"Oh, its you."
Padme Skywalker opened he door to her Coruscant apartment fully, and motioned for the Jedi to come in. She was dressed in simple clothes, well as simple as clothes for the Chancellor nominee got, and her hair was hanging loosely around her shoulders. Her top was lilac, trimmed with black lace, and a she wore a long slit skirt, with lilac roses imprinted on it. She wore a lace cloth of black roses around her neck, which seemed almost apart of her top, perhaps it was.
She walked through to her kitchen, which apparently linked to the front room, as he could see a little boy playing in there. Luke.
"You were expecting someone else?"
Obi-Wan walked into the kitchen after her, and perched on the stool. She resumed making tea, and nodded. "Sache is coming over, we're going to look at some preschools."
"How are you?"
Padme looked up, a sad smile playing on her features. "Two year olds are a hand full, but I'm alright."
'She doesn't want to talk about it,' he noted.
"And the twins?"
"They are well." She smiled, genuinely this time. "They're in the front room."
Obi-Wan looked in the front room again, and said gently, "I only see Luke."
Padme turned to her left, and quickly ran into the living room, then to another room outside of Obi-Wans' sight. A moment late she came out with squirming little girl in her arms, a girl dressed in one of Padme's senatorial dresses, which was much much to be big for her.
Obi-Wan had to use all of his training as a Jedi just to stifle a giggle.
"No, no, no, honey. Mommy's dresses are not for you." Padme was telling the little girl, who was getting very agitated. Her little pigtails where really the only thing about Leia that made her look different to what he imagined the senator to be like as a child. He wondered briefly if she had been as mischievous.
"Okay, come on, little miss cranky. I think it's time for a nap." She said, peeling off the huge dress to reveal a cute denim dress underneath it. She looked at Obi-Wan, and asked if he would pick up Luke.
Obi-Wan did what he was told, going over to the little boy who had been playing with building blocks the whole time, and picking him up. It was almost frightening to do so, the boys resemblance to his father was uncanny. The same hair, the deep blue eyes, and, given the look the toddler gave Obi-Wan when he took him away from his toys, the same aversion to doing what was good for him. With that thought a pang hit his heart and he remembered why he had come.
He handed Luke to Padme, who'd by some miracle managed to get Leia to bed, and let her take the little boy into his room. He waited for a moment, and she reappeared.
"We need to talk."
---
It was a cold room, but that's a good thing.
If you can the cold, you can feel something, and if you can feel something, then you're not dead, you didn't die.
If you're not dead, then you can do things, like.breathing, and going outside in the sunshine, the shining that was too bright, it's far too bright, but you could go out and eat cake and have picnics.
If you're not dead.
That's what he'd been asking himself.
Am I dead?
No, he didn't think so.
If he was dead, then why was the ain getting worse. Its not supposed to do that. It's supposed to get better, and it's not getting any better.
'What happened to me?'
---
"Here,"
Obi-Wan passed a glass of water to the young woman.
"No, thank you." She said, drinking it back like a shot.
"I thought you had a right to know. He'd want you to." Obi-Wan said, sitting on the sofa beside her.
She looked up at him, wide eyed. "Is he...okay?" Then she caught herself. "No, of course he isn't."
"Just give him time."
Padme laughed ruefully. "Someone once said to me that when that happens to someone, they turn, that it's like they have a spice addiction, or an alcohol problem. That they can get better. Is that true? Can I have him back?"
Obi-Wan looked down, "He's there, he's just mixed up, in shock, as the healers put it."
"Can I see him?"
"Do you think that's wise?"
Padme got up, and went to the window. "I need my husband, Obi-Wan. I need him back. My.Our children need they're father. They'll be three in a little more than a month, and they're never even met him."
"I can understand that, really I can. It's just.the way he is right now.it's volatile. Getting another shock would not help that, surely you know that. Seeing Luke and Leia could make things even worse."
"What about me?" she said, choking back her tears. "Will I make things worse?"
"Maybe.in a few days. Give him a chance to settle a little."
"I want to see my Daddy."
Both of them turned to see the twins, standing in their nightclothes out side their bedroom door.
Padme looked to Obi-Wan, and walked over to bend next to her son and daughter. "We want to see our Daddy." Leia said, pluralizing her brother's words. She looked back to Obi-Wan, who was smiling slightly.
"He's sick honey, and you don't want to make him worse, do you?" Padme said, pulling her daughters hair behind her tiny ears.
"How'd we make it worse?"
'How do I explain this without hurting them or getting to complicated?' Padme thought.
"Does he hate us?" Luke asked, looking on the verge of crying.
"Is that why he isn't here?"
"Did we do something wrong?"
"Is that we never see him?"
At this point, both twins looked very upset, and there was really only one solution: she pulled them both into a hug.
"No, he's just been.ill, and he doesn't want you to see him ill, but when he feels better, he'll want very badly to see you."
They began to clear their eyes.
"Really?" Luke said.
"Promise?" Leia echoed.
Padme nodded. "Come on, back to bed." She nudged the children back into their room, then re immerged a few minutes later.
"They better be able to see him." She said, looking meaningfully at the Jedi Master.
"They will." He said.
They began to walk back to the kitchen, when Padme asked, "Why were you smiling back then?"
"Oh," he grinned. "Just thinking how much Leia takes after her mother."
Padme smiled. "Why do you say that?"
"She spoke up. It took courage. That's very like you." Obi-Wan began towards the door.
"You know, she'd make a great senator."
---
Deep, hidden away in the underworlds of Coruscant, the darkness swirled around a lone figure, as he put his plan into action.
Padme Skywalker opened he door to her Coruscant apartment fully, and motioned for the Jedi to come in. She was dressed in simple clothes, well as simple as clothes for the Chancellor nominee got, and her hair was hanging loosely around her shoulders. Her top was lilac, trimmed with black lace, and a she wore a long slit skirt, with lilac roses imprinted on it. She wore a lace cloth of black roses around her neck, which seemed almost apart of her top, perhaps it was.
She walked through to her kitchen, which apparently linked to the front room, as he could see a little boy playing in there. Luke.
"You were expecting someone else?"
Obi-Wan walked into the kitchen after her, and perched on the stool. She resumed making tea, and nodded. "Sache is coming over, we're going to look at some preschools."
"How are you?"
Padme looked up, a sad smile playing on her features. "Two year olds are a hand full, but I'm alright."
'She doesn't want to talk about it,' he noted.
"And the twins?"
"They are well." She smiled, genuinely this time. "They're in the front room."
Obi-Wan looked in the front room again, and said gently, "I only see Luke."
Padme turned to her left, and quickly ran into the living room, then to another room outside of Obi-Wans' sight. A moment late she came out with squirming little girl in her arms, a girl dressed in one of Padme's senatorial dresses, which was much much to be big for her.
Obi-Wan had to use all of his training as a Jedi just to stifle a giggle.
"No, no, no, honey. Mommy's dresses are not for you." Padme was telling the little girl, who was getting very agitated. Her little pigtails where really the only thing about Leia that made her look different to what he imagined the senator to be like as a child. He wondered briefly if she had been as mischievous.
"Okay, come on, little miss cranky. I think it's time for a nap." She said, peeling off the huge dress to reveal a cute denim dress underneath it. She looked at Obi-Wan, and asked if he would pick up Luke.
Obi-Wan did what he was told, going over to the little boy who had been playing with building blocks the whole time, and picking him up. It was almost frightening to do so, the boys resemblance to his father was uncanny. The same hair, the deep blue eyes, and, given the look the toddler gave Obi-Wan when he took him away from his toys, the same aversion to doing what was good for him. With that thought a pang hit his heart and he remembered why he had come.
He handed Luke to Padme, who'd by some miracle managed to get Leia to bed, and let her take the little boy into his room. He waited for a moment, and she reappeared.
"We need to talk."
---
It was a cold room, but that's a good thing.
If you can the cold, you can feel something, and if you can feel something, then you're not dead, you didn't die.
If you're not dead, then you can do things, like.breathing, and going outside in the sunshine, the shining that was too bright, it's far too bright, but you could go out and eat cake and have picnics.
If you're not dead.
That's what he'd been asking himself.
Am I dead?
No, he didn't think so.
If he was dead, then why was the ain getting worse. Its not supposed to do that. It's supposed to get better, and it's not getting any better.
'What happened to me?'
---
"Here,"
Obi-Wan passed a glass of water to the young woman.
"No, thank you." She said, drinking it back like a shot.
"I thought you had a right to know. He'd want you to." Obi-Wan said, sitting on the sofa beside her.
She looked up at him, wide eyed. "Is he...okay?" Then she caught herself. "No, of course he isn't."
"Just give him time."
Padme laughed ruefully. "Someone once said to me that when that happens to someone, they turn, that it's like they have a spice addiction, or an alcohol problem. That they can get better. Is that true? Can I have him back?"
Obi-Wan looked down, "He's there, he's just mixed up, in shock, as the healers put it."
"Can I see him?"
"Do you think that's wise?"
Padme got up, and went to the window. "I need my husband, Obi-Wan. I need him back. My.Our children need they're father. They'll be three in a little more than a month, and they're never even met him."
"I can understand that, really I can. It's just.the way he is right now.it's volatile. Getting another shock would not help that, surely you know that. Seeing Luke and Leia could make things even worse."
"What about me?" she said, choking back her tears. "Will I make things worse?"
"Maybe.in a few days. Give him a chance to settle a little."
"I want to see my Daddy."
Both of them turned to see the twins, standing in their nightclothes out side their bedroom door.
Padme looked to Obi-Wan, and walked over to bend next to her son and daughter. "We want to see our Daddy." Leia said, pluralizing her brother's words. She looked back to Obi-Wan, who was smiling slightly.
"He's sick honey, and you don't want to make him worse, do you?" Padme said, pulling her daughters hair behind her tiny ears.
"How'd we make it worse?"
'How do I explain this without hurting them or getting to complicated?' Padme thought.
"Does he hate us?" Luke asked, looking on the verge of crying.
"Is that why he isn't here?"
"Did we do something wrong?"
"Is that we never see him?"
At this point, both twins looked very upset, and there was really only one solution: she pulled them both into a hug.
"No, he's just been.ill, and he doesn't want you to see him ill, but when he feels better, he'll want very badly to see you."
They began to clear their eyes.
"Really?" Luke said.
"Promise?" Leia echoed.
Padme nodded. "Come on, back to bed." She nudged the children back into their room, then re immerged a few minutes later.
"They better be able to see him." She said, looking meaningfully at the Jedi Master.
"They will." He said.
They began to walk back to the kitchen, when Padme asked, "Why were you smiling back then?"
"Oh," he grinned. "Just thinking how much Leia takes after her mother."
Padme smiled. "Why do you say that?"
"She spoke up. It took courage. That's very like you." Obi-Wan began towards the door.
"You know, she'd make a great senator."
---
Deep, hidden away in the underworlds of Coruscant, the darkness swirled around a lone figure, as he put his plan into action.