Disclaimer: Star Wars and all associated characters, plotlines, and worlds (good and bad) are property and copyright © of George Lucas (aka The Richest Man in Hollywood). This is purely for fan entertainment only.

Also a warning… this fanfic is rated MA for adult themes. It is also "Obidala"… in other words, if you're offended or otherwise do not like the pairing between Obi-Wan Kenobi and Padmé Amidala, then please don't read further to spare yourself the irritation. Otherwise, enjoy!

Chapter 7 – To Save Her Life

Beads of sweat rolled down his face and dampened his pillow as he realized himself in yet another dream about Anakin's premonition. Each night they were different, fears rather than premonitions. The latest was threatening to drive him mad.

Her delicate frame wracked in pain as contractions ripped through her. The child was coming far too quickly, and in the wrong direction. Complications were threatening both her life and that of the baby. But, a man in dark clothes came to her side. He bent to kiss her forehead, tenderly wipe away perspiration.

He cringed and wanted to scream out as he saw the man rise and turn to him, his former Apprentice's face reconstructed, his hands fleshed out, even his arms seemed to be flesh and not metal. He seemed to be healed completely- even the scar which should have struck over his left eye seemed to be absent.

His former Apprentice's grin haunted him as Anakin leaned down to comfort Padmé again, clasping her hand firmly. "Oh Anakin!" she murmured, pulling him close to her. To his horror, they embraced, Anakin's mouth reclaiming what was originally his.

"My darling wife, I am here now." He assured her gently, looking back up at Obi-Wan one last time, without malice, but Obi-Wan could not help but feel his blood boil.

He woke up with the word "wife" echoing through his mind, jealousy and a sense of what betrayal Anakin still must feel fresh in his mind. It further echoed his doubts in the entire plan- there was no way that Anakin could give up Padmé, not after such a close connection to her after all those years. Again he felt the bitterness in being left in the dark for so long about everything.

But unfortunately, he was running out of ideas on how to save Padmé, and the chance that Anakin would overthrow Palpatine was just far too tempting to not take the gamble. And if he lost Padmé to Anakin, but she still lived- he would just have to deal with that. After all, he had never expected to be dealt this hand in the first place, there had never been a guarantee on their relationship with each other, no till death do us part.

But her smile and the look on her face when he told her he loved her was the one thing that held him in check, that he would have to do whatever was necessary to save her. And that same smile was already making him miss her to his very bones. He wanted to reach out through the Force, to selfishly feel her presence once more, and that of the baby's, but he knew one of the purposes of this trip was to see discover the root of all of his feelings. And he wanted to make sure, for her heart and for his own, that his feelings for her were genuine.

He knew he desired her, knew he cared for her, knew she was a wonderful friend- but he wanted to make sure that it was indeed the profound, romantic love that he wanted to promise her. And after being betrayed once before, he did not want that to happen to her again.

For now, however, Obi-Wan had to wait until Vader contacted him once more, to finalize details about the plan that would hopefully save Padmé and the Republic.

Lord Vader had anxiously waited several days for Obi-Wan to contemplate the things that he had told him. He had somehow managed to withhold the anxiety from his Master, informing him when he inquired that he was searching some leads the 501st had learned about Yoda's whereabouts. The lies came easily, he noticed.

The encounter with Padmé had given him new ambitions for reviving Anakin Skywalker, even in image. He disliked the confines of the suit, and ached for physical contact of any sort. He missed having cool air blow across his face, missed smelling anything other than sterilization and bacta, missed the taste and texture of food in his mouth. He also held on to a hope that healers could reconstruct his limbs so that he no longer felt the constant burning of phantom limbs.

The only healers that he knew that were capable of doing such were two Jedi that had remained in recluse for quite a long time- and were the only two remaining on his short list. A fragile strain of hope led him to believe that perhaps Obi-Wan could bring the healers to him, so that he could gain his body back. And Padmé would not have a mechanical monster to confront, would instead have her husband back.

A streak of impatience goaded him into seeking out Obi-Wan once more. Fortunately, the Jedi was either sleeping or meditating- and was receptive to his message. It was short and to the point- Vader wanted to make all further meetings in person. The only response was a quick mental acknowledgement. They would meet the next day, and Vader would detail the plan then.

Obi-Wan chuckled aloud as he made his way towards the Mos Eisley cantina. Darth Vader had sought to find a place that the Emperor would not expect him to return to, he supposed. It gave him a slight anxiety that he might find the Force signature of his son, but he had faith that Owen would protect the boy, and Vader still had no reason to believe that his son would be anywhere but with Padmé. He was not even sure Vader knew his child lived at all.

His laughter grew subdued as he saw the soldiers of the 501st legion surrounding the cantina, trying to look inconspicuous. He would have to let him know that they were not good at not standing out, what with their bright white armor. But he did notice they had at least updated the armor since the end of the Clone Wars.

He found his way through the cantina, looking for a dark corner. He knew Vader did not want to be recognized, but was not sure how you could hide as a seven foot mechanical monstrosity. Obi-Wan found him easily, and moved to sit across the table from him. He wished he could see his former Apprentice's eyes, know what he was thinking. The training bond was absent, but mostly out of habit. He did not sense any malice or hidden agenda from the Sith Lord.

Obi-Wan made an attempt at small talk before approaching the difficult subject at hand, "I see you've given the clones new armor."

"Yes, they have served me well, we call them the Stormtroopers now."

An uncomfortable silence ensued, which Obi-Wan finally attempted to breach, admitting his decision, "I need to know details. How will we save Padmé? And are you going to…remain under the training of your current Master?" he avoided saying anything that might sound like treason to the mind of the Sith Lord.

He almost felt a smile coming from beneath the helmet. "There are two Jedi healers on the planet Metalorn. They are Keine Ghinori and Rono Heinter."

Obi-Wan stared at him, unsure what to do with the information. Why had he kept them alive, if he knew where they were? It clicked into place, "They can save Padmé?"

Vader inclined his head, "And perhaps myself." He said it nearly as a whisper, but wanted to shudder as it came out louder, more harsh, with the use of the voice amplification device.

Obi-Wan nodded in apprehension. There was still no promise that he would take care of the Emperor after all was said and done, however. "And what of your Master?"

They were silent for a few heartbeats, and Obi-Wan heard the assisted breathing quicken for a moment, then nearly become silent as the man inside contemplated. "I am the Master, now." He simply stated.

The noncommittal answer would have to be enough. He had at least a small amount of trust for Anakin, who was still partially alive inside the mask. He had no choice but to trust him- Vader had not rushed him when he came in, had not captured him, made no move to harm him in any way. He rose, was about to leave, but Vader stopped him with one last question of his own. "Obi-Wan, what happened to my son?"

He hoped he was quick enough keeping his face calm, calling on all of his resources and the Force to not let emotion shine through. This was information that the Sith Lord could not be trusted with, yet. "He is no longer with us," he began. He still could not lie, and hoped this was not enough for him to figure the information out.

This was not enough for him. "What did she name him?"

Obi-Wan closed his eyes, and turned away. He was going to be a father soon himself- he would want to have a name for closure, himself. There would be no harm in letting him know a name of an infant. "Luke. She named him Luke."

"Luke." He said it to himself, satisfied with the answer. "He would have made a wonderful Jedi."

Obi-Wan felt some hope in that- he did not say Sith. It would have to do.

Thanks to all that have been continuously reviewing- you have no idea how much this means to me! It is good to have an indication that there are actually people out there reading this. And thank you, Xan, for noticing that Obi-Wan had mysteriously gained a beard in the last chapter. Eeeek I screwed up on that one! Shows what happens when you rush out a story with a first draft, huh? LOL… As always, I appreciate reviews of all kinds!

And Hearts/Rono… Hmmm I think you changed your name just to have a Jedi named after you, huh? LOL