OMG. I got over 1,000 reviews on this story. HELL YEAH! Thank you to the 32 people who reviewed the last chapter. This is the last chapter of this story before the epilogue and it is dedicated to Click here for awesomeness who was my 1,000th reviewer. Some passages were taken directly from Chapter 17 of Revenge of the Sith by Matthew Stover by the way. Just letting you know. I hope that you like it and reviews, as always, are much appreciated.
Chapter 61
Obi-Wan sat meditating in his chamber reaching into the currents of the Force mentally preparing himself for what he was about to do. He didn't know of how his brother would react when he told him that, for the past three years, he's been keeping something from him. Obi-Wan hoped that Anakin would understand that he had no choice, that if he had tried to tell him the truth then the Force would prevent it. However, Obi-Wan had to wonder if he really wanted to tell Anakin the truth when he first came back.
With the Battle of Geonosis and the war that followed, Obi-Wan never really thought about that. He was only told that he couldn't tell Anakin and yet he wondered if he would have told Anakin had the Force not restricted him from doing so. Thinking about it now, Obi-Wan found he didn't have an answer to that. Part of him agreed that telling him was best because he deserved to know the truth and yet another part argued against it because he could barely deal with the nightmares conjured by the horrifying truth and didn't want to put Anakin through that.
However, Obi-Wan didn't know of the repercussions of revealing the truth about the future he had lived through. The Force's restriction on him was wavering growing weaker and weaker as the galaxy drew closer to the point in which the fate of the galaxy would be decided. That was how Obi-Wan explained how he was able to tell the Jedi Council and Siri now when he couldn't three years ago.
But, with Anakin, Obi-Wan knew that he had to know everything, including what Obi-Wan could not tell the Council or Siri. The Force had restricted him from telling either the Council or Siri about what would occur in the future. Those words were reserved for one person only and Obi-Wan felt his heart constrict at the thought of telling his brother of what would happen should Anakin go down the left path into darkness.
Deep in his meditation, propelled along by the currents of the Force, Obi-Wan felt his brother's worried, angry presence as it sped rapidly toward the Temple. He frowned but the frown was replaced by a smile of pride when he felt his brother grab at the negative emotions and released them into the Force. Some traces of anger and worry remained but it was under control. Anakin's control over his emotions was definitely a lot stronger than it had been in the original timeline.
The frown came back when Obi-Wan felt his brother's fear. That was the emotion that had been the real cause of Anakin's fall to the dark side in the original timeline. His fear for Padmé, his fear for his unborn child; it was his fear that Palpatine had preyed upon and Obi-Wan felt a jolt of his own fear going through him when he felt that Anakin was failing miserably at controlling his fear.
Obi-Wan pulled himself from his meditation, mouth set in a grim, determined line as he stood up and turned around before leaving his room. He headed toward the comm center, which he sensed was Anakin's destination and he knew Mace Windu was in the center organizing the final plan as Obi-Wan was in his mind.
He reached the comm center and entered it just in time to hear Yoda's hologram say, "Very well, then. Have my vote, you do. May the Force be with you."
"And with you, Master," Mace said though the holoscan had already flickered to nonexistence.
"Master Kenobi, what brings you here?" he asked not turning around in the darkness.
"I'm here because I still have one more thing I have to do," Obi-Wan said walking to his friend's side. "The truth is about to come out, Master Windu."
Mace turned dark eyes narrowing slightly. "You can't say anything yet, can you?"
"Not yet but it will not be long. In fact, the truth should be coming out any minute now," Obi-Wan said softly before he turned just as the door to the comm center shot open spilling the yellow light of the hallway into the darkness as Anakin stumbled into the room.
Obi-Wan made his way to his brother's side gazing at him in concern as he felt the fear leak off him in waves. Recently, Anakin's been good about keeping his emotions to where they weren't as obvious and yet his fear was strong like the winds of a hurricane. Putting an arm around his brother's shoulder, Obi-Wan guided him to one of the chairs in the center sending reassurance and comfort through their bond.
"Skywalker? What's wrong?" Mace asked concerned. "Are you hurt?"
"No, I…I just…" Anakin broke off and shook his head struggling to gain control of his fear. Why he was feeling such fear at that precise moment, Obi-Wan didn't know but he had a feeling it was Palpatine's fault. It was also very likely that it dealt with the visions that Anakin started having soon after he found out his wife was pregnant.
"Shh," he whispered, "shh, it's all right, Anakin."
"It's not all right," Anakin whispered shaking his head. "I have bad news."
"Bad news?" Mace repeated blankly.
Anakin slowly lifted his head and Obi-Wan could see raw shock and anger blazing in his eyes though his Force presence only seemed to ooze fear. Mace was watching him, waiting for him to answer though Obi-Wan was sure he could feel the battering waves of fear that rolled off the young Jedi.
The truth that Obi-Wan had told Mace was about to come out came in nine, simple words.
"Palpatine is Sidious. The Chancellor is the Sith Lord."
Mace remained stoic, face expressionless, only the slight stiffening of his body suggested that he wasn't carved out of stone. "Shaak Ti has just informed us that she has defeated Grievous," he said, "We were just about to take the news to the Chancellor. Now, we must do that now but, Anakin, wait in the Council Chamber until we get back."
Anakin's eyes widened a little. "What? But Master—"
"That's an order, Anakin."
Anakin seemed to be struggling with himself, with the urge to protest and demand to go along, as he would have done in the original timeline Obi-Wan was sure, and keeping his protests to himself and following orders as a proper Jedi would do. In the end, it was the latter that won out.
"Yes Master Windu," he said voice very soft.
"Who will go with you?" Obi-Wan asked lifting his head.
"Masters Agen Kolar, Kit Fisto and Saesee Tiin," Mace said. "Maser Kenobi—"
"I will stay with Anakin, Mace," Obi-Wan said.
Mace nodded before he left the comm center in silence. Keeping his arm around his brother, Obi-Wan guided him out of the center and toward the Council Chamber. Once they reached the Chamber, he sat down in his seat urging Anakin to sit down beside him. His brother remained silent staring at the ground, fear continuing to drift off him in tendrils.
"Anakin, what happened?" Obi-Wan whispered.
Anakin lifted his head and looked at Obi-Wan. "I'm sorry, Master," he whispered. "I…I can't…I keep seeing Padmé and my unborn child dying. These visions…I don't want them to come true."
"I know, Anakin," Obi-Wan said gently running his fingers through his brother's hair in an attempt to comfort him, to help him release his fear into the Force. "But you weren't as afraid as this when you first started having these visions. What happened?"
Anakin closed his eyes and Obi-Wan could see a few tears leaking out from under his closed eyelids. "Palpatine knew about them," he said, "he knew about them. He said…he said that he would help me save Padmé. That if I didn't accept his help then Padmé would die."
"He said that?"
"Not exactly. I, sort of, thought that in the end, that it was the only way." The fear grew stronger turning from a meek prey hiding away from the onslaught of the light into a predator coiling and preparing to sink its teeth into the mind and soul of the one it tormented.
"Anakin, he's a Sith Lord. You cannot believe that they will willingly help anyone without asking for a price to be paid," Obi-Wan said in an attempt to weaken the predator.
Anakin stood up and started pacing across the Council Chamber eyes trained on the carpeted floor hands wringing together as he moved in silence. His silence was unnerving and Obi-Wan swallowed hoping his brother wasn't actually considering whatever proposal Palpatine had given him.
"I love her, Obi-Wan," Anakin said softly. "She's my angel, she my life and my child, she hasn't even had a chance. I know that they will die eventually; I know that even stars burn out. I know that I will have to let them go eventually but why now? Why should Padmé be forced to die when she is still so young? Why should my child die when she hasn't even had a chance to live?"
"You don't know that your vision will come true, Anakin, and you don't know if accepting whatever offer the Sith Lord gave you will not cause the vision you are trying so hard to prevent," Obi-Wan said.
"And if I sit here and do nothing and my vision does happen, then what?" Surprisingly, there wasn't any anger in Anakin's voice only anxious fear.
He turned to gaze at Obi-Wan. "I've been releasing my fear into the Force since the visions began, Obi-Wan, but now that we are getting closer to the point in time when my child will be born, and my vision may or may not happen, I find that it is harder to control it and release it and it's starting to tear me apart."
Tears left tracks on Anakin's cheek and Obi-Wan stood up before joining his brother in the center of the Council Chamber. He put an arm around his brother and held him close comforting him to the best of his ability though he could see it wasn't doing much to help Anakin with his fear.
"I don't know what to do," Anakin whispered. "If I let Palpatine die and he really is the only one who can help me save Padmé then I'll lose Padmé and my unborn child."
"What will happen if you do save Palpatine, Anakin? What will happen if you do accept whatever offer he gave you? You have to see this from both sides, Anakin."
Anakin swallowed. "I've wanted to make you and my mother proud for so long, Obi-Wan," he whispered. "I don't want to disappoint either of you and yet I can't let my wife and unborn child die."
Obi-Wan cursed the Force for not lifting the restriction. If only he could tell Anakin that joining Palpatine would cause Padmé's death rather than prevent it then things would be a lot easier. But Obi-Wan had learned at the beginning of the war that his task to create a better future was not going to be an easy one.
"I'm being pulled in two directions, Obi-Wan." Anakin said. "One way lies being the best Jedi that I can be and fulfill my promise to you and my mother while the other way lies saving the life of my wife and my unborn child." He fell silent and Obi-Wan felt his heart constrict when he sensed that his brother had already made his decision.
No, I can't let this happen, he thought.
"Anakin—" he began as Anakin lifted his head and gazed into his eyes. The fear was still there but there was also determination blazing in their azure depths.
"I'm sorry, Obi-Wan, more sorry than I can begin to describe," he said. "You've been a great master, I love you and I will never stop loving you but I have to save my wife. I have to save my unborn child. I don't believe it's their time to die. I believe that they deserve to live a long, healthy life. And that is what I'm going to give them."
Hugging Obi-Wan and murmuring yet another apology, Anakin made for the door to the Council Chamber.
No, Anakin, no! Obi-Wan screamed in his mind as he started to go after his brother, to stop him and yet he didn't know what to say to stop his brother.
At least, that was the way it was until he felt it. The Force's gentle caress lifted the restriction and Obi-Wan's words came out of his mouth before he had time to register exactly what he was saying.
"Anakin, don't. I can't lose you again!"
Mace strode into the private office with Agen, Saesee and Kit just behind him gazing at the monster that sat behind the desk not looking surprised to see them. "Why, Master Windu," he said with a cold smile that did not reach his cool eyes, "what a pleasant surprise."
Mace stepped forward. "Hardly a surprise, Chancellor. And it will be pleasant for neither of us."
Palpatine had a look of feigned confusion in his eyes. "I'm sorry?" he said before he noticed the other three Masters and said, "Master Fisto, hello. Master Kolar, greetings. I trust you are well. Master Tiin—I see your horn has regrown; I'm very glad. What brings four Jedi Masters to my office at this hour?"
Mace's eyes narrowed as he said, "We know who you are. What you are. We are here to take you into custody."
"I beg your pardon? What am I? When last I checked, I was Supreme Chancellor of the Republic you are sworn to serve. I hope I misunderstand what you mean by custody, Master Windu. It smacks of treason."
"You're under arrest," Mace said.
"Really, Master Windu, you cannot be serious. On what charge?" Palpatine's voice remained calm as though he had nothing to worry about by the confrontation.
"You're a Sith Lord," Mace said firmly.
Palpatine raised his eyebrows as he said, "Am I? Even if true, that's hardly a crime. My philosophical outlook is a personal matter. In fact—last time I read the Constitution, anyway—we have very strict laws against this type of persecution. So I ask you again: what is my alleged crime? How do you expect to justify your mutiny before the Senate? Or do you intend to arrest the Senate as well?"
Mace didn't respond to those questions. He simply said, "We're not here to argue with you."
"No, you're here to imprison me without trial. Without even the pretense of legality. So this is the plan, at least: the Jedi are taking over the Republic."
Mace gritted his teeth at the words but he didn't have time to rebuff the accusation so, instead, he said, "Come with us. Now."
"I shall do no such thing. If you intend to murder me, you can do so right here."
A fountain of amethyst energy burst from Mace's fist as he ignited his lightsaber. "Don't try to resist."
Kit, Agen and Saesee ignited their green lightsabers and Agen and Saesee closed on Palpatine, blocking the path to the door. Shadows dripped and oozed color, weaving and coiling up office walls, slipping over chairs, spreading along the floor.
"Resist? How could I possibly resist?" Still seated at the desk, Palpatine shook an empty fist helplessly, the perfect image of a tired, frightened old man. "This is murder, you Jedi traitors! How can I be a threat to you?"
He turned desperately to Saesee. "Master Tiin—you're the telepath. What am I thinking right now?"
Tiin frowned and cocked his head. His blade dipped and in that split second, a smear of red-flashing darkness hurtled from behind the desk.
Saesee's head bounced when it hit the floor. Smoke curled from the neck, and from the twin stumps of the horns, severed just below the chin.
"Saesee!" Kit gasped.
The headless corpse, still standing, twisted as its knees buckled, and a thin sigh escaped from its trachea as it folded to the floor.
"It doesn't…hurt," Agen said swaying before his emerald blade shrank away and the handgrip tumbled from his opening fingers. A small, neat hole in the middle of his forehead leaked smoke as he pitched forward onto his face and lay still.
Palpatine stood at the doorway, but the door stayed shut. From his right hand extended the crimson blade and the door locked itself at his back.
"Help! Help!" Palpatine cried like a man in desperate fear for his life. "Security—someone! Help me! Murder! Treason!"
Then he smiled. He held one finger to his lips and, astonishingly, winked. In the blank second that followed, while Mace and Kit could do no more than angle their lightsabers to guard, Palpatine swiftly stepped over the bodies back toward his desk, reversed his blade and drove it in a swift, surgically precise stab down through the desktop. Mace had the feeling that he had been recording that entire conversation for a reason.
"That's enough of that." Palpatine said. He then turned to face the two remaining Jedi Masters.
"If you only knew," he said softly, perhaps speaking to the Masters or perhaps speaking to himself, as he lifted the crimson blade in mock salute, "how long I have been waiting for this…"
I can't lose you again!
Anakin froze in the doorway into the Council Chamber as Obi-Wan's words echoed in his mind. It was more than just those words that stopped him; it was quiet agony behind those words. The sheer magnitude of the pain behind those five words was what froze Anakin in his tracks.
Slowly, he turned to stare in bafflement at Obi-Wan.
Obi-Wan remained where Anakin had left him gazing at him with quiet agony in his tear-filled eyes. A singe tear escaped from his eyes and left a track down the side of his face before disappearing into his beard but Obi-Wan did nothing to wipe it away. He remained still like a statue; only the tears that were started to fall from his eyes gave an indication that he wasn't carved out of marble.
Anakin finally found his voice. "A…Again?" The puzzlement was as profound in his voice as the pain was in Obi-Wan's eyes.
Obi-Wan stepped forward finally lifting a hand to wipe the tears away though Anakin could still see them welling up in his eyes. "Anakin," he whispered, "I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry even if it wasn't my fault. I should have told you but I could not. It wouldn't let me."
The puzzlement grew more intense as Anakin attempted to make sense of what his best friend, and brother, was trying to tell him. "Obi-Wan, I…I don't understand." The puzzlement he was feeling had found its way to his voice.
Obi-Wan closed the distance between them and placed his hands on Anakin's shoulders. "Anakin," he whispered, "I'm sorry but please, please hear me out. That's all I ask. Just let me explain. Please."
Anakin was confused as he gazed into his brother's pained eyes as if he was reliving a horrifying nightmare. He didn't know what Obi-Wan was talking about or what he wanted to tell him. He wanted to save Padmé, he did, but he found that he was more concerned with why Obi-Wan was feeling such agony and why he said he didn't want to lose Anakin again.
"Please," Obi-Wan said again his voice was little more than a whisper but Anakin could feel the desperation in his brother's Force presence. Whatever Obi-Wan wanted to tell him, it was very important to him.
Anakin gazed into his brother's pleading eyes. Never has he seen such agony in his brother's eyes, even after Jabiim, and such desperation in his Force presence. "What's wrong?" he asked finally. "Why are you apologizing? What do you have to tell me?"
Obi-Wan wiped another stray tear away. "Please, let's sit down," he said and guided Anakin toward one of the Council chairs. Anakin slowly sat down gazing at his brother as he paced in front of him clearly undecided of how to being.
Finally, he stopped and turned to gaze at Anakin. He moved forward and knelt down in front of Anakin and he felt his brother open up the bond so that it flared between them. "I'm sorry, Anakin," he said. "I'm sorry but...I've been keeping something from you for the past three years. I want you to understand, Anakin, that I didn't have a choice. The Force, itself, stopped me from telling you. It has stopped me from telling anyone until recently." The sincerity of his words rang through the bond that connected them immediately telling Anakin why his brother had opened up the bond as much as he did.
Obi-Wan took a deep breath. "The truth that I kept from you, Anakin, is that I'm from the future," he said. "Nineteen years from this point in time. I was killed at that point in time and the Force, through Qui-Gon, came to me. Qui-Gon told me that the Force had chosen me to change the future I lived in. What happened in the future I lived in wasn't supposed to happen and the Force wanted me to make sure it didn't happen."
Again, the bond rang with sincerity though Anakin was shocked. "Time travel?" he said in disbelief. "Isn't that impossible?"
"Anything is possible with the Force, Anakin," Obi-Wan said. "But it is the truth. I know you can feel that I'm not lying to you. The Force told me when I was sent back that no one was supposed to know about when, in time, I had come from especially not you. It had made sure I couldn't tell anyone by placing a restriction on me to where if I tried to tell anyone about the future, I wouldn't be able to. That restriction was lifted today."
Agonized eyes met Anakin's who was still gazing at him. "You really couldn't tell me this?" Anakin asked.
Obi-Wan shook his head. "No, I couldn't," he said. "I was told not to and the Force has prevented me from saying anything until recently. But it's time that you knew the truth. I am sorry that I have lied to you for the past three years, I'm sorry for that but I…"
"I understand, Obi-Wan," Anakin said gently. "You had no choice. Just as you said, the Force would have stopped you if you tried to tell me. Besides, I can feel that you're telling the truth. That was why you opened up the bond as much as you did, right?"
Obi-Wan nodded. "I wanted you to know, right away, that I wasn't lying to you, that I was actually telling the truth despite how hard it is to believe."
"But why now?" Anakin asked with a frown. "Of all times for the Force to tell you to tell me this, why now?"
"Because it is this day, it is your decision at this moment in time, that created the future I lived through, Anakin," Obi-Wan said.
"You said until recently you weren't able to tell anyone. Does anyone else know?'
"The Council does and Siri," Obi-Wan said. "But they don't know the whole truth. They only know as much as I just told you. However, the Force would not have lifted the restriction in its entirety if it didn't want you to know the whole truth."
He took a deep breath then said, "I'm going to tell you what I didn't tell the Council and Siri; what actually occurs in the future I came from."
Anakin waited for his brother to speak his mind attempting to wrap around what his brother had just told him. The fear he had been feeling earlier, and the desire to save his wife and unborn child that came with it, had been pushed away though Anakin could still feel it simmering beneath the surface.
"I'm going to start from the point in time when I came with what happened in my timeline though I won't go over everything since many things that happened in my timeline didn't change in this one. I came back just after the mission to Ansion. You and I were tasked with protecting Padmé. It was during that time that your visions of your mother began getting worse. I made the mistake of brushing them off as nothing more than dreams. I don't have much time to go into detail over everything that happened but, suffice to say, your mother did not survive in my timeline."
Obi-Wan fell silent for a moment but Anakin could feel his guilt through the Force and hear it in his voice as he went on, "I blamed myself for it, Anakin. I felt that I should have taken your visions more seriously but I didn't. I felt that you blamed me to even if you never came out and said so. I don't know exactly what happened on Tatooine, Anakin, but I know that your mother died and then you brushed the dark side heavily. Even though I was on Geonosis, I felt it."
He fell silent again and, when Anakin remained silent, said, "That's why I made a point of acting upon your dreams this time around because I knew of what would happen if I didn't and I wanted to fix the mistake I made the first time."
Anakin gazed at him. "I think you should just tell me everything that happened in your timeline and I'll ask any questions I have afterwards," he said. He found he didn't want to interrupt his brother's narrative especially with how painful it obviously was for Obi-Wan to recall what happened.
"I think that would be best," Obi-Wan said. "After what happened on Tatooine, the Battle of Geonosis occurred and the Clone Wars began. I won't go into detail about what occurred during the war though since it would take too long and we do not have that kind of time. I will say this, though. From the very beginning, I suspected you and Padmé had gotten married but you didn't come to me and I never brought my suspicions to your attention. I kept it a secret from the Council for you and often covered for you. You never came to me because you never trusted me with the truth, which is how it was for three years. In the end, I discovered the truth not from you but from Padmé and only because I revealed that I suspected it but that comes later."
"The Battle of Coruscant came around," said Obi-Wan after another pause. "During the duel in the General's Quarters, I was knocked unconscious and you, instead of sparing Dooku, killed him."
That startled Anakin. Why would I kill a defenseless opponent? He thought but said nothing since he had said he would ask his questions after Obi-Wan was done.
"After that, we returned to Coruscant. You discovered Padmé was pregnant and began having your nightmares, though I didn't know about them until much later. You never once came to me out of fear, I believe, that I would turn you over to the Council. After that, Palpatine asked you to represent him in the Council but the Council did not give you the title and privileges of Master. Unlike what you did this time, when you said you wouldn't accept the title or privileges, you got upset with them insisting that it was unfair, that it's never been done before. And you didn't react as well in my timeline as you did in this one when I told you that you were to spy on the Chancellor."
Obi-Wan was silent again before he said, "During that Council meeting, instead of Shaak Ti being given the task of tracking down Grievous, I was given it. After Clone Intelligence found Grievous's location, I went off to confront him. What happened next, I only learned through secondhand sources but…" He broke off and the agonized look in his eyes grew more profound telling Anakin that what happened was bad.
"What happened?" he asked when Obi-Wan remained silent for several minutes.
Obi-Wan looked at him. "It is hard for me to go through this again, Anakin, but you deserve to know the truth." He took a deep breath then said, "You learned that Palpatine was the Sith Lord and informed Master Windu. I don't know why but you went to Palpatine's aid and Mace was killed during that confrontation. All I know is that you joined Palpatine, you swore yourself to the Sith and became a Sith Lord known as Darth Vader."
Obi-Wan broke off and tear appeared in his eyes. His voice seemed to shake as he said, "I…I only know what happened next because of the security holorecordings within the Temple. Palpatine had enacted an order known as Order 66, I didn't learn about the order until later, that was to the clones to turn them against the Jedi and kill them. You led a legion of clones into the Jedi Temple, Anakin, and…and the recordings showed you…"
Obi-Wan wiped away the tears and took a deep breath though he remained silent.
"What?" Anakin asked impatiently though he found he was as reluctant to hear what happened as Obi-Wan was to tell him.
Obi-Wan gazed at Anakin. "You killed them," he whispered. "Everyone within the Temple, you and the clones slaughtered them. The Masters, the Knights, the Padawans, even the younglings."
Anakin's eyes widened with horror. "No, no I wouldn't…I couldn't…" he broke off wanting to believe that it was just a cruel joke but he knew Obi-Wan well enough to know that he would never joke about something as serious as this.
"I saw the security holorecordings but I didn't want to believe it either," Obi-Wan said. "Master Yoda and I were the only ones who managed to escape the clones and return to the Temple. After I saw the recording, Master Yoda decided that we needed to take out the Sith. I couldn't bring myself to kill you, you are my brother and I love you, so I begged Master Yoda to send me to face Palpatine. Master Yoda insisted that I wouldn't be strong enough to defeat Palpatine but I didn't care. I couldn't kill you. In the end, though, I agreed to go."
"I didn't know where you had gone though. I went to Padmé but she refused to tell me. Instead, she went after you herself and I made another mistake by sneaking onboard her ship. She went to Mustafar where she met with you and attempted to turn you back but you were so lost to the darkness that I could sense Padmé wouldn't be able to convince you to turn back. I made yet another mistake that night, I showed myself."
Obi-Wan broke off, hesitated.
"What happened?" Anakin asked hollowly still thinking about what he did to the innocent younglings in the Temple in the timeline Obi-Wan came from.
"I did say you deserved to know the truth," Obi-Wan said. "You choked her, Anakin, through the Force."
"No," Anakin whispered eyes widening. He couldn't have done that; he couldn't have hurt his angel. He couldn't have and yet Obi-Wan's words were sincere. Tears fell from his eyes as he began to realize he may have caused his wife's death in the timeline Obi-Wan came from.
"I'm sorry, Anakin. I didn't want to believe it even though I was seeing it," Obi-Wan said placing a hand on Anakin's arm and gently squeezing it.
"W…What happened next?" Anakin said wiping away a stray tear one hand.
Obi-Wan swallowed. "This is, by far, the worst memory I have of my timeline," he admitted. "I told you to let Padmé go and you did. She was unconscious but still alive. You accused me of turning her against you and I tried to reason with you, tried to tell you that you turning to the dark side and your lust for the power to save her was what really turned her against you. You didn't believe me and we began fighting. All throughout the fight, I was trying to turn you back but nothing I was saying worked."
"Our duel took us from the landing bay to a platform on the river of lava. I kept trying to turn you back, by convincing you that the Sith were evil. You told me that you thought the Jedi were evil and I knew you had been consumed too much by the dark side. I told you that you were lost then though a part of me never believed it. I guess I didn't want to believe that you had been consumed by the darkness."
Tears streamed down Obi-Wan's face and his voice shook as he went on, "Our fight took us away from the main building on Mustafar's surface to a hill a kilometer or so away. I leapt off the platform and tried to convince you not to attack because I knew of what I had to do. I didn't want to do it but you had to be stopped. I tried to get you to listen to me but you ignored me and leapt at me. I…I attacked you. I…I mutilated you. You…you were in such pain and you fell down the hill. You were…so close to the lava that…that you ended up catching on fire. I told you that you were the chosen one, you were destined to destroy the Sith, not join them, bring balance to Force, not leave it in darkness. You…You said you hated me. And I…and I finally told you something that I should have told you from the very beginning. I told you that you were my brother and I loved you. I… I left you there. I…I had no choice. I could sense Palpatine was getting closer and I couldn't risk him finding us. So I left."
Obi-Wan fell silent and Anakin could see he was trembling. Pushing aside the horror he was feeling from Obi-Wan's words, he gently drew his brother into his arms. "You had no other choice," he whispered. "After what I did to the younglings in the Temple and to my own wife, I really must have been lost in the dark side."
"I always felt if I had been a better mentor then none of that would have happened. That was what I strived to do when I was sent back."
"And you succeeded, Obi-Wan. You're a great mentor and I am the Jedi I am today because of you. But what happened to Padmé? And the child?" Anakin released his brother and gazed at him with concern. "Did my vision—?"
"I took Padmé to Polis Massa," said Obi-Wan. "We met up with Master Yoda and Bail Organa. Padmé had gone into labor after what happened. The medical droids said that there was nothing wrong with her and yet they were losing her. Your betrayal had shaken her so badly that she gave up the will to live."
Anakin swallowed. "Does that mean if I join Palpatine then Padmé will die?"
"Your betrayal is what caused her death, Anakin, so I believe so yes."
"But the child?"
Obi-Wan smiled a little though his eyes remained haunted. "Don't tell Padmé I told you because she will be mad at me as I'm sure she wants to surprise you but, as I already told you, you deserve to know the entire truth. Padmé isn't carrying one child, Anakin, she's carrying twins."
"Twins?" Anakin echoed eyes.
Obi-Wan nodded.
"Did they…did they survive?"
"Yes, Padmé remained alive long enough to give birth and name your children. Her last words to me were 'there's still good in him' and then she passed on. A part of me always believed her words despite all the crimes you'd committed. After she died, it was decided that your children would be separated. We had no choice; their force presence together was too powerful and Palpatine would likely have sensed them right away if they stayed together. I took the older twin with me and hid out on Tatooine, since I knew you would never return to that planet after what happened to your mother, while the younger twin was adopted by Bail Organa. I didn't see you again for another nineteen years, which was when I died. You were the one that killed me, Anakin."
Anakin's eyes widened. "I did? But you're my brother, my best friend, the father I never had!"
"I know but, at this point in time, that didn't matter to you."
Anakin gazed at his brother tears in his eyes. "That was when you were sent back in time, wasn't it?"
"Yes," Obi-Wan said. "I was tasked with making the necessary changes to turn the future I lived in into a better one. This was the last thing I could do though. Whether my mission was a success or not depends entirely on whether the Sith succeed or not and that lies in your hands."
"Mine?"
"Yes. It was your decision, as well as Palpatine's machinations in the background, that caused the Sith to win and cause the future I lived in. What you decide to do now is what will determine whether the Sith win or not."
Anakin gazed at his brother before looking at the now closed door to the Council Chamber. "If joining Palpatine is really the reason why Padmé died and all that you just told me happened then I can't join him. I won't let the future you lived in come true, Obi-Wan." He spoke with conviction and determination.
Obi-Wan smiled a little. "The only thing that's left for us to do is defeat Palpatine," he said.
"You don't think Master Windu can defeat him?"
"To be honest, I am not sure but Master Yoda, himself, wasn't able to defeat Palpatine. If he can't then I'm not sure Master Windu can. He will need help."
"What about the Masters who went with him?"
"I felt them become one with the Force, Anakin."
Anakin gazed at Obi-Wan for a long moment before he remembered what Obi-Wan had said a moment before. "Wait, us?"
"Do you honestly think I'm going to let you take on Palpatine by yourself even with Master Windu helping you? No, we are doing this together, Anakin." Obi-Wan's lips pressed together and his eyes glittered with determination.
"I have not come this far to let Palpatine win. The Force believed that I could make the changes necessary to turn the future into a better one and I have done all that I can. Now, all I can do is fight side by side with you in this battle."
Anakin smiled. "Then let's do it," he said standing up and Obi-Wan stood up as well before the two brothers, side by side, left the Council Chamber and made their way toward the entrance to the Jedi Temple.
The final stage of the plan was in action.
Sinking into Vaapad, Mace fought for his life.
More than his life: each whirl of blade and whipcrack of lightning was a strike in defense of democracy, of justice and peace, of the rights of ordinary beings to live their own lives in their own ways.
He was fighting for the Republic that he loved.
Vaapad, the seventh form of lightsaber combat, takes its name from the notoriously dangerous predator native to the moons of Sarapin: a vaapad attacks its prey with whipping strikes of its blindingly fast tentacles. Most have at least seven. It is not uncommon for them t have as many as twelve; the largest ever killed had twenty-three. With a vaapad, one never knew how many tentacles it had until it was dead: they move too fast to count. Almost too fast to see.
So did Mace's blade.
Vaapad was as aggressive as its namesake, but its power comes at a great risk: immersion in Vaapad opens the gates that restrain one's inner darkness. To use Vaapad, a Jedi must allow himself to enjoy the fight; he must give himself over to the thrill of battle. The rush of winning. Vaapad is a path that leads through the penumbra of the dark side.
Mace created this style, and he is its only living master.
This was Vaapad's ultimate test.
Obi-Wan and Anakin stepped into the office watching as Mace and Palpatine, locked in a deadly dance, fought with their blades flaring and flashing, crashing together with bursts of fir, weaving nets of killing energy in exchanges so fast that Obi-Wan could barely see them and yet he knew that Mace was using Vaapad to its full capacity.
As he and his brother moved closer, the grotesquely deformed form of Palpatine's eyes snapped toward him. That slight distraction gave Mace the chance to launch an attack; in one precise arc, he slashed through Palpatine's lightsaber in half.
Palpatine crumpled to the ground; old and shrunken, thinning hair bleached white by tie and care, face lined with exhaustion.
"For all your power, you are no Jedi .All you are, my lord," Mace said evenly, staring past the blade pointed at Palpatine, "is under arrest."
"Do you see, Anakin? Do you?" Palpatine's voice had the broken cadence of a frightened old man. "Didn't' I warn you of the Jedi and their treason?"
Obi-Wan looked over at Anakin who was gazing at Palpatine with narrowed eyes, taking in the expressionless look in his eyes, the lack of fear in his Force presence, the calmness in his stance and he felt a burst of pride go through him. The darkness would not take Anakin this time around.
Are you so sure of that? The cynical voice demanded but Obi-Wan pushed it away.
It was the final battle; the final conflict that would decide the fate of the galaxy; the final stage of the Force's plan to turn the future Obi-Wan lived in into a brighter one. Obi-Wan could not afford to dwell on the cynical whispers that would likely keep bothering him until everything was done.
"Save your twisted words, my lord. There are no politicians here. The Sith will never regain control of the Republic. It's over. You've lost." Mae leveled his blade. "You lost for the same reason the Sith always lose: defeated by your own fear."
Palpatine lifted his head and his eyes smoked with hate. "Fool," he said. He lifted his arms, his robes of office spreading wide into raptor's wings, his hands hooking into talons. "Fool. Do you think the fear you feel is mine?"
Lighting blasted the clouds above, and lightning blasted from Palpatine's hand. Mace's blade moved to catch the forking arcs of pure, dazzling hatred that clawed toward him and he deflected back.
"The fear you feel must be yours, Chancellor," Obi-Wan said calmly. "Because it does not belong to any of us."
Palpatine glared at him with yellow orbs of hatred but he said nothing as he increased the power of his lightning causing Mace to be driving backwards a few steps.
"Anakin, help me! This is your chance," Mace shouted.
"Destroy this traitor. This was never an arrest. It's an assassination," Palpatine shouted at the same time.
Obi-Wan gazed at Anakin who moved forward lightsaber in his hand but he didn't look once at Mace. His eyes were fixed on Palpatine. "No," he said. "I see through your lies, Sidious. The Jedi are not the traitors here, you are."
Palpatine's eyes flared with shock and then fury that was not directed at him. "I can help you," he shouted increasing the voltage of the lightning he was sending at Mace and Obi-Wan could see that it was weakening him. "I am the only one who can help you save Padmé!"
Mace started a little at that and Palpatine latched on to the distraction by, with a screech of anger, lashing out with a Force push that sent Mace sailing backwards into the wall of the office.
Anakin stepped back as Palpatine pushed himself to his feet removing a second lightsaber from his cloak though he did not ignite it. "You cannot help me save Padmé," Anakin said calmly. "I will not join you Palpatine. Not know, not ever. I am a Jedi and I always will be."
Palpatine's eyes flared with rage but, instead of igniting his lightsaber and attacking Anakin, he lashed out with the Force. The Force push caught Anakin off guard and sent him flying into the wall. Without looking at Anakin, Palpatine turned his flaring yellow eyes to Obi-Wan who met his gaze evenly.
"I suspect you had something to do with this, Kenobi," he hissed. "I suspected that you've been the one that has been meddling with my plans since the war began. Now I am beginning to see that my suspicions were true."
Obi-Wan ignited his lightsaber and dropped into Soresu's ready stance. "I am not going to let you take over the Republic, Sidious, and I am not going to let you turn my brother to the dark side of the Force."
Palpatine's lips pulled back in a sneer. "You cannot stop me," he said igniting his second crimson blade. "The Jedi will be destroyed, the Republic is mine so will the boy you consider your precious brother be once I take care of you." Then he leapt and their blades clashed in the first of many rapid attacks that blurred together.
Anakin lifted his head. He had hit his head pretty hard against the wall of the office but at least he didn't seem badly injured. Gazing around, he spotted Obi-Wan locked in a duel with Palpatine; their blades moving as rapidly as Palpatine and Mace's blades had been to where they blurred together. Palpatine was fast though and Anakin could see that his brother was on the defensive.
Pushing himself to his feet, Anakin called his lightsaber to his hand and briefly glanced toward where he had last seen Mace. The Korun Jedi Master must have hit the wall harder than Anakin because he was lying motionless on the ground nearby. Anakin didn't have time to check on him; based on what Obi-Wan told him about how he had wanted to take on Palpatine after Anakin's turn in his timeline even though he knew he couldn't defeat Palpatine, Anakin knew he was going to need help.
Palpatine must have noticed him getting up, however, for Anakin was suddenly sent flying back into the wall with a cry of pain as forks of Force lightning slammed into him. He fell to the ground agony washing over him like a wave.
Obi-Wan took advantage of the distraction and managed to land a thrust in Palpatine's thigh causing the Sith Lord to cry out in pain and leap backwards before jumping onto his desk. He balanced himself on his desk as he glared down at Obi-Wan. "You are no match for me, Kenobi," he shouted and leapt downward at Obi-Wan blade poised in a downward thrust that Obi-Wan dodged.
"Perhaps you should not underestimate me, Sidious," Obi-Wan said calmly.
Anakin managed to push himself to his knees picking up his lightsaber before standing up ignoring the twinges of pain. He ignited his blue lightsaber and launched himself at Palpatine forcing him to break off his attack on Obi-Wan to catch Anakin's attack.
"Anakin, stop, think of everything I can teach you," Palpatine said blocking a slash aimed at his side. "I can teach you everything that I know. You can learn to stop people from dying. I can give you everything you could ever want."
"What I want is the one thing you can't give me, Sidious," Anakin retorted parrying away a strike aimed at his head before thrusting his blade toward Palpatine's side but Palpatine caught the attack. Retracting his blade quickly, he blocked Obi-Wan's slash before moving backwards a few feet glaring at the two of them.
"You two will not stand in my way," he hissed and held out his hand before lashing out with a powerful Force wave that sent Anakin and Obi-Wan tumbling backwards. A blast of Force lightning hit Anakin knocking his lightsaber out of his hand and scream of agony was ripped from his throat.
"Anakin!" Obi-Wan kept his gaze fixed on Palpatine though Anakin could tell by his posture, and through the Force, that he was concerned.
Palpatine gazed coolly at Obi-Wan before he held out a hand and Anakin gasped when he suddenly felt his throat constrict before he was hurled into the wall. His head hit the wall hard and he gasped in pain when he felt something crack before he fell to the ground. He remained conscious long enough to hear Palpatine say, "Come now, Kenobi, let's see if the famed Sith slayer can defeat a Sith Master," before darkness washed over him.
Obi-Wan gritted his teeth as he struggled to defend himself against Palpatine's relentless, ruthless attacks. They were, once again, locked in a deadly dance but Palpatine's onslaught of attacks had him on the defensive. It was a good thing he was the master of Soresu since Soresu was primarily a defensive lightsaber form. However, he was still hard-pressed to keep Palpatine's constant attacks at bay.
His duel with Maul, both times, and Dooku did nothing to prepare him for Palpatine.
Palpatine was, by far, the strongest duelist Obi-Wan has ever gone against. No wonder Master Yoda insisted on taking Palpatine in the original timeline. If Yoda couldn't beat Palpatine in the original timeline, what chance did Obi-Wan stand?
No, don't think that way. You have to believe you'll be able to defeat him, Obi-Wan told himself firmly as he parried another thrust but Palpatine was pushing him backwards before he lashed out with a Force push.
Obi-Wan, acting on pure instinct, caught the Force push with another one and the explosion of energy sent both combatants skidding backwards several feet. Obi-Wan, out of the corner of his eyes, watched as Mace pushed himself to his knees before calling his lightsaber to his hand.
Palpatine didn't notice as he launched himself at Obi-Wan thrusting his blade toward him. Obi-Wan caught the blow as well as the next one only to be struck by forks of powerful Force lightning that sent him flying. Crashing into the wall, Obi-Wan fell to his knees but pushed himself back up and barely managed to avoid the thrust Palpatine aimed at him.
"You have been a thorn in my side since you began meddling, Kenobi," said Palpatine. "It's time I put an end to you." He unleashed forks of Force lightning at Obi-Wan who caught the lightning with his blade though he was sent skidding backwards a few feet.
Mace launched himself at Palpatine who retracted his lightning to meet the attack. However, Mace was still weakened by his duel with Palpatine earlier and the Sith Master immediately took advantage of that having Mace on the defensive almost instantaneously.
Obi-Wan briefly looked over at Anakin checking him over with the Force. He was relieved to feel that he was alive. He was also stirring. Obi-Wan couldn't wait for him to regain consciousness though; Mace was beginning to lose ground against Palpatine and he needed help.
Anakin, with a groan, brought himself out of unconsciousness before slowly lifting his throbbing head. He spotted Obi-Wan and an exhausted Mace battling Palpatine nearby close to the shattered window on the other side of Palpatine's desk. Gingerly, Anakin pushed himself to his knees and rested his back against the wall as everything began spinning. He gritted his teeth and forced himself into a standing position though he found it difficult to maintain his balance.
Blasted concussion, he thought but he forced himself to remain upright using the Force to regain his balance and block out the pain.
He turned his gaze toward the duel just in time to see Mace sent flying into Obi-Wan knocking the two of them to the ground dangerously close to the ledge outside the shattered windows. The two Jedi masters pushed themselves to their feet though Palpatine lashed out with the Force grabbing Mace and hurling him into the wall near the door to the private office.
He then stretched out with the Force toward Obi-Wan who gasped as his hands went to his throat. Palpatine tossed Obi-Wan into the same wall Mace had been sent into. He then leapt over his desk and grabbed Obi-Wan again with the Force before turning his hatred-filled gaze to Anakin, who had finally regained his balance, whose lightsaber was in his hand and ignited.
Palpatine held his gaze with cold eyes while Obi-Wan struggled to break free of Palpatine's Force grip. "You will know the dark side, young Skywalker," he said coolly. "And you will see the truth once the darkness consumes you."
"No, I will never join the dark side," Anakin said.
"Oh but I think you will especially after I do this," Palpatine said and then, to Anakin's horror, he slammed his ignited lightsaber into Obi-Wan's stomach. Obi-Wan gasped eyes flaring with agony.
"Obi-Wan! No!" Anakin cried watching as Palpatine let go of his grip on Obi-Wan and the Jedi Master crumpled to the ground on his side lightsaber falling from his hand.
Concussion all but forgotten, Anakin dashed to his brother's side anger flooding through him unchecked as he turned his brother over and held his head in his lap gazing at his brother. Obi-Wan gazed up at him with agony glistening in his eyes. "Don't….turn," he whispered. "Don't…please don't…turn. I…I can't lose…you again."
Palpatine smirked. "Oh how sweet," he sneered before he closed his eyes and said, "I can feel your anger, your rage. It boils within you. Why not release it? Why not immerse yourself in the power it gives you?"
Anakin gritted his teeth as the anger continued flood him and his mind screamed at him to avenge Obi-Wan. He could feel the darkness reaching toward him, latching onto the rage that continued to surge, unchecked through Anakin's body, rage that he has never felt before.
"Anakin," Obi-Wan gasped, "Anakin, please, don't…"
"My boy," Palpatine said drifting forward to stand next to Anakin gazing at him, "how else do you suppose you're going to save him? I will save him for you, my boy, if you join me."
"You…you were the one that did this to him," Anakin snarled fury coloring his voice.
"And I can be the one to save him too," Palpatine said unfazed by Anakin's anger.
Anakin gritted his teeth struggling to control his boiling rage while at the same time wondering if Palpatine was right. Could he have been right all along? Just because him falling to the dark side had caused Padmé's death didn't mean that Obi-Wan wouldn't survive if he gave in to Palpatine. After all this never occurred in Obi-Wan's future.
"Anakin, please," Obi-Wan whispered weakly and Anakin swallowed for he could feel his brother's life slipping away. "Please, don't…don't listen to him. I…I would not want this. I…I would rather die than…than watch you fall again. Please, my brother, don't do it." Eyes drifting closed almost as soon as he finished speaking, Obi-Wan went motionless.
"No!" Anakin cried. "No, Obi-Wan! Stay with me!" Tears erupted from his eyes as he cradled his brother in his arms.
"Join me, my boy," Palpatine whispered. "I can save him."
I would rather die than watch you fall again, Obi-Wan's words repeated themselves in Anakin's mind and he gazed at his brother's motionless body. He knew Obi-Wan meant what he said.
I won't let the future you lived in come true.
Anakin remembered he had said those words just before he and his brother had left the Jedi Temple and he knew that if he joined Palpatine then the future his brother had lived through would come to pass. Palpatine could not win even if it meant Obi-Wan had to die.
Anakin closed his eyes as a tear leaked out from his eyes. I love you, Obi-Wan and this is for you, he thought opening his gaze to gaze at his brother's motionless body.
Gently putting him on the ground, Anakin stood up before igniting his blade and swinging it at Palpatine. Palpatine, surprised, immediately went to ignite his blade but he was too late and Anakin's blade slashed through the Sith Master's neck.
The corpse fell to the ground.
As did Anakin's lightsaber.
And the Force rejoiced at the prophecy's fulfillment.
Not once looking at his former friend, Anakin dropped to his knees by his brother as Mace limped over to join him. The Korun Jedi Master knelt down at his side. "I've called the Jedi Healers. They're on their way," Mace said gently. "You did well, Anakin."
Anakin gazed at the Korun Jedi Masters stunned by his admission before he gazed at his brother's body and remained silent as he stretched out a hand. Gently, he placed two fingers on Obi-Wan's neck and felt relief surge through him when he felt a faint pulse.
It's over, Obi-Wan. It's over. Help is coming. Just hold on for a little while longer, Anakin thought.
Obi-Wan Kenobi was disoriented.
It took him several minutes to gain his bearings and he wasn't that surprised to find Qui-Gon's Force ghost floating in front of him. There was a proud look in Qui-Gon's eyes as he drifted forward and said, "Congratulations, Obi-Wan. I knew that you could do it."
"It's over? Palpatine's dead?" Obi-Wan asked sitting up.
"Yes. Anakin killed him just as he was supposed to. The Force and I are very proud of you. You have completed the task we gave to you. Now it is time for your reward."
"I do not need a reward, Master," Obi-Wan said.
"This is a reward I know you will accept," Qui-Gon said before he could go on. "You were mortally injured, Obi-Wan. The injury you sustained was the same wound I sustained. You should have died but the Force, as payment for you fulfilling the task it gave you, has allowed you to live. Go back to your brother, Obi-Wan, and to your wife and to your children. Remember, we are very proud of you."
Obi-Wan nodded as he stood up. "Goodbye Master," he said.
Qui-Gon smiled gently as he closed the distance between them and placed a ghostly hand on Obi-Wan's shoulder. "I will always be with you, Obi-Wan, as will the Force. Now go."
And then he was gone and the world around Obi-Wan went white.
Anakin dozed in his seat before quickly bringing himself out of it.
Only a few hours had gone by since the battle in the Chancellor's office. The healers arrived in the office about ten or so minutes after Mace made the call and had transported Obi-Wan who, by some miracle, was still alive to the Jedi Temple's Hall of Healing. They had also called someone in to remove the bodies of the dead Jedi masters. Anakin and Mace had been taken to the medbay as well to check on their wounds.
Anakin's worse wound was his concussion as well as severe electrical shock from the multiple strikes of Force lightning. He wasn't supposed to sleep, which was what Master Che had told him. And yet he felt like sleeping for a day; the events of the day, and the lack of sleep fin the months since the Battle of Coruscant because of his vision, left him thoroughly exhausted.
So he had taken to watching over Obi-Wan after he had been brought out of the bacta tank. Che had said that it was a miracle Obi-Wan had survived such a bad wound but she also stated that the Force was what kept him alive. Anakin wondered if that was what happened but he decided he would ask Obi-Wan and see if his brother knew.
For now, though, he just watched over the man who was the reason why he was able to stop Palpatine and prevent the dark future that Obi-Wan lived in.
Obi-Wan woke up to blindingly bright lights. He winced before his eyes adjusted and he gazed around. He was laying on a bed no doubt in the Hall of Healing and he felt someone holding his hand. Turning his head slightly, he spotted Siri gazing at him with relief glistening in her blue eyes. "Obi-Wan, you're awake," she said.
"How long was I out?" Obi-Wan asked.
"Two days," Siri said. "Master Che is still trying to figure out how you survived what with how serious the wound was."
"The Force gave me my life in payment for completing the task it gave to me," Obi-Wan said.
Siri smiled. "I'm glad," she said. "When Anakin told me about what happened…" She broke off and Obi-Wan could feel her worry and fear through their bond before it was gone as she released it into the Force.
"I'm all right, Siri," he said gently.
"I know but I was still worried." She glanced toward the door before leaning forward and gently pressing her lips to Obi-Wan's. Obi-Wan kissed her back gently and they only pulled away from each other when the door opened.
Thankfully, it was only Anakin.
"Master, you're awake," Anakin said looking relieved. "How do you feel?"
"I feel fine," Obi-Wan said.
"Are you just saying that so that we can convince Master Che to let you leave the Hall of Healing early?" Anakin asked with a small smirk.
Siri chuckled. "That sounds like something Obi-Wan would do," she said.
Obi-Wan glared at both of them. "Wouldn't work anyway," he said. "Believe me, I've tried."
Siri and Anakin chuckled.
Three days after Obi-Wan woke up, he was released and Anakin could tell he was happy to be out of the Hall of Healing or 'prison' as Obi-Wan called it. After giving his report of what happened in the Chancellor's office to the Council, the Council had given Obi-Wan some time to himself since he had helped defeat Palpatine and was the reason why Anakin did not fall to the dark side. Obi-Wan had also told the Council everything including what would have happened in the future had he failed.
For the day that Obi-Wan had to himself, he, Siri and Anakin went to Padmé's apartment only to find that Padmé had gone into labor an hour earlier and had been rushed to the nearest medbay. Threepio, who had stayed behind to inform Anakin of what happened, was quick to tell Anakin of where he was to go. Siri had decided to stay behind and watch Kira and Jinn
"Anakin, calm down," Obi-Wan, who was flying the speeder since Anakin was on the verge of a panic attack, said.
"But she's early. She's not due for another two weeks or was it three? I don't remember but still!" Anakin cried.
"Anakin, she is carrying twins. Twins are, more often than not, born premature. It'll be all right, Anakin," Obi-Wan said gently. "Now calm down. Take a deep breath."
Anakin swallowed before nodding and taking a deep breath. He reached into the Force seeking its comfort to soothe away his panic; it helped a little though he could still feel it. "Where you like this when Kira and Jinn were born?" he asked.
"Siri might disagree but I wasn't that bad," Obi-Wan said as he landed the speeder before he gingerly climbed out of it. Just because he had been released from the Hall of Healing didn't mean he was ready to start moving around too fast or jumping anywhere. It would take a little while longer for the wound to fully heal.
Anakin, on the other hand, leapt out of the speeder and dashed toward the doors leading into the medical facility. It was a good thing the symptoms of his concussion had gone away. Entering the facility, Anakin walked over to join Dormé who was standing nearby.
"She's in room 2B," Dormé said, "but there will still be some time before the baby's born."
"I can see her though, right?" Anakin asked looking from Dormé to the medic who stood beside her.
"Are you the father?" the medic asked.
Knowing that the medic was sworn to maintain patient confidentiality, Anakin nodded.
"Then this way." The medic led him down the sterile white hallway to the room past a few medical droids and other medics before walking into the room where his wife was getting ready to give birth to his children.
Obi-Wan was meditating in the lobby several hours later when he sensed Siri sitting down beside him. He was surprised to feel Kira and Jinn's presences as well and he opened his eyes before looking at his wife and the twins she held in her arms. Jinn wiggled and Obi-Wan smiled before taking Jinn into his arms. The little baby immediately cuddled up against him pressing his little face into Obi-Wan's chest.
"What are you three doing here?" Obi-Wan asked.
"I told Padmé that I'd be there when her child's born and so I'm here. But I wasn't going to let Threepio watch Kira and Jinn so I brought them with." Siri gazed at the hallway before looking at Obi-Wan who was gently rocking Jinn back and forth.
"Are you still planning on telling the Council, Obi-Wan?" she asked.
"I've already told Anakin that when he comes clean about Padmé then I will come clean about you, Kira and Jinn. Are you all right with that, Siri?'
Siri nodded. "I want to be a mother to Jinn and Kira and I don't want to keep having to sneak behind the Council's back. I think it's time we told them the truth."
"I think so too," Obi-Wan said smiling.
The medic came into the lobby at that moment. "Master Kenobi?" he said.
"Yes?"
"Come, Master Skywalker wants to see you."
"How's the Senator?" Obi-Wan asked handing Jinn back to Siri and standing up.
"She is fine. She gave birth to two healthy babies; a boy and a girl." The medic turned around and walked away and Obi-Wan walked after him. He was led to one of the rooms and Anakin looked up as Obi-Wan entered the room. Padmé, looking exhausted but happy, was holding a baby wrapped in a pink blanket in her arms. Anakin, eyes glistening with such joy, was holding a baby wrapped in a blue blanket in his arms.
"Obi-Wan," he said smiling brightly. "Come in and see the twins."
Obi-Wan moved forward though he already knew what they looked like. Anakin held out the bundle in his arms and Obi-Wan gently took the baby in his arms smiling as he gazed at baby Luke. This is where you should be, with your father and mother, he thought grateful that Luke's parents would be there for him unlike in the original timeline.
"Do you want to know their names, Master Kenobi?" Padmé asked.
Obi-Wan, handing Luke back to Anakin, nodded.
"This is Leia Shmi Skywalker," Padmé said nodding her head to the baby she held.
"And this," Anakin nodded to Luke, "is Luke Obi-Wan Skywalker."
Obi-Wan's eyes widened. "You named him after me?"
"Of course, Obi-Wan. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be here. Now I definitely owe you more than I will ever be able to repay."
Obi-Wan felt tears well up in his eyes and he wiped them away. "You don't need to repay me, Anakin," he said.
"Yes…"
"No you don't," he interrupted his brother. "You paid me back by staying on the light side, Anakin."
"It was thanks to you, Obi-Wan," Anakin admitted. He paused before he smiled and added, "I suppose that technically counts as a save though I've still saved your skin ten times."
"Nine times, Cato Neimoidia did not count," Obi-Wan said and his brother chuckled.
"Just keep telling yourself that, Obi-Wan," he said with a grin.
Obi-Wan shook his head smiling. No matter how much Anakin has changed since Obi-Wan was sent to the past, there were some things about his brother that would forever remain the same.
A/n what do you think?
Blaze: Bloody blazes, that was a long chapter
Darth: tell me about it. Nineteen pages without the author's note and over 11,000 words
Blaze: now this is definitely my longest chapter
Darth: what's going to happen in the epilogue? (walks off to Starbucks)
Blaze: you'll just have to wait and see and dang, you made me hungry for Starbucks (walks off to Starbucks)
Obi-Wan: okay, I guess I will end this chapter. Please review and Blaze will post the epilogue as soon as she possibly can but she doubted it will be anytime soon