Chapter 16 - Return

DISCLAIMER: We (unfortunately) do not own Star Wars. :P

Author's Note: This might be the longest chapter yet, as of now. In which Obi-Wan and co. return to Coruscant, and Anakin and Obi-Wan have a painful confrontation. :)

PS. There will be two chapters this month. ;)

To the Whynot: What the kriff is wrong with you?! Why can't two characters be close without people acting like they will, or need to, have something romantic between them?! Anakin and Vader are not going to have any type of romantic relationship. That's disgusting! It would be incest. Did you already forget that Vader literally adopted Anakin as his son? -_-

~ Amina Gila

Obi-Wan has no idea how long it's been since his capture when the power to the forcefield flickers and dies, the Force coming back to him in a rush as he falls to his knees on the durasteel floor, wincing at the impact. He has no idea what happened, but he won't overlook the gift which he's been given, especially when the door opens readily with a mere gesture. Creeping out into the hall reveals that the power has been shut down for whatever reason, because a droid patrol is turned off next to one of the walls.

That doesn't make sense. None of this makes sense. Unless… the only thing he can think of is if the Republic launched an attack for whatever reason and managed to turn off the power. Well, no sense in sticking around and trying to figure out what's happening. Windu, it seems, has gotten a similar idea, because when Obi-Wan moves to his cell, he's already exiting. He can hardly restrain a gasp of surprise and horror when he sees that his fellow Council member is missing his right hand. "What happened?" he queries as he releases Vos, Ahsoka, and the clones from their own cells.

"Skywalker," he answers in a clipped voice, "But we can talk later. We need to focus on escaping from here first."

"Our lightsabers?" Ahsoka questions. "If this is a trap, we won't get far without them."

Obi-Wan exchanges a look with Vos and Windu, knowing that the – his Padawan has a point. Via silent agreement, they all set out to look for their missing and seized gear; the clones don't have their armor or weapons anymore either.

As they walk, Obi-Wan does his best not to think about Anakin or Vader or especially the last interaction he saw with them. It's shaken him to the core to see it. Seeing the way that Vader pulled Anakin into a comforting embrace, seeing the way that the younger man so readily accepted it, falling apart in the Sith's arms… It doesn't make sense. None of this makes sense. Who is Vader? Why is he so important to Anakin? How can he have become so important to Anakin in such a short span of time?

So many questions, and so few answers. He doesn't know how to even begin going about finding answers, which is unfortunate, because they're clearly missing something; he just doesn't know what. Anakin is – he's not like that with people. He's not so openly affectionate. Is it – could it be possible that he, now that he's joined Vader, has accepted the Sith as a master, with everything that it entails? It has never been a secret to Obi-Wan that Anakin would have readily accepted a deeper emotional connection – an attachment – than the one they already shared if Obi-Wan had allowed it.

He pushes the thought from mind, though, unwilling to entertain it without further evidence.

Their lightsabers are in the command center which has been vacated. During on the power to the main control panel reveals that there's nothing out of the ordinary, but for whatever reason, the facility was shut down and the commander left. Strange. Very strange. Any feelings of unease which Obi-Wan has only grow as they make a hasty retreat to the shuttle which they'd initially brought here. No one and nothing stops them as they depart the planet.

Once they're spaceborne and enroute to Coruscant, they make a transmission to the Council. They have to call twice before receiving an answer and surprisingly, it's only Gallia who answers. Strange. She looks relieved to see them. "Where are you? Are you alright? What happened? We thought you were dead!"

She sounds rattled and more than a little apprehensive, and Obi-Wan does a quick mental calculation. It should be early evening on Coruscant right now, and the chronometer tells him that it hasn't been nearly as long as he'd feared. It's only been a day since their capture, a day since he fought Anakin. Well, less than a day, actually, because they weren't captured immediately upon their arrival.

Windu gives her a brief update of the situation, including their fight with Anakin and Vader, and how they somehow managed to escape. If anything, Gallia looks even more troubled after he finishes. "The situation here is… complicated," she admits. "The Council is debating our next course of action and time is running out." She pauses for a brief moment, seemingly trying to gather her thoughts, and somehow, Obi-Wan gets the feeling that everything has completely gone to hell since they went to the Citadel.

"What happened?" Obi-Wan queries tentatively. A part of him doesn't think he even wants to know, but at the same time, he knows that he needs to know.

"The Chancellor was killed by the clones," Gallia answers succinctly. "It appears that Vader somehow got their loyalty. He took Coruscant without a fight, and he's formed an Empire, establishing himself as the Emperor of the galaxy, and claiming that Palpatine was Sidious. The Senate bowed to him when Skywalker publicly pledged his support, and Vader had declared him as his son and heir. The Council has received an ultimatum. Either we pledge our support to Vader and agree to resume our role as peacekeepers or we will be destroyed."

"Oh Force," Obi-Wan whispers, shaking his head. This – it – how is this even possible? How could Vader have gotten control of the clone armies?! They already knew – suspected, anyways – that the Sith were behind the creation of the clones, but this? It doesn't even make any sense. Why would the clones turn against the Jedi? Why would they be willing to support Vader when he has destroyed the Republic which the clones were created to protect?

Windu seems similarly shaken. "We will have to discuss this upon our return," he tells Gallia. "We should arrive early in the morning."

Gallia nods. "May the Force be with you," she says grimly.

"And with you," Obi-Wan replies, disconnecting the transmission.

For a long moment, no one speaks. "How – how can they do this?!" Ahsoka cries at last, indignantly. "What will we do now? We can't just… go along with them, can we?"

"I don't think we'll have a choice," Vos replies, subdued. "Vader has all the power, and he could have destroyed the Jedi but for whatever reason, he didn't. He probably wants us to make the first move so he can justify the destruction of the Order."

"But – but…" Ahsoka splutters, looking to Obi-Wan, though it's not as though he can tell her anything either. He feels as lost and confused as she does. It's a very… delicate situation for the Order. One wrong move could spell their destruction and yet, the thought of going along with the Sith is… it doesn't sit well with him.

But what if Vader spoke the truth? What if Palpatine really was Sidious?

He nearly blanches as the realizations sink in. All that time that Anakin spent with Palpatine… Force. This – he – no. Palpatine – Sidious, if Vader told the truth, and Obi-Wan suspects that he did, because it makes far too much sense – was… he was grooming Anakin, wasn't he? He was trying to – to turn Anakin. It – it all makes so much sense now. The war. The chaos. The divisions. Everything. And Vader came in, because he somehow knew what the Sith had planned, and he uprooted everything, taking Anakin as his own, killing both Sith, and making himself the ultimate power in the galaxy.

Is it nothing more than a Sith power struggle then? Are they, and the galaxy, trapped in a power struggle between Sith where Vader came out on top? Obi-Wan has no idea, and he also has no idea what it would have been like if Palpatine had remained in control. On one hand, the Clone Wars are probably officially over. On the other… there will be a silent war now against the Sith who are ruling the galaxy.

No matter how it would have played out, Obi-Wan realizing with sinking horror that the Jedi would have lost. There is no way they would have come out on top, not while they were so deeply trapped and entrenched in the Sith's machinations. They walked right into the trap, and now, they have to try and clean up the mess and piece together something.

His thoughts turn to Vader and to Anakin. His son and heir, Gallia had said. Is that… literal? Does Vader literally mean that Anakin is his son? Is Anakin's father a Sith, then? Is that why he's so powerful? Or is it something genetic for him? Obi-Wan doesn't know, and it's something he'll have to discuss with the Council, because he knows that they'll all wish to discuss these revelations once they decide their next course of action. For now, he thinks that it would be best if he and Ahsoka meditate together. All of them need to have a clear head when they return to Coruscant. They need to be level-headed so they can assess everything first hand and plan their next moves accordingly.

And maybe it's also that he doesn't want to think anymore about Vader and Anakin, about the way that Vader so easily took Anakin's loyalty. His son and heir. It makes sense. Too much sense. If Anakin believes Vader – and it seems as though he must – then, of course, he was willing to go along with Vader and do whatever the elder Sith said to him. It – it hurts. Anakin has always been very… vulnerable to his attachments, and Obi-Wan can see how someone, even a Sith, coming into Anakin's life and claiming to be his father would be enough for Anakin to turn his back on everything he's ever known.

He doesn't – can't understand the way that Anakin is so willing to give in to his attachments. It's not the Jedi way, but that's not something Anakin has ever really accepted. Or maybe it's simply that Obi-Wan failed his former Padawan, that he failed to teach him how to control himself properly and how to let go of his attachments. It's probably too late to ever rectify that now, though, especially since Anakin has embraced the Dark Side.

Once someone starts down the Dark path, they're lost. Anakin is, whether Obi-Wan likes it or not, and he really truly doesn't, lost now. The boy that Obi-Wan raised and trained and watched become a brilliant, compassionate young man is gone. It hurts. It hurts so, so much to think about, but the child he'd known and loved would never be willing to – to embrace a Sith, literally and figuratively, when the Sith are evil. Anakin is – is gone, and Obi-Wan needs to learn to accept that.

**w**

The last thing Anakin wanted to do was be here on the landing platform at the Jedi Temple with Vader and an escort of clones, waiting for the shuttle to arrive bringing the "escaped" prisoners from the Citadel. He doesn't want to see Obi-Wan again. Or Ahsoka. Not so soon after their confrontation at the Citadel, and certainly not so soon after his conversation with Vader about the elder's past. He hardly slept last night after they talked, unable to think of anything but the confessions, the truth, the crimes that Vader is responsible for.

He tried to make himself look at least passably presentable, knowing that looking like he just crawled out of bed after a sleepless night wouldn't reflect well on Vader. He doesn't want to be here though. He wishes he could have stayed in… "bed", more accurately, curled up in the antechamber of Pal- Vader's office, trying to find a way to wrap his mind around everything.

Last night, he had done his best to appear as unruffled as possible, and he thinks he succeeded, maybe especially because Vader was so distracted by his own turmoil.

"I fought for him. I killed for him. I did everything he wanted me to. And yet… I also enjoyed it."

"I led the clones on the Temple. I… destroyed everything, everyone… even the younglings."

"I – I was furious, betrayed. I lashed out and started choking her."

"I let her go, and she fell, unconscious. That's when Obi-Wan and I fought. He cut off my limbs and left me to burn to death."

It – it makes sense, and Anakin has always known intellectually what it would mean that Vader is a Sith. He knew that the elder had likely done horrible, unthinkable things. But knowing that and hearing the details are two totally different things. The children, the younglings… They helped them. They taught them. Among them, Anakin has long been viewed as a hero. They always gather around him when he's at the Temple, especially when he's in the public areas, begging for stories of the war. He's taught some of them lightsaber forms. The mere thought of killing them makes him sick.

He hates that he knows why Vader did it, because it feels too much like he's justifying it. It's – that's not how it is though. Understanding something and condoning it are totally different. He knows that. He knows that. So why doesn't it feel like it? Why does it feel like he's supporting that – what Vader did – by staying with him, by agreeing to help him, by promising to himself that he'll do whatever he must to drag Vader back to the Light or at least help him find balance, so he won't do things like that anymore?

And it's worse that he's alone in this. He has no one to turn to, no one he can talk to. Now, Anakin can understand exactly why the Jedi warn about attachments so much. Because of how deeply and fiercely he loves Vader, he would never be able to walk away from him, even though some deeply entrenched Jedi instincts tell him to run and not look back, to kill Vader because it would be for the best, because it would be justice.

Would it be though? Killing Vader wouldn't change anything; it wouldn't bring back all those that the Sith has murdered in cold blood. It certainly wouldn't help Vader make reparations or allow him to fix his mistakes. The Jedi would say to kill him, but Anakin knows better. He can see that Vader does, in truth, regret his past actions. Condemning him will fix nothing. Only helping him will.

The shuttle touches down, and Anakin tenses inwardly, though he's careful to betray nothing. The ramp lowers and the Jedi come down the ramp, followed by the clones. Yoda, who is out here along with a few other Jedi, steps forwards to welcome them back.

"You'll be alright," Vader sends to him through their bond. They had discussed whether or not they should be here, and Vader had thought that his presence would serve as a warning to the Jedi, reminding them who has the power. Anakin had, reluctantly, agreed.

Anakin says nothing, only clinging to Vader's Force presence and wishing that this coming… argument could be over with already. He does not want to be here. Almost as if sensing his discomfort, Rex steps a little closer to him, though he remains silent.

He's unable to stop himself from looking at Obi-Wan when he stops, greeting Yoda and the other Jedi, pointedly ignoring Anakin, Vader, and the clones. "I am pleased to see you have returned," Vader says, his tone neutral, even in the Force.

Some unnamable emotions flashes through Obi-Wan's eyes. "No thanks to you, Emperor," he agrees pleasantly, a subtle emphasis on the title making it sound like a mockery.

One of Vader's hands tightens into a fist, but he doesn't otherwise react. "I suppose you believe it to be coincidence then that the facility was shut down," he replies sardonically. "It was not. I made the order, and Anakin saw it through."

Obi-Wan's gaze flickers to Anakin for a moment, and he forces himself to stand his ground when he sees the cold, aloof, disdain there. It's not as if he didn't expect it, though it seems markedly harder now that he knows some of Vader's many crimes. He would like nothing more than to curl into a tiny ball and disappear. He hates this. He hates this. It's – he's glad that Vader came and destroyed Sidious, because Anakin would never want to be in the place where the elder currently is, but if only the cost didn't have to be his entire family.

Is it selfish of him to want to have his family and be free from the Sith?

An unspoken communication passes among the Jedi because they all begin to move away, leaving Obi-Wan – and Ahsoka – behind, presumably for a more… private conversation. They're far enough away so that everyone can speak to one another in relative privacy, but still close enough to intervene if it comes to a fight.

"I heard you found your… father," Obi-Wan comments to Anakin, something like disgust lacing the last word, in particular.

Oh Force. Not this. Anakin doesn't think he's capable of dealing with this. He didn't even – he didn't think he would have to, and he – does Obi-Wan think Anakin is replacing him? That's – he could never do that, not in a million years. He doesn't know what to say to that. Between he and Vader, they are… well, he doesn't know what they are, but Vader is not his father. Not in truth. The only father he has, will ever have, is Obi-Wan.

"What of it?" he queries at last, not really confirming or denying his former master's words. "If – if you think to – to celebrate that, do not. I know – I know you will not mean it."

Obi-Wan narrows his eyes, a mirthless, borderline-bitter smile twisting up the corner of his mouth for a fleeting moment. "It is hardly cause for celebration," he returns. "A father like that is no better than a gene donor; it's something to be ashamed of, not celebrated. It boggles the mind that you would want to have any association with a mass murderer. Really, Anakin, you can do so much better than that."

The words ignite a wave of anger within him which is mingled with hurt. He knows that Obi-Wan would have never said that – probably – if he had known the truth about Vader, but it still hurts. He lets the anger and pain, some of which is Vader's, wash through him, drawing the Dark Side in close and allowing it to bleed his eyes yellow.

"Like who?" he snarls back. "You?" Dozens of moments from the past flash through his mind, reminding him of the many different times when Obi-Wan has hurt him, again and again and again. Anakin has never held it against him, because he knows that Obi-Wan has done his best, and it's not his fault that Anakin is too attached and emotional and selfish. A master is not a father, as Obi-Wan has said repeatedly.

"I would hardly say that you would be better than him," he continues heatedly, glaring, all the resentment and pain and longing which he's felt over the years bubbling up in a rush. "It's not – it's not as if you have been better all these years, and I do not see that changing simply because you deem it so." He hates fighting with Obi-Wan, but it doesn't seem as though they can do anything else, not given the circumstances right now.

He sees a brief flash of anger in Obi-Wan's blue-gray eyes, but before he can say anything, Ahsoka does. "How can you say something like that?" the Togruta demands angrily. "Obi-Wan isn't a Sith! He isn't evil!"

"… even the younglings."

Anakin closes his eyes for a moment, remembering the way the younglings always clamored for stories, crowding around him with eager expressions. That he doesn't deny it or jump to Vader's defense instantly, is obvious to everyone. "Being a Sith does not make someone evil," he answers evenly. "We all make our own choices. It's our actions that define us."

Vader's shame curls around him in the Force, and Anakin reaches out to him, touching him lightly, apologetically. "I'm sorry," he whispers again. "I – I don't want to hurt you, but this is not easy for me."

"I know. You know I'm trying. You – I will do better. I am trying."

"I know. That's why I'm still here. That's why nothing will make me abandon you."

Ahsoka seems taken aback by his words, not that he's surprised, since it's more… insightful than anything he's said in the past. "If destroying the galaxy and the Republic isn't evil, then I don't know what is," she replies bitterly. "So, what does that make you, Anakin?"

"Someone who can see clearly," he answers, unfazed. Rex had warned him about Ahsoka's feelings; it hurts, but he was ready for it. He already knew that she would be opposed to him, because she's always seen things in black and white. She often fails to see the bigger picture, for all that he's tried to teach it to her.

Obi-Wan scoffs openly at his words. "Seeing as you're under the influence of a Sith – and the Dark Side – I fail to see how that makes you able to see clearly."

"How – how is that any different from you being blinded by the Jedi Code?" Anakin demands angrily. "You are unwilling to look at anything that does not agree with your… ideologies with an open mind. You do not – will not give any regard for those who you hurt if you deem it for the greater good. You might claim to help the majority, but you will not hesitate to sacrifice anyone, whether it be necessary or not. You would do the same to me and justify it as being for the greater good." It's hardly the first time that he's thought this way, but it definitely is the first time he's ever given voice to those feelings.

Obi-Wan looks stung. "How can you say that?" he protests. "You – you should know that you are… important to me. I would never deliberately sacrifice you if I didn't have to."

Another time, in a time before Vader came, Anakin would have been thrilled to hear those words, the words he's so desperately wanted to hear. Knowing that Obi-Wan doesn't actually see him as expendable means a lot to him. But that was before.

Now, after seeing Vader, after seeing the things that Obi-Wan could do and justify as "for the greater good," Anakin can't say the same. It hits him all at once, that even though his former master has never intended to hurt him, he still did it, and it's not Anakin's fault. He didn't deserve it. He should never have had to go through it. And because he did, he would have been unable to trust Obi-Wan the way he should have when everything fell apart.

That – he can't blame himself for that. It's not fair to him. It's not fair for him to take all the responsibility on his own shoulders the way he always does when something goes wrong. And perhaps he's only seeing this because he's an outsider, because none of what Vader has gone through happened to him, and now, it never will. It makes Anakin feel… almost sad to realize that even if he can accept this, can accept that Vader was – was simply a victim of bad circumstances, that his choices were his own, but that his decision was practically made for him, he knows that Vader probably never will. Vader won't be able to let go of the self-hatred; he won't be able to simply acknowledge that not everything he's done is entirely his fault.

And it hurts.

It hurts because Vader doesn't deserve it, and Anakin has no way of knowing how long it will be before Vader is willing to stop clinging to his own deep-seeded hatred of himself.

Maybe coming here was a good thing. If nothing else, it's helped him get a deeper understanding of himself and Vader both. What Obi-Wan has done to them is not their fault. They – they didn't deserve it. Accepting it is hard, and Anakin knows that he'll have to make peace with his former master before he ever lets go of any of it. Maybe their relationship was always doomed, because there are too many differences between them, so many things left unspoken and unsaid. But now that whatever had lain between them has been broken, it can truly be rebuilt anew. He has to cling to that, because if he doesn't, he thinks he might completely shatter.

"I think, Obi-Wan," he says quietly, "That you and I both know that's not true. If – if the Council asked it of you, you would do it, and you would give very little regard to how much you hurt me. You are – you are a Jedi first and foremost, and that is both a good thing and a bad thing, but I am very tired of being hurt by you."

He turns away without looking back, without giving Obi-Wan a chance to reply. "I think it's time to go," he tells Vader. "There is nothing more for us to do here."

Vader looks at him for a long moment, before nodding, and together, they walk off, the clones following behind them, leaving Obi-Wan and Ahsoka alone.

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