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Losing Anakin

I can't believe Anakin would do such horrible things—it just can't be true! Obi-Wan must be mistaken—he has to! Padmé thought as the door to her ship closed and she started the motor. She had to reach Anakin and reason with him before Obi-Wan had the chance to.

She landed on Mustafar and tapped her foot impatiently as the door opened and the ramp lowered slowly. She ran to Anakin, who had apparently been waiting for someone. "What are you doing here? I saw your ship coming!" Anakin asked her, clutching her tightly.

"I came here to warn you. I've been hearing things, Anakin. From Obi-Wan—terrible things, Ani. He said that you've killed younglings, and turned to the Dark Side. Tell me they're not true."

"Obi-Wan is trying to turn you against me, too!"

"No, Ani! He cares about us!"

"Us?"

"Obi-Wan knows. He knows about us."

"How?"

"He guessed. I didn't tell him."

Padmé realized as they continued to talk that Anakin wasn't himself.

"You've changed, Ani. You're going down a path that I can't follow."

Anakin turned angrily toward the ship. He saw Obi-Wan standing at the top of the ramp.

"You brought him here?" Anakin screamed at Padmé.

"No!" Padmé took a step backwards. Anakin couldn't really think that she had brought Obi-Wan here when Obi-Wan's one assignment was to kill Anakin! Padmé felt her throat close and realized that Anakin was using the force to strangle her. She tried to free herself from his grasp, but it was useless. She gave up and collapsed on the ground.

Later, she woke up. "Obi? Where is Anakin?"

A look of sheer pain crossed Obi-Wan's face. "Tell me." Padmé ordered weakly.

"His rule of the galaxy is over before it began." Obi-Wan said simply.

Padmé began to cry, then she realized that Anakin hadn't really loved her enough. It wasn't her fault. She closed her eyes and gave up consciousness.

Padmé woke much later in the hospital. She gave birth to both children, named the girl Leia and the boy Luke, and turned her head so she could see Obi-Wan. "Obi," she whispered, "Obi-Wan... there... is good in him. I know there is... still..." She closed her eyes and drew her last breath, and was still.

Anger towards Anakin bubbled up in Obi-Wan, but he repressed it. "Anger toward the dead is useless." Obi-Wan thought. And he walked out of the hospital.