Obi-wan slipped silently down onto the balcony of Padme's residence. She had turned her bedroom light out earlier and he thought he was safe showing up now when all the security detail had retired for the night. Although he was sure, she didn't want to really see him.

Their last meeting hadn't gone as he had planned. Nothing ever went the way he planned. All Obi-wan managed to do was make a bigger mess.

Silently he walked down the darkened hall. The apartment was silent and the silence rang in his ears. Was this a mistake? Maybe he should have contacted her before showing up, but there was an urgency to his visit. There really hadn't been enough time to give her warning about his intentions.

Obi-wan was leaving Coruscant and didn't know when he would be back.

Using the force, he pushed her door open and found himself face-to-face with a blaster. His arms shot into the air in surrender.

"Damn Kenobi," Padme hissed and flicked on a light near her bed. "You could have been killed."

Obi-wan shrugged as she lowered the blaster and placed it back on the nightstand. She was giving him that look that told him he wasn't welcome here, especially this time of night and in her private bedroom. There was a time when he would've been welcome, but that time might have slipped through his fingers forever.

"I'm sorry," was all he could say. He meant he was sorry for everything, including the way he acted the last time they saw each other. Obi-wan was a fool, but she knew he was.

"What are you doing here?" she asked crossing her arms over her chest in defiance.

"I had to see you," he admitted in a very un-jedi like turn.

"You have had months to see me. I don't remember you making a point to stop by before now."

"I'm leaving Padme."

The silence in the room closed in around Obi-wan. He wanted her to say something, anything, but she sat in silence. It was not a good sign. Padme didn't care where he was going or if he ever came back.

"Where?"

Her voice was thick with sadness, but Obi-wan didn't move to comfort her. It wasn't his place. She had dismissed him from her life and he had kept his distance. Now he wished he wouldn't have stayed away. He wished he would've made it up to her a long time before getting his orders. War did things to people though and now he had regrets he would have to take with him.

"I can't tell you," he finally said after a silence.

She huffed and pulled her arms tighter around her body. Obi-wan took that as a sign of how much she hated him.

"I'm sorry I came," he said and turned to leave.

"Don't go."

The words were soft and full of sadness. Turning back around, Obi-wan saw the tears glistening in her eyes and spilling onto her cheeks. Standing before him, she was vulnerable like he had seen her before. Her heart was torn, Obi-wan could tell, between what she felt for him and sticking to her guns about the way he had acted.

"Why?" she asked simply.

"Because I'm stupid."

"Yes you are because I would give anything for you, whether it's my duty or my life. I hoped you felt the same way."

"I do."

"Then why do you insist on pushing me away when things get a little difficult? I thought you were a jedi, not afraid of anything."

Obi-wan sighed and rubbed his hand across his chin. There were no words to explain what was going on his mind. He couldn't figure it out himself when it came to dealing with her. How would he explain it?

"I'm afraid of what this means for us. I can't always be here and I can't always protect you. I've realized this over the past few months. I have to trust you to do what is right and that scares me. Losing control is hard for me, you know that."

Padme nodded her understanding, but he still didn't feel better about how he acted in the medical complex after her rescue.

"You have to trust me Obi-wan," she finally said sitting on the edge of her bed. "I was taking care of myself long before you came along. You can't have the weight of the galaxy and the weight of my protection on your shoulders at one time. It makes you do things that could get you killed."

He sighed. She was right, she was always right when it came to matters of the heart. In that arena, she had more experience and Obi-wan had to concede to her.

"We knew this would never be easy," she continued. "You said it didn't bother you because you were willing to give it all away for me. Has that changed?"

"No."

"Then prove it to me. Where are you going Obi-wan?"

He stopped and sucked in a quick breath. He wanted to warn her about the pain she was going to feel in the next few days, but he had been sworn to secrecy. It was something he couldn't break because if one person knew, they might tell others and the chain would go on until his life was really in jeopardy.

"You know that isn't fair to ask me," he finally said looking at her. The look on her face made him want to tell her, but he knew the consequences.

She huffed again, but it was softer this time. Obi-wan knew she wouldn't press for sensitive information and he was thankful for the respite. So much had happened over the last few days and he didn't really feel like talking about it anymore.

Knowing he was going to die didn't get any easier with the passing of time. It only brought the inevitable panic to the surface, which he continued to tamp down with all his might. To know you were dying was not something he wished on his worst enemies. The anticipation was enough to kill him now.

But he also knew if things went right, there would be resurrection. That was what he needed to focus on now.

"I forgive you," she said rising from the bed. "But you have to promise to try harder."

"I promise," he said reaching for her as she neared him and wrapping her in his arms.

"Come to bed," she said pulling away from him and taking his hand, urging him towards the large bed.

"I thought you would never ask," he smiled.