Thank you ever so much for your faithful reviews! Okay, here it is! The big revelation! I hope I did it effectively. I will be keeping many of the major themes from the ROTS storyline, incorporating them with my AU changes. The ending will be different, however...

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It was decided. Obi-Wan was being sent to deal with General Grievous. He would be leaving late this same morning. Obi-Wan had been so occupied with the war, Council meetings and the growing sense of dread within the Temple that he hadn't had any time to spend with Padme. He was on his way to her apartment to say goodbye now. For once, Obi-Wan was glad that Anakin had a meeting with the Chancellor, so he and Padme could say goodbye in private.

Padme was anxiously pacing around her living area. How was she going to word this? Would Obi-Wan be able to forgive her deception? Was their friendship going to end? For the first time, Padme was dreading Obi-Wan's arrival. She couldn't lose him, she just couldn't! She stopped mid-pace when she heard his speeder land. It felt like her heart was going to beat clean out of her chest!

Obi-Wan walked quickly into Padme's apartment, quite eager to see her again after so long. The large smile on his face faded and his steps slowed as his eyes took in her pregnant belly. Pain hit his heart like a knife. A thousand thoughts seemed to flood his mind all at once – the implications of which he did not want to face. A small voice in his mind chastised him. You have no right to react like this. You have no claim on her.

Padme's heart broke at the pain in his eyes. This was going to be horrible! "Obi-Wan, I…"

Obi-Wan shook his head. "You don't owe me an explanation."

"Yes, I do!" Padme took hold of Obi-Wan's hand and pulled him over to the sofa. "Please sit down. This is going to be a long story." Padme gathered her courage as they sat down. "This isn't going to be easy for you to hear. Force knows, this isn't going to be easy to say."

Obi-Wan released his growing dread into the Force.

Padme decided to just dive in. "Anakin and I are married."

Obi-Wan gaped at Padme in shock. Married? His mouth moved as though trying to form words, but none would come. He turned away from her and took some calming breaths. "How long?" His voice was a harsh whisper.

"Since right after Geonosis."

Obi-Wan turned back to Padme suddenly. "WHAT?" It felt like his world was crashing down around him. Anakin had still been a padawan when he was married! Even though he was breaking one of the most foundational parts of the Code, Anakin had said his vows during his knighting ceremony without even blinking! And Padme…This whole time she'd been MARRIED? Obi-Wan moved to get up.

Padme grabbed his arm. "Please, let me explain! Hear me out!" Oh, the look of betrayal in his eyes! Obi-Wan turned away from her, but he didn't get up. "I've wanted to tell you about this for so long, but I didn't want to put you in the position of having to choose between your duty to the Order and your friendship with Anakin." Padme took a deep breath before continuing. "When I married Anakin, I thought I loved him. I pushed aside all rational thought and went with my feelings. I got caught up in Anakin's passion and his attention towards me."

"It wasn't until after we were already married that I started to really think about what we'd done. As the euphoria of being a newlywed wore off, I started to realize that I didn't really love Anakin the way I thought I did. On top of that, Anakin started to change, as we've discussed before. But there's more…"

How could there possibly be more? Obi-Wan didn't turn around to face her. He simply waited for her to continue.

"I said that Anakin started changing after we were married, but something happened before we were married that should have been a huge red flag. On Tatooine, after Anakin returned with his mother's body, he made a confession to me." Padme paused again. She didn't want to hurt Anakin, but she felt compelled to be completely honest with Obi-Wan about everything.

When Obi-Wan finally turned to look at her, it was all Padme could do to continue. She had never seen anyone look more devastated. "Anakin confessed to not only killing the warriors who had tortured his mother to death, but also everyone else who was in the camp – including women and children."

Obi-Wan felt like he was going to be sick. Yoda had told him about the anger and grief he had felt from Anakin through the Force that day. The news of Anakin's mother was learned later. Yoda had been extremely worried about the incident and had encouraged Obi-Wan to discuss it with Anakin. But Obi-Wan had decided not to, wanting to spare Anakin from further pain. He could never have guessed that Anakin had gone on a murderous rampage! He realized now that he had been negligent.

Padme wanted to hug Obi-Wan, to comfort him, but knew that he wasn't ready for that yet. "My doubts about the marriage, my worries about Anakin and my guilt over our deception continued to grow. Then came the day you asked me to help you watch the children – a day that completely changed my life." Padme infused every word with her sincerity as Obi-Wan turned again to look her in the eye. "In you, I found my best friend, my soul mate and the love of my life! I'd never before felt such joy or comfort in another's company."

Looking down at her hands clasped tightly in her lap, Padme continued. "Even as my feelings for you grew, I knew that it could never be." She looked up again into Obi-Wan's shining eyes, silently pleading for him to understand. "I also knew that if I ever asked Anakin for a divorce, it would get ugly and even dangerous. I was stuck. Stuck being married to someone I could never love as he deserved to be loved. Stuck in a situation where I could never have the man I truly loved."

Tears started to pool in Padme's chocolate eyes. "Then I figured, if Anakin and I were to have a child, maybe it would calm him down and maybe I could find some happiness in the marriage." The tears started to slip down her cheeks. "I was living in a fantasy land. Anakin didn't seem all that thrilled at the prospect of becoming a father. And now the future looks even darker!"

Obi-Wan's heart ached at Padme's despair. He took hold of her hand. "Why do you say that?"

"Anakin has had some visions of me dying in childbirth."

Inhaling sharply, Obi-Wan unconsciously tightened his grip on Padme's hand. "But no one dies in childbirth anymore." He didn't want to believe it could be true.

"I know. I don't believe it. But what really scares me is how Anakin is reacting! He is absolutely adamant that he is not going to let me die. He seems to think he should be able to control who lives and who dies! I'm worried about what he may try to do. I asked him to talk to you about it."

"He didn't." Obi-Wan worked to focus his thoughts. So that's what has been bothering him. "I'm such a fool." He let go of Padme's hand and moved to the edge of the cushion. Obi-Wan rested his elbows on his knees, putting his face in his hands. He had been so blind!

"No, no! I'M the fool! If I had just held my ground and not given in to my emotions! If I had done my duty as a senator and not betrayed the Jedi, none of this would be happening!" Padme tried to hold back the sobs fighting for escape. "Worst of all to me, though, is hurting you. Can you ever forgive me for deceiving you? I know I don't deserve it…"

Obi-Wan pulled Padme into his arms. "Yes. Shhh. I forgive you." He soothingly rubbed her shaking shoulders. "And I think you're being too hard on yourself. Don't forget that Anakin has some culpability in this whole mess." He sighed heavily, still stroking Padme's hair and back. "As do I."

Padme sat back, stunned. "You? Obi-Wan, you were the one deceived!"

"I allowed my feelings for Anakin to blind me. I knew there was something going on between you and Anakin, but I convinced myself that Anakin would not let it get out of hand. I also turned a blind eye because I didn't want to have to face the prospect of ever having to turn Anakin in to the Council. And I wasn't firm enough with Anakin about his lack of emotional control."

Padme placed her hand on Obi-Wan's cheek. "You were a wonderful master to Anakin. I think you were the perfect combination of affection and discipline. A master who was too stern would have made Anakin rebel even more. A master who was too accommodating would have made him even more cocky and undisciplined. You were and ARE a wonderful teacher, but it's up to Anakin to apply those lessons."

"I still missed too much. You saw Anakin's dependence when I couldn't." Obi-Wan ran his fingers through his hair. He released his guilt into the Force, calmed his breathing and focused his thoughts. "My anguishing over the past is not going to help matters, however. What I need to think about it what to do now. Anakin and I need to have a long talk about a lot of things when I get back from Utapau. Unfortunately, I'm not going to have time to do it before leaving. I won't involve the Council until after I've discussed things with Anakin."

Fears started to plague Padme. "I've heard that General Grievous has killed many Jedi. Why are they sending you alone?"

"Anakin has his own assignment here and there are no other available Jedi to accompany me. For some reason, the rest of the Council seem to think I'm the man to bring Grievous down." Obi-Wan allowed a brief display of vulnerability. "I hope I don't give them a reason to regret their faith in me."

"Putting faith in you is never a mistake." Padme meant that with every fiber of her being. "Don't think I doubt your abilities, because I don't. I'm just worried about you. I'm scared of losing you. Your friendship is about the only thing that has kept me going."

"Thank you, Padme." Obi-Wan gave her a gentle smile. "But you're stronger than you think." He got up off the sofa and pulled Padme up to join him. "I need to get going."

A sudden feeling of dread washed through Padme. She had the desperate desire to keep Obi-Wan with her – to not let him go to Utapau. She threw herself into his arms. "Please come back to me!" Blast these constant goodbyes! Padme didn't think it was possible to love someone more than she loved Obi-Wan at this moment. She wouldn't have been able to blame him if he had wanted to end their friendship. He had taken the most devastating of news with class that took her breath away. And despite his pain, he'd been able to forgive her and comfort her. She didn't deserve him.

Obi-Wan suddenly pulled out of her embrace. "I…I need to go." She's married. He gave Padme a kiss on the cheek and started to back away. She's married. The confused and pained look on Padme's face made him want to rush back and enfold her in his arms, but he just couldn't act like that anymore!

"Obi-Wan, please tell me that we're still friends." Every step back he took felt like a stab wound in Padme's heart.

"We'll always be friends, Padme. If you ever need anything, you only need to ask. But things HAVE changed. I can't…" Obi-Wan took in a calming breath. "I would never have let things go as far as they did if I had known…" He couldn't finish. He just couldn't say the words! "Goodbye, Padme." Obi-Wan turned on his heel and left as quickly as he could. The shock and the numbness were wearing off and the pain was getting overwhelming. He called on the Force and let its comfort and peace rush through him like a river.

Padme fell back onto her sofa and cried. How did her life become such a horrible mess? Her friendship with Obi-Wan would never be the same. She knew that she could count on Obi-Wan if she ever needed anything, but that almost daily contact and support would be gone. How could she possibly continue on without it?

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Chancellor Palpatine watched the morning traffic through his office window with a self-satisfied smile on his face. Everything was happening as he had foreseen. Anakin was extremely vulnerable, and his main anchor to the Light Side of the Force was being sent across the galaxy to Utapau. Palpatine's manipulation of Anakin had culminated in the brilliant addition of visions of Padme's death.

Chuckling, Palpatine returned to his desk. He had known for a long time that the key to Anakin's undoing would be his obsessive feelings for Padme Amidala. And now, Anakin was reacting just as the Chancellor had always known he would. There would be no Obi-Wan around to stop his descent into darkness! Palpatine could feel the darkness gathering strength as the time for Obi-Wan's departure drew near. It was exhilarating! Once Obi-Wan left for Utapau, a course would be set that could no longer be altered and Anakin's fate would be sealed.