Rating: PG
Pairing: Obi/Ami Spoilers: Post TPM
Summary: We all need our heroes sometimes.
Archive: Anywhere that wants it, just let me know!
Disclaimer:Not mine. The characters belong to GL, the song "Hero" belongs to Enrique Iglesias.
Notes:The third part to what is fast becoming my 'songfic' Obi/Ami series. Angst ahoy ahead! And forgive me, I'm sort of taking liberties with the whole 'how Anakin' turned scenario, but I think it makes some sense (since we won't know anything on that front for a while!) Previous parts are: Goodbye To You and Distance.
Would you dance if I asked you to dance?
Would you run and never look back?
Would cry if you saw me crying?
And would you save my soul tonight?She stared with dry eyes up into the starry Naboo sky.
There simply were no more tears left to cry.
Her husband had left her, seduced to the dark side by powers beyond her control.
She had tried everything to keep him with her, to help him find his way back into the light, but the darkness had been too powerful.
It hurt unbearably to think that even his love for her, which he had always maintained never wavered, obviously came second to his love of the darkness that he now embraced.
She could still hear his harsh words, how she did not believe in him, did not trust him, did not love him enough.
What hurt more was that he spoke the truth.
She had loved him, tried her best to be the good and loving wife he deserved.
But Anakin had never held her heart.
That had been given long ago, to the one man she could never have.
His Master.
His friend.
Now his enemy.
She knew she would never forget the hurtful things he had said about the man who had trained and loved him since childhood.
The man who had, despite his feelings for his Padawan's wife, striven to be the best Master and friend a growing boy, strong in the force, would need.
But no matter how hard he tried, it was not enough it seemed to combat the dark forces that seemed always to swirl around his Padawan's soul.
They had both watched him get more and more mired in darkness, shunning them both to embrace the evil side of the Force.
The final straw had been this evening.
It was what had made her send the frantic call to him.
She knew he would come to her.
He was the only one who could help her now, as she knew she was the only one who could help him.
Would you tremble if I touched your lips?
Would you laugh?
Oh please tell me this.
Now would you die for the one you loved?
Hold me in your arms tonight.He felt the tears building behind his eyes as he watched her from the shadows.
The woman he loved, who always stood so proud and tall, even during the worst of times, stood hunched and drawn, a pale shadow of the woman he knew and loved.
His heart ached for them both, knowing that what they had feared had finally come to pass.
He had felt it the instant he'd heard the agonized final cries of the Jedi Knights and Masters.
He was not sure what had happened at first, only that the comforting presence and reassurance all Jedi's felt from one another was gone from his mind.
When he'd received Amidala's frantic call, saying Anakin had left her, saying he seemed intent on harming his once fellow Jedi, he'd known.
Anakin had fallen to the Darkside.
Somehow, he had destroyed the remaining Jedi.
His heart ached for the loss of his friends and family.
His heart broke as he realized the extent of his failure.
But he pushed all those emotions aside, knowing there was one person in the galaxy who needed him at this moment.
Needed him to be strong.
He struggled to hold onto that strength as he saw her turn, sensing his presence.
One look into her huge, tear-filled eyes was enough to break him.
Without a word, he opened his arms.
I can be your hero baby.
I can kiss away the pain.
I will stand by you forever,
You can take my breath away.She didn't think twice as she walked into his arms.
She had thought she had no more tears to cry.
She was wrong.
She clung tightly to him as gut-wrenching sobs wracked her slim body.
He held her tightly, his own tears mixing with hers as they clung to each other.
When the tears finally stopped, they remained in each other's arms, taking strength and comfort from the others presence.
She thanked the Gods that this man was here for her.
That he loved her as much as she loved him.
That he understood.
He thanked the Gods that this woman understood.
That this woman loved him as much as he did her, despite all the obstacles facing them.
Finally, they pulled apart, his hand brushing her hair away from her wet cheeks.
"Tell me what he said, what happened," he stated quietly, seeing the pain return to her eyes as she turned to stare out over the Palace gardens.
Would you swear that you'll always be mine?
Or would you lie?
Would you run and hide?"He has been meeting secretly with some powerful Senators lately. I tried to get him to talk to me about it, but he wouldn't. He said it was none of my business. That it did not concern me," she began, the bitterness creeping into her voice unbidden.
"I sensed the darkness around him growing. Something, something evil seemed to possess him sometimes. He scared me," she whispered, refusing to meet his gaze.
He clenched his hands into fists at his sides, wanting more than anything to take away the pain, to take away the fear he saw in her eyes when she spoke about her husband.
"Did he hurt you?" he asked in a low voice, hoping the intensity of his words did not scare her.
She sighed, turning to look him straight in the eye as she answered.
"Several times, he, he hit me," she whispered, reaching to place a hand on his cheek as she saw the anger fire in his eyes. "He was not himself, something had possessed him," she began, hushing him as he started to protest.
"It was only a few times, and after that, I learned what not to say, what to do to keep him calm. But it hurts Obi-Wan, it hurts so badly to think he could do that, to know that darkness is inside him," she whispered, another tear slipping down her cheek.
He forced his anger down, reaching out and gathering her into his arms, soothing her with gentle stroking motions against her back.
"Tonight, did he," he began, only to be stopped by her fingers against his lips.
"No, he was different tonight," she whispered, turning her head to look out over the gardens.
"Tonight he was so cold, so unfeeling. He said, cruel things about me not loving him enough, about you not believing in him enough to teach him what he needed to know," she continued, hugging him tightly as she saw the pain flash in his eyes at her words.
"He said something else, it was what frightened me most," she whispered, seeing a glimmer of something spark in his eyes.
"What was it?" he asked quietly, his arms tightening around her waist.
"He said the current Jedi Order was old fashioned and corrupt, unwilling to see the changes that were coming, changes he and several other powerful men would usher in," she whispered, seeing the understanding begin to dawn in his eyes.
"He said, he said that after tonight, the Jedi would no longer be a problem," she finished, seeing the pain flare in his eyes.
"What happened?" she asked, sensing the heartbreak in him for much more than the loss of his Padawan.
He closed his eyes, breathing deeply as he tried to focus.
"Several hours ago, right before you summoned me, I felt a major disturbance in the force. As if hundreds of voices cried out in pain, then went silent. Then my connection with the Jedi Masters was broken. Now it is as if it never existed," he whispered, feeling her arms tighten around him.
"You think Anakin," she began, seeing the pain cloud his eyes as he simply nodded.
"From what you have said, and things we have gathered, Anakin has fallen in with the Dark lords, the Sith, and they are planning to overthrow the Republic. It looks like that began tonight, when they somehow must have killed most of the remaining Jedi," he whispered, a tear escaping his tight control as he realized he had lost his friends and family.
She pulled him to her, trying to ease some of his pain with her presence. She felt his body shuddering as he held back his sobs.
"My fault," he whispered, burying his head in her neck as the tears began to flow. "All my fault," he whispered again as she held him tighter.
"No, not all your fault," she whispered, trying to soothe him the same way he had her. "It was a combination of everything, from you and me, to the loss of his mother, to the fact that he has always been so very powerful, but you can't blame yourself, I won't let you," she trailed off as she felt his arms tighten around her waist.
For a moment, he simply stared into her eyes, amazed that despite all the pain, all the guilt, the mess their lives were at this moment, she still cared enough about him to try and ease his pain.
Gods how he loved this woman!
Am I in too deep?
Have I lost my mind?
I don't care, you're here tonight."You cannot blame yourself either," he whispered when he finally could speak around the lump in his throat. He stopped her with a finger across her lips.
"You will not let me blame myself, I cannot let you blame yourself. You loved him, maybe not the way he loved you, but love all the same. I loved him too," he whispered as another tear fell. "You are right, it was a combination of things, but it still hurts, it hurts so much," he whispered through the tears.
She let her own tears flow again as she buried her head in his chest.
For a long moment, they simply held each other, letting the other absorb their grief and fears, and the comfort they drew from each other's love.
As he felt a sense of calm steal through her system, he distinctly picked up two sets of heartbeats.
Pulling back, he let his senses go, trying to connect with the Force around him.
After a few moments, he smiled, feeling a ray of something like hope light in his mind.
"Obi, what is it?" she asked quickly, seeing the small smile on his face.
"Twins," he whispered, looking deeply into her eyes.
She stared at him, eyes wide.
"You're sure? You know this?" she asked, her hand immediately reaching to cup her slightly bulging belly.
"The Force tells me, your children will be strong in it, just like their Father," he whispered, seeing the dark clouds return to her eyes.
"He can never know about them now, can he?" she whispered, feeling another wave of pain flow through her system.
She knew he felt the same as she read the agony in his expression.
"It would be far to dangerous now that he has turned," he whispered, placing his own hand over hers, feeling the life force pulsing beneath her skin.
For a moment, she remained silent.
"So what do we do now?" she asked quietly, resting her head against his chest as he pulled her close.
"I don't know," he whispered, mind struggling to think coherently through all the pain he was in.
"But we'll figure it out, together," he whispered, planting a soft kiss against the top of her head.
Sighing, she relaxed in his embrace, for one moment, letting his comfort and love take away the pain that seemed to never leave her now.
For just one moment, she would let him play the hero, saving her and her unborn children from reality itself.
Just for one moment, she let herself believe everything would be all right.
I can be your hero baby.
I can kiss away the pain.
I will stand by you forever.
You can take my breath away.The End
(for now...)
