Padme awakened almost in the manner of a ship being drawn out of a fog. Her eyes fluttered open and she found herself covered in a thick blanket; a blanket that her mother had made for her when Padme was small. Tears sprang to Padme's eyes at the familiar, home-like feelings that the weave and feel and smell of this blanket brought back. How she missed her family, her mother and father and sister! How she missed her house, the large, airy rooms, comfortable chairs and brightly burning fireplace. Altogether, she sorely missed Naboo; its beautiful waterfalls and sky-scraping mountains and spreading, green meadows.

Her eyes slowly cleared. Obi-Wan was seated beside the bed, his head resting on his arm, his eyes closed. Absently, a soft, thoughtful smile crossed her face. She remembered being dreadfully cold, and then warmth had been spread over her, secured by gentle hands. Obi-Wan must have covered her up.

Then she heard the reason she had awakened. There was an insistent beeping coming from the computer.

"Obi-Wan," she whispered, reaching out and squeezing his hand to get him to wake up. "Obi-Wan, the computer is beeping," she said louder. His brow furrowed, he took a deep breath, and then lifted his head. He took a moment to completely awaken, and then he swallowed and nodded.

"The...The blood analysis is done," he grunted, and moved to get up. However, he seemed to have difficulty, so Padme sat up as well, swung her legs over and helped him rise.

"You should rest," Obi-Wan objected.

"We both need to rest," Padme answered. "Unfortunately, we can't, or we might sleep our way into our graves."

He only nodded again, and the two of them shuffled across the floor and sank down into the chairs by the computer. Obi-Wan hit a button on the keyboard, the screen cleared---and then a most disturbing readout met their eyes.

"Infulium poisoning?" Padme whispered. Trying to keep their eyes focused, the two of them read the rest of the analysis.

Conclusion: Infulium Poisoning

Infulium is a toxin produced by the reaction of alinfite and nerolium. This reaction can only occur if alinfite and nerolium, extremely rare minerals only found on 2 to three planets, are contained in soil and rocks that are heated to extraordinary temperatures, usually volcanic temperatures. Infulium is a gas that has

the faint scent of sulfur, and if it is inhaled for more than ten to fifteen minutes, severe

sickness sets in. Symptoms include: muscle weakness, headache, dizziness, drowsiness fever, difficulty with vision, hallucinations, vivid flashbacks, and perhaps nausea. Within twenty-four hours after contraction, the infulium has penetrated into the very systems of the body, and cannot be detected by any medical devices. The symptoms gradually worsen over a period of five to six days, at which time the body begins to shut down, resulting in system failure and death. The signal for system failure is acute cramping in the midsection. Those at greatest risk for poisoning are pregnant women and those under severe stress. In these two cases, the life span is shortened to three to four days.

As their eyes flew over the readout, then read it over and over again, Obi-Wan felt terror building inside Padme.Terror that he had only sensed in her three times. The first was during the Naboo invasion, and the other...The other was when she had thought that Obi-Wan had been killed in the Empire's treacherous Temple massacre. The third was when she asked Obi-Wan if he was going to kill Anakin, and Obi-Wan had not answered. In all cases, it had been fear for other people who were important to her. Now, he felt her will begin to shake once more. Quickly, he turned to her, to see both hands pressed over her womb. She was shivering and her face was twisted.

"Obi-Wan..." she said, though her voice came out in short, tight, jerking gasps. "My...my babies, Obi-Wan! They...my...my babies! Poisoned...my...they can't...Obi-Wan!" she repeated this over and over, almost senseless in her dread. His heart tearing, Obi-Wan swiftly reached out with both hands, slid his fingers around behind her neck and pressed his thumbs against the sides of her face to focus her attention solely on him.

"Padme," he said earnestly. "Padme listen to me."

She stopped speaking but continued to shake.

"Your babies are going to be fine," he said slowly, firmly, so that she would be sure to hear. "It's going to be all right. Do you understand? Everything is going to be fine. I promise."

She reached up and grabbed his wrists, tears beginning to fill her eyes.

"How?" she gritted.

"I'll sit here and do research until I find a cure for this poisoning," he vowed, his voice rising. "If I have to sit here until I die, I'll find a way." He managed a small, reassuring smile for her, wiping her tears away with his thumbs. His voice lowered. "All right?"

She nodded, though she gripped his wrists tighter. He looked at her squarely.

"I promise," he whispered.

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

Padme had been lying down for about three hours now, wrapped tightly in her mother's blanket, watching Obi-Wan's back as he hunched over the computer, trying miserably but dauntlessly to come up with some sort of answer, some clue, some lead. Padme continued to rub her abdomen gently, talking silently to her babies, soothing them. She knew they felt ill as well. They were not moving around much, but were holding tightly to each other.

Deliberately, Padme forced herself to keep breathing. Her fear was nearly suffocating her, and she felt awful. But no worse than the Jedi Master across from her, she was sure.

Poor Obi-Wan. She mused as she watched him rub his face for the hundredth time. Then he leaned down, resting his brow on the counter and putting his hand over his eyes. Concern filled Padme and she laboriously got to her feet and moved toward him. Hesitating just a moment, she put out a hand and touched Obi-Wan's shoulder.

"Are you all right?"

He sat up rather quickly, gasping slightly. She pulled her hand away. Obi-Wan did not look at her. His eyes seemed glazed over.

"Oh, Padme," he managed. "I don't believe I've ever been in this much pain."

Padme sat down on the other chair. Additional fear had entered her at his troubling words, but this time part of her foundations were disturbed. If she were to lose Obi-Wan too...

"What do you mean?" she asked, her brow furrowing.

"My head..." he his eyes drifted closed and he leaned back against the back rest. "I feel as if I've been shot."

"It's from staring at that computer screen for so long," Padme said softly. But in that moment she realized that her head was starting to pound as well. She leaned forward and put her face in her hands.

"Oh...What are we going to do?" she breathed.

"Excuse me, sir, my lady..."

Padme turned her head, just slightly, and saw Threepio out of the corner of her eye.

"Yes, Threepio?" Obi-Wan said hoarsely, for his voice was thick with emotion and pain.

"Artoo and I...Well, we couldn't help but overhear some of your conversation, sir, and even though I insisted that we not trouble you, Artoo has been pestering me so that I finally had to interrupt or he would cause my circuits to overrun."

There was an insistent beeping from behind Threepio.

"All right, all right!" Threepio shuffled out of the way and Artoo quickly rolled in. Before he had even stopped moving, Artoo was projecting a hologram of a large, beautiful planet. Padme blinked and sat up.

"That's...That's Naboo."

A red dot on the hologram appeared, and then the picture zoomed in to focus on a smaller section.

"That's out in the lake country," Padme continued. The picture flickered to show, of all things, a beautiful, long-petaled flower which rather looked like a lily. Padme was confused.

"And that's...that's a labellia, I think."

Artoo whistled encouragingly, then a disc popped out of his drive, as if he was bidding them take it. Padme was closer, so she stretched out and managed to grab it and hand it to Obi-Wan without dropping it from her weakened hands. As quickly as he could, Obi-Wan slid the disc into the drive in the computer. A moment later, a beautiful picture of the labellia appeared, and beside it was a description of it.

Native Labellia

Known also as "The Flower of Princes," the Labellia is a very rare flower native to the

planet of Naboo. It blooms all year round in the Lake Country on that planet. Its white

and pink petals, edged with silver, are very distinctive, and glow in the moonlight.

"I don't understand." Obi-Wan muttered. Artoo squawked insistently. Padme's eyebrows came together as she studied the screen, and then she spotted an option near the picture.

"Look Obi-Wan. Select the box that says 'uses.'"

Obi-Wan obeyed. The picture disappeared, as did the other words, and new words replaced them.

Five thousand years ago, the Lake Country was thickly populated by farmers who tilled

the rich ground and provided much of the food for the surrounding region. However, in

the year 3466 standard, Mount Tarranon volcanically erupted, destroying many farms

but also sending devastating amounts of infulium gas, a deadly poison, into the air. Many

thousands became ill, until a few outside scientists entered the region to try and find a

cure, and discovered that the pollen of the Native Labellia lily, which grows in the lake country, can be made into an injection which will reverse the infulium poisoning. For more information on creating the antidote, click here

"It's on Naboo!" Padme sucked in her breath.

"Yes. And we should be able to make it there." Obi-Wan turned to face the droids. "Thank you, you two. You may have just saved our lives." With strength that he had apparently been gathering, Obi-Wan rose to his feet and moved out of the room to the cockpit to set a course for Naboo. Padme, actually daring to smile a little, climbed back into bed, and as the engines roared and the ship lifted off from the asteroid, her heart lifted right with it.

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

Using the Force, Obi-Wan managed to shut out his pain, exhaustion, and fever for a moment, so that he could pilot the ship and point it in the right direction. His hands were sweaty, and it took longer than it usually did, but he finally shot the ship out into space. The Emperor's destroyers were nowhere to be seen. It took a great deal of effort, but Obi-Wan ran all the proper calculations through the nav computer and finally they were ready to enter hyperspace. Clasping his hand around the levers, he gently pulled them back, watching the countless stars in front of him turn to streaking lines, and then the swirling blue of hyperspace surrounded them.

He swallowed hard but his mouth was dry. Absently, he remembered the drinks that he had brought back for Padme all those ages ago. As strongly as he could, he made his way aft again.

The lights in the large cabin had automatically powered down, for they had not sensed motion in the room. Padme was lying down again, apparently sleeping, and the cups of drink were still sitting on the table. Obi-Wan reached for one of them and took a drink. It was still cold, and revived him somewhat. It felt good to his hot throat. He wondered if Padme was thirsty, but he did not want to wake her. She needed rest. Obi-Wan set the drink back down, but for some reason could not take his gaze from the woman about whom he had been wondering.

What an angel. He thought to himself. A queen of an entire planet when she was fourteen...Queen, only to be invaded, and had to speak to the Republic Senate, then lead an attack against her own castle. Then to have assassination attempts on her life...and then to fall in love with Anakin, become pregnant with his children...then lose him to the dark side and be choked and poisoned nearly to death...and still, she is dauntless. Dauntless...kind...noble...strong and...good-hearted. A pained expression crossed his face and he drew nearer to her. She did not seem so strong right now, as she lie there wrapped up, sick and almost helpless.

Feeling suddenly the most tired he had ever been in his life, he sighed, sat down and leaned his back against the side of the bed. Closing his eyes, he lay his head back and fell asleep listening to the rumble of the hyperdrive engines. His last thought sent just one shiver of worry through him.

We will be in hyperspace a day and a night. That should give us just enough time to get there and find it before we die.

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

They slept for what must have been close to nine hours. Padme awoke when one of her babies gave a kick. They were getting hungry, but just at the moment, Padme was not sure she could keep anything down. As she opened her eyes, she saw that the room was very dark, save for the screen of the computer which cast a rather dim light over everything. Obi-Wan was asleep, leaning back against the side of her bed. Padme then woke up completely. Obi-Wan looked terrible. His face was pouring sweat, his hair was drenched with it, and his face displayed extreme pain. She halfway sat up.

"Obi-Wan?"

He did not answer. He did not even respond. Anxiously, Padme arose, got out of bed and managed to kneel before him. Only thinking twice, she reached out and grabbed him by the shoulders.

"Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan Kenobi, wake up."

His eyes moved beneath his eyelids. Slowly, they opened, but he did not appear to be able to see very well. Abruptly, he gave a painful, gasping grunt, his eyes screwed shut, and he jerked forward as if he had been punched in the stomach. He continued to moan and hold one hand over his mid section, his breathing labored. Alarm shot through Padme as a phrase from the blood analysis came to mind:

The signal for system failure is acute cramping in the mid section.

"Oh no," she whispered. "Oh no, oh no." But then she gritted her teeth, clamping down on her fear. She could not do this. She had to concentrate. She had to think.

Hurriedly, pushing all thought of her own discomfort out of her mind, she got to her feet, shoved the blanket out of the way, then knelt back down and grabbed Obi-Wan under the arm.

"Stand up. Stand up, Obi-Wan. You can do it."

Apparently, he heard her, though he hissed through his teeth, and tried to comply. He collapsed back onto the bed, letting out a long, groaning sigh, his entire body tight. Padme seized her mother's blanket and stretched it out over him, much as he had probably done for her, and tucked it up around him. She then knelt down beside him, feeling weaker than ever, but knowing that he was far worse.

For long hours she just sat there, watching him, his face contorted and his body occasionally heaving slightly in spasms of affliction. Once, he gave a loud grunt, which Padme could tell was his effort at restraining a scream. His head lifted and his arms pressed down over his mid section. His teeth gritted. Then suddenly, with a gasp, his tension released and he fell back onto the pillow, new sweat appearing on his forehead. His breathing was heavy. Padme filled with pity and fright.

"Oh, Obi-Wan," she murmured shakily, barely touching his temple with the back of her fingers. "I wish there was something I could do."

In fact, there was something she could do, and once she thought of it, it did not take her long to act. She got some strong painkiller into Obi-Wan's system through an injection, and it did not take long for his muscles to loosen, his face to relax, and his breathing to become steady. Soon it appeared that he was sleeping. So Padme just sat there once more, not daring to leave his side.

Absently, she wondered why she was not feeling the symptoms so severely as he was. Yes, her head ached and she felt slightly nauseated, feverish and very weak, but nothing like this.

It's because he was so tired. She thought dimly. I can't think of a time when he's had a chance to sleep lately. He's been running all over the galaxy, fighting this war, trying to find Anakin...trying to protect me

"That's your trouble, Obi-Wan Kenobi," she said out loud, a small smile in her voice. "You worry too much about other people."

"That's what a Jedi does, I suppose," he breathed. Padme quickly moved her hand away from him, for she had not known he was awake, but she decided to answer.

"Well," she smiled openly now. "I don't think that there's any doubt in this galaxy that you are perhaps the best Jedi that ever lived."

"Hm," he said, which was the most of a chuckle he could manage. "That's...debatable." Then he shook his head minutely, his eyes still closed. "No. I was just...just second best. Anakin was...Anakin was the best Jedi that ever lived."

Padme's smile vanished, she swallowed and glanced down.

"But he didn't," she murmured. Now, Obi-Wan's blue eyes did open, and he slowly turned his head toward her.

"Didn't what?" he asked quietly. She met his gaze.

"Care about other people," she said painfully. Obi-Wan studied her face for a moment.

"He did in the beginning, Padme," he assured her. "Especially about you. You know that. But when it mattered most...when he needed to..." he trailed off, then seemed to change his mind and looked away from her. "Never mind."

"What?" she pressed.

"No. It's far too judgmental of me," he answered. Padme hesitated just a moment.

"Please tell me."

Obi-Wan sighed, closed his eyes briefly again, then turned back toward her squarely.

"Because he was a Jedi," he said deliberately, softly, his eyes burning into her. "And because he knew what sort of consequences would follow...if he had truly loved you...he would never have said a word."

Padme froze. Her brow furrowed slightly as she stared at the man before her. He held her gaze steadily. Something had struck her in the chest at his words, something she could not define, but it was something hidden. Finally, she nodded, and, trying to keep her voice measured, she spoke.

"Yes," she acknowledged quietly. "It would have been wise of him...never to say anything at all."

But the more they looked at each other, the more uncertain Padme felt about just exactly who they were talking about.

Time passed, and soon Obi-Wan descended into a deep slumber, almost like a coma, and Padme's anxiety built as she sat in the dark. The ship was so quiet...like a tomb...

Don't think like that, She chastised herself. But the more she watched Obi-Wan's face, the more mournful her thoughts became, and her mind returned to another time that she had been aboard a deathly silent Naboo cruiser, and that memory was linked to Obi-Wan Kenobi.

She recalled the very first time she had seen him; he had intimidated her incredibly. His gaze was like lightning, his appearance sharp, handsome, determined, sometimes flashy, and extremely impressive. In contrast, Qui-Gon Jinn's face had held warmth, patience and understanding, but he had been no less imposing in his bearing. On that particular desperate occasion, she had spent a great deal of time with Qui-Gon and Anakin, and very little with Obi-Wan, but they had shared one conversation that Padme had only thought of once or twice in the thirteen years between times:

Padme was afraid, but she would not show it. She felt like a lost, little girl, not the queen of a planet, but she would not even hint at that, not even with a blink of an eye. She could not, or Sabe's confidence would shake, and the entire charade could come crashing down on them.

Mere minutes ago, they had been rescued from their Trade Federation captors by the two Jedi, Master Qui-Gon Jinn, and his silent, efficient apprentice, whose name she did not know. A bumbling Gungan named Jar Jar Binks had also accompanied them. With expertise and confidence, as if they had done this thousands of times before, the two Jedi freed the Naboo pilots, captured Padme's royal ship, blasted off into space and evaded the blockade that dominated Naboo's spacescape. Now, they were all safely into hyperspace, heading for a planet called Tatooine, where they would hopefully repair their hyperdrive, and continue on to Coruscant to plead with the Republic Senate.

At the moment, Padme, masquerading as a handmaiden, had been given the task of cleaning the carbon scoring off of the little Artoo unit that had saved the ship. Earlier, Jar Jar had come in and spoken with her, lightening her mood a bit by simply distracting her. But soon he had departed to explore the rest of the ship, leaving Padme alone. Shortly thereafter, Artoo had powered down to save his energy.

The silence in the room was unbearable. The only sound was the soft scraping that her tools made against the metal surface of the droid. But her hands began to ache and she dropped her rag. Closing her eyes and taking a trembling breath, she clasped her hands together in her lap and hung her head.

The fear returned full force; in fact, it gained in strength. They had all nearly died a few minutes ago; had nearly been shot into nothingness by Trade Federation cannons. What would have happened to Naboo then? What hope would they have had? Padme squeezed her eyes shut. Suddenly, the faces of her family rose up before her. What if she never saw them again? What if they died in this terrible invasion before she could get help? What if they could not find a new hyperdrive for months and months on that desert planet? What if they never found one at all? A terrible idea then dawned on her: even if she was able to get to Coruscant---what if the Senate refused to help? What if they did not believe her? What if they discredited her because of her age and would not come and save her dying planet?

She bent over, struggling to even breathe, staring at the floor, straining mightily against her fear but knowing she was losing. She had nothing with which to fight.

Suddenly, she felt a presence; someone watching her. Cautiously, stiffly, she managed to lift her head and glance aft, to her left. A shadowed figure stood in the doorway there, poised as if he was studying her. Slowly she sat up straight, trying to unclench her fists. He did not move for a moment, then took a few steps forward into the light. It was the Jedi apprentice, his robe flowing like a whisper behind him, his footsteps soft but certain. He stopped a few paces from her.

"Are you all right?" he asked seriously, his eyebrows coming together analytically. Padme swallowed. She wanted very much for the mysterious young man to go away.

"Yes," she nodded. "I'm fine."

He did not act as if he believed her. His head turned slightly sideways and his expression became thoughtful, but no softer. Then he glanced down and cleared his throat, then closed the distance between them, holding out a hand.

"My name is Obi-Wan Kenobi."

Padme did not rise, but dared to reach out and take his hand. It was warm, which somehow surprised her, and his grip was firm but not rough.

"My name is Padme Naberrie."

He nodded and let go of her. She hoped that he would take his leave now, and at first he acted as if he would, but then he paused. Glancing down at the floor, he took a breath.

"Once, when I was about your age...there was a dark Jedi that was trying to destroy the Temple from within," he began, and Padme was quite thrown. She said nothing but tried to gather herself as he continued.

"He and another dark Jedi lured a close friend of mine into a trap and were holding her there. When I found out, I was so afraid...I was so afraid that I could not even breathe. I didn't know what to do. I could fight a living enemy, one who stood before me. But I could not fight the fear that was inside me. Then Qui-Gon came and told me something." Obi-Wan lifted his gaze. His eyes penetrated deeply into her. She tried to look away, but it was as if he held her attention with a tractor beam.

"What did he say?" she found herself asking.

"'Never fear your feelings. They can guide you if you control them.'"

Padme simply swallowed. Something in Obi-Wan's eyes warmed understandingly, but just barely.

"I told him that I could not control my feelings," he went on. "Qui-Gon said: 'Yes, you can. Do not try to tamp down the fear. Do not let it grip you. If you let it move through you, it will leave you. Breathe.'"

Distantly, Padme felt herself follow his advice and take a deep, deep breath. Surprisingly, her muscles seemed to untie themselves from their knots, just a little. But some measure of the uncertainty and anxiety remained. She lifted her head. He was still looking at her, but the scrutiny was gone.

"Don't fear, my lady," he said in a hushed voice, but a sure one. "I have sworn to protect you, and I swear now to do all I can to get you to the Senate to plead your case."

"You have sworn to protect the Queen," Padme suddenly snapped. "I am a handmaiden, nothing more."

The rare, knowing smile he gave her completely disarmed her.

"Of course," he nodded.

And he turned and left the hold. But instead of feeling irked or trapped at his seeing through her disguise so easily, she felt oddly reassured---as if she was not so alone anymore

Padme blinked. Obi-Wan had not spoken to her again for that entire escapade, not until just after Qui-Gon's funeral. At that point, Obi-Wan was so filled with sorrow that he could hardly lift his eyes. Afterward, he and Anakin had simply vanished from her life. She had been consumed by political work, serving two entire terms as Queen, then being asked by her successor to serve as senator.

But at last, the two had been brought back to her because of an attempt on her life. She now remembered meeting them again after so long. Obi-Wan had seemed polite and friendly but aloof and businesslike. There had been little to no indication that he remembered what he had shared with her aboard the Naboo cruiser ten years earlier. Then she had turned to Anakin, looked into his eyes---and her heart had pounded and leaped up into her throat. She had fought not to show it, but she had been smitten by him instantly.

Padme now shook her head as she sat there in her fever. How foolish of her. How girlish and silly. She had truly fallen in love with Anakin because of what he stood for: the power to work incredible change in the galaxy. She had thought that they had wanted the exact same thing. She had loved him selflessly, but he had loved her selfishly. He was a broken weapon, a flawed piece of art...a twisted human being...and had dragged her down a dark and terrible path.

A path Obi-Wan had followed as well, because of Anakin. Between the beginning of the Clone Wars and the Emperor's takeover, Obi-Wan had come to see her occasionally, during the few times that he and Anakin were given breaks from their endless duties. At first, she was not certain why he came. She knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that Obi-Wan loved Anakin dearly, like a son, like a brother, and at first their conversations were mostly about him. Padme closed her eyes. But then the fateful day finally came...

Anakin was gone. He had been gone for a long while; perhaps a month and a half---she was not certain. Padme tried to fill her life with work to keep her mind off of how much she missed him. She got up bright and early every morning, dressed and ate the breakfast Threepio fixed for her, then headed to the offices to try and make some sense out of all of the happenings that had occurred during the night. She had been going full speed for at least a week now, working constantly, hardly thinking about herself except to get dressed and eat.

This morning, she rose and moved to dress. She pulled off her nightgown, put on her undergarments, then moved to get something out of her closet---and spotted her reflection in the mirror. She froze completely. Her lower stomach was swollen. It was swollen just a bit, but firm. Padme began breathing harder as she felt the area gently. In her heart she instantly knew what had happened, but her mind just would not accept it. In a panic, she threw on loose, casual clothes, ran a comb once or twice through her hair, opened the door, then halted. What was she planning to do? She could not go to a doctor. She could not tell anyone. That would expose Anakin as her husband and the father of children---and then what would she do? She did not dare shame him in front of the entire galaxy like that. She could not bear to be the cause of his expulsion from the Order. Not when they needed him so.

Padme stood there, shivering, feeling that same fear rise up within her that had nearly strangled her all those years ago. Never had she felt so alone, so helpless. Never had she needed a true friend more than she did in that moment.

"Never fear your feelings. They can guide you if you control them."

Padme's head jerked up at the sound of the voice. She had heard no one enter. But then a familiar form moved into view. This time, however, his expression and bearing were not scrutinizing, aloof or impressive. Obi-Wan Kenobi's head was slightly lowered, his hands were at his sides, and his eyes were sympathetic.

"Do not try to tamp down the fear," he said quietly. "Do not let it grip you. If you let it move through you, it will leave you. Breathe."

Padme slapped a hand over her mouth, but that did not stop the sobs from coming. She rushed forward and buried her face in Obi-Wan's chest. It was as if he did not know what to do at first, but then he wrapped his arms around her and lay the side of his face against the top of her head. Doubtlessly, he felt the swell of her abdomen against him.

"Obi-Wan..." she gasped, wishing to tell him before he asked. "I'm pregnant,"

"I know. And you don't have to tell me anything. I understand," he whispered. "But it will be all right, my dear friend. It will be all right. Breathe."

Padme blinked again. Strange. It was as if she had actually been there. Doubtless, the enhanced detail of these memories had something to do with her illness, but as she could control what she was thinking about, she did not much mind.

She studied the present Obi-Wan once again. He had been an anchor for her on that day, a day when she had needed someone the most. In fact, he had been an anchor for her always. He had never let her down, never failed to protect her. He was perhaps the only constant in her life, besides the love of her mother, father and sister. But even then, her parents and sister had lived half a galaxy away for years and years. They did not even know their daughter had been married. But Obi-Wan---she could trust Obi-Wan. Without a shadow of a doubt, Padme could trust him. She was almost certain that Obi-Wan had perceived his friends' secret relationship as soon as all of them were reunited in the execution arena on Geonosis. And yet, all that time, he had said nothing. Padme's gaze sharpened as she stared at him.

He had said nothing...

"Excuse me, my lady,"

Padme turned to see Threepio standing there.

"Yes?" she asked, and her voice sounded strangely hoarse.

"We've come out of hyperspace near the planet of Naboo. I can pilot, my lady, but I'll need to know where to land."

"I'll come with you." Padme sighed, and struggled to get up and move to the cockpit.

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

They landed in the lake country somewhere around midnight, planetary time. They were in a meadow near some woods, and the sensors showed that there were no inhabitants within fifty miles.

Wiping the sweat from her forehead and feeling cold and feeble, Padme threw a cloak around her shoulders, ordered Threepio to stay with Obi-Wan, and descended the ramp.

The warm, night wind of the lake country blew gently through her hair and clothes, smelling of rich grass, thick woods and blooming flowers. The sights and smells of her home seemed to give her strength, for she was able to walk more steadily and hold up her head.

As soon as she could, she began searching for a labellia. It would be easy to see, for it glowed in the moonlight. But she did not see any in the meadow. She went on, further and further, searching for what may have been an hour. There were none. None. Not within the area that she could reach without fear of collapsing with exhaustion.

With her last remaining strength, she ventured toward the darkly shadowed woods, her blurred vision searching, searching...and then she saw a faint gleam of sparkling light. She straightened and stopped moving. There, before her on the ground was a single labellia blossom, resplendent in its living, saving beauty.

Tears spilled down her cheeks but she swiped them away. Reaching carefully down, she pulled up the entire plant by the roots, wanting to make extra certain that she had every part of the plant they would need.

She staggered back toward the ship, feeling physically horrible but spiritually triumphant. Breathing very heavily, she entered the hold where Obi-Wan and the computer were.

"Padme," she heard the murmur. "You...you found it."

She turned and actually grinned at the Jedi on the bed.

"Yes, Kenobi, I did!"

He was extremely pale and looked terrible, but he smiled back at her.

"Do you know how—" he began.

"Yes," she replied, sat down in front of the computer and began the program that would tell her how to make the antidote. At one point, it told her to place the blossom in a tray, and so she broke off the blossom, placed it in the tray, and the computer swallowed it. After a few moments, the screen said:

Antidote amount: enough to cure one and a half adults, or one adult and one to two small children.

Padme ceased breathing. She just stared at the screen, unable to believe her eyes.

"What?" Obi-Wan demanded, sudden strength in his tone. It took a while for Padme to be able to speak, but when she could her voice was soft.

"It says that there's only enough for one and a half adults...or one adult and one to two small children."

"Aren't there any more flowers outside?"

"Let me check quickly," Padme said breathlessly. Using the computer, she ran a scan of the surrounding area, but it did not pick anything up. Nothing at all. "No," she whispered. "I picked the only one."

Doom descended on the room. Neither of them moved. Then, slowly, Padme turned to face her friend---and knowing sorrow was upon his face. He smiled slightly.

"Well then, we know what you have to do."

"No, I don't," Padme felt confused.

"Inject yourself, Padme," he murmured, swallowing only slightly. "Save yourself and those babies."

Padme was shot through with wrenching denial and tears sprang to her eyes.

"No," she rasped. "There...There has to be some other way."

Obi-Wan lie back down on his pillow, but still looked at her.

"There isn't," he said firmly, but his voice was hollow. "Do it Padme. That's an order." His brow creased and his eyes closed. "But I would prefer it...if you would give me some sedative and some pain killer...could you please?"

Padme covered her face with both of her hands, unable to conquer her fear this time. She then shakily lowered her hands, got up from her seat and knelt down beside him. He turned to her and gave her that same smile that she had seen first upon her Naboo escape cruiser, but this time it was filled with regret, sadness, and deep affection.

"Don't worry about me," Obi-Wan assured her. "A Jedi...a Jedi is prepared for death his entire life. You need to live."

He was dying. She could tell that by just looking into his eyes. She could not say anything. She could only weep and struggle against her terror. He reached down and gripped her hand with his remaining strength.

"Breathe, Padme," he murmured. "Breathe...and do what you have to do."

Shaken, Padme rose up, moved to the cabinet and got out more sedative and pain killer. Obi-Wan closed his eyes as she administered these to him, and soon he was breathing steadily, completely asleep and without pain.

How brave he is. She thought.---and then everything within her completely collapsed. Never before had she realized how essential Obi-Wan was to her. He was her haven, her protection, her teacher---her greatest friend in the galaxy. And now, without hardly a moment's hesitation, he was giving up his life for hers. Just like that.

She paced, paced, paced. She paced outside on the landing platform, she paced within her living room---she paced within sight of the burning Jedi Temple. She now knew where Anakin was. He was heading to Mustafar. There had been some sort of Jedi rebellion...or so Anakin said. She had also been listening to the newscast, and apparently all Jedi had been declared enemies of the Republic. They were being systematically slaughtered at the command of the Supreme Chancellor.

Anakin had not been killed because he had not "betrayed" the Republic. He had come to see her a while ago, telling her that everything was going to be all right, that he and the Chancellor had everything under control, but he did not know about Obi-Wan. He did not know if he had been executed as well.

Darkness followed Padme as she paced. She did not know her husband anymore. Storm clouds swirled behind his eyes. Lightning was in his sharp movements. Violence was in his hands. She could feel it. But she would not think about that more deeply. Not when she was terrified of what that might lead to---and not when she was so desperately worried about Obi-Wan.

Once, she tried to lie down on her bed and rest, though it was mid afternoon, for she had taken no sleep the past night. It did not work, and she was into her first half hour of staring at the ceiling when she heard Threepio say:

"She's resting in her chambers, sir."

"Thank you,"

Padme jolted upright. She knew that voice! She knew those footsteps, too...

She raced out of her bedroom to see Obi-Wan striding toward her, battered and torn...but alive! He was alive!

"Obi-Wan!" she cried, even before she was aware of it.

"Oh, Padme! You're all right!" he said at the same time she had spoken, and leaped over her three stairs and they embraced. He kissed her on both cheeks, with the swiftness of great relief.

"I thought you were dead..." she gasped into his chest. "All of this I can bear...all of it...but if you had died too..."

Padme's vision cleared and she found herself completely calm, breathing steadily, staring down at Obi-Wan. Slowly, she moved closer to him, smoothed a lock of hair away from his eyes, then bent and kissed him softly on the forehead. Smiling gently, she turned away from him and began doing what she had to do.

Obi-Wan opened his eyes. It was simple. The light did not hurt his eyes, pain did not lance through his head, and cramps did not slice through his abdomen. He took a deep breath. Surprisingly, that was not hard. He lifted a hand to study it. It looked normal in the bright artificial light. He felt his forehead. There was no sweat to be found, and his temperature was comfortable. He was fine. He had healed.

"No," he hissed, and sat up quickly. Padme was leaning back against the bed, pale as death, two empty injection needles lying in her lap.

"NO!" Obi-Wan threw himself off of the bed and grabbed her. She gasped, lifted her head and opened her eyes. Obi-Wan's sudden relief was instantly quelled as he saw the sweat running down her face. Shockingly, Padme's eyes were clear, and she was completely calm. She smiled at him and reached up to touch his arm.

"Obi-Wan," she whispered.

"Padme," he said in a rush. "Padme, what did...what...?"

She stretched out a hand and, without hesitation, pressed it against his face. She felt so weak! Her life force was ebbing...

"Oh, Obi-Wan Kenobi..." her eyes sparkled at him, and captured all of his attention. "My greatest, dearest friend...how could you ever think that I could let you die?"

Obi-Wan began to weep. Began to weep with painful choking but trying to restrain himself.

"But your babies...your babies—"

"My babies will be fine," she told him. "I gave them the last part of the injection."

"Then...Then you..." Obi-Wan could not finish. It hurt too badly. She nodded, her soft, sad smile remaining steady.

"I know," she acknowledged. She laughed softly and looked deeply, knowingly and pointedly into his soul. "But if anything were to happen to you...who would be there in their darkest hours to tell my children not to be afraid?"

Obi-Wan looked at her, her eyes trusting and certain...and swept her into his arms. She weakly wrapped her arms around his neck and he buried his face in her shoulder. He could not hold her trembling body more tightly, but he tried. He dug his fingers gently into her hair and pressed her against him, unwilling to let go, unwilling to let this happen. He wept into her hair and pressed his face against the side of her head. He could feel her pregnant belly press against him, much as he had all those months ago, and his panic increased. These babies needed their mother. They needed her.

"Padme," he backed up slightly, taking her face in his hands. "Padme, listen to me. I'm going to get you to a hospital. I'll take you to Bail Organa's ship. You'll...You'll be all right."

"We're in hyperspace now, Obi-Wan," she told him. "We're already on our way there."

Slowly, Obi-Wan nodded.

"All right. Then I'm not moving until we come out of hyperspace." He wrapped her back up in his arms, almost wishing that he could sustain her fast-failing life force with just his will...and kept repeating to her what Qui-Gon had taught him about fear---though in truth, he was actually trying to remind himself. However, for once in his life, it was to no avail.

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

Padme Naberrie Skywalker died aboard Senator Bail Organa's ship. The doctors did blood tests, but found nothing wrong. None of them had ever heard of infillium poisoning, and thus had no antidote on board.

Obi-Wan had held Padme's hand as they induced her labor and she gave birth to twins, whom she named Luke and Leia. Obi-Wan soothed her with the Force as much as he could, caressing her fevered face with his fingertips and telling her everything was going to be all right...but he knew it would not be. Even through the haze of his tears, he could read the monitors. She was dying, now. She was dying, when it should have been him.

She stopped breathing when Obi-Wan still held Luke in his arms. When she did, the babies screamed violently. Obi-Wan's heart screamed with them. Two nurses entered and relieved him of the burden of the children for the moment, then everyone left. Everything was silent. Obi-Wan swallowed as he gazed down upon her motionless form, remembering what Padme had said about his telling her children not to be afraid.

She had probably never known it, but Obi-Wan had gone to Padme when he was most afraid. He had needed her to calm his fears, because she would cause him to bring up Qui-Gon's old lesson, and as long as there was Qui-Gon's lesson and Padme to give it to, everything would be all right.

A hot tear spilled down his cheek as he gazed at her.

"I don't suppose you thought about this..." he whispered. "But if something happened to you...who would help me not to be afraid?"

His heart shattered, Obi-Wan leaned down and kissed her on the cheek, just as he had when he had been so relieved she was alive.

"Goodbye...Padme Naberrie," he murmured. Swallowing hard and giving her one last look, he left the room and strode down the hall to try and find Master Yoda---for now it appeared that the answers to Obi-Wan's bewildering questions that he had thought up in the dark Naboo cruiser would never come---or rather, they would remain forever unsaid.

THE END