Come Undone

Chap16

Chiron, the healer, took charge as soon as they had reached the Temple infirmary. She had Obi-wan lay the semi conscious Padmé onto the bed and before he could say a word, she had made a cursory examination and began fussing about. Without warning, Chiron suddenly pulled out her arm, began gingerly swabbing it with an antiseptic. As the healer produced a syringe, Obi-wan and finally found his voice.

"Master Chiron, she's already in labor, are you sure that's wise?" He immediately regretted his statement, feeling the burning glare of the Master Healer upon him.

"Master Kenobi," she began icily. "I have been birthing children of all species for over fifty standard years. Do you presume to try to tell me what to do in this instance?"

Obi-wan, feeling properly chastised, lowered and shook his head. Feeling Padmé's hand relax in his, he started stroking her head tenderly, his lips pursed in frustration.

"You have strong feelings in the matter Master Kenobi, and for the young woman," Chiron told him softly.

Obi-wan continued stroking her head, once again at a loss for words. At last he nodded his assent.

"Her lover, I mean… the father…is... was... my Padawan learner. He should be here in my place." His voice broke, "I feel like I've failed..."

"Don't punish yourself Obi-wan," the Healer started. "You did not make his decisions for him, you couldn't stop him from doing what he's done and you can't go back and change the past now."

Obi-wan shook his head, once again drawing the considerable wrath of Chiron.

"Think young man! Are you going to blame yourself for him leaving her like this next?" She raged at him suddenly. "Poor put upon Obi-wan Kenobi! Needs to save the cursed universe from itself! For the love of the Force Obi-wan, there's only so much you can do and as I see it right now you have two choices. Number one, sulk and bemoan your fate, or two, accept what has happened and deal with the consequences. If the rumors are true, and your Padawan has turned to the Dark Side, your young lady friend here will need all the protection she can get…" She turned on her heel and headed out of the room to continue preparing for the imminent birth.

Obi-wan continued to sooth the sleeping Padmé, silently promising her that from now on, he would serve as her protector, no matter what the cost.

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In a small holding on Rava five, Anakin Skywalker paced back and forth. For several days he had been restless, and today he felt even more so. The Chancellor had promised to see "Her" safely back to Naboo, so why did he feel so... so... wrong?

He closed his eyes, willing himself to become one with the force, to meditate and clear his senses. The Jedi Council had taken his resignation with surprising ease, almost as if they had expected it. How much did they know, or suspect? His new instructor had assured him the simple tricks and shielding would block even the Masters of the council from seeing the... the... He shook his head, trying to escape the train of thought and refocus. If the council could not understand, how important, how useful that some of the so called "dark arts" could be if handled properly... Well, that was their own lookout. The Chancellor had told him in confidence that he had great plans for the future, that soon he would need a permanent right hand man... Anakin shivered at the thought. A position of power, of strength. A way to keep his loved ones safe. He hadn't been able to bring himself to tell his wife about his departure, nor Obi-wan. He flinched inwardly, using the names of his loved ones made it harder to distance himself from the situation. Now, unbidden, Padmé's face drifted into his mind, as beautiful as she had been on their wedding day. Oh force he missed her! Resigning himself to the fact that he was worried about her, he made some quick mental calculations. If all went well, she would be back on Naboo by now... Safe.

His brooding thoughts were interrupted by one of his commanders. His presence had brought Anakin back to the here and now and Anakin felt his mood darken. For the man's sake, it had better be important.

"Yes," he snapped, not turning around.

"M'lord," started the officer, obviously beginning to realize his mistake, he decided to press on none the less. "Sir, there has been another outbreak of separatists attacks on the city." He swallowed hard, then continued. "The Chancellor wishes you to put a stop to it right away. I think you should..." Suddenly, the man thrust his hands to his throat. He couldn't breathe! Try as he might he could not pry the invisible hands from his neck. He started choking, strangling.

"I don't need you to tell me my duties, Captain," Anakin said evenly, apparently oblivious to the man's distress. "Prepare your men and we'll have this little matter cleared up shortly." He released his hold on the man, who started gasping for air. "…And Captain, if you disturb me again, I can assure you that it will be for the last time. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes sir!" he wheezed, backing out of the room, suddenly realizing exactly how close he had come. "As crystal SIR!"

When the man was safely out of the room he relaxed, a little angry at himself for loosing control. He knew that it was primarily because he was concerned for Padmé, but still... He sighed deeply and began to prepare for the attack. After this little incident was taken care of he would send a message to the Chancellor and have her looked in on. The sooner he could go home to her, the better he would feel about everything.