Thank you all for your reviews! Sassy-Satine, your comments about Obi-Wan's reaction to Sidious were well-timed. You're just about to see the not-so-unflappable Obi!
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Three weeks later, Obi-Wan wiped the sweat from his eyes as he readied for another blow. He swung his leg around and made contact. He swung back around and caught the swinging punching bag, stilling it. Obi-Wan bent over to catch his breath, resting his hands on his knees.
A few days after arriving back on Coruscant, Obi-Wan had asked the Emperor for some exercise equipment. Obi-Wan had known that he was going to need some way to expend his energy and release his growing frustration. Over the course of these three weeks, Obi-Wan had found the need to use the equipment more and more frequently.
Obi-Wan stretched a bit and got ready for another round of kick boxing. He'd always had strong legs and used them often in combat. His roadhouse kicks and his full in-the-air double kicks had felled many a foe. Now, he whacked the large punching bag over and over.
Frustration and irritation had been mounting in Obi-Wan. Not being able to release those emotions into the Force was giving him the need to release them through physical activity. The Emperor was not acting anything like a Sith where he was concerned. And yet, Obi-Wan could not forget all the things the Emperor had done. The fatherly affection Sidious was showing him was a complete contradiction to his character! That disparate contradiction was greatly adding to his frustration.
Being back on Coruscant was continuing to bring forth painful memories. Images of Bant, Garen, Reeft, Mace – all his departed friends kept implanting themselves in his mind. Memories of the Temple, memories of the peace and the wisdom that had dwelled there, haunted him. Questions of how he could have better trained Anakin gnawed at him.
The nightmares had greatly increased these last few weeks, as well. If Obi-Wan wanted to get any sleep he had to depend on Sidious to stop the nightmares and calm his mind. That rankled Obi-Wan greatly. The last thing he wanted was to depend on Sidious for his peace of mind!
On top of everything else, Obi-Wan missed Padme so much it was a gaping wound in his heart. He had failed her. He had failed to provide her with safety and some much-deserved happiness. He had abandoned her, the way he'd always promised her he wouldn't. Would she be able to forgive him? Or would she see it as yet another betrayal by another husband? That worry above all ate at his soul.
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Sidious walked into the apartment that evening to hear the telltale grunts and smacking sounds of Obi-Wan's kick boxing. He walked in that direction and paused to observe. Obi-Wan was wearing only a pair of leggings. Sweat ran down his bare chest and back. He face was soaked, as was his hair. He just kept swinging and swinging, packing one powerful kick after another.
Sidious could sense Obi-Wan's growing frustration. Over the last few weeks, he'd been acting more and more like a caged animal. Sidious knew that it would only be a matter of time before Obi-Wan took out some of that pent-up frustration on him. It was inevitable.
Sidious moved into full-view. Obi-Wan stopped - a look of irritation etched in his features. Obi-Wan hated the fact that Sidious could sneak up on him like that. He grabbed his towel and dried off his face. "How long have you been here?" He didn't even attempt to keep the irritation out of his voice.
"Not long." Sidious stepped aside as Obi-Wan swept by him into the living area. He watched as Obi-Wan started to pace, rolling and unrolling the towel around his hands. Ah, here we go. The pent-up frustration cometh.
Obi-Wan stopped his pacing. "Let me ask you a question. If you don't plan on trying to turn me to the Dark Side, then why am I here? Do you plan to just hold me here like some sort of pet?"
Sidious walked further into the living area. "I don't see you as a pet."
Obi-Wan narrowed his eyes. "Oh, that's right. You see me as a son. Well, do you plan to keep your SON locked up forever?"
Sidious sat down with a sigh. "I don't know."
"No matter how long you keep me here, I'm not going to be able to reciprocate your feelings." Obi-Wan's anger was growing. He started pacing again. "You destroyed EVERYTHING that was good in this galaxy! You took away everything that was important to me. You destroyed the Jedi Order – my way of life. You murdered all of my friends and comrades. You warped the mind of my former apprentice and turned him into someone who hated me and wanted to kill me!"
Obi-Wan stopped in front of the window, his back to Sidious. "I will never be able to forget any of that, Sidious. Not ever."
Sidious stood. "I know that, Obi-Wan." Without another word, he left the apartment.
Obi-Wan turned around to find the Emperor gone. A small feeling of guilt pricked at him. He ran his fingers through his hair and shook his head. It was ridiculous for him to feel guilty about hurting the feelings of a Sith! Maybe Padme and Yoda are right, I AM too prone to guilt.
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Early the next morning, Obi-Wan headed into the kitchen for some breakfast. His hair was still wet from his shower. He opened the cupboard to pull out a box of tea when he heard the front door open. He looked up to see several men stream in, blasters at the ready. At the front was Bail Organa. At the end of the stream of men was Padme. Obi-Wan just stood there gaping.
"Obi!" Padme ran to her husband and threw herself in his arms. Obi-Wan held her tight. When he could find his voice, he asked, "How did you…"
Padme pulled back and covered his mouth with her finger. "We'll talk later."
"Are you alone in here?" Bail looked around in confusion.
Obi-Wan was just as confused. "Yes. Didn't you encounter any resistance? There used to be a mini-garrison stationed outside the door."
"No. There was nothing. We anticipated having to make quite a fight of it, but there's nobody out there anymore."
"That's strange." Obi-Wan glanced at the dining table. His lightsaber was laying on it, next to a datapad. He picked up the datapad and started to read.
Obi-Wan,
I have decided to let you go free. You were right, I cannot keep you locked up forever and I can't make you look at me as a father. Another reason I didn't try and turn you to the Dark Side this time is because I knew it would be useless. I have come to see what I didn't want to see before - you will NEVER turn to the Dark Side. You are as firmly planted in the Light as I am in the Dark. Even unto death, I know you would resist. I also know that keeping you locked up and unable to access the Force would slowly but surely destroy your spirit. I would not want to watch that happen. I will not try and track you down again. I will also try to keep Vader too busy to look for you. The guards are gone. You may leave when you wish. Take whatever you want from the apartment. All of it is yours.
I am and forever will be a Sith, however, I also know that I am forever changed. You changed me. You touched something in me that I didn't know existed. You are the son that I never knew I wanted. I shall miss your company.
Palpatine
P.S. Here is your lightsaber. I figured that you might need it.
Padme came up to Obi-Wan. "What is it, Obi?"
"It's a note from Sidious. He's letting me go. He called away the guards and says that I'm free to leave." Even as he said the words, he found them hard to believe.
Bail looked dumbfounded. "He's letting you go? After all the pains he took to get you back?"
Obi-Wan smiled weakly. "It's a long, complicated story." He turned off the datapad and slipped it into his pocket. He clipped the lightsaber onto his belt. He went into the office to get another datapad. He typed in two simple words, 'Thank you.' He signed it and left it on the dining table. "Well, he said I'm free to take whatever I want. And I think I will."
Obi-Wan went off to pack up some things he wanted to take. Padme watched him with a look of disbelief. She turned to Bail. "I can't believe this! This is obviously the will of the Force, because I never in a million years would have thought this possible!"
Bail nodded his head. "I think I can safely say that I've seen it all."
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Almost immediately after getting back on board the cloaked ship, Obi-Wan and Padme went off to their room to be alone. They sat down on the edge of the bed, hands intertwined. Obi-Wan looked down at their hands, finding it hard to look Padme in the eyes. "Will you ever be able to forgive me, Padme?"
Padme released one of his hands and tilted his head up. "There's nothing to forgive, Babe. You saved Luke and I from being caught by Sidious or Vader or both. You were willing to sacrifice yourself yet again for us. That's amazing to me. You're amazing."
"No, Padme. I shouldn't have left you. I should have been stronger."
Padme sighed heavily as she covered his mouth with her hand. "Will you PLEASE stop beating yourself up! I know it's one of your favorite hobbies, but it does get old!" She released his mouth, giving him an exasperated look.
Obi-Wan managed a sheepish smile. This he quickly turned into a mock-stern look. "You didn't listen to me when I said not to come after me."
"Of course not! I wasn't about to let you go without a fight!" Padme grinned at him.
Obi-Wan just looked at his wife, wanting to never be away from her again. "I missed you."
Padme threw her arms around Obi-Wan. "Oh, I missed you too!"
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Obi-Wan and Padme were now back in their hut on Tatooine. They were lying in bed, wrapped in each other's arms. Padme had her head resting on her husband's chest. "Are you ever going to tell me what happened between you and Sidious?"
"It's really hard to explain."
"Try me."
"Well, those feelings of fatherly affection he had for me a year and a half ago have grown. It's the weirdest thing…He displayed feelings of tenderness and protectiveness towards me. He made no attempts to turn me to the Dark Side. He said that he couldn't because he didn't want to hurt me."
Padme sat up at that. "What?"
"I know! It's baffling! It seems he just wanted to be near me. He enjoyed my company. The night before you arrived, I let him know that I couldn't reciprocate his feelings - that I could never forget the horrible things he'd done." Obi-Wan reached over and pulled a datapad out of the drawer of the nightstand. "This is the note he left me."
Padme took the datapad and read it. When she was finished, she stared up at Obi-Wan, wide-eyed. "That is…unbelievable. Why did he sign it 'Palpatine?'"
"He said that when he was with me, he felt more like Palpatine than Sidious." Obi-Wan shook his head. "I can't explain it, Hon."
"He loves you, Obi-Wan."
Obi-Wan looked at Padme skeptically. "I think that's too strong a word. A Sith isn't capable of love."
"I would have thought that a Sith wasn't capable of any of the qualities he's shown towards you. But putting the needs of someone else ahead of your own desires is an act of love. He wanted you near him, but he was still willing to let you go. Believe me, I'm not one to readily apply any positive attributes to Sidious. But he loves you like a son, of that I have no doubt."
"Great. That just makes this all the more…creepy."
Padme laughed and nestled up against Obi-Wan's chest again. "Have I mentioned to you lately that I love you?"
"Not in the last ten minutes, no." Obi-Wan grinned down at her.
