Chapter 2 - My Only Hope

DISCLAIMER: We (unfortunately) do not own Star Wars. :P

Author's Note: Anakin finally goes to Obi-Wan for help like he should have from the start, and Obi-Wan is ever the voice of reason in the chaos. Lol.

~ Amina Gila

Anakin leaves for the Temple as soon as Padme is awake, promising to be back by evening when she returns from the Senate. He desperately wants to get some research done in the Archives before he has to attend the Council meeting – which is a pain, and he really shouldn't have agreed to accept the seat, because now that he finally has an idea of what to do, he's being burdened with yet more duties and ugh. Shrugging his frustrations aside, he sends Obi-Wan a message asking him to meet him in the Archives. They have a few things to discuss, not least of which is Anakin's secret marriage.

While waiting, he sits down at a terminal and does a search for the name Darth Plagueis. It pulls up no matches, and after several minutes of fruitless searching, he pulls up a list of the names of all known Sith Lords in history and reads through it. The name appears nowhere. A perusal of the underground networks also proves fruitless, and Anakin slumps back in the chair, glowering at the screen.

How can the Chancellor have heard the legend which doesn't even seem to exist, at least not according to all the investigating which Anakin has just done? That doesn't make sense, and he's definitely missing something huge, because nothing is adding up. He's grateful for the lesson, even it was a little vague, which is strange now that he thinks about it. Palpatine has never been one to give cryptic advice. That's always been Yoda's forte. Great. Another mystery.

"I never thought I'd see the day you willingly spent time in the Archives," teases Obi-Wan as he approaches, and Anakin starts, having not heard the approach.

"Times change, priorities change," Anakin replies, swiveling to look at him. He's suddenly feeling inexplicably nervous, and he's not sure why, except that Obi-Wan isn't going to be happy, and Anakin should have said something sooner, but he didn't want his former master to be disappointed.

"What's wrong?" Leave it to Obi-Wan to see right through Anakin's carefully blanked expression. "And don't say nothing, because I seem to remember getting a message asking me to come here."

"I don't even know," Anakin states flatly, eyes flicking towards the terminal where he'd done the pointless research. The fear gnaws at him, and he's beginning to doubt everything he'd thought last night. He refuses to consider that the only possibility is to find the Sith Master and ask for help, because he really, really doesn't want to do that. "I've been having nightmares, visions…" Thankfully, he'd been spared last night, which is also odd. Maybe it's because he was having a hard time sleeping at all, and he didn't sleep enough for the visions to start.

"You'll have to be more specific," Obi-Wan prompts gently, sitting down on a chair next to Anakin. "What exactly are you seeing?"

Anakin can't bring himself to meet Obi-Wan's gaze. "They're about… Padme," he confesses, clenching his fists. "I – she – we – we kinda married," he blurts out so fast that he's not sure if Obi-Wan even heard.

There's a second of silence which seems longer than anything Anakin has ever experienced before. Then, he feels a distinct amusement from Obi-Wan. "Yes, Anakin, I'm not blind," his former master answers dryly. "You're terrible at being discrete, and I've known from the beginning that you two have feelings for one another. It's a miracle the whole Order doesn't know. Or maybe they do. It's not as though I've asked."

Anakin had expected many reactions, but teasing was definitely not one of them. "You're not mad?" he ventures cautiously.

"I'm positively broken hearted that you didn't invite me to the wedding," Obi-Wan deadpans, and Anakin can't help it. He grins, looking up to meet the mirth dancing in Obi-Wan's eyes. "Now, tell me more about the visions."

And he does. He explains how he's seen Padme dying in childbirth, and that they're expecting a child, and how he's so incredibly terrified that they're going to happen like the ones about his mother did. "I don't know what to do," he moans, "Because she thinks that if I can't figure something out, I should take her to the healers here, but then everyone will know!"

Obi-Wan sighs lightly. "I'm not a healer, but I do have basic training. I can look at her with the Force if you want. If I think anything isn't right, we can bring her to the Temple. It's not as though everyone won't find out anyways." He pauses and gives Anakin a pointed look. "You can hardly hide a newborn infant, and really, Anakin, the timing! You should have been more careful."

"We were being perfectly careful," Anakin grumbles resentfully, and changes the topic, because he doesn't want to get a scolding about accidentally having a child during a war, when neither of them had intended or planned such a thing. Not that he isn't happy, because he's elated, but maybe Obi-Wan has a point. The timing could have been better.

"Not that I'm complaining, but why are you here?" Obi-Wan queries after a moment.

"I was trying to see if this Plagueis guy was real," Anakin answers dismissively.

The Jedi Master frowns. "Who?"

"Darth Plagueis," Anakin answers patiently. "He's a Sith who's said to be able to prevent death, but I think the moral of the legend is that no one should be confident in their abilities."

"Back up," orders Obi-Wan. "Where did you hear this?"

Anakin blinks at the sudden edge in his former master's voice, but he complies and repeats the details of the legend which the Chancellor told him. For some reason, Obi-Wan is very still when he finishes. "Anakin," he says slowly – carefully? – something in his eyes almost wary, "Why would the Chancellor be telling you something like that right when you're having visions about Padme? Did you say anything to him?"

"Of course not!" Anakin sniffs, slightly offended. "I hadn't even told you."

"Would that really have mattered?" he queries quietly, pursing his lips. "I know the two of you are close… and we haven't exactly… been the same after the Hardeen incident." Anakin flinches at the reminder and pushes away the bitterness and lingering hurt which surges up. Now isn't the time to think about it, and he feels like he's missing something which is obvious to everyone else around him. And more importantly, he knows Obi-Wan is right. He probably would have been more willing to tell Palpatine than him if he got desperate enough.

The silence must be an answer, because a flicker of something passes through Obi-Wan's eyes before he nods slightly, expression suddenly guarded as he turns towards the data terminal next to the one where Anakin was working and begins typing.

"What are you doing?" Anakin questions after a moment of awkward silence. He wonders if it wouldn't have been easier to talk to Ahsoka, because though they aren't as close as they used to be either, that's only because she left the Order and hasn't been able to be with Anakin.

"Looking up the legend," Obi-Wan informs him brusquely, "And I'm using the Council codes in case there's something which is blocked from regular access."

Anakin sighs theatrically and slumps back in the seat, trying to alleviate the residual tension he can feel in the air between. He sudden loathes it, far more than he ever has before. The fear is nagging at him, but it's much more settled, especially with the matter partially out of his hands. Obi-Wan knows and he'll help. He can fix whatever is wrong and make sure that Padme is safe because they still have plenty of time, a few more weeks at least.

He's pulled from his thoughts when he feels Obi-Wan concern skyrocketing. "What is it now, Master?" Anakin wonders, eyeing the screen. He doesn't see anything which would give his former master a reason to worry.

"Plagueis does not exist, at least not to the best of our knowledge," Obi-Wan replies gravely.

Anakin blinks in confusion. "And? It was probably a made-up legend."

Obi-Wan shakes his head. "The Council keeps records of information on all the known Siths, so either the Chancellor invented the story himself – which is odd – or he knows more than he's saying."

It takes a moment for Anakin to catch up. "You can't be serious!" he scoffs. "He's no more of a Sith than I am!"

Obi-Wan exhales slowly. "I won't say anything to the Council yet, but again, you must be cautious. Something is not right, and even if Palpatine isn't a Sith, it's beginning to seem more and more likely that someone close to him is."

Anakin scowls, knowing even as he does, that Obi-Wan's reasoning is flawless, except Anakin would know if a Sith was there, because he would have felt one, right?

"Come, we should get to the Council meeting," Obi-Wan says at last. "We should speak again afterwards." Anakin presumes that he intends to say something but wants to think about it first. He doesn't protest – he didn't find anything useful here anyways.