Anakin woke up, late in the night, in the fading darkness, and felt around blindly until he found Padmé. He put a hand on her freezing cold back, and pulled her body closer to his on the hard metal floor. Only a few hours ago, she had been burning up, and yet felt cold, now it was the opposite. Instead Padmé felt hot, but she was actually freezing. All she wore was her nightgown, a sleeveless, pale blue silk, with ruffles cascading down the back. Anakin felt the sweat soaking the silk of her shift, and he tried not to think about how much longer Padmé had to live.

In the quiet, Anakin had finally had a small moment to celebrate his relief. He was thrilled that he was able to find her, and that they finally were able to have an ataractic moment, alone without any interruptions. But, this time it was tarnished by the single fact that Padmé was on the threshold of death, and she, most likely would not dissipate into the Force, unlike he would someday. If she died, he was likely to be forced to live for eternity without his love, his Angel.

Padmé's eyes fluttered open, the little bit of light left was filtering through her sweat drenched lashes. “Ani?” Padmé’s warm, mahogany brown orbs searched through the darkness until they found his intense, cesious coloured ones. They locked eyes and he became lost in her eye's exquisite, infinite depths, so warm they nearly lit up the blackness. They started to pool with lucid, crystalline tears, and Padmé choked up, “I'm not going to survive, am I? It's too late,” she forced the words out in a hoarse whisper, a single tear making a scintillating trail down her cheek, and dripping off her chin.

Anakin’s thoughts froze, and his lips parted slightly, his breath catching in his throat. He didn't know what to say, Padmé had voiced his exact thoughts. Be strong, he said to himself, be strong for Padmé. “Padmé, don't worry, you'll be okay, I promise,” Anakin pressed his lips to her sweaty forehead. “I promise,” he whispered halfway to himself.

* * * *

Obi Wan stepped down from the cliff wall, glad to be on the ground again. He was sure that he was short on time, so he sprinted, hopping adeptly over the vines, lacing the canyon floor. Once he found a root, he stooped down over it, and pulled a rock out of his pack.

He started picking at the sediments around it. Ugh...why couldn't I have thought to bring a dagger with me? Obi Wan thought irritably, “come on, come on” he griped bitterly, through clenched teeth. He finished picking around the root, and began cutting at it with a sharp edge of the rock. Another dozen seconds and the plant would definitely be upon him. He cut the root halfway out and started to yank at it. Spontaneously, he felt a sharp, biting pain in his left ankle, “blast!” he cried, and with one last yank, pulled the root out of the stubborn ground. Now just to get my ankle free. Obi Wan pulled out his lightsaber, and ignited it, slashing the carnivorous vine’s head off.

He sped across the base of the canyon, barely avoiding the vine heads. As he reached the side of the canyon, he scaled the wall in a few force jumps, and landed soundly on the edge of the cliff.

“Thank you Jaybo, I must be going now” Obi Wan turned and walked up the ramp onto his ship, and sped away into hyperspace.