Obi-Wan forced himself to not react as Anakin was thrown across the room by Sidious. He was struggling as it was and couldn't afford to give Sidious any kind of advantage. Old and feeble looking as he was, the Sith Lord was powerful. Obi-Wan would wager that he was more powerful than Master Yoda. His speed and agility had honestly caught Obi-Wan off guard as he'd never thought of Sidious as anything but an old, pompous politician.

There was no time for contemplation, though, because it took all of his attention and focus to keep Sidious' red lightsaber from hitting its mark. Obi-Wan used every skill that he had ever learned. Every form, every maneuver and every trick that he had ever come across; all to keep himself and Anakin alive.

As he jumped back to avoid a slice to his mid-section, Obi-wan caught sight of Anakin once again joining the battle. He knew for certain that Anakin was participating when Sidious' attention became divided. Their chances still were not as great as Obi-Wan would like, but they were better than they had been a moment ago.

Or so he thought until his left arm turned to white hot fire. Obi-Wan couldn't be certain if he screamed or not, but he dropped to his knees as the shock of pain laced through him. His lightsaber tumbled from his fingers. In that moment Obi-Wan was fairly certain the he was going to die. And that that time his death would be real. Obi-Wan had no idea why Sidious hadn't killed him the last time, but knew that the Sith Lord wouldn't make the same error in judgment a second time. Sidious was nothing if not practical and Obi-Wan knew that his death would serve the galaxy's new Emperor well.

The blow never found its mark. It was stopped by a blue lightsaber.

Left arm held to his chest, Obi-Wan rolled out of the way. As he twisted up onto his knees he called his lightsaber back to himself. Obi-Wan could feel himself trembling from the pain of his injury, but forced himself to ignore it. He couldn't afford to feel pain just then. So, gritting his teeth, Obi-Wan staggered to his feet and ignited his lightsaber. He staggered at first, but in the end he kept to his feet. Once Obi-Wan was certain that he could keep to his feet he shuffled forward, engaging Sidious just as Anakin began to fail. Every movement jarred his left arm and sent coils of pain shooting through his body, but Obi-Wan pushed it aside, focusing instead on keeping himself an Anakin alive.

"You are weak, Kenobi," Sidious hissed as they stepped in close, their blades locked together. "Hardly worthy of my apprentice's devotion. I will ensure that he sees the error of his ways once you are dead."

Obi-Wan chose not to respond, refusing to be baited by the Sith. Anakin, however, was an entirely different matter. Obi-Wan was aware of a sudden flare of outrage and then Anakin was flying towards Sidious. The younger man was moving so quickly that Obi-Wan could barely track his movements.

Impressive as it looked, though, there was very little substance to Anakin's technique. What there was was a great deal of anger fueling Anakin's attack. Something that not only Obi-Wan noticed.

"That's it, Anakin. Use your hatred," Sidious encouraged, his voice as seductive as ever even though he was in the middle of a battle. "Imagine how easy it would be to give into it. Give into your hatred and join me. Only then will you have the power to keep those you love safe."

Anakin paused for a split second, but it was all the time that Sidious needed. He released a bolt of blue energy directly at Anakin's chest, sending the younger man clear across the room and into an ornate piece of sculpture.

Alone to face Sidious' wrath, Obi-Wan held his lightsaber up before him, the blue blade pointed towards the Sith Lord.

"You do not honestly believe that you can defeat me, do you, Kenobi?" Sidious sneered, disengaging his own blade with an unconcerned shrug of his shoulders. "You cannot even keep all of your limbs intact."

"If I recall correctly," Obi-Wan mused, feigning nonchalance even as his body was vibrating with intense pain, "the only reason you continue to live is because of Anakin. You are not as all powerful as you would try to convince yourself."

Obi-Wan jerked his lightsaber to the left as a bolt of blue lightning came towards him. He deflected it easily, shattering what he'd been told was the newly replaced transperisteel window that stretched the length of Sidious' office. Holding off so much power with only one arm was difficult and Obi-Wan began to stagger under the weight of it. His right arm shook and his shoulder felt as thought it was being wrenched from the socket.

"Give in, Kenobi, and I promise that this time I will make your passing easy," Sidious assured him, the smile twisting his features doing nothing to sway Obi-Wan.

Steeling himself against the Sith's continued assault, Obi-Wan shook his head. "For some reason I don't find that entirely reassuring."

Bold words or not, Obi-Wan knew that he couldn't last much longer. His right arm was shaking from more than just the strain of holding his lightsaber against that unnatural energy.

Shaking his head to clear it, Anakin slowly pushed himself into a seated position. His ears were ringing from the impact his head had made with one of the countless structures that filled Sidious' office. He swayed momentarily as he climbed to his feet, but managed to keep from stumbling as he searched out Obi-Wan and Sidious amidst the ruined interior. It was a relatively quick search as they were still by the shattered window.

Sprinting forward, Anakin rushed to his lover's aid as he sensed him beginning to falter. It was an almost impossible amount of energy that Obi-Wan was fending off and the instant that Obi-Wan faltered he would share Master Windu's fate. Anakin flipped himself over Sidious' desk, igniting his lightsaber as he spun and dropped down so that his blade crossed with Obi-Wan's, taking some of the burden. Standing shoulder to shoulder they slowly advanced on the Sith Lord.

It wasn't enough, though. Even combined their abilities weren't enough to defeat Sidious. At least not through the Force.

I love you, Obi-Wan.

Anakin registered Obi-Wan's surprise, but he was already rushing forward. Using the Force to give him extra speed, Anakin skirted around the crackling blue energy and collided bodily with Sidious. And sent them both tumbling through the window.

"ANAKIN!"

Obi-Wan stood rooted to the spot, unable to process what he had just seen. The paralysis lasted only a moment before he was at the window edge, staring down towards the bowels of Coruscant.

"ANAKIN!"

The scream was ripped from his throat as he struggled to comprehend what he had just witnessed. He was blown backwards almost immediately by a pulsating wave of dark energy. His hip impacted sharply with the edge of Sidious' desk and when he went to put his left hand out to catch himself he almost collapsed from the ensuing agony. Stumbling a few steps, Obi-Wan dropped onto an ottoman, simply unable to keep to his feet any longer.

Anakin... Anakin, please...

There was only silence, not that Obi-Wan had truly expected a response. Anakin had just thrown himself through a window. Right hand clutching at the upper part of his left arm, Obi-Wan heaved himself from the ottoman and staggered towards the window. Looking down all he could see were clouds and the odd speeder whizzing by without any clue as to what had happened.

Obi-Wan didn't even realize that he was trembling until he leaned against the side of the window frame. The heat of the battle had left him and he was entering a kind of shocked state. Nothing seemed entirely real to him. Not the loss of nearly half of his left arm nor Anakin plunging out of the window with Sidious. The speed at which it had happened made it feel almost dreamlike. A nightmare. And if it was just a nightmare than nothing fatal would happen if he shared Anakin's plummet. It was entirely too tempting. A few more steps and he could share Anakin's oblivion. Obi-Wan was utterly exhausted and in that moment it seemed to be a logical option. The only thing stopping him was the knowledge that Padmé was still out there and that she was carrying Anakin's child. As tired as he was, he had to make sure that they were kept safe.

"General Kenobi!"

Startled at the sound of his name, Obi-Wan whirled around so quickly that he stumbled slightly. Even standing still he continued to sway.

"Cody?"

"General, I have Skywalker down in the hanger bay."

Obi-Wan shook his head slightly, not too sure what he was hearing. "Anakin? Anakin fell. Took Sidious with him. That ridiculous prophecy…. He did what he was supposed to do. The Sith are destroyed."

The hand on his arm surprised him. He hadn't realized that Cody was so close.

"He didn't fall all the way."

The words brought a sudden burst of hysterical laughter bubbling up from the pit of his stomach. He did what he could to swallow it, but a few chuckles escaped just the same.

"Much rest Master Kenobi requires."

The laughter turned into harsh sobs then, the force of them brining Obi-Wan to his knees. As much as Yoda's presence had always calmed him in the past, it wasn't his presence that Obi-Wan craved. He needed Anakin. His brash, intelligent, brave, loyal and utterly frustrating partner. His passionate, inexhaustible, endearing lover. He wanted Anakin and no empty platitudes about him becoming one with the Force would suffice. Words could not replace flesh and blood.

"Safe young Skywalker is," Yoda murmured as he shuffled towards Obi-Wan. "To healers we will take you both. In need of rest both your minds and bodies are."

Anakin, please...

Why is it that it's always me who has to be the bait?" Obi-Wan groaned as he slumped down onto his bunk. "You are younger, faster, much more powerful in the Force than I am... You could use that prowess to get yourself out of the situation you always insist on placing me in."

"Because you're smarter than me and can figure out how to get out of the situation better than I would be able to."

Obi-Wan glowered at Anakin as he stripped out of his tunic without any signs of discomfort. He knew that it would be much more difficult for him to get out of his own shirt. "Smarter doesn't make me younger, faster or quicker. Any day now I can envision throwing my back out when I'm feinting to avoid a blaster bolt."

"You're exaggerating," Anakin chuckled, crossing the small space to help Obi-Wan remove his tunic. "Doesn't matter anyway, because there's no one else I want to have at my side."

"That's because no one else is foolish enough to go along with your plans," Obi-Wan groaned as Anakin ghosted his fingers over his stomach.

Every part of his body ached. He didn't even want to open his eyes because his eyeballs hurt. Passing out again would have been a blessing. If he was lucky he'd sleep until the pain was gone.

"Awake at last Master Kenobi is."

Obi-Wan groaned internally at the sound of Yoda's voice. He didn't have the energy to deal with the ancient master's emotionless platitudes. Not when Anakin was dead.

"Obi-Wan!"

His lingering aches instantly forgotten, Obi-Wan's eyes flew open as he struggled into a more upright position. He wasn't so far gone that he didn't recognize Anakin's voice. It took a moment for his eyes to focus, but when they did Anakin was the first thing that he saw. He looked a little rough around the edges, but Obi-Wan didn't care. Anakin was alive.

Anakin...?

Anakin didn't respond verbally, but Obi-Wan felt warmth infuse him from the inside out. His eyes weren't playing tricks on him. Anakin as alive. However it happened, Obi-Wan didn't care. The details could be worked out later.

"Anakin," Obi-Wan sighed, allowing his battered body to rest. He sunk down into the infirmary bed that was woefully too far away from Anakin's own bed.

As he began to blink his eyes shut, the lids simply too heavy to keep lifted any longer, he was relieved to see Anakin tumbling out of his bed and shuffling the short distance that separated them.

It wasn't until he lifted his left arm to guide Anakin down alongside him on the narrow bed that Obi-Wan realized just how ungainly the limb was. Obi-Wan started at his new durasteel appendage, flexing his fingers in wonderment. He hadn't fully processed the severity of the injury before, his mind focused elsewhere and adrenaline keeping him from feeling the worst of the pain. During his inspection of the limb he could feel Anakin's uneasiness grown and reached towards his lover's prosthetic with his own.

"Don't we make a rather dashing pair of bookends," Obi-Wan mused as he tugged Anakin down onto the bed. He wound himself around Anakin, desperate to feel the other man's body against his own. It was only a short while ago that he'd believed Anakin dead, something he didn't want to repeat for a very long time.

"Spotted young Anakin we did when coming I was to confront Sidious," Yoda revealed in response to Obi-Wan's as of yet unasked question. "Owe his life he does to Senator Organa's piloting skills. Onto a spire Sidious fell, ending the reign of the Sith. Fulfilled his destiny the Chosen One has."

Obi-Wan nodded his head briefly. None of it really mattered at the moment. Obi-Wan had never really believed in the prophecy anyway.

For the past two weeks he and Obi-Wan had been recuperating at Padmé's peaceful villa in Naboo's lake district. They were rarely further than an arm's length away from the other man, both of them still hyper aware of how close they had come to a permanent separation. In that time, both of them purposefully ignorant of the events happening in the galaxy at large, they had had ample time to reassure one another of their continued existence. They wouldn't be able to hide away forever, but for the moment they felt they deserved the rest.

"Why didn't you talk me out of this?" Obi-Wan grumbled as he shifted about uncomfortably.

"Why did I have to talk you out of it? I thought you were renowned for your unflappable restraint?" Anakin countered, doing some shifting of his own.

"You're from a desert planet."

"And you have fifteen extra years of life experience."

Obi-Wan groaned against Anakin's damp shoulder before heaving himself up into a seated position. From the expression on his face he could tell that the fine white sand that surrounded the lake had found somewhere else to adhere to Obi-Wan's damp body.

"Just be content that you weren't the one on the bottom," Anakin chuckled as he climbed to his feet. He held his right hand down to Obi-Wan, still receiving a bit of a thrill at the fact that it was a second synthleather hand that gripped him back. "Come on, the lake will wash away the worst of it."

He had never wanted Obi-Wan to suffer through the loss of a limb, but he couldn't deny that he enjoyed the fact that they'd gone through such similar things. It was something else that bound them together. He couldn't have children with Obi-Wan like he had with Padmé. They only had their lives and experiences to bind them together. And those experiences had united them much more strongly than even the birth of Luke and Leia had him and Padmé. Because while he would have brought the galaxy to its knees to keep Padmé safe, it was Obi-Wan that he'd thrown himself to his death for.

It was chance alone that had kept him alive.

As the water slipped up around their waists, Anakin draped his arms over Obi-Wan's shoulders. He drew his lover against his body, smiling into the curve of Obi-Wan's neck when he felt a pair of arms loop around his middle.

Eventually they'd have to leave Naboo and return to Coruscant. They were two of the few Jedi Masters left alive and had to help rebuild the Order; help it to fit into the recovering Republic better than it had before. Without the threat of the Sith it would be easier. Palpatine was no longer around to play his mind games and throw everything into chaos.

Anakin was confident that everything would sort itself out in the end.