Obi-Wan was cold.

Absolutely freezing. The icy bite of steel into his wrists, the grit of the floor. He was lying on his side, huddled in a corner, bruised and hurting. The broken bones didn't hurt as much as the constant reminder of his failure, his carelessness.

It had been his fault. Qui-Gon had told him, had warned him that the natives of this region were unkind to Jedi. He had told him not to stray. But he hadn't listened. He was going to die here, because he didn't listen.

There was a great crash in the distance. Obi-Wan tried to scream, tried to call for help, but his ribs cried out in agony.

All of a sudden, he was warm. Qui-Gon was there, cupping the boy's face with his huge hands, brushing his hair back, wiping the tears from his eyes.

"It's all right, my Obi-Wan, I am here." Obi-Wan looked up into his Master's face and smiled.

"I'm-m s-s-s-sorry." he rasped, desperate to apologize. Qui-Gon shushed him as he swept the child into his arms. "None of that. Hush now, once we're safe, then we'll talk."

Obi-Wan was floating on the brink of consciousness, but just before he passed out, he sent one last thought through the bond.

/I'm safe when I'm with you./

Anakin was afraid.

He was bound hand and foot to a wooden pole. Gagged and blindfolded, he was in total darkness. He tried to reach for the Force, but he couldn't calm down, couldn't find his center. He was alone with his thoughts and frozen with fear.

What if no one ever finds me? What if I'm stuck here, forever? What are they going to do to me? I won't be a slave again, I won't! I WON'T!

In that moment, he wasn't a Jedi Padawan. He wasn't a teenager, but a scared child, petrified of going back to the past he had been desperately trying to outrun.

Suddenly, a pair of hands grabbed his shoulders. Anakin fought, despite the fact that he could barely move. It hurt to breathe but he shrieked through the gag and and kept struggling with all his might. The hands moved to his blindfold, and Obi-Wan's face appeared in front of him.

In an instant, Anakin went limp, surrendering himself to his Master's hold, letting the gentle hands undo his bonds and remove the gag. Everything ached, and he could not even stand, but he found the strength somewhere to speak.

"You found me."

Obi-Wan smiled, despite the concern in his eyes. He wrapped his cloak around the boy and held him close, while tears streamed down the young face.

"I will always come find you."

Ahsoka was furious.

Jedi are not supposed to give in to anger. Or any emotion, for that matter. But at the moment, Ahsoka did not care. She was angry, and had a hunch that the fire burning within her was the only reason she was still alive.

Every hour or so, the door flew open with a bang. They came, carrying whips and knives and bats, wanting to see her bleed. And they did. But that was not all they wanted. They wanted information, and Ahsoka refused to budge. Her Master's stubbornness had been ingrained into her; she was determined to survive this, or die for the Jedi, but she would never betray them.

By now, her strength was beginning to fail. She had lost quite a lot of blood, and her body was so heavy she couldn't tell what was broken and what wasn't.

The door flew open, and banged against the wall. Despite the pain, the agony, Ahsoka jumped to her feet, snarling. She curled her hands into fists, ready to fight until her last breath.

Instead, there were uniforms. Clone uniforms, streaming into the room, Anakin right on their heels. "It's okay Snips, it's me. We're getting you out."

Anakin raced to his apprentice, wrapping an arm around her shoulders to keep her upright while Rex unlocked the cuffs binding her together. She rubbed her wrists frantically, trying to get rid of the feeling of steel. "What happened to them?" she asked, trying to stay awake.

Anakin frowned, his voice hardening. "I took care of them Snips. They can't hurt you anymore." Ahsoka knew it was wrong. She knew it was a mistake, it wasn't the Jedi way. But at the moment, she didn't care.

She nodded, "Good." And then her knees buckled.

Author's Note: A little dark, but this is one I've been wanting to do for a while. Hope you enjoy!