Anakin's and Obi-Wan's time travel shenanigans, part 2.

Light. Blinding, pulsing, pounding. Like a rough ride inside a white wave. Less than a second, more than an eternity. Nothingness that bursts into colour, sound and movement so intense –

-o-

It was hot. That was the first thing that came to Anakin's mind after the vertigo inducing trip through kriffing time ended. The second one was that he was so very dead. The cat was out of the bag, beans had been spilt, shit had hit the fan et cetera and Anakin was going to be dead the minute Obi-Wan stopped trying to dry heave his insides to the outside.

"You married senator Amidala?" Anakin's former Master muttered disbelievingly next to him, and Anakin couldn't help but wince again in guilt and shame. He could NOT ever regret marrying Padmé, but all the lies he had had to tell Obi-Wan because of it – those he did regret deeply. But it was not the right time or place for apologies; they were standing on burning sand under merciless suns and Anakin knew this planet –

"Master," he croaked, throat suddenly so dry he could hardly speak, "we're on Tatooine." Why would the blasted holocron bring them to this cursed place? And how could it even do that when the holocron was still in Obi-Wan's cabin aboard the Vigilance, sith knew how many years into the future? He could not be here, he could not, what if they were to see –

"Anakin," Obi-Wan's rough hand cupped his cheek, grounding Anakin. He tried to settle his hammering heart by focusing on his Master's firm touch, attempted to slow his erratic breathing by watching Obi-Wan's self-possessed face. "Calm your mind." The irrational panic dissolved as swiftly as it had come, leaving only the fear which Anakin pushed deep inside himself.

"I hate this place." The words were torn from him without any conscious thought, like a plaintive plea from a lost child. Anakin grimaced, ashamed by his own weakness.

"I know," Obi-Wan said, not without sympathy. His hand lingered on Anakin's cheek for a moment, before he took a step backwards, looking at the vast barren wilderness that surrounded them. "Do you have any idea where on Tatooine we are?"

Almost reluctantly, Anakin took a look around. Before him, sand dunes as far as the eye could see, the desert sea where all wretched were eventually lost. Behind him in the distance rocky bluffs rising brown-yellow from the sand, a harsh jagged wasteland. He wanted to say that everything on Tatooine looked the same, but…"We must be on the edge of the Western Dune Sea. That's Jundland Wastes," he pointed to the rocky cliffs. "Mos Espa is behind it."

"How far?"

"Maybe about 120…130 klicks?" In the harsh environment, it would take them days to reach the spaceport. They would have to find shelter and water long before then, preferably soon. Their only hope was the Jundland Wastes, which was no kind of hope at all.

"This day just keeps getting better…" Obi-Wan sighed, tugging the hood of his robe over his head. Anakin had no such cover for his head and face, having discarded his own robe the moment he had dashed inside Obi-Wan's cabin what seemed like ages ago.

"Let's go before I melt," Anakin ordered, turning towards the distant rocks. He was already hot, sweaty and thirsty – and knew it was going to be so much worse the further they had to travel in the punishing heat.

"Anakin." Obi-Wan's solemn voice halted him in his tracks. With some difficulty, he met his Master's sombre gaze. "After this is over…after we are back on the Vigilance, we are going to talk about the marriage and everything that entails."

Anakin could only nod miserably and start walking.

-o-

They were silent as they trudged across the sand dunes with heavy feet and heavier thoughts. If one were to assign any luck to their current situation, it would have been that the karking not-holocron had flung them moderately close to the Jundland Wastes; it took them only two hours to reach the edge of the dune sea. If they had found themselves in the middle of the desert – well, that would not have ended well for them.

It still might not end well, Anakin thought morosely. The suns were only halfway-up the sky and he felt himself wilting with every step. The hated planet dragged everything from him, sucked every vein and bone marrow dry as dust. Everywhere else would have been better than this – how he wished they had stayed in the green-lush Varykino, Obi-Wan's disapproval and awkward questions be damned. He would have seen Padmé…

"Anakin," Obi-Wan's weary voice halted his thoughts. Anakin got the impression it was not the first time the older man had called his name. He turned around; Obi-Wan had stopped against a rocky wall that was shadowed by an overhang. "Let's rest here," he said and obediently Anakin shuffled to stand next to him. It was so hot – even the rock at his back scorched him through the clothes.

Anakin closed his eyes, but could not escape the burn of the twin suns or his mother's agonized face. When he next opened his eyes, Obi-Wan had taken off his robe and was placing it on Anakin's shoulders. "But…" he tried to protest, "it's your robe…"

"And I'm far too hot to keep wearing it." Obi-Wan let go of the robe, leaving Anakin hastily trying to keep it from falling to the ground. "I say it's time you carried it for a while."

"Like I said, it's your robe," Anakin protested more out of habit than from any real opposition. He was already pulling the hood over his head, a blessed darkness falling over his face.

"And you can surely do your old Master a favour?" Obi-Wan smiled lightly, but there was a worried look in his eyes that Anakin was intimately acquainted with. He had been the recipient of that measuring look regularly when he had still been a Padawan, and lately, as the war progressed with no end in sight, the look had become more and more frequent again.

Before Anakin could turn his eyes away from Obi-Wan's gaze, his Master gestured to their left, "Let's go this way, I have a…feeling about it."

Anakin looked sceptically in the direction Obi-Wan was pointing. It didn't look any different from the rest of the rocky terrain. "A good feeling?"

"That still remains to be seen."

"Yeah, that's what I'm afraid of," Anakin snorted, but followed his Master's lead.