Chapter Four
Dreams
Obi-Wan laid in his room at the Jedi Temple, but he wasn't really there. He was on a planet filled with lava. Mustafar, he realized. Padme was there as well. She was so angry with Anakin. Obi-Wan had never sen her so angry. She was no longer pregnant, he realized. She clenched her fist and continued yelling at him. Anakin was lifted off the ground and made strangling noises. Padme was hurting Anakin! Then out of no where lightning shot from Padme's fingertips. She was a Sith. Obi-Wan reached Anakin's side as fast as he could, but Anakin only smiled thinly.
"The dangers of love," Anakin whispered thinly.
"Anakin, please hold on. Help will be here shortly."
"I can't. Master, promise me."
"Anything, Anakin," Obi-Wan said sobbing openly. This reminded him too much of Qui-Gon's death.
"Promise me that you will train the boy, train my son."
"You're going to do it yourself."
"Promise me."
"I promise Anakin."
"Give him my lightsaber when he's old enough."
"I will," Obi-Wan said as Anakin's eyes glazed over. "Rest well, my friend," Obi-Wan said as he placed his hand over Anakin's eyes feeling his life force disappear. He looked up to find Anakin's wife smiling evilly. "Padme, why?" he asked standing up.
"Why, Obi-Wan, surely you know. I have the world's greatest beings as my children. No harm will never come to me. All my plans will be complete. Haven't you guessed by now, Obi-Wan, I am the Sith Lord."
"No," Obi-Wan whispered. "Anakin loved you."
"Now he can never destroy me. The Jedi Chosen One can never destroy me."
Obi-Wan gave a growl as he ignited his lightsaber. "Put it away," she said softly, "You will never get near enough to my child. You are as dead as my son's father."
Obi-Wan woke up in a sweat. Never had he felt such powerful emotions. What if Anakin was wrong? What if it wasn't the Chancellor but Senator Amidala that was the Sith Lord. He had to keep them apart. All Obi-Wan knew was that it wouldn't happen until after the baby was born. He had to keep them apart, and he had to save Anakin, He could lose his padawan the same way he had lost his master. He wouldn't survive that. He had to find a way to save him. Force knew there must be a way.
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Anakin too, tossed and turned in his sleep. He awoke in a sweat, clenching and unclenching his mechanical arm. He turned to stare at Padme watching the rise and fall of her chest. She was alive. She had cried out for him, begged for him, died right before his eyes. She had been with Obi-Wan when she had died. Where was he? Force knew he would do anything possible to keep her by his side, and alive. A shiver raced down his spine, was this how he turned to the dark side? She had fought so hard to hang on for him, screaming and begging for him. He felt Padme's prepense and turned around to face her. "How can you love me knowing all I'll do?"
"Ani, you haven't done any of those things yet. You are still the man I love. Your mother would be very proud. I'm very proud to call you my husband. I don't know how not to love you. When you face the Chancellor, remember me and our love, and our baby," Padme said putting an arm around his waist, and leaning on his shoulder. Anakin reached over and touched the jippet snippet.
"I remember when I gave you this."
"Anakin," Padme said sighing as she touched his mechanical arm. She raised her hand to where the flesh met the metal. "How long is it going to take for us to be open and honest with one another?"
Anakin turned to her taking both of her her hands into his. "It was a nightmare, like the ones I used to have about my mother."
"And?"
"It was about you," Anakin's voice caught in his throat. "You die in childbirth."
"And the baby?"
"I don't know. The baby was alive in the future but I don't know, Padme. I won't lose you like I lost my mother. I won't let this one become real."
"This baby will change our lives, Anakin."
"What are we going to do?" Anakin asked.
"We aren't going to worry. We are going to be happy, " Padme said and Anakin smiled hearing his own words repeated back through her mouth. "You are a hero, Ani. I love you. I believe in you. All I need is your love."
"You have it. You'll always have my love. " She kissed him and all was right in the galaxy once more. There was nothing more important than their love. He let his control slip as passion overtook him completely and Padme fell asleep in her husband's arms. This was a marriage, she thought, glad to have her husband home once again.
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Darth Sidious smiled in his office. Obi-Wan was reactiing to his dreams jsut as he had planned. He had thought it would be funny to manipulate Obi-Wan's dreams to echo Qui-Gon's death which had been the worst moment in Obi-Wan's life, Palpatine knew from his talks with Anakin. For his plan to procede as planned he needed controversity. What better trouble than for Obi-Wan to try to keep Padme and Anakin apart while Anakin would be obsessed with keeping Padme alive. They would both belong to him, he thought smiling. He would have the Jedi's Chosen One as his servant, and the Negotiator himself. The true gift of the dark side, was being able to see how things were changing and manipulate them to your advantage. He frowned for Anakin did seem more bathed in light than he had in a long time. He had to trust that Kenobi would be able to help him turn, for the Chosen One was the only one who could truely destroy him once and for all. Darth Sidious was discovering the power to cheat death, a power he would keep to himself despite the fact that Anakin would want it, as would Obi-Wan. He knew he could keep his soul alive until the body came along...
