By the time that Obi-Wan made it home, Anakin was already there, sitting on the couch and waiting with Artoo in his lap.
"It nice to see you reunited," Obi-Wan smirked as he came in and sat with them. "I may have spent time with him, but I'm no you."
"Clearly," Anakin grinned, "Your hair's too short, you're too short, and you have that beard."
"What's wrong with the beard?" Obi-Wan asked, reflexively placing a hand on it.
"Nothing," Anakin chuckled. "It suits you better than it would suit me."
Obi-Wan shook his head with a smile. Just like old times.
"So, what are we going to do?" Anakin asked after a beat of silence.
Obi-Wan sighed, feeling the smile drip off his face. "I don't know. Unless we get concrete evidence, no one would be convicted. Everyone would just look at us like we're insane."
"So... we get evidence," Anakin said with a smirk.
"I don't like it when you smirk like that. It's usually followed by a bad idea," Obi-Wan replied.
"Yes, well, I'm full of bad ideas lately," Anakin shrugged.
"What's your idea?" Obi-Wan asked carefully.
"Well, first we have to talk to Rex before going forward. But, what if I make myself extremely valuable to the Sith? I get closer and closer to them until they feel like they can share the information with me, and then we just... turn them in," Anakin replied.
"Anakin, that's incredibly dangerous," Obi-Wan said with wide eyes.
"Obi-Wan, Padmé almost died today, because of me," he said softly, pleadingly, "Please... let me make this right."
Obi-Wan stroked his beard in thought, "Fine, but I've got a bad feeling about this."
"I can take care of myself," Anakin said gently, "After all, I had a big brother who taught me everything I know about self-defense."
Obi-Wan cracked a smile at him. "I have missed you."
"I know," Anakin winked. "I'm going to go pay Ahsoka for taking care of Artoo and Threepio. Then, I'll make dinner. I owe you for about two weeks worth of meals."
Obi-Wan nodded, watching Anakin sneak out to the fire escape and head over to Ahsoka's apartment. He didn't mean to listen in, but he had to water the flowers so he just happened to overhear the conversation.
"Skyguy!" Ahsoka exclaimed as Obi-Wan heard footsteps go up the stairs.
"Snips," Anakin replied. "I wanted to thank you for taking care of Artoo and Threepio for me."
"That's what friends do," she replied. Then, she paused. "Friends also don't disappear without saying goodbye."
Anakin sighed, "I know. I've been a bad brother, and a bad friend lately."
"You have," Ahsoka agreed.
"Hey! I'm trying to apologize," Anakin scoffed.
"Try a little harder," she teased.
After a moment, Obi-Wan heard the two of them laugh.
"Snips, I've been mixed up with the wrong crowd," Anakin admitted.
"You would never do something bad," Ahsoka said adamantly.
"I have, though, which is why I've got to make it up to everyone. I'm going to need you to watch Artoo and Threepio a bit longer for me. At least until I can sort everything out," he said softly.
"Alright, but you don't have to pay me. You're trying to do the right thing and I want to support you through that," Ahsoka replied.
Obi-Wan smiled and slipped back into the apartment. He looked down at his clothes and sighed. "I should go clean up. I smell like smoke and antiseptic."
He made his way towards his shower, stripping away the layers of the day. With each piece of clothing he dropped, he felt like a weight was taken off his shoulders. He felt like the mystery was starting to make sense, that the fog was clearing and he'd once again be able to see everything for what it was. A part of him wondered if Anakin was up to the task, but a deeper part of him that still trusted Anakin completely knew that he was. Anakin may have made a mistake, but he wasn't too far gone. Obi-Wan let the water beat upon his back, loosening the knots there. Padmé was still in the hospital, but she was awake. She was on the mend, and she loved him. His girlfriend loved him. A smile grew on his face. Girlfriend. He didn't think he could ever get used to that, but then a small voice in the back of his head that sounded an awful lot like Qui-Gon whispered: Someday when you get used to it, she'll be your wife, and then you'll have to get used to that. Wife. He knew it was early, but after the day he had had, he allowed himself to picture what life would be like were that true, years down the line when they were both done with school. A nice house with children running around to disrupt the silence. She'd be a senator, and he'd... his dream faltered. He supposed he'd be a lawyer, since that was the path that he was currently on. However, that didn't feel right. He shut the water off and grabbed the towel to dry his face. So many things were falling into place, but this didn't feel like it was. Obi-Wan stepped out of the shower and got dressed. Then, he dialed Rex's number.
"Go for Rex," came the voice on the other end when he picked up.
Obi-Wan felt a knot in his stomach, "Rex, it's Obi-Wan."
"How is she?" Rex asked.
"She's... she's alright. They removed the fragments in surgery, and she's awake now," he sighed.
"I wish I had better news, but I don't have any leads," Rex sighed.
"I do," Obi-Wan replied carefully.
"Alright," Rex replied. "Is this something I can know, or is it better that I don't?"
"It was Anakin. He's fallen into some shady group, but they're connected to the person running the crime in the city. He's going to gain their trust to get evidence that we can use against them," Obi-Wan replied. He purposely avoided telling Rex about who they thought was pulling all the strings. He didn't want Rex to think they were crazy.
"He's a boy, Obi-Wan. The kid can't go undercover. He wasn't trained for things like that," Rex said emphatically.
"By the time you get someone who's trained into their good graces, they'll have won the city," Obi-Wan replied. "If we don't act now, all may be lost."
"That sounds dramatic, even for you," Rex shot back.
"I wouldn't say it if it weren't true," Obi-Wan replied.
"There's something you're not telling me," Rex murmured.
"There is, but it's for your own protection. What happened to Padmé today wasn't an accident. It was because whatever we stumbled upon was getting too close to the truth."
"If you're a target, then that's even more of a reason for you not to do this. Leave it to the professionals," Rex said.
"Rex, I know I can trust you, but there are people higher up than you that I can't trust. You just have to trust me."
"I don't like this," Rex sighed.
"I know," Obi-Wan murmured.
"Just... stay safe, alright? Call me if you think you're in over your heads," Rex replied.
"Will do," Obi-Wan said before hanging up.
Obi-Wan made his way back out towards the kitchen, smelling something good wafting in.
"Is dinner ready?" he asked as he settled in a stool.
"Almost," Anakin replied.
"Anakin... did you just drop two packages of ramen into a pot?" he asked, noticing the empty wrappers on the kitchen counter.
"No.."
"I can see the wrappers."
"I said I'd make dinner. I never said it would be gourmet!"
Obi-Wan laughed, shaking his head. Just like old times.