THE END OF THE Clone Wars was drawing near. Maul could sense it. It dominated the Force, it was in the air, it was almost palpable. It was also terrifying.
At least to Maul.
He was mediating in his room in the Jedi Temple -- the rest of the Jedi knew of his allegiance by now, and he'd been assigned his own clone squadron -- when he heard the door open and felt Padme's by-now-familiar presence as she entered. He knew she was hesitating, not wanting to interrupt his meditation, and he felt her start to leave.
"Don't go." Padme hesitated at the sound of Maul's voice. "Your presence is comforting."
"I don't want to intrude..."
"Believe me, you're not intruding. Come on in," Maul invited, opening his eyes.
"Okay," Padme said, walking farther into the room. Maul used the Force to close his door as Padme sat down beside him on his bed.
"What were you meditating on?" Padme asked.
"I feel the Clone Wars are drawing to an end," Maul said. "I don't know how, but..."
"But what?" Padme asked, laying a gentle hand on his arm. "Something's wrong. I can tell."
Maul sighed. "The end of this war will not bring peace. I saw...destruction. Violence. Fear. I saw Skywalker and Kenobi ruling the galaxy through fear and opression. I saw the Jedi being wiped out. I...it was terrible, Padme. And it's coming."
Padme scooted a little closer, her hand moving down and intertwining with his.
"You saw all that? Oh, Maul, that's terrible!" Padme murmured. "Is there anything I can do?"
"We can't prevent what will happen," Maul said. "All we can do is fight and try to change the outcome a little."
Padme smiled. "I meant for you."
Maul smiled back. "Come closer," he said.
"I'm already pretty close," Padme said, complying anyway. "How close do you want me to come?"
"As close as humanly possible," Maul replied.
"Hmm. That would require getting on you..." Padme trailed off with a smile.
"Sounds good to me," Maul laughed.
"Me too," Padme said, moving so that she was sitting on his lap.
"We probably shouldn't be doing this," Maul said, "but I really don't care. I've been raised separate from the main Jedi Code, so I'm not sure all the rules apply to me."
"Which rules don't?" Padme asked, meeting his eyes.
"Let's hope the one about relationships being forbidden," Maul murmured, instinctively leaning in a little. To his surprise and delight, Padme did the same.
"Let's hope," she breathed, their faces inches apart.
Maul closed the distance, gently pressing his lips to hers, closing his eyes. Padme returned the gentle kiss, making a warm feeling spread through Maul.
He pulled away before the kiss could get too heated, still wondering if that had been a good idea. He'd certainly enjoyed it, and considering Padme had returned it, he suspected she had too.
"Padme..." Maul trailed off, not knowing what to say. It was obvious the way they felt about each other after only about a year, but neither seemed inclined to admit it.
"I don't know what to say, either," she admitted. "This is weird for me, too."
"Glad I'm not the only one who's a little awkward about it," Maul said, smiling softly.
"Not at all," Padme replied. "I've never felt this way before. Anakin and Obi-Wan were just friends, before I found out the truth."
"There's still light left in them, Padme," Maul said. "We've got to believe that. The day we stop believing they can be turned is the day that Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi are truly dead."
"They seem so consumed by the darkness, though," Padme said doubtfully. "It's hard to believe there's anything left of that little boy I met on Tatooine, or of that chivalrous and funny young Jedi I dealt with as Queen."
"They're still in there, Padme, hidden away, buried by the darkness that they seem so determined to drown themselves in," Maul reassured her. "We'll be able to find them again, someday. Once Kenobi finally forgives me for killing his master, once Skywalker lets go of his anger and grief about his mother, then we'll find them again. There's still conflict there."
"I don't know..."
"Hell, look at Ahsoka Tano. She turned spy for the Jedi after her friend tried to frame her for murder. That just proves that someone can come back from the dark path, as opposed to what Yoda has always taught: 'Once down the dark path you start, forever will it dominate your destiny.'"
"Yoda says that?" Padme asked.
"Cut him some slack. He's eight hundred and seventy-six years old. He's been though a lot," Maul said.
"Wow, he's old," Padme laughed. "I'm only twenty-six."
"I'm thirty-four," Maul said. "I think."
"You think?" laughed Padme.
"I don't actually know when my birthday is," Maul admitted. "Most of the Jedi that were taken at only a few months old don't know. Those that were discovered a few years into their lives know their age a little better. All I know is that around my birthday every year while I was a Padawan, Mace would give me some small thing and tell me happy birthday, sometimes a day late, sometimes a day early, sometimes on my birthday. I never did figure out the date, though."
"Interesting," Padme said. "The Jedi are a very mysterious religion."
"That they are," Maul sighed.
"Is it terribly wrong that I want you to kiss me again?" Padme asked after a moment.
Had she read his mind? "If it is, then I'm guilty, too," Maul replied with a smile.
"So? What are you waiting for?" Padme laughed.
"No idea," Maul said before leaning in again and kissing her once more. This time it was a little more intimate, a little more passionate, a little deeper. Maul enjoyed it far more than he should. He was a Jedi...but like he'd told Padme, he'd grown up under a different code. Maybe -- hopefully -- without the rule of "no relationships".
This time, when Maul pulled away, Padme followed, wrapping her arms around him and burying her face in his throat. Maul returned the embrace, burying his face in her hair, closing his eyes. There was something relaxing about being with Padme, he thought, something soothing about her presence, her energy.
"Figured out what to say yet?" Maul mumbled into her hair eventually.
"No," she replied. "I'm working on it."
"That's okay," Maul said. "I haven't either."
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awwww maul/padme sweetness :)
idk why i like the jedi maul/padme idea so much but i do don't judge me
fast forward one more year to order 66. i'll do the mace's death/killing younglings/ordered to go to mustafar scenes, then switch chapters to the mustafar...incident
ok i figured out how luke and leia come into the picture
so basically one night the two sith & ahsoka & the clones are all drinking & celebrating some victory even tho the separatists just called a temporary ceasefire on the planet they're stationed on & ani, obi, & snips all get way too drunk & that night in their camp everyone's sleeping off the alcohol & ani/obi/snips being drunk have a little too much fun & then when she's almost ready to deliver -- like 8 months pregnant -- snips discovers it & tells ani & obi & they're all excited & confused & awkward about it but then after the birth snips just kinda leaves & takes the kids with her to be fostered by other people & not know who their parents are
ok moving on
thank you to my readers, please comment
~R.A. Starkiller