On the second day after Dooku left, Anakin gave in to his desire to see Obi-Wan again.

Ventress had been keeping to herself, which was a good thing as far as Anakin was concerned. He'd spent the past two days alone, working on the designs he'd drawn up for the starfighters Dooku wanted. He was already starting to go a bit stir crazy, and thoughts of Obi-Wan plagued him night and day.

Anakin stood outside the door to Obi-Wan's room, staring at the Gamorrean guard outside the door. He wanted the Gamorrean to allow him entrance so badly that he could think of little else as he stared him. The Gamorrean stared back, and Anakin felt a surge of something inside of him.

"You want to let me in," he found himself saying. Anakin's hand twitched at the Gamorrean, and the surge of energy passed out of him and spiraled towards the Gamorrean.

The Gamorrean suddenly palmed the entrance button and stood aside. Anakin wasn't entirely surprised; strange things like that had happened before to him. It didn't always work, but Anakin had found the less intelligent someone was, the more likely they were to do what he wanted. Gamorreans were hardly known for their brains, so he paid it little mind.

Obi-Wan's room was quite a bit warmer than the rest of the manse. Anakin suspected that the energy from the power generators behind the silver panels were warming the room. Anakin walked inside, making sure the door slid closed behind him and the Gamorrean wouldn't disturb him. The sound of metal clinking made Anakin turn to the corner of the room, where Obi-Wan's bed was.

Obi-Wan wasn't on the bed. Instead, he was sitting on the platform beside it with his legs crossed. He wasn't wearing any clothes, but the only person that seemed to be troubled with that fact was Anakin.

"Hello," said Anakin. He had the distinct urge to slap himself for sounding so stupid.

Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow at him in a manner that reminded Anakin of Dooku. "Hello," he said, sounding polite. Culture rolled off his tongue as easily as it did Dooku's. The similarities were disturbing.

Obi-Wan continued to study him, and all powers of speech fled Anakin. There were so many things Anakin wanted to ask, but had no idea how to phrase any of the questions. His eyes traveled over Obi-Wan's body, studying it more intently than he had before. The red welts had faded, but Anakin could see bruises lining the other man's arms, legs, and abdomen. Anakin's eyes fell on a long white scar on Obi-Wan's right arm, and he remembered Obi-Wan in the holophotos of Naboo with his arm bandaged.

Anakin ventured to speak. "I'm here to check on the, um... power generators. It's a bit warm in here."

"Pity. I was hoping they might overload soon."

Anakin licked his lips and turned to the silver panel farthest away from Obi-Wan. He detached it from the wall with a deft flick of his fingers on the latches and discovered the problem in a few minutes. One of the main wires was old and not channeling power directly. Anakin made a mental note to have it replaced and put the panel back on. He turned back to staring at Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan had moved to his bed and was sitting on it, a neutral expression on his face. His fingers absently stroked the chain hanging off his collar, and he sat back easily, as if he were on some sort of lounge chair. He hadn't bothered to cover up with his sheets. Anakin's eyes drifted down to admire all of Obi-Wan. Despite his initial impression, Anakin realized Obi-Wan wasn't particularly stunning, but there was something magnetic about him. What Anakin had found beautiful at first was merely handsome. It was Obi-Wan himself that drew Anakin to him, dazzling him somehow.

"Surely you have something better to do than ogle me, Skywalker? That is your name, isn't it? Skywalker?"

"My name is Anakin."

"I could probably care less, but I can't think of how at the moment."

Anakin scowled at Obi-Wan's sarcasm. "You're the one who asked my name."

Obi-Wan's fingers still danced over the chain, distracting Anakin for a moment while he wondered if Obi-Wan's fingers danced over flesh just as expertly. "What do you want, Anakin? Or am I to take a guess?"

"I don't want anything from you," replied Anakin. The cool expression on Obi-Wan's face was starting to wear on Anakin's nerves.

"So you just came in here to check on the power generators and look at me like I'm something to eat?"

The blatant way Obi-Wan referred to Anakin's attention made his insides squirm. "Basically."

Obi-Wan studied him again, looking bored now. "I suppose Dooku has been telling you all about how wicked and terrible the Jedi and the Republic are, then?"

This line of questioning would only bring him trouble, but Anakin didn't want to leave. He liked the sound of Obi-Wan's voice; it was mellow and soothing for all its sarcasm. "Count Dooku might have mentioned something along those lines."

"He is lying."

"Who's to say you're not the liar?"

Obi-Wan smiled. It was fleeting and bitter, but it lit up his face. "Of course, I might be the liar. I expect you're just worried about pleasing your new master."

Anakin bristled and took a step forward, the insinuation boiling the blood in his veins. "I'm no slave," he hissed.

Obi-Wan looked a bit startled. "Neither am I. And look where I am."

Those words had so much truth ringing to it that it cut right through Anakin's rage, calming him instantly. Images of Dooku raping Obi-Wan flashed through his mind, and he frowned. "I'm sorry." Anakin found he meant that.

Obi-Wan leaned forward. "If you're so sorry, then why aren't you helping me? Cut the power. Find my lightsaber. Help me escape."

Anakin just stared at Obi-Wan. He had no reason to trust him.

Obi-Wan's chain clinked as he let it go, holding out his hand to Anakin. He suddenly looked desperate, vulnerable. "I could make it worth your while," he said, his voice a bit unsteady. "You want me, I can tell. I'll do whatever you want. You're not bad-looking, I wouldn't mind. I'm pretty good at it, even. Just help me get out of here, and I'm yours."

Anakin stumbled back, repulsed by the offer at the same time he was intrigued by it. On a base level, he wanted Obi-Wan to touch him, to be at his disposal. Yet, it was the idea of having a slave, of Obi-Wan simply paying a debt with sex, that disgusted him.

Obi-Wan licked his lips. "You're thinking about when I tried to kill you, aren't you? Look, I don't know you, and you're working for my captor. I was only trying to escape. It wasn't anything personal."

"I don't want a whore," spat Anakin. "I don't trust you. And Dooku has given me no reason to distrust him."

"Of course he hasn't - he's a Sith Lord. That's what they do. They cloud your judgment, skewer the truth and decorate it with lies. They make those lies sound pretty. They offer you exactly what you want and make it seem beautiful, but if you examine it closely, it's tarnished, corrupt." Obi-Wan's face - his whole being - was alive as he spoke, and Anakin could do nothing but strand transfixed as he listened. "Can't you see, if you look a little closer? If you believe them, if you accept their poison gifts, the worst thing possible will happen. You will become one of them. And there's no going back. You'll be lost in darkness. Even if you want it -" Obi-Wan's voice trembled and something lurked in his blue-gray eyes, making them seem darker. "- you can't give in. The reward they offer you is worse than any punishment you ever imagined."

Obi-Wan sat back then, the passion that had vibrated within him wiped away like sand blowing in the wind. The spell was broken, and Anakin regained his senses. Obi-Wan's words were pretty, but he had no proof. He had nothing but those words.

"I had a dream once," said Anakin, feeling a bit light-headed. "A dream that you were my Master, and I your apprentice. That we were brothers. But that was just a dream. And I can't believe you."

He turned on his heel and fled the room just as Obi-Wan called out after him.

"I had the same dream."

...

Asajj Ventress looked at Anakin as though she was considering the messiest and most painful manner in which to kill him. Her bald pate gleamed in the weak light, and her black dress clung to her in a suggestive manner - a manner that suggested she had the physical power to rip Anakin in two with her bare hands.

"You went into the Jedi's room without supervision?" she hissed, her hands resting on her hips. Near her lightsabers, Anakin noted with no little trepidation.

Anakin wasn't going to let her intimidate him. The blaster he had hidden in his tunic gave him confidence; he was still the fastest and sharpest shooter on all Tatooine. He scowled at her. "I fixed the power without frying anything before. And I sure as hell didn't set him loose. I just need to replace one of the bad wires to prevent the power generators from overloading. You'll appreciate that if the system suddenly blows, and Obi-Wan gets loose while you're sleeping."

Ventress backed off. "Fine. Let's go, then."

Anakin hefted his toolkit, made sure the new wire was coiled properly, and walked towards Obi-Wan's room. Ventress followed, stalking the whole way. She looked furious about something, but Anakin had learned that she always looked like that. He didn't like her at all, but he needed her there. He was afraid he might do something stupid if left alone with Obi-Wan again - something stupid like believing him.

Obi-Wan was sleeping when they entered the room. Ventress cast him an unusually hateful glare; Anakin suddenly realized that in comparison, she looked at Anakin quite amicably. Obi-Wan stirred as they came in, looking surprised to see them.

A very nasty half-smile crawled over his face. "Well, well. If it isn't the would-be Sith Lord. Any luck in convincing Dooku you have what it takes yet, or is he still suffering under the burden of reality?"

Anakin also realized that in comparison, Obi-Wan had treated him amicably. The two seemed to have some sort of history. He quietly slipped off to work behind the silver panel, paying close attention to Ventress and Obi-Wan.

If looks could kill, Obi-Wan would be dead and buried. Ventress had her hands on her lightsabers now. "Don't forget who's chained to a wall like a common, if rather unruly, pleasure slave, Kenobi," she hissed. Anakin was somewhat surprised Obi-Wan hadn't caught fire under her gaze yet.

"Somehow, I think you envy me even for this. I'd bet you'd just love for Dooku to chain you to a wall and have his way with you."

"When Dooku finally tires of you and has you killed, I hope I'm the one given the pleasure of removing you of the burden of your head."

"I doubt he'd give an important job like that to galaxy-class scum like you."

Ventress lurched forward as though she wanted to hit Obi-Wan, but stopped herself. She spun on her heel, turning to Anakin with a livid face. "Are you done yet, Skywalker?" she demanded.

Anakin snapped the wire into place. "Pretty much. I just need to finish a few -"

"Do whatever you need to," she said and stormed from the room. The door slid shut behind her, leaving Anakin alone with Obi-Wan. His heart pounded against his ribcage.

Obi-Wan looked very satisfied with Ventress's exit. He faced Anakin, giving him one those impossibly mild-yet-intent gazes of his. Anakin looked away and turned back to finishing what he was doing. Looking at Obi-Wan put dangerous thoughts into his head and a jumble of confusion, lust, fascination, and envy in his heart.

"You don't want to believe me, you know," said Obi-Wan after a moment.

"What?" Anakin looked up so fast he nearly slammed his head into the top of the panel opening.

"It's not that you can't believe me. Of course you can. You just don't want to."

Anakin worked his jaw for a moment. "I don't want to talk about this."

"I don't want to be chained to a wall."

"So free yourself. Do the smart thing and become Dooku's apprentice."

"That's just a different form of slavery. I'll pass."

"What?" Anakin asked in a sharp tone.

Obi-Wan shifted on the bed, the light dancing over his pale flesh. "Not all forms of slavery involve chains and official forms of indenture. If I become Dooku's apprentice, I'll become a slave to his thinking. I'll turn into you or Ventress."

Anakin had moved closer to Obi-Wan before he could stop himself, the hydrospanner clutched in his fist. Fury rose up inside of him, shoving away all thoughts of personal safety. "I'm not a slave," he said, the words grinding out of him.

"If you mindlessly accept what others tell you and do their bidding without question or thought to what you're doing, then you're a slave."

Anakin stalked closer, fighting off the urge to put the hydrospanner through Obi-Wan's skull. He was not a slave, not anymore. Obi-Wan had no right to call him that. It made him angrier than he had been in a long time. "Shut up! You don't have any idea what you're talking about, Jedi. You think you understand slavery, just because you've got a chain wrapped around your neck? I'll tell you right now that you're right: it is more than chains and official forms. It's about fucking living someone else's life, to do their bidding, while watching your own life and that of the people you care about waste away. It's about not having a choice, ever. It's about taking away what makes you a person and being treated like property."

Anakin knew he'd said too much when Obi-Wan's expression softened. The look in Obi-Wan's eyes, now full of understanding, drained the anger right out of Anakin. Anakin relaxed, lowering the hydrospanner, somewhat surprised to find he'd raised it.

Obi-Wan stood up, and Anakin belatedly realized he was close enough that Obi-Wan could touch him. Yet, Anakin couldn't bring himself to move away and only stared back at Obi-Wan. He tried not to let his eyes drift down to the rest of Obi-Wan's nude form, but was only partially successful.

"Having the choice between your soul or your freedom is hardly what I call choice."

Anakin had no answer for that. Obi-Wan made a movement towards him, chain clinking with him, faster than Anakin could move away. Instead of hitting him, as Anakin expected, Obi-Wan grabbed his arms. "Help me, Anakin Skywalker," he whispered, leaning closer to Anakin. "You're my only hope. I don't know how much longer I can hold out."

Anakin broke out of Obi-Wan's grip and trapped Obi-Wan's wrists in his hand. Obi-Wan met his gaze, seeming more calm and placid than Anakin had ever seen him. A moment passed, and Obi-Wan leaned into Anakin's space. He snaked out his tongue, swiping it along Anakin's lips. Warmth shuddered through Anakin's body at the contact, and he opened his mouth in surprise. Obi-Wan swiped his tongue along Anakin's parted lips again, leaving a trail of electric sensation behind, and then withdrew back to his bed. He stared up at Anakin as he sat back, his eyes smoky.

"I... can't," Anakin choked out. He turned and practically ran from the room, the hydrospanner still in his hand.

...

Anakin avoided Obi-Wan's room for the rest of the week. His stomach twisted up whenever he thought about Obi-Wan's tongue on his lips or of Obi-Wan in any way, shape, or form. Worse, whenever he thought of Dooku's return, of Dooku's hands on Obi-Wan, or of Dooku breaking Obi-Wan, Anakin found it hard to breathe. Jealousy and anger seared the back of his eyes.

It was almost as though a shadow covered the manse when Dooku returned, his back as straight as ever. He moved sharply, nodding to Anakin and Ventress as he entered. He dusted sand off his cloak with the air of a returning king, asking what was for dinner so naturally, so calmly, that Anakin could almost forget how vicious Dooku had been when he forced himself on Obi-Wan. Almost.

Dinner was conducted as usual, and Anakin had to force himself to answer Dooku's polite questions on his recent activities. He kept thinking about what Obi-Wan had told him, looking at Dooku as he'd never seen him. Before, Anakin had thought him a good man, if a bit harsh and extremist on his political views. Now, he seemed like a monster, pretending to be that good man.

"I'll see if Obi-Wan has re-thought his decision tonight. I'm sure he's ready to be, ah, persuaded again," Dooku told Ventress. Anakin stared at his hands - hands covered in age spots that did not tremble as he cut his meat. Hands that would be touching Obi-Wan tonight, perhaps breaking him of his will.

"Having the choice between your soul or your freedom is hardly what I call choice."

Anakin looked away, once again fighting off the anger and jealousy building up inside of him. This was insane. This was stupid. Dooku was his only chance off this planet, his only chance of making something worthwhile of his life. Dooku gave him money, respect, everything Anakin had lacked. And Anakin wanted to blow it all because of some pretty Jedi that had caught his eye?

When dinner was over, Anakin retreated back to his room and paced. He tried to think. He tried to be reasonable. He tried to make sense of something. All he did was feel. He wanted Obi-Wan. He wanted Obi-Wan free. Only half of him cared about Dooku's ulterior motives; the other half cared about the fate of a man that could make Anakin feel like he'd had a life-changing experience just by touching Anakin's lips with his tongue.

Anakin took as much money as he could stuff in a backpack, a few changes of clothing, and a blaster he hid inside his poncho after attaching a silencer to the end of the barrel. He'd figure everything else out if he survived. When he walked down the long, wide hall, he kept expecting Ventress to pop out of every shadow, but she was nowhere to be seen. The manse was silent and empty as the tomb he thought it like when first entering.

Anakin shivered.

He didn't even bother trying to convince the Gamorrean guard outside of Obi-Wan's room to get out of his way. He shot him quietly, palming the door panel before the Gamorrean's body even hit the floor. Killing someone in cold blood was easier than Anakin had expected. The Gamorrean's death passed out of his mind as soon as he slipped inside Obi-Wan's room.

Dooku was already turning to face him, his unbuckled pants clutched in one hand and his glowing red lightsaber in the other. Obi-Wan was strung up by his own chains again, put on another perverted display. Anakin swallowed and squeezed the trigger, firing off shot after shot at Dooku. The older man blocked each shot with an ease no one his age should have. There was a loud hum, and Anakin realized the blaster bolts were heading back in his direction.

Anakin ducked and rolled away from each shot, moving faster than he ever had in his life. He could feel that presence of that something guiding his every movement, helping him shoot as he ducked, warning him when to avoid a reflected bolt. Dooku moved fast, but Anakin moved faster.

Lightning arced out Dooku's fingertips, flashing towards Anakin before he could even blink. Anakin's world turned to blue fire, and he fell back, his blaster useless as his hands twitched convulsively. Dooku stood on the floor in front of Obi-Wan's bed, sending electricity coursing through Anakin from across the room, as if killing Anakin were simplicity itself. All this power seemed to come so easily to Dooku. The pain was unimaginable; Anakin could do nothing but writhe on the floor and scream.

"It didn't have to come to this, young Skywalker," Dooku called. "This was foolish of you."

It was Obi-Wan who answered. "So was turning your back to me."

There was the sound of metal clinking violently, and then Dooku's lightsaber jerked back, the red light a blur to Anakin's eyes. The lightning moved off Anakin, and now arced over Dooku and Obi-Wan. Metal chains appeared around Dooku's throat, yanking the old man back onto the bed. Obi-Wan had somehow gotten free and was choking Dooku with all his strength. Obi-Wan arched as the blue lightning coursed over him, but he was able to avoid Dooku's wild lightsaber swings.

Regaining control of his senses, Anakin squeezed off another shot from his blaster, and this time, Dooku couldn't block it. There was a flash over Dooku's chest, and the sweet smell of cooked meat filled the room after a moment. The lightning stopped, his lightsaber clattered to the floor unlit, and Dooku fell still. Obi-Wan let him slip to the floor, panting from exertion. Obi-Wan's skin smoked a little, but he looked otherwise unhurt.

Anakin's hands shook as he broke off the smoking silencer, staring at Obi-Wan with a sense of trepidation. He'd just ruined everything, and his earlier visions of Obi-Wan choking him with those chains came back to haunt him. Obi-Wan wasn't staring at him, but at Dooku's lightsaber, which had rolled out of his reach.

"Hand me his lightsaber. We need to get out of here quickly," said Obi-Wan. His voice was so calm that Anakin shook all over again, as if to make up for it.

Anakin picked up the lightsaber; the smooth metal handle felt strangely natural in his hand. "How do I know you won't betray me?"

Obi-Wan's expression was bland. "Contrary to what Dooku might have told you, Jedi are not in the habit of returning favors by betraying their rescuers. We're the good guys."

Anakin paused before he held out the lightsaber. "I was a slave once," he whispered, wondering why he said that even as it tumbled out of his lips.

"I know," said Obi-Wan. He looked up at Anakin, his expression sympathetic, but lacking any pity. He looked a bit tired and in pain; he'd been abused for weeks now. Anakin wondered how Obi-Wan could take it and only show half an emotion on his face.

Anakin handed him the lightsaber, his heart in his throat.

Obi-Wan snatched it from his hand, slicing through his chains with a sharp movement before standing up. He held the lightsaber under his chin, and Anakin moved forward in alarm. Obi-Wan's collar dropped to the floor in two pieces, and Anakin relaxed, wondering why he'd even been worried Obi-Wan was going to harm himself. "I need clothes," said Obi-Wan, turning away. Fresh bruises lined his arms and thighs. Anakin felt sick at the sight.

Anakin reached inside his bag and pulled out a loose pair of trousers and a tunic. "I know I'm a bit bigger than you are, but I figured..."

"Thank you," said Obi-Wan, taking the clothing out of Anakin's outstretched hands. He dressed quickly. Anakin tried not to stare at Dooku's smoking corpse.

"Let's go. I'm sure Ventress knows by now," said Obi-Wan, touching Anakin's arm. The contact sent a jolt of something through Anakin, and he followed Obi-Wan out of the room.

The hallway was dead silent and completely dark. Anakin blinked and then looked back into Obi-Wan's room. The light cut out just as he turned his head. "She must have cut the power," he whispered.

Despite the complete darkness, Anakin could sense Obi-Wan nodding his head. "Quiet," he said, lighting up Dooku's lightsaber. There was a soft hum, and a small red circle of light surrounded them, casting a sinister glow over Obi-Wan's features. Obi-Wan motioned for Anakin to follow and moved down the hallway in slow, measured steps. Anakin kept close behind him, his blaster still warm in his hand.

The hum from Dooku's lightsaber grew louder, and the light brighter. Anakin suddenly realized that it was because two other red lightsabers had lit up down the hall, their humming mingling with the one in Obi-Wan's hand. Ventress stood between the two red shafts of light, looking positively demonic. Her black dress made it difficult to discern what was shadow, and what was her.

"Anakin! Get down!" screamed Obi-Wan, rushing towards Ventress.

Anakin ignored him and fired off a volley of shots at her. Her lightsabers flashed in front of her, and she reflected his bolts back at him. Obi-Wan met her blades in a dazzling spin of light just as Anakin heard a horrible wrenching sound. He looked up and realized one of the huge light fixtures was hanging in pieces, damaged by the reflected shots.

Anakin saw Ventress's face in the flashing red lights, grimacing as she held out her hand and sent him sprawling onto his back with a push of the air itself. The light fixture crashed down on top of him, slamming into Anakin's back and legs. His blaster went skidding across the floor, and sharp pain flashed up through Anakin's body. He screamed as blood rushed through his ears, struggling against the metal fixture on top of him, but it was too heavy to move. He could hardly see what was happening beyond him except for flashes of red as Obi-Wan and Ventress fought. It was silent but for the thunderous sound of their lightsabers clashing against each other.

Moments passed, noted only by the pounding of Anakin's heart. He continued to try to work his way out from under the fixture, his eyes dazzled by the flashes of light. Fear coursed through his veins, and Anakin stopped breathing when one of the shafts of light died. He heard a soft thud - like that of a body falling to the ground. Two shafts of light remained. They drew closer.

Two lightsaber blades. Ventress had won.

Anakin struggled furiously, rage filling him at the thought of Obi-Wan dead. He couldn't see anything but red now. He wanted to make Ventress suffer so much it hurt. The sense of something grew stronger in him, stronger than ever before, and the fixture suddenly skidded away from him of its own accord. Ventress leapt to avoid it, blades still flashing.

Anakin struggled to his feet, determined to rip Ventress to pieces with his bare hands before she cut him down.

"Are you all right?"

The sound of Obi-Wan's mellow voice cut through Anakin's rage like a knife. His vision cleared as Obi-Wan held up the lightsabers to give him light - one was Ventress's.

"How did you...?" asked Anakin.

"I was about to ask you the same thing." Obi-Wan's expression looked curious in the red glow. "I knew you had the Force in you, but I've never seen anyone who wasn't trained actually use it to such an extent."

"What?" asked Anakin, so startled by what Obi-Wan said that he forgot he was in pain for a moment.

"Never mind. Can you walk?"

Pain suddenly hit Anakin again like a meteor plowing into a planet. "I can. It hurts, though," he choked out, realizing the more he tried to stand up straight, the more it hurt.

"We can't take Dooku's ships. They'll be tracked. We need to find another way out, before the battle droids come." Obi-Wan turned one of the lightsabers off and helped Anakin to stand. Anakin leaned into Obi-Wan, smelling sweat and his own blood.

"I have a landspeeder... Dooku gave me... out back... Home. I need to... get home," mumbled Anakin, feeling light-headed.

He passed out before they even left the hallway.

...

Anakin kept passing in and out of consciousness. He remembered Obi-Wan shoving him into the landspeeder. He also remembered arriving at Mos Eisley. He even had a vague memory of being inside a bacta tank, but the rest was a giant blur.

He awoke in a dark room, feeling sore, but without distinction. He was groggy enough to lie there for a few moments, trying to understand where he was and why. At first, he thought he was still in the dark hallway, waiting for Ventress to kill him. It took him several minutes to put all the pieces of his memory into the right order.

Anakin sat up abruptly, which made the room spin and tilt in a distinctly nauseating fashion. Despite the darkness, he sensed Obi-Wan beside him, stirring at his movement. Anakin clutched the bed, finally realizing what he was lying on. It was a soft bed with clean-smelling sheets stretched over his naked body. Obi-Wan's hand touched his shoulder.

"Are you feeling all right?" he asked.

Anakin tried to answer, but his words came out an unintelligible croak. He swallowed and tried again. "I'm sore."

"That's normal. The doctor said you'd feel like that for a couple days. You just came out of the bacta tank this afternoon."

Anakin licked his lips, realizing he was quite thirsty. "Where are we?"

"A Mos Eisley medical center. I paid the doctor extra to keep us hidden in the sub-basement and to not mention our existence to anyone."

"Where'd you get the money?"

"Your backpack. I can replace it once my ship arrives."

"Your... ship?" Anakin head swam as he tried to process all of the information.

"I called for help already. A Republic cruiser should be here to pick me up sometime tomorrow."

Anakin felt a queer twinge in his chest, and if he'd been standing, he was sure he would have staggered. "You're just leaving?"

Anakin could sense Obi-Wan shrug in the dark. "I have to go back to the Jedi. There's still a war going on, though I doubt it will last long without Dooku in charge."

"Right."

Obi-Wan's breath suddenly hit Anakin's ear, making him feel incredibly warm. "I am grateful for your help, Anakin." His hand skated across Anakin's bare stomach; it felt strangely callused on his skin.

Anakin pulled away, ignoring the dizzying sensation that accompanied moving too fast. "No. You don't have to. If I want to pay for a fuck, I'll go to a brothel," he said, his voice flat. He wanted Obi-Wan, but he didn't want him under some sort of obligation.

Obi-Wan's hand stilled. "I thought you liked me." He sounded hurt and strangely young. His tone of voice reminded Anakin of what Dooku had done to Obi-Wan. Anakin felt sick to his stomach.

"I do. But I'm not Dooku. I'm not going to... do that to you." Anakin grabbed Obi-Wan's hand, pulling it away from his stomach. "I'm sure that was horrible -"

"I'm fine." Obi-Wan's voice was harsh, and Anakin imagined if he could see Obi-Wan's expression, it would be filled with anger. "A Jedi lets go of all his sorrow and anger. He does not dwell on the past."

Anakin reached out and touched Obi-Wan's face, and the pain he thought would be on his face wasn't there. It was inside him, though, buried deep, where only Anakin could feel it. "You're lying."

Obi-Wan didn't answer him, but he didn't move away from Anakin's touch, either. Anakin gently explored his face, memorizing his features by feel. Obi-Wan's face was smooth but for the prickles of a beard threatening to grow in. His features were solid, handsome, but not extraordinary. The two moles on his forehead felt as smooth as his skin, and his hair was thick and soft.

"Did you really dream of me?" asked Anakin after a while, remembering their first conversation.

Obi-Wan was silent for so long, Anakin thought he wouldn't answer. When he finally spoke, his voice sounded distant, dreamy. "After Naboo, I felt alone. I felt like I should have someone with me, a brother or a Padawan, but I didn't. I never took a Padawan, because they never felt right to me. When I saw you, I felt for the first time that I found that someone who should have been with me the whole time."

"That's how I felt, too." Anakin was in awe. He could never have put anything like that to words, at least not how Obi-Wan did.

Anakin dropped his hand and leaned forward to kiss Obi-Wan. His mouth was slightly open, and he put up no resistance to Anakin. The feel of his mouth was warm, wet, full of caged energy. There were echoes around Anakin as he pulled Obi-Wan closer, echoes of touch and emotion and sensation. It was slow and fast, hot and chilling, more and less. Obi-Wan kissed him back, his tongue moving against Anakin's. He had his own pace, and it was much slower than Anakin's, but far deeper.

Anakin still felt sore and dizzy, but it was unimportant now. He had a tingling sensation in the back of his head as Obi-Wan stroked his face, a sensation that made him want to shiver. He ran his hands over Obi-Wan's face and hair, wanting Obi-Wan, but wanting to give him something that wouldn't be mistaken for taking.

Anakin slipped a hand down to Obi-Wan's waist. He was wearing what seemed like a shift of some sort; Anakin lifted it up and placed his hand on Obi-Wan's bare hip. "If you want," Anakin said, breathing louder than usual.

Obi-Wan drew back, but his hand was still pressed against Anakin's cheek. "Yes," was all he said. Anakin didn't entirely understand why Obi-Wan would want this after what had happened, but he seemed sincere, and Anakin wanted to give it.

Anakin pressed Obi-Wan back, pushing up his shift. He slowly moved his hand along Obi-Wan's abdomen, sensing Obi-Wan without seeing him. Obi-Wan's skin grew warmer and softer, until Anakin's hand bumped against something both hot and hard. Obi-Wan's breath hitched, and Anakin was surprised to find that Obi-Wan was already hard, but didn't wonder about it for long.

Anakin bent down and paused, giving the other man a moment to stop Anakin if he needed to. Anakin had only done this a couple times before and felt a bit nervous, wondering if Obi-Wan would even like it. Obi-Wan's fingers tangled in his hair; he murmured something, but Anakin couldn't hear what. He took Obi-Wan in his mouth, listening as the other man made a soft noise.

Obi-Wan seemed to stop breathing for a moment, and his fingers stilled in Anakin's hair. Anakin froze, wondering if Obi-Wan wanted him to stop, but then Obi-Wan's fingers trailed across his cheek tenderly. "It's all right," he whispered.

Obi-Wan's breathing soon became erratic, but his fingers were light and steady as they massaged Anakin's scalp. Anakin was pleased to find echoes of Obi-Wan's pleasure reverberating around him. He was making Obi-Wan feel good, and that knowledge gave him a rush.

Obi-Wan was unsurprisingly well-mannered, a skill that Anakin had never mastered, especially on the receiving end of a blowjob. Obi-Wan's hands moved gently around Anakin's face and hair, but did not impede his actions. He never once bucked his hips, though he strained under Anakin's mouth. Obi-Wan's breathing was labored, and the noises he made were soft and pleasing to the ear. Anakin closed his eyes, basking in the reflected pleasure Obi-Wan was feeling, almost as if it were his own. It aroused Anakin as well.

When Obi-Wan came, the echoes of pleasure grew louder around and through Anakin. Obi-Wan gave a soft cry. The euphoria surrounding giving Obi-Wan's pleasure coalesced around him, and Anakin came in a warm rush a moment after. It was as though Obi-Wan's orgasm had been his. Anakin sat up in surprise, trying not to shake, and wiped his mouth.

"That was strange," said Anakin. "I've never come just because -"

"You felt it through the Force," said Obi-Wan, still lying back on the bed. Anakin couldn't see him, but wished he could. He imagined Obi-Wan looked pretty good at that moment.

"I don't understand." Anakin reached down and put a hand on Obi-Wan's chest. He could feel Obi-Wan's heart pound underneath his fingertips. He sensed satisfaction and affection mixing with that deeper sense of anger and hurt that lurked inside Obi-Wan. Anakin sat back when he realized that affection was directed at him; he felt like his heart might burst.

Obi-Wan sat up and kissed Anakin. It was a gentle kiss, lingering on his lips long after Obi-Wan pulled back and said, "You have the same powers I do - stronger even. If I'd met you when you were still a child, I would have tried to make the Jedi Council let me train you. But it's too late now, and you're too old."

"You mean... I... could have been a Jedi? I have those powers?" For some reason, knowing that chance was lost tore Anakin's heart in two. He grabbed Obi-Wan's arms too tightly, shaking him. "And I can't be just because I'm too old?"

Obi-Wan made no noise, but he pushed Anakin way with such force that Anakin skidded back along the bed and his head slammed into the wall. "Don't you ever touch me like that again," he hissed. Anakin felt that deep-set anger and hurt flaring inside Obi-Wan and suddenly felt guilty for his own anger.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to -"

"But you did."

The sound of their breathing filled the room for a long stretch of time, and Anakin sensed as Obi-Wan moved back to his side of the bed. Anakin hesitantly touched Obi-Wan's shoulder after a moment. Obi-Wan stiffened, but his anger seemed to have faded back to that deep place inside of him. Anakin moved to lie down beside him, stretching his body behind Obi-Wan's and planting a kiss on Obi-Wan's neck. Obi-Wan relaxed, so Anakin draped an arm over him and settled in.

Obi-Wan turned around sometime in the night and wrapped his arms around Anakin.

...

Anakin was finding it hard to breathe as he stood on the dusty streets of Mos Eisley, wearing a beige poncho over a new tunic and trousers he'd bought that morning. He stood outside the spaceport, waiting for Obi-Wan. Beings from more races than Anakin could remember milled around him, but paid him little attention. After a few minutes, Obi-Wan emerged with a silver case in his hand.

"Thank you for all your help," he said, handing Anakin the case. "This is to replace the credits I took."

Anakin took the case, but put a hand over Obi-Wan's, trapping it in his. Obi-Wan made as though to pull back until he looked at Anakin's face.

"I didn't care about the credits. Or the sex. Or even about the slavery in the end," Anakin choked out. "I only..." He couldn't finish it. How could he say how much he cared about Obi-Wan or how much he thought about him? He'd hardly spoken to Obi-Wan. It was stupid to feel so much for someone he barely knew - even if it was someone he would give his right arm to know better.

Obi-Wan studied him, his gaze clear and steady. Anakin still felt his anger and pain deep inside of him, along with that affection directed at him. "I feel like I've always known you somehow," said Obi-Wan after a moment, tilting his head.

Anakin looked away. The way Obi-Wan was looking at him hurt, and he had a desire to kiss him again, but knew it to be a bad idea here and now. "Same here."

"We could use pilots," said Obi-Wan, putting a hand on Anakin's arm. "And mechanics. If you want... to come."

Anakin found he could breathe freely again, and twisted his arm so Obi-Wan's hand was in his now. He smiled. "Yes. I want to come. I want to be with you," he said. He sounded like an eager nuna begging for scraps, but at the moment, he didn't care. "Would we... be together?"

Something passed over Obi-Wan's face, and his anger and pain and affection twisted together to form a strange sense of need. It was gone in a moment, at least from the surface. "I'm still a Jedi. If you come... our relationship has to be kept a secret," he said in a soft voice. "Jedi aren't allowed to have possessions or possessive attachment."

Anakin took a moment to work out the implications of what Obi-Wan was offering him. "I can live with that. But..."

"Yes?"

"I need to stop by my stepfather's farm first. I want to give him this money and tell my mother goodbye."

Obi-Wan smiled. "We can do that," he said, squeezing Anakin's hand. There was warmth in his eyes, a warmth that hadn't been there when Anakin first met him.

They walked towards the spaceport together, arm-in-arm, the future stretching out in front of them like a rolling cloud.

...

In the center of Coruscant sat a man with the mind of a snake and the ways of a spider. His name was Palpatine.

Some called Palpatine the leader of the Republic, but those who knew the truth called him its dictator - of course, no one really knew the truth, except for him. He wanted more, though; the Republic was not enough. Soon the entire galaxy would tremble before him, once he destroyed the last thing standing in his way: the Jedi Order.

Palpatine sat by the window in his opulent office, watching the airspeeders zoom off in the distance. A storm brewed across the Coruscant sky. Dark clouds rolled along the sky, and lightning flashed - all by the design of the weather controllers that hung in the atmosphere. He imagined that the Force was much like the Coruscant weather in many ways: obedient to his whims. Palpatine sensed the stirrings in the dark side of the Force that told him the chosen one - his perfect apprentice - was coming his way. Soon, very soon, he would have his revenge - not just his revenge, but the revenge of the Sith.

He knew he'd been right to instruct Dooku to take refuge on Tatooine. Everything was finally falling into place.

The End. For now.

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Extended notes on the differences on characterization in this fic: (Please feel free to skip if not interested.)

I'm working with the theory that environment and life experiences are what shape a person. I went down to bare necessities on personality - that is to say, I considered the TPM characterizations of Obi-Wan and Anakin and built them from there. This is an alternate universe, so the characters are not quite themselves, as you might have noticed.

For Obi-Wan, with Qui-Gon having never died, he is not trying to emulate Qui-Gon as much as he was in AotC. Having never bested Darth Maul, he is more unsure of his own abilities and strength - he lacks the confidence he had in AotC. Contradictorily, his skills are still formidable, and without Anakin there to outshine him, he is considered the most prominent and powerful young Knight. Also, not ever having taken a Padawan, much less one as difficult to manage as Anakin, he has not gained the wisdom and serenity that teaching others often gives you. He lacks the will of iron he displayed in AotC canon. So, yes, I'm working with Stover's statement that Obi-Wan would be a "lesser" man without Anakin there to help shape him.

For Anakin, it was a bit more tricky. He never became a Jedi or dealt with any of those strictures or the repression. He was able to remain in the nurturing care of his mother, and furthermore, was freed from slavery around age ten. Cliegg Lars helped shape him, though their relationship was a bit rocky at first. Much as I believe Owen and Beru helped give Luke his strength in ANH, I believe Cliegg and Shmi's influence on Anakin mellowed him a bit and gave him more control over his passions. Anakin's head was also not filled with how he was "the chosen one", nor was he subject to Palpatine's subtle manipulations. No one really treated him as anything particularly special beyond a young man with extraordinary gifts or put any particular stress on him outside of the stress any young man would have working on his stepfather's farm. I am by no means saying that Obi-Wan or the Jedi made a "lesser" man out of Anakin in canon, but obviously they weren't able to shape him into the perfect Jedi. I'm exploring the idea that Cliegg and Shmi raised Anakin into a more normal man - so the similarities in his personality to both Luke and Leia are intentional.

On a note of characterization that didn't directly have to do with the storyline, my reasoning for Qui-Gon surviving the fight with Darth Maul was that having never met Anakin, Qui-Gon never dealt with the stress or pressure of Anakin's existence. He never had to argue with the Jedi Council, and since a stop at Tatooine was unnecessary, his mission did not encounter as many difficulties as it did in canon. Qui-Gon was able to keep focused and clear enough in the moment to avoid that fatal blow. As for what really happened on Geonosis between Qui-Gon, Dooku, and Mace, I have to leave that mystery for another time.