Chapter 4: The Aftermath

Before she even knew it, Padmé found herself being led into the Healer's Ward. It was a large area with many windowed rooms containing stretchers and medical equipment. Worried Knights leading along little younglings with bruises and broken arms passed them by.

They walked unimpeded down the long corridor to a large room at the end. Standing in the doorway with a frazzled look on his face was a large creature that Padmé had never seen before.

Unabashed, Sabé pulled Padmé up to him only to have the Healer giver them a curious look. "You need to check in with the receptionist," he said wearily but in a kind manner as he gestured to the door through which they'd just come.

Then, he saw what the problem was- an unharmed but obviously spooked Padmé.

"Oh, Force- will this never end?" he muttered. "The sixth in the past day…"

Without him having to say anything further, one of his female assistants took Padmé by the arm. "I'm going to put her in a room next to the others," she announced, gently leading Padmé towards a vacant room.

"What's going on?" Padmé asked wildly.

Sabé refused to look at her.

Soon, Padmé found herself lying on a blue stretcher and wearing a blue gown.

"Don't worry- you'll be better in no time," the assistant said cheerfully as she covered Padmé with a blue blanket and whisked Sabé to the door.

"But there's nothing wrong with me," Padmé protested, trying to get up until a stern look was sent her way.

"The Healer shall be here soon."

The door shut and she was all alone.

Some time later, the door slid open and the Healer strode in and sat down in his chair with a huge sigh. "Don't worry- no one has been killed off yet," he joked, drawing a weak smile from her. "What happened?"

"I don't think anything actually happened… it was probably just a hallucination," she said fearfully.

"Miss Padmé, you are one of six cases that have been brought to my attention in the past day alone," he said patiently, looking up from where he wrote on his large tablet. "With the history of this… situation, it is highly unlikely that it was a hallucination."

"But it was so strange… almost inhuman."

"Those words seem to be in common use here lately," he said, looking at her worriedly.

"There was this voice…"

"What did it say?" he asked sharply, sitting up in surprise as his nostrils flared.

Momentarily, she hesitated. "He said that he was my Angel and that… that I wasn't to be afraid of him- he is going to be watching me."

"Was the voice male or female?" He had stopped taking notes and was now intently watching her.

"It hissed," she said, nervously biting her lip at his sudden change. "I think it was male, though."

"He has never before sought interaction with another being," the Healer said more to himself than her, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

"What do you mean?"

"Usually, he… reacts when his space has been invaded upon."

"That's comforting."

"In a way, it is. The fact that he is going outside his normal realm is a frightening new discovery. Did he say anything else?"

As solidly as if he were standing before her, the Phantom appeared in her mind, his long gloved fingers beckoning her to him.

Angel, Angel.

Come to me…

Crying out, Padmé started to cry as her body began to violently shake. "Please, keep him away from me," she begged, her large brown eyes pleading with him.

Somehow, he had seen into her mind and knew what had happened back into that corridor. "I'll be back," he stammered, bolting from his seat so forcefully that it fell to the floor with a loud crash.

Through her tears, Padmé had a feeling that things were about to get worse.
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Spoiler for the next chapter: The Man Without a Face

"By the sounds of that letter, he is not interested in your political career- as a matter of fact, Skywalker notably loathed politics," Kit Fisto said slowly.

Dread settled into Padmé's stomach as she realized what this meant.

He wanted her.

"Has he ever done this before?" she asked with her eyes closed as she nervously licked her lips. Part of her hoped that they would not answer.

"Sought a woman's companionship or tried to lure one of the Temple's inhabitants to himself?"

"The first," she whispered.

"Before his fall, Anakin was married," Obi-Wan confessed although the other Council members gave him looks of warning. This caused Padmé's eyes to fly open in surprise but she said nothing. "He also had a small child- we named her Leia- but she has never seen him nor does he appear to have any desire to find her." An uneasy look from Mace Windu caused Obi-Wan to blanch. "Oh, Force! Those rumors of disturbances in the crèche were true then!"