A/N) Thank you for the comments to the last chapter! I'm glad it worked for all of you! This chapter is hopefully building up to some sort of vague conclusion that I have mapped out. This story keeps changing as I continue to write.

Nineteen

The news that Kenobi had been captured had surprised him. Dooku had not been expecting that piece of news. Kenobi was skilled enough to not let himself fall into a trap… but the Jedi had clearly managed to outwit him. This concerned him. If Kenobi was washed free from the drug then the chances of the Jedi Master making a complete recovery was very possible. And Dooku would be on his own.

Not only would he have to deal with his former Master, but he would also have to deal with Kenobi, and when he was calm and centred in the Force, he could be a very dangerous man.

Though the Jedi are not aware of what I've done to his mind… Perhaps my deception will remain undiscovered…

He was certain he had built up enough barriers inside Kenobi's mind so that it wouldn't be detected yet if his mind was rubbed by any member of the Council, they had the potential to break down that barrier and free Kenobi's memories…

Dooku stood by the window, looking out at Serenno's setting sun.

Certainly he had a set-back.

This could be rectified…

"Ani? What are you doing here?" Padmé Amidala sat up from her couch. She had been reading reports on the holo-net when her husband's speeder had landed beside her balcony. She gave him a smile as they embraced.

"Oh Padmé," he whispered into her hair, gently stroking her head. His body was shaking. Something was wrong.

She gripped his arms and leant back, looking up at him. "Ani, what's wrong?"

Anakin sighed, breathing out deeply. "We've captured Obi-Wan."

"What?" Padmé gasped. "How?"

"We heard that he was leading a Separatist attack on Bothawui," he explained. "We launched a defence but he was there to lure me, not to take the planet. Obi-Wan captured Ahsoka. Then we took his ship and him."

"Oh Ani… Is he okay?" she asked, worry evident in her voice.

Anakin shook his head. "I don't know… He's sedated at the moment while the healers work on purging his system from a drug that Dooku has been giving him. He's partially turned to the dark side, Padmé, but I have some hope that he can be brought back." He almost turned away from her, his body shaking. "He thinks I scarred him. I never touched him when I last saw him. Dooku must have done something to him, something that has caused Obi-Wan to forget that I was not siding with a Sith Lord."

"The Count has always been after Obi-Wan, hasn't he?" Padmé said gently.

Anakin nodded. "He tried to turn him on Geonosis but failed… This time, this time he had an edge and succeeded. If I had never kept our marriage secret from him… If I had told him about the Tusken Raiders, he wouldn't be feeling so betrayed… It's my fault! Everything is my fault!" Tears were threatening at the edge of his eyes. "I feel like I'm a burden to him! Obi-Wan never wanted me as his apprentice but did he ever complain? No!"

Anakin began to pace around the room, wiping his sleeve across his face as he tried to stop the tears from falling. His emotions were falling free. Everything that had built up since Obi-Wan's capture were coming out. "I've been so stupid! How could I not see that the Sith the Jedi were looking for was the Chancellor? How could I ignore the signs? That was just another thing Dooku could use to turn Obi-Wan! All this time I've been trusting the wrong person… Everything I've done is known by my worst enemy… Padmé, why didn't I see?"

Padmé took Anakin by the hands and led him to the sofa. "Ani… You came here as a nine year old boy, separated from your mother whom you loved so very much. You were thrust into a world that was difficult for you to adjust in. Obi-Wan had lost a mentor and father-figure; he never had much time to grieve… And he was thrust into that position himself. And then there was the Chancellor, newly elected and popular. And he became someone who you could talk to. He took advantage of you. You were too young to recognise the signs. It's not your fault that you trusted Palpatine more than Obi-Wan. Do you remember what you told me soon after we met again?"

"What did I say?"

"The gist of it was that Obi-Wan was always criticising you and you didn't like it. The Chancellor gave you the praise you needed but Master Kenobi gave you what you needed to hear because he wanted you to succeed," she said quietly.

Anakin sighed. "I haven't succeed though, have I?"

"Ani?" Padmé's voice was questionable.

"I married you, didn't I? I broke the code. I don't know what the Council will do when this war is over with me. I could be expelled for my indiscretions. I fed off the praise that the Chancellor gave me… and now my best friend wants to kill me. All because of Dooku." His hands closed into fists and he felt anger pulsing through him. He had to control it, he couldn't let the dark side rule him.

Padmé gently smiled at him. "I know you are going to bring him back. If anyone can do it, you can."

Anakin stood from the sofa, his hands behind his back. He needed to change the subject. "How is the investigation into the Chancellor going?"

"You won't like the results," said Padmé quietly.

Anakin glanced over his shoulder. "So the Senate won't be able to vote for no confidence in his leadership?"

Padmé shook her head. "No. The investigation is nearly complete. The Chancellor has hidden any secrets rather well or he's destroyed any evidence linking him to any miss-doing."

"And the execution order on Obi-Wan?" touted Anakin. "How is that being explained away?"

"A miscommunication," answered Padmé. "Anyone the investigators have interviewed have said the order was wrongly put out by the Chancellor's secretary who has been sacked from her job. I believe the Chancellor is setting her up to take the fall he needs to take."

Anakin snorted. "Of course he is! He wants to stay in power!"

"The Senate can't do anything about him… And if the Jedi act…" Padmé trailed off, afraid to continue.

"He could kill us all," finished Anakin morbidly. He bowed his head. "I don't like this at all, Padmé, not at all."

He pulled his wife into a hug, holding her tightly against his body.

"I don't like it either," she whispered into his chest.

His vision was fuzzy as he came to, waking from a strange dream about facing Skywalker on Naboo. He had dreamt about the aftermath of their confrontation, of Anakin holding him place with the Force against the wall and then the young man taking his lightsaber. In his dream he had taken a slow walk back to his shuttle where he had found a note, complete with his stolen lightsaber hilt, from Anakin. On that piece of paper had been the words:

I know who he really is.

In his dream he had cried, broken down by the truth of his actions and of what he had done to their bond. And then the dream had changed to Dooku's face, to the words the Sith had said to him and how Anakin had scarred him on the face and how he would have killed him if Dooku hadn't stepped into save him.

Yet the dream he had felt was the truth and that he had never lost his memories. That he had never suffered a head injury that would cause that trauma.

"Why do I feel so confused?" he slurred, the drug that had kept him asleep was still wearing off.

His sight was still blurred but he could see the outline of someone reaching for him. He tried to move his wrists to defend himself but found that his hands were strapped to the bed. He was a prisoner. Wetness dripped on his lips and he realised they were trying to get him to drink. His throat felt parched and he greedily drunk the fluid, not even considering the possibility that it could be poisoned or drugged. He was too tired to even think straight.

"Obi-Wan…"

The voice reached though the haziness and he blinked, trying to clear his head as best as he was able to.

"Just drink and let yourself wake up naturally when you are ready to."

Obi-Wan's eyes closed once more.

Mace Windu watched over the fallen Jedi Master lying peacefully asleep in the bed, kept restrained for his own safety. Obi-Wan was a dear friend of his and to see him like this was difficult to comprehend. His Force aura was mixed, light and dark as if it didn't know what direction to go in.

He didn't want to invade the man's mind but the Council had ruled that someone had to. They had to find out what the Count had done to alter Obi-Wan's memories. Skywalker had explained to the Council what had happened on the Separatist cruiser. This needed to be investigated, the Council had to know. Mace had been chosen for the task because they felt he had the right amount of power to be able to force himself inside Obi-Wan's mind without damaging him.

Sitting beside his friend, Windu contemplated him. He would never have considered the possibility that a Jedi, as pure as Obi-Wan, could ever turn to the dark side. If any Jedi was at a high risk of falling it would be Skywalker who had shown a constant disregard for the rules and the Jedi code. The secrets that had been revealed about him had furthered Mace's distrust of the boy.

But he couldn't deny that the young man was handling himself well during these unexpected events.

Leaning forward, Mace placed his hands on the sides of Obi-Wan's head and delved into his mind.

And what he found, he did not like at all.

Anakin stood in the centre of the Council chamber; arms folded in front of him, listening to the report that Mace Windu was giving about his examination of Obi-Wan's mind. The Council had not informed him of the action they were going to take regarding learning exactly why Obi-Wan had completely turned on Anakin and the Republic because if he had known, Anakin would have demanded to have been there.

Or at least be the one to investigate his Master's mind.

"Count Dooku has not succeeded in wiping Master Kenobi's mind," said Mace sullenly. "He has however managed to erect a dark side barrier inside Obi-Wan's mind. I tried to break down the barriers but I risked doing serious damage to him."

"What are these dark side barriers hiding?" questioned Saesee Tiin.

"His mind has been altered. Dooku left a mark in erecting false images to appear as a memory. Kenobi believes that Skywalker," Mace's eyes flickered to Anakin, "scarred him and has joined the Sith. Those feelings are evident in his mind and in the Force around him, but he is also very confused. He feels dark but he's not all there. His turning is not on his own violation either so I do not believe that his rank of Master should be stripped from him, nor should he be expelled from the Order." Mace's eyes flickered to three members of the Council: Coleman Kcaj, Agen Kolar and Eeth Koth.

"He has still turned his back on the Jedi Order," mumbled Agen Kolar.

Anakin felt anger rush into his heart. How was this Obi-Wan's fault? Why should he be punished when Dooku had orchestrated it all? He was about to say something when diminutive Master Yoda interrupted what would have become a brewing argument.

"Not at fault for his actions is Obi-Wan. Help him we must. Help him to find the true memories we must. Manipulated by drugs he has been, twisted his mind… A true Jedi he is underneath the deception he has been given. Punishment is not the way he should be treated!"

The Council fell silent. Everyone knew how fond Master Yoda was of Obi-Wan. In the beginning years of Obi-Wan taking Anakin on as his apprentice, the two had met often, and a friendship had been born. Yoda would not take criticism of Obi-Wan lightly, even when it was abundantly clear that in this case he was not at fault.

"Then how do we bring him back? The Jedi have not dealt with a dark Jedi for a very long time, especially one that is a Master of this Council!" Coleman said.

"He still has the memories within him but only Obi-Wan can unlock those memories. We cannot force down that barrier. Such a force would kill him or even worse, ruin his mind for good," explained Mace. "He is conflicted… We need to show him that what Dooku has done to him was wrong, and that the memories that he believes are real, are in fact alterations. To do that we must be patient… Give him some trust. Keeping him chained up is not the answer."

"You are suggesting we allow him some freedom?" Coleman Kcaj was shocked.

Anakin folded his arms and interrupted before Master Windu could speak. "Obi-Wan has lost his faith in the Jedi Order. He doesn't trust me and he certainly doesn't trust the Council. If we are to rebuild his trust we have to trust in him. If the healers have done their job, the drug that made him so susceptible to Dooku's words should no longer be in his system. He might be open to a proper discussion, and allow us to talk through things with him." His words were passionate because Anakin Skywalker simply did not want to lose his best friend.

The Council members exchanged looks, using the Force to communicate with one another. Anakin stood patiently, waiting for their decision.

"This could backfire on us, Anakin," said Mace Windu.

"I know," replied Anakin stiffly. "This is my fault. If I had trusted Obi-Wan in the first place then maybe I wouldn't have done the things I have done… and they wouldn't have been able to be used against Master Obi-Wan." He took a deep breath. "I need to take responsibility for my actions… If this backfires on us, I'll do everything I can to help the Jedi Order."

"Even if it means killing Master Kenobi?" asked Ki-Adi Mundi.

Anakin swallowed. He didn't like that idea and for all purposes, he did not intend on following through with that… but… "I don't like it, but if I had to, I would do it." Because if Obi-Wan became far too dangerous to remain alive, someone would have to eventually kill him. And I'd rather it be me rather than anyone else. At least I could hate myself.

Mace swept his gaze around the chamber. "Then it is settled? We vote to help Master Kenobi find his true self again?"

Only two members didn't raise their hands but it was enough to pass the motion.

The Council were committed. They would try to bring their Jedi Master back to the light side.

When Obi-Wan swam to consciousness once more, he found to his surprise that he was not restrained. He had been before, he remembered that. Carefully he sat up, his eyes searching around his surroundings and finding that he was not alone.

Skywalker was there.

Obi-Wan felt anger bubbling away under the surface but what surprised him was that the anger he had felt before had been much more violent then now. He didn't feel that he could just leap out and attack his former friend. He felt that he could listen to what he had to say… That surprised him.

"You don't feel so angry do you?" asked Skywalker carefully, leaning back against the wall, his eyes focused on his former Master.

Obi-Wan didn't respond, instead he scrutinised the young man in front of him, the man that had betrayed him, that had not trusted him enough… Did Skywalker really deserve his hate?

"You don't have to answer if you don't want to," continued the younger Jedi, "but I didn't mean to hurt you. Keeping secrets from you only hurts you more, and siding with Palpatine against you was a stupid mistake because you thought I didn't believe you. I know he is the Sith Lord as do the Jedi Council but we can't act, not yet. We have to make sure he doesn't know we suspect him."

"Why should I believe you?" asked Obi-Wan, his tone not unfriendly but not welcoming either.

"Because you don't want our friendship to end," stated Anakin.

Why did that sentence seem familiar to him? It rang a bell in his head and a small thumping began at the back of his head. "I think I do. You've done enough to warrant me never talking to you again."

Anakin shrugged. "I would like to try to rebuild that trust… The drug that Dooku kept giving you skewered your thoughts. You are able to think clearly for the first time in months. You told me that yourself."

"When?" Obi-Wan snapped, hardly daring to believe that he would tell Skywalker something like that!

A hand slipped into Anakin's pocket and he pulled out a small, hand-held device and he handed it to Obi-Wan. "Here, look at the private messages. You'll know what I am referring to when you see it."

Grudgingly Obi-Wan took the device, not entirely trusting the young man. He switched on the data-pad and proceeded to look at the messages Skywalker had received. His eyes widened when he saw a message from himself, the date and time corresponding with the events of Naboo… By Dooku's reckoning, he should not even remember anything after a certain time… But it was clear this message had been spent a few hours later after Obi-Wan had supposedly lost his memory.

Obi-Wan read the message, his mouth falling open as he did so.

Anakin,

You are playing a dangerous game, like Dooku is with me. You don't mean nothing to me, you are my brother and always will be. You have kept secrets from me and that is hard to forgive … but ripping the bond apart is an action that I cannot even forgive myself for. I should not have acted in anger. I was hurt by your seemingly betrayal to not believe that Palpatine could be the Sith Lord.

Palpatine wants you as his apprentice, Anakin, and he will stop at nothing to make sure he gets that. Be wary of him.

I know Dooku is doing something to me. I have a clear head for the first time in ages. I can't come back yet, I need to work this out… But I don't want our friendship to end. When this is all over we will need to talk. I can't come back yet. But I will.

Palpatine will betray us all. He has already ordered my execution. The clones will not capture me. They will kill me. They have been programmed with this order, despite the public announcement the Chancellor made that I am to be brought into custody. I'm too dangerous to be allowed to live. I know who he is. And I can spill his secrets if I so wish to.

If you intend on playing this dangerous game with him, Anakin, be careful. If he discovers your deception, he will use me against you. And your wife.

May the Force Be With You.

Kenobi.

He couldn't even begin to describe how he felt. He felt gutted, absolutely gutted. His heart sank and he slowly put down the data-pad. He felt like crying. He had believed everything Dooku had said to him. The man he had thought as his saviour had just wanted him as a Sith to use as he pleased. His hand became a fist and he had to fight the urge to leap off the bed and go and hunt down the Count.

"I'll leave you alone for a while," said Anakin quietly.

Obi-wan blinked. He had no bonds, nothing holding him in place… He could easily escape. But something stopped him from letting Anakin leave.

"How do you know you can trust me not to leave?" he asked.

Anakin stopped and turned around. "Because I trust that you are still a decent person and that you'll do the right thing. You still have honour, Obi-Wan. You'd come back because you'd feel guilty. And I know you will find the truth." With a small smile, Anakin left the room.

Obi-Wan remained in the bed. Anakin was right.

And then the tears flowed.

Anakin watched through the security cameras as his Master cried. He had never seen Obi-Wan cry before and he didn't blame him. He had been put through hell the last few months. He had been manipulated and used in the most horrible way.

It was a risk to give Obi-Wan some freedom however to regain his trust and faith in the Jedi Order they could not treat him like a prisoner. Even if Obi-Wan did flee, Anakin intended to let him escape, though the Council did not know that. Anakin was on guard, if his Master fled the Temple then he would know about it and pursue.

Though his Master was no longer on the mind-altering drugs and his system had been purged of the chemicals, the damage had been done. He was now susceptible to his emotions in a way Obi-Wan Kenobi had never been before. He was damaged and Dooku was to blame for it. He might seek revenge for what the Count had done to him. With his emotions out of balance, Anakin was betting on that happening.

Whatever happened in the wake of his freedom Obi-Wan Kenobi would be a changed man. He would never be the same man again.

That night Obi-Wan dreamed.

The lack of drugs in his system was no longer holding him back. His clear head meant that he couldn't even keep secrets from his self. In a lack of awareness, in the brief seconds before falling asleep he had sensed the dark side barrier in his mind. It hadn't really registered for him yet. Yet he knew it should not be there and knowing that triggered something in his brain…

He dreamt about returning to Serenno and confronting Dooku after the Naboo fight, how he had defended Anakin's intelligence from the wily Sith Lord, how he had told Dooku that he knew what he had still been doing to him and how the Count had betrayed him.

"I am going tobreakyou. I am going to rip your mind apart and rebuild you in the Sith that you should be. And you will be my apprentice. Youwillhelp me to destroy the Jedi and the Republic."

Those words resonated through him and he woke, shooting up in bed, panting for breath as his mind exploded with pain. His hands went to his head as an immense throbbing began at the forefront of his skull and at the back of it.

"ARGH!" he screamed, bowing his head forward, rubbing his knuckles against his head.

Images flashed before his eyes as they hit him hard and fast. The cloud that obscured the memories he had thought lost broke away as what Dooku had trapped came rushing out. He remembered everything.

He had forgiven Anakin… Dooku not liking how Anakin had helped his Master had forcefully blocked specific memories and though he had no memory of the scar on his face happening, his instinct told him that the Count was the one who had marred him.

Anakin had never harmed him… And he had tried to kill him.

Obi-Wan choked and he felt sick, his body shaking with the impact of the memories that were happening to him.

And now you know the truth… said Qui-Gon, in his mind again. You never really forgot. I did tell you that a willing mind has the ability to see through things that should not be there…

"Dooku did this to me," he said, closing his eyes, visualising the Count in his mind. The Count had sought to use betrayal against him, yet he had betrayed the man he claimed to seek to save. Uncontrolled, and unable to calm himself, he let his anger build.

Obi-Wan, don't…

But he couldn't control the tide of emotions sweeping through him.

Dooku had to pay for what he had done. Everything he had suffered through had been at the hands of that man. He hated being a pawn in someone else's game. It was the Sith, playing with hundreds of lives for their own sick and twisted and warped view of the galaxy. He knew that Sidious wanted Anakin, and the protective instinct roared up inside him.

I cannot let that happen!

His hands crunched up into fists, and he bowed his head, his aura bubbling with rage. He would not allow the two Sith to succeed in their goals, not while he still lived and had the ability to face them.

With that thought in mind, Obi-Wan Kenobi knew what he had to do.

To be continued…

Please let me know what you think!

Obi-Wan may be slightly damaged. He's not truly light yet. He's got a lot of issues to work through and time is running against them. His reaction here may be out-of-character, but he's not himself again and he's still dark in a way, but not so much anymore. This is what Dooku wanted: to have a conflicted Jedi that would be easy to turn IF he took him off the drugs.

Next chapter: Sidious launches his plan to get Anakin to join him.

I have no idea if there will be an update next week. I'm hoping to but I cannot guarantee it. I will be back out on clinical placement and doing different shifts so my ability to write may be hindered by my clinical practice as I will have to put my uni work first and foremost. Hopefully I won't take any longer than 2 weeks to update.

Until next time,

the-writer1988