Chapter 8

The look on Anakin's face at what he had said broke Obi Wan's heart all over again. It was gratitude in a way he had never seen on anyone's face, never mind his irascible, self-assured former Padawan. Bereft of something to say under the circumstances, he just stared in his eyes, trying to convey the truth of his words both by this manner and through their Force bond.

Neither would ever know how long they were sitting there like that, but by the time Anakin smiled, somewhat more at ease now, Obi Wan decided that he best explain himself now that the opportunity was there.

"Master, I..."

"I'm not done yet, Anakin."

Obi Wan took a deep breath, more to steady himself than for anything else. "You probably wonder why."

Anakin, tilting his head and giving a weak smile, nodded. "I can't say that I didn't, Master."

"My friend, you're not the first Jedi to fall in love."

He said nothing more, but let Anakin feel him over the Force bond, and soon his old friend looked at him quizzically, but said nothing. Instead Anakin calmed down visibly and sighed.

"Obi Wan, if she dies... I don't know what I'm going to do. I..." Anakin paused, searching for the right words to express the turmoil that still raged within him. "If she dies, I will be all but dead myself. Padmé and the children, they are my life. Anything else doesn't matter to me."

He hated having to ask the obvious question, but he didn't know if it was because he feared what Anakin might answer or because it might set him off.

"Everything, really?"

He didn't give Anakin the chance to answer, but instead he said something he knew he would never reveal to anyone else.

"Anakin... you're not the first Jedi to fall in love."

He said nothing more, instead leaving Anakin to draw his own conclusion.

"You?"

Anakin's incredulity was evident.

"Oh, nothing ever really came of it, and you very well know that." Obi Wan replied with only a tinge of regret, "But I want you to finally understand, you are not alone."

"Thank you, Master."

"Besides, isn't the point of those visions that the Force is telling you to do something about these events?"

"Of course, I..."

"And I will be right there beside you, making sure that you are there when the twins are born."

Obi Wan didn't need to be a Force sensitive to know what was Anakin's other big worry. "As for the Council..."

That was a thorny issue. Anakin's most frequent complaint was that they held him back and did not trust him, and much to his regret Obi Wan had to admit that it was at least partly true. But in this moment a bigger worry was that they would demand his children for study and training as soon as they were born. The moment he realized that, Obi Wan also knew that Mustafar would become a winter sport resort before Anakin would allow that to happen.

So whatever he did, they were headed for a direct and open confrontation with the Council. He didn't even consider siding against Anakin.

"As for the Council," he repeated, and modified one of his own Master's favourite sayings, "live in the moment, tomorrow, or when your children are born, the Council shall take care of itself. And I will be right there beside you, as will Padmé. You are not, nor will you ever be alone."

Anakin said nothing, considering his dreams in the context of what Obi Wan had said. What was it that Master Yoda had said? 'Accepting help, weakness it is not.'

"Thank you, Obi Wan."

"Now, try and get some more sleep. We have a great deal of work to do tomorrow."

Anakin had a second dream that night. At first it was like the other one, but then it changed, as his field of view panned back, and there he himself stood, Obi Wan by his side, both looking on with worry. The picture changed, and he saw Padmé, very much alive and beaming like there was no tomorrow, cradling their children in her arms.

Early the next morning they both rose just after local sunrise, packed their belongings and left their rooms forever. Without having to actually talk about it they had decided that they would spend the day scouting the city and the next night in the bushes some way away from the meeting point. As Anakin loaded their speeder, Obi Wan checked the map again, and according to the Corellia mapping survey of last year, the point was about a hundred klicks or so from a small town of about twenty-thousand residents.

As he was so busy, he never noticed the approach of the boy, nor did R2 or Anakin.

Jedi usually travelled light, but for a change they went disguised, so Anakin was loading a bag that contained their robes and provisions.

By the time Anakin had wheeled around on his feet and taken off after him, the boy was already half a block down the street.

Anakin yelled at Obi Wan to stay put as he ran as fast as he could without using the force, which was impossible on the already relatively crowded street.

The boy was fast in spite of his load, Anakin had to admit that. Just as he was about to reach him, the boy headed off into a side alley, Anakin hot on his heels. He briefly considered calling on CorSec to catch the thief, but that would only lead to uncomfortable questions, so instead he ran even faster.

Much to Anakin's amazement, the boy almost got away in spite of being a non-force user. Anakin leapt over a trash-droid the boy had kicked over to delay him and as he landed, the boy seemed to have gone.

But since he was a very powerful Jedi, Anakin did not despair. Instead he reached out into the force and looked for a hidden presence relatively nearby.

Sure enough, he sensed the boy's presence hidden inside a discarded wardrobe.

He decided that igniting his sabre would be overkill, so instead he opened the door.

What he saw was almost comical. Inside and caked with dust, was the boy, defiantly holding the bag and looking back at Anakin as if he had no intention to admit his wrongdoing, and, like any good Corellian, didn't care one jot for the odds he was facing. What was more, he noticed it was the same boy they had seen running out of the Cantina.

Anakin sighed, and trying to end this without any further trouble.

"Would you please give me that bag? If you do, you can leave. No trouble."

"Why should I. Maybe you stole it yourself."

Anakin rolled his eyes and decided to try something else.

Reaching into the Force, he waved his right hand in front of the boy's face.

"You will give me the bag." Wave. "You will go home and re-think your life."

But he knew instantly that the boy was to strong-minded, a thought that was reinforced when he spoke for the first time.

"Why should I, your high and mightyness?"

So much for that idea. The little scoundrel may be many things, but weak of mind wasn't one of them, so Anakin settled for a more direct approach. He force-pulled the back out of the boy's hand.

Said boy only stared at what the Jedi had done and was about to run off as Anakin used the Force to pull the boy out of the wardrobe and placed him on his feet.

"Never try to steal from a Jedi again."

Not waiting for an answer, he turned and walked back towards where he knew Obi Wan was waiting.

"Did you loose him?" came the question as he returned with the bag but without the boy.

"No, I let him go," Anakin shook his head, "he was just someone who stole out of need, not because he wanted to. He'll grow up to be either a model citizen of the Republic and join the Fleet or the sort of roguish scoundrel I would keep a daughter away from at all costs."

"With luck, you'll never see him again, even if you have a daughter." Obi Wan smirked. "Though he might be a lot like you when he's reached your age."

"And for that I will be flying."

Jumping into the pilot's seat before Obi Wan could stop him, Anakin somehow felt elated and free, more so than he had in weeks.

Obi Wan chuckled and took his place as Anakin flipped the switches that started the repulsor lifts and the thrusters. Once in the air, they headed out towards the back-country using the standard traffic lanes. R2 was stored safely in the back, keeping an eye out for anyone who might pursue them.

In the beginning they didn't speak, but eventually Anakin slowed down and said, loud in order to be heard over the noise of the open-topped speeder: "If the situation was reversed, would you have told me?"

Taken aback by the sudden and very serious question, Obi Wan just stared at his fellow Jedi.

"Anakin..."

There was the crux of the matter. If he had been in a similar situation, would he have told his Padawan? And deep down he realized that he wouldn't have. That being said, did he have any right to complain about Anakin not telling him? They had done it to protect him, Anakin had done it so that he, Obi Wan, wouldn't have to choose between him and the Order.

For all the good that had done.

So he said nothing, only trying to communicate his understanding through their bond.

tbc




This was cobbled together from bits and pieces. For example, the speeder exchange was supposed to go into their travel-time to Corellia but didn't make the cut then because I thought it wasn't the right time for that particular conversation.

This is also the reason why this is so short. I couldn't think of anything to padd it with.