I wanted to have this out two days ago... I'm the worst gah. It's shorter than I wanted but it conveys everything I wanted to happen in this chapter. Next chapter is another little time jump. I'm actually pretty excited to write the next little arc I have vaguely planned!

...I just realized I planned on there being more Korkie in this chapter. Dammit. Oh well, it's done and edited.

Oh yeah, Matthias8706... I responded to you in the messages thing but idk if you've seen it? Anyways I'd like to address to everyone reading to not worry because Satine will not die. This story is spawned from me wanted Satine to not die and just wanting mostly happiness... Maybe a little angst, but Satine, Obi-Wan, Anakin, Padme, and Ahsoka will NOT die.

Anyways! As always, reviews are very much appreciated and I love everyone's constructive criticisms and ideas! Enjoy,read, and review!

There was a warm feeling in Obi-Wan's chest as Anakin descended the ramp of his recently landed ship. It had been weeks since he and Satine requested that the Knight visit, months since they had last seen each other, and hours since he'd woken up that morning filled with excitement. He dearly missed his best friend. Though they'd kept in touch as frequently as possible by talking over HoloProjector and also through use of their Force-bond, it wasn't the same as being in physical proximity to each other.

Obi-Wan went to greet his former Padawan, practically running to him but not actually doing to in order to keep an air of professionality around the other people of Mandalore. They hugged, lingering slightly while they spoke casual greetings of "Hello!" and "It's so good to see you!" Neither dared to verbalize how much they had missed the other, not with so many other people around, but the sentiment was felt through their Force-bond.

The young Padawan of Anakin's descended the ramp as well, hanging back as she didn't want to interrupt the moment. She knew very well how much her Master missed the former Jedi, even though he tried to hide it from her. Though he was becoming rather skilled at masking his emotions they would still seep through at times, such as when he was tired or weary from battle. She could also emphasize with how he must have felt, even though she'd likely never admit that to anyone but herself. She knew if she were separated from her own Master for an extended period of time she would miss him as well.

Instead of treading on the moment, Ahsoka went to formally introduce herself to the woman that was so wonderful that the once rule-loving and code-enforcing Obi-Wan Kenobi left the Jedi Order for her. A part of her was excited to get to know the Duchess for she had to be very special to cause such a thing to happen. She was pretty, that much was obvious, and she had an air of elegance about her. When the two females actually spoke, Ahsoka noted that she was also very polite, though she hadn't really expected otherwise. She was dating Kenobi, after all, and seemed to be well loved by her people. Of course, she had to be well-mannered.

She didn't have more time to analyze Satine as she was pulled into a rather unexpected hug by Obi-Wan and she couldn't hide the weirded out expression on her face as it happened. Obi-Wan hugging Anakin was one thing, even though she'd personally never witness such a thing happening before, because of the extreme closeness the two shared. However, him hugging her was something she'd never expected to happen in perhaps her whole life. He certainly had never been that affectionate before. It caused her to wonder how much he had changed since his resignation from the Order.

As the day went on and Anakin and Obi-Wan easily fell back into their familiar banter, Ahsoka had decided that it seemed that the ginger wasn't really all that different. He was still the same sarcastic sass-master he'd always been. He was still wise beyond his years. He was still a stickler for the rules, albeit a different set of them. The difference was he wasn't as restricted in his own emotions and would let little snippets of feelings and affections come out every so often. He laughed a little easier, smiled a little more often, and would grab his beloved's hand when they weren't in the eyes of the public; she was relieved that despite these surprising difference that he was very much the same Obi-Wan.

It became very quickly became apparent to Ahsoka why Obi-Wan loved Satine so much. She was very kind and truly cared about her people. She was a hardcore pacifist but not without reason. She, like her sweetheart, was both patient and wise beyond her years. It seemed as if a more perfect person couldn't have been dreamed up for the Great Negotiator, and though the young togruta knew that the duchess must have some faults it was likely they would always pale in comparison to how compatible the couple was. Now that she was getting to know Satine, she understood why Obi-Wan made his decision and while she still didn't completely agree with it, she decided she would still be happy for him.

By the time Ahsoka had decided this the sun was setting and the people who worked for Satine had gone home for the day. This left her, Obi-Wan, Satine, and Anakin alone in the very secure privacy of the couple's sitting room, which they were thankful for. There was much to discuss about that visit that they hadn't wanted to address over HoloProjector due to the suspicion that someone would find out the plans. Other than the four in the room, the only one who knew the real intent of the visit were Padmé and Yoda.

"Alright," Anakin said as soon as the last worker left for the night, leaning closer to the group as if someone might still be listening. "So, why exactly are we needed here and what's the plan?"

They talked about everything pertaining the issues at hand for hours. They discussed at detail the poisoning of the children, what information they had found out, and how every time they seemed to have a lead they would come up empty. They talked about their concern and suspicion that the culprit was someone on inside, someone who was abusing their position of power. They discussed their ideas on how they could get more information, as well as how it could be done without giving away their ruse. After all, the perpetrator couldn't know the true nature of the visit. They'd even gone as far as publically announcing that the investigation was being turned over to a team of investigators, all of whom were under the impression they were the only ones working on this case. It would be highly unlikely that whoever they were looking for would see through all this, but they still couldn't be sure.

When the discussion was over, the group as a whole decided it was time to head to bed. Anakin was eager to sleep as he knew Obi-Wan would expect him up early the next morning. Ahsoka tried to hide the fact that she was excited to have her own private 'fresher in her guest room as well as a nice cushy bed to sleep on, but everyone knew. It reminded Satine of how overwhelmed Obi-Wan became the for first few days after he'd arrived and it was dawning on him that all of this was also his. He'd been living the life of a Jedi with no possessions, showers that were either communal or tiny, their beds small and hard, and their living quarters rather bare. Her home, now their home, was quite the opposite, nicely furnished, several guest rooms with their own private refreshers, and their own room sporting an oversized plush bed and a bathroom fit for a king- or a duchess and her boyfriend.

Boyfriend… It was technically what he was to her but it never sounded like the right label. It didn't feel like it carried the sort of depth their relationship had. When she heard that word, she thought more of the men of her past whom she'd only been with a relatively short amount of time and she was never really that serious about, at least when compared to how she felt for Obi-Wan. Though they had officially only been together a few months, she still loved him more than she had ever had anyone else.

How could she not? He was absolutely wonderful. He'd come to her rescue time and time again, yet still saw her as competent. He challenged her, supported her, respected her, and did so many other wonderful things. He'd saved so many lives other than hers and helped a countless amount of people. He even rid her planet of a rapidly growing dangerous and deadly terrorist organization in the short time he'd lived with her on Mandalore. So, boyfriend obviously wasn't the right title for him. She knew he wasn't ready to be her fiancé, not yet, so she couldn't think of him as that. Mostly, she would just think of him as her Love. Is was the only thing that seemed to fit.

"Did you have a good day, Dear?" Satine asked as the couple laid in bed, her head once again resting on his chest and one of her arms curled around his waist.

Obi-Wan smiled despite the fact that it would be too dark for her to see him. "Today was wonderful, Darling. I'm grateful you figured out a reason to get the Council to allow them to come here." He paused a moment before remembering that the two Jedi were actually there to help them figure out who had been poisoning children, his fatigue causing him to be uncharacteristically uncouth. "I wish it were under more pleasant circumstances, of course."

"I knew what you meant, Obi." She laid a kiss upon his cheek, deciding to be merciful because she, too, was extremely tired. She longed for a day where they could go to bed when they were merely sleepy instead of exhausted. She knew that day would be soon. "I know how much you missed Anakin, but I didn't bring him here just for you. You…" Her speech was interrupted by a yawn that she tried to stifle. "…You speak very highly of both he and his apprentice and I'm confident with their help we'll be able to get to the bottom of things."

He nuzzled her hair before planting a kiss on her forehead. "I'm thankful that you have so much faith in us, but right now it sounds like you need to go to sleep. Goodnight, Satine. I love you."

There was no point in raising an objection as she once again yawned. She wished him a good night and told him that she loved him as well. Within minutes, the beating of his heart soothed her to sleep. He fell asleep soon after, content to have the love of his life in his arms and his best friend in the next room.\

Padmé didn't really like to think about all the normal things she missed out on because her husband was a Jedi. She didn't think about how they couldn't go out to a nice dinner; she could just have the food brought to them and have an intimate dinner at home anyways. She didn't think about how there weren't many people who were even allowed to know the pair were together; she was just grateful that her staff, who had to of caught on by now, didn't spill to the tabloids, and Obi-Wan knowing helped ease these feelings as well. She didn't really think about how little of time they got to spend together compared to other couples; it just made the time they did have together even more special.

Just because she didn't try to think about these things and didn't like thinking about them didn't mean that sometimes they crept into her mind from time to time and refused to leave. Her solo trip to Mandalore, a trip she felt would have been better if Anakin had come along, might have been something she could ignore if he weren't currently on his own trip to the same planet. It wasn't that she blamed him for going weeks after she had. It wasn't like that was what Satine and Obi-Wan had intended to happen; they just needed assistance from a Jedi, and what better Jedi to assist them than her beloved Anakin?

It was just painful at times that there were so many things they couldn't do together that she wanted, and this was only made worse by the war. Her down time and his meditation retreats would have coincided a lot more often if they weren't trying to end the Clone Wars on their own respective fronts. She knew he was due for a Retreat in the near future, but with prepositions of more Clone units being created, she felt it would be unlikely they'd be able to go away together.

The creation of more Clones would only lengthen the war, which she desperately wanted over for a multitude of reasons. Some of these reasons were political and logical. The Republic was running out of funds and about to go into a debt that they might never be able to get out of and there hadn't been a proper election for a new Chancellor because the political efforts were better spent on the war. Some of these reasons were more altruistic. There were so much death and destruction on all sides. She knew many cases the Jedi would have taken weren't even acknowledged because they were too busy with battles. Yet other reasons she wanted the war to end were selfish. Anakin would have had more vacation time, had more time to spend on Coruscant, and she would have spent far less time worrying about him not returning home to her

She wasn't as concerned about him now that he was on Mandalore because she knew he was in good hands with both Obi-Wan and Ahsoka by his side. It was also unlikely that whoever was behind the attack on children had a specific vendetta against the Jedi, unlike the Separatist armies and Sith he normally fought. If there was anyone she was concerned about, it would be Satine, but since it was likely that Obi-Wan wouldn't leave her side until the threat was detected there wasn't much to worry about.

Sometimes, though, she felt it was easier when she worried. If she was worrying she wouldn't have time to focus on how alone she felt. She wouldn't have times of weakness where she contemplated actually asking Anakin to leave the Order for her; no, that was something she wanted him to do of his own accord with no prompting from her even though she knew he wasn't happy there. She knew it was important, considering his past and talks they'd had since Obi-Wan left the Order, that he felt as if he were the one in charge of his own life. Until he decided it was time to leave, she would just have to deal with her loneliness on her own.

Inviting the two Jedi to Mandalore under the guise of a friendly visit had been exactly the right thing to do to find out who had given the go-ahead to poison the school children on the planet. The plan didn't go exactly as the four had expected, but they were at least fortunate that the perpetrator really hadn't been suspicious of the Jedi visiting. He really fell for the idea that the duo was merely visiting to see Obi-Wan Kenobi.

The next morning, Ahsoka left to teach a class at the Royal Academy of Government, as that was what they were labeling the excuse to why the young Padawan was dragged along. In truth, there were other reasons Satine also asked Ahsoka to teach the class. She felt the students would connect better to someone their own age and the fact that Korkie -her precious nephew and the heir to Mandalore should she and Kenobi decide not to have children- would be one of the students. Ahsoka was grateful both the opportunity to teach and for a chance to help out on the kinds of missions she'd have been going on had it not been for the war.

The class she taught was bright, perceptive, and more ready to absorb her ideas than anyone had anticipated. She said one little thing about challenging your leaders and keeping them in check, not expecting that small remark to push the students into action, and the next day she came to find out that Korkie and some of his friends had decided to sneak into a secure government base. She tried to denigrate them for these activities, as it was a rather drastic first course of action especially for those with very little stealth and fighting skills, but it was difficult to do so as it had seemed they found a promising lead.

Though Satine was calm and told the children to stay out of it, as it really wasn't their place to deal with such matters yet and it was likely they didn't realize just how dangerous the situation could be, when she was alone with Obi-Wan she was anything but. She couldn't handle the thought of Korkie getting caught up in the mess and winding up dead. She was strong and had already endured many hardships in her life but the thought of losing her closest family member was unbearable.

The child Cadets refused to stop meddling and the assailant became rather sloppy. He didn't see them as a threat; he didn't even see Ahsoka as a threat. His arrogance and the incorrect assessment lead to his downfall. When he and his team abducted the students, he didn't expect that Ahsoka would be able to call for backup to easily. He didn't expect that within moments of the call he'd have three lightsaber-wielders to deal with and all of his plans would be foiled. He certainly didn't expect everything to unravel so quickly at the hands of the former Jedi he was certain he'd had fooled and to be interrogated by Satine for his treasonous crimes a mere hour later.

Satine had begun to suspect Prime Minister Almec of the crimes; she suspected he was cunning enough to do such a thing and she'd suspected the kind man he'd once been had vanished. She just had never had enough evidence to prove such things until that night. Now that she knew for a fact what type of man he now was, the kind that would threaten, hurt, and kill children, it sickened her. She wondered what would have happened to those Cadets, to Korkie, had Ahsoka not been around or if Obi-Wan and Anakin had arrived just a little later. It broke her heart to know he'd done those things, as well as other crimes they hadn't even begin to suspect him of.

Satine, Obi-Wan, Ahsoka, and Anakin returned to the couple's home at an unreasonable hour, in that awkward time that could be considered either night or morning depending on who you asked. A very thorough investigation was well underway to find out the extent of what Almec had done. With the information already collected by the Cadets and Ahsoka, as well as what he admitted to Satine during her interrogation of him, there was more than enough information to put him away or life. The investigation was more of a formality, as well as to try to see what long-terms effects his scheme could have.

Without discussion, the four decided to head to their respective beds. They were all tired past the point of comprehension and anything they needed to say could be brought up in the morning. Ahsoka and Anakin fell asleep almost as soon as their heads hit their pillows, but sadly the same couldn't be said for Satine. As she laid down with Obi-Wan in their routine sleeping position she became wide-awake, the events that had happened the past few weeks finally hitting her all at once. Now that she didn't need to be strong anymore, it seemed as if she couldn't hold back any longer even though she tried.

A cry escaped her lips, which she immediately tried to stifle with her hand. She didn't want to deal with the overwhelming emotions then, not when she was so tired and her beloved was trying to sleep. She silently prayed he didn't hear her or at least wouldn't acknowledge it. A moment later she was relieved when he didn't say anything but instead pulled her closer to him and delicately rubbed her back.

He knew full well she didn't want to talk, as she would have verbalized such things had she needed to. He sensed she wasn't ready to talk and that -since she was just to physically, mentally, and emotionally drained at that moment- she might not even be able to talk even though she wanted to. Still, he couldn't deny his urge to comfort her. He laid a kiss upon her forehead and tried his best to use the Force to comfort her in his sleep state. He was surprised a moment later when she spoke.

"Thank you…" she managed to say between sobs. She buried her head in the crook of his neck and hoped she wouldn't need to explain why she was thanking him. She didn't know how long the crisis could have been drawn out without his help. She didn't know how she would have handled actually losing Korkie to that monster. All she knew is she was once again eternally grateful to have her great Jedi protector by her side, even if he wasn't technically a Jedi anymore. He would still always be her knight in shining armor.