Hello lovely people! This is my first Star Wars fic. I'm sorry for any mistakes you might find. Depending on reviews I may write more in this series. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it!

Keep happy and reviewing!

Much love!

Blah= Internal thoughts. Not the Force or bond.

…

When Angel's return home.

Qui-Gon.

The Force was writhing with excitement, sending whispered messages and strangled images. Someone was coming home. A Jedi was returning. I skidded down the corridors, darting around younglings and tripping over my feet. My usual graceful moves distorted by raging hope. I had waited so long. I was worried he wouldn't come. People spoke in hushed whispers as I dashed past them. All awaiting the return of a son and friend. There was only praise and pride on their faces. They knew what he had done. The sacrifices he had made. Panting, I threw open the apartment door, a gleeful gaze sweeping the room. There was no disturbance, his feet had not touched this carpet in years. The Force was pushing me, coaxing me toward his old room. My feet followed its will, I would have done anything to see that man again. The bedroom door ghosted open before I could touch it. The Force was strong inside the room, thick on the air and pulsing with a soul. I watched with batted breath as it settled on the bed and a form begun to glow. The light was gone in a flash and I stared at the body occupying the empty space. Decades had it been since I had seen him. Since his vibrant personality had sparkled and I had felt his love. I hurried toward the bed, placing myself by his sides, fingertips pressed against his face.

Youth. He had his youth again. The Force had sent him one last merciful act. I thought this face was lost to my memories. I had expected an old man, twisted by his silent years to appear. But seeing him like this was enough to bring tears to me. I bit them stubbornly back, hungry eyes memorising the boy I had left behind.

The Force sent me a whispered warning I couldn't decipher. But I understood the intentions. Understood it wanted me to be aware of the damage 'The Chosen One' had inflicted. It cautiously reminded me that he would remember everything.

"Obi-Wan. Wake up." I tapped his cheek gently.

Blue eyes snapped open, confused and scared. Too long had he been absent from my side. He had been left to cry and age without me beside him. He swept a cautious gaze around the room, I sensed his suspicion.

"Obi-Wan?" I inquired softly

His attention snapped to me in a heartbeat, suddenly he looked so small. So much like the boy I had welcomed to me with open arms. Timid fingers delicately touched my cheek, his face alight with wonder. I let him dance his fingertips over my skin, tracing my nose and outlining my eyes. He grew more confident, pressing his palm against my chest and clutching at my robes. I didn't miss his trembling frame or the tumbling emotions inside him. But then he glanced up, locking azure eyes with my face and something inside him fell away. He froze, tensed and frightened. He ripped himself away from me, scrabbling backward on the bed before cowering against the headboard. Surprise halted my movements, horror beating through me when I took in his battered appearance.

Padawan…What has the world done to you?...

"Obi-Wan? Don't be afraid."

"This is some sick joke, isn't it?" There was deep loathing in his voice, he rolled his head toward me. Broken. My beautiful Padwan was broken. "Vader's finally caught up with me. I'm quite impressed, you know? You look exactly like Master Jinn."

Panic flared inside me, butchering my mind. "I'm real. I'm here with you, Padawan."

A mirthless chuckle left him. "Mmm, I bet all the hallucinations say that. You're not my Master. My Master wouldn't sit beside me knowing what I've done. Besides, he's dead."

"What have you done?"

Exasperation flickered across his face, his lips drew into a frown. "You really need to do more research before trying to drive a captive mad. I failed him."

"H-How?"

Irritation made him look hostile, reminded me of the thread I walked.

"The boy."

"Anikan? How did you fail?"

"He turned, didn't you know? Yeah, guess I wasn't good enough after all. Force, Master must be cursing my every breath."

I reached out to him, desperation swirling inside me. He had to understand. I had to save him from Anikan's darkness.

"I'm not angry, Obi-Wan! You've done me proud."

"NO!" With a snarl, he wrenched himself away from me, dashing of the bed. Suddenly, he was feral, cornered and panicking. "LET ME OUT! VADER! VADER! FACE ME!"

I didn't know how to approach him as he called for his murderer. He stalked out of the bedroom, glaring at the living room of his memories. I felt his anger and injustice, The Force trembled with it. He prowled the room, pausing only to take in familiar objects and sneer at them. But I soon saw the frustration rise in him. I was startled when he seized a ceramic mug from the table and threw it against the ground. It shattered on impact, white slivers littering the floor at his feet. But he had already moved away from the mess on the carpet, striding toward a pile of Data Pads in the corner. He sent them thudding to the floor with a frantic sweep of his arm.

"Stop it!" I scolded.

"Where am I? How can this place be so real? TELL ME!"

"Calm down, Padawan!"

He didn't listen to me as he marched into the kitchen, moments later cutlery clattered to the floor. I dashed after him, frightened Obi-Wan's fractured mind would shatter. Obi-Wan had stopped in the middle of the kitchen, cradling something in his hands.

"W-Where did you get this?"

Slowly he turned, showing me the small object his hands protected. I glanced down at it, a fond smile on my face. The bright colours of the shell reflected in the artificial light, orange and gold swirled with red. I remembered finding it, the joy on a young boy's face and the glow in my heart as we watched the setting sun.

"You remember the trip? Our first real vacation and we found this. The fading sun shone so brightly in the fire touched sky."

"How can you have this? No one but Qui-Gon knew about it. It was lost when the Temple was destroyed."

"That's why it's here. It belongs here, with us."

Wild eyes were calming, the fear diluted behind confusion. His gaze left the shell he clasped tightly and found my face again.

"You're real?" I heard the question, the whispered hope and smiled.

"I'm real. I've been waiting for so long."

He frowned. "I don't believe you."

I felt for his mind, the blend of courage and heart that had always been Obi-Wan. He shielded as soon as he sensed me hovering close to him. I felt the impenetrable shield falter when I tugged on the bond and soothed the wailing fear he carried always with him. I coaxed a fragile opening between our minds and let a father's love for a son trickle through. There was a nervous stroke inside my head before Obi-Wan retreated.

"Force-Sensitive." He whispered. "Vader couldn't trick me this bad, could he?"

I shook my head. "Vader can't touch you here. I promise you're safe."

He fidgeted, the movement of his body causing him to catch his reflection in the window. Disbelief darted across his face as he moved gracefully toward the glass. I watched him stare at the young man reflected back at him. There were no lines on his face, no tales of age or hardship. No pain in the arms he flexed. There was only beauty where he remembered decay. He tugged experimentally on his Padawan braid, running the beaded strands through nimble fingers.

"I don't understand. I must be dreaming."

I moved to stand beside him, meeting his tormented gaze in the window. "No. You're wide awake."

"What happened to me?" Innocent. Childlike. Afraid of the memories.

"What do you remember?"

"Pain. And then you. No…black robes…Blue and Red lights?"

"I wish I had a better way to tell you this." I rested my hand on his shoulder, relieved when he didn't pull away. "You're dead. I'm sorry."

"Dead? Black robes…Darth Vader…"

He slumped backward into my arms, his body suddenly surrendering. I steadied him, holding him tight against my chest. His trembling hands flew up to hide his face but the shuddering shoulders betrayed him.

"Padawan…I'm here." I reassured, breathing into familiar ginger hair.

"I'm sorry." He was ashamed, believing he was wrong. Unable to place the blame in myself and his fallen apprentice.

I held him tighter to me, burying my face into his shoulder as guilt bloomed inside me and whispered in my ear.

"Don't apologise. You've done nothing wrong. It's not your fault." I prayed he would believe my words but his tense body told me he wouldn't.

"Yes it is. You only asked one thing of me and I couldn't do it. 'Train the boy'. I couldn't do it. I've destroyed everything."

"Anikan, destroyed everything. He was always meant to turn. You couldn't have prevented it."

"I should have."

I maneuverer him in my arms, spinning him round until I could see his face. He looked away immediately, afraid of my tongue. My worn fingers hooked under his chin, forcing his head up. There wasn't any resistance until rebellious eyes darted away, focusing on something behind my head.

"Look at me, Child." Surprised eyes latched onto mine. "Hear my words. You haven't failed. Anikan failed because he forgot everything you ever taught him. Destiny wrote long ago that he would cause hurt and suffering. It's not your fault. You tried, Force I know how hard you tried. It was always out of your hands. You were never supposed to save Anikan. Can you understand?"

He was silent for a moment, caught in a lonely past. But he spoke with conviction. "You're wrong. I let my Padawan down. Nothing you can say will change that."

But he wanted my words to fix it. There was a part of him wanting to believe me. Too accept that Anikan's fall wasn't of his own making.

He couldn't. He'd had long years to suffer and convince himself he was to blame.

I crushed him against my chest, ignoring the yelp of protest. I clutched him to me, despair a wave inside me.

"Then I failed you. I should never have forced Anikan into your hands. I can't apologise enough."

"No, you shouldn't have. But you did."

When he struggled, I let my arms fall away. The smile he sent to me was dead, a whisper of the beam I remembered. Gracefully, he moved away, exiting the kitchen without seeing it. Moments later his bedroom door hissed shut. I fell to my knees on the tilled floor.

"Padawan…Obi-Wan…My son…I'm so very sorry."

But he didn't hear. He wouldn't listen. The festering wound to deep and septic between us. But here, in a place beyond Anikan's wrath, I had an eternity to fix him. Countless lifetimes to bring my son back to me.

I wouldn't make the same mistake twice.

The clock on the wall had ticking endlessly inside my head, when I approached my Padawan's door. I hovered outside, my hand raised to strike the door but unable to move. Obi-Wan had always been secretive, confident his burdens could be handled alone. Surely, Anikan's betrayal and his own isolation would cement that idea inside his head. I knew my presence by his side might not be tolerated. But I shook away the fear of rejection and rapped my knuckles gently against the metal.

"Obi-Wan? May I come in?"

"I suppose. You can't hurt me anymore. I'm dead."

So far…he's fallen so far…Why didn't anyone catch him?

The door slipped silently open and I stepped into the dimly lit room. Obi-Wan lay stretched across his bed, silver tears on his cheeks and distress in his heart. I perched next to him on the mattress, my sorrowful gaze running over him. He fidgeted under my scrutiny and threw an arm over his eyes.

"Don't hide from me, Padawan. There is no shame in the tears you cry."

"Aren't I supposed to hide emotions? Embrace them and I'll become…the boy…"

The boy. Never Anikan. A desperate attempt to keep Anikan out. Too ignore what he did to him.

I shook my head violently, wrapping gentle fingers around his wrist. "You'll never become Anikan. Never. There's too much good in you."

"Bet you said that about him too."

"Obi-Wan. Here, you will never turn. You will never fall further than you are now. The only way you can go is up." I pried his arms away from his eyes, cringing at the tears he tried not to shed.

"That's nice to know. But I've already hit rock bottom. What more can I do?"

"You can fight."

"I'm tired of fighting. I die and I'm still fighting the past. Still struggling with my mistakes."

"It's not your fault. One day you'll believe me."

"I was never meant to be happy was I?" He sounded resigned, he had accepted that he wasn't supposed to be happy and it was a knife in my gut.

"Everyone was meant to be happy. Life just got in the way."

Silence. He didn't move, his gaze fixed on the ceiling. I bowed my head, playing with my hands on my lap. But then I felt a gentle pressure against my leg. Obi-Wan had turned silently, moving to press his back to my body in silent acceptance. I lifted my hand to run my fingers through his hair. He relaxed fractionally under my touch, not as much as I wanted but enough to show he was starting to believe I could be with him again.

"I hate my life." He whispered.

"I know you do. But you shouldn't dwell in that anymore. This is your reality now. And I am here where I belong."

"But for how long?" He was afraid, his voice tainted by it. Terrified I would choose someone else over him.

"Forever."

In the dwindling light, I thought I saw him smile.