~Anakin's POV~

Later, he would recall that he had never been angrier in his life. Not even when his mother had been murdered. Nor when the Jedi had been defeated, or when Ahsoka had been kidnapped had he ever been angrier than he was. And Obi-wan saw that.

It did not matter that Anakin was taller or stronger than his old master; or that Obi-wan was more intelligent or wiser; neither of them were winning.

They were only losing more and more ground. Neither was better than the other; they could not defeat each other, only hurt each other.

And Anakin was trying to make every comment hurt like heck for Obi-wan, because Obi-wan had hurt him so many times for so many years.

"Don't you EVER use Qui-gon's name against me," Obi-wan was saying, his tone had turned into a harsh growl that Anakin had never heard before.

His master was always calm, always controlled, and the fact that Anakin had been able to break that now only made him angrier still. Obi-wan was his stability, his strength, and if Obi-wan's calm could be broken, that meant Anakin could be broken too, and he could not break. He was the Chosen One. He needed Obi-wan to be invincible.

He needed to be invincible.

"Because if not for Qui-gon's promise, I would have taken you back to the dust-ball you came from to rot as a slave," those words….they cut deeper than Obi-wan could ever have realized.

They confirmed every silent fear and anxiety Anakin had had since he was nine. Had he not been the Chosen one, the Jedi would have left him.

Obi-wan had not wanted Anakin. He had been a burden all of these years. He had left his mother to die for nothing.

All of this and more raced through his mind. He translated his broken heart into rage. Rage made him focus; it made his mind clear with the alternatives to victory.

He could not win a word-war with Obi-wan. It did not matter that he had once been a slave, and as such, knew how to dish out very hurtful insults, Obi-wan was more than his match when it came to words. So Anakin would shift it to a game he could win.

He was stronger, both physically and in the force. He was the Chosen One. With mind-blowing speed, he rammed his mechanical fist straight into Obi-wan's face.

It felt good to see the older man fall to his knees, expression contorted into shock. It felt so good to get out his revenge for all of the years of criticism, of distrust, of lectures and worthlessness.

Obi-wan looked up, and Anakin felt a flash of shame when he saw the purplish-black bruise growing under his right eye. What had he done? The shame wore off though, when Obi-wan only smiled bitterly.

"What's wrong, Anakin?" He asked slyly, his eyes were so dark that they scared Anakin. They reminded him of the eyes of Dooku. "Are you angry because I did not twist the truth to make it sound nice this time?" the blasted no good Sith maggot.

He was cruel; Anakin had never seen this part of him. This side of Obi-wan he did not know, the side that was cruel, that was uncaring, that did not care how or if he hurt Anakin, as long as he hurt him deep.

Anakin prepared to ram his foot into Obi-wan's gut. "Enough!" His initial plan was further interrupted by the ghost of Qui-gon Jinn, who suddenly stood in between Anakin and Obi-wan.

"This had gone on for too long!" granted, Anakin had not known Qui-gon long enough to have actually seen him anymore than frustrated, but he somehow knew that the way Qui-gon was looking at them now was the exact same look he had had in life as well. The look was chilling.

"Anakin, calm yourself!" Qui-gon ordered, and then turning to Obi-wan, said "Obi-wan, stand down." Anakin glanced at said person, who tensed as if a wild cat. Anakin wondered what he had been about to do.

"Now, this fight is absolutely ridiculous, I am very disappointed in you both. Especially you, Obi-wan," Qui-gon gave Obi-wan a stern, deadly glare which Anakin did not envy him. "I taught you better than this," he declared. "Obviously not," Anakin snorted. Obi-wan's eyes flamed.

Qui-gon turned to him with murderous eyes. "You disgrace your mother," he hissed. Anakin froze, staring with his mouth agape. The shock, as everything else had done for the past ten minutes, melted into cold, hard rage. Who is he to tell you that? Something whispered in his ear.

"Why are you here?" Anakin snapped back. Qui-gon gave him a cold glare, which would have steadied Anakin's tongue were he not so angry. His breath was angry, his insides were angry, it seemed as if the world were one big blaze of empty rage. Everything was fury.

"Don't you have better things to do than to watch over our shoulders all day?" he demanded. "Every time I needed you," Obi-wan added, equally enraged. "You were never there, but one of the few times where I do not want to see you, you finally show up. Why is that?" he demanded.

Qui-gon was shocked speechless, which was perfectly fine with Anakin. He was about to kill Obi-wan anyways.

He looked down at his victim. "It was your fault," the snarl ripped out of his mouth with only half of his consent. Obi-wan tensed again, and before Anakin could even blink, he was on his feet.

The rage in the room twisted. He could hear it singing in the force. He could feel his temples pulsing with undeniable rage and vengeance. He ignited his saber at the same moment that Obi-wan did.

Hurt him, like he has hurt you! He lunged. But a single thing happened that stopped him dead in his tracks. Before Anakin could engage Obi-wan in what would probably have been the most hated battle of his life, Captain Rex stepped in front of him.

Only keen Jedi instincts allowed Anakin to skid to a halt. His lightsaber trembled in his hand as it stopped a few centimeters away from Rex's face. Cody, as well, was standing in front of Obi-wan, holding out his arms with a stubborn expression.

"Rex!?" Anakin gasped. In unison, Obi-wan breathed "Cody!?" And to Anakin's annoyance, both growled at the same time; "Move!" They were too alike, in too many unnoticed ways.

Anakin clenched his teeth, and glanced at the space Qui-gon had been in a moment earlier. He was gone.

"No, general," Anakin stared at Rex, flabbergasted. He had never heard that tone from his friend before, not with his brothers and certainly never with Anakin.

"What?" he demanded, his rage starting to take over again. Rex was his captain, his minor; he had no right to speak to Anakin this way. "This is stupid!" Rex growled; his tanned face sternly twisted into disgust.

"You two are best friends!" Cody agreed. Anakin clenched his teeth. "I am not his friend," He hissed indignantly. "Much obliged," Obi-wan snorted. "Shut up!" Cody snapped. Obi-wan's face, undeniably shocked out of his wits, would have been funny had Anakin not been so angry.

"I have never seen you two act like this," Rex glanced between the two. "And you know what I think? I think you," his brown eyes blazed into Anakin's own ferociously.

"I think you are blaming this on Kenobi because you're so scared that you'll never forgive yourself when you realize you had a part in it. And you're angry that he doesn't just stand down and let you blame him like always. You're a selfish jerk," he growled out. Anakin felt his jaw drop. He was…. Rex thought…. He could not be saying this to him….

He looked at Obi-wan for support, but Obi-wan was getting his own telling off. "And you, all perfect, ever powerful master," Cody snapped, Anakin could sense his resentment.

"You're no better. You wanted this fight. You want someone to blame you because you blame yourself. You're so insecure that you need someone to tell you that it's your fault to stand up and be a man about it or else you'll be too lazy to feel bad!" He snapped.

Obi-wan's chin slumped. He spluttered unintelligibly. Anakin blinked, his mind spinning with a mixture of confusion, rage and from somewhere deep down, pain at Rex's words. Because Anakin suspected they were right.

"Wait a minute!" he burst out before his brain could meditate on this. He could not face it. "Hold on! Time out!" he waved his hands as if warding off a beleaguering swarm of bugs.

"First of all," his frazzled voice came out as a croak. "Where in the universe did you two even come from?" He pointed at Rex. "Secondly; how did you know we were fighting? And last of all, what are you so mad about?" he gasped out defensively.

"We're mad because the two men who we admire the most are acting like ridiculous children when there's a war going on! We depend on you every second of every day, and this is how you want to prove your worth?" Rex snapped, cuffing way Anakin's finger. He shrunk back, his captain's words resonating off him like a slap.

"We depend on you every second of every day…" Just as his mother had, and those children. Just as so many had. He was The Chosen One. But he could not even act the part. How are you supposed to save the universe when you can't even be a proper general or role model? Anakin demanded of himself.

"You disgrace your mother," Anakin was almost glad she was dead so he would not have to explain this to her face. He glanced at Obi-wan, whose face resembled the mask of stricken horror and shame.

Anakin let out a low growl. He could not take this. Too much was happening. Too blasted much was going on. Pushing past Rex, he ran.

~Padme's POV~

The house was so… Empty. It even seemed to lack warmth, and harmony. It lacked power and love. Padme sighed and looked back down at the book in her lap. The children were asleep; the volunteers back at the base and the Jedi all gone.

Only she remained.

Padme sighed and looked around her room, frighteningly empty without Anakin there, smiling as he sprawled out on the bed or showing off by slowly peeling off his shirt. Padme licked her lips at the thought of him doing that. He was no good.

She yawned and closed the pages. Without anyone there, she felt so lonely. Padme was not an overly social person. She could survive without a living being's presence. Thrive in it, actually. What she could not survive without was her family.

Without Ani. He was the air she breathed; he was the beat of her heart. He was the blood running under her skin and through her muscles, propelling her on each day.

She missed him so much it was an ache in her heart. Don't focus on it, she told herself, for perhaps the ten-millionth time since she had married the man. If she thought on how much she missed him long enough, eventually she would come to think about how easily he could die.

Those thoughts terrified her. The thought of losing Anakin. She had had so many dreams before, during the Clone Wars, after the last battles especially. After seeing so many dead Jedi, good dead Jedi. Who was to say Anakin could not be next?

No, she thought. Ani is strong. He is the best there is. He really was.

Furthermore Padme was still humbled by the idea that she was married to one of the greatest Jedi in the Order. She was well aware of how many women would absolutely love to get their hands on her husband.

Obi-wan and Anakin had come home from planets teasing each other about it often. Each time they had, Padme's heart had burned with jealousy and an odd sense of fear.

Would Anakin one day find that he loved someone braver, smarter, or more beautiful more than he loved her? He was the beloved and famous Hero With No Fear, he could have any woman in the galaxy he wanted.

Padme chuckled as she remembered the night she had expressed this doubt to Ahsoka. She had laughed at her. "Padme," the younger but somehow much more mature teen had said.

"My master is unquestionably devoted to you. Heck, should you ask him to jump off a cliff, he would do it, no questions asked. I dare you to tell him this, he'll die of laughter. You're his everything, Padme, even I can see that," she had chirped happily.

Padme had back then wondered how Ahsoka knew so much about love. But seeing her secret glances at Lux, and his short smiles back at her had confirmed that she knew more than she let on. Padme was grateful for the advice. Anakin showed her his love and dedication daily.

He had given her two beautiful children. He had given her Threepio, and even once his lightsaber. He had been her foundation and guide through murky waters.

The kindness and giving soul inside of him had inspired her whenever the corruption of the senate had been too much. He was her inspiration.

"No, Obi-wan is already en route," At least he was with Obi-wan. If anyone would take care of Anakin and bring him home safely, it was Obi-wan. He would die before he allowed anything different.

Sometimes, that worried Padme just as much. Obi-wan was too much of a good man. If he died, it would shatter the whole Jedi Order, along with their own individual family.

Padme let out a slow breath and closed her eyes. If she imagined it closely, she could almost see them all sitting at the dinner table, their place of council and stories and family meetings.

She and Anakin on one side next to Luke and Ahsoka. Obi-wan next to Nava, Leia and Intrepid. "Perfection!" Nava's optimistic voice would laugh. "As usual, general, you have out-done yourself," she would compliment with a sparkling glance at Obi-wan.

He would smile proudly, yet wave his hand indifferently. "You flatter me. It could have been better. Any news, Padme?" Padme grinned at his imaginary face. "None this time," she reported out-loud.

"About time! News, news, news. We get it so often; I don't think we have anything else to talk about at this table. We oughta start watching some local sports or something," Anakin would say, spooning food into Luke's mouth heartily.

"None of us want to start watching pod-racing, master," Intrepid sighed, shaking her spoon at him, scolding. "Cheers to that!" Ahsoka would agree with a clap of finality. "Ah, why not? My pod-race was fun, right Padme?" She could see those twinkling azure eyes, lighting his face and her entire body.

"Nerve-racking, more like," she would laugh. "I'm almost glad I was not there," Obi-wan was there, taking a tiny, diplomatic sip of his drink. "Well, I had fun," Anakin huffed, leaning back in his seat with crossed arms. "Oh, I'm sure you did," Nava laughed.

Padme leaned back, letting her conscious drift into sleep, but her mind stayed downstairs in the kitchen with her family.

Okay, I wrote this because one of my goals is to show the closseness of the Skywalker adopted family as a whole. That, and I just wanted to interrupt the stress and tease you with a distraction, I know it always drives me insane.