Title: Here With Me
Author: SpaceCowgirl (AKA NidaYubari at Livejournal)
Beta: Khuu Khuu
Fandom: Star Wars
Genre: Angst, Romance, AU
Pairing: Padmé Amidala /Obi-Wan Kenobi (Apologies to the canon-police!)
Rating: T (there might be a M-rated chapter later on, I'll change the overall rating then)

WARNING: Episode III SPOILERS! Do NOT read further if that's a problem.
Summary: This AU story is set between Episode III and Episode IV, starting at the ending of Ep III. Obi-Wan agrees to take Padmé (yep, she's alive) with him to his hiding place on Tatooine to make sure the Sith won't find her. But taking care of a mourning and stubborn woman turns out to be far more difficult than he expected, and when he starts to have feelings for her that run deeper than friendship, things are getting even more complicated.
Feedback: Is very much appreciated! I like constructive criticism, but please be gentle because it's my very first Star Wars story and I'm totally new to the SW fanfic community. :)
Disclaimer: I don't own Obi-Wan Kenobi or Padmé Amidala. (Too bad!) Lucky fellow George Lucas does. And I stole the story's title from the very talented Dido, because I'm terrible in making up titles on my own. No copyright infringement intended.

HERE WITH ME -- Prologue: Obi-Wan

Padmé would live. The mere thought gave me a little bit of the peace which I thought I had lost forever. The recent events had been tearing at my inner balance. But she would live.

We had almost lost her as she was giving birth to Luke and Leia. Almost. The medical droids had succeeded in keeping her alive, but we considered it best to make the general public believe that Senator Amidala had passed away, taking both twins with her. She was put into a stasis-like condition and officially declared dead. There was a simulated funeral in order to scotch any doubts about her tragic passing.

We decided to seperate the twins from one another, and from their mother too. All three of them were to be taken to places where they had the chance of starting a new life. Somewhere, where the Sith wouldn't be able to track them down and kill them. There was no other way. The innocent infants were our last hope. So, Viceroy Bail Organa adopted the girl, and I delivered the boy to his uncle Owen Lars on Tatooine, where I planned to retreat to also to spend the rest of my life in exile. Meanwhile, Master Yoda wanted to find a refuge for Padmé, who still was trapped in unconsciousness, not knowing her fate. But finding a convenient hiding place for Padmé turned out to be far more difficult than expected. Master Yoda contacted me on Tatooine to resume our discussion about the matter, and after much talking and even more deliberating, I agreed to fetch her myself and take her with me to the distant Outer Rim to see to her well-being. After I had discovered it unwise to take either of the twins, this was the least I could do.

So now we finally were here. She and I, in a small spartan hut that was by no means offering any luxury, but it served the purpose. It was in a good position deep in the deserts of Tatooine, quite far from any semblance of civilization. It should hide us well. It wasn't exactly a dwelling that did justice to Padmé, who was a former Head of State, but there was little choice. Yoda and I had made the decision for her; she didn't have a chance to have a say in it. There was nothing else I could do but hope for her compliance, once she woke up again and learned of what had happened.

Without any effort, I carried her seemingly lifeless body into the hut which was to be our shelter from now on. I had laid her on the bed, placed a chair next to it and sat down on, waiting for her to wake up. Two hours passed, and neither of us had moved an inch.

It was an exceptionally hot day, even for local conditions. The twin suns of Tatooine glared without mercy, heating the dreary surface of the planet. Even though the shaded rooms weren't as torrid as it was outdoors, it was still sweltering enough to make Padmé and me break out in an instantaneous sweat. Her face and the backs of her hands glistened with dampness. I considered stripping off a few of her multilayered clothes to make her feel more comfortable, but decided against it. I had already taken off the thick cloak she'd been wrapped in before I had carried her to the bed, and this had to be sufficient for the time being. Even if we were to live under the same roof from now on, Padmé was still a former Queen and Senator, and the mother of my former Padawan's offspring. My ethical code forbade me to undress her while she was unconscious. So, I remained where I was, on the chair, and just watched her.

I wondered just how long it would take her to adapt to her new home. Her homeplanet Naboo was an idyllic place with green slopes, rich forests and lively, vibrant cities. While there were clear waters and copious vegetation on Naboo, all Tatooine had to offer was a never-ending, dusty desert. Myriads of dunes gave way to bleak mesas and cragged canyons every now and again, scattered across the otherwise flat land. On Naboo there was a moderate climate, but here we were exposed to extreme temperature changes. It was stiflingly hot during the day, and biting cold during the night. Though Tatooine was far from being the most pleasant or beautiful place to live in, it was simply the safest for us. It was a remote planet beyond the reaches of the Republic and Imperial law. They wouldn't find us here. We just would have to make sure to stay away from the few cities that were far strewn over Tatooine and choose a life in complete exile. Padmé would see that there was no other option. She was a clever and strong woman. She would understand.

Suddenly her eyelids twitched. Only very faintly, but it was a definite indication of her awakening. It took some time until there was more than weak involuntary movements, but there was no hurry. I could wait, no matter how long. Finally, the first spoken word slipped from her pale lips. It was shaky and scarcely audible, but I understood, and it triggered an unexpectedly deep feeling of sympathy inside of me.

"Anakin?" she whispered exhaustedly before even opening her eyes properly. It broke my heart to see her feeling around for him with a very weak motion of her arm. I gave into instinctive impulse and rose. I carefully took her searching hand in my own and sat down next to her on the corner of the bed. Her lids opened only a little crack, but it was enough to let me see the affliction and sadness in her dark eyes.

"Master Kenobi..." There was so much confusion in her voice, hopelessness and sorrow. I asked myself what I should say. Suddenly, I didn't know how I could ever find the right words to explain the situation to her anymore. How could I have thought that it would be possible to make her understand? For the first time since I had agreed to take her with me into exile, to hide her and take care of her, I doubted that it would actually work. What was I getting myself into? Why was I always prone to impose obligations on myself which I couldn't accomplish, no matter how hard I tried and how badly I wanted to? Was it my destiny to always fail and bring destruction to those I loved the most? I resisted this idea and decided that it would be different this time. This time, I wouldn't fail. I already had lost the two most important people in my life, and I couldn't do anything to bring back Qui-Gon or Anakin. It was too late. But it was not too late to protect Padmé. I was willing to give everything I had to offer and more, just to make it right this time. To save her.

"Obi-Wan?" Her small voice made me snap out of my thoughts. I looked at her while her lethargic gaze slowly travelled the little room. Her hand was delicate and pale in my own, and I caught myself stroking the back of her hand gently with my thumb, hoping that the gesture would calm her a little. Finally she looked directly in my eyes.

"Where are we?" she breathed faintly.

"Safe," I said.

t.b.c. -