was always at the ready. I wouldn't be surprised.

Eyeing the drink, I couldn't help but feel weary. It looked like a normal lager but with Rayme, one can never be too sure.

"Don't worry," Rayme said, clearly noticing my hesitation, "these are clean."

"No custom blends?" I raised an eyebrow as I brought the drink to my lips.

"Those are reserved for Lars." Rayme said with a sinister smile. I tried to quell the ire that swelled in my gut, and instead smiled and took a sip. It tasted like a regular beer, as far as I could tell.

"Lucky Lars." I replied smoothly.

Rayme's gaze lingered on my face as he tilted his head ever so slightly to the side. It felt like a predator sizing up its prey. My sip of beer turned into a gulp.

"Where is our dear Lars anyways? It's odd to not see him following you around like a pathetic puppy." Rayme asked.

I shrugged, forcing my features into an expression of bored indifference. "Who knows. After his behavior last night, I'd like to keep my distance."

Rayme seemed pleased with this answer as he sat back in his seat lazily, swinging his arm over the back of the empty chair next to him.

"You seemed concerned last night." He said.

"I was. He was about to cause a scene and I needed to get him out of there. It was embarrassing." I replied, rolling my eyes for effect.

"Low class scum." Rayme muttered in agreement. I dug my fingernails into my thigh below the table to stop myself from reacting. I wonder what Rayme would think about spending his precious time with a lowly cook. His arrogance was beyond off-putting.

"Hence why I am alone today." I replied. Rayme grabbed his drink, tipped it in my direction and then took a swig.

"His loss is my gain." He said, wiping the left-behind foam from his top lip. I smiled in response, biting my lip flirtatiously.

"So, what are your plans now, Rayme?" I asked innocently. He sighed and looked around the tent.

"Well," He began "I will start by enjoying the carnival tonight, but then I am off to Crete for business."

I brought my elbow up onto the table, using it to prop my chin in my palm. "I've never heard of Crete."

"I wouldn't expect you to have heard of it." He said with a condescending tone, "It's a planet in the outer rim controlled by my family. We like to be discreet."

"Why the discretion?" I asked, cocking my head to the side.

"My family has a lot of money, Astrid," He said coolly, "We don't like others in our business." He smirked, looking at me as if I should be impressed. I raised my eyebrows slightly and smiled gently to give the impression of awe. I wondered what his family would think of Rayme bringing attention to the very thing they like to keep inconspicuous. No wonder he was identified as the weak link. I'm sure the irony was lost on the arrogant man sitting across from me.

"The fathier business." I replied as if it were obvious given our current venue. However, I was baiting him to see if he'd show his hand. He scoffed and took another drink.

"Fathiers aren't even the half of it." He replied with a wink.

"How intriguing." I said softly, leaning forward towards him. Again, I noticed his eyes flick down towards my chest.

"Let's just say we have a lot of important people who rely on our donations." He said in a low voice, leaning closer to me. By now there were only mere inches that separated our faces.

"The Separatists." I whispered before I could stop myself. Rayme froze, blinking a couple times before a menacing grin crept across his face.

"You are a smart girl." He replied. I had to swallow a scoff. He didn't exactly make it difficult to connect the dots.

"But I thought the banks remained neutral specifically so they could control all the money available to both sides." I pressed. Again, Rayme paused and gave me a look of intrigue.

"Neutrality is a façade." Rayme whispered. My heart skipped a beat. If there was corruption within the banking federation, that would be devastating for the Republic.

"Then I suppose any hope of peace between The Separatist and The Republic is also an illusion." I said softly. Feeling heavy with the realization that one of the only structures left attempting to keep the peace was in fact, doing just the opposite.

Rayme watched me carefully and I suddenly felt very on edge. "The Republic will not win this war, Astrid." He said in a cold voice.

"What makes you so sure?" I asked breathlessly.

"Because my family will make sure of it." He said, venom lacing each word. I swallowed in response and tried to hide how disturbing his words were.

I felt like I had enough information, and it was time to start finding a way out of this conversation and back to Anakin. So, despite my internal discomfort, I smiled at him and downed the rest of my drink. He watched me with satisfaction.

"Well then, at least we can hope for a swift end to this war." I said smoothly, trying to project apathy towards the suggestion that the Republic will not be the winners. When truthfully, the thought terrified me. I didn't like the idea of people like Rayme and his Separatist alliances being in power.

"I do have a question for you though, Astrid." Rayme said in a tone that was uncomfortably light. I nodded my head, encouraging him to proceed. "Why do you surround yourself with Jedi filth?" He asked, narrowing his eyes on me. I felt my heartrate double in pace.

"I don't know what you're talking about." I forced the words past my lips.

"You know, I have never seen someone be able to fight off that combination of skirtopanol and crylex. I was hoping to give Lars a dose of something to knock him on his ass or turn him into a bumbling lunatic, however his reaction was far more illuminating. It takes a certain kind of mental fortitude to assert any type of control over that cocktail. And I think you knew he had that type of power, if given the right distraction or focus. So, when you shared that odd memory, I started to put the pieces together. That and when he threatened to end me without lifting a finger" He explained in a tone so casual it made me cringe. I swallowed, every muscle in my body grew tense as if I'd need to soon make a run for it. However, to my dismay, I felt a presence behind me. I glanced over my shoulder and saw two large men, Rayme's men, staring down at me. I was trapped.

"Lars isn't a Jedi." I said, trying to keep my voice from shaking. "What would a Jedi be doing here?" I tried to force a chuckle. I didn't sound convincing.

"That's what I'm hoping you can tell me, my dear." Rayme said in a sickly-sweet voice. "Why was fucking Anakin Skywalker in my box last night?"

"I-I don't know who Anakin Skywalker is." I replied, grasping at straws. I could feel my hands beginning to shake.

"That's odd...seeing as you called Lars Anakin while rushing to leave the racetrack last night." He said, feigning confusion.

Shit. I knew we were being followed last night. They must have heard me when I slipped up.

I just stared at Rayme, trying to maintain my composure as he pinned me with his lethal glare. Racking my brain for something to say, anything to get out of this, I hoped Anakin was nearby picking up on my distress. I slowly crept my hand towards my pocket, grazing my fingers over the comlink before my arms were jerked away and held behind me by Rayme's men. I tried to wrench my body away as a reflex which only resulted in them tightening their painful hold.

"No use in putting up a fight, beautiful." Rayme said with a dark chuckle.

The fear was now pulsing through my system, but also the furry. I was furious at myself for not taking better notice of my surroundings and allowing myself to just walk into this situation. 

That's when the panic hit me. I'm not trained for shit like this. I had no idea what to do next.

However, before I could even begin to formulate a plan, a hand reached out from behind me and covered my mouth with a rag that smelled like fumes.

And not even seconds later, the world went black.