A/N: Thank you to DaniDarth, Lucyinthesky123 and Guest for reviewing the last chapter. Just a warning, this chapter jumps around quite a bit. Obi-Wan is a bit behind Anakin time wise, so just keep that in mind while you're reading.

Friday, 5:16pm; Coruscant's Main Industrial Estate.

"What do you mean 'Anakin's not dead'?" Obi-Wan asked. His heart was leaping about in his chest.

"I saw them escaping. They managed to make it out one of the back doors." Quinlan said, his voice rough with badly concealed anger.

"But, Quin, we all saw it. He was there moments before it happened. And I felt Anakin disappear from the Force." Obi-Wan countered.

"You were blasted back into a wall! Are you sure you felt it correctly?" Quinlan asked exasperatedly.

"I like to think I know my Padawan well enough that I'm able to sense him."

"What if he was out though. You said it yourself, he was still there right before it blew. He could've been knocked into a wall or something, hit his head."

"Even if he did, he couldn't have made it out of the rubble when it fell." Obi-Wan said, glaring furiously at Quin. He was finally, just maybe, starting to accept Anakin's death. He didn't need someone who barely knew the full story telling him a lie. A lie which had lit a small spark of hope, despite his efforts to douse it.

"Unless someone pulled him from it." Quinlan said. "I saw a man as well, tall guy, well built- "

"The guy who kidnapped him. But why would he bring down the building then? He knew that we could easily escape, it wasn't even hidden."

"Maybe it wasn't to try and kill you." Quinlan said thoughtfully. Obi-Wan looked up, realisation dawning on his face. "What?"

"It wasn't to kill us. It was so we'd stop looking for Anakin."

"Huh?" Quinlan asked, confused. "Why would you stop looking for him? You only stopped when you found out... Oh. When you found out he was dead."

"It's fake." Obi-Wan said. He felt a load lift off of his chest, as if the weight of the world which had been pressing down on him had vanished in an instant. "It must be. There's no purpose otherwise. The man must've looped the footage as well, or something like that, as there's no sign of him leaving."

"Holy sithspit." Quinlan swore. Obi-Wan walked over to him, and smiled, for the first time since it had happened.

"Thank you Quin. You've done more for me in an hour than the Council did in a week." Obi-Wan thanked him.

"Don't mention it." Quinlan said, but Obi-Wan noted that he looked pleased with himself.

"Remind me to thank you properly later."

"OK. Now we just need to find out where he's been taken." Quinlan said.

"He won't have looped all the footage on the planet. Our best bet would be to go back and see if we can track his speeder."

"It's unlikely he will have used the same one, especially since it's likely he wanted you to come find him."

Obi-Wan paused, thinking carefully, methodically. If he were in the criminal's shoes, what would he have done?

"True. But he would've taken a speeder. We could find all the ones that were in this area before it happened, then track them and see where they go."

"Always knew you would be a great genius." Quinlan teased. Obi-Wan swatted him lightly on the arm. "I'm kidding. Good idea."

"I'll drive us back. It could take a while to find the right speeder." Obi-Wan said. Anakin was alive. They were going to find him.

Anakin was alive.

4 Days Later

Tuesday, 10:23am; Unknown Place.

Anakin felt incredibly, incredibly stupid. Out of the top ten most stupid people he knew, he definitely ranked top on the list.

Mana told you to keep your head down. You idiot.

Anakin gnawed on his bottom lip nervously, drawing his knees close up to him on the seat. The corridor was completely silent, not crammed with people as Anakin had grown quickly accustomed to. The ceiling was high, at least five times his height. He felt out of place there, leg bleeding heavily and tunic ripped. The arm had torn, exposing the gashes down his arm, but Anakin doubted anyone would care at this point. He was in for it as it was.

He knew that it had been a huge mistake. But it would've felt wrong ignoring what was happening. He'd only known Shoan and Mana for a few days, but they'd already helped him so much.

It had been just after breakfast, and Anakin was sent out to collect the spoons the kitchen had asked someone to make. Anakin didn't really pay much attention, which had proved a mistake when he'd gone to find the person and realised he had absolutely no idea where he was meant to go.

After wandering the corridors absentmindedly for half an hour, dreading the time he'd have to go back to scrubbing dishes, he'd found the right place. And it also happened to be the place Shoan was working. Anakin had walked in, still struggling to hide his limp. His gait had adjusted now, so he walked slightly lopsided, but not noticeably so. He wasn't exactly sure who he was meant to talk too, so he just edged around the room slowly. He had looked around for someone official looking. He hadn't realised he'd already been spotted until he felt the hairs on the back of his neck raise.

Anakin had spun around, jerking backwards.

"What are you doing here? Not stealing, I hope." The woman said. She scowled down at him, and Anakin shrunk back, even though he was almost as tall as her.

"Uh, no ma'am. I'm from the kitchen." Anakin said. She glared at him disbelievingly.

"Do you realise what happens when you are caught stealing?" She asked menacingly.

"Yes. I do understand." Anakin replied. Probably death. Or at least immediate dismissal, if you were lucky, which Anakin knew he wasn't.

"Then why did you still choose to steal? A weapon for a greater purpose perhaps?"

"But I didn't steal! I'm not stealing!" Anakin exclaimed, raising his voice.

"You're a convincing liar." She said. Anakin felt anger cloud his senses.

"Because I'm not lying! You're delusional."

He didn't even see the hand coming. The next thing he knew, he was staring at the roof, pain blossoming over his cheek. He tasted iron in his mouth, having but down on his cheek when he fell. He tried to raise himself off of the ground, but quickly realised that there was some form of scuffle going on above him. He felt a body collapse on his leg, and he let out a cry of pain, the world going white as he fought to get the pain under control. He closed his eyes and struggled to move upwards. When he finally managed to scramble to his knees, he turned to look at the person who had fallen on him. It was Shoan. He sported a nasty looking red mark on his cheek, which Anakin was sure would bruise.

"Shoan!" He yelled, moving to help him sit up. It wasn't until later, reflecting on his actions, did he realise that Shoan probably wasn't able to hear him at all.

He supported Shoan into a sitting position, so he was leaning against one of the wooden worktables. But he felt an hand clasp around his other arm, and he was pulled to his feet. The world spun, the sudden weight on his leg making sharp pain run up his body. He squirmed, truing to get the hands off of him, to no avail. He was just dragged further away from Shoan, who was climbing to his feet. The woman who had hit Anakin slipped a com back into her belt, and Anakin knew they didn't have long left until more people arrived. But Anakin had his arms pinned behind his back, and he didn't know what he could do to help.

Maybe we'll be let off. As long as it doesn't escalate. Anakin thought. Too soon. The woman turned her attention back to Anakin, her lip bleeding from whatever Shoan had done to her.

She didn't make it far. The second she advanced towards Anakin, Shoan threw himself forward and tugged her to the ground. She let out a small cry of surprise, obviously she thought that he'd given up fighting. Anakin watched helplessly as they both scrambled to be the first on their feet. Looking up, he saw that the other slaves were pointedly ignoring what was happening. Anakin couldn't bring himself to blame them, he would've done exactly the same thing if in their position. But then the door opened and three people walked in. Anakin recognised them as the guards he'd seen stationed along the walls and staircases. Two of them walked into the fray, which had paused momentarily so they could have a breather, and grabbed Shoan. Anakin fought to free his arms, and had a brief moment of success. But then the third man grabbed him and pulled him away, forcing him onto his knees.

If Anakin had struggled with the other man, this was an entirely different story. He could barely move in the iron grip. Shoan seemed to be having the same problem, and looked across at him apologetically.

"Why did you defend him?" The woman asked, climbing to her feet. Anakin felt his stomach drop. The question was directed at Shoan.

"He's my roommate, he just wanted to help -" Anakin said desperately.

"Quiet. I asked him, not you."

"Bu -"

"Silence." She snapped. Anakin shut his mouth. "Now," she continued, turning to Shoan, "why did you defend him?"

Shoan glared up at her, then back at Anakin. Anakin struggled to free his arms, so he'd be able to signal something to Shoan. Anything. But his arms were firmly pinned, and he didn't have enough strength to fight.

"Slaves are supposed to answer when talked to." The woman said, her irritation growing.

"It's my fault, I convinced him to help me escape!" Anakin claimed. "Please, it's not his fault."

"If it wasn't his decision, I highly doubt you'd be here grovelling." She said. "Besides, you're a terrible liar. Now. Last chance. Why did you help him."

Anakin's panic rose to almost unbearable levels.

"Ever think he might just have wanted to help?" Anakin asked. He got a sharp punch across his cheek as his reward, his head snapped back and then he fell to the floor. Shoan let out a low growl, the first sound Anakin had ever heard him make.

"Even if he did, I don't see why he can't tell me himself." The woman said, smirking with a grim satisfaction at Anakin's pain.

"He can't tell you because he doesn't understand you!" Anakin yelled. "He's deaf, so stop asking him questions!"

Silence fell upon Anakin's words. He felt the guilt flood his chest. Oh my god.

The woman's lips curled up in a smile.

"I see. A deaf slave. I wonder why no one's ever heard of that before." She said. Anakin looked down. Because no one wants a slave that's less than perfect.

The woman stood contemplatively.

"I think we should leave this to the Master to decide. It's been a while since he had anything to do." She said. Anakin's stomach flipped. He was pulled upwards into a standing position, the pressure on his leg once again making the landscape tilt around him. Trembling with a mixture of anger and fear, he looked to see how Shoan was doing.

"Make them wait separately. We don't want another escape attempt."

"There was never one in the first place!" Anakin yelled angrily. But he was forced out of the room, the grip on his arms painfully tight.

So yes. Anakin felt royally screwed. He doubted he'd be able to talk his way out of this one. Either they would be sent back to their duties with some sort of punishment, or they would be dead within the hour. Anakin had spent too much time trying survive just to die. All the pain, the efforts, would be for nothing. No one knew where he was. No one was coming.

1 Day Earlier

Monday, 9:43am; Lower Levels.

It had taken them days to find the place. Obi-Wan had barely slept, his back ached from where he'd spent hours meticulously going through every single bit of data they had. Quinlan helped of course, but he had to go to his debriefing with Master Windu, and deliver some information on the person he was hunting. Some dealer on an Inner Rim planet. Or something like that. In a normal situation, Obi-Wan would be inclined to help. But he was completely focused on Anakin.

He still could barely believe it. Anakin was still alive. All the pain had been for nothing. Anakin may have been somewhere worse than before, in a worse situation, but he was alive. That was all that had mattered to Obi-Wan, but it did mean that it was vital that they got him back as soon as possible. There was no longer the threat of the Jedi hanging over whoever had their hands on him. That meant that there weren't any boundaries.

When Obi-Wan had finally found the right speeder, days later than he would have preferred, he ran to Artoo. The droid ran the speeder against the database, which Anakin had somehow managed to install him with. Obi-Wan didn't know what to do with him sometimes. Artoo came up with the results, and Obi-Wan judged the one from a day and a bit ago to be the best bet. Quinlan accompanied him when he set off to find it.

Now, standing in front of the building, Obi-Wan felt disgust begin to curl in the bottom of his stomach. Out of all the things the kidnapper could have chosen, he chose slavery. The one thing which was intricately knotted with Anakin's past.

"What's our approach to this?" Quinlan asked. Obi-Wan rested his hand on the speeder they'd taken.

"Try to be polite. Ask nicely first. If they don't answer we can move on to... aggressive negotiations." Obi-Wan said.

"It would be much faster to barge straight in, but you're the boss." Quinlan grinned with a mock salute. "After you."

Obi-Wan climbed out of the speeder, locking it behind him. Though he didn't like the chances of it remaining there, judging by the way some of the people around them were eying it. They walked over to the building, pushing open the door.

From the outside it had looked like a dark, empty kind of building. But once inside, Obi-Wan found it was well lit, and clean. There was nobody behind the desk, and Obi-Wan pulled his hood down, years of Qui-Gon telling him to be courteous making it a habit.

"Do we ring?" Quinlan asked. Obi-Wan glanced around.

"I guess." He replied, reaching out to click the buzzer. But, before he could, the door in front of them burst open, and a man walked out. He was tall, and talking to someone behind him. He froze when he saw the Jedi, almost dropping the papers he was carrying.

"Uh. Hi." He said. "I'm sorry, we're closed at the moment. You'll have to come back later."

"Oh no," Obi-Wan said, "we just need to ask a few questions."

Quinlan glared at them, and Obi-Wan nudged him. He didn't want them to seem threatening just yet.

"Oh. I mean, sure." The man said. His friend had joined him, and sat down on the counter. "We've got a few minutes."

"Have you had a shipment lately?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Of slaves?" The second guy asked. Obi-Wan nodded. The two men looked at each other. If Obi-Wan had been doing anything but paying close attention, he would've missed it. But he saw that the first man gave a tiny shake of his head, more of a tilt than anything.

"No." The second said.

"Are you sure?" Quinlan asked, his voice struggling to contain his anger. Obi-Wan gave him a warning glare.

"Definitely." The first man said. He was, to Obi-Wan's experienced eye, quite obviously the leader. He directed his next question at him.

"So you wouldn't have seen a teenager then? Young looking, slightly shorter than me. Braid down his back?"

"Nope. Sorry."

This time it was with a joint movement that Obi-Wan and Quinlan released their anger. Quinlan leapt over the desk, pulling out his lightsaber and disarming the second man. Obi-Wan, meanwhile, grabbed the first and shoved him up to a wall, his lightsaber close to the man's face.

"Let's try this again." Obi-Wan growled. "Has there been a shipment recently?"

The two slavers glanced at each other. Then the man Obi-Wan was threatening sighed and stopped fighting to escape.

"Yes. Friday."

"Details?" Obi-Wan prompted.

"There were three slaves, one woman and two guys."

"Any fit my description?" Obi-Wan asked, pushing his lightsaber closer to the slaver's face. Satisfaction filled him as the man winced away from the heat.

"Yeah. There was. Some young teenager."

Relieved, Obi-Wan let up slightly and set the man down onto his feet. Finally. He had actual proof that Anakin was alive. It wasn't some far-fetched fantasy anymore. It was a lead.

"Where are they now?"

"Shipment went to Jarnollen. Mid Rim planet." The man said. He had regained some of his cocky confidence when released, and stood up straight. "I presume you want coordinates?"

"No, we'll be fine." Obi-Wan said sarcastically. "Yes, coordinates would be helpful. You haven't given us much to go on."

The man pushed past him and reached for an old filing cabinet. He flicked to the back and pulled out a sheet of paper. Quinlan let go of the other slaver and went to take the paper. He scowled the entire time, and Obi-Wan could sense his disgust radiating through the Force.

"Thank you for your time." He growled lowly. He was about to walk out, but Obi-Wan put a hand on his arm.

"Do you know anything about the man who brought him here?"

The slaver scowled even harder, if that could be possible.

"Yes, actually. Old friend of mine."

"And I doubt you're going to tell me anything, are you?" Obi-Wan said.

"Nope."

"Okay then." Obi-Wan replied. Then he strode out, tailed closely by Quinlan.

When they reached the speeder, which was thankfully still there, Quinlan stared at him in confusion.

"So you're going to leave a perfectly good source of information?"

"I could sense that he wasn't going to betray his friend easily."

"And? We could've beaten it out of him. I know you wanted to just as much as I did, if not more so." Quinlan said exasperatedly.

"Yes I did. But I'm a Jedi, Quin. I can't give in to my anger."

"You seemed perfectly happy to do it before."

"That was when Anakin was dead."

"So now he's alive, you're just going to leave it?!" Quinlan asked incredulously. "Let the kidnapper get off free, push your revenge plan aside?"

"No." Obi-Wan said. "It's just not a priority. Anakin is my priority. Once he is safe, then we can come back to revenge."

Quinlan grinned.

"I didn't think you had it in you, Master Kenobi."

"Just drive, Vos." Obi-Wan replied

I'm coming Anakin. Don't do anything stupid until I get there.

A/N: Feel free to review if you enjoyed!