AN: Okay well… I can't say much here. There's nothing to be said. Some of you have probably guessed based on the title of this chapter so I'll just hush and let you all have it. Also, the conversation with the Jedi before Anakin goes to tell the chancellor about Obi-wan and Grievous is straight out the script and just tweaked, but all of Mundi's lines, including the one about replacing some of the senators, which was edited out the movie, is right out the script.

Read, enjoy, and review!

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Chapter Ten

Fall

"I thank you for bringing this to my attention Senator," Palpatine said dismissively to Bail Organa who was representing the delegation of two thousand. "Now if you'd please excuse me

Anakin watched the senators leave, sensing their frustration and understanding it well. He wasn't sure if restoring power back to the senate was the answer but he was just as tired of the war. He watched them leave and then glanced at the chancellor.

"Their sincerity is to be admired," said Palpatine. "Although I sense there is more to their request than they are telling us."

"What do you mean?" Anakin asked. All he saw was a group of loyalist, like his wife, who wanted to restore peace.

"They are not to be trusted… that is except Senator Amidala. She has sided with the delegation with the pure intention to help me at heart. But I fear she and her colleagues don't have the same agenda."

"She's talked to you about it then?" Anakin asked warily. He had to say that his trust in his old friend had been shaken with the onset of Padmé's strange behavior. Her sudden friendship with him coming in conjunction with her change was just too coincidental. Anakin had gone over it dozens of times, even going so far as to asking Bail about it one day and everything point back to her relationship with Palpatine. But it just didn't make sense. Palpatine was his friend, been there for him when the Jedi hadn't…

She seemed better now though. A week before, she finally went to see the twins and hadn't wanted to leave. She had gone every day since. In fact, that was the reason she had missed this meeting with the chancellor. It was likely she was still there now or at least on her way back home.

"She too is wary of the intentions of the senate. She believes that it needs reform if it is to survive after this war," Palpatine said to him. "They no longer have the best interests of the people and their security in mind. Just look how they handled this war."

"Then if the senate was unable to conduct a war, why do they keep voting to continue it?" Anakin asked him.

"Senator Amidala seems to have figured that out. Why don't you ask her?" Palpatine suggested.

It was then that Anakin felt it, a spike in the dark side of the force and it surrounded the chancellor. However it was contained and eager to take control reaching out, ready to pounce like a predator. But then it was gone. Anakin excused himself to head to the council meeting he had to attend where he learned that Obi-wan had engaged in General Grievous. His heart skipped a beat when he heard. Finally, the war would end and now he and Padmé could leave this life behind.

"Anakin, deliver this report to the Chancellor. His reaction will give us a clue to his intentions," Mace replied.

"Yes master," Anakin said starting to leave but then stopped as a thought occurred to him. "I… I just want to prepare you. But the dark side of the force surrounds Palpatine and I don't think he plans to give up his powers."

"Say that, what makes you?" Yoda's hologram asked.

Anakin averted his gaze from the grand master. Even light years away, Anakin felt like the Jedi could see right through him.

"I… I don't know. Something is just off…"

Yoda seemed to let it go and if he hadn't, Mundi interrupted before he could say anything.

"In that case he should be removed from office."

"I can't help but think that's exactly what he wants us to do," Anakin replied thinking of his earlier conversations with Palpatine. It seemed like he trusted no one and had influenced the same line of thought on Padmé.

"The Jedi would have to take control of the Senate in order to secure a peaceful transition," said Windu.

"And replace Congress with Senators who are not filled with greed and corruption," Mundi added.

Yoda's holo shook its head. "To a dark place this line of thought will carry us… Great care we must take. Go to the Chancellor you must Anakin. Tell him of this news, you will."

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"Chancellor, we have just received a report from Master Kenobi. He has engaged General Grievous," Anakin reported to Palpatine.

"We can only hope that Master Kenobi is up to the challenge."

Anakin thought about his earlier conversation with Obi-wan. He wished he could help Anakin more, and Anakin had only requested that he find and defeat General Grievous. He couldn't doubt Obi-wan. His and Padmé's freedom depended on it.

"I have full faith that Obi-wan will be able to pull it off."

Palpatine hummed and then said, "You seem to have a lot of faith in your friend Obi-wan."

"I'd trust him with my life."

"Just as you trust Senator Amidala," Palpatine pointed out. "Yet she doesn't seem to trust the Jedi Council either…"

Something in Palpatine's tone unnerved Anakin as something suddenly began to click into place, the dark side growing stronger around the chancellor.

"They don't trust you Anakin. They see your future. They know your power will be too strong to control. They see the power of your children…" Palpatine added.

If Anakin was unnerved before, his blood turned into ice when those words left Palpatine's mouth. How could he have known?

"Let me help you to know the subtleties of the force Anakin. I'll help you break through the fog of lies the Jedi have created around you. I'll open your eyes to new possibilities, just as I helped Senator Amidala."

The truth was more horrific than Anakin could have imagined as the dark side swirled around the Chancellor.

"You're the Sith Lord," he accused and then Padmé's strange behavior and sudden mistrust of the Jedi made sense. Palpatine had manipulated her. Padmé had been under the direct influence of a Sith Lord. It was no wonder she had changed, why she was… She was just like him, mistrustful, full of suspicion. But that wasn't Padmé. Padmé wasn't naturally inclined to be mistrustful. She had faith in the good in everyone or at least she used to.

And then anger like Anakin had never felt before built up inside of him as he lit his lightsaber and put it to Palpatine's neck.

"It's been you all along," he growled. "You're the reason Padmé's been acting strange. What did you do to her?"

"I simply revealed the truth to her. Are you going to kill me for that?"

"I certainly would like to."

"I know you would," Palpatine replied calmly. "I feel your anger. It gives you focus, makes you stronger."

All it would have taken was for Anakin to flick his wrist and Palpatine was a dead man. He had been the one pulling the strings all along, and it was his fault for Padmé's strange behavior. He could end it now, should end it now, for his own sake, Luke and Leia's sake, for Padmé's sake… But then again, what would Padmé have wanted him to do before all this?

She wanted you to kill Dooku, a voice whispered in his head.

That was true, but that was when he first noticed her strange behavior. If this had been before, she wouldn't have wanted him to kill this man in cold blood, not given a chance to defend himself. He had to be tried.

Anakin deactivated his lightsaber and put it back on his belt.

"I'm reporting you to the council," was all he said.

"Of course, you should. But they don't exactly trust you do they?" Palpatine asked. "And you're not sure who to trust anymore either. Your wife? Or the Jedi?"

"I do know I don't trust you," Anakin said bluntly.

"Their next move will be against the republic," Palpatine warned.

Anakin didn't reply. He only left the office.

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Padmé prepared to settle down for the evening after enjoying the entire afternoon with her little ones. She had been lucky. It had been her greatest fear that her babies would die before they got the chance to really live. No mother should have to go through that and one day, she would be able to ensure that they wouldn't. Just as she began to settle down she heard voices. One was Sabé and the other…

"Anakin," she said surprised to see him as she hadn't been expecting him until later that evening.

"Padmé," Anakin said to her and rushed to embrace her.

Padmé returned it and then looked at him, the worry and dread in his presence almost palpable.

"What's wrong?"

"It's Palpatine," Anakin said to her. "He's the Sith we've been looking for."

"What?" Padmé asked shocked. "The Sith? But that's not…"

"It's true. He told me himself Padmé."

Padmé was speechless. What was there to say? How could she defend Palpatine? How could he have been the Sith all this time? It just didn't make sense. Nothing was adding up.

"I fear what's about to happen," Anakin admitted. "I'm going to try to help deal with this situation. Obi-wan has Grievous handled. I'll do the best I can to help, but no matter what the outcome, we have to leave when I get back. It's too dangerous for us to stay here."

Padmé was still too shocked to say anything as she looked down. This was all too much.

"I have to go," Anakin continued. "Promise you'll wait for me."

Padmé looked up again and for a moment, she didn't say anything. Finally she nodded.

"I promise," Padmé said kissing him. "I'll always wait for you."

He left right after, leaving Padmé to head inside to the living room and sit on the couch. It was unfathomable that Palpatine was the Sith Lord that the Jedi had been looking for, that the Jedi believed was behind this war. It was such a contrast to the kind man she had known most of her life, with good intentions of saving the Republic, if it could be saved… If it could be saved.

If there was one thing Palpatine had made her realize, it was that the Republic was sick and it was very possible that they wouldn't be able to fix it. How would they? It was like an infectious disease that if not checked would spread throughout the body. Either the infection was treated or the infected area was amputated. But perhaps it was too late to do either of those things to the Republic. It was then that Padmé realized the Republic had been sick for a long time. The invasion of Naboo had only been the beginning and when she joined the senate she thought she would be able to fix it or at least try. No matter how charismatic and determined charismatic she was, she couldn't get everyone one on board. She couldn't get everyone to see. There was only so much one person could do.

That's a lot for one person to accomplish when she only counts for one vote, Padmé remembered Queen Tyisha saying to her and it was true. She just hadn't wanted to admit it.

No one person had the power. If they did and they had the right intentions, perhaps it would be easier. One person…

Padmé shot to her feet. Palpatine had the power! He could help her. He was the only one who could do it…. And the jedi were going to kill him for being a Sith Lord, something that didn't seem to matter too much anymore. At least Palpatine was trying to uphold the principles of the Republic, which was more that she could say for the Jedi. Then it suddenly dawned on her that if the Jedi killed Palpatine, they could potentially use the opportunity to take over the Republic, especially with so much power in the executive office.

Padmé grabbed a cloak and ran out her apartment, reasoning that Anakin had only told her to wait on him, but he hadn't said where. She ignored her security as they tried to come with her, only locking the door to her speeder mouthing an apology and speeding off. She parked on the side of the building, not caring that she was just asking for a ticket. Then she pulled out a blaster that was hidden in the vehicle and concealed it within the folds of her cloak before rushing to Palpatine's office.

She was vaguely aware of the three bodies on the ground, but what got her attention was Mace with his lightsaber on Palpatine, who had apparently dropped his weapon.

"What's going on?" she demanded.

"He's under arrest Senator!" Mace said.

"What? On what charges?" Padmé asked. "Everything he's done has thus far been with senate approval. You have no grounds to arrest him."

"He's the Sith Lord."

"That's not a crime!"

"I told you it would come to this Padmé," Palpatine said looking at her out the corner of his eyes. "The Jedi are trying to take over."

"The oppression of the Sith will never return. Your plot to regain control of the Republic is over. You have lost," Mace declared.

"No!" Padmé said but it seemed Mace was ignoring her. "He tried to save it!"

"No! No! You will die," Palpatine declared.

Palpatine attempted to use lightning on Mace but the Jedi Master was able to block the attempt, forcing Palpatine back on the window sill.

"He's a traitor, Padmé. The Jedi!"

"He's the traitor," Mace replied.

"The Jedi are in revolt Padmé. Think about your children," Palpatine urged. "You don't want them to be taken advantage of because of their powers, because Anakin's their father."

Mace looked mildly surprised but continued on and the lightning began to backfire on Palpatine as he slid down the edge of the window sill.

"I can't hold on any longer," he said as he became weak. "I… I… I can't…" he ceased his attack.

"You Sith disease. I'm going to end this once and for all," Mace declared.

"No!" Padmé said. "He's down. If he's committed any crimes, he must stand trial."

"He has too much control of the Senate and the courts senator. He's too dangerous to be kept alive."

"He's down. You can't kill him in cold blood. It's not the way of the Republic or democracy!" Padmé said outraged. "I can't fix the Republic without him."

Mace ignored her and prepared to kill him.

"No!" Padmé acted without thinking as she reached into her cloak and grabbed the hidden blaster, aiming with the skill of an assassin at Mace's hands and firing off one shot.

Mace dropped his lightsaber and then looked at the smoking hole in his hand before looked at Padmé in obvious shock.

"You're the one that's too dangerous to be kept alive," Padmé decided. "I see that now."

Padmé pulled the trigger three more times, hitting Mace in the chest, the force of which pushed him out the broken window. She lowered her blaster as she stared where her fell, feeling oddly empty and unremorseful about the entire act and it didn't bother her, not like it should have.

Palpatine got up, starting toward her with a smile.

"Good Padmé. Good, good," he said, his voice raspier and lower in tone.

"Not so fast," Padmé said turning the blaster on Palpatine. "You've got some explaining to do."

"I guess you deserve that much," Palpatine said sighing. "At least you were willing to hear me out, unlike the Jedi."

"Are you really the Sith Lord?" Padmé asked not betraying any sympathy for him. She wore her politician's mask.

"Yes," Palpatine admitted.

"Then you're the reason for this war!"

"Believe me Padmé I can explain," Palpatine said to her.

Padmé took a deep breath as she tried to contain the fury in her. It didn't work.

"How?" she yelled at him with angry tears in her eyes. "How do you explain orchestrating a war that's killed billions and caused anarchy throughout the galaxy?"

"Padmé it wasn't supposed to be like this."

"Then you did orchestrate it," Padmé accused, her entire body trembling in righteous anger.

"The separatist movement was supposed to be a wake-up call for the Republic. They were supposed to be no real threat. It was only supposed to shock the Republic into action, to realize that if they didn't try something different, it would only mean disgruntlement amongst the people, and it was starting to work. I was hoping that with you speaking out against the clone army the Republic would shoot the proposal down and attempt diplomatic negotiations with the Separatist," Palpatine explained.

"Then what happened? Why did you turn it to war?"

"My apprentice had other ideas… He wanted to use a war to destroy the Republic once and for all, to destroy democracy, but I refused. I wanted to bring peace and order, not war. It's why he dodged all my attempts at peaceful negotiations. He was purposely trying to provoke the Republic with war," Palpatine continued.

"Then why did you approve the army?"

"I was forced to when we received the report that the separatists were gathering an army. It was either approve an army or invasion and at the time I thought that perhaps the Jedi could use more help trying to defend us. But I fear now that they too sought to use the war to take advantage of the Republic," Palpatine said grimly. "Believe me Padmé. I've done everything I can to stop this mess I've made. But now that the Jedi have turned against us…"

Padmé glared at him for a moment before asking, "How did you know Anakin was the twin's father?"

Palpatine only smiled. "I know you both too well. It was obvious, especially because of your reluctance to talk about the father."

Padmé decided she could accept that and lowered her blaster.

"I believe you," she finally said. "And I agree. The Republic was sick and something had to be done. Perhaps it was an accident and it killed millions, but the good thing is that this war has exposed the sickness and corruption of the Republic and the Jedi. They no longer represent freedom, peace, and democracy."

"That's why we must act quickly if we are to stop the Jedi. They must be destroyed."

Padmé looked down before looking back up. "Anakin…"

"I tried my best Padmé, but it appears the Jedi have him locked in their fog of lies. He isn't seeing clearly," Palpatine said grimly and then looked at her hopefully. "But perhaps if you talk to him…"

Padmé nodded in agreement. "Definitely."

"Good," Palpatine said. "Good… I'm sending a battalion of troops to the Jedi temple. I know this may seem heartless, but after the attempt on my life, I'm afraid the Jedi won't allow themselves to be taken quietly…"

"I understand," Padmé replied. "I'll go over and oversee it. The Jedi have proven with this attempt on your life that they don't want to talk. But what about the others spread across the galaxy?"

"They're betrayal will be dealt with. After you have finished there, you will come back here and we will go to Mustafar together to deal with the Separatist leaders who have gathered there. I'm afraid they too have been poisoned by the ideas of my former apprentice. If they won't come quietly, there may be no negotiating with them."

Padmé pulled up the hood of her cloak and started to leave before pausing and turning to look at Palpatine.

"I don't want my children to be influenced by or learn the way of the Jedi," Padmé said to him. "Will you teach them?"

Palpatine smiled. "Of course Padmé. The force is strong with you children. They will become most powerful in the dark side of the force one day."

"I'm sure," Padmé replied. "And is it possible they can learn the power to stop people from dying?"

Palpatine paused and then said, "The power to conquer death is a power only one has achieved. But I'm sure that together, we can discover the secret."

Padmé nodded and left the room.

When she did, Palpatine pulled out a secret com in his desk and pressed the button to activate it.

"Commander Cody, the time has come. Execute Order Sixty-six…"

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AN: Something I noticed when I was editing this was that Anakin still makes his choice in fear of Padmé's well being in some form or another only this time, it pulled him back. I didn't notice that. Hm… Anyway, I hope you liked. Wow. I loved writing that part. My whole story led to this moment; Padmé's fall. Tell me what you think.

Hope you enjoyed. Review Please!