Chapter 10

"You look tired," Padmé observed upon waking the following morning.

"I'm fine," Obi-Wan assured her. "How did you sleep?"

The young woman focused inwardly before a smile lifted her mouth. "Wonderful, but you can't keep this up."

"Do most of the disturbances occur in your dreams?" Obi-Wan asked her. What he had encountered seemed quite volatile. It was no wonder she hadn't slept very well lately.

Padmé sat up in bed and drew her knees to herself, examining him closely. His sacrifice of a night's rest had apparently earned him her trust. Good. It was about time.

"Anakin visits me during my dreams."

"But you said he spoke to you. Are you hearing him as an audible voice, or just inside your head?"

"Inside my head, mostly," she admitted, although that didn't explain her appearance; the dark circles which still shadowed her eyes, and the loss of weight.

"Does he appear to you physically as well?"

"While I'm asleep or awake?"

He couldn't imagine what he would say or do if he saw his former Padawan walking around again. He hoped Padmé wasn't having to deal with the same issue. "Either," he replied.

"I don't see him while I'm awake. But I can hear him and feel him at any time."

"Explain what you mean by feeling him."

Her knees were drawn even closer as she searched for the words. "It's hard to describe. Sometimes it's like a whisper against my skin, while other times it's much stronger. It all depends on his mood."

A mixture of emotions were playing through Obi-Wan's mind. He was stunned, amazed, and horrified, but mostly he felt an odd sense of protectiveness when it came to Padmé. She was a fighter by nature, but she couldn't fight what she couldn't see.

The problem was, Obi-Wan wasn't sure he could either.

"You mean, when he's angry," Obi-Wan clarified. "Is that when he hurts you?" he asked, recalling the bloody nose she had gotten two nights ago.

She sighed and smiled sweetly at him. "I think you need to get off the floor and get some rest."

One step forward, two steps back. Apparently she didn't trust him enough. Not yet.

"I'm not sure I can," he told her honestly. There was so much to think over and figure out! And he had to devise some sort of plan to get Anakin out of her life once and for all!

"You helped me, I will help you," she replied, standing to her feet and assisting Obi-Wan to lie down, when he had no intention of doing anything of the sort.

"Padmé, please. There's too much to do, and I'm not.."

"You're not going to argue with me anymore is what you're not going to do," she insisted, pushing him firmly backward onto the mattress and drawing the sheets up over his torso.

"This is ridiculous," he tried once more to dissuade her, though he knew perfectly well all he had to do was get off the bed. Strangely, he didn't, and was far more cooperative than he had planned on being.

"Hush, now," she consoled him softly. "Before I became queen, I used to help my mother babysit my oldest niece, Ryoo. She was just a toddler, but oh, how she hated nap time! My mother taught me a trick to lull her to sleep. At first, Ryoo resisted and she would cry and cry. But soon, her cries would become whimpers. And then her whimpers turned into mumblings, and before I knew it, she was fast…asleep."

As Padmé spoke, her fingers were doing marvelous things to his nose and forehead. They had set up a pattern of soothing caresses, moving up the bridge of his nose, across his browline, and gently crossing over his eyelid before starting all over again. She performed the ritual on both sides, speaking softly to him as her hand moved. Sooner than he had expected, his eyes felt gritty and his lids had begun drooping.

"Is it working?" she asked him teasingly.

He managed to reply a "Mmmmm," before drifting completely away.

Obi-Wan awoke refreshed, unaware of the time, but inhaling a delectable fragrance coming from the kitchen. He found Padmé there fixing a meal for the two of them.

"You're awake! You slept nearly six hours. It's time for mid meal." She told him as she gathered up a noodle salad, fresh bread and greens. "It looks like the rain has stopped. We can eat on the veranda if you'd like."

"Sounds delightful." Obi-Wan was more than pleased with her aura. A good night's sleep had done her wonders. She was beginning to look more like herself, and apparently had taken the time this morning to fix her hair and dress less casually. Although, he didn't mind seeing her in the house dresses she had been wearing lately, her attention to her personal care this morning revealed she was on the road to recovery and would soon be back to her old self again. After that, everything would return to normal.

Obi-Wan finished his meal quickly. He had missed one already and was famished by mid day. But he'd eaten too much and stretched lazily back in his chair, a new declaration to be made.

"You're a good cook," he complimented her. "I don't believe I've ever had the pleasure before."

"Well, it's about time you did. Perhaps for evening meal, I can make something special. If I have the ingredients, that is. I'm not sure what you brought the other day. We may have to make a trip to the market."

She was making plans for the future. That was another good sign, but there was still a lot of work to be done.

"After we go to town, perhaps you can do me a favor."

"What do you need?"

He had an idea, and although he didn't think it would be dangerous, there was still some risk involved. If he were to make another attempt in contacting Anakin, he needed someone to ground him; A physical presence to latch onto in this world just in case he lost his way. It didn't matter if Padmé was Force sensitive or not, he believed they had a strong enough connection through their bonds of friendship, that he would be able to locate her in the darkness if he had to. It was worth a try.

Before Anakin had turned to the dark side of the Force, he was a good apprentice, and a good friend. Perhaps Obi-Wan could remind him of that.