10

The Jedi Knight looked over to his Padawan. "Anakin, the problem is the way that the Chancellor wants to fight. He is trying to send us in as a preemptive strike. That is not what we do."

"I know. But what if there were some way we could still fight for the Republic, like if we went in if there was an attack? We wouldn't be breaking the Code, and we'd be defending the Republic."

"Hmm." Obi-Wan eyed Anakin carefully.

"I think it would be perfectly reasonable for us to fight under those conditions. The Republic is going through such a hard time right now, what with the Dark Jedi or whatever it is interfering, and then the Separatists…"

"We don't know if there's a Dark Jedi in control of the Republic. How many times must I tell you that Master Yoda and Master Windu have felt nothing of this presence?"

What Obi-Wan did not know was that the two Jedi he just mentioned did indeed feel something dark in the Force – but that it was behind the Cloners.

"Master, there's a Dark Jedi, maybe not a Sith, but definitely something out there. And whatever it is, it's close, a lot closer than it should be."

Obi-Wan sighed and took a look around their surroundings, and turning to Anakin, he asked, "Where are we going?"

"I don't know. I was following you," Anakin said, slightly confused.

"Well, I was following you."

"I thought you were the one with the directions." Anakin raised his eyebrows as a rather inebriated Gotal stumbled past them.

"Yeah…well…" Obi-Wan watched the Gotal. "I think we took a wrong turn somewhere."

The two Jedi were making their way down one of the midlevels of Coruscant. Flashing signs for an assortment of establishments blinked everywhere. The air down here was heavier than the higher levels, leaving a strong aftertaste of recycled air in the mouths of the inhabitants. Master and apprentice meandered through the crowds, having elected to try a new restaurant after Obi-Wan received a recommendation on it from Master Nejaa Halcyon.

Master Halcyon told Obi-Wan that he needed to expand his palate, eat somewhere different than Coruscanti Bistro, insisting that the selection at Republica Grill was far better.

"Where are we supposed to be going?" Anakin asked.

Obi-Wan looked at the name scribbled on the flimsiplast. "It says 'Republica Grill,' if I'm reading this right."

"Let me see. You never could read something handwritten," Anakin kidded as he reached out for the sheet.

"I can read them just fine, if you please. I am a Jedi Knight after all…my intuition should be enough to figure out Master Halcyon's writing."

"Except for the part where you got us lost," Anakin snorted. "Let me see them."

"Fine."

Obi-Wan handed over the directions as if he were being forced to hand over credits won by illegally betting on Umgullian blob races. Once he had the scrawled notes, the first thing Anakin noticed was that Halcyon had very nice handwriting. Whatever Halcyon did in his spare time, it must have been practicing writing – and not at a computer station.

The second thing that Anakin realized was that this specific piece of flimisplast had been used before. As he held it, a vague sense of the person to use it before Master Halcyon came to him…

Halcyon is married.

The realization hit him like a brick to the stomach.

Hands shaking slightly, he recalled that funny look Halcyon gave him while he told Obi-Wan about the restaurant. It was a look of understanding, as if he knew Anakin's secret.

And I know his. He knew because he has the same one as I, all he needed was one look at me to know…

"Uh…Obi-Wan," Anakin croaked when he finally found his voice, "it's right over there."

"Huh?" Obi-Wan turned to look where Anakin was pointing. "Oh. I guess that would be it, wouldn't it?"

The first thing Anakin thought was that the place belonged on Nal Hutta. The restaurant oozed a strange odor that they could smell over on the other side of the walkway. Taking a second whiff, he realized that the smell was that of grease – eating anything inside would likely kill a patron in five minutes due to the heavy amount of artery-clogging agents used in the food.

"Well, I'll skip on the heart attack special," Anakin said, knowing what Obi-Wan was thinking the same thing.

"I'm with you on that one. That's the last time I ever take a recommendation for Master Halcyon. I thought he had good taste, he told me about Couruscanti Bistro."

"Like that could be considered fine dining," Anakin said sarcastically. "You'd expect more from a place with 'bistro' in its name."

"Watch it, or you'll end up with kitchen duty every day next month."

Anakin rolled his eyes at Obi-Wan. "Hey, I'm not breakfast boy anymore. And if I have kitchen duty, you do too."

"'Breakfast boy'?" Obi-Wan gave him a dubious look.

"Uh…" Anakin trailed off, mentally berating himself for letting the Queen's taunt at him slip. The story behind that wouldn't sit well with Obi-Wan. Changing the subject, he said "How bout we just get dinner at the usual?"

Obi-Wan opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by Anakin's comlink going off.

Anakin started, his comlink usually only went off when he was away from Obi-Wan but his master stood right in front of him. Fumbling in his robes he found it and answered.

"Anakin Skywalker speaking," said into it, praying that Padmé's voice would not answer back.

"Anakin, the High Council requests your presence. Please come to the Council Chamber immediately," Mace Windu said on the other end.

"Yes, Master Windu. I'm on my way."

He shut the comlink off, knowing that Mace would say no more. He looked nervously to Obi-Wan, fearing the worst. It was not customary for the Council did not call Padawans directly; they contacted them through their masters. However, Obi-Wan had a twinkle in his eye that made Anakin rethink the reason of the page.

"What is it, Master?" he asked. "You know something. I can tell."

Obi-Wan shrugged. "I know nothing, my young Padawan."

"Right. And I'm a Toydarian."

Tucking the comlink back where it belonged, he turned to go back to their speeder. Noticing that Obi-Wan was not following, he turned around.

"Aren't you coming?"

"What?" Obi-Wan paused, as if confused. "No…you were the one called to the Temple. The Masters want to speak to you – not me."

"Right…" Anakin nodded his head, and headed off in the direction that would take him back to the speeder they used to get down here.

At the Temple, Anakin's stomach started to curl up into a tiny knot. Maybe the Council had found out about his feelings for Padmé, perhaps they were going to send him on a mission to get him away from her, or they were just going to expel him on the spot…

A thousand thoughts rushed through Anakin's head, each progressively worse than the previous one. When he finally reached the Council chamber, he felt as if he had no stomach left and was glad that he had decided not to eat. Nervously he entered the Council room, bowed, and faced Yoda and Mace.

"Anakin Skywalker," Mace said simply, eying him.

"Yes, Master?" Anakin replied, his voice small.

"It has been thirteen years since you entered this Temple for training as a Jedi. And during that time, you have showed remarkable success and abilities, despite your age."

Anakin swallowed. He did not like where this was going.

Yoda spoke up. "Time for a change it is. No longer a Jedi Padawan you shall be."

"Excuse me?"

The blood pounding in his head stopped. The only thing he could hear was a slight ringing in his ears. His heart stopped in his chest and he felt like he couldn't breathe.

His worst fears were coming true.

The next thing Yoda would tell him was that he was no longer a Jedi.

He had no idea how, but the Masters must have found out about Padmé and he had not even told her how he felt. Bitterly, he thought that now he would have plenty of time to let her know, and he would not even have to worry about the Council anymore.

"Time for you to take the Trials it is, young Skywalker."

Anakin stared at the green Master, stammering as his heart began to beat again. "Wait – what?"

"This Council has decided that because of your remarkable advancement, especially in light of recent events of which your Master informed us, that it is time for you to take the Trials. No longer shall you be a Padawan," Mace explained. "Tonight you shall go through them, and if successful, you will be granted the rank of Knight."

"Yes, Master. Thank you," Anakin said. He gave Mace a deep bow.

"You have six standard hours before the Trials. We suggest you spend this time reflecting on your training and meditating with the Force."

"Yes Masters. Thank you again."

He gave them another bow.

"Obi-Wan Kenobi," Yoda said, looking past Anakin.

Anakin's head whipped around, surprised to see that his Master was standing at the back of the room. Obi-Wan probably had been for the whole time and Anakin had not even sensed him enter the Council chamber.

"Yes, Master?" he said as he stepped forward to stand next to Anakin.

"If pass the Trials your Padawan does, give you the rank of Master we shall. Trained him well have you."

Yoda blinked, and a slight smile crept onto his face. Obi-Wan glanced to Anakin, both of them smiling at each other. The older Jedi turned back to Yoda.

"Yes, Master. A true honor this is." He too bowed.

"We shall see you tonight. You are dismissed," Mace said.

Master and apprentice bowed and left the Council.

Once outside the room, Anakin turned to Obi-Wan with a smile on his face. "You knew about this all along, didn't you Master?"

"Perhaps," Obi-Wan said, smiling in return.

"I knew it. That's why you didn't get nervous when they called me. You knew what they were doing."

"I had a feeling about it, yes."

"What made them change their mind?"

Obi-Wan shrugged. "I had a few words with them about my opinion on the matter…and they seemed to have reached the same conclusion as I."

"And what's that, Master?"

"That you have learned all you can from me. You have grown enough in the Force that you no longer need a mentor."

"I'll never stop learning from you, Master."

"You flatter me, my very young apprentice."

"You're calling me that just to try and annoy me, Master."

"And the same with you," Obi-Wan said and gave Anakin a hearty pat on his shoulder.

Anakin grinned widely at Obi-Wan, and both the Jedi knew that without each other they would not have reached this point. It was an accomplishment for both of them, and they both knew, despite the lack of the formal attachment from now on, they would remain very close.

Nearly five hours later, Anakin found himself sitting in a meditation room and completely unable to concentrate. His stomach, while it returned briefly when he realized he was still a Jedi, had again receded into a tiny ball. The last time he could remember being so nervous was when he stood before the Council the first time when Qui-Gon brought him from Tatooine.

Then, he stood before the Jedi as a small child, scared and nervous.

Now, thirteen years later he was a man, strong in the Force with his abilities honed and soon to be knighted.

It really was amazing.

If only his mother had lived to see it.

Anakin took a deep breath and tried to push thoughts of his mother away. They would only distract him.

Blast…it's not like I'm already distracted. Sitting here is making me feel suffocated; I have to get out of here…!

Nervously, Anakin slowly shut down his connection to the Force. He did not want any of the Masters sensing his sudden absence so soon before the Trials. As deftly as he could he made his way out of the Temple.

Twenty minutes later he stood in front of Padmé's door. Heart pounding, he knocked on the door.

Silence.

She must be working with the refugees. He knocked again and waited for a couple seconds. Just as he was about to turn away and go back to the Temple, the door opened.

"Anakin?" Padmé said softly. Her voice sounded raspy.

He whirled around to face her.

"I'm sorry…I didn't mean to interrupt anything," he apologized.

"Oh, no…I was just taking a nap. It was an early morning with the refugee work today." She opened the door for him to come in. He nodded, and walked in past her.

"I'm sorry I haven't been around much over the past few days," Anakin said as he took a seat on her couch.

"Don't worry about it. You worry too much."

"I can't help but worry about you."

The comment hung in the air for a moment as Padmé looked him over.

"You're nervous about something else, too. I can tell. What's wrong, Anakin?"

He took a breath before answering her. In a rush he said, "I'm taking the Trials tonight. I'm going to become a Knight or…well, I don't know what."

Padmé let out a little squeal, an atypical thing for her to do. Without another word she leaned over and squeezed him so tight he thought his ribs would crack. Anakin let out a gasp as her embrace tightened. She let go of him and when she pulled away her face was shining.

"That's wonderful, Anakin. I don't really know what to say! I'm sure you'll do fine. I've only ever heard good things about you from Obi-Wan."

"Yeah, but I'm still nervous like you wouldn't believe."

"Don't you worry. You'll be great, you'll see."

She hugged him again, and this time Anakin held on to her, too. He took a deep breath, feeling her close, and knew that it would be fine. Her words were exactly what he needed to hear.

"What's going to happen to Obi-Wan?" she asked.

"Assuming I pass, he'll become a Master. He's got a lot riding on this too…talk about no pressure," Anakin joked. "But I'm just not sure how things will be after tonight if I'm a Knight."

"Huh?" Padmé's face crinkled in confusion.

"Obi-Wan's always been by my side every day for the past thirteen years. I'll be going on assignments myself, and he won't be there. I just can't imagine what that will be like."

Anakin shifted in his seat but kept his arm around Padmé.

"On the other hand, it will be kind of nice because I won't have him, and the rest of the Council, breathing down my neck at every move I make."

"Just what are you implying, Anakin?" Padmé said as she narrowed her eyes slightly. She knew he meant something more than what his words implied.

"I can come see you when I want, and I don't have to worry about how to convince Obi-Wan to let me see you."

Before she could respond, Anakin leaned down and kissed her.

"Padmé…" Anakin started, and the way he trailed off made him sound worried.

"Anakin, it's going to be fine. You'll pass."

He looked her over, his hand trembling on her cheek. He took in everything about her.

Her hair – the light dancing off her dark curls.

Her eyes – simply beautiful. Deep brown, he could sit and gaze into them and forget the rest of the world around him.

Her voice – light and musical, like a song on the wind that only whispered in his ear.

The way she sat in front of him made her seem small and delicate. Her legs were tucked close to her and crossed at the ankle in a most royal manner. Folded in her lap, her hands remained close to her body. The slightest thing could break her.

Anakin knew that it was his duty to protect her, keep her from all that sought to harm her.

Even if it meant risking his allegiance to the Jedi Order.

"No. It's not that. I – I love you."

The words tumbled out of Anakin's mouth and when he finished his heart stopped up in his throat. A slight ringing sounded in his ears as the blood pounded in his head, making everything seem far away.

Now her silence threatened to stop his heart. He waited for her say something, anything at all.

"Oh, Anakin," Padmé whispered as she pulled herself up closer to him. "I love you too. But that doesn't make it right."

"Why?"

"You're a Jedi," she stated, making it sound like it fixed the problem.

"Please, don't do this now, Padmé. Please," Anakin pleaded with her. The last thing he needed right now was her doubting this. He knew it was right, regardless of the Jedi, and for him there was no going back.

"Be realistic, you know it can't work out."

He leaned away from her so he could look her in the eyes again.

"I can make it work. We can't change how we feel about each other now. When I become a Knight, I promise you it can work. Please don't go away now and leave me here. Promise me you'll be there when I finish my Trials."

Anakin took her hand in his and locked his fingers with hers. After a second he squeezed her hand to encourage her.

Padmé searched his face, her mind tumbling. The more she fought her feelings for him, the stronger they grew. In her month's time on Coruscant she fell in love with him. Yet she could not avoid the small warning in the back of her mind that all this was wrong. It was too much for Anakin to hide from the rest of the Jedi.

"Please. What have we got to loose?" he pleaded with her, sounding more desperate.

Wishing there were something he could do to help her come to her decision, Anakin watched her. This was something she had to choose on her own – no Jedi mind tricks would work here. And Anakin wanted to know that what she felt for him was sincere, not the fabrication of false influence.

"Alright. I promise," she whispered, her heart pounding.

In response Anakin said nothing but held her as close as he could. Padmé buried her face against his chest. The words she said echoed in Anakin's ears. His worry for the trials melted away and he closed his eyes.

"I should go," Anakin said softly in her ear a few minutes later. There was just enough time for him to get back to the Temple and meet Obi-Wan at the Council chamber on time.

Padmé squeezed him in response. "Okay. Best of luck – I know you can do it."

He gave her one last squeeze and a kiss on the top of her head. She moved to get off the couch, letting him up. Anakin walked over to the door and began to let himself out. Halfway through the door, she reached up and tugged on his arm.

"Wait, Anakin," she said. He turned around and before he could say anything she hugged him again.

"I have to go," he said again, a little urgently this time.

Padmé did not say anything in response. Instead, she pulled him down to her and kissed him. The move caught Anakin completely off guard, but it was a pleasant surprise. She broke the kiss as suddenly as she started it.

"Now you can go," she said with a smile.

Not sure how to break the moment, but knowing he had to in order to avoid being late, he muttered another goodbye and forced himself to turn down the hall. He raced across Coruscant back to the Temple.

Near bursting with the will to get this over and done with, Anakin headed straight for the High Council room. All the while he kept an eye out for his Master.

Hopefully Master no more after this…he hoped to himself.

"Anakin!" someone called out. Anakin whirled around to see Obi-Wan standing behind him.

"Blast…I've been looking for you everywhere. Where have you been?" Obi-Wan said. He waved his hand dismissively. "It's of no matter, I found you. Quick, this way."

Obi-Wan turned around, walking the way that they just came. Anakin darted to catch up to him.

"I thought I had to meet the Council, Master. Where are we going?"

"You were supposed to meet me up there, but I found you anyways. I have to take you down to where the Trials are held."

Anakin could not think of anything to say. He realized how lucky he was that Obi-Wan had found him – being late for the Trials could have very bad repercussions.

"At the trials I cannot go with you, and there will be no one else there but you," Obi-Wan said, walking swiftly. "If you succeed, which I have no doubt that you will, you will find another door which will allow you to exit. On the other side of that door will be the Council and myself. We will take you back to the Council room and you will recite the Jedi Code. From that point on, you will be a Knight."

Obi-Wan stopped, having reached a grey and unassuming door in the heart of the Temple. He turned to Anakin.

"But Master, what if I don't make it through the Trials?"

"Have no fear of that, Anakin. You are here because you are ready. There have only been a few select Jedi that did not complete the Trials. I know you will not become one of them." Obi-Wan gave Anakin a reassuring smile. "It's been a pleasure to train you, Anakin. I couldn't think of anyone else that I would have rather had as an apprentice. I wish you the best of luck, and I will see you on the other side."

"Thanks," Anakin muttered. Obi-Wan started to walk away, but Anakin called him back. "Wait, Master, could you take this?"

Anakin wrestled his robe off and held it out to Obi-Wan. With a smile on his face, Obi-Wan reached out through the Force and brought the robe to him. Once he had it in his grasp he turned and continued in the direction he started.

Anakin turned to the door and took a deep breath.

This was it.

Either he would come out a Knight, or…he didn't know what.