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“Mistress Padme, Master Kenobi is here to see you.”
Threepio’s voice shakes Padme from her pity party on the floor of her office. She’s still holding Anakin’s lightsaber, but she quickly hides it in her sleeve, just like… Padme shakes her head, wiping the tears from her face and moving to stand in front of her desk. It’s horrible timing, but Padme’s been expecting this conversation for… three weeks.
“Let him in, Threepio,” she says with a sigh.
Obi-Wan steps in, and his eyes are blazing. Padme sighs again.
“Master Kenobi.”
“Senator,” he says, and, despite the anger in his eyes, his voice is the same calm as always, “How are you?”
Padme turned away, crossing her arms in front of her.
“We both know why you’re here, Obi-Wan. You know I’m not fine, and I know that you’re angry. Let’s stop pretending, now.”
She’s sick of secrets. She’s been mourning her own mistakes in secret. She married in secret. Now, with Anakin’s lightsaber with her and halfway across the Galaxy from him, she might become his widow in secret.
If Obi-Wan is here to yell at her and blame her, he can do it openly.
And oh does he.
“Very well,” he says, “Let’s start with this. Congratulations, Padme, you’ve cut the war in half, and it only took trading Grievous for Anakin, somebody entirely devoted to you, who’s put you above everything else time and time again. You did well, Padme. Perhaps, if we’re lucky, Anakin will survive until he’s found, and he’ll run right back to you, even if he never trusts you again-”
“Don’t think for an instant that I don’t know that, Obi-Wan. I knew he was lost to me the moment I made my choice. It was for the Republic.”
Padme is starting to get mad, now. She knows how true the words ring, but he acts like he’s never done the exact same thing. Yes, nothing of this degree, but she knows that there are reasons why Anakin didn’t want her telling him about what happened on Tatooine, and it’s not because he trusted Obi-Wan completely.
Slowly, she turns around, to tell him exactly what she thought.
“And Anakin obviously lost his trust in you long before we met again, Master Jedi . Our relationship is very low down on that list.”
Obi-Wan… just seems to loose his anger, now. She wonders what sparked it today, on the same day that she had found Anakin’s lightsaber.
Obi-Wan sighs once, very deeply, and he responds.
“Trust me, I know. I’ve seen his mind and soul, I know. Anakin… once you gain his love, it’s absolute. He would kill for us, or die for us, without a second thought no matter what we do… but, if you lose his trust… he’ll never confide in you again…” Obi-Wan trails off.
“I promised myself not to come here, not to fight with you, because, a long time ago, I promised myself that I would never hurt what made Anakin happy, but do you know what was sent to me today?”
“No,” Padme says, even as she thinks of the ‘saber hidden in the sleeve of her Senate dress. What might Obi-Wan have been given of equal worth? (How had they been given in the first place? She wonders... Anakin had told her many things he wasn't supposed to, including things about a Sith high up in the government.)
Obi-Wan sighs again.
“I found, delivered to me in a normal box, his mechanical hand,” he says softly, “The only thing worse would be if it was his lightsaber.”
“This weapon is my life.” Anakin had said in that voice he only got when he was being adorably sincere.
And Padme had pushed it away.
Padme takes the ‘saber from out of her sleeve.
“I guess Count Dooku has a sense of humor. He gives Anakin’s life to the woman who gave it away, and Anakin’s pain to the man who only ever wished him happiness,” she says, slowly walking forwards to put the ‘saber in his hands.
“You should keep this. The Jedi will ask questions if I… if I’m the one to return it to him.”
She hopes. By Goddess does she hope that Anakin is rescued. She can’t… she knows he’s not dead, yet, knows it deep in her soul, but… for how long can even Anakin last when Dooku had all but told her that Anakin was going with him, and him alone, when she’s gone through every report she can to find even traces of Dooku.
Obi-Wan only smiles, sadly, and she knows that he believes her words about as much as she herself does.
“Yes, it’s much safer this way,” he says.
Padme laughs, slightly.
"Tell them that you got the 'saber, and I got the hand. You came over here when you got it to see if Dooku had sent me anything. It’s enough of the truth to be believable."
“It was good to see you, Padme.”
“And you, Obi-Wan. Please, if you find anything…”
Padme trails off, and Obi-Wan’s sad smile softens.
“I’ll tell you.”