Obi-wan stumbled with the little boy in his arms.

And then he froze; adrenaline shooting through his veins. The Dark Side of the Force was everywhere. He looked up to the towering humanoid in front of him who he knew had to be the Sith Master. The sheer power of his aura of hatred, fear and pain leaving little doubt as to where his alliances lay.

He had to be the Sith Master whose apprentice he had killed not that long ago.

The sleeping boy who he had been about to put in bed in their room in the Palace of Naboo shifted in his arms. His shields, already in place to hide his grief from the Council, tightened around them both to protect them as much as they could from the waves of cold Darkness permeating the room.

The Sith hadn't moved an inch, but his breather was a constant ominous noise in Obi-wan's ears, even louder than the beating of his heart.

How-?

Where-?

His eyes took notice of the lightsaber in the cyborg's belt. Obi-wan realized he had left his back in their quarters. His eyes roamed the black and bare room. No windows. Only one entrance.

"Obi-wan?"

The voice was deep, mechanical, and it made a shiver ran down his spine. His eyes shot back to the Sith's lenses.

The Sith took a step towards them. And Obi-wan took a step back.

The Force around him exploded in triumph.

"Obi-wan." He repeated slowly almost tasting his name. The smile was obvious even behind the mask.

Obi-wan was suddenly very aware of the nine-year-old in his arms.

"I'm afraid you have me at a disadvantage," he said, trying to be as nonchalant as possible, "I do not know your name."

"You are right for once, Obi-wan," he said, approaching them slowly, backing him towards the end of the room, away from the door, "you are afraid." He said, no doubt enjoying the emotions leaking from his flimsy shields, he took his saber out and lighted it up in a fluid movement illuminating the room in red. "And I do have you at a disadvantage, young one," he said, making a show of looking to his Padawan braid, "in more ways that you can possibly imagine."

There was nothing he could use as a weapon, nor any sign of where they were, or how they had gotten there. He was trapped, they were trapped. He needed help. He needed… his Master. No! He couldn't think about him! Not now!

Darth Vader relished in the weakling before him. This was The Negotiator? He hadn't perfected that blank mask he'd hated for so long. He could read his emotions, his fear, his grief, his anger, they were all in display in his face and in the Force.

Without taking his eyes from the Sith, Obi-wan retracted his shields from the kid. "That may be true," he answered to their captor with a calm voice, "what's more, I daresay my disadvantages would make the fight most tedious for you," the boy stirred in his arms, "perhaps we could arrange a more interesting setting?"

"What-?" The sleepy voice of the kid brought a new feeling of weariness to Obi-wan, he needed him awake, he needed him to be able to run, but on the other hand him being awake would also attract the Sith's attention towards him. "What's going on?" Obi-wan let his charge get onto the floor and put him behind him.

"Obi-wan, sir?" the boy had realized they were in some kind of trouble if the sudden wariness in his voice was to go by.

"Stay behind, Anakin."

"You intend to fight me, Jedi?" the Sith now had them cornered, his lightsaber up in an attack position. "You think you'll be able to protect that pathetic whelp behind you? You really think either of you will leave this place alive?" Obi-wan felt two little hands hold on tight to his cloak. Force help him, he had to get that boy to safety. He couldn't let him die here. Maybe he could hold long enough for the boy to get out… if the door wasn't locked. "I will kill him, Obi-wan. And you will be too weak to stop me from taking the life of your student as you were too weak to save your Master."

Obi-wan's eyes narrowed as he clenched his teeth. How did he knew about his Master? How did he knew he'd taken Anakin as his Padawan?

"Why don't you allow me to duel, then. Or is it fear I could best you as I bested your apprentice what holts your hand?"

"I have better things in m-"

"Run, Anakin!"

Obi-wan pushed the boy with the force to one side as he charged the Sith, going for his saber. He was able to grab it, but he couldn't pull it out of his grasp, the Sith didn't appear to be very fast but he was strong. In the resulting struggle Obi-wan had to try to maneuver the saber away from him as the Sith tried to impale him over and over. He realized that either he was being the luckiest man in the Galaxy or the Sith was simply toying with him, nicking him with the saber in his legs and arms but without really causing serious damage. Superficial burns that hurt as all the Corellian hells but didn't really incapacitate him.

His strength was inhuman!

Obi-wan elbowed him in his chest were the controls of his respirator appeared to be, but the reciprocating punch was enough to throw him face first to the floor.

"Obi-wan!"

"Get out of here, Anakin!" He stood up facing the Sith, his back now to the boy, he could hear him near the door, he only hoped he could get out.

"The door ain't locked-"

"THEN GO!"

"You are both pathetic." The disgust in the Sith's voice was clear. He raised both of his hands sharply and Obi-wan felt himself being thrown with an incredible Force push upwards into the far ceiling, a yelp of surprise letting him know the boy had been thrown too. His back hit the durasteel with a sickening thump that left him breathless; the pained gasp of the kid however helped him focus, and when the Sith left them free fall from there he tried to concentrate to cushion as much as possible their fall.

They still hit the floor hard, and Obi-wan tried breathing through his pain. He couldn't black out now.

"You are nothing more than an orphaned Padawan who thinks he can raise the Chosen One."

Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no… this couldn't be happening. His master was… His master had been right. Anakin was the Chosen One. And the Sith knew. They'd known all along.

And he'd promised... he'd promised.

He would fail his master.

Obi-wan felt the Dark Side close around his throat, and now he couldn't breathe! He was lifted and claimed by the stretched hand that. He. Could. Not. Dislodge.

He trashed, and kicked, and felt his eyes bulge and feeling completely helpless he saw through his clouded vision how the Sith lifted his lightsaber towards his face, the heat off the blade making his eyes water, and with a slow deliberate movement he cut his Padawan braid.

Before passing out he could hear the deep mechanical voice saying "I think I'll be keeping this, you don't need it anymore after all."