Author's Notes :: Hello again! ^_^ Is it getting better yet? Hmm? Well, I just had a strange idea to make the story more interesting. It'll either be in this chapter or the next one. Ever seen that movie "What Dreams May Come"? Well, if ya have, 'member the part where Chris goes into hell to try to save his wife? It's going to be like that, kinda. If ya haven't seen it, don't worry about it. ^_^;; Also, toward the end of this chapter, the section with the ///////'s at the beginning and end is Amidala's dream.



Jedi and queen sat together upon the floor in one of the lower rooms. It was the only place free from constant noice and distraction. Padme rested against Obi-Wan's side, still sleeping peacefully. Obi-wan smiled slightly and placed an arm around her. He had never be this close to her before and had never realized just how beautiful she was. Even in her state of near madness, she still held such beauty.

"Forgive me, your majesty, but I don't understand why someone would want to harm someone as beautiful as you." he said. He laughed softly, "It's truly a pity I can't say anything like that to you when you're awake. I suppose everyone tells you things like that though. You're a queen. Everyone tells you that you're beautiful and wonderful. Most people who say things like that just want something. I wonder if you know how truly beautiful you are."

He smiled again and slowly ran a hand over her soft, brown locks smoothing all the loose strands. He gently wiped away the remaining tears that had clustered around her eyes. He enjoyed being able to care for her like this, but at the same time he wished nothing had happened to her to cause this.

"As soon as you're in the safety of the palace, I'm going to find whatever it is that's harming you. I promise, Padme, I promise." he whispered, not knowing she heard every word.

~*~

Naboo was in a state of complete panic.The people wandered throughout the streets looking for safety. They never knew when or why the attacks would come. They never knew just what to do without the guidance and leadership of their queen.

Gungan soldiers patrolled the streets and tried to help the people calm down and return to their homes. Jar Jar Binks was quite disturbed by the course of events.

"Meesa no understandin dis. Meesa no know what to do." Jar Jar lamented.

"Jar Jar, yousa needin to calm down. No usea in gettin da people worried." another solider said.

"Maybee yousa is right." Jar Jar said with a short sigh.

~*~

The queen's Nubian landed in the main hanger as planned. Sabe quickly exited with her handmaidens and Captain Panaka. Sio Bibble was there to greet them. Obi-Wan watched from inside the ship. As soon as they had entered the palace, he lifted the sleeping queen into his arms again. Padme started to move and whimper softly.

"Hush now, your majesty. Everything is going to be fine. Once I get you inside, I can try to identify your attacker. You just have to trust me. Just rest. Just sleep in my arms like you have been." he whispered soothingly.

She stopped her whimpering and rested against him once more. Obi-Wan was almost perplexed by this. Qui-Gonn had told him the one in the sleep couldn't hear anything. "Perhaps she was trying to wake up," he thought, "She couldn't have heard me..."

The young jedi master focused his concentration again and aided the queen in returning to her deep slumber. It was safer for her this way. Quietly, he stepped off the ship and made his way inside. Captain Panaka had done his part of keeping the hallway empty. Obi-Wan quickly moved down the hallway and into the queen's private chamber.

The room was large and intricately decorated. Various pieces of carved furniture lined the walls. Two large windows were covered with red draperies with gold patterns dancing upon them. Her bed was centered in the room and surrounded by red and gold silk curtains which hung from the ceiling. Obi-Wan pushed them back and gently placed the queen upon her silk- covered bed.

Obi-Wan just sat there for awhile staring at the queen. He knew he would have to awaken her soon. "I hope this works." he thought. However, before he could attempt to awaken her, two handmaidens slowly came walking in.

"Sabe wanted to know how the queen was doing." Rabe said.

"I'm going to awaken her soon." Obi-Wan said.

"Sabe also wants to know when she can see the queen." Eriate added.

"Soon. Just give me time." he said, then slowly waved his hand, "Go back to Sabe and stay in the throne room."

"We shall return now." Rabe said.

"And keep Captain Panaka away from here as well." Obi-Wan said with yet another wave of his hand.

"We will be sure the Captain stays in the throne room." Eriate said.

"Thank you." Obi-Wan said.

The two handmaidens nodded and exited quietly.

"Now, your majesty, it's time for you to sleep on your own. I need to see your dreams. Dreams are things they aid the jedi. You see, dreams are your minds way of clearing things out. If I were to glance into your mind while you were awake, I would only see the fear. If I look while you're asleep, I may see what's causing the fear, what started the fear. Don't worry, it won't hurt at all. Just relax. I know I won't have much time, for without my life-force willing you to sleep, you won't sleep for long. But, perhaps I can try." Obi-Wan said, for if she could hear him, she would want to know what was happening to her.

He slowly reached for her hand and gently held onto it. He closed his eyes and began to focus his energy upon peering into her mind.

~*~

The y-wing fighter ship landed in the quiet twilight in the outskirts of Naboo. Darth Thanos stepped out into a lushly covered forest area. He reached out with his power and felt the Jedi trying to break into the queen's mind.

"It's too late for that, Kenobi. You aren't strong enough to save her." he hissed. He shrugged his thin shoulders. He had no reason to supervise the Jedi's attempts to save the queen. He would be dead soon enough. "I'll let him try. Let him have his fun for now." he said.

Thanos strolled back into the ship for a moment and actived the commlink. "Master, I have arrived on Naboo," he said into the small device.

"Have you located the Jedi?" Sideous inquired.

"In the palace, I believe." he replied.

"Good, my young apprentice. I'll be sending more droid ships from the Republic to cause enough distraction for your attack." Sideous said.

"Thank you, Master. I assure you, I will not fail. I will kill that pathetic Jedi." he said.

"I have no doubt of that." Sideous stated then closed off the communication.

~*~

////// "I come before you-" she began. Those eyes. Those hideous eyes. Huge. Black. Haunting. Why was he staring at her like that? "-today for the sake of my people."

She looked around at the members of the senate. She tried to find something else to look at. However, the more she glanced away, the more she was drawn to look again into those eyes.

"Since our victory against the trade federation and droid armies," she said then paused. The pause seemed to last an eternity, for again her gaze had met those eyes. "There have been small attacks upon Naboo. We have been unable to identify the source of these-"

"This is an outrage!" the all too familiar viceroy spat. She thought perhaps he was still angry from having to sign her treaty last time. "Return when you know who the attacker is! Return when you have proof!"

"How would you have me obtain proof?" she spat back, struggling to avoid those eyes upon her, "The entire planet is on high alert security. Both the Naboo and the Gungan nations have searched. I think perhaps the attacker isn't one -we- can identify."

"Then what are you suggesting, your majesty? the chancellor inquired. She had intended to look directly at the chancellor when addressing him, but the magnetic eyes next to him drew her in.

"I would like to form alliances with the neighboring planets in the event of a war breaking out. I would also like the Jedi council to be informed of our present condition." she said, but something was wrong. She felt weak, as if she'd said something terribly wrong and now a million of those haunting eyes were looking directly at her. Everywhere her gaze darted, she saw those eyes. Those terrible, terrible eyes. "Perhaps," she forced herself to continue, "they can detect whatever it-"

Darkness began to spin violently around her. The senate had changed. Everything had become one large room covered in darkness. She tried to walk but felt suddenly weak. She fell to her knees. She felt her intricately designed dress changing into the simple handmaiden's attire. She looked up and found herself being nose-to-nose with the owner of those eyes, but it was too dark to see anything except those terrible eyes.

"Stop staring at me!" she hissed.

"Why? Are you afraid, little girl?" he taunted.

"No..." she said, her tone lacking its usual determined confidence.

"I think you are. Afraid of what? Failing your people? Causing Naboo to suffer? Leading innocent people only to have them die miserably in the end?" he inquired menacingly.

"No! Stop it!" she screamed as she began to run away from him.

"Afraid of responcibility? Afraid of accepting your own faults? Afraid of facing reality? Afraid of being knocked off your glorious pedestal and having to face reality -alone-?" he questioned tauntingly.

"No! No.... no..." she said while continuing to run through the darkness.

"Afraid of being all alone, little girl? Afraid of not having someone to protect you? Afraid of not having loyal subjects? Afraid of not being loved?" he continued in his mocking tone.

She stopped and fell down again. She looked around and saw two shadows near her. They too held those same hideous eyes.

"Don't hurt me!" she screamed as she quickly stood up and continued to run, but soon she reached a dead end of sorts. She slid to floor and hugged her knees to her chest.

"Poor little girl. So afraid. So alone. Your worst fears are coming true, but you're too afraid to open your eyes to the reality.You've always been alone, and you'll always been alone. You'll die in a little palace somewhere. Your people will act like they adore you, but they won't. No one has ever adored you and never will. They use you because you're the smartest damn girl on the planet. But they don't love you. They hate you. They hate you, and they use you. And you're hands, you won't even look at them because Qui-Gonn's blood is spilled all over them. And your people that fought and died, their blood rests on your hands too. You're covered in blood, and you're afraid. You're afraid of the guilt, the confrontation, everything." he hissed.

Padme choked out a sob, "please don't hurt me..."

"It's too late, little girl. You've already hurt yourself." he spat. /////////