Saga A Fleeting Solace- (Obi-Wan/Padmé episode 3 romance/friendship/angst)- Chapter 6 Up! Complete!

Title: A Fleeting Solace

Author: solojones

Summary: Obi-Wan has lost everything- his apprentice and friend, his fellow Jedi, and his hope. Padmé has lost everything but her children. Now both of them must protect the children from Vader and The Emperor, while trying to deal with their own internal conflicts. They seek solace in one another, but to what end?

Time period: Episode III or maybe right after

Disclaimers: It all belongs to Lucas.

Genre: Romance, friendship, angst

Characters: Obi-Wan and Padmé


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Chapter 1
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It was a secluded planet. He was sure he'd be able to protect Padmé and her newly born twins there, at least for a while. But it wouldn't last long. They'd have to take more permanent action to keep Anakin's family safe, and it would have to be done soon. The Emperor knew. He knew that Anakin had a child, and he would stop at nothing to get the child for himself. The child would be strong in the Force, and a powerful ally if turned to the Dark Side. The Jedi order was all but extinct now-the work of Palpatine and Vader's purges. Yet there was always a chance that Anakin's child could be a threat, could become a Jedi. The Emperor knew this, but so did Obi-Wan. But Obi-Wan knew something more- there were two. This made him all the more apprehensive as he struggled to find a way to hide the strong young ones from the Emperor. and from Vader.

Vader. The name made him shudder subconsciously. When he had seen him, he could scarcely believe that inside that dark, menacing machine was the man he had called his friend and protégé. To think, that trapped inside that rigid machinery was a human being. To think, Anakin was trapped in there. Did he want to get out? Did he want to free himself from the prison of his own body and his ever darkening mind? A prison he had been put in by his own master, and friend. Obi-Wan shook away the thoughts. No, Anakin was dead. He had to remind himself of that. Even though his body remained partially, the man that was once Anakin was now nothing more than a speck in the mind of Darth Vader, if even that. Still, Obi-Wan couldn't help feeling that wasn't entirely true.

Walking through the halls of their hidden dwelling afforded him little solace. It was a small building with the bare minimum of living comforts and nothing to do to pass the time but mull over the same bleak thoughts over and over again. Obi-Wan had been around the circular hallway several times, each time passing the door to Padmé's room. He knew she must be in there with the twins, and Sabé was probably helping her. They were the only other people within hundreds of miles, and he was desperately eager for someone to talk to so he wouldn't be lost within his own dim thoughts. Yet, he knew how precious little time she had with her children, and what joy they brought her. He didn't want to disturb that small amount of peace which still existed. Hesitantly, he stopped before her door and knocked lightly.

"Hello Master Kenobi," Sabé said with a slight courteous bow.

Obi-Wan returned the greeting and followed the young woman inside, closing the door behind him. Padmé was sitting by the window, rocking gently in the light of the setting sun as she held one of her children in a small bundle. She turned and smiled at Obi-Wan as he approached. "He likes to be in the sun where it's warm," she said, stroking the boy's soft cheek gently. Obi- Wan watched quietly, a melancholy smile crossing his weary features. Padmé stood and offered Luke to Obi-Wan. "Here, hold him."

After a moment of reluctance, the Jedi gently took the child in his arms. Luke's small, round face beamed with innocence and promise.

"He reminds me so much of Anakin," Padmé said with a reminiscing happiness.

"Yes," Obi-Wan said sadly, "very much." The boy had such great potential shining in his crystal blue eyes, but that potential could still go either way. It could still be used for such a great evil. He could easily turn out like Anakin. "He looks tired," Obi-Wan said, searching for an excuse to get rid of t

 

Very good fic, solojones As your first one, that was really good. Hope you write more in the future

~aeryn

 

That was good, sj. Even though the dialogue was limited, it was well-written and the overall characterizations were good as always . I'm interested in reading more, although I'm not sure about those 'complications'...

 

Yes, there are some more parts to this story coming very soon so don't escape just yet Aeryn, because you would

Greg... (or you, if you prefer)

-sj loves kevin spacey

 

Me escaping? Me run away from an Obidala fanfic? I'll be lurking

~aeryn

 

Good freshman effort. I can see you developing nicely as an author under the nurturing care of the feedback monsters around here. I'll watch to see where this one goes when it gets "complicated".




tf

 

Thanks for the encouragement there Tif. I will try to post the next part tonight. Oooh, complication's fun

-sj loves kevin spacey

 

Okidokie, as promised, Part II. Starting to get a little more complicated but mind you there's more to come This is so angsty


----
chapter 2
----


Lightsabers sizzled furiously with each blow, the air pulsing from the energy. Through the darkness, Obi-Wan couldn't make out his opponent; but he could sense the towering dark presence through the Force. The evil was not a cold, calculating sort but a passionate, fiery anger- and it burned against Obi-Wan. He tried not to let himself be afraid, tried to calm himself, but it wasn't working. The familiar comforting blanket of the Force was thinning, pulling itself from him with each passing moment. As it did, he slowly became blind to his surroundings and his opponent. Suddenly, the adversary had disappeared and he could only see the small area lighted by the glowing blue of his saber. Obi-Wan twirled the sword around anxiously. Perspiration dripped down his face, and his heart began to pound furiously in apprehension.

The air became eerily still, and then Obi-Wan heard the faint sound of an ominous mechanical breathing. He couldn't tell where it was coming from; it seemed as though it were all around him. Suddenly, a flash of a red beam blazed to life in front of him. Without the Force to warn him, he was too slow to block the attack- the blade lunged straight into his stomach, and through. He gasped, dropping his lightsaber, which rolled off, now extinguished. For a few moments, the lightsaber remained in his torso as his body absorbed the shock of the blow. He looked up to see a familiar dark figure standing over him, achieving a feeling of smiling even through his mask. Then he yanked his sword out viciously, wheeled on one heal, and walked slowly away, his heavy cloak brushing Obi-Wan's face as the Jedi sunk to the ground.

Obi-Wan lay on the cold ground in the dark room, unable to feel anything but shock. Then a wave of agony hit him as his nerves came alive. There was no Force to quell his pain, nothing to grasp onto as he always had. He squeezed his eyes shut and let out a tremendous cry of agony. His breathing quickly became frantic as it became harder and harder for him to get air to his burning lungs. As his consciousness began to fade, he opened his eyes slowly. Standing before him, glowing blue in the darkness, were hundreds of fallen Jedi. All wore solemn looks on their faces as their stares bore into his eyes; and at the front of the group were the figures of Anakin and Qui- Gon. Desperately, Obi-Wan stretched out a hand, reaching for his friends- but they wore the most disapproving looks of all.

*****

Unable to sleep, Padmé was roaming the quiet hallway restlessly, her velvet robe pulled over her sheer nightgown for warmth. Everything was still, until she suddenly was started by a muffled, though piercing, scream. Alarmed, she tried to listen for the source of the sound and finally deciphered that it was coming from a little way down the hall- Obi-Wan's room. She stopped outside his door, hoping he would stop, but the despairing sounds continued. They were the unmistakable sounds of a horrible nightmare.

After only a moment's pause, she quickly entered the room, turning on the low lights and rushing to Obi-Wan's bedside.

"No," Obi-Wan mumbled fitfully. "I'm sorry!" his words were muffled by his frenetic breathing.

Padmé was reminded sharply of Anakin's nightmares. They had continued even after his mother died, and indeed had gotten worse. She never knew what they were about, and felt powerless against them. She could only try to calm her husband and hold him gently until the tide subsided. Lost in these thoughts, she forgot briefly where she was and who she was with, and only wanted to help again. She reached out one cool hand and gently pushed aside a few damp hairs from Obi-Wan's burning forehead.

The sudden feeling woke Obi-Wan. His eyes snapped open and searched around blankly for a few moments as he tried to reacquaint himself with his actual surroundings. He felt a small hand on his head, and turned his eyes to see

 

Nice continuation, sj.

My only gripe is that you should've replaced any mention of 'Palpatine' with 'Greg'.

 

Everyone knows that's his first name

-sj loves kevin spacey

 

No, no, it's Ken Palpatine Very nice installment, solojones. The little kiss in the end was very sweet.

~aeryn

 

This is actually the first SW fic I've read, I think...but anyway, the dialogue is very nicely done and your writing style is quite compelling. Siriusly! I'm impressed. The suspense slays me...

 

Lol thanks I'll be writing the next part today... should be fun

-sj loves kevin spacey

 

Whew, ok, this one took me about two hours to write believe it or not. I had to get it... just so, and still in the TOS Ok so here we go, tell me what you think... 'complications', heh, yeah


---
chapter 3
---


The next day Sabé cooked a huge breakfast for the three adults. She carefully
set out the various fruits and breads on the table in a neat fashion. It was the
least she could do to try to brighten everyone's mood. Once everything was in
place, she quietly walked into Padmé's room, where she sat near the cribs. She was
cradling one of the twins, and the other was lying down, squirming. "Milady," she
said in a soft voice. "Are you ready to come to breakfast?"


Padmé looked up with a happy smile on her face. "Yes, I've finished feeding them,
finally. Would you mind getting Luke?" she nodded her head toward the boy in the crib.


"Of course not," Sabé said warmly, swooping the child up carefully and following Padmé
back to the dining area.

"Oh Sabé, it looks wonderful!" Padmé exclaimed in delight as she surveyed the
table. There were two high chairs for the babies, and she set about strapping Leia
into one as Sabé did the same for Luke. "There we go. Now I can finally eat
something for myself!" She settled into a chair next to the twins, and Sabé took the
one across from her.

"I hope everything tastes okay," Sabé said after a few bites.

"It's great," Padmé said genuinely. For once she felt a measure of content,
the first she'd felt in a long while. Despite what she knew was going on
and had transpired outside the little refuge, she was able to focus on the wonderful meal,
which made her happy. Then she noted the empty chair across from the twins,
and her glow faded a little. "Where's Obi-Wan?"


"I'm not sure. I haven't seen him today. He must still be in his room. I can't imagine
him having anywhere more important to be than here," Sabé said teasingly.
Though Sabé made light of it, Padmé was a little bothered. She had seen how distressed
Obi-Wan had been over his nightmare and knew he had skipped several meals lately.
Sabé noticed Padmé's face fall a little and added, "I can go get him if you like."

"No, that's ok. I'll go. You stay here and enjoy these muffins while they're hot," she
replied, taking one along as an afterthought. She reached Obi-Wan's door and
tapped on it quietly, thinking how much they had been dropping in on one another lately.

"Come in," Obi-Wan's even, muffled voice said from inside.

Padmé entered to find the room somewhat dimly lit, and Obi-Wan standing with his
hands behind his back and his eyes closed. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to
interrupt your meditation," she said as she turned to leave.

"No, it's ok," he replied, his voice now lacking the trance-like quality. She stopped
and turned back around to see him, eyes weary, looking exhausted. "It wasn't working
very well anyway."

She wondered exactly what that meant, but decided to switch the topic. "Sabé made a
big breakfast this morning. I noticed you weren't there."

"Yes, I can't very well disappear among a group of five people can I?" he said with
his signature wryness.

"I'm not that easy to fool. Anyway, I brought you a muffin in case you're hungry.
You look like you could use something to eat."

"I'm not really hungry."

"Oh." She twirled the muffin around in her hand. "Are you feeling all right?"

"I wouldn't say that," he smiled meekly. "But I'll live." The irony of the
words struck him and he cast his eyes to the floor. "Sorry," he added.


Setting the muffin on the counter and wiping the crumbs from her hand, Padmé moved closer
to Obi-Wan. "Stop acting as though everything were your fault."

"I can't help it," he said, looking up again. "I suppose it's just my
nature to be a self-loathing loner."

"There's no one else to blame when you're by yourself," she said half- jokingly. More
seriously, she added, "I know how you feel."

His brow knitted. "What do you mean?"

"I was around Anakin when he was

 

Ahh, now that's some good dialogue.

A little saucy for my tastes, though. Sabé and her muffins? Tsk tsk.

 

I know, she is obviously trying to... provide breakfast. Shame on her, the wench.

-sj loves kevin spacey

 

Ooo! Great stuff, must keep my eye on this one. Ya know eventually I am going to peruse the boards and read all the Obidalas and all the K/J fics. At some point...

~~Jilly

 

Oh no, she thought, he's going to let his
conscience take over NOW? "What is it?" she said between ragged breaths, fearing a
haughty reply.

To her surprise, Obi-Wan blushed and replied softly, "I... I've never."

She smiled gently. "It's ok," she reassured him as she undid his belt and tossed it
aside. Silently, she pulled him down slowly to her with another kiss.


Wow It's suddenly very hott in here Very good Obidala chapter, solojones.

~aeryn

 

Yes, I agree with Aeryn very very good chapter. I shall be looking into this story from time to time to see how it's going.Great first effort, solojones!

 

Wow It's suddenly very hott in here

Indeed... *notices Terr is the only guy in here* heeeey Terr

Thanks for the compliments and/or interest everyone. I'm really happy to see that at least someone's reading The next chapter will be up tomorrow.

-sj loves kevin spacey

 

"You didn't answer my question! I ask about you, and I
get some programmed response you've been taught." She moved in closer. "Don't you ever
just want to act like a human and let yourself be close to someone?


I like this line. I think it hits right on the nail of what most people are thinking is part of the downfall of the Jedi Order.


I also liked the hot scene in chap. 3.


Keep going with the story.

 

OK well... I'm not even going to say anything about this next chapter yet, I'll just let you comment

----
chapter 4
----


Padmé slowly awoke and stretched. She'd slept for several hours, and figured it to
be about lunch time. She rolled over to her right to see Obi- Wan; still asleep on his
stomach, sheet pulled halfway up his back, head turned her direction. She considered
letting him sleep, but she really wanted to get to lunch and didn't want him to wake up
and her be gone. With a smile on her face, she scooted closer to him beneath the sheets
and leaned down towards him. "Obi-Wan," she
whispered softly. He didn't so much as stir. She gently shook his shoulder and repeated a
little louder, "Obi- Wan."

Obi-Wan was slowly drifting back into consciousness, though he was fighting it. He
had slept so little lately. How had he gotten back to sleep in the first place? His
mind was fuzzy for a few moments, until he heard someone say his name. That surprised
him. Why was there someone in his room? His eyes fluttered open to see Padmé leaning
over him. He jolted up in shock, trying to comprehend it. "Milady?" he said in a breath
of confusion. When he realised that she wasn't wearing anything under the sheet, the
morning's events came rushing back to him, hitting him like a tidal wave. His face
blanched. When he realised that he wasn't wearing anything either, his face reddened
in embarrassment.

A little confused at his reaction, Padmé scooted back a little bit. "It's almost time
for lunch. I just thought maybe you'd like to go eat something," she said quietly,
offering a smile of encouragement.

"I'm not hungry," he said quickly. He searched around frantically and finally
found his clothes on the floor on his side of the bed. He slid out from under the
covers and put on his under most tunic. Gathering the rest of his clothes in his
arms, he tried not to look at Padmé too much. "If you'll excuse me, I don't feel
very well." It was the truth, too. Everything seemed to be spinning as he
dashed off towards his fresher, closed the door, and locked it.

Padmé stared after him for a moment, then plopped down onto her pillow. She didn't
have to ask what was wrong. She knew Obi-Wan must have felt like he'd betrayed his duties
as a Jedi. Being married to Anakin, she had almost forgotten that love and attachment
were forbidden for a Jedi. But, her conscience berated her, was what you did
really out of love? She was taken aback for a moment. It was true; she wasn't in love
with Obi-Wan. Of course she cared about him, admired him, had had a crush on him when she
was younger. But she had always respected his position and her own. She felt deep
inside that she had just used him in her time of loneliness. He was the only man
around, and she let her emotions take control without thinking of how it might
affect him. Obviously, it had affected him deeply. She remembered how he had looked at
her- was he disgusted with her? He must be repulsed by what she'd done, how she'd
seduced him.

Padmé was beginning to feel a little sick herself, and pulled the sheet around herself
in a wrap. She watched the door to the fresher, dreading the moment when Obi-Wan
would inevitably exit. Would she even be able to look at him? How could she possibly
express how sorry she was? She was a grown woman, a mother, and had been a wife. Yet
she had let herself act like an out of control teenager. Shame was already
beginning to swallow her.

Obi-Wan splashed water on his face for a full three minutes before he felt stable
enough to stand up straight. When he did, he avoided looking at himself in the mirror
as much as possible, and dressed quickly. The last thing he put on was his belt. His
lightsabre still clipped to the side made him cringe in remorse. He was a Jedi. He had
always resisted any temptation before fairly easily. True, the ability of all the
Jedi to use the Force had been dwindling for several months, but that was no excuse. He
was a grown man,

 

That's it, stick it to the teenyboppers! Nice work. Now I'm quite interested to see where this'll go.

heeeey Terr

Muffins?

 

You = lesbian = Ewan?

Everyone else, nevermind

-sj loves kevin spacey

 

Oh boy.

You're bound to get more comments now.