Meanwhile, Padme sat by herself in her room, confused. She knew that she had had no reason to do that, no reason at all. But at the moment she had laid next to him, it felt as if all her problems had vanished. There was just comfort and security.

She closed her eyes and thought about Anakin. Was he alive? Did he even know that he was going to be a father? Did he care? All of the uncertainty was probably the worst thing to happen to her. She closed her eyes against tears, thinking of her children. How could they live, knowing that Darth Vader was their father? Or should they even know? What kind of life could they have with her, always being on the run. No father figure to teach them...

Obi-Wan could teach them... Padme gave a start. Where had that thought come from? she wondered. She shook her head, but the possibility still stuck in her head. He would be a wonderful father figure to the children. Full of goodness and kindness...

Padme shook her head again. There was no possible way that Obi-Wan could be the children's father figure. A mother and father should be together, and having their father figure not married or with their mother could just confuse the children. You and Obi-Wan could-- Padme stopped the thought before it even finished. Why did she worry about this so? Things would turn out alright. They always had before.

Suddenly feeling very hungry, she slowly made her way to the small kitchen. She caught sight of Obi-Wan long before he saw her. So she stood, watching him, for a moment.

He sat in his usual chair at the table, munching on something in a bowl. He didn't even seem to realize that he was eating, his eyes had such a far away look. He seemed to snap out of it every now and then, only to become lost in thought again moments later. Padme sighed and walked past him quickly, reaching for something to eat.

She suddenly felt his eyes on her and turned to face him. He quickly looked away, down to the food in the bowl. Well that was stupid, he thought to himself as he continued to munch the food, but not taste it. She proceeded to pour herself a bowl of something, then she sat across the table from Obi-Wan. A quick flash of blue told her that he had glanced up at her, but it was only a fleeting glance.

Trying to break the very awkward silence, she cleared her throat. "So, are you feeling alright today? I hope the Hanodin is gone and there are no after-effects."

He nodded absently. "I'm fine. Feels like I'm light-headed, but otherwise I feel normal. Except for the sleepiness," he added.

She nodded. "Good. I'm glad you're going to be ok."

He flashed her a smile. "What kind of guardian would I be if I were dead?"

She shook her head. "Not a very good one," she said, though her disappointment at his answer showed.

He heard the disappointment and shook his head. "I'm sorry. I don't know what you want me to say."

"I wasn't worried about you not being there to be my guardian. I was talking about you being here as my friend."

"And maybe something more," he added, filling in what she had decided not to say. He shook his head when she looked up at him. "No. We can't do that. Think about it, Padme. Look at the mess we are both in. You're the former wife of a Sith Lord, pregnant with the children he must never find. And I...I am a disgraced Jedi, whose failure brought this whole mess about."

Padme placed her hand on his, then grew angry when he pulled away and stood up. "You are selfish, did you know that?" He turned to her, confused. "All you can think about is how you supposedly failed Anakin. You can't think about me!"

He looked up at her, confusion written all over his face. "I...I don't understand. I do think about you."

She shook her head and moved closer to him. "Not enough." Ignoring his attempts to stop her, she reached forward and pulled his face to hers. She kissed him then, still ignoring his protests, which seemed to fade away rapidly. She pulled away after a moment and looked into his eyes. She was surprised to see such look of fear, vulnerability, guilt, and sadness in his eyes. She hadn't though Jedi were capable of feeling all of that. There was something else as well. A longing. A longing long pushed back. Despite all Obi-Wan Kenobi could say, all he wanted was to be loved, and to return that feeling.