A Long Time Ago, In a Galaxy Far Away

Chapter 123

Dinner was relatively uneventful. Padmé worried over Luna, but eventually, after about a million repeats, Luna managed to reassure the woman that she was fine and nothing major had happened. Anakin was oddly silent during it all; she hoped it wasn't because he was thinking over their argument.

Or anything else she had said....

Except when it came to their talk over Vader. Luna would be glad if Anakin finally stopped worrying about "The Sith Among Them Who Was Going To Wipe Out The Jedi." It was annoying how he constantly asked her about random Jedi or if she could give him any hints on who Vader was so Anakin could keep a look out for him.

It was really annoying.

Luna excused herself from the table as soon as she could before heading off to bed.

She couldn't wait for the day to be over.

***

"What happened?"

They were sitting on the couch. Padmé was sitting on Anakin's lap and resting her head on his chest, listening to her husband's steady heartbeat, as he ran a hand through her hair. She had known something was wrong the moment he and Luna had arrived back home.

Anakin sighed deeply. Padmé looked up at him.

"Well, long story short, I yelled at her for disobeying me and then.... Do you know what? She gave up one of her own secrets to protect ours," Anakin said. Padmé sat up, looking at him concerned. Anakin's face was contorted into self loathing. "I should have never left her alone. It's my fault Sidious got close enough to try and get into her mind. And what did I do? I yelled at her."

"Anakin, it wasn't your fault," Padmé told him.

"I'm not so sure.... And then when we were at the Temple, there were some Temple Guards acting pretty strange...." Anakin sighed again, this time the self hatred leaving and being replaced with worry. "She doesn't care about what happens to her."

"What do you mean?" Padmé asked, frowning.

"I mean that Luna thinks that if she dies here, if someone kills her, it won't really matter."

"She can't seriously think that!"

"She does. I don't know why she would, but she does."

"Do you think it's because of..... Oh, what was her argument before....not being worth...."

"One of us risking ourselves for her safety," Anakin finished, shaking his head. "I'm getting worried. Luna insists that she's in the clear for now, but I'm not so sure.... Especially now it seems she wouldn't even come to us if she were in danger."

"Any closer to finding out who Sidious and Vader are?" Padmé asked.

"Nope, although Luna insists that we don't need to concern ourselves with Vader yet."

"I'm sure everything will turn out alright, Anakin," she tried to reassure him. Anakin just pulled Padmé to his chest and gently rubbed a hand over her belly, knowing just as well as she did that they couldn't be sure of anything.