Chapter 2.

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'Families Are Like Branches On A Tree, We Grow In Different Directions Yet Our Roots Remain As One.'

"Why Tattooine?" Obi Wan asked Padme as they sat outside of her new hut, settled after a week yet not completely comfortable. The twins sleeping inside, not far from her distance yet under the watch of Threepio. The two heartbroken adults sat shoulder by shoulder on a slight sand dune that had began building up due to the constant sand storms they had experienced. 5, 5 sand storms she had dealt with and she had been there a matter of 7 days, this wasn't going to be easy. Padme's eyes reflected the sun perfectly, causing a twinkle and with the extra dampness from holding back her tears, they shined brighter than any star Obi Wan could have ever seen. Padme let the soft hot breeze blow through her braided hair as she watched the two suns of Tattooine begin to set casting a darker yet beautiful horizon before them. "Tattooine is filled with only painful memories for Anakin, even in darkness he would not return here." She said simply and softly, it was almost a fight to see who knew Anakin better, his master of 15 years or his wife of 5 years. It was no competition for either of them, the pair knew Anakin better than the other in many different ways, Padme was exposed to his vulnerable, darker side, his loving and affectionate side, the side of him that was passionate and caring, the side of him she truly fell in love with, she knew his deepest darkest secrets and fears and his inner battles, whereas Obi Wan, he had near enough raised him, he knew his ways of thinking, his next move, he knew his triggers and his biggest regrets, his biggest motivations and his heart, Obi Wan knew him as his brother. Well, they both thought anyway.

Obi Wan didn't say much after that, he knew Padme was smart, he knew she knew what she was doing, even if she didn't have faith in herself, he did. He had promised that once she was ready and fit again, he would train her, not in the way of a Jedi of course, but refresh her combat skills, her ability to manipulate the force and prevent those who use it for evil for getting inside her mind, especially if her true identity was to become exposed. Hearing one of the babies cry in the distance, Obi Wan nodded slightly, "Duty calls." He said softly to her with a smile, they both tried to be positive, happy, find some good in this...but they were both very much still mourning. "As always." She said softly looking back to him as they both stood up, "I will see you in the morning?" She asked knowing right now they were all they had, each other to get through this time. "As always." He responded with her own words before walking her to the door of her hut. "Goodnight Pad-" He stopped himself from making the error. "Goodnight Annie." He said warmly to her, as she stood at the bottom of the step to enter her home, turning back to him she offered him the same warm tone, "Goodnight..Ben." sending him a smile before ducking her head to enter her hut and walking inside to attend to her children.

"Will I ever see you again?" a sad 9 year old Anakin said to his mother, Padme watched in the distance with Qui-Gon, she knew all too well of that feeling, the feeling of fear, fear that you're never going to see the ones you love again. That was exactly how she felt when she was told she was to leave Naboo with the two Jedi for her own protection. Shmi Skywalker, a beautiful woman, a woman that Padme had the pleasure of knowing, a woman that Padme mourned with Anakin after her death. "Ani...What does your heart tell you?" his kneeling mother said to him, encouraging him to not be sad, to be optimistic about everything he was about to embark on. Padme listened to the frightened boy's response, the same frightened boy she saw on Mustafar, Shmi smiled, "Then we will see each other again..." this was hard for her too, she was watching her son leave for something much greater than she could ever give him. "Be brave Anakin, and don't look back. Don't look back." She said with a bittersweet smile on her face, before standing up with her son and guiding him on his way. "Anakin!" his mother called out to him once more, "Remember, Families Are Like Branches On A Tree, We Grow In Different Directions Yet Our Roots Remain As One." She said softly to her son, as if to say he will always be her son and she will always be with him and no matter what direction they grow in, they will always be connected. Those words stuck with Padme, haunted her ears but never left her heart.

Padme's eyes shot open from her sleep, from her dreams, sitting up in her single bed, the thin sheet at the bottom of her feet and the small droplets of sweat on her forehead cause by the harsh temperatures of Tattooine, even in its night hours, she wiped them quickly as she caught her breath. Standing up and walking to check on her sleeping children before heading out into the main area to grab a drink of water. R2 resting with Threepio too in his downtime. Her loyal droids, who now knew her as someone else, no memory of serving her during her ten year separation from Anakin on Coruscant, the droids who served her so loyally since she knew them, they didn't deserve this either. They did not deserve to lose their master, lose their lady Amidala, they did not deserve to be reprogrammed and once more she couldn't help but feel guilty over her doings. Finishing her drink she walked back to her room again checked on the twins and attempted to sleep once more, however this time it was proving much more difficult.

The following morning shortly after the suns of Tattooine rose across the sandy planet, Padme dressed herself placing a scarf around her head and mouth, placing her freshly fed and changed twins into their carrier. "Threepio, inform Ben that it is not necessary for him to come this morning." She ordered her droid in a soft voice as she left her home with the children, placing them on her family speeder safely, protected from the heat and close to her side, before speeding off into the distance. Once she had arrived at where she wanted to be, she took a breath, seeing the abandoned hut of Anakin's old family, climbing off her speeder she went to investigate a little more before seeing the thing she had came to see. Taking the baby carrier from the speeder she carried her children to the grave of their grandmother, Padme kneeled in front of the grave, like Anakin once had after burying his mother, the babies placed next to her safely. She stay in silence for only a moment before she removed the scarf from around her mouth allowing her more access and freedom to talk, "I failed him...I failed your son, for that my debt will never be repaid." Padme said softly, she truly felt a large guilt over Anakin's fall, despite the many attempts from many informing her that she did not cause his fall. "I don't know where to go from here...I'm so lost." She added, she knew it was ridiculous talking to a cross sticking out in the sand but it was the closure she needed and deep down she knew Shmi could hear her. "I failed Anakin but I will not fail your grandchildren, I promise you..." She added once more, still unsure on what she was supposed to say, or what she even wanted to say. "I'm so sorry it came to this, I would do anything to change it, anything." She added as her lip began to quiver and her eyes fill up. "There is still good in him, I know it...and he loved you so much." She whispered in a broken choke. "And we do too...I miss you Shmi." She whispered as she placed her hand over the sand that buried her mother in law. Despite having known her for a short period of time, Anakin spoke so greatly and so much of her throughout their marriage, enough to make Padme feel so close to her. She took a moment to pay her respects to her husband's mother, her death caused so much heartache in him, heartache she wished she could have healed.

Obi Wan paced back and forth in the home of Padme, he knew she wouldn't put herself or the children in danger but he couldn't help but worry, he promised himself he would take care of them. "Your pacing is making me nervous Master Ben." Threepio stated simply as he and R2 watched the man they knew as Ben, Obi Wan had no time to respond before he heard the sound of her speeder pulling up outside the hut, he immediately rushed out. "You had me worried." Obi Wan said as he watched her climb off and remove her scarf before taking the twins from their carrier and walking back inside with them to change them and place them in their bassinets. "We are fine Ben." She said simply, her emotions becoming rather overwhelming for her. "I just worry that is all." He said standing in the door way as he watched her with her motherly duties, but he also noticed and sensed her hurt, her heard it in her breath and felt it in her presence, her inability to control the emotions she was feeling. "Leave us." Obi Wan ordered to the droids as they both looked confused, before nodding and doing as requested. Once alone, Obi Wan looked to Padme who had her back to him, her hands resting on the counter side as if to support herself up, to stop her body from shaking and collapsing to the floor in sheer pain and heartache. Her head was lowered as she gathered her own thoughts, her eyes clenched shut to stop the tears from falling down her face, she had cried far too many times in the passing weeks. "Padme..." He said softly, they were to go by new identities but first and foremost they were friends, when alone they would refer to each other as their former selves, it was on a much more deeper level, a greater connection. Ben and Annie were two people trying to survive through the empire, trying to become nobodies to save themselves, but Obi Wan and Padme were two people who had just lost a lot, and no matter how hard they tried to conform to this new life they had, their roots remain as one and could not lie about their past, no matter how much either of them wanted to forget about it.

Finally, Padme had turned to him, once she had gathered her thoughts, or so she thought. Her eyes puffy as she looked to the only man who she could count on right now, "I can't do this..." She broke out in a sad whisper, evident that this was too much for her, but then again she did contemplate death and she chose the latter...this was something she would have to learn to live with. Obi Wan sighed and just looked to her, he too was recovering from this heart ache and he had no clue how to comfort her when he was so unsure how to comfort himself. All his Jedi life he had been in control of his own emotions, formed no inappropriate attachments and now all of that had been destroyed and he too struggled with this emotion. He watched as Padme shook her head in disbelief and sadness, it was as if she all of a sudden realised everything that was happening. The tears would not stop, she cried out for breaths and her chest became heavy as her tears almost choked her, much like the actions of her husband. "How do I breathe? Obi wan?...how do I move on? How do I live...please." She begged in more whispered cries as his figure became blurry from the water dominating in her eyes. Swallowing hard she looked to him once more as her hands began to shake against the counter side, her arms and legs feeling weak. "Help me be free of this pain...I can't take it any longer." She cried out as she fell to her knees, Obi Wan said nothing, but he instantly went over to her, sat on the floor beside her and took her in his arms as she cried into his chest, he just held her knowing that no words would help her right now. He rest his chin on the top of her head as he too, for the first time in his entire life felt the overwhelming sensation of the sting in his eyes, due to it flooding with tears. Her cries were unbearably heartbreaking, if Anakin could see her right now, Obi Wan didn't want to think about that, his tears were more contained and quiet, but no less painful. Only now did the reality of all of this sink in, his PTSD would kick in as he got older but right now, all he could focus on was getting through this, together.

Obi-Wan Kenobi, A Padawan. Obi-Wan Kenobi, a Jedi Knight and Master. Obi-Wan Kenobi, a knight who fought in the clone wars, survived Order 66 and fought the man he loved like a brother, a knight who died on Mustafar with his former Padawan.

Ben Kenobi - a nobody, chosen at his own will, and a loyal friend to the Varla family of Tattooine.