Chapter Text
Anakin was excited to see Padme again after all this time. Through their bond, he could sense Qui-Gon’s amusement at his expense, but Anakin couldn’t even bring himself to care. He knew that his master was not the kind of Jedi to lecture him about feeling his emotions. He was nothing like all of those other stiff traditionalists that made up the Jedi Council.
“Don’t forget that we are simply here to assure the senator’s safety,” Qui-Gon reminded him with a gentle tease to his tone.
“I know, Master.”
Finally, the elevator doors opened and they only had to walk a few steps to the front door of Padme’s apartment. One of Padme’s handmaidens answered, and she gave Anakin and Qui-Gon a quick assessing look before nodding once and stepping aside to let the two Jedi enter.
The first thing Anakin saw was Padme. She looked just as lovely as she had ten years ago, when she had appeared on Tatooine like an angel to rescue Anakin from a life of slavery. He felt his tongue go numb and suddenly he couldn’t think of anything he had planned on saying, leaving it to Qui-Gon to make their greetings.
“Senator Amidala,” Qui-Gon said as he stepped forward.
“It’s so good to see you again, Master Qui-Gon, Ani.”
While the two of them spoke, Anakin finally took a moment to realize that they were not entirely alone in the apartment. Aside from the three handmaidens that were present, there was also another man. Anakin could barely focus on any details about the man, because he was too distracted by the realization that this stranger was standing right next to Padme.
There was a moment of awkward silence, when something must have been directed towards Anakin, but he hadn’t heard whatever was just said. Padme cleared her throat, and smiled, that bright blinding smile that had featured in Anakin’s dreams for years. “Oh, yes, my apologies. This is Senator Kenobi.”
Anakin glanced over at his master when he felt a sudden tension coming from the man. “Senator?” he repeated.
Senator Kenobi looked at Qui-Gon with a strange expression. “Yes. Melidaan’s first representative in the senate.” There was a tightness in his voice as he responded to Qui-Gon.
“Congratulations,” Qui-Gon said, much quieter than he usually spoke. Through their training bond, Anakin could feel something from Qui-Gon that could almost be described as wistful, or perhaps nostalgic. It was quickly hidden behind shields, though, so Anakin didn’t have enough time to properly parse it out.
Senator Kenobi dipped his head briefly. “Thank you,” he murmured. “I’m sorry, I did not mean to take up so much of Senator Amidala’s time. I shall leave you to it, then.”
He turned to leave, and Anakin was surprised when Qui-Gon said, “Obi-Wan, wait.”
Padme furrowed her eyebrows as she looked back and forth between the two of them. “Have you met before?” she wondered.
It was a reasonable question, and one that Anakin was also curious about now. Senator Kenobi- Obi-Wan?- gave a tense smile. “I suppose you could say that. It may as well have been in another life by now, though.” Then he bowed more deeply before hurrying out of the apartment while trying to make it look like he wasn’t in a rush to leave.
Padme reached out to gently grab Obi-Wan’s arm, and Anakin’s eyes zeroed in on the hold. Clearly the two must be very close for neither of them to seem bothered by such close contact. “Please, don’t feel as though you must leave. You have every right to be here. You’ve already done as much to protect me as these Jedi will.”
Obi-Wan shook his head. “I have a lot of work to do.”
She gave him a long look, then finally let go of him. “Alright,” she said softly. “I will see you later, then.”
This time, Obi-Wan was able to leave without anyone stopping him. Anakin could only think of how comfortable Obi-Wan and Padme seemed with each other. He knew that as a Jedi he was not supposed to maintain any attachments, but he had let his hopes build up that perhaps Padme had never forgotten about Anakin, the same way he had never been able to forget her. But now it seemed like he was too late.
Padme and Qui-Gon resumed their conversation, but Anakin mostly tuned it out as he tried to think this through. Not only was Padme apparently quite close with this Obi-Wan, but he was also someone whose very presence was enough to cause Qui-Gon pain. Both of those things together were enough to make up Anakin’s mind- Obi-Wan needed to go. If he could just go back to whatever unimportant planet he came from, it would be better for everyone that way. And if he refused to go- well, then Anakin would have to consider more drastic action.
“Master, I’ll be right back,” he muttered before hurrying after Obi-Wan without waiting for a response. He knew that Qui-Gon wouldn’t mind, as he had always encouraged Anakin to follow the will of the Force, even when it meant doing things that made no sense to anyone else.
Unlike earlier, Anakin found himself feeling grateful for how long it took the elevators to travel up and down the senate apartment building, because it meant that Obi-Wan was still waiting when Anakin caught up to him. Obi-Wan raised one eyebrow and gave Anakin a bemused look. “Yes?”
Anakin straightened his back, pleased to note that he stood taller than Obi-Wan, despite obviously being the younger of the two. “Sorry about whatever that was with Qui-Gon,” he offered, trying to get a better feel for the situation. It’s not as though he’d learned much subtlety from the Jedi maverick, but Anakin did know how to refrain from just bulldozing in, at least sometimes. “How do you know my master?”
Obi-Wan closed his eyes for a moment and sighed. “I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised that he never mentioned me. Just another of his failures.” He opened his eyes again and did his best to give Anakin a friendly smile, though it was obvious that it took some effort on his part. “Had things gone differently, I suppose we would be something like brothers now.”
Anakin’s eyes widened in surprise. “You’re a Jedi?”
“No,” Obi-Wan immediately refuted. “That would be the part that would have to have gone differently.” He sighed, and turned to lean back against the wall as he continued to wait for the elevator. “It’s not something I love to talk about, but I’ve never made any secret of my past. I was once a padawan learner. Qui-Gon was my master until I left the Order.”
“You left?” While he knew that there was the occasional Jedi who decided that the life simply wasn’t for them, it was a concept that had never made much sense to Anakin. All he’d ever wanted since he’d first learned about the Jedi was to become one of them, to be a hero who traveled around the galaxy saving people. There were a lot of annoying rules to follow, true, but most of them could be circumvented if one was clever enough at finding loopholes, which was something that Qui-Gon had taught Anakin well.
Obi-Wan narrowed his eyes, before nodding once. “Yes.”
Thinking of Qui-Gon’s strange reaction, Anakin couldn’t help wondering, “Did Qui-Gon not want you to leave?” He knew that Qui-Gon had had padawans before him, but they’d never been spoken of between them, so Anakin didn’t have much to go off of.
He was drawn from his thoughts by the indelicate snort that Obi-Wan let out. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize that this was an interrogation.”
That’s when Anakin remembered why he’d followed Obi-Wan out here in the first place, and it hadn’t been to learn more about Obi-Wan. “No, sorry. I actually wanted to talk to you about-”
He was cut off by the ding of the elevator finally arriving, and Obi-Wan stepped inside as soon as the doors slid open. “It was lovely to meet you, but I really must be going now.”
Anakin stuck his hand out to prevent the doors from closing yet. “Wait- I’d like to talk to you more. It’s about something very important,” he stressed.
Obi-Wan sighed, but nodded once. “I should be free this evening. My apartment is on the thirteenth floor.”
Since he clearly wasn’t going to be able to accomplish anything further at the moment, Anakin nodded and withdrew, allowing Obi-Wan to slip away. As soon as the man was gone, Anakin’s thoughts drifted back to Padme, and he went back to her place. Even though the situation was dangerous and there was someone out to kill her, Anakin couldn’t help smiling a little at the sight of his angel. Anakin couldn’t wait to get properly acquainted with her. And tonight, he’d make sure that Qui-Gon’s former padawan wouldn’t be able to cause any trouble.
,,,
Anakin and Qui-Gon were supposed to be standing guard all night to make sure that Padme would be safe. It was admittedly a little boring, since they were expected to just hang around in the living room all night.
He waited until it was just late enough that Qui-Gon would believe in a bit of restlessness, and then started jiggling his leg up and down as he fidgeted with his hands. Qui-Gon gave him a knowing look. “Perhaps it would do you good to get some air,” he suggested.
Anakin jumped to his feet. “Thank you, Master. I’ll be back soon, I promise!”
One of Padme’s handmaidens gave him a funny look as he left, but Anakin ignored it. He was only trying to help Padme by making sure that there wasn’t some weird hanger-on constantly clinging to her. He took the elevator down to Obi-Wan’s floor, then realized that he didn’t actually know the apartment number to look for.
It was starting to look like Obi-Wan had just been giving him the runaround. While Anakin contemplated how much trouble he might get in if he just started knocking on every door until he found the right one, he heard the sound of a door down the hall open, and he turned to see Obi-Wan standing there, one eyebrow raised.
Anakin blinked as he hurried over. “Do you feel the need to look every time one of your neighbors gets off the elevator?” Clearly Obi-Wan was too nosey.
Obi-Wan rolled his eyes as he stepped away, clearly allowing Anakin space to enter the apartment. “If you were raised by the Jedi, then surely someone must have mentioned how… loud you are in the Force.”
It’s not that Anakin had never been told that before, but the reminder that Obi-Wan was also Force sensitive only served to irritate him. It would be harder to deal with him, even if he was only partially trained. “Sorry,” he gritted out. His master had always taught him that it was okay, and in fact even encouraged, to embrace the Force instead of trying to always hide himself away, but at the same time had always warned him that if he left himself too open, anyone with a bit of Force sensitivity would be able to sense him.
“Would you like something to drink?” Obi-Wan offered as he led Anakin further into the apartment. “I might have some caf somewhere in the back of the cupboard, but I’m afraid I mostly drink tea.”
Anakin wrinkled his nose at the thought of drinking bland leaf water, and then felt even more irritated when Obi-Wan dared to laugh at him. “No thanks.”
“So what is the important thing you needed to talk to me about?” Obi-Wan asked as he headed to the kitchen to switch on the kettle.
Looking around as they passed through the apartment, Anakin absently noted how empty the place looked. Of course most senators didn’t live on Coruscant all year round, but the senate was in session for months at a time, and most people didn’t want to go that long without any glimpse of home. Even Padme’s apartment had many pictures, plants, and strange art pieces that mostly looked like indistinct blobs.
He realized a moment later that Obi-Wan was staring at him expectantly, and Anakin cleared his throat. “You seem to be awfully close to Padme,” he pointed out. Too close, some might say, based on what Anakin had witnessed between them earlier.
Obi-Wan nodded. “She has been a kind friend and a good mentor over the years, despite being a decade younger than me.”
“Is that all she is?” Anakin asked in a low voice.
Obi-Wan did not seem intimidated in the slightest, even though Anakin knew that his Force signature was probably starting to hint towards danger. “An interesting question,” Obi-Wan mused, like he’d merely been asked his opinion on one of Padme’s weird sculptures rather than about his relationship status. “Is there any reason that such information would be any of your business?” His voice didn’t sound confrontational or harsh, but it was clearly an attempt to prevent the conversation from continuing.
Anakin stalked closer. “Someone has tried to take Padme’s life once already,” he started.
Obi-Wan interrupted. “Ah, I see. So then you think I am a suspect?”
The thought hadn’t really occurred to Anakin before, and he just blinked in surprise. “Well-”
“I do have an alibi, if that matters to you,” Obi-Wan continued, apparently running with the idea that he was a suspect. “Although I suppose if there is a hired assassin, then an alibi wouldn’t mean much. We do tend to work towards supporting the same bills, so it would be difficult to see what motivation I might have. But I cannot blame you for wanting to be thorough. Padme is dear to me, and I want to keep her safe just as much as you do.”
Anakin narrowed his eyes at the idea of Padme being ‘dear’ to Obi-Wan. His hand twitched towards his saber, but the moment was interrupted by a sudden jolt in his bond to Qui-Gon, alerting him to danger and requesting back up. Without a word, he turned on his heel and sprinted out of Obi-Wan’s apartment. The elevator would take too long, so he resigned himself to running up the several flights of stairs that it would take to get back to Padme’s floor.
Somehow, he didn’t even realize that Obi-Wan was right behind him until he’d already burst through the front door of Padme’s apartment, doing his best not to blatantly pant for breath. “Master-!” he called out when he didn’t immediately spot anyone.
“Bedroom!” Qui-Gon’s voice rang out.
Anakin glanced over his shoulder to scowl at Obi-Wan, but he could feel that the situation was too urgent to take the time to force the senator to back off. Both of them ran into the bedroom, where they found Qui-Gon standing over Padme’s bed, one arm outstretched as he used the Force to keep a strange metal bug pinned up against the wall.
Anakin hurried over to where Padme was standing in her pajamas. “Are you alright?”
“I’m fine,” she assured him. “But that thing certainly gave me a shock.”
After looking her over to make sure for himself that his angel was okay, Anakin turned his attention to the electronic critter. “I can probably open this thing up and figure out where it came from.”
He didn’t get the chance, though, before the large window next to them suddenly shattered from the force of a blaster bolt hitting it. Anakin leapt back to press Padme to the ground so she wouldn’t be hit. The shot made Qui-Gon lost his concentration, and it was enough for the bug to get away, quickly exiting through the newly opened window. “Damn,” he sighed.
Then Anakin felt another jolt of alarm through their bond, and he looked up just in time to see Obi-Wan fling himself through the window. His eyes widened in surprise, and all three of the remaining people in the room ran over, half expecting to see nothing but a splat all the way at the base of the building. It was too hard to see through the thick lanes of traffic, though.
Qui-Gon turned to Anakin. “You stay here and protect Senator Amidala. I will go make sure that Senator Kenobi is alright.”
It sounded like an ideal situation to spend a little extra time with Padme, and show her that he was capable of protecting her. But on the other hand, if Obi-Wan were to find himself in some trouble because he’d jumped into this investigation without the proper training, then it would definitely keep him from bothering Padme anymore in the future. “You should stay here,” Anakin refuted. “You’ll get too distracted by Obi-Wan.” He knew it was unfair to play on Qui-Gon’s emotions like that, but it was the best way to get what he wanted.
He felt a moment of shame from Qui-Gon, quickly followed by pride at Anakin’s maturity. He nodded once, and then Anakin hurried off in pursuit of Obi-Wan.
He reached out with the Force, but he had not paid enough attention to Obi-Wan’s Force signature earlier for him to be able to pick it out now amidst the thousands of other people out and about at the moment. Instead, he focused on trying to find a sense of danger. In a city like this, there were, of course, many such instances of danger, but when he felt a slight nudge from the Force, Anakin went in that direction.
Anakin flew up, ignoring all of the speeders that started honking at him for cutting them off. He didn’t have time to even spot Obi-Wan anywhere before the man himself was suddenly falling into the speeder. “You-”
“That way,” Obi-Wan directed, without so much as a ‘thank you’ for saving his life (even if it hadn’t really been intentional on Anakin’s part).
Since he did actually want to stop the assassin who was a threat to Padme, Anakin decided to do as he was told. He pulled to an abrupt stop outside a seedy nightclub when Obi-Wan indicated. “She’s in there.”
If this did turn out to be a dead end, then Anakin would have no problem blaming Obi-Wan for the failure. He just nodded and followed Obi-Wan inside. They split up without having to even discuss a plan, and started rapidly searching through the club for any sign of their assassin.
Anakin didn’t have any luck, but his attention was caught by a small commotion, and he looked over just in time to see Obi-Wan hauling someone out into the back alley. He hurried after them. “Who hired you to go after Senator Amidala?” Obi-Wan demanded to know.
The assassin just laughed. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”
Since Qui-Gon was too far away to catch on, Anakin immediately thought of a more violent way of getting answers. He could rip them right out of her mind if he wanted to. Obi-Wan probably wouldn’t even know what was happening, since he had to have left the Order many years ago for Anakin to have never even heard of him before.
He started to raise his hand, but he felt a faint warning in the Force, and then a dart flew through the air to strike the assassin in the neck. She immediately collapsed, and Obi-Wan gently lowered her to the ground. Obi-Wan checked for a pulse, then shook his head once before standing up. They both watched as her body shifted back into its natural form, and then Obi-Wan’s head darted up to look at the buildings surrounding them.
Another warning, and then Obi-Wan leapt forward, using the Force to block a dart from hitting Anakin. “We need to get out of here,” he urged. Anakin could barely pay attention to the words, though. All he could focus on was the way that Obi-Wan’s use of the Force had suddenly made his signature very apparent, and it glowed around him like a golden sunset. It made Anakin’s entire body itch in a way he didn’t understand, and he allowed Obi-Wan to pull him back inside the club while they waited for backup to arrive. He couldn’t tear his eyes away from Obi-Wan the entire time, as he wondered how someone who had left the Order before being knighted could possibly shine so brightly in the Force.