The Council watched the holovid in complete silence, watching as the they saw Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Sidious made a fiery landing onto Coruscant after Grievous made his escape from his flagship.
For a while, most of them, begrudgingly, felt sympathy as to what had happened to Count Dooku, where Palpatine continued to manipulate both him and Anakin until it was time for him to go, after his usefulness had ended.
Not just Dooku, but the other Seperatists who were manipulated by Palpatine just as he had done with the Republic, by taking advantage of the instability from within.
Which further gives them suspicion that Palpatine used the war to increase his power further, with the help of his own inner circle that involves people like Mas Ammeda and Sly Moore to pave way to his position as Emperor.
And furthermore, the Jedi's constant heeding to the Senate had indirectly turned them into Palpatine's pawns, using their constant interfering with politics to his advantage until he found the right time to strike.
And, as much as they hate to admit it themselves, they already felt like imbeciles after realizing what was going on.
Because while he has been away, everything has changed. Today, here in the hallway of the Senate Office Building, shebrings him news of a gift they have given each other—a gift of joy,and of terror.
This gift is the edge of a knife that has already cut their past from their future.
For these long years they have held each other only in secret,only in moments stolen from the business of the Republic and thewar; their love has been the perfect refuge, a long quiet afternoon,warm and sunny, sealed away from fear and doubt, from duty and from danger.
But now she carries within her a planetary terminator that will end their warm afternoon forever and leave them blind inthe oncoming night.
She is more, now, than Anakin Skywalker's wife.
She is the mother of Anakin Skywalker's unborn child. After an all-too-brief eternity, the kiss finally ended. She clung to him, just breathing in the presence of him after solong, murmuring love against his broad strong chest while hemurmured love into the coils of her softly scented hair.Some time later, she found words again.
"Anakin, Anakin, oh my Anakin, I—I can't believe you're home. They told me..." She almost choked on the memory. "There were whispers... that you'd been killed. I couldn't—every day—"
"Never believe stories like that," he whispered. "Never. I will always come back to you, Padme."
Obi-Wan watched with a hidden smile that is covered by his right hand at the lower part of his face, having seen Padmé as the real bridge between him and of the Jedi Order. While he was devoted to the ideals of the Order, he wouldn't sink low as to turn over Anakin to the Jedi Council, as he was already happy when he felt the same.
After all he too violated the ideals of the order in a few instances, first to Siri Tachi and then to Satine, so who is he to judge?
"Master Kenobi, do you have any clue as to what Skywalker has been doing that we do not know?", Mace inquired, to which Obi-Wan mentally told himself to be careful at his next choice of words.
"Unfortunately no, Master Windu. Anakin neither told the truth about him and Senator Amidala nor he ever lied about it", he said, as he wasn't really lying about that one either.
"If Skywalker has to face any repercussions for his escapade, I vote that we withhold our verdict until we can find a more suitable solution that could harm neither party", Shaak Ti suggested, with the other members pondering of the idea thoughtfully.
And also wondering whether or not his fall was partly due to their decisions and not just Palpatine or the Senator.
"I've lived a year for every hour you were away—"
"It's been a lifetime. Two.
"She reached up to the burn-scar high on his cheek. "You were hurt..."
"Nothing serious," he said with half a smile. "Just an un-friendly reminder to keep up with my lightsaber practice."
"Five months.'' It was almost a moan. "Five months—how could they do that to us?"He rested his cheek lightly on the crown of her head. "If the Chancellor hadn't been kidnapped, I'd still be out there. I'm almost—it's terrible to say it, but I'm grateful. I'm glad he was kidnapped. It's like it was all arranged just to bring me home again..."
His arms were so strong, and so warm, and his hand touched her
hair in the softest caress, as though he was afraid she were as
fragile as a dream, and he bent down for another kiss, a new kiss, a kiss that would wipe away every dark dream and all the days and hours and minutes of unbearable dread—
But only steps away, the main vault of the Atrium still held
Senators and HoloNet crews, and the knowledge of the price Anakin would pay when their love became known made her turn her face aside, and put her hands on his chest to hold him away.
The Council watched cautiously, though some were not so approving of the sight. The others, however, saw this was one of the rare moments that Anakin was actually himself. And it was his bond with Master Kenobi and to his Padawan that could be held responsible as to why he was the Hero With No Fear.
"Anakin, not here. It's too risky."
"No, here! Exactly here." He drew her against him again, effortlessly overpowering her halfhearted resistance. "I'm tired of the deception. Of the sneaking and the lying. We have nothing to be ashamed of! We love each other, and we are married. Just like trillions of beings across the galaxy. This is something we should shout, not whisper—"
"I cannot help but wonder, how long has Skywalker been married or how did he managed to hide his marriage from the entire order?", Luminara asked out loud the question that most members do have in mind.
"We cannot know, but I have to admit, he did it very well...", Kit Fisto complimented the Jedi Knight.
"No, Anakin. Not like all those others. They are not Jedi. We can't let our love force you out of the Order—"
"Force me out of the Order?" He smiled down at her fondly
"Was that a pun?"
"Anakin—" He could still make her angry without even trying. "Listen to me. We have a duty to the Republic. Both of us— but yours is now so much more important.
You are the face of the Jedi, Anakin. Even after these years of war, many people still love the Jedi, and it's mostly because they love you, do you understand that? They love the story of you.
You're like something out of a bedtime tale, the secret prince, hidden among the peasants, growing up without ever a clue of his special destiny— except for you it's all true. Sometimes I think that the only reason the people of the Republic still believe we can win the war is because you're fighting-
"And it always comes back to politics for you," Anakin said. His smile had gone now.
"With the war raging on, they have their own respective duties to fulfill", Plo Koon observed.
"But it certainly didn't hinder their bond at any way", Depa added. "And I could say that is how strong it truly is
"I'm barely even home, and you're already trying to talk me into going back to the war—"
"This isn't about politics, Anakin, it's about you."
"Something has changed, hasn't it?" Thunder gathered in his voice. "I felt it, even outside. Something has changed." She lowered her head. "Everything has changed."
"What is it? What?" He took her by the shoulders now, his hands hard and irresistibly powerful.
"There's someone else. I can feel it in the Force! There is someone coming between us—"
"Calm down, Anakin", Obi-Wan playfully commented.
"You described him in just three words, Master Kenobi", Mace pointed out.
"Not the way you think," she said. "Anakin, listen—" "Who is it?
Who?"
"Stop it. Anakin, stop. You'll hurt us."
His hands sprang open as though she had burned them. He took an unsteady step backward, his face suddenly ashen.
"Padme—I would never—I'm so sorry, I just—" He leaned on the pillar and brought a hand weakly to his eyes. "The Hero With No Fear. What a joke... Padme, I can't lose you. I can't. You're all I live for. Wait..." He lifted his head, frowning quizzically. "Did you say, us?"
She reached for him, and he came to meet her hand. Rising rears burned her eyes, and her lip trembled. "I'm... Annie, I'm pregnant..."
Luke, was the name everyone had in mind when she said those words, meaning their last hope is not yet brought into the galaxy.
"Do you think Skywalker would've allowed Luke to be trained as a Youngling within the Temple?", Mundi asked, a thought that Obi-Wan dismissed immediately.
"If he would want to, that is", Yoda finally spoke. "Force him, we shall not"
She watched him as everything their child would mean cycled through his mind, and her heart caught when she saw first of all the wild, almost explosive joy that dawned over his face, be cause that meant that whatever he had gone through on the Outer Rim, he was still her Annie.
Obi-Wan smiled in approval, internally wishing that he could've helped him when no one else could.
It meant that the war that had scarred his face had not scarred his spirit.
...
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