A/N: Thanks to the people who reviewed or followed/faved the story. And, again, sorry for the wait.
Friday, 4:21pm; Hangar Bay.
Obi-Wan waited nervously, wishing he could be anywhere else. The last thing he wanted was to have to be around people, having to hide all of his emotions. He would much rather be in his room, or sneaking off to the archives and doing some research on Anakin's kidnapper. So far he hadn't been able to get out, hadn't been able to bring himself to get up off of his couch. Ever since his conversation with Mundi he'd been wallowing, waiting for Quinlan to get to the Temple. He hadn't been to far away, so it was predicted he'd arrive around dinner time. But he must've already been on his way back when he heard the news, as Obi-Wan had just received the call that he was half an hour away.
Dragging himself away from the various books he had flicked through, but not actually absorbed, he'd decided that it would be polite to go greet Quinlan. Given that he probably had many other things he could've been doing, yet had come for Obi-Wan's sake. Now that Anakin... wasn't around, technically they didn't need Quinlan. He was a tracker. He couldn't bring back the dead. But Obi-Wan was grateful even so. Quinlan danced along the line of good and evil, and had done almost his entire life. Obi-Wan desperately wanted to be able to unload his fears without worrying the other Jedi.
Quinlan had been his friend ever since they'd first met when they were Padawans. He'd stayed with Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan when his Master had needed to partake in a mission too dangerous to take a Padawan on. Obi-Wan had immediately liked him, he was a nice contrast to Obi-Wan's goody-two-shoes behaviour. Quin had always liked to be a bit reckless, and often dragged Obi-Wan into his various scrapes. Qui-Gon had more than disapproved, but permitted the friendship as long as they didn't do anything overly dangerous. Of course, when Qui-Gon had needed to rescue them both from drowning, he'd forbidden the friendship soon after. Not that it stopped them maintaining long-distance contact.
Obi-Wan felt his mouth dry as a ship soared into the bay. It had a dark, battered look about it, much like Quinlan himself. Obi-Wan closed his eyes as he felt the breeze of the engines, calming himself. He did not want to breakdown in the middle of the Temple. He opened his eyes when he heard the familiar crack of the cockpit opening, and saw Quinlan emerge from the small fighter. The man ignored the ladder which had been placed at the side for him to dismount, and jumped down to the ground. He looked up, eyes searching. They softened when he saw Obi-Wan, and he gave a sad smile. Walking over quickly, gave Obi-Wan a brief hug before pulling back and looking him in the eyes, his hands on Obi-Wan's shoulders.
"Hey." He greeted. Unlike the most Jedi, Quinlan was more comfortable using casual language. Obi-Wan forced his features into a smile, though he suspected it probably looked incredibly pained.
"Hello, Quin." Obi-Wan replied. He stepped back, away from Quinlan, and motioned for him to sit on a spare parts box. He did, and Obi-Wan settled himself beside him. He didn't really want to move yet, besides, there was nowhere they could really talk privately anyway.
After sitting in silence for a minute, Quinlan angled himself to face Obi-Wan more.
"So. I heard about Anakin."
Obi-Wan's breath caught in his throat. He turned his face away and shut his eyes. When he turned back there was no longer the presence of tears which had been there before.
"I- Yeah." Obi-Wan said. Quinlan opened his mouth, as if struggling with what to say. Obi-Wan watched for a moment, before continuing. "He's... gone."
Quinlan looked at him with an expression Obi-Wan had become increasingly more familiar with recently, an mix of pity and worry.
"And... you're okay with it?" Quinlan asked tentatively. Obi-Wan raised his head and looked Quinlan in the eyes.
"What do you think?" He asked, his voice cracking slightly. He swallowed the lump in his throat, forcing away the emotions as he always did. But Quinlan wasn't having any of it, and shifted closer to Obi-Wan.
"Obi-Wan. It's fine to be upset." He reassured him. Obi-Wan shook his head sadly.
"I'm meant to be able to let go easily. I'm a Jedi, for Force sake." He said.
"It's not wrong. It's human."
"That's easy coming from you. The Council always gives you leeway." Obi-Wan shot back. Quinlan sighed and rubbed his forehead thoughtfully.
"I don't think they would blame you for being sad. He is -" Quinlan stopped, realising his mistake. After a pause, he guiltily continued. "Was your Padawan. It's bound to hurt."
Obi-Wan didn't answer. Quinlan's voice took on a more serious tone.
"But you're not angry?" Quinlan asked. Obi-Wan shook his head, averting his gaze. In the presence of his friend it was harder than he'd though it would be, hard to let go of his restraint and tell him everything. Obi-Wan was worried that Quinlan would judge him if he wasn't the mild mannered man he usually was. But Quinlan just looked even more worried.
"Obi-Wan, can you look me in the eye and tell me you're not angry?" He asked. Obi-Wan ignored him. Quinlan's voice took on a note of panic, as if fearing what Obi-Wan's silence meant. "Obi-Wan?!"
"No! I can't tell you that. Because it's not true!" Obi-Wan yelled. He realised what he'd done, and glanced around quickly to see if anyone else was in the bay with them.
"It's fine. There's no one else here."
They sat for a moment.
"So you are angry. At the killer?" Quinlan asked. Obi-Wan shrugged.
"At the killer. At the Council for not doing more. At Anakin for being stupid and naive and idiotic. And at myself. Because I failed to save him."
"That's a lot of anger." Quinlan said. Obi-Wan nodded.
"I know. I just don't know how to get rid of it. I don't even know if I want to." He admitted.
"You're not planning on doing anything rash are you?" Quinlan asked. Obi-Wan sighed. He knew that it was a risk, but he also felt like he could trust Quinlan. He wasn't exactly a perfect Jedi himself.
"I want to find the killer." Obi-Wan stated. "And I want to kill him."
Quinlan let out a breath which he had been holding, rocking back thoughtfully. Obi-Wan felt better saying it aloud (the time in the medbay didn't count, that was an accident. He didn't think Mace was very pleased with him after that slip). It felt good to say it like it was.
"Okay. Do you want me to help?" Quinlan asked. Obi-Wan looked at him in shock.
"You would help?"
"I originally came here to track Anakin. I'd be happy to transfer my abilities to a different case." Quinlan explained.
"But you do realise this isn't a mission. It's not going to be authorised." Obi-Wan said. Quinlan gave him a grin.
"When has that stopped us before?"
Obi-Wan smiled gratefully at him.
"Thanks." He said. Quinlan stood and stretched.
"Where's the evidence then?" He asked. Obi-Wan's mouth dropped open.
"You want to start now?"
"Got somewhere you need to be?" Quinlan smiled, knowing the answer would be no. Obi-Wan shook his head and rose to his feet.
"Well we've got some evidence in lockup. A metal pipe we suspect one of them used as a weapon. Anakin's lightsaber," he said, motioning to his belt, where it had remained clipped almost all week, "and of course there's the building."
"Building?"
Obi-Wan's mouth went dry.
"Did...? Did they not tell you how it happened?" He asked nervously. Quinlan shook his head.
"Didn't have time. It was a short message." He said apprehensively.
"Oh. Well it... it was a building." Obi-Wan said. Felling the memories flood over him as he retold what had happened. "We tracked him to an abandoned building. We wouldn't learn until later that it used to be a power plant." He gave a humourless laugh. "We realised it was a trap and were just about to run. Then I heard Anakin yell from somewhere below us. I tried to turn back, but Master Mundi pulled me away. And then the building- it..."
Obi-Wan couldn't continue. Quinlan seemed to understand and pulled him into a hug. Obi-Wan wasn't usually one for physical contact, but for once leaned into the touch. When he pulled away his eyes were blurry, and he felt closer to a breakdown than he had in a week.
"OK. I'll check the evidence we have here first. Then I'll go see the building." Quinlan said. Obi-Wan nodded.
"I'll take you there now." He said. They began walking across the hall, Obi-Wan explaining what had happened in greater detail. But he wasn't paying attention, and suddenly felt an explosion of pain in his ribs.
He stumbled, almost falling to the floor. Luckily Quinlan was there, and with quick reflexes he caught Obi-Wan, pulling him upright slowly.
"You good?" He asked worriedly. Obi-Wan shook his head to ward away the dizziness, his breathing heavily.
"Yes, I'm fine." He replied. Shaking off Quinlan's hands, he took another step, much slower this time. He couldn't help the wince that forced it's way out, and saw Quinlan frown from the corner of his eye.
"You're not fine."
"I am."
Quinlan sighed exasperatedly at him.
"Obi-Wan, please can you just tell me, rather than deflecting my inevitable knowledge of it?"
"You haven't changed. Still more eloquent when you're frustrated." Obi-Wan quipped. Quinlan looked at him, unamused, and Obi-Wan gave in. "I hurt my ribs when the building came down."
"See. Look how easy it was to tell me. Why the deflection?"
"Why not?" Obi-Wan snapped. Quinlan, unable to stay serious for more than a sentence, grinned at Obi-Wan.
They walked in silence, Quinlan hovering closer to Obi-Wan than he did before, his hands outstretched to catch him of needed. Obi-Wan, with growing annoyance at the constant fuss over his ribs (they were only broken after all), led them towards where they kept the steel pipe that he'd found. Obi-Wan had made sure that no one else touched it, he didn't need the evidence contaminated anymore than it already was. Thankfully Quinlan's power wasn't affected by the physical state of the object.
Obi-Wan walked in, waving away the Temple Aid who walked over to assist them. The woman gave a polite nod to him, but a scornful look at Quinlan. He had a bit of a reputation, and his outlandish choice of clothing wasn't helping matters. Obi-Wan pulled him into the room before there could be any objections on his part, walking to where they had stored the steel pipe. He was glad he'd got Mundi to tell him the unlock code, otherwise they wouldn't have been able to complete their research in private. He pulled it out, carefully to only touch the end where he had already held it. The sight of blood - Anakin's blood - on the end made him feel sick, and he passed it to Quinlan quickly. He took a deep breath when it was finally out of his hands, trying to let some calm wash over him.
Quinlan looked at it carefully, holding it up to the light.
"I can't see any physical clues, besides the ones you mentioned." He said.
"What about other ones?" Obi-Wan asked. Quinlan closed his eyes and sat on a chair nearby. Obi-Wan remained silent, knowing that they would get better results if Quinlan could concentrate.
One of the main reasons Quinlan was such a good tracker was because he was skilled in the art of psychometry. He could see the memories of other beings if he came into contact with something they'd touched. As a Padawan he'd struggled with the unusual power, but soon harnessed it and used it to his advantage. Sadly, it had been one of he things to drive a rift between their friendship, it was widely considered a dark side ability.
Obi-Wan waited nervously, pacing back and forth, his cloak billowing behind him. When Quinlan opened his eyes, Obi-Wan crouched next to him.
"Did you see anything?"
Quinlan shook his head.
"Nothing useful. Anakin was the one who used it. They were fighting in some sort of alley, and Anakin was pinned down. He hit the other man over the head with it." He paused, thinking. "I couldn't see a face. He might've been masked."
"He was. I saw that in the security feed."
Obi-Wan stood, holding out his hand to put the makeshift weapon back into storage. It was as cool as ice, and he was grateful when he finally put it down. He didn't think they would ever need it again, most of what it had revealed had been useless. When he walked back out, Quinlan was surveying the other people in the room with interest.
"I suppose I'd better go check the building as well." Quinlan said. Obi-Wan nodded, but his heart was pounding inside. He didn't really want to go back. Not so soon. He had barely even started to accept that Anakin wasn't coming back. Seeing the building so soon wouldn't be pleasant. "You don't have to come."
"No. I should be there." Obi-Wan ruled. He didn't say that it was because he was worried he'd be sucked into a sea of anger if he was left alone with nothing to do. So far he had managed to keep himself in check. He didn't want to ruin that all, by wallowing in his room for an hour.
"Are you sure...? I don't want to pressure you into anything." Quinlan argued.
"Really, Quin, it's fine." Obi-Wan said, plastering a small smile onto his face. Quinlan looked at him disbelievingly, but nodded.
"Okay then. Let's go."
Friday, 5:03pm; Coruscant's Lower Industrial Estate.
The walk to the hanger and the following speeder ride felt like it passed in a moment, compared to the agonising fear filled hours it felt like when they were racing towards Anakin. Obi-Wan didn't fly this time, leaving it to the marginally better flyer, Quinlan. Smoke covered the sky, a grey cloud hanging over the buildings, stretching far onto the horizon. Obi-Wan rested his head on the headrest most of the way, willing himself not to fall asleep. The hours of restless tossing and turning, of sleepless nights, were finally catching up to him, and it was an effort not to fall asleep.
When they arrived, Quinlan parked a few blocks away. Anywhere closer had been taped off by the authorities.
"Obi-Wan, last chance. Staying or coming." Quinlan asked. Obi-Wan took a moment to think. He didn't have to go. But it was his personal mission. His revenge mission. It would feel wrong not to be there every single step of the way. He wordlessly answered, unbuckling and stepping out onto the pavement. Quinlan followed, locking the speeder.
"Are we sure it will be safe here?" Quinlan asked.
"Nobody around for miles. Most people fled when they heard about the explosion. I don't think there were many people here to begin with."
They walked down the road, ducking under the barriers which marked the scene. Soon the rubble was gathering under their feet, making it harder to walk. Obi-Wan winced as he almost tripped, jarring his ribs. For once he wasn't thankful for his long Jedi robes, they made it hard to see where you were going, and they were incredibly easy to trip up over.
Both of them reached the building at the same time, stopping and staring at the mass of rubble and twisted metal. There was still some of the outer supports, melded metal rods reaching to the sky. But most of it was buried, mounds of stone covering anything that might've been left. By one corner, Obi-Wan could see the displaced rocks, from where the Temple Aids had tried to move the rubble away.
"They- They didn't find a body did they?" Quinlan asked. Obi-Wan shook his head.
"No. But we checked the camera's around the area. They show nobody. And, unless there was some other exit not on the plans, the only ways out were above ground." His lip trembled as he thought about it, and he bit down on it, hard. Quinlan put a supporting hand on his shoulder.
"Give me a minute. We'll be out of here before you know it." Quinlan said, then walked onto the rubble, wobbling precariously. Obi-Wan didn't follow, crouching to the ground. This was the last place Anakin had reached for him. The last place he'd been alive. Obi-Wan had tried to stop himself wondering if Anakin received his feelings through the bond, but now, amongst the collapsed stone, it was near impossible.
What if Anakin didn't understand? What if he died thinking that I didn't care, that I didn't want him?
Obi-Wan sat down, not caring about the dust that gathered onto his clothes, dirtying them. The Force felt heavy around him, filled with so many bad memories. Obi-Wan's own, but also Anakin's. Obi-Wan may not have had Quinlan's powers, but as Anakin's Master he still had a connection. At least, that's what Obi-Wan figured. There was a taste of fear surrounding it, fear Obi-Wan distinctly remembered as being personal to Anakin. It was the closest they'd been in what felt like a long time. And even though Anakin was dead, Obi-Wan allowed himself to relax and drink in the lingering presence of his Padawan.
He didn't know how long he sat there. But when Quinlan climbed nimbly over the rocks, Obi-Wan's hands had gone numb with the cold, and he was shivering. He stood, and started rubbing them together.
"Find anything?" He called. Quinlan looked up from his climbing, and the look in his eyes made Obi-Wan's heart thump with worry. They were steely, a storm of anger and pity. He looked at Obi-Wan, his gaze hardening. "Do you have information we can use?" Obi-Wan repeated.
"Obi-Wan. I think we've been tricked."
"How so?"
"I don't think Anakin is dead."
A/N: I'm struggling to figure out how much detail I should be putting in the next chapters. I could talk for ages about what's going on with both Obi-Wan and Anakin, but I don't particularly want to bore everyone out. So what would you guys prefer, is the same amount of detail as in the previous chapters good? It's not long now until they reunite, hopefully in a few chapters.
Feel free to review if you enjoyed!