"Run!"

She screamed with the outrage of it all, screamed from the pain of watching yet another friend cut down in cold blood. But no matter how loud or outraged her scream was, she couldn't argue the logic of her friend's shouted suggestion. She gripped at her own blaster as the flash of the sapphire lightsaber next to her began to bob in response to his running footsteps. Her arm was grabbed, not too gently and she was rocketed forward at an incredible pace toward the doors that were steadily closing, steadily falling in on themselves. Her breath burned in her chest, her legs ached, but suddenly she was being pulled down and she was sliding, clearing the door, her ankle held in a powerful grip. They cleared the door, but as she felt some relief at missing that situation, she was presented, quite unexpectedly with another.

They were approaching the edge of the landing platform.

Obi-Wan stopped, his lightsaber dowsing and then she was dangling, held by one foot. She stared down at the hundreds of meters/stories fall and released a powerful breath.

"Milady!"

"Don't just yell at me, Master Kenobi, if you please," she yelled back, desparately trying to keep her heart in its proper place. "Please pull me back up."

"That was the course of action I was going to follow," he yelled back and suddenly, she felt herself lifted and suspended by fingers of the Force until she was lying on the platform.

Master Kenobi glanced down at his friend, Padme Skywalker, and shook his head. "That door won't hold them for long."

"I suppose not," she answered, breathing haltingly.

"We should go."

"I'm right behind you," she answered, rising somewhat unsteadily to her feet. He reached around and grabbed her shoulder to get her running. His much taller form had her striding, hoping to keep up with him. They rounded a corner to see a pair of troopers flying toward them. With a shout, he made a detour, pulling her bodily into a transport and then rocketing it forward, pulling back at the last moment as a building side loomed. With a shout, she was thrown back into the seat and reached to hold onto the seat and her fingers dug into Obi-Wan's thigh.

"They seem not to want to be detoured, Senator."

"We didn't seem to convince them well, Jedi," she shot back.

"I wonder how much has been placed on your head this time," he shouted back as the transport cleared the landing platform and he pulled back to plunge them down and under the building.

"Ani…"

"We can't count on him, Padme." Obi-Wan yelled back.

She turned, her face full of anguish and fury, to him. He met her eyes with an equally angry look of his own. He turned back forward to begin the salom course that was their path to freedom. They flew under and over, around and around, avoiding, dodging and moving at an incredible rate of speed.

"I refuse to believe that," Padme yelled back.

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes and gripped the handles tighter. He could feel her anguish and her pain in the Force, but she had to know about her husband.

"He has joined Palpatine, Padme…there is no hope for him now. He is helping the Emperor rule with a hand of steel and fear," he shouted. "You know he lives by fear. You know he lives by hate. You married him to help stem that wild streak in him."

"My marrying reasons are not for discussion, Master Jedi."

"They are when you married my former padawan and a Jedi, Senator," he shouted back, without malice, only with interest.

Padme glanced behind them to spy rapidly gaining speeders. "We can't go back to the quarters," she yelled.

"No. We are going to have to head for the evening district," he answered. "It is the only place I can hide you right now."

She yiped as the speeder went into a 90 degree dive. She flew forward, glaring at him. "Obi-Wan."

"I hate driving," he explained. "I hate being chased, and I hate driving at rush hour."

Trying to push the subject of the conversation, he shouted: "If you had married him for love, Padme, the aura of your force would be much different. As it stands, all I feel on you is pity for him."

Padme groaned. "Just drive, Jedi, and I'll tell you if you are right if you get us out of this alive."