A/N: Well… after about a 1 year hiatus to work on other things, I'm back. To those of you that were keeping up with my fic the Rise of Darkness, I'm sorry to say that that has been discontinued. In its place, I'm writing this. I'm hoping it will be more epic than that fic ever would have been. Please enjoy.

Full Summary: Palpatine is arrested, and a successor takes his place in more ways than just becoming the new Chancellor. Obi-Wan is sent to protect her after a an attempt on her life, and eventually they fall in love. Then their love is shattered completely and the Jedi Master is propelled down the path to the Dark Side. Meanwhile, Anakin seeks revenge on those responsible for Padmé's death. Obi-Wan is on his list.

Thus, this is an ANAKIN AND OBI-WAN DARKSIDE FIC. The following pairings will be explored as well as exploited for dark purposes: Anakin/Padmé, and Obi-Wan/OC.

Without further ado, I present….

The Devil You Know

by Sith Master2019

PART I: The Devil in Sight

Prologue: Arrest

Chancellor Palpatine sat quietly in his private office, looking over datapads detailing everything from expense reports to debriefings of Clone War battles. He paid none of them any mind, however. Soon they would no longer matter. They would have absolutely zero relevance come tomorrow, assuming everything went according to plan, which it would. Palpatine knew this. He had foreseen it.

Of course, he did not require his gift of foresight to know exactly why four Jedi Masters suddenly entered his office unannounced. He knew that they knew. The Chancellor would play innocent for the moment, however. He required—in this situation—subtlety as much as he required foresight. Although, perhaps it would ease the coming conflict if he could catch just one of these Jedi off guard, however slight.

So, with a pleasantly surprised, manufactured smile upon his face he glanced up at Mace Windu.

"Ah, Master Windu," said the Chancellor, "I trust that General Grievous has been destroyed."

Palpatine smiled. If he were actually innocent of what the Jedi suspected, that is what he would have assumed.

Unnecessary subtlety.

If it disarmed just one, he'd be pleased. They should all die fast. It would be easier.

"Chancellor, by the authority of the Jedi Council and of the Galactic Senate, you are under arrest," Mace Windu stated coolly.

"I see," Palpatine replied evenly. "May I ask under what grounds am I being arrested? What are the charges, Master Jedi?"

"You are a Sith Lord. You've been in command of the Separatists the entire time they fought against us. You're responsible for the deaths of millions of innocent people. Those are your charges."

"A Sith Lord?" Palpatine inquired, feigning surprise. "Even if that were true, Master Windu, it is hardly illegal."

"Hardly," the Jedi agreed icily. "Murder is, though. Orchestrating a war will not settle well with the Senate either."

The Chancellor chuckled. "Right you are—about the illegality of those actions, that is. However, conviction would require proof. Since you have none…."

"Contrarily," Mace bit back, "we do; your own confession to Anakin Skywalker."

Palpatine's smiled widened.

Of course, just as he'd wanted. Anakin's confusion would make him so much more susceptible.

The coming confrontation would heighten that sense of confusion. The Chancellor let his wrist fall on the cool metal cylinder within his sleeve. How lovely the scene would be….

"Ah, yes. I thought we might hit that little snag. You've caught me, Master Jedi. I am indeed a Sith Lord, and I orchestrated this war. I am confident, though, that none of this will matter."

"The Senate will decide your fate."

"I am the Senate," Palpatine snapped, allowing his voice to contort with rage. The façade could be dropped now, he supposed. The conflict would have to begin very soon; catching one Jedi off guard was not that important, after all.

"We'll see," Windu returned. He activated his amethyst lightsaber. "You're under arrest, Chancellor."

The three Jedi behind him—Agen Kolar, Saesee Tinn, and Kit Fisto—all followed suit. It was deathly silent for a moment or two, the only sound being the steady buzz of the lightsabers.

Palpatine stood quickly, allowing his own, inactive blade to fall from his sleeve into his hand.

"I frown on treason, Master Windu," said the Sith Lord with a wicked smile. "We'll see what the Senate has to say after they hear of your failed attempt on my life."

"They will see it as a lie, because you'll be in our custody, and you'll admit it."

"Continue to assure yourself at that. At least you will die clinging to hope."

Then the Sith Lord propelled himself into the air, flying toward the Jedi.

Agen Kolar was the first to perish as Palpatine—now fully embracing his true identity; Darth Sidious—activated his crimson blade and stabbed is straight through the Jedi Master's heart. In one, fluid movement he pulled the saber free from the smoking hole of the Jedi's chest, and swung it around, slashing through Saesee Tinn's next. Continuing with that momentum, Sidious ran the weapon through Kit Fisto's midsection, carving a cauterized gash.

The three Jedi hit the ground at almost exactly the same time

Windu's violet blade flew at Sidious in an overhead strike. The Sith Lord parried, back-stepped, and launched into a flurry of attacks. Mace's defense was about as strong as the Sith Lord's offense. Evenly matched, the two combatants fought there. Their deadly game of combat was fluid, swift, and had a great aura of dangerous, lethal power. It was almost a choreographed sequence, the way the blades met at exactly the same time, cracking loudly, and then pulled back from one another, only to meet again in another clap of thunder and light.

Then, the tone of the battle changed. As quickly as it was a mere show of flashy attacks, it turned in favor of Mace Windu.

The Jedi Master batted away as strike from Sidious, and then sliced the Sith Lord's lightsaber hilt in half as he retaliated.

Sidious appeared surprised.

He was surprised.

Mace Windu called upon the Force, then, and used it to push the Sith Lord away.

The blast of energy sent Sidious flying backward, straight over his desk, and to the sill of window behind it.

Mace was there in seconds. He angled his amethyst blade at the seemingly helpless Sith Lord's throat.

"You are under arrest, Chancellor," snapped the Jedi Master.

"Anakin!" cried Sidious, looking toward the entrance of the private office.

Windu focused his attention there for a moment. Anakin had just entered; a look of shock upon his face. Mace quickly returned his focus to Palpatine.

"Help me, Anakin!" cried the Chancellor. "He'll kill me unless you stop him."

"Enough!" barked Windu. "You have lost!"

"You can't kill him, Master!" Anakin stated loudly, a hint of panic evident in his voice.

"I do not intend to. The Senate will decide whether he lives or he dies."

"A pity you will not live long enough to see it," hissed the Sith Lord.

Mace barely raised his saber in time to stop the wave of deadly lightning from hitting him.

The tendrils of electricity ricocheted from the amethyst blade, flying straight back to their creator. Sidious did not let up his attack, and by refusing to do so, he paid. His features melted, and were contorted. Only after his entire face was completely disfigured did he relent.

"Stand up," snapped Windu.

"Help me, Anakin!" huffed the Sith Lord, sounding out of breath. "He will murder me!"

"Silence," Mace ordered. He tossed a pair of rather plain looking binders to the Sith Lord. "Put them on."

He became quite silent for a moment, took a deep breath, and narrowed his eyes.

Then….

"No," hissed Sidious, "you shall die!"

The Dark Lord raised his hands once more, but Mace slashed.

Two things happened at once.

One of Sidious' mangled hands hit the ground, smoking, no longer attacked to the charred stump which had once been its wrist. Then, Mace Windu flew across the Chancellor's office, hitting the wall and falling on his face. His lightsaber died and rolled from his grasp.

Sidious managed so raise himself into a crouch, holding his wrist and cursing in pain.

"Kill him, Anakin," the Sith Lord hissed.

Mace stood, calling his lightsaber to him. He slowly approached the Sith.

"Master!" Anakin cried as Windu activated his lightsaber. "It's not the Jedi way!"

"Be silent, Skywalker."

"I need him!"

Mace pulled back to strike.

"NO!" Anakin bellowed, activating his own saber, but Windu brought his down swiftly. The butt of the hilt hit Sidious in the back of the head, sending him to the floor.

"All too easy."

A/N: Yes it was. There IS A REASON FOR IT! Don't think I'm taking the easy way out for convenience of the plot! I even dropped a hint. See if anyone can pick it up. Why in the world would it be THAT easy to take Sidious down…? Think real hard for a sec. The answer will come to you very quickly! Now… reviews must come to me very quickly…. Also, I've written that scene like 100 times! I'm never doing it again. You've just witnessed history.