Anakin woke from his trance and found himself frustrated-and completely alone.

It was something he was used to feeling but he didn't want to any longer. And he knew with a certainty that he only found in his bond with the living Force that he didn't have to feel this way any more.

There was someone who would accept him, who needed him.

Reaching out farther than he had ever dared to before, he found the cold of space before the familiar thrum of a spaceship. Heading towards it, he entered and there, looking worried and more than a little shaken, was his Master.

Obi-Wan was pale and shaking, clutching the arms of the seat he sat in tightly. The knuckles were white, bone almost showing through the skin so tightly was it stretched. There was a bleakness in his eyes, a hollowness of being that hadn't been seen in years.

Not since their loss in Theed, not since Anakin's own loss on Zenoma Sekot, the living ship that had truly been a part of him. A loss Obi-Wan hadn't really understood but tried to comfort him throughout it anyway.

Anakin appreciated every fumbling gesture he'd made, the way his Master had allowed him time to grieve over what some saw as merely a hunk of metal. His Master had seen more and allowed him his time alone, standing in the shadows as he bid the ship farewell.

The awkwardness of the hug Obi-Wan had initiated after he'd spilled his first tear over the loss. His gentle stroking hands and the strength in his arms as he carried Anakin into his own room, tucking him in.

The tremulous way he bade him sleep well. The way he'd allowed him to curl up against him on the ride home. And that he never said anything about the times he'd find Anakin curled up in bed with him, hugging onto his arm as though it was his only friend.

Anakin adored his Master for every fumbling gesture, every awkward word, and kept them hidden deep inside, treasuring every single one of them.

"Master?" he tentatively asked, shocked into speaking. He had only intended to be near him, to bask in the warmth of his familiar presence. It was a familiar childhood strength, one of the few uncomplicated things in his life.

The one thing that had not changed over the years.

But seeing his Master thus, weighted down with cares and fears, compelled him to speak. To try to ease his pains as his Master had done for him, "What's wrong?"

"Anakin? Padawan, what are you doing? You could get hurt doing this," he fretted, worried. His eyes studied him intently, trying to find any sign that he was in danger. That he was thinning in the Force through this latest bit of recklessness. He sagged a little in relief, seeing that he was fine.

The young man smiled, the waves of concern from his Master flowing over him effortlessly.

It was home.

It was comforting.

It was what he had been missing all this time.

"I'm fine, just…wanted to check on you. Knowing how you drive, I was worried that you might've gotten lost. Or pulled over for obstructing traffic through extreme cautious slowness. When are you going to arrive?" he asked, dropping the bantering instantly, the ache for his Master's strength grabbing him once more.

"I am more than halfway to Tatooine," Obi-Wan sighed, shaking his head. "And whether you are being careful or not, what you are doing is dangerous in ways that I can't begin to tell you. Not only could you be hurt by expanding so much of yourself, you could get lost in the Force. You could desire to stay there, my Padawan, to never return to me. And then what would I do?"

"You'd find me. I know that only you would be able to do so," he simply said, absolute conviction and trust in his voice and eyes.

It stunned Obi-Wan for he truly couldn't see what Anakin saw in him. The truth of their bond's strength eluded him.

The stunned silence that met his words went on for what seemed like an eternity. The gulf between them opened and fear ripped through him, usually Obi-Wan would object to a comment like that.

It was just something that happened, he could almost predict it. The schoolteacher's disapproving voice, the slight tilt of his head, the confused emotions filling his eyes as he turned to him, asking him what exactly he was talking about. "Master?" he tentatively asked.

"Your confidence in me is astounding, my Padawan," he finally said, voice a hushed whisper. "I do not deserve it."

"Ani?" his mother shook his shoulder, pulling him away before he could object.

He blinked slowly, focusing on her. "I'm all right, mom. Just unbelievably cold." A tremendous loss filled him.

"What were you doing?" she asked, worried. She had only come out to get a glass of water, not expecting to find him frozen in place. She had never seen him so pale, so shocky. His body trembled so much, she automatically felt his forehead for a fever.

Jerking his head back slightly, he avoided her touch.

His eyes didn't seem to see her, for all that he was looking straight at her. "Meditating," he replied quietly, still trying to come back into himself. "Mom, would you excuse me? There's something I need to do."

"Of course," she answered, feeling him shut her out.

"Thank you." He rose and hugged her before leaving. Obi-Wan's pale and pinched face before his eyes. Inside, his heart had clenched so tightly with worry that he was surprised it hadn't broken into pieces yet.

Something was wrong-and Obi-Wan was right in the center of it.

654321

Obi-Wan sighed, the conversation with Anakin only served to bring to mind what Master Windu had scolded him about earlier.

"Master Kenobi, where do you think you are going? " Mace's face was impassive but he was irritated with him all the same. Obi-Wan could tell it just from the way he stood, the tenor of his voice only added volumes to his stance.

"Master Windu," he greeted him, then cleared his throat and his mind. Reaching for the calm of the Force, he kept still until he could speak. Breathing deeply, he announced, "I am going to join my Padawan."

"Why?" he asked, though he already knew this. Hearing it solidified in Mace's mind that something was afoot. Something he did not want to think about right then. "You do remember that your Padawan is currently serving his Jedi Trial, do you not?"

He spoke as though he doubted Obi-Wan's intelligence.

Obi-Wan flinched at the tone and bowed his head. "Yes, Master Windu, I do."

"Then why are you going when you know that you will be breaking one of the rules of Mastery?" he asked him, patiently. "This is your trial as much as it is Padawan Skywalker's. You must be willing to let him do this on his own or you will cripple him now and in the future. Your own actions will determine if you are fit to be a Jedi Master. I am very concerned by your lack of foresight-something that has never happened before. By this behavior you are exhibiting, this is what we have come to expect from other, less experienced Jedi Knights than you. We expect better of you, Obi-Wan. You are a Knight of the Jedi Order with a Padawan Learner. This is an affront to the High Jedi Council, to the Code you have sworn to uphold..."

"Mace, he asked me to help him. The Force is telling me that I need to be with him for his soul is in danger," he quietly interrupted him, shocked by his audacity in this action.

"To lose one's life in the service of others is a small price for a Jedi to pay. You sound as though you are attached to Padawan Skywalker. In which case, the danger you speak of is to you, not to him. Turn your ship around and return to Coruscant. Immediately."

"No."

Mace's eyes widened, hearing the word. His head shook numbly, as though he couldn't quite process it. "Are you defying an order from the Jedi Council?" he asked, making sure.

Obi-Wan took a deep breath, his stomach twisted up in tight knots. Knots that felt as though they were turning in upon themselves to make room for more knots.

He felt sick.

Sicker than he'd ever felt in his life-even being on trial for the murder of Bruck Chan did not come close to how he felt at that moment.

"Yes."

"I see," he slowly said. "Master Kenobi, how do you expect Padawan Skywalker to show us any respect, follow our orders, when you do not see fit to do so yourself? Do you not care for the fate of Padawan Skywalker?"

"Of course I do!"

"Then you will cease chasing this ridiculous mission of yours. You will return to Coruscant and the Jedi Temple immediately. Things have changed between the Senate and those who are now calling themselves Separatists. We have been recalling Jedi Knights and Masters from across the Galaxy to answer this emergency."

"Then I shall bring Anakin with me."

"Padawan Skywalker is not to return until his mission is completed. You, on the other hand, are," he said, not unkindly.

"I cannot in all good conscience do that."

"If you do not, you will no longer be a Jedi Knight. It would be a shame to lose you, Obi-Wan, a pity even. But if you persist, we cannot allow you to stay. You may even find yourself labeled a traitor to the Republic," he warned.

The knife slid close and then into his heart, cutting it out completely. A gaping wound within his soul as he turned his back on the Order and all he knew.

Still, he spoke quietly, with a firmness that belied his feelings. "It will be so for I cannot deny the will of the Force-and I will not abandon my Padawan. May the Force be with you all for I cannot stand by your side in this, Master Windu."

A solitary tear rolled down his face as he shut off the communicator, empty of all but the faintest heartbeat that screamed to be heard over the keening cries of his pain. His shoulders shook under the force of his suppressed tears.

Hearing the voice of his Padawan at that moment was a blessing and a curse.

It brought him comfort-and sent fear coursing through his veins, washing away thoughts of his own situation. Of his own tremendous loss and he worried over what his Padawan could possibly be thinking, traveling through the Force like this.

Bringing to light the reality of his failings with Anakin, he couldn't even teach the boy caution when it came to traversing the Force's myriads of paths. When he disappeared into the Force, it was a terrible shock to him.

He hoped that Anakin was all right but couldn't bring himself to move, feeling drained and tired by the loss of something he never thought to lose again.

The com beeped and he ignored it, not wanting to deal with the Jedi Council.

"Master?" A voice tentatively asked, worry lacing the tenor's undertone. "Uhm, are you near the com?"

With a sigh, he intercepted the recording and greeted him with a tired smile, trying to fight back the paralyzing grip that held him. He was not sure that he succeeded but felt he had to try, if only for his Padawan's sake.

If you could still even call him that...a voice traitorously whispered. "So, you can use more conventional means of communicating with others. It is good to know that I have not entirely failed to teach you common sense."

"Master, what's wrong?" he asked, not reacting to the words.

"What makes you think there is anything wrong?"

Anakin's eyes closed momentarily, pleading for patience to deal with this. With Obi-Wan's stubborn insistence on carrying all the burdens alone. They were in this together-and sooner or later, he would get his Master to accept the truth of that.

Opening them again, he looked directly into Obi-Wan's own pained ones, a pleading in his. In that moment, there was no space or distance between them. "Don't shut me out, Master, please, not this time. I know something has happened. I can see it in your eyes. In the way you can't let go of that chair. Please, let me in. Let me help you."

Obi-Wan felt something snap inside but couldn't allow it out.

Not yet.

'If not now, then when, my young Padawan ?'

'When I am strong enough to bear the consequences of my actions, Master. Please, I cannot do this with you now. I can't.'

Forcing his hands to relax, to let go, he placed them in his lap, hidden from sight. He knew full well that Anakin wouldn't be fooled by it but he couldn't let that stop him from trying. "There's nothing you can do for me right now, my Padawan. I have just been informed that the situation back at Coruscant has changed dramatically. It is no longer a matter of if the Senate will create an army for the Republic-but when."

The words thrummed between them, pounding in the air.

Harsh in their finality.

Anakin's face remained calm, impassive but his eyes...his eyes burned with an intense fire. Pain and betrayal burned in those deep eyes. A solid conviction in his voice as he stated, almost as though he was speaking from a distance. "The Jedi Council has called you back to Coruscant, haven't they? And me as well."

"They have called me back," he agreed with him. "But not you. They have said that you are to remain on Tatooine. Your mission is not yet completed."

"Then I suppose I shall see you when I return," he heaved a resigned sigh.

"No. You will see me when I arrive on Tatooine in two days time," he gently contradicted him.

"But the Council..." he said, shocked.

"Is not you," he said evenly. The pure allegiance to his Padawan, born in a trial by fire so many years ago echoed between them.

An older law-one that he would honor from now on-loyalty to one's Padawan before all else. He had to, if he was to retain hold of his sanity, of all that he knew himself to be. Besides, it was really no question anymore.

His Padawan came first and in the end, that was all that mattered to him.

"I take it that the Jedi Council was not pleased," he said, thinking quickly.

"Not pleased, no. But they have accepted my choice," Obi-Wan agreed, keeping silent about their decision. It wouldn't do to worry Anakin right now. There were other, more important things for him to worry about at the moment.

Anakin came to his own conclusions about what his Master's cryptic words meant. Almost, he wished to deny what he felt to be truth-but he could not do so. It felt to real, to much like what he thought they'd do.

They had kicked his Master out of the Jedi Order.

Obi-Wan Kenobi, the best Jedi in the Order, and a true servant of the Republic. The most loyal and dedicated Jedi he had ever met-and the Jedi Council had kicked him out as though he had never done a thing for them.

The Jedi Order was his Master's life. It was who he was. It defined and shaped him-and he was leaving it all behind him, willingly-for him.

Even as his mind struggled disbelievingly to take in the enormity of Obi-Wan's sacrifice for him, he spoke, "Accepted it? That doesn't wound promising, Master. In fact, it sounds bad. What did they do? Threaten you?"

Anger curled around his words, enlivening them with a threat they were never supposed to have.

A threat he silently committed to memory.

"Of course not, Anakin. This is the Jedi Council we are talking about, not mindless thugs," he reprovingly said. "They are not gangsters. Remember who they are, they do not threaten anyone-even their enemies."

"Don't treat me like a child, Master. I know what the Jedi Council is like. They threatened to throw you out, didn't they ?"

Obi-Wan's flinch was the only answerhe needed.

He seethed, especially seeing the resigned look on his Master's face. "I can't believe they did that to you. You are twice the Jedi any of them are."

"That's enough, Padawan. It ill becomes you to speak of the Council like that."

"But it's not fair, Master!" he whined, stopping at the sound that echoed about him. He hated that sound. He had to remember to act better if he wanted his Master to listen to him-and whining like an immature brat would not help him.

Plus, it was just mortifying. "I'm sorry, Master. I should not have said anything. It was wrong of me."

Surprised by this apology, Obi-Wan accepted it easily. After all, Anakin had a right to speak his mind, even if he didn't like it. "There's nothing to forgive, Anakin. You have every right to offer your opinion."

"I should just watch how and when I do so," he finished with him. "I know, Master, I really do listen to you."

"I know you do. Tell me, what is your situation?"

Vexed though he was, Anakin answered him, letting it slide.

For the moment. "We are preparing for the attack-which is tomorrow."

"So soon," he murmured, almost to himself. He knew that he would not be able to make it, hoping that the fallout wouldn't be to severe. Then he quietly asked Anakin, seeing that he had more to say even if he wasn't sure how to put it. "And how do you feel about that?"

"I don't feel comfortable with it. Everything in me says that we should get out of here. That I should take them away." He ran a hand through his hair, frustrated. With the Council, with the situation, with the Raiders, with the fact that his Master wouldn't get there in time-and he kicked himself mentally for not calling him sooner.

"I don't know what to do, Master. I don't want anyone to get hurt-even the Raiders. But then I look around me and see what's here. They have such a good, peaceful life. I hate that its going to be shattered for no good reason. And I want to kill those responsible. I want to hunt them down and make them pay for what they are doing. What they are going to do to these farmers. And I don't want to feel this way, Master. It doesn't seem right."

"Do you know why that is?" he asked, slipping back into the role of teacher easily.

Anakin rolled his eyes, though deeply grateful to be on familiar ground again. "Because it is wrong. They are only doing what they know, the same as we do. We learn by example, by what we see and experience. They have known a brutal life. Therefore, they are a brutal people. We may not like it but we can only accept them for what they are."

"Do you believe that? Or are you only repeating it for my benefit?" a teasing lilt in his voice.

Anakin laughed, "Would I do that to you, Master?"

"I think you should get used to calling me Obi-Wan," he softly said, a hollowness in his eyes as he recalled the truth. He was not a Master to this young man any longer. He no longer had the right to share in his life. "In the world of the Jedi and, indeed, in the Republic, I am no longer your Master, my Pad...Anakin," he awkwardly finished.

"You will always be my Master no matter what those fools on the Jedi Council believe or say about it. I will not be a Jedi without you," he declared, cut by the way Obi-Wan hadn't finished calling him his Padawan-for that was who he was.

That was who he'd always be.

"Anakin," he started, helplessly searching for words to speak. They would not come to him. He had nothing in all of his past experiences to help him deal-and the Force was silent on it. "You can't give up being a Jedi for me."

"Why not? You are for me," he pointed out, forcing Obi-Wan to hold his gaze.

"That is different," he said, knowing just how pathetic that sounded. But what else was he to say? It was different.

Wasn't it?

"Not from where I'm standing, Master."

"The Jedi Council made me your Master, Anakin. They can undo that easily-and they will."

"They cannot undo what the Force itself created," he spoke, moved by the Force itself. For the first time, he allowed the Force to take him over, speaking through him. "The Force chose you-not another, you-to be my Master. The Force, not the Jedi Council made you my Master when you pointed out Tatooine all those years ago. And what the Force has bound together, no one can break. Face it," he cheekily added, coming back to himself, "You're stuck with me."

"So it appears," he dryly said, unable to refute the words that came from the Force itself.

"So it is," he softly agreed with him, smiling shyly.

Shaking his head, Obi-Wan let out a deep sigh of...something he couldn't quite explain. "You are unbelievable, my Padawan, absolutely unbelievable."

"I know, my Master," he smirked, glad to have his Master back-even if it was only part way.

654321

Author's Note: Some of the things refered to by Obi-Wan and Anakin happen in the Extended Universe. If they confuse you, drop me a line. I'll try to answer any questins you have. It may just take me a while to do so. stupid boss