Hurrying down the gangway before it had even fully lowered, Obi-Wan used Anakin's Force signature as a beacon as he sprinted through the docking bay. They had arrived too late and Anakin was already confronting Grievous. Obi-Wan had been desperately hoping to prevent just that. Anakin was prone to letting his guard down when he was angry and even without their bond he could feel the anger radiating from the younger man the closer he got.
The turbolift seemed to take an eternity even though it only went up half a dozen levels. Obi-Wan paced its confines, lightsaber clutched compulsively in his fist. He had to get there in time. It didn't matter if he was Anakin or Vader, Obi-Wan still loved him and didn't want him hurt. No matter what, he was still Anakin. Deep down he was still Anakin and that was all that really mattered.
Obi-Wan bolted out of the turbolift just in time to see Anakin knocked to the ground. Speeding his steps with the aid of the Force, Obi-Wan rushed across the space that separated him from Anakin. He could feel his lightsaber clutched tightly in his hand and even though it would have been far easier to simply block the blow Grievous was aiming towards Anakin, Obi-Wan shoved his lover bodily out of the way only to feel a searing pain in his side. Obi-Wan barely managed to lift his own lightsaber to block a second strike, holding the hilt in a two-handed grip, straining against the crackling energy of their crossed blades.
A familiar blue blade joined the mix, distracting Grievous slightly. Just enough. Twisting his lightsaber about, Obi-Wan managed to angle blade so that it struck through the durasteel ribs and into the gutsack they protected. Grievous staggered backwards, vainly attempting to hug his intestines into his durasteel exoskeleton as he let out a series of wet, hacking coughs.
Through his increasingly fading vision, Obi-Wan watched as Anakin finally ended Grievous' already too long existence. When Anakin turned towards him, Obi-Wan saw a flash of the man he loved. His Anakin.
From a balcony above one of the many gardens located on the Temple grounds, Obi-Wan watched as Anakin helped a few of the newer younglings with their katas. Unlike the Masters who were in charge of their training, Anakin didn't admonish them for any missteps. Instead he would correct them with a smile that didn't waver.
As he watched his newly knighted lover, Obi-Wan knew the time would come when Anakin would take a padawan of his own. Obi-Wan himself would likely be pressed into taking another one at some point. There were so few Jedi left in the galaxy that the Order couldn't afford for him to remain without a student for long. And as much as he tried to avoid thinking about it, Obi-Wan dreaded the day that happened.
Anakin must have sensed him watching because he glanced up towards the balcony, his smile widening when he caught sight of Obi-Wan. Inclining his head in return, Obi-Wan faded back into the shadows. He had a meeting with Mace and he didn't think the older Jedi Master would appreciate him being late because he was spying on his lover.
It was a useless desire, but Obi-Wan longed for the day when he had Anakin would no longer have to hide their relationship. He knew that it hurt Anakin each time they had to pull away when someone was near. Truth be told, it hurt Obi-Wan just as much.
As his vision darkened, Obi-Wan focused on Anakin rushing towards him. The panic in his wide blue eyes was genuine and Obi-Wan did his best to smile even as unconsciousness tugged at his senses.
Obi-Wan!
Obi-Wan relaxed entirely as their bond flooded open once again. It was still his Anakin.
It seemed almost slow motion that he reached Obi-Wan's side, dropping to his knees as soon as he was close enough.
Obi-Wan! Anakin screamed as he threw down all the shields that kept Obi-Wan's consciousness from his own.
Reaching out through the Force, Anakin tried to determine the extent of his lover's injuries even as he sought equal reassurance with his hands. The only physical injuries he could find were the bruises from an apparently real fall over the edge of a ravine and the lacerated burn created by one of Grievous' lightsabers. Through the Force Anakin was able to tell just how utterly exhausted Obi-Wan was.
"You're alive," Anakin moaned as he drew Obi-Wan's upper body onto his lap. He continued to murmur those two words over and again as he peppered his lover's face with kisses. When he reached Obi-Wan's mouth, Anakin couldn't refrain from pressing his lips to those achingly familiar ones. They were dry and slightly chapped from prolonged exposure to recycled air, but at the moment Anakin only cared that it was Obi-Wan he held in his arms.
"Sir, we should take the general to the medibay."
Clutching Obi-Wan tighter, Anakin nodded his head. He panicked when a pair of hands appeared before him, attempting to take Obi-Wan from him, and he immediately lashed out with the Force, sending the figure across the room. Only at the last moment did he realize that it was Cody who'd offered his assistance and stopped him from hitting the wall.
"My apologies, Cody," Anakin apologized as he staggered carefully to his feet, Obi-Wan held securely against his chest. "I didn't realize it was you."
The clone inclined his head briefly, but noticeably kept his distance from Anakin. At the moment, though, Cody wasn't important. Anakin would find the time later to properly thank the clone for his role in returning Obi-Wan to him. Once he was certain that Obi-Wan would be all right.
"Your medical ward, where is it?" Anakin demanded of one of the Utapauns hovering nearby.
"This way, General Skywalker," the tall slender being murmured, turning back towards the recesses of the cavern. "General Kenobi shall have the best care we can provide."
Anakin refrained from threatening the frail looking being as he had done many other times in the past when Obi-Wan was injured. His former master had a penchant for finding the worst of trouble where none usually existed.
Anakin stood with the tip of his lightsaber hovering just below the chin of ruling prince of Cularin, his lips drawn back in a savage smile. "You will give us the medicines that we need."
The wide-eyed prince swallowed compulsively, glancing about for support. "I have no idea what you're talking about."
"You know who I am, correct?"
"Jedi Knight Skywalker."
"If you know who I am then you must know who he is," Anakin said solemnly, motioning his head back to where Obi-Wan lay on a couch, sweating and convulsing as the result of a drug that had been slipped into his meal the night before. "And you know that I will do whatever I need to in order to ensure his well being."
Prince Zenae seemed to regain his composure then, standing up straighter. "These are my lands, Jedi. I will not be ruled by you."
"Either you give me the medicines I need or your sister takes over rule of this planet," Anakin sneered, his eyes narrowing as he glared at the smaller man. "And I suggest that you make your decision soon because my patience will not hold out much longer."
Prince Zenae squeaked in a rather unmanly way and nodded briefly at his aide. "Give it to him."
Anakin kept his blade at the prince's throat until he heard Obi-Wan's breathing begin to even out and at the same time Obi-Wan's Force signature began to strengthen. Only when he was certain that it wasn't some type of trick did he disengage his lightsaber.
"Try something like that again and I will not hesitate to kill you," Anakin warned as he hurried over to the couch where Obi-Wan lay. Crouching down next to his lover's head, he was there just in time to see Obi-Wan's eyes begin to flutter open. He smiled fondly at the older man, stroking his fingers through Obi-Wan's hair. "Welcome back, Master. You had me worried."
"Nothing that hasn't happened in the past," Obi-Wan murmured around a yawn. "Or will happen in the future, I'm sure."
Bowing his head, Anakin let his forehead rest against Obi-Wan's. "Please don't make too much of a habit it. One day I might not be there in time."
Standing outside the bacta tank, Anakin kept his eyes fixed on Obi-Wan as he floated in the thick bacta fluid. He had assurances from the healers that Obi-Wan would recover fully from his injuries, but Anakin was still uneasy. Suspended in the thick liquid, Obi-Wan appeared frighteningly fragile. He had been stripped entirely and there was an array of electrodes stuck into specific points on his body, a breathing tube in his mouth and nose, and all of his injuries cleaned and exposed.
It had taken a great force of will for Anakin to give up Obi-Wan to the healers when they had first arrived in the medical ward. Even though he'd known that the healers would do nothing to harm Obi-Wan, Anakin had been fearful of the worst. Everything had happened so quickly that Anakin was still unable to wrap his mind around it. He had seen Obi-Wan die. Over and again he had watched the HoloNet reports showing his lover's murder. There was a still-healing burn on Obi-Wan's chest that proved the recording's image to be accurate. But somehow Obi-Wan had survived. He'd survived and had once again managed to save Anakin from himself.
"What happened, Cody?" Anakin asked as he sensed the clone's approach. His eyes, though, never strayed from Obi-Wan. "The last I heard Obi-Wan's body was being brought back to Coruscant. He was dead. I felt our bond sever. It felt as though my own heart had been ripped out of my chest…."
"The order was given for General Kenobi to be subdued and a drug to be administered that would render him in a state similar to stasis," Cody said, his voice emotionless and clinical.
Even as Anakin turned his head towards Cody, his left hand unconsciously moved to touch the plexisteel tube of the bacta tank as though through that touch he could keep Obi-Wan with him. "You were given the order? The battalion Obi-Wan commanded?"
"I was given the orders, yes," the clone confirmed.
"I want to see this order," Anakin demanded, his body positively vibrating with the knowledge that Obi-Wan had been betrayed by those he entrusted with his life.
It had always been Obi-Wan who was an advocate for the treating the clones as though they were separate individuals and not laboratory creations. Obi-Wan who had given Alpha the task of naming all the newly engineered clones on Kamino so that they would have some sense of identity. And even though Anakin had teased him for it on occasion, he knew that Obi-Wan truly did view Cody, Alpha, and a few of the other clones as friends; the rest as comrades in arms. Anakin couldn't help but feel enraged knowing that it was those same clones who had nearly killed his lover.
The image that Anakin saw on Cody's wrist communicators once again threw everything around him into chaos. Robed and cowled, Anakin had no difficulty recognizing the figure that hovered in miniature above Cody's right wrist. Palpatine. Sidious. A man that Anakin had trusted implicitly and who he now learned had betrayed him in the worst possible way.
"I want to see the security footage," Anakin ordered, his eyes boring into Cody's once the message ended. "I want to know who shot Obi-Wan."
"There is no need. It was me," Cody admitted, folding his hands behind his back. "I was the one given the order and I carried it out."
Cody didn't react when Anakin drew out his lightsaber and ignited it right below his chin. Anakin wanted to rage at the man who he had trusted to keep Obi-Wan safe. It would never have even occurred to Anakin that Cody would ever do anything to harm Obi-Wan.
"Give me a reason why I shouldn't kill you on the spot for this?" Anakin ground out, his gaze narrowing so that all he saw was Cody.
"Because like me, you follow Lord Sidious' commands."
Moaning, Anakin dropped into a crouch, lightsaber clattering from his fingers. He brought his hands up to hold his head, fingers buried in his hair. Anakin wished that he could deny Cody's words. The truth was that he had believed Sidious' lies. Anakin had laid waste to the Jedi Order on Sidious' command and in the end it had all been for nothing. Obi-Wan hadn't been dead. It had been all been a ruse set up by a man that Anakin had once trusted completely.
"I killed the younglings," Anakin gasped, squeezing his eyes shut tight. He breathed in deeply through his nose to calm his stomach which was threatening to dispel the meager ration of energy bars he'd eaten to keep himself functioning. "I killed them all…."
If he'd had the strength to do so, Anakin would have fled. He had lived up to every fear the Jedi Council had had concerning him. He had turned out to be just as dangerous as they'd said he'd had the potential for when he was a boy. And he'd done it all without even trying.
"For what it's worth, General Kenobi came after you even knowing what you'd done," Cody murmured through the haze that was seeping into Anakin's consciousness. "He didn't believe that you were completely lost to the Dark Side."
Which was only another dagger digging into his heart.
Obi-Wan fingered the end of the braid that rested against Anakin's chest. He could still remember a time when part of his own padawan braid had made up the end of Anakin's. It seemed like a lifetime ago that the blonde and copper hair had mixed together to give Anakin the beginnings of his braid back on Naboo. Now it was time to cut it off.
"I almost didn't think this day would ever come," Anakin murmured as he wrapped his hand around Obi-Wan's.
"Master Qui-Gon knew better than any of us what you were capable of," Obi-Wan said just as quietly.
"Please don't tell me that you're going to get all sentimental."
Rolling his eyes, Obi-Wan swatted at Anakin with his free hand. "You'd better behave or I'll loose my grip and cut off your ear, insolent boy. Now behave and hand me the knife.
Obi-Wan came back to awareness very slowly. Having been in the same position more than once, it didn't take him long to figure out that he was suspended in bacta fluid. What took a little longer was remember what had led to his current stay in the tank. When it did Obi-Wan's eyes shot open and he scanned through the murky fluid in hopes of catching sight of Anakin. He bobbed up and down a few more times before he was being propelled upwards. On the way up he saw Anakin, crouched on the floor, his entire body trembling.
Anakin.
Almost as soon as he was pulled from the bacta tank, Obi-Wan was injected with a mild sedative while the medical droids examined him to ensure the bacta fluid had done its job. They then removed the various tubes and wires from his body and began to dry him off. As he was being manhandled about, Obi-Wan caught sight of a very welcome figure hovering in the background.
"Anakin," he murmured, dismissing the medical droids with a wave of his hand. He sat himself up cross-legged on the examination bed and held a hand out towards his lover. "Come here, Anakin."
Still Anakin hovered in the distance, looking everywhere but at Obi-Wan himself.
"Anakin, please," Obi-Wan insisted, his voice still light. "I'd go over to you but I'm quite certain I'd end up wobbling most of the way. So can you please save me some embarrassment and just come here. Please?"
Please, Anakin.
"Master, you don't—"
"You haven't called me that for years, Anakin. Please don't start now. I love you. No matter what you've done."
There were tears glittering on Anakin's cheeks as he began to stagger towards Obi-Wan. Holding out both of his arms, Obi-Wan wound his arms around the slender boy as soon as he was close enough. He held Anakin tight, shifting back so that he could draw Anakin up onto his lap. The boy went willingly, clinging to Obi-Wan as he began to sob into his shoulder. He held onto Anakin tightly, murmuring nonsense against his skin while he allowed the Force to surround them both and wash away the darkness he could feel clouding Anakin's soul.
Just let it all go, Anakin. Let it all go and come back to me.