Chapter One

"Obi-Wan."

That soft voice was beckoning to him, rippling in a wave on the underside of the dark clouds above him.

"Obi-Wan."

A lone white light pierced through to shine on his face. His hand instinctively reached up to welcome it, embrace it, but the contact with it burned his skin and withdrew his hand immediately, his eyes flying open.

"Obi-Wan."

Clearing vision revealed a friendly face. A beautiful face. One that he should remember. Padme, that was her name. She was the Queen of Naboo.

His mind struggled in his confusion and remorse. His master had died recently at the hands of a Sith warrior, in this very room – and somehow, this young woman was responsible.

She was smiling at him now. But it wasn't a smile of happiness. It was one of sympathy and he detested it. He didn't need her sympathy.

A soft hand touched his face, which had him on his feet in an instant, intentionally looking away from the pained expression on her face.

She was kneeling on the cold floor near to where another body had been lying, but was no longer there. His eyes took in the oval room, the pit, the red glowing force field gates, and eventually swung back to meet her gaze. He saw a variety of emotions there – confusion, pain, sympathy, and fear.

Fear.

He could feel that emotion within him as well. It was not one that he was accustomed to, but he could feel it clawing its way into his very soul.

"Obi-Wan. Are you all right?"

"No." He knew that much.

Just then, the force fields gates swung into position, their sound reminding him of the reality of where he was and what had happened.

"Master Jinn?" He mumbled, unsure if his voice had carried beyond the hum of the generators.

"He's dead, Obi-Wan."

He already knew that and he couldn't understand why he had asked. He could recall it quite clearly now; at least up until the point his Master had drawn his final breath. After that, he had no memory. He must have passed out, and then the visions had started.

The murdering Sith was dead, cut in half by his own blade, but the darkness that had emanated from the being still lingered in this room and on this planet. It was a heavy moisture in the air and it was suffocating him. He needed to run, to get away from it. He couldn't breathe. He had to find a place where he could breathe.

She was suddenly before him, her hands upon his arms.

"Don't touch me."

"Obi-Wan, don't do this to us." The tearspreviously unshedwere now falling from her eyes.

"Us." His own eyes revealed his confusion. There was an 'us?' He was silent for a moment, reflecting back through the shadows of darkness most prevalent in his mind. That's right. There was. They had hidden it from everyone, met in secret, hid their desires and their passion. They had risked everything for just a few moments to be together, unsure of what their future would bring, only knowing that they had to touch, had to hold, had to be, no matter what the Code forbid, no matter what the Force had destined.

She was still staring and his hands suddenly gripped her arms as he forcefully shoved her backward until she hit the wall, his mouth coming immediately down upon hers roughly, ravaging.

Padme whimpered a slight protest, but he didn't stop, his hands now vigorously groping. No. This was wrong. Something was wrong.

Obi-Wan stumbled away, rubbing the scratch marks now showing red upon his face.

"Who are you?" The soft voice was now a frightened gasp.

Valid question. He wasn't sure any more. At one time, he had been training to become a Jedi Knight under the tutelage of Master Qui-Gon Jinn. Hehad beenfull of vigor, full of confidence, compassion, and light.

Now, all that filled him was despair, fear, and anger.

Anger.

"It's your fault." He backed away a step. His words were bitter and stungher on impact. "If we hadn't come to this forsaken planet, none of this would have happened! My Master would be alive and I….I…."

His words were painful but Padme knew that they were born from his grief and she urged him to speak. "You what?"

"I can't feel the Force any more!"

His eyes were wide and his words were loud, shocking her with both their intensity and volume.

Padme watched in stunned silence as Obi-Wan's chest heaved a few shallow breaths and then in wild fury, turned and fled the room.