Five Years (Abduction)
A million things unsaid/and most of them better left that way.
Those lyrics chased themselves around in his head as he slept, finding their way into his dreams, and following him into the waking world. Obi-Wan wasn't sure at first where he'd heard them then he knew and it made a strange sort of symmetry. Ni had sung those lyrics as part of a love song's chorus that he'd tended to sing only around Obi-Wan.
And I was so caught up in trying to figure out who was trying to kill him to notice that he was trying to woo me.
He was lying next to Anakin, his head pillowed on the younger man's chest, and again the lyrics occurred to him: A million things unsaid/and most of them better left that way. Their lives together had been nothing but things unsaid for the last two- no, nearly three- months. Like when Anakin wouldn't talk about Adee, Obi-Wan brought up the painful things between them and the things that shouldn't have stood between them but did because of the men they were. And each time he brought them up, wanting to talk through them so they could get past them, Anakin closed himself off. Sometimes he got angry at Obi-Wan, but mostly he just got quiet. Obi-Wan preferred the anger, because at least then he might have a chance of tricking or cajoling or frustrating Anakin into a confession or a real discussion. He didn't have many weapons against the silence. Not even their bond, because that was the first thing to close whenever he tried to reach Anakin.
He reminded himself that Anakin was just repeating his mistakes, trying to face things alone, and he should be patient because Anakin was just growing up. If he could ride this out, their love would surely be stronger for it. But that was hard to remember when he thought of what Anakin had done, and what Anakin might have done if he, Obi-Wan, hadn't intervened.
I'm also impatient with him because I can feel the Darkness coming even stronger and I'm afraid the Jedi are going to be overwhelmed before Anakin regains his senses. And if that happens, we might lose him to the Dark Side. He groaned silently. That happens, and most of us won't stand a chance against him. Myself included.
Are you afraid of me?
Obi-Wan wasn't startled; he left his end of the bond open all the time, and he was past hiding any thoughts from Anakin. Instead of feeling guilty or unprepared, he was only glad Anakin was talking to him. A little, yes, but of what you could do, what you could become, not what you are now. I couldn't sleep next to a man I was afraid of.
Anakin's half of the bond was still partially shielded, hiding most of the emotions behind his words. It was like talking to him and not having physical cues to give clues to what he was feeling.
I would never betray the Jedi.
I wish I could believe that, Anakin, but when you attacked Dooku-
A flash of anger. You're never going to let that go, are you?
Anyone walking in would have seen two lovers lying close with their eyes closed, their faces expressionless, and perhaps the two looked like they were still asleep. They had both learned how to wear masks.
Not until you face it, no.
Anakin got up and Obi-Wan watched him head for the door. Sighing, the master sat up. "I love you still. Please know that."
Anakin stopped at the doorway, and when he turned, pain was written on his face. "I don't know how to fix what I did, all right? If I knew that, I could do something about it. But I've done more than danced too close to the Dark Side; I've walked in it, nice and slow and calm and sure of the rightness of what I was doing. Even though I know it wasn't right now, I don't know how to protect myself from a similar deadly mistake. Don't you think I'm scared?"
This was more than he'd said in three months, and Obi-Wan was out of bed in an instant. Anakin had started coming to bed partially dressed, saying that he was afraid they'd fall into making love and he'd get Obi-Wan pregnant before the older Jedi was ready. But Obi-Wan, knowing Anakin's sudden caution for the outgrowth of fear that it was, slept stark naked. He wanted Anakin to know that they could go back to the way they'd been, if they only tried.
Now he crossed to Anakin and wrapped his arms around his lover's neck. "I know you're scared. I don't blame you for that, and I understand it. Fear is a natural reaction. The Darkness has gotten way down and banishing it won't dispel it. You're going to do something more extreme. Can you stand a story for comparison's sake?"
Anakin nodded and his hands rested on Obi-Wan's waist.
"There were many times, most notably with Xanatos, that I felt pleasure. He didn't mean to make me hard, I don't think, and knowing that, I felt very guilty for taking any pleasure in what he was doing to me. I knew that if the Council found out about my feelings, I would be expelled from the Order.
"The Council served as my right-and-wrong balance for many years, much longer than perhaps they should, if I'd grown in the Force and in self-reliance the way I should have. At first, I depended on them for a sense of right and wrong even as a master, even though I already knew those things for myself.
"You rarely have to reach outside yourself because you've always had that internal balance. Well, now that internal balance isn't working. That happens to everyone, and if you look for an outer balance for awhile, and use that outer balance, your internal one will come back on line, for lack of a better phrase. It's terrifying, I'm sure, to have to rely on someone else. I had the reverse problem; I was afraid to rely on myself. But I did, and I needed to check with the Council less and less as I found that almost everything I felt within myself was just what the Council would have told me. You're like that: almost everything you feel is good and right and connected to the Force. The more you realize that, the more your confidence will come back."
"But it's my confidence that's the problem."
"And the more your confidence comes back, the more it will come back different: not prideful, but based in the Force, where you'll see the lies of the Dark Force for what they are, and be able to tell them to fuck off."
Anakin's eyes widened, but then he hugged Obi-Wan convulsively against him. "You're sure?" He inhaled the scent of Obi-Wan's hair. "You are, aren't you?"
"Yes."
"So are you volunteering to be my balance?"
"I am."
"And if we're separated?"
"That won't happen for awhile. It may still happen; Force alone knows the future. But not today, not tomorrow, and not as far as I can see." Obi-Wan ran his tongue along Anakin's jaw. "Let go of your doubts and let me hold you up. You'll learn how to breathe on your own much more quickly than you think, beautiful dolfain child, but until then, let me help you."
Anakin chuckled at the analogy even as Obi-Wan's show of support pushed at his heart and the feel of Obi-Wan's tongue against his stubbled cheek lit him up all over. "I'm such an idiot."
"No more than the man who loves you, and no more than hundreds of others who have lived in these rooms."
Anakin pushed Obi-Wan back a step and met his gaze. "You're never going to give up on me, are you?"
"Never," Obi-Wan agreed. "Just like you never-"
"I gave up on you; you just didn't see it."
"If you gave up on me, what were you doing in my bed? Some part of you didn't give up on the possibility that I would come around."
"I didn't stay near you when you took the drugs."
"So? You have to be close to me physically to be close metaphysically?"
"I was angry with you most of the time."
Obi-Wan said, "Balancer's first job: you didn't give up on me in your most secret heart. If you had, nothing I said would have kept you from chasing after Xanatos and Qui-Gon, and you might have even killed me. Can you believe that?"
"No gentle words, huh?" Anakin was only half-teasing.
"Like I said, the art of blunt speaking is knowing when to do it."
Anakin nodded. "This was the right time." He kissed Obi-Wan, a soft and tentative pressure that deepened when Obi-Wan opened his mouth. Anakin drew back after a moment. "We need protection."
"There's always some in the nightstand." Obi-Wan retreated to the bed and lay, spread-eagled there. "Come to me, beloved. Come in me."
Anakin laughed, but crossed the room. "Are all our quarrels and brief distances going to end like this?'
"That would be something sweet to look forward to, but if I have my say, all our days, or most of them, good or bad, will begin and end like this." Obi-Wan called out a condom and tube of cream from the drawer to his right. "Are you coming or not?"
oOo
Annie sat beside the small, draped window, knowing that Sidious would come soon and speak with her, face to face, in the same room, as they had never spoken before. She was more than a little frightened.
She'd been set up in a small, luxurious, hidden hotel. Still on Coruscant, but neither in 500 Republica or in the Orange District. The first place wasn't wise because surely the Jedi had contacts there, and if they didn't, Republic Security did. As for the Orange District, the Jedi had spies there for sure. So Annie had been set up in middle-class mediocrity, where the hotels were glamorous but most of the people who lived near them could not afford even half a night in a single room. Each hotel was filled with nameless and well-known wealthy foreigners.
She drew her knees to her chest and closed her eyes. She could see the Jedi Master facing her, the belief in his own rightness shining in his eyes. He'd said, "Some part of you wants to stop this before it goes too far." Like she would actually listen, or as if she hadn't weighed all of this before she joined Sidious.
And she could see Obi-Wan's unconscious form. He'd been ready to die; she'd believed that when she saw him. She'd been ready to oblige, make his passing quick if not completely painless. Not for any love of him, but because Reeft had cared for him.
But Reeft was gone. He wasn't here to appreciate anything she did in his name. Even if she mercifully killed all Jedi with the least amount of torture, he would never know.
"I should have just stabbed him."
"Yes, but that's a mistake many young Sith apprentices make at first, especially when they've been tangled up in caring for someone who doesn't understand their ways."
She jumped up and her hand dropped to her belt, where she kept her lightsaber. "Master Sidious."
He melted out of the shadows and smiled at her. "But Reeft is dead. You did the right thing. If you hadn't killed him, you would have been forced to fight him, or someone else would have killed him, and done so much more painfully than you did." He didn't touch her, but his smile looked completely gentle and understanding. "It wasn't your fault he fought so hard against death."
"He said you wouldn't win. Right before he died. He said I belonged to the Light. It's stupid sentimentality, but he truly believed it. I wish he'd learned the truth before he died."
"The Jedi never learn. That's who they are, what defines them." Sidious knelt beside her. But he still didn't touch her. "Even Dooku, at the end, died being deceived. You're lucky, young one. You may be safe from the Jedi Curse."
She sat very still and tried to weigh who and what he was against what he said. He was going to protect her; he'd promised as much. And he was going to train her so she could go back, kill the deceivers, and get what she wanted. "Reeft would have been a good Master to me if I'd really been a Jedi."
"Most likely. He was like your… papa."
"You're my real father, aren't you?"
That stopped him. He even drew half a step back before he caught himself. Then he smiled. "Your connection to the Force is amazingly sharp."
"Obi-Wan knows, I think, or if he doesn't, he will soon."
"I don't care what the upstart Negotiator knows," Sidious said pleasantly enough. "He's just another misguided Jedi."
"I know." But Obi-Wan was more, almost a worthy opponent for her. He'd escaped every trap planned for him, and had grown stronger because of it. That was one thing Reeft had taught her without teaching her. It wasn't for her to instruct her Master though, at least not until she had surpassed him.
Sidious said, "You're going to help me end the reign of the Jedi, and when that's accomplished, I'll give you anything you want."
"I want to be the one to kill Obi-Wan." She thought. "And Anakin." True, she wanted to kill Mace and Yoda, too, but she didn't want him to think she was prideful, even though she sensed this desire was a Jedi leftover. She would have to feel out this new relationship because as much as he wasn't like the Jedi, he was like them because he didn't spell things out, but left her to discover for herself. The biggest part of discovery was observation.
"Very well, if it falls into your hands to kill him. But for now, what I want from you is yoru skills in the Force, your ability to sense what others do not. Your task in this coming battle will be to distract Anakin Skywalker and possibly orchestrate his death."
That would hurt Obi-Wan and make him careless. "But Anakin is the Chosen One. Do you think I'm ready to face him, Master?"
"If your goal is to distract and take viable openings, yes."
"But Obi-Wan will be with him. They're never apart."
"I'll make sure they're separated. Never fear that."
oOo
Anakin sat on the low bench in the Garden of Light and waited for Woda. His little brother would be coming soon; Yoda was sending him. It was time to apologize. His thoughts weren't about Woda, but he knew that was because he feared this discussion. Woda had become more and more of a mainstay for him during Obi-Wan's newest absence, but now that he'd betrayed his brother, what could he say to make the wounds heal?
Left with no answer, Anakin let his thoughts go where they would, and, as always, they went to Obi-Wan. At first, what he thought of were good things: waking up in Obi-Wan's arms that morning, the slow dance of tongues that had led to more heated play before breakfast, eating at table, stark naked, watching Obi-Wan, who was likewise undressed. If I have my say, all our days, or most of them, good or bad, will begin and end like this. Well, and Obi-Wan had gotten his wish and Anakin's, too, but they'd only been doing thus for two days. They were being told to stay at Temple, despite the fact that people needed them, because something else needed their attention, and they had to be home.
Darker thoughts pushed out the good ones: stumbling upon Bant that morning, Anakin backing away so Obi-Wan could hold her and talk with her about Reeft. She hadn't invited Anakin to stay, and he wasn't sure he would have felt comfortable if she'd asked, but she hadn't, and neither had Obi-Wan.
"I'm not jealous," he muttered. "It's stupid to be jealous. It's just that I'm hurting too, and-"
"Jedi talk to themselves should not."
Anakin jumped, but started laughing when he saw it was Woda instead of Yoda. "Are you mocking your papa? The greatest Jedi who's ever lived?"
"Mocking am I?" Woda asked in his nasal voice. "Or jumping to conclusions are you?" He was grinning.
"You're definitely mocking." But Anakin was smiling now because they'd fallen right back into the comfortable land of jokes. So this hadn't been destroyed, though he had some serious rebuilding to do. "Do you want to join me?" He patted the bench.
Woda hopped over to him, using the Force as much as he used his legs. "I wish I was tall, like you. You get places a lot faster than I do."
"When you're comfortable in your body, you'll be able to see and wok with it as part of the Force."
Woda scowled. "I know, but long legs would be easier."
"Obi-Wan's gotten along with short legs. Ask him how he does it."
Woda scowled, then grinned. "No one's legs are as short as mine." He settled himself beside Anakin.
The Knight braced himself for the next, harder part of this meeting. "Do you know why I called you here?"
"Something about that night you went crazy my guess is."
Anakin smiled painfully. "Yes. I wanted to apologize. I treated you…" His tone was too formal; he felt it choking him. "Woda, I'm sorry. That's all I wanted to say. You were trying to help me and I pushed you aside."
"That's all right. I'm small. It's easy." Woda laughed. "Anakin, you're forgiven, all right?" He squeezed Anakin's hand in his two small ones. "What's wrong? You and Obi-Wan... You're good, right?"
"Yeah." Anakin smiled and lifted Woda into his lap. "We're great. Except I feel like we're supposed to be doing something, but we can't because something's telling us to stay here. And it might not be the Force." He sighed, shook his head. "I shouldn't be scaring you like this."
"The Force is clouded. I know. But it will get unclouded. Soon."
Anakin hugged his little brother, the one being, he realized now, who had kept him from walking into the Dark Force before it was time for Obi-Wan to wake up and save him. "I wish I knew how soon."
"As soon as you do whatever you're supposed to do as the Chosen One." Woda pulled back. "Don't squish me." His eyes shone. "Squish me please do not. You'll do what you're supposed to do, then the Force will be something we can read again."
"And until then?" He shouldn't ask that; Woda was a chld who didn't, couldn't know the answer. And asking the question would force the chid to think of unpleasant things. "Never mind. Forget I asked."
"No." Woda crossed his tiny arms and glared up at Anakin. "I want to answer. Until you bring balance, we're all going to fight if we're supposed to fight and hide if we're supposed to hide."
"How can you-?"
"Be so wise?" Woda laughed. "Smart you should be too. You have Yoda and the Force as parents. I have Yoda and Mace."
Anakin smiled a little. "True." He stood, sensing someone coming. His bond with Obi-Wan was completely open; he sensed Obi-Wan was still working with those who would shield the younglings. Their places of hiding had all been changed since Obi-Wan couldn't remember how much, if any, of his knowledge of the original plan had been read by Xanatos's mind probe.
Bant rounded the corner in the path and nodded to them both. "The Council wants to see you."
"Why didn't they just call him? Master," Woda added.
She said, "All communications are being jammed. It's only a temporary inconvenience, I'm sure."
Anakin knew, from her eyes, that it was more upsetting than that. He said, "Would you mind taking Woda back to his room, Matser?"
"Of course not." She started away and Woda, after glancing at Anakin longingly, for all the world as if he wanted to go, too, followed. But before she reached the corner, she turned to Anakin. "Obi-Wan will meet you there."
He was being called off his first task? Anakin reached out and found Obi-Wan in the increasingly murky flow of the Force. A mission? He didn't even try to hide his hope.
I believe so. Obi-Wan's smile was apparent in both their minds. Tell me of your talk with Woda.
He's not afraid of the coming Darkness. He says we'll all find a way to fight or hide, whatever we're meant to do. I wish it was that easy.
So do I. But he's right: many people will have the sense to hide from the… the Darkness.
Anakin strode out into the corridor and caught a lift. Why the hesitation?
IT was on the tip of my tongue to say 'the empire' instead of 'the Darkness', but that's overly dramatic. And dangerously inaccurate. The Dark Side is against government, even a stagnant one like the Republic's.
An empire comes with implied power. That's something Dark Side would want.
True. Obi-Wan allowed his concern to flicker for a moment between them, then he sent, I'm here. See you inside.
Anakin entered the COucni Chamber bare seconds later and took his place at Obi-Wan's side. He searched the faces of the Jedi Masters and saw only calmness. What else had he expected?
"Speak of a painful subject we must," Yoda said. "Losing a Master difficult is, but time it is for a master to take his place on the Council. Ryn-yn took Master Zee's place, and now time it is for another to take his." His eyes were on Obi-Wan. "Wish we do to confer upon you that honor and burden."
Obi-Wan was silent and his mind was blank for a moment. Then he said, "Masters, I am honored. But is this not something you should be granting to an older master, one with more experience?"
"Experienced much you have," Yoda said. He glanced at Mace.
"You have complete freedom of choice," Mace said. "But not much time. We have to send you on a mission and we need your answer before you leave."
Silence again, and Anakin realized that Obi-Wan was seeking an answer from the Force, even now that he couldn't be sure of a completely accurate reading. He was about to comment on this, just between the two of them, but another revelation hit him: Obi-Wan was seeking in the Force for an answer, but whatever answer he got he was going to weigh against everything he knew from a life ived in the Force. Anakin was hard-pressed not to grin.
"I accept," Obi-Wan said.
Yoda nodded. "Time for the ceremony there is not. Leave immediately you must. Clues to Annie's trai we have, and pursue her you must. Pursue her you both must."
"She is still here on Coruscant," Mace said. "And while he could send other Jedi, you may have the best chance of bringing her back."
"She doesn't care for Obi-Wan at all, Master," Anakin said.
"It's not her heart we want to appeal to," Mace answered, "but her skill level is great and you remain the most diverse and connected Jedi team. I wouldn't send anyone with less skill after her."
"We know how you feel about her," Master Cro said. "But, Obi-Wan, please understand that we have full confidence in you."
Anakin felt his lover's pain and determination. He saw visions of Zee trapped in the dungeons below, and he knew Obi-Wan feared that for Annie. Sidious couldn't have chosen a surrogate more likely to love what woud only hurt him.
"We will do all we can to bring her back," Obi-Wan said. And, to Anakin, There may still be hope for her. Please don't give up. Nothing is sure until it has happened.
Mace held out a pad and Obi-Wan took it. "There is all the information you will need." He touched his temple. "Anakin can easily reach us this way if communications aren't restored by the time you find her." His face darkened. "Be careful. Sidious may be involved directly with her. He maybe even be on Coruscant, though that is unlikely. Caution is of the utmost importance."
"We didn't ask you to be a master just to lose you," Kit Fisto said. "This isn't a suicide mission. Your safe return is more important than bringing her back."
Obi-Wan bowed. "I understand."
"Do you?" Mace's frown was thunderous. "Your first duty is to the Force. Don't forget that."
That could have been taken as an insult, but Obi-Wan received it as he received amost everything. "Yes, Master." He pocketed the pad. "We'll leave as soon as we've reviewed this."
"May the Force be with you," Yoda said, and after a bow, Anakin led the way out of the Council Chamber.
As soon as they were alone, he touched Obi-Wan's arm. "You have to remember that she held off Arnen and Gareth with a falling ceiling, and that she almost killed you. She has no reason to talk to us."
"True, but she also has many reasons to underestimate at least me, so we'll have that advantage. And she may see you as an extension of me- as weak- or as the Chosen One, depending on how much she picked up before she left Temple and on who she's talked to since." He wasn't looking at Anakin and the low ache of pain hovered around him like a cloud. No one could see it or even hear in his voice, but he was completely open to Anakin.
"I thought you distanced yourself from her a long time ago." They had reached a lift and took it up towards the landing platform.
Obi-Wan had the pad out and he was reading through it with a Jedi usual speed. "I have, but there's more than that at play. She's killed two masters, could have killed Arnen and me, and she wasn't abducted. This wasn't like Bruck, who fell under a spell of decadent promise; I believe Annie knows exactly what she's doing and why."
"Bruck?" Then he remembered: When Obi-Wan was thirteen, feeling trapped and unworthy, Xanatos had invaded the Jedi Temple and coerced another padawan, Bruck, to do some of his dirty work. When Xanatos had left Bruck to die, Obi-Wan had been unable to save his fellow, though rival, padawan. "Never mind. Does that mean she can't be saved?"
"No, but it means our chances are poor of this being peaceable, and even worse of bringing her home without injury, either to one of us, or to her." He frowned. "She's been seen in several places, almost always in the company of several tall, cloaked men who could pass for Jedi to most citizens. She doesn't venture into dangerous areas, per se, but doesn't spend time in well-traveled places either. She's in mediocrity, which is a good place to hide." He scrolled up and reread something. "Annie goes by the name Annie Kenobi, and has been heard to say that she was banished from the Temple when it was discovered she was the child of a raped and violated Jedi. Three guesses who." He sighed. "It may be she wants to show the Jedi as weak and will strike out however she can."
"Or she could be purposely leaving a trail for us to follow, hoping it would be us that went after her." The doors to the lift opened at last; it had been operating at half power, Anakin realized, and he wondered why. They started across the platform.
"We were sent on this mission for more than just our skill," Obi-Wan said, and his eyes were on the Temple as he held the pad out to Anakin. "Master Yoda thinks something is going to happen, and he wants us to be mobilized already, ready to tackle it. And besides, there are other missions for the rest of Council. Did you notice four of them were present only by hologram? That's the highest ratio of Council members off-site that I've ever heard of. And I think it's only going to get worse." He hailed a senior padawan who was standing by a prepared speeder. "Gli'n, how many speeders are available?"
The padawan checked her own pad, then said, "Five. But four are designated for…" her voice dropped "you know."
Obi-Wan did, and so did Anakin: the younglings' retreat. Force, had it come to this, when the speeders had to be kept on constant standby? Anakin realized he'd still been thinking of the fall of the Jedi as a possible, far-in-the-future thing, not a reality that could strike any moment and had to be treated as such.
"We'll take this one," Obi-Wan said and he slipped gracefully over the closed door on the passenger side instead of opening it as he would usually.
Anakin read the urgency in Obi-Wan's movement and joined him at once.
"May the Force be with you," Gli'n said.
"And with you, Padawan," Obi-Wan answered, then Anakin gunned the engine and lifted into the air.
"What were you thinking?"
"I wanted to have as much maneuverability as possible." Obi-Wan's smile was wan. "And I would still rather fly alone than with you, beloved. You turn flying into-"
"Suicide. I know." Anakin laughed and dropped them two lanes down with only a flicker of a signal and a casual glance over his shoulder.
Obi-Wan white-knuckled the drop, then sighed and kept one hand on the dash as an anchor. With his other, he touched Anakin's hand. "Try to keep our bond open. You're probably going to feel a great urge to close it or hide things in an attempt not to distract me. Believe me: I'll be much less distracted by your feelings than I would if I couldn't feel you."
Anakin nodded and rolled completely over so he could drop another three levels in a blinding streak. When they were level again- if Obi-Wan hadn't been grasping his mechanical hand, Anakin knew he would have been rewarded for his daredeviling with bruises- he said, "I'll keep it open." He felt the easing in Obi-Wan's mind at once and knew that at least some of his lover's concern had more to do with Anakin's continued growth as a Jedi and less with the mission at hand. He squeezed Obi-Wan's hand. "I love you."
That got him a smile and a further relaxing. "I love you, too."
oOo
Padme rested her hands over her belly as she lay on her back in bed. It was doubtless too late to still be in bed, but she'd been throwing up most of the morning. She was finally starting to show, at least when she wore form-fitting clothes, but she'd thought maybe she'd escaped the morning-sickness stage, which usually happened- or so she'd heard- before she started looking like a jar of pickles.
Her thoughts were with Anakin, and on the dreams she'd had about their babies. The Force was certainly taking its own sweet time with this pregnancy and she wondered yet again how much longer she was going to play surrogate mother to these children. Her heart told her she wouldn't get to raise them.
Jealousy gnawed at her for a moment until she banished it as idiocy. She'd been thinking that Obi-Wan would get to raise her babies. Surely Obi-Wan wouldn't have time for that; he was a Jedi in a darkening galaxy.
Padme got out of bed, ignoring her headache and still-churning stomach. She found her communicator and touched it. Anakin had left her his frequency. "Anakin?"
"Padme? Are you all right?"
It was Obi-Wan, not Anakin, and she hated herself for the gall that rose in her throat. "Is Anakin all right?"
"Yes. He's right here, but he's having trouble flying straight, Anakin. We're not trying to attract attention."
She wanted, suddenly, to have Anakin hold her. It was stupid; she didn't even like him like that. And forget love.
"Padme, are you all right?" Obi-Wan asked, and his voice was gentle. He was so obviously himself again, not falling apart as he'd been the day she kept feeding him squares. "Padme, what's wrong? We can be there in two minutes if you need us."
She started to cry and hated herself for the weak sound. "I want Anakin."
"He'll be there soon. Just drop me here and go."
Anakin: "Padme, what's wrong?"
"Please, Anakin," she whispered.
"Go, Anakin. She needs you." There was a pause, and she heard the engine of a speeder accelerating. Then the connection went dead.
And the dark curtain that had lain across her mind, smearing her thoughts, was whipped away, and Padme gasped. She blinked hard and her hand went to her belly again. The children of the Force were fine, and she didn't need Anakin or any man to reassure her. Strength wasn't something she lacked. And what was this dangerous idiocy, calling Anakin, feeling jealous of Obi-Wan who had given nothing but Light and healing to the galaxy.
She activated her communicator again. "I'm fine," she said into it.
No answer.
"Anakin?"
Still nothing.
She switched to Obi-Wan's frequency. "Obi-Wan?"
"Anakin's on his way," he answered, "Padme, you must remain calm."
"I'm calm," she said and she was blushing. "I felt… something, like a blanket stifling me."
She heard something that sounded like, "The Dark Force," then he spoke closer. "Have you tried to contact Anakin?"
"I can't reach him."
"I'll- Wait." And she heard the vibrating hum of his lightsaber. She closed the link, afraid to distract him, and tried to contact the Temple. He was in trouble, and Anakin wasn't there to help him. Because of her.
oOo
Standing on a flat roof a full mile below the Temple and at least ten miles east, Obi-Wan slipped his communicator away. The Force was alive with the nearness of something Dark, and he remembered being captured on Geonosis. If he had anything to say in the matter, he wasn't going to let it happen again.
His lightsaber was ready in his right hand and he sought the disturbance.
When she laughed, it was from a direction no less likely than other, and he faced her with his lightsaber angled across his body like a shield. "Annie, please talk to me. I want to help you." She was dressed in loose, back trousers and a gold-brown shirt that made her look older than she was. It was the way the shirt picked up the spark in her eyes, he decided, and he lowered his weapon a fraction of an inch in a peacemaking gesture. "Can we sit down and talk about this? No tricks, no fighting, just a discussion."
"All you Jedi do is talk. And deceive." Annie stood on a nearby rooftop; the distance between them was less than a stone's throw. A plunging chasm stood between them, not a true challenge to either.
"You're still a Jedi, Padawan."
She scowled and suddenly her hand was out, pushing at him through the Force.
He'd been expecting it; the tale of her use of the ceiling was very much with him. He caught the brunt of her push in his left hand, only nudged back a single step before he stood firm. Why would she use her command of the Force when she could have used her lightsaber? The answer was that she most likely didn't have a weapon anymore. She'd used Arnen's own lightsaber to force the Knight to submit to her will.
Annie dropped her hand abruptly. "What do you want? I know it's not to talk."
"Why would I lie to you?"
But she wouldn't have any of that; her hand dropped to her belt. He'd seen the blaster when she first arrived, and he was ready for this, too. But she didn't draw it. Instead, she said, "Reeft woud have joined me if he understood what the Jedi have become."
Obi-Wan deactivated his lightsaber but didn't put it away. He clasped his hands at parade rest and met her gaze. "You sound as Count Dooku did before he realized the Dark Force is made of lies."
She scowled and her eyes flashed more heatedly. "You don't know anything. I'm better off now than I ever was."
"You sound as if you're not sure." He holstered his 'saber and took three steps to the edge of his roof. She stood only half a step from the lip of her own. "Annie, come back. The Darkness sounds perfect but in your heart you know it's all a dangerous lie. There is still time to do all Reeft knew you could."
"I killed Ryn-yn!" she screamed, and she drew the blaster.
Obi-Wan didn't flinch or draw his weapon. "I know. You also killed Reeft. And you would have killed me but for those who intervened. And right now, you're doing all you can- you might even be getting help- to interfere with the bond Anakin and I share. Please understand that your new trick works for right now, but we will find a way around it, and even if we don't, Anakin and I don't need that bond to function."
She retreated from him. "You do need him, but I don't need you." And she turned and made to flee.
"Annie, wait!" He put all the Force-command within him into those two words, and for an instant, she paused and turned. Her eyes were blank for an instant as she was hypnotized.
Then she shook her head violently and bolted. She vaulted over the opposite edge of the building.
By the time he got there, she was gone.
"Well, that went well." He sighed. Next step: find Anakin. Surely they'd been separated for this reason: that he would face Annie alone. But it hadn't gone as someone had wanted. Obi-Wan headed for the lift that would take him off the roof. And as he ran, he wondered if they had been separated so Anakin could face something on his own. It was not good thought. He took out his comlink. "Padme."
"Obi."
"Anakin? This isn't your frequency." The lift wasn't working. Obi-Wan yanked open the door to the stairs, then Force-leapt off the first landing. He passed six floors before catching himself for a moment, then starting his fall once more.
"The Dark Force was here with Padme. I think it was trying to kill-"
"Her," Obi-Wan overrode him.
"No, the-"
"The aide that shares her quarters," Obi-Wan said loudly, hoping Anakin would get the message. And in the midst of that need for Anakin to understand, he realized he'd lied to himself a little when he told Annie he and Anakin could get along without their bond being open. They could do it, but it would be a challenge.
"Yeah, probably Jar Jar. Are you all right?"
"Yes. The blackout of communications has extended beyond Temple." He meant their bond, too.
"I noticed. But we can still talk."
"For now. I'm going to head back to Temple and bring them the news. I've seen her, talked to her. She doesn't have a lightsaber, or at least she didn't have it with her today. She wasn't dressed as a padawan anymore." That shouldn't have mattered, but it did. "If you need to, bring Padme to Temple. I don't advise leaving her alone."
"I'll see you there. Be careful."
"I will. You?"
"I will." Anakin sounded upset, thought, and Obi-Wan hoped they'd only get a little time to talk about this. But then Anakin surprised him by explaining the source of his pain. "It's not right that she should be attacked. She isn't even a Jedi."
"Yes, but she had a choice, just like we did." He knew those weren't comforting words. "Bring her to Temple." The Darkness was building up around him again. "I have to go." And, not that he wanted to worry Anakin, but with their bond blocked: "Something's tracking me. I'm just now coming out of the A'Meheen Building on the corner of Diplomat Street South. If I'm not at Temple by the time you get there, I may need your help." The Darkness pressed in on him from everywhere and because he couldn't feel its direction, and because he sensed the Darkness was trying to keep him away from Temple, he put on a burst of speed, leaping over two stalled speeders. "Obi-Wan out."
oOo
Anakin stood guard at the door to her bedroom, his back to her, his senses reaching out. He made a temporary Light shield around her and waited for her to get dressed. He needed to get to Obi-Wan, but he wouldn't leave her defenseless. He had been so relieved when he arrived to find that she didn't feel like she'd sounded: Dark. But that had led to why she sounded that way, and then he'd felt what had been lurking in the room with her.
The Darkness was gone now, but he wasn't taking any chances. Force knew he might be needed to help Obi-Wan. His lover had faced Annie alone, and though Obi-Wan hadn't sounded hurt or as if she had put him through any sort of hard strain, Anakin didn't trust his ears. And he wouldn't be completely happy until he had Obi-Wan safe in his arms.
"Is Obi-Wan all right?" she asked from behind him. "You can turn around now."
He faced her. It was strange, but he'd offered to turn his back so she wouldn't be embarrassed, no matter what they'd shared in the past, and she hadn't said no. Now, as he looked at her dressed in traveling-trousers and a shirt that would blend in, he had to smile. He gestured at the hat she held in one hand. "You'll wear that, too?"
"I don't want anyone to know I'm connected to the Jedi. That's not good for my job, or my chances to eavesdrop on other Senators." She brushed past him, into the living room, where she started fixing her hat in place.
"You eavesdrop?" he asked, his muscles relaxing the tiniest bit. She was joking with him, or at least taking a light attitude to this situation, and that helped, doing for him what he and Obi-Wan did for each other often.
"Occasionally." She finished her preparations and caught up a bag. Into it went a change of clothes and three data pads.
"Where did you-?" He gestured at the low shelf where the clothes had been stored.
"We've- Senator Organa and I- have talked of always being ready to move at a moment's notice." Her cheeks colored a little, then she met his eyes defiantly. "Times are rough."
He nodded. "You're doing the right thing. It's what I would do, if I hadn't been doing just that since I became Obi-Wan's padawan. We always have to be ready to move." He grinned. "That's an unspoken law that some Jedi are lax with, others take to extremes, and some keep on a practical level. Qui-Gon used to insist that Obi-Wan check his overnight bag once every six months because it was the bare minimum required. Obi made me wash the clothes in my overnight bag if I'd gotten them dirty, but otherwise eave them alne because he didn't want me to take something out, then forget it."
"What about the six-month minimum?" She was leaving a note for Jar Jar; he could read it over her shoulder. It was a politician's note: tailored to give comfort without being specific.
"Well, since I used the clothes in that bag every other mission, I ended up washing them at least twice a month. No danger of breaking the minimum." He led the way out of her set of rooms and to the lift.
"I'm confused," she said as the doors closed and they started down. "Qui-Gon insisted Obi-Wan check his overnight bag only every six months? Didn't his clothes…"
"Reek by then?" Anakin chuckled. "This is Obi the Neat Freak we're talking about. When Qui-Gon ordered him to check his bag, he'd bring the bag in, show his master the well-packed, neatly-folded contents, Qui-Gon would smile, and Obi could back to doing whatever he'd been doing when he was called."
"Neat Freak. That doesn't seem like a good thing to call your lover."
"Probably not, but he probably calls me a slob in his own mind, where only he and I can hear it."
"Is your connection to him working yet?"
"No. But it will be restored. The Dark Force isn't this ascendant yet; it won't be able to keep us separated without specifically focusing on that task. I'd be willing to bet al other Jedi have their bonds still intact."
She led the way out of the lift and to a speeder, but she stopped when he pointed to a pedestrian bridge instead. She didn't ask, but started that way. "So the Dark Force is focusing on you. That doesn't sound like a good thing, Anakin."
"It's not, but it failed. Annie didn't hurt him. And it didn't hurt you."
"It wasn't here for Jar Jar." She was trying to smile, but he saw the concern in her eyes. "The babies?"
"I don't know if it was the babies, since I don't think anyone knows about them except us, and the attack you endured had to be directed. At the least, the person who sent the Dark Force to you wanted to separate Obi and me. At the worst, he or she wanted to kill you because he or she thinks you're close to this, either close to me or to Obi."
"I felt… like I wanted you near me. And I was jealous that you were with Obi-Wan. When I thought of my babies, I was afraid I wouldn't get to raise them. Even though I already know I won't raise them both. But I was so afraid you and Obi-Wan would raise our children and… Jealous is the best word for it, but it was more than just a girl's jealousy, like I felt when I was a girl. I was almost… ready to hurt him. That's horrible."
They were on the other side of the bridge now, only two blocks from the Temple. "The Dark Force can cause a lot of damage," Anakin said. "Especially if you're Force-sensitive, which you are." He shook his head and laughed. "Obi knew this back on Geonosis and it took me your acceptance of carrying our children and then the attack today to consciously recognize it."
"He knew on Geonosis? How?"
"I don't remember. He said it after you fell out of the ship. We… had an argument. I almost attacked him."
"You were far gone on Geonosis," she said. Then: "I'm sorry. That sounded more like an insult than I intended."
"It's all right; I know I was out of it. Sometimes I wonder how I could have made all those mistakes. Then I realize that dwelling on them takes time from life, so I just take the lessons and move on." He caught her elbow and turned her face into his chest even as he hid his own face with the brim of her hat.
It would look as if they were two lovers kissing. "What about your Jedi clothes?" Then she realized he was wearing just dark pants and a dark shirt. "Why aren't you-?"
"I had a feeling we were going undercover. So did Obi. When we got dressed this morning, it was conscious decision on both our parts." He tightened his arms around her waist and lowered his voice. "Kiss me."
She stared at him and he saw the fear in her eyes that he'd come under the influence of the Dark Force. He tried to show her with his gaze that he wasn't, but he couldn't be sure she'd gotten the message. Then they were out of time and he kissed her full on the mouth, making sure they were screened from anyone and everyone. He counted to five as the thing, whatever it was, that watched them walked away, then he waited another five to make sure it wasn't coming back.
When he was sure, he pulled back and hurried her towards the Temple. "I'm sorry about that, but we were being watched by someone dangerous. I don't know if it was just a spy for the Separatists or someone trying to bring the downfall of the Jedi, but I didn't want to take any chances either of us would be recognized."
She nodded as she recovered her breath. "But on top of what I dealt with less than an hour ago, that wasn't the best way to do it."
He blinked. "Oh, shit, I'm sorry. I didn't even… I didn't mean to hurt you."
"You didn't. I don't like you as more than a little brother. There's no hidden sexual tension between us, so you didn't. You love Obi-Wan. I mean, it's not like you were hard."
He flushed. "No. I'm not. It's not that you're not beautiful-"
"You love Obi-Wan. Stop apologizing for something wonderful. I just wish you'd thought of something else besides kissing."
He nodded. "I'll think harder next time."
Then they were on the steps of the Temple and Anakin hurried her up to the doors. He pushed them open and they made their way towards the Council Chamber. He wouldn't be allowed to take her inside, but he'd leave her right outside the chamber while he asked for sanctuary for her. That would mean explaining the children, but he had a feeling Yoda, and possibly Mace, already knew. And as they made their ways through the halls, he looked for Obi-Wan.
As if she was reading his mind, she said, "You didn't answer my question. About Obi-Wan. Is he all right?"
"I don't know."
She squeezed his hand. "I can find my way from here. Maybe you should-"
Anakin! Not panicked, but pressed was how Anakin would have described that call.
He froze, then turned and started for the front of the Temple. "Get to the Council Chamber," he ordered without glancing at her. He flew to the front door and shoved it open. Obi-Wan wasn't on the steps or anywhere he could see. Obi, where-?
The Senate rotunda. Get over here.
Then their connection was broken again. Anakin winced and leapt down the stairs. He tried his comlink. "Anakin to Yoda. There's something wrong at the Senate. Obi-Wan's there alone. I'm on my way. Send back-up."
"Acknowledged."
It was Mace, not Yoda, and Anakin refused to think what that might mean. Instead of waiting for the pedestrian bridge to extend, he drew into himself and ran hard for the gap. He'd never Force-leapt this far, and there weren't any terraces under the Senate to catch himself on if he didn't make the jump. Too bad; this alert was worse than the last time he'd been called by the Force to the Senate building. If the call of the Force could be translated into sound, Obi-Wan's call for him was backed by a city-leveling explosion.
He leapt and moved so he was as streamlined as possible.
The weightless, rushing shock of it made him laugh, but his eyes were narrowed and all his senses were at their peak.
Someone in a speeder honked at him, but stayed out of his way by jamming on their breaks.
Anakin hit the other platform, staggered with the shock, went into a roll, and came up running. Behind him, someone shouted, "Now that's a Jedi!" and he laughed again even as he Force-leapt again, a short distance this time, over a slow-moving garbage scow.
The sounds of rapid fire came from the front of the Senate building, where there was little cover except for a single large statue. Anakin skidded to a stop by the corner and looked across the square. At least two hundred droids were making their way towards a short-range spaceship. They were guarding someone and they were heavily pressed by a contingent of ten security guards. Obi-Wan led the guards.
Anakin charged across the open space and reached the statue. No one- except Obi-Wan, probably- had noticed him and he was on the blind side of the droids. He ignited his lightsaber and raced towards them. He cut into their flank, beheading five with one stroke.
But then his advantage of surprise was gone and he was being shot by fifty droids. He protected himself but he couldn't protect whoever it was that was being held in the midst of the droids. He sensed that person wanted to be taken, and yet was being held as if he didn't want to go.
Obi-Wan joined him and they began to make progress,
"The other guards?" Anakin asked as he took out three more droids.
"All or dead or badly injured." Obi-Wan cut off a droid arm, then ran his lightsaber through the droid's chest. "Reinforcements?"
"They're on their way."
"No, I meant-" Obi-Wan ducked a shot that would have taken his head from his shoulders- "over there."
Anakin glanced to his right before he was forced to return his attention to closer things. But he'd seen it: another battalion of droids was on its way. "Great. Who've the droids got?"
"Chancellor Palpatine."
Anakin didn't spare any more breath for talk but kept going, destroying droid after droid. With Obi-Wan at his side, guarding him and being guarded in turn, they made the progress of four Jedi. But it wasn't enough, especially when the other battalion cut off their retreat.
Meanwhile, the droids that held the chancellor had reached their ship. The engines roared to life.
Obi-Wan cried out, and Anakin turned, feeling the bubble of Light Force that surrounded them stir. Obi-Wan was down on one knee. His thigh was bleeding.
They couldn't die like this. Anakin caught up Obi-Wan's lightsaber, deactivated it, shoved it into his belt, all while using his spinning weapon like a shield over his head as he crouched.
Obi-Wan caught Anakin with a loose, unbreakable grip around the neck and Anakin rocketed up and over the heads of the droids. For an instant, the droids didn't understand what was happening, so they wasted a whole three seconds blasting the hell out of each other.
By that time, Anakin's boots hit the duracrete and he was ready to face them. Obi-Wan knelt behind him, his own weapon back in his hand. He couldn't stand.
Anakin readied himself for the droids to attack, but they didn't. Instead, the remaining invaders retreated to a second ship and took off after the first. When they were gone, Anakin dropped to a crouch at Obi-wan's side. "Obi?"
"Just a-" Obi-Wan grunted and a small piece of metal, accompanied by a rush of blood, flew out of his leg. "Some of them were using actual projectiles instead of energy weapons. That's strange." He yanked his tunic off over his head and ripped a strip from free.
Anakin took the strip and urged Obi-Wan to sit down. He bandaged the wound. "Let's get you back to Temple."
"Annie's involved. This kidnapping wasn't her idea, but she's closely involved. It's got to be you and I that go after the chancellor." He raised his head and shouted, "Over here, Captain!"
Anakin turned and saw Kit Fisto leading fifty clones across the rotunda's front patio that was littered with broken droids and dying or dead men.
"Get us two fighters," Obi-Wan ordered. "Have them at the Temple in half an hour. We'll lead a siege on whatever passes for the droids' mothership if you can keep it in orbit until we get there."
"Yes, General Kenobi." The captain began sending orders to his troops. Some of them went to help the fallen.
Kit and Anakin got Obi-Wan up and to a waiting speeder.
"Are you sure you can lead a charge?" Kit asked as he checked the makeshift bandage.
Anakin took off, making a beeline for the Temple.
"Yes. And even if I wasn't, it has to be us. No glory, no craving of action; be assured of that. But it has to be us."
"You're the most peaceful aggressive negotiator I've ever met," Kit answered. "I was already supposed to be headed out on a mission or I'd join you." He clasped Obi-Wan's shoulder. "May the Force be with you."
