He strained upwards, arching his back as best he could. His skin was slick with sweat, but it wasn't enough to ease the friction. He wanted to scream out in frustration, only no sound passed his lips. Everything was silent save for a few grunts of effort. He tried to dig his heels I and slipped, a few tears of frustration slipping past his tightly clenched eyelids.

Every muscle in his body ached with the effort of trying to get free. Thigh muscles tense, stomach clenched, arms bulging, all with no results to offer up. He was trapped and no amount of effort would see him free.

Obi-Wan please... Anakin sobbed even though he knew his lover wouldn't hear him. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to.

Anakin had no idea what he was apologizing for, really wanting nothing more than to hear Obi-Wan's voice along their bond. He needed to know that he wasn't alone and that Obi-Wan hadn't given up on him. He didn't want to be alone in the dark any longer.

"It's the middle of the night. Why are the lights still on?"

Ducking his head down, Anakin glanced away from Obi-Wan. He was nearly twenty-three years old, far past the age when he'd need some kind of nightlight. He was a Jedi Knight not some snot-nosed youngling. He shouldn't have been afraid of the dark. But he was. The thought of being in complete darkness had him trembling.

"There's nothing to be ashamed of, Anakin," Obi-Wan murmured, drawing Anakin against his chest. "If you recall, the lights stayed on a long while after my own time in the mask."

Anakin furrowed his brows. "They did?"

"Not that I had much opportunity to sleep during the night what with you sharing my bed."

Anakin felt his cheeks heat at that and turned his face into Obi-Wan's chest. "Sorry."

"Nothing to apologize for. I will a willing participant," Obi-Wan chuckled, stroking his fingers through Anakin's rumpled hair. "Now sleep. We'll keep the lights on as long as you need them."

Growling around the gag, Anakin was twisting and shaking, desperate to get free. He didn't remember much of what had happened the last time he'd been in the mask except that it had been dark. He knew that it wasn't the mask that stole his vision. That was another type of sensory deprivation.

"Such a pretty boy. It's a wonder your master ever let you out of his sight."

Thin rivulets of blood slithered along his flesh where the straps holding him immobile had torn skin as a result of his struggles.

"I wonder if he would have given himself up and traded positions with you. Shame that we'll never know."

His skin burned where the straps had rubbed him raw. His right arm felt like dead weight. As though all of the circuits had been fried. Anakin could only hope that wasn't the case.

"It's a shame that he died so quickly. I would have enjoyed playing with him."

The straps were getting tighter. Cutting off circulation on his still-flesh limbs. Across his chest. Over his throat. Too tight. It was going to crush him. Split him apart into separate bits. Too late for Obi-Wan to save him.

Not that he could.

Obi-Wan was dead.

She'd killed him this time. Finished what she'd started before.

"He died screaming for you, did you know that?"

He wanted to rip her to pieces for taking Obi-Wan from him again. Three times now she had killed Obi-Wan. And each time there was nothing he could do to avenge his fallen lover.

"Anakin!"

With what little movement he could muster, he slammed his head against the table. Again and again. She had no right to make him hear Obi-Wan's voice. She had no right to even speak of him. Obi-Wan was his.

"Anakin, stop."

Anakin stopped struggling. Not because Ventress had told him to. Because Obi-Wan had.

Whimpering, Anakin turned his head towards the faint sounds he could hear to his right. He strained to see through the darkness, desperate for it to really be Obi-Wan nearby in the darkness. The gentle fingers he felt brush lightly over his throat before moving onto the clasps that held the mask in place caused a sob to well up in his throat.

It was Obi-Wan.

"Hush now," Obi-Wan murmured as Anakin became aware of the darkness beginning to shift to grey.

Obi-Wan had never had so hard a time remaining calm as he did when he slipped down from the ventilation shaft into the room where Anakin was being held. He could see nothing physically wrong with his beloved, but even with their bond muted as it was he could sense how ravaged his mind was. The younger man was barely holding it together.

Keeping his senses directed at least partially outwards, Obi-Wan rushed across the room to the table where Anakin was strapped down. There was none of Anakin's skin available to touch so Obi-Wan reached for the clasps of the mask. The sooner Anakin was freed of it, the better.

"Hush now," Obi-Wan murmured when Anakin began to whimper softly.

Though he made sure to keep part of his attention on their surroundings, the bulk of it was on Anakin. Anakin was strapped down and unable to move, but at the same time he was positively quivering as he strained against the straps that held him immobile.

Which was why, as soon as he was able, Obi-Wan slipped his fingers beneath the mask, fingertips sliding over Anakin's stubbled jaw. The reason why Anakin was so silent was revealed when Obi-Wan removed the dark mask. In the same instant that Obi-Wan was assaulted by the full force of Anakin's desperation and visually by the sight of the gag that kept Anakin's jaw locked shut. It was his eyes, though, that gutted Obi-Wan the most. The blue eyes were wet, shimmering with tears that were sliding down into his hair.

"You certainly know how to keep things interesting," Obi-Wan said quietly as he worked the various clasps and buckles that kept the gag in place. "But at least this helps to even the tally. Moreso since Cato Neimoida still doesn't count."

Anakin let out a half-drowned chuckled, his eyes squeezed shut tight. Leaning forward, Obi-Wan touched his forehead to Anakin's, reveling in the renewed strength of their bond.

"Obi-Wan," Anakin moaned, his breath hot against the other man's cheek. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean it. I swear I didn't mean it."

Obi-Wan had no idea what Anakin was talking about, but at that moment it didn't matter. He pressed his lips to the corner of Anakin's slips, a brief contact to shore them both up.

"Sit tight, love," Obi-Wan murmured against the frantic man's lips. "I'll have you out of here soon."

Even with that assurance, Anakin still cried out when he moved out of the younger man's line of sight. It gutted him to leave Anakin, but it couldn't be helped. He had to get Anakin out of the building before Sidious caught wind of what was going on. They were only two men—quite possibly the only two Jedi left in the galaxy –there would be no one to back them up. So, to keep Anakin from alerting Sidious, Obi-Wan maintained a constant hum along their bond, doing what he could to keep Anakin calm. Even so, Anakin was a whimpering mess, mumbling things that Obi-Wan couldn't quite understand.

Spurred by Anakin's frantic mumbling, Obi-Wan couldn't move fast enough to find whatever switch or button would release the restraints. Less than a minute later, Obi-Wan had hotwired the table's electronics and the straps all simultaneously retracted into the table. And, in almost the instant, Anakin rolled off the table, landing in a heap on the unyielding floor.

Cursing under his breath, Obi-Wan rushed across the short distance between them and dropped to his knees beside Anakin. By that time Anakin was struggling onto his hands and knees and Obi-Wan drew him against his chest. Anakin fought him at first, struggling against him, but he was able to calm Anakin before he did either of them any damage. And hopefully before he alerted Sidious to what was going on.

"That's it, Anakin, calm down. You need to relax. We can't have you letting Sidious know what's going on," Obi-Wan murmured against Anakin's temple, holding the taller man firmly against his chest. "I've got you, Anakin."

Under normal circumstances, Obi-Wan would have worried over how still Anakin was lying; even when injured the younger man had too much energy to remain still. The only reason that Obi-Wan wasn't overly concerned was because of how tightly Anakin was gripping his forearms. Anakin was alert which was most important.

Unfortunately, Obi-Wan couldn't allow Anakin the time to indulge his senses. They needed to be moving as quickly as possible because at the moment they were incredibly vulnerable. Enemies of the new Galactic Empire lying about in plain sight.

"We need to move, Anakin, now." Obi-Wan said quietly in his ear. "It's not safe for us to be here."

"He'll find me again. He always does," Anakin mumbled somewhat brokenly.

Obi-Wan pulled away, turning Anakin to face him. "You cannot fall apart on me now, Anakin. We don't have the time for this. We need to get out of here and find somewhere safe to hide. There is no one we can trust."

"Padmé—"

"Is exactly where he would expect to find us," Obi-Wan interrupted, rising slowly to his feet and bringing Anakin up with him. When Anakin wavered, Obi-Wan steadied him with a hand to his hip. With his other hand Obi-Wan cupped his cheek.

Keeping his hand on Anakin's cheek, Obi-Wan reached to his belt and unhooked the younger man's lightsaber. He didn't break eye contact with the younger man as he handed him his lightsaber. Anakin fumbled momentarily, but in the end held it in a firm grip. Obi-Wan waited until Anakin's stance was as sure as his grip on his lightsaber before pressing a final kiss to his lover's hips and taking a step back.

"We need to leave now, Anakin," Obi-Wan insisted, taking a step towards the ventilation shaft that had been his way into the room.

Anakin latched onto Obi-Wan's arm, stopping his progress. "No. I'm not going to run away. Sidious will pay for everything he's done. To you and to me…. I need to try and fix what I did."

Obi-Wan could only shake his head in dismay. "This is a fool's errand you're talking about, Anakin. We need to retreat until we can determine just how many Jedi are left in the galaxy."

"And give him more time to cement his power?"

As much as he didn't want to admit to it, Obi-Wan knew that Anakin was right. It would be an act of utter madness to allow Sidious to remain in power for any length of time. He just wasn't sure if Anakin was ready to face the Dark Lord. Sidious had a way of getting under Anakin's skin and making him do things that he wouldn't normally do. Anakin was a good man by nature, everything that had happened recently proof of that. Anakin had thought that he could keep the ones he loved safe by becoming Sidious' pawn. It was utterly foolhardy, but at the same time such a desperate act that Obi-Wan couldn't find it in him to hold it against the younger man.

He could, however, do something to ensure that their current situation didn't become any grimmer.

"This is absolute madness, Anakin," Obi-Wan sighed, scrubbing a hand over his face wearily.

"If you thought there was even a chance I'd suggest this you wouldn't have given me back my lightsaber," Anakin pointed out, holding the weapon up for him to see.

Obi-Wan pursed his lips, not wanting to admit to the truth of what Anakin had said. The reason their partnership had always worked so well was because they each played off one another weaknesses. Where Obi-Wan would find reasons to hold back when action was needed, Anakin would rush in. And, loathe as he was to admit it, right then the necessary course was one of action. The longer Sidious remained in power, the more difficult it would be to overthrow him.

Obi-Wan just wished he could erase the sense of dread that was seeping its way into him.

His steps wavered every so often, but Anakin refused to slow down. He couldn't show even the slightest hint of weakness otherwise Obi-Wan would insist that they stop their current plan of action. Obi-Wan was entirely too cautious where he was concerned and while that had saved his life on occasion, in this case Anakin didn't care what happened to him. He was a large part of the reason the galaxy was in such dire straights and needed to set things right. Even if Obi-Wan didn't understand it, it was something Anakin needed to do.

It had been very tempting for Anakin to knock Obi-Wan out when they were in the detention cell and face Sidious alone. Anakin didn't expect to leave that confrontation alive and he wanted to keep his lover safe at all costs. Obi-Wan had already risked so much for him and he didn't want to be the reason Obi-Wan died. Better that Obi-Wan be angry with him. At least then he would still be alive.

Anakin stumbled briefly as Sidious' presence began to ooze into his mind. He'd known that it wouldn't take the Sith Lord long to discover that he was no longer in the mask. He had hoped that they would be a bit closer to Sidious' office before it happened, though.

"He knows, doesn't he," Obi-Wan sighed, catching Anakin around the waist to support him in order to keep up their pace.

Anakin shook his head resolutely. "Doesn't matter. We're stronger than him."

"This situation is far too dire for you to be so cocky," Obi-Wan chastised him, shaking his head briefly. "Don't underestimate Sidious. I can't afford you rushing in on your own."

Anakin nodded his head, taking the reminder for what it was. Tempted as he would be to repeat what occurred on Geonosis, he wouldn't put Obi-Wan at risk in such a way. Unlike Dooku, Sidious wouldn't be content with merely disarming Obi-Wan. Dooku saw potential in Obi-Wan. Sidious wanted to destroy Obi-Wan.

Anakin refused to let Sidious win.

For the life of him, Obi-Wan couldn't figure out how he always allowed Anakin to talk him into such rash decisions. Every tactical instinct in him screamed to get them as far away from Coruscant and Sidious as possible. Yet there they were, rushing headlong into what would likely be their deaths. It had been many years since Obi-Wan had given up the blissful naiveté that good would always conquer evil. Not since he'd watched his Master cut down by the vile monster Darth Maul when they were on Naboo so long ago. Before that, Obi-Wan had believed that Qui-Gon was invincible and that right would always prevail. Too much had happened in the intervening years for him to believe that any longer.

All that he could do now was hope that Padmé and the child survived.

Alarm bells went off in Obi-Wan's mind when they reached Sidious' ornate offices in the Senate Rotunda only to find the doors wide open and the Red Guard absent. Sidious was inside, though. Obi-Wan's skin crawled with the unnatural feel of the Sith Lord's Force signature.

A quick glance in Anakin's direction as they slowed their approach showed Obi-Wan just how determined the younger man was.

"Do not tarry, Jedi. You will not gain any advantage by delaying."

Both men stiffened as Sidious' voice drifted out into the corridor where they stood.

"You are mere insects that I have waited far too long to squash."

Side by side, Obi-Wan and Anakin shared eye contact for one endless second before igniting their lightsabers.

"You should have run while you had the chance."

"Master Windu's head would implode if he had even the slightest notion of this," Obi-Wan sighed, relaxing against the comfortable pillows provided by their hosts. The entire bed was more luxurious than any Obi-Wan could ever recall lying on. It was a welcome change from the uncomfortable cot-bed he'd been sleeping on for months.

Anakin's head bounced lightly against Obi-Wan's chest as he laughed quietly. The younger man was sprawled overtop of him in a tangle of sweaty limbs and showed no inclination to ever move. Turning his head slightly, Anakin brushed his lips against Obi-Wan's chin, just above his heart.

"Master Windu is just jealous."

"And what does Master Windu have to be jealous of?"

Snorting, Anakin squeezed Obi-Wan's arm briefly. "Don't go fishing for compliments. It's very unbecoming, Master."

"Cheeky."

"Pouting is also very unbecoming of a Jedi Master."

"I do not pout."

"Oh, please. Your beard doesn't hide as much as you'd like to think it does."

"I do not hide behind my beard, either."

"Then why don't you shave it off?"

"Because I happen to like it. You certainly don't complain when—"

"That doesn't count."

"And pray tell why not?"

"Because it doesn't."

"Very convincing argument, Anakin. Perhaps we should let you be the one to continue negotiations in the morning. Hey!"

Anakin laved the nipple he'd just bit, smiling beatifically at his lover. Obi-Wan could do nothing but shake his head and roll them over so that Anakin was lying on his back and at his mercy.