Obi-Wan noticed the hesitation in Vader. The Sith had seen Padme, but hadn't finished him off to go after her. Instead he had frozen, the lightsaber still precariously pointed at the Jedi's throat.
Suddenly Vader turned back to Obi-Wan and held out a hand. The Force, tainted with Vader's evil, suddenly swirled around him, holding him in place as he lie. He didn't try to break free of it; he knew that Vader's control of the Force was far beyond him. He could only watch helplessly as Vader slowly made his way over to the face of the cliff, staring up at Padme.
"There's no point in hiding anymore. Come out," Vader commanded.
Padme, knowing how dangerous Vader could be if angered, slowly stuck her head out of the small cave. For a moment, Vader could only stare at her. "You're more beautiful that I remembered," Vader said softly, the mechanical voice unable to portray the love he truly felt.
Padme narrowed her eyes, feeling her own anger rise at his arrogance. "Have you forgotten already? Some husband you turned out to be."
Vader felt his anger rise despite himself. "You think Kenobi would be better?"
"No. I just know that he would have better things to teach our child."
Vader shook his head. "I didn't come for the child. I came for you. You're all that matters."
Padme glared at him, her anger canceling out her fear. "Me? That's not what I heard. You told Obi-Wan that you didn't want me. You just wanted the child I carry."
Vader silently kicked himself for saying that. It had been a spur of the moment comment, meant to anger the Jedi and make him lose his focus. The Sith Lord shook his head and stepped closer to his former wife. "I didn't mean it," he said quietly. "I came for you. You're all that I want."
"What about power, Vader? What about the genocide you've waged against the Jedi?" She looked away.
"I only do what is necessary."
"So you kill all those you once counted as allies? As friends?"
Vader didn't answer, he just turned his head to look at Obi-Wan, who was watching them with a keen interest. It seemed that he too, more than anything, wanted to know exactly what had made Anakin turn. If he died after hearing it, so be it, at least he would die with the knowledge.
"What do you think, Kenobi? What do you think made me turn?"
The Jedi was startled momentarily that the Sith would even ask him. "Well, I believe your arrogance was a major part of it. The death of your mother was only the beginning. You blamed yourself for not being strong enough, then blamed me for holding you back." Obi-Wan turned away for a moment. "I didn't hold you back. Your anger held you back. And the sheer power at which the Force came to you held you back. Thus enters the arrogance."
Vader stared for a moment, then stepped closer to Obi-Wan. The Jedi didn't flinch, but silently prepared himself for death. But instead of killing him, Vader simply reached down and pulled the saber from his grip. He hung it on his belt. "You are dead. I am not to see you again. If I do, I will kill you. I keep this," he patted Obi-Wan's weapon, "as proof for the Emperor that you have been eliminated." He flipped his own lightsaber off and took the bottom off, dumping the crystals onto the ground. He put the cap back on and set it down next to Obi-Wan.
"Give this to my son when he is old enough. But do not tell him what his father became." Vader paused for a moment. "I don't want him to walk down the same path as me. I don't want him to grow up in dark. I don't even know if he would be allowed to grow up." Vader knelt down and put his mask inches from Kenobi's face. "Watch over him, Kenobi. Keep him safe."
Vader straightened up. He gave Padme one last glance. "Forgive me," he said, then pressed a button on his suit. After a moment, the ship he'd been in earlier reappeared and lowered another rope. The Sith grabbed it, and was slowly pulled back into it.
Obi-Wan watched, still unable to move, as the ship disappeared into the sky. After a moment, the Force-hold Vader had held him in disappeared. He sighed in relief and just lie there for a moment, only vaguely aware of the burning pain in his arm. The next thing he knew, Padme had run down to him and was cradling his head in her arms.
"I thought you were dead. I thought he would kill you," she sobbed, burying her face in his hair.
He reached up at laid on hand on her hair. "It's alright. He didn't. Not today."
"What made him stop? Why didn't he finish?"
Obi-Wan shook his head. "I don't know. Something we said, perhaps?" Obi-Wan's eyes fell on Anakin's lightsaber lying next to him. He reached over and picked it up. "I remember when he made this. He was so proud."
"I don't get it, Obi-Wan. If he was trying to erase all evidence of his once being Anakin Skywalker, why would he keep using the same saber?"
"I don't know. Perhaps he was waiting for an opportunity like this. Maybe he wanted it to be passed on to his son." Obi-Wan glanced up at the sky. "But there is still some good in him."