Author's Notes: Apologies for the lack of updates lately. My PC decided to take a crap on me about a week ago and since I built it myself, I had to act as my own tech support, heh. But everything is good now so I'm able to start updating my stories again. Thank you all for your patience.
Chapter 4: Anomaly
"Anakin, are you okay? You look a bit peaked."
Obi-Wan looked at his former Padawan with concern as they sat together on a grassy mound in the Room of a Thousand Fountains, enjoying the beautiful waterfalls, the various kinds of flowers scattered throughout and most of all, the silence the Clone Wars had brought to the Jedi Temple. Anakin had yet to visit the Healers in the weeks since he'd discovered he was pregnant with twins and revealed to Obi-Wan his potentially dangerous secret. Obi-Wan, having decided to side with his partner and go against the Code, kept the sensitive information to himself, even as Anakin's body had now actively begun to betray him despite his protest. In the first couple weeks of this malaise, Anakin just thought of his lack of energy and fatigue as an unfortunate side effect of the Clone Wars than his condition. Nothing to worry about. The war had taken its toll on all of the Jedi as they went from conflict to conflict. A few days of good rest and he would be back to normal and loaded with all the robust energy he could handle. But things didn't exactly go the way the young Knight had hoped.
In fact, he just got worse, much worse.
What had started as a general lack of energy soon turned into headaches, periods of vertigo, nausea and vomiting, a sensitivity to certain smells and an increase in overall body temperature. Now some two months along and feeling the full effect of the budding twins within himself, Anakin couldn't help but feel like he'd lost complete control over his body – if he wasn't puking his guts out, he was complaining about the way the cafeteria fare smelled; if he didn't have a pounding headache, he was was crying or blowing up for no reason. Still, he refused to bring himself before the Healers despite Obi-Wan's gentle pushing of the issue. The young Knight would rather be sick as a bantha than divulge the circumstances of his illness to the Healers.
Despite his periodic suggestion that Anakin be checked out – if anything, to make sure the babies were doing well – Obi-Wan vowed to keep his lover's unexpected pregnancy a secret from the ever-prying eyes of the Council for as long as possible. Though Anakin had yet to show any outward signs of his gravidity, but both he and Obi-Wan knew, sooner rather than later, that would quickly begin to change, and then what? What would they say when questioned by their fellow Jedi about Anakin's...rotund appearance? Or why he sent for his tunics, robes and tabbards to be modified every month? More importantly, what would they say when Anakin's unique physiology finally came to light?
Anakin gave his Master a blank, vacant stare. His mind was clearly somewhere else. He shook his head and laid down on the grassy floor. "I'm...fine" he mumbled, reaching for Obi-Wan's hand. "Just..tired...so..." the young man's usually strong and thick voice faded into nothing but a mere whisper on the wind. His eyes closed, his grip around Obi-Wan's hand had grown dangerously weak.
Obi-Wan leaned down close to Anakin and ran his fingers through his hair. "Anakin? Ani, what's wrong?" asked Obi-Wan, still squeezing Anakin's hand. Realizing that something was terribly wrong, Obi-Wan hoisted Anakin into his arms and made haste for the Halls of Healing.
Eventually, Obi-Wan was able to get Anakin to the Infirmary so the Healers could take a nice, good look at him. But for now, that would have to wait, just like he had to wait, to sit and stand, pace, and fret, hoping that everything was all right. It was then, during an attempt to ease himself, that Obi-Wan was finally approached by the Healer overseeing Anakin's care.
"Is he going to be all right?" Obi-Wan asked.
The Jedi Healer Zu Saris, raised a calming hand. "Knight Skywalker is fine and resting in the ward - the med-droid is just performing a few tests before we discharge him."
"Tests? What kind of tests? What is wrong?" feigned Kenobi, making sure his mental shields were locked down tight. He knew what was wrong with Anakin... and now, so too would the Healers and the Council. Obi-Wan was already thinking about their Jedi-less lives and places he and Anakin could settle down and raise their children in peace. Somewhere lush, with crystal clear lakes and picture-esque views, with prime schools, peaceful denizens and, above all, no sand for miles.
"Blood and urine analysis and an EKG - we want to make sure that his heart is strong and functioning properly. The blood and urine analysis are being done just to make sure Anemia or some type of kidney infection isn't present. I don't think you have anything to worry about."
The chime of a technician's voice echoed down the hall, "Healer Saris, the results of the tests are in. Please, come take a look."
"Excuse me for a moment, Master Kenobi." Zu said before making her way down the hall.
Obi-Wan made haste for the room where Anakin was currently resting, unable to wait to see his lover any longer. When Obi-Wan entered the small cubicle-like room, there was Anakin lying on the exam table in his disheveled tunics, bobbing his head from side to side and murmuring incoherent words. Kenobi came to Anakin's side and took hold of his hand, squeezing it gently as way of letting him know that he was there. To reassure him further, Obi-Wan placed a kiss on Anakin's forehead and ran his fingers gently through his hair.
"Master... Is...that you? W-where am I?"
Obi-Wan inched closer to Anakin, making sure to keep his voice low. "Yes. I'm here, I'm right here Ani. You're in the Infirmary."
Then, the words Obi-Wan hoped he wouldn't hear, didn't want to hear, came from behind him as Healer Saris read over her patient's latest data. "Master Obi-Wan...there's a problem."
Obi-Wan turned to face her. "What kind of problem?"
The healer continued to look over the lab data. "Well, his blood and kidneys are perfectly fine. But...for some reason, his hormonal output is exceedingly higher than usual. It's not the average of a young human male of his age..." Zu looked up briefly from the datapad towards Anakin, suddenly suspicious. "Or human males in general. Anakin...is there anything I should know before I discharge you?"
Anakin jammed his shields up as hard as he could, and then some, making sure to mask the twins' presence before Zu had a chance to pick up on the uniqueness of their signatures. "Nope. Not a thing."
The Twi'lek's citrus yellow eyes bore a hole into the young Jedi, still suspicious. Though she was still considered young by Twi'lek standards, Zu had seen quite a bit during her lifetime, including the anomaly Anakin's data suggested he really was once or twice during her time as a healer. And for all intents and purposes set by the doctrine of the Jedi Order, they were not to be trusted.
The small cubicle soon grew thick with heavy, permeating silence as Zu glanced back and forth between Skywalker's lab data, the Jedi Knight himself, and his former Master before Zu's commlink suddenly came to life alerting the staff to prepare for the arrival of several injured Knights and apprentices, leading to her hasty retreat from the room, leaving Anakin and Obi-Wan alone to catch their breath and regain their bearings.
Anakin sat up on the table before coming to his feet. "I thought we agreed to keep this whole thing private?" Anakin asked while straightening out his tunics.
Obi-Wan gently hushed the younger man. "Keep your voice down, Anakin. And we did agree to keep this private – until you fainted in the fountain chamber. I couldn't allow you – or us – to keep suffering like this, Anakin."
Anakin smoothed out a wrinkle on his tabbard. "I'd rather be sick as a bantha than have this get out, Master. Now it's only a matter of time before the Council finds out about this and us." The young Knight's eyebrows furrowed together with frustration. "Kriff!"
Obi-Wan pressed his index finger against Anakin's lips. "Language, Anakin," he said quietly before kissing the Knight on his forehead. The conversation moved to a mental one as they began towards their quarters. Obi-Wan began to speak to the younger man via their Bond as they moved from hall to hall, through healers and injured alike towards the exit. /Keep your shields up, Anakin./ Kenobi began, /Good. Now let's head back to my quarters at once./
Eventually the pair had found their way back into the safety of Obi-Wan's room; as soon as the front door whooshed shut, Anakin wrapped his arms around Obi-Wan's neck and pulled him into his form, eyes closing in an attempt at calming the bevy of emotions raging within. He was scared, yet so excited and confused. He had so many things to consider, reason one being the currently hostile climate of the galaxy; his current condition would bar him from partaking in missions...and with the war having tipped in favor of the Republic, every battle from now on was critical. Then there was the situations with Senator Amidala and the Council. What would happen if she – they - found out?
Anakin finally broke the silence with a fearful admission. "Master. I'm afraid. Afraid of what will happen should our children become known. I do not want them to become pawns of the Chancellor or the Jedi."
Obi-Wan gazed up at his lover, seeing the fear behind his usually strong blue eyes; Anakin looked like that same scared little boy who would tiptoe into his room at night with tears in his eyes. Kenobi reached to cup the Knight's strong cheek in his palm. "Do not be afraid, dear one. No harm will come to them. I would never allow that to happen. I would soon resign myself from the Order before allowing any malice to befall our children, Anakin."
Anakin clenched his jaw in hopes of keeping his tears at bay. "Master...I want to keep them. They...deserve to live. Will you...?" he asked.
"Be there for you? Anakin, I'll be right there with you. I promise. Our children...are a gift from the Force itself - it wills us to love this creation. That is what we will do. With or without the blessings from the Council."
"What if they refuse to understand – and accept – what it is that I am?"
Obi-Wan combed his fingers through Anakin's hair. "One of them will understand, dear one. One of them must."
It was getting close to evening meal time. Obi-Wan sat on the sofa, with Anakin sleeping soundlessly on his lap. He was attempting to ease a headache and light-headedness. Obi-Wan could only watch him and rest his hand on the younger man's abdomen. A faint smile curved his mouth upon detecting the twins' unique signatures. Even now, still early in their development, Obi-Wan could already tell them apart just by their auras. One felt unmistakably Anakin: restless, adventurous with an insatiable curiosity. The other felt fiercely independent, but far calmer than that of its twin; Obi-Wan sensed himself within and smiled as his index finger came to brush back a loose lock of long, ginger-colored hair, already so proud of who his children were becoming.
His hand moved from Anakin's belly to the top of his forehead. "Ani..." he whispered. The Knight flinched a tad, mumbled, and went back to sleep. Obi-Wan tried again, knowing it usually took a couple tries to wake the younger man from his sleep. "Anakin, my love, wake up."
Anakin opened his eyes and rubbed them. He looked considerably better than he did a few hours ago. He sat up and scratched the back of his neck. "Evening, Master. Are you all right?" he asked before moving into a great stretch of his arms.
"Evening, Anakin. Yes, I'm all right. Do you think you're feeling good enough to eat?"
Anakin's eyes nearly popped out as a grin from ear to ear spread across his handsome face. "Force! Are you kidding me? I'm so hungry I could eat a dead bantha!"
Obi-Wan laughed. Ah, must be cravings, he told himself. "I'll take that as a yes, then. What will it be tonight – in house or take out?"
When Anakin was just a small boy, Obi-Wan couldn't believe his ravenous appetite. He often joked that he didn't have a stomach, but rather, a bottomless pit. The boy could eat large portions of food and still have his never-ending supply of robust energy by the time a meal was over. Tonight, they'd decided to stay indoors and call in an order to Dex's Diner after Anakin expressed a craving for the eatery's infamous cuisine.
"That smell is killing me!" Anakin swooned as he watched Obi-Wan come through the door to his quarters and placed the bags on the small dining table. "Please tell me you got an order of sliders!"
Obi-Wan grinned as Anakin dug through the bags with urgency. "Of course. And the protato wedges, the nerf steak, the slice of sic-six layer cake..." Obi-Wan took his order of Jawa juice and Shawda club sandwich from one bag before settling down at the table. "Did you remember to take an antidote?"
Anakin nodded from the other side of the table, his mouth full of the diner's greasily delicious fare before he took a swig of juice.
Obi-Wan had finished his meal long ago, but watched without surprise at the quantity of food Anakin was able to pack away. Again, Obi-Wan joked about his bottomless pit and laughed. "Blame it on the little one." Anakin joked as he swallowed a bite of food. After truly finishing his meal, Anakin sighed, fulfilled, before playfully patting his midsection. "That hit the spot."
Obi-Wan chuckled before standing. "Crisis averted."
Anakin appeared relaxed and content with himself as he strode over to his Master and wrapped his arms around his waist. "Just hold me for a minute, Obi-Wan..." he murmured against Kenobi's shoulder.
Obi-Wan held Anakin at the waist. His hands moved inward toward his torso and pressed flat up against where he imagined Anakin's stomach to be. "Is something the matter, Anakin?"
Anakin held Obi-Wan's concerned gaze. "No...not really, I suppose. I just have a lot on my mind, I guess."
"It's about the twins, isn't it?" asked Obi-Wan.
Anakin responded with a long, stressed out sigh. "Among other things. I...I keep having these nightmares, Master."
"About your mother?"
Anakin nodded. "And ones I can't explain."
Obi-Wan cupped Anakin's cheek. "Ease your mind, love. For tonight, at least. It's late and you need your rest."
Anakin leaned in to Obi-Wan's touch, savoring the strength and warmth of his hand. "Yes, Master."
Obi-Wan claimed Anakin's lips before taking hold of his organic hand and leading them down the short hallway and into the privacy of his sleeping quarters.
