Obi-Wan glanced briefly up at Eritae as she wrapped up the gash on his arm. He smiled and thanked her when she finished, and she excused herself to deal with other matters. Obi-Wan sighed and ran a hand through his hair, which in his opinion, was getting far too long. He stepped up to the window of his room and stared out.
Only the black void of space was there to greet him. After Vader's attack, he and Padme had managed to get into their ship, flying it to the emergency station. Sabe and Eritae were there, having just left the hideout the day before.
Obi-Wan shook his head. How had Vader found us? he wondered to himself. Was there a traitor amongst them, or had he somehow sensed one of them? Or dumb luck? These questions burnt in his mind, but he was unable to come up with any answers.
He sighed and turned to walk out of the small room, but stopped short when he saw Padme in the doorway. She looked at him with an odd expression, as if she was worried. Why shouldn't she be? Obi-Wan thought to himself.
He bowed his head to her. "Padme. Is there something I can do for you?"
She stared at him for a moment. "Yes. You can tell me why you've acted so distant. You've pretended that you were only my servant ever since we got here. Like you're back being a stiff, unloving Jedi."
Obi-Wan stared at her for a moment, having not expected that. "That's the problem."
"What is?"
"That I do love. That is the problem."
She crossed her arms. "And why is that a problem, Obi-Wan?"
He met her eyes, and she was surprised to see tears welling up in them. "I'm afraid to love or have someone love me because I see now how limited my time truly is. Vader will come back for me, and next time he will not be merciful. I represent his past, the Jedi who made him what he is. No doubt he will want to wipe out all of Anakin Skywalker's past from existence."
Padme stepped up to him and put a hand on his arm. "You feel like you are going to die soon, and don't want others to be hurt when it happens?" Obi-Wan nodded. "Well, it's far too late for that. Never, in your whole life, could you have been killed and not have others be hurt. Even as a child, you were surrounded by those who cared for you. The Jedi, your friends, you Master. And now you are still surrounded by people who care about you. They all love you, Obi-Wan. Just at different levels."
Obi-Wan allowed a small smile. "Elaborate, please?"
"Ok then. Take for example Sabe and Eritae. They look up to you, knowing that you saved our planet once before. They also look up to you for risking your life to protect me. And the refugees here, they respect you for not giving up your fight against Vader."
"And yet they blame me for the whole mess in their hearts," Obi-Wan added bitterly, turning away from her and heading towards the door. He stopped at the doorway and turned back to her slowly. "It's you that I'm worried about mostly. You seem to be the one who has grown to love me more than anyone. So you would be the most hurt when my end comes." He shook his head. "I don't wish you that pain."
"So you think you can just walk out on me now? What good will that do, Obi-Wan? So you think that if you hurt me now by abandoning me it will hurt less when you die? Not a chance. It doesn't work that way. You can't tell me that you can't love me and expect me to just forget about all we've shared. I love you, Obi-Wan. I'm not afraid to admit it anymore. Don't you feel the same?"
Obi-Wan stared at her with a pained expression. He opened his mouth to speak, but couldn't find any words. "I...I do feel the same. Despite... all I've done, I fell for you. My mind tells me that it is wrong... but my heart would not allow it to stop. And I know that it will pain you when I die, but perhaps it would hurt less if I meant less to you. I now that you love me now, but time, despite all the poems, can lessen the bonds of love." A tear ran down his face. "I hate doing this to you. I hate doing this to myself. But in the long run, I know that it will be easier for you." He closed his eyes for a moment, then slowly left the room.
Padme stared at the door where he had been for a moment, then grabbed an ornament from a small table. With a cry of rage, she threw it against the wall as hard as she could. The glass sculpture shattered into hundreds of tiny pieces, littering the floor.
Sabe rushed into the room and the sound of Padme's cry. "M'lady? Are you alright?" she asked, rushing to her.
Padme began sobbing into her friend's shoulder. "I hate him! How can he be so selfish!" She was silent for a moment. "Why? Why is he doing this to me?"
Sabe patted her on the back supporting. "There there. Everything will turn out right. It always does."
Padme looked up at her with a shocked expression. "How can you say that? Things do not always turn out. Anakin did not just turn out right."
"I know that. Give him time, m'lady. He's afraid now. He believes that his death will be soon, and doesn't want you to feel lost without him."