Chapter 8

Only Odessa and the plot are mine!

Thank you to all my reviewers! Responses to reviews are at the end!

Padmé was a wreck. Odessa had never seen her friend so upset, especially with Anakin home. She paced the living room worriedly, and Odessa could see the heavy worry lines in her forehead. She placed Han on the floor and sat on the couch.

"Did Anakin not take the news about the baby well?" she asked. Padmé's pacing stopped.

"Well no, not exactly. But he started having dreams about me dying in childbirth, and he just…changed. He's been…I don't know, obsessed with these visions recently. They're just dreams…but he's comparing them to the ones he had about his mother, so he thinks it'll really happen. And recently he's been really upset with the Jedi – they haven't been treating him well, and he's just become, I don't know, obsessed with getting more power. I've tried to explain to him that everything will be fine, but I don't know if I'm getting through to him. It feels like he's pulling away from me, and I don't know how to bring him back," Padmé said. She flopped onto the couch next to Odessa.

"Yes, Obi-Wan told me that Anakin has been moody lately, but I didn't think that it would go over to you," Odessa said, concerned. "Where is he now?"

"He's at the temple. I don't know what's going on…he won't tell me anything. I wish he could just open up to me, but it always seems as if he's hiding something from me." Padmé began to cry silently, burying her face in her hands.

"I'm sure once he settles down, everything will be alright. He's a good person, he's just a little over-emotional at times," Odessa said, trying to sound comforting. She placed an arm around her friend's shoulders.

"I hope you're right. I'm sorry; you must think I'm a horrible friend. You said that you needed someone to talk to – what's wrong?" Padmé asked, looking at her through watery eyes. Odessa sighed.

"All day I've had this horrible feeling that I'll never see Obi-Wan again. He just left to find General Grievous this morning, and I haven't heard from him. He said it would be a short mission, but he'd like to have Anakin with him. And I think I've completely ruined my job at the temple – Merina figured out that Obi-Wan and I have something going on together, and she's threatening to turn me in to the council. While I think I could come up with a reasonable explanation, I'd prefer to not have to. I'm going to plead with her tomorrow morning, but I don't think it'll do any good. She's suspected something, and today I was stupid and went to see Obi-Wan off. Of course, she figured out where I was going and was furious. I know it was stupid of me. I don't understand why I can't just realize that I'm not a Jedi anymore, and get on with my life." Odessa rubbed her eyes, enraged with herself.

"I'm sure Obi-Wan will be fine – he's gotten himself out of tighter situations before," Padmé said.

"True, but he's always had Anakin with him then. I think just the thought of having Anakin there boosts his confidence. He sees Anakin as a brother, and having his moral support really helps him. And Anakin is very good at what he does, so he's always been a real help in battles and whatnot. I've just had a bad feeling all day, and I can't shake it." Padmé stood up.

"What is with all this Jedi nonsense of feelings and visions and everything? Not everything is centered on the force. Us normal people have to base everything on the facts we know, because we don't have this mystical force to guide us. Why can't you just trust the facts for once?" she exclaimed, upset. Odessa looked at her, shocked. After a few moments, Padmé turned back to her, eyes teary again.

"'Dessa, I'm sorry…I shouldn't have said that. I'm just so frustrated by Anakin's behavior right now that I'm at my wit's end. You're not wrong in worrying…I know I'd be worried too, if Anakin was off on his own. I just don't understand why Anakin seems to be pulling away from me, right when I really need him," she said. Odessa stood and hugged her friend.

"I'm sure he'll settle down. He loves you, and he'd do anything for you. Just give him some time." She released Padmé, then walked into the kitchen to prepare dinner for the two of them. Padmé's swollen stomach was well concealed beneath the robe she was wearing, but it still made it difficult for her to get around the kitchen. She'd taken to having threepio cook, but he wasn't the best droid for the kitchen. Padmé was thankful whenever she could have Odessa cook, because it meant a better meal for everyone. They ate the meal slowly, discussing Anakin's recent actions and what they might mean. Unfortunately, the conversation did nothing to soothe Padmé's frayed nerves, and the uneasiness Odessa felt only grew. Once the meal was over, they moved to the couch, where Han had fallen asleep. They spoke quietly for a few moments as the sun gently dipped below the horizon, but soon fell into an uncomfortable silence as both women thought about the men in their lives. Suddenly, a deep, harsh pain filled Odessa's chest, and she jumped up in shock. She doubled over for a moment, then finally rose. Padmé stood beside her, concerned.

"'Dessa, what is it? Are you alright?" She placed a hand on Odessa's back.

"I…I'm fine…" she said, gazing out the window. Then her eyes grew wide as she raised a hand to her mouth. Padmé followed her gaze, and squeaked out an "Oh no!" as she saw thick plumes of smoke wafting out of the Jedi Temple. Odessa was frozen in shock.

"Anakin is there! What if…what if he's hurt?" Padmé exclaimed, gathering her things as if to leave. Odessa grabbed her arm.

"No, Padmé. You stay here; I'll find out what's going on, and come back as soon as I can. I don't want you endangering yourself there. Threepio will take care of you, and I'll be back shortly, I hope," Odessa told her friend. She scooped up the sleeping Han and rushed out the door. Hurrying back to her apartment, she put her exhausted son to bed in his crib, then grabbed the lightsaber Obi-Wan had given her. She secured it to her belt and rushed out the door. She made her way to the temple entrance, where she found several clone troops stationed outside.

"Ma'am, the temple is no longer safe to enter," one said.

"What's going on?" she asked frantically, trying to make her way in.

"The Jedi have gone against the senate, and it is our job to exterminate them," the clone said stoically.

"What!" Odessa exclaimed, astonished.

"Now, please leave," was his only reply. Odessa stared at the entrance, astonished. For the Jedi to go against the senate meant that some proof against Palpatine must have been discovered. However, the temple was the home of many of the younglings, and they would be taken unawares. She had to get inside. Taking a deep breath, she forced all emotions from her mind, and ignited her lightsaber.

Once the few clones guarding the entrance realized that she was a Jedi, they swarmed. Her reflexes kicked in, and soon their mutilated bodies surrounded her. She hurried into the temple, and the sight that greeted her was chaos. Younglings were running every which was as the few masters in the temple tried to both fight off the clones and get the children to safety. Odessa made her way to the cafeteria, and found yet another scene of destruction. Tables were strewn everywhere, chairs were overturned and broken, and the younglings were barricading themselves with the furniture to avoid the clones. She caught the attention of as many of the children as she could and ushered them into the kitchens, then picked off the rest of the clones loitering in the cafeteria. Once the coast was clear, she sent the children to the nearest classroom and told them not to leave until a master instructed them to do so. They huddled together in the corners, unsure of what to do. Once she convinced herself that they were safe, she headed for the hallway, looking for someone who knew what was going on.

The temple was a mess. The typically pristine floors were covered with dust and blood, littered with bodies of clones and Jedi alike. The scene of destruction sent waves of pain through Odessa body, but she forced herself to let go of all emotion and help where she could. A troop of clones turned the corner down the hallway, and she quickly slipped behind a damaged column, prepared to strike if necessary. Odessa slipped down the hallway in the opposite direction, and went unnoticed as she turned the corner. She could hear the distant screams of the victims as they echoed through the marble hallways, but it was impossible to tell where the heaviest fighting was. She made her way to the library, to see what damage had occurred there.

The scene that greeted was devestating. Books were piled on the floor, shelves overturned. All of the computers appeared to be destroyed, and Odessa made her way over to her desk. It was splintered in half, all of her data ruined in cracked heaps on the floor. She ran her fingertips lightly over the discs, then continued around the library. It was hard to tell where the most destruction was. Everywhere she turned revealed torn pages and upturned tables, not to mention the bodies that were strewn about the floor. She walked towards the back of the expansive library, close to the study rooms. There she found bodies of the younglings, helplessly murdered as they tried to save their own lives. Aghast, she made her way around the room, looking for any signs of life or any other children that could be saved. All she found was more destruction, more bodies around every corner. She knelt down next to some of her former students.

"Why would they kill the children? They weren't a threat to anyone," she wondered aloud, examining their wounds. There were some obviously caused by the guns of the clones, but there were also some distinct lightsaber wounds.

"The Sith have been here. We must have been right, that Palpatine is close to the Sith, if not a Sith himself. Only he could order the clones to do something like this," she thought to herself. Standing, she made her way to the entrance. There had to be somebody that was still alive that could tell her what was happening.

She walked the empty corridors, her shoes making far too much noise in the dead silence of the temple. She wanted to call out, but she could tell that the clones were still there, and she didn't want to draw any more attention to herself. She could handle a few clones coming at her, but if a whole troop were to turn on her, she couldn't stand a chance. The screams had quieted down, but she still held her lightsaber tightly in her hand, ready for combat if any enemies decided to jump out at her. The eerie silence and dim lighting made her uneasy, but she focused on finding any more younglings and getting to safety. She turned the corner and saw a dark figure, their identity hidden behind the dark Jedi cloak, standing at the end of the hallway, reconfiguring the message center. She walked a bit faster, cautiously but curious to see who this person was. As she got closer, she realized that the figure was Anakin.

"Anakin! Am I glad to see you!" she called out, remembering Padmé's anguish. She rushed forward, but abruptly stopped as he turned towards her. His face was menacing, and he wore a strange smile as he looked at her. His eyes were glowing bright red as he looked at her. Odessa gave him a confused look.

"But…Anakin…why?" she asked as he approached.

"I didn't realize they allowed just anyone to carry a lightsaber," he said sneeringly. "But it doesn't matter – soon your fate will be like all the rest."

He raised his lightsaber to her, and she prepared to defend herself. It pained her to fight her best friend's husband, but she could see that he was no longer the man Padmé had fallen in love with. The person before her was pure evil, pure hatred – pure Sith. They began to clash blades, and she soon saw that he was extremely skilled. She was able to keep him from striking her, but only just. His intensity grew, but because of her constant training, she was able to keep up.

The fight was long and grueling. Odessa wouldn't have stood a chance against him if she hadn't been spending every possible moment shaping up her skills with his master. However, it was clear that he had strength and power that she just didn't, and slowly but surely Anakin was wearing her down. Beads of sweat were trailing down her neck and her muscles burned with pain, but she would not back down. The realization that she might die crept into her mind, but she refused to let it scare her. Death was not nearly as frightening to her as it had been three short years before. She fought as well as she could, using everything she had learned over the years as a guide. She could feel her master's presence, pushing her to be her best. It gave her some strength, but she was still no match for the young man in front of her.

"Anakin, why the Sith? There were such high hopes for you…" she pleaded as they fought.

"Only the Sith can give me what I want. I was being held back here," he said roughly, escalating his attack.

"And what is it you want?" She asked, matching him.

"Power. That was something that the dear masters of this place kept denying me. They should have realized that the chosen one shouldn't have been held back by their petty rules," he shot back.

The masters. Obi-Wan. He would be devastated once he learned that his own student was the one to kill so many. What if he was dead already? Panic shot through her as she lost her focus on Anakin, but quickly she pushed the thoughts of Obi-Wan and resumed the fight. But the brief second she had taken to think on Obi-Wan had been enough, and just as she restored her focus to Anakin, she felt his blade slice across her torso. She crumpled to the floor, shaking as she looked up at him.

"Anakin, what would Padmé think of what you're doing?" she said weakly.

"I'm doing this FOR Padmé! I won't lose her, not when I can gain the power to keep her alive! She's the reason why I'm doing this!" he exploded at her, brandishing his lightsaber.

"She thinks she's already lost you," she said faintly, trying to pull herself together. She didn't need to look down to see the blood seeping from her body, or feel the pain to know that she was dying. Anakin looked down at her curiously, then was gone with a swish of his robes. She dragged herself to the wall, gently leaning on it as she shook violently from the pain. Closing her eyes, she focused all of her thoughts on Han and Obi-Wan, wanting her last thoughts to be of them.

Perhaps hours passed, perhaps days. Odessa remained in a state of semi-consciousness, realizing that she was going to die but willing herself to stay alive on the chance that Obi-Wan might return safely. She felt as if all of those who had just become part of the force were egging her on, helping her stay alive as she waited for what may have been nothing. She felt as if she were both freezing and on fire, shaking and sweating as she curled up into a ball. Finally, after what seemed like days to her, She heard the faint voices of Master Yoda and Obi-Wan.

"Killed not by clones, this Padawan. By a lightsaber, he was," Odessa heard Yoda say. Her eyes snapped open once she realized how close they were.

"Who? Who could have done this?" she heard Obi-Wan ask. She tried to pull herself up, but found that she was too weak.

"Obi-Wan…"she called out as loudly as she could. It came out as little more than a whisper, but it was enough to catch his attention. As soon as he saw who it was, he rushed over to her.

"Odessa? Oh Force, Odessa, what happened?" he said to her, falling to the floor beside her. He pulled her into his arms, resting her head against his shoulder.

"Obi-Wan…it was Anakin. I tried…I tried to stop him, but I got here too late. He…he's not the boy you trained…not anymore. Obi-Wan, he's gone to the Sith," she told him, struggling. He cradled her in his arms, small tears forming at the corner of his eyelids as he looked at her wound.

"Anakin? But why? And where is he now?" he asked her.

"Go…go to Padmé. She'll…she'll know where he is. But I…I don't know if she'll tell you." Her voice was coming out in gasps.

"'Dessa…I…I'm sorry I wasn't here to protect you…" he said, watching her frail body shake. She smiled weakly at him.

"Obi-Wan…please…make sure Han is safe. I'm sure he's hungry…I haven't been home since…since the temple was initially attacked. Please, keep him out of harms way." Obi-Wan could tell that she was fading fast, but he pulled her closer and gently brushed the hair out of her face.

"Odessa…I wanted to tell you…I should have told you so long ago…I love you." The words came out softly and simply, but in that moment Odessa could feel every bit of the love he had for her, and knew that the way she felt for him was so much more than any other relationship she had had, either with her master or her husband. She reached up, desperate to look into his turquoise eyes once more before leaving him.

"I know," she whispered. He lowered his head to hers, kissing her gently and sweetly. It held much more passion and love than she had ever experienced before, and she knew that there would be no better way to die than in her lover's arms. He pulled away gently, and she looked deeply into his eyes. He touched his forehead to hers, and she exhaled her final breath. Gently Obi-Wan reached up and closed her eyes, then laid her down again. He stood, looking at Yoda, who had witnessed the entire exchange.

"Loved her, you did?" he asked. "That is not wise, Master Kenobi."

"I do love her. She was everything that made me complete. I know that my life has been forever changed because she was part of it." Yoda looked at him serenely. Obi-Wan made his way to the message control center and taking a deep breath, he forced himself to concentrate on the task at hand. He fiddled with the computers for a few moments as Yoda watched on. Finally, he looked up.

"I've recalibrated the code warning all surviving Jedi to stay away," Obi-Wan said.

"Good. For the Clones to discover the recalibration, a long time it will take. To change it back, longer still. Hurry," Yoda replied. The two Jedi started out of the temple, but Obi-Wan lagged behind as they passed the hologram area in the main control center.

"Wait, Master. There is something I must know," Obi-Wan said, knowing that Odessa wouldn't lie to him, but desperate to see the truth with his own eyes.

"If into the security recordings you go, only pain will you find," Yoda warned.

"I must know the truth, Master." Obi-Wan made his way to the hologram projector and pushed the switch. In front of him, clear as day, he saw images of Anakin slaughtering the younglings. "It can't be…It can't be…" Obi-Wan muttered to himself, horrified. But he had known, ever since the words left Odessa's mouth, that it was true. They had talked themselves about how frustrated Anakin had been, and while it wasn't foreseen that he could have gone to the Sith, it all clicked into place. The realization, however, didn't give Obi-Wan any comfort as he watched Anakin bow down before Palpatine, now swathed in the garb of a true Sith Lord. "I can't watch anymore," he said as he finally switched off the hologram. Yoda looked at Obi-Wan, the slightest glimpse of sympathy for the younger Jedi written in his face. Obi-Wan was deep in thought.

"Destroy the Sith, we must," Yoda's voice sounded, breaking the dead silence within the temple. Obi-Wan cast him a desperate look.

"Send me to kill the Emperor. I will not kill Anakin," he said, almost pleadingly.

"To fight this Lord Sidious, strong enough, you are not."
"He is like my brother! I cannot do it!" Obi-Wan's eyes begged Yoda silently to understand, but if the Jedi Master did, he showed no sign.

"Twisted by the dark side, young Skywalker has become. The boy you trained, gone he is . . . Consumed by Darth Vader," Yoda told him. Obi-Wan sighed, knowing that he had to do what Yoda said. As much as he cared for Anakin, he was truly gone; replaced by this wretched, evil shell of the Jedi he once was.

"How could it have come to this?" Obi-Wan asked, more to himself than anyone else.

"To question, no time there is." Yoda started out of the temple, but Obi-Wan lagged behind.

"I do not know where the Emperor has sent him. I don't know where to look," Obi-Wan said, but even as the words left his mouth, he knew that he didn't believe them. Odessa had told him where to find Anakin, and he knew that she was right.

"Use your feelings, Obi-Wan, and find him, you will. Visit the new Emperor, my task is. May the Force be with you," Yoda replied, almost scoldingly.

"May the force be with you, Master Yoda," Obi-Wan replied, thinking over what he had to do. Yoda left the temple, leaving Obi-Wan to his thoughts. He made his way to Odessa body and gently wrapped it in his robe. Heading to her apartment, he found a scared and lonely Han crying in his crib. He did what he could for the boy, but it seemed as if even he understood what had happened in the galaxy, and the dangers to come. He rewrapped Odessa's body in some thick sheets, then brought both Han and his mother's body to Bail Organa, explaining the situation to him and asking him to watch over the boy while he went on his grim task. While the senator was confused, he agreed. Senator Organa brought Han to Polis Massa to wait for Obi-Wan to return.

Return he did, looking and feeling far worse than he had when he left on his mission. He wanted nothing more than to just spend some time with Han, but he couldn't due to Padmé's condition. He sat through yet another childbirth and watched yet another person he cared for die, feeling as if he'd seen enough death to last him a lifetime. He was actually a bit grateful to be forced into seclusion on Tattooine once the children's fates had been decided, but Odessa's final pleas kept echoing through his mind. Eager as he was to resume his training with Master Qui-Gon, who had contacted Yoda in order to train the two of them to hold on to their consciousness once they had passed on, he knew he had to fulfill his unspoken promise to make sure Han was safe. He packed up Luke and Han, along with a few personal possessions and Odessa body, and headed to Corellia, in search of any family for Han. He wasn't surprised when he didn't find any on the bustling, industrial planet. Tempted as he was to keep Han and raise him by himself, he knew it wouldn't be safe for Han to be associated with any Jedi, regardless of the boy's own proficiency with the force. Reluctantly he decided to leave him at an orphanage in the center of the biggest city on the planet, hoping he could just blend in with the crowd and lead something of a normal life.

"It would be better if you forgot all about me, little one," he said to the boy.

"Oben?" was the boy's only response. Obi-Wan picked him up and hugged him tightly.

"I want you to imagine that your mother is here instead of me, alright?" Obi-Wan pictured Odessa in his mind – her beautiful smile, her warm, loving eyes – and tried his best to instill that image into Han. He kissed the boy softly on the forehead, then handed him over to the caretaker of the orphanage. A silent tear slipped down his cheek as he walked away.

Epilogue

The twins suns of Tattooine were gradually disappearing beneath the horizon as the man known as Ben Kenobi walked around his small hut beyond the Dune Sea. If anyone noticed him, they stayed away – he seemed far too odd for anyone to approach. There were rumors, of course, that he was one of those traitorous Jedi, just waiting for a time to strike at the empire, but there was no proof. The man kept to himself, only coming into town once a month to restock on food and to get a snippet of the latest news. The locals could say that he was a soft-spoken, quiet man who seemed scarred by things in his past, but what those things were, no one knew. The mystery frightened them.

He walked towards a white marble slab approximately fifty feet from the back of his hut, and sat on the hard, dusty ground. The slab was bare and often covered with dust due to the vicious sandstorms that consistently plagued the area. Yet it seemed that whatever was concealed by that slab was obviously of great importance to him, since he could be found clearing it after every storm, making sure its surface was just as pristine as the floors of the now demolished Jedi Temple had been. No one was around to hear what he said, but he spoke as if he was talking to an old friend or lover.

"Odessa, it's been a year since…since Anakin went bad. I'm so sorry for everything – I should have seen the signs, or been there to protect you, anything that could have made your fate different. I want you to know that if I could have kept Han, I would have, but you know as well as I that he'll be much safer far away from anything remotely Jedi. I must admit, I've felt as though I've failed you, by not being as strong as I know you imagined me to be. That's why it's taken me so long to really come here and talk to you, not just to come and clean this overly expensive monument I've constructed to give you some sort of rememberance. I've spoken with Master Yoda through untraceable channels, and we both agree that your efforts in the temple are the epitome of what a Jedi should be – a person willing to die for what they know is right. Therefore, since we are the only two remaining council members, we hereby grant you the title of Jedi Knight. I know it doesn't mean anything now, but I know how important it was to you. I hope that you're happy wherever you are, watching over Han and me and probably laughing at my silly sentimentality. I know that you always knew how much I love you, but I want to remind you. You're the one person who understood me completely, the only one who truly made me feel as though I was doing a truly noble thing with my life by being a Jedi. But you know I would have given it all up, just for another day with you. Rest well, my love, and I hope one day we can be together again."

He placed a small wreath of wildflowers on her grave, then stood and returned to his house. There, he found the ghostly incarnation of his former master waiting for him.

"It's about time you did that. The weight of your guilt over her death has been holding you back for quite some time now," he said.

"I know. I just…couldn't find the words to tell her goodbye. Losing her from my life really left a void in me, and I wasn't quite sure how to deal with that. I'd never really felt loss before, not even when I lost you. I suppose that's because I could still feel your presence around myself and Anakin, and I drew strength from that. I sometimes think that I can feel her, too, but I wonder if that's just my imagination playing tricks on me. Have you found any evidence of her from your side of things?"

"We over here know no more than you do on your side. A being can go unnoticed as long as they don't reveal themselves to others. But I am more perceptive of the spirits than you are, and I have noticed her around you every now and then," Qui-Gon replied calmly.

"If…if you can talk to her at all, if she's really solid enough to even talk to, let her know that I still care for her. She means quite a lot to me," Obi-Wan said, a bit awkwardly. Qui-Gon paused for a moment, then smiled.

"She knows."

FIN

Well, there you have it! I know it wasn't the ending some of you were hoping for, and believe me, no one wanted them to live happily ever after more than I did. Truthfully, though, Odessa's death was the first part of this story that came to mind, right after I fell in love with Obi-Wan's character after seeing Episode I for the first time, and I knew that this wonderful character I had created wouldn't have wanted to die any other way than fighting the Sith. I have something of an idea for a sequel to this story, but even if I do write it, it'll have to wait until after July 16th, and after any HP-crazed obsessions have died down. Also, if there's any interest at all, I did write an Odessa/Obi-Wan story between Ep 2 and Ep 3 for how I thought Anakin might go bad, but it was completely blown out of the water once I saw Ep 3. It's relatively short – probably about 10,000 words, and I can post it as an additional chapter here if there's interest. I want you all to know how thankful I am for your support – I really felt that there were a lot of people who liked reading my story, and that made me really happy. It was great to finally be writing for an audience as well as for myself. So even to those of you who didn't write any reviews, thank you. Now that they've started tracking hits to my stories, I get a little ego boost every time I see that number go up :-).

To all of my wonderful, wonderful reviewers – Thank you all so so so so much! Without you guys I may have never gotten around to finishing this story, or making it as good as I think it is right now. I hope I didn't disappoint any of you – I know some of you wanted it to fit more with the books, or wanted more action between Obi-Wan and Odessa, but I really, really hope you all like it. While I was writing this mostly for myself, I loved reading your reviews and I took them all to heart, regardless if I followed your suggestions or not. So thank you all so much.

Rachel Sparrow – I think you're right, it is longer than four days. I'm going to try and tweak it to add a few more days in there…the four just seems so short. I know, you wanted them to be on Tattooine together…but I hope you were still satisfied with the ending. Thank you so much for all of your reviews!

Becka – Thank you for the review! I'm glad you like the story!

Everyone else that's ever reviewed – Thank you thank you thank you! I loved them all! Hugs to all of you!