Anakin drifted down the stairs in a lopsided robe. Sun beams came through the twin windows in his room like tiny bright soldiers, sounding the trumpets way too early. He wasn't at all surprised to see Obi-Wan sipping caf at the kitchen table.
Obi-Wan stood and kissed Anakin's temple. "Good morning," he said happily. "What would you like for breakfast?"
Anakin smiled shyly. "You spoil me," he said, peeking at Obi-Wan through long eyelashes.
"I want everything to be perfect," Obi-Wan replied, adding, "for you."
They ate and Anakin got ready for school while Obi-Wan ordered new sheets for the motel. He bid his son farewell at the door.
"Come right home after school, okay?" Obi-Wan held Anakin at arm's length.
"Yes, Father."
"You look very handsome in your new clothes," he observed.
Blush crept up Anakin's neck.
"I'll miss you," continued Obi-Wan.
"I have to go," Anakin said, full of remorse.
"Oh, alright," Obi-Wan sighed, bringing him into a hug. "May the Force be with you…" The words were warm and dewy in his ear. Anakin grinned as he left Obi-Wan, feeling like he could take on the world.
Anakin tested his stealth skills by sneaking to the back of the classroom, only glimpsing the board to make sure he was in the right place.
"You're in my seat," came a rumbling voice. Anakin glanced up and saw black on red skin like war paint, and sharp horns.
"It's mine now," he responded with his best bring-it-on smile. The bell rang while Anakin's new friend remained glowering down at him.
A dark-haired man entered the room and set down his shoulder bag rather carelessly. Who was the teacher for Junior English? Anakin tried to remember his schedule. Right, Four-Leaf-Clover. Mr. Clovis skimmed a document on his desk and announced, "Class, we have a new student today. Mister… Keh-noob-ee, is it?"
The room filled with unforgiving laughter. The yellow tattoos on Mr. Clovis' forehead rose with his brows, as if he hadn't known what he implied. Anakin had to remind himself he was used to this, the strangers and the new places, as fire raged in his heart and threatened to burn through his mouth.
Mr. Clovis continued with a smirk, "Would you please introduce yourself to the class?"
Anakin stood and went to the front of the classroom, headstrong and attempting not to glare at his teacher—well, just a second of eye contact might send the right message. His classmates' heads turned like security droids to watch him, except for Maul, who immediately took his seat back. With a grimace, he faced the students of all shapes and species and said, "I'm Anakin Kenobi. My father and I just moved here from Naboo."
"And do you like it here?" prompted the teacher.
"I haven't been around the town much. We're busy fixing up the motel."
One of the students, a thin and sprightly Togruta girl, asked, "Hey, do you mean the old General's Motel?"
Anakin nodded, finding her bright blue eyes a source of hope in the soul-sucking school.
"Nice to meet you, Anakin," Mr. Clovis concluded unceremoniously, ushering him back to an unoccupied desk. "Today, we'll be reading excerpts from Lolita…"
Anakin waited for an empty moment to ask Princess Eyes for her name, but the hour passed without reprieve. As the bell rang, she jumped over several desks and darted out the door. Mr. Clovis muttered a reprimand, but she was already gone.
A few hours after Anakin got home, the doorbell rang. Antique chimes sounded throughout the house and Obi-Wan was first to recognize it. He answered the door and was met with two fresh faces.
"Hi! Does Anakin live here?" asked one of the girls.
"He does," Obi-Wan answered tentatively.
"I'm Ahsoka," she said, adjusting the glass pan in her arms so she could offer her hand to Obi-Wan. "And this is my friend, Barriss." Barriss bowed slightly, a modest smile on her freckled face. Ahsoka offered the pan to Obi-Wan, explaining, "I wanted to give Anakin a housewarming gift."
Obi-Wan took it, the aroma of rich chocolate indulging his senses. The contents warmed his arms and his expression softened. Behind him, Anakin appeared. His face lit up when he saw Princess Eyes. Obi-Wan watched him closely and told him, "Anakin, Ahsoka made this for you." She gave him a small wave and Anakin thanked her excitedly.
Barriss stepped forward and asked Anakin, "Would you like to study with us tonight?"
He looked at Obi-Wan, who turned back to the girls and said, "I'm very sorry, but I need Anakin here to help me with the motel. Another time."
Anakin's face fell. Barriss and Ahsoka conveyed their understanding and wished them a good afternoon. When the door closed, Anakin exploded.
"How could you do that? I was standing right here!"
Obi-Wan started to walk away and set down the brownies. "I simply told the truth—I need you here."
"What about making friends? And starting a new life? You're going to keep me here forever," Anakin hollered.
"I'm just looking out for you!" Obi-Wan yelled as he spun around. He held Anakin by the wrists and looked into his eyes. "Something told me they didn't want to study."
Anakin wrenched himself free. "They were nice girls, Father. You know that. You're just paranoid." Obi-Wan's eyes went dark. Anakin marched off to his room.
"Well, maybe I don't need you!" Obi-Wan shouted after him. Anakin slammed the door behind him. Obi-Wan laid down on the couch and ran a hand across his face. Anakin put his headphones on and willed the music to drown out his feelings. A clock ticked in the absence of action.
Obi-Wan woke with a start. He found himself still on the corduroy couch, the room significantly dimmer. What time is it? He wanted to apologize to Anakin. Something was making a high-pitched, scratchy sound. Obi-Wan investigated. Nothing left on in the family room.
The creak of old wood in the kitchen. He followed it, then there was silence. Another scratch. There! His heart beat fast as he stared through the dirty glass of the side door. A duranium hand shattered the window and unlocked the door.
Obi-Wan's hands shook as he ignited his lightsaber. "Anakin!" he shouted. He had to warn him. Grievous walked in leisurely, like he owned the place—he had owned the place—a low laugh serving to taunt Obi-Wan. He took out his lightsabers one by one till he towered over Obi-Wan, who skirted away to avoid Grievous' first strike. "Anakin!" Obi-Wan tried again.
Grievous spun his sabers in a whirl of color, cutting up the floor, the table, the counter. Obi-Wan's eyes widened as he deflected the flying debris, and Grievous came closer, closer. Three blades met Obi-Wan's and a fourth hand seized his wrist. His crushing grip made the bones crack. Obi-Wan's lightsaber fell as he cried out. Catching it, Grievous sent it flying through a window, where it landed somewhere in the brush outside. "Anakin!" He needed him desperately.
Grievous took him by the throat and shoved him into a cupboard. Wood splintered under his head. The General threw Obi-Wan against the kitchen table. The edge jammed into his stomach and Obi-Wan fell to the floor in pain. He stretched out his arm and closed his eyes, trying to retrieve his saber.
His opponent snickered. "No, you won't need that," he said, crawling over Obi-Wan and pinning his hands. "Your death will not be a quick one, Kenobi." He bent so their foreheads touched. "You are going to suffer."
"Anakin!" wailed Obi-Wan, panic taking over his lungs.
Grievous took his face in one oversized hand and smashed his head against the tile. "As I was saying…" A free arm of his worked to open Obi-Wan's tunic as he lay there, dazed. "Have you ever seen a lightsaber part flesh?" he asked, and waited for Obi-Wan to respond. The General lit a saber and brought it close to Obi-Wan's chest. His scream whistled through the gaps in the metal of Grievous' hand on his mouth. His attacker's head tilted with glee. "Before I kill you, I'll tell you this—Your boy. He's next!"
Anakin shattered a vase over Grievous' metal skull and hurled him across the room with the Force. Obi-Wan clambered over the stunned body, butcher knife flying into his outstretched fingers. He pried apart Grievous' rib cage with a sickening crack and plunged the knife into his heart. Obi-Wan pierced him again and again, until his gargling coughs halted and on after that.
"Father," called Anakin, who watched in horror. "Father, please!"
Obi-Wan looked at him, utterly stricken, his cheeks splattered with blood.
"Come here," begged Anakin. He couldn't stand to see him this… broken. Obi-Wan dropped the blade with a clatter, stood waveringly, and nearly fell into Anakin's arms. The boy whispered, "Are you alright?"
His father managed a nod, for Anakin's sake. But his exhaustion betrayed him and Anakin had to hold him up. Obi-Wan rested his head on Anakin's shoulder, eyes closed, relieved.
"Can you walk?" Anakin asked. His concern grew as red filled every channel in the tile and threatened to touch them.
Obi-Wan's hair tickled Anakin's neck as he shifted to support himself, but Anakin still kept an arm under his ribs, and another draped Obi-Wan's arm across his shoulders. "I've got you," he said softly. "We're going upstairs." He wanted to get Obi-Wan as far away from Grievous' corpse as he could.
They stumbled up the stairs and into the bathroom. "Sit here, okay?" Anakin set a chair next to the tub and let Obi-Wan slide into it. "I'll be right back." He fetched a few towels and a large blanket, which he wrapped around Obi-Wan, who made no attempt to move or protest.
Anakin noticed his father's bare chest. He tugged at the lapels and tied the belt tighter, forcing a groan out of Obi-Wan. Anakin undid the knot quickly, seeing pale skin turning blue.
Anakin took a deep breath to steady himself. He couldn't afford to fall apart now. He took a wet towel and scrubbed at the spattering of blood on Obi-Wan's face as gently as he could. He held his father's chin so he could clean the other cheek. Anakin rinsed out the towel and brought it back to Obi-Wan's face once more, this time caressing his lips. Their eyes met. Anakin ran a loving hand through Obi-Wan's long hair. His fingers came away sticky and red and shaking.
Anakin let the water run from the bathtub faucet. He dumped the toothbrushes out of their container and filled the cup with warm water. "Lean back," he told Obi-Wan as he sat on the edge of the tub. He complied and gripped Anakin's clothes while he held the back of Obi-Wan's neck and poured cup after cup over his hair until it stopped staining the water pink.
Obi-Wan furrowed his brows as Anakin half-dried his hair with a few pats of a fresh towel.
"I'm so sorry, Anakin," he murmured.
Anakin's mouth parted a moment, without sound. He asked, "For what?"
Obi-Wan's eyes looked like tears might spill and never stop. "I'm sorry you had to save me."
Anakin swallowed hard. Guilt flooded his heart. "I should've sensed you sooner. I couldn't hear—" He took Obi-Wan's hands in his own and pulled him towards the sink. He needed to focus on something if they were going to pull through the night. "It wasn't your fault," insisted Anakin. He smoothed soap around and around Obi-Wan's hands. Only a few rusty flecks of blood were freed at first. "He had four arms, for Force's sake! That's not a fair fight…" Obi-Wan felt better listening to Anakin talk and watching his eyes target each mark with such intensity. He leaned over to press a kiss to Anakin's forehead, but a wet hand caught him.
"Sorry," Anakin said when he realized Obi-Wan wasn't about to lose his balance. His cheeks flushed as he removed his hand from Obi-Wan's exposed torso, leaving a bubbly handprint in its place.
Obi-Wan smiled warmly. He enveloped Anakin with the heavy blanket and dotted kisses through his soft hair. Thank you.
The boy, nearly as tall as his father, still felt small in his arms. I love you.
Obi-Wan squeezed him, the pain bringing back the gruesome reality. "There's still the matter of the body," he breathed. "I doubt he'll fit in the trunk."
Something seethed within him. "Let me take care of that."