"Chosen One... destiny..."
"...must stay...he'll die..."
"Decide, he shall...Let him go..."
"I can't..."
A broken stream of words from a two-way conversation were filtering through his fogged consciousness. Obi-Wan struggled to reach through that fog to make sense of what he was hearing. One of the voices he recognized as Yoda's and the other was Padmé's. His wife.
Disappointmentfor her pained him. They had been on their way to their honeymoon and now here he was once again in the Healer's wing of the Temple.
"Stop saying that!" Her words were loud and clear now, the volume of her voice pounding in his head. "The Chosen One you say? Chosen for what? Chosen to die? You can tell your precious Force to go choose someone else!"
A weary hand crept up off the bed and he whispered her name.
She was immediately there grasping his hand and kissing his face.
"Obi-Wan. I was so scared."
Her hands were caressing his face, stroking through his disheveled hair. He smiled a crooked smile at her and turned his eyes toward Master Yoda, who nodded his understanding and left the room.
"Padmé, listen to me." His own hands now cupped her face, his thumb wiping away a tear that fell from her eye. "I love you, but I'm still a Jedi. I have a duty to the Force. You must understand this."
"It's not fair."
"No, it isn't. Not to you. I wish I could spare you this, but you must allow me to do what I was chosen to do. I must fulfill my destiny."
"Why Obi-Wan? Why you?" At first she sounded childish, and now she sounded completely selfish. But in her grief, she discovered, she didn't care. She just knew that she had to keep him with her. Keep him safe.
"I don't know why. All I know is that I have this amazing opportunity and duty, not just to the Force, but to the entire galaxy."
"To Hell with the galaxy."
"Padmé, you don't mean that."
Exhausted by her frantic emotions, she collapsed to lay next to Obi-Wan as closely as she could, draping her arm across his chest. "I don't think I can go on without you."
"Listen to me. My duty is to rid the galaxy of the Dark Side. If the Force requires the sacrifice of my life, then I give it, willingly."
A sob erupted against his chest, followed by bitter words. "I can't believe you're saying this."
"It is something I do willingly Padmé, but not only for the Force, or even for you. I have my children and their future to think of." His hand moved to gently caress her stomach.
The sobs lessened and the small body draped across him rose to meet his gaze, wonderment written on her face.
"Twins Padmé. I have forseen it. Our son will be a great Jedi."
Padmé's eyes glanced away and Obi-Wan did not miss the bitter look of pain that flashed in them.
"He will be strong in the Force, but there will be no danger. There will be no Dark Side to threaten him. Have him trained Padmé. Do it for me."
A slight hesitation and then acceptance. "I will Obi-Wan. I promise."
"Our daughter will be an important leader in the New Republic. She will be beautiful, like you."
A gentle caress along Padmé's cheek brought forth a fresh burst of tears, as she lay her head back down onto his shoulder.
Silence filled the room for long moments before Padmé spoke once more.
"How long?"
"I'm not sure. Coruscant is clean, but there are other places where the Dark Side is strong. I must leave this room Padmé. I must fulfill my destiny."
"I understand." Tear-filled dark brown eyes lovingly gazed into Obi-Wan's before eyelids fluttered closed and red lips pressed firmly against his. "I'll go tell Master Yoda."