Check 1st chapter for disclaimer

Cammy: Thanks for your enthusiastic review! You're wish is going to get granted as you can see by this chapter.

All right. This chapter starts out with Anakin just about to turn twelve (Yes, I skipped over some years). The highlights of those years will be shown in flash backs, memories, etc. –For a warning, This will happen again, although I won't leave you without any good angsty interaction among our boys J

Oh, BTW I'm going to make Anakin tall like his grandfather and father. I know that canon has him shorter, but seems how this is going majorly off the beaten path, I decided to make him Ani's height when he's full grown.

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  Obi-Wan strode through the halls of the local jail. The halls were greasy, and the floor worn from various fights that had broken out among the prisoners. With a groan of disgust he noted that the local tavern was cleaner and better lit. That wasn't saying much. Then again, when you lived on the outskirts of society (especially in Hutt space) you really couldn't expect any sort of comfort. He halted a few steps behind the jailer as the rather small Hutt opened a cell door.

      Inside the cell sat a rather bruised and dejected Anakin Solo. A pair of doleful blue eyes met his and quickly looked back towards the wall. With a nod Obi-Wan had the jailer release Anakin and signed the necessary papers. The only nice thing about the Hutt system of justice was that you could bribe your way out of going to court. Which was especially nice for getting your way out of small situations like Anakin had gotten into. Obi-Wan merely looked at Anakin and began to work his way back out of the jail.

    Anakin swallowed and began to follow. This was not good. He knew the instant that Obi-Wan had appeared at his cell door it wasn't. When Qui-Gon came to bail him out he gave him cold looks and eventually a kind talk about his responsibilities and the will of the Force. When his grandfather bailed him out, he would talk about his own mistakes and how Anakin should not repeat them. When Obi-Wan bailed him out, it meant he was in big trouble. Anakin used to think he could memorize Obi-Wan's lectures, but there were too many of them. There was always one raving moralist in a family.

   Family. Anakin shivered. In truth that was what they were now, only he didn't know where he fit in. Qui-Gon was like a father to Obi-Wan, Obi-Wan was like a father to Ani, and Anakin was by blood Ani's grandson, but it really didn't feel that way. Ani had never really been a father, so how could he be a grandfather? They were great friends, and Ani was very protective of his grandson, but he felt like more of an uncle.

"Anakin, are you listening?"

 Sith! He knew better than to drift off while Obi-wan was lecturing. Anakin suddenly found his boots very interesting. "No Master Kenobi," Anakin's voice was muffled as he mumbled out his admission.

  Exasperation welled up in Obi-Wan, and he blew a breath of air through his lips. His eyes closed and a second later he was the calm Jedi Master once more.

   It was secretly what Anakin admired about Obi-Wan. He felt his emotions, understood them, and then released them. The perfect example of a Jedi. Ani tended to dwell on his feelings. Qui-Gon tended to ignore his feelings until he could "safely" deal with them. Obi-Wan appeared to be the quintessential Jedi. It was what made Anakin so cowed by him. He wanted to be just like him, only he couldn't. He'd been a failure at being a new Jedi, he didn't even have a chance at being an Old Republic Jedi.

"Anakin, using my formal title is not going to get you out of this. What were you thinking? You were told to stay in the ship. Protect it if necessary. Instead we come back to find you not only gone, but arrested for brawling in the street with a Bothan spice trader."

"I'm sorry, I just got bored and I thought a little walk couldn't hurt. Then I bumped into this guy and we got into a fight and well…"

  Obi-Wan frowned, he knew full well boredom wasn't what the root of the problem was. Something was bothering Anakin. Something had for months. This was the fourth time he'd been arrested, the tenth time he'd been in a fight. Bribes were expensive, and money was not something that they had in abundance.

"Anakin, what's wrong?"

Anakin swallowed. How was he supposed to explain it? The feelings of failure, of not being good for anything. The feeling of being a dead weight being lugged around a sector of space. The feeling that he was impeding their cause against Callista. Sure they had taught him saber skills, but that was for his own protection. He was better with a blaster. A sign he was sure meant that he would have been a worthless Jedi. But worst of all, how was he supposed to explain the growing ache inside of him?

"Nothings wrong."

Obi-Wan knew he could get no further with him. "Then we will go back to the ship and you will meditate on your actions."

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When they approached the ship, Anakin went inside while Obi-Wan went around to the other side. "How are the repairs going?"

 Ani's head popped out from underneath the ship. "Well, I couldn't get the right part, so I had to be creative. I wish Callista's flunkies would quit trying to hit our fuel mechanism. It's a real pain to fix."

Callista, what a wonderful thought. While they sent what messages they could to the Republic, and raided her supply ships, her army kept growing. Lately, she had been sending her more loyal Jedi drones to fight them. Apparently, she was using them as guinea pigs, to see how well they would do against Luke's Jedi. It was the only logical explanation as to why she hadn't cut them all off from the Force.

Obi-Wan was beginning to feel an ache in the back of his head.

"So, did you find Anakin?"

The ache suddenly tripled into a full blown Bantha Parade.

"Yes, he was in the local jail. He beat up a local Bothan spice dealer."

"How much did that set us back?"

"Too much. It would be much easier to make a living as smugglers / "collection men" if we didn't have to stay in one sector. Where'd you send Qui-Gon off to?"

"Master Jinn is in the market looking for fresh fruits and vegetables. He isn't exactly the best mechanic I've ever met."

 "The pain of being so completely aligned with the Living Force Ani. With these blasted things on, he can feel very little of the Unifying side. Besides, Qui-Gon wasn't very good with machines before. It took him three months to get the holovid to quit blinking."

"So, where is Anakin now?"

"Inside meditating. Which, if you don't mind, I think I'll do before my head explodes."

Ani frowned as Obi-Wan went inside. Obi-Wan didn't get headaches. Not even when Anakin blatantly defied the council. With a shrug, he slid back underneath the ship to finish the repairs.

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Qui-Gon was just about to go up the ramp with his load of groceries when Ani came around from finishing his repairs.

"Anakin was at the local jail. I don't think Obi-Wan is in a very good mood."

Qui-Gon nodded as they headed into the ship. "Perhaps we should discuss this as a group."

They headed into the small galley and found Obi-Wan nursing a cold cup of tea staring at the ingredients list for a box of instant soup mix. "Did you know that this contains five times the recommended amount of sodium?"

Ani and Qui-Gon looked at each other. This was not a good sign.

Ani cleared his throat. "Ani's not still meditating is he?"

"No, he's still brooding. There's a difference. Apparently, I'm a big, bad Jedi for not wanting him to become a felon by age thirteen."

Cranky Obi-Wans did not mix well with Anakin Skywalkers. Ani just didn't have a diffusing touch with his old master.

Qui-Gon smiled and glanced at Ani. "Why don't you go tell Anakin that supper will be ready in forty minutes."

Taking the hint, Ani left the kitchen.

"You cannot hide from your destiny Obi-Wan."

"What destiny is that?"

"The boy."

"Oh no. The last time you set me up with a 'boy,' he ended up destroying the whole Jedi order."

"I am not 'setting' you up with him. I am merely pointing out that you're being stubborn"

"No"

"You know it to be true. Why else have you been so moody lately? If I know it now, you probably knew this would happen within hours of meeting him. You are my apprentice. I know you better than anyone else."

Obi-Wan moaned and nestled his head in his arms. "I'm doomed. My life will forever be dictated by one Skywalker or another. Watch, I'll end up training Anakin's son."

"Look at it this way, at least you'll have braid to pull on."

"I do not want to have another Anakin turn."

"He won't. He is not his grandfather. He bears scars, but they are not ones of slavery.  I suppose that it has not occurred to anyone else on this ship that the reasons for Anakin's behavior are probably tied to the fact that he feels a bond growing?"

"I suppose that could be the reason. At his age, he might not know what it is."

"Ah, the Great Master Kenobi still needs me after all.  Perhaps you should go talk to him while I fix dinner."

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Obi-Wan swallowed nervously outside of Anakin's room. He'd never had to do this before. Ani had been bequeathed to him. There had been no decision with Luke. But, this was different. Anakin could very well reject him on the spot. Qui-Gon or even Ani could always train him. With a calming breath he entered.

Anakin glanced up, "I don't want to talk about it."

"We need to talk about it. You've been feeling some discomfort lately. We need to remedy this situation, give you a final fixed solution."

    This was the moment Anakin had been dreading. He knew that they had to have picked up on his desire to be a Jedi. Now they had elected Obi-Wan to break the news to him. He was too old. He knew that. The only reason they had taught him any Force skills was because they wanted him to be able to control himself so he wouldn't endanger them all.

"I know."

"I don't think you do. I need to show you something important. Would you allow me to link with you?"

Anakin held back his tears. Couldn't he just tell him? Was it really necessary to show the disaster that would ensue if they trained him? The only consolation was that the images would not be as strong as they would be if the Force was not controlled by the inhibitors.

A short nod signaled his acquiescence.

A gentle brush touched his mind. Then it seemed drawn to the ache he had felt earlier. For a second it was painful and confusing. Then, he felt a warm, bright glow twisting together thousands of strands into one strong cord. He gasped as it subsided. Reaching out, he felt for the cord in his mind. Finding it he gently probed it only to find that Obi-Wan's essence was entwined with his own. Blue eyes crew as large as mini-Death Stars.

Throwing himself into Obi-Wan's arms he uttered only one word. "Master"