IN DREAMS

Chapter Five

Padme stared at Obi-Wan expectantly. So he was going to help her…this was the first step in the right direction to finding her husband.

Obi-Wan stared back at Padme, still wondering if she was in her right mind or not. She adamantly believed that Anakin was still alive and he definitely couldn't deny the connection the couple had. But that didn't change the fact that Anakin had yet to be found and was very close to being presumed dead. Still, maybe he owed it to his padawan and his wife. And if Anakin was dead, he deserved a proper funeral and Padme deserved to have her husband's body.

"Alright, Padme. I'll leave tomorrow morning. I promise you, Padme, I won't return without Anakin."

Padme exhaled with relief and immediately threw her arms around his neck. "Thank you, thank you, thank you. You have no idea how much this means to me, how much this will mean to Anakin."

"Oh, I might have an idea."

They shared a brief smile at his last comment, then Obi-Wan's face turned more somber.

"Padme, there's something else that we have to talk about."

She turned a suddenly worried face to him as he continued.

"Anakin was one of the highest midichlorian count ever recorded. And you know that all babies are tested for midichlorians after they're born, right?"

Padme nodded, not really sure where he was going with this. Then, suddenly it hit her. Her children would have extremely high counts.

"What's going to happen to them, Obi-Wan?"

"The Council will take them as new padawans."

"No…they can't…you have to do something…they can't take my children from me." She reached out and clung to his arm desperately to make him see that she would die if they were taken from her.

"Please, Obi-Wan, they're all I have left of…of Anakin. They're a part of him, gifts from him…you can't let them take my children from me."

Obi-Wan looked at her with pity, not really knowing a way to make this better for her. She had already been through so much and now this…he wasn't sure how much she would be able to take. In truth, he wasn't sure how much more he could take. But he had to think of some way to help her, because he knew Anakin would want him to.

"Listen to me, you need to calm down. It's not good for the children for you to get this upset. I'll think of something. I promise. I'll do research and I'll try to find some way to get around that. The Council won't take them from you Padme. I won't let it happen."

She nodded, feeling immense relief at his comforting words and quickly wiped away the tears that had fallen on her cheeks. He put a hand on her shoulder then turned to leave.

"Obi-Wan?"

He turned back to meet her grateful eyes.

"Thank you. So much. I don't know how I'll ever repay for what you're going to do for us."

He could only smile at her then turned once again to walk out the door. She wouldn't have to repay him. He owed it to them both.

Anakin turned his head despite the immense pain in his neck and stared intensely at one of his captors. His arms were pinned behind his back and all he wanted to do was stand up to stretch his aching legs. But he couldn't move and his head was pounding.

One of his captors took a step forward then crouched down so he could look his captive in the eye.

"Listen, Jedi. You have two choices. You can either cooperate with us and just tell us what we want to know and you won't get hurt anymore than you already are. In fact, I'll even let a medic tend to you if you cooperate. But if you don't, I'll make you that you'll wish you were dead."

Anakin's eyes narrowed suspiciously at this, knowing all too well what his Separatist captors wanted him to tell them. He shook his head furiously.

"I'm not going to tell you anything."

His captor leaned forward and pushed his finger into one of Anakin's many cuts, making him cry out in agony.

"Will you tell me now?"

Again, Anakin shook his head. With that, his captor kicked him in the stomach, causing Anakin to fall forward, but was held back by the restraints on his arms. He moaned in pain as his body cried out in anguish from the beatings that had already taken place.

"Now, there's more where that came from. I'm going to ask you some questions and it would be wise to answer."

Anakin didn't respond and his captor continued.

"Where will the next Republic attack be?"

Anakin remained silent and was rewarded with a punishing punch to his jaw.

"What is the Jedi Council's next mission?"

Anakin spit blood at his captor's shoes and his captor swiftly responded by kicking him in the face. Despite the blood that now dripped down his face and the unimaginable pain coursing through his body, Anakin remained strong and silent through the rest of his captor's questions. He asked about the Senate, the Chancellor, and some of the bills that were being proposed in the Senate. Anakin remained silent throughout all of the questioning, even as the brutal beatings continued.

But it wasn't until the questioning took a particular turn that his captors got the break they were looking for.

"And Senator Amidala, where does she fit with the bill proposed by Senator Organa?"

Anakin's eyes narrowed and his breathing became heavier. He could feel the anger rising inside his body and he shifted vicious eyes at his captor.

His captor narrowed his eyes in return, then smiled smugly. Senator Amidala was the key to breaking the Jedi. It was obvious from his reaction at the mention of the Senator, when all he had done before was stare with indifference.

"Senator Amidala will be killed if you don't talk."

Anakin clenched his jaw in anger and closed his eyes tightly. He wasn't about to allow anything to happen to his wife, but he also couldn't betray the Republic. Padme wouldn't want that. Instead, he inwardly resolved to take the middle ground.

Anakin shook his head furiously, telling his captors that he would not respond to their questions. Padme, you need to be careful. Someone might be coming to hurt you. You need to be careful. Take care of yourself. I love you.

Padme shot up in bed and quickly drew a hand to her slightly swelling stomach. Another dream about Anakin. His voice was still ringing in his head and again, it was like he was right there beside her, whispering in her ear:

"Padme, you need to be careful. Someone might be coming to hurt you. You need to be careful. Take care of yourself. I love you."

She didn't know how much more of this she could take, but for now, she would just have to enjoy this moment, as if he were really there with her.