"Alright, Miss Pierce. Start at the beginning." Detective Divo held a stylus above a datapad and regarded her expectantly.

Police droids and Jedi were crawling all over the apartment. Numb, Cassandra hugged the blanket someone had given her around her shoulders and looked around. Threepio and Marty shuffled around the living room offering refreshments. Porggy perched on the back of the sofa, clutching his toy with an anxious expression.

The only member of Cassandra's family that was composed was the Flerken. Goose sprawled beside her on the sofa, purring softly. Cassandra scratched the Flerken behind the ears.

"Miss Pierce, I don't have all day. Unlike you, I have a job." The detective jibed. "So, lets get a move on so I can begin my investigation."

Cassandra couldn't decide what was worse about Divo. His nasally voice or his nasty attitude. None of this should have happened at all. She shrank into the cushions, uncomfortable. Goose crawled onto her lap, circled once and sat down.

Comforted by the Flerken's presence, she relayed the story to the best of her ability. "I came home from visiting Senator Dorme at the Embassy. I spoke with Threepio who informed me my Jedi protector had been given a mission and would be away."

"And your Jedi Protector's name?" The detective questioned.

"Anakin Skywalker." She replied quietly.

"Skywalker, Skywalker." Divo repeated, jotting down the Jedi's name on the datapad. "The name sounds familiar. After you spoke with the protocol droid, what happened?"

"I was cold, so I decided to take a shower. I was getting a change of clothes in the bedroom when I noticed the box on the bed." Cassandra's knuckles whitened on the blanket. "I opened the box and inside..." She swallowed around a lump in her throat, struggling to force the words out. "Was-was... a-a head."

"Which you identified as belonging to Senator Orn Free Taa." Divo commented.

"Ex-Senator. He was under arrest for embezzlement crimes." Cassandra looked at her lap, the image of the twi'lek's bulging eyes and lolling tongue burned into her memory. "I don't know how this happened or why. He was in jail so how did his head end up here?"

Divo heaved an aggravated sigh. "I'm the detective, Miss Pierce. Leave the questions to me and I'll leave doing nothing to you. What did you do when you found the head?"

Cassandra hesitated. He already implied she was a lazy bum. If she told him everything it would make her look worse.

The detective leveled a cool gaze at her. "Miss Pierce, need I remind you this is a serious investigation. We're talking about murder, here. Withholding information is illegal. I can charge you with obstruction of justice."

Cassandra had enough problems without being thrown in jail. "I screamed and then was sick to my stomach. I threw up on the floor." She said in a small voice. "Threepio came when he heard me scream and I drew a portal to the Jedi Council chamber. He got Master Windu and Master Yoda. They called the police. You know the rest."

"Hmm." Divo scratched his cheek with his stylus. "Several months back I was contacted by General Skywalker. He claimed Orn Free Taa attempted to murder a Cassandra Pierce with the Red Pox."

She shifted uncomfortably. "Yes, that's correct."

"That's an excellent motive for murder."

"I didn't kill him!" Cassandra protested, glaring at the detective.

Divo raised his hand to silence her. "The guards found his body in his cell at the prison, minus the head of course. I'll speak with Senator Dorme to confirm your alibi and look at the embassy cameras to confirm your story, Miss Pierce." He passed his datapad to a police droid. "Given your reputation for pacifism, I think its unlikely you are the murderer."

Cassandra heaved a sigh of relief.

"General Skywalker is another matter. He has a reputation for being ruthless to his opponents." He scanned his notes. "You saw him earlier today and then left him in the hall outside these rooms."

"Yes." She answered reluctantly.

"The protocol droid informed you Skywalker left for a mission."

"Yes."

Divo nodded. "When General Skywalker returns from his mission I'll need to question him about his whereabouts. He would have had the time and the access to the prison to kill Orn Free Taa."

"Anakin would never do that!" She argued. "He's a good person."

Except for Mortis. A little voice taunted in the back of Cassandra's mind. She ignored it.

"Thank you for your endorsement, Miss Pierce but I deal in facts not opinion." Divo handed her his card. "If you think of anything else, contact my office."

Mutely, she tucked the card away and watched the detective file out with his staff. Cassandra didn't think Anakin killed Orn Free Taa. He'd had other opportunities and never laid a hand on the ex-senator.

Anakin was ruthless but he'd never cut down an unarmed opponent who was locked in a cell.

He sure as hell wouldn't 'gift' her with the twi'lek's head. Cassandra believed this was the doing of the stalker-sorcerer who had left her tokens of admiration before.

The rose and the note. And now the head of her enemy. The whole thing made Cassandra's skin crawl. She rubbed her arms, shivering.

Porggy waddled over to her along the back of the sofa and presented her with his toy.

Touched the Porg would share his favorite possession with her, Cassandra kissed the top of his furry head. "Thanks, Porggy. I'll be alright."

Porggy warbled skeptically.

"Eventually." She added.

Ruffling his wings gently, Porggy settled on her shoulder his soft weight barely noticeable. Cassandra massaged her temples, weary to the bone. She doubted she'd get any rest tonight after what occurred.

The soft click of a cane made her look up. Yoda hobbled over to her, the wispy hair on his skull, drifting around his long bat ears. "So, much we have to discuss Master Pierce."

They did?

She pressed her fingertips against the side of her head. "Can you be more specific, Master Yoda?"

"Know, I do, what you and Skywalker have hidden."

Cassandra tensed, leaning back from the Jedi. "Oh?" She tried to be coy and failed.

There was no fooling Yoda. The old gremlin chuckled knowingly. "Not as clever, as you believe. A Dyad in the Force, you and Skywalker are."

Oh. Cassandra squirmed. "I, uh, thought we hid things pretty well."

"Overheard you and the Father on Mortis, Obi-Wan did."

That rat! The nerve of Obi-Wan eavesdropping on them! Cassandra fumed. He had no right to go to the Jedi Council with a secret that wasn't his. The older Jedi was a snitch.

Welp. The cat was out of the bag. The corner of her mouth lifted as she looked at Goose. The Flerken's right ear twitched lazily. "What do you want me to say? I don't even really know what a Dyad is. Anakin and I were planning to visit the Archives. Now he's on a mission."

"Hmm." Yoda curled his claws over the weathered top of his cane. "Nothing will you find in the Archives. Stolen the records were by Cad Bane."

Cassandra stared. "That's what the bounty hunter stole? Information on Dyads?"

"Sense the hand of the dark side in this, I do." The gremlin banged the end of his cane firmly against the carpet. "Learn to trust the Jedi, you must."

Trust the Jedi? Cassandra looked away, resting her chin on her shoulder. "Trust is earned, Master Yoda."

Given everything she had been through in this galaxy, why would she trust the Jedi? Cassandra rubbed her forearm and said nothing else.

Yoda read in her silence a refusal to speak. The gremlin sighed heavily. "Leave you to think on this, I will." He turned to go and paused. "But know this, in grave danger Skywalker will be, until you master your bond."

With that dire warning, the Grand Master shuffled away. Master Windu nodded curtly at Cassandra and departed soon after.

Only Plo Kloon stayed. The breathing mask he wore hid any trace of expression. "I have been assigned to protect you, Master Pierce. Given what has occurred in Skywalker's quarters, you will be my guest until he returns from the Citadel."

Cassandra nodded. The bed would have to be thrown out. She would never sleep on it ever again. And after everything she didn't want to be alone. Threepio and Marty would look after everything while she was gone.

*********************************************************************************************

Anakin was furious Ahsoka tricked her way onto the mission. He didn't believe her lies for a minute. The Citadel was no place for a Padawan learner. He sliced the ray-shield's stabilizer, freeing Master Piell. He caught the smaller Jedi and lowered him to the floor. "Are you alright, Master?"

"I've been through much worse." Piell kicked a fallen droid onto its back. "We must rescue the others. Captain Tarkin has the other half of the information."

Perfect. Just what Anakin wished to hear. Yet another complication. "Where are they?"

"In a cell down the hall."

"We have to hurry. They already know we're here." Obi-Wan said from the doorway, urging the group out of the cell.

Ahsoka carved the cell door open, leaping inside. A droid fired a blaster at her. The Padawan swung, deflecting the bolt and carved the droid in two.

Master Piell clattered down the steps into the cell. "Tarkin, it's good to see you in one piece."

Tarkin was a small, non-descript man with pale blue eyes. The captain rubbed his wrists, looking around at the clones. "Do you have a plan, Master Piell?"

"We'll split in two groups, that way if one of you is captured, the Separatists won't have the full intel." Obi-Wan interjected.

"It would be wiser to travel in a single group, Master Jedi." Tarkin declared, pompously.

"Not in this instance. You will go with Anakin's group. Master Piell will come with me."

"Let's get out of here! We don't have the time to debate this!" Anakin snapped, impatiently pushing the freed captives into the hall.

"We'll cause a diversion so you can reach the ship." Obi-Wan motioned to his half of the group and they raced down the hall.

Anakin set a frantic pace, heading to where he remembered was a hidden entrance to a tunnel marked on the old Archive data. Igniting his lightsaber he carved a hole, pushing the piece of wall aside with the Force.

He waited until everyone slipped through before jumping through the hole and raising the piece of wall back in place to conceal their exit. Sulfurous gas rose from puddles in the ground. Anakin covered his nose and mouth.

"What now?" Tarkin questioned, snobbishly.

"Now, we head through the tunnels. I suggest you show the people who rescued you some respect." Anakin sniped, fed up with the man's bad attitude.

"I reserve my respect for those who deserve it, General."

He glanced over his shoulder at the arrogant captain. "And I reserve mine for those who show gratitude, Captain Tarkin."

Anakin didn't know how much more of this man he could stand. Striding up to the head of the line, he walked beside Ahsoka. Mentioning gratitude made him think of his wife and how he had left things between them.

Was the letter he wrote enough to mend their rift? Anakin had swallowed his frustration and wrote honestly from the heart. He couldn't remember his offense against Cassandra but believed what she told him was the truth.

All these are things he should have told her in person. Anakin intended to wait for her to come home, then he was summoned by the Council for a mission. So, feeling inadequate, he wrote the letter.

Stars, he loved Cassandra so much. Though he couldn't remember his descent to the dark side, Anakin was certain he did it for her.

"Quit brooding, Skyguy." Ahsoka nudged him in the ribs, snapping him from his thoughts. "We have a mission to complete, remember?"

"Right."

A/N: Another update! Hope you liked it!