Chapter III – from the dark to the light

Panaka opened the rear passenger side door of the speeder and assisted Padme onto sidewalk. She was radiant in a beautiful dark red and black Nubian gown, adorn with ruffles and beads. Her long brown hair was swept atop her head. She had a complex style of braids and curls fastened in place with two large dark red clips. Her dress was carefully tailored to hide her growing belly. She held a portion of her dress up as Panaka assisted her up the wide steps of the Jedi temple. They reached the first landing when suddenly a loud beeping and whistling noise was sounding off behind them. Panaka and Padme turned to see a traffic regulator droid pull out a datapad.

"Sir, you can't leave your transport here. This is a no parking zone. You will be issued a summons."

Panaka groaned and looked at Padme.

She smiled "Go ahead Captain. I can make it."

"Are you sure?" He raised his eyebrows.

"I'll be fine."

"I'll be back. Just call me on the comlink if you need me."

She nodded. He descended back down the stairs, swearing and muttering. She watched him flailing his arms and yelling at the droid about the summons he was receiving. She smiled and laughed. It's been a long time since she had done that. She turned and continued her ascent. She looked up at the two gigantic pillars of stone that framed the main entrance to the temple. There were Jedi knights hewn into the stone, each in a battle stance with lightsabers at the ready. They were images of the undeniable glorious legacy the Jedi had created for over a thousand years. Padme loved looking at these pillars. She passed through them just as she spotted Obi wan walking towards her.

"Padme." Obi wan greeted with a charming smile.

"Obi Wan, hello." She returned the smile.

"How are you doing my dear?"

"I'm alright considering what happened earlier. This is terrible. The Jedi are danger." Padme's smile flattened.

Obi wan nodded, "Yes we cannot delay. However, Anakin has some answers we need to decide our next step."

"I am surprised no action has been taken."

"I sense something terrible is about to happen, and if we don't act quickly, it could get a lot worse." Obi wan became solemn.

"Palpatine has a lot of power and there is nothing anyone could do about it. I am afraid for the Jedi." Padme spoke regretfully.

"And Anakin?" Obi wan looked her in the eye. He sensed something different about her.

A tremor in the force coming from…her?

Padme remembered Anakin telling her to be mindful of her feelings and thoughts especially when around other Jedi. But she couldn't help herself. Just the mention of his name made her heart flutter. She straightened and smiled.

Obi wan let her off the hook and turned to see Anakin walking towards them.

"There you are. I am going to see if they are ready for you." He turned towards Padme "Excuse me."

Anakin watched Obi-wan walk down the hall and enter the turbolift. Obi wan barely stepped in before Anakin snatched Padme into a corner behind one of the pillars. He kissed her passionately and stroked her cheek. He held her close and said barely above a whisper "Oh, Angel."

"Ani, what are you doing? Someone could see us." She looked past him arm.

"It doesn't matter anymore." His gaze bored into her eyes "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. What do you mean it doesn't matter?" She put her hands on her hips. "And why are we meeting here? You are playing with fire."

"Padme, in a few minutes we won't have to keep secrets anymore."

"What did you do?" Padme spoke stressing each word. She could barely keep control of her emotions.

"I am going to tell them everything." Anakin uttered.

"Ani, stop it. I don't like it when you say things like that."

"I have to tell them."

"Why?" She looked into his blue eyes. "What's going on?"

"Padme," Anakin blinked, taking a deep breathe, "Sabe was murdered."

The news hit her so hard she stepped back. "That's not –she can't" She stumbled over her words. "She can't be."

"She was at the apartment when it happened. I found her in the bedroom."

"Oh no," Padme's eyes filled up. "Who would want to…to kill –". She stopped just short of the end of her sentence, when she realized. Sabe looks like me. She was my decoy and she was killed in my bedroom. She looked at Anakin with eyes full with terror. "Was someone trying to kill me?"

Anakin held her hand. Normally, Padme would have told him to stop, but, not at this moment.

"No." Anakin dropped his hand and sighed.

"Who would do this?"

"The emperor. He is a sith."

"What? How can that be?"

"He revealed himself to me. He knows the dreams I've been having about you." He dropped his gaze to the elaborate detail of the Nubian necklace she wore.

Padme was silent, hanging on his every word.

"He said he knew of a way I could keep you from dying in childbirth." He turned his shoulder to her.

He paused in an attempt to composed himself. She touched his back. He closed his eyes against his tears. The thought that he may never feel her touch again was too painful. He didn't have a way to save her from dying in childbirth, and now he had to keep the emperor from trying to use her, possibly from harming her to get to him. Just then, he remembered the last words he heard the emperor say the price of love. "He bit his bottom lip. It seems he had made things go from bad to worse.

"Please Ani, don't shut me out. You're scaring me." She couldn't keep the fear out her voice.

"I wanted him to teach me how to manipulate the force to stop death. But I discovered that he lied. He didn't know how to do this anymore than I did. It was a trick to turn me to the darkside of the force."

He turned around and held her again. "Sabe's death was not a mistake, Padme." He pulled away and looked into her eyes. "It was a message from the emperor. If I will not become his apprentice, then he'll leave me no other choice."

She looked at the floor and understood. The emperor will kill me if he does not join him.

"I need you to be protected at all times. That's why I wanted you here. I will not lose you in childbirth, Padme. And I will not lose you to this." He was firm. "I packed some things I thought we would need. 3po and R2 are in the speeder."

"Obi wan says that he feels something terrible is about to happen." Padme dropped the level of her voice.

"I know. I sense this too. I have made arrangements for us to go to Tattooine."

"Oh Ani." She said softly. She trembled as shear terror bolted through her. They walked out of the corner.

Anakin could sense her fear rising. "It'll be okay Padme. I promise."

In her silence she considered the magnitude of what was happening; the choices that lay before them and the likelihood of him turning to the darkside to save her. He thinks he has no other choice. If he hides me, it would only be a matter of time before the emperor finds me. Things would get worse after the baby is born.

Her eyes widened. She finally realized why he was telling the council everything. He had already made up his mind. Before she could speak, Obi wan reappeared.

"Anakin, they are ready."

Anakin nodded and said, "Padme needs to rest."

Obi-wan assured. "I'll take care of her. You go ahead. I'll catch up."

"Anakin wait." Padme pleaded, "Please, do not do this."

Anakin looked into hers eyes, sensing her anxiety, "Everything will be alright. I'll see you later."

Her heart dropped into her stomach. She watched him walk away from her and disappear into the turbolift. Oh gods.