Show Me the Future and Let It Go

Chapter 2 - To Make a Choice

Padme doesn't say anything, looking at Anakin in silence. "I don't need help," Anakin states flatly, and it's so obviously a lie that Obi-Wan jerks back in surprise.

"Anakin," Padme says quietly, reprovingly. She fixes him with a look, and he finally turns his head away from her.

"There isn't anything he can do," Anakin insists dully, still staring out the window with unseeing eyes. Somehow, Obi-Wan doubts that.

"Well, why don't you at least tell me what's bothering you?" he suggests, hoping to coax his former Padawan, his brother, his child into answering the question.

He remains stubbornly silent, obviously waging an internal war. Padme runs out of patience before Anakin finishes making up his mind. "He had a vision of me dying in childbirth," she tells Obi-Wan, totally ignoring her husband's glare. "I told him that I'm fine, but he doesn't believe me." She sounds exasperated and mildly irritated. "I had the medical droid check me over. There's nothing wrong."

Obi-Wan hums quietly. That Anakin is having visions probably isn't a good sign, but if nothing else, he has to be certain that Padme will be fine before talking to his former Padawan. He'd ignored Anakin's visions about his mother, and look what happened? He doesn't know the details except that she did die; he never asked either, because he knew that Anakin didn't want to talk about it. He can probably start by checking Padme through the Force.

He closes his eyes, reaching out to scan her body. He's not a healer, but he can still sense injuries or health conditions through the Force. Nothing. He checks again just to be certain, before turning to Anakin. "She's perfectly healthy," he informs his former Padawan. "If you don't trust me then we can have a Temple healer check her over."

Anakin huffs. "And how will you explain her pregnancy to them?"

"If they don't know it's you, I don't have to say anything," Obi-Wan replies calmly. "She's a friend, so it wouldn't be terribly out of line for me to have her looked at, especially not since her children are obviously strong with the Force."

Anakin seems disgruntled for reasons which Obi-Wan can't even begin to decipher. "They'll expel me if they know," he scowls. Obi-Wan definitely doesn't miss the fact that Anakin referred to the Council as "they" even though he's on it.

"Well, technically, your opinion would count," Obi-Wan points out. "You have a say in all matters which are decided now that you're a member." Something else is wrong here. Obi-Wan can feel the tension humming in the air, Luke's desperate plea not lost on him. He – he doesn't know what to do! He'd always though they would have more time to repair their relationship, but now, he realizes that he has no idea how to begin and especially not on such short notice.

Anakin says nothing, and Padme regards him with no small amount of concern. Not for the first time, Obi-Wan wishes that he could read Anakin's thoughts to know exactly what's going on inside his head. "I'm going to inform the Council that I'm not going to Utapau," he declares suddenly, moving to rise.

"What?" Anakin's head snaps towards him. "Why not?"

Obi-Wan gives him a small, sad smile. "Because you need me more than the Republic does right now," he answers simply. "Your son showed me how important it is that I remain with you."

"What did you see?" Anakin asks suspiciously.

I saw you Fallen. I saw your children who didn't even know they were related. I saw myself broken – for the look on older Obi-Wan's face could hardly be interpreted as anything else. I heard of an Empire which destroyed everything we've been fighting for. In the end, Obi-Wan says none of that. "I saw that I failed you." He tries to conceal the sorrow in his words, but he doesn't quite succeed, because Anakin studies him silently for a moment before nodding slightly.