Sorry for the delay folks. But anyway, here we go. Anakin and Obi-Wan know. Now the fun can begin!

Chancellor Palpatine, the Sith Lord Sidious, frowned as soon as he was alone in his office. He hadn't wanted Anakin to kill Lord Tyranus just yet. Anakin had always been impatient, though. Palpatine could adjust his plans for Tyranus' death, but there was something else he wasn't sure about.

Anakin had changed, in the Force. He now felt like Kenobi. Oh, the differences between the two men were still there, but now there was an overlay that Sidious had always felt in Kenobi. Sidious didn't like it. He didn't like anything that had Anakin getting closer to Kenobi. It was already going to be hard enough to convince Anakin that Kenobi had betrayed him.

But now… what did it mean, that Anakin and Kenobi felt so similar in the Force? And Sidious had felt Anakin's shocked horror in the Senate. The horror had been well hidden- better than Anakin could usually manage- but it had been there. And it had centered on Sidious himself.

Sidious took a deep breath and focused on the Dark Side. The pieces were coming together, far too early and in a configuration Sidious didn't like. He had to make sure his suspicions were correct. He wandered the paths of the Dark Side for nearly an hour before he was sure.

Somehow, Anakin had figured it out. How, Sidious didn't know. Hopefully, the mistrust between Anakin and the Jedi Council meant that Anakin would either not reveal what he'd discovered to the Council, or that the Council would not believe him.

Sidious wasn't sure if that was possible, of course. The Council, as blind as it was, wouldn't be that stupid, right?

He could hope, but he didn't really believe it. Now, he didn't know how long he had. He probably had a couple of weeks, at most. The Jedi would want proof, of course, before they tried to take him out.

How had Anakin realized? It didn't make sense. Sidious had been so careful for so long. His shielding hadn't slipped, nothing had changed… except Anakin felt like Kenobi now.

What was that about? Why would Anakin feel different?

Sidious frowned. It didn't really make much sense, but perhaps Anakin was using the Force differently. He had killed Tyranus in a Sith Temple, so perhaps that was what did it?

No, that didn't make any sense at all. The Temples were ancient relics of the old Sith, foolish as they'd been. There was nothing there that the Sith could use now, except as traps for the unwary.

Sidious closed his eyes again in thought. He needed to preempt any Jedi plots now. Anakin was going to be his. Anakin might take a different path now, but he would become a Sith Lord, Sidious was sure of it. If Kenobi was somehow influencing Anakin even more, he needed to die as soon as possible.

And Sidious needed to discover just why Anakin and Kenobi hadn't been harmed by that Temple. It wasn't something that made sense, after all. That Temple was notorious for killing all Jedi that entered it, but Anakin and Kenobi were able to simply enter, kill Tyranus and waltz right back out, none the worse for wear.

Sidious felt a sudden chill. Something had changed. He closed his eyes and concentrated. Anakin was going to tell the Council. He needed to act…

No. He had some time. The Council wouldn't act right away. They'd wait for proof. They wouldn't believe Anakin right away.

He had time. Not a lot, but he had time.

First, he had to lure Anakin to his side, by whatever means necessary. Then, he could kill the Jedi. Perhaps he'd have Anakin kill Kenobi first, to prove his loyalty. Then, he could deal with the Separatists. Finally, he'd create his Empire.

Sidious tilted his head. He could do several of those steps at once, if he could lure Anakin to him.

Perhaps Anakin wouldn't want to turn to the Dark Side, but there were means to make him.

That boy had more weakness than most Jedi, and it was time to take advantage of them. Sidious took a deep breath and let the mantle of Palpatine fall over his voice as he activated the comm to talk to his secretary.

Once he was done, Sidious took another breath, to allow himself to appear to be Palpatine. He needed to be seen as nothing more than Palpatine until his leverage was in hand.

He turned and activated the screens of his desk. He had a little bit of time, and he could study the war efforts while he waited. It was ultimately useless, of course, but if anyone visited unexpectedly, it looked good.

He didn't have long to wait. His secretary buzzed him with news that the person he wanted to see was here. Sidious smiled thinly. Yes. He had what he needed now. His guest was in for a surprise, and this would save him a lot of effort. Get Anakin angry enough about this, and he'd turn. Sidious would just have to convince Anakin that Sidious wouldn't really do as threatened. "Send her in," Palpatine said.

He turned as the door opened and his guest entered. "Ah, Senator Amidala. Please come in. Thank you for agreeing to see me."

Now this, I do believe, can indeed be classified as a cliffhanger.