Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters or anything Star Wars related.

CH. 8

"THE SKY IS FALLING"

Obi-Wan Kenobi stood and stared up at the tall structure, hands clasped behind his back while he thoughtfully studied the rebuilt walls of the very place he had grown up in. He marveled in the fact that it would soon be up and running once again. Reconstruction had been underway for quite some time and it was almost a shining image of its former self.

A slight grin tugged at the corners of his mouth as he continued to admire the massive Temple. It won't be long now, he reassured himself. It will be good to return home and the Order very much needs a proper place to function…our shelter is far from an ideal place to live. It will definitely be nice to be in a warmer and more familiar environment after all this time.

His face fell and his grin turned to a frown at the thought of the current location of the remaining Jedi. They were temporarily residents of Coruscant's upper class district, housed among politicians – and though he would never voice it aloud – many people that he viewed as nothing more than rich snobs that he had no desire whatsoever to socialize with. He would much rather be back in his home, but for the time being he would have to take it in stride and settle for whatever sanctuary was available to them.

No, not long at all…

Many Jedi were no longer on Coruscant, some commanding clone soldiers in the war while others merely took refuge on other planets -- giving the weakened Order the necessary time it needed to recover from its previous losses. He couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt when he thought about the others…they were out fighting and dying. Having sacrificed and lost a lot himself during the Clone Wars, he was no stranger to what his fellow Jedi were experiencing.

I can only hope the Force will guide them and help bring all of them back alive, he thought.

Then his mind wandered to Anakin. Jedi Knight, Sith Lord, Emperor…husband. Apprentice to both him and Darth Sidious. The 'Chosen One'.

Who are you now?

A labored sigh escaped his lips as he thought of his old padawan.

Oh, Anakin, how you've made such a mess of things.

Obi-Wan moved his attention from the towering building before him and slowly turned to leave. I suppose I should be getting back to check on him…will he even be glad to see me or will he curse me like he did before?

He had barely taken two steps when he heard frightened screams coming from just down the street. He suddenly felt an approaching threat through the Force and curiously watched as numerous civilians frantically ran in all directions, fear evident in their features.

"What in blazes is going on?"

Snatching his lightsaber off of his belt, he searched the terrorized patrons for the source of the disturbance and readied himself for an attack. The apparent danger presented itself a moment later and his glowing blade sprang to life.

"You must be joking," he muttered as he started towards the battle droids making their way down the streets of Coruscant. "This is a bold move, General."

"Ani, I – "

"I have to go," he cut her off before she could finish, painstakingly tearing his gaze away from her and starting for the starfighter closest to him. "I'm sorry."

Tears burned in her eyes and ran down her wet face, but her resolve did not falter. He was her husband and she loved him – she wouldn't give up on him that easily.

Padme moved to follow his retreating form -- barely managing to contain the sobs that threatened to escape her -- but a set of doors suddenly flew open and she reflexively looked over to see who or what was coming through them. Her eyes widened and she gasped as a group of enemy soldiers marched into the hangar. In utter shock and disbelief, she watched them walk forward with a stunned expression and momentarily failed to find any words of warning.

Finally, she found her voice and shouted. "Battle droids!"

Anakin immediately spun around and spotted the droids entering the area, instinctively reaching for his lightsaber and finding himself empty handed.

Silently cursing to himself, he darted towards Padme and called out to her in a state of panic. "Padme, get down!"

The unprepared Senator glanced over just in time to see her husband dive towards her, pulling her to the ground and covering her petite frame with his own. Blaster fire rang in the air as the shots meant for her flew overhead.

"Come on!" Anakin exclaimed, pulling Padme after him and ducking behind several crates that no doubt contained ship parts.

He stayed in a crouching position and peered around the corner of one of them, a shot striking near his outstretched head. He narrowly avoided getting hit by the blast and was forced back behind the cover of the large objects that were the only things between them and the Separatist invaders.

"Anakin, are you alright?" Padme asked as she placed a concerned hand on his shoulder.

He felt a tremor run through his body when he felt her touch him – felt her rest her delicate hand on his broad shoulder -- and his eyes instantly locked on hers. He felt as if he could see into her soul when he looked into her worried face. Beyond the obvious concern, there was also love…there was love and compassion, but he knew there would never be understanding. He knew she would never forgive him. Despite what she might say, he would never be forgiven for his sins and he knew it would be foolish to ever think otherwise.

He began to lift his hand to stroke her face – to wipe the tears he had caused from her pleading eyes – but fought the urge and lowered it back to his side. Though he didn't mean for it to be, his tone was harsh when he spoke. "I'm fine."

I don't deserve her comfort, he told himself. How could I ever hope to get her back after everything I have done…after what I almost did to her.

More blaster fire pulled him from his inner turmoil and his thoughts returned to the incoming battle droids.

"Stay here," he ordered. "Keep your head down, no matter what."

"Anakin, you can't fight them all by yourself," Padme replied as she gripped his arm to keep him from moving.

"Don't worry about me."

Anakin gave her no time to respond, slipping out of her grasp and dashing around the corner of the crates. He raced towards the droids while they opened fire on him, desperately wishing he had his lightsaber as he did his best to dodge their attempts to hit him.

He used the Force to push them back once he was in range and knocked them off balance. They clattered to the ground and he called upon the Force a second time, tossing most of them into the wall and smashing them to pieces.

Now what?

The remaining droids climbed back to their feet just in time to be met by a group of clone troopers. Limbs and body parts fell to the ground as blaster fire blew through the Separatist soldiers and promptly dispatched them.

The troopers rushed over to Anakin and the commanding officer saluted him. "General Skywalker."

"What's going on?" he questioned, wasting no time with small talk.

"The Separatist army have invaded Coruscant," the officer answered. "Battle ships are in orbit over the planet and enemy fighters are descending as we speak."

"Prepare your pilots for take-off," Anakin retorted with authority. "We have to take action and stop them before they reach the city. I'll notify the Republic and inform them of our operation. Go."

"Yes, sir."

The troopers hurriedly made their way to the various starfighters surrounding them and began to ready themselves for the battle that would soon be taking place.

"Anakin!"

Anakin spun around to face Padme as she approached him. "Padme! Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?"

"No, I'm alright."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm fine," Padme replied, staring up at him. The concern in her eyes seemed to show even more now – her despair radiating from her through the link that still existed between them through the Force bond they shared. "Anakin, what's happening?"

He hesitated for a brief moment. "The Separatists are attacking Coruscant. Find someplace safe to hide and stay there until this is all over."

"I can't just – "

"Please, Padme…I'll see to it that they don't accomplish what they came to do."

"Be careful, Ani," fresh tears streamed down Padme's cheeks as she reached out to caress his flesh arm. "I'll be here waiting for you."

Taking a step back, unshed tears formed in Anakin's own eyes when he saw the pained look on the face of the woman he loved. "I won't be coming back."

"What do you mean?" Padme asked, clearly surprised by his statement. "Don't talk like that!"

"You're better off without me, Senator."

Without another word, he started across the hangar and tried to ignore the sobs coming from his wife. It took all of his willpower to keep walking, but he knew what he had to do.

His words rang true -- Padme would be much better off without him.

Right now he needed to focus on one thing and one thing only…

Stopping Grievous.