"In my defense, the bantha had it coming,"

"I fail to see how - it was a bantha! Besides, I don't remember it that way at all,"

"With all disrespect, your memory isn't what it used to be, Skywalker,"

"I'm only two years older than you, Aroo."

"So you understand my worries."

If it wasn't for the shift from masculine to feminine, Obi-Wan likely would never have known from which of us this conversation had been initiated by. Anakin and I had always been so very alike in both temperament and opinions.

Obi-Wan sighed and shook his head, "What in the name of the Force are you two going on about now?! We have a very important meeting with the Jedi Council in five minutes. Can you please start acting like adults for once?"

Anakin and I were sitting in chairs on opposite sides of the hallway at the top of the High Council Tower as we awaited the current Jedi Council meeting to adjourn and our own to begin. Sharing a sneaky smile with Anakin, I shifted the pitch of my voice to mimic Obi-Wan's deep tones.

"Jetta, let us meditate on what it means to be regretful of our childish actions and how we can overcome them to become a better version of ourselves. Nay!... A better Jedi,"

Anakin grinned over at me, making a weird feeling twist in my stomach. Shaking it off, I listened as he joined in the teasing of his master.

"And Anakin, I have told you time and time again: do not join in Jetta's antics. You're older, be be mindful of your actions and influence her positively."

My smile melted into a frown as I realized what he'd just said and my voice returned to its normal pitch, "Wait, does he really say that about me?"

The metal doors hissed open at that moment and two Jedi exited before another, older Jedi Master appeared in the doorway.

"Master Kenobi, the Jedi Council will see you now."

Standing to follow Obi-Wan as he strode inside the High Council Chamber, Anakin fell into step beside me. I glanced up at him and he sent me a smile which I returned. As soon as we walked inside and the doors shut behind us, Obi-Wan began to divulge what we had learned chasing the bounty hunter we now knew as Zam Wessel as well as revealing the emergence of another, more experienced bounty hunter. Anakin and I stood by silently, knowing full well Padawan learners present at Council meetings were preferred to be seen and not heard.

"Track down this bounty hunter you must, Obi-Wan," Yoda nodded solemnly in response.

"Most importantly, find out who he's working for," Mace Windu added.

"What about Senator Amidala? She will still need protecting," Obi-Wan pointed out.

Yoda raised his hand slightly from his cane, "Handle that, the Padawans will,"

My eyebrows hit my hairline as did Obi-Wan's at this revelation as Mace Windu continued this line of thought, "Since a Master has not as of yet come forward to claim Aroo as their Padawan learner, she will accompany Skywalker in the ongoing protection of the Senator,"

His eyes flicked to the pair of us then, "Anakin, Jetta, escort the Senator to her home planet of Naboo. She'll be safer there. And don't use registered transport - travel as refugees,"

"As the leader of the Opposition, it will be very difficult to get Senator Amidala to leave the capital," Anakin said in response.

I nodded, "That's a fair point,"

Obi-Wan elbowed me at the blasé attitude I was exhibiting and I mouthed an 'ow' to him in reply.

"Until caught this killer is, our judgement she must respect." Yoda answered sternly before resting his chin on his hands.

As the Jedi Council dismissed us, we bowed slightly before exiting the chamber. Hours later, Anakin and I were in the elevator headed to Padme's apartment once more. He looked nervous like he had before yet this time, I couldn't quite bring myself to tease him of his feelings for the Senator. It seemed to me as if this situation was shifting from a harmless childhood crush into more dangerous territory...

"Anakin, remember to be professional. We're here on business matters, not pleasure." I reminded him, my tone serious.

Anakin snorted, rolling his eyes before those cerulean orbs flicked to me, "Not you too, Jet. I already had this conversation with Obi-Wan this morning-"

"-then maybe you need to hear it again. Look, harmless flirting is not attachment - that's fine. But if this goes any further-" I cut him off before he returned the favor.

"-and where would it go, Jet? She's a Senator, I'm a Jedi. I know the lines and what not to cross,"

"Yeah, do you? Because sometimes it doesn't seem like it. Anakin, don't you realize you're walking a very thin wire? And once it breaks, everything you've worked so hard for will be gone-"

But the rest of my words were drowned out as the hissing of the elevator doors slid open to reveal Padme and her handmaiden, Dorme, bustling around the apartment packing goodness knows what. She already had five suitcases sitting by the door that were bulging with clothes and all manner of things. In fact, if you squinted, it sort of resembled a Hutt I once knew.

Despite her clear anger over being forced to retreat back to her homeworld, the smile Padme gave us upon arrival was one of welcome.

"Thank you both for coming. I still find it completely unnecessary as you know but all the same, I appreciate the gesture." she told us warmly.

She was about to say more when Senator Binks arrived and she excused herself to go and greet the Gungan. Anakin and I went our separate ways as we wandered through the apartment, waiting on Padme to finish her final arrangements. Leaning against the wall, I watched Anakin gazing out through the window at the passing skyline. It was a beautiful sunny day and I felt a pang of regret at having to leave Coruscant again so soon. It was always hard leaving home, never knowing when you'd be able to return. So was the life of a Jedi, I suppose...

"I do not like this idea of hiding," Padme complained as she strode past us towards her bedroom where Dorme was currently taking her clothes off their hangars to be folded and packed.

"Don't worry. Now that the Council's ordered an investigation, it won't take Master Obi-Wan long to find that bounty hunter," Anakin assured her, walking to stand within the confines of her bedroom as I wandered over to the expansive glass window.

"I haven't worked for a year to defeat the 'Military Creation Act' to not be here when its fate is decided," Padme responded, thoroughly agitated with the situation.

"Not to mention that it's highly irregular for Jedi to be assigned as personal bodyguards to anyone. We're supposed to go and fight the bad guys, not sit around waiting for them to attack," I grumbled, crossing my arms over my chest.

Anakin's words were soft but authoritative, directed towards the both of us, "Sometimes we have to let go of our pride and do what is requested of us,"

These mature words made Padme stop packing for a moment to glance over at him, "Anakin. You've grown up,"

I rolled my eyes and muttered under my breath, "And you're only realizing this now because...?"

But, no, I knew my words were unfair. And honestly, I had no idea where they bubbled up from. Certainly not my own personal feelings towards the politician. Padme had been nothing but kindness itself since we stepped foot into her apartment the previous day. And even now, she was polite and amiable as we escorted her unwillingly back to her home, far away from the culmination of a project she had worked tirelessly on for too long. Yet, in the end, my words had no effect as both parties seemed not to hear them.

Feeling a sense of warmth fluctuate near me, I didn't even have to look to know Anakin stood mere inches away. A decorative metallic sphere was floating in the air, guided by his expert hand as he talked.

"Don't get me wrong, Obi-Wan is a great mentor. He's as wise as Master Yoda and as powerful as Master Windu," he said, his blue eyes trained on the silver orb before it came to rest in his palm, "I am truly thankful to be his apprentice,"

Setting back down on the glass table he had retrieved it from, he continued, "Only...in some ways... a lot of ways... I'm really ahead of him. I'm ready for the trials. But he feels that I'm too unpredictable... He won't let me move on,"

A smirk tugged at the corners of my mouth, recalling many a time when Anakin had been overly reckless or impulsive.

"That must be frustrating," Padme sympathized quietly as she packed.

"It's worse! He's overly critical, he never listens. He-he doesn't understand! It's not fair!"

I nodded in response to his outburst, understanding where he was coming from completely, "Before Master Kinza took me on, Master Ibabwe trained with me. Always reproving my techniques, finding fault with the things I said or did. It was irritating but at the same time, I had to swallow it and accept that as demanding as the sessions were, it shaped the Jedi I've become. However, that's not to say there wasn't an incident with a baby Dianoga in his soup once,"

At this last, Anakin cracked a smile and I grinned in return.

"Do you remember the time we gifted Master Windu a toupee and convinced him it made him look younger?" he started laughing.

I couldn't help but giggle at the memory before adding, "Or the time we let those Kowakian Monkey-Lizards loose in the meditation room?"

We laughed until our sides hurt, tears pricking my eyes. Anakin's laugh subsided then before melting into something...entirely different. A smile still lingered somewhere at the corners of his mouth but there was an intensity in his eyes I couldn't quite fathom.

"We've both come a long way from those two kids who met at the Jedi Temple, haven't we?" he asked softly, his tone reminiscent.

"Time and life both have grown us, it seems," I admitted before shrugging up at him, somehow we'd moved so close that I could see the aqua flecks of blue in his eyes blending with deeper sapphire hues, "Yet some things never quite change..."

The tension lingering in the air between us crackled like electricity and for a moment time was suspended entirely, my stomach twisting as his gaze upon me darkened. Suddenly, a light cough sounded from the other side of the room and just like that, the spell was broken. Glancing to my right, I saw Padme watching us with a smirk planted squarely on her lips and one perfectly sculpted eyebrow raised. I felt myself flush scarlet, embarrassment washing over me as I excused myself to check that the speeder bus would be arriving at the apartment on time.

As I strode towards the elevator, I couldn't shake the feeling that Anakin's eyes were watching me as I exited the room. Yet it was the simple fact that I didn't mind this that bothered me...