A/N: Back at it again with taking too long to update... Sorry about that. But, this chapter is a little longer than the previous ones, so hopefully that will make up for the delay. Maybe? Thanks for reading, and don't forget to leave a review if you have any comments/criticism/ etc. Reviews make me smile! Enjoy the chapter :)


Chapter 7

It was noon on Yavin IV. All morning, Obi-Wan and Anakin had been discussing possible strategies and coming up with final plans for how the base should be protected. Captain Rex was a huge help since the other clones held a high level of respect for him. Still, that didn't stop Anakin from badgering and intimidating anyone who opposed her in order to get her way, which greatly embarrassed Obi-Wan. During a break for lunch, he pulled her aside and began to scold her.

"What in the galaxy was that?" he asked harshly. Anakin's eyes widened in mock surprise at his tone.

"I'm sure I don't know what you mean, Master," she dismissed him. This only made his face flush slightly red in anger. He took a breath and tried to let his anger go into the Force, knowing he couldn't fight fire with fire when it came to Anakin.

"I'm sure you know exactly what I mean, my very young padawan learner. Bullying those soldiers and generals, that condescending, arrogant attitude, what are you thinking? I'm beginning to regret telling you to be more active in the meetings."

Her eyes narrowed. Now she was mad.

"But we accomplished what we came here to do, in half the time. No one objected-"

"Because you were intimidating them! That's not the Jedi way. I can't believe I'm telling you this, you know what you're doing is wrong!" Obi-Wan took another deep breath, trying to calm himself. He was determined to not allow himself to let his emotions get away from him, but that was easier said than done since Anakin was making no effort to center herself with the Force. She lowered her voice to just above a whisper and snapped,

"I did what I had to do because no one else would. We would still be sitting in there arguing if it wasn't for me."

That did it. Obi-Wan grabbed Anakin by her forearm and began to lead her out of the conference room and into the cold outside. All the while, she was protesting and thrashing about, trying to snap away from his grip.

He's stronger than he looks, she thought.

"Quit it! Let me go, Master! This is ridiculous! Stop it-" Suddenly she found herself facing Obi-Wan, his hands gripping her elbows, his gray eyes blazing into her blue ones and for the first time, she regretted crossing him. She fully expected the worst and flinched away out of instinct. Instead, Obi-Wan leaned close to her and whispered,

"That's enough. Behave yourself, padawan." Anakin shivered.

"Yes, Master. I'm sorry, Master," she said quietly, bowing her head slightly. Obi-Wan was curious as to why she reacted like she was about to be struck when he turned to speak to her. He almost didn't want to know how Anakin got that habit.

Anakin followed her master without a word to the end of the base.

"Master, I'm sorry-" she began, still looking at the ground.

"I don't want to hear it. What you did in there was completely unacceptable. Give me one reason why I shouldn't send you back to Coruscant right now," he said, his voice firm and grim. Anakin was silent for a moment.

"I- I shouldn't have said anything in the first place…" Obi-Wan wanted to grab her by the shoulders and shake her, but he resolved to keep his calm.

"No! That's not the point! You need to learn how to negotiate and strategize properly and respectfully, not act like a tyrant!" The look in Anakin's eyes told him she wasn't going to back down. Obi-Wan knew he had to be firm and stand his ground, he couldn't let Anakin's strong will get out of control.

"Anakin, my young apprentice, you still have much to learn. Control your temper."

Anakin gave in and nodded. She'd finally calmed down a little and her Force signature was no longer steeped in rage. Her advanced abilities made her a force to be reckoned with, but it gave her ego an unhealthy boost. Something told her she should be ashamed of her outbursts in the meeting, that she should apologize and take back what she said, but she didn't feel a bit of remorse. The only thing that bothered here was the fact that she disappointed her master.

"I'm deeply sorry, Master. I'll try to do better," she said.

"You know what Master Yoda says. Do or do not, there is no try," he teased. She smiled weakly. Hopefully she would evade punishment.

"I will apologize to the committee," she offered with a wide-eyed gaze.

"That's a good start, and you'll also stay on guard duty with the clones during the next meaning," Obi-Wan ordered. Out of habit, she almost began to argue, but she decided against it.

"Yes, Master."

Obi-Wan nodded and took a deep breath, pinching the bridge of his nose. Years ago, he'd unconsciously picked up the habit from his master, Qui Gon. Whenever he caught himself doing it, he felt a mix of amusement and grief. It was Qui-Gon who found Anakin and wanted Obi-Wan to train her. It was Qui-Gon who seemed to know the right thing to do in any imaginable situation, and Obi-Wan frequently worried that he wasn't the Jedi his master was. What would Qui-Gon have done in a situation like this? Obi-Wan sighed and began walking back toward the base with his apprentice

Anakin felt unfamiliar guilt gnaw at her stomach for making her master upset. She couldn't decide whether she wanted to run and hide or drop to her knees and beg forgiveness. Instead, she looked at Obi-Wan and spoke to him through their bond.

I'm sorry, Master. I really am.

Your actions affect more than just yourself, padawan. That ego of yours will land you in serious trouble one day.

Her heart sank at his words because deep down, she knew he was right. They entered the base and waited on the lift to take them a few floors down into the underground bunkers. While inside the lift, Anakin began to tense up. Reason told her that Obi-Wan wouldn't cruelly punish her for stepping out of line one time, but habit told her to expect the worst. She had to do something. Gently, she stepped closer to Obi-Wan and laid her head on his shoulder.

Obi-Wan was lost in thought: what to do about Anakin's behavior, what to do about fortifying the base, how to deal with the generals who couldn't seem to agree on anything, until a soft pressure on his shoulder snapped him back to reality.

Anakin, he thought. He eyed downward and sure enough there she was, giving him a sympathetic look. Obi-Wan chuckled, reaching for her padawan braid and giving it a good yank, earning a surprised gasp from his apprentice. Before he knew it, they arrived at the proper floor. Anakin went with the clone guards without protest and Obi-Wan trudged along to meet the generals and begin another tedious task.

Deep down, Anakin didn't know why she was so upset about missing another meeting; she got along quite well with the clones. A group of four greeted her.

"Anakin Skywalker?" one of them asked.

"That's me," she replied casually.

"Why aren't you in the meeting?"

"I guess I mouthed off a little too much for my master's liking, so now I'm here." She smiled mischievously, and the clones grinned too.

"Well, we try to keep things lively around here, even if nothing ever happens on guard duty. I'm Barcra, and this is Lackluster, Appo, and Bigs. We'll head out for our rounds in a minute."

"Yes, sir," Anakin replied, trying not to sound too informal while the generals were still around. Once they left, Anakin turned to the group of clones and gazed expectantly.

"Let's get to it!" Bigs rallied the crew. The five were off, exploring the lower levels of the base. Anakin spied a few crates that reminded her of her favorite obstacle in the temple training room…

"Hey guys, check this out!" she called as she ran over to the crates and hopped on top of one. The crates seemed reasonably spread out, so she tried a few basic tricks: a cartwheel from one crate to the next, a tuck jump, an aerial-handspring combination executed with a little help from the Force. She completed her acrobatic performance and hopped down, giving a slight bow at the applause.
"Well done, sir. That looks like fun," Lackluster said. Anakin gave a cheeky grin.

"It is fun!" she said, "and please, call me Anakin. You guys should try some light gymnastics, you would probably be really good at it." There she went again, riling up the troops and instigating trouble.

"Of course, Anakin. But I don't think we're trained- Hey!" shouted Barcra as Appo jumped atop a crate and began leaping over every other box. He finished his run with a somersault.

"It's not hard at all, sir," Appo smiled. Anakin high-fived the clone. Barcra sighed.

"If you can't beat 'em, join 'em!" he cried, running toward the crates. Soon enough, the crew was not patrolling the area so much as they were searching for places to do parkour. Luckily, there were no security cameras installed underground yet, which was why the clones were patrolling in the first place. By the end of the first round, the clones were out of breath, and Anakin was grinning ear-to-ear. This was the first time she'd ever enjoyed a punishment.

"Guys, in my almost twenty years of life, I've never had that much fun on patrol," she mused. They all laughed as if she'd told a hilarious joke.

"What?" she asked, clearly confused. Lackluster stepped closer to her to explain.

"Oh, it's really nothing. As clones, we're given growth accelerators from the time before we're born until we're fully mature. Bigs, Appo, Barcra, and I are only ten years old." The men laughed again, this time at Anakin's wide-eyed expression.

"Ten years old?" she asked incredulously.

"Indeed!" Lackluster nodded.

"I knew they gave you growth accelerators, but I had no idea they were that, well, accelerating! You all are a bunch of children!" she mocked.

"Who was it that encouraged flipping off boxes and jumping around like kids?" snickered Bigs.

"Oh, zip it," Anakin rolled her eyes at the truth. "So, are we gonna go again, or should we switch it up this time?" Barcra looked at his wrist holochron.

"Our shift is close to being over, but I think we have time for another go."

"Perfect!" cheered Anakin. The five took off again, ready to display more moves. None of them knew Obi-Wan and Rex were fast approaching from down the hall.

"Rex, I'm so glad you came. You have no idea how much you've helped us accomplish," Obi-Wan said as he walked out of the meeting room after a solid hour of strategizing. He and Rex were great friends, and the clone was one of the few non-Jedi men he could count on.

"Thank you, general. I'm just doing my job," Rex replied happily. Obi-Wan yawned.

"How long have we been in there?" Obi-Wan asked. Rex consulted his holochron.

"Long enough for night to fall. Kriff, it's going to get cold." The men heaved a sigh as they approached the area where Anakin and the clones would return from their rounds.

The crew was about to come barreling around the corner, when suddenly, Anakin halted them. The clones bumped into each other and grumbled.

"What is it, sir?" asked Barcra.

"I told you to call me Anakin, and I think Master Obi-Wan and Rex are waiting for us. I can sense their presence through the Force. We've gotta fly casual," Anakin said as she straightened her tunic and pushed back some stray hairs that escaped her braid during the acrobatics. The clones took a moment to catch their breath and correct their posture.

"Well, I'd say we look halfway respectable," joked Lackluster, earning a snicker from everyone except Barcra, who shushed him.

"Alright boys, let's go," Anakin charged. They marched around the corner, Anakin leading the pack. Obi-Wan smiled when he saw her. Yet, there was something in the Force that told him she was up to her usual tricks.

"Good evening, Master, Captain Rex," Anakin greeted kindly.

"Good evening, padawan," Obi-Wan replied. "How was guard duty? Find anything out of the ordinary?"

"No, Master. Everything seems to be in order." The earnest smile she was giving him could have fooled anyone that she had done what she was told, but Obi-Wan knew better. He was about to reprimand her for it until he remembered something Qui-Gon told him years ago: pick your battles if there's no harm done. Obviously, no harm was done. Anakin completed her punishment with no complaint. He decided to not press the issue for his sake.

"Very well. Come, young one, it's getting late," Obi-Wan said as he motioned for his padawan to come closer. She hurried to his side with a "yes, master" and began to follow him to the lift. Obi-Wan pretended to not notice when she gave a wink and nod to the clone guards behind her.


Back in their room, Anakin prepared a rather tasteless ration dinner for her and her master.

"Instant bread is not, and will never be, real bread," she snarked as she watched a lump of bread rise up from the greenish-looking powder she sprinkled in some water. Obi-Wan gave her a look. She tore the bread in half and pretended it was causing her great strain, and he tried his best to ignore her childish antics.

"At least we have bread," he said, biting off a piece and trying not to wince at the stale, mealy flavor. Anakin suppressed a laugh. Finally, her master put away his no-nonsense Jedi façade in favor of his real personality.

"This stuff is pretty bad, isn't it?" he laughed. For the first time that day, the two saw each other actually smile, and their happiness radiated through the Force. They choked down their halves of gross instant bread with minimal disgust and a bit of good humor. After Anakin cleaned up their supplies, she noticed it was very late, thanks to the holochron on the wall. A pang of worry hit her.

Where am I going to sleep? she wondered. Ideally, she would huddle close to Obi-Wan and fall asleep in his embrace, but she knew the chances of that were low. She could almost hear him objecting to the idea. A voice pulled interrupted her worry.

"Anakin, I want you to sleep in the bed tonight. I can deal with sleeping on the floor," Obi-Wan said intently. Anakin frowned.

"I don't know if that's a good idea, Master…" she trailed off. His eyes grew wide.

"And why is that?"

"It's cold on the floor. Really cold. Even if you were to wear a coat, there's still a chance you'd freeze all night. Or worse, get deathly ill." Obi-Wan's heart picked up at her suggestion. She actually wanted to share the bed again? He couldn't believe it. Nervousness and shyness turned his cheeks slightly pink. Even though he knew he shouldn't indulge Anakin, he heaved a sigh and began,

"I believe you're right, padawan." It would have been fine to leave it at that, but Anakin had to open her mouth and make things even more awkward.

"It doesn't bother you, does it? Sleeping together? No, not sleeping together, that's not right-" she stuttered.

"Anakin," Obi-Wan made her look at him and stop talking. "It doesn't bother me. Situations like these sometimes call for unorthodox solutions. Does it bother you?"

"No," Anakin tried to sound as nonchalant as possible. She was trying her best not to let it be obvious how excited she was to be close to him again. Luckily for her, he remained oblivious. Obi-Wan's expression softened and he patted her shoulders.

"I guess it's time for bed, then," he said.

After attempting- and failing- to warm up with a lukewarm shower, Anakin was still freezing, and she couldn't wait to huddle next to Obi-Wan. She tried to still her heart before sliding in bed next to her master. Secretly, he was doing the same thing when he felt her form against his.

Force, he smells good, she thought, inhaling the scent of his shampoo. Obi-Wan thought similarly when he caught the scent of Alderaanian lavender on Anakin's skin. Both of them were awkwardly positioned; they were close, but not too close. Touching, but not too much. Neither of them was very comfortable. Finally, Anakin broke the silence.

"This is very uncomfortable, Master," she said. He made to get up.

"Where are you going?"

"If you're uncomfortable, I can sleep on the floor. I-"

"No, I meant we were laying in an uncomfortable position. I just wanted you to scoot back so we had more room."

"Oh." Obi-Wan looked hesitantly as Anakin gestured for him to return. Something caused him to lighten up suddenly. Before he knew it, he hopped in bed, slid his arms around Anakin's waist, and drew her back to his chest with a squeeze. She snickered when he hit a ticklish spot on her ribs. It made him happy and deeply uncomfortable knowing she enjoyed this so much. Once she settled in, Obi-Wan realized Anakin's hair was caught in his beard and around his mouth. He took his hand and smoothed her light hair down. What should have been one stroke became two, then three when he realized the calming effect it had on Anakin.

"Better?" he asked.

"Much better." Her voice was heavy with sleep and oddly blissed-out. The Force was singing with her bright energy, which Obi-Wan found to be contagious. He smiled as he stroked her hair once more and faded into sleep, Force energy swirling pleasantly around them in a way it never did before.


Morning came all too soon, the shrieking holochron woke Obi-Wan first. He reached out with one arm and slapped the alarm's off button. Immediately, he became vividly aware of his padawan nuzzled into his neck and tangled around him like vines on a tree. Slowly, he moved to get up, but Anakin held on to him and groaned in protest. Instinctively he ran his hand over her hair, and she relaxed instantly.

She was still asleep.

They were alone.

He took a moment to indulge in the peaceful surroundings and continue to smooth Anakin's hair, and feel her cling him with such abandon that she never showed when she was awake. It was almost comical, he thought. When she was awake she never showed any semblance of neediness or attachment and often came across as cold and cruel. Obi-Wan chuckled silently and shook Anakin to try to rouse her. She didn't respond.

The girl could sleep through a supernova, he snickered to himself. He knew he shouldn't allow himself such leniencies, yet this wasn't exactly a habit, so he didn't make himself feel too guilty. Once again, he tried to wake Anakin.

Obi-Wan shook her gently, then stroked her head again. Nothing. He shook her a little harder. A grumble, then nothing. With a heavy sigh, he unwrapped her limbs from around his torso, stood up, and left her in the bed. She was half-awake now, huddled in the warm sheets where he was laying.

There is no reason to get up this early, she thought, and made no effort to move. Meanwhile Obi-Wan grabbed two metal trays they'd eaten dinner off of, walked close to the bed, then banged the trays together as hard as he could. The crash was deafening.

Anakin shouted as she shot up out of bed and flailed onto the floor. She was terrified and scrambled to stand up, uttering a string of Huttese curses, until she heard her master laughing heartily. Now she was infuriated.

"Why did you do that?" she demanded angrily. Obi-Wan wiped a tear from the corner of his eye.

"Well, look who decided to wake up," he said through laughter. Anakin chucked a pillow at him, but she just couldn't stay mad for long, especially when he was smiling like that. An eyeroll helped to suppress her laughter as she stood up straight and lunged toward Obi-Wan. He deflected her with the pillow she'd thrown at him and sent her tripping away. Something told him he really should be more watchful of Anakin and not let her get away with so much. Especially since she already had the ego and aggression of a Hutt. He just couldn't see the point of making their lives harder if it wasn't necessary by keeping Anakin on a tight leash.

The day's tasks were thankfully different than yesterday's: the group would venture out into the field, do several attack drills, and make any final adjustments to the strategy. Anakin was raring to fight, even if it was just a drill. When the signal went off announcing the start of the mock attack, she and Obi-Wan looked at each other with fire in their eyes.

Remember, this isn't real. Do not get carried away, he told her through their bond. She gave a wicked smile and nodded right as the "enemy" group of clones burst through the blast doors. Since the blasters were set to fire blanks, the bolts dissipated entirely when they came in contact with their lightsabers, so they couldn't deflect the bolts back onto the clones. That made for a cop-out fight in Anakin's opinion, although she was happy to see any action at all. She fought perfectly in tune with her master and tried to resist the urge to improvise. The urge proved too strong and she began to slice her way through the fray toward the edge of the room.

"Anakin!" Obi-Wan yelled, hoping to bring her back to reality.

"Don't worry, Master. I've got this!" she replied. She felt his anger rise up in the Force, but why should she follow a faulty plan? Once at the edge, she climbed up the railing and stole a blaster from a clone who got a little too close. She took out all but a couple of clones (Obi-Wan took care of them) with ease and dropped down to the floor, trying not to look too smug. She was proud of her quick thinking. There was a chance Obi-Wan wouldn't be so proud. She approached him cautiously.

"Padawan," he warned.

"I know, I shouldn't have deviated from the plan. I'm sorry, Master." This was the second time she disobeyed orders on the mission. She thought for sure she was going to get it when they returned to Coruscant.

"Part of being a good fighter is improvising. I do wish you would give me some warning before taking off like that. What if the enemy ganged up on me, or lured you into a trap? Not everything is as it seems, my young apprentice." Anakin nodded. At least he wasn't too mad. She would take a mild critique over a punishment any day.

"But," he continued, "You did very well. Good job." The praise made her smile, and she couldn't stop grinning with pride as the clones and Jedi made their way back to the main hall for the results of the drill.

The next morning, Anakin found herself slightly sad that it was time to leave Yavin IV. Not because of the mission, which she found rather boring and tedious, but because she was able to connect with her master even more. Sure, sharing a bed was very nice, but it wasn't just that. It was how the Force seemed to change when they were together; in battles, meetings, even when they didn't speak to each other, they felt it. Neither of them had ever felt such an active Force bond before, so they weren't quite sure how to handle it.

As the two prepared to head back to Coruscant, Anakin pulled on the Force bond she had with Obi-Wan. He pulled back. Even though they were in separate speederss, they smiled at the same time. That is, until Anakin decided to turn up the music in the cockpit and roar into hyperspace and race her master back to the Jedi temple.