AN: To those that left reviews, thank you very much. Heppan: I'm glad you like it and hope you continue to enjoy. Disco Shop Girl: Thank you, I like to start things off so the story begins moving right away. Porcelainangel: Thanks for your comment. I don't like it when characters start doing things they never would (unless it's a humor fic, or is otherwise necessary for the genre) so I do my best to keep my characters true - and thus keeping my stories true to SW. I hope you all enjoy chapter two!

2

The world came into a blurry view as Anakin opened his eyes. The first thing he noticed was the stinging pain on the right side of his face. He tried to sit up.

"Easy there, sir," one of the troopers said, putting his hand on Anakin's shoulder to keep him from sitting up. "You've had a nasty fall."

As soon as he moved, shooting pain ripped through Anakin's head. At the soldiers's touch he decided that laying down was better and made no more attempts to get up.

"What happened?" he croaked. He closed his eyes and tried to sooth the headache threatening to break his skull in half.

"We don't know sir. We were hoping you could tell us. We heard a crash come from where you were, and found you collapsed on the ground."

Anakin cracked one eye open and looked at the trooper. He swallowed, but did not know what to say. "I felt something through…" he muttered, trailing off.

The trooper looked to another soldier standing behind him then turned back to Anakin. "Should we alert…the Temple?"

That caught Anakin's attention. He sat up despite the pain in his head. The troopers were not supposed to know he was a Jedi. That way if they were captured they could not give him away.

"How do you know I'm a Jedi?" he asked with urgency.

"You dropped this, sir." The soldier held out Anakin's lightsaber.

Even people like him, from the farthest reaches of the galaxy, knew what a lightsaber looked like. And they knew that a lightsaber meant a Jedi.

Anakin took it from the trooper's outstretched hand. He set it on the table beside the couch. There was no need to hide it anymore. Putting a hand to his forehead, he leaned back again and closed his eyes. With the movement he realized what made his head hurt so badly. He didn't need to see it to know that a nasty gash ran along the side of his face. Gingerly he touched it.

"We tried to patch you up as best we could, sir. You were lucky – almost took out your eye."

In response, Anakin nodded.

"Can we get you anything else, sir?"

For a second Anakin thought the question over. After a bit he responded, "Some water, please. Some water would be nice."

"Right away sir."

The trooper motioned to the one standing behind him and the man left the room. In a few minutes he came back, and a cup of fresh water rested in Anakin's hands. Greedily, he swallowed a few mouthfuls.

"Thanks," he said between gulps.

The trooper nodded.

"If you're all set, sir, we're going to go back to our post."

Anakin nodded. "That's fine. I'll be alright."

"Yes, sir." He stood up, and for a second looked as if he might salute Anakin but decided against it. With a sharp turn and click of his heel he left the room, followed by the other soldier.

Anakin took another couple drinks of the water then set the cup next to his lightsaber. The hydration made his head feel a little better, but it still throbbed. Closing his eyes, Anakin nestled down into the couch to meditate. He tried not to think about the nasty bruise that his face must be transforming into after hitting the table.

The flow of the Force came naturally to Anakin. He relaxed, letting it take over him. Fearing another vision akin to the one he had the last time he went into meditation, he did not let himself sink too deep. Five months for a Jedi not to meditate was a very long time, but Anakin did not want to encounter another sight of the Temple burning.

He knew these visions came to him if he drifted too close to unconsciousness. For the past five months he had not slept well for a single night. Usually sleep, bringing dreams, was his escape from reality. Now that escape turned on him, becoming such a hell that Anakin welcomed reality. During the night he awakened often from nightmares, and after about two months he gave up trying to sleep altogether – opting for hibernation and healing trances when his body grew too worn out.

One thing he needed most, Anakin knew, was to be back at the Temple. There he could talk with the Masters, getting some much needed guidance.

But no.

They were determined to keep him out here and far away from them all. Not seeing Padmé was also an added bonus of keeping him off Coruscant. She was the one thing he really needed now – just as much, if not more so, than returning to the Temple.

Putting his arm over his head, so that his hand rested on the top of his head, Anakin faded into the Force as much as he would let himself. At the same time, he recalled his last memories of Padmé: their surprise conversation, their last night together, the first hug she gave him, their first kiss…

All of these memories, and others, were what he lived off for the past few months.

Anakin lost track of time as he let the Force, albeit with limits, flow through him. Suddenly he was interrupted again by one of the troopers.

"Sir, we have another transmission for you." The soldier came into the room, and Anakin sat up.

"Who's it from?" he asked, confused. Rarely did someone want to speak to him twice in a day.

"We have another transmission from you," the trooper repeated. His voice sounded flat. It made Anakin stop.

He reached out through the Force, and could feel the presence of someone else bending the will of this trooper. Pushing a little, Anakin tried to break it, but the person controlling the man was too strong. Cautiously, Anakin got off the couch. He was sure to deftly tuck his lightsaber back into his tunic just in case.

Anakin entered the small room housing all the communications equipment. The other soldier sitting in it hardly gave Anakin a glance as he walked in. Monotonously, he handed Anakin the same holoemitter that produced Padmé's image a few hours ago. Anakin took it gingerly. The trooper who summoned him sat down next to the other one. Neither of them said a word.

Senses tingling, he could feel something increasingly dark gathering in the room, Anakin turned on the holoemitter.

"Hello, young Skywalker," a cloaked figured breathed.

Anakin almost dropped the holoemitter from shock.

"Why so nervous? I am only a hologram."

Anakin said nothing. The feeling of the dark increased and he struggled to keep his fear under control.

"Granted, if I wanted to, I could kill you. But that's not in my interest today. I have slain enough Jedi for the time being."

As he watched the small figure, Anakin's jaw set. "You killed those Jedi."

"That I did. I have no reason to hide it. Did it come as a surprise?"

A well of anger rose in Anakin. There were a million things he wanted to say to this Sith Lord, he knew that was who stood before him, but he forced himself to maintain his control.

"Careful, young Skywalker. I can feel your anger. The Jedi Masters would not be happy if they knew you were so prone to it. Master Yoda is quite right…you also harbor quite a lot of fear…"

"I have no fear of the Sith," Anakin said through gritted teeth.

"How nobly brave of you. The Jedi must be grateful to have you on your side. Yet it does not appear that way…they have shunted you off to the side, out of their way."

Anakin simply stared at the hologram. Something about the person seemed familiar, but he could not place it.

"This is not something they should do with their golden boy, their Chosen One." The Sith Lord paused. "Do you know that there is another side to that prophecy, Skywalker?"

Anakin shook his head slightly.

"Yes…the Jedi and the Sith are not so different. True, there is a prophecy that speaks of one who will balance the Force. But the Jedi…seem to have forgotten that this prophecy was made before there was…a distinction between Jedi and Sith."

That got Anakin's attention. He stared at the figure, his jaw dropping slightly. Realizing it, and feeling stupid, he clamped it back shut. He did not want this Sith Lord to think anything could take him by surprise. That showed weakness.

"You will fulfill the prophecy, young Skywalker. You are the Chosen One."

With that, the hologram cut out. The transmission was over. Anakin stared at the spot where the Sith Lord had been. There was only one clear meaning to his message: the prophecy about the Force being balanced pertained to both Jedi and the Sith. The only difference between the Jedi and the Sith was that they believed the Force would be balanced in their favor.

Anakin leaned forward and mulled this thought over. Why would this Sith Lord contact him, forget how he knew where Anakin was, and deliver this message?

The answer hit Anakin so hard he began to shake.

The Sith Lord believed that he would balance the Force – for the Sith.

That was impossible. Anakin was a Jedi, not a Sith. After all, he just discovered the truth of the Force – it was not necessarily which 'side' of the Force that he used, but to what ends he intended. When he used the Force, it was for the greater good and not his own personal gain. He used the Force He did his duty out of compassion, unconditional love.

Except recently…

Memories of his brush with the dark came back to him. They brought with them an ugly truth: he knew that keeping that dark intent away was something he would have to fight all his life. Acting out of anger and hatred brought him even more power; a power that was matched only by what he felt when he was with Padmé.

More confused than ever, Anakin wished he could hold Padmé. With her in his arms, everything was so much clearer. So much of the Force was rooted in good, of which love was a part. His love for her, amplified when he was with her, made him more at peace and thus able to see the difference between the light and the dark. Seeing this difference assured Anakin of the path he had to take.

Anakin sat there for a few more minutes then decided on what to do. He would contact the Temple. He no longer cared about security. If a Dark Lord of the Sith knew where he was, then anyone else could find him. In the shadow of a Sith Lord, anyone else seemed no more threatening than a sea sponges of Mon Calamari.

Getting off the couch, he made his way steadily into the room with all the communications equipment.

"Here," Anakin said to the nearest trooper. He held out a communications code to the man. "Patch this in as soon as you can, please."

The trooper looked at it dubiously for a second, knowing it was for the Jedi Temple. He glanced back up at Anakin. "Sir, are you so sure? Someone might be tracking this signal–"

Anakin cut him off. "There's no time to worry about that. I just got a threat from the greatest enemy of the Jedi. So I suggest you get that link established before he gets here or we're all dead."

As if to emphasize his message, Anakin gave him a stony look and crossed his arms defiantly. It was obvious to him what the Sith Lord wanted, to hunt down Anakin and the rest of the Jedi, and the Temple had to know. The thought did not occur to Anakin that the goals of Darth Sidious were a little more ambiguous: to get Anakin in the emotional state he was in – riled up.

"Right, sir," the trooper said hesitantly and turned to punch in the code. He waited for a few seconds then spoke to Anakin. "Alright sir. You're patched through."

Right on cue, a holocam floated up before Anakin, ready to record his message. Gathering himself, Anakin spoke, a little more than nervousness sounding in his voice.

"Master Yoda, Obi-Wa – Master Obi-Wan, are you there?"

No one replied. He tried again. "Master Yoda? Master Obi-Wan? Master Windu?"

Still silence. Anakin shifted on his feet, feeling very nervous now. All sorts of thoughts about what might have happened to them went through his head. After all, Sidious confessed to killing some Jedi, but he did not specify who they were. Not that Anakin believed Sidious noted any difference between one Jedi Master and another.

"I know you told me not to contact you," Anakin said, hoping the Masters would get the message soon, "but things have evolved into an emergency. I believe my presence out here is more in danger and that it would be better for me to come back to the Temple. Only today I received a message from the Sith Lord we have been looking for."

Anakin paused before continuing.

"Somehow, he managed to track my location to here. I don't know where he is, but he confessed to killing several Jedi recently. I felt the deaths through the Force – who were they? There are some other things going on that I do not want to discuss through these means. Again, I say that I think it would be safer for me to return to the Temple."

Anakin stopped; the last words almost a plea. Clutching his arms closer to him, he could not think of anything else to say.

With that, he nodded to the trooper seated in front of him. In understanding, he cut the transmission off.

"Anything else I can do for you sir?"

Anakin put his hand to his chin, thinking; a move he picked up from Obi-Wan after over ten years of training with the older Jedi. He turned from the room, deciding once and for all that he had to get out of these unusual civilian clothes. He would be much more comfortable in his Jedi robes.

Circling her room, a few days after having talked to Anakin, Padmé turned off her datapad. Looking out through the transparisteel, she tried to choke back a few tears. The lights of Coruscant flashed as far as she could see. Something about them made her remember the first time that she and Anakin met each other again after so many years.

It had been back that the Temple, he took her up to a high balcony…the lights glittered up there that night…so bright, full of hope…

Feeling that if she watched the skyline anymore she would break down she turned away. For four months now, she and Anakin had not seen each other. They had not been able to touch, embrace…it was the thing she missed most nowadays. It was the only thing that made her feel complete after the death, the assassination, of her family.

Something jolted in her stomach, and she looked down. For the past couple months, she had to wear larger and larger clothing. Searching the nearby shops, she managed to find some dresses up to her tastes. Granted, they were nothing like what she was used to back on Naboo, but they were better than the near-rags she wore at first on Coruscant.

Right now, she was donned in a particular dress that was excellent at hiding her figure. The skirt flared out in a large, sweeping bell away from her body. Only a trained eye would notice the increasing size of her stomach.

Or a Jedi, who could easily detect the life growing within her.

Which was why she tried to stay away from them as much as possible. If she went near the Jedi, they would immediately figure out who the father was – it was all too easy a puzzle to work out.

In a way that she could not explain, she could almost feel the life inside her. She had never been pregnant before of course, as she had never married, but she knew that pregnant women could feel their children move inside them. Somehow this was different though. She could feel the lifesource of the child. If she didn't know any better, Padmé would say that she was sensing something through the Force.

Which was absolutely absurd. She was no Jedi.

Rubbing her hands on the sides of her stomach, she turned from the window and glanced back at the datapad. A large story broke earlier that day: several prominent Jedi had been killed in an ambush on Duro. So far, the identity of the Jedi had not been released.

Padmé had the feeling that the Jedi had been murdered some time before then, for reasons she could not explain. While she tried to not to be in the presence of the Jedi, she could not deny that Obi-Wan kept in contact with her, and she had not heard from him for several days. They had a friendship of sorts, which was dangerous because of the feelings she and Anakin had for each other.

With another glance around the room, she made her choice. She was going to the Temple in search of Obi-Wan. At the moment she did not care if the Jedi found out about her and Anakin, she had to know that he was alive.

Outside her building, she hopped into the small speeder she acquired a couple months back. Wasting no time she flew over to the Temple. As she did so, flying with one hand on the controls (that was another benefit of being close to Anakin – he taught her flying skills she otherwise would never have known), she hailed Obi-Wan.

"Hello?" Obi-Wan answered, confused at this late hour.

"Obi-Wan? It's Padmé," she responded.

"What? Are you alright?"

"I'm on my way over. Meet me…" she paused for a second, thinking, "by the main groundlevel entrance." Here, groundlevel was a relative term since none of Coruscant rested on the actual surface of the planet anymore.

"What? Padmé, it's–" Obi-Wan understood where she meant, but was still unclear as to why.

She gave him no more time to respond. She shut the comlink off, and focused on her flying. Within a few minutes she arrived at the Temple and clumsily got out of the speeder. She walked up close to the grand entrance of the Temple and hid in the shadows, in case a random Jedi came home, all the while watching for Obi-Wan.

Finally, after what seemed like ages, he appeared. Suddenly nervous, she knew she could hide her secret no more, she walked out to greet him.

"My Lady, what is the matter?" he asked with genuine concern when he saw her, sensing her presence seconds before she came into view from behind one of the grand square pillars at the entrance.

Padmé took a deep breath before she spoke. Letting it out, she said, "I heard about the Jedi that just got killed. I have to know if Anakin is safe."

For a second, Obi-Wan regarded her. His mind tumbled with what to say to her. Just a few days ago, he had received a recorded transmission from Anakin from his station at Naboo. He tried to respond, but the messages were not going through. While Anakin's silence concerned him, Obi-Wan had no greater reason to believe that Anakin was dead.

As he looked her over, Obi-Wan caught a glimmer of something through the Force. There was another presence among them, strong in the Force. Confused, Obi-Wan reached out, trying to locate the strange vergence.

Suddenly the truth hit him. His jaw opened slightly in surprise at Padmé. She stood there, straight and stoic, the look in her eyes almost challenging him to say something.

"I – perhaps we should go somewhere else," he suggested instead. She nodded, looking relieved to be away from the Temple. He watched her walk away, and could see the remarkable change in her figure.

No wonder she tried to stay away from the Jedi as much as possible.

"We should go back to my apartment," she said as she started up the speeder. Seeing as he had no other choice, Obi-Wan went along.

Flying with her, while quite tamer, was akin to flying with Anakin. Obi-Wan assumed he should have known that in spending so much time with her, his former Padawan would have taught the Queen some of his skills. In what seemed to be no time at all they were back at her building and Padmé led him up to her floor.

Inside, she said nothing to Obi-Wan but sat down immediately. A flash of exhaustion showed across her face for a second then she turned to the Jedi standing in her living room.

"I'm so sorry…for rousing you in the middle of the night like this. I just couldn't sleep…and then the news all over the holonets…" Padmé glanced at Obi-Wan, worry in her expression. "Is Anakin alright? Please."

Obi-Wan shifted on his feet ever so slightly. Taking a second to gather his thoughts, he sat down next to her but at a respectable distance.

"He's alright, we believe," he said reassuringly.

Relief flooded Padmé and she took a deep breath. One of her hands went to her stomach, resting on it gently.

"Where is he?" she asked. Conversation between them was strained. She knew Obi-Wan knew about her child. He was a strong Jedi, and she was no fool to believe that he would not sense it. Neither of them mentioned it, however, it was the albino nerf in the room of which no one spoke.

Another question he was unsure of how to answer. Somehow she had the innate skill to do this. Obi-Wan shifted before answering, telling himself that this should not be so difficult for a Jedi Master.

"Could you at least tell me that; let me know where he is?" she pressed.

Obi-Wan sighed. The truth was they had not heard from him for a couple days.

"Honestly…we haven't heard anything from him lately," he said softly. At her crestfallen expression, he hastily added, "but I don't think he's dead. I know he's not. There's something more to your worry."

Padmé narrowed her eyes slightly at Obi-Wan. Usually he was quite subtle, for him to be so frank was odd.

"I'm just worried about him. He's my closest friend now. Is it so wrong for me to be concerned for him?"

Obi-Wan sighed. Perhaps it was time to tell her the truth, especially given her condition.

"I can see there's no fooling you, Padmé. You're just as strongwilled as I remember. The truth of the matter is that we haven't heard from Anakin for a few days. The same day the Jedi Masters were killed, we got a transmission from him.

"He told us that the greatest enemy of the Jedi, a Sith Lord, contacted him. We've been searching for this Sith Lord for over a decade now. That he contacted Anakin…is most disturbing."

At this news, Padmé recoiled from him, sinking into the couch. Her other hand clasped her stomach instinctively. She shook her head slightly as she digested Obi-Wan's words.

"So you don't know if he really is alive," she accused.

"He's alive."

She glanced down, her fingers nervously intertwined. A grimace of irritation went across her face.

"He's in danger…but he's alive. I can promise you that," Obi-Wan tried again, but realized that he choose the wrong words.

"He's only in danger because you placed him there. He didn't want to go out to – to wherever you stuck him! He knew he would have been better off here and you know it!" she protested, letting her anger out. "You don't even listen to him! He comes here all the time, upset because of something that's happened!"

"You know he can be rather dramatic at times," Obi-Wan countered calmly. But she would have none of it.

"No! It's not just him being dramatic! I would know! You don't ever see him – he's terribly confused about a lot of things and you just brush him off." She stood up. "Like when he got back from Tatooine, that was a lovely mess. And then, the whole ordeal of the battle of Kashyyyk."

"What?"

Now it was Obi-Wan's turn to be surprised.

She stopped for a minute. Clearly, Anakin had not mentioned this to Obi-Wan, which only made her more irritated. Here was the one person who could help him understand the Force, and his connection to it, and he was not seeking that help. Flustered at everything, she went on.

"You've driven him so far away he wouldn't even tell you about what happened during the battle! I don't know what happened, Gods know I have no sense of the Force, but something happened out there. He lost control or something – he ended up killing some Jedi."

These words came as another shock to Obi-Wan. Suddenly, everything he felt through the Force at the end of the battle made sense to him. The anger…the fear…Obi-Wan did not want to believe that Anakin could have lost control in such a way as to kill his fellow Jedi, but with a quick search of his feelings he knew it was true.

"Blast," he muttered.

Things were worse than he thought.

"I told him to go you, but he feels like he can't! He's so worried about all the expectations you've put on him," Padmé continued to rail. "He feels like he has to be perfect all the time around you! And now you're here, being just as stubborn as he always said you were! No wonder he came to me!"

Obi-Wan sat there, taking her verbal assault. In his heart, he knew there was truth to her words, as harsh as they were. Over time, Obi-Wan began to believe faithfully that Anakin was the Chosen One. The whole Temple knew Anakin had been brought there under this premise, and so he was consistently reminded of it. The older Masters were resistant to his training, the other trainees his age cast him out so that the only person close to a friend he had his own age was Barriss Offee.

He glanced up at her, noticing a tear rolling down her cheek. Perhaps there was something to be rectified out of this whole mess. Something, maybe left over from his own master Qui-Gon Jinn, made him take pity on her. Knowing full well that he could be expelled from the Order for helping her, and thus Anakin, he made his choice.

Standing up, he came over next to her.

"Padmé, we did what we thought was best. If this Sith Lord got hold of him out there, then he most certainly could have found him here at the Temple on Coruscant. If he goes after Anakin, that would lead him straight to the Temple. And that would lead him to you."

Obi-Wan knew his words hit home. She glared at him.

"They're Anakin's aren't they?" he said gently. He felt horrible for doing this, but he had to be sure. While Anakin would later face serious consequences for this, there were other more pressing matters that the Jedi Council had to deal with.

One of them being this Sith Lord that was intent on making himself known.

Padmé's glare intensified. "What do you mean 'them'?" she asked icily.

"You're carrying twins."

With those words, Padmé's anger dissipated, replaced by surprise.

"What…" she trailed off, her jaw open slightly.

"Yes, twins. I can already feel them through the Force brighter than any of the younglings we have at the Temple. Children that strong in the Force must be Anakin's."

Not sure of what to make of this news, as one child was going to be hard enough to raise, Padmé pressed her hands to her stomach.

Twins. Incredible.

"As I said, a Sith Lord contacted Anakin. That means quite a lot of danger for him, and now you," Obi-Wan said to fill the silence.

"How?" she asked humbly.

Another one of those blasted difficult questions! Obi-Wan cursed to himself. Part of him wanted to be harsh, telling her she had no right to get herself so involved with a Jedi, but he forced himself to remain calm.

"Jedi aren't allowed to have attachment because it leads to fearing the loss of the attachment," Obi-Wan tried to explain as gently as he could. "This fear of loss leads to the dark side. If the Sith Lord were to get hold of you, or the children, he could use you against Anakin to try and turn him to the dark side."

"What?" she asked sharply, the fear showing in her voice as she realized the gravity of the situation. "Why would he want to do that to Anakin?"

"The Sith know of our prophecy…and it seems he knows we believe Anakin to be the Chosen one. Getting an apprentice, someone so strong in the Force like Anakin, would score such a victory for the Sith. It would cripple the Jedi."

As he said his words, Obi-Wan tried to shrug off the uneasy feeling they gave him. Next to him, Padmé glanced down at the floor, a feeling of resignation coming from her. Obi-Wan thought about placing his hand on her shoulder for reassurance, but thinking of Anakin, decided it would be too awkward.

"What am I going to do?" she asked Obi-Wan, honestly fearful.

Several responses, mainly about restraint and not falling in love with a Jedi, ran through Obi-Wan's head. He voiced none of them, though. Wishing his fullest that the Force was telling him the right thing, he took a deep breath before responding.

"First, we have to get you through this mess. Both of you."

Padmé nodded, not saying anything.

"I'm going to go back to the Temple. I'll come back tomorrow, I promise. There are some things I want to look up there – most of all we have to keep these children safe from the Sith Lord."

Obi-Wan turned from her and started to leave the room.

"Wait!" Padmé called out to him. "You…you won't tell any of the other Masters, will you?"

He whirled around to face her. Praying he was right in doing this, he said, "No. Not for the time being. The fewer that know about you…the better. But when this is all over…"

She nodded, understanding the meaning of his unsaid words. He could not promise anything after that. It made sense, the Jedi Council would find out regardless – especially if what Obi-Wan said about any children of Anakin's being strong in the Force. Catching her comprehension, Obi-Wan began to leave again, but turned back for a second time.

His hand on the control panel to open the door, he looked over his shoulder and said, "He's alive. I know it."

With that, he opened the door and left. Padmé remained in her spot in the middle of the main room, thinking over everything Obi-Wan told her.

Twins.

Absolutely remarkable.

She wondered how Anakin would react to the news of not just one child, but two. Part of him would be thrilled, his children would be born under the Republic and would have opportunities that he never had as a child. The other part of him…she knew the answer to that one, not liking it.

Anakin would be upset, knowing that this would ultimately get him expelled from the Jedi Order. Now it was only a matter of time.

About four months, Padmé thought bitterly to herself as she sat down. I shouldn't have gone to Obi-Wan. I should just go back to Naboo, I can have the children there…and then when the time is right I can come back. Anakin never has to know they're his, and he can stay a Jedi.

But Padmé knew that letting Anakin believe the children did not belong to him would be just as dangerous as him knowing the truth. The idea of her being with someone else would torment him, as she knew the idea of him being with another woman would torment her. Feeling trapped, blaming herself for the mess they were now in, Padmé leaned forward and began to cry softly.

I'm so sorry, Anakin…I've ruined everything for you…

After spending the better part of an hour trying to return to sleep with no luck, Obi-Wan went to the archives. A small bit of Jedi lore nagged at him, and he thought it might help Padmé in her current situation.

As if he needed something else to worry about. Just the previous day he managed to get Owen and Beru off Coruscant and into hiding. In thanks, Owen told Obi-Wan that if he ever needed anything in the future, they would be happy to oblige. Obi-Wan thanked Owen for the favor, told him to not worry, and quickly made his way back to the Temple – hoping to hear news of Anakin.

Instead, he got a call from Padmé and found out that she and Anakin were having an affair, and to top it off she was pregnant.

The way things were going, Obi-Wan wondered how much more his sanity could take.

Making his way through the corridors of the Temple, Obi-Wan felt a slight twinge of guilt for keeping something like this from the Masters. Yet he knew that right now, with things as dangerous in the galaxy as they were, there was no time to deal with this matter as it should be.

Hopefully, things would settle down and the Masters would see reason when the time came. Obi-Wan did not let himself think about what might happen if Anakin were expelled from the Order.

At the archives, he pulled up a chair, bending close over the datascreen. While not quite sure of what it was he was looking for, he searched for quite some time, sifting through the oldest of Jedi legends. Finally, after what seemed ages but was merely a couple hours, he found something that might be useful. Settling back in his chair, he put his hand over his chin, thinking.

Yes, this just might be the key.

Shutting the search down, he got out of his chair and left for Padmé's.

At the knock on her door, Padmé dragged herself off her bed and went to answer it. For the briefest second, she hoped that Anakin would be behind the closed door, but then she realized that it was not his knock. Another rap sounded.

The door opened to reveal Obi-Wan, just as he promised. Padmé stalled for a second, not sure what to say to him. Unsure of what else to do she turned and walked to the small kitchen area, fetching the Jedi some water.

Obi-Wan took the offered water and sat down. He did not take a drink, but set it on the table instead. Padmé sat down next to him, neither of them sure what to say.

"I have an idea," Obi-Wan broke the silence. "Right now the most important thing is that we protect those children."

Padmé nodded in agreement. While she was not expecting this pregnancy, she knew full well that now that she carried these new lives her own centered on keeping them safe.

"I'm going to suggest to the Council that we move you to another location, to start with."

"No," Padmé said with finality.

"Excuse me?" Obi-Wan looked at her incredulously.

"I'm not moving. I don't care what happens. I have to stay here – I'm tired of running from everything." She stared at Obi-Wan defiantly.

"What about for the sake of your children?"

She glared at him, livid at him for using her children as a mild excuse. Realizing his error, and that making Padmé unduly angry at him would solve nothing, Obi-Wan backed off.

"Alright. I can see there's no arguing with you. I have to say, you must have made quite a leader for your people," he said with a kinder tone. She softened in her posture, smiling ever so slightly at him.

"I did not do enough, though."

In that one single admission, Obi-Wan could sense the weight of what happened to her still wore on her. Somehow, he realized how Anakin was able to turn to her. He had been through things that Obi-Wan could not comprehend, and Padmé offered him the compassion he needed. Feeling another twinge through the Force, simultaneously cursing the part of him that was akin to Qui-Gon, he knew what he had to do.

"Focus on now, Padmé. It does no good to dwell on the past – you must keep your attention here, with things so turbulent."

"And so you spout Jedi wisdom to me," she responded dryly.

Blazes! It's a wonder Anakin can put up with her. Then again, he can be just as cynical at times…perhaps that's why they get along.

Mildly reproachful, he said, "You are just intent on making me feel guilty aren't you? I only want to help us all get through this. Including you and Anakin."

At this statement, it was Padmé's turn to feel ashamed. She mumbled something that sounded like an apology to Obi-Wan.

"Now, I want to try something. Is it alright if I…" he trailed off, not quite sure how to put his request into words. "I'm going to have to touch you. Is that alright?"

Padmé nodded, and watched Obi-Wan with slight apprehension.

Feeling incredibly uncomfortable, Obi-Wan reached out and placed both his hands on Padmé's stomach. At the same time, he let the Force guide him to the new life inside her. In the back of his mind ran the thought of how embarrassing this would be if Anakin walked in. Forcing himself to ignore the image, he focused on the children.

There they were, shining brightly like a shimmering white light in the Force. They were still very small, incredibly delicate. Obi-Wan could feel the life pulsing through them, coming from their mother. Just then, something tingled back to him through the Force. It was one of the children; while completely unaware of his surrounding world, somehow he could sense Obi-Wan through the Force. It was not so much understanding of what Obi-Wan was, but more like the Force connected through both of them.

At this sensation, another tingle went through Obi-Wan, as the second child felt its sibling stir. For a minute, Obi-Wan remained in the connection between both children.

Absolutely remarkable. I've never heard of anything like it. I only hope they live through this mess – surely both of them will make great Jedi, Obi-Wan thought to himself in awe.

Pulling back from the children slightly, Obi-Wan found something else that amazed him. Right now, the children and their mother's blood was one and the same. Due to the strength of the Force in their blood, part of their connection was going to Padmé. Obi-Wan wasn't quite sure about it, but he had the feeling that she just might be able to sense the Force on some basic and elementary level because of these children.

Blast. This is just incredible. I wonder what Master Yoda would make of it.

After a minute, he opened his eyes and looked at Padmé, taking his hands away from her. His mind was frozen, unable to think of anything to say to her.

"What is it? Is something wrong with them?" Padmé asked him anxiously, her hands going protectively over her stomach.

Obi-Wan looked at her. "Oh, they're quite fine. As far as human children go, and I am no healer, they're healthy. But the Force…" He trialed off, not knowing how to describe what he encountered with the children. "Have you noticed anything strange lately – like something that could be explained with the Force?"

Padmé's brow wrinkled as she contemplated his words. "Well…actually, I suppose."

Obi-Wan said nothing, waiting for her to continue.

"Sometimes, I just get these feelings – like I can almost feel Anakin out there somewhere," smiling to herself, she looked down at the couch, "so I guess I just needed to hear someone else say he was alright. And other times, I just get little glimmers of things…I don't really know."

"Have you ever felt anything dark, anything, well, wrong? Has anything you know to be not right tried to reach you?"

"No. Never anything like that. Mostly, I just feel the child – I mean, children."

Finally, a good bit of news. At her words, Obi-Wan felt better, thinking that there was not so much to worry over. A hint of a smile showed on his face.

"That's good. We're going to keep it that way. See, I think you can sense the Force because of your children. And, with that, I want to try something."

Gently he reached out again, this time placing one hand on her stomach again and the other on the side of her head. He opened himself up to the Force, finding the children almost instantly. Once more, one of them responded back to him through the Force, the other child soon doing the same.

Obi-Wan let himself sink into a deeper connection with the children, tapping into their bond to the Force. As he did so, he sought out Padmé. Deep in concentration, he urged the Force to find Padmé through her children.

Watching Obi-Wan, Padmé grew a little concerned. His face was twisted up in the grimmest look of concentration, and she worried about him straining himself. However she forced herself to relax, knowing that Obi-Wan would not do something that would push himself too far. As she relaxed, she started to feel something unlike anything she ever felt. A greater world began to open up to her, and there…if she focused part of her mind in the right way, she could feel one of her children.

It wasn't the physical presence of the child, but something more than that. Padmé knew it had to be the Force, somehow now flowing through her from the child. Through her mind, she reached out to it more, and felt it stir.

Knowing that she was now directly linked to the child through the Force, Obi-Wan could feel it react to its mother. Guiding Padmé, he showed her how to send the Force back to the child to calm it.

Suddenly, he couldn't sense anything.

Not the children and not Padmé.

Obi-Wan's eyes flew open as he gasped for breath. Before him, Padmé sat completely still, her eyes closed. After a second, she opened her eyes, looking at him.

"What's wrong?" she said, having felt him drop away from her.

He shook his head, unable to explain what happened. "Can you still feel it?"

Knowing he meant the Force, she nodded. Reaching out with the right part of her mind to the one child, she could sense it. To feel it, she almost had to not focus on it, but it was always there. She knew she would not be able to do many of the miraculous things that trained Jedi could but as long as she carried the children, though, she would have this connection. Picturing Anakin in her mind and tapping into the Force connection, she could almost feel him somewhere very far away.

Just to make sure, Obi-Wan sensed through the Force that it was still with her. To his surprise, he could not longer make a distinction between her and the children. By bringing the connection to her through the children, it joined them all in one link to the Force.

"Amazing," Obi-Wan breathed.

"What?" Padmé asked. Having no sense of the Force before, she did not quite understand the change in the other's perception of her through it.

"I can't tell any difference between you and the children anymore. To the Force, you are one and the same."

Padmé looked at him quizzically; obviously not quit understanding what he was talking about.

"See, each person leaves a distinctive feel in the Force. Before, I could feel you and both of the children. Now that you're sharing their link, you're blended into one. The three of you have one distinct feel, but if you met a Jedi who did not know you before now they would be none the wiser to you being pregnant – unless you told them."

"Oh," Padmé muttered, thinking this over. It was still a lot of theory to her; all she knew was that she could feel something greater flowing through her. "What about Anakin?"

"The same. He may notice the difference in you in regards to the Force but I don't think even he will be able to feel the children separately. The only way he will know you are pregnant is if you tell him."

Obi-Wan had a pretty good idea of how Anakin might react, but the news of her pregnancy might make him desperate. He was already quite unstable, for a Jedi, and such news might push him over the edge.

"Will they be trained as Jedi?"

Obi-Wan sighed. "I honestly cannot say. It depends on too many things, first assuming that we all make it through this. Training them would be risky, for I have only felt one other person with a connection to the Force stronger than them: their father. The Council would figure out rather quickly these children belong to Anakin, which leads to a host of other problems."

Like Anakin being expelled, Padmé thought. He would always know that these two are his children, but that they would belong to the Jedi. It would ruin him to know they are being trained, watching them from afar, while he is cast out.

"On the other hand…children this strong in the Force…incredible." Something made Obi-Wan remember the stories from the early days of the Order, when Jedi were allowed to marry – even other Jedi. If these children had both parents that were Jedi…it was something Obi-Wan could not even comprehend.

"It would be a waste not to train them," he continued. "We'll have to sort this out later…there's time between now and when they will be born. And, even still, we do not take them right away. Ultimately, it will be up to the Council."

"Alright," Padmé, said with a nod. Obi-Wan was right. All they could do for now was to wait, and whatever was to come would come.

"I still think we should move you somewhere else," suggested Obi-Wan again.

Padmé shook her head vehemently.

"No. I'm not going anywhere."

He gave her a look as if to say he thought she was making a grave mistake, but she did not waver.

"I'm staying here until I see Anakin again," she said forcefully.

With a nod, Obi-Wan stood up. He knew there was no persuading her otherwise. For a brief second, he felt a flash of irritation at her stubbornness, much like how he felt about Anakin at times. A mild reproach regarding their recklessness came to mind, but it was not Obi-Wan's place to chastise her. The time for that was past.

Not knowing what else to say, he muttered, "Perhaps that's just as well."

Offering no further explanation, he left. Some meditation at the Temple would be very welcome. Right now, Obi-Wan's mind was churning with thoughts, and he wanted to make them stop before his head exploded. Too much had happened in the past couple days. First his brother, then the message from Darth Sidious, Padmé turning up pregnant, and the thing that most concerned him: an explanation for what happened to Anakin during the battle for Kashyyyk.

As he flew back to the Temple, Obi-Wan came to the conclusion that it might have been better for Anakin to stay on Coruscant. He would talk to the Council about it immediately. Home could be the very thing Anakin needed right now.

To be continued...