The sound of an auto-med couch beeping finally awoke Obi-Wan from his drug-induced slumber. Sitting up blearily, he looked around him, surveying his surroundings. It appeared he was still in the same cell as before, although Vader had apparently decided out of the kindness of his heart to finally administer medical aid to him.

Blinking, he looked down and disconnected the IV drip from his body. He have no idea how long he had been out of it or what happened since he passed out. It could be a matter of hours, days, or weeks. Either way, he needed to act quickly.

He took quick breaths, preparing himself for what he needed to do. He needed his mind to be as clear as possible, and that meant to no hallucinogens or narcotics. Fortunately, he already had a bit of a tolerance to sweetblossom, which hopefully meant he would still be able to use the Second Sight.

Closing his eyes, he concentrated hard and reached out using the Force.

In the adjacent cell, Ahsoka suddenly straightened up, feeling Obi-Wan's presence near her. Opening her eyes, she begrudgingly let him in into her mind, responding to his call.

"Ahsoka?" Obi-Wan whispered. "Can you hear me?"

"Yes," Ahsoka said, struggling to keep her mind clear after what had just occurred with Vader. "I can hear you."

"How long was I out?" Obi-Wan asked frantically.

Ahsoka sighed. In all honesty, time was somewhat murky for her too, considering that all she could see was the walls of her own cell. But she had a slightly better grip on it since she had not been knocked out with any narcotics recently. "Just a few days," she replied. "They last came to give me my meal a few hours ago, so I figure that means it must be about lunchtime now."

"I see," Obi-Wan said, calculating in his head. "We don't have much time, then. Vader and the Inquisitor will surely approach you soon-"

"Already have," Ahsoka said coldly. He paused.

"What did they say to you?" Obi-Wan asked. "Did they try to get you to join their side?"

"Yes."

"What did you tell them?"

"No, of course. I don't want to become one of their horrible Inquisitors."

Obi-Wan puzzled things over in his head, trying to figure out their motive. They had definitely not approached him about this subject, meaning that Vader definitely meant to kill him after all. However, it seemed that Vader was more forgiving towards Ahsoka. Despite what he had said, it was true that they had once been brother and sister. It was possible that he genuinely intended to spare her.

"When the Trooper comes to deliver your lunch, tell them you want to speak with Vader again," he said. "Tell him you changed your mind."

"What?" Ahsoka demanded, incredulous. "Why would I ever do that?"

"Please, Ahsoka. It's the only way."

"No!" Ahsoka screeched, then realized that she had accidentally screamed out loud. Taking a deep breath, she lowered her voice and responded. "No," she said more firmly. "I don't see how that could possibly help our situation."

"It's the only way," Obi-Wan repeated. "Think about it, Ahsoka. If you agree to become an Inquisitor, they might release you and have your legs healed. Then you could-"

"No," Ahsoka said, and something about the firmness in her voice stopped him. "I'm not doing that. I'm sorry, but I just can't agree to any crazy plans any more. Not after this."

She paused, and Obi-Wan realized that she was exhausted. Now that their minds were linked, he could feel her tiredness and just how miserable she really was. Frowning, he decided to probe deeper.

"Are you alright?" he asked, concerned. "Did Vader do anything to you-"

"No."

"Oh." Obi-Wan paused. "I'm glad to hear that."

Ahsoka did not respond.

"I was worried he might try to hurt you..."

"He didn't," Ahsoka said wearily.

"That's good," Obi-Wan said. "He may say some hurtful things, but Anakin still cares about you after all. We may be able to use that to our advantage. If you tell him that-"

"I'm not talking to him, Obi-Wan."

Obi-Wan frowned.

In every mission that he had ever been on, his role had been to figure out a strategy. It was never an issue of manpower or strength; all his life, he had relied on his mind to get him out of tough situations. But right now, all Ahsoka kept giving him was a wall of resistance. How could they work together if she kept throwing down his ideas? He needed to get to the heart of this.

"I understand you're tired, Ahsoka. But really, time is of the essence right now. We need to work something out together and decide what our next move should be-"

"I don't care."

Obi-Wan stopped, shocked.

"I'm tired, Obi-Wan. I tried to do the right thing and take you and Leia home but that failed. I tried to turn back and rescue you, but that failed, too. Now, Vader has us all trapped in separate cells and I have no idea if I will ever see my partner again. I'm afraid I can't help but feel a little pessimistic right now."

Obi-Wan took a deep breath. "Ahsoka, I know everything looks a bit difficult right now, but we should not lose hope. We are so close to getting things right this time. All you have to do is tell Vader that-"

"Stop trying to get me to talk to him!" Ahsoka screamed, and Obi-Wan flinched. "What don't you understand about what I just said to you?" she snapped. "I. Don't. Want. To. Do. It!"

Her resistance to him was so strong that it nearly severed the Force connection. Obi-Wan was thrown back against the auto-med couch. He took deep breaths, shakily using all of his energy to cling on. "I'm...I'm sorry Ahsoka, I can stop talking about it now if you wish," he said.

But it wasn't enough.

"Why are you and Bail Organa always trying to trick me into doing something?" Ahsoka hissed. "Did you both know everything this whole time? Were you laughing behind my back, watching me run around and do your dirty work for you while having no clue what I had signed up for? If I had known what I was getting myself into, I would...I would've..."

Obi-Wan paused, confused. "What are you talking about, Ahsoka?" he asked gently. "I would never laugh behind your back at you-"

"You know exactly what I mean!" Ahsoka growled. When Obi-Wan did not respond, she yelled at him again. "About Leia's brother, and Anakin being Vader, and what happened to Padme after the War! OH, AND DID I MENTION? THE FACT THAT LEIA IS ANAKIN'S DAUGHTER!" Obi-Wan flinched, backing away even though there was nothing to attack him. "When did you plan on telling me any of that, huh? Or were you hoping that I would just finish your dirty work and never find out?"

Obi-Wan took a deep breath, trying to keep his mind clear while also processing everything. Ahsoka was furious and clenching both of her fists hard now, her knuckles turning a pale yellow. Obi-Wan thought over his words carefully before responding.

"Ahsoka," he said gently, "You are right. I am sorry. I was hiding a lot of information from you. I cannot deny that."

"You better not," she said bitterly.

"I know. I understand that you are still angry at me and I just want to say, it wasn't because I didn't trust you or your intelligence. On the contrary. However, I didn't know if it would be safe-"

"Like hell!" Ahsoka spat. "Were any of us ever safe? We were willingly entering Vader's domain, for crying out loud! I'm not the fourteen year-old Padawan that you and Anakin picked up at Christophsis anymore. I'm twenty-eight! You can't keep shielding me like a child forever!"

"You will always be a child to me, Ahsoka! How could I live with myself if Vader found out that you knew and killed you?"

"I could say the same," Ahsoka spat. "How did you expect me to go on if Vader found out and killed you?"

"I cannot live without you, Ahsoka, but I know you could survive without me."

"Bullshit!" Ahsoka growled. "Do you really see me as that cold-hearted?"

"I do not see you as cold-hearted, Ahsoka, although sometimes you can be somewhat impulsive-"

"Oh, like hell!" Ahsoka swore angrily. "I don't care if you feel guilty about killing or almost killing Anakin because of his bullshit decisions. Stop projecting onto me!"

Obi-Wan froze.

"I'm not him, Obi-Wan! Just because I choose to think differently from you doesn't mean that all my decisions are stupid. And finally, I am not a pawn or clueless child that you can just order around. I am my own person, and I wish you would treat me like one! You keep telling me to trust you, but how can I when you don't even put your confidence in me?"

With that, she sent a wave of her own energy towards him and Obi-Wan almost fell back from how powerful it was. He could feel it now, how strong she was in the Force, how much power she still wielded even with both of her legs injured. He reeled slightly, and took a few minutes to recover. He waited for several minutes, just to see if she wanted to continue. But Ahsoka had stopped talking. She had now closed her eyes and was breathing heavily, trying to calm down. She knew that leaning too much into anger would lead to the Dark Side, which was not what she wanted to do. But it was just so hard to control her emotions right now.

Obi-Wan took a deep breath, collecting his thoughts. Ahsoka waited, impatient to see what he had to say.

Finally, his message came.

"I...I'm sorry, Ahsoka."

No answer.

"You are right. I have been treating you rather unfairly."

Ahsoka narrowed her eyes, unimpressed.

"I was planning to eventually tell you. About Luke and Leia's father, and Anakin, and everything. I wish I had the time to talk to you about my last moments with Padme, and what she had to say about Anakin." He inhaled shakily, and in that moment Ahsoka understood that he was not lying. "But I was afraid. I let my weakness take over me."

Ahsoka almost rolled her eyes.

"No, I am making excuses again. I was a coward, but I also underestimated you. I thought that maybe, by keeping the truth from you, it would protect you from Vader going after you. But I see now that I have just gotten us all into further trouble. I'm sorry, Ahsoka...I don't know if you ever can, and I don't expect you to forgive me. But please, please don't shut me out," he begged. "You're the only person I can rely on right now, and I really, truly just want Leia to be safe."

Ahsoka took a deep breath, trying to get her heart rate back to normal.

Obi-Wan waited, holding his breath.

"Okay," she said.

He internally rejoiced.

"But we need to lay down some ground rules. No more secrets," she demanded. "And don't ask me to do anything I don't want to."

"Of course," Obi-Wan agreed eagerly.

"I'm not finished. From now on, you have to include me in your plans. I am not a Padawan anymore. I am your equal. This means you also have to listen to what I have to say. And sometimes, I will order you to do something too."

"Yes, of course, anything!"

"Finally..." Ahsoka paused. "I want to know the truth. About what happened between you and Anakin."

Obi-Wan looked down. The Force connection was starting to waver, as he was losing the stamina to keep it up. They didn't have much time. But he decided to humor her nonetheless. "Alright. I will not hide anything from you."

"Good," Ahsoka said. She did not probe further.

Obi-Wan blinked. "I thought you wanted to talk about it right now?"

"Now is not the best time," Ahsoka replied solemnly. "I'm more worried about Leia. What are we going to do now? Also, what if Vader finds out that she has a brother?"

Obi-Wan squinted, trying to think. "I am not sure. For now...we will have to keep hiding his existence. But it is best that we escape and contact Bail Organa as quickly as possible, so he can act for us."

Ahsoka frowned, concerned. "Does he have anyone to protect him right now?"

"Yes," Obi-Wan replied. "Well, I was supposed to be his protection. But I know his uncle and aunt will take good care of him. They love him just as much as a real son."

Both of them went silent for a few moments, deep in thought.

"Obi-Wan," Ahsoka said slowly, "I've been thinking..."

"Yes?"

"All of this...Anakin turning against the Jedi, Padme dying, Leia and Luke growing up without their real parents...is this all my fault?" she asked bluntly.

In that moment, it felt as if she was a child again, seeking the comfort of her old Master.

Obi-Wan's jaw dropped. "What?" he asked, shocked. "Of course not. Ahsoka, so many things happened while you were gone, you cannot possibly blame yourself for everything that went wrong...Ahsoka, why would you ever think that?" he asked gently. "You are the last person to blame for any of this. You could never hurt anyone."

"I don't know about that," she said darkly. "It's just...ever since I left the Jedi Order, I've always had this bad feeling, that there would be consequences...and look what happened. I almost died when I saw how badly you and Anakin were suffering," she murmured, and her voice began to tremble. "I keep thinking that, maybe if I stayed, Anakin wouldn't have gone to the Dark Side...you and him wouldn't have fought...and Padme, Padme might have stayed alive," she sobbed. "It's all my fault. I shouldn't have left."

Obi-Wan's eyes widened, and he felt a pang in his chest as he realized she was crying.

"Ahsoka, no, no," he murmured, trying to think of how to comfort her. "Ahsoka..." Her sobs grew even louder, and he felt his heart break for her. "Ahsoka, don't cry. Please don't cry, it's not...Ahsoka, please, listen to me."

Ahsoka couldn't control herself anymore. Days of exhaustion and desperation had finally worn her down, and she began to cry loudly. Since they were connected by the Force, Obi-Wan too felt her sadness and began to feel hot tears leak out of his eyes. But he did not care, did not even try to wipe them, could not be bothered to worry over himself when Ahsoka was crying all by herself in the cell next to him.

"Ahsoka..." he said gently, mustering the courage to say the words that he did could not say to himself, to speak the truth that hurt just as much as the lies he had told himself all those years. "Anakin...Anakin's fall was not your fault. The truth is that the Anakin we knew and loved...may not have been the person we thought he was. And it is easier to think that, maybe if you stayed, or maybe if I raised him differently, he wouldn't have done the things that he did. But at the end of the day, he is the one who had the most control over himself, not us. Which means that this was his choice. And that is the hardest part to accept."

Ahsoka sobbed.

"It is hard to understand, how the man who we knew as a loving brother and friend could fall so far and become so cruel," Obi-Wan murmured, "But that does not mean that his love for you...for us...was not real. I do believe that deep down he did genuinely care for us, greatly in fact. And Padme and I, we loved him just as much. We were crazy about him. Even after we found out when he returned from the Temple that he was the one who killed all of the Younglings, we still tried to reach out to him because we loved him that much. We would have taken him back even knowing everything that he had done."

The tears were steadily falling from Ahsoka's face now. She wailed loudly, as if her heart had been torn out, as if the wounds were from just yesterday.

"Ahsoka, you did not kill Anakin," he said gently. "Vader did."

Ahsoka sniffled. Obi-Wan wished he could reach through the walls, and hand her his sleeve, his robe, anything to dry her face with.

"He didn't use to be like this," she hiccupped. "I've never heard him speak to me like that before. He was so...cruel," she murmured.

"I know," Obi-Wan muttered. "He changed after he started talking to the Chancellor."

"The...Chancellor?" Ahsoka asked, confused.

"Senator Palpatine," Obi-Wan's face darkened. "Well, he doesn't go by that name anymore. These days, he calls himself The Emperor. You may have heard of him."

Ahsoka gasped.

"Many things changed after you left. Anakin began seeking the companionship of some rather unsavory characters. Master Windu disapproved of this, but I had already granted him his independence. I thought it was not my place to interfere until I realized it was too late. Padme too tried to dissuade him from crossing the line, but he wouldn't listen to either of us. He even raised his hand against her."

Ahsoka swallowed. "I never thought he would hurt Padme," she said slowly. "He loved her so much..."

"That's what I thought too. But," Obi-Wan sighed, "We can never know a person's true character. Who knows? Perhaps it was in him, all along."

Ahsoka grimaced, disturbed. "I guess maybe you're right," she mumbled. "I also never thought I would live to see the day that the clones would turn against us," she muttered bitterly.

Obi-Wan sighed, also remembering their comrades. "It wasn't their choice, Ahsoka. They used a chip inside their heads to mind control them. I even had to fight off Cody when Order 66 was activated and he was programmed to kill me."

"I know."

Obi-Wan paused.

"I had to remove something similar from Rex."

They sat for a few moments in silence. They both had questions they wanted to ask each other, about if each other's companion survived. They both kept their thoughts to themselves, knowing that not knowing was better.

Just then, Obi-Wan was startled by the sound of the magnetic barrier being deactivated from outside of his cell. Panicking, he immediately cut off the connection and straightened up, just in time to see Vader strolling into his cell. He instantly got into a defensive position, expecting him to cut off his other leg.

"Hello, Kenobi," Vader said, and something about his tone sounded odd. He was not angry or silently hiding his murderous intent behind a mask of indifference today. Obi-Wan frowned. He did not know how to handle this unprecedented situation. It made him nervous.

"Vader," Obi-Wan said cautiously. "You seem...different from usual."

"I am," Vader replied. "I suppose you could say I am in a good mood. Do you know why?"

"No."

"Hm. Well, let me enlighten you," Vader paused. "You see before, I was rather furious with you. I was thinking about killing you and then Ahsoka. But then I came to a realization."

"And what is it that you realized?" Obi-Wan asked suspiciously.

"I realized that I was holding myself back," Vader replied, "Because somewhere, in some part of me...I suppose, the part that still thinks of myself as Anakin Skywalker...was clinging on to both of you. Why, I do not know. Clearly, neither of you are worth my time, since you will never accept me," he sneered. "But I know now where my priorities lie. And that is in my duties as a father."

Obi-Wan almost snorted out loud. "Your duties," he said incredulously.

"Yes," Vader replied. "It is a most fulfilling and satisfying realization. I am excited to begin this new stage of my life."

"You are delusional," Obi-Wan spat. "What will you do if the Emperor finds out?"

"Oh, I assure you, he will not. I intend to kill every person who catches even a mere glimpse of my daughter. And naturally, I will keep all of you safe here where you cannot betray me ever again. It is, I think, a most ingenious arrangement," Vader smirked.

Obi-Wan glared at him furiously. "You are out of your mind, Anakin!" he shouted. "You cannot just force the poor girl to accept you as her father!"

"Can't I?" Vader smirked. "Your little Padawan said the same thing. I was angry at first until I realized both of you have always been conspiring against me. Why should I listen to the words of naysayers who only wish to see me fail? I would sooner take advice from my worst enemy."

Obi-Wan glowered at him, speechless with anger and unable to form a response. Vader just laughed loudly, the sound distorted and amplified by the mechanical vocoder in his helmet.

"Goodbye, old man," Vader said. "I was going to kill you, but I have an important meeting with the Emperor today and I would hate to keep him waiting. Enjoy your solitude."

Obi-Wan opened his mouth to yell and Vader turned around, completely ignoring him. He did however flick his wrist and the auto-med couch's shackles immediately sprung to life and restrained Obi-Wan while a new dose of sweetblossom was injected directly into his veins. All he could do was make muffled noises around the gag on his mouth before the narcotics took over and he passed out completely.

"Hello again, my friend," Palpatine greeted Vader as he came into view on the holoprojector. "You seem to be doing well."

"Thank you, Master," Vader replied. "I am pleased to see that you are also in good health."

"I see," Palpatine said. "I am relieved to see that you are holding up fine. I was concerned that, given that we are approaching the anniversary of a rather sensitive date..." He paused, waiting to gauge Vader's reaction, "...You might be experiencing some conflicting emotions. It appears that is not the case."

Vader paused. It was true, he usually became somewhat emotional every year around the time of Padme's death. But with everything that had happened recently, he had been too occupied to think about it. "Thank you for your concern, Master. But you need not worry for my wellbeing. I am strong in the Force, and I anticipate there will be no complications impeding me from carrying out your bidding as you see fit."

Palpatine raised an eyebrow. "Indeed," he said cautiously. "You seem to be at the top of your form, in fact. I myself would give much of my personal fortune to attain the level of enthusiasm that you exude today."

"It is just that I am so pleased to have finally defeated and captured Kenobi, Master," Vader insisted. "Revenge does wonders for the will to live...wouldn't you agree?"

Palpatine's lip curled upwards into a smile. "That I can certainly agree with, my good Apprentice," he nodded. "How right you are. I am pleased to see that you are turning out just like your Master."