I'm continuing this fic! It currently has eight (8) chapters written! So, if you fancy reading it, great! If not, that's fine!
Anakin had a problem with patience. Sure, he liked to think that maybe he had it under control sometimes, but he knew that patience was never his strong suit.
He was afraid he might have passed it on to his Padawan.
Both Master and Padawan were in the front room of the Healing Halls. They had received word that Obi-Wan had passed out in the halls on his way to his quarters. Of course, the two rushed from their quarters as quickly as they could to get the Halls of Healing.
Upon arriving, they were told Obi-Wan was still unconscious and that they would have to wait until he woke up.
Which led them to where they are now; sitting in uncomfortable chairs and their tapping feet the only source of noise.
Anakin could see the Padawan in charge of the front desk shoot them looks every so often. She would sigh, roll her eyes, and go back to whatever she was working on.
"Do you think he's alright?" Ahsoka asked softly, not wanting to earn a glare from the other Padawan. Her hands were underneath her legs (she had placed them there after noticing the tapping of her nails was far louder than the tapping of her feet) and her legs continued to tap and twitch in the quiet front room.
Anakin smiled tightly at her. "Of course he is." He says with eyes betraying the confidence of his words. He was worried about his Master. He heard that Obi-Wan was in the Healing Halls after his mission, but wasn't told the precise reason as to why he was there. In fact, he wasn't told anything. He didn't know what his mission was about. He just knew that Obi-Wan was hurt. "He's Master Obi-Wan. He's always alright."
Master and Padawan exchange looks of concern and worry.
"This isn't helping us." Anakin sighs after a while.
"What isn't?" Ahsoka asks, scrunching her forehead in confusion at her Master's words.
"This," Anakin raises a hand from his lap and gestures to their feet. "this whole tapping business."
A snort from the front desk has both Ahsoka and Anakin shooting a small glare at the Padawan. She pays them no mind.
"So, what do we do?"
Anakin smiles at his Padawan.
"What would Obi-Wan do?"
Ahsoka sucks her bottom lip into her mouth and casts her eyes to the ground in thought.
"Meditate? Release our feelings into the Force?" She raises her head after her guess to see her Master smiling at her.
"I think it would help with our impatience and it would stop us from projecting."
She hadn't really thought of that. She didn't think they were projecting, but maybe they were. So, she smiles brightly at him and nods.
The two slide from their chairs and onto the cold floor beneath them. Anakin is on his knees whilst Ahsoka has assumed the half-lotus position. They close their eyes and breathe deeply. They breathe in the Force, think about their emotions, accept them, then breathe them out to the Force.
Ahsoka isn't sure how long they've been sitting in meditation, but a soft poke from the world around them beckons her to leave the warm hold of the Force. She takes one last breath, then opens her eyes.
Master Vokara Che is standing above them with a smile on her face. It wasn't a rare sight to see, but it also wasn't one that Ahsoka was very familiar with seeing.
"He's awake." Master Che says softly, putting a hand up before the two scramble up from their positions. "However, you need to keep your minds firmly locked behind your shields. Don't overwhelm him." She commands sternly.
Ahsoka nods and sees her Master doing the same out of the corner of her eye.
"Follow me."
Master and Padawan follow Vokara through the Halls and to the room where Obi-Wan is currently residing.
"Remember, keep your shields tight." She reminds them with a stern look and a finger pointing at them for emphasis. After receiving their nods, she opens the door and they all walk in.
Obi-Wan is sitting up in bed looking pale and tired. His eyes have bags under them and his hair is tousled.
"Hello there." He greets with a soft smile. Anakin and Ahsoka are smiling brightly at them and Obi-Wan can feel the warmth and love radiating from his Padawan and Grand-Padawan. He also notices that they're staying a safe amount of distance away and are shuffling on their feet in the doorway. Obi-Wan rolls his eyes playfully (the grunt of pain he releases is one he'll deny making) and beckons them closer. "I'm not going to break." He assures them. "As long as your thoughts are shielded, I'll be fine."
That seems to break their worry as they both rush over to him and gather them in his arms. Their voices are mixed together as they relay their worry to him. He can't grasp all the words they're saying, but he can feel them.
He catches Vokara's small smile when he glances over the shoulders of his Lineage. The smile he shoots her is equally as soft.
Vokara nods at him, then turns to leave. She knows he'll be fine with them. So, she leaves them in peace.
"What happened?" Anakin asks once he's released Obi-Wan from his hold. Both he and Ahsoka retreat and grab seats from the wall. Once they're closer to Obi-Wan's bed, they sit and look at him with wide eyes full of curiosity.
"I had a bit of a headache in the halls this evening after my report to the Council." He informs them with a soft look. "Luckily, Master Koon and Master Windu were there." The look of fear and worry that crosses their faces have Obi-Wan huffing a laugh at them. "It's not as bad as you're thinking, I'm sure. My shields are just a bit flimsy right now and I overtaxed them." If anything, the words seem to make their worry grow and Obi-Wan is quick to console them. "I'll be fine. I just have to work on shields before I'm able to wander around the Temple the way I did today. You have nothing to worry about."
That seems to bring them a little reassurance. They both sigh and slump as the worry bleeds out of them.
"We were just worried," Ahsoka says, smiling at her Grand-Master. "We were told you had gotten back from a difficult mission."
Anakin nods his head.
"Yeah, so when we heard you passed out, we were understandably concerned."
Obi-Wan regards the Master-Padawan team in the chairs next to his bed.
"I'm grateful for your concern." He tells them with sincerity flooding his voice. "You must know that I'll always be fine." He knows they don't. He knows the fear they feel when they get reports of the battles he's been in. He knows they're never sure if he's survived or not.
It seems I need to work on that with them. Obi-Wan thinks to himself. They've formed an attachment. He hates to think about it. He hates to think about having to teach them that lesson. Attachments are forbidden, and someday, they're going to understand why.
"What happened on your mission?" Anakin asks, drawing Obi-Wan out of his thoughts.
The copper-haired Master blinks once, twice, then tilts his head.
"I'm afraid that's not something I'm privy to answering." He can see the outrage on Anakin's face and he watches as Ahsoka quickly calms him.
"If he can't tell us, then we shouldn't make him," Ahsoka whispers, doing her best to calm Anakin.
"What if we need to know?" The Chosen One asks, eyebrows beetled with poorly concealed anger. "What if something goes wrong with you and we don't understand why?"
Obi-Wan sighs and slumps in his bed.
"If you absolutely must know, then I'll tell you. Until that time, you will just have to trust me." He gives them soft smiles and watches as they both relax. "Now, why don't you two tell me about what you've been up to?"
Anakin and Ahsoka look warily at one another.
It's only with Obi-Wan's raised eyebrow that they start to eagerly tell him everything.
The rest of the day is passed in that room with tales of adventure filling the atmosphere. It's there that Obi-Wan finally feels enough at peace that he falls asleep to the sounds of his Padawan and Grand-Padawan speaking earnestly, and with the warmth of the Force seeping into his mind.
