"Black
Balloon"
by Jedi Adia
Disclaimers: Star Wars belongs to George Lucas, and the song "Black
Balloon" belongs to the Goo Goo Dolls.
Baby's black balloon makes her fly
I almost fell into that hole in your life
And you're not thinkin' about tomorrow
Cuz you were the same as me
But on your knees
Obi-Wan paced outside the Council chamber. It had been several days since
Anakin had left. Darkness had overtaken him, and he'd become an agent of evil.
There was no turning back.
Obi-Wan felt a stab of guilt, as sharp as the blade that had taken his master's
life so long ago. He had let them all down. Qui-Gon,
Anakin...Padmé and her unborn child. Obi-Wan wasn't
competent as a Jedi Master. He had been wrong, and the Council was about to
tell him what he already knew.
Obi-Wan paused, as the doors opened, and Yoda himself came out.
"Ready for you we are," he said.
A thousand other boys could never reach you
How could I have been the one?
I saw the world spin beneath you
And scatter like ice from the spoon that was your womb
A couple of hours later, Obi-Wan came out to find Padmé waiting there for him.
"They say it wasn't my fault, " he said.
"Of course not," Padmé whispered. "Ani was impulsive. And angry. The combination of which is
deadly."
"Is this the punishment for all the stunts I pulled as Qui-Gon's
Padawan?" Obi-Wan wondered aloud. "Now I understand howhe felt when
Xanatos turned. Is this supposed to happen? Of course not," he bitterly
answered his own question. "Ani was supposed to bring balance to the
Force, not chaos to the Order."
"But you're supposed to prevent the chaos, protect the Order," she
wrapped her arms around the bulge that her stomach had become, "and
protect the four of us."
Obi-Wan looked at her. "Twins?" Padmé
nodded.
Comin' down the world turned over
And angels fall without you there
And I go on as you get colder
Or are you someone else's prayer?
"Does Ani know?"
"Ani only knows of one child. I couldn't bear it if he knew of them
both," she said. "I'd like to leave after they're born. We need to
escape."
Why not now? Obi-Wan thought. The sooner they left, the less likely the chance
that Anakin would learn of them both! And then Padmé answered the unspoken
question.
"They need to be separated. I don't want Anakin finding them both."
You know the lies they always told you
And the love you never knew
What's the things they never showed you
That swallow the light from the sun inside your room
Comin' down the world turned over
And angels fall without you there
And I go on as you get colder
Always someone there
Obi-Wan's mind flooded with scenarios of everything that could go wrong. He
couldn't let Anakin find them. Padmé carried two future
Jedi, both strong in the Force. If Anakin found them, everyone could be
destroyed - even Anakin himself.
"We can't let Anakin find them...he'd be destroyed."
"Isn't Anakin already destroyed?"
"I intend to save him, to undo the damage that I've done. I owe the galaxy
that much," Obi-Wan said. "You've got to stay here at the
He turned to leave, and Padmé grabbed his arm. "What will we do after
they're born?" she asked.
"We'll get as far away as possible," Obi-Wan answered.
And there's no time left for losin'
When you stand they fall
Comin' down the world turned over
And angels fall without you there
And I go on as you get colder
All because I'm
Comin' down the years turned over
And angels fall without you there
And I'll go on and I'll bring you home and
All because I'm
All because I'm
What you became to me
"I'll find you, Anakin," Obi-Wan whispered, as he looked out over the
Coruscant skyline later that night. "I promised Qui-Gon I'd train you...I
promised you that you'd become a Jedi. This is just a bump in the road..."
At least, he hoped it was just a bump in the road. Yoda always said there was
no turning back. But Obi-Wan hoped the Chosen One was just an exception.