I fucking love top Obi fics, I totally get people who like Top Anakin obikin fics and I’ve definitely read my fair share but like idk. I see Obiwan and I’m like yesssss. Like he looks like he knows how to dominate someone.
He just gives major top vibes, I think Ewan Mcgregor just gives major top vibes in general though. Especially in his more recent films, maybe it’s because he’s like such a dilf. It’s funny because I recently saw a gif set for something he played in and I’m pretty sure he was a bottom in the show but the whole thing gave total dom energy.
@himboskywalker once elaborated in a post about why they like top Obiwan and I think they explained it really well. They mentioned something about how people seem to take Obiwan out of character and I totally agree with that assessment.
One of the reasons I consider him such a top is just that like when I watch the films I think Obiwan acts so dom overall and Anakin just gives me such submissive bottom energy lol.
Like in the fucking scene in Palpatine’s office when he’s breathing hard and drops to his knees and he’s like “I pledge myself.. to your teachings.” That scene is actually insane, like the way he’s looking up from the ground and the way he’s talking. He’s having one of the worst days of his entire life (and it’s about to get way worse) and he’s looking so good lmao. If it was any other person in the room with him I’d be like “yessssss bro is dtf” but it’s literally fucking raisin Palpatine man he’s looking at.
Like do not lie, if it was any other situation I’d be raving about his bedroom eyes, but he’s looking at the raisin man!! Like Anakin?!!?!? Buddy wtf!?!?! He’s clearly lost his mind for real this time.
I feel like with Obiwan, Obi just seems like he always has his shit together. Like he’s High General, a council member, master to the Chosen One, he’s helping said Chosen One to raise his own Padawan, he cut a Sith Lord in half when he was a Padawan himself, he’s like the undefeated master of Soresu, and, one of the things I love most, he’s a fucking constant thorn in Sidious’s side. Like he’s just so competent and like competency doesn’t equal being a top lol but idk it’s giving Dom top energy. Like just because he’s got his shit together doesn’t mean he always needs to be in control of every situation but like idk he gives me that vibe. Anakin is definitely getting it good, like be for real.
And like when Obiwan is admonishing Anakin, or when he’s praising him (Anakin Skywalker definitely has a canon praise kink). I just feel like he’s out here domming this kid lol.
He needs to just dom his kid back from the dark side. A mixture of praise and admonishment. Maybe bending him over his knees would’ve helped Anakin’s clear his head.
Like the AO3 tag “fuck Anakin Skywalker back to the light” but instead “Dom Anakin Skywalker back to the light.” Is that a tag already?
Not to be graphic, although I probably have said crazier shit, but I tell my friends whenever we watch ROTS that “I think everything would’ve been fine if Obi had just bent Anakin over and fucked the shit out of him.” I think it would’ve helped his emotional issues and made him feel more calm. He just needs to be dommed, and loved on, and also worn out so he doesn’t have all this crazy restless energy lol. Obi-Wan should just fuck him until he’s crying and then let him sleep it off.
Maybe my thoughts come down to that at the end of the day Obiwan Kenobi is not getting on his knees for a Sith Lord ever in his life.
Well…. Maybe Darth Vader if the situation was different. I definitely love my fair share of sith Obi fics and I do think some of them are plausible. But canon ROTS Obiwan Kenobi will laugh in a Sith lord’s face, he will not be getting on his knees for anyone…..well…maybe for Anakin later 🤭….but anyways…. He’s not submitting to Darth Sidious anytime soon.
I’m sure I’ll be thinking about this later and I’ll come back and add more reasons lol. But like Dom Top Obi is so fucking sexy.
Fandom: Ateez
Rating: Mature
Status: Complete
Pairing: Obikin, Obi-Wan Kenobi/Anakin Skywalker
AO3 WATTPAD TAB MASTERLIST
THE MASTERLIST OF MASTERLISTS
*** MY WORK IS NOT TO BE POSTED ON ANY OTHER SITE WITHOUT MY EXPRESS WRITTEN PERMISSION. THOUGH REBLOGS AND COMMENTS ARE SUPER LOVED AND APPRECIATED! THANKS FAM!*** ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SUMMARY: Anakin and Obi-wan can never catch a break, and this mission is no different. Unfortunately this time their misfortune comes in the form of three Dathomiri witch sisters, a seemingly unbreakable spell with a potentially fatal outcome, a very short time frame, and an extremely oblivious Jedi Master.
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Epilogue
“Obi-Wan.” Anakin moaned the name off swollen lips. His head was tossed back, arm outstretched behind him, neck exposed as he rocked in Obi-Wan’s lap.
Obi-Wan rocked up to meet him as he leaned forward to graze his teeth down Anakin's neck. He kept a steady rhythm, snapping his hips up each time, revelling in the chesty moans Anakin let go each time their bodies met.
He clutched tighter to Anakin's hips, digging his fingers in hard enough to bruise as Anakin's hand at the back of his neck tugged at his hair. Their lips met in a kiss that was more tongue and panted breaths then touching lips. They swallowed each other's grunts and cries of names, rocked endlessly against each other until their thighs started to shake and they both knew they weren't much longer to last.
“Obi-Wan,” Anakin breathed into his mouth, “Obi-Wan, I'm so close.”
“So am I, dear one.” He pressed his lips to Anakin’s and sucked on his bottom lip before he pulled back and pressed their foreheads together. “Tell me what you need, darling.”
He whined and jerked forward when Obi-Wan thrust a bit deeper and hit that perfect spot. His other hand moved from the mattress to wrap around Obi-Wan’s neck, pulling himself close enough to whisper in his ear, “Lay me back and love me hard. Make me shake, make me scream your name. Give me everything.”
“Anything you want, my love, I will give you.”
He laid Anakin back on the bed and hovered over him for a moment, just staring at the beautiful man beneath him. It was moments like these that made him think back to that swamp, to almost losing Anakin, losing all of this, because of the Council and his stubborn loyalty to a system that kept him from love. And everyday he gets to spend with Anakin now, be it in bed wrapped together skin on skin, or merely settled together on the couch in perfect silence, cuddled beneath a blanket and just being, he treasures each and every second because he knows what it feels like to lose it all. And he never wants to feel that hurt again.
Anakin's hand came to rest on his cheek, pushing back slowly to caress the back of his head and tangle his fingers in his hair. "What are you thinking about?"
Obi-Wan closed his eyes and let himself bask in Anakin's touch for a moment, before he opened them and smiled down at him. "You," he answered, "and how truly lucky I am to have you here with me right now, how I came so close to losing you."
"Don't think about that," he pulled Obi-Wan closer to him, pressed their chests together and rubbed their noses, "we are here together and that's all that matters. The swamp, the witch sisters, the Council, they are all in the past. From now on it's just you and me."
"You're right, dear one," Obi-Wan answered, settling even more between Anakin's legs, making him moan when his cock shifted inside him, "what I should be focusing on now is ravishing you as thoroughly as you desire."
Anakin hummed and turned his head when Obi-Wan leaned forward to suck on his neck, just below his jaw. "Get to it then, old man. I'm waiting."
He chuckled into his skin, the vibrations in his chest making Anakin arch and buck up into him. "So impatient, and so bratty." He lifted to kiss him once, and then a second time much more thoroughly. "I love you so much, Anakin."
"I know," he smiled, his own feelings shining through his eyes, "of course I know, and I love you too."
Without another word shared between them Anakin grasped tightly to Obi-Wan’s shoulders, and Obi-Wan began thrusting his hips against Anakin with a brutal pace. Their lips rested together, tongues occasionally licking at the other's mouth, swallowing each other's moans and panted breaths.
Anakin's fingernails left red marks in Obi-Wan’s shoulders where they dug in, and Obi-Wan surely left finger shaped bruises on Anakin's thigh where he held his leg in place over his back. Their bodies rubbed and smacked together, their moans and cries filled the room. The bed rocked with their synchronized movements as their bodies met with each snap of Obi-Wan’s hips. But it was just them, just the two of them and their love for each other on clear display for one another. They could hear it, feel it, taste it. It was perfect, and from here on out it would always be perfect.
Anakin squeezed his legs tighter around Obi-Wan and lifted his body closer to meet Obi-Wan’s thrusts, pushing him impossibly deeper inside him. "Obi-Wan," his head tossed back and moaned the name, before breathing in Obi-Wan’s ear, heady and husky, "I'm going to come, Obi-Wan, make me come."
He instantly picked up his pace, his thrusts becoming shorter and increasingly erratic. Soon their movements became jerky and uneven, both of them panting and trying desperately to breathe.
Anakin felt his torso tighten as his release came and he arched through it, scratching his nails down Obi-Wan’s shoulders as he came between them. Obi-Wan wasn't far behind, only a few staggered thrusts before he was coming too, his hips held deep inside Anakin as he claimed him and collapsed ontop of him.
The two of them laid there for a while after that, sweat slicked and covered in Anakin’s come. When their breathing calmed and the bliss allowed them to slowly slink back to reality, Obi-Wan rolled to the side and pulled out of Anakin.
He whined at the loss and the feeling of Obi-Wan’s come running out of him, but before he had a chance to complain Obi-Wan was already there cleaning him up. He took his time running the wash cloth over his body, leaving gentle kisses along Anakin's body as he did, cherishing the man every second he could. He would always take the time to love him like this, and when they escaped the swamp together he swore to himself he would never let a second pass without loving him.
When he was finished, he laid back on the bed and opened his arms for Anakin to lay on his chest. Anakin tucked himself into Obi-wan’s chest while he held him close and rubbed his hands up and down his back, and for the better part of the day they stayed like that. At some point they fell asleep wrapped together atop the sheets, the sun filtering through the windows and warming their stretched out limbs.
Obi-Wan woke first in the late afternoon with Anakin still passed out on his chest. He leaned down to kiss his head, pressing his lips to his skin until he began to stir and finally woke.
"Welcome back, my love," Obi-Wan smiled down at him and ran a hand through his hair, "sleep well?"
Anakin hummed pleasantly and plopped his head back on his chest. "The best sleep of my life, as is always the case after you pound me into the mattress."
"Don't talk like that, dear one. We do not have time to start with round two."
"Awe, come on, Obi-Wan," he said, reaching a hand down to run at Obi-Wan’s crotch, his cock responding to him instantly, "we have time."
"As much as you know I would love to," he pulled away and twisted put from beneath Anakin to hover over him instead, "but you know we have company coming this evening, and we are not presentable."
"Right," he groaned, "Padmé and Quinlan are visiting today."
"Yes, so let's get up and get ready, they should be here very soon."
Obi-Wan lifted himself up and walked toward the fresher. Anakin lifted up to rest on his elbow on the bed and watched Obi-Wan as he walked. His eyes caught on every muscle as he moved, the curve of his back, his round yet sculpted ass. He also caught all the marks he'd left behind not too long ago, the crescent nail Marks on his shoulders, the long red trails where he had dragged his fingers down as he came, the bruises just above his ass where his heels had dug in. He sighed and laid back, trying desperately to tamp down his arousal that came on just from looking at Obi-Wan. He couldn't believe this man was his.
"Anakin, get out of bed, my love," Obi-Wan called from the fresher, "or do I have to come over there and carry you?"
Anakin simply lifted both arms from where he was still laying on the bed and waited. As promised Obi-Wan came over and lifted Anakin over his shoulder and carried him to the fresher while he laughed. They both got ready together, washed their passion off of each other and dressed. As much as Anakin had been ready to rile Obi-Wan up despite their incoming company, both Anakin and Obi-Wan also loved moments like this, simply being in each other's company without anything or anyone hanging over their heads.
"Are you ready, my love?" Obi-Wan asked as he walked over to Anakin and fixed a stray piece of hair.
"Ready." He smiled and took Obi-Wan’s hand, entwining their fingers and walking out of their room with him tucked close to his side.
"Let's go welcome our guests then."
~~~~~~~~~~~
They stood out front of the house and watched as the ship hovered above for a moment before landing softly in the front yard. Anakin was practically buzzing beside Obi-Wan to the point where he had to hold him back before he charged the ship.
The door opened and Padmé and Quinlan were there, Padmé running down the ramp to collide in a tight hug with Anakin.
"It's so good to see you," Padmé said, then let go of Anakin to move over to hug Obi-Wan, "you both look so good!"
"You as well," Obi-Wan said, then turned to Quinlan, "it's good to see you, my friend."
"And you, Obi-Wan." They clasped each other in a quick hug.
Obi-Wan placed his hand on Quinlan’s shoulder and moved him a few steps to the side, out of earshot of Anakin and Padmé who were happily captured in a conversation. "Is there any news?"
"Nothing more than the last time we visited," he answered with a shrug, "the trial against myself and Padmé is over now, after a year of utter nonsense, but thankfully we have both been acquitted. As for the Council, the news on them is the same. They will never stop hunting you, either of you, but as of this point there is nothing more they can do. Both Padmé and I will take your secret to the grave, and they will never find you here. These lands are protected by Naboolian law, so they can hunt as long as they wish, but you and Anakin are free to live out your lives here together, happily and with no worries."
"I'm glad to hear your trial is over, and I'm sorry we dragged you into this."
Quinlan scoffed and gave Obi-Wan’s shoulder a hard pat. "Sure you are." Obi-Wan rolled his eyes playfully. "But you know I would do it all over again if I had to, both of us would."
"And we thank you for that, truly. You have both given us so much, we owe you everything." He reached out and placed his hand on Quinlan’s shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze.
"You owe us nothing," he answered, "and you know I will continue to keep a close eye on the Council. If I hear of any stirrings in regards to you or Anakin, you can trust I will always be ten steps ahead of them."
"Thank you, dear friend." He pulled Quinlan in for another quick hug, then turned with an arm still around him. "Anakin, should we take our guests inside for dinner?"
Anakin nodded and ran hand in hand into the house with Padmé, soon followed by Quinlan and Obi-Wan. They all sat down for dinner, talked about everything and anything, and at the end of the night they stood outside and watched Padmé and Quinlan’s ship leave their front yard, with promises of another visit soon.
They both settled into bed not long after that, tangled together beneath the sheets. Anakin fell asleep fast and Obi-Wan, as always, spent a while watching him peacefully dreaming on top of his chest. He smiled, thankful that they were together, thankful they had friends looking out for them, and thankful his love was safe, that they were both safe.
The last thing he did before he let sleep take him too, was reach a hand down to his robes that he had dropped beside the bed before getting in. He rustled around until he found the pocket, reached in, and pulled out the small black box that Quinlan had subtly passed him later on in the night, before he had left.
The ring inside had been one that Obi-Wan had custom designed himself and asked Quinlan on his last visit to have it made. It was a simple golden band with the date he and Anakin had met engraved on the inside of the ring. Their lives on Naboo had been perfect thus far, a dream since they had left the Council behind them, but Obi-Wan could not wait until the next morning, when he would propose to Anakin and make their lives even more perfect then they already were. He could not wait to marry his love, to finally be one in every way, and that night he went to sleep with thoughts of their wedding day on his mind and Anakin consuming his dreams.
<- PREVIOUS
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A/N: And that's the end for our boys!
And a big thanks to everyone who read and commented, you guys are the best <3
@artemisthehuntress and I’s final chapter of “put your hands on my cashmere sweater” is now posted if anyone is interested in some soft literature-themed smut on this fine Wednesday evening.
im currently 90 pages into an obikin fic and i reeaaaaallly want to just start posting it now, but then again theres also a part of my brain that says i should finish writing it first......
good greif, what do i do?? to post or not to post?
Summary: What if Obi-wan hadn’t been granted permission to train Anakin in the ways of the Force? What if Qui-Gon hadn’t perished during the battle with Darth Maul? How differently would things have turned out?
*** MY WORK IS NOT TO BE POSTED ON ANY OTHER SITE WITHOUT MY EXPRESS WRITTEN PERMISSION. THOUGH REBLOGS AND COMMENTS ARE SUPER LOVED AND APPRECIATED! THANKS FAM!***
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Chapter 18
The doors opened and revealed Obi-Wan. Anakin had never been so relieved in his life to see him standing there, alive, but at the same time he was absolutely terrified. He had both seen and felt the power of the Sith Lord that Obi-Wan was about to face, and he worried for Obi-Wan’s life. He was a skilled Jedi, that he knew, but the Sith were powerful. He may have defeated one already, but he was merely an Apprentice, and he now had to face the Master.
“Obi-Wan,” Palpatine drawled, not seeming at all bothered or threatened by his presence.
“Chancellor,” he quipped back, slowly walking toward him.
“Actually it's Darth Sidious,” he sneered, but Obi-Wan paid his remark no mind, “I think it's only fair you know the true identity of the man who is about to kill you.”
“I will not be defeated as easily as you hope,” Obi-Wan answered, coming to a stop a few feet away from Palpatine, and just slightly to the left of Anakin, “you've taken something that belongs to me, and I want him back. So either you can give him to me now, or I will be the one who is killing you.”
Palpatine pondered his words for a moment while he regarded Obi-Wan before him, then let out a low, slow chuckle, “Taken a taste have we?” Obi-Wan said nothing, only continued to stare right back at the Sith Lord. “No matter, it may have been enough to help you take down my Apprentice, but it won't be enough to defeat me.”
Palpatine drew his saber and lit it at his side, so Obi-Wan did the same. “Have it your way then.”
Unlike with Maul, Obi-Wan wasted no time in making the first move, and jumped forward with a violent swing of his saber. Within seconds the two of them were locked in a heated battle right before Anakin's eyes, and he was instantly crushed by the panic consuming him.
He watched as their sabers clashed together in a viscous storm of red and blue as they took turns advancing on one another. Anakin had never been so locked in fear in his entire life, his chest tight with the distress of coming to terms with the fact that he may very well be forced to watch his Jedi fall to Palpatine, and that was something he knew he would not survive. Obi-Wan had to win, he had to come out of this alive, otherwise Palpatine would kill them both right here.
As Anakin watched the seemingly endless battle, Obi-Wan holding his own against the powerful Sith Lord, he noticed something was different, something was off about Obi-Wan. He was thrilled that Obi-Wan was seeming to match Palpatine's strength, but it almost seemed that even though he was looking at Obi-Wan’s body, someone else was fighting. He had spent so much time on Naboo training with Obi-wan, that he knew the Jedi's movements inside and out, he knew him in mind, body, and spirit, and this was not the Obi-Wan he knew. This Obi-Wan was edgy, risky, almost savage in the way of his movements. His Obi-Wan, the Obi-Wan he knew and loved wholeheartedly, was calculated, calm, fluid, and this was not that at all.
Then he thought back to what Palpatine had said when Obi-Wan first walked in, when he had asked Obi-Wan if he had ‘taken a taste’. He hadn't thought much of it then, too overwhelmed with emotions when he realized Obi-Wan was not dead like Palpatine had told him, but coupled with what Anakin was watching right now it all made sense. Obi-Wan had let the dark side in. He knew what Palpatine had meant, and even though Obi-Wan was still managing to match the strength of a powerful Sith Lord, he knew that this is not what Obi-Wan would want. He also knew that if he didn't do something, he was going to lose Obi-Wan whether he died or not. And after that he would have to pray to the Force that Obi-Wan was strong enough to defeat Palpatine without the aid of the dark side.
“Obi-Wan, Obi-Wan!” Anakin shouted, but Obi-Wan made no indication that he'd heard him. “Obi-Wan, don't do this! This is exactly what he wants, he wants the Jedi to fall to the dark side! You have to fight it!”
Again Obi-Wan completely ignored Anakin, continuing his grueling fight with Palpatine, so Anakin tried again. “I know this isn't you, I know this isn't what you would want, and I know you're only doing it to save me. But it isn't worth it, Obi-Wan, it isn't worth living if I lose you to the dark side anyway. You can still fight it, you can still come back!”
He still got no answer from Obi-Wan as he continued his vicious onslaught against Palpatine, so he tried again, “Obi-Wan listen to me, listen to my voice! I need you to come back to the light, alright, because without you I will be lost. You've always been my light, Obi-Wan, right from the very first day I met you all those years ago on Tatooine, and all the years between when we were separated, right up until meeting you again on Naboo, and even still now. I need you to guide me, and I need you to remember how bright your light has always been.”
Anakin was sure he saw the faintest of faltered steps as Obi-Wan backed away from a blow from Palpatine, and he only hoped it meant he was finally getting through, that he was hearing him. “Do you remember how you felt when we were reunited? When you hugged me in the palace? I finally felt whole again being wrapped up in your arms.”
Another faltered step, this one more obvious than the last, so Anakin continued. “And at the Villa, all the days we spent together in the fields were some of my happiest days, and I know they were yours too. Hearing you laugh, seeing you smile, learning about our bond. I want to be able to feel that again, Obi-Wan, I want to be able to feel you through the bond for the rest of my life.
And do you remember the first time we kissed? Our first night together? How perfect it all was, how made for each other we are? And…” Anakin faltered, a few tears falling from his eyes, “You promised me, Obi-Wan, you promised me that I could hear your voice whenever I wanted, for the rest of my life. I want to hear you tell me you love me again, and I want to hear it every day so that I can tell you how much I love you too. And if I can't… Obi-wan, please come back to me, I need you to come back to me. I won't survive losing you, I won't.”
Just as Anakin finished, gasping for breath around the sobs that he could no longer hold back, Obi-Wan and Palpatine swung away from each other. On Anakin’s last words Obi-Wan gave his head a light shake, for a moment seeming disoriented, then he finally, finally, turned to Anakin. “Anakin…” He breathed, and Anakin was so relieved.
“Yeah,” Anakin smiled, nodding his head at Obi-Wan, and though he still couldn't feel the bond he could feel the light returning to Obi-Wan again. But then he gasped, calling out Obi-Wan’s name desperately as he looked to his right.
Obi-Wan followed his gaze and jumped back just in time to duck away from Palpatine's saber, and once again they were locked in a heated battle. Though this time Anakin could tell it was Obi-Wan fighting, his calm and calculated Jedi was back, but he could also see that Obi-Wan was struggling to hold back the heavy blows of the Sith Lord.
He had to try and help him somehow, or Obi-Wan was going to lose. On any other playing field he wouldn't have been so worried, but Palpatine was stronger here, the dark side was stronger here, and Obi-Wan was at an unfair disadvantage because of it. He started pulling harder against the bonds around his wrists and ankles, but of course it was of no use, they were too strong for him to break through. But he kept trying, using all the strength he could muster within him, but his worry was only growing with every blow from Palpatine.
“You will not defeat me, Obi-Wan. You may have had a chance with the dark side in you, but now you are weak,” he spat, forcing Obi-Wan to stumble backward with a swing of his saber, “and once I kill you while Anakin watches, he will be weak enough for me to finally begin my plan. Thanks to your oh-so-precious love, the dark side will reign! I will be Emperor of the entire Galaxy!”
Palpatine swung his lightsaber at Obi-Wan a few more times, the speed and consistency of it throwing him off balance, and it was just enough for Palpatine to get the upper hand. He held out one of his hands and shot a powerful stream of electricity at Obi-Wan, dropping the Jedi to his knees and causing him to drop his saber. Obi-Wan cried out while his entire body seized and Palpatine was not letting up. He laughed, his head thrown back in joyous laughter while he watched Obi-Wan suffer, coupled by the terrified shrieks coming from Anakin somewhere to the side. Finally he let go, and Obi-Wan’s body slumped forward, his arms coming out to catch him before his face hit the floor, but they were weak and shaky. He eyed his saber to his right, out of arm's reach but still close, but he knew he wouldn't have been able to call it to him even if he tried.
“You should have stayed connected to the dark side, Obi-Wan,” Palpatine sneered as he moved closer to hover over him, “it would have made you stronger, then perhaps you might have had a chance to save your precious little Anakin.”
“I will never surrender to the dark side,” he panted, forcing himself to look up at the Sith Lord, “and at least if I die here, I will die on the side of light.”
Palpatine shook his head, “All this, for a weak, pathetic man.”
“He is more than you will ever know, and I would do anything for him.”
“You love him?”
“Yes!” He answered, not a second of hesitation.
“Would you die for him?” Palpatine asked with a smirk.
“Without a doubt in my mind,” he said, firm and true. Anakin was his world, and if it was him or Anakin, then he would give his life in an instant.
This only seemed to please Palpatine more as his smirk grew to a full faced grin. “Then on your knees, Jedi!” He reached out and used the Force to roughly lift Obi-Wan up to sit back on his knees and held him there.
Obi-Wan knew this was it. He had lost, he was too weak to fight back but there was still a chance for Anakin. Qui-Gon couldn't be too far behind now with the Clones, Obi-Wan only hoped he'd bought Qui-Gon enough time to find his balance, then get here and save Anakin. If anyone had to die here, he was glad it was him and not his beloved.
He turned his head to look over at Anakin. He was a mess, still desperately fighting against the energy bonds that held him in place. His face was tear streaked, his eyes were red rimmed and still consistently spilling tears, and the look he was giving Obi-Wan had his gut in knots. He could see the distress in his eyes, the shake of his head as he begged for Obi-Wan’s life, but it was useless. Palpatine would not leave him alive.
Obi-Wan gave Anakin the softest most genuine smile he could manage. They may not have the bond right now but he wanted Anakin to know it was okay, that Anakin was going to be alright. “My darling,” Obi-Wan said softly to Anakin, “you must stay strong, keep fighting, never give up, be that stubborn man I know you can be. And always remember that I love you, Anakin. I will always love you… my dear one.”
Before Anakin could say anything in return, Palpatine used both hands to hit Obi-Wan with the most powerful burst of electricity Anakin had seen him use yet. He screamed a harsh, “No!” at the top of his lungs as he watched Obi-Wan fall backward and hit the ground, convulsing, and Palpatine was not stopping. He was going to kill Obi-Wan right in front of him.
The pain Anakin felt was unbearable, indescribable. There was nothing he could do to stop this and it was killing him ever more. As he watched his Jedi slowly dying just a few feet from him he could feel this energy building inside him, something new he had never felt before, taking him over and quickening his breathing, his entire body starting to shake with the force of it. His muscles pulled taught, his arms and legs strained against the energy bonds. He didn't know what was happening, and he didn't care, he just needed to get to Obi-Wan.
He took a few deep, rushed breaths as it grew and grew, and when it built to unimaginable levels he lifted his head and roared and endless, “Stop!” so loud he was sure it echoed through the entire Citadel. The feeling inside him suddenly peaked, and in the blink of an eye it exploded from his body. The bonds around his wrists and ankles shattered, and it burst out from his body like a shockwave, so powerful that it sent Palpatine flying across the room, finally releasing his hold on Obi-Wan.
Anakin landed back on the ground as the feeling inside him leveled out and he knew exactly what it was. He had felt it during his training with Obi-Wan on Naboo, had felt it through the bond they shared, he felt it every time Obi-Wan looked at him, everytime he touched him, every time he kissed him. It was the Force, it was pure light, and it was strong within him. And when Anakin looked up to where Palpatine was still huddled against the far wall of the room, the look in his eyes said all he needed to know. Anakin was as powerful as he had said he was, and now he was powerful enough to take him down. He should never have touched Obi-Wan, because now he was going to feel the full force of his love for the Jedi he had just tried to kill.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Qui-Gon stood on still unsteady legs, his body slowly finding balance. Rex and Cody both lent him an arm to help him back to his feet, still worried about his clearly weakened state, as well as the still missing Obi-Wan. He hadn't come back, they hadn't heard from him after he exploded and took off, they didn't even know if he was alive right now.
When Qui-Gon got to his feet, he winced slightly and took a small step back, each of the Clones holding tighter to his arms just in case he fell again.
“Sir, are you alright?” Rex asked.
“I’m fine,” he nodded, reassuring the Clones and finally able to stand on his own feet again, “but there is something happening, I can feel it. I'm not sure what it is but something within the Force has shifted.”
“Is it Obi-Wan?” Cody asked, he was extremely worried about his friend, he had never seen him in such a way before.
“I cannot be sure, but let us move quickly,” Qui-Gon answered and lifted a hand to force open the doors Obi-Wan had left through, “if it is Obi-Wan, he may need our help.”
The Clones took no time to follow Qui-Gon through the doors and deep within the Citadel. Eventually they came to the room where Obi-Wan’s first fight had taken place, finding the now cold body of Darth Maul laying in the center of the room. Rex checked for a pulse on his way by, shaking his head up at Cody and Qui-Gon who were waiting for his answer. Obi-Wan had defeated Darth Maul, finally he would no longer be able to wreak havoc in the Galaxy. But there was still one more Sith Lord they would have to defeat.
“Sir?” One of the Clones called from the back of the room where he was standing in front of another set of doors. “You'll have to use the Force again.”
Qui-Gon nodded and reached a hand out toward the door, but he stopped and stepped closer, closing his eyes. “The shift in the Force I felt earlier, it is strong inside this room.”
“Is that a good thing or a bad thing?” Rex asked.
Qui-Gon shut his eyes tighter in concentration, “It is not the dark side, but it is something the strength of which I have never felt before.”
“If it isn't the dark side,” Cody started, hope filling his voice, “then maybe Obi-Wan defeated Palpatine.”
“There is still hope, my friends,” he lifted his hand again to force the door open, then turned back to the Clones, “be ready just in case, we are walking into the unknown.”
~~~~~~~~~~~
“Anakin wait,” Palpatine begged from where he was still huddled against the wall while Anakin marched closer, determination set deep in his features, “this was all just some misunderstanding, I'm sure. We can work this out-”
“Cut your diplomacy crap!” Anakin shouted, “You betrayed me, you betrayed Padmé, you betrayed all of Naboo! You lied to everyone, the Jedi, the Council, the Senate. You attacked Obi-Wan, my Obi-Wan!”
“Anakin, my boy,” he pleaded, a pathetic desperate attempt to stop him, “allow me to explain…”
In a last ditch effort Palpatine thrust a hand forward and shot electricity at Anakin, but to his utter shock and disbelief Anakin merely held out his own hand, and the lightning dissipated before it even had the chance to touch him.
The Sith Lord watched him with wide eyes, and stuttered, “I have never seen the likes of this before. What… what are you?”
“Stronger than you,” was his reply, before holding his hand out to Palpatine and swinging it to the right, sending him flying across the room to smash into the other wall.
He kept Palpatine at his mercy, using his new found strength in the Force to throw him from wall to wall a few more times, before bringing him back to the wall in front of him and suspending him a few feet in the air, choking him. Palpatine was gasping for air, but the hold Anakin had on him was strong.
“You will never betray anyone ever again, you will never touch Obi-Wan ever again, and now you will pay for everything you have done and everyone you have ever made suffer. The dark side and the Sith end here!” Anakin used the Force to tighten his hold around Palpatine's neck, watching him gasp for air and all but stop breathing. He was ready to kill him and make sure this never happened again.
But then a thought raced through him, a voice ran soothingly through his mind as he remembered the words Obi-Wan had once spoken to him back on Naboo, during their training sessions. He had told him to be one with the Force, that he had to learn how to control it, to control his emotions and not let it overpower or consume him. That the Jedi stood for peace and justice, and once again he was wracked with the thought that Obi-Wan would be disappointed in him if he let his teachings fall through the cracks. So he took a hard breath and pulled his hand back, letting Palpatine fall back to the ground, landing hard and instantly gasping for breath.
It took a moment for Anakin to calm his mind and the Force that was still humming strongly within him, but after a few deep breaths he could feel it settling inside him, and finally he was able to master his control. When he opened his eyes he realized that he could feel the sudden presence of another in the room, and he noticed he had been feeling them there since he started his retaliation against Palpatine, which meant they had been there to witness everything.
When he turned to the door he saw Qui-Gon there, standing with a handful of other men surrounding him. He hoped Qui-Gon wouldn't be displeased with him either, seeing as he had just almost killed the former Chancellor, but the man merely nodded at him as he entered the room.
“Commander Rex, Commander Cody,” Qui-Gon said as he continued walking toward Anakin, “if you'd please take Palpatine into custody, we will transport him back to Coruscant where his fate will be decided by the Council.”
The two men nodded and ran over to where Palpatine was still laying on the ground and dealt with him, while Qui-Gon finally reached Anakin. “Prince Anakin, are you alright?”
But Anakin didn't answer him. His eyes had moved from Qui-Gon to the still unmoving body on the ground behind him, and that was his only concern right now, even over his own well being. He moved around Qui-Gon and started at a run, calling out to him as he got closer, “Obi-Wan, Obi-Wan!”
~~~~~~~~~~~
A/N: Omg we are winding down to the end, almost there but still more to go!
Tags: @peaches-n-pancakes
Summary: What if Obi-wan hadn’t been granted permission to train Anakin in the ways of the Force? What if Qui-Gon hadn’t perished during the battle with Darth Maul? How differently would things have turned out?
*** MY WORK IS NOT TO BE POSTED ON ANY OTHER SITE WITHOUT MY EXPRESS WRITTEN PERMISSION. THOUGH REBLOGS AND COMMENTS ARE SUPER LOVED AND APPRECIATED! THANKS FAM!***
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chapter 14
Obi-Wan woke to Anakin shifting against his chest. Without opening his eyes he tightened his arms around Anakin's waist and asked, “Are you alright, my darling?”
“Do you hear that?” Anakin asked, though he didn't sound scared and the bond was merely curious.
Obi-Wan focused and then he did hear it, a faint and consistent pinging in the distance. “It's my commlink, perhaps Qui-Gon has good news.” He wiggled out of the blankets and grabbed his discarded robe from the night before and wrapped it around himself, then crawled back across the bed to lean down and kiss Anakin gently. “I'll get it, my love, you sleep.”
“I'll come listen too,” Anakin said, getting out of bed a little slower than Obi-Wan had, stretching his arms above his head as he continued, “maybe Padmé left a message too. I'll just change then be right there.”
He left Anakin in the room to dig around for his pants and shirt, both of which had been thrown somewhere on the floor along with his robe, and walked across the hall to his old room. He was still blissed out from earlier, his mind still fixed on Anakin and the way he always made him feel. He loved the Naboolian Prince, more than he was sure he would ever be able to express with the mere simplicity of words. But more than anything he couldn't stop thinking about their future together, and he was hoping that this was the message they had both been waiting for since their first night together. The message from Qui-Gon that would tell them everything had been taken care of, that the threat to Anakin was extinguished, and they could both finally come home safe. And once Obi-Wan listened to the message Qui-Gon had left and he was able to pack up Anakin and take him back to the palace, he would inform Qui-Gon of his plans to leave the Order and stay behind with Anakin. He could not wait to finally start their lives together, unworried and unburdened.
He made it to the dresser where he'd left the commlink and pulled up the first message, and it was indeed a hollo from Qui-Gon. “Obi-W-... ma-...you… -kin…”
The entire hollo was crackled and fuzzy, Obi-Wan couldn't decipher a single word of it. He scrunched his brows as he pulled up a second message that was much the same as the first, and suddenly his blissed out and hazy mind cleared and focused, and a slow dark dread crept over his entire being. “Anakin?” He called out as he pulled up the third message. He was wondering what was taking Anakin so long to cross the hallway, and now was wondering why he wasn't hearing an answer from him. But before he could turn away and abandon the commlink in favour of getting Anakin in his line of sight again, the commlink finally burst into the full vision of QuiGgon.
“Obi-Wan, they've found you!” His heart sank, the Force around him was fully engulfed in darkness now, panic and fear weighed him down like a brick. These were the words he'd dreaded most, he'd hoped he would never have to hear them, he was sure he'd stopped breathing. “You must take Anakin and run, now! Go now, Obi-Wan! Protect him!”
“Anakin!” He didn’t waste a single second to turn and run toward the door. He had to get to Anakin, get him out of the Villa and off Naboo completely. He couldn't lose Anakin, he couldn't, it would kill him if he did. “Anakin, where are you!?”
He was met in the hall by a pair of Enforcer Droids, and of course was unarmed. But he could see the dresser across the hall in Anakin's room, could see his saber peeking out from under one of his robes, and just as the droids attacked him he called his saber to him. He jumped up and flipped over their attempts, landing low and taking them both out in one single swing. But there were more behind the first two, coming at him, and he took them down too. How had he not sensed this? How had he let himself fall so far away from the mission that he had allowed danger to get this close to Anakin? He would not trade his feelings for Anakin for anything in the entire Galaxy, but he should have stayed focused, he should have seen this coming, felt it within the Force and been able to get Anakin out of the Villa before they were found.
But now he was going to make it right, he was going to take down all these Droids, grab Anakin and run. Get him somewhere safe and never let him fall into any kind of danger again, even if it was the last thing he did, Anakin would be safe.
He took out every Droid that came at him in the hallway in front of Anakin's room. Without so much as a thought his saber flew through the air, slicing through their metal exteriors with ease. He did not stop, not once, he couldn't, wouldn't, they would not take his dear one from him, no one would!
He was surrounded by a pile of scraps within minutes, and they were still coming, the alloy waves on both sides never seeming to ebb. But he didn't care, he would fight them all if he had to, he would stand here for eternity and fight the Empire's entire army to keep Anakin safe. So he poised himself as the next round of Droids came toward him, his stance low, and raised his saber above his head to strike it down hard.
“Now, now, I do believe I've had enough of you breaking my toys.”
Obi-Wan stopped dead in his tracks, as did the Droids at the sound of the voice. He knew it, recognized that deep whiny drawl in any Galaxy. He just never thought he would hear it again, and his entire soul shuddered within him. If he was here, if he was the one after Anakin, then what little hope they did have was surely all but faded.
He turned slowly, coming face to face with the ghost of his past and possibly the decider of his future. “You,” he growled out, his hand clutching tighter around the hilt of his saber.
“Me,” he taunted, his yellow teeth almost glowing in the darkness of the hallway.
“I killed you.”
“Looks like you're going to have to try again, or,” he raised a hand, taking a few bold steps toward Obi-Wan, still smiling, “you could let me walk right out of here, and then I won't have to kill you.”
Obi-Wan glared at the Sith, as if he was going to let Maul just walk right out of here, though the fact that he was standing in front of him alone and without Anakin as a hostage, was enough to tempt him to let him go. Maybe Anakin had gotten out of the room before Maul or the Droids found him, maybe he would find him safe somewhere hidden in the Villa or out in the fields. He couldn't feel Anakin through the bond, there was no distress and no call for help through it, but the bond was of no help right now anyway. The darkness surrounding the Sith Lord before him was strong, it was blocking his connection to Anakin through their bond. He could only hope Anakin was okay.
“And why should I just let you go? Why should I let a Sith Lord walk free?”
“Because if you don't, I’ll kill you,” he stated as plain as day, “and I'll even do it without so much as drawing my lightsaber.”
Obi-Wan said nothing, instead only stood and held his ground and waited for Maul to make whatever move it was that he was gearing toward.
Maul gave him a few more moments to comply before tilting his head to the side with a disappointed click of his tongue. “That's too bad. We could have done this the easy way, but I do much prefer the hard way.”
Obi-Wan’s head turned toward the door to Anakin's room when he heard the familiar metallic clanging of Droid feet as they walked. His eyes immediately filled with tears, his entire body went numb, and he suddenly found he had no strength left in him to even support the weight of the lightsaber in his hands. “No,” he breathed, “Anakin…”
The two Droids on either side of Anakin dragged him closer, stopping when Maul put a hand out to them. Anakin was slumped between them, his feet dragging along the floor, his head lulling and flopping side to side. At the sound of his name leaving Obi-Wan’s lips he slit his eyes open as best as he could. They were unfocused and his right eye was covered in blood that dripped from the violent gash that ran right over it.
Maul stalked closer to Anakin and lifted one hand to reach out and grab his chin. He roughly pulled Anakin's head toward him and Anakin groaned in pain. Obi-Wan had never seen so much red or felt as much rage as he did as soon as Maul’s filthy grubby fingers touched Anakin's skin.
“A shame that I had to mar such a pretty face,” he said as he leaned in closer to Anakin, but Anakin yanked his face away with what little strength he had left, “but it would seem your Prince here is quite the fighter.”
Obi-Wan looked down to where Anakin's hands were dangling over the Droid's arms, they were covered in bruises and cuts, blood dripping from his fingertips. He shouldn't have had to fight like that, he shouldn't be in this situation, he shouldn't be covered in blood.
“Let him go,” Obi-Wan growled low, using every last ounce of control he had left to keep himself calm and focused, “give him back to me, now.”
“I'm afraid I can't do that,” Maul shook his head, “I need to get out of here with Anakin, alive, and in order to keep you at bay, I need to keep this little Prince close. I knew he would be your undoing Obi-wan, I could feel it in the Force, even on the other side of the system, stronger than anything I’ve ever felt. So much for no attachments.”
“What do you want with him?!”
“There is a plan,” he drawled, “your little friends in the Senate may have stuck their noses where they didn't belong, but the plan is still in motion, and there is someone who is very excited to see the young Prince again. So I'm afraid I'm going to have to take him. And you, Obi-Wan Kenobi, are going to let me walk out of here with the Prince and you are going to do nothing to try and stop me.”
“I will not let you take him,” Obi-Wan lifted his lightsaber again, holding it ready to attack Maul, “you, nor anyone else, will take him from me!”
Obi-Wan lunged at Maul, ready to strike him down for a second time, but Maul merely raised a hand toward Anakin. “Ah ah ah!” Obi-Wan stopped dead in his tracks again as Maul used the Force to lift Anakin slightly from the arms of the Droids. Anakin's eyes went wide, instantly blood shot as his mouth opened, gasping for breath and trying to fight against Maul’s Force choke. “Do not think I will not kill him! My Lord may want him delivered alive, but I might just kill him right here so I can watch you fall to your knees by my hand!”
Obi-Wan was lost, he didn't know what to do. Either way he was losing Anakin, either way Maul won.
“My Lord,” one of the Droids turned to Maul, but he never took his eyes off of Obi-Wan and still hadn't let Anakin go, “there's a ship entering the planet's atmosphere. It's Republican.”
Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan thought, it had to be Qui-Gon.
Maul finally let Anakin go then, dropping him back into the Droid's arms, coughing and wheezing. Obi-Wan needed to find a way to get to him, to get him away from Maul and protect him long enough for Qui-Gon to land the ship and help him take down the Sith Lord for good.
Maul turned away from Obi-Wan and toward the Droids beside him to shout, “Get back to the ship, Darth Sidious is waiting for us.”
He started walking away from Obi-Wan and down the hallway, and he watched as the Droids dragged Anakin's limp body down the hall. His stomach curled in on itself as he realized his worst nightmare was quite literally coming true right before his eyes. Anakin was being taken from him, the one true love of his life, and there was nothing he could do about it.
Obi-Wan quickly looked around the hallway while Maul was distracted and turned away from him, he had to at least try and do something. And in a last ditch effort he used the Force to grab a large, solid marble table and hurled it toward the back of Maul's head. But much to his surprise Maul’s hand shot out behind him and stopped it dead. No matter how hard Obi-Wan pushed with the Force, it was of no use, Maul was stronger then he had been the last time they'd fought. He couldn't stop him.
Maul turned back to face Obi-Wan with a sickening grin. “And now you've killed him,” he laughed, his whole body shaking with the glee of it as he turned back to face Obi-Wan, “you've just sentenced the Prince to death, Obi-Wan! When my Lord is finished with him, when our plan is complete and we have no use for him anymore, I'm going to kill him. His death is on your hands.”
Then Maul shoved his hand forward and forced the table back toward Obi-Wan. It hit him with a Force of which he had never felt and shot him backward. His body collided with the wall behind him so hard that it crumpled down around him, covering him in its debris, and the last thing he remembered before everything went black was the sickening thought that Anakin was being marched to his death, and it was all because of him.
~~~~~~~~~~~
As soon as the ship landed outside the Villa, Padmé was running. Both Cody and Qui-Gon were on her heels, blaster and lightsaber out and ready. They ran through the halls of the Villa, shouting for Anakin and Obi-Wan with no answers back, then they came to the hall where Anakin's room was.
“Oh my…” Padmé stopped short at the destruction of the hallway. The wall had collapsed across from Anakin's room, there were drops of blood on the floor, the shattered remains of a table scattered in all directions, piles of slumped over Droids. She covered her mouth, her eyes welling with tears as she stood there, not quite knowing what to do or where to go even if she could manage to move her legs.
“There!” Cody called and pointed to the pile of debris from the collapsed wall.
A hand was peeking out from under the rubble. Qui-Gon walked over to it and reached out a hand. He used the Force to lift the rocks and move them to the other side of the hallway, revealing Obi-Wan beneath it. He was unconscious and on his back, his head tilted back toward them, several cuts covered his face, each of them dripping with blood, and he had an already nasty looking black eye. Once he was free of the debris, Cody dropped to his knees beside him and placed two fingers against his neck.
“He's alive,” he said back to Padmé and Qui-Gon, both of whom breathed visible sighs of relief, then he turned back to Obi-Wan and gently started to shake his shoulders, “Obi-Wan, Obi-wan, wake up. Obi-Wan.”
Obi-Wan groaned and rolled toward Cody, carefully opening his eyes one at a time. “Anakin…” He whimpered, a sob getting caught in his throat as he uttered the dreaded words aloud, “He took, Anakin.”
~~~~~~~~~~~
A/N: Getting right into the middle of the angst here! And I know this is a shorter update but there will be more very soon! <3 Enjoy, and as always, thanks for reading <3
Summary: What if Obi-wan hadn’t been granted permission to train Anakin in the ways of the Force? What if Qui-Gon hadn’t perished during the battle with Darth Maul? How differently would things have turned out?
*** MY WORK IS NOT TO BE POSTED ON ANY OTHER SITE WITHOUT MY EXPRESS WRITTEN PERMISSION. THOUGH REBLOGS AND COMMENTS ARE SUPER LOVED AND APPRECIATED! THANKS FAM!***
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chapter five
Obi-Wan woke again in a panicked, sweat covered state. No matter what he did, or how often or long he meditated on the matter, he just could not shake this nightmare. It had started a few weeks back when he was still on Coruscant, before he was even reunited with Anakin, though at the time he hadn't known who it truly was in the dream being taken from him. Though he had a feeling. But now that he was with Anakin again, his face had become as clear as day in the nightmare. And the terror and despair on his face as he was dragged away from him, while Obi-Wan could do nothing to help him, ripped a hole in his heart every night the dream haunted him.
He rubbed his hands down his tired and still wet face, then tossed the blankets aside and slipped out of bed. He quickly changed into another set of clothes from the closet, and washed his face with ice cold water. Tonight would be another night of sleeping outside Anakin's door in the hallway. It seemed to currently be the only way to calm his nerves, being as close to him as he could. Though he didn't wish to disturb him in any way, so the hallway was going to be as close as he could get. It was better than staying in his room all the way across the hall.
He was just about to grab a pillow and blanket when a loud crash had all of his nerves on edge. The hairs on his arms stood straight up, the dread he was feeling from the nightmare dropped right to his stomach, and his lightsaber was in his hand and he was running out the door before the startled and desperate, “Obi-Wan!” was screamed from across the hall.
Without a second's hesitation he burst through Anakin's door, lightsaber ready to face any danger, but there was nothing. He took a moment to calm himself and search deep within the Force, but there was still nothing, not even a hint of something off. A quick glance around the room told him all he needed to know, then he looked over to the shaking form huddled against the headboard, and slowly walked over.
He sat himself on the edge of the bed, cautious not to frighten Anakin anymore than he already was. “Anakin, it's alright,” he said gently, and placed a hand on Anakin's knee. He jumped slightly, but Obi-Wan pushed a calm feeling through the bond to ease him. It was the first time he had used the bond in such a way since discovering that one did indeed exist between them, but it worked almost instantly. Anakin calmed, Obi-Wan could feel the lessening panic within him, and he lowered his hands to look over at Obi-Wan. “It's just a storm, nothing more. We are completely safe here.”
Anakin nodded, his breathing still a bit laboured. “I thought…”
“I know,” Obi-Wan gave him a reassuring smile, “the wind blew a branch into the window and it broke, no one is here to hurt you, I promise.”
“Okay,” he heaved a heavy sigh, slowly bringing his breathing back to normal. But just when Obi-Wan thought he would be okay, a surge of worry suddenly flooded the bond and Anakin started crying.
“Oh, Anakin.” He reached out and took him into his arms, holding him tight against his chest as he rocked them back and forth. He let him cry into his chest while he clutched at the back of Obi-Wan's shirt. He didn't care how long he stayed there, he didn't care if he rocked Anakin all night, even until the thunder and lightning over them had long since passed, he didn't care. He hated seeing him like this, he hated the feeling he was washing over the bond.
Eventually Anakin's sobs died down, and his grip loosened on Obi-Wan’s shirt. “You're sure it's just the storm?” He mumbled into Obi-Wan’s chest, “There’s nothing else?”
“Yes, I'm sure,” he replied, lifting his hand to tuck Anakin's head under his chin, “the Force is quiet. I assure you everything is alright.”
“Maybe…” He shifted a little closer, burying his face impossibly closer into Obi-Wan, “Maybe I am a little more scared then I cared to admit.”
“I am glad to hear it,” he hummed, “someone is trying to kill you, Anakin, I should hope you would be at least a little cautious. But worry not, I promise I will not let anything happen to you. I will protect you with my very last breath.” He pulled back just enough to take Anakin's face in both hands, and looked directly into his eyes as he said, “You are safe with me, alright?”
“Yes, safe,” Anakin nodded and finally smiled, sending a more warm feeling through the bond, which Obi-Wan was thankful for.
“Good,” he smiled back, then grabbed the blankets Anakin had kicked off in his moment of panic and pulled them back up, “now, go back to sleep, the storm will pass soon, and I'll make sure to fix that window tomorrow.”
Anakin didn't fight him and laid back, letting Obi-Wan drape the blankets over his chest. Obi-Wan stood and said goodnight to him then started to leave, but in a jerk reaction Anakin sat up in bed again and grabbed his hand before he could. “No, wait!” He all but yelled, slightly panicked again, “Can you stay? Just for tonight. I’m still a little shaken and I don't think I’ll be able to sleep again if I’m alone. I know you're only across the hall, but-”
Obi-Wan held up his hands, stopping him, “Say no more, Anakin, of course I will stay.”
Anakin sighed and let go the breath he had been holding. He was terrified Obi-Wan would refuse him, considering what he had said in the fields earlier, so he was thankful he had agreed to stay with him for the night. He shifted over and pulled back the blankets for Obi-Wan to get in, but instead of laying back beside him, he sat with his back leaned against the headboard. He didn't want to make Obi-Wan feel uncomfortable in any way, he was just glad he didn't have to stay in the room alone for the night, but he couldn't sleep like that all night.
So he reached up and tugged on his shirt to get his attention, “Lay back, Obi-Wan, get comfortable. My protector needs sleep too.”
“I suppose you're right,” he answered, then slid down to lay beside him, though the two still kept their distance.
They stayed like that for a while, Obi-Wan on his back staring up at the ceiling, and Anakin on his side staring at Obi-wan. Until eventually Anakin gathered up another moment of courage and shifted a bit closer. “Is… is it okay if I come closer? You can say no.”
“Oh, Anakin,” he sighed as he turned to look at him, “I don't think I could ever say no to you.”
Obi-Wan shifted closer as well and lifted his arm, inviting Anakin all the way in so he could lay on his chest, and that's exactly what he did. Once Anakin was settled against him, he pulled him in close and lifted his other hand to run his fingers through his hair, since he had enjoyed the feeling so much the day before. And if Obi-Wan was being honest, the feeling relaxed him too.
Once Obi-Wan's fingers started weaving their way through Anakin's hair, there was a moment where Anakin thought this had to be just another good dream. There was no possible way he was currently laying in his bed, with Obi-Wan, cuddled into his chest, and wrapped in his arms. But he didn't even care. If it did turn out to be only a dream, and he woke up the next morning to an empty bed, it was still better than nothing. And since there was still the possibility of none of this being real, he took his courage just a little bit further and tilted his head up to nuzzle his nose against Obi-Wan's jaw. He felt the shivers run across Obi-Wan's body when his lips came to rest on his neck in a whisper of a kiss, then breathed against his skin, “Thank you, Obi-Wan. Good night.”
Obi-Wan only held him tighter against his chest, and before he fell back into a deep sleep, he whispered back, “Good night, my sweet Anakin.”
~~~~~~~~~~~
“When you arrive on Nesperrow, the Supreme will be waiting for you. I have already informed him of what you would like to see during your visit, and should you need accommodations while you are conducting your investigation he is more than willing to help with that.”
Qui-gon nodded to Padmé while he stood next to his transport with his arms folded. “I thank you for arranging all of this, Padmé. Hopefully I will get all I need from the footage and I am able to solve this ordeal quickly.”
“I hope so, I do miss having Anakin around,” she sighed, then looked back up to Qui-Gon and gave him a smile, “the coordinates for the planet have been programmed into your transport, I hope you have a safe flight, Qui-Gon.”
He bowed to her then moved to her left to stand in front of Gregar. “If anything happens while I am gone, contact me right away, and I will come back. And do not let her leave the planet under any circumstances.”
“Understood, Sir,” Gregar nodded.
“I do not think you will have any problems since the attack seemed to be focused solely on Anakin, but in case there are any issues, do not hesitate to get in contact. And if you can't reach me, contact my masters at the Council on Coruscant, they will know how to help you.” Gregar nodded again, then Qui-Gon placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled. “I am not worried, I know she is in safe hands with you, Gregar.”
“That means a lot coming from you, Master Jedi,” Gregar put his hand on Qui-Gon’s shoulder as well, and gave it a quick squeeze before they both took a step back, “safe trip, Sir.”
Qui-Gon also gave a quick bow to Gregar, before looking back over to Padmé one last time before getting on the transport.
~~~~~~~~~~~
The trip to Nesperrow was fairly short and before he knew it, Qui-Gon was already landing his transport. When he exited the ship and walked out onto the landing pad, he was greeted by a small welcoming committee and who he assumed was the Supreme Padmé had mentioned.
“Master Jedi,” the man at the front of the group approached him with his arms out in welcome, “welcome to Nesperrow.”
Qui-Gon regarded them for a moment, intrigued, as this was a race he had not yet come into contact with. They were a beautiful people, he had to admit, covered in colourful scales that seemed to glitter in the light of their three suns, reflecting a rainbow of colours as they moved. From the tops of their heads each one of them had a unique coral-like structure that sprouted from under their scales, the Supreme’s seeming to be the tallest and most decorated of them all. And their clothes were just as beautiful. They were as shiny as their scales, and each one of them wore a different colour, the Supreme’s long flowing robes were a metallic gold. The train ran at least a few feet behind him, dragging across the deck as he approached Qui-Gon, was tapered at his waist by a winding string of what looked like pearls, the sleeves ran down longer then his arms and reached down to almost touch the floor, and to top it off the collar of the robe stood just about as tall as the coral atop his head. A beautiful race they were indeed.
Finally Qui-Gon made it to stand before the Supreme, and not forgetting his manners, bowed deeply to him. “I thank you for the very warm welcome, Supreme.”
“Only the best for a friend of Queen Amidala’s,” he too bowed to Qui-Gon, then turned and placed a hand behind Qui-Gon’s back and began guiding him across the deck and towards the large, also coral like structure that he assumed was his palace, “though I wish it were under better circumstances that we were meeting. I understand from what the Queen told me that you are here to review the footage we have from the day of the attack on her ships?”
“Yes, that is correct,” he folded his arms as he followed him and the rest of his entourage back to the palace, “and if there is any other information you or anyone else might have that you think would be helpful, I would love to hear it. The Queen and young Prince Anakin are very close friends of mine, and I would love to solve this quickly for them so that Anakin is safe once again.”
“Anything you need, Master Jedi, we shall give it to you. I also wish for their prompt return to safety.” Once they arrived and entered the palace, the Supreme handed Qui-Gon off to another man who had been waiting for them there. “This is Mach-Nubellar, he is one of my most trusted generals. He will take you to the viewing room and help you sort through the footage. If you need anything else from me, Master Jedi, you need but only ask.”
“Thank you, I very much appreciate everything you are doing for Queen Padmé and Prince Anakin.”
They both bowed to one another again, then parted ways.
~~~~~~~~~~~
“I already have the footage from the day in question queued up and ready to go for you, Master Jedi.”
“Thank you very much,” Qui-Gon nodded to the Nesperrian and took the seat he offered him in front of the viewing screens.
The Nesperrian backed away from him and bowed, slowly backing out of the room as he said, “I shall leave you to your work, Master Jedi, please call if you need anything.”
Once he was gone and the door closed behind him, Qui-Gon quickly got to work. He pressed play on the footage and watched intently, then pulled out his comm and made a call.
“Master Qui-Gon, trouble you are having?”
“Master Yoda,” he held the comm close to his mouth while still watching the footage, “I am on Nesperrow watching the footage from when the Queen’s ships were attacked. I thought it might be able to give me some insight as to who it is that might be behind the attack on Anakin.”
“Found anything, have you?”
“Not yet, I'm just watching the Queen’s ships arriving on the platform now,” he answered as he pressed a few buttons on the control panel in front of him, “I’m connecting the footage to you through holo, tell me if you or the Council sees anything I don’t.”
“Watching closely, we are.”
The comm went silent as all parties put all focus into the footage of the landing pad. They watched as the Queen's decoy ship landed safely and the bay doors opened, readying for Cordé and the rest of the crew to depart. But before they could, another ship came from behind and hovered beside them just out of view of the camera, and within seconds the landing pad was rushed by several Bounty Hunters. Most of them Qui-Gon didn't recognize, but one of them caught his eye as they entered the Queen's ship.
“I believe one of the hunters to be Zam Wesell,” he pointed out, “though that doesn't give me much more information then I already had, but at least it's a start. I can hunt her down and see if I can get any information out of her at the very least.”
“Patience you must have, Master Qui-Gon,” Yoda's calm voice came over the comm, “more to be revealed, there may be.”
He took a breath and did as his master had told him, forcing himself to be patient as he had been trained to be, and watched the rest of the footage. There was a few minutes of nothing while the hunters were on the ship, but soon after he watched as one of them dragged Cordé from the ship and out onto the landing pad. They threw her to the ground and one of them held her down with a foot on her back, seeming to be waiting for something. Or rather someone.
Another figure came sauntering into view of the camera and stood in front of Cordé, and they donned an all too familiar large brown fedora. His heart pounded a slight bit faster when he saw him, and he could feel the disturbance across the Force when the Council members saw it too.
“Cad Bane,” he whispered, eyes still fixed on the screens, “he was behind the attack on the Jedi Temple when he stole the holocron. He killed Master Ropal.”
He heard Master Windu sigh, and Qui-Gon could practically see him rubbing his chin, leaned to the side of his chair, watching as Cad Bane shot Cordé then left her for dead. “I’m afraid the presence of Cad Bane possibly confirms your theory that Anakin may be being pursued by the Sith. Cad Bane has a history of working closely with the Sith Lords.”
“More and more dangerous, this mission is becoming,” Master Yoda hummed, “worse for the young Prince this could be, then we feared. Much danger, young Skywalker could be in. Return to the Jedi Temple, I suggest. Meditate on this, we must, and a plan, we must make.”
“No matter what kind of plan we come up with, Cad Bane must be taken in alive,” Windu started, “we will need to question him about the attack on Skywalker, and once the young Prince is safe, Bane will be held accountable for his actions.”
“I agree,” Qui-Gon said, then stood and ended the playback of the footage, “I will finish up here as quickly as I can, then I will head back to Naboo and inform the Queen and Obi-Wan of what we have discovered. It may be a few days before I make it to Coruscant.”
“Patience, we will have for your arrival. Meditate on this, we will, while we wait.”
“I will be there as soon as I can. I will contact you again when I am leaving Naboo.”
“May the Force be with you, Master Qui-Gon,” Windu said.
“May the Force be with you,” he said back, then ended the comm.
He tucked it back in his pocket and quickly left the room. The Nesperrian who had brought him there was still waiting outside for him and bowed when he exited the room.
“Did you find all you were looking for, Master Jedi?”
“The footage did prove to be very useful, and I thank you for allowing me to review it, but I do wonder if I could ask one more favour?”
“Ask it, Master Jedi, and it shall be granted,” he smiled and tilted his head in another small bow.
“I wonder if your Supreme would be willing to answer a few more questions for me.”
“Come,” the Nesperrian guided him with an arm back through the hallway they had come through, “I am certain he would be more than willing to answer any questions you may have.”
~~~~~~~~~~~
“Master Jedi,” the Supreme greeted him when he entered the waiting room where Qui-Gon had been taken, “I have been told you have some queries still left unanswered. I would be happy to attempt to fill as many holes as I can. Please, ask your questions.”
Qui-Gon bowed and thanked him, then gestured to the seat in front of him for the Supreme to join him. “The footage from the attack only showed the landing pad and the Queen’s ship, but the ship that the attackers were in, I wasn't able to see. Was there anyone who was on the landing decks that day that might be willing to identify the ship?”
“Sadly, no,” the Supreme frowned and looked down, “there were guards stationed on the landing decks that day to welcome and accompany the Queen upon her arrival. Unfortunately there were more of these bounty hunters on a second ship, one that cannot be seen on any footage we have. We too lost many men that day.”
“I am sorry for your losses, Supreme.” He nodded his thanks to Qui-Gon.
“I am also sorry that there is nothing more I can give you. But I do hope you are able to find them quickly so that I may bring some good news to the families of the victims from that day, and I do hope that the young Prince of Naboo be safe once more.”
Qui-Gon stood then, and the Supreme followed. He bowed to him, then stood back up and said, “I thank you for your help and your hospitality, but I must return to Coruscant and convene with my Council. Once I have any more information I will make sure to inform you right away. I too hope I can help you bring closure to all who were affected by this attack.”
“Safe travels then, Master Jedi.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Qui-Gon landed back on Naboo a few hours later. It was late, the sun was already setting behind the palace, but he had to push through and quickly ready himself for the long journey back to Coruscant. The faster he arrived the faster they could hopefully get to the bottom of this mess.
He was met on the landing pad by Gregar who gave him a quick nod in greeting, then seeing the urgency in his walk, turned and fell into step beside him. “I take it your visit proved to be informative.”
“It did bring some things to light, but unfortunately there is still more to be revealed. But I must speak to Padmé immediately.”
“I figured you might,” he said and picked up his step to lead Qui-Gon, “she's already waiting for you in her chambers.”
When they entered her rooms, Padmé was there waiting for him as Gregar had said, and was pacing the length of the sitting area. As soon as she saw them come in she ran straight over to Qui-Gon. “Did you find anything? Your visit was so short, as soon as Gregar told me you were already returning, I hoped it was because you found something that can help Anakin.”
“I did come across some new information, but to be completely honest with you, Padmé, it has only made things a fair bit worse.”
“How?”
He could see the worry etched across her face, he could feel the fear she felt for Anakin's fate. The stress was starting to get to her, he could tell, it looked like she hadn't slept since Anakin left, and he felt for her. He knew the pains that came with worrying for someone you cared very deeply for, he worried about Obi-Wan all the time, he was worried about him now. So he knew exactly how she felt.
Qui-Gon sighed, then grabbed her shoulders and guided her back towards one of the large armchairs by the window, then settled himself in the one across from her. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and folding his hands together, then looked up to start explaining. “From what I saw from the footage, it is looking more and more like Anakin is being pursued by the Sith.” She groaned and covered her face with both hands, and Qui-Gon felt a harder pang of anguish flowing from her. “The bounty hunter Cad Bane is involved, he is the one who killed Cordé on Nesperrow, and he also killed our Jedi Master Ropal during an attack he orchestrated on our temple back on Coruscant. He has been known to work closely with the Sith in the past, now I just need to find out why Anakin is being pursued. So I must leave you again in the capable hands of your captain and return to Coruscant, hopefully the Council can help me come to some kind of conclusion to all of this.”
“Sith… when you had mentioned it before, I had hoped it would not come to be true,” she shook her head, looking to the ground in disbelief, “why would they even want him. He has no training, he doesn't know how to use the Force.”
“I don't think it matters,” he answered, “whether he was trained or not, he is very strong with the Force. If the Sith want to use his higher level of power and connection for whatever reason they may have, they will find a way to do that with or without Anakin's cooperation.”
She sighed and ran her hands over her face again. “So you're going back to the temple then, to get the Council's help?”
“That is correct.”
She nodded, then pursed her lips as if thinking for a moment, before standing and said, “I'm coming with you.”
“That's not necessary, Padmé,” he stood along with her, “there is not much you could do to help anyways, you should stay here with Gregar where it is safe.”
“I'm coming,” she moved past him and walked into the closet, then emerged with an armful of clothes that she tossed on the bed, “if this Cad Bane you speak of sounds as horrible as he is, then we are going to need help, and I may be able to help you persuade at least some of the Senate members into coming to our aid. Not to mention we will need all the help we can get in taking down the Sith so that Anakin can be safe and come home again.”
“Padmé, I have to take into account your safety as well as Anakin’s. You are the Queen of Naboo, I cannot so easily put you in danger.”
“And where would be safer than a planet where I am surrounded by Jedi Masters?” Qui-Gon just sighed and said no more, he had a feeling that he was not winning this fight. Then she turned pleading eyes on him and he felt the loss of battle hit him like a brick wall. “I would do anything to make sure Anakin is safe again. I might be the Queen, but Anakin is Naboo’s future. Please, let me do this, for him.”
“Okay,” he whispered and nodded to her, “okay. Pack your things, we must leave quickly.”
“I’m coming too then,” Gregar stepped forward from where he was standing by the door, “where she goes, I go. Surrounded by Jedi or not, I am not letting her out of my sight.”
Qui-Gon nodded to Gregar as well, then the both of them hurried to pack Padmé's things so they could leave, and get this all sorted out as quickly as possible.
Once they were ready, Padmé all but ran to the transport and threw herself in. He understood the urgency she was feeling about this whole situation, he always felt the same when Obi-Wan was separated from him during a mission. He always wanted Obi-Wan to come back as soon as was possible, safe and sound, and he knew she just wanted the same thing for Anakin.
But now that he was thinking of Obi-Wan and the matter of his safety as well as Anakin’s, he thought it wise to inform him of this new information, and of his sudden return to Coruscant. So once Padmé and Gregar were both on the transport, he stepped aside and pulled out his comm. There was no answer, but since he felt no disturbance through his bond with his former Padawan, he felt comfortable leaving a message. He would call Obi-Wan again upon his arrival on Coruscant. “Obi-Wan, I wanted to inform you that myself, Padmé, and Gregar are making a return trip to Coruscant. I have uncovered some information about the bounty hunters after Anakin, and Master Yoda wishes for my return to meditate with the Council. But Obi-Wan, you and Anakin must remain cautious. Cad Bane is somehow involved in this, and my theory about the involvement of the Sith Lords is also looking more and more possible the more things are unfolding. Please, be careful. I will contact you again once I have met with the Council. May the Force be with you, Obi-Wan.”
~~~~~~~~~~~
A/N: Sorry this is late guys! We had a power outage in my whole town yesterday. But here it is. It's a pretty Qui-Gon and Padmé heavy chapter, but I hope you guys enjoy <3 We are sloly getting to the good stuff!
