They were taken in separately to the Jedi Temple, Obi-Wan escorted by Master Windu and Padmé by Healer T'Pal.
A little more sooner than expected, Padmé found herself in a cold gray room, sitting on an equally cold silver chair, awaiting the arrival of Healer Varshin, the supposed Jedi expert of life-bonds. Padmé had faith that Obi-Wan's information was correct -- that the healer was going to find them a challenge. Not only was a life-bond between a Force-user and a non-Force-user unheard of, they had complicated matters by consumating the bond.
Hopefulness was her dominating emotion as she sat quietly in the examination room. She was surprised that she was not feeling nervous or even anxious. She was examining those emotions, or rather, the lack of them, when she experienced an emotion she was becoming quite used to. A warmth began passing through her and she immediately recognized it as Obi-Wan. He was drawing near. Already his aura was as familiar to her as the sound of her own breath.
She looked toward the single door in the room and watched as it slid open. Her eyes revealed her hopeful anticipation as two healers entered, followed by Master Yoda. She struggled to contain her smile of excitement as she then met Obi-Wan's gaze. The expression in his gray-green depths told her everything they could not utter aloud or even risk sending along their bond. She saw in those eyes everything she was feeling. Complete faith, trust, hope, and love.
Assuming the now familiar posture for the procedure without even being requested to do so, Padmé found herself sitting on the examination table directly across from Obi-Wan, close enough to touch, needing to desperately and struggling with all her power not to. The mere sight of one another was enough to take the edge off of the throbbing ache of the bond, and they both smiled at one another in that shared knowledge.
/It will be over soon./ Obi-Wan dared to send his short supportive message to her, not worrying if the healers would intercept it or not. It was a vague enough statement, they would not be able to read anything into it.
Three hours later, Obi-Wan and Padmé were sent to separate quarters and an emergency council meeting was called. Eight masters were present and in the center of the council chamber stood the two Jedi healers.
"Report your findings to the council, you will Healer Varshin."
The thin humanoid Jedi healer wiped the sweat from his brow with a handkerchief and bowed deeply to the council before beginning his report.
"As you are aware, never before in the history of the Jedi has there been evidence presented of a life-bond existing between a Force-sensitive and a non-Force-sensitive..."
Mace Windu, looking rather impatient interrupted the healer's whining report. "Yes, yes, Varshin. Get to the facts."
Varshin blew his nose into the hankie, giving the council member an irritated look. "As I was saying, there has been no case such as this one and therefore, we did not know what to expect. We performed an elimination session, and even though it was a much more concentrated effort than what was previously performed by my colleague..."
Master Windu leaned back and rubbed his weary eyes, finding himself quickly losing his patience. "What exactly are you saying Varshin? Did you remove it or not?"
"Not exactly." Varshin's bloodshot eyes locked steadfastly onto Windu's.
"What do you mean 'not exactly?'" Mace looked to Yoda who merely glanced toward him and then back toward the healers without saying a word.
"The bond has consumated. It cannot be forcibly removed."
"What? How?" Mace turned from the healers back to Yoda, who still sat annoyingly silent.
Healer T'Pal decided to step forward and address the question, while Varshin once more began blowing his nose. "I'm afraid that without a prior case to compare to, we are unable to adequately answer your question, Master Windu."
"Then what would your suggestion be, Healer T'Pal?" Finally, to Master Windu's relief, Master Yoda decided to speak.
After a slight hesitation, Healer T'Pal proceeded. "It is our recommendation that the bonded pair be kept together here in the Temple so that they may be studied."
"Unacceptable." Windu immediately leaned forward in his seat, his dark eyes boring into T'Pal. "Kenobi is a Jedi and is needed in the field. The Queen's place is back on Naboo."
"With all due respect, Master Windu, it would benefit our research if this bond could be watched more closely for a period of time."
"Out of the question." The stern countenance of Master Windu turned even more stern than usual, his voice rising slightly from aggravation.
Master Yoda shot Mace a warning glance for raising his voice, looking about the room at the other council members who wore similar stunned expressions due to the rising tension felt in the room.
"A bond such as this, dissipate with time will it not?" Yoda asked T'Pal.
"Yes, typically with time and separation." The healer tried to hide her disappointment in the decision she knew Yoda was about to make.
"Then separated, they will be."
"But Master Yoda.." Healer Varshin put away his handkerchief, attempting to debate the issue, before being stopped mid sentence by a rap of Yoda's gimer stick.
"Ask you here and brought them here to study, we did not. This bond, eliminated it must be. Attachment such as this, forbidden it is."
"But won't a forced separation be painful for them?" It was Master Adi Gallia's hushed voice that came from the opposite side of the council room.
Yoda's stern features softened. "Yes, painful it will be, but survive they will. Best for all, this is."
Healer Varshin turned, disappointed that they would be losing this opportunity for research. The sounds of his sniffles could be heard retreating down the long hallway leading away from the council room.
Healer T'Pal stood her ground in front of the Jedi Council, her yellow-green piercing gaze moving from Windu and then to Yoda. As she turned to leave the council, she could not help but think that they were doing Kenobi and the Queen of Naboo a great injustice. They were about to make a terrible mistake.