Thank you to the 31 people who reviewed the last chapter and woohoo, I'm 14 reviews away from 1,000 reviews. This is my most popular story in any of the seven fandoms I've written in. Well, here is the first of the last two chapters (before the epilogue) of my story and I hope that you like it. Reviews, as always, are much appreciated.

Chapter 60

Two masked, robed, silent Red Guards flanked the door to the Chancellor's private box at the Galaxies Opera. Anakin walked over to join them and one of them said, "You are expected," before opening the door.

The small round box had only a handful of seats, overlooking the spread of overdressed beings who filled every seat in the orchestra; on this opening night, it seemed everyone had forgotten there was a war on. Anakin briefly glanced toward the immense sphere of shimmering water that rippled gently in the stage's artificial zero-g before turning his gaze to Palpatine.

The Chancellor sat with the speaker of the Senate, Mas Amedda, and his administrative aide, Sly Moore. Anakin came to a stop at the back of the box; he didn't like that he would have to spy on the Chancellor since it was treason and yet he found that he couldn't trust him. There was something about him that was triggering warning bells in Anakin's head and he knew those had come about when Palpatine had told him to murder a defenseless Dooku and had been steadily getting stronger since then.

"Chancellor. Sorry I'm late," Anakin said pulling himself from his thoughts but he kept his voice neutral

Palpatine turned toward him, and his face lit up. "Yes, Anakin! Don't worry. Come in, my boy, come in. Thank you for you report on the Council meeting this afternoon—it made most interesting reading. And now I have good news for you—Clone Intelligence has located General Grievous."

Anakin smiled. So we are that much closer to ending the war, he thought. He was looking forward to the end of the war more because he didn't want his child to be born in the midst of a war. He was also sure that Obi-Wan didn't want to raise Kira and Jinn, whether he did so in secret or not, in the middle of a war.

"That's tremendous," he said. "He won't escape us again."

"I'm going to—Moore, take a note—I will direct the Council to give you this assignment, Anakin. Your gifts are wasted on Coruscant—you should be out in the field. You can attend Council meetings by holoconference."

Anakin frowned a little. Why me? There are plenty of Jedi who are stronger, wiser and more skillful than me, he thought. "Chancellor, while I am grateful that you trust me with this, I do believe this assignment is best left for someone else."

"Why do you say that, Anakin?" Palpatine sounded puzzled.

Anakin turned his gaze to the sphere. "Council member or not, I still have much to learn about myself and my gifts and I believe that I could use some time away from the frontlines to better hone my gifts as a Jedi."

"Besides," he added, "the Council have already assigned Shaak Ti to find Grievous."

"To find him, yes. But you are the best man to apprehend him—though of course the Jedi Council cannot always be trusted to do the right thing."

Anakin's frown deepened as wariness went through him. "I believe that they do their best to do what they believe to be right, Chancellor, even if some do not see it that way," he said.

Palpatine was silent. "Sit down," he said before he looked at the other two beings in the box. "Leave us."

They rose and withdrew. Anakin took Mas Amedda's seat.

Palpatine gazed distractedly down at the graceful undulations of the Mon Calamari principal soloist for a long moment frowning as though there was much he wanted to say, he was unsure of where to begin or was thinking about Anakin's response to his words. Finally he sighed heavily and leaned close to Anakin.

"Anakin," he said quietly, "I think you know by now that I cannot rely upon the Jedi Council. That is why I put you on it. If they have not yet tried to use you in their plot, they soon will."

Anakin wondered if Palpatine was trying to warn him that the Council would use him to further their own agendas and he kept his eyes fixed on the soloist as they narrowed. There was something about the way Palpatine had said those words that were causing those warning bells to trigger again and yet he couldn't figure out why.

Palpatine had obviously been waiting for a response but, when Anakin remained silent, he said, "You must sense what I have come to suspect. The Jedi Council is after more than independence from Senate oversight; I believe they intend to control the Republic itself."

That was something Anakin could not believe. The Jedi weren't politicians and they only wanted to bring peace back into the galaxy by defeating the remaining Separatists and ending the war. That was what Anakin felt was their primary goal.

"Chancellor, I do not believe—" He began.

"I believe they are planning treason," Palpatine went on as if Anakin hadn't spoken. "They hope to overthrow my government, and replace me with someone weak enough that Jedi mind tricks can control his every word."

They wouldn't do that, Anakin thought. That would just create more chaos and I'm sure the Council won't want that. "The Council wouldn't—" He began again.

"Anakin, search your feelings. You do know, don't you?"

Anakin sighed. "I know they don't trust you…" He began thinking, And, frankly, I'm starting to not trust you either.

"Or the Senate. Or the Republic. Or Democracy itself, for that matter. The Jedi Council is not elected. It selects its own members according to its own rules—a less generous man than I might say whim—and gives them authority backed by power. They rule the Jedi as they hope to rule the Republic; by fiat."

Anakin remained silent before he said, "Chancellor, if you have such reservations for the Council, why don't you speak to them and see that your reservations about them are unfounded?"

Palpatine turned his gaze away; his posture had stiffened as if in shock and he was suddenly very quiet eyes fixed on the soloist. "Do you remember when I told you that I have been reading on the history of the Sith?" he asked.

Startled by the change of subject, Anakin looked at the Chancellor and nodded. "I remember."

"Well, one of the old legends I read about just came into my mind," Palpatine murmured idly. "Anakin—are you familiar with The Tragedy of Darth Plageuis the Wise?"

Anakin shook his head.

"Ah, I thought not. It is not a story the Jedi would tell you. It's a Sith legend, of a dark Lord who had turned his sight inward so deeply that he had come to comprehend, and master, life itself. And—because the two are one, when seen clearly enough—death itself."

Anakin frowned a little. "He could keep someone safe from death?" He was curious though still wary and wondering why Palpatine was telling him that although an image of Padmé came into his mind. He pushed it away since he knew he couldn't stress about his vision because it wouldn't help Padmé.

"According to the legend," Palpatine said, "he could directly influence the midichlorians to create life; with such knowledge, to maintain life in someone already living would seem a small matter, don't you agree?"

Anakin frowned. He agreed that maintaining life in someone already living would be a small matter to someone who could create life. However, he didn't like that the path needed to be traveled in order to unlock that ability was one that led into darkness. He wanted to protect Padmé but if he somehow figured out how to use the knowledge Plageuis learned by dabbling into the dark side then he knew that both his mother and his master would be disappointed in him. Just the thought of disappointing his mother and Obi-Wan, who have both done so much for him, caused his heart to clench. He couldn't do that.

And yet he couldn't bear the thought of losing Padmé and his child.

"The dark side seems to be—from my reading—the pathway to many abilities some would consider unnatural," Palpatine added.

"What happened to him?"

"Oh, well, it is a tragedy, after all, you know .One he has gained this ultimate power, he has nothing to fear save losing it. To safeguard his power's existence, he teaches the path toward it to his apprentice."

Palpatine fell silent.

"And?" Anakin asked.

"And his apprentice kills him in his sleep," Palpatine said with a careless shrug. "Plageuis never sees it coming. That's the tragic irony, you see: he can save anyone in the galaxy from death—except himself?"

"What happened to the apprentice?" asked Anakin curiously.

"Oh, him. He goes on to become the greatest Dark Lord the Sith have ever known…"

"So it's only a tragedy for Plageuis but the legend has a happy ending for the apprentice," Anakin said matter-of-factly.

"Oh, well, yes. Quite right," Palpatine said though it wasn't a question. "I'd never really thought of it that way."

Palpatine fell silent while Anakin was thinking about the legend and the image of his wife dying in childbirth came back into his mind accompanied by a surge of fear. He turned his gaze back to the opera and reached out with the Force to calm his mind and release his fear for his wife into the Force.

Palpatine turned his head slightly. "Are you all right, Anakin?"

"I am fine, Chancellor," Anakin assured the Chancellor.

Obi-Wan was free to do what he wanted while he waited for things to come together. He knew that the time in which he would see if all the changes he had made since he was sent to the past were enough was coming soon but it wouldn't be for a couple of months because it wouldn't occur until a few days before Luke and Leia were born. But since he wasn't focusing on hunting Grievous, he had time to spend with his wife, his children and train Jenica. There was also the fact that he could keep an eye on Anakin though he could sense that the Anakin of right now was not the same Anakin of the timeline that Obi-Wan came from.

Well, I suppose we shall have to wait and see if it's enough, he thought walking into the apartment after Threepio let him in and Padmé looked up from where she was seated on the form couch. "Hello Obi-Wan," she greeted him.

"Senator," Obi-Wan replied politely.

Padmé chuckled. "You do know that you can call me Padmé right?" she asked.

Obi-Wan smiled. "I know. Is Siri here?"

She arrived about ten minutes before you." Padmé nodded toward the second room in the apartment and Obi-Wan walked past the couch toward the second bedroom. He entered it as the door slide open and Siri, holding Kira in her arms, looked up. "How was the Council meeting?" she asked.

"It was fine. The Council sent Shaak Ti to go after Grievous though Palpatine wanted to send Anakin for some reason." Obi-Wan was positive Palpatine only did that because he knew the Council wouldn't agree and it was possible he was attempting to make Anakin resentful of the Council. Naturally, that backfired on him for Anakin said, during the Council meeting, that he could use some time away from the frontlines and that he wasn't the right choice.

"Anakin is a powerful Jedi," Siri said, "but I don't think he could have defeated Grievous."

"Anakin said something like that during the meeting." Obi-Wan walked over to the second crib and reached into it before gently lifting Jinn into his arms. The one year old gazed at Obi-Wan with sleep in his eyes before he snuggled close to his father pressing his tiny face into the Jedi Master/time traveler's chest. Obi-Wan smiled a little; his son was adorable and he loved him. He wondered if he and Siri hadn't broken it off in the other timeline, would Jinn and Kira have been born?

No sense in thinking about that. They are born in this timeline and that's all that matters, he thought smiling as the baby gazed up at him with big, sharp-blue eyes that, surprisingly, reminded Obi-Wan of his former master. He shook the thought away when his baby whimpered.

"I think he's hungry," said Siri looking over at Obi-Wan. "I fed Kira but I haven't had a chance to feed him yet."

"I'll do it," Obi-Wan said and took the bottle Siri handed him. It was already warm. He gently placed it in his little son's even tinier hands and he began drinking from it.

After Jinn finished, Obi-Wan put him back into his crib and walked over to see Kira. The baby girl was already fast asleep in her crib with her thumb in her mouth. Siri, who was leaning over the crib, stretched out a hand and removed the thumb.

"Padmé said that their teeth could get crooked if they do that," she said at Obi-Wan's raised eyebrow.

Obi-Wan nodded and looked over at Jinn but the boy was clutching his blanket to him. He turned his gaze back to Siri before he walked around the crib and put an arm around his wife's waist. Siri leaned against him as the two parents watched their children sleep before she turned her head.

"What do you think Padmé's going to have, Obi-Wan?" she asked blue eyes questioning.

Obi-Wan didn't have to think about it; he already knew. But he humored his wife. "I'll say a boy," he said thinking about Luke.

"I say it's going to be a girl," Siri said and Obi-Wan thought about Leia. "I bet you it'll be a girl."

Obi-Wan chuckled. "Should we really be betting on the gender of Padmé's baby, Siri?"

"Why not?"

Obi-Wan shook his head and gently kissed his wife on the cheek. "Oh very well, if you want to bet then we'll bet. What's the bet?"

Siri turned in Obi-Wan's arms and kissed him full on the lips. "Dinner. Whoever loses the bet has to pay for dinner wherever the winner chooses to go. Deal?"

Obi-Wan smiled a little since he already knew that both of them would win the deal and thus it would be cancelled out. But all he said was "deal."

Siri turned around again and rested her head on Obi-Wan's shoulder gazing again at their children. "I'm so glad that this war is almost over, Obi-Wan," she said.

"As am I, Siri." Obi-Wan's hand ran through his wife's hair as he thought about the end of the war from the other timeline; the events that he was determined to make sure didn't happen. He would not, could not, go through losing his brother to the dark side again.

But is everything you did enough? That cynical voice that has been speaking to him since the Battle of Coruscant whispered causing doubt to surface and Obi-Wan grabbed and released into the Force.

"Are you all right?" Siri sounded concerned and Obi-Wan realized she had sensed his doubt just before he released it.

He turned to gaze at his wife before drawing her close as he remembered the time on Azure that he managed to stop this time around. Should I tell her the truth? He thought. Or, better question is can I tell her the truth?

'It is up to you, Obi-Wan,' Qui-Gon's voice whispered. 'The Council already knows after all so you may tell Siri.'

"Obi-Wan?" Siri sounded concerned when Obi-Wan didn't answer her question.

He looked at her. "I need to tell you something, Siri," he said quietly.

"What about?"

Come, let's sit down. This is going to take a while."

Ahsoka was meditating in the Room of a Thousand Fountains. She seemed to spend a lot of her time in there but she didn't mind it because it was peaceful. Meditating in a place where she couldn't be disturbed helped especially when she was still coming to terms with what happened on her and Jenica's mission. The mission had gone considerably well until the very end when something happened that changed everything and showed them a side of themselves they didn't like.

Ahsoka hadn't thought much about how the war was changing her. She had been born and raised by Jedi ideals to protect others, help others, defend others and yet the war had forced them to become something they weren't; soldiers. But she never noticed that the war was causing the Jedi to change. Unlike Jenica though, and to this day, Ahsoka firmly believed that they should be fighting the war.

She didn't mean that she wanted war but she understood that the Separatists had started the war with what they did on Geonosis and the Republic have only been trying to stop it. When peaceful negotiations failed, there was no other alternative despite what many pacifists, like the Duchess Satine, say.

Jenica, on the other hand, was firmly against the war.

And the mission they had been sent on made her stance against the war set in stone.

Ahsoka sighed before pulling herself from her thoughts. She didn't like thinking about her mission; she would prefer thinking about something else, anything else like the end of the war. She knew that it was coming with Master Shaak Ti having been sent out to take care of Grievous. The news of Grievous's location had spread throughout the Temple like a wildfire and the Jedi were eager to see the end of the war.

Once the war ended, though, what would happen? That was a question that Ahsoka didn't have the answer to but then she doubted anyone did. The future was not set in stone; it was always in constant motion. What happens one day could change what will happen the next day.

However, Ahsoka couldn't help but wonder. With the way the Jedi have changed since the war began, she wasn't sure if they would be able to go back to the way they were before the war began.

"Hey."

Ahsoka pulled herself from her meditative trance and glanced over her shoulder as Jenica walked over to join her. She looked nervous as if she had come to a decision in her mind and was unsure of how others would take it. "Hi Jeni," she said before she gestured and Jenica sat down beside her.

She looked at her lap her Padawan braid resting on her shoulder and Ahsoka frowned. "What's the matter, Jeni?"

Jenica closed her eyes. "I can't stop thinking about the mission," she admitted.

"Yeah, I'm trying not to either," Ahsoka admitted. "But it's hard. It's hard to think that…" She broke off and shook her head pushing the memory of what happened to the back of her mind.

"I can't stop thinking about it," Jenica repeated. "I can't. I just…I keep seeing it. We're supposed to be keepers of the peace; we're supposed to be protectors, defenders. We're not supposed to be soldiers; we're not supposed to be forced to…" She broke off and Ahsoka could see a few tears leaking out of her eyes.

"Like you," she whispered, "I was raised in the Jedi Order. I grew up with the Jedi. I grew up learning about them from Master Yoda, the crèche master and several others before Master Kenobi chose me as his apprentice and I learned even more from him. But this war…this war has changed…I can't look at the Jedi and see them as the Jedi I grew up with."

Ahsoka frowned. She was surprised by her friend's words. "Jeni, we're still the same Jedi we were before the war began."

"No we aren't," Jenica said. "We've changed and I don't like how we've changed. I just…I don't. I can't do this anymore. Being a Jedi was something I wanted ever since I was a youngling but I don't want to be a member of an Order that has changed as much as it has."

"We haven't changed, Jeni," Ahsoka said.

"We have, 'Soka," Jenica said softly. "Few of us have noticed it but we have." She closed her eyes and was silent for a long while. Then, she took a deep breath and turned to gaze into Ahsoka's large blue eyes.

"I'm sorry Ahsoka," she said. "You've been a wonderful friend. I could not have had a better one but…I cannot stay with the Jedi with how much they have changed. I'm leaving."

"Leaving?" Ahsoka echoed eyes wide with shock. "As in leaving the Order?"

"Yes. I'm leaving the Order, Ahsoka."

The young Togruta was surprised. She knew that the mission had struck a chord within Jenica but she never thought that it would be enough to cause her to decide to leave the Order. "Is it because of the mission?" she asked though she had a feeling it was and Jenica's nod confirmed her suspicion.

"That mission showed me a side of myself that I didn't like. I believe that the Jedi have changed and I know that I have. That mission also showed me my true path and it's not with the Jedi."

Ahsoka blinked before she placed a hand on her friend's shoulder. "Where will you go?" She asked quietly because Jenica was only fifteen years old. There weren't many places a fifteen year old could go even if they were partially trained as a Jedi.

"I'm thinking of going to Bellassa," Jenica said. She clenched her hands together before saying, "Will you come with me?"

"Where?'

"To tell Master Kenobi."

Ahsoka figured Jenica wanted the support when she broke the news to her master. "All right, Jenica," she said before she stood up and Jenica stood up as well. The two of them left the Room of a Thousand Fountains and headed toward Jenica and Obi-Wan's apartment. When they reached it, Ahsoka noticed that it was empty.

"I guess he's not back from the Council meeting yet," she said.

"I guess not," Jenica said before she made her way into her room. Ahsoka remained in the living area gazing around forcing herself to not try to convince Jenica to stay. It was her choice. If she really believed she wasn't meant to be a Jedi than it was her decision. Ahsoka would miss her, she was one of her closest and oldest friends, but she would respect her decision.

"Ahsoka? What are you doing here?"

Ahsoka turned around as Obi-Wan stepped into the room with one eyebrow raised. "I came with Jenica," she said just as Jenica left her room. She spotted Obi-Wan, hesitated then, taking a deep breath, walked over to join him.

"Master, I need to talk to you," she said.

"What's the matter, Jenica?" asked Obi-Wan concerned.

Jenica swallowed. "I'm not cut out to be a Jedi, Master," she said.

"Of course you are. You just need time and more training, which you will get when this war ends," Obi-Wan said gently.

"That's not what I meant, Master," Jenica said and Ahsoka could see that she was struggling with trying to tell Obi-Wan without hurting him.

"You've been a great mentor, Master," she said finally. "I've learned a lot from you and I will treasure what you've taught me for the rest of my life. However, recently, I've figured out that this war has changed me and I just…I have seen that my destiny doesn't lie with the Jedi. I'm sorry, Master, but I'm leaving the Jedi Order." She unclipped her lightsaber and held it out to Obi-Wan who was shocked.

The Jedi Master made no move to take the lightsaber. Instead, he said, "Are you sure, Jenica?"

"I am, Master," Jenica said still holding out the lightsaber.

Slowly, Obi-Wan stretched out a hand before taking the hilt. "It is your decision, Jenica," he said. "Sometimes, the life of a Jedi is not meant for everyone."

Jenica smiled clearly relieved that her master was accepting her decision. "Thank you, Master," she said.

Obi-Wan smiled a little. "You can call me Obi-Wan, Jenica. Perhaps we will run into each other again."

"Perhaps." Jenica disappeared into her room and returned a moment later with a pack on her shoulders.

"Let me walk you out at least," Obi-Wan said.

"I want to go with," Ahsoka said.

Jenica looked between the two of them before nodding and the three of them left the apartment and headed toward the entrance to the Temple.

"I'll let the Council know of your decision, Jenica," Obi-Wan said as they left the Temple and stood at the top of the steps. "May the Force be with you."

"May the Force be with you, Jeni," Ahsoka said wiping a stray tear from her eyes as she gazed at her closest friend.

"May the Force be with you too, Obi-Wan, 'Soka," Jenica said before she turned around and walked away from the Jedi Temple.

She did not look back.

Ahsoka gazed after her. "I'm going to miss her," she said.

"As will I," Obi-Wan said softly before he turned to gaze at Ahsoka. "Will you be all right?"

"I'll be fine. Do you know where my master is?"

"I believe he may be visiting Senator Amidala."

Ahsoka smiled. She had a feeling that was where Anakin was but she just wanted to be sure. "Will you be all right, Master Kenobi?" she asked. Obi-Wan was taking Jenica's decision to leave pretty well but Ahsoka was unsure of what he was really feeling.

"I will be fine, Ahsoka," Obi-Wan said gently. "Come, while we're waiting for Anakin to grace us with his presence, why don't we go spar?"

Ahsoka nodded and the two of them made their way back inside the Jedi Temple.

Anakin enveloped his wife in a gentle hug resting his chin on her head as she curled up against him. He winced when he felt the baby kick before he released his wife and said, "I'm still convinced it's a girl."

Padmé chuckled. "I say it's a boy." She led him toward the form couch and sat down. Anakin sat down beside her before resting his hand on his wife's swollen abdomen wincing when he felt the baby kick.

"As I said before, with a kick that strong, it's definitely a girl," he said.

Padmé smiled before leaning against her husband. "Well, I suppose we will have to wait and see. Emdee said that I'm due in about a month if not less. Have we decided on what we're going to do?" She gazed at him with beautiful chocolate brown eyes.

"We're going to be a family, Padmé. If I have to leave the Order to be with you and the baby then I will," said Anakin.

"I don't want to have to force you to leave the Order, Anakin. They're your family."

"You're my family, Padmé, you and my mother and Obi-Wan and Siri and Jinn and Kira."

"But that's just it. Obi-Wan and Siri are members of the Order too. Would they really leave the Order?"

Anakin thought about it but he found that he didn't know. "I don't know," he admitted. "Obi-Wan said that when I came forward with the truth about my marriage to you then he would come forward with the truth about his marriage to Siri. Whether he will leave the Order or not, I don't know. But I don't want our child to be raised without a father."

"I don't either." Padmé gazed at her swollen abdomen before she rested her hand on Anakin's which was still on her belly. "I've been thinking of some names. What about you?"

Anakin smiled. "What names have you come up with?"

"Have you come up with any names?"

"Maybe but you go first."

Padmé chuckled. "Al right," she said. "I was thinking if it's a girl then Leia and if it's a boy then Luke."

"I like them."

"What about you?"

Anakin thought about it. "If it's a girl, I want her named after my mother Shmi and if it's a boy, I want him named after Obi-Wan," he said. "Both of them have done so much for me especially Obi-Wan. If it weren't for him, my mother wouldn't be alive. That along with all that he has taught me, the patience he had with me when I was his apprentice and put him through so much, I owe him more than I could ever repay."

"I doubt Obi-Wan would want a payment, Ani," Padmé said gently.

"I know but I just want to give him something and I'd like to name my son after him if we do have a boy. I still say it's a girl."

Padmé rolled her eyes before a thoughtful look crossed her eyes. "How about this?" she said. "If it's a girl, Leia Shmi Skywalker and it's a boy, Luke Obi-Wan Skywalker."

"I like it." Anakin leaned forward and kissed his wife on the lips. She kissed him back before leaning against him as he stroked her hair. They remained that way gazing at the Coruscanti sky enjoying the peace and the silence. That was until crying came from the second bedroom where Obi-Wan's children were supposed to be sleeping.

"I bet I'm going to have to get used to that," Anakin said watching as Dormé left the room carrying Kira in her arms as she headed to the kitchenette.

Padmé nodded. "Ryoo and Pooja had Sola up at three in the morning most nights when they were that young.

"Milady, both of the babies are awake and crying and I don't have enough arms to carry them both," Dormé said as she left the kitchen rocking Kira.

"I'll get Jinn," Anakin said getting to his feet before he made his way into the second bedroom and over to a crying Jinn. Reaching down, he lifted his brother's son into his arms and gazed at the little baby. The last time he held Jinn had been the night he first had his nightmare about Padmé dying in childbirth. Though he still feared that would happen, he was controlling it and releasing it just as Obi-Wan had taught him to do.

Rocking Jinn back and forth, Anakin left the bedroom and over to join Dormé who handed him a bottle. He placed the bottle in Jinn's tiny hands and held the baby as he drank from the bottle. When he finished the bottle, he gazed up at Anakin with sleepy eyes before he closed them and fell back asleep in Anakin's arms. The same thing happened to Kira.

"Thank you, Master Skywalker," Dormé said as Anakin returned Jinn to his crib and she did the same with Kira.

"You're welcome, Dormé," Anakin said.

"You're going to be a wonderful father," the handmaiden said as Padmé walked to Anakin's side and he smiled before putting his arms around his wife's shoulders.

"I hope that I will be," he said gazing at Padmé and resting his hand on his wife's belly. "I hope that I will be."

Palpatine gazed through the large windows of his office within the Senate Offices. He gazed at the mushroom shaped Senate building but he also gazed at the five spires of the Jedi Temple. He was also deep in thought. Despite a few setbacks, caused by a meddlesome Jedi that Palpatine believed was Kenobi, things were going according to plan. Anakin's fear for his wife and his unborn child was allowing Palpatine to draw him closer to the dark side even if he was releasing it into the Force.

Palpatine firmly believed that telling Anakin about The Tragedy of Darth Plageuis would spur his curiosity and get him to realize that the only way to save his wife would be to take Palpatine up on his offer once he revealed himself. He was still too far on the light side, which irritated Palpatine to no end, but he felt that Anakin's fear for his wife and desire to save her would be the push he needed. However, he decided that, in order to secure his future apprentice in stone, he would have to do away with Anakin's family.

He would find a way to kill Obi-Wan Kenobi as well. As he told Tyranus, orphan Anakin and he will shift to the dark side.

You shall be a powerful Sith Lord, Anakin Skywalker, once I succeed in converting you to the darkness, he thought before he closed his eyes and mentally began preparing himself for his revealing.

The time had come.

The time has come.

Obi-Wan knew beyond a doubt that it had the instant Anakin informed him that he was to report to Palpatine's office right away. It has been two weeks since Obi-Wan had told Siri the truth and Jenica had left the Order and Obi-Wan knew that he was getting closer and closer to seeing whether he had succeeded in his quest or not.

Siri, after berating Obi-Wan for not telling her sooner and reluctantly accepting that he couldn't, had accepted the truth. Obi-Wan had only been able to tell her as much as he told the Jedi Council but he, for some reason, knew that the time for revelations was coming soon. He knew it because he remembered what happened last time.

Last time, it was around that time that everything went downhill; Palpatine revealed himself, Mace died, Anakin fell to the dark side of the Force, Order 66.

The moment of truth would come following Palpatine's revelation and Obi-Wan knew that he could only watch and hope that he had done enough, that he had made the necessary changes to turn the future he lived through into a better one. However, there was one more part he had to play before his quest would be completed for better or for worse.

It was time for his biggest secret to come out.

Anakin shifted his feet as he waited for Palpatine to respond to his words. He had just informed the Chancellor that Shaak Ti had engaged General Grievous on Utapau, his orders from Mace Windu were to tell the Chancellor and report upon his reaction, but Palpatine did not react at all. Instead, he simply pointed out that capturing or eliminating Grievous would not bring an end to the war because he was no longer the real enemy and that the Clone Wars were only a distraction.

"What do you mean?" he asked sitting down and frowning.

"The Council is about to make its move," Palpatine said, grim and certain. "If we don't stop them, by this time tomorrow, the Jedi may very well have taken over the Republic."

Anakin couldn't help but laugh. Palpatine actually thought the Jedi were going to try to take over the Republic? Was he crazy? "You can't possibly believe—"

"Anakin, I know. I will be the first to be arrested—the first to be executed—but I will be far from the last."

"Chancellor, I know that you and the Council have had your disagreements but to accuse them of—"

"This is far beyond any personal dispute between me and the members of the Council. This is a plot generations in the making—a plot to take over the Republic itself. Anakin, think—you know they don't trust you. They never have. You know they have been keeping things from you. You know they have made plans behind your back—you know that even your great friend Obi-Wan has not told you what their true intentions are…it's because you're not like them, Anakin—you're a man, not just a Jedi."

Anakin had gone very still so still that the only indication he was alive was the gentle rise and fall of his chest. The wariness and distrust he felt came back to him the instant Palpatine said that Obi-Wan had lied to him. Obi-Wan, the man who was the reason his mother was alive, who was the reason why he was a Jedi, would never lie to him. He risked his life and the mission to stop the plot against Palpatine to tell Anakin to truth about his role as an undercover agent. To think that Obi-Wan was hiding something from him, that Obi-Wan was keeping whatever true intentions of the Council from him, that wasn't him. That wasn't Obi-Wan. That wasn't his brother.

Anakin swallowed licking his lips. He couldn't believe Palpatine would accuse Obi-Wan of lying to him and accuse the Jedi of plotting against him. Matters would be made even worse if he accused Padmé and the Senate of moving against him, which was exactly what Palpatine did next.

"Chancellor, I am sure all they are asking for is the end to the war. That is what we all want."

"Perhaps," Palpatine said. "Though how that end comes about may be the single most important thing about the war. More important, even, than who wins."

"Chancellor, I do not understand what you are trying to tell me," Anakin said softly, "but I can tell you this. I know Obi-Wan. He would never betray me and he has never, never, lied to me. Maybe the Council has, maybe they don't trust me, but not Obi-Wan."

Palpatine had gone very still in his seat and his eyes glittered. "Perhaps your trust in Obi-Wan is misplaced," he said. "How do you know he is not plotting behind your back? Plotting with the rest of the Council to overthrow the Republic? Plotting with the Senators who signed the Petition?"

"Obi-Wan would never do that, Chancellor." Distrust flooded through Anakin faster than a bolt of lightning and that wariness was beginning to turn into anger that he was trying hard to not control. "Neither would Senator Amidala. Neither of them would betray the Republic."

"Are you so sure about that?" Palpatine challenged.

Anakin held the Chancellor's gaze evenly. "I am," he said with such conviction that Palpatine actually backed down looking a little surprised.

He was silent for a long moment. "I am sorry, Anakin," he said. "I suppose after learning about the possible betrayal of the Jedi, my emotions are a bit high strung. I did not mean to upset you."

Anakin took a deep breath to calm himself down. "I shouldn't have snapped at you, Chancellor," he said.

"It is all right, my boy, but…" Palpatine was silent for a long moment before he said, "there is something I would like you to know, Anakin. However, first, I would like you to tell me what you want."

"What do you mean?"

"It is quite simple. What do you want? A glass of water? A bag full of Corusca gems? I am offering you anything. It doesn't matter?"

"Is this some kind of joke?"

"The time for jokes is past, Anakin. I have never been more serious." Within the shadow that cloaked Palpatien's face, Anakin could only see the twin gleams of the Chancellor's eyes. "Pick something. Anything."

Anakin swallowed suddenly very unsure of what type of game the man he thought was his friend was playing at. He didn't understand it but all of these subtle nudges in the Force that were telling him to not trust Palpatine came back with such force that he was left speechless. Why would he offer me anything? Why is he doing this? He thought as he named off several things that he would want, but didn't need, and Palpatine told him that he could give it to him.

When Palpatine told him that he could give him an entire star system, Anakin shook his head. "I can't figure out if you're kidding or completely insane," he said.

"I am neither, Anakin."

"Then why are you offering me all of these things, Chancellor? I don't understand."

Palpatine's face was unwavering. "I can give you everything you could ever want, Anakin," he said, "and all I ask in return is for you to turn aside from the lies of the Jedi and follow the truth of yourself .Leave them. Join me on the path to true power. Be my friend, Anakin. Be my student. My apprentice."

"I can't, Chancellor," Anakin said shaking his head. He couldn't think. The only thing he wanted was the one thing he didn't name and that was to make sure his vision about his wife didn't come true. "There is only one thing I really want, right now. I'm sorry."

"I know what you truly want," Palpatine murmured and Anakin felt the Chancellor's warm, compassionate hand rest on his shoulder, he hadn't even heard the Chancellor move, before he said quietly, "Listen to me: I can help you save her."

Anakin stared eyes wide as he knew exactly who Palpatine was talking about. "You? How can you help?" he protested.

"Do you remember the myth I told you of, The Tragedy of Darth Plageuis the Wise?"

"Yes, I remember," Anakin said swallowing again.

"Anakin, it's no mere myth," Palpatine murmured into Anakin's ear. "Darth Plageuis was real."

Anakin stared. "Real?" he repeated.

"Darth Plageuis was my Master. He taught me the key to his power," the Chancellor said dryly, matter-of-fact, "before I killed him."

Anakin moved so quickly that he was barely aware he had moved until he was on his feet, lightsaber ignited and centimeters away from Palpatine's chin, its glow casting red-edged shadows up his face and across the ceiling.

"You," he said softly as if unable to believe the truth even though it was staring at him in the face. "You're him. You're the Sith Lord!"

A/n what do you think?

Blaze: and that is the second to last chapter

Darth: it wasn't as long as you though it would be

Blaze: the next chapter will be extremely long

Darth: what will happen?

Blaze: it will begin with the aftermath of this revelation but everything, you'll just have to wait and see. I am not going to ruin the last chapter of this story before the epilogue

Darth: good thinking

Blaze: and this is going to be a short author's note as well (cause I really should be in bed because I have school tomorrow)

Darth: yes, yes you should be in bed

Blaze: real quick. Another note. Whoever gives me my 1,000th review shall be allowed to request a short-story or oneshot. It can be set in this universe or not but it cannot be slash and romance (since I really think I suck at writing romance). Plus, the next chapter will be dedicated to my 1,000th reviewer. I will PM my 1,000th reviewer.

Darth: cool

Blaze: you can't be my 1,000th reviewer

Darth: dang!

Blaze: so please review and I will post chapter 61 as soon as I possibly can but, with school and all, I doubt it will be anytime soon.