AN: Sorry about the wait! So just a few warnings for this chapter. I've changed the timeline and the level of Anakin's ascension in the Jedi order, and if there is any confusion, please let me know. I'm going to start to really deviate from canon (I will still be following the same plot though, so don't worry.), and I want to stop any confusion before it happens. Enjoy the chapter! May the Force Be With You!

CHAPTER 22

If only time had not popped their happy bubble.

Obi-Wan and Charlie's celebration was interrupted by a call from the council. They required Obi-Wan's presence, immediately.

Charlie walked him as far as her room, and then said goodbye, knowing that they were connected by their bond and would never fully say goodbye.

However, she wasn't about to listen in on his every thought, so she kept the strength of their bond limited. She didn't want to push any boundaries she didn't already know about, and the council meetings especially were off limits.

Charlie showered while she waited, though unsure of what she was waiting for. It was late now, well past dinnertime, and she supposed the next obvious thing to do would be to get ready for bed. But something was keeping her from it. She just couldn't identify it.

After she washed, Charlie cleaned R4 and her weapons. They didn't really need any cleaning, and she knew she was doing this out of nervous energy, but she couldn't stop herself.

Finally, after several agonizing hours, there came a nudge over her and Obi-Wan's force bond. He wanted her to meet him in his rooms. Charlie flew into a fresh set of clothes and her cloak, making sure she had all of her weapons, and departed quickly.

When she arrived, the first thing she noticed was that Anakin was there as well. Charlie walked in, immediately sensing the tension. Obi-Wan stood from the table to join an already standing Anakin when she walked in.

"Charlie." he said, and there was an edge to his voice that had not been there but a few hours ago.

She raised an eyebrow, quickly trying to understand what was wrong. Anakin's force signature felt different, darker somehow, as well as simultaneously elated and furious. The boy had always been a bundle of emotions, but this was a new level of confusion.

It was then that she noticed the missing padawan braid.

"I seems congratulations are in order once again, Anakin." she said, gesturing to his head.

Anakin bowed in response.

"Yes." he said, and his voice was also hard. "The council has seen fit to grant me the rank of Knight."

Obi-Wan sighed at the obvious tension in Anakin's voice and rubbed his face.

Charlie shook her head, still not understanding the distress.

"I don't understand." she said. "This is fantastic news. Have you told Padmé?"

It was Obi-Wan who replied.

"The council has seen fit to promote Anakin to Jedi Knight, a move that I fully believe he was ready for." he said.

"He faced a Sith Lord and held his own. He rescued the senator, no matter his motivation. He has saved my life more times than I can count. And most recently, he was a large factor in my survival after Janulik." Obi-Wan stopped there.

"But?" Charlie asked, not satisfied with his answer.

He sighed again before replying.

"Their hand was forced by the Chancellor." he said. "If the council had followed Palpatine's instructions to the letter, Anakin would have been awarded the rank of Jedi Master and given a seat on the council, but they determined that he is too young and not ready. I happen to agree with the assessment. He is already one of the youngest Jedi Knights, and even that promotion is a feat to be incredibly proud of."

Charlie understood Anakin's simultaneous elation and fury now.

She simply nodded. She could feel the anger pouring off Anakin, despite the fact that he was just honored. She didn't quite understand his anger, and most definitely didn't get why the Chancellor was messing with the council. Normally they were trusted to work on their own.

Her thoughts were interrupted by Obi-Wan. He walked over to her, taking her hands.

"Darling, I have to get back to the council." he said out loud.

Through their bond, he spoke silently.

"Talk to him for me." he thought to her. "I can feel the darkness creeping into him. You are perhaps the only person equal to his power right now."

"I trust you." he said, this time out loud.

Obi-Wan kissed her on her forehead, and swept out the door without a backwards glance. Charlie watched him leave, and then turned back to the still quite angry Anakin.

"So Anakin." she said, in what was hopefully a bright tone. "What do you want for dinner? I haven't eaten yet, and I'm really don't want mess hall food right now."

Anakin just stared at her, trying to judge her intentions.

"I know its late, but if memory serves, you're always up for a meal." Charlie continued talking, hoping to wear him down. "I don't have a kitchen in my rooms, but I can cook a few things."

She walked into the kitchen, looking through the cupboards, waiting for inspiration to strike.

"Pasta."

Charlie turned sharply. Anakin had finally said something. She met his gazed and raised an eyebrow.

"Pasta." he said again. "Can we have pasta?"

A more plaintive tone had entered his voice, and Charlie could tell he didn't have it in him to stay mad at her for too long. Hell, she wasn't ever sure he was mad at her in the first place, just projecting the emotions he was currently feeling.

"Pasta sounds great." Charlie said, nodding. She threw a pot of water on the stove, and then dug out a box of noodles and a jar of tomato sauce.

"Grab a bottle of wine from the cupboard." she called to Anakin, who'd ventured out of the kitchen while Charlie had started dinner.

She uncorked the bottle of red when he handed it to her, nodding at what he'd selected. While it breathed, they set the table, silent.

Charlie could feel the confusion in Anakin's force signature, but decided to wait until he spoke to her.

They ate in silence, only the sound of utensils clinking on plates and wine glasses being set down filling the room. They were reading each other, trying to judge intentions and answer questions without asking them.

It was one of the more distinctly tension-filled meals that Charlie had had. The silence was almost painful. It was necessary, she knew, for Anakin to snap and talk to her, but the waiting was torture.

They cleared the table and cleaned, leaving the dishes on a drying rack. Once they were done, Charlie grabbed two tumblers from the liquor cabinet, as well as a bottle of the chocolate liquor she'd shared with Padmé one time.

She walked over to the couch, Anakin following like a puppy. He looked at her questioningly, wondering how she'd known where the drink had been.

"Padmé once told me that it was Obi-Wan's favorite." Charlie said. "I suspected that he'd have some here. I quite enjoy it, and I don't think he'll mind. Have some?"

She held up the bottle in question. Anakin gestured for her to pour, and she gave them both generous amounts, setting the bottle down on the table with a definitive thud, hoping to jarr the sulking Jedi.

It worked.

Anakin winced.

"Alright, alright, stop this." he said. "I know I've been an ass."

He downed his drink in one gulp, and poured himself another.

Charlie looked at him inquisitively. "Tell me, Anakin." she said. "Tell me everything."

Those electric blue eyes caught hers, and suddenly she could feel all the pain and confusion that surrounded him.

"I was the Chosen One." he began. "I supposed that's where the problem started. Qui-Gon, he was supposed to be my master. For the short time I knew him, he was like a father to me. And the he died."

Charlie's heart cried for the young, vulnerable boy that had appeared in front of her.

Anakin was on a role now. "He died, and Obi-Wan was the only one there to see it. For the longest time, I only knew what he told the council. He agreed to train me, yes, but at first it was only for Qui-Gon's sake. He didn't want a padawan, especially not me. Headstrong, disobedient, impetuous me."

"And then something changed. I never could figure out what. But he came clean. He shared with me everything he knew of Qui-Gon, shared his grief at his death, and what went through his mind as he slew the Sith known as Darth Maul. He accepted me. He didn't hate me, never did. He had been nervous beyond reason to be responsible for me. Partly because Qui-Gon had had so much faith in me, but also because I am the Chosen One. My prophecy directly affects the Jedi, and Obi-Wan is a Jedi above everything else. He feels the weight of so much responsibility."

"But he never hated me. He wanted me as his padawan, was proud to have me as his padawan. You cannot imagine how much of a relief this was. When Qui-Gon died, I lost that father figure in him. And now I have found it in Obi-Wan. To lose him would be pain beyond death."

Charlie could feel the tears in her eyes. She had known master and padawan had had a strong bond, but nothing like Anakin spoke about. Together she and Anakin clinked and then drained their glasses, and Charlie refilled them. The potent liquor was quickly having an affect on them.

"Our adventures and my training were enough for a while." Anakin continued. "When I met Padmé, I fell for her almost immediately. I was but a young boy, but my obsession never stopped. I will admit I made a fool of myself more than once, but she makes me happy, and I think I return the favor."

His eyes softened when he talked about his wife, Charlie noticed.

"You do." Charlie responded. "She loves you, and she will be a wonderful mother to your child."

Anakin's expression darkened suddenly, and Charlie wondered what she had said to anger him so suddenly.

"That is what worries me." he said. "I've been having, I don't know, I think they're dreams. Dreams about Padmé dying in childbirth. They're terrifying, and I don't know how to handle them. I don't know if they predict the future, or they're just my subconscious scaring me. So I turned to the Chancellor."

Charlie sighed.

"I don't know what to tell you, Anakin." she said. "Padmé told me about them a while back, but I didn't think much of it then. Now I see I was wrong. My dreams have been all over the map. I…" she paused, unsure if she could go on. She finished the last of her drink and refilled it again, depending on the liquid courage.

Anakin looked at her curiously.

"When I was taken by the Sith Lords," Charlie began slowly, "I was taken through a dream. I still don't understand how, and I doubt I ever will. My dreams have proven to be prophetic sometimes, such as you saw with the incident Janulik, but also sometimes nothing more than my subconscious playing a mean joke."

She vividly remembered her first dream about Obi-Wan, and quickly made sure nothing crossed their bond.

She drank again. She was sure that her answer wouldn't satisfy Anakin, but his next question surprised her.

"Will you tell me more about the Sith Lords?" he asked quietly, not meeting her eye.

Charlie paused, drinking again. Anakin copied her. He refilled their glasses this time, still in silence. Charlie knew she should slow down and probably stop, but it was too easy to talk to Anakin, and this story would require more courage than she had on her own.

"It was horrific." she said quietly. "I was terrified and trapped against my will and unable to understand where I was, who I was, or why I was there. It took a tremendous act of will not to lose my mind. I am sure I would not have survived had it not been for the assistance of my heritage."

"I was taken from my family without care, and now my family have been kidnapped by the very same evil being that kidnapped me from them. Qui-Gon was killed by a Sith. There is a reason the Jedi fight against them with everything they have."

"The Sith represent everything the Jedi hate for good reason. They aren't simply passionate and uncontrolled and ruled by anger, but they also kill for no reason. I saw innocent people slain, towns razed, and families torn apart on the whim of a Sith and a flick of his finger. And I couldn't react, couldn't even try to stop them because I wasn't powerful enough. When I rebelled, I was tortured. Mind and body they tried to take me down simply to rebuild me as their next apprentice. I couldn't let that happen. Even when I wished for the force to take me, I wished even more for the power to stop them."

Charlie's voice had dwindled to a whisper by the time she was done. She met Anakin's eye.

"Tell me." she said. "Why did you turn to the Chancellor?"

Anakin repeated her actions from a few minutes ago, drinking and refilling. Charlie was well on her way to drunk, but she couldn't find the energy to care. The past week and now the many revelations she'd had today had given her a great need to relax.

Anakin sighed hard before speaking.

"He complemented me when Obi-Wan and the council simply reprimanded." he said. "He called me brave and powerful. Still does. He says, if I follow him, he has a way to stop Padmé from dying. To keep her and my child healthy. He says I can save her. He pushed for my knighting, and I know it was wrong to go over the council's head, but they don't respect me, don't appreciate me as much as they should!"

Anakin's voice reached a fever pitch in the last sentence, and Charlie was shocked to hear what he said. She knew it showed on her face, and she knew Anakin saw it.

"So you would side with the Chancellor over the Jedi." she asked him quietly.

"No!" Anakin protested. "I would never betray Obi-Wan, even if he infuriates me sometimes. I worry that he still thinks me not good enough, that he would still abandon me."

Anakin's voice broke on the last words.

"Even now, I think I am not good enough for him. Even now, when I have passed the trials and saved his life time and time again. Even now, when I am the Chosen One and resplendent in power. Even now, I fear he will leave now that we are no longer master and padawan."

Charlie felt the sorrow in the boy echoed in her own chest. She reached out to grab Anakin's hand, and missed by a good foot. She had had way to much to drink, and clearly the liquor had loosened Anakin's tongue as well. She tried again to reach his hand and this time succeeded.

"You will always be master and padawan." Charlie said, trying to imbue the words with certainty. "That bond has been built and cultured for a very long time, and will not be so easily broken as you assume. And just as well, I do not think Obi-Wan would abandon you so easily if he feels as responsible for the Chosen One as you say."

Charlie successfully grabbed his other hand.

"The Jedi are your home." she said. "They will be the best family you ever have. They are harsh because we are at war. I would venture to say that they fear you, except that they fear no one. You must learn to control your emotions. Your emotions give you power, and Obi-Wan wants you to subdue your anger because of this. Power from anger is the path to the dark side, and above all, Anakin, you must not go to the dark side."

Charlie stressed the last words, squeezing his hands and forcing Anakin to meet her gaze.

"Do not turn, no matter what is promised, because the entire galaxy may be at stake. I will be here for what you need. I will be here to save Padmé should her life ever be at risk. For that, you have my word. I will not let her die."

Something was driving Charlie to make reckless promises to Anakin. She had no way of knowing whether or not she could save Padmé, and she really didn't know if her life would ever be at risk.

Nonetheless, she maintained eye contact with Anakin until he nodded, satisfied at her response. Charlie relaxed, removing her hands from his and leaning back on the couch.

"Now tell me more about the Chancellor." she asked. "Something about him sounds… off."

But before Anakin could answer, the door opened and Obi-Wan strode in.