Obi-Wan breathed out a sigh of relief as his old Padawan finally sank into sleep. He felt as though he'd sighed more in the last hour than he had in his entire life before (ridiculous), and was almost certain he'd aged a few years as well. He spared a glance at Anakin, who was flopped the seat the same way Obi-Wan had helped him to sit originally.

The Jedi Master had been trying to release his worry into the Force, but with the way Anakin was acting, the strain of releasing his emotions was getting more and more difficult. The Force was whirling around the young man next to him, dipping and moving in an unfamiliar and alarming way. It had been like that for over an hour now, brushing against Obi-Wan's shields uncomfortably despite the durasteel wall that Anakin had put up to hide his thoughts and emotions. Obi-Wan was fearful about what was behind that wall, and it took effort to release it into the Force.

Obi-Wan knew that he hadn't been entirely successful, the fear still curled itself around his heart, and he tightened his fingers around the speeder controls as he considered all that had happened. His bond with Anakin was still bruised and throbbing, broken and barely warmed - as though the younger Jedi hadn't used it in years.

Then there was the darkness.

There had been a moment where the Force swirling around Anakin had abruptly turned dark, causing the air around them to freeze, and a few closely passing pilots to shudder. Obi-Wan had panicked, pushing out his own Force sense, surrounding his old Padawan with as much light as he was capable of producing. He'd pushed through their bond gently, and Anakin had come around enough to look at him. The younger Jedi had seemed confused, and the Coruscanti sunset had lit his eyes enough that they'd seemed to glow for a moment …

Obi-Wan had felt the sharp observance through their bond, as though Anakin were picking through his emotions. It hadn't felt like Anakin - it wasn't something Anakin had ever done before. It had felt invasive. He'd pulled back, and Anakin had returned to what was beginning to be a constant state of confusion and shock.

Fear and worry gripped Obi-Wan again as he considered Anakin's reaction to his apology. It had been difficult to say those words - for months now, his former Padawan had been colder around him, treating him as though he'd ruined their relationship and wasn't worthy of trust. Obi-Wan had been understandably hurt. To come back to life (never mind the fact that he'd never died to begin with) and be treated as though his death had never mattered …

Peripherally, Obi-Wan knew that he'd hurt Anakin badly with his faux death. It hadn't been his intention, and the young Knight's reaction really had sold the idea of the great Republic hero Master Kenobi having died. It had been to save the Chancellor's life, though, and Obi-Wan had assumed that Anakin would understand that much; he'd assumed that Anakin would even appreciate it. It was war, after all. Months of avoidance later, and Anakin still hadn't forgiven or forgotten.

Then Padmé had stepped in.

Obi-Wan knew that his protege had some sort of relationship with the Naboo Senator. He knew that it was likely something against the code. Yet he also knew that whatever it was between them, it left Anakin lighter and happier. It was like a rare glimpse into the past at a young slave boy who had long since grown up; he would always come from meeting the woman with a beatific smile on his face (a smile that the old Master could never begrudge), practically glowing in the Force.

Obi-Wan had ignored it for years, hoping that Anakin would eventually trust him with it - which, after the Rako Hardeen incident, was unlikely to ever happen. So when Padmé had called him at the end of one of their missions, he'd naturally assumed that she'd meant to call Anakin. He'd tactfully begun to imply as much when she had cut him off, her eyes flashing and her stance rigid.

"Master Kenobi. Do you have a moment?"

He could clearly remember the conversation that followed, where his confusion had melted into frustration with both Padmé and Anakin, and then morphed into horror at what he'd done to his own Padawan. All of his arguments and justifications had withered and paled in the face of her very logical question.

"Do you remember how you felt when Master Jinn died, Obi-Wan?"

Obi-Wan spared another glance for the young Knight as he turned the next corner. Padmé's apartment was only minutes away, and he knew she would be able to help. He let loose another sigh as he pushed his guilt into the Force. He would apologize again later, when Anakin was more coherent.

Speaking of apologies … Obi-Wan reached reluctantly into his robe to pull out his comlink, wincing as he saw that he'd missed three calls since it he'd turned it off; doubtless his holocommunicator had been contacted just as many times. For a moment he debated calling them back (it would be better than being found at Senator Amidala's apartment with Anakin) then shook his head and replaced the comlink in his robe, pulling the Force around him to hide his signature. Anakin's was already hidden, worryingly enough, and had been since the incident. Obi-Wan would worry about appeasing the Council later - maybe step out of the apartment to call them from the Senate building.

They were close enough now that he could see the ornate landing pad, and he gave his sleeping apprentice another glance as he brought them in. Padmé's soft signature seeped from the inside, worry infusing it. There was no way she could have known what had happened, though, so why-

Ah.

Ahsoka's signature also pulsed from within, though it felt far more subdued. Obi-Wan furrowed his brow as he landed the speeder as gently as possible, not willing to wake his apprentice just yet. The fact that Ahsoka had come here told him more than he wanted to know, but he put the thought out of his mind as he turned the speeder off, hopping out lightly as Padmé exited her apartment to greet him.

"Obi-Wan." Her soft tone, at odds with her firm expression and the urgency in her eyes, matched her appearance. Her hair twisted up in a plaited bun, and her dress hung delicately on her frame. Her gaze was for Anakin, but she looked back at Obi-Wan when he came around the speeder, tucking his hands into his sleeves. "Ahsoka came a while ago and told me that something had happened."

The question was clear despite her never having voiced it, and Obi-Wan sighed as he stooped into a slight bow. He couldn't help but flick a glance towards her apartment, certain Ahsoka would come barreling out at any moment. "I'm not certain as to what happened, exactly. It seems as though it was a vision, but …"

Padmé watched him for a moment, her large eyes searching his, and then pressed. "But?"

Obi-Wan avoided sighing again, suddenly feeling very old. He wasn't ready to answer any questions; he still didn't know what had happened himself. "When did Ahsoka get here?" Making Ahsoka the object of his worry was far simpler than addressing the real one, and it was a diversional tactic that he didn't often employ when talking about his own apprentice's health. His own health, on the other hand …

Padmé gave a wan smile, putting a hand on his shoulder to call his attention back to her. "Around half an hour ago. She fell asleep too, Obi-Wan … She was very worried about Anakin." Her soft tone belied the durasteel at its center, her reiterated question clear.

"I don't know what to tell you, Senator." He spoke quite honestly, then continued before she could mention his formal mode of address. "I've never heard of a reaction like this to any vision, let alone seen one."

"What reaction?" Padmé's eyes were on Anakin again, though they flicked in his direction with a tiny smile when she added, "And please, call me Padmé."

Obi-Wan didn't really know how to answer that, and could only follow her gaze to his sleeping Padawan.

"He … He's had Force visions before, hasn't he?" Padmé said it hesitantly, and Obi-Wan couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. Her voice had gone even softer than before, and she looked for all the world as though she wanted to reach out and touch Anakin. Honestly, this was something the Jedi Master had ignored for so long, he felt numb looking at the tender emotion on her face.

"Anakin has only ever had visions through dreams for as long as I've known him." He admitted, ignoring the fact that she knew about them as well, along with its ramifications.

"Ahsoka said that he was in pain." Padmé turned to face him fully, her gaze sharp with worry that Obi-Wan understood all too well. "That isn't normal for visions, is it?"

"No." His voice came out more strained then he'd meant for it to be, but it was wasn't something he could take back. "It isn't."

There was a long moment of silence, then. Padmé was looking at Anakin again, her face carefully cleared of any emotion except for an expression of mild interest. It was one Anakin had worn many times over the years (who had picked it up from whom?) and Obi-Wan took the opportunity to release more of his anxiety into the Force.

"Why did you bring him here, instead of taking him to the Temple?" Padmé asked at last.

"He refused to go to the Temple." Obi-Wan said after another, smaller pause. He wasn't sure how much he ought to tell her, and so just decided to begin. "Ever since the vision he's been acting different, Sen- … Padmé. He's been acting like … like everything is new. He was sick almost immediately after the vision, and almost hysterical for an hour after that."

"Hysterical?" Padmé looked as though she had more to say on that, but he never gave her the chance, the story - the worry - was falling from his lips almost of its own accord.

"He feels different, too. His Force signature feels different, his shielding is suddenly better than most Jedi Master's- Padmé," Obi-Wan pushed his urgency into the Force, letting it fill the air around him, suddenly adamant that she understand exactly how he felt - exactly what he'd felt. "Our bond in the Force was almost broken when he had the vision. I don't know what exactly happened, but I fear that Anakin won't ever be the same-"

"Don't say that." Padmé cut him off, then, voice low. Her eyes were glittering like diamonds, and they were just as hard. "Don't say that he won't ever be the same, Obi-Wan Kenobi. He is Anakin Skywalker, and he is right there," she pointed, "living and breathing as well as you or I. You say your bond was almost broken; Ahsoka told me the same thing. Yet your bonds are both still intact, and so is Anakin." Her voice softened again. "I'm worried about him, too. But we can't give up before we even know what we're facing."

Obi-Wan felt slightly offended at the insinuation that he was giving up - in any capacity - on his old Padawan, but the woman's words grounded him in a way that he hadn't felt since the beginning of the whole incident. "I assure you I have no plans on giving up on him. I'm aware that he is still alive, Padmé. I'm just … cautious about the effect this vision seems to have had on him."

She continued to stare him down for a moment before nodding, accepting his answer. "You said he refused to go to the Temple."

"He panicked as soon as I suggested it." Obi-Wan frowned at the remembrance. "I did manage to get him to agree to it in the end, though he said he'd only go on the condition that he could see you first."

Padmé's eyes widened, and a faint blush spread across her cheeks. After a moment of silence she opened her mouth, but no sound came out.

Obi-Wan gave into his desire to sigh then, pulling out his comlink to see that he'd missed another call before bending into another slight bow. "If you would excuse me for a moment, Senator, I need to call the Jedi Council to explain the situation." He held up a hand before she could panic, adding on, "I won't tell them of your involvement, as it ultimately has nothing to do with Anakin's vision. I suggest that you refrain from anything indiscreet, however, with Ahsoka asleep in the other room."

Then he turned on his heel and marched from the room before she could answer.

Part of him was shocked and horrified at how forward and blunt he'd just been with her, and another part of him felt immensely relieved to have been honest. He vaguely wondered why - of all people - he'd told Senator Amidala everything that he just had. Why he hadn't called the Council immediately, to report what had happened to his protege …

As soon as he'd closed the door to the 'fresher, he forwent his comlink and activated his holocommunicator to call the Council. He placed it on the counter, schooling his face into a blank look of mild interest as the call went through. A moment later, all of them were floating before him, with Jedi Master Mace Windu front and center. "Kenobi. We called you several times; why didn't you pick up?"

"Forgive me, Masters. My comlink was deactivated for an important meeting." Obi-Wan had technically met with Anakin and Padmé, and their conversations had definitely been important. "How can I help you?"

Windu's eyes narrowed, but before the Korun Master had the chance to call Obi-Wan on his half-truths, Yoda spoke up. "Call for an emergency meeting of the Council, we did. A great disturbance in the Force, there was."

"Yes, I know. I'd imagine we all felt it." Obi-Wan allowed his tone to dry out, burying his emotions from his talk with Padmé.

"It's bigger than that, Kenobi." Mace was clearly annoyed by something, or worried (or both?). It was hard to tell with him, but he was definitely in some sort of mood if he was purposefully using Obi-Wan's last name like that. "All of the shatterpoints* that have been in place for years have changed completely or disappeared. The whole balance of the Force has shifted."

Obi-Wan's blood ran cold as the ramifications of the statement hit him. He knew exactly who had been in the center of the large Force-explosion. He knew which shatterpoints Mace was talking about. Anakin's presence in the Force had always been blindingly powerful - like a sun that you couldn't help but orbit, all the while wondering if you would eventually burn. He'd known that his padawan was powerful in the Force - but to shift the whole balance …

Hesitantly, Obi-Wan reached out to touch the Force around him, focusing on it in a way that he hadn't ever since Anakin's vision. It swirled powerfully and agitatedly, and he pulled back from in it shock. How had he missed it? The light was a little brighter, a little stronger than it had been before-

"Obi-Wan."

The Jedi Master turned his attention back to the holo, and saw that all of the Jedi Masters were looking at him. "Yes?" His voice seemed to come from far away rather than from his own mouth, and all he could think about was Anakin. Padmé had gotten angry at him for saying that his Padawan would never be the same, yet the Force itself had changed-

"Obi-Wan, where is Skywalker?" Mace's voice came through the holo much more gently than Obi-Wan was used to, and with herculean effort he managed to push away his feelings to answer. "We know that he was the center of whatever happened."

"Anakin closed the bond soon after the disturbance in the Force. I can't sense him."

"Find him, you must." Yoda's ears had drooped a little, and his eyes seemed far too knowing for Obi-Wan's liking (not that it was going to make him give up Anakin's current location). "Clouded, the Force has been. Clear, it is, on this."

Windu cast the diminutive Jedi a searching look, then nodded at Obi-Wan. "Bring him here. We need to find out what exactly happened."

"Of course." Obi-Wan's voice remained faint in his own ears. "I'll take him in as soon as I'm able, though I should perhaps mention - whatever it was that happened greatly affected the bond between us; it was almost broken. Anakin will most likely require the services of a mind healer."

"And you, Obi-Wan?" Yoda's hum crackled in a moment of bad connection. "Require a mind healer as well, do you?"

"I don't think-"

"You and Anakin will report to us, and then go directly to the healers afterwards." Windu's tone brooked no argument, and Obi-Wan saw Master Fisto hide a smile while Master Mundi gave a slight shake of his head.

"You should probably take young Ahsoka with you as well." Master Plo Koon spoke up, his voice muffled by his mask. "It is likely that both of Skywalker's bonds were affected."

"As you say." Obi-Wan gave a slight bow, then. "Thank you, Masters."

"May the Force be with you, Master Kenobi." Windu replied before the transmission cut, and Obi-Wan let loose his longest sigh yet.

He'd told them nothing of note, and despite the fear that had wrapped around him snugly on behalf of Anakin, he had to wonder what the difference was. Why did he mention nothing of Anakin's condition? More importantly, why had he told all of it to Padmé Amidala? She was no Jedi.

For a moment Obi-Wan could only stare into his reflection in the 'fresher mirror, seeing the Jedi before him as practically unrecognizable. There were faint circles under his eyes, and his face had become thin enough that his beard was having trouble hiding it. He wondered when his current state had become normal for him, then wondered when it had become normal for any of them. Ahsoka was not as well off as she often pretended to be, and Anakin-

Oh, Anakin.

Everything revolved around his old Padawan, and yet Obi-Wan knew that if he could have any wish granted in that moment, it would be to let Anakin sleep for as long as he liked. He clearly needed it.

It was this thought that had him gasping softly, plucking the holocommunicator off of the counter to tuck into his robes. His trust in Padmé had nothing to do with who she was, where she was or what rules she had perhaps broken … It had nothing to do with Padmé Amidala, Senator from Naboo. It had everything to do with Padmé, Anakin's good friend.

Anakin's attachment.

Because in the end, the only thing either of them had ever wanted was the best for Anakin. It had been clear from the moment he'd landed the speeder, when she'd lowered her voice to keep either of his Padawans from waking.

Padmé loved Anakin.

And damn it ... so did Obi-Wan.

*Shatterpoints are things that some Jedi can see - Windu being one of them. Very simply, for those of you who are unfamiliar with them, shatterpoints can be centered around people or things (people can in fact have their OWN shatterpoints) that will basically make or break a part of the future. Look 'em up if you have time, they're really cool.

Okay. Well.

I know that this fic has been moving kind of slowly for some of you, and while I promise that there will definitely be action in the future, I will not sacrifice any character development to get to it faster. I'm sort of just letting these guys take stuff at their own pace (and wow, I did NOT expect Obi-Wan to have so much to say in this chapter).

Honestly, I had planned on having him talk to the Council while in the speeder (which he didn't do) and then finish the chapter chatting with Padmé until Anakin woke up (which he also did not do). My plan did not involve any of the feels that bombarded me when I finished, but I digress.

Your comments and kudos really brighten my days and make me feel loved. :) Thank you - all of you - who are reading and enjoying this. I'll shut up now. I guess Obi-Wan wasn't the only one with a lot to say. ;)

May the Force be with y'all