One Path Chapter 32--What We're Fighting For
Title: What We're Fighting For
Author: Lionchilde
Summary: He kissed her until there was no war, or crowd around them, or pounding hearts, or even Obi Wan and Padme...
Rating: PG
Length: Around 3100 words
Category:OMG!FLUFF!/Angst.
Pairings/Charaters: Obidala
A/N: One Path Chapter 32. Set during an alternate RotS.
What We're Fighting For
Mace Windu strode away from a Republic gunship as Obi Wan, Anakin, and Palpatine finally stepped out onto the safety of the landing platform. Palpatine was leaning weakly on Anakin's shoulder, but any fatigue that Obi Wan had felt was washed away with the first breath he took--real air, not the canned and processed oxygen inside a spacecraft. His heart beat faster because it was Coruscanti air, because somewhere on this planet, she was waiting--they were waiting.
"Chancellor, are you well? Do you need medical attention?" Master Windu's voice pulled him from his thoughts. The powerful Jedi gestured over his shoulder toward the ship he'd brought with him. "I have a fully equipped field surgery--"
"No, no, no need," Palpatine assured him. "Thank you, Master Windu, but I am well. Quite well, thanks to these two."
Mace nodded, his eyes moving toward Anakin and Obi Wan. "And you, Anakin? General Kenobi?"
"Never better, Master," Anakin replied, and Windu's lips twitched faintly.
Obi Wan felt a slight hitch in his chest at the interplay, but let it pass as he lifted his fingers to touch the wound on his scalp. "Only a bump on the head. That field surgery must be needed elsewhere."
"It is. We don't have even a preliminary estimate of civilian casualties," Windu's expression turned grim. He waved off the gunship, then turned back and added, "A shuttle is on its way. Chancellor, we'll have you on the Senate floor within the hour. The holonet has already been notified that you will want to make a statement."
"I will. I will, indeed." Palpatine agreed, giving the Master a grateful touch on the arm. "You have always been of great value to me, Master Windu. Thank you."
"The Jedi are honored to serve the Senate," replied Windu. Was it Obi Wan's imagination that he heard a subtle emphasis on the word Senate? He didn't think so.
Mace turned back to Anakin. "Is there anything else to report? What of General Grievous?"
"Count Dooku was there Master," the Knight replied. Then his tone shifted, sounding almost embarrassed. "He's now dead."
"Dead?" Windu's eyes traveled from one to the other of them and back again before finally resting on Obi Wan. "Is this true? You killed Count Dooku?"
"My young friend is too modest; he killed Count Dooku," Obi Wan replied, moving his hand gingerly back to the bump on his head. "I was--taking a nap."
"But…but…" Windu blinked. For a moment, Obi Wan thought he might actually crack a smile. "That is the best news I've heard since--since I can remember. Anakin, how did you do it?"
"It was an accident, Master," Anakin replied uncomfortably. "I…I attempted to take him into custody, but…I became distracted. Count Dooku took advantage and threw me back. I had no choice."
"He would have killed you and escaped if you hadn't acted, Anakin," Palpatine spoke up kindly. "If I may say, Master Windu, this young hero is a credit to your training. The entire battle was… extraordinary. I know next to nothing of swordplay of course, but to my amateur's eye, it seemed that Count Dooku may have been a trace overconfident. Especially after having disposed of General Kenobi so neatly. Throwing Anakin the way he did was merely the last act of a desperate man. He realized by then that he was beaten. Our young friend acted every bit the Jedi, especially alone against such a formidable adversary."
Obi Wan felt himself flush, both at the mention of his early exit from the battle and at the reminder of Mace's relationship with Anakin now. Of course he should be a credit to his Master's training--what else would Palpatine have said? Even he could see Mace's hand on the boy's practice of the Jedi Arts--on the boy himself. He had gained a maturity and strength that Obi Wan could not take credit for--would not have taken credit for in any case.
"Obi Wan and I defeated Count Dooku together," the Knight said quietly.
"Of course, my boy, of course," Palpatine smiled apologetically. "I merely thought that perhaps you were a bit more…highly motivated. General Kenobi, after all, was simply doing his duty. You were fighting to save--if I may be so bold as to presume the honor--a friend."
Now Anakin's face became even more red than Obi Wan's felt. The young Knight knew, of course, that no one on the Jedi Council had ever approved of his friendship with the Chancellor. Concerns had been addressed to Obi Wan when the boy was young, and the situation had become a bone of contention between Anakin and Mace.
"Master Windu, we must also report that General Grievous has escaped," Obi Wan spoke up, gently redirecting the flow of discussion before tensions began to rise. "He is as cowardly as ever."
Mace nodded. "But he is only a military commander. Without Dooku to hold the coalition together, these so-called independent systems will splinter, and they know it. This is our best chance to sue for peace. We can end this war right now."
As he finished the statement, Windu looked directly and rather pointedly into the Chancellor's eyes. Palaptine gave a sad shake of his head. "I'm afraid peace is out of the question while Grievous is at large. Dooku was the only check on Grievous' monstrous lust for slaughter. With Dooku gone, the general has been unleashed to rampage across the galaxy. I'm afraid that, far from being over, this war is about to get a very great deal worse."
Obi Wan felt his stomach sink. Grievous was indeed a problem--a dangerous problem, but he was not the mind behind the war. That had been Count Dooku, and with Dooku gone there was a window in which they could act to end the war. It was a small window, though, and if the Jedi Council was going to be mired in conflict with Palpatine, no decisive action would be taken. The endless, pointless battles would continue, but instead of fighting a single Separatist movement, the Republic would be fraught with the chaos of multiple factions vying for power--unless of course another leader would emerge, and Obi Wan had a sick feeling that he knew who that leader might be.
"And what of the Sith?" he asked. It was beginning to make a twisted kind of sense. Darkness covered everything, not just Coruscant or the Senate. The Sith were the ancient enemies of the Jedi Order--they had no interest in politics except where those politics might lead in some way to galactic dominion. How such a thing could be accomplished--how the Sith could be operating within both political structures, he could not guess, but if the Republic and even the Jedi could place operatives within the Confederacy of Independent Systems, there was no reason that the Sith could not be acting to control both governments at once. The question of why also plagued Obi Wan, but whatever Darth Sidious might be attempting to do by manipulating the Senate, it was only a small piece of his real strategy. Of that much, the general was positive. "Dooku's death should have at least begun the weakening of the darkness, but instead it feels stronger than ever. I fear Master Yoda's intuition is correct. Dooku was merely the apprentice to the Sith Lord, not the Master."
The shuttle that Mace had spoken of passed by overhead, and the Master turned, walking toward the small-craft dock where it would land. The rest of the group fell into step with him and he said, "The Sith Lord, if one still exists, will reveal himself in time. They always do. A more interesting puzzle is Grievous. He had you at his mercy, Chancellor, and mercy is not numbered among his virtues. Though we all rejoice that he spared you, I cannot help but wonder why."
"I can only assume the Separatists preferred to have me as a hostage rather than as a martyr. Though it is of course impossible to say; it may merely have been a whim of the general. He is notoriously erratic," Palpatine murmured.
"Perhaps the Separatist leadership can restrain him, in exchange for certain..." Mace let his gaze drift casually over the man's head. "... considerations."
"Absolutely not," insisted Palpatine. "A negotiated peace would be a recognition of the CIS as the legitimate government of the rebellious systems tantamount to losing the war! No, Master Windu, this war can end only one way. Unconditional surrender. And while Grievous lives, that will never happen."
The sinking feeling in Obi Wan's stomach deepened. Once he might have agreed in principle, but the Clone Wars had now dragged on beyond all possible reason. Palpatine's determination to defend the Republic bordered on paranoia, and the vast majority of Republic citizens had no interest in the politics behind the war. For them, it was not a war of political ideologies, or even a war between Light and Dark as the Jedi believed it to be. It was real and immediate. It meant hunger and pain and disease--it meant children growing up without their parents, husbands and wives left with only fleeting moments…memories. All those people wanted was an end to the fighting--and so, honestly, did Obi Wan Kenobi.
"Very well. Then the Jedi will make the capture of General Grievous our particular task," Mace said as they boarded the shuttle. He looked significantly toward both Obi Wan and Anakin, then he to Palpatine again, and added with an intensity that brought some comfort to the war weary general. "This war has gone on far too long already. We will find him, and this war will end."
***
Standing amid the welcoming party on Chancellor Palpatine's private landing platform, Anakin Kenobi craned his neck to watch the approach of the Jedi shuttle. He held onto Padme's hand with solemn dignity as it set down, but once the little group disembarked, his tightly held composure crumbled, and he broke loose from Padme's restraining hand.
"Dad!" he ducked through the crowd, skirting Palpatine to reach Obi Wan and Anakin, who were still near the shuttle.
"Ani!" the cry came from both men, but it was Obi Wan's arms which swept him off the platform.
He curled his arms around his father's neck in response, felt the general's grip tighten into a fierce hug. Obi Wan's beard prickled as he pressed a kiss into the boy's cheek, but Ani didn't care. He didn't care about anything but having this man's arms around him. They were every bit as strong as he remembered, and through the stale sweat and dust and blood, the familiar scent brought comfort and security.
He looked down at his father and saw the sparkle of tears in Obi Wan's blue eyes. Then he took in the trickle of blood that ran down the general's head. For the first time, he realized that his father looked tired--more than tired. He looked battered. Ani frowned worriedly, "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, son," Obi Wan nodded, smiling.
Ani continued to frown, turning to the grinning Jedi beside them, who was slightly tousled but radiated a boundless energy. "Is he, Uncle Anakin?" the boy asked dubiously.
"I promised I'd keep him out of trouble, didn't I?" Anakin winked.
Both men started to move away from the ship, heading toward where Padme stood beaming. Obi Wan laid two fingers on Ani's jaw, turning his head back in the other direction. "How's my boy? Have you taken good care of you mother as I asked you to?"
"'Course," he nodded gravely.
"Good," his father replied. "I knew I could count on you."
***
HoloNews crews along the pedestrian gangway were already clamoring, but Obi Wan ignored them, his gaze now focused over Ani's shoulder on Padme. As they reached her, he gave Ani a wink and shifted the boy into his uncle's waiting arms.
"Your son is a hero," Padme told him as her arms wound around his neck.
"Is that so?" all Obi Wan saw was her smile. All he felt was her warmth and softness, and a moment later, all he tasted was her lips.
Padme felt tears well behind her closed eyelids. She trembled against him but said nothing, fighting for control. There were so many things she wanted to say, all crowding their way up her already constricting throat, trying to find their way passed lips that refused to form words, wanting only the press of his mouth again. Wordlessly, he kissed her a second time, more deeply. He kissed her until there was no war, or crowd around them--no pounding hearts or even Obi Wan and Padme. There was only golden luminosity, timeless unity. The moment became the kiss, was the kiss--and then the moment shattered.
"Hey, are you two coming?" Anakin called. He kept one arm firmly around little Ani, and with the other gestured lazily to indicate the crowd, which was beginning to edge off the platform.
Padme started to pull away and follow, but Obi Wan subtly tightened his arms around her, tugging her back. "I haven't the courage for politics. Besides, someone has to be the poster boy," he added.
Ani giggled.
The elder Anakin gave a pained cough. "Poster man," he corrected.
"Quite right, quite right," Obi Wan chuckled. "Go meet your public, Poster Man."
"Wait a minute--this whole operation was your idea. You planned it. You led the rescue. It's your turn to take the bows this time."
"You won't get out of it that easily, my young friend," Obi Wan grinned, his hand moving in a reassuring circle against Padme's back as he spoke, silently easing the tension that began to form in her at the mention of the battle. "Without you, I wouldn't even have made it to the flagship. Let's not forget, you rescued me from the Buzz Droids. You killed Count Dooku, and single-handedly rescued the Chancellor, carrying me unconscious on your back, and you managed to land that bucket of bolts safely."
"All because of your training," Anakin said, and though his tone remained exactly the same, Obi Wan caught the subtle reference.
His smile faltered, then widened. "Thank you, Anakin, but really…"
"You deserve all those speeches of your greatness," Anakin told him dryly.
"The endless speeches…let's be fair…you are the hero today, Anakin, and you deserve your glorious day with the politicians," he winced as Padme stepped on his foot.
"All right. But you owe me--and not for saving your skin for the tenth time," Anakin told him finally.
"Ninth time. That--that business on Cato Neimoidia doesn't count; it was your fault in the first place," Obi Wan bantered, tugging his foot out from under his wife's heel. "I'll see you at the Outer Rim briefing in the morning."
Anakin smiled and nodded, moving to set Ani down. Then he paused, and a distinctly childlike expression of glee came over his face. "You wanna come with me?"
Ani nodded eagerly and turned hopeful eyes on his parents. "Can I?"
"I'll have him home in time for dinner," Anakin promised dutifully.
Padme laughed. The first real laugh she'd felt in five months. "All right," she allowed.
The pair hurried off after Palpatine and the retreating crowd. Obi Wan and Padme watched their figures disappear, waited until they were alone, and then turned to one another again. Her hands slid up the sides of his face, and this time she didn't restrain the tears.
He brushed his lips softly against her face, kissing the moisture away. "It's all right," he promised. "I'm here now."
"For how long?" she asked shakily. "Obi Wan, there were whispers…that you'd been killed…I couldn't keep it from Ani."
He closed his eyes, anguished. "It will end soon, darling. I promise you. Dooku is dead. It's only a matter of time now. Then we'll all go home. We'll all be together…"
She could feel the sudden, crushing weight of grief and pain as he let the statement trail off. His hand moved instinctively to her abdomen, touching the life within through some Jedi skill that she only half understood. He had often done the same thing in the early months of her pregnancy with Ani, but this would be the first time that he had felt the twins. She hoped that the contact would lift the sadness from him, bring back the joy and wonder she remembered from those far away moments on Naboo. He did smile--a genuine smile--but rather than end the sorrow, gladness only mingled with it.
"This should be a happy moment," he said apologetically.
Padme closed her eyes. The simple phrase cut her more deeply than she would have thought. In all the time that he'd been gone, she had pushed her fear of the pregnancy aside. It had been all too easy to focus elsewhere. She could keep her mind on her husband, so far away and beyond her protection; on Ani, who despite his determination to be all that he believed was expected of General Obi Wan Kenobi's only son, was still a small boy in need of comfort and normalcy; on her duties in the Senate and her fears for the future of the Galactic Republic. Now, none of those things seemed to matter, because in her heart she was afraid for her unborn children, afraid for Ani and Obi Wan, who both needed her too much to leave behind. She had tried not to show it--couldn't show it, because the pregnancy must be hidden--but evacuation and the battle had been a strain that her body could not afford.
She held him tighter, pressed her cheek to his and breathed in the comfort of his body as she had done one long ago night on Naboo. She had been Queen and he a newly promoted Knight of the Republic. He had been her best friend, rescuing her from the clumsy, well meaning Padawan who kept inadvertently stepping on her feet. They had danced that night, and she had been too young and foolish to see what was right in front of her--that he loved her--that they loved one another. That night was long since over. She knew the truth now, and she drew it into her, let it cleanse her fear and his.
"No matter what happens tomorrow, or next week, or next month, or five years from now, we will be together," she reminded him softly.
"And as long as we are together, we have nothing to fear," he nodded. "I love you, Padme."
"And I love you," she promised. "Always."
Author: Lionchilde
Summary: He kissed her until there was no war, or crowd around them, or pounding hearts, or even Obi Wan and Padme...
Rating: PG
Length: Around 3100 words
Category:OMG!FLUFF!/Angst.
Pairings/Charaters: Obidala
A/N: One Path Chapter 32. Set during an alternate RotS.
What We're Fighting For
Mace Windu strode away from a Republic gunship as Obi Wan, Anakin, and Palpatine finally stepped out onto the safety of the landing platform. Palpatine was leaning weakly on Anakin's shoulder, but any fatigue that Obi Wan had felt was washed away with the first breath he took--real air, not the canned and processed oxygen inside a spacecraft. His heart beat faster because it was Coruscanti air, because somewhere on this planet, she was waiting--they were waiting.
"Chancellor, are you well? Do you need medical attention?" Master Windu's voice pulled him from his thoughts. The powerful Jedi gestured over his shoulder toward the ship he'd brought with him. "I have a fully equipped field surgery--"
"No, no, no need," Palpatine assured him. "Thank you, Master Windu, but I am well. Quite well, thanks to these two."
Mace nodded, his eyes moving toward Anakin and Obi Wan. "And you, Anakin? General Kenobi?"
"Never better, Master," Anakin replied, and Windu's lips twitched faintly.
Obi Wan felt a slight hitch in his chest at the interplay, but let it pass as he lifted his fingers to touch the wound on his scalp. "Only a bump on the head. That field surgery must be needed elsewhere."
"It is. We don't have even a preliminary estimate of civilian casualties," Windu's expression turned grim. He waved off the gunship, then turned back and added, "A shuttle is on its way. Chancellor, we'll have you on the Senate floor within the hour. The holonet has already been notified that you will want to make a statement."
"I will. I will, indeed." Palpatine agreed, giving the Master a grateful touch on the arm. "You have always been of great value to me, Master Windu. Thank you."
"The Jedi are honored to serve the Senate," replied Windu. Was it Obi Wan's imagination that he heard a subtle emphasis on the word Senate? He didn't think so.
Mace turned back to Anakin. "Is there anything else to report? What of General Grievous?"
"Count Dooku was there Master," the Knight replied. Then his tone shifted, sounding almost embarrassed. "He's now dead."
"Dead?" Windu's eyes traveled from one to the other of them and back again before finally resting on Obi Wan. "Is this true? You killed Count Dooku?"
"My young friend is too modest; he killed Count Dooku," Obi Wan replied, moving his hand gingerly back to the bump on his head. "I was--taking a nap."
"But…but…" Windu blinked. For a moment, Obi Wan thought he might actually crack a smile. "That is the best news I've heard since--since I can remember. Anakin, how did you do it?"
"It was an accident, Master," Anakin replied uncomfortably. "I…I attempted to take him into custody, but…I became distracted. Count Dooku took advantage and threw me back. I had no choice."
"He would have killed you and escaped if you hadn't acted, Anakin," Palpatine spoke up kindly. "If I may say, Master Windu, this young hero is a credit to your training. The entire battle was… extraordinary. I know next to nothing of swordplay of course, but to my amateur's eye, it seemed that Count Dooku may have been a trace overconfident. Especially after having disposed of General Kenobi so neatly. Throwing Anakin the way he did was merely the last act of a desperate man. He realized by then that he was beaten. Our young friend acted every bit the Jedi, especially alone against such a formidable adversary."
Obi Wan felt himself flush, both at the mention of his early exit from the battle and at the reminder of Mace's relationship with Anakin now. Of course he should be a credit to his Master's training--what else would Palpatine have said? Even he could see Mace's hand on the boy's practice of the Jedi Arts--on the boy himself. He had gained a maturity and strength that Obi Wan could not take credit for--would not have taken credit for in any case.
"Obi Wan and I defeated Count Dooku together," the Knight said quietly.
"Of course, my boy, of course," Palpatine smiled apologetically. "I merely thought that perhaps you were a bit more…highly motivated. General Kenobi, after all, was simply doing his duty. You were fighting to save--if I may be so bold as to presume the honor--a friend."
Now Anakin's face became even more red than Obi Wan's felt. The young Knight knew, of course, that no one on the Jedi Council had ever approved of his friendship with the Chancellor. Concerns had been addressed to Obi Wan when the boy was young, and the situation had become a bone of contention between Anakin and Mace.
"Master Windu, we must also report that General Grievous has escaped," Obi Wan spoke up, gently redirecting the flow of discussion before tensions began to rise. "He is as cowardly as ever."
Mace nodded. "But he is only a military commander. Without Dooku to hold the coalition together, these so-called independent systems will splinter, and they know it. This is our best chance to sue for peace. We can end this war right now."
As he finished the statement, Windu looked directly and rather pointedly into the Chancellor's eyes. Palaptine gave a sad shake of his head. "I'm afraid peace is out of the question while Grievous is at large. Dooku was the only check on Grievous' monstrous lust for slaughter. With Dooku gone, the general has been unleashed to rampage across the galaxy. I'm afraid that, far from being over, this war is about to get a very great deal worse."
Obi Wan felt his stomach sink. Grievous was indeed a problem--a dangerous problem, but he was not the mind behind the war. That had been Count Dooku, and with Dooku gone there was a window in which they could act to end the war. It was a small window, though, and if the Jedi Council was going to be mired in conflict with Palpatine, no decisive action would be taken. The endless, pointless battles would continue, but instead of fighting a single Separatist movement, the Republic would be fraught with the chaos of multiple factions vying for power--unless of course another leader would emerge, and Obi Wan had a sick feeling that he knew who that leader might be.
"And what of the Sith?" he asked. It was beginning to make a twisted kind of sense. Darkness covered everything, not just Coruscant or the Senate. The Sith were the ancient enemies of the Jedi Order--they had no interest in politics except where those politics might lead in some way to galactic dominion. How such a thing could be accomplished--how the Sith could be operating within both political structures, he could not guess, but if the Republic and even the Jedi could place operatives within the Confederacy of Independent Systems, there was no reason that the Sith could not be acting to control both governments at once. The question of why also plagued Obi Wan, but whatever Darth Sidious might be attempting to do by manipulating the Senate, it was only a small piece of his real strategy. Of that much, the general was positive. "Dooku's death should have at least begun the weakening of the darkness, but instead it feels stronger than ever. I fear Master Yoda's intuition is correct. Dooku was merely the apprentice to the Sith Lord, not the Master."
The shuttle that Mace had spoken of passed by overhead, and the Master turned, walking toward the small-craft dock where it would land. The rest of the group fell into step with him and he said, "The Sith Lord, if one still exists, will reveal himself in time. They always do. A more interesting puzzle is Grievous. He had you at his mercy, Chancellor, and mercy is not numbered among his virtues. Though we all rejoice that he spared you, I cannot help but wonder why."
"I can only assume the Separatists preferred to have me as a hostage rather than as a martyr. Though it is of course impossible to say; it may merely have been a whim of the general. He is notoriously erratic," Palpatine murmured.
"Perhaps the Separatist leadership can restrain him, in exchange for certain..." Mace let his gaze drift casually over the man's head. "... considerations."
"Absolutely not," insisted Palpatine. "A negotiated peace would be a recognition of the CIS as the legitimate government of the rebellious systems tantamount to losing the war! No, Master Windu, this war can end only one way. Unconditional surrender. And while Grievous lives, that will never happen."
The sinking feeling in Obi Wan's stomach deepened. Once he might have agreed in principle, but the Clone Wars had now dragged on beyond all possible reason. Palpatine's determination to defend the Republic bordered on paranoia, and the vast majority of Republic citizens had no interest in the politics behind the war. For them, it was not a war of political ideologies, or even a war between Light and Dark as the Jedi believed it to be. It was real and immediate. It meant hunger and pain and disease--it meant children growing up without their parents, husbands and wives left with only fleeting moments…memories. All those people wanted was an end to the fighting--and so, honestly, did Obi Wan Kenobi.
"Very well. Then the Jedi will make the capture of General Grievous our particular task," Mace said as they boarded the shuttle. He looked significantly toward both Obi Wan and Anakin, then he to Palpatine again, and added with an intensity that brought some comfort to the war weary general. "This war has gone on far too long already. We will find him, and this war will end."
***
Standing amid the welcoming party on Chancellor Palpatine's private landing platform, Anakin Kenobi craned his neck to watch the approach of the Jedi shuttle. He held onto Padme's hand with solemn dignity as it set down, but once the little group disembarked, his tightly held composure crumbled, and he broke loose from Padme's restraining hand.
"Dad!" he ducked through the crowd, skirting Palpatine to reach Obi Wan and Anakin, who were still near the shuttle.
"Ani!" the cry came from both men, but it was Obi Wan's arms which swept him off the platform.
He curled his arms around his father's neck in response, felt the general's grip tighten into a fierce hug. Obi Wan's beard prickled as he pressed a kiss into the boy's cheek, but Ani didn't care. He didn't care about anything but having this man's arms around him. They were every bit as strong as he remembered, and through the stale sweat and dust and blood, the familiar scent brought comfort and security.
He looked down at his father and saw the sparkle of tears in Obi Wan's blue eyes. Then he took in the trickle of blood that ran down the general's head. For the first time, he realized that his father looked tired--more than tired. He looked battered. Ani frowned worriedly, "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, son," Obi Wan nodded, smiling.
Ani continued to frown, turning to the grinning Jedi beside them, who was slightly tousled but radiated a boundless energy. "Is he, Uncle Anakin?" the boy asked dubiously.
"I promised I'd keep him out of trouble, didn't I?" Anakin winked.
Both men started to move away from the ship, heading toward where Padme stood beaming. Obi Wan laid two fingers on Ani's jaw, turning his head back in the other direction. "How's my boy? Have you taken good care of you mother as I asked you to?"
"'Course," he nodded gravely.
"Good," his father replied. "I knew I could count on you."
***
HoloNews crews along the pedestrian gangway were already clamoring, but Obi Wan ignored them, his gaze now focused over Ani's shoulder on Padme. As they reached her, he gave Ani a wink and shifted the boy into his uncle's waiting arms.
"Your son is a hero," Padme told him as her arms wound around his neck.
"Is that so?" all Obi Wan saw was her smile. All he felt was her warmth and softness, and a moment later, all he tasted was her lips.
Padme felt tears well behind her closed eyelids. She trembled against him but said nothing, fighting for control. There were so many things she wanted to say, all crowding their way up her already constricting throat, trying to find their way passed lips that refused to form words, wanting only the press of his mouth again. Wordlessly, he kissed her a second time, more deeply. He kissed her until there was no war, or crowd around them--no pounding hearts or even Obi Wan and Padme. There was only golden luminosity, timeless unity. The moment became the kiss, was the kiss--and then the moment shattered.
"Hey, are you two coming?" Anakin called. He kept one arm firmly around little Ani, and with the other gestured lazily to indicate the crowd, which was beginning to edge off the platform.
Padme started to pull away and follow, but Obi Wan subtly tightened his arms around her, tugging her back. "I haven't the courage for politics. Besides, someone has to be the poster boy," he added.
Ani giggled.
The elder Anakin gave a pained cough. "Poster man," he corrected.
"Quite right, quite right," Obi Wan chuckled. "Go meet your public, Poster Man."
"Wait a minute--this whole operation was your idea. You planned it. You led the rescue. It's your turn to take the bows this time."
"You won't get out of it that easily, my young friend," Obi Wan grinned, his hand moving in a reassuring circle against Padme's back as he spoke, silently easing the tension that began to form in her at the mention of the battle. "Without you, I wouldn't even have made it to the flagship. Let's not forget, you rescued me from the Buzz Droids. You killed Count Dooku, and single-handedly rescued the Chancellor, carrying me unconscious on your back, and you managed to land that bucket of bolts safely."
"All because of your training," Anakin said, and though his tone remained exactly the same, Obi Wan caught the subtle reference.
His smile faltered, then widened. "Thank you, Anakin, but really…"
"You deserve all those speeches of your greatness," Anakin told him dryly.
"The endless speeches…let's be fair…you are the hero today, Anakin, and you deserve your glorious day with the politicians," he winced as Padme stepped on his foot.
"All right. But you owe me--and not for saving your skin for the tenth time," Anakin told him finally.
"Ninth time. That--that business on Cato Neimoidia doesn't count; it was your fault in the first place," Obi Wan bantered, tugging his foot out from under his wife's heel. "I'll see you at the Outer Rim briefing in the morning."
Anakin smiled and nodded, moving to set Ani down. Then he paused, and a distinctly childlike expression of glee came over his face. "You wanna come with me?"
Ani nodded eagerly and turned hopeful eyes on his parents. "Can I?"
"I'll have him home in time for dinner," Anakin promised dutifully.
Padme laughed. The first real laugh she'd felt in five months. "All right," she allowed.
The pair hurried off after Palpatine and the retreating crowd. Obi Wan and Padme watched their figures disappear, waited until they were alone, and then turned to one another again. Her hands slid up the sides of his face, and this time she didn't restrain the tears.
He brushed his lips softly against her face, kissing the moisture away. "It's all right," he promised. "I'm here now."
"For how long?" she asked shakily. "Obi Wan, there were whispers…that you'd been killed…I couldn't keep it from Ani."
He closed his eyes, anguished. "It will end soon, darling. I promise you. Dooku is dead. It's only a matter of time now. Then we'll all go home. We'll all be together…"
She could feel the sudden, crushing weight of grief and pain as he let the statement trail off. His hand moved instinctively to her abdomen, touching the life within through some Jedi skill that she only half understood. He had often done the same thing in the early months of her pregnancy with Ani, but this would be the first time that he had felt the twins. She hoped that the contact would lift the sadness from him, bring back the joy and wonder she remembered from those far away moments on Naboo. He did smile--a genuine smile--but rather than end the sorrow, gladness only mingled with it.
"This should be a happy moment," he said apologetically.
Padme closed her eyes. The simple phrase cut her more deeply than she would have thought. In all the time that he'd been gone, she had pushed her fear of the pregnancy aside. It had been all too easy to focus elsewhere. She could keep her mind on her husband, so far away and beyond her protection; on Ani, who despite his determination to be all that he believed was expected of General Obi Wan Kenobi's only son, was still a small boy in need of comfort and normalcy; on her duties in the Senate and her fears for the future of the Galactic Republic. Now, none of those things seemed to matter, because in her heart she was afraid for her unborn children, afraid for Ani and Obi Wan, who both needed her too much to leave behind. She had tried not to show it--couldn't show it, because the pregnancy must be hidden--but evacuation and the battle had been a strain that her body could not afford.
She held him tighter, pressed her cheek to his and breathed in the comfort of his body as she had done one long ago night on Naboo. She had been Queen and he a newly promoted Knight of the Republic. He had been her best friend, rescuing her from the clumsy, well meaning Padawan who kept inadvertently stepping on her feet. They had danced that night, and she had been too young and foolish to see what was right in front of her--that he loved her--that they loved one another. That night was long since over. She knew the truth now, and she drew it into her, let it cleanse her fear and his.
"No matter what happens tomorrow, or next week, or next month, or five years from now, we will be together," she reminded him softly.
"And as long as we are together, we have nothing to fear," he nodded. "I love you, Padme."
"And I love you," she promised. "Always."