Genre: angst/drama

Rating: PG

Pairing: obi/padme

Disclaimer: I do no own the characters, they belong to Lucas

PART IV

Dying? He could not have heard her right, but the look in her eyes said it all, such sadness, yet not, Obi-Wan had never seen a look like that in Padme's eyes before, it really frightened him.

"How long?" was all that Obi-Wan managed to say.

"Till after the twins are born, I don't know how long I'll actually be alive once they come out, I hope I have at least a few hours with them." She said it in such a matter-of-fact tone.

"I don't understand, what happened." Obi-Wan couldn't make sense of what she was saying at all, he couldn't understand how she is dying but the babies are okay.

"It all started when I went for a checkup at the medical facility in Coresaunt, it was where I was planning on giving birth to the twins, they did some tests, and for unknown reasons, my body is slowly dying, and believe me, I know it is, I think this is going to be a very painful death, sometimes I feel like my insides are just going to burn away, and I haven't enjoyed a meal in over 4 months, at first I thought it was just regular stuff, but I soon figured out it's not." This was the first time Padme had ever acknowledged to anyone the truth about what was happening to her.

"But your babies, how can they be alright if you are not?" Obi-Wan tried to think of the babies and not of Padme at that moment.

"The force, they are keeping them alive." She wasn't looking forward to the next question.

"You think you're children are going to be Jedi, usually these things are not known until after a baby is born." Obi-Wan went back to being confused again.

"Not think, I know, after all, their father is the chosen one, or so the prophecy says." Padme didn't look Obi-Wan in the eye, she couldn't.

He just looked at her for a moment, then blinked, then started staring at her. She wouldn't look him in the eye but kept looking down, knowing he heard her right this time.

"Well, now I know why you won't talk about the father, and why you have been leading me on all this time Padme."

"It's not like that, everything I have ever said to you I meant it Obi-Wan!" She was looking at him in the eye now.

"Why?" is all he said in response.

"Obi-Wan I really can't talk about this right now" and she started to get up and walk away.

"No, we will talk about this now! How could you lie to me like this Padme? To everyone, Anakin, he never was a stickler for the rules, but you? You do know you alone would be responsible for his downfall." Obi-Wan regretted that last line.

"I know, but I couldn't deny my feelings for him, it was love, and everything was working out until this happened." Padme never felt so ashamed in all of her life.

"Exactly how long has this been going on?" Obi-Wan was glaring at her now.

"We have been married for 3 years" her face was stone cold.

"Married? Anakin is going to kicked off the council when I get back to Coresant, I'm telling them right away, I hope your happy by what you're selfness has caused, the expulsion of a great Jedi." Obi-Wan was gathering his clothes and putting them on to leave.

"NO! Please, please, just listen to me, I can explain." She somehow had jumped in front of him and put her hands on his chest urging him to stop from leaving.

"I think you've done enough explaining for today Padme."

"Obi-Wan, I know I have lied to everyone, but one thing I did not lie about was my feelings for you, getting to know you has made me happy, I didn't think I could ever be this happy again." Tears were coming down her face.

"Oh, going from Jedi to Jedi? I might have been tricked into falling for you, but I won't be tricked into a marriage and lying to everyone I know." He realized he was talking like he did right before going into battle. He hardly ever used such sarcasm to people he cared about.

Suddenly Padme started coughing and spitting up blood, she then ran into the bathroom and was vomiting, by the time Obi-Wan had followed her in there she was passed out.

"What have I done?" Obi-Wan said aloud.

When Padme awoke she found herself in bed, everything had been cleaned up, the bathroom, the floor, and she turned and found Obi-Wan sitting by her bed, it looked as if he had been crying.

"Obi-Wan, I'm glad you are here, I thought you had left."

He didn't say anything, just smiled and took her hand in his squeezing it very tightly.

"I do love you, I know you don't believe me, and I don't blame you, I just needed someone to turn to, it was selfish. Anakin doesn't know that I am dying, he will hate me too once I'm gone, for not telling him." She seemed to be finding strength just to get the words out, she started coughing again.

"Shh, its okay, I don't hate you Padme, I could never hate you, and Anakin won't either. It was wrong of me to say the things I did." He had been crying earlier, after putting Padme to bed and cleaning up everything, he just broke down. He was angry and sad, angry that Padme and Anakin had been lying, feeling like she used him, and sad because she was dying. It was too much emotion even for a Jedi.

"I'm the one who has been wrong, if I could right this wrong I did, I will, I'll go to the Jedi council myself and tell them the truth" she had finally stopped coughing.

"No, don't do that, you came to me for help, and that's what I'm going do, I'll still be there for you if you need me Padme, I still love you, even though I don't understand this." Obi-Wan was going to keep his promise to Padme, and in his heart, he did know that Padme loved him, but he also knew her heart belonged to another. He realized while she was asleep he would do this one wish for a dying woman, even if it went against his moral beliefs and the Jedi Order.

Being the other man, to the wife of his padawan no less, Obi-Wan would never compromise his values, but he would for the woman he loved.

"I'm sorry" and a single tear ran down Padme's cheek, he wiped it away with his thumb and then stroked her hair and gave her a single kiss. She reached up and hugged him then pulled him close, he obliged and soon she was snuggled in his arms and fell asleep.

While lying there with her Obi-Wan thought about how he was going to help Padme. First, he needed to figure out why she was dying if she was healthy, and if there was anyway to stop it.