Part III: Complications (Approximately 12 years after the Phantom Menace; Several weeks after Part II of this story.)
Padme Amidala Skywalker stood facing the window. Her back was to him, and she did not hear him enter. He watched her for several seconds, noting her rigid posture, and the regal way she held her head. Years of public office and life at court had trained her to look the part of perfect calm. Outwardly, she was everything a Senator should be – calm, noble, strong, fearless… Inwardly, her emotions raged a battle that the casual observer would never be able to discern.
But, Obi-Wan was not a casual observer. He could sense the Force flowing around her like a raging torrent. She was battling something new, something she had never expected.
She had been through much these last few weeks. Each time she was faced with another wave, he expected her to falter. But she never did. She steeled her voice and darkened her eyes, knowing that mourning would come later. But at this moment, she was at her weakest. If ever there was a breaking point for this young ruler, now would be the closest she would ever come to it.
"You sent for me, Padme?" She turned to face him, and he could see that she had been crying. She nodded silently, then motioned for him to take a seat. He did not move, waiting for her to be seated first.
She did so, then paused before speaking again. "He is gone?" She did not specify who she was referring to. She did not need to.
It was Obi-Wan's turn to nod. "He left Coruscant with Palpatine within the last few hours. I have a group Jedi tracking him now. We will know where is going very soon."
Amidala glanced away from him, eyes trained on the bustling air traffic visible outside her window. She remained silent for several minutes, and Obi-Wan could feel the struggle that she tried so hard to hide. She could not seem to find the words to tell him what she wanted to say. She did not have to. He reached out with the Force and immediately sensed the source of her anxiety. Not one, but two lives were growing inside of her.
"You are pregnant," he said. She turned to face him, moisture glistening in her dark eyes. He lower lip trembled slightly, and she fought against the tears that threatened to spill down her cheeks.
Obi-Wan understood the implications immediately. The children of Anakin – children that would undoubtedly be strong in the Force. Children that Palpatine would stop at nothing to have within his grasp.
Obi-Wan was speechless. He wanted to find the right words to comfort her, and instead, failed miserably. He could not mistake the terrible irony of the situation. A baby was supposed to bring joy and happiness, a promise of hope, a new future. These children only served to intensify the immeasurable pain and grief that Amidala was already experiencing. To know that your children were in danger, before they were even born… Obi-Wan did not need the whisperings of the Force to imagine the fear that she must be feeling for the small lives developing inside of her.
"He will not know," Obi-Wan said finally. "We will hide you somewhere on the Outer Rim, until the babies are born –"
"He will know," she whispered, softly interrupting him. "I can still feel him." She turned desperate eyes to him. "Even now, we are connected. And if I can feel him…"
"No," Obi-Wan said firmly. "The Dark Side is strong, but it cannot do that which it has not been summoned to do. He won't hear you, because he has stopped listening." As soon as the words left his lips, Obi-Wan knew it was the wrong thing to say.
"He won't ever listen again, will he?" It was a statement, not a question. She spoke the words of a Senator facing the facts – free from delusions, expecting the worse and hoping for nothing.
Obi-Wan grabbed her gently by the hands and forced her to look at him. "We will find him when the time comes. We will make him listen." He paused. "Until then, we need to keep you and your children safe." He smiled softly. "Don't give up hope."
She roused herself, as if from a deep slumber. The Senator gave way to the human side of her. "What happens when there is no more hope?" She was suddenly livid, her voice heavy with bitterness. "What if all hope is gone, and he can never be turned back? What if my children are born, without a father, knowing that at any time, they could be snatched away to serve the Emperor? What then?"
Obi-Wan ignored the ferocity of her words, for he could sense the pain behind them. "We must take each day as it comes, Padme. The future is always in motion – even for a Jedi, it is difficult to see." He reached out with the Force as he spoke, attempting to soothe her. "We cannot predict what will happen. We can only be ready for whatever may come."
She nodded mechanically, but deep in her heart, she already knew that her husband was lost. She knew it that day on the balcony, when he was faced with a choice. She had seen the struggle in his eyes. She had seen the decision he had made.
Amidala visibly steeled herself. She would go on – she must go on – if not for herself, if not for her husband, than for her babies. She must be strong for them. And when that day would come, the day that would separate her from her children…
Amidala shook her head. She could not think of that now.
"We must be ready for what may come," she echoed, trying hard not to think of what that might imply.