A/N: Notice how I always have an A/N? Yeah well... I hope this is a good chapter for everyone... I love writing romance/fluff for some reason but I always hate what I write, cause I think my "romantic" scenes suck. So once again, I hope you like it. I'm also going away for the weekend so the next chapter won't be posted until mid to late-ish next week. I'm going to a sci-fi convention! whooooooo.
More feedback, please? ::puppy eyes:: I'll be your best friend! Okay, now I just sound desperate...
For the Sake of Being with You
:: Demon Eyes ::
~ Chapter Three ~
Ten minutes later, Obi-Wan had safely returned Padme to her rooms and was waiting with Dorme for a physician. Dorme was the only person he could find as he raced through her apartments, nearly in tears. Everyone else was still out looking for her and there was no way to contact them at the moment.
Dorme had called the closest physician to come see her and she was now pacing quickly around the outer room while Obi-Wan sat at Padme's bedside, holding the unconscious senator's hand tightly.
Her breathing had become so shallow that he could barely see her chest move. He was afraid that the doctor would be too late to help her.
But he couldn't think that. The jedi knight remained optimistic, convincing himself that Padme would pull through. He had promised not to let her go and he wasn't going to break that promise.
Despite the fact that Masters Yoda and Windu had told the Jedis they should not use their control over the force to help another like this, Obi-Wan ignored their words, using the Force to keep Padme strong. As he did, he could feel his own strength draining, but he continued. It was his own fault she had ended up this way, and he would fix it no matter the consequences.
"Master Kenobi!" Dorme called from the outer rooms, "The doctor's here."
The doctor, an older man whose remaining hair was a light shade of grey, followed Dorme through to the bedroom. Obi-Wan stood to great the doctor, never letting go of Padme's hand. "Thank you for coming."
"Of course, Master Jedi," the doctor said in a raspy voice, "Now, you say she's been poisoned, by a bounty hunter?" Obi-Wan nodded. "Hmm..."
Obi-Wan retook his seat as he watched the doctor walk to the other side of the bed and begin to examine the sleeping woman. His eyes then flickered to the pale face of the woman who's hand he held so tightly. She looked so innocent and vulnerable, so unlike how she really was.
He realized that the doctor was saying something, but he only caught the end, "...not sure what the poison is."
Terror came back into his eyes. "But you have to do something for her! Anything."
The doctor shook his head slowly and sadly. "I'm not sure what I can do. An antidote could kill her..."
"She's going to die anyway if you don't try something," the Jedi said, tears forming behind his eyes. "So try something."
"Alright," the man nodded, afraid of the Jedi doing something to him.
He sat a small bag on the table next to the bed, and began searching through. Obi-Wan, meanwhile, was brushing the hair out of Padme's face. She still wore her torn and bloody dress but was safely tucked between the blankets. He drew his face closer so that he could whisper to her without anyone hearing. "Padme, I promised I wouldn't let you go and I'm going to keep that promise. You are not dying today or tomorrow, but years from today. You can't leave now when you still have so much to give." He blinked away a tear, a weakness he was still not ready to show.
The doctor cleared his throat nervously, and Obi-Wan pulled away. "These," the doctor explained holding up his hand which held a white powder, and then another hand which held a vial, "are two antidotes. The powder takes away the poison, the drink the symptoms. It's one of the most common antidotes and curses many things. I'm not saying that it's definite that the bounty hunter used a poison that be cured so easily... but it's worth trying."
The Jedi nodded and then looked at the handmaiden in tears by the door. "Dorme," he spoke softly and then using the Force and influence of thoughts, persuaded the woman to leave the room. He really did not believe she should be here if the antidote didn't work. He then looked to the doctor who had just finished mixing the powder and liquid. "Alright."
The doctor nodded unconsciously, then held the vial to Padme's lips, pouring it gently and slowly into her mouth. Obi-Wan squeezed her hand. "Come on, Padme, swallow."
The young woman swallowed two mouth fulls of the substance. A minute later there was still no change, no sign of the antidote doing any good. "I'm sorr-" the doctor began to say, when suddenly Padme yelled out.
She began to shake violently and then lashed out on the blankets. Terrified that she was dying, Obi-Wan grasped her arm and then moved to hold her other arm down in a desperate attempt to stop the spasm. "Calm down, Padme... What's happening?!"
"I-I-I I don't know!" the doctor said, baffled as to what was happening in the girl's body.
Dorme appeared in the doorway, inquiring the same as the Jedi but neither had an answer for her. They could do nothing but watch and wait. Several minutes passed and it appeared she was calming down and then, finally, she collapsed back on the bed, still.
His face wild with fear, and tears beginning their journey from his eyes, Obi-Wan looked to the doctor, his voice a choked whisper. "Is she dead?"
The doctor held no emotion on his face as he leaned forward, an ear to Padme's mouth and a hand on her wrist. After several seconds, he pulled back, smiling, "She has a pulse, she's breathing normally. I believe she's recovering."
Obi-Wan collapsed back into his chair, indescribable emotions passing through him. He could not believe how relieved he was. How happy. So much so, he began crying again. He brought the pale hand he held between his own to his mouth, kissing it lightly. At a loss for words, he just continued staring at Padme's weak form. She was going to survive. He had kept his promise.
The doctor smiled at Obi-Wan, packing up what he had taken out and walking over to Dorme, who was crying as well. He smiled at the handmaiden, too, and then looked over at the Jedi and the senator. "In all my years," he whispered to the woman, "I've never seen a person more in love, much less a Jedi."
Dorme gaped at the doctor, realizing then that he was right. Obi-Wan was in love with Padme. Unable to voice words about this new information, she offered her thanks to the doctor, who grinned and promised to send the bill soon.
The two stayed in silence like that for a while. Both too relived to say anything to each other but only stare at the woman strong enough to pull through. A miracle.
"Dorme!" Captain Typho's voice cut through the moment, and Dorme brushed away her tears as she walked to meet the Captain. "We had no luck. Have you heard from Master Kenobi."
Dorme beamed. "He found her, Captain." She pointed to the bedroom and Typho immediately ran into the room.
"Oh, thank the gods."
Obi-Wan turned to greet the man, the tears already washed from his face. "What happened?" Typho asked the Jedi, his face becoming softer as the relief washed over him.
"In a minute, Captain," Obi-Wan replied happily, "You should call back your men first. And have you see Anakin?"
"You're right, and no, I haven't seen Anakin, I'm sorry. I'll be back in a minute."
Obi-Wan nodded to no one in particular then returned to his seat at the bedside. He couldn't allow something like this to happen again. The assassin had proved that even with two Jedi to protect her, she was still vulnerable. They would have to leave the planet, go someplace where a senator would be less likely to be found. He smiled as he imagined her arguing about leaving.
He picked up Padme's hand again. Holding it gave him some comfort that she would turn out alright. Superstitious, yes, but it made him feel better. Especially now that he realized he was extremely tired.
"Can I have my hand back, please?" a faint voice came from the bed, and Obi-Wan realized Padme had woken up. A chill washed through him as he heard her sweet, though weak, voice again and he realized just how close he had come to never hearing her speak again. Never seeing her eyes again. Never seeing her smile.
It made him think of how little he really knew her, and how much he cared for her despite this. Obi-Wan wondered what his world would be like if he and Qui-Gon hadn't been sent to help her all those years ago. Dark and unfeeling, because other then the love he had for his padawan and the other Jedi, he rarely felt any emotion as deep or pure.
He smiled softly, pushing his thoughts away and letting go of her hand. "How are you feeling?"
"Horrible," she whispered, her eyes closing slightly.
"I'm sorry for putting you in danger, Senator," Obi-Wan said quietly, still feeling guilty for what had happened.
"Obi-Wan," she replied, using his name rather then title, "it was not your fault. Don't you dare blame yourself."
He smiled as she did, the obvious 'tone' in her voice meant to lighten the mood. "If you say so, Senator," was what he said so simply to her, when the jedi felt like expressing the earlier thoughts of how dark his world would have been if he had lost her, especially living with that feeling that he had been the death of her.
"Padme," she whispered, her voice failing again. "My name is Padme. You had no problem using my name before. You shouldn't be calling me Senator."
Obi-Wan nodded, but was somehow uncomfortable using her first name, "Of course... Padme."
Obi-Wan continued staring at her, still unbelieving that she had survived and happy that she had, while Padme did her best not to look
anywhere near the Jedi. Dorme had mysteriously disappeared.
"Obi-Wan..." she began suddenly, her voice quieter then it had been. "Did... did you kiss me on the roof?"
The Jedi froze, the memory coming back to him in tenfold. She had remembered? How was he going to explain this to her... He prayed for someone to come in, anyone, to rescue him. Unfortunately, no one entered to save him. "Yes, I did."
She smiled, obviously sensing his nervousness. "Couldn't think of another way to wake me?"
He shook his head but offered no smile. It was not exactly a simple matter. He still longed to feel her lips again, to feel her touch. And again, Obi-Wan reminded himself that he could not follow that path, especially now that he knew Anakin loved her as well.
Padme, meanwhile was trying to understand if the kiss had meant anything to him, or if it had just been a solution to help her regain consciousness. She would probably never know, though, since Obi-Wan seemed reluctant to talk about it. Her only regret was that she had been unconscious during the kiss and had only awoken when he pulled back. She would give up everything at that moment if she could spend her life in Obi-Wan Kenobi's embrace.
"You look exhausted," Padme said, changing the subject but she remembered to bring up the kiss again later. It was something she had to know. "You should get some rest, I'll be fine."
"If the Senator doesn't mind," Obi-Wan replied, half-smiling, "I'd like to remain here for the night. The assassin is still out there, and I'm no longer trusting you to be without a Jedi."
The thought of Obi-Wan watching her all night, as she slept, made her feel very safe. She nodded but made it look somewhat reluctant. After all, she was supposed to be playing the part of the Senator who did not want the Jedi's protection.
"If you wouldn't mind, could you atleast leave me alone long enough to let me get changed?"
She nearly laughed at the sight of the Jedi Knight blushing and getting up from his seat. The embarrassment that seemed to have overwhelmed her that afternoon had disappeared since he had saved her life.
:://~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//::
Hours later, Obi-Wan sat in the same chair in the dark bedroom, trying desperately not to stare at Padme's sleeping form. Before going to sleep, Padme had been forced to tell Captain Typho what had happened. All she remembered was walking down the hall and suddenly turning to see that Dorme no longer was with her, and then blackness. The next thing she remembered was being awakened by Obi-Wan (thankfully, omitting how she had been woken up) and then waking up again in her room.
Typho had also found that it had been her drink during dinner that had been poisoned. Obviously, the security around the senator was not as good as they expected it was.
And now, Obi-Wan sat vigil, though incredibly exhausted. He refused to let anything happen again, not while he could do something to stop it. Stiff from sitting for so long, Obi-Wan stood and winced as he hit his wounded arm on the chair. He had forgotten all about it until Padme had questioned the blood on her dress and he remembered he had been shot. In the stress and panic, he had forgotten about it completely.
Another thought came to his mind, something else he had forgotten about. Anakin had still not been found or shown up. He really wanted to go out and find the boy, but couldn't be in two places at once. Obi-Wan just hoped the drunken boy didn't do anything foolish.
The jedi walked slowly around the room until he stopped on the other side of Padme's bed. He couldn't help but admit to himself that she was so beautiful, the most beautiful woman he'd ever met. He knelt beside the bed, watching her pale lips taking breaths. Reaching a hand out, he pushed a strand of hair away from her eyes and she whimpered in her sleep.
He replayed the kiss in his mind, and the chills that went through his body appeared again. Her lips were so soft, and as he remembered placing his own lips on them, it took all of his training to keep him from leaning forward and capturing her lips again. He thought about being in her arms, or her in his. Heaven, just to be able to feel that warmth and comfort that the cold life of a Jedi forbid.
Forbidden love, literally. A Jedi must not know love. And yet, he had already stepped over that line. He admitted to himself, finally, that it wasn't mere 'feelings' he held for the senator, but something that had not quite become love. Which was a lot to say for a man who had given his life to the Jedi.
Sighing, Obi-Wan turned his thoughts away before he depressed himself. This feeling was more then enough then actually being able to express it... or have it returned. No, knowing the feeling was good enough for him.
He pulled the blanket over her, making sure she was warm enough, and then lightly as possible, kissed her on the forehead. Padme smiled in her sleep.
Obi-Wan returned to his seat and pulled the smallest of notebooks from his belt. Paper, a rare thing these days to write on, but it wasn't like he was about to walk around carrying a machine. In times when he couldn't meditate, he found it relaxing to write. No one ever knew about this of course.
He pulled out a small lead pencil from the binding and smiled at Padme before starting to write.
:://~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//::
The next morning, Anakin still had not returned. Obi-Wan wanted to go out to look for him but he still did not want to leave Padme, and he felt she was not well enough to go out yet. Of course, she argued with him.
"Obi-Wan," she said angrily, "I feel perfectly fine. I'm pretty sure I could handle taking a walk. I can handle yelling at you just fine!"
"No, you're not leaving these rooms until I have a chance to speak to the council," Obi-Wan replied tiredly from his seat, keeping his eyes to the ground as Padme paced around in her robe.
"And how do you expect to stay with me in my rooms and talk to the council at the same time?"
"Anakin will stay here to protect you while I go talk to the council," he said for the fourth time.
"And how do you expect Anakin to protect me when he's not here? Don't you see; you have to go look for him and if you want to protect me you have to take me with you."
Obi-Wan got to his feet, pushed passed his limit and walked over to the woman causing his troubles. He grasped her by the shoulders, and looked her in the eye, "Senator Amidala, you are not well enough to go outside this room. I would never forgive myself if something happened to you and I will do my best to stop that from happening. I'm sure Anakin will be fine."
Padme stared at him for a moment, stunned that he had spoken to her that way, and also that he cared that much. "Master Kenobi," she replied, trying to stay levelheaded, "unfortunately, I disagree with you. I feel better then I have in days. Is it that hard for you to believe that the doctor's antidote could work this fast? I don't care what you say, I'm going to look for Anakin."
Obi-Wan blinked, his turn to be stunned. Her behavior was beginning to anger him but he had to remain calm. If only she wasn't so headstrong and could listen to reason just once... before he knew that he was doing it, he had leaned in to kiss Padme. The jedi saw her closing her eyes, waiting for their lips to meet. Seconds before they did, he found what control he had left and stopped, hovering in front of her face. "You're staying here," he whispered.
Furious, Padme punched Obi-Wan in the arm. Unfortunately, it was the arm that had suffered a hit the previous night and the jedi took a step back as he winced in pain. Padme's anger quickly faded as she rushed to Obi-Wan's side. "Oh, gods. Are you okay, Obi-Wan? I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."
He smiled, though the smile was somewhat pained. "I'm fine, really."
Padme rested her head on his good arm, laughing a little. "I actually hurt a Jedi."
"No, a bounty hunter hurt a Jedi, you just took advantage of my vulnerability," Obi-Wan replied then dropped his voice comically. "But I won't tell if you won't."
She looked up at Obi-Wan and started laughing again, and Obi-Wan felt his heart skip a beat as he watched her face become even more beautiful as she laughed. It made him want to laugh as well, and within seconds the two of them were laughing hysterically at nothing in particular.
"Did I miss something?" Dorme said from the doorway.
Both Padme and Obi-Wan turned to see her staring oddly at them, and they immediately composed themselves.
"No, nothing at all," Padme said. "Now, will you please tell him that I'm well enough to go find Anakin with him?"
"She's right," Dorme said before Obi-Wan could interrupt. "The doctor told me that she would be perfectly fine today and there was no reason she couldn't go out."
"See?" Padme said, happily.
Obi-Wan still shook his head though. "No, no I'm not letting you go-"
"Master Jedi," Padme said, walking closer to him, "I think that a doctor would know a little more about my condition then you would. Now, if you'll let me get changed, I'll join you in a minute." With that, she grabbed his good arm and led him towards the door, closing it before he had a chance to say anything else.
The young woman leaned her head against the door, sighing in relief. "Dorme? When did the doctor tell you that?"
Dorme smiled as she walked over to her friend's closet, "Oh, he didn't, but I really did not want to hear you two fighting all day long." Especially when you should be doing the opposite, she thought with a blush.
"Thanks, Dorme," Padme said happily, looking forward to spending the day with the Jedi.
Post chapter A/N: I just wanted to leave a little note about the Obi-Wan/notebook thing. This is probably abusing my poetic license (see i have an actual license! i can't drive, but i cant write! ::holds up license then quickly puts it away:: never mind i look horrible in that picture)...anyway, i always felt that Obi-Wan was probably a creative person. Like I said, I'm probably abusing my license and it'll be taken away from me....oh well! :)