Realization dawned, horrible and cold as Anakin put the pieces together. This man whom he'd long considered a friend and a trusted ally wasn't a friend at all. The Chancellor was a Sith Lord; the Sith Lord they'd been hunting all these years. Anakin's stomach twisted, the Council had been right, he shouldn't have trusted Palpatine.

"I have to turn you in." Anakin bluntly informed Palpatine, lightsaber ignited and pointed at the Chancellor.

"Do what you feel you must," Palpatine answered, calmly. "Just know if you turn me in you lose the opportunity to save your wife."

Anakin froze. How did he know that?

"I know what's been worrying you, Anakin. If you turn me in I can't teach you how to save her." Palpatine said, a small smirk crossing his face.

The dread in Anakin's stomach turned to turmoil. Though he had already broken the Jedi code by marrying Padme, he didn't think he could stand the guilt of not turning in Palpatine. Could he stand losing Padme if he didn't turn in the Chancellor though?

"I'm still turning you in." Anakin said, extinguishing his lightsaber and walking away.

A barrage of emotions struck him as he left the Chancellor's office. He felt so lost and he didn't know who to turn to. The Jedi couldn't know what he'd done or he would lose their trust and his position as a Jedi. Anakin knew he should discuss this with Padme, but he didn't think he could stand to hear what she had to say on the matter. He knew that she would tell him to report Palpatine regardless of the promises he was making to help Anakin save her. Deep down, he knew that was right, too, but he'd already lost his mother and he didn't think he could survive losing his wife, too.

Jumping into his speeder he took off, knowing that like it or not he needed to talk to Padme about this. Communicating his worries with her had never been one of his strong suits, but they were supposed to be partners; this affected both of them and he needed her input. The trip to their apartment passed more quickly than normal with half his mind on Palpatine's offer.

"Ani?" came Padme's voice as he climbed out of his speeder. "Why are you home so early? Is something the matter?" she asked, making her way toward him.

He could sense the moment she really took in his face, her temperament switched quickly from confused and pleasantly surprised to stark concern. Anakin crossed the ground quickly, pulling her into a hug, taking comfort from her presence. Drawing a deep breath, Anakin breathed in her scent, committing it to memory, just in case. Her arms came around him, hands rubbing soothing circles on his back, sensing just how much he needed peace.

"Let's go inside and talk there," she said, voice muffled as she spoke into his chest. Anakin pressed a kiss to the top of her head before releasing her and taking her hand to lead her inside. Anakin hated the fear that was radiating from her. The last thing he wanted was for her to be scared. He led her to the couch and sat, waiting to speak until she was seated, too. Trepidation almost closed his throat as he thought how to tell her what had taken place.

"I might have found a way to save you." He said, not missing the momentary shock in her eyes and how quickly it was replaced with confusion.

"Why are you worried about--"

"It comes at a cost." Anakin said, cutting her off.

"What cost?" Padme asked.

Anakin heaved a sigh, dragging a hand down his face before answering, "The Dark Side."

It was like Anakin had sucked all the oxygen from the room with those three words. Fear turned into cold fingers of terror as Padme stared at him, mourning filling her eyes in the form of tears.

"No," she said flatly, shaking her head at him. "No. That's too high a price to pay for something that might not ever come to pass. You don't know that your dreams are true visions of the future."

"We don't know that they aren't either," Anakin replied, desperation and sadness seeping into every fiber of his being. "I can't live in this world without you."

"I would rather die than be the thing that leads to the ruin of who you are." Padme said, tears rolling down her face. "I can't bear the thought of being without you either, but if you turn the Dark Side, even if it's for a noble purpose, it will be as if you've died."

Guilt pricked Anakin's conscience. He knew that Padme was right, but there was still a part of him that would be completely willing to turn to the dark side if it meant Padme would live.

"Ani," Padme said, resting a hand on his forearm. "I love you and I love that you want to try and save me, but if I'm supposed to die in childbirth then that's what's going to happen."

Anakin started to protest, but Padme cut him off, "No. No arguing. I want you to be here, to be you for our baby if I die. What would become of our child if you turned to the dark side and I still died?"

Anakin's thoughts came screeching to a halt at that. He had never considered what would become of their child. Honestly, he hadn't considered that turning to the dark side and this supposed power to save Padme might not work.

"You and Obi Wan tell me all the time about the Sith and how they decieve. Who's to say the Chancellor is even telling the truth about this power?" Padme questioned. She paused a moment before continuing, "Ani, he knew about us. He knows I'm pregnant. What if. . . What if your dreams aren't visions at all? What if they're false visions he's put into your mind to try and turn you? To give you a 'reason' to turn to the dark side?"

Anakin felt the blood drain out of his face. He didn't want to admit that she was right, but what Padme was saying made sense. Anakin's pride balked at that, didn't want to admit that he could have been tricked by the Chancellor without his knowledge, but if he was powerful enough to have been a part of the Senate all these years and the Masters never noticed. . .

"I think you might be right," Anakin admitted, the admission bitter in his mouth. Padme had always had a way of looking at the whole picture, rather than just a fraction the way he had a tendency to do. His pride in himself and his power sometimes blinded him to the things around him, making him focus on himself and what he could do and control.

"You have to tell the council," Padme told him. "Sooner rather than later. The longer you wait, the more time the Chancellor has to prepare."

Anakin nodded his agreement and rose to leave. Before he could step away from the couch, Padme reached out and grabbed the sleeve of his cloak. Anakin looked down at her quizzically, she wanted him to go, but now she was stopping him?

"Thank you," she said earnestly. "Thank you for telling me, for discussing with me. This is what I've wanted for a long time. For you to fully confide in me and treat me like a partner, not something you have to always protect."

Anakin smiled softly at her, "I'm glad I talked to you about, too."

Leaning down, he pressed a soft kiss to the crown of her head. Turning on his heel, Anakin made his way out of the apartment, back to his speeder so he could go to the council and tell them what he learned. Though he wanted more than anything to try and save his beloved wife, for the first time in a while, he felt at peace.

Revenge of the Sith has always bothered me, even though I knew that something had to happen to bring Anakin over to the dark side. I was doing a rewatch of the saga last week and this idea struck me so I decided to write it. I have no idea how often I'll update or how long this will be, but here it is and I hope you enjoy it.