Okay, here's the last two chapters. Thanks for seeing me through this long story!

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Sidious sat in his office at Imperial Headquarters. He had been called away for "important matters that needed his attention." He had been quite irritated to find out that those matters were not all that important after all – certainly nothing that couldn't have waited. But he was here, so he decided to take care of things he'd been putting off for a while.

Sidious had also taken the time to meditate on the memories he'd viewed in Obi-Wan's mind. He now sat contemplating what he'd seen. Obi-Wan had been a remarkable boy – thoughtful, strong and highly intelligent. The relationship he'd had with Qui-Gon had been very strong, but also strained. They were two very different men. Obi-Wan had become more cautious and by-the-book over the years, in large part due to the lessons learned at Melida/Daan. Qui-Gon had always been something of a maverick, leading to some butting of heads between him and Obi-Wan.

Beneath all of love, respect and devotion towards his master, Obi-Wan had always harbored the belief that he wasn't quite good enough. Deep down, he'd always felt unsure about his relationship with his Master. Qui-Gon had not been a very demonstrative or openly affectionate master, at least, not as much as Obi-Wan had needed. That had only fed Obi-Wan's self-doubt.

Sidious found himself disliking Qui-Gon intensely. Those last days before Qui-Gon was killed were not pleasant for Obi-Wan at all. Qui-Gon had discovered Anakin and had become completely absorbed with his discovery of the Chosen One. In front of the Jedi Council, Qui-Gon had not even hesitated before unceremoniously tossing Obi-Wan aside to try and take Anakin as his padawan. The pain of the rejection had sliced through Obi-Wan like a knife. To Obi-Wan, it had been a sudden confirmation of all his doubts.

Sidious now knew that even then, Obi-Wan had seen that Anakin was dangerous to train. He had tried to warn Qui-Gon, who had abruptly dismissed him. Obi-Wan later had brought himself to apologize to Qui-Gon for his "disrespect," but Qui-Gon had not returned the favor. Qui-Gon had told Obi-Wan he was the wiser man and would make a great Jedi Knight. Well, Sidious thought, at least he admitted that much! But Qui-Gon never apologized for hurting Obi-Wan the way he did. On top of that, Qui-Gon's last thoughts had been of Anakin. He had made Obi-Wan promise to train Anakin. Obi-Wan's pain at his master's dismissal was still deep, though long buried.

Sidious had also seen the deep respect and affection Obi-Wan had for Yoda. The little green troll had always irritated Sidious beyond words. But he could see that Yoda had been someone that Obi-Wan had been able to turn to, time and again, when he desperately needed some reassurance and wise counsel. Yoda, it seems, had always been able to see Obi-Wan's great potential. He had been something of an advocate for Obi-Wan through the years. That made Yoda's memory a little more tolerable to Sidious.

The memory that had garnered the most intense scrutiny by Sidious was the final battle between Obi-Wan and Darth Maul. Obi-Wan had shown his true potential and skill around that melting pit. It was interesting seeing the battle with his former apprentice through Obi-Wan's eyes. The moves between the two were so fast they were a blur. He saw the surprised look on Maul's face as Obi-Wan cleaved his double lightsaber in two. The battle between two skilled fighters continued. He then felt Obi-Wan get Force-pushed into the melting pit. He felt Obi-Wan quiet his mind as he hung on for dear life. He saw Maul looking down on him with arrogance, thinking the battle was over. Arrogance has been a key flaw in all of my apprentices to date. Sidious then felt Obi-Wan draw the Force around him. He did an amazing leap from his dangling position, called Qui-Gon's lightsaber to him as he flipped and quickly hacked Darth Maul in two. The last look on Maul's face had been utter surprise and disbelief. Obi-Wan seems to have that effect on us Sith.

Overall, Sidious felt he had a good insight into who Obi-Wan truly was and how he got that way. He understood now that Obi-Wan's weakness, his self-doubt, was also his greatest strength. It kept Obi-Wan humble and made him think of others first. His self-doubt gave him a heavy burden to carry, but that burden kept him grounded. Sidious desperately wanted Obi-Wan to see what a great team they'd make. We'd be invincible together! He'd never have to doubt my loyalty, I would never have to doubt his!

Sidious turned back to the work sitting on his desk. A message had come in from Vader. Vader had killed the last free Jedi and was heading back to Coruscant. Sidious hissed out his breath through his teeth. He had hoped Vader would be out from under foot for much longer than this. He felt his irritation increase at just the thought of Vader's return. As long as Vader was to remain his apprentice, he preferred for him to be on the other side of the galaxy. He couldn't wait to be rid of Vader. You WILL be my apprentice, Obi-Wan. I will never let you go!

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Obi-Wan came out of his meditation feeling calm and relaxed. The laughing fits he and Padme had earlier had been therapeutic. It had felt so good to release their pent-up emotions that way. He looked up to see Padme sitting on the cot, tapping quickly on a datapad. Obi-Wan got up off the floor and walked over to the cot. "What are you working on?"

Padme looked up from her work and gave Obi-Wan a smile. "Laicee had an extra datapad in her supplies and suggested I use it as a journal. She thought it would help me to put my thoughts and emotions into words." Padme's eyes followed Obi-Wan as he sat down next to her. "And you know, I'm now looking at it in a different way. I see this journal as a gift to Luke and Leia. Eventually, I want to write about my life up to this moment as well. I want to give them a way to know me. I can't be their mother in the truest sense, but…"

"Padme, you are their mother in EVERY sense! You have given them up in order to save them. That's the highest sacrifice a mother can make! And it's a sacrifice born of the deepest love." Obi-Wan laced his fingers with hers. "I think this journal is a wonderful idea. Someday, when it's time, Luke and Leia will be able to get to know the mother who gave up so much for them. You can give them no better gift then to give them this window into your heart."

Tears shone in Padme's eyes. "Oh, Obi, thank you!" She hugged him and felt his arms wrap around her tightly. Never had anyone said anything so beautiful to her before. She knew she would cherish those words forever. She felt an absolute resolution form in her mind. She knew what she had to do.

Obi-Wan pulled back a bit to look in Padme's eyes. He felt her resolution and knew that she had come to a decision about something. But he also knew better than to ask. She would tell him when she was ready. He gently pushed a stray lock of her hair behind her ear.

Padme looked deep into the eyes of the man who had come to mean everything to her. "I love you, Obi."

"I love you, too."

Padme and Obi-Wan turned towards the door when they heard blaster fire ring out in the hallway. As they stood up, three Stormtroopers came running in. The tallest quickly pulled off his helmet.

"Bail," Obi-Wan and Padme exclaimed together.

"Come on! Let's hurry! You're going to have to look like prisoners." One of the other "troopers" produced two pairs of binders.

Obi-Wan quickly donned his cloak as Padme grabbed her datapad. She didn't have a place to keep it, so Obi-Wan put it in a pocket in his cloak. Obi-Wan grabbed Bail's arm. "There's someone else who needs to be rescued. I also need to find my lightsaber. We can put on the binders after that."

Bail nodded his agreement. They walked quickly out of the room and saw two Stormtroopers lying there. Bail grabbed another pair of binders off of one of them.

Obi-Wan saw another fallen trooper up ahead. He walked quickly to the room, knowing Laicee was inside. She was waiting beside the door. "Come on, Laicee. It's time to go."

Laicee paused. "Let me run back and get my med kit. We may need it." She ran back to the other room after Obi-Wan nodded his agreement.

Obi-Wan concentrated on the Force. Force, please lead me to my lightsaber. He walked down the hall, intently listening to the Force. He felt the Force guiding his steps. Obi-Wan turned and entered a room near the exit ramp. It was a disaster area. Smashed equipment and tables were strewn everywhere. Vader's obviously been here. He felt the Force guide him to an overturned table. He lifted it up and found his lightsaber, thankfully undamaged. The lightsaber had actually been Anakin's. He very much wanted to pass it on to Luke someday.

Obi-Wan ran back out into the hallway and met up with the others. Bail donned his helmet and binders were put on Obi-Wan, Padme and Laicee. The third "trooper" carried the med kit. They ran up the ramp as quickly as they could, ready to slow down and look "authentic" should they run into any other troopers. Finally, they reached the main level and neared the exit.

Everyone got their breathing under control. Two "troopers" at the sides, Bail bringing up the rear. They had their blasters up in a ready position. Obi-Wan heard Bail speak behind him. "There's a small Imperial shuttle waiting outside. There are surprisingly few troopers guarding the place. We gave them fake orders and told them the Emperor wanted the prisoners brought to him at Imperial Headquarters. We managed to have the Emperor called to his office there on urgent business. So, hopefully we won't have a firefight on our hands. This needs to look legit."

They started out and headed for the shuttle. The Stormtroopers outside acknowledged their presence with a nod. One came over to Bail. "I'm in command here. I wasn't on duty when you arrived. I want to see your orders for myself."

Obi-Wan concentrated on the trooper's mind. He quietly said, "You don't need to see those orders. You trust those under your command."

"I don't need to see those orders. I trust those under my command." The Stormtrooper waved them on and walked back over to his troops.

Padme let out her breath. She heard Laicee do the same thing. Good going, Obi!

Bail nudged Obi-Wan with his blaster. "Come on! Move it!" He could feel the eyes of the other Stormtroopers on them. They herded the "prisoners" into the shuttle, where another "trooper" was waiting at the controls. He started the shuttle and lifted off as soon as everyone was aboard.

All of the "troopers" gladly removed their helmets, followed quickly by the rest of the gear. Obi-Wan turned to Bail. "Okay, we're out of that. But how are we possibly going to get off Coruscant unnoticed?"

Bail grinned from ear to ear. "Just wait until you until you see the ship we brought! Actually, you won't be able to see it at all! It has a cloak!"

Obi-Wan's eyes widened. "A cloak? Where did you get a ship with a cloak?"

Bail continued to grin as he turned toward the viewport. "I'll tell you all about it once we're onboard and on our way. We're close now."

Obi-Wan looked out. They were still in the industrial section of Coruscant. The shuttle lowered towards what looked to be an old, abandoned hanger. The shuttle pulled into the hanger and parked off to the side. They exited the shuttle and looked around at what appeared to be an empty hanger. Bail pulled a small control pad out of his pocket. He hit a button and suddenly a door started to open. In the middle of nothingness, the interior of a ship started to appear.

Laicee and Padme gaped at the spectacle. Bail gestured toward the now fully extended ramp. "After you, Ladies."