Chapter III: Earth

"What time is it?" Anakin's slightly husky voice asked.

"Soon" answered Obi-wan while his hand moved unconsciously trough Anakin's hair "sleep some more."

"Mmmhmm… your bed is a bit hard, isn't it?" asked the younger one, still not opening his eyes.

"That's because we're on the floor" Anakin lifted himself a little bit, watching his surroundings.

"And why are we on the floor?" he asked, finally looking at his master.

"Because you wouldn't move."

With an affirmative murmur Anakin rested his head against Obi-wan's chest again.

"You're not such a bad mattress."

"Gee, thanks… at least you're comfortable" a playful half smile on Kenobi's face.

"I had forgot how cranky you get in the morning."

Obi-wan huffed indignantly.

"My mood is perfect at any hour of the day."

"Not it's not" smiled Anakin, propping himself on his elbows to stare at his master "but don't worry" arching a suggestive eyebrow he leaned close to the other one's red lips "I know of something that's wonderful for mood improving."

Still smiling he descended completely onto Obi-wan's lips, loosing himself in the expert tongue and forgetting any rational thought he might had had.

Seconds after, he broke the kiss, beginning to slowly kiss his way trough his lover's torso.

"Are you talking about coffee?" asked Obi-wan with a sigh and a smirk.

"Much better than that."

When Anakin opened his eyes again, Obi-wan was still awake, watching him. If he didn't know about his master's priority for his so called beauty sleep how many times had he had to literally drag him out of bed? he would thought he had been doing just that all night. Slowly, he propped himself on his elbows and, holding his face with his hands he stared at the smiling grey eyes of his master.

"So I guess now is when we have that conversation" said Anakin with a sad smile.

"What conversation?"

"Well, you know… the one in which I ask you exactly what happened last night and you tell me that you don't know but that it shouldn't have and there is no way it's happening again and then I yell and then there's begging, crying and a bit more of yelling and we spend weeks not talking to each other until we decide to act as if it had never happened and we become this repressed old guys that cry their mistakes when they're about to die talking about a love that they should have declared when it was worth it."

"Wow…" Obi-wan arched an eyebrow "I see you have it all planed out… a bit melodramatic for my tasting but I guess I could adapt."

"Obi-wan…" the mentioned caressed his face, stopping his next words with a slow kiss.

Anakin let his words go with the warm sensation in his tongue, still not knowing what it meant. What was the future of his relationship with Obi-wan? Was there a new relationship at all or would this be over as soon as they left that room into the light of reality? He didn't want to think about it, not when his master's mouth felt so delicious against his.

"I think…" whispered Obi-wan when they separated "I think we should have that conversation when I come back from Utapau and things are a little less tense inside the Order."

"But mas…"

"Anakin" Obi-wan raised a little, his hand never leaving his apprentice's cheek "I'm going to be honest, ok? I want you to listen to this" the younger one huffed and stood up with a fast movement, starting to get dressed immediately; Obi-wan looked at him from the floor, naked and confused.

"If you're going to say you regret it I don't want to hear it." said Anakin.

"Why do you always jump to conclusions? I didn't say a word… as usually, you didn't give me the chance" mimicking his former padawan he stood up and calmly put his pants on.

"You look like you're saying that you regret it."

"I didn't know there was even such a look."

"Excuse me if I do not laugh, but in case you didn't notice I'm a little hurt over here" said Anakin while walking towards the door.

Before he could reach it, Obi-wan grabbed his arm roughly and pulled him into the only sofa that the room had.

"Now you're going to listen to me" said Obi-wan raising an accusing finger "first of all, I do not regret it, second…" but the second point got lost in the air when Anakin ran towards him and, surrounding his shoulders with his arms hugged him tightly.

"Thank you" he whispered "I really needed to know that."

"It's ok Anakin, but things are not easy…" Obi-wan hugged his waist when he was going to separate them "you have a wife that's pregnant, and if that's not forbidden enough just imagine having relations with a master… I don't know what good can come out of this and… and you're confused, Anakin. When your mind clears a little this would probably seem crazy to you and… I don't know what step to take next. That's why we should wait till I get back and see what happens… maybe wait until your child is born."

Anakin raised his face, studying his master's features. How could he explain him that nothing had ever been clearer than this? How could he tell him I love you, and just you? But certainly, his master's reasoning seemed more logical, more… Jedi. Patience. He would have it.

"I still think that is not a good idea for you to go without me" said Anakin before his master took his ship towards Utapau.

"Nothing is going to happen" said Obi-wan "you're making me feel as if I was five years old."

"And what if something happens to me?" an adorable pout on his lips.

"Go talk to the Council… nothing will happen to you" Anakin used his best persuasive strategy: the puppy dog eyes "don't play baby Anakin, you're just giving me excuses so I don't leave… but I'm always around Anakin" he walked the steps that separated them and took his hand to Anakin's forehead "I'm always here."

"No, master" Anakin took the other one's hand and placed it on the left side of his chest "you're always here."

Master Windu had told him he would take care of everything, that there would be no problems and that if he stayed still he would have earned his trust. And even though Anakin knew the wisest thing to do was to stay in his quarters or some place really far away from the senator's office, something told him that he should go there. The Force seemed to be screaming to him that something was indeed wrong. But was it really the Force? Wouldn't it be Palpatine in one of his plots?

But as much as Anakin tortured himself by thinking about it, he knew sooner or later he would go to Palpatine no, Darth Sidious because he had a bad feeling, a bad feeling that included Padme… and Obi-wan.

When he arrived at the office, he saw Palpatine kneeled and chained on the floor, Mace Windu holding his purple light sabre, three bodies of Jedi masters dead on the floor.

"What have you done!?" exclaimed Windu "who is she!?" he continued asking questions of the same type while Darth Sidious just laughed.

"Why don't you ask young Skywalker?" said Palpatine looking at Anakin, who stayed by the door, the blue light of his sabre shining.

"Do you know what he is talking about, Skywalker?" – asked Windu, his gaze still on Palpatine "he gave order 66 and asked to eliminate her too" he explained.

"Her!?"shouted Anakin "Padme! Senator Amidala…" he said "I have to go!"

But when he turned around he found himself face to face with troops from the clone army holding their weapons against him.

"The clone army…" whispered Windu "he wants to kill the Jedi Order…"

Anakin held his sabre tightly, unsure of what to do. Padme, Obi-wan, the younglings. They were all in danger and he had to save them, he had to do something. Padme and Obi-wan, Padme and Obi-wan. She had guards, but could they hold on until he took care of the younglings? Padme… and Obi-wan. Obi-wan, Obi-wan, Obi-wan… he could take care of himself… he could, but…

"Can you feel it, Anakin?" – laughed Palpatine – "the hate, the rage, the fury… why don't you let them control you?"

"Never" he whispered, more to himself than to the senator while turning around to face him again.

With a fast movement, the senator stood up freed from his chains and showing a red light sabre. Windu, too surprised to act, couldn't see the attack that cut his hands, nor the one that pushed him to the window, making him fall.

"Are you going to face…" Anakin didn't gave Sidious time to talk and manipulate him, attacking him quickly.

Minutes later, his sabre still in an attack position, his clothes ripped, blood drying on his skin, Anakin knew he couldn't win. It didn't matter what he did, the power the man before him had was too much for his own abilities. He was tired and hurt, and the other one still kept that superior smile.

And the Temple was being attacked, and Padme and Obi-wan.

"Stop torturing yourself" said Palpatine "Kenobi should be dead by now" Anakin held tighter to his light sabre "if I had known that what you liked was fucking your master I would have acted differently" again, his laugh echoed through the place "pity you chose the wrong side… I'll get another apprentice and everything you've ever loved is dead, dead!"

Before Palpatine could sense it, Anakin launched himself against him. Perfect agility and velocity ended up in the senator's right hand cut, his light sabre abandoned in the floor next to it. Darth Sidious screamed while walking towards the window. Grabbing a intercom before Anakin decided his next step, he called a ship he had prepared sensing how Kenobi had managed to change Anakin's troubling thoughts.

"We'll see each other again, young Anakin!" with that, he disappeared on the ship.

The only thing running through Anakin's mind in that moment was Padme. Padme and the possibility of her death. And Obi-wan, he was always there. Nevertheless, in the few seconds that he had been given to think he had decided that his priority would be his family's security, keeping in mind the thought that master Kenobi was very capable of taking care of himself.

Anyhow, he was still on the Temple, his light sabre in an attacking position while a bloody battle against the clone army was held. There were no master's in the Temple, just knights and the younglings, most of them too young to go into battlefield. That's why he fought, he fought until he had no energy left, watching his partner's bodies fall lifeless to the floor, feeling the anguish in the younger ones, feeding his own.

When the battle ended, a lot of his partners began crying over the lost people, others just passed out out of tiredness. He, on the other hand, ran towards Padme's rooms, his sabre still in his hand, blood running down his face.

When he arrived at the well known rooms, there was nobody there. Nobody, dead or alive, nobody. That was until he noticed the protocol droid c3po.

"3po!" he exclaimed "where is the senator?"

"I stayed here just under the purpose of telling you, Jedi Skywalker" started the golden robot "the senator was attacked, but senator Organa arrived in time to save her. Since she was so hurt and there's trouble everywhere he took her into his ship, where he could make sure she was taken care of."

"And the ship, 3po? Where is the senator now?" asked Anakin, relaxing his muscles.

"He went looking for the Jedi that survived the attack."

Back to Fiction Index On to Part 4