Nov 2002
Disclaimer 1: It all (SW) belong to Lucasfilm, I don't own it.
Disclaimer 2: The song is by Martina McBride and I don't own that either :P I removed one line "It happens to alot of men" because it didn't fit in the context of the story.
Part7
*Everybody swore, They'd seen this before, And we'd be fine.*
Padmé was sitting on the sofa in her senatorial suite when one of the security personnel she didn't know entered. She looked up from the datapad in her hand. "Yes?"
"Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi is here to see you, Senator."
"Show him in," she placed the datapad on the table top and rose to her feet, smiling a strained smile as her husband's mentor walked into the room. If Obi-Wan was here without Anakin, something had to be wrong. True, Anakin was no longer Obi-Wan's padawan, having passed the trials, but they were old friends. When one came to visit, the other was normally there as well. Save for the many times Anakin had slipped in without Obi- Wan's knowledge. Padmé prayed her emotions from the last night were well hidden. "Master Kenobi."
He took her hand, shaking it firmly. "Senator. I've come to speak with you about a personal matter, would you care to join me for a speeder ride?"
Her heart almost stopped. Obi-Wan knew. Anakin had said as much, surely he wasn't going to threaten her with exposure? She forced a small smile, nodding her head. "I would like that, Master Kenobi. Please."
Obi-Wan nodded, stepping to her side but not touching her as they walked towards the turbolift. Throughout the ride to the hangar bay they were silent, her thoughts turned inwards. Would Obi-Wan bring up her marriage to Anakin? Probably. Why else go someplace private to talk? She barely registered the people who walked in and out as the turbolift stopped at different floors, so inwardly focused was she. She had enough presence of mind to follow Obi-Wan as he stepped from the lift and headed towards a randomly parked speeder.
She almost recoiled when he attempted to assist her into the passenger side, coming out of her inner thoughts with a jerk. "Pardon?"
His smile was faint. "May I assist you, Senator?"
She managed not to blush and took his hand, accepting it as she settled into the spacious seat of the private speeder. Obi-Wan quickly slipped into the driver's side and put it into gear. The whine of the engines made any conversation difficult and Padmé suddenly knew that Obi-Wan had no intention of driving and talking; he was going to stop them someplace above the traffic and get his answers. Trepidation curled along her spine mixed with anticipation. It would be a relief to talk about her relationship with Anakin, to get his closest friend's opinion on his actions. Would Obi- Wan allow her the chance to ask questions? She slanted a thoughtful look at him as he made his way through the skylanes and into a more secluded part of the airways. A lane above, one below, they hung in between, and she couldn't help feeling like she was in limbo. As if she was waiting for something.
Obi-Wan keyed the speeder into park but didn't kill the repulsorlifts as he turned to look at her. The whine of the engine was suddenly bearable and she found she had no trouble hearing him as he began to speak.
"I know about your marriage to Anakin, Padmé." His tone was almost gentle and she wanted to cry. Obi-Wan understood. She could see it in his features.
"Oh, Obi-Wan!" she turned her face away, fighting tears. "I'm sorry we had to hide it, we didn't want to, but with everything that was happening..."
Obi-Wan placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder and she turned her face back to look at him, seeing the concern and stress he was feeling in his eyes. "I know why you did, Padmé. Anakin has long since dreamed of being a Jedi, but this could get him thrown out of the order, even now. He's walking a fine line as it is, it won't take much for the council to strip him of his rank."
She bit her lip, fighting with herself. Should she tell him that Anakin didn't care? That he felt he was beyond Jedi laws and restrictions? No, she couldn't betray him like that. "He knows, we both know." She settled for telling Obi-Wan what she knew Anakin had already expressed. "We knew when we got married we'd have to keep it a secret." She inhaled sharply, looking away from him and back out over the lanes of traffic, "It didn't matter then, but I think it's starting to matter now."
She didn't turn to look at her old friend as she spoke quietly. Perhaps, just perhaps, Obi-Wan could help put her fears of losing Anakin to rest. "Anakin has changed alot in the last four years Obi-Wan. He's pulled away from me." She looked down at her hands in her lap, "I don't want to lose him but I don't know what I can do that could possibly help. I refuse to cling, though I can't help feeling that I am. He means the world to me, Obi-Wan, Anakin is half of my heart and soul, how can I let that go without a fight?"
"You can't."
She looked back at him, surprised to hear the words coming from his mouth. "I can't give up?"
He nodded, his face serious. "Anakin has always been attached to you, Padmé, you're like an anchor that keeps him grounded. Don't give up, he's gone through this before if you remember. Before you were married and he was knighted, Anakin was always chaffing against the bonds of his position. It's happening again. The council has seen it, I can see it. Anakin is wanting more than what he thinks the Jedi can give him. Give him time. As he saw before your marriage, our rules are there for protection. He'll come to see that again, in time, but we can't force him into it."
She was speechless. Obi-Wan had nailed her unspoken fears and concerns without her voicing them. Amazing. She managed a small smile. "I'm afraid of losing him to this," she admitted. "There's something more, Obi- Wan, something deeper than just rebelling against his boundaries." She shook her head, lifting one hand to rub her forehead. Her head was pounding and her throat was dry. She simply wanted to go have a nap after last night's sleepless night.
Obi-Wan suddenly grasped her hand and gently squeezed her fingers, getting her complete attention. "I wouldn't worry about him, Padmé, Anakin loves you. He has since he met you. You'll both be fine."
As Obi-Wan kicked the speeder back into gear a part of her mind turned his last phrase over in her mind. You'll both be fine. Was it Jedi intuition telling him that or was he simply trying to make her feel better? A little of both, she supposed. However, she couldn't help herself from asking one last, silent, question as the wording of his words continued to play over and over in her mind. Would she and Anakin be fine together, or would they be fine apart. She wanted to know, needed to know. If she and Anakin parted ways she was terrified she was no longer strong enough to live without him.
Disclaimer 2: The song is by Martina McBride and I don't own that either :P I removed one line "It happens to alot of men" because it didn't fit in the context of the story.
Part7
*Everybody swore, They'd seen this before, And we'd be fine.*
Padmé was sitting on the sofa in her senatorial suite when one of the security personnel she didn't know entered. She looked up from the datapad in her hand. "Yes?"
"Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi is here to see you, Senator."
"Show him in," she placed the datapad on the table top and rose to her feet, smiling a strained smile as her husband's mentor walked into the room. If Obi-Wan was here without Anakin, something had to be wrong. True, Anakin was no longer Obi-Wan's padawan, having passed the trials, but they were old friends. When one came to visit, the other was normally there as well. Save for the many times Anakin had slipped in without Obi- Wan's knowledge. Padmé prayed her emotions from the last night were well hidden. "Master Kenobi."
He took her hand, shaking it firmly. "Senator. I've come to speak with you about a personal matter, would you care to join me for a speeder ride?"
Her heart almost stopped. Obi-Wan knew. Anakin had said as much, surely he wasn't going to threaten her with exposure? She forced a small smile, nodding her head. "I would like that, Master Kenobi. Please."
Obi-Wan nodded, stepping to her side but not touching her as they walked towards the turbolift. Throughout the ride to the hangar bay they were silent, her thoughts turned inwards. Would Obi-Wan bring up her marriage to Anakin? Probably. Why else go someplace private to talk? She barely registered the people who walked in and out as the turbolift stopped at different floors, so inwardly focused was she. She had enough presence of mind to follow Obi-Wan as he stepped from the lift and headed towards a randomly parked speeder.
She almost recoiled when he attempted to assist her into the passenger side, coming out of her inner thoughts with a jerk. "Pardon?"
His smile was faint. "May I assist you, Senator?"
She managed not to blush and took his hand, accepting it as she settled into the spacious seat of the private speeder. Obi-Wan quickly slipped into the driver's side and put it into gear. The whine of the engines made any conversation difficult and Padmé suddenly knew that Obi-Wan had no intention of driving and talking; he was going to stop them someplace above the traffic and get his answers. Trepidation curled along her spine mixed with anticipation. It would be a relief to talk about her relationship with Anakin, to get his closest friend's opinion on his actions. Would Obi- Wan allow her the chance to ask questions? She slanted a thoughtful look at him as he made his way through the skylanes and into a more secluded part of the airways. A lane above, one below, they hung in between, and she couldn't help feeling like she was in limbo. As if she was waiting for something.
Obi-Wan keyed the speeder into park but didn't kill the repulsorlifts as he turned to look at her. The whine of the engine was suddenly bearable and she found she had no trouble hearing him as he began to speak.
"I know about your marriage to Anakin, Padmé." His tone was almost gentle and she wanted to cry. Obi-Wan understood. She could see it in his features.
"Oh, Obi-Wan!" she turned her face away, fighting tears. "I'm sorry we had to hide it, we didn't want to, but with everything that was happening..."
Obi-Wan placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder and she turned her face back to look at him, seeing the concern and stress he was feeling in his eyes. "I know why you did, Padmé. Anakin has long since dreamed of being a Jedi, but this could get him thrown out of the order, even now. He's walking a fine line as it is, it won't take much for the council to strip him of his rank."
She bit her lip, fighting with herself. Should she tell him that Anakin didn't care? That he felt he was beyond Jedi laws and restrictions? No, she couldn't betray him like that. "He knows, we both know." She settled for telling Obi-Wan what she knew Anakin had already expressed. "We knew when we got married we'd have to keep it a secret." She inhaled sharply, looking away from him and back out over the lanes of traffic, "It didn't matter then, but I think it's starting to matter now."
She didn't turn to look at her old friend as she spoke quietly. Perhaps, just perhaps, Obi-Wan could help put her fears of losing Anakin to rest. "Anakin has changed alot in the last four years Obi-Wan. He's pulled away from me." She looked down at her hands in her lap, "I don't want to lose him but I don't know what I can do that could possibly help. I refuse to cling, though I can't help feeling that I am. He means the world to me, Obi-Wan, Anakin is half of my heart and soul, how can I let that go without a fight?"
"You can't."
She looked back at him, surprised to hear the words coming from his mouth. "I can't give up?"
He nodded, his face serious. "Anakin has always been attached to you, Padmé, you're like an anchor that keeps him grounded. Don't give up, he's gone through this before if you remember. Before you were married and he was knighted, Anakin was always chaffing against the bonds of his position. It's happening again. The council has seen it, I can see it. Anakin is wanting more than what he thinks the Jedi can give him. Give him time. As he saw before your marriage, our rules are there for protection. He'll come to see that again, in time, but we can't force him into it."
She was speechless. Obi-Wan had nailed her unspoken fears and concerns without her voicing them. Amazing. She managed a small smile. "I'm afraid of losing him to this," she admitted. "There's something more, Obi- Wan, something deeper than just rebelling against his boundaries." She shook her head, lifting one hand to rub her forehead. Her head was pounding and her throat was dry. She simply wanted to go have a nap after last night's sleepless night.
Obi-Wan suddenly grasped her hand and gently squeezed her fingers, getting her complete attention. "I wouldn't worry about him, Padmé, Anakin loves you. He has since he met you. You'll both be fine."
As Obi-Wan kicked the speeder back into gear a part of her mind turned his last phrase over in her mind. You'll both be fine. Was it Jedi intuition telling him that or was he simply trying to make her feel better? A little of both, she supposed. However, she couldn't help herself from asking one last, silent, question as the wording of his words continued to play over and over in her mind. Would she and Anakin be fine together, or would they be fine apart. She wanted to know, needed to know. If she and Anakin parted ways she was terrified she was no longer strong enough to live without him.