Genre: angst/romance

Rating: pg-13

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters, they are property of Lucas

PART III

Padme had now given up on the senate, even though they had the 2000 signatures against Palpatine, it still wasn't enough, and Padme had lost a lot of trust and faith into the Chancellor, so Padme stopped going to senate meetings unless it was mandatory, and just told Jar-Jar to fill her in on what was happening at the meetings.

Instead she used the time to prepare holographic messages she wanted to give to her children when they get older. She made one for each of them separately, and talked about her life, her family, and how she fell in love with their father. She hoped Anakin would know when the time was right to give it to them. Most importantly, she said in the message of how much she loved them, and how she is always watching over them. She even makes a message for Anakin explaining how she could not tell him the truth and hopes that he can forgive her someday, she tells him, she kept it a secret from him, to protect him, because she loves him. She makes messages for her family as well.

Making the messages emotionally drained Padme, she couldn't stop the tears from flowing in her final message to Anakin so she put them all in a box and put it away in her office. 'I'll get back to this another time' she said to herself, she felt if she made another message, she would never be able to stop the tears from flowing.

After putting the box away, Padme then sent R2 to the Jedi Temple to see if Obi-Wan could meet her in their secret place near Dex's Diner, when Threepio came back with the message from R2 that Obi-Wan said he would be there right away, she immediately left a note saying she was out in case Anakin stopped by. The secret meeting place near the diner was an empty room on the top floor of an office building, not many senators or Jedi's go near that part of town, so both felt it was a safe place to meet. When she walked in and saw Obi-Wan there, she flew into his arms and it seemed they stood their like that for an eternity. When they finally broke the hug, Obi-Wan said, "I was worried it was something urgent, is something wrong my love?"

"No, no, I'm sorry for worrying you, I just, wanted to tell you that I need to go away to Naboo for a couple of days, I'm going to visit my family, I was wondering, if you could secretly escort me there and back?" Padme knew she was going to have a lot of explaining to do soon.

"Well, I'd like to, but I don't know if I could get away that long, the council has been trying to track down a droid named General Grievous, and I could be called away at any moment." Obi-Wan sensed the anxiety in Padme as he gave his response, but he couldn't promise anything to her, not while the War was still going on.

"Couldn't you just say that a senator asked you to escort them for safety reasons, and that you would leave whatever you were doing to go fight General Grievous?" Padme didn't want to sound too desperate, but she knew she couldn't say her unsaid goodbyes to her family without him, she could not ask Anakin to come, he would never stop with the questions, but she knew Obi-Wan would not pressure her.

"Well, I suppose I could do that, but you do understand if they call me I will have to arrange for someone else to bring you back?" Obi-Wan figured he wouldn't be lying to the council too much, and he knew the council trusted him and would probably not ask too many questions.

"Yes, I understand completely, I really appreciate this Obi-Wan thank you." And then she gave him a hug and told him she'd meet him tomorrow and then they could leave for Naboo.

She told Anakin that night that she wanted to visit her family, she told him she was missing them lately and really wanted to make the trip, Anakin said he wished he could go, but that the Chancellor needed him at the moment and he couldn't get away. Deep down Padme was glad about this, she hated lying to her husband and didn't know what she would say if he started asking a lot of questions about the sudden trip to Naboo.

She would miss Anakin on her trip, and she felt so guilty that she had to take another man to be there with her instead of her husband, but, Padme had to do this, even if it was selfish.

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When Padme and Obi-Wan got to Naboo, they stayed near the retreat where she and Anakin had gotten married, she knew that area was safe and no one would know they were there. Obi-Wan mostly hung around the lake and by the cottage they were staying in during the day while Padme visited her family.

On the second day they were there when Padme came back in the early evening, he could tell she had been crying when she walked in through the door. Knowing he couldn't ask too many questions, he started to make some tea for her. 'What is making her so sad?' he thought to himself, he understood that she was in a tough situation, but he knew something more was troubling her.

He handed her the tea and she thanked him softly, he then asked if she wanted to be alone and she quickly responded, "NO! I was hoping we could just sit and talk for awhile."

He then sat down beside her and started giving her shoulders a massage, she had told him numerous times he was the best at giving them. For a few minutes they just sat in silence and all of the sudden Padme said, "My parents were so happy to see me, I don't get to visit them often, I had a really nice time visiting with them today."

Instead of sensing happiness, he sensed deep sadness coming from Padme, he needed to find a way to figure out what was making her so sad without making it seem to obvious. So he said, "I'm sure they were happy to see you, I imagine it would be nice to have a family though I wouldn't know what it would be like."

She then turned to him and said, "But maybe you would, you never know what could happen in the future."

"True, but I'm pretty sure my future lies with the Jedi Order. Though these past couple of weeks, for the first time I have wished something different." He carefully studied her face to see her reaction.

"What do you wish?" Padme touched his cheek as she asked the question.

"I wish, that I could take you away, leave far away from here, from the Republic completely, I wish we could see other worlds, other star systems, I wish I could run away with you." He then took her hand and said, "Padme, I love you" a tear started to run down her cheek.

She suddenly turned her back towards him, trying to hide the tears that were flowing, he then said, "And I would run away with you, if you want to run away with me, I'll always take care of you, you won't have to be afraid, you won't have to hide away from your troubles."

She then turned back to him and said, "My dear Obi-Wan, I'm not hiding from anything, all I want right now, is to be here, with you."

She then started kissing him deeply and passionately, it took Obi-Wan by surprise but he continued, then she started to undo his tunic when he grabbed her hand and said, "Padme, I don't think we should do this."

"Why not? I'm not this delicate flower that can't be touched, unless my 'condition' makes you not want to touch me?" There was a lot of anger and hurt in her voice.

"No, you don't know how hard it is for me not to touch you are so beautiful, but you are going to have another man's child, it wouldn't be right, and I don't want to hurt you, physically and emotionally. Jedi don't have much experience with this kind of stuff you know." Her demeanor was still standoffish but she seemed less angry.

"Obi-Wan, you don't have to be concerned with what is 'right' and what is 'wrong.' All I want right now is you, I need you, and I need to feel 'us.' I've been longing for this moment since I first kissed you, it feels right to me, doesn't it to you?" Her eyes were pleading with him to give her an answer.

"I do need you Padme, but I am afraid I will grow too attached to you, that I won't be able to live without you in my life. I sense your loyalty to someone else."

"Well, I am already attached too attached to you Obi-Wan, I do have loyalty to the father of my children, but right now there's nobody I want more in the world than you." She continued to kiss him, seductively touching him, trying to drive him over the edge and give in to what she wanted.

He tried to slow down and stop by saying "I don't want to hurt you or the baby." But she quickly shushed him and continued undressing him until they had begun making love, she guided him in what to do so that it would be safe and comfortable. He was gentle and patient, she could tell he was embarrassed and frightened but she tried her best to soothe him with gentle kisses. He finally started to relax and continued to slowly and gently make love to her. When they were done she kissed him long and hard then fell onto his chest, him stroking her hair, kissed her forehead. She quickly fell asleep in his arms and he pulled the covers up and then went to sleep as well.

For the rest of the five days they were on Naboo, they made love and just held each other every night. They would lay there and talk, about the past, about the present, and Obi-Wan would talk of the future, or of the future he would like once the Clone Wars were over.

The last night they were in the cottage Obi-Wan started to talk about all the places he would like to take Padme to see when she abruptly pulled herself away from his arms and sat up in bed and buried her hands in her face. "Was it something I said?" asked a confused Obi-Wan.

"No, it's just, I'm never going to be able to see those things with you Obi-Wan" there was great annoyance in her voice as she said the words.

Obi-Wan knew Padme was not well physically, in the past five days he had stayed with her in the cottage he observed how long she slept and how pale and tired she was beginning to look. He knew it wasn't normal. He decided to make a move.

"Why can't you Padme, because of the father? Or because you are ill?" he stared without blinking into her dark brown eyes.

"Ill? What makes you think I am ill? She tried to act as normal as possible by his probing.

"Well, for one thing, you are extremely pale, another is the terrible vomiting, and you sleep almost 15 hours a day. I know women who are pregnant get tired, but this seems abnormal." He braced himself for her to get up off the bed at any instant.

But she didn't move, she just stared at him then said, "I'm not just ill Obi-Wan, I'm dying."