When the Sun Sets

Chapter 20 - Coming Together

Author's Note: Welp, this is the final chapter! There will be an epilogue next week posted at the same time as the prologue for the sequel (and last book) called 'Rising From Ashes'. ;)

I hope to see y'all there as we bring the saga to a close! :D

~ Amina Gila

Jaufre Naberrie

I don't know if I'm relieved or not to see Obi-Wan when he finally shows up at Polis Massa. On second thought, I'm physically incapable of being relieved at anything right now, not past my full-blown panic.

Padme is going into labor, and I don't know if she's going to be okay. (What if she dies?) If the twins were here, maybe I could find some semblance of calm because surely, they could at least do something about it, but now, all I can remember is their panicked faces, as they told me Padme's Force-presence was fading. And I don't, I don't –

No, that can't happen. It can't. She was fine. We were supposed to be fine. She can't die.

But if Obi-Wan is back, he must have confronted the twins, and – "What happened?" I ask.

"As I told you, they could not be reasoned with," he replies, sharply.

"Did you even try?" I demand. Maybe I'm not being fair to him, but I can't help it right now. This is all too much.

"I told you, they would not listen," he nearly snaps. I never remember seeing him this short-tempered before, but I suppose it's not a surprise.

"So, what happened?" I press. There's a wound on his arm, and something twists uncomfortably in me at the sight. He's injured, and he wasn't before. That means...

"We fought," Obi-Wan answers shortly. He doesn't say more, and I don't think I need to ask. They must be okay, or somehow, I think I would know. I don't have the energy to deal with this right now anyway, not when Padme could be dying.

"They should be here," I say, turning away as I pace back and forth outside the room that she's in right now.

"It was their choice not to be," Obi-Wan objects.

I shake my head, spinning sharply to face him. "They told us to wait. They don't know what happened. They don't –" I pause, another thought occurring to me, "Didn't you hear about Anakin's nightmare?"

"What nightmare?" Obi-Wan asks dubiously. So, they never told him. "All I heard was of Qui-Gon."

"Anakin saw Padme d- – she –" I cut off, unable to finish, "They were scared it would happen, and they were... trying to find a way to prevent it."

Obi-Wan looks more than a little mind-blown. "Why did they say nothing to me about it?"

I sigh, turning away. "I don't know. I think there was something more they saw that they didn't want to talk about."

Obi-Wan doesn't look very happy with the answer, but he doesn't say anything.

"I should like to know why no one said anything to me about this at all," Qui-Gon says flatly, appearing in the doorway, because apparently, he was even unaware that Padme was pregnant in the first place.

"I assumed they would tell you if they wanted to," Obi-Wan replies. Talking about the twins hurts both of them, I can tell.

"They knew you wouldn't be happy," I point out, breathing in past my anxiety, "I'll be inside." I leave Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan out there, slipping into the room with Padme and moving to her side. It won't be long before she actually starts giving birth, and I take her hand, offering the only comfort I can, refusing to accept that this may be the last time I ever do.