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I have had dreams and I have had nightmares, but I have conquered my nightmares because of my dreams.
– Jonas Salk
***
Obi-Wan found his Padawan in the long, soft grass near the great waterfall in the Room of a Thousand Fountains. He was lying on his back, his blue eyes fixed on the domed ceiling of transparisteel. Looking up too, the older Jedi for a moment observed how the light pollution from Coruscant made the stars indistinct dim dots, their light almost invincible. However, two of the four moons shone brightly, casting their soft white light over the long-limbed young man, who didn't seem to register his master's presence.
Pulling his Jedi robe around him to keep warm in the slightly chilly night he sat down quietly next to Anakin, for a time listening to the eternal rush of falling water and the muffled hooting of the convor Qui-Gon had once brought home from a mission and let loose in the vast room. There were several other creatures now roaming freely in the temple thanks to his eccentric master, as well as numerous rare plants mysteriously growing within its walls.
Obi-Wan sighed longingly. Even though they hadn't always seen eye to eye, he still missed his master and wished he had been here, if only so he could seek his often unorthodox advice.
Without looking, he reached out to run a hand through his padawan's short dark blonde hair, making him hum low in pleasure, some of the tension that seemed to make the Force charged and uneasy around him immediately dissipating.
"Nightmares?" Obi-Wan asked quietly, almost inaudibly, not wanting to disturb the small feline predator hunting in the high grass close by.
Anakin had been plagued by nightmares and premonitions for as long as Obi-Wan had known him, making his nights restless and difficult. Early on, they had tried talking to a mind-healer about it, but their insistence that the dreams were just dreams, that they would pass in time, and that the future was always in motion, hadn't helped when Anakin was once again haunted and tormented by detailed visions of the galaxy burning, of his mother dying in his arms after being abused, or of not being able to breathe because he was trapped in a lifesupportsuit that was more of a prison than anything else. Dreams where Obi-Wan turned his back on him, leaving him to die in pain, consumed by hate and darkness. He had seen so many faces, places, and heard so many screams that Obi-Wan had often feared he would collapse under the burden and lack of rest.
When he had been younger, he had often ended up climbing into Obi-Wan's bed, shaking and with tear-stained cheeks, seeking the comfort of the only other being he trusted. But since he had become a teenager, he had gotten into the habit of wandering instead, walking through the endless halls of the temple until he could no longer stay upright. Or he would work on one of the many mechanical projects that always seemed to pile up in his room, until exhaustion finally overcame him and he fell asleep resting awkwardly over his workbench.
Lately, however, he had discovered that the constant roar of the waterfall could drown out the noise in his overly active mind, momentarily granting him some peace, so he had taken to sleeping in the garden.
Obi-Wan had his own set of ghosts and monsters haunting his dreams, so more often than not, they would both be awake in the late hours of the night when only the few nocturnal species of the Jedi roamed the long halls of the temple.
"Do you wish to tell me about them?"
They had learned that it helped Anakin to talk about what he saw in his dreams, and a few times they had also experienced that it hadn't just been nightmares, but actual premonitions.
One of these had been the nightmare about a mission that could have cost Padawan Thel-Tanis her life. Anakin had been horrified because he had seen in the dreams that it was his fault. Luckily, he had spoken with his master about it, and when reality began to resemble the dream, they had managed to change the outcome. Thel-Tanis was still alive, and surprisingly Anakin's relationship with Ferus Olin had also improved. Although they still didn't get along, their relationship was more frenemies than actual enemies.
After that experience they had started to keep a journal over both their nightly visions.
Anakin let out a long sigh and closed his eyes, the exhaustion momentarily evident on his young face before he replied hoarsely.
"It was an old familiar one. Mom dying in my arms, and me slaughtering an entire camp of Tusken Raiders..." He shuddered.
"I can still feel the burning sensation of the darkness in my blood and the bitter hatred on my tongue…" He hesitated, but then continued, "the pain, grief and anger… the darkness... It feels so real, Master. I wish I had a way to find out if she's okay."
He trailed off, staying quiet for some time before he finally whispered, "I know I should trust the will of the Force... and not be attached… but I can't do it."
A single tear escaped the corner of his eye and slipped down his cheek, glistening in the moonlight.
"Anakin,” Obi-Wan said in a gentle but firm voice, “you're human, and you weren't raised in the Temple, I will not ask you to not be concerned about her.”
Anakin was not like every other Jedi, and when Obi-Wan had accepted that and started to not expect the impossible of the young boy who so suddenly had become his responsibility, their relationship had improved immensely.
“You've been dreaming about her quite often lately, haven't you?"
"Yes."
Anakin rolled over and hid his face against Obi-Wan's thigh, momentarily forgetting that he was almost nineteen and an adult.
"I'm scared." He whispered in an unusual show of vulnerability, his voice so low that Obi-Wan couldn't be sure he'd actually heard him.
The young Jedi would almost never admit he was afraid, no matter how bad things got. His proud and stubborn nature forbade him from showing even the slightest sign of weakness, only Obi-Wan was allowed to know and sometimes see it.
Running a hand in soothing circles over Anakin's tense back, Obi-Wan made a promise he hoped he would be able to keep. "We'll find a way to check up on her and make sure she's okay. I have a feeling the opportunity will present itself very soon."
He let his hand rest against Anakin's hair and waited for him to look up at him, his blue eyes hesitantly hopeful.
"And if the worst should happen…” He had to stop and take a steadying breath, because he too had dreamed of the darkness consuming his padawan.
“I have faith in you, faith that you will do the right thing.” He said when he was sure his voice wouldn't waver.
“You are strong Anakin, and I know you will not let the darkness overwhelm you.”
He pulled the bond between them tight, making sure there could be no doubt about his vow. “I promise to never leave you."
He would rather die than let that nightmare become reality.
"I love you, Obi-Wan." Anakin said in a thick voice. "I'm so glad you became my Master."
"So am I, and I love you too, Dear One."
Obi-Wan had long since decided to break the code for Anakin, loving him with all his heart.
“Feeling better now?”
“Yeah. Thank you. Stay with me?” Anakin asked, almost sounding shy.
“Gladly. Though I am becoming too old to sleep on the ground.”
“Nonsense, Master, you are not that old.”
“If you say so, my young padawan.”
They fell silent, Obi-Wan's hand still sliding through Anakin's short hair, and soon his breathing became calm and deep, as he finally slipped into a peaceful sleep.
Obi-Wan stayed awake awhile longer, but eventually he too was overcome by the need to sleep. He lay down in the surprisingly comfortable grass and pulled Anakin close so his head could rested against his chest.
Just before he too slipped into the welcome embrace of sleep, he felt a large hand sliding through his long hair, teasingly tugging at the auburn locks, as a deep voice said.
"Sleep now, Padawan, you have done well. Gather your strength while you can, you will need it soon. Trust in the Force, it is always with you, and so am I."