PART 11

Obi-Wan knew he had to contact Yoda immediately. He took out his COM lock and was able to actually get a connection in the swamp land Yoda was now living in. When he told Yoda about how Padme was dead and then somehow woke up, the Jedi master didn't seem at all surprised, but then again, Yoda was never one to express right away what he was thinking. Obi-Wan continued to tell him how they were headed for Tattooine, and how Obi-Wan needed to find some way to make money there since they had no money left.

"Very good this sounds, Tattooine, a good location to go into hiding" was all that Yoda said.

"But master, what about Padme? Once the word gets out that she died on Endor, her family will want to know what happened and will want her body for burial." Obi-Wan didn't know the best way to handle the situation and really wanted Yoda's advice.

"Go to her parents, Bail Organa will, and handle the situation."

Obi-Wan still felt uneasy, but left it at that and then said goodbye to Yoda. He saw the ship was about leave hyperspace and arrive on Tattooine; he went to the back of the ship to inform Padme.

When he entered the room he saw that Leia was sleeping and that Luke was now being nursed by Padme, he quietly walked up to her and said,

"We are about to land on Tattooine; it's where we will be hiding for awhile."

"I hate Tattooine, it's too hot and dry there."

"I know, but we don't have many options right now, we have to be in a place where very few people would recognize you." Obi-Wan didn't want this to turn into an argument about where the best place to go into hiding was. But she didn't argue, she simply nodded her head and turned her attention back to Luke.

"He has blue eyes, he finally opened them up" she looked up at Obi-Wan and smiled.

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Once they landed in Mos Isley spaceport, Padme and Obi-Wan again pretended to be refugees. Padme stayed behind with the twins and the droids while Obi-Wan went in search for work. He came back a few hours later with some good news.

"I've found work and a place for us to stay not far from here."

"Who will you be working for?" asked Padme.

"A farmer who lives on the outskirts of the spaceport, his father in law recently died and he needs help maintaining the farm, I expect I'll be doing a lot of labor work, I also found a housing complex, we can move in as soon as I pay the deposit."

"Where are you going to get the money for that, you told me you gave all the money we had left to the woman at the hospital."

"By selling this" and he pointed to the ship.

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While walking to their new home, Padme looked around the area of Mos Isley knowing that she recognized it, when they finally arrived to the apartment and walked in, she stopped dead in her tracks. She realized this was the exact kind of apartment Anakin and his mother lived in when they were slaves. Obi-Wan continued to push the stroller they had bought with the left over money from selling the ship into the apartment when he realized Padme was still standing in the doorway.

"What's wrong" he said as he lifted Luke up out of the stroller.

"This place, it's...……small" she remembered Obi-Wan had never been to Anakin's home on Tattooine, Qui-Gon had been there instead.

"Well it has three rooms, and it was really all I could find within our pricing range. I can keep looking if you want."

"No, its fine, I'm just, used to a lot of space. I did used to live in a palace you know." She smiled playfully at him.

"Okay, if you are sure" she heard doubt in his voice.

"I'm sure" she walked over to him and gave him a quick kiss on the check then on the lips to reassure him.

"I'll get the rest of our stuff and the droids."

"Okay, I'll be here with Luke and Leia."

When Obi-Wan came back a short while later, the twins were napping in the bedroom; Padme was sitting beside them singing a lullaby while the slept peacefully side by side. When she walked out into the kitchen/living room area she noticed Threepio looking around while Obi-Wan unpacked their stuff with R2 assisting him. Suddenly Threepio said,

"Oh, I recognize this place, this is the same exact kind of apartment Master Anakin and his mother lived in when he made me."

Obi-Wan dropped the box of food he was unpacking. He then looked up at Padme with a questioning look.

"Threepio, why don't you go check on Luke and Leia, make sure they are alright, you go too R2." Padme knew she had to talk to Obi-Wan alone.

"Was it something I said?" Threepio asked R2 as they walked into the bedroom.

"So that's why you stopped at the doorway with that look on your face earlier." Obi-Wan had his back turned from her with his head down.

"Yes, but you didn't know, really, don't feel bad, it's okay that we are staying here."

"How can you say that? Not only are we living on Anakin's home planet but now we are living in his old neighborhood too, we might even be in the same exact apartment!"

"Perhaps, but that is all in the past now, Anakin and his mother no longer live here, we have to look towards the future, we have to have a home for Luke and Leia."

Obi-Wan was surprised by how rational and calm she was being. She had definitely changed since Luke and Leia were born, or more like when she awoke during the time he thought she was dead. It was like she had finally accepted that Anakin was really gone, unlike on Endor when she kept saying he was still good and that he wasn't really gone.

"Alright, but if you change your mind and want to leave, just tell me and I'll look for another place right away." He knew this wasn't going to be an easy time for her, and he felt the last thing she needed was to be reminded of Anakin.

"Thank you, here, let me help you unpack this stuff" and she started to help put the food away in the cupboards.

When they finished unpacking it was getting late and they decided to get ready for bed. The portable crib was in the bedroom with them, Luke and Leia fast asleep. While Padme sat on the bed reading, Obi-Wan came in and said,

"Well tomorrow morning I start work, I better get to sleep, do you want me to sleep in the other bedroom?"

"What do you want to do? Do you want to sleep in there?" she said in a teasing manner.

"Just thought I'd ask" he said as he climbed into the bed beside her.

"Always the gentlemen" she said then she gave him a goodnight kiss.

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"You turned her against me! You will not take her from me" Anakin screamed.

"You did that yourself" Obi-Wan said.

"She is mine, not yours! They are MY children, MINE. I am their father not you." Anakin then raced forward with his lightsaber.

"NO, stop!" Obi-Wan heard Padme say.

"You are with him!" Anakin screamed at Padme then turned his lightsaber on her.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO" Obi-Wan screamed then bolted up in bed. He realized he had been dreaming.

"Its okay, you're alright, it was only a dream" Padme started stroking his back to try to calm him down.

"I failed him, I failed Anakin and I failed Qui-Gon too" Obi-Wan said trembling.

"No, you didn't, Anakin chose to turn to the dark side on his own, Anakin failed Qui-Gon not you." Padme stared at him in the eye.

"Padme, I never got to tell you, I felt too guilty, but, the box you asked me to tell Bail about is gone. Palapitine ordered his guards to destroy all of your personal belongings; nothing is left in your apartment."

She didn't say anything, just looked down, Obi-Wan could sense that she already knew about the box. She finally broke the silence and said,

"Well, the box mostly contained messages for the twins; there were some for my family as well, along with one for Anakin. But what's done is done, nothing can change that."

"You are hiding something from me, I can tell you are, what is it." Obi-Wan had to confront Padme about her change in manner since they left Endor.

"All I know is, I'm so glad you are here with me, you are keeping me and my twins safe. The only thing I've been hiding is that I've been madly in love with you since our first walk in the garden on Corescant." She then put her arms around him and started kissing him.

After a few seconds he broke the kiss and said, "But that doesn't explain—" she stopped him from continuing by putting her hand over his mouth.

"Obi-Wan, please, don't do this, I just want you to calm down and stop feeling guilty about what did or did not happen, and can't you just be kissing me now?" She pulled her hand away and looked at him with pleading eyes.

He started kissing her again, this time more fiercely than before, she quickly started undressing him. He then lifted her nightgown up off of her started to kiss her neck. They made love very quietly since the twins cradle was in the room. He realized they hadn't been together like this since before they went to Endor, he stopped kissing her and pulled away.

"What, what is it?" she said panting.

"I love you…..so much Padme."

She smiled at him and brought his head down to continue making love to her. When they finished he collapsed and laid his head down on her stomach and quickly fell asleep. Padme let him lay there; she knew he needed to rest for his first day of work. She stroked his hair and whispered in his ear,

"I love you; it's why I came back to you." She was certain he didn't hear what she said.

For Padme was keeping something from Obi-Wan, she had died that day on Endor, but she didn't tell him how she had become one with the force, and how it was the force, that brought her back. She couldn't tell him until she accomplished what she was brought back to do.