DISCLAIMER: Don't own, wish I did, no infraction meant, no
suing, okay George? Title from a Phil Collins song, don't own
that either.
NOTES: Okay, this is my first TPM/SW fic, but not the first
fanfic I have written, so if you wanna slag, go ahead! All
comments of any kind are welcome, including flames. I am a
pyromaniac, flames only feed my obsession! ;-) However, I am
NOT, repeat NOT on the Master_apprentice discussion list, so if
you send stuff there, I won't get it! Direct it to
moonmip@ihug.com.au!
Many thanks to Beck for her suggestions about Obi-Wan and
fatherhood, endless rounds of: 'Is it finished yet?' and a
fantastic beta! Thanks bud, a naked Obi-Wan's on it's way to
you(We wish! g)!
WARNINGS: Has SPOILERS for EVERY Star Wars movie, from TPM
right through to ROTJ. It's definitely AU, I'm kinda trying to
fill in the gaps between TPM and SW. Don't expect canon! Also
has a fair amount of violence, you've been warned!
Also, a plot device here may get me in trouble...Star Wars
purists be warned. But then again, how can you expect strict
canon following when we slash Obi ad Qui to hell and back?
Lucas sure didn't put that in, at least not
intentionally(remembering final scene with Qui and Obi - highly
suspicious....).
SUMMARY: My take on events between TPM and SW - Obi-Wan and
Amidala deal with Anakin's betrayal and the destruction of the
Jedi.
RATING: uh, PG-13? PG? better say PG-13 to be safe... Angst,
H/C, AU, Drama.
PAIRINGS: Q/O, Am/An, O/Am.
ARCHIVE: M/A, Rising Force, my homepage(see sig line), Jedi
Hurtaholics if you want(not sure if it's appropriate. Anyone
else wants it, just drop me a line!
Enjoy the fic!
// thoughts.
"Go!"
Even as he screamed it, Obi-Wan Kenobi dove forward, rolling
then straightening as he fended off the blaster bolts raining
around them. But the storm-troopers surrounding them were too
many, and it was all he could do to stay alive and defend those
escaping.
He deflected another barrage, but one blast slipped through his
defense, narrowly missing his leg. He felt the heat of it as it
passed him by. He was vaguely aware of Bant running past him,
lightsabre also ready, returning shots.
"That's it, that's everyone!" she shouted.
Slowly, the two knights began to back away to the waiting
ship's ramp, the ship that had to be defended at all costs.
For it held the some of the last living Jedi, as well as
civilians and the person who held Obi-Wan's heart.
But Obi-Wan was beyond thinking of the politics of the
situation, the statistics, the sheer mind numbing fact that
only twenty three Jedi had made it to the hangar, and that he
and Bant were all that was defending them. All they could do
was retreat to the ramp, praying they would make it before
being cut down like so many others of their kind.
There was a brief sound of machinery powering up behind them,
and the ship's onboard lasers began wreaking havoc amongst
their attackers. A few moments of carnage, then the troopers
hastily retreated, the guns too much for them.
Obi-Wan and Bant used the brief respite to increase their
speed, racing to the ship. But Obi-Wan began to slow as he felt
a presence approaching. A familiar one...
"Bant, get onboard now."
"Obi-"
"NOW!"
He shoved all the considerable Force power he held into the
command, as well as all the authority he had gained as one of
her respected friends and a Jedi Master. A brief moment of
hesitation, then Bant obeyed.
But at the top of the ramp, she paused again.
"Obi, let's go! While we still can!"
Oh, he wanted to, badly, but unless he did this now, none of
them would get out alive.
"Take off, Bant! I'll meet you at the dropsite, or not at all!"
Bant's head snapped up as she suddenly sensed what Obi-Wan had
noticed. "Obi, no! You can't!"
"Bant, go! Or are you so selfish that you allow the last Jedi
die for me?!" Cruelty barbed his tone, and he saw her flinch,
but it achieved the desired result. The ramp rose, the hatch
snapped shut, the engine sound rising in pitch as it prepared
to take off.
And then there was no more time to watch the ship.
Obi-Wan breathed as deeply as he could, trying to banish his
exhaustion into the Force. He had expended too much energy into
just trying to reach the hangar alive, and he would more than
likely pay for that with his life. But as long as the ship
escaped, precious cargo aboard, it was a life well given.
No time for introspection now, the door at the far end of the
hangar rolled back on its gears.
Obi-Wan forced himself to concentrate solely on the upcoming
battle, not the surge of hatred that blazed through him at the
site of his former apprentice. Though still tow-headed and
bright eyed, still angelically beautiful, Anakin Skywalker was
the epitome of evil.
A dark smile lit up the man's face as he saw the Jedi knight
standing at the entrance to the ship.
"Obi-Wan," he breathed. Beside him, a storm trooper raised his
blaster, only to have his head savagely crushed as Anakin
struck a blow to his temple. "That one is mine!"
The remaining storm troopers fanned out, converging on the
ship, but it was too late. Its engine's hum rising to a fevered
pitch, the ship rotated 180 degrees then blasted out into the
Coruscant skies, narrowly avoiding killing Obi-Wan in the back
draft.
Anakin's hiss of anger went unheard over the deafening roar,
but the fury he unleashed into the Force was felt even by the
Force-blind troopers. Several gasped, dropping weapons, others
shook their heads. Only Obi-Wan and Anakin didn't move for a
long moment, then Anakin's voice cut through the silence left
in the wake of the ship's departure.
"Out. I will deal with this...mynock...myself."
The troopers hurriedly obeyed, eager to be away from this
terrifying, yet compelling man. As they left, Anakin crossed
the hangar to Obi- Wan, who had not moved at all. The young
Sith apprentice paused six short feet from his former Master,
his stance casual and uncaring. But a seasoned warrior, Obi-Wan
knew that he was ready to strike.
Anakin smiled ferally. "It's been a long time, my Master." Then
he paused, tapping his chin thoughtfully with one black gloved
finger. "But, oh, you're not the Master anymore, are you,
Obi-Wan. Only one of a handful of remaining Jedi, whom I will
hunt to the ends of the universe. Even now, your kind dies
around you."
Obi-Wan still did not move, muscles not in the least strained
by the effort of remaining motionless. Only his eyes showed
evidence of life, following Anakin's every gesture. His face
was carefully schooled impassiveness, an expression the
emotional Anakin had always detested.
Undaunted by the lack of reaction, though his eyes tightened
slightly at the expression, Anakin waved a hand expansively.
"Do you like how I've redecorated Coruscant? I think the Jedi
Temple looks far better painted red and black with Jedi blood
and carbon scoring, don't you?"
Still no response.
Anakin snarled suddenly, his features twisting in darkness.
"This silence gains you nothing! You will still end this day
spitted on my 'sabre. And don't think that your Master's blade
can save you, it couldn't even save him."
Anakin's anger came quickly, as it always had, Obi-Wan noted
distantly, still holding position.
Before him, his former padawan flung back his black cloak,
snorting at Obi-Wan's defiant arrogance.
//Nor has he lost his melodramatic flair// Obi- Wan noted
dryly.
Anakin leant closer, though keeping a protective distance. "The
Jedi will be no more. I have slain countless of their numbers,
this resistance of your's is useless!" he spat savagely, hand
moving to his 'sabre at his belt. "It is only a pity I have you
this soon. I would have rather have caught you last, burnt out
by the deaths of all you care about."
He stepped back again, still holding his hand near his 'sabre.
"I have dreamed about it, you know." Speaking almost
conversationally. "All the Jedi destroyed, and I hunt down
you...and Padme."
Anakin had never referred to his wife as Amidala, she was Padme
in his eyes. It had been all that has stopped Amidala going
insane at times, she could almost fool herself into thinking
that Padme was someone else, all the terrible things that
Anakin had done, that was someone else's husband. Her husband
was Ani, the young man who loved her and his Master beyond
anything.
Anakin's eyes held a dark light now, as his mental imaginings
overtook him. "I would kill you before her. It is only fitting
that she watch the death of the one she betrayed me with.
Then...I will kill her. Slowly. And my vengeance would be
complete."
Obi-Wan's impassive mask shattered at that, and he moved. His
face drew back in a snarl feral enough to match Anakin's own,
and he flowed into the first stance of the 'mre' kata. The kata
of battle.
A snap and a hiss, and Anakin's 'sabre lit before the Master.
It's blade was no longer blue, the colour Anakin had chosen to
honour his master, no, now it was red, an imitation of the
blood it spilled.
Anakin undid his cloak, throwing it aside, removing it as a
hindrance. The action revealed another 'sabre at his belt, his
old one. In a quick movement, he unhooked it and tossed it to
Obi-Wan. A silent, though formal declaration of his resignation
from the Jedi corps.
The Master's hand lashed out and caught it, clipping it to his
own belt. An equally formal declaration that his resignation
was accepted.
"Well," Anakin turned his blade in his hand a few times,
getting the feel of it. "Now that the formalities are over -"
He lunged forward, and the two blades, one red and one green,
clashed.
The deck of the ship trembled beneath Bant as the Calamarian
stumbled toward the cockpit. She had given the order to retreat
over the intercom beside the entry hatch, and as she reached
the cockpit, the ship shot forward smoothly.
A Jedi Master - Asca Nevc, Bant remembered his name was - was
piloting, and as she looked, the copilot seat spun around.
"Where's Obi-Wan?!" cried Amidala, seeing she was alone. The
pilot also turned to her at that, shock on his face.
Bant drew a gasping breath. "He stayed to defend. Vader turned
up."
All colour left Amidala's face at that statement. "Skies above.
He'll kill Obi!"
The Master/pilot nodded as well. "We have to get him out of
there. We've too many dead already, we can't lose anymore. We
need him, especially." The Master didn't look at Amidala as he
spoke, though his words concerned her directly.
He brought the ship round in a graceful arch, returning to the
hangar. He knew that the freighter could manoeuvre easily, the
hangar was enormous.
"You two had better get down there to pull him aboard. The pick
up is going to be fast."
Amidala and Bant rushed to obey.
Anakin lunged forward, trying to drive his 'sabre between
Obi-Wan's defences, but his former master was too quick. Using
his preferred style of fighting - acrobatics - he somersaulted
out of the way of a potentially lethal thrust. This move
increased Anakin's frustration, he had never mastered
acrobatics as an offensive and defensive technique, something
he severely regretted now.
Lightsabres clashed, and again, the Sith apprentice determined
to kill Obi-Wan, the other man determined to survive. But as in
their last encounter, Obi-Wan skipped several opportunities to
wound Anakin.
The young dark lord smirked. Obi-Wan still believed he could be
saved. A notion he had to be disabused of immediately.
On the peripheral edges of the fight, Obi-Wan became aware of
the return of the transport ship, and though he was angry, he
feel relief as well. While he had no wish to die, he knew he
also could not strike Anakin down, not now and perhaps not
ever.
The Master fell back, retreating from his own padawan,
searching for a way to distract Anakin from the transport's
approach.
He aggressively dove forward, spinning and slashing, calling on
his longtime mastery of fighting. His master had always said he
had never seen Obi-Wan's equal in battle, and Obi- Wan knew he
had not met that match in Anakin Skywalker.
The transport surged back into the hangar, the noise of its
engines deafening in the confining space, drowning out Anakin's
roar of rage as it swooped forward to collect Obi-Wan, much in
the way Obi-Wan and he himself had saved Qui-Gon from the Sith
apprentice on Tatooine long ago.
He pounced forward, moving so quickly Obi-Wan could only
deflect the blow slightly as he drove his 'sabre into his
former master's chest like a knife through water. He stumbled
back as Obi-Wan began to slump, as if suddenly horrified by
what he'd done, but then the freighter was there, Obi-Wan being
Force-pulled on board by the other Jedi, being grabbed by
Amidala as the freighter lifted and began to move away.
Amidala looked out the hatch as the ship lifted once more, her
arms cradling a still and bloody Obi-Wan. For a moment, she did
not see Vader, the murderer of millions, but her beloved
husband Ani, reaching for her, calling her name...
"Padme!"
Then perspective snapped back into place as she glanced down,
uncertain, and saw Obi-Wan's damaged form. The hideous wound
that would probably kill him. Inflicted by the man she had
exchanged marriage vows with.
She lifted her head and screamed her hatred for Darth Vader,
the man that had taken over her husband's soul and body.
"Padme is dead, and so is Anakin Skywalker!"
Then the ship accelerated out of the bay for the second and
final time, and others were there, helping Obi-Wan, trying to
heal him, and she was so wrapped up in saving the life of the
last person she could trust, Amidala did not hear Anakin
screaming her name.
"AMIDALA!"
Bant withdrew her hands from Obi-Wan's forehead and favoured
Amidala with a tired smile. "I have set the healing trance.
Obi-Wan's body is already repairing itself. As long as his
fever does not rise too high, he will be fine with a few
weeks." The Calamarian kept to herself the fact that it would
be only days with Bacta treatment and a proper Jedi healer,
Amidala was worried enough as it was.
They had raced to pull Obi-Wan back into the ship, horror
almost tangible at his wounding, Amidala releasing a cry of
pain. As quickly and efficiently as they could, the two women
brought him to a cabin, laying him out and treating his wound
with both Bant's Force abilities and the meagre medical
supplies on hand.
Their efforts had been further hampered by the rocking of the
ship as it evaded Palpatine's ships that hung in orbit around
Coruscant, but escape they had, and somehow lost all pursuit.
Now, the flew deeper into space, as far from Palpatine and
Anakin's destruction as possible.
Bant gently ran a hand along Obi-Wan's forehead, smiling
faintly at Amidala as she sensed a faint surge of jealousy
briefly overcome worry.
"Don't worry, Amidala. The healing trance will accelerate his
recovery, he will be with us again soon."
The amphibious knight stood. "He will have a fever for a few
hours, cooling his skin should help. But he should be much
better by the time we reach the hideout."
Amidala tore her eyes from Obi-Wan long enough to frown at
Bant. "We are going to Hoth?"
The female spread her hands. "We have no choice. There is
nowhere else to run." She smiled reassuringly at Amidala's
worried expression. "We have all we need to fight the Empire
Amidala. Take strength from our cause and your care for
Obi-Wan. The Force will guide us."
As Bant left the room, Amidala gently stroked Obi's warm cheek,
before softly kissing it. "Please, Force, guide us. Help us. We
need it."
Amidala carefully wrung out the cloth and before placing it on
Obi- Wan's forehead again. But the fear was rising in her as
the hours passed and the fever climbed.
They had reached Obi-Wan in time to treat the wound, but their
ship had been chosen in haste, and was a freighter carrying
foodstuffs. There were few medical supplies and they were
barely adequate. Obi-Wan was not the only one injured in the
escape from Coruscant, but he was the worst case.
They didn't have what they needed to help him. The Jedi healing
trance was not working. And his fever just kept rising.
Amidala gently used another cloth to wipe the sweat from Obi's
face and neck. As she did so, she realised her hands were
trembling badly, and she forced herself to lay them in her lap.
But serenity and calm eluded her.
Anxious to move, to do anything, she stood, aiming to refill
the bowl with cool water. But as she emptied it into the sink,
her hands betrayed her again, and she dropped the bowl. Water
splashed around the small bathroom.
Amidala closed her eyes, leaning against the cool surface of
the bathroom mirror. She could handle this. She had no choice.
She took several deep breaths before raising her eyes to meet
her reflection.
It had started out so simply. She and Anakin had met on
Tatooine during the mission to save her world, Naboo, from
attack. An attack that Palpatine, one of her own Senators,
precipitated. Not that they knew that until too late, she
reflected bitterly.
It was on the same mission that she met Obi- Wan, then
apprenticed to Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn. She had found him a
wonderful, beautiful man, indeed, had developed a crush on him.
She had been delighted that circumstances, though sad, ensured
that she saw him often when he accepted Anakin as his padawan.
Anakin had come to see her every opportunity he had, but she
had thought his attention blind infatuation, not real
love, like her feelings for Obi-Wan.
She would give anything now to have paid attention then.
And it was because she saw Obi-Wan so often that she learned
that his heart was taken. It had died with his Master in the
melting pit under a tattooed Sith Lord's blade. He had told
her, unfolding his heart to the young girl, that he and his
Master had been lifemates - the Jedi equivalent of marriage,
though far more spiritual - and that he barely felt able to
live in a world without his love. She had cried bitterly for
weeks before accepting that she could not have him. It was at
her twentieth birthday, the day when she was officially a
sexually mature woman by her culture's standards, that she
noticed the sixteen year old Anakin in a new light.
They had married four years later, at the midpoint of Anakin's
studies. Though such things were not usually allowed by the
Jedi, the rules had been stretched to pretzel consistency in
Anakin's case already, and the marriage had been allowed.
Mostly in the hope that Amidala could ground Anakin and prevent
him from becoming out of control. It hadn't worked.
//We were so happy// she sighed at her reflection, fighting
tears back again. She forced air into her lungs and released
it. Behind her she heard a faint murmur, a voice wracked with
pain.
Obi-Wan.
Cursing herself for wasting time when he was so badly hurt, she
quickly refilled the bowl and returned to his side. Laying one
soft and on his forehead, furrowed with too many worry lines,
she frowned. His temperature was not abating.
She set down the bowl, wet and replaced the cloth on his
forehead, began to wipe his face again. They had been left
alone in a separate cabin on the ship so Obi-Wan would not be
disturbed, but she remembered the horrified faces around her
when Bant and the other knight had pulled Obi-Wan aboard.
She understood the feeling.
Like so many others, he seemed invincible, able to handle all.
His padawan had turned against him, yet he still fought for the
light. All his friends dying around him, yet he did not
despair. The love of his life gone, yet he found someone else
to love. At the thought, Amidala's hand moved down to touch the
gentle swelling of her stomach. At three months pregnant, the
children were only just beginning to show.
Wringing out the cloth again, Amidala spoke into the oppressive
silence of the room, still tenderly wiping his skin to cool it.
"After Anakin and I married, we were so happy, Obi. I know you
were too, glad to see that we had a love like your's and your
Master's, but afraid that we would lose it the same way. I
guess we did, in the end."
The young exiled queen ran the cloth down one arm, up the
other, across the neck. She continued the ministrations,
soothing in a way, the same rhythmic, unceasing motion. It
twined her into thought again.
She wasn't sure exactly when Anakin had started to be
standoffish and suspicious when Obi-Wan was around. She had
been aware that on some level, Anakin had always known that she
had wanted Obi-Wan, but she didn't realise that the Sith Lord
would take this knowledge and twist it until Anakin believed he
was the second choice.
The loser.
The one she had to take when she couldn't have what she wanted.
It wasn't true, had never been, but Amidala felt guilt
shuddering up inside her. Had she in some way led him to think
that? After Anakin had left them, Obi-Wan had told her, no, she
had done nothing. It was his own insecurities controlling him.
But that didn't help in the coldness of night, when she slept
alone.
The day Anakin left had been terrible. She had been out all
night in talks, state matters, returning in the early morning
to their rooms. She had been turning a problem over and over
again in her mind, considering a possible solution that Obi-Wan
had offered. He sat in on most government meetings, offering
advice and counsel.
When she had returned to their quarters, Anakin had been
waiting. He had seen Obi-Wan in her thoughts, and when the door
slid back, he had - - grabbed her, throwing her across the
room. She had stumbled on the hem of her robe, tripped and fell
to her knees. Before she could even gasp out a shocked query,
Anakin sank his hands deeply into her intricately woven hair
and savagely dragged her up to face him.
"You whore!"
He shoved her sideways, and she tumbled, the bottom falling out
of her world. But Anakin had her again, pulling her up by her
arm this time, in a grip hard enough to bruise.
"You were with him!
She managed to get out a word, little more than a breath, but
heard nonetheless. "Who..."
She cried out as he threw her again, she struck the bedpost,
pain lancing through her head. Wetness trickled down her face,
and she knew she was bleeding.
"Obi-Wan!" The words were twisted, cruel. "My Master.
Betraying me by the man who teaches me what is right and
wrong!" He flicked a kick at her stomach, she managed to twist
so it barely grazed her, yet the pain was still agonising.
"Well, I have a new Master now, one who'll teach me how to make
those around me respect me as they should!"
Not understanding, terribly afraid, Amidala sought to mollify
this madman currently inhabiting her husband's body.
"Obi-Wan and I have done nothing, I love -"
He caught her hair again, rough fingers tangling in it. "Don't
lie to me!"
"I'm not!" she screamed back. He had dragged her, hands still
deep in her hair, to their mirror, shoving her face forward.
"Can you look yourself in the eye and tell me you never loved
him?"
Amidala stared wide-eyed in the mirror, not looking at her own
bruised face, rather focusing on the stranger's visage behind
her. This was not her Anakin. It couldn't be.
His breath was hot on her cheek as he whispered to her, a
frightening caress. "Do you know what it's like, Padme? To have
the woman of your dreams, and know that she only thinks of
another? That she shares his bed while feeding you lies about
being in Council meetings?"
"I was in a Council meeting!" She still refused to cry,
despite the pain and bewilderment threatening to swamp her.
His hands tightened even more in her air, eliciting a gasp from
her red-painted lips. "Don't lie to me! I ran into
Senator Palpatine, he denied there were any meetings on. And I
was on my way back from practising my training kata's." His
voice twisted viciously. "Alone. My Master said he had
pressing business elsewhere."
Amidala barely had the opportunity to remember that Palpatine
had requested that he be excused as he was feeling ill before
Anakin's voice turned hoarse with badly suppressed fury and
frustration. "I bet he pressed alright. Pressed your
betraying little body into his bed while you begged and wept
for more!"
She tried one last time, desperate to make him see reason. "I
didn't-"
"SHUT UP!" he shouted. "I know you wanted him! You always have!
And now you have what you want. I've lost much in my life. I
was rescued from slavery, only to have to leave my mother
behind. Have the man who promised me that my dreams would come
true die. Meet and marry a beautiful woman whom I love with all
my heart, only to have her reject me to seek comfort in the
arms of the man I trusted above all else!"
Anakin's voice was as brutal as his grip on her body, his voice
hissing. "I'm tired of being the fool, Padme. I'm tired of
having things taken from me. Now I will take, take what
I want, what I'm owed! And you look at yourself in that mirror,
meet your own eyes, and tell me that you never once shared his
bed."
Afraid to speak, she trembled, sensing the unstable insanity
within him, saw Anakin take her silence for incrimination,
wrench her head back, bring his 'sabre to his hands, activate
it, bring it down -
Only to be blocked by a 'sabre of brilliant green.
Anakin dropped her, fingers pulling unbearably on her scalp for
a moment before she fell free. He kept his 'sabre ready, but
backed away from the avenging form of his Master.
"ANAKIN! What are you doing!"
"Taking my due!"
The queen could only stare in shock as her husband and closest
friend fought one another, 'sabres darting, sparks flying. No
mock battle, no practice match. This was a real fight, both
combatants moving almost faster than the eye could follow. But
it was rapidly apparent that Anakin was no match for Obi-Wan.
He gave ground, cursing viciously. Finally, he dipped his
'sabre, deactivating it, conceding defeat.
Obi-Wan did not power down his own weapon. He stepped
protectively in front of Amidala.. "Have you lost all sense!"
he bellowed. "What in Sith were you doing?"
Anakin laughed rudely, spread his hands. "Why not reach into my
mind and find out?"
Amidala saw Obi-Wan's eyes attain the semi- blank look they
always did when he reached out with his mind. But then he
reeled back, a strangled sound of horror emerging from lips
gone numb with shock.
Anakin laughed again, slowly backing towards the door. But
Obi-Wan made no move to follow, he only watched as Anakin
opened the door.
"Goodbye, Master, Padme. I don't need you anymore. When you see
me next, it will herald your death. You thought I was just a
useless slave. I'll show you all!"
He was gone.
Amidala remained on the floor, one hand holding her damaged
cheek. She waited long moments, but Anakin didn't return, and
Obi-Wan didn't move. This increased her terror, and she
scrabbled to her feet.
"Obi-Wan!" She shook him frantically, terrified by the pale
flesh of his face, the blankness in his eyes. Awareness
suddenly leaped back, and he touched her damaged face gently,
withdrawing at her involuntary hiss of pain.
"The Dark side. Anakin has turned to the Dark side."
It had been a while before she fully understood what Obi-Wan
meant, but eventually she did. Evil. Her husband, her love, had
become pure evil.
Feeling hurt, downtrodden, imagining slights that were never
there, he had nurtured a growing hatred of everything around
him. This hatred grew, hidden so deep Anakin himself didn't
know, yet expanding steadily until it exploded. Anakin had
never gotten over having to leave his mother behind, he
irrationally blamed Obi-Wan for that. He never moved past the
anger at the Council's rejection of him, transferring that
hatred to Obi-Wan as well, ignoring that it was Obi-Wan who had
taken him in and trained him. He secretly felt that he wasn't
good enough to be a Jedi, and that they laughed at him.
He wanted to be better than them all.
The Sith Lord had watched the hatred grow, carefully and
unobtrusively feeding it, planting the notion of Obi-Wan and
Amidala being lovers. A thousand petty grievances all wove
together in a tapestry of rage until it consumed him. Anakin
turned to the only source that could provide the power and
domination he craved.
The Dark side.
For three years, Anakin was neither seen nor heard of, though
Obi- Wan spent much time searching. On Coruscant, the Council
of the Jedi had murmured and shook their heads, all bearing the
expression of 'I told you so,' in between worried musings about
what this move portended.
Obi-Wan had nearly been destroyed by the turning, and as the
only one who truly understood and shared the loss, Amidala
became his confidant, his lifeline. The only one he could
trust...
She had woken in the middle of the hot summer night to a hand
stroking her hair.
"Obi-Wan!"
The smile that lit her face was genuine, Obi-Wan was the only
person who could draw such a smile from her anymore. Shared
pain and comfort had deepened the already intense bond between
them, which lead to it deepening yet further as they shared
more of themselves.
He was outlined in bright moonlight, painting his skin pale
blue, sharply outlining his handsome features. A beautiful man
still, though lacking the odd braid he had worn when she first
met him. Wrapping a sheet around her naked form, she sat up,
rubbing tired eyes.
"When did you return?"
Obi-Wan dredged up an exhausted smile, just for her. "Only an
hour ago. I came straight here." His voice caught. "I
needed to be with you. I can't tell anyone else, not
yet."
Her heart stilled. "You found him?"
In response, the man before her pulled back the edge of his
tunic from his neck. A half healed wound, one she recognised as
a 'sabre mark, graced the previously unblemished skin,
seemingly even more visible in the soft night time light.
She was fully awake in an instant. "He did that to you?" She
reached out to examine the wound.
Obi-Wan nodded before dropping heavily into a chair beside her
bed, gently pushing her fingers away. Though only thirty eight
to her twenty seven, she could see pure white hairs on his
crown, painfully obvious in the moonlight streaming in her
window.
"I have no doubt now. Anakin is gone. He goes by the name
'Vader' now."
Overwhelmed by the terrible news that, effectively, her husband
was dead, Amidala reached for something, anything to
save her sanity. "V...Vader? Short for invader?"
Obi-Wan let out a bitter mocking laugh. "I don't know. All I
know is that nothing remains of my padawan..." he met her eyes,
"...or your husband."
She let tears take her, mourned as if she really had lost him,
which she supposed she had. Nothing of the man she loved
remained, only the dark warrior who had usurped his body and
killed him.
Blind in her grief, she felt Obi-Wan sit beside her on the bed,
holding her, sharing her grief. He stroked her thick mass of
hair, muttered comforting sounds. He opened his mind to hers,
allowing her to see what he had seen.
Anakin, sneering, uncaring about her, his former master or the
light. He had again accused Obi-Wan of sharing Amidala's bed,
though they never had, and for not having faith in him, which
had only been briefly, at the start of Anakin's training, when
the grief over Qui-Gon's death was still fresh. The torrent of
his rage had poured out, and feeling its depths, Obi-Wan knew
he couldn't save his padawan. But he had to try.
Nothing Obi-Wan said brought sanity to Anakin's eyes, but he
had persisted until the former Jedi apprentice had turned and
drawn his lightsabre on him. Obi-Wan had frozen in disbelief,
and was struck. But instinct kicked in, and he had beaten
Anakin back.
"I won't be caught out again." Obi-Wan's voice was soft in the
darkness. "He'll come after you next. I won't let that happen."
Amidala closed her eyes, but still all she saw was black.
"Where was he when you found him?" she asked listlessly.
Obi-Wan hesitated before answering. "On Tatooine. Standing over
the body of his mother." He choked back a sob. "He killed her
before I got there. I could sense it, tried to get there. I was
too slow."
It was his turn to cry now, and Amidala held him. She gently
stroked his hair, craving physical contact to push away all the
horror her world had been filled with. And as she cradled him,
the love she bore him came to the fore, and she tilted his head
and kissed him.
He made a sound of protest, partway between a laugh and a sob.
"I can't, Amidala, I can't. I'm bonded to Qui-Gon, he was my
lifemate. I love him. He's waiting for me. It's not fair to
you, to him -"
Amidala silenced him with a deep kiss, even as he responded
slightly. "I'm not asking for the next life, Obi-Wan. My Anakin
will be with me there, you'll have your mate. All I'm asking
for is now, this life. We both need to heal this hurt within
us, or it'll kill us both." Her voice dropped. "Please. We
need this."
A shaky breath, and a nod. "You're right."
Hands roamed flesh, kisses taken desperately, each trying to
satisfy the great void within them. And as their bodies coupled
in the moonlight, striving for a union, those voids were at
least partially filled.
Amidala did not cease her tending of Obi-Wan during her
musings. It was laughable, in an entirely serious sense, that
Anakin was so afraid that she and Obi-Wan were sleeping
together that he drove them to do so. But she regretted none of
it.
It had not been a one off encounter, they had remained close,
engaging in comfort when they needed to, taking solace in one
another. And it was by Obi-Wan that the two children growing
inside her had been conceived.
She had been afraid to tell him, frightened it would tie him
down in a way he did not wish, that it would drive him from
her. She had been foolish to think so. It had been Obi-Wan who,
in the end, told her that she was pregnant with twins,
having sensed them. He was as apprehensive as she was about it,
but they had moved past their fears, and had been ecstatic that
they could create new life despite the turmoil that surrounded
them.
They had agreed that, for now, the children's existence should
be secret. It was not hard to hide, she was only five weeks
into her pregnancy, it didn't show yet. They would worry about
what to do when it became obvious. Somehow, she and Obi-Wan had
found balance, and her life felt bearable again.
But she had been given precious little time to put all this
into perspective as events happened frighteningly fast.
Anakin had returned. And the Sith Lord revealed himself.
Palpatine had declared her in violation of her planet's laws by
committing adultery while her husband still lived, Anakin
backing him on the claim. Belatedly, Amidala remembered
Palpatine's deliberate deception of her husband the night he
had fled Naboo and the light. Both Anakin and Palpatine had
used the Force to twist minds into believing this charge, a
charge that carried the death sentence on Naboo. Palpatine had
sent a mob of 'outraged moralists' to kill her in hopes of
driving Anakin further insane with her death, but Obi- Wan had
saved her again. They hid amongst the Gungans until they could
get off planet.
And Anakin's rage had grown.
They had retreated to Coruscant, Amidala protected by the
Republic, but that safety was fleeting.
Within a few months, Palpatine and Anakin had twisted,
perverted and overwhelmed hundreds of thousands of minds,
turning them into their own private army. They had razed Naboo,
killed every Gungan they could find. The Trade Federation had
joined Palpatine's army, the number swelling to immense
proportions.
This massive attack force had destroyed every planet between
Naboo and Coruscant, enslaving populations, convincing some to
join the troops. The Jedi realised who Palpatine was, what his
intentions were, but it was too late.
Palpatine invaded Coruscant, Anakin at his side.
The slaughter had been ghastly, Jedi the main targets. Though
they were excellent warriors, the 'storm troopers', as
Palpatine's forces were called, outnumbered them in a huge
proportion and the Jedi could only fight until they were
exhausted, and then die.
Amidala rubbed her eyes, unable to believe that it had been
slightly under a day since Coruscant had been invaded. The
deaths, slaughter, fires, attacks, retreat, escape, all had
happened so fast it had been a blur in her mind.
She had been asleep when Obi-Wan had burst into their quarters
- he had insisted upon their sharing despite the Council's
objections - waking her quickly, pulling her to her feet. She
had been dressed already, thankfully, only taking a nap in the
middle of the day, and he had given her a blaster.
They had fought their way out of the Temple to the landing pad.
The blaster he pushed into her hand was warm, and for a second
she had the terrible thought that Obi-Wan had used it already.
But that was ridiculous, the Jedi didn't use blasters.
"What is it?" She asked as he pulled her towards the other exit
of their quarters. The Jedi had disapproved of their sharing
quarters, but had agreed, clearly expecting her to sleep in
Anakin's old room. The rooms Obi-Wan held were those that he
and his Master had shared, Obi-Wan sleeping in his Master's old
room. But she hadn't, couldn't bear to sleep in Ani's room,
wanted to be with Obi-Wan. She shared his bed instead.
Yet now they entered the room that both had tried to ignore,
moving to the door in the opposite wall. The door had been
dysfunctional during Obi-Wan's padawan training, but he'd had
it repaired. He was grateful for that now.
He pulled Amidala through the room, steadfastly refusing to
look at the belongings Anakin had left there, Amidala doing the
same. He keyed in the opening sequence, holding her back as he
quickly checked the corridor.
"Palpatine has invaded."
Before Amidala could express shock, there was a crashing sound
on the main door, then a fizzling sound as someone began to cut
through with a lightsabre.
"Anakin," Obi-Wan breathed. He grabbed her hand, pulling her
into the corridor. Lightsabre and blaster ready, they ran for
it.
They encountered several squads of storm troopers as they made
for the emergency assembly place for the Temple. All were
engaged with Jedi, who defended them as they slipped through
the corridors. To all the Force-sensitive Jedi, it was obvious
Amidala was pregnant, and they protected her as well as they
could, urging Obi-Wan to get her to safety. He needed no
urging, but his fear was that Anakin would sense her pregnancy
as the others had.
They dove through the twisting corridors, dodging squads. As
they ran, they were moving to the west side of the Temple, and
as they went, it became painfully obvious that the storm
troopers had already been through here. Corpses and carnage
everywhere.
Obi-Wan snagged Amidala around the waist, carefully guiding her
through the debris and bodies, lightsabre ready.
"Nearly there," he breathed in her ear. He made her wait, while
he darted around a corner.
Seconds later she flung herself to the floor as blaster fire
erupted around her. Rolling behind a column, she managed to get
a glimpse of her attackers.
Storm troopers, three.
There was a brief pause, she could hear the hum of
communications equipment. Why weren't they attacking? She
strained her hearing, and managed to catch what they were
saying.
"She's the one we want, and any Jedi with her. Vader wants her.
Get her alive."
//Like hell!// thought Amidala. She took a deep breath, and
attacked.
She leaped to her feet and dove across the corridor, firing as
she went, before lurching behind another pillar. //Thank the
Force the Jedi go in for monumental architecture//
Aware that her hiding place was now known, Amidala fired
blindly around the pillar, knowing from a muffled curse that
she had hit one of them. As she fired, she screamed.
"OBI-WAN! I NEED YOU!"
Painfully long seconds later, she could see him, racing down
the adjoining corridor toward her. From her vantage point, she
also saw Bant with him, felt relief that Obi's oldest friend
survived. He needed her. She caught his eyes, indicating that
there were at least three troopers. He quickly conveyed this to
Bant, and their lightsabres flared into life as they burst into
the corridor.
There were only the three, it was over quickly. The one Amidala
had struck was dead, and Bant and Obi-Wan took out a remaining
one each, deflecting their own blows back at them.
Obi-Wan grabbed her around the waist, pulling her too her feet
and making sure she was unharmed, before grabbing her hand,
pulling her back the way they came.
"They were looking for me," she gasped as she ran. "And you."
Amidala sighed in relief. "Are there many here?" she whispered
as they rounded the corner into the hangar. Ahead of them, some
people were streaming up the extended ramp of a freighter. She
could see civilians, some Jedi children, a few padawans and
knights, and a Master standing guard as the others boarded.
Bant shook her head, an odd move for the amphibious creature.
"Fifty at most, probably thirty. Too many troopers."
Amidala's heart sank.
The Master on guard met Obi-Wan's eyes, and she could see that
they were communicating mentally. Obi-Wan's eyes widened, then
he nodded.
Obi-Wan pressed a rough kiss to Amidala's forehead, then pushed
her in the direction of the Master and the ship. "Get on now.
There are more troopers coming."
"I love you!" she cried, seeing his answering smile, then she
turned, running as hard as she could toward the ship as blaster
fire exploded around her for the second time that day.
Which led her back to here. Obi-Wan, 'sabre wound in his chest,
increasingly rising fever, laboured breathing. No medical
supplies, little weapons, fleeing for their lives.
She was becoming afraid. She had done all she could, and
Obi-Wan was still leaving her. She leant forward, grasping his
hand until her knuckles lost all colour.
"Please, Obi-Wan. You can't leave me. I need you."
The only response was incoherent murmurings from the fevered
sleep. Amidala gently brushed hair back from Obi-Wan's forehead
before kissing it lightly. She carefully climbed up on the bed,
lying beside him, taking him into her arms as she had done so
many times before, and he had done for her. She could feel the
heat radiating off him, and at a loss, she kissed him again.
"Please, love," she whispered. "Don't go."
It was deep into the ship's night when she awoke, hand fumbling
for the light controls, setting them on dim.
For a long moment, she was uncertain, unsure exactly what had
woken her. Automatically she reached for Obi-Wan, searching for
his reassurance. It took her a few moments to remember his
injuries, but the memory was brought to the fore when she
brushed his skin.
It burned to the touch.
She reached for the cloth and water again, but they had grown
warm while she slept, and with shaking, terrified hands, she
grabbed them and stumbled into the bathroom. She hurried to
refill the bowl with cool water, hands trembling, but dropped
the bowl at a hoarse shout from Obi-Wan.
Forgetting the bowl, she fled back to his side, only to freeze
in horror as his fever-wracked body began to convulse. She
listened to his thrashing and harsh breathing for a brief
second before throwing herself forward, climbing on top of him
in an effort to still his flailing limbs to prevent him harming
himself or reopening his partially healed wound.
Tears poured down Amidala's face as she struggled to hold onto
the only person left in her life. She barely heard herself
screaming to the other Jedi for help, hearing far more clearly
her own mental babblings to the man below her.
Obi-Wan's body arched impossibly tight for a moment; she feared
he would snap. Then the fight left him suddenly, he tumbled
limply back down onto the bed, breathing barely audible.
Amidala gently reached out, one hand tracing along his
collarbone, dipping into the hollow of his throat, seeking his
lifebeat. His flesh was so hot...and his lifebeat was so weak.
There was no doubt in Amidala's mind that Obi- Wan would not
survive the night.
Silent tears tracked down elegant features, and her eyes
darkened in grief. With a soft keening wail, she pulled
Obi-Wan's still form into her arms, gently rocking him.
"No, please stay..."
She gradually became aware of a change in the quality of light
in the room, dimness giving way to a soft, suffusing blue glow.
Still cradling Obi-Wan's dying form, she lifted her head,
blinking to clear salty tears from her vision.
What she saw stilled her heart.
At the foot of what was rapidly becoming Obi- Wan's deathbed,
an indistinct figure swelled and shimmered, slowly gaining
humanoid features. Her grip on Obi-Wan tightening
uncontrollably, Amidala only stared as the dancing light
rippled and then coalesced into the features of Qui-Gon Jinn.
She had only known the Jedi Master for a small time,
preoccupied in saving her people, appreciated his help, yet did
not take the time to know him better. Upon hearing of his
death, and seeing a distraught, almost catatonic Obi- Wan - in
shock from the shattered life bond - she regretted bitterly not
learning of the man who gave his life for her people.
She had made up for that error in some small measure after his
death, listening to Obi-Wan tell her of their past, helping him
overcome his almost crippling grief. And though she knew him
for only a few weeks, she easily recognised his features and
his current form.
A Force Spirit.
Obi-Wan had told her of this phenomena, where Jedi had the
ability to manifest themselves before those still alive after
their deaths. He had warned her that they usually only appeared
when those that they cared about, those that still lived, were
in great danger, or dying themselves.
Qui-Gon Jinn had come for his lifemate.
He was dressed as he had been the day he died, his body whole
and complete, showing no sign of the wound that killed him. His
hair brushed his shoulders softly, tied back from the face that
was as calm and inscrutable as it had been the day she had met
him. Yet his figure was not fully complete: his belt was devoid
of his lightsabre, the lightsabre Obi-Wan now carried, and that
rested on the bedside table beside them.
The dead Jedi Master did not speak to her, he hadn't come for
her. He silently reached out his hand to Obi-Wan, who shifted
slightly in her grasp, hands twitching as if he reached for
something of his own. He murmured softly, voice hoarse with
pain.
"Master....."
The Force Spirit advanced around the bed, reaching out to touch
the young knight's cheek.
"No!"
The dispossessed queen clung jealously to Obi- Wan, pulling him
away from the Spirit's incorporeal touch. "Don't take him, we
need him, I need him..." She rocked his form again, aware she
trod the fine line between grief and dark insanity. But she
couldn't bear to lose Obi-Wan....she couldn't.
For the first time, the spirit deigned to look at her, the
serene features taking in her red, tear filled eyes, her tight
grasp on Obi-Wan, her palpable fear.
{Let him go}
She didn't hear the voice with her ears, rather it echoed in
her mind, like a clear note struck from a bell. But the source
of the sound was irrelevant, all she knew was that it was
intent on taking her Obi-Wan away from her.
"I won't." Her voice was unsteady. "He is needed too much
here."
{He suffers. Release him from the pain.}
She could sense anguish in the incorporeal figure's voice,
sadness that his lifemate was in pain. Her political mind
catalogued that observation, perhaps it could be used to
bargain for Obi-Wan's life.
"He does suffer. We all do. But we need his strength, his
courage..." her voice dipped in volume, uncertain how the
spirit would react to her next statement, "...his love, to keep
us going. To give us the will to drive back the Empire."
The spirit again surveyed her, but made no further move to
touch Obi-Wan, a sign she prayed meant he would not take
Obi-Wan yet.
{The Empire will be destroyed, young queen, but you will not
live to see it.} The spirit's gaze shifted slightly to the limp
figure in her embrace. {Nor will Obi-Wan}
Terror gripped her heart, an unbearable pressure that tightened
further as the spirit narrowed it's eyes at her.
"No, don't take him, I need him..."
{He has already given you much.} A faint hint of jealousy
entered the tone. {You share his bed and love, have taken much
from him, taken him from me...}
"No more than your 'Force' stole from me!" she flared back.
"Why shouldn't we seek comfort in each other when all else has
been taken from us? He is all I have left, him and -"
She bit her lip to stifle her outburst, uncertain how Jinn
would react to the words she had almost uttered. He showed
jealousy that she shared Obi-Wan's bed and affections, how
would he react to the fact she bore his children as well?
The spirit of Obi-Wan's lifemate paused, head tilted to one
side as if listening to a voice only he could hear. After a
long hesitation, he sighed, folding hands into his heavy robe.
{I have no right to be angry with you. Obi-Wan chooses his own
path. I would have his company again, yet you have the right of
it. His task is not done. I cannot be with him yet. But I can
ease his pain.}
She inhaled sharply as the spirit's hand brushed Obi-Wan's
cheek, gently caressing. Obi turned into the touched, a soft
gasp escaping his lips, his breath evening out.
"Master..." he mumbled again.
A look of intense pain crossed the spirit's face, and it's hand
hovered over Obi-Wan for a long moment, Amidala holding in her
breath in silent fear.
The hand moved away.
Amidala allowed herself to breathe as the spirit stepped back,
already beginning to disintegrate. It met her gaze evenly, it's
tone purely possessive.
{You have Obi-Wan in this life, now that I am gone. But when he
rejoins the Force, he will be mine and I will not share him}
The young woman nodded solemnly. "I do not attempt to take him
from you. We share comfort now. Whatever happens after this
life, I will be with my Ani, where I belong, and Obi-Wan will
be with you, where he belongs." She didn't begin to wonder
where their children would fit in, but she knew they would be
loved and cherished, by herself and Obi-Wan if no one else.
The spirit bowed, the bulkhead becoming visible through it.
{Have courage, young queen. The children you carry will destroy
the Empire. I bear them, and you, no ill will.}
A wistful note entered the rapidly fading voice.
{Tell him I love him, and I am waiting...}
The blue nimbus dimmed, vanished.
Jinn was gone.
For countless heartbeats, Amidala simply remained still,
Obi-Wan's lifebeat throbbing under her fingers, his chest
moving evenly with each breath. She finally raised her eyes to
the sound of feet pounding down the corridor. Confused, she
looked at the chronometer.
Only seconds had elapsed since Obi-Wan's seizure and her
terrified screams.
Bant and the Jedi Master burst into the room, running to her,
pulling Obi-Wan from her grasp as they hurriedly examined him.
She watched in a daze as colour trickled back into his pale
cheeks, and he sighed, as if in sleep.
Felt dizzy relief at the pronouncement that his fever was
broken, he would live. Could only watch in distraction as the
other Jedi guided Obi-Wan back into a healing trance, their
relief also palpable.
Bant told her to rest, still dazed, she lay down again, curling
around Obi-Wan as the other Jedi left, feeling his heartbeat,
listening to the soft rhythm of his breath.
They had been given another chance at happiness, and she would
be damned if she would let it go.
It was several months before they returned to Coruscant.
There simply wasn't time to get there any sooner, between
coordinating attacks and setting up the rebel base on Hoth.
Several other ships had met at the rendezvous point, survivors
aboard. But it was rapidly obvious that only only around two
hundred Jedi were left from thousands. Much time was spent
organising the survivors, into patrols, setting up shelters,
organising supplies and guerrilla attacks on the empire that
sprang up in the Republic's ruins. Much of that time was also
spent healing by Obi-Wan. He was all too aware that in the Jedi
Temple he would have healed within days, but without the
advantages of Jedi healers, it had taken weeks.
None of the Jedi they had been able to save had been healers,
most were padawans. Only twenty Masters, Obi-Wan included, a
score more knights. A sad lot. And no one even knew what had
happened to the Council members. If he tried his hardest,
Obi-Wan was sure he could feel Yoda, being faintly linked to
him through his Master, Yoda's former padawan, but the effort
left him weak.
The first time he had tried this had been just after recovering
from his battle with Anakin, and it nearly undid his healing.
Amidala had nearly been insane with anger and worry. She had
screamed at him for his foolishness, and had said some
nonsensical comment about how she had managed to hold onto him
once and wouldn't be able to do so again. He put that
incomprehensibility down to stress.
Yoda lived, he was sure of it. But what of the other Council
members?
Sadly, the truth was more than likely that they were dead, and
as Obi-Wan stood in the ruins of the Jedi Temple, identifying
what corpses he could, he had to deal with the fact that they
were.
The sight of Mace Windu, eyes blank and unseeing, upturned to
the sky, insides ripped out bloodlessly with a 'sabre, had him
on his knees, retching. Amidala had found him that way, hunched
over, rocking silently, trying not to let the destruction
around him tear his mind free of its roots in sanity.
The woman gently placed a hand on his shoulder. Snow fell
around them, the destruction of most of the planet's surface
altering the weather, driving it from pleasant to bitterly
cold. But after spending months on Hoth, the cold didn't bother
Obi-Wan at all. However, he did rise at the sight of Amidala,
wrapped heavily in furs, standing beside him.
"You shouldn't be here! You'll make yourself ill!" He wrapped
his arms around her and she lay her head on his shoulder,
careful of her distended belly.
"I can't sit on the ship and wait for you while you suffer. I
did that once before and you nearly died for it." Her next
words were soft, but unmistakable. "Besides, I draw strength
from you. I think I would die if you weren't there for me."
Obi-Wan said nothing, merely held her close and kissed her
cheek. He had survived the fight with Anakin, but in doing so
had received a Force-sight, of a day, many years ahead, when he
would meet Vader again and die by his hand. But that lay ahead,
and faced with the destruction of now, it was little comfort.
The two stood like that for long moments, twined around each
other in the fashion only lovers could, staring at the wreckage
surrounding them. Then Amidala looked up at him, sorrow filling
her beautiful brown eyes.
"What happened to us, Obi? We both used to have it all. People
who loved us, wonderful homes, family." She stared distantly at
the remains of the Jedi Temple. "Now we are all we have left.
How did it go so wrong?"
Obi-Wan released a soft, choked sob. "I guess something
happened on the way to heaven."
He closed his eyes, locking out the sight of his destroyed
world. "Come on," he reached blindly for her hand, felt her
take it. "You shouldn't be out here too long in your
condition."
As he made to lead her back to their waiting vessel, she
halted. When he moved to question her, she stopped his lips.
Perhaps as a concession to the lifestyle they would be forced
to lead, she used his new name, one they'd agreed to use,
because their old names carried too much pain and memories with
them.
"I love you, Ben Kenobi. I know that in the next life, we will
be reunited with those that hold our souls, but for this
lifetime, we have each other. You are my world."
Obi-Wan gently caressed her cheek. "I love you too, Dala. We
will save Anakin. I promise it. I foresee it. But until
then, I am yours." No need to tell her that her husband was the
one that killed him.
The young dispossessed queen smiled sweetly, taking his hand.
"We have much to do. Plans to make, an empire to destroy." Her
hand touched her distended stomach lovingly. "Children to
raise."
Obi-Wan met her eyes steadily. "Do you ever wish they were
his?"
The startlement that filled her eyes was genuine, as was her
explanation. "No! I thank the Force each day that the children
born of my body will be yours and..." her voice softened in
sadness, her eyes downcast, "...free of whatever it is that
tainted Anakin. You will be an excellent father, Ben. I
foresee that."
The two made their way back towards their ship and the future.
A future that would be full of pain, for both of them, and
their children as well. A future where Amidala would die barely
three years after her children were born, in a raid on a rebel
base by the Empire, leaving Obi- Wan alone once more. A future
where Obi-Wan was forced to hide his children, one on Alderaan,
one with his brother, barely being reunited with his son and
setting him on the course of his destiny before being struck
down by his former - and only -Padawan.
A future where Anakin would mistake Luke's age, and confuse him
for being his own son, recognising Amidala's life energy
signature within then boy, but not Obi-Wan's. A future where
Amidala and Obi-Wan's children restored the balance to the
Force forever. A future where peace would reign, but at a
terrible cost to the two people now approaching the ship's
ramp.
Obi-Wan smiled slightly at Amidala as he wrapped his arms
around her. Together, they boarded the ship to begin a new
life, one they prayed would be filled with a new hope.
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