Title: Num Custos Pars

Author: Nightshade sydneylover150

Rating: PG-13 to be safe

Disclaimer: Quis custodiet ipsos custodes series belongs to jedipati/letslipthehounds. Star Wars belongs to George Lucas and Disney. I'm just playing in their sandboxes.

Summary: "Meditate with me, Obi-Wan." Obi-Wan went to nod before he caught himself. "I'd rather talk, Anakin."

Inspired By: Custos in the Quis custodiet ipsos custodes series by jedipati/letslipthehounds

Posted with permission from: jedipati (AO3) aka letslipthehounds (tumblr)

A/N: Italics = thoughts

K/S/K/S/K/S

"But can't I be a good Jedi, like Uncle Obi-Wan," Luke plead with his father.

Anakin looked at his son before facing Obi-Wan again. "No Luke. Your uncle is the only Jedi that isn't bad. I don't want to risk…"

Luke nodded unhappily.

"Now, I need to talk with Obi-Wan for a little bit," Anakin said. "Why don't you go find your sister?"

Obi-Wan felt Luke reaching out to Anakin, and Anakin responding, but Obi-Wan didn't try to listen in on their silent conversation. Whatever was being said was strictly between father and son.

Luke sighed, perhaps in response to more than just his father's verbal request, but he got up and headed back inside. Obi-Wan watched him go.

When he was gone, Obi-Wan dropped his head. "I can't do this," he said, "I just…"

"Meditate with me, Obi-Wan," Anakin interrupted before Obi-Wan was able to finish his thought.

Obi-Wan looked up sharply. "What?"

"Meditate with me. I know you've been having some difficulties, but I'd like to spend some time in the Force."

Obi-Wan went to nod before he caught himself. Yes he wanted to meditate with Anakin. At least the part of him that wanted to reclaim what he had lost with his brother, perhaps the part desiring to stay and never leave.

"I'd rather talk, Anakin."

"What? Why?" Anakin looked surprised to hear to Obi-Wan's rejection of his plan. Perhaps I did spoil him too much when he was my Padawanif he believes I will always give into him.

"I know I'm not ready to meditate with you, dear one. I'm too close to losing my balance. I know that, you know that, and I suspect that was what Luke was silently communicating to you."

Anakin sighed. "You have always been too perceptive for your own good Obi-Wan. I don't know why you are so desperate to limit yourself."

"I have never considered it to be limiting myself Anakin. Only seeing things from a different point of view." Obi-Wan tilted his head before looking directly at his brother-in-all-but-blood. "Right now I am attempting to find my balance. That does not mean I'm going to leave you forever or reject you. I'm trying to come to terms with what has happened over the years and adapt. But that doesn't mean I'm going to fall or become a Sith. I've seen what has happened to fallen Jedi both as an adult and as a youngling. I'd never want my niece and nephew to be exposed to that."

"You'd never be like that Obi-Wan! That is not what it means to fall."Anakin protested as he moved forward to speak to his brother. "Think of the good that would come out of us working together on the same side! We could find the fallen ones and keep them from harming others."

"What of the harm you have done, my brother? I love you. I love my niece and my nephew. I even have come to love Padme as a sister. But I don't agree with this Empire and the harm you have done in the universe." Obi-Wan took a deep breath before he looked his brother directly in his eye, afraid that he would see crimson and yellow in his beloved brother's eyes. "I have promised myself that I would guard my niece and my nephew until I die, but I find it hard to keep that promise when I have to fight for my right to my beliefs. I know that is not what you want to hear."

"No it isn't. I'd hoped you'd meditate with me and that you would fall. Luke told me he had seen it." Anakin stated as he held his brother's glaze. As much as it hurt him to admit, Obi-Wan's words made sense. Obi-Wan had never craved power. He believed in loyalty to a cause, a system, and/or a set of beliefs whereas Anakin believed in loyalty to people first and foremost. That is where they had always struggled. Obi-Wan, while loyal to those he loved, was also loyal to his beliefs and his duty.

Obi-Wan could not help but smile at the Sith's words. "Nothing is ever set in stone Anakin. Especially the future."

Anakin looked over at his brother. "No it isn't."

Obi-Wan turned away from Anakin and looked towards the palace. Towards his niece and nephew. "If you'd like, I can leave. You can tell the twins whatever you need to in order for them to not ask about me. I know it is treason to speak ill of the Empire."

There was a dead silence as Obi-Wan prepared for the worst.

"What?!"

"I'm offering to go into exile, prison, a camp, or wherever it is that the Empress and you send those who disagree with the Empire. I promise I would not fight against you, but I know in these days and times my word means little." Obi-Wan absentmindedly offered as he continued staring forward at something off in the distance.

A hand cupped his chin. Obi-Wan expected his face to be jerked and for the guards to be called. Instead the hand gently turned Obi-Wan's face towards his brother. "I would never send you away. I thought I lost you six years ago. I never plan to let you go, my brother. Neither does Padme. We will make this work. Somehow. Perhaps somewhere down the way you will fall and we will move forward as I see it."

"Oh Anakin." Obi-Wan exhaled forcefully. His brother was dense at times. "You remain so idealistic. Things rarely work out as we intend. I know of Padme's rulings as Empress. I don't know what happened to the woman who so dearly believed in the Republic, but the person she is now will never allow someone like me to continue being around your children with beliefs that could cause dissent."

"And you, my brother, remain so pessimistic and stubborn. Despite your desires the Empire exists and will continue to exist. Eventually you will come to accept it."

"It is unlikely."

"Nothing is impossible Master." Anakin remarked as his eyes flashed yellow for a second. "Meditate with me."

"No, Anakin." Obi-Wan avowed firmly. "This is my choice. I'm not going to fall just because it would make things easier. Let me find a new center."

Anakin and Obi-Wan starred at each other. Blue/yellow versus blue.

"Kark, I've missed you." Anakin whispered.

"I've missed you too, but there are more important matters…"

"Obi-Wan." Anakin interrupted and put a finger over Obi-Wan's lips, "Nothing is more important than family. You are a part of ours. We'll figure it out. I promise."

Obi-Wan looked into his brother's swirling eyes in an attempt to divine the truth from those eyes. Slowly he brought his hand up to remove Anakin's finger from his lips. "I want to believe that badly Anakin. But I have a bad feeling about this."

"Obi-Wan, I don't want to fight about this right now." Anakin softly murmured "if you will not meditate with me, just sit with me as I meditate."

Obi-Wan nodded and moved to sit cross legged next to his brother. Apparently, Anakin wasn't going to allow the older man to have any personal space as the Jedi found himself sitting flush against Anakin with the Sith's arm around the Jedi's shoulders.

"Really Anakin?" Obi-Wan commented as he raised his eyebrow to observe his brother.

Anakin opened his eyes and smirked at Obi-Wan, "This way you can't run away."

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes as Anakin closed his again, leaving the Jedi alone with the quiet sounds of the palace's gardens.

Apparently it took Anakin becoming a Sith to get him to sit still long enough to meditate, Obi-Wan groused as he looked over the younger human to observe how the years had treated his brother. As time passed and Anakin continued to meditate (why couldn't he have done this when I was teaching him!), Obi-Wan found himself leaning his head against his brother's shoulder. The Jedi was having difficulty keeping his eyes open and he quickly fell asleep, feeling at peace for the first time in years.

Not long after, Anakin emerged from the Force to find his brother sleeping on his shoulder. The Sith observed his Jedi brother, noting that the red head looked more peaceful than Vader had seen him be since the Clone Wars had started. There was no doubt in Vader's mind that his brother would eventually fall. It was merely a question of when. He realized now that his brother would never fall for want of power, but rather the Jedi would fall for the love and acceptance of his family.

After all, Anakin thought to himself, that is what Obi-Wan is, even with his rebel sympathies. He's family.

"Luke is going to be so pissed that he lost a bet to Leia…"Anakin whispered softly with a smile as he brushed the golden red hair out of his older brother's closed eyes as the older man burrowed his head deeper into the warmth of Sith's body.

He had some tactical planning to do.

S/K/S/K/S/K

The End