[Disclaimer] The characters, the places, the terms, basically the entire STAR WARS universe belongs to George Lucas. What was it someone once said? Don't own. Don't profit. Don't sue.

The Jedi Council chamber was quiet. The cool marble flagstones; the metallic, red-cushioned chairs; and the great silent doors at the edge of the room all whispered peace to the troubled young Jedi Knight sitting on a chair, sinking slightly into the red cushion. His light-brown haired head was silently bowed, his face in his hands. Anakin was terrified of his feelings. His heart was breaking from forbidden love, and the words of Master Yoda echoed in his ears.

"Death is a natural part of life. Rejoice for those around you who transform into the Force. Mourn them, do not. Miss them, do not. Attachment leads to jealousy. The shadow of greed, that is. Train yourself to let go of everything you fear to lose."

Anakin knew that his deep love for and eventual marriage to Padme Naberrie Amidala had been a betrayal to his life as a Jedi. But he did not know how he could have lived without her in his life. He had loved her from the moment he set eyes on her at nine years old, when she had walked into Watto's Mechanic shop with Qui-Gon Jinn, looking like the fairest angel he had ever seen.

The words of Chancellor Palpatine, newly revealed to be the Sith Lord Darth Sidious, also rang in his ears. He grimaced as he heard them in his mind.

"You have great wisdom, Anakin. Know the power of the dark side. The power to save Padme."

There was a grimace on young Skywalker's face. He wanted to be a true Jedi. He wanted to be good, an icon of righteousness in turbulent times of war. But he also wanted Padme to live, and he wanted their baby to live. He wanted a family, whether it was sanctioned by the Jedi Council or not. He wanted to keep Padme with him always. He gritted his teeth and rubbed his face with his hands, even as he cradled his head in them.

Master Windu had ordered him to stay away while Palpatine was arrested, perhaps even killed. Anakin knew that if Palpatine died, so would the secret of keeping loved ones alive.

He bowed his head. The Sith Lord must be destroyed, and Anakin did not trust himself.

. . .

The sky was still blue as a Jedi Gunship landed on the Senate Office Building landing platform.

Four Jedi exited the Shuttle quickly and entered the Senate Office Building. Like gunfighters out of the Old West, they walked through the massive hallway, four across. Mace Windu, the Jedi Master, entered the lobby and raised his arm to send the Chancellor's aide, Dar Wac, flying against the wall, along with two republic guards. The three Jedi Masters, Agen Kolar, Saesee Tiin, and Kit Fisto, that had accompanied him followed quickly behind. Moments before this, they had been chatting in the gunship, right before it had departed to the Chancellor's office. Fisto leaned against the wall casually, feigning calmness as he said, "I'd feel a little bit better if Master Yoda or Kenobi had come with us."

Saesee Tiin scolded, "We are Masters among the Jedi, Fisto. We are more than capable of subduing an old man like Chancellor Palpatine." Little did the three of them suspect that Master Fisto's gut-feelings were correct.

The door hissed open, the hydrolics smooth and clean sounding. Poised, the Jedi's gathered into the room. Palpatine was in his chair, facing away from them and toward the giant window that gave a beautiful panoramic view of Coruscant.

"So, Master Jedi, you have come." He said in his silky voice.

Mace Windu did not reply, but stood firmly in the doorway, the Masters mirroring his stance.

The black chair swiveled smoothly around as the white-haired old man faced them. His wrinkled face mirrored calmness. From the outside it could not be deduced that evil swirled underneath his cloak of serenity.

"Young Skywalker has served you well, I see," he said calmly. "Why has he not come?"

"I ordered him to stay away. I know he has been under your influence," said Master Windu. He stepped carefully toward the old man, his dark skin shining under the bright lights of the conference chamber.

The old man contemplated Mace Windu for a moment before replying, "I take it General Grievous has been destroyed then. I must say, you're here sooner than expected."

Windu stepped forward again, igniting his purple blade. "In the name of the Galactic Senate of the Republic, you are under arrest, Chancellor." The three Jedi Masters behind him also lit up their lightsabers, standing at the ready. Each one felt nervous, anxious, and even a little fearful. There was something very wrong.

The feeling in the room grew murderous. It sent chills through the air, and the smell of evil suddenly stank as though something had died.

Chancellor Palpatine's face went from benign to malevolent. He seemed very old, and very evil, all at once. His voice became feral. "Are you threatening me, Master Jedi?"

Master Windu pointed his blade at the Sith Lord. "The Senate will decide your fate."

In a burst of anger the Chancellor shouted, "I am the Senate!"

Windu brandished his lightsaber, feeling a disturbance in the force. "Not yet!" he said forcefully.

"It's treason, then," growled the Chancellor suddenly, as he lept at them. A lightsaber flew from the sleeve of his cloak, igniting with a hiss and an evil red glow, and he soared through the air, spinning, toward the Jedi Knights. Snarling, as he slashed with his lightsaber, he quickly cut down Agen Kolar, then one slash later he had cut down Saesee Tiin. Master Kit Fisto's green-bladed lightsaber parried against the frenzied old man's thrusts and blows, but even with Master Windu accompanying him, he was cleaved by the red lightsaber right in the stomach. He fell, gasping out a dying breath. Master Windu only had a moment to mourn his comrade's death, then red death slashed at the Jedi's face, which was parried and blocked again and again by the dark-skinned master. The light of the purple and red sabers clashed and flashed across the dark skin of his face.

Master Windu found himself fighting for his very life. He had not expected the energy or the ferocity of the old man, indeed he had underestimated the power and strength of the Chancellor. They fought across the lavish red carpet of the Chancellor's office chamber, and unexpectedly, Mace Windu was slammed against the wall as the evil Sith Lord used his powerful Dark Side of the Force.

Windu got up quickly, avoiding the loss of his life, and as he exchanged deadly blows with the Sith Lord formerly known as Chancellor Palpatine, he swung his lightsaber into the window behind the Chancellor's desk. It shattered and flew away. The high, howling wind that roared past the window made it more difficult to hear, and instantly the room was full of cold air. Papers from the desk fluttered out the window into the night air of Coruscant. The Sith Lord fought so fiercely that the Jedi Master was forced out of the window onto the ledge. Balancing precariously, he swiftly parried a forceful blow from the former Chancellor.

Master Windu parried another blow and then thrust his purple light blade so swiftly and forcefully against Palpatine's that the older man lost his red lightsaber to the air below them. Palpatine glanced at it as it fell into the air, disappearing quickly from view. Windu forced Palpatine against the ledge, where the old man cowered, pretending that his ferocity was gone.

Licking his lips and chest heaving, the Master Jedi said fiercely, "You are under arrest, My Lord." Palpatine suddenly looked afraid for his life, like a weak old man. Mace Windu felt something wrong, and then saw Palpatine looking past him.

Palpatine pleaded with the newly arrived Jedi Knight. "Anakin! I told you it would come to this. I was right. The Jedi are taking over!"

Mace felt worried. Anakin was disobeying his orders to stay away. The young Jedi Knight was so headstrong and unpredictable, and he had been so close to Palpatine for so long.

The Jedi Master pointed his lightsaber even more definitively at the old man's throat. "You old fool. The oppression of the Sith will never return. Your plot to regain control of the Republic is over! You have lost. "

Palpatine's wrinkled face became ugly as he grinned a horrific grin. "No! No! You will die!" And from his raised hands and crooked fingers, bolts of Force Lightning shot out. Master Windu blocked the deadly lightning with his lightsaber, grunting against the Force.

With his wrinkled face in a fury, and with a voice that proclaimed innocence and victimization, Palpatine shouted, "He is a traitor, Anakin!"

Master Windu had to concentrate to keep the Force Lightning at bay. "He's the traitor. Stop him!"

Palpatine's voice was as cunning as ever, laced with a layer of subtilty. "Come to your senses, boy. The Jedi are in revolt. They will betray you, just as they betrayed me!"

Anakin looked fearfully from Master Windu to Chancellor Palpatine. He knew in his heart that if he allowed the Jedi Master to kill the Sith Lord that he would never learn how to use the Force to save Padme. But maybe that was how it should be. Maybe he should let her go the way of the Force . . .

Master Windu and Palpatine struggled together, one gripping his lightsaber to save his life, the other manipulating the Force for destruction. Palpatine called out to Anakin again. "You are not one of them, Anakin. Don't let him kill me." His voice began to take on a pathetic, pleading tone.

Anakin stood, voiceless, his heart full of pain. His mind was racing.

Palpatine felt his hesitation to aid the Jedi Master. He applied to Anakin again. "I am your pathway to power. I have the power to save the one you love! You must choose. You must stop him."

With a commanding tone, Mace Windu shouted, "Don't listen to him, Anakin!"

Suddenly Palpatine's voice sounded helpless. He shrieked, "Help me! Don't let him kill me. I can't hold on any longer."

Anakin felt it hard to resist Palpatine's pleas. Deep within him he knew the old man was lying, that he had lied to Anakin since their earliest days together. He knew that this man was the evil Sith Lord. Still, it was very hard to watch the struggle between the man he should be loyal to and the man that he had grown to be loyal to.

Master Windu pushed the Chancellor out to the ledge's edge. The old man supplicated for his life, even as he shot deathly Force lightning bolts at the Jedi Master. The Force Lightning began to rebound off of the lightsaber, shocking the Chancellor instead. His face began to twist and distort.

He began to cry out: "I can't ... I give up. Help me. I am weak ... I am too weak. Don't kill me. I give up. I'm dying. I can't hold on any longer." He looked at Anakin for assistance.

Master Windu looked at Palpatine without compassion. "You Sith disease. I am going to end this once and for all!"

Anakin cried out, "You can't kill him, Master. He must stand trial!"

Mace almost looked incredulously at him, "He has too much control of the Senate and the Courts. He is too dangerous to be kept alive."

It was too much for Anakin. He knew that he could not stay. He quickly turned his back on them, and as he started walking away the Chancellor screamed at him. "Anakin! Do not abandon me! Do I mean nothing to you? I can give you immense power! Only save me! Save me from the Jedi! They have deceived you!"

Anakin turned angrily. "No! I cannot help you! You have lied to me! I can't believe I have trusted in you and believed you and you've turned out to be the Sith Lord we have been chasing all these years!"

"But Anakin," pleaded Palpatine.

"No! You murdered three Jedi Masters!" shouted Anakin, pointing at the doorway. "You've destroyed thousands of lives! I—I just can't save you from a fate you deserve."

Palpatine's face grew murderous. "So be it!" he growled, and instead shot the Force lightning at Anakin. The young Jedi Knight fell to the ground, pain coursing through his body. His prosthetic arm only amplified the lightning in his right arm, frying the flesh attached to the metal. He screamed.

This diversion allowed Mace Windu to slice off Palpatine's hands, then with shock registering on the old man's face, Anakin lept up, igniting his blue blade in his remaining hand, and beheaded the Sith Lord. With the expression of shock still on its face, Palpatine's head rolled across the ledge and fell off of the edge into the air. His body collapsed to the floor, the neck sizzling where the lightsaber had severed it from the head.

Anakin, shaking, looked at the decapitated body in shock. Master Windu placed his hand on Anakin's shoulder.

"Though you disobeyed me, Skywalker, the opportunity to kill the Chancellor would never have happened had you not been here. My trust in you has been restored. Now, come. We must gather the Jedi Council."

Anakin nodded numbly, glancing at the body of the Chancellor. He followed Windu out of the Chancellor's Office, wondering how he would save Padme now.

. . .