[Disclaimer] The characters, the places, the terms, basically the entire STAR WARS universe belongs to George Lucas. What was it someone once said? Don't own. Don't profit. Don't sue.
The Jedi Council chamber was quiet. The cool marble flagstones; the metallic, red-cushioned chairs; and the great silent doors at the edge of the room all whispered peace to the troubled young Jedi Knight sitting on a chair, sinking slightly into the red cushion. His light-brown haired head was silently bowed, his face in his hands. Anakin was terrified of his feelings. His heart was breaking from forbidden love, and the words of Master Yoda echoed in his ears.
"Death is a natural part of life. Rejoice for those around you who transform into the Force. Mourn them, do not. Miss them, do not. Attachment leads to jealousy. The shadow of greed, that is. Train yourself to let go of everything you fear to lose."
Anakin knew that his deep love for and eventual marriage to Padme Naberrie Amidala had been a betrayal to his life as a Jedi. But he did not know how he could have lived without her in his life. He had loved her from the moment he set eyes on her at nine years old, when she had walked into Watto's Mechanic shop with Qui-Gon Jinn, looking like the fairest angel he had ever seen.
The words of Chancellor Palpatine, newly revealed to be the Sith Lord Darth Sidious, also rang in his ears. He grimaced as he heard them in his mind.
"You have great wisdom, Anakin. Know the power of the dark side. The power to save Padme."
There was a grimace on young Skywalker's face. He wanted to be a true Jedi. He wanted to be good, an icon of righteousness in turbulent times of war. But he also wanted Padme to live, and he wanted their baby to live. He wanted a family, whether it was sanctioned by the Jedi Council or not. He wanted to keep Padme with him always. He gritted his teeth and rubbed his face with his hands, even as he cradled his head in them.
Master Windu had ordered him to stay away while Palpatine was arrested, perhaps even killed. Anakin knew that if Palpatine died, so would the secret of keeping loved ones alive.
He bowed his head. The Sith Lord must be destroyed, and Anakin did not trust himself.
. . .
The sky was still blue as a Jedi Gunship landed on the Senate Office Building landing platform.
Four Jedi exited the Shuttle quickly and entered the Senate Office Building. Like gunfighters out of the Old West, they walked through the massive hallway, four across. Mace Windu, the Jedi Master, entered the lobby and raised his arm to send the Chancellor's aide, Dar Wac, flying against the wall, along with two republic guards. The three Jedi Masters, Agen Kolar, Saesee Tiin, and Kit Fisto, that had accompanied him followed quickly behind. Moments before this, they had been chatting in the gunship, right before it had departed to the Chancellor's office. Fisto leaned against the wall casually, feigning calmness as he said, "I'd feel a little bit better if Master Yoda or Kenobi had come with us."
Saesee Tiin scolded, "We are Masters among the Jedi, Fisto. We are more than capable of subduing an old man like Chancellor Palpatine." Little did the three of them suspect that Master Fisto's gut-feelings were correct.
The door hissed open, the hydrolics smooth and clean sounding. Poised, the Jedi's gathered into the room. Palpatine was in his chair, facing away from them and toward the giant window that gave a beautiful panoramic view of Coruscant.
"So, Master Jedi, you have come." He said in his silky voice.
Mace Windu did not reply, but stood firmly in the doorway, the Masters mirroring his stance.
The black chair swiveled smoothly around as the white-haired old man faced them. His wrinkled face mirrored calmness. From the outside it could not be deduced that evil swirled underneath his cloak of serenity.
"Young Skywalker has served you well, I see," he said calmly. "Why has he not come?"
"I ordered him to stay away. I know he has been under your influence," said Master Windu. He stepped carefully toward the old man, his dark skin shining under the bright lights of the conference chamber.
The old man contemplated Mace Windu for a moment before replying, "I take it General Grievous has been destroyed then. I must say, you're here sooner than expected."
Windu stepped forward again, igniting his purple blade. "In the name of the Galactic Senate of the Republic, you are under arrest, Chancellor." The three Jedi Masters behind him also lit up their lightsabers, standing at the ready. Each one felt nervous, anxious, and even a little fearful. There was something very wrong.
The feeling in the room grew murderous. It sent chills through the air, and the smell of evil suddenly stank as though something had died.
Chancellor Palpatine's face went from benign to malevolent. He seemed very old, and very evil, all at once. His voice became feral. "Are you threatening me, Master Jedi?"
Master Windu pointed his blade at the Sith Lord. "The Senate will decide your fate."
In a burst of anger the Chancellor shouted, "I am the Senate!"
Windu brandished his lightsaber, feeling a disturbance in the force. "Not yet!" he said forcefully.
"It's treason, then," growled the Chancellor suddenly, as he lept at them. A lightsaber flew from the sleeve of his cloak, igniting with a hiss and an evil red glow, and he soared through the air, spinning, toward the Jedi Knights. Snarling, as he slashed with his lightsaber, he quickly cut down Agen Kolar, then one slash later he had cut down Saesee Tiin. Master Kit Fisto's green-bladed lightsaber parried against the frenzied old man's thrusts and blows, but even with Master Windu accompanying him, he was cleaved by the red lightsaber right in the stomach. He fell, gasping out a dying breath. Master Windu only had a moment to mourn his comrade's death, then red death slashed at the Jedi's face, which was parried and blocked again and again by the dark-skinned master. The light of the purple and red sabers clashed and flashed across the dark skin of his face.
Master Windu found himself fighting for his very life. He had not expected the energy or the ferocity of the old man, indeed he had underestimated the power and strength of the Chancellor. They fought across the lavish red carpet of the Chancellor's office chamber, and unexpectedly, Mace Windu was slammed against the wall as the evil Sith Lord used his powerful Dark Side of the Force.
Windu got up quickly, avoiding the loss of his life, and as he exchanged deadly blows with the Sith Lord formerly known as Chancellor Palpatine, he swung his lightsaber into the window behind the Chancellor's desk. It shattered and flew away. The high, howling wind that roared past the window made it more difficult to hear, and instantly the room was full of cold air. Papers from the desk fluttered out the window into the night air of Coruscant. The Sith Lord fought so fiercely that the Jedi Master was forced out of the window onto the ledge. Balancing precariously, he swiftly parried a forceful blow from the former Chancellor.
Master Windu parried another blow and then thrust his purple light blade so swiftly and forcefully against Palpatine's that the older man lost his red lightsaber to the air below them. Palpatine glanced at it as it fell into the air, disappearing quickly from view. Windu forced Palpatine against the ledge, where the old man cowered, pretending that his ferocity was gone.
Licking his lips and chest heaving, the Master Jedi said fiercely, "You are under arrest, My Lord." Palpatine suddenly looked afraid for his life, like a weak old man. Mace Windu felt something wrong, and then saw Palpatine looking past him.
Palpatine pleaded with the newly arrived Jedi Knight. "Anakin! I told you it would come to this. I was right. The Jedi are taking over!"
Mace felt worried. Anakin was disobeying his orders to stay away. The young Jedi Knight was so headstrong and unpredictable, and he had been so close to Palpatine for so long.
The Jedi Master pointed his lightsaber even more definitively at the old man's throat. "You old fool. The oppression of the Sith will never return. Your plot to regain control of the Republic is over! You have lost. "
Palpatine's wrinkled face became ugly as he grinned a horrific grin. "No! No! You will die!" And from his raised hands and crooked fingers, bolts of Force Lightning shot out. Master Windu blocked the deadly lightning with his lightsaber, grunting against the Force.
With his wrinkled face in a fury, and with a voice that proclaimed innocence and victimization, Palpatine shouted, "He is a traitor, Anakin!"
Master Windu had to concentrate to keep the Force Lightning at bay. "He's the traitor. Stop him!"
Palpatine's voice was as cunning as ever, laced with a layer of subtilty. "Come to your senses, boy. The Jedi are in revolt. They will betray you, just as they betrayed me!"
Anakin looked fearfully from Master Windu to Chancellor Palpatine. He knew in his heart that if he allowed the Jedi Master to kill the Sith Lord that he would never learn how to use the Force to save Padme. But maybe that was how it should be. Maybe he should let her go the way of the Force . . .
Master Windu and Palpatine struggled together, one gripping his lightsaber to save his life, the other manipulating the Force for destruction. Palpatine called out to Anakin again. "You are not one of them, Anakin. Don't let him kill me." His voice began to take on a pathetic, pleading tone.
Anakin stood, voiceless, his heart full of pain. His mind was racing.
Palpatine felt his hesitation to aid the Jedi Master. He applied to Anakin again. "I am your pathway to power. I have the power to save the one you love! You must choose. You must stop him."
With a commanding tone, Mace Windu shouted, "Don't listen to him, Anakin!"
Suddenly Palpatine's voice sounded helpless. He shrieked, "Help me! Don't let him kill me. I can't hold on any longer."
Anakin felt it hard to resist Palpatine's pleas. Deep within him he knew the old man was lying, that he had lied to Anakin since their earliest days together. He knew that this man was the evil Sith Lord. Still, it was very hard to watch the struggle between the man he should be loyal to and the man that he had grown to be loyal to.
Master Windu pushed the Chancellor out to the ledge's edge. The old man supplicated for his life, even as he shot deathly Force lightning bolts at the Jedi Master. The Force Lightning began to rebound off of the lightsaber, shocking the Chancellor instead. His face began to twist and distort.
He began to cry out: "I can't ... I give up. Help me. I am weak ... I am too weak. Don't kill me. I give up. I'm dying. I can't hold on any longer." He looked at Anakin for assistance.
Master Windu looked at Palpatine without compassion. "You Sith disease. I am going to end this once and for all!"
Anakin cried out, "You can't kill him, Master. He must stand trial!"
Mace almost looked incredulously at him, "He has too much control of the Senate and the Courts. He is too dangerous to be kept alive."
It was too much for Anakin. He knew that he could not stay. He quickly turned his back on them, and as he started walking away the Chancellor screamed at him. "Anakin! Do not abandon me! Do I mean nothing to you? I can give you immense power! Only save me! Save me from the Jedi! They have deceived you!"
Anakin turned angrily. "No! I cannot help you! You have lied to me! I can't believe I have trusted in you and believed you and you've turned out to be the Sith Lord we have been chasing all these years!"
"But Anakin," pleaded Palpatine.
"No! You murdered three Jedi Masters!" shouted Anakin, pointing at the doorway. "You've destroyed thousands of lives! I—I just can't save you from a fate you deserve."
Palpatine's face grew murderous. "So be it!" he growled, and instead shot the Force lightning at Anakin. The young Jedi Knight fell to the ground, pain coursing through his body. His prosthetic arm only amplified the lightning in his right arm, frying the flesh attached to the metal. He screamed.
This diversion allowed Mace Windu to slice off Palpatine's hands, then with shock registering on the old man's face, Anakin lept up, igniting his blue blade in his remaining hand, and beheaded the Sith Lord. With the expression of shock still on its face, Palpatine's head rolled across the ledge and fell off of the edge into the air. His body collapsed to the floor, the neck sizzling where the lightsaber had severed it from the head.
Anakin, shaking, looked at the decapitated body in shock. Master Windu placed his hand on Anakin's shoulder.
"Though you disobeyed me, Skywalker, the opportunity to kill the Chancellor would never have happened had you not been here. My trust in you has been restored. Now, come. We must gather the Jedi Council."
Anakin nodded numbly, glancing at the body of the Chancellor. He followed Windu out of the Chancellor's Office, wondering how he would save Padme now.
Anakin sat in a Council chair, the smell of charred flesh and acrid metal wafting under his nose. He stripped the metal prosthetic off of his arm stump and it fell to the marble floor. His nub ached and he closed his eyes, breathing in as he focused on the Force, willing it to heal the flesh and soothe the stabbing pain.
As he did this, Master Windu was talking into the hologram projector, contacting all the Jedi Council members. ". . . Young Skywalker has been injured, and I have barely escaped dangerous harm to myself. We must all convene immediately. Please establish contact within the next hour."
Turning off the holoprojector, he turned to Anakin, who had wrapped his arm in his robes as he healed the flesh.
"I'm sorry about your prosthetic. Is it—"
"Rendered useless, I'm afraid," said Anakin dully. "The joints have been melted together."
"I see," said the Master Jedi, sounding contemplative. He sat down in a chair next to Anakin, and they both sat in silence. The metallic-marble walls were gracefully reflecting shafts of light from the lights hanging overhead, the marble flagstones in the floor doing the same. The Force radiated throughout the Jedi Temple, and it one of the rooms it could be felt most strongly in was the Council chamber. Both Skywalker and Windu basked in it, the one trying to heal his arm nub, the other trying to forsee the future.
A few more moments passed. Windu rubbed his hands together, before angling his body toward Anakin. "I know that you must be—frustrated—with the Council's decision before to not allow you to take the Trials and become a Jedi Master."
Anakin shrugged. "I have my suspicions as to why that was the case, Master."
Windu looked cautious, and then Anakin gave a dry smile.
"I may be arrogant and headstrong, Master, but I am not ignorant. I know that the reasons encompass the fact that no one on the Council thinks that I am mature enough because of my impulsive nature." He rubbed his arm beneath his robes and winced.
Mace Windu felt something stir within him. Pity? Compassion? Empathy? He looked carefully at the young Jedi Knight.
"Anakin," he began. Skywalker looked up, his blue eyes calm. "You have more than earned my trust today. I will do my best to convince the Council that you can be trusted . . . and with that, that you are ready to take the Trials."
Anakin was rendered speechless. He looked down, unable to fully comprehend what had just been said to him. The Trials? But wasn't it only a few days ago that the Council had told him they would put him on the Council without letting him become a Jedi Master? And then hadn't Master Kenobi told him that the Council was NOT going to let him take the Trials for a long, long time?
Master Windu smiled, feeling Anakin's surprise and apprehension.
"We did not want an impulsive, passionate youngster on the Council, that much is true. But, I believe that you have matured, albeit suddenly, very much. You held strong in the face of the alluring powers of the Dark Side. That means a great deal in a Jedi. Perhaps you are not quite as young and immature as we thought."
There was another moment of silence. Anakin looked up thoughtfully.
"You thought I was too close to the Chancellor— to the Sith Lord," he said, correcting himself. "But I am still impulsive and young, Master. My actions today proved that, didn't they?"
Mace thought on this, then pointedly asked, "Why did you go, Skywalker? Why did you disobey my orders today when I told you to stay here?"
Anakin felt a wave of guilt sweep over him. He wasn't sure he could reveal the true reason to Master Windu.
Master Windu continued, feeling Anakin's guilt. "Though you displayed impulsiveness and disobedience, you also displayed courage. There is something you wanted very much from the Sith Lord. I am sure that he has seduced you many times to pull you over to the Dark Side. But you resisted. That is what is important. No matter what spurred you on to disobey my order and go to the Chancellor's office chamber, you chose the right path regardless. And I think that says something very much about your character."
Silence again. But it was thoughtful. Grateful.
"I will leave you to your thoughts, Young Jedi," said Windu. He stood up and placed his hand on Anakin's shoulder for a moment, then walked out of the Council Chamber.
Anakin fell back against the red cushion, closing his eyes and rubbing his face with his only hand. Well, he had solved one problem. The only thing left was that he lived a double life, and he didn't know how much longer he could keep his marriage to Padme, and his fathering of the child in her womb, a secret.
. . .
As soon as Obi-Wan Kenobi got the hologram from Mace Windu, (R4 had diligently copied it into the ship's harddrive) he stood by his starfighter anxiously. Dust swirled around them as Commander Cody walked up to him, his white and orange armor dusty already, his helmet slightly cocked to the side.
"What's happened, General?" Cody asked.
Obi-Wan turned and smiled briefly at his friend. "Ah, Cody. It seems that Master Windu and Anakin Skywalker have defeated the Sith Lord, who had a double identity as Chancellor Palpatine."
"Well, that was unexpected," said Cody curiously.
Kenobi nodded. "Indeed! I always had suspected Palpatine of having a secret agenda. And now it seems that it was turning Anakin to the Dark Side as a new apprentice! I knew I never liked that man."
"Good thing he was apprehended, then, General," said Cody comfortably. "Are you awaiting a conference via hologram then?"
"Yes," said Obi-Wan.
"Very good, Sir," said Cody, striding away to give orders to nearby Clone troopers.
One trooper, named Wooley, asked, "Commander, what are our orders?"
"Stand down, but remain alert. Our job is to keep General Kenobi protected while he has a hologram conference with the Jedi Council," said Cody, and he dispatched a few troopers to stand on the edge of the platform to keep watch.
Obi-Wan leaned against his starfighter, rubbing his short beard thoughtfully. He felt very strongly that he needed to talk with Anakin right away. For a long while, since the Clone Wars began, he had always felt a slight uneasiness around Anakin, as though he was hiding something. It worried him that his former padawan was so secretive. He had to find out what was happening, and if he could help the young Jedi Knight. He was still so passionate and impulsive and . . . well, young.
He had to leave Utapu as soon as possible, and in the meanwhile, he would see if he could try to share at least one holoprojected comm with his former padawan. Right after the Jedi Council meeting if he could.
. . .
Anakin rushed down the halls of the Jedi Temple, his robes sweeping behind him as his boots click-clack-ed on the marble flooring. The majestic columns gleamed respectfully as he walked past. He needed to see Padme. His emotions were ready to flood over, and he was just keeping them at bay with the Force, trying to calm himself. He just needed to see Padme and know she was all right.
He nearly ran into Shaak Ti, who moved quickly out of his way. She shook her head at him, an action which drew observing eyes to the black-tipped montrals in the air, hollow horns that rose above her head several centimenters. She felt a little flustered that her passive echolocation had not alerted her sooner to the swift moving Skywalker, and her cheeks caused the skin on her cheekbones to turn even more red than the natural rusty-red they were.
"Be careful Jedi Skywalker! Calm yourself! I can feel your anxiety through the Force and it's very disconcerting!"
Anakin stopped to bow, nearly breathless with the anxiousness in his heart. "I'm deeply sorry Master. Forgive me." He made himself slow the pace he took through the Temple, not wishing to disturb or trouble any other Jedi, or make himself suspicious.
He took a speeder with an open cockpit and a crimson red color to Padme's Apartment, deftly moving in and out of the oncoming traffic, across lanes, between buildings, and miraculously through a construction site. It seemed like it took forever for him to travel there. Time seemed to freeze when he finally stood before the door that opened into her tiny corner of Coruscant.
When the door hissed open, he barely had time to step in when Padme rushed into his arms, weeping. He held her closely, tears of his own surfacing and tracing down his cheeks quietly.
"What's wrong?" he whispered into her hair, stroking it.
"Oh Ani, I was so worried. I felt—I can't explain it—I felt like something horrible was going to happen and that you were involved—"
"Master Windu and I were attacked and yes, I was injured. But don't worry!" he said swiftly. "I can get it taken care of. I just need a little time to heal it myself and then I can get a different prosthetic—"
Padme gasped. "Ani, what happened?"
He led her further into the apartment and the door hissed shut behind him as he led her down two steps to the lowered living area. He gently helped her sit on the couch and joined her, their knees touching, their hands clasped.
"I'll tell you anything, everything," he promised, "just tell me this—how are you feeling? Are you all right? Is the baby all right?"
Wiping her eyes with her hands Padme nodded. "Yes, I'm—I'm fine. Other than worried sick, I'm fine. And the baby is fine too. Still kicking and healthy and—oh Ani! Please. Please tell me what happened," she pleaded, her brown eyes searching his face. He smiled tenderly at her, cupping her cheek in his good hand.
Hesitantly, he started his story of the traumatic events of that day. It took a few moments for Anakin to explain his discovery of Chancellor Palpatine's true identity and the events that quickly followed afterwards. Padme's eyes grew bigger and bigger as his story progressed, and she gasped when he showed her his arm without the prosthetic. She reached out and touched it gently. The skin was still a white-pink color like a new scar, still healing.
"I'm sure I can get a new, and even better prosthetic arm," he said softly, trying to make a joke out of it, smiling gently at his wife.
"It's all so . . . so unbelievable. I just . . . how on earth could Palpatine have hidden that he was a Sith Lord, after all this time?" said Padme, her eyes unfocused as she gazed down at Anakin's lap.
Anakin's face darkened. "The Force can be used to create great power. I'm sure that he could hide his feelings and dark emotions from all of us. Maybe he could even erase those feelings and powerful emotions around all of us to seem innocent. It seems the only explanation as to how he carried on for so long." He thought for a few moments, his brows furrowed. His eyes looked clouded.
"I can't believe we sacrificed so much to save him from General Grievous!" he said in disgust. "We wasted so many lives . . . for a Sith!"
Padme looked up, focusing again on her husband with his outburst. "We were all fooled, Ani," she said calmly, looking at his blue eyes, which reflected a deep agitation in the moment. He was staring down at the metallic-marbleoid flooring, glaring at it as though he was staring at Palpatine again. Padme touched his cheek and he looked at her, his tense facial muscles calming.
Anakin felt like her response wasn't enough to explain his naivety. "Well," he said, "I should have known. I felt it somehow all along. That he was luring me toward something I wanted . . ." he shuddered. "I wanted greater power, and he wanted to give it to me . . . and make me his apprentice."
Padme gasped, and Anakin's eyes met her own. He nodded glumly.
"He promised me . . . he promised that he would teach me how to keep you from dying." He felt near the verge of tears even now. Now he would never know how to save her. He wouldn't be able to keep her with him.
"He—he said that?"
"With the Dark Side of the Force he was able to correctly guess that I was worried about your death," Anakin admitted. "And he nearly had me convinced that I should learn the Dark Side so that I could save you."
Padme placed her hands on Anakin's face, forcing his eyes to meet hers.
"Ani, I love you deeply. But I would never, ever want you to sacrifice the Light to go to the Dark just to save my life. It would consume you, change you, turn you into someone else. Then I would have been lost to you anyway."
Anakin looked down, his cheeks flushing as he felt heat gather behind his eyes. That same heat rose up in his throat as he silenced a sob.
"I can't lose you, Padme. I love you too much. You're everything to me." He swallowed very hard and looked into her eyes. She was crying with him. She pulled him close.
"We will always be together, Ani. Always."
. . .
Obi-Wan Kenobi's starfighter landed on the platform outside the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. The evening air was dusky and full of the usual smog, but the lights of the city glittered like jewels in the sun. The noise of the traffic would soon be dulled once inside the Temple.
"Well R4, I'll see you on our next journey," Obi-Wan said genially, patting the red dome attached to the ship. The little astrodroid beeped happily in assurance. As Kenobi ascended the Temple steps he muttered to himself, "Though I still say that flying is for droids."
His boots click-clack-ed on the marble flagstones. The white marble columns gleamed in the fading light of the sun. Obi-Wan breathed in a sigh of relief and welcome as peace flooded through him. The Force was strong in the Temple. He gave himself a little smile and went into the great building.
He entered the Jedi Council room, and found Master Windu, Master Ti and Master Yoda conversing.
"Where you were, we began to wonder," said Yoda, the tips of his ears gently shaking as he spoke in his squeaky, gravelly voice. His green skin looked paler under the bright lights of the Council chambers.
"Didn't anyone tell Anakin that I wanted him to stay after the Council a few days ago?" asked Obi-Wan. "I've been trying to reach him by hologram and haven't been able to speak with him."
"He ran off right after the Council," said Master Windu simply. "Said he had urgent Jedi business."
Urgent "Jedi" business? Unlikely, thought Kenobi, shuffling from one foot to the other. He nodded. "Very well. At least he has not left Coruscant?" he asked hopefully.
"Young Skywalker resting in his chamber, may be," said Yoda calmly.
"It is very likely that he has stayed on Coruscant," reassured Windu, "as he has his arm to heal and a new prosthetic to attach to it."
"Well, I shall find him. I must speak with him immediately." As he turned to leave, Yoda stretched out his green, clawed hand.
"Rest, Young Skywalker must. In grave danger he was."
Obi-Wan nodded. "Understood, Master Yoda. I will not exhaust him. I merely wish to speak with him, that is all."
. . .
The light bell sound alerted Anakin and Padme to the visitor at the door.
"Who could that be at this hour?" asked Anakin, a little jealously.
Padme rolled her eyes at him. "Oh yes, I forgot to tell you I entertain male visitors while you're away. Can't you stop being jealous for once? I'll go see who it is." She bustled out of the bedroom to go answer the door, leaving Anakin feeling sheepish. He stood up, pulling on the robe he had taken off earlier. He still wore his dark Jedi tunic and leggings, but when it came to the charade that Anakin was merely good friends with Padme, he knew that wearing everything was key. He left the bedroom, and entered the living area, where Padme was letting Obi-Wan through the door.
"I'm pleased to see you, Master Kenobi," she was saying. "But why the visit? And so late in the evening?"
Obi-Wan stepped into the room with a laid-back smile, reassuring Padme with a wave of his hand. "There is nothing to worry about. I had a hunch I would find Anakin here visiting you."
Anakin raised an eyebrow. "A hunch, Master?"
Obi-Wan smiled, noticing his former padawan had come from the bedroom in the back, and nodded. "A hunch. I actually came here to talk with you," he said, pointing unoffensively at Anakin. "Not to seem rude, Padme, but would it be all right if I took Anakin out for a talk?"
She nodded and Anakin said, "Of course I'll come, Master." He gave a pointed look at Padme that said "Don't blow our cover!" but she demurely smiled.
Obi-Wan smiled at his friend. "I'll wait for you outside. I'll see you later, Padme, thank you, and good evening." The door hissed open smoothly and he stepped out, letting the door close behind him.
"Anakin," started Padme, walking toward him. "He may know. Or else, he may suspect, but I think we can trust him."
Anakin sighed. He looked into Padme's soft brown eyes, touched her soft brown ringlets with his fingers, then caressed her cheek with his hand. "I don't want to lose you," he whispered.
She held his hand to her cheek and closed her eyes. "You won't," she said firmly, looking at him lovingly. "You will never, ever lose me. Now, go talk with Master Kenobi. There must be something we can do to figure our lives out and live happily."
Anakin's eyes lingered on Padme's face. "We will be happy someday. I promise."
Padme's smile was sad. "I'm happy now, Anakin. I love you." And she leaned on her tip-toes to give him a sweet kiss. He hugged her, and then pushed the button to the door, letting it hiss open. The smell of permaconcrete struck him, along with the odd metallic smell from the air ducts outside. He stepped out and the door slid shut behind him.
Obi-Wan was waiting for Anakin, leaning casually against the wall, arms folded, and smiled pleasantly at his former padawan when he saw him.
"Evening, Anakin. Did you have a relaxing day with Senator Amidala?"
"I was able to rest, if that's what you're asking," said Anakin dryly.
"You spend a lot of time with her. Unusual amounts of time," commented Obi-Wan, the corners of his mouth twitching under his moustache.
Anakin chose not to comment but fixed his mentor with a look that said "drop it".
"In fact, it's been so long since I've seen the Senator . . . have you noticed that she suddenly is carrying offspring? I wonder who the father could be? Did she get married while we were off fighting in the Wars?"
"I imagine so," said Anakin, sounding slightly annoyed.
"Why are you irritated with me, Anakin? Are you not in the mood to be teased?"
Anakin's pushed his lips together. "Not really, Master. And I wish you would come out and say what you're poking at, instead of dancing around the issue."
Obi-Wan grew serious, but his face was still kind. "I know that Padme is carrying your child, Anakin."
Panic nearly choked Anakin. His mind reeled. He nearly staggered, but steadied himself against the wall. He asked,"Ex—excuse me?" incredulously.
"Come come, now, Anakin. Did you really think I was ignorant of your feelings, or hers? Or did you think I was just blind?" His smile grew and he walked up to Anakin, clapping him on the shoulders. "Well, leave it to the most impetuous, headstrong, rebellious Jedi to break one of the most important rules in the book!" He laughed.
Anakin wasn't sure he quite understood what was happening. The sounds of passing traffic were quite loud and he thought that maybe he had heard Master Kenobi wrong. He blinked, looking confused.
"Don't get me wrong, you should be in very big trouble, and I shouldn't be happy for you at all, but somehow, I think that this will work out in your favor." Obi-Wan looked at Anakin's pale face. "Well, at least you get to take the Trials and become a Jedi Master, at any rate, and we can find some way to hide the fact that you've gotten married and fathered a child . . . Anakin, say something. You look sick."
Anakin felt sick. And relieved. He also felt like he wasn't getting enough air. He'd anticipated more of a lecture from Obi-Wan, not this congratulatory speech.
"M—Master, I—I don't understand—"
"I won't keep you from her for much longer, my young friend," said Obi-Wan warmly. "Only know that you must be willing to become unattached to your wife and baby to be a true Jedi. It is a hard fact of Jedi life, but it will be harder for you, because now you have stronger bonds to break than the rest of us."
Anakin wanted to sit down. He felt like all the blood had drained from his head, leaving him dizzy and faint. He didn't know that feeling so relieved would make him feel physically sick. Most of his stress had just melted away, and his body didn't know how to handle it.
"I—Thank you?" he said, confused.
"Not to worry, not to worry," chuckled Obi-Wan. "You get a good night's rest. We will talk soon enough. You'll be taking the Trials very soon, so make sure you get your new prosthetic arm soon, all right?" He clapped Anakin's shoulder once again, and bid him goodnight, then walked away happily to the landing platform, his robes swaying in the gentle night breeze.
Anakin wasn't altogether entirely sure what had just happened, but as a calm breeze that smelled like transport exhaust ruffled his hair, he watched his master walk away to a blue speeder and climb in. He leaned against the door, a small smile beginning at the corners of his mouth.
. . .