POV: Obi-Wan Kenobi

It was a slow process getting Shmi into our home. Anakin and I spent two days finding a home for everything we'd placed in the storage room, which was now his mother's room. We also had to buy a bed and get it into the room. That had been hilarious, or so Anakin told me. I'd accidentally sandwiched him between the bed and doorframe and he'd been laughing too hard to tell me that he really couldn't move.

We were a week away from Christmas and we had about six inches of snow outside our house. Anakin's been getting up before me to shovel our cars out even though I told him I was happy to do it with him, but he insisted on getting up at five thirty in the morning to clear us out. I had to go into the station early this morning because Mace had called me in. It was four in the morning and it had been so warm beside Anakin. I didn't want to leave our cozy bed or him, but I had to. I got up, got dressed, and kissed his temple. I pulled the blanket up to his shoulder and made sure he'd stay warm in my absence.

I even grabbed his phone and entered his code to change his alarm time. Instead of waking up at five thirty, he'd wake up at nine thirty. He didn't have work until noon, so that gave him time to shower, eat, and do whatever else he wanted to do. I set his phone down and plugged it into the charger since it was at sixty percent. "Hey," he said groggily.

The dim light on his face made him look absolutely gorgeous. "Hey," I said back, smiling as I sat on the bed. "Go back to sleep, love. I'll be home before you leave for work."

"Where you going?" He took my hand in his and seemed to wake up a little more. He didn't like it when I left the bed, even if it was for a bathroom break. He was such a cuddler and I loved it.

"Mace needs me at the station." I leaned forward and kissed him gently. He gave me his trademark pout. "I'll be home to drive you to work if you'd like." He nodded slowly and I could see his eyes beginning to droop. "Go back to sleep, Ani. I love you. Text me when you get up."

"Love you," he whispered, closing his eyes. I smiled and stroked his cheek gently for a few moments. Once I was sure he was asleep, I went to grab my jacket and go outside to grab his huge snow shovel so I could dig the Corsica out.

After twenty minutes, I'd accomplished that and I wondered how the hell Anakin did this for us. My arms were exhausted. I shook my head as I took the shovel back to the porch and rested it against the railing where he always left it. I checked to make sure I'd double locked the door before getting into my Corsica to drive down to the station.

When I entered, all eyes were on me. Everyone seemed to be on high alert and that worried me. Even Quinlan looked worried. "What's happened?" I demanded, heading towards him and Mace.

"Obi, you're not going to like this." He held a note out towards me and I quickly snatched it out of his hand to read it. It was addressed to Kenobi. I flipped it open and read the newspaper cutout letters that were my message.

I've got my sights set on you, Kenobi. Watch your back.

"Where the hell did this come from?" I growled. I'd been threatened by criminals before, but none of them ever directly said it was me who they were threatening unless it was a face to face confrontation. This note was obviously from our killer and it worried me that he called me out so directly. This had been what I was afraid of. I always had something to fear on the job.

"It was on your desk, buddy. The guy must've come into the office while we weren't here. Luckily, we had someone on security watching and they called us in."

I went into my office and saw that my things had been tampered with. It looked like a futile attempt had been made to access my computer and the lock to my files had been broken. I stood behind the desk to rearrange the mess of papers and my eyes caught a shine off to my right. I glanced over and my eyes widened. A picture of Anakin and me was on the floor. And blood was covering his half of the picture. My heart leapt up into my throat.

His phone was on. It was turned up. He would wake up. I immediately pulled my phone out and speed-dialed him. "Pick up, pick up," I hissed. It kept ringing and I worried as it neared the fifth ring. "Damn it, Anakin!"

Just as I swore at him, he'd picked up. Go figure. "What?" he said sleepily.

"Anakin," I said, relieved, sighing. "Sweetheart, are you okay?"

"Yeah. What's wrong?"

"Don't go back to sleep, please." I didn't realize how panicked I sounded until he started humming quietly to calm me down. He'd learned that after sleeping beside me for a while. He hummed out of habit, but it was so soothing. "Anakin, I mean it. I'll come home soon. Just stay–"

"Obi-Wan." I paused and listened intently to him. I knew he was about to say something rather rational, but I was in a much panicked state. I love him and I don't want anything to happen to him. "I'm going back to sleep, but I promise I will only sleep for an hour or an hour and a half. As soon as I get up, I'll shoot you a text to let you know I'm okay."

"I want you to call me when you get up," I compromised. Quinlan came closer to me and I glanced at him. He gave me a sympathetic smile and rested his hand on my shoulder. "I love you, Anakin, so very much."

He laughed a little and it sounded like half of a yawn as well. "I love you just as much, Obi. Now don't wake me up again." He was teasing and I knew that, but I was still frightened.

I knew the call was about to end and I quickly interjected before he could end it. "Anakin?"

"Yeah?"

I bit my lip and glanced at Quin. He raised an eyebrow at me. "Can we…go out tonight? Just you and me?"

He breathed into the phone and it sounded like a small laugh. I could tell from that alone that he was smiling. "I'd like that."

"Okay. I'll pick you up for work in a few hours. Love you, Skyguy." He chuckled. "Stay safe."

"Love you, my sweet, overprotective Obi. You stay safe. I'll be right here in bed when you come home."

We hung up after saying a quick goodbye to one another and I sighed. "Do you want me to post some men outside the house, bud?" Quin rubbed my shoulder and I nodded. "I won't let anybody hurt the kid. He's just as innocent as the rest of them have been."

He called in a few men and posted them around the neighborhood and I sat at my desk, trying to figure out who our mystery killer was. He knew who I was somehow. It was probably those damned reporters' faults. I hate reporters because they put people like us on the spotlight when all we really need is to lay low so our enemies aren't aware of weaknesses and such. The man now knew Anakin was one of my weaknesses and I prayed to whatever deity was listening that he would be safe while I was here. I couldn't bear the thought of someone hurting, much less killing, him.

"Kenobi," Mace's deep voice boomed. I looked up at him and he was frowning. "We need you to work with a clear mind. Your boy-toy will be fine."

"He's not a toy," I hissed. I got the feeling he may have been teasing me with that, but I was so tired of hearing everyone put Anakin down. Quin called him a kid, Anakin's father treated him like a kid, and now Mace is calling him my boy-toy. "I'll get the job done. Just give me the security camera that's watching the house."

"Your attention will be diverted from the job because you'll be too focused on the boy. If you don't focus, he will get hurt." I stood up, prepared to explode. The only thing was... He was right. If we went home today and still had no idea who our mystery killer was, Anakin's life was still in possible danger.

"Fine," I said with a curt nod. Quin was watching me, his face pained. He knew that I loved Anakin. He'd teased us enough about the way we look at one another. Anakin accidentally slipped up in a conversation we were having with Quin and revealed a few details about our sex life and Quin ran with that. He'd slapped me on the back, screaming 'woohoo, Kenobi!' I was very nervous about letting Anakin take me, so he'd agreed to bottom it until I was ready, which made me feel guilty. I swallowed, picturing his sweaty face in my mind. That lazy smile... Those dazzling eyes. My Anakin.

"Damn, Wan! What the hell?" I blinked and raised an eyebrow at him. It was just the two of us in the room and I realized he wasn't exactly looking at my face. He was staring a little further down my body. I looked down and my face immediately flushed. I spun around and grabbed my jacket. "Thinking about the kid?" he teased.

"Not in the mood, Quin," I muttered, pulling the jacket on. "I'm driving." I stormed past him and he chuckled. I grabbed the keys from the front desk and headed out to our assigned car.

"Shouldn't we go incognito?" I paused and looked over my shoulder, raising an eyebrow. Had I really heard him correctly? "Don't look at me like that. I had the same training as you."

I shrugged and tossed him the keys. "You drive then. If he's got me pegged, he'll know my car." We got into his truck and I immediately regretted it. The damn thing smelled like alcohol and cigars. "Ugh," I groaned.

"Sorry, bud."

We drove around for several hours, looking for anything that resembled a new victim or a possible lead. And we found nothing. Anakin texted me twenty minutes ago to say he was up and was going to jump into the shower and I asked him to call when he was done. He was usually quick in the shower when I wasn't in there with him, so my anxiety rose as I waited and waited for him to call me.

Quin and I were heading back to the station so I could get my car, head home, and drive Anakin to work. He was perfectly fine driving in the snow, but he wanted me to drop him off every time I had the opportunity to. I'd have him take me to work if I didn't have to either get up before him or leave later in the afternoon. The phone finally rang and I lifted it. His picture popped up and I smiled, sighing in relief as I answered. "Hey, Ani."

"Hey, lover," he said back. "Sorry I took so long. Mom needed help with some laundry and I couldn't find my work outfit."

I chuckled quietly. "It's all right. I'm just glad to hear from you, my sweet."

"Are you coming home soon?"

"Yes." Quin pulled into the parking lot off to the side of the station and I got out of the car, thanking Quin and telling him I'd be back after I dropped Anakin off. Anakin, on the other side of the phone, was humming quietly as he got himself ready for work. "What are you doing right this moment?" I asked quietly as I got into my freezer of a car. I turned the heat on and started it up, grabbing the little device that would allow me to speak to Anakin as I drove without actually holding my cell phone.

"I could be rubbing my chest just the way you do when we make love." My mouth started watering involuntarily. I loved touching him that way and he loved it as well. I would play with his nipples and lick and suck my way up his sternum, and then I would slide my palms over his pectorals, and– "I can practically hear you salivating," he said with a laugh.

I turned down a few streets, smiling as I drove. "I miss you."

"I miss you, too." After another few minutes of whispering words of endearment to one another over our technology, he opened the door as soon as I'd stepped up to it and pulled me inside before any of the extremely cold air could get in. He pulled me into a tight hug and nuzzled his face into my neck. "I'm so glad you're home, even if it's only for a little bit."

I kissed his hair and rubbed his lower back. "Can I speak with you, my love?" He pulled back and gave me a cautious look. I could see the pain in his eyes and I wondered why he thought I was about to hurt him. Hadn't I just called him my love? I lifted my hands to caress his cheeks and gave him a warm smile, though the nature of the conversation to come was not warm in the slightest.

He led me to the couch and we sat down together. He leaned against the right arm and I leaned against the left. He pulled his legs up and tried to return my smile even though he was nervous. "What is it, Obi?" I moved forward and rubbed his knee. "Is it about the panicked phone call earlier?"

"Anakin, you know I'm on a case that involves a serial killer of some sort." He nodded, silently asking me to continue even though it was blatantly obvious that he was afraid of where this was going. "My love, the killer knows who I am. He left a note for me." Anakin straightened up and his hands were holding mine fearfully. "I worried for you because I have a picture of you and me in my office and…blood was on it. On you."

"What are we going to do?"

"I am going to keep you protected at all times no matter what, Ani. I'm not letting some damned psycho take you from me like–" Qui-Gon. Tru. We both stared at one another. He knew what I was thinking and I knew what he was thinking. Crazed bastards took away our former lovers. I sighed and I felt his concerned eyes piercing holes in me. "I can't let him hurt you."

Before I knew it, I was lying on my back with him on my chest. My arms were wrapped around him protectively and he was nuzzling his face into the hollow of my neck. "We'll be okay. I can protect myself."

"Not against a gun," I muttered. "If you get shot, you're dead, Anakin. I can't let him have the chance to kill you."

I stroked his back slowly as he shuddered. After a few moments of silence, he lifted his head, a look of enthusiasm on his face. "Teach me how to use a gun. I've wanted to get one for a while. This is the perfect opportunity."

I laughed and his eyebrow rose, the enthusiastic grin falling into a frown. "You're serious?" He remained silent and I slid my hands to the middle of his back. "Lover, I don't know if you should have a gun. You'll be on record for having one and the killer may be able to trace you and he'll know you're permitted to own a gun."

"Okay," he said quietly. He slid out of my arms and sat up, facing the front of the couch. His feet were planted on the floor and he leaned forward, arms on his knees.

I frowned and sat up as well, lifting my hand to stroke his hair. "Ani, I fear for you more than you realize. I want you to be safe. I don't want you to put yourself in danger. Owning a gun is going to put you in danger."

I watched him tense up and I immediately pulled my hand away from him. "So what you're saying is that I'm incompetent? I can't handle a gun? Is this part of the male-female issue we've been having in our relationship? Is that it? You want to be the masculine half of us?"

I gaped at him as his fiery eyes stared into mine. "I didn't realize we were having that kind of issue, Anakin. You know I want to keep you on an equal level."

"So now you're better than me?" Where the hell was this coming from? I leaned forward to pull him into my arms and he stood from the couch. I gave him a pleading look and he shook his head angrily. "I have to go to work. I'll drive myself."

As he prepared to storm away from me, I grabbed his wrist and yanked him back, then I grabbed his other bicep and held him like that so he faced me. "I am not saying I'm better than you," I whispered sincerely. "I love you. I have never felt superior to you in any fashion. I'm not trying to be anything but myself with you."

He rolled his eyes. "Really," he said sarcastically. "Seems like we can't be equal in bed and you're not treating me like an equal right now."

I could almost feel his anger rising exponentially and I wanted to calm him down. Fighting with him was not one of the things I enjoyed most. Listening to him argue on the phone with someone was hard. Having that anger directed at me was the worst feeling ever. "Then fuck me, Anakin!" I snarled. "If it means so much to you to be dominant, then let's fuck!"

His eyes widened momentarily before narrowing into a hard glare. "I'm going to be late," he hissed, shrugging away from my grip. I reluctantly let him go and he rushed about to slip his jacket on, grab his lunch, and search for his keys. I stood by the door, my heart sinking. I hadn't meant to say that. I don't even know how this got started. He stormed back to where I was and I moved to stand in front of him, staring up at his face. "Obi-Wan, I'm not in the mood. I have to–" I reached up and pulled his face closer to mine, pressing my lips against his hot ones. He dropped his lunch and keys to rest his hands on my hips. Once we pulled away for breath, I gave him an apologetic look. He sighed and leaned closer again to press his lips to my forehead. "I'm menstruating," he said, frowning. "I'm sorry. I don't mean anything I said."

I chuckled at his dry joke. "I love you, Ani."

"I love you, too, Obi." He tentatively moved to hug me and I was quick to return the embrace. "Do you still want to drive me to work or did I piss you off too much?" He sounded so small as he breathed into my neck. I slid my arm around him tighter.

"I want to take you to work. I'm not angry at you." He pressed his lips against mine and I zipped him up. He wasn't a huge fan of the cold. He quickly yelled a 'see you later' to his mom, picked up his lunch, and set his keys back down on the table, and then we left the house. He locked up while I went to unlock the Corsica. He was quiet after we began driving to the shop. I didn't want to pester him, but I was worried. He didn't need to go through the day, angry at himself for a small argument. "Are we still on for tonight?" I whispered as I pulled up in the lot.

"Of course," he replied just as quietly. I stopped the car and gave him a small smile. "I love you, Obi-Wan. I love you very much. I promise we'll have a conversation later that won't include an argument."

I laughed and leaned closer as he did the same. We kissed once more and he started getting out. "I love you, Anakin. I hope you have a great day. I'll pick you up at seven?"

"Yes, sir," he said with a small smirk. "Love you, Obi. See you at seven."

"See you at seven," I repeated. He shut the door and I watched him lug his stuff into the garage. Once I was sure he was safely inside, I put the car in reverse and made my way out of the lot to head back down to the station. I would find this bastard before he could find my Anakin.