"Captain Typho has more than enough men downstairs," Obi-Wan announces, coming up from downstairs and removing his cloak. Lana and Anakin have already abandoned theirs over the back of the sofas and they stand guard by her door. "No assassin would try that way. Any activity up here?"

"Quiet as a tomb," he responds. He's right, Lana has barely said a word while Obi-Wan has been gone. "I don't like just waiting here for something to happen to her."

Obi-Wan checks the datapad. "What's going on?" he asks. He notes Lana's disapproving face.

"She covered the cameras. I don't think she liked me watching her."

"What is she thinking?" Obi-Wan sighs.

"She programmed R2 to warn us if there is an intruder," Anakin informs him.

"There are many other ways to kill a Senator," he points out.

"I know, but we also want to catch this assassin, don't we Master?"

With one more look at Lana's clear disapproval, he clicks on. "You're using her as bait."

"It was her idea," Lana sighs.

"Don't worry, no harm will come to her," Anakin reassures him. "I can sense everything going on in that room. Trust me."

"It's too risky," he declares. "Besides, your senses aren't that attuned, my young apprentice."

"And yours are?" he asks in disbelief.

"No, but mine are," Lana interrupts. "You two can have your pissing contest later, we still have a job to do."

Anakin passes over to the balcony area, the deep bags under his eyes more obvious in the artificial lights of the billboards.

"You look tired," Obi-Wan points out.

"I don't sleep well anymore," he confesses. "Not unless I'm with Lana until I fall asleep."

"Because of your mother?" he asks softly. Anakin waits a moment before nodding,

"I don't know why I keep dreaming about her," he says. Lana's heart tugs for him.

"Dreams pass in time," Obi-Wan tells him.

"I'd much rather dream about something else... someone else. Being around Padmé again... I feel like it should be intoxicating... but it's not."

Lana focuses hard on the room, feeling a disturbance in the Force and blocking out most of what Obi-Wan replies, ignoring the piqued interest. If he isn't pining over Padmé again, then who? She moves closer to the door, hearing a small beep from R2. It stops again, but the disturbance is still there.

Lana moves to open the door just as Anakin and Obi-Wan snap into action. "I feel it too," Obi-Wan declares. Anakin moves past Lana as though she isn't there, moving to get to Padmé quickly. His lightsaber ignites when he is halfway through the door. He leaps onto the bed and slices two centipede-like creatures in half. She gasps awake and Lana looks over to the window to see the droid still lingering.

She sighs and rushes towards the window, leaping out and grabbing it as it tries to fly away.

"Bad idea!" she mutters as it flies towards Coruscant traffic. "Very, very, horrible, bad idea!"

She clings on with all of her strength, one arm being forced to let go when the droid bashes into the side of a billboard. She manages to pull her arm back up, though, and clings just as hard as before. She squints against the wind as the droid continues to fly too close to the traffic for her liking. She prays silently that Anakin or Obi-Wan have the good sense to be coming after her.

It's possibly the fastest that Obi-Wan has ever seen Anakin move as he races out of the room without even muttering anything to Padmé. He sighs and ensures she is okay before following his unruly Padawan.

Lana tightens her grip as the droid decides to enter the traffic stream to try and get rid of her. She pulls her legs up to her chest to avoid one car, but she can't do much to avoid the others. That's on the droid and the skill of the drivers (which she's not totally confident in, she won't lie). She flinches when speeders get a little too close and even has to use the Force to make one miss her. She continues to cling on for dear life, hoping nobody catches her legs or crashes into her and the droid.

She sees the shot coming and let's go before it explodes just above her. She feels her heart move to her throat as she tries to calculate a way to survive. She sees a yellow speeder diving. She wills the Force to help slow her down as Anakin levels beneath her. She lands on the back and has to crawl up to share a cramped seat with Obi-Wan in order to not be flying off the back of the speeder.

"What took you so long?" she asks as she moves her hair out of her eyes. She's slightly breathless but glad to see him nonetheless.

"Ah, well... you know, Lana. Couldn't find a speeder that I really liked," he shrugs.

"There he is," Lana points.

"With an open cockpit and the right speed capabilities."

"If you spend as much time practicing your saber techniques as you did your wit, you'd rival Master a Yoda as a swordsman," Obi-Wan sighs.

"I though I already did."

"Only in your mind, Cloud Stroller," Lana hits back.

Anakin flies through the traffic more dangerously than the droid and Lana groans.

"I might've been better off falling, actually," she says before gripping onto Anakin's shoulder as he drives down suddenly into a steep decline.

She tries to find somewhere to grip on the seat, but her other hand only finds Obi-Wan's robes so she clutched onto those and Anakin as he continues going down as he follows the assassin. Obi-Wan is beginning to go red in the face and the only reason Lana hasn't seized control yet is because she trusts Anakin with her life.

"You better know what you're doing," Lana warns over the sound of Obi-Wan's 'pull up, Anakin, pull up'. Anakin chuckles lightly, one hand leaving the control to take Lana's hand off of his shoulder and into his own.

"I've got this, trust me."

He pulls up at the last second, almost grazing the top of the building.

"You know I don't like it when you do that!" Obi-Wan accuses, looking rather distrustful of Anakin's flying. He doesn't complain about the fact that Lana is still gripping his robes like a lifeline, he can sense her unease at the recklessness too.

"Sorry, Master," Anakin replies, not sounding at all like he's actually sorry. "I forgot you don't like flying."

"I don't mind flying," Obi-Wan says, "What you're doing is suicide and it's going to get Lana and me killed too!"

They follow the assassin's ship into a power generating trench. Fire billows up in clouds from the factories and as Anakin swerves to avoid them, Lana sinks in her half of the seat.

"If I die, tell my parents I love them," she requests from Obi-Wan. "And if he manages to singe off a single hair on my head with these flames, I'm going to murder your Padawan."

"I like you, so I'll help you hide the body," Obi-Wan nods.

As they gain on the assassin, they shoot out one of the power couplings.

"Anakin! How many times have I told you—"

"Ow!" Lana yells as they get zapped as Anakin makes them fly through.

"Stay! Away! From! Power! Couplings!" Each word from Obi-Wan is punctuated with jolts from the zap. There's a pause as Lana punches him in the arm.

"That was good," Obi-Wan says sarcastically.

"You two are really critical today," he complains.

"Well, you're really stupid today. We're just balancing it out," she snaps in return. "That really hurt."

Obi-Wan watches as the assassin flies left, but Anakin kept going straight.

"Where are you going? He went that way!"

"Master, if we keep this chase going any longer, that creep is gonna end up deep fried," Anakin says. "Personally, I'd like to know who he is and who he's working for. This is a shortcut... I think."

Lana sighs. "The last time you took a shortcut it delayed us by half an hour, Anakin!"

They end up at the other side of the building but the assassin is nowhere to be found.

"Well, you've lost him," Obi-Wan groans.

"I'm deeply sorry, Master," Anakin says sarcastically. Lana frowns deeply at his tone.

"That was some shortcut, Anakin. He went completely the other way. Once again, you've proved—"

"If you'll excuse me," he interrupts before jumping out of the speeder.

"Anakin!" Lana yells angrily over the side. "He has no patience."

"Yet you still choose to be his friend," Obi-Wan sighs. "I hate it when he does that."

Lana climbs across into the pilots seat, adjusting the chair for her shorter height and following Anakin down. "Someone needs to be his impulse control."

"You're doing a really bad job at it," Obi-Wan replies.

"Because he's so worked up about Padmé's return tonight." There is no bitterness in her words, but no teasing either.

"Padmé was a fancy from when he first became a Jedi. He cares for you more, Lana, no matter how against the Code it may be," he tells her.

"I'm not jealous," she shoots back, reaching up and catching Anakin's lightsaber. "Idiot," she mutters.

"I never said you were. If it helps, you're probably the best thing for him. You soothe him."

"Can we maybe have this conversation later?" she asks, patiently following the assassin's ship.

"When's a better time than now?"

The ship bursts into flames ahead of them and she sends him a 'really?' look.

"Uh, not now," she suggests sarcastically.

"You two have the same sarcasm," he grumbles.

"He did learn from the best," she grins, watching him fall off of the ship when it hurtles towards the ground. She lands the speeder outside of the bar the assassin sprints into and gets out, Anakin's lightsaber still clutched in her hand.

"Anakin!" Lana calls when he reaches the doorway first. She hands him his lightsaber slightly smugly.

"She went into the club, Master," he says.

"Patience. Use the Force. Think," he instructs. "He went in there to hide, not to run."

"Yes, Master."

"Next time, try not to lose that," he says, gesturing to his returned saber.

"Yes, Master."

"This weapon is your life," he continues. Anakin is getting frustrated and he knows it.

"I try, Master," he says as Obi-Wan leads the way into the club.

"Why do I get the feeling you're going to be the death of me?" he asks with a sigh.

"Don't say that, Master," he requests. "You're the closest thing I have to a father."

"Then why don't you listen to me?"

"I am trying," he says genuinely. The bar is packed with people and Lana gets shoved into Anakin's side by a passer by. He stops her from falling and keeps an arm wrapped around her waist protectively.

"Can you see him?"

"I think he is a she," Anakin hums, "and I think she is a Changeling."

"Great, because this wasn't hard enough," Lana sighs.

"In that case, be extra careful," Obi-Wan says. "Go and find her, Anakin."

"Where are you two going, Master?" he asks as Lana follows him.

"For a drink," he shrugs.

Lana follows him, confusion on her face. He orders two drinks and swallows half of his.

"You want to buy some death sticks?" a man asks from beside Obi-Wan.

"You don't want to sell me death sticks," he says, waving his hand lazily.

"I... uh, don't want to sell you death sticks."

"You want to go home and rethink your life," he adds, watching Lana grin and hold in her laughter as she watches Anakin scout the club.

"I want to go home and rethink my life." He leaves quickly and Obi-Wan smiles to himself.

"You're not drinking," he notes.

"I'm not eighteen yet, Master," she responds. "My birthday isn't until tomorrow."

"Ah, yes," he hums. "Well, it's almost tomorrow. I won't tell anyone if you don't. And I'm certain it's not your first ever drink." She grins slightly, knowing he's probably heard the stories from Anakin. They'd gone out a couple of times since he'd turned eighteen.

"Thank you, Master," she says before sipping it responsibly.

"Back to the conversation we were having," he says with a grin.

"Really?" she groans. "I get it, you think my influence is good for him. But unless he makes the first move, it is off the cards." She immediately regrets saying those words and covers her mouth with her hand. "Oh, stars, I'm a terrible Jedi."

"I thought your motto was fuck the Code?" he asks.

"It's different when I'm disobeying it so obviously," she groans.

"Anakin is far more obvious than you," Obi-Wan scoffs. "In fact, I wasn't one hundred percent certain you felt the same way until just now. You're very good at keeping people away from your emotions."

"I like to have some things to myself," she says. "You won't tell anyone, will you? Please don't. They would only need a small reason to expel me."

"I won't tell a soul, Lana. Not even your father."

"He'd murder Anakin where he stands," she sighs. "Thank you, Master."

"No, thank you. I feel less worried about Anakin when he's around you. He shows the makings of a great Jedi, but he also has a strong pull to the Dark Side. But not when he's around you," he responds. Lana sends him a small smile before finishing her drink.

They exchange a knowing look as they sense the bounty hunter approach them. She holds up a blaster to the back of Lana's head before Obi-Wan wheels around and cuts off her arm. She yells in pain and Lana gives him a slightly amused look.

"You really had to take off her whole arm?" she asks as Anakin ushers away a crowd with the words 'Jedi business'.

"I'd quite like to celebrate your birthday tomorrow with an alive Lana," he jokes, pulling the bounty hunter up by her good arm. He and Lana escort her out, Anakin following behind.

"Do you know who it is you were trying to kill?" Obi-Wan asks calmly.

"It was a Senator from Naboo," the bounty hunter answers.

"And who hired you?"

"It was just a job."

"Who hired you?" Anakin repeats. "Tell us. Tell us now!"

Lana's senses prickle and she looks around suddenly. She feels exposed, unsafe.

"It was a bounty hunter named–"

A dart comes out of nowhere, slicing Lana's arm in the process of embedding itself if the assassin's neck. She gargles before her last breath exits her chest.

"Ow," Lana hisses, pressing her hand to where blood is beginning to seep out. Anakin's head snaps to her when he hears her exclamation of pain.

"Toxic dart," Obi-Wan sighs, picking it up carefully.

"Obi-Wan, it scratched Lana," Anakin says urgently, rushing to her side. He stands and inspects it.

"We need to get you back to the Temple and into a Medbay," he says calmly, escorting her quickly to the Speeder. Halfway back to the Temple, she begins to get dizzy, the lights spinning in and out of focus and making her feel nauseous. Obi-Wan is driving and Anakin is holding Lana up in the passenger seat desperately.

Her eyes flutter closed tiredly and Anakin shakes her slightly.

"Lana, you can't go to sleep," he tells her.

"But I'm tired," she whines, curling into him slightly.

"It's because of the toxin," Obi-Wan sighs, whipping around another building rapidly. "We're almost there, just a couple more minutes."

She suddenly doubles over in Anakin's lap, clutching her stomach with an groan. Anakin rubs her back gently, trying to soothe her. He sees the Jedi Temple come into view and the tightening of his chest loosens marginally. Anakin leaps out as soon as the platform is underneath him, landing gently and running towards the Medbay.

"I need a Medical Droid," he exclaims as soon as he skids through the door. Lana's groaning has subsided, but her face is still screwed up in pain.

"What happened?" the droid asks.

"She got scratched with a toxic dart, my Master is bringing it," he says hurriedly. "You've got to help her."

Obi-Wan eases him out of the way and hands over the dart to the analyst droid. "Anakin, go and fetch Master Windu. He'll want to know exactly what happened."

"But—" he begins.

"Please go and get my dad," Lana begs from the bed. "I need my dad."

He nods and leaves the room, rushing through the corridors. He checks the Council Room first, but Master Yoda points him in the direction of the training rooms instead. He takes as many shortcuts as he can, grateful that it's getting late and the corridors are mainly empty. In the training room, Master Windu is the only one there.

"Master Windu! Lana is in the Medbay, she's asking for you," he says hurriedly.

"Why is my daughter in the Medbay?" Mace asks immediately, clipping his lightsaber onto his belt and striding towards the door urgently.

"We were talking to the assassin and she stepped back and suddenly this toxic dart was shot and it scratched her and killed the assassin—"

"You're allowed to breathe, Young Skywalker. Did you bring the dart back?" he asks. His demeanour is calm, but his voice betrays his worry.

"Yes, Master. Master Obi-Wan gave it to the analysis droids as soon as we got there," he nods.

"What we're her symptoms before you got there?"

"Dizziness, she was tired and she started getting stomach cramps just before we got in," he lists as they turn the final corner. Obi-Wan is watching anxiously from the doorway as the Medical Droids work quickly.

"Master Windu," Obi-Wan greets. "I'm sorry, none of us but Lana noticed the other bounty hunter, but she was too late. We're lucky it only got her in the arm."

"It's not your fault," Master Windu dismisses, peering through.

"They've already got an antidote coming, it should be a minute more at most," he nods.

"Good, good," Mace nods nervously. "She'll pull through."

"Of course she will," Obi-Wan nods. "She's strong."

A droid rolls through with a syringe of liquid and injects it into Lana's arm. She stops clutching her stomach a minute after and the droids encourage her to get some sleep.

"My dad, I want to see my dad," she demands.

He steps through the door and crouches by the side of the bed. "I'm here," he reassured her, brushing her hair back from her face. She sighs in relief.

"Is it midnight yet?"

"Not yet. I know you like being awake for midnight on your birthday, but you need to sleep for now. I'll get Anakin to wake you when it is. Something tells me he isn't going anywhere," he laughs, glancing back at the nervous looking boy.

Outside the room, Obi-Wan is considering his next words to Anakin carefully.

"I can't believe I didn't sense it," he sighs in frustration. "I should've felt it coming!"

"Lana was the only one who did," he reminds him. "She probably wouldn't be here if she hadn't moved." He notices that Anakin hasn't even mentioned Padmé. He waits for a beat before speaking again. "You know... I spoke to Lana about you earlier."

"What? Why?" Anakin asks.

"Just testing the water, that's all. She likes you, Anakin, and even if it's against the Jedi code... I think that you're good for each other. Don't tell me anything, I don't want to know. But she wants you to initiate."

Anakin sends Obi-Wan a grateful smile. "Thank you, Master," he says genuinely.

"Yeah, yeah," Obi-Wan dismisses. "Just don't let your emotions cloud your missions."

"I won't, Master. She wouldn't let me," he reminds him.

"That's true. So, have you got her anything for her birthday?"

A smile spreads across Anakin's face as he begins to talk animatedly.