Ha! Just because I want to torture you so much, I'll give you another chapter! (I don't think it is THAT bad, but there are some really big critics of ALL Obidala stories. I personally, don't care. Obi-Wan deserves somebody.)
Padme woke up the next morning to the sound of clinking dishes. She sat up, rubbed her eyes, and swung her feet over the side of the bed. She hurriedly dressed as fast as she could in a simple, rather large, tunic. She wanted to be able to have a conversation with Obi-Wan eye-to-eye, not from twelve feet away. When she stepped out into the kitchen/eating area, Obi-Wan was seated at the small table with a bowl of breakfast nutrients. She smiled at him as she passed.
"Good morning, Obi-Wan. Sleep well?"
He smiled wryly at her, a look she rarely saw anymore. "You knew I fell asleep and didn't wake me. Why?"
"You need the sleep. But I must say, you probably have a bad crick in the neck now."
"A little one. But you should have woke me up."
She sat down at the table across from him with a muja fruit. "No, Obi-Wan. I won't have you sacrifice your health for me. You are not to go without sleep for four days straight anymore. From now on, you will leave your post when it gets dark, eat supper with me, do whatever you want for a while, then you will sleep in your bed. Do you understand?"
Obi-Wan frowned. "Night is when those with cruel intentions are most likely to strike."
"I trust your senses, Obi-Wan." Obi-Wan began to shake his head. "I do! But if it bothers you so much, why don't you put your cot in my room? So if something goes in there, you will be able to sense and hear it."
Obi-Wan stared at his cup of caf for a moment. "I don't know, Padme. I don't feel comfortable sleeping in your room."
"It's better than your room. It is bigger, and it doesn't get freezing cold like yours does. Come on, Obi-Wan, there is a spare corner."
"Why do you want me in there?"
"So I know that you won't fall asleep on the window again, so I know you're close by, and so you feel more comfortable about your senses."
The Jedi stared at her for a moment. Then he sighed. "Oh, alright. I'll move my cot into your room. But whenever you want me to leave, I'll leave."
"Fair enough." *He's so sensitive to what I want,* she thought.
Obi-Wan swirled his cup of caf around in his hands and Padme took a bite of her muja fruit. There was pure silence for a good few mintes. Then Obi-Wan sighed and stood up. "I guess I should go back to looking out."
"No." Padme said quickly, but firmly. And before Obi-Wan could actually think, he found himself sitting back down.
"Why, may I ask?"
She sighed heavily. "Obi-Wan," she reached out and placed her hand on his," I need someone to talk to. With you always in that blasted window, I never get to talk to anyone. Sabe and Eritae come every now and then, but that's only to bring news and medical supplies. And some of the other Jedi sometimes stop in, once in a blue moon. I am a social person, Kenobi, I have to talk with somebody."
Obi-Wan pursed his lips and looked away for a moment. Then he turned back to her and put his arms on the table. "Alright. What shall we talk about?"
"Anakin."
Obi-Wan stood up abruptly. "No!" He turned and snatched his cup from the table and began to walk away, but Padme called him back.
"Obi-Wan, you can't hide from it forever. Maybe talking about it will help you get over it."
"How can I get over it when the Padawan I failed is the second hand to the man who is dictating the galaxy?"
"You didn't fail him, Obi-Wan. He chose his own path. Just like with Qui-Gon and Xanatos. As the teacher, you can only show him the way. Whether or not he sticks with it is up to him. Anakin chose the wrong path for himself. It was of no fault of yours."
Obi-Wan looked away, suddenly looking so old and wise to her. "I wish it were that simple. If I had been a more alert teacher, I would have caught the signs of his fall earlier. Not when he was already engulfed by the dark side." He sighed. "I don't even know when it really started."
"What?"
"His fall to the lure of the dark side. I know he had always been at risk, but I never saw when it truely began."
"When you were on Geonosis."
Obi-Wan turned back to her. "Geonosis?"
Padme nodded. "When you were searching on Geonosis, and we were on Tatooine. His mother died in his arms, and he felt he failed her. So...so he went out and killed every single Tusken Raider."
Obi-Wan's mouth dropped. "He never told me about that." He turned away again and ran a hand through his hair. "Why didn't I notice? I knew his mother was dead, but I didn't know he had slipped then."
"He felt really bad about it, but he said they deserved it." Now Padme looked away from Obi-Wan's blue gaze. "I should have said something to you, I know, but after that we were all a little uh...preoccupied after that."
Obi-Wan nodded. "Yes we were. But that is the past, Padme. You needn't worry about that now."
"Ha!" she exclaimed suddenly, startling the Jedi. "You tell me advice, but don't follow it yourself." When Obi-Wan gave her a confused look, she continued. "What you may or may not have done wrong with Anakin is in the past. What happened, happened. You should move on to the future and the now. But personally, Obi-Wan, I don't think you did anything wrong."
The Jedi stared at her sadly for a moment before nodding. Then he walked out of the room, leaving her alone. She sat by herself for a few moments before walking out into the mainroom. She saw Obi-Wan digging through a small bag that was hidden in a corner. She then saw him pull a dark blue poncho on over his tunic.
"Obi-Wan?" she ventured. He looked at her in reply. "Where are you going?"
He shoved a shirt bag into the bag before responding. "We're getting too low on food here. With as much food as you eat nowadays, what we have won't last very long."
"Excuse me," Padme put her fists on her hips. "I just so happen to be eating for three now."
Obi-Wan smiled. "I know. I was joking." He slung a pouch over his shoulder. "I won't be gone long." With that, he turned and went to the back of the abode, to the secret exit, and hopped on the speeder bike. Padme watched his figure disappear into the distance and sighed.
Padme woke up the next morning to the sound of clinking dishes. She sat up, rubbed her eyes, and swung her feet over the side of the bed. She hurriedly dressed as fast as she could in a simple, rather large, tunic. She wanted to be able to have a conversation with Obi-Wan eye-to-eye, not from twelve feet away. When she stepped out into the kitchen/eating area, Obi-Wan was seated at the small table with a bowl of breakfast nutrients. She smiled at him as she passed.
"Good morning, Obi-Wan. Sleep well?"
He smiled wryly at her, a look she rarely saw anymore. "You knew I fell asleep and didn't wake me. Why?"
"You need the sleep. But I must say, you probably have a bad crick in the neck now."
"A little one. But you should have woke me up."
She sat down at the table across from him with a muja fruit. "No, Obi-Wan. I won't have you sacrifice your health for me. You are not to go without sleep for four days straight anymore. From now on, you will leave your post when it gets dark, eat supper with me, do whatever you want for a while, then you will sleep in your bed. Do you understand?"
Obi-Wan frowned. "Night is when those with cruel intentions are most likely to strike."
"I trust your senses, Obi-Wan." Obi-Wan began to shake his head. "I do! But if it bothers you so much, why don't you put your cot in my room? So if something goes in there, you will be able to sense and hear it."
Obi-Wan stared at his cup of caf for a moment. "I don't know, Padme. I don't feel comfortable sleeping in your room."
"It's better than your room. It is bigger, and it doesn't get freezing cold like yours does. Come on, Obi-Wan, there is a spare corner."
"Why do you want me in there?"
"So I know that you won't fall asleep on the window again, so I know you're close by, and so you feel more comfortable about your senses."
The Jedi stared at her for a moment. Then he sighed. "Oh, alright. I'll move my cot into your room. But whenever you want me to leave, I'll leave."
"Fair enough." *He's so sensitive to what I want,* she thought.
Obi-Wan swirled his cup of caf around in his hands and Padme took a bite of her muja fruit. There was pure silence for a good few mintes. Then Obi-Wan sighed and stood up. "I guess I should go back to looking out."
"No." Padme said quickly, but firmly. And before Obi-Wan could actually think, he found himself sitting back down.
"Why, may I ask?"
She sighed heavily. "Obi-Wan," she reached out and placed her hand on his," I need someone to talk to. With you always in that blasted window, I never get to talk to anyone. Sabe and Eritae come every now and then, but that's only to bring news and medical supplies. And some of the other Jedi sometimes stop in, once in a blue moon. I am a social person, Kenobi, I have to talk with somebody."
Obi-Wan pursed his lips and looked away for a moment. Then he turned back to her and put his arms on the table. "Alright. What shall we talk about?"
"Anakin."
Obi-Wan stood up abruptly. "No!" He turned and snatched his cup from the table and began to walk away, but Padme called him back.
"Obi-Wan, you can't hide from it forever. Maybe talking about it will help you get over it."
"How can I get over it when the Padawan I failed is the second hand to the man who is dictating the galaxy?"
"You didn't fail him, Obi-Wan. He chose his own path. Just like with Qui-Gon and Xanatos. As the teacher, you can only show him the way. Whether or not he sticks with it is up to him. Anakin chose the wrong path for himself. It was of no fault of yours."
Obi-Wan looked away, suddenly looking so old and wise to her. "I wish it were that simple. If I had been a more alert teacher, I would have caught the signs of his fall earlier. Not when he was already engulfed by the dark side." He sighed. "I don't even know when it really started."
"What?"
"His fall to the lure of the dark side. I know he had always been at risk, but I never saw when it truely began."
"When you were on Geonosis."
Obi-Wan turned back to her. "Geonosis?"
Padme nodded. "When you were searching on Geonosis, and we were on Tatooine. His mother died in his arms, and he felt he failed her. So...so he went out and killed every single Tusken Raider."
Obi-Wan's mouth dropped. "He never told me about that." He turned away again and ran a hand through his hair. "Why didn't I notice? I knew his mother was dead, but I didn't know he had slipped then."
"He felt really bad about it, but he said they deserved it." Now Padme looked away from Obi-Wan's blue gaze. "I should have said something to you, I know, but after that we were all a little uh...preoccupied after that."
Obi-Wan nodded. "Yes we were. But that is the past, Padme. You needn't worry about that now."
"Ha!" she exclaimed suddenly, startling the Jedi. "You tell me advice, but don't follow it yourself." When Obi-Wan gave her a confused look, she continued. "What you may or may not have done wrong with Anakin is in the past. What happened, happened. You should move on to the future and the now. But personally, Obi-Wan, I don't think you did anything wrong."
The Jedi stared at her sadly for a moment before nodding. Then he walked out of the room, leaving her alone. She sat by herself for a few moments before walking out into the mainroom. She saw Obi-Wan digging through a small bag that was hidden in a corner. She then saw him pull a dark blue poncho on over his tunic.
"Obi-Wan?" she ventured. He looked at her in reply. "Where are you going?"
He shoved a shirt bag into the bag before responding. "We're getting too low on food here. With as much food as you eat nowadays, what we have won't last very long."
"Excuse me," Padme put her fists on her hips. "I just so happen to be eating for three now."
Obi-Wan smiled. "I know. I was joking." He slung a pouch over his shoulder. "I won't be gone long." With that, he turned and went to the back of the abode, to the secret exit, and hopped on the speeder bike. Padme watched his figure disappear into the distance and sighed.